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Carl Edwards has recently become the winner of the Nationwide Series, which took place last Saturday at the Michigan International Speedway. This was the nineteenth victory for Roush Fenway Racing team in Michigan, but the first so far in the series.

Both favorite drivers to win the competition Stewart and Edwards began the competition in good shape and Edwards who was driving the Roush Fenway Racing’s Ford