NASCAR 2012 - race 12

MEMORIAL WEEKEND RACES CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - May 26, 2012. The Nationwide Series hit the track for a 300 mile race on the one and a half mile track. Temperatures were in the upper eighties and nineties for the weekend. The Pole Sitter was # 20 Joey Lagono, with # 3 Austin Dillon starting in second. # 7 Danica Patrick started in third place, just missing out on a pole position, while running her lap at 31.179, compared to Lagono’s 30.157. The race was won by # 22 Brad Keselowski. Patrick finished in thirteenth position on the lead lap. She would have finished in the sixth position if the Cup Series drivers would not have been in the race. The Top Ten results of the race were: Keselowski, # 18 Denny Hamlin, # 54 Kyle Busch, # 33 Kevin Harvick, # 2 Elliott Sadler, # 20 Joey Lagono, # 30 James Buescher, # 31 Justin Allgaier, # 12 Sam Hornish Jr., # 21 Joey Coulter. Next race will be at Dover on Saturday. Indianapolis 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - May 27, 2012. The Indy League started their race on the two and a half mile track with temperatures near eighty-six degrees. The track temperature reached nearly one hundred-thirty degrees. Inside the cockpits was not much cooler, at one hundred-twenty degrees. Drivers reported their boots were melting to the gas pedals in the race cars. Beginning the race, they gave respect to a fallen driver # 98 Dan Wheldon, who passed away at the Las Vegas Speedway last year in a terrifying wreck. Wheldon was the 500 Winner last year. Normally, Jim Neighbors always starts the event with his singing of “Back Home in Indiana”, but this year he was unable to attend the event, due to illness. He was watching from his home in Hawaii though. This Season the drivers are beginning the race in a newly designed car, as well as a new 2.2 litre Turbo Charged (DW12) engine. The driver of the famous pace car this year was Guy Fieri, the Host of Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins TV Show. On the Pole for the race was # 2 Ryan Briscoe. The race began with the speeds over 200 mph on the straight-a-ways. On lap 14, # 39 Bryan Clausen spun out on the track. During the caution, two Lotus cars parked their race cars due to speeds that were too slow. # 64 Aleisi and # 78 De Silvastro. While on pit road, # 50 Dario Franchitti was run into by # 5 E.J. Viso. Franchitti’s car spun sideways into his pit box. He would need to change the nose of his car before returning to the race. # 17 Saavedra was caught speeding and went to the rear of the field for the restart. Green Flag pit stops began on lap 79. During # 14 Conway ran into three of his crew members while pulling into his pit. He drove into the pit very close to the wall, leaving the crew members nowhere to go. No one was injured seriously. The second caution then came out on lap 80. When Conway re-entered the race track with a broken front wing, from hitting his crew during his stop. His car spun sideways on the track, just ahead of Points Leader # 12 Will Powers, taking Powers into the wall with Conway, and ending his race. The third caution was for # 25 Ana Beatriz who spun out on the track. Caution four came out on lap 145, when # 17 Saavedra stalled his car on the pit road entrance. Another stalled car, # 67 Newgarden brought out the fifth caution on lap 163. Caution Six was for # 20 Carpenter, when he spun out on the track. # 26 Marco Andretti crashed his car on lap 187, bringing out the seventh caution of the day. He was running in the eighth position at the time of his crash. The final caution came out after the white flag was shown on lap 199, when # 15 Sato attempted to pass the race leader Franchitti in turn two. Sato lost grip on the track and spun out, hitting the wall and barely