[align=center][/align]THE BIG STORY
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Matt Kenseth and Ron Capps went 2-for-2 in Sprint Cup and Funny Car. At California's Auto Club Speedway, Kenseth's Roush Fenway Ford Fusion beat Jeff Gordon's Chevrolet by 1.4 seconds in Sunday night's Auto Club 500. Kyle Busch was third. Greg Biffle, with perhaps the best car, overshot his pits on his last stop and was fourth. In NHRA, Capps won in Funny Car at Firebird Raceway.
Also: Robert Doornbos will drive for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing in the IRL… David Gilliland is no longer associated with Yates Racing… Larry Miller, founder of Miller Motorsports Park, died at age 64… Bud Kaeding (Silver Crown), Darren Hagen (sprints) and Brad Sweet (midgets) were winners in Saturday night's USAC tripleheader at Manzanita Speedway.


NASCAR Sprint Cup Series


A crew member, Paul Chodora, was indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the substance abuse policy.[8D]WoW..Smok`in ~>Brian Vickers got the pole Friday at California with a 183.439 mph lap. Sunday, Jimmie Johnson led early until light rain on lap six. That continued until lap 23. There was more rain about 20 laps later. Jeff Gordon passed Matt Kenseth for the lead on lap 196, but Kenseth got it back exiting the pits 12 laps later. He fended off several challenges from Gordon. Kevin Harvick had engine problems and brushed the wall. Hendrick teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin had engine problems [X(]. Kenseth averaged 135.839 mph with five yellows for 43 of the 250 laps.

NASCAR Nationwide Series


Kyle Busch won Saturday evening's[] Stater Bros. 300 at California by one second over Kevin Harvick. Busch's Toyota led 143 of the 150 laps. Carl Edwards got out of the pits ahead of Busch on the last pit stop, but Busch nudged Edwards and steered under him on a restart with 16 laps to go. He averaged 137.178 mph with four yellows for 23 laps. Joey Logano was third. Edwards was fourth and trails Busch by 20 points. Post-Daytona penalties: No. 09 crew chief Blake Bainbridge, $15,000, for a roll cage violation. Driver John Wes Townley and owner Jay Robinson each lost 100 points. No. 84 crew chief George Bartlett, $10,000 fine, for weight containers outside the main frame rails. Driver/owner Mike Harmon lost 50 points. No. 0 crew chief Michael Hobson, $5,000, for a spring rate violation. Driver Danny O'Quinn Jr. and owner Johnny Davis each lost 25 points.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series


Kyle Busch []led 95 of 100 laps in Saturday's San Bernardino 200 at California. His Toyota finished nine seconds up on Daytona winner Todd Bodine even though he pitted for gas with nine laps to go. Chad McCumbee was third in a Chevrolet. Busch averaged 145.821 mph with just two yellows for eight laps. He leads Bodine by five points. Post-Daytona penalties were assessed to driver Ron Hornaday Jr. (25 points), owner Delana Harvick (25 points) and No. 33 crew chief Rick Ren was fined $5,000 for a shock absorber violation.

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series


Ron Capps became the first Funny Car driver to win the season's opening two events since John Force in 1997 with his solo run in Sunday's Lucas Slick Mist Nationals at Firebird Raceway, near Phoenix. No. 1 qualifier Capps was matched with No. 2 qualifier Mike Neff in the finals. Neff was unable to engage reverse after his burnout and Capps' NAPA Dodge Charger ran 4.048 seconds, 306.81 mph. Neff tuned his own Ford Mustang as crew chief John Medlen was hospitalized in Indianapolis after a heart procedure. Capps leads Robert Hight by 97 points. Jack Beckman qualified the Valvoline Dodge 11th but lost in the second round. In Top Fuel, Antron Brown went 3.846, 310.63 mph as Brandon Bernstein lost traction. Brown leads Bernstein by 22 points. In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin Jr. edged Kurt Johnson, both in Chevrolet Cobalts. Coughlin clocked 6.643, 208.01 mph to Johnson's 6.647, 208.46 mph. Jason Line is two points up on Coughlin. Ron Krisher qualified ninth in the Valvoline Cobalt and lost in the semifinals.

