DAVID DONOHUE: MARK'S KID, IROC TESTER

This is reprinted from the Daytona Beach News-Journal:

The International Race of Champions crew is at Daytona International Speedway converting its fleet of oval race cars into road course machines.
“It’s been quite a while since we had to make a right-hand turn with these cars,’’ IROC president Jay Signore said Tuesday.
Fourteen years to be exact.
The IROC racers, which will run Round 3 over Daytona’s 3.56-mile road course on June 29, have a real sportscar feel since their last visit in Speed Weeks in February.
All the cars are now outfitted with headlights, brake lights, windshield wipers and a much larger rear spoiler.
“We’re looking for more downforce and balance,’’ Signore said. “It’s been a while since we raced a road course. We’re not in bad shape as far as handling. The biggest part of this test is to solidify the brake balance on the cars. This test is a little bit of chassis and a lot of brakes.’’
Signore has added road racing specialist David Donohue to his test-driver roster, joining Dave Marcis, Jay Sauter and Jim Sauter.
“There are plenty of areas to pass, with the IROC cars in particular because they are so heavy, the braking areas get longer than what we see with sportscars,’’ Donohue said. “They will be spending more time on the brakes and that will create passing opportunities. It will be a lot of fun to watch.’’
Donohue identified five critical areas of the course where this summer’s IROC race can be won or lost:
1. Finish line
“That’s where you win or lose the race. It’s painfully obvious to anyone inside or outside of racing.’’
2. Chicane
“The chicane on the back straightaway is a key area. You are basically full throttle leaving the chicane to the start-finish line. Since the cars are identical, everyone will accelerate the same way. That makes it important to get a good exit out of the chicane. One of the key passing areas on the whole track is braking into the chicane. The speeds on the straightaway won’t be nearly as high as when these cars run just the oval course. Drafting will play a part, but not be as important because these cars won’t be at full throttle for very long. When you run the oval, your car is flat-out all the time and you’re trying to keep momentum. On the road course, you’re really trying to set up a pass when you are braking. Passing on the straights will be dictated by how you get off the previous corner.’’
3. Turn 6 (where the cars leave the infield course and get back on the banked track in NASCAR Turn 1)
“You need a good exit off Turn 6. If you are running equal in terms of braking into the chicane with another car, this may be where you can get a nose up on him. The problem with Turn 6 is that it’s one lane going into the turn, certainly one lane when you get to the middle of the corner. You might see a lot of action down in Turn 6 as drivers fight for position as they set each other up for the chicane.’’
4. The east and west horseshoe turns
“You have to be really clean in the horseshoe corners. The tendency is to get overambitious because they are slow corners, painfully slow corners. You are used to running at high speeds, not this slow through these turns. You have to avoid getting overanxious and try to get more out of a car than what it has to give you. It’s really easy to spin. You also feel cocky because you are going so slowly. These cars are so heavy that once you get them sliding, it’s really easy to have them slide too much. If you lose a lot of speed, somebody will overtake you or you can spin sideways or backwards and you’re out of the race. You don’t have to stay single-file but if somebody gets under you, you need to use your better judgment and decide whether to run the outside line or just let him go. I think you’ll see a lot of trading places in these areas.”
5. Turn 1
“The last key area of the track will be braking into Turn 1. Turn 1 is a big passing area. Again, it will depend how well you get your car off the chicane on the other side of the track. Depending how you drive out of the chicane will dictate how well you get into Turn 1.’’

EARNHARDT JUNIOR SPEAKS & WE ALL LISTEN

Dale Earhardt Jr., driver of the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet, met with media following Friday's practice at Pocono Raceway. Earnhardt is fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings heading into this weekend's Pocono 500, with one win, four top-fives and six top-10s.