missing the leaders car. Dario Franchitti won his third Indy 500, and dedicated the race to his son Michael who passed away earlier in the year, as well as his great friend Dan Wheldon. All three of Franchitti’s wins, have been under a caution at the end of the race. The race had a record 35 different leaders. Franchitti celebrated in Victory Lane with his wife Ashley Judd. His teammate # 9 Scott Dixon finished second, and friend in the # 11 Tony Kanaan finished third. All three drivers were great friends with Wheldon, so the celebrated victory was going to happen with any one of them. The rest of the Top Ten were: # 22 Oriol Servia, # 2 Ryan Briscoe, # 27 James Hitchcliffe, # 18 Justin Wilson, # 83 Charlie Kimball, # 99 Townsen Bell, and # 3 Helio Catronevez. Chip Ganassi, Dario Frnachitti, and the Target Team were able to hoist the Borg Warner Trophy in Victory Lane as this years Indy 500 ended. COCA COLA 600 CAHRLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - May 27, 2012. The Sprint Cup Series took to the track for their longest race of the year. The Coca Cola 600 is the longest, toughest, and most enduring race for the 43 drivers that take to the track. # 10 Danica Patrick would start only her third cup series race, after running the 300 mile race the day prior in the Nationwide Series. Temperatures were expected to be close to 90 degrees for the race. The Petty Enterprises Team took the front row for the race with the Pole Sitter being # 43 Aric Almirola, and # 9 Marcus Ambrose starting second. Many of the race cars were painted with special military paint schemes for the weekends race. A B-52 War plane flew over the track during the opening ceremonies. The invocation was done by retired driver Darrell Waltrip. Lap 113 brought out the first caution of the race, for debris. The field had already made two green flag pit stops prior to the caution. During the caution # 2 Brad Keselowski was caught speeding and would restart at the back. Another debris caution came out on lap 134. On lap 168 # 93 Travis Kvapil hit the wall bringing out the third caution. On lap 178 another debris caution flew. Three more green flag pit stops would happen, with only one major incident during them. On lap 263 # 2 Keselowski and # 14 Tony Stewart got together on pit road. Stewarts car was spun around backwards into his pit stall. Before he could get it corrected he went down a lap in a half to the leader. On lap 320, a bottle from # 18 Kyle Busch’s car was the cause for yet another caution. No penalty was enforced for this action. # 11 Denny Hamlin and # 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not make a pit stop during the caution, taking the lead of the race. During another green flag round of pit stops on lap 353, # 48 Jimmie Johnson left his pit box, dragging his gasman and gas can out of the pit box. He was penalized with a stop and go penalty. At this point, there were only eleven cars left on the lead lap. On lap 380 of the 400, # 5 Kasey Kahne would take the lead in his 300th start. Kahne would finish the race, and head to victory lane for the third time in the 600. He has won a race in a Dodge, Ford, and now a Chevy for his owner Hendrick. The race set a new record for speed, averaging 155 mph for four hours, to complete the 600 miles. The rest of the Top Ten were: # 11 Denny Hamlin, # 18 Kyle Busch, # 16 Greg Biffle, # 2 Brad Keselowski, # 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., # 24 Jeff Gordon, # 29 Kevin Harvick, # 99 Carl Edwards, and one lap down in tenth place was # 17 Matt Kenseth. Danica Patrick would finish this race five laps down to the leader, but her race car was very clean, and she had ran nearly 900 miles in the two days, giving her lots of experience for the weekend. Next weekends race is at Dover on Sunday.