Valvoline Winners Last Weekend


Matt Kenseth, NASCAR Sprint Cup series, California. Ron Capps, NHRA Funny Car class, Phoenix.


Racer of the Week


[&:]Kyle Busch. He became the first driver to win races in two NASCAR national series on the same day, in Trucks and Nationwide, in California.


Yes, He REALLY Said That


Dr. Jerry Punch, ESPN announcer, on if NASCAR drivers are paid too much. "As long as you have baseball players turning down $25 million for one year to play with the Dodgers, we should be OK over here."


This Weekend


NASCAR tries its luck in Las Vegas, with Saturday Nationwide and Sunday Cup racing.

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[8D]Track Talk From Valvoline[/align]

 

[:-]Members, click on below pic`s to connect [:-]


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Wanna Race?



[:-]Read below post by
one of our MCF Members

 

Wanna Race? [/align]WANTED: Racecar drivers. No experience necessary. [/align]



by Mac Demere: Is one of our honored MCF Members,
Racer/Writer/Teacher & more...
Mac Demere - freelance writer test driver high performance d...
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[/align]You can become a race driver. It's easy. It doesn't (have to) take a lot of money. Mechanical experience isn't required and on-the-job training will be provided. I started racing on a very moderate salary. I had no formal training in auto mechanics and I wound up running in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and NASCAR Southwest Tour against the likes of Michele Alboreto and Jeff Gordon.
Requirements [/align]Here is what's required: Commitment in an abundant quantity. You'll know you're approaching an adequate level of commitment to racing when your significant other shouts, "You love racing more than you love me!" and you respond: "Yes, dear, and your point is...?" I know talented drivers who aren't going to make it in racing because they refuse to risk secure, high-paying jobs and loving relationships. And I know far more who have torn up marriages, squandered inheritances, and committed felonies in order to go racing. Others paid the ultimate price. After watching a friend die on national television, my wife said: "Anyone who marries a race driver is an idiot!" "Does that include you?" I asked. "Yes!" she responded. Compared to racing, drug addiction is an inexpensive pastime. If your commitment just fluttered, click over to golf.com.
[/align]Upon learning that I drove racecars, people often say, "I've always wanted to do that!" Especially if the speaker has an expensive car and an expansive house, I reply, "Not very much or you would have!" If you really want to be a racer—want it bad enough—you will become a racer. I'm not implying that you can make it to NASCAR or Formula One. But you'll be a racer!
Be Professional [/align]The best way to get into racing is to treat it as if you're planning to start a business. This is true whether you've just won the Powerball lottery or are still in school. Before shelling out franchise fees, savvy entrepreneurs spend time learning and working in their targeted industry. Before you think about buying a racecar, do these three things: Expand your mechanical knowledge, volunteer to work on a race team, and develop your driving skill. My advice: Put off buying a racecar until you've run a few races.
[/align]First, start a self-directed study program in racecar mechanics. Read a basic auto mechanics textbook or—even better—take a course at your local community college. (Engineering school graduates: This especially applies to you.) Memorize every book and every video you can find on racecar preparation. Even the well funded need to know how a racecar works. Save books with "engineering" or "technology" in the title for last. Before you redesign suspensions, you need to know which way to turn a lug wrench. Devour every racecar driving advice book and video.
Pay Your Dues [/align]Next, look for a struggling amateur or semi-pro team that needs help. Volunteer to work evenings and weekends washing parts, sorting tires, loading trailers, and the hundreds of mundane chores required to keep even the smallest race team running. It was easy to find teams eager for free help, especially if I brought beer. Don't expect them to teach—or pay—you anything. Your compensation will be the learning opportunity. Another option: The mechanic's training programs offered by big-name racing schools. Make sure the curriculum includes a lot of driving experience. Getting on the payroll for a professional racing team is not the best choice if you want to be a driver. They already have all the wheel turners they can use.
[/align]Simultaneously, get some low-cost driving experience. "Slick track"-type karts at your local fun park are a great way to learn car control. After you've mastered the art of catching a sliding tail, step up to the much faster machines available at the "indoor kart" facilities found in most metropolitan areas. Also, spend a lot of time on the autocross (a.k.a. Solo II) course: Your current, well-maintained road car is eligible.
Don't Buy a Racecar [/align]Here's why you should not buy a racecar (or kart) until you have run at least a few races: The cost for one season of racing will likely match—and may far exceed—the purchase price of a racecar. And that doesn't include tow truck, trailer, and tools. Don't buy a $10,000 racecar without another 10 grand in the bank and a tow truck and trailer in the driveway, or else you'll become a racecar owner, not a driver.
[/align]Instead of buying a car, search for a "rent-a-racer" program. These can be found for almost every category from shifter karts to Champ cars. Choices range from red-carpet "arrive-and-drive" programs, where the company provides everything but your personal safety gear, to bare bones offerings that require you to transport the car and perform at-track work. One big advantage of renting: If you discover you don't like wearing fireproof underwear and scaring yourself to death every few seconds—or you can't drive a nail into sand—you can quit without having to unload a used racecar, tow truck, trailer and tools.
[/align]Rental prices start as low as $200 per race for a shifter kart. A friend wins Pony stock races at his local dirt track for $300 per race. Legends cars, a preferred class for those aspiring to NASCAR, go for between $650 and $1,300 a race. For my first race, I paid $450 to rent a beat up street-stock car: I drove it to the track. It wasn't the Daytona 500 but I was racing! Besides, racecars are like sex: Even when they're bad, they're still pretty good.
[/align]Another option: Look for a driver who's running out of cash. (That's most of them!) Offer to sponsor him in exchange for some seat time—perhaps in preliminary or novice races. Suggest that you pay off his debt with the race-tire vendor in exchange for driving. (If you've paid a tire bill from a checkbook marked "Children's Education Fund," you might be a racer. I'm guilty as charged.)
Start Wherever [/align]Don't be picky about which class or category you start in. But if you have the choice, two of the best entry-level options are shifter karts and Legends cars. If you're fast in a shifter kart, you'll be able to drive anything. I've piloted virtually every type of racecar. Shifter karts are no less demanding than Champ or Indy cars. Another endorsement for karts: It's where almost every top professional racer started his career and many continue to drive karts to hone their skills in the off-season. Also from personal experience, Legends cars require similar driving and chassis setup skills as those needed in NASCAR. Since Legends are a one-design "spec" class—the cars are mechanically identical—you'll get immediate (though likely ego-crushing) feedback on your driving and setup skills.
Race School [/align]When to attend a professional racing school depends on money. If funding is not an object, it's better if you go to a school before your first race. However, my choice was between racing and a school, so I went racing. Here's a better option for those with limited funds: Attend a kart or Legends school. Price is a fraction of car schools, but the learning experience is nearly identical.
[/align]Don't think about going racing too long. Otherwise, you'll be 40 or 60 or on your deathbed, saying: "I should have tried."

