Partridge Seals the Deal.

Saturday October 5th marked the conclusion of the 2013 Lucas Oil Late Model series at the Irwindale Event Center. Ryan Partridge and the number 48 LoanMart Racing team came into the race with a comfortable thirty-six point margin over second place Toni McCray, this would mean that Partridge would have to finish 18th or better.
The day started well for Partridge and the 48 as he set fast time in the first practice within a few laps. As soon as the 48 was back in the pits Partridge and the LoanMart team placed  the car on jack stands, as usual the team sat out the second practice to let the car continue to cool as they prepped for qualifying. Partridge was the second to last car to qualifying setting 3rd quick time. Partridge stated that the car "was a little off".  Although Partridge was 3rd quick the top six would be set by a 6 lap trophy dash in which he would start 4th due to the invert. Partridge and the team discussed plans to keep safe during the dash and they decided that if things got hairy up front they would drop to the back. Just after the green dropped a speedy Partridge settled into second behind the 55 of Cole Custer. Partridge would finish second and start on the outside pole.
Cole Custer slowly led the field to the green flag, when it was dropped it was a slow start as Partridge shot past Custer but, Nascar called for a restart, it was another slow start so Partridge checked up allowing Custer to take the lead. The faster Partridge stayed glued to Custer who made his car very wide, as they raced three wide with lap cars. Coming to get the white flag Partridge and Custer had to split two lap cars running side by side, Partridge went low with a lap car to his outside,as Custer split both the lap cars. Custer made contact with the lap car to his outside sending him nearly spinning into turn one but Partridge did not gain much ground due to his poor entry, But as they exited turn two Partridge was once again on his bumper, Custer got lose going into turn three due to his damage and Partridge dove to the bottom in hopes of a slide job off turn four but Custer began his decent to defend as they exited the two made heavy contact sending Partridge spinning, but Partridge made an amazing save and still finished in second claiming the championship.
This is Partridges second track championship, first in Late Models and Partridge gave LoanMart Racing there first championship. Partridge said that "None of this would have been possible without LoanMart, PPL Motorsports, my amazing crew and supportive family"

-Stephen Appell

Kahne Seizes Opportunity

Kasey Kahne sized his opportunity to get his Famers Insurance Chevrolet in Victory lane last weekend at Pocono. Kahne had a competitive all race long but the race appeared to belong to Jimmie Johnson yet again. But disaster struck for the 48 team when Johnson blew a right front tire exiting turn two force the Lowe's Chevy into the hard into the wall. From that point on it was Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne who appeared to run the field they swapped the lead a limited amount of times, but the action started with nine to go when the caution flew. Gordon restarted on the outside front row with Kahne on the inside, Gordon got the edge on the restart and started to run until another caution flew. They restarted the same as before but this time it was Kahne who was able to edge out Gordon to go on and win the race.
This was Kahne's second win of the season. Kahne has had a multitude of great runs  all season long but has not been able to capitalize on them, this is a huge momentum builder for the 5 team and I feel they could be a strong force to be reckoned with come chase time.

-Stephen Appell

Taking Risk

Tony Stewart suffered a broken leg in two places after a hard car crash Monday night while running his 410 dirt sprint car., and it has people talking and not about a replacement. People are talking about if drivers should be racing in different divisions of motorsports much like Stewart running sprint cars, others are Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson who also compete in the same cars. Kyle Busch love to run his late model at tracks everywhere such as in Ottawa where he won Tuseday night.
Stewart being the team owner really does not have anyone to tell him do not run so much it can hurt you. Ray Evernham stated Tuesday night that when Kasey Kahne ran for him that they had an agrement that Kahne could run a limited about of races in a 360 sprint a slightly smaller car to the 410 sprint.
Their will always be a risk in running other divisions besides just your main division. That is a risk a lot of racers will take because racing is what they do. For those you that say they should not run other division i understand your point but then should Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, etc. be running in the Nationwide Series on a part time basis. I like that these drivers go out during the week to run the small tracks, its good for the fans who cannot afford to go to a NASCAR race to see there favorite driver possibly. It also allows the driver to go and run where they started and potentially scout new talent.
A driver such as Tony Stewart or Kyle Larson fully understands the potential risks they take every time they strap into a car, but they are racers and it is what they do.
Let them race.