Nascar 2012 - all star race

ALL STAR WEEKEND Submitted by Rick A. Talford NASCAR Enthusiast CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - This years All Star race started with the All Star Showdown. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was voted into the race by the fans, and he didn’t let that go to waste. Earnhardt drove his # 88 Chevrolet Diet Mountain Dew car to the front on lap one, and never looked back for the forty lap starter of the evening. There would then be four twenty lap segments, before the final ten lap shootout for a million dollar payout. # 48 Jimmie Johnson would then take over the first segment and won. Segment two was won by # 17 Matt Kenseth. The third segment was won by # 22 Brad Keselowski, and the fourth segment was won by # 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Final ten lap shootout was again dominated by # 48 Jimmie Johnson, as he won his third All Star Race of his career. This ties him with # 24 Jeff Gordon and # 3 Dale Earnhardt Sr. for the most victories in the special event race. During the event, both Roush driven Fords of # 16 Greg Biffle and last years winner # 99 Carl Edwards had engine failures, ending their chances at victory lane appearances. IOWA PIONEER 250 NEWTON, IOWA - This weeks Nationwide race was held at the one mile track designed by Famous driver Rusty Wallace. Pole Sitter for the race was # 2 Elliott Sadler, with # 12 Sam Hornish Jr. starting second. This would be the first time driver # 7 Danica Patrick and # 20 Darrell Wallace Jr. would take to the track in their careers. Patrick stayed on the lead lap, until a blown tire on lap 114 sent her into the wall, then into the garage. Wallace Jr., at age 18 would have a much better day, finishing not only on the lead lap, but in ninth place. The first caution came out on lap 73, when # 14 Jeff Green blew a front right tire, and hit the wall hard. # 7 Danica Patrick would receive the first “Lucky Dog” of the race, getting back on the lead lap in 16th place. The next caution would be Patrick, when she blew a right front tire, and hit the wall also. She ended the day in 30th place. The Lucky Dog was # 44 Mike Bliss. The third caution came out when # 19 Taylor Malsam had the same fate with a front right tire, as he hit the wall hard before his day ended. The Lucky Dog was # 33 Brandon Gaughn. During the caution, both # 18 Michael McDowell and # 44 Mike Bliss were caught speeding on pit road. They would both have to restart at the back of the field. The final caution of the race came out on lap 203, when # 99 Travis Pastrana stopped his car on the track, after he lost power. He took his car to the garage, and did return to the track 22 laps down. They stated a broken fuel line was the cause of his troubles. # 12 Sam Hornish Jr. was the Lucky Dog and was the 13th place car left on the lead lap. Driver of the # 6, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. dominated the race. He led 209 of 250 laps of the race. This was Stenhouse’s third consecutive victory at the race track. The rest of the Top Ten were: # 2 Elliott Sadler, # 18 Michael McDowell, # 3 Austin Dillon, # 54 Kurt Busch, # 31 Justin Allgaier, # 88 Cole Whitt, # 22 Parker Kligerman, # 20 Darrell Wallace Jr., and # 33 Brendan Gaughn. Also finishing on the lead lap were: # 11 Brian Scott, # 12 Sam Hornish Jr., and # 38 Brad Sweet. The next race will be held next Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In other race news, The Charlotte Truck Race was won by Justin Loftin, and the K&N race was won by # 9 Chase Elliott, son of another famous driver named Bill Elliott.

may 2012 EVB report

Elmwood Village Board Committee’s Reset Submitted by Rick A. Talford Citizen Journalist ELMWOOD, WI - Monday May 14, 2012 The Elmwood Village Board had their monthly meeting at the Auditorium. First on the agenda was the approval to close off part of Winter Ave./Hwy 72, between Main St. and the old fire hall for the dedication ceremony, for the newly re-designed Veteran’s Park. Memorial Day will be the ceremony, so be prepared to take an alternate route around the park. It is expected that nearly 500 people will be attending the re-dedication of the park. The Board then went through all of its committees to reset who will chair, and who will be appointed a seat as well. (C = Chair person) Licensing = C-Trisha Knops, Rick Stohr, and Neil Boltic. Police = C-Brian Buck, Neil Boltic, and Trisha Knops. Parks and Buildings = C-Brian Buck, Neil Boltic, and Mike Sand. Public Works = C-Mike Sand, Rick Stohr, and Neil Boltic. Personnel and Finance = C-Brian Buck, Rick Stohr, and Susan Dzubay. The President Pro Tem is Brian Buck. The Nursing Home and Library Committee Representative will be Trisha Knops, and the Commission Liason will be Neil Boltic. Trisha Knops, Rick Stohr, and Susan Dzubay have terms that will expire in 2014, as the rest of the board members will expire in 2013. The Election held for the Recall of Governor Scott Walker went as follows in the Village of Elmwood. Walker received 68 votes. Tom Barrett received 40 votes, and Mahlon Mitchell received 68 votes. There was a thirty-three percent turnout for voters in this election. In Committee and Board Reports, Trustee Trisha Knops reported the recent updates were completed at the Nursing Home. She also noted they have thirty-eight beds filled, and the gazebo will be getting some updates soon. In Public Works, Jamie Reitz spoke to the Board about getting an extension on the LRIP, as well as some bids for re-surfacing Winter Ave., instead of total reconstruction. Reitz also added “Hwy 72 will be getting redone in 2015”. The meeting adjourned at 7:19 pm. All members of the board were present at this meeting.

