Sadler on Pole for Inaugural Truck Series Race at Pocono

Today NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series makes it’s first ever stop at the “Tricky Triangle” of Pocono Raceway for the Pocono Mountains 125. Leading the field to green will be Elliott Sadler driving the #2 GT Vodka Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. Sadler’s time of 55.350 seconds (162.602 MPH) was enough to earn him his first career pole in the truck series.

Starting alongside Sadler is Sprint Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne. Kahne will be piloting the #18 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports this weekend. The last time Kahne ran in the truck series was 2004. The good news for Kahne fans is that in his two previous truck series starts he has brought home the trophy both times.
The Pocono Mountains 125 will be broadcast on SPEED Channel with prerace beginning at 12:30 Eastern.

Here’s the full starting lineup:

Letarte Signs Contract Extension with Hendrick Motorsports

LONG POND, Pa. (July 30, 2010) -- Crew chief Steve Letarte has signed a multi-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports, the organization announced Friday.

Heading into Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway, the 31-year-old Letarte has guided Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 DuPont team to 10 wins, 21 runner-up finishes, 77 top-five finishes, 108 top-10s and 14 pole positions in 174 races. Gordon's second-place and top-five finishes during that time rank as the most among all drivers (teammate Jimmie Johnson ranks second in top-fives with 76.)

"I'm extremely excited," Letarte said. "Hendrick Motorsports is the only company I've ever received a paycheck from. I've worked here since I was a teenager, and they've provided wonderful opportunities for me. I owe a lot to them. I'm really excited to be extended here so I can go a few more years."

Marshall Carlson Named President of Hendrick Motorsports

CONCORD, N.C. (July 28, 2010) – Rick Hendrick this week elevated Marshall Carlson to the role of president and chief operating officer of Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick made the announcement Tuesday to more than 500 people at the organization's employee meeting.

The position of Hendrick Motorsports president most recently was held by Hendrick's late brother John Hendrick, who assumed the title in 1998. It has remained vacant since his passing in October 2004.

"Marshall has the ability to plug into every aspect of our industry, from competition to marketing, at an extremely high level," said Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "He's versatile from a business perspective, and there's a high degree of respect for him throughout the organization because of the way he treats people. We're very fortunate to have someone of his considerable talent help guide us into the future."
Carlson, 37, will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of Hendrick Motorsports, which has earned four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships since he assumed the role of executive vice president and general manager on Jan. 24, 2005.

TV Schedule July 30-Aug. 1

NASCAR returns to Pocono Raceway as the Sprint Cup Series and - for the first time - the Camping World Truck Series take on the Tricky Triangle this weekend. Meanwhile, the Nationwide Series makes its second annual appearance at Iowa Speedway.

Pocono is a different animal from the other tracks on the NASCAR circuit. The 2.5-mile triangle-shaped superspeedway has three sharp turns, all different from one another. Turn 1, with 14-degree banking, was described by Kurt Busch this week as being the bumpiest of the three. Turn 2, the famous "tunnel turn," has a banking of 8 degrees and is widely considered by the majority of drivers to be the most difficult. Turn 3 has 6-degree banking. Instructors with the Stockcar Racing Experience at Pocono will tell you Turn 3 is the most troublesome because as the flattest of the turns, it's easy for drivers to lose focus and "get lost" in the corner. Pocono's three straightaways are also unusual because each one is a different length.

Motorsports as Grief Therapy?

Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images for NASCAR

The following post was written by Skirts and Scuffs contributor Jenny Sigelko during the recent weekend at Gateway International Raceway. Jenny recently lost her mother after a long illness and wanted to share her thoughts on returning to a hobby she enjoys so much.


On behalf of our entire team I would like to express our condolences to Jenny and her entire family. Thanks for sharing your story Jenny and for showing us there are many ways to grieve ~ K

As I stood in the hot sun, in t-shirt & jeans, I exhaled for the first time in what seemed like months. This was my first trip in nearly 4 months, and my first time to relax after my mother’s funeral 10 days prior. I’d spent, along with my dad, nearly every waking moment, apart from work, taking care of my mom. Since her kidneys began to fail in February, she required nearly constant care. Trips away to races were now impossible. Even though I knew the right thing was to care for my mom, it was hard to watch my plans unravel… Nashville, Richmond, Darlington, New Hampshire, Chicago had come and gone. The thought of getting on the airplane for St.Louis kept me companion through her services and the days after.