HOW WAS THE CAR IN PRACTICE?“We’re pretty happy with it. Spent most of the practice in race trim, but we’re satisfied with where we’re at.”IN REGARDS TO TONY STEWART COMPETING THIS WEEKEND, POCONO WAS ONE OF THE TRACKS YOU RAN WHEN YOU HAD YOUR BURNS (AFTER A SPORTS-CAR CRASH IN 2004). WHAT IS IT LIKE TO RUN THIS PLACE IN PAIN?“It’s not too bad. The straightaways are real long. I had a relief driver in John Andretti, but I got out more because my car was handling so bad. I was like, well, if it’s going to drive this bad, I might as well get out (laughing). It didn’t bother me that bad. I think if there’s a race that Tony can stick it out if he wanted to, this would be one of those tracks. Or it might still be a wise choice for him to get a relief driver. It’s up to him.”WHY WOULD THIS BE ONE OF THOSE TRACKS TO STICK IT OUT?“Long straightaways… you can relax. At Dover you’re always in the corner, and always on the G forces, and you always have a lot of pressure on that side. He’ll have long straightaways here, so he can relax a little bit.”EVEN THOUGH HE’S NOT UP TO 100%, IS TONY ANY LESS COMPETITIVE?“No, he’s always competitive. Even at 80%, Tony is still better than half these guys out here.”WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SHIFTING/NO-SHIFTING HERE AT POCONO?“Take it or leave it. Either way, I don’t really care. Everybody’s got to do it, so it’s not better or worse for anybody.”YOUR TEAM HAS QUIETLY CREEPED UP IN THE POINTS. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?“We’re just trying to be consistent. When I’ve got a 10th-place car, I try to finish 10th. We’re really just trying to be smooth, be consistent on the times and laps, and I try not to push the car real hard and put myself in bad positions. We’ve had a little luck on our side, a little convenience on our side, and a couple of other things too, but for the most part the cars drive good. I go out there and get what I can out of them, and it seems to add up pretty good.”DO YOU CONSIDER THE TUNNEL TURN HERE ONE OF THE TOUGHEST TURNS OF ALL THE TRACKS?“No. I think every corner at Sonoma has it beat. Every corner at The Glen’s got it beat. It’s really not that hard of a corner. It’s just real fast. You lift to go through there and get back on the gas real quick. It’s not really that hard. I don’t know if there is a right way. People say I never go through there right, I always go through there 100 different ways every time I go through it, and I never can seem to repeat myself. I don’t know if that makes it hard. It’s not hard, it’s tricky.” IS IT POSSIBLE YOU CAN REMAIN UNDER THE RADAR JUST BY DRIVING CONSISTENTLY?“We’ve wanted to have consistency our entire career. From the start of this season until now, we have been consistent. I’m real glad about that. We’ve got a win. We’ve got a lot of 11ths and top-10 finishes. That’s what I wanted, so I’m real happy. Things couldn’t be better.”ARE YOU HAVING MORE FUN THIS YEAR THAN YOU DID AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR?“I always have fun. I don’t really go without fun too long (laughing). It’s good the racing side has gotten better. Obviously I enjoy it when we run better and get some wins and stuff like that. I’m having fun this year working with (Tony Eury) Junior, and still be able to have Steve Hmiel too. It’s like icing on the cake. Sometimes when you get two guys, there are so many variables. Junior, Steve, the team, all those guys over there, the cars, it’s hard to get just one of those things in your life, but to have it all is pretty cool. I’m very happy and very lucky and very fortunate that these guys can stand me enough to work on the car all year and be around me all year. They’re just a great group, and I’m real fortunate to have an opportunity to drive for them again.”TWENTY YEARS AGO TIM RICHMOND WON BOTH RACES HERE. DID YOUR DAD TALK ABOUT HIM AT ALL AS A RACE CAR DRIVER?“Daddy thought he was one of the best he’d raced against. I said it before, if Tim had lived and competed for many more years, Daddy wouldn’t have seven championships, for sure. That’s an obvious statement. He was just amazing to watch. Just a great race car driver. A lot of people said he didn’t really have a lot of knowledge about set-ups, but when he had a great car, he got everything out of it. As raw talent goes, he was one of the best.”AFTER THE FRUSTRATIONS LAST YEAR, WHEN DID YOU GET A SENSE THAT THIS YEAR WAS GOING TO BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT?“Probably in the off-season, we were going around the shop, checking in, talking to the guys, seeing the looks on everybody’s faces, seeing how positive the attitudes were around the shop… it’s just a good effort. We’re all friends, and most of these guys – not all of them but most of them – have worked at DEI for awhile, so we all know each other really well. We just sort of found our place in the sport I believe. We’ve gotten over the initial bang of coming in, getting involved, and all the hype and expectations. I think as times change, people change, things come and go, and next year might be totally different. But this is probably the best group – as far as having an assembled group – this is the best I’ve had from top to bottom. The team being really strong and deep in talent, I think this is as good as I’ve ever had.”HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO BE MORE CONSISTENT AT TRACKS LIKE THIS WHERE YOU HAVEN’T MAYBE DONE WELL IN THE PAST?“I’ve run pretty good here in the past. I ran second to Bobby Labonte. I ran third once. I mean, I haven’t run that many races here. It’s just hit and miss. This place is tough. We just try to get the best finish we can. I try to finish in the top-12 every week. A 12th-place average puts you in a pretty good position when you’re trying to make the Chase. That 12th-place average would be great.”WAS IT HIT OR MISS TODAY IN PRACTICE TODAY?“I was real happy with my car, real happy. Car drives easy. The car is better than I am right now. I need to get out there with the rest of the field for about 30 laps and get up to speed. This track is sort of like a road course, it takes awhile to really get acclimated. Every time you come back here, it takes about 15 or 20 laps to sort of get back in the rhythm and know how far you can push it all the time.”WITH SO MANY GOOD TEAMS AND DRIVERS – LIKE PENSKE, GANASSI, HENDRICK, ROUSH, YOU HAVE ONE WIN, STEWART’S GOT ONE WIN SINCE AUGUST – IS IT JUST THAT TOUGH OUT THERE?“There’s just a lot of talent and a lot of depth throughout the series as far as competitive teams. A lot of young drivers are coming in with good teams. There are a lot more capable people out there now, that’s probably what is.”