 

***WARNING*** Shameless plug to follow!!

Ok so I read the above, and for those of you who don't have the money to start in racing, or just want to see what it's like once, check us out at www.theracingschool.com. We give you the opportunity to drive or ride-along in a real NASCAR for anywhere from 8 laps to 240 laps over the course of a weekend. We buy our racecars from real Cup, Busch (Nationwide) and Camping World series teams after they've retired or wrecked, drop a motor and a seat in it and put it on the track.

we travel all across the country to around 15-20 different racetracks a year, most of which are on the NASCAR circuit. Tracks like:
*Auto Club Speedway, Fontana CA
*Phoenix Int'l Raceway, Avondale AZ
*Pike's Peak Int'l Raceway, Fountain CO (yes it's back open!!)
*Michigan Int'l Speedway, Brooklyn MI
*Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet IL
*The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis WI
*Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol TN
*Richmond Int'l Raceway, Richmond VA
*New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon NH
*Kentucky Speedway, Sparta KY
*Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead FL

and quite a few more.

If anyone is interested or has any questions please feel free to see our website www.theracingschool.com or email/PM me! It's a lot of fun and you'll come away with a whole new respect for what those guys do every Sunday!

We usually have sales going on and if anyone is interested in signing up I can offer you 20% off the driving package of your choice just for saying that you saw it here! (No I don't get commission or anything, it's just my job and I love it and I want to share it with everyone!!)

(moderators, if this is against the rules, I apologize and you can take this down or lmk and I'll delete it!!)