Just incase you wanted to know what the Nationwide Champinsip Ring looked like, here you go courtousey of Boris at JGR.

The No. 13 team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the No. 6 and 14 teams that compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series were penalized Tuesday as a result of rules violations committed this past weekend.

The No. 13 truck was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR Officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20B-12.8.1D (truck failed to meet maximum right rear bed panel height) of the 2011 NASCAR rule book.

As a result, crew chief Joel Shear has been fined $5,000 while driver Johnny Sauter and owner Mike Curb have been penalized with the loss of six championship driver and owner points, respectively. The violation was discovered during post-race inspection Aug. 7 at Pocono Raceway.

Both the No. 6 and No. 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series cars were found to be in violation of Sections 12-1; 12-4-J; and 20A-10.7G (lug nuts were less than the minimum specified thickness) of the 2011 NASCAR rule book.

As a result, Michael Kelley, crew chief for the No. 6, and Gary Cogswell, crew chief for the No. 14, have each been fined $2,500 and placed on NASCAR probation until Sept. 21. These violations were discovered during pre-qualifying inspection on Aug. 6 at Iowa Speedway.

Apparently Jimmie Johnson did some moonlighting recently and was guest on the Supper Bowl coverage.

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Where’s your favorite driver starting?

Pit Selections

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Lineup

#88-Earnhardt Jr., 1st

#14-Stewart, 2nd

#99-Edwards, 3rd

#11-Hamlin, 4th

#4-Kahne, 5th

#47-Labonte, 6th

#33-Bowyer, 7th

#39-Newman, 8th

#64-Cope, 9th

#15-Waltrip, 10th

#16-Biffle, 11th

#24-Gordon, 12th

#42-Juan Pablo Montoya, 13th

#1-McMurray, 14th

#31-Burton, 15th

#97-Conway, 16th

#22-Busch, 17th

#29-Harvick, 18th

#17-Kenseth, 19th

#5-Martin, 20th

#18-Busch, 21st

#20-Logano, 22nd

#48-Johnson, 23rd

#78-Smith, 24th

I’ve been asked a few times about The Gaorade Duels, and Daytona 500 qualifying, so I figured I’d post this reminder about how it all works…

Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is unlike any other auto racing qualifying procedure. Drivers have two chances to qualify for the season-opening race, as opposed to the usual format of one qualifying session per event.

The first chance comes via Daytona 500 Qualifying, which will be held Sunday, Feb. 13. The other chance is the Gatorade Duel at Daytona, two 150-mile qualifying races held on Thursday, Feb. 17.

Below is a breakdown of the Daytona 500 qualifying procedure:

Daytona 500 Qualifying Day

•       Each team may run two laps with the fast lap setting the qualifying time. The two fastest qualifiers earn starting positions one and two and are the only guaranteed positions, filling the front row for the Daytona 500.

•       The Gatorade Duel at Daytona, two 150-mile qualifying races, will determine starting positions for the Daytona 500 beyond the front row. In the event of cancellation, the field will be set according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book.

Gatorade Duel

•       The eligible highest ranked 35 in 2010 car owner points will be assigned to Gatorade Duel races based on their final 2010 car owner points. Cars with odd-numbered owner points positions will compete in the first Gatorade Duel race; even-numbered owner points positions will compete in the second race.

•       The only exception is that the fastest qualifier from Daytona 500 Qualifying will start on the pole in the first Gatorade Duel race and the second fastest will start on the pole in the second race, regardless of 2010 car owner point standings.

•       Owners who failed to finish in the top 35 of the 2010 car owner points will be assigned to the Gatorade Duel races based on qualifying times. The fastest qualifying owner goes to the first Duel race; the next to the second race and alternating through remaining entries.

•       The actual starting grids for the Gatorade Duel races are based on qualifying times.

Daytona 500 Lineup

•       The two fastest qualifiers set starting positions one and two.

•       Finishing positions in the Gatorade Duel races determine the other starting positions in the Daytona 500.

•       The top two non-top 35 teams in each Duel race will earn a spot in the Daytona 500.

•       Based on their finish in the first Duel race, the eligible highest-ranked 35 in 2010 car owner points plus the two highest finishing non-top 35 teams will be lined up on the inside row (odd-number starting positions).

•       Based on their finish in the second Duel race, the eligible highest-ranked 35 plus the two highest finishing non-top 35 teams will be lined up on the outside row (even-number starting positions).

•       The remaining positions will be filled based on qualifying.

o   If one or both cars on the front row are not top-35 teams, the number of cars that get in based on time are reduced accordingly.

•       The 43rd starting position will be assigned to any car owner who has the most recent eligible past NASCAR Sprint Cup champion who did not make the 500 field by any other method providing the driver competed in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. If the 43rd position remains unused it will be assigned to the next highest qualifying time.