nascar 2012 - race 11

The Lady in Black Submitted by Rick A. Talford NASCAR Enthusiast DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - The Nationwide Series race was held on Friday Night at the “Track to tough to tame” This raceway was built on a field that was used for growing peanuts before racing. The track is shaped like a paperclip, making it very difficult to set up a car to act right for both ends of the track. The track is also well known for giving drivers the dreaded “Darlington Stripe”. This is when the cars get loose and then they find the outer walls, leaving a black stripe on the wall and the race cars. Many drivers get the infamous stripe at some point throughout the weekend. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the Pole Setter in the # 6 Ford Mustang, with # 18 Denny Hamlin starting second in his Toyota. The race began with a quick caution on lap two, when rookie driver # 36 Ryan Blaney hit the wall. This was Blaney’s second start in the series, and it ended very quickly for him, as he finished in 43 position. The second caution came near lap 35, when the # 01 car driven by Mike Wallace hit the wall hard. The third caution came out on lap 46, when # 39 Josh Richards tagged # 50 TJ Bell, pushing him up and into the wall. The “Lucky Dog” was given to another driver in only his second start # 99 Travis Pastana. At mid-race # 18 Denny Hamlin had dominated so far, leading the most laps and setting the pace of the race. Hamlin has done very well at Darlington, winning three out of the last four races held at the track. The fourth caution came out on lap 126 when # 54 Kurt Busch blew a right front tire, sending him into the wall. He was running in third place when this happened. One of the most exciting moves of the race, happened when Busch passed both Hamlin and Lagono on a restart, as the two battled for the lead, Busch made it three wide and came out with the lead. Lap 137 had # 33 Brendan Gaughn blowing a right front tire as well, and sending him into the wall as well. The restart on lap 142 ended when # 20 Joey Lagono was trying to push # 2 Elliott Sadler to the lead and spun Sadler’s car into # 18 Denny Hamlin just before his car hit the outer wall, ending his chance at a victory. # 38 Kasey Kahne also had minor contact during the wreck. The race ended under the Green-White-Checkered rules. # 20 Joey Lagono was able to hold off his teammate # 18 Hamlin for the victory. This was Lagono’s third victory in five races in the Nationwide Series. The remainder of the top ten were: # 22 Brad Keselowski, # 12 Sam Hornish Jr., # 3 Austin Dillon, # 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., # 11 Scott, # 54 Kurt Busch, # 30 James Buescher, and # 88 Cole Whitt. # 7 Danica Patrick ended the race in twelve position, leaving her to be in the tenth spot for the Nationwide Series Points. At the pre-race ceremonies, a memorial prayer was given for race car enthusiast and creator to the Shelby race car. Carrol Shelby passed away at age 89. The next race for the Nationwide Series will be held next Sunday (1:30 pm) at the Iowa race track. “Bodangle’s Southern 500” DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - Saturday Nights race was scheduled for 367 laps at the raceway. The Pole Setter was # 16 Greg Biffle. This was his second pole of the season. Starting second was # 48 Jimmie Johnson. Race conditions were perfect with the temperature being 77 degrees and clear skies. The race started in daylight, and would finish up under darkness. # 10 Danica Patrick was in just her second career Cup Race at this race. She would start 38th. The race began, and went green for quite a long time. A record number of laps were ran without any cautions. The first 171 laps went green, with three rounds of green flag pit stops being made. # 16 Greg Biffle led most of the first 100 laps. Then # 48 Jimmie Johnson took over the lead for the next 70 plus laps. Lap 172 would be the first caution for debris on the racing surface. During the caution the commitment cone was put back in its spot, after being hit in an earlier round of pit stops. The second caution came right away on lap 194, when # 24 Jeff Gordon’s left rear tire went down and blew out on the track. This began Gordon’s downfall of