-Stephen Appell    

INDY.

Only one word is needed to explain this weekends historical race. INDY, that is right we are back at Indianapolis Motorspeedway, for the Brickyard 400. This has been one of NASCAR'S most famous and toughest races to win since its inaugural race in 1994. Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, and Jamie McMurray are the only three drivers to win the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same year. Jamie McMurray is also the only driver to ever with the Daytona 500, The All-Star Race, and the Brickyard 400 in the same year; but that could all end this weekend. Jimmie Johnson has his eyes set on putting his name next to McMurray's as a drive to win NASCAR'S big three in the same season. But he has drivers hungrier then him that want this race, Like Indianapolis native Tony Stewart who is in search of his third Brick trophy, and Juan Pablo Montoya who dominated the race a few years back only to have a speeding penalty killed his dream, of being the first ever driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400.
The Brickyard 400 always makes for and exciting race like in 2011 when Paul Menard won his first ever NASCAR Sprint Cup at the Brickyard 400 in a fuel mileage race. Who will win this weekend well we will just have to wait to find out. It will be great.

-Stephen Appell
-stephenappell.com

Give Me More Dirt!

WELL WELL WELL. The first NASCAR dirt race in 43 years has concluded and I think there is only one thing that can be said. Show me the dirt!!! The Camping World Truck Series at Eldora, it was some of the best racing that this sport has seen in years. Constant side by side action with beating and banging all around. NASCAR made a great move taking a chance on this race and everything fell into place. Austin Dillon who started a miserable 19th managed to keep his nose clean as he dove through the field to win the first ever Truck series dirt race, and by his excitement level you would have thought he won the Daytona 500. Dillon had a contest on his hands though as he held off dirt ace and NASCAR young gun Kyle Larson who beat and banged with his team mate Ryan Newman to capture second.
There were smiles every where after the race, because a show had been put on. over 20,000 fans from forty-eight states, packed into the tiny town of Rossburg, Ohio. Every fan left satisfied but not every driver did. The drivers who were not able to transfer into the main event through the qualifying races were heart broken as they new there shot at history was over.
Hats off to NASCAR and track owner Tony Stewart as they made this amazing deal happen. I am positive that this race will become an icon of the series and the sport. I even think that more of these races are to come, and they are welcomed as long as the racing is good.

-Stephen Appell
-stephenappell.com

Rain Rain Go Away

Saturday's Quaker State 400 from Kentucky MotorSpeedway was postponed last night due to rain, the Green flag drops in just over an hour at 12 pm ET. And who do we find leading the field to the green flag, none other then Mr. June bug himself, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior nation was presently surprised when Dale Jr. stripped the pole away from teammate Jimmie Johnson who had just set a new track record. Although this is only the third time the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, Kentucky MotorSpeedway has proven in the past to be a track with tough racing and first wins. Junior has officially started his winless drought since two weeks ago at Michigan marked a year since his last victory. Junior has proven over the past two season that he and his team are capable of winning and running up front. Although I feel today at Kentucky is when Junior and crew chief Steve Letarte put the right package together and race on into victory lane.

-Stephen Appell
-stephenappell.com
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Jimmie's Weekend

After last weekends controversial restart in which Jimmie Johnson was black flagged for jumping the restart, he came out and dominated this weekend. Most of this weekends festivities at Pocano Speedway were a wash out due to rain storms, but when the cup cars did find themselves on track it was the 48 at the top of the board. Qualifying was rained out so owner points set the field, and it was Jimmie Johnson who would start first and Carl Edwards to his outside in second. When the green flag fell it was Edwards that lead the first lap but that was about all. Johnson Dropped the hammer and set sail passing Edwards and leading more then half the laps. As the laps dwindled down so did fuel millage and everyone started to conserve, as a late race caution flew the fuel millage went out the window as everyone hit pit road. Johnson elected to only make a two tire change and top it off with gas. The green flag flew with 9 to go with Junior on Johnson's inside but there was no challenge as Johnson took off yet again until a final late race caution. On the restart Johnson took the outside with Junior to his  inside but it was Greg Biffle who restarted in the fourth position who took off into second but he had nothing for Mr. 5 time as Jimmie Johnson finished his domination with a win.

-Stephen Appell