WEEKEND Q&A WITH JEFF GORDON

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT MONTE CARLO SS, WEEKLY TOP-10 BEHIND THE HAULER CHAT (Courtsey GM Racing)

Q. On problems with his car:"We have had some things happen to us and they're all things that we at Hendrick Motorsports outsource, nothing that we're building. We're putting a list together through convenience or saving a buck here and there where we outsourced it to maybe focus on some other things. We're putting that list together so we don't continue to have these problems. Right now we need to be focused on dialing the car in, working on setups, making the car go faster, not needing to worry and focus on one little thing here and there that can cost us positions like what happened to us in Richmond and Charlotte. What happened in Charlotte, the 48 was about six to 10 laps away from having the same problem. It's an issue really throughout the garage because it's a company that builds things for all of us. It's not the company's fault. It's what we're doing now with the cars that are putting more stress on that part so now we got to go back and research a little bit more."
Q. How frustrating is it that little things like that keep you from getting over this hump?"We're much more concerned with the competition, with going faster and trying new setups and making gains there with downforce. Those little things are going to happen. We're definitely putting a team of people on that to make sure those things are happening but our primary focus is still just speed. We're really getting there. I'm glad we're under the radar because when we hit it, we're going to hit it big and everybody is going to say 'Wow, where did they come from?' We're not going to talk about it. We're here to go out there and do it. We're working our butts off, this whole team is, to put that out there on the race track. For us what might seem like only three or four positions on the track to everybody else are additional steps in the right direction."
Q. Do you think you are ready to win a championship this year? Do you think you are you equipped to do so?"Team-wise I think we're definitely ready. We've got a great team - the morale of the team, the way everybody is on the same page, the pit crew. Everything focus-wise, communication-wise is there. We just got to get that competition and performance up a couple of notches and we'll absolutely be ready to win a championship. It's a lot different now with the Chase. Right now is like experimental time. There might be guys out there wining races and running faster. Our job is to catch up to them and pass them when it comes time for the Chase."
Q. What is your timeline for that? Is it this week?"Trust me, if we could have figured it out yesterday we would have. We're not putting a timeline on it. We're just working as hard as we can to get there. There's no doubt there are some guys that have gotten ahead of us. It's our job to get out there and catch 'em and find those things that we need to beat them. It doesn't matter to me when it happens as long as it happens before the Chase or right as the Chase starts."
Q. What are you looking forward to in going to Pocono?"That's the exciting thing right now is going to the tracks and being more competitive and trying new things that should make us better. For the longest time I've loved going everywhere. The last couple years I've dreaded going places like that because we've been so far off. It's no fun to go places that you know you can run good at and be doing all you can to try and get in the top 10. When we start getting ourselves up in the top five and battling for wins, you're going to see us excited about going to every track. Pocono has always been one of my favorites. I love the shifting that we typically do there and the three different corners. I enjoy that. I'm looking forward to that. Right now we've got some exciting things happening with the team and I'm really looking forward to going everywhere."
Q. When you are running 24th during a race, what is going through your mind? What is the mindset of your team during those situations?"The thing you've got to understand is track position is so important. Like last week, we stayed out and we took off and ran away from the field and we led the whole time. Obviously you know that clean air is extremely important. Downforce is important and we proved that our car is much better than a 24th-place car. It's all about fine-tuning on the car to try to make it better. You've got to tune the car for passing in traffic then you've got to make the car (better) for getting out front and being in the top five. These cars change so much. When you're in the top it's just unbelievable. Last week we were dealing with a tire, a new surface and some different things that we've had to deal with in the past and track position was even more important. That's what the most frustrating thing about last week is that we finally got ourselves in a solid position, the car was feeling good and we were looking forward to those last two runs. I think that we had a shot at getting up at fifth or sixth but we were definitely an eighth place car at the time."
Q. What do you think Kyle Busch's issues are? Is he immature or has he not learned what racing is all about yet?"I think Kyle (Busch) is a tremendous talent and he just sometimes gets a little impatient. He knows that they have a good team and good cars and that frustration kicks in a little bit when you're not able to go out there and show it. He's young and maybe a little immature but it's just that he's wanting all of it right now. He's got to have more patience and kind of understand that nobody is out there trying to get him. Everybody is out there trying to get all they can and he just needs to respect that and understand that. I think he's going to be a tremendous talent and super star of this sport and things like what happened last week are only things that are going to give him more experience and hopefully learn from that situation and move on and be better."
Q. Have you talked to him at all?"We tested together this week but we didn't talk anything about that situation."
Q. How much has Mr. Hendrick talked to him about the situation?"That's why I haven't had to say anything is (because) Rick has talked to him. Nobody carries more respect than somebody like Rick Hendrick. When he sits down and talks to you, it gets your attention. I know that he's been talking to Kyle."

I THOUGHT THIS WAS INTERESTING

Travis Kvapil and the Tide Racing Team to
Appear on CBS Soap Opera Guiding Light on June 28
Driver Helps Make Dream Come True for Beloved Character Reva Shane Lewis

NEW YORK, N.Y. & HICKORY, N.C. (June 6, 2006) -- 2006 Emmy Award-winner Kim Zimmer and the CBS soap Guiding Light hit the track today with NASCAR driver Travis Kvapil and the Tide® Racing Team when the show taped on location at the Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, N.C. The soap also plans to tape tomorrow at the team’s race shop which is also located in Hickory.

The storyline revolves around Zimmer’s character, the strong-willed Reva Shayne Lewis and her battle with breast cancer. Thanks to the encouragement from her doctor Colin McCabe (played by Paul Fitzgerald) and Kvapil, Reva gets the chance to take the wheel of the infamous Tide Ride in an attempt to prove that her diagnosis will not stop her from living out her dreams. The scenes shot at the Speedway and the race shop will air on Wednesday, June 28.

Zimmer and several of her cast mates first met the Tide Racing Team last September at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Everyone had such a great experience that the idea of working the race team into a storyline was proposed. Several months later, the project came to fruition when Zimmer’s character was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the story, Reva remembers a list she made as a young girl that contained 10 items she wanted to do before she died. Driving a race car was one of them.