Bottom line, here’s who gets locked into the Daytona 500 field:

–      The top-two qualifiers from Sunday.

–      The remaining top-35 guaranteed starters.

–      Four drivers from the Gatorade Duel at Daytona (two non-top 35 from each race)

–      Remaining drivers not making the field through the above methods can fall back on Sunday’s qualifying times or being a past champion.

There are several changes in NASCAR Sprint Cup this year, and I’m curious what you’re looking forward to. I’m still interested in seeing how teams will deal with being a man (catch can) down during pit stops. It’s going to be much tougher to make chassis adjustments now.

What do you think will be the big change of the year?

Some of the changes include:

NASCAR.com

Points — The new points system will award points in one-point increments. As an example, in the Cup Series, race winners will earn 43 points, plus three bonus points for the victory. Winners also can earn an extra point for leading a lap and leading the most laps, bringing their total to a possible maximum of 48 points.

All other drivers in a finishing order will be separated by one-point increments. A second-place finisher will earn 42 points, a third-place driver 41 points, and so on. A last-place finisher — 43rd place — earns one point. In the Camping World Truck Series, the last-place finisher receives eight points, to account for that series’ 36-driver race field.

Chase Berths – While the 12-driver Chase field remains intact, the final two spots will be determined by the number of victories during the first 26 races.

Pick a Series — Drivers in all three national series now must select the series where they’ll compete for a drivers’ championship. Drivers still may compete in multiple series and help their teams win owners’ titles in series where they’re not competing for a drivers’ title. The move helps spotlight young talent in the Nationwide and Truck series.

New Qualifying Procedure – The qualifying order will be set based upon slowest-to-fastest practice speeds.

Inclement Weather Qualifying — If bad weather cancels qualifying, the final starting lineup will be determined by practice speeds. The same rule book procedures will be used to determine eligibility to start a race. If weather cancels practice sessions, then the starting lineup will be set by points, per the rule book.

Tire Rules Revision — Cup teams now are allowed five sets of tires for practice and qualifying instead of six. They must return four of those sets to Goodyear in order to receive their race allotment, and may keep one set of practice/qualifying tires. Tire allotments for race weekends will vary according to historical performance data.

(HHP/Harold Hinson)

Closed Loop Fueling System — Introduced in the Truck Series, this goes into effect for all three national series in 2011. It combines a more efficient fueling system with the elimination of the catch-can man, considered the most “vulnerable” pit-crew member. Teams now will use six, rather than seven, over-the-wall pit-crew members.

Evolution of Cup Car — NASCAR continues to work with the manufacturers and teams to enhance the look of the Cup Series car. The cars have new fronts this season and the body makeover will continue to help appeal to fans and aid manufacturer identity.

Motor racing has always been a sport full of superstitions, and this year they live on in Greg Biffle’s garage. While being interviewed during Budweiser Shootout Practice by SPEED you can clearly see the Number 16 team wasn’t happy with the number 13 garage stall at Daytona. So how did the fix it? Well if you’re at Daytona this weekend looking for the 3M team in stall #13, instead keep your eyes open for #12 1/2.

What other racing superstitions live on? Share with us below.

Get ready for the unofficial start to the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage starting tonight at 6:30 on SPEED and the race at 8PM eastern on fox! Also stay tuned for more information about NASCARFanView and our exciting return to NASCAR Nation.

Keep up with these NASCAR links. Found on March 30th

Mark Martin will be holding his 6th Annual Open House at Mark Martin Ford in Batesville, AR this Thursday and Friday (April 1-2), and NASCARFanView will be there! Mark will be on hand both days signing autographs and taking questions from fans.

Three-Time NASCAR Champion Darrell Waltrip & Current television race commentator with FOX Sports, 1989 Daytona 500 Winner with 84 wins & 59 poles will be joining Mark Martin on Thursday April 1st signing autographs, Q & A with the fans. Starting at 1 PM CST.

Tony Stewart: Driver, Owner, 2002 & 2005 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion will be joining Mark Martin once again signing autographs, Q & A with the fans, Friday April 2nd starting at 3 PM CST

If you have any questions for these NASCAR greats please leave them in the comments below. We’ll be posting updates regularly from Mark Martin Ford!

With a speed of 192.761 mph, Dale Earnhardt Jr. covered 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway in 28.76 seconds for his first pole since 2008. He also set a new fastest qualifying time since the Sprint Cup Series began racing the new style car.  Kyle Busch qualified second, Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin fill the second row.

Aric Amirola, Casey Mears, and Terry Cook did not qualify for the Kolbalt Tools 500.

Is this Jr’s chance for a turn around? Tell us below.