the race. He ended up having three rear tires go down in a matter of just o few laps (lap 205 and lap 221). He would go to the garage, and the team never did find out what was causing the tire issues. Gordon would finish the race, many laps down. Lap 232 had another Debris caution. No debris was shown in any of the cautions they threw for it. Lap 280 had another round of green flag pit stops, with Patrick having trouble entering pit road. She hit the commitment cone and was penalized with a drive thru penalty. She went multiple laps down throughout the race, but kept her car very clean and she did finish in 31 position. Lap 298 had # 47 Bobby Labonte bringing out a caution, when he spun his car around on the race track. Lap 306 had another spin by # 78 Regan Smith. He was last years winner of this race. Lap 316 had # 22 AJ Almendinger and # 1 Jamie McMurray getting together and wrecking. Lap 330 had # 32 Reed Sorenson spinning out for another caution. On lap 360 # 54 Kurt Busch was one of the fastest cars on the track, when he had a tire go down and he hit the wall hard. During his spin sideways, # 43 Aric Almirola ran into # 39 Ryan Newman, causing his car to spin out and into the inside retaining wall. This ended Newman’s race. The final restart would be for a green-white-checkered finish. # 48 Jimmie Johnson would hold off # 11 Denny Hamlin for his car owner’s (Hendrick) 200th team victory. The rest of the top ten were: # 14 Tony Stewart, # 18 Kyle Busch, # 56 Martin Truex Jr., # 17 Matt Kenseth, # 99 Carl Edwards, # 5 Kasey Kahne, # 9 Marcus Ambrose, and # 20 Joey Lagono. The next race will be the All-Star race on Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C.

Nascar 2012 - race ten

“Talladega Frustrations” Submitted by Rick A. Talford NASCAR Enthusiast TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - Saturday, May 5 the Nationwide Series ran their “Aaron’s 312” This was 117 laps of hard racing on the two and two-thirds of a mile Superspeedway. The Temperatures were hot at the track, with 90’s through most of the race. The Pole Setter was # 2 Elliott Sadler, with # 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. starting second. There were many Cup drivers in this race, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Joey Lagono, Brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski. Due to some morning rain, the race began a little behind schedule. Dale Earnhardt Junior’s nephew, Jeffrey Earnhardt was in the race, as was Danica Patrick for their first attempt at the Talladega Superspeedway. A couple single car cautions happened within the first fifty laps, then on lap 62, # 01 Mike Wallace tagged # 38 Brad Sweet. This turned Sweet sideways and he collected # 24 John Wes Townsley, # 14 Eric McClure, and # 41 Timmy Hill. Later on lap 83, #39 Josh Richards blew a tire bringing out another caution. During the caution, Hill would get out of the race car due to illness. Blake Koch would get into the car to finish the race. Lap 110 # 44 Mike Bliss would spin after being tagged by Elliott Sadler. Lap 114 Mike Wallace and # 4 Danny Efland would get together creating a caution. The race would have to be restarted in over-time. The first Green-White-Checked attempt was a major pile up, when # 43 Michael Annett tried to go three wide on the restart, and collided with # 22 Brad Keselowski up front.. # 3 Austin Dillon, # 14 Eric McClure, # 15 Jeffrey Earnhardt, # 19 Taylor Malsam, # 22 Keselowski, # 23 Robert Richardson Jr., # 33 Kevin Harvick, # 41 Blake Koch, and # 43 Annett, were all collected by the wreck. A “RED FLAG” was brought out, stopping the field to attend to the multiple cars damaged on the track. # 14 Eric McClure had to be cut from his racecar after he slammed into the inner wall, at over 180 mph. He was then airlifted to the Birmingham Hospital to get evaluated and cared for. Reports on the following day were that McClure was responsive and in fair condition, with right side injuries. As the race concluded under the second Green-White-Checkered attempt, # 18 Joey Lagono beat # 54 Kyle Busch, making a great move coming to the finish line, to break the two cars apart, giving Lagono the victory. The rest of the top ten were: # 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., # 