“I’ve never done anything like this,” said Kvapil, who took Zimmer for a high-speed ride around the track to experience the thrill of NASCAR. “I was given a script with lines to memorize and when it was time to roll tape, Paul and Kim really went out of their way to put me at ease. We got through all of the takes without any major hiccups. It was awesome. Kim really seemed to enjoy herself and Paul wants to come to a race so I think everyone at Guiding Light is hooked on NASCAR. I am sure hooked on them. I can’t wait to watch the episode.”

Kim Zimmer created the unforgettable character of Reva Shayne on Guiding Light in 1983. A four-time Emmy winner, Zimmer won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in April 2006. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zimmer and her husband currently live in New Jersey and have three children.

About Guiding Light
Guiding Light, the longest-running show in broadcast history and the recipient of four Daytime Emmy Awards in 2006, is a Procter & Gamble Production. The show tapes in New York City. Ellen Wheeler is the Executive Producer and David Kreizman is the Headwriter. The show can be seen weekdays on the CBS Television Network. (Check local listings). For photos please visit www.pgpphoto.com.

About PPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports based in Hickory, N.C., fields the No. 32 Tide/Downy Chevrolet driven by Travis Kvapil in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Since joining the series in 2000, the team has earned two wins, three pole positions, 10 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes. The team also owns multiple titles and victories in off-road and open-wheel racing. In 2005, PPI Motorsports celebrated its 25th year in racing.

ROUSH TALKS ABOUT SUPER TEAMS

JACK ROUSH
ROUSH RACING FINISHED 1-2, CHILDRESS FINISHED 3-4, HENDRICK FINISHED 5-6 AT DOVER. IS THIS DOMINANCE ON THE BIG TEAMS OR IS IT PARITY OR IS IT ENTERTAINMENT? “It’s both, I think. The thing that it takes to make this programs run is great sponsors that bring the money and then great people that will organize the cars so that they’ve got the speed and drivers that can drive it. Organizations that have got that mix the best right now is the larger teams. I don’t think there’s anything in sight that’s going to back to one man, one car and one team and the sort of thing that you might’ve looked at in a simpler time. But the big organizations have got the most understanding of what the problem is and are most able to deal with the changes that NASCAR brings with interpretations of rules as they come. NASCAR has done a great job on parity with templates now that hardly ever get mentioned. These cars aero matched. The engines, they pay real close attention to, have got virtually the same speed. If you just figure out and have people that understand what the cars need and you figure out and you apply in numbers so then you’ll have a good result. And that of course is what Chrysler and other manufacturers have brought to the truck series with the way they’ve been able to standardize those cars between manufacturers. The Chevrolet teams, with having the most teams, have got several organizations do a nice job, but I feel kind of lonely with Ford. We’re trying to get Robert up to speed and get him going and get the Wood Brothers to do what they might. But it’s pretty lonely here. Yeah, the Gibbs organization, the Childress organization, the Hendrick organization and mine are able most days to do things that the smaller teams can’t and I think that’s life as it should be.”

ROUSH, STUFFED PEPPERS, NYX

Jack Roush drivers Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray took first and second at Dover.

More important, I made a wonderful batch of stuffed green peppers tonight. Man, it was good. Sides were a baked tomato plus summer squash and onions. Not a carb on the plate. Now to spice things up a little, I topped the green peppers with crumbled blue cheese.

I mixed ground beef with a little chopped garlic, dried onion, one egg and a splash of A1 Spicy Steak Sauce. One lb. of of ground beef is all I needed to fill three big peppers. The 13 year old boy loved it. I made him more a kid meal by heating up some french fries.

As far as the stock market, I got some NYX -- New York Stock Exchange -- and I hope to turn it over sometime this week. The news the that NYX is going to merge with a big exchange in Europe is exciting stuff! They say we'll have 24 hour trading in a matter of two years.

Talk about spicing things up!