Dover Motorsports Declines 2011 NASCAR Events at Gateway International Raceway

July 28, 2010 - Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE: DVD) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Gateway International Raceway has notified NASCAR that it will not seek 2011 sanctions for its two Nationwide Series and one Camping World Truck Series races.

Vice President and General Manager of Gateway, Terry Harmeson stated, “This was a difficult decision in light of the many years of earnest and continued efforts on everyone’s part to develop a viable market for these events in one of our nation’s greatest cities. We remain committed to fulfill the balance of our 2010 schedule including our October 23rd NASCAR Nationwide race which will provide our fans the opportunity to see Danica Patrick compete here for the first time. We also plan to explore various ways to change the economics at Gateway both from the revenue and expense side.”

Update on the Condition of Jack Roush Following Plane Crash

Read the initial release from Roush Fenway Racing here.

Concord, N.C. (July 28, 2010) – Jack Roush, co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing and chairman of ROUSH® Enterprises, remains hospitalized in serious, but stable condition following a plane accident at Wittman Air Field in Oshkosh, Wisc., yesterday.  He is currently under observation for facial injuries sustained in the accident.

His passenger, Brenda Stricklin, was treated and released from a Wisconsin hospital this afternoon.

Labonte to Replace Ambrose for JTG Daugherty in 2011

JTG Daugherty Racing announced today that 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte will take the reins as driver of the No. 47 Toyota Camry for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 36-race schedule. 

“JTG Daugherty Racing is a solid race team that has come close to winning races with Marcos Ambrose and I’m looking forward to developing our new partnership in 2011,” Labonte said. “The team is thriving and their technical alliance with MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) is intact. It’s great to have next year already set in stone so when this season ends we can begin focusing on next year right away. Everything is in place and we have all the right ingredients to win races together.”

Labonte’s credentials speak for themselves. The Corpus Christi, Texas native is a 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner with 26 pole awards, 114 top-five and 199 top-10 finishes. Team owners Jodi and Tad Geschickter and Brad Daugherty are pleased Labonte accepted the offer to drive the JTG Daugherty Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry as they enter their third full-time season of competition at Daytona International Speedway on February 13th.

Scranton dealership to host meet-and-great with Kyle Busch

In anticipation of this weekend's races at Pocono Raceway, Kyle Busch will make an appearance at the Toyota of Scranton dealership, 3400 N. Main Ave., Scranton, on Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The event kicks off with a press conference. Busch will take questions from media and fans and will be on hand to sign autographs. There will be food, racecars on display and simulators.

Toyota of Scranton will sponsor the No. 18 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports in Saturday's inaugural Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway. Kasey Kahne will pilot the No. 18 truck in the Pocono Mountains 125. Busch will be competing later that day in the Nationwide Series event at Iowa Speedway.

Busch is the driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. He won the pole for the June race at Pocono Raceway and will attempt his first win at the track in Sunday's Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500. He has two Cup wins this season and sits sixth in the championship standings.

NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee spotlight: Richie Evans

Richard Petty may be considered the "King" of NASCAR's Cup level, but Richie Evans is the "King" when it comes to NASCAR's modified ranks, and rightfully so.

The exact numbers aren't known by NASCAR, but it is estimated that Evans posted 475 wins in 1,300 starts in NASCAR Modified racing. In the 13-year span from 1973 to 1985, he captured nine modified titles, eight of them coming in consecutive seasons. The first of those titles came in 1973. Evans won his second championship in 1978 and went on the win modified titles every year through the remainder of his racing career that ended in 1985.

When the NASCAR series that is now dubbed the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was born in 1985, Evans rang in the new series with a season that saw him win 12 races. On the strength of those 12 wins, Evans clinched the 1985 championship before his death in a practice crash at Martinsville Speedway in October of that year.

To read more of this bio, visit Cup Series News and Notes.

Photo of Richie Evans courtesy of ISC Archives/Getty Images