Keep up with these NASCAR links. Found on March 5th

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Play the $100,000 Trackside Challenge for a chance to win awesome prizes instantly, including cash and cool merchandise. Plus if you are not an instant winner, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a VIP race weekend!

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FULL RULES

Below is the order in which cars will make their qualifying attempts.

#	Car	Driver	Team
1	20	Joey Logano	Home Depot Toyota
2	98	Paul Menard	CertainTeed/Menards Ford
3	9	Kasey Kahne	Budweiser Ford
4	43	A J Allmendinger	Best Buy/Insignia Ford
5	39	Ryan Newman	Tornados Chevrolet
6	16	Greg Biffle	U.S. Census Ford
7	99	Carl Edwards	Scotts Ford
8	47	Marcos Ambrose	Lance/Tom's Toyota
9	37	Kevin Conway #	Extenze Ford
10	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot Chevrolet
11	19	Elliott Sadler	Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford
12	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont/National Guard Chevrolet
13	18	Kyle Busch	M&M's Toyota
14	BLANK
15	83	Brian Vickers	Red Bull Toyota
16	2	Kurt Busch	Miller Lite Dodge
17	6	David Ragan	UPS Ford
18	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet
19	5	Mark Martin	Hendrickcars.com/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
20	17	Matt Kenseth	Valvoline Ford
21	12	Brad Keselowski	Mopar/FLO TV Dodge
22	7	Robby Gordon	Warner Music Nashville/Blake Shelton Toyota
23	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota
24	34	Travis Kvapil	Long John Silver's Ford
25	77	Sam Hornish Jr.	Mobil 1 Dodge
26	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
27	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Toyota
28	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevrolet
29	33	Clint Bowyer	BB&T Chevrolet
30	26	Boris Said	Sacred Power/Southern Pride Trucking Ford
31	29	Kevin Harvick	Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet
32	1	Jamie McMurray	Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet
33	38	David Gilliland	Charter Air Transport/Taco Bell Ford
34	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
35	00	David Reutimann	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
36	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
37	82	* Scott Speed	Red Bull Toyota
38	66	* Dave Blaney	PRISM Motorsports Toyota
39	09	* Aric Almirola	Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
40	36	* Mike Bliss	Wave Energy Drink Chevrolet
41	71	* Bobby Labonte	TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet Chevrolet
42	87	* Joe Nemechek	FrontRowJoe.com Toyota
43	21	* Bill Elliott	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
44	46	* Terry Cook #	Whitney Motorsports Dodge
45	13	* Max Papis	GEICO Toyota
46	55	* Michael McDowell	PRISM Motorsports Toyota
47	90	* Casey Mears	Keyed-Up Motorsports Chevrolet
* Required to qualify on time

Keep up with these NASCAR links. Found from March 3rd to March 4th.

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Keep up with these NASCAR links. Found on March 2nd

Your favorite NASCAR drivers and cars gone big – Fathead.com

Despite pitting out of sequence with what he thought was a loose wheel, fifth-place finisher Matt Kenseth posted his third top 10 of the season and his first top five with crew chief Todd Parrott, who took over from Drew Blickensderfer after the Daytona 500.

“It feels like we’re on the right track, but me pitting off-sequence there probably got us an adjustment or two behind, because we were more worried about getting back on the lead lap — at least I was — than saving enough gas to get our [pit] windows closer together,” Kenseth said.

“We probably didn’t adjust on it quite the way we needed to and didn’t have it exactly the way I wanted at the end, but overall it was a great day for us.”

via NASCAR.COM

With Matt Kenseth currently running in the top 5 in points, what do you think his secret for this years success has been? Do you think he has a chance to win a championship this year? Share you comments with us below.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 16th-place finish wasn’t very pretty considering his three Hendrick Motorsports teammates were inside the top five.

But team owner Rick Hendrick was pleased with the progress from the No. 88 team, which is currently 15th in the standings.

“We had a couple of bobbles in the pits with the pit crew,” Hendrick said. “It seems like every time the car is good, the pit crew screws up. If the pit crew is on the car, something breaks. So I feel they’ve made a ton of improvement. I think we’re going to have a really good year. I’m looking forward to Atlanta.”

Earnhardt is coming off a horrendous 2009 season that saw him go winless and finish 25th in the final standings. Hendrick made an offseason commitment to get Earnhardt on pace with the other HMS cars, and Hendrick doesn’t think the early results are indicative of how much progress has been made.

Earnhardt broke an axle last week at Fontana and finished 32nd.

via NASCAR.COM

Where do you think the problem with the 88 team lies? Should Rick Hendrick be concerned? Tell us what you think below.

Keep up with these NASCAR links. Found from February 27th to February 28th.

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