88 Cole Whitt, # 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr., # 1 Kurt Busch, # 30 James Buescher, # 31 Justin Allgaier, # 09 Kenny Wallace, and # 2 Elliott Sadler. While the leaders all passed the Checkered flag, # 12 Sam Hornish Jr. decided to block # 7 Danica Patrick all the way up the track and into the wall. Patrick did not take this well, and after they finished the race, she drove up behind Hornish and tagged him, sending him into the outer wall nose first with his race car. In my mind, this was a good thing, it was very seeable that Hornish intentionally drove her car into the wall, to keep the position when she was fast enough to beat him to the line. My words for Patrick, “WAY TO GO” The next race will be held next Fri. night at Darlington. Aaron’s 499 TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - Sunday, May 6 event was held close to noon, but again was delayed a bit due to morning rains. The Cup Series would race at Talladega for 188 laps. Pole Setter was # 24 Jeff Gordon, with # 22 AJ Allmendinger starting second. This race track is located on an old WWII airfield that covers three-thousand acres of land. Gordon’s pole gave him at least one pole for every year of his twenty year career so far. In the race, # 55 Michael Waltrip decided to run another race since retiring. He had a special paint scheme on his car, that a seven year old girl drew. He also had a # 55 Junior Seau memorial sticker on the side panel of the car. Racing with the Talladega Nights ( Ricky Bobby) paint scheme, was # 51 Kurt Busch. During the race it is very common for these cars to run over 200 mph at the start/finish line each lap. On lap 16 # 78 Regan Smith blew an engine, and brought out the first caution of the day. During the caution # 22 Allmendinger and # 38 David Gilliland both were caught for speeding on pit road. They were penalized and forced to start at the back of the field. Lap 44, # 39 Ryan Newman left the race with engine troubles. It was found to be a problem with the oil pump. He would not return to the race after this finding. Lap 57 began a green flag round of pit stops. During all the stops, # 48 Jimmie Johnson had engine failures as well, taking him out of the race too. This was the second Hendrick engine to have a failure with the oil pump. Lap 142 brought one of two big wrecks. # 43 Aric Almirola got into # 36 Dave Blaney causing a big pile up. Just prior to this starting, # 29 Kevin Harvick, # 51 Kurt Busch and a couple other cars began running out of fuel. As they were limping around the track to get to pit road, the “BIG ONE” happened. # 36 Dave Blaney, # 99 Carl Edwards, # 24 Jeff Gordon, # 56 Martin Truex Jr., # 20 Joey Lagono, # 42 Jaun Montoya, # 47 Bobby Labonte, and # 83 Landon Cassill were all involved. Another caution fell at lap 176 when # 9 Marcus Ambrose tagged # 13 Casey Mears and # 21 Trevor Bayne. There were minimal damages and all cars continued on. With nine laps remaining, the restart brought another caution out, when # 2 Brad Keselowski drove through # 51 Kurt Busch on the race track. With just a few laps remaining, the restart would create the second big wreck of the day. # 11 Denny Hamlin decided to try and make a pass, right as they were crossing the start/finish line. He attempted to get his car in between the two lead car. He ran into # 22 Allmendinger, spinning him sideways into the wall and then back into the field of cars. # 9 Ambrose, # 14 Tony Stewart, # 15 Clint Bowyer, # 16 Greg Biffle, # 20 Joey Lagono, # 23 Robert Richardson Jr., # 27 Paul Menard, # 29 Kevin Harvick, #31 Jeff Burton, and # 55 Michael Waltrip were all involved. The final laps were run under a Green-White-Checkered condition. # 2 Brad Keselowski won the race ahead of # 18 Kyle Busch, # 17 Matt Kenseth, # 5 Kasey Kahne, # 16 Greg Biffle, # 15 Clint Bowyer, # 34 David Regan, # 21 Trevor Bayne, # 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., and # 31 Jeff Burton. Kenseth led the most laps of the race. This was the first victory for Dodge since 1976 at Talladega. A race record 19 cars were knocked out of the race, with 17 different leaders, and 34 lead changes. The next race will be held next Sat. Night at Darlington. Danica Patrick will start her second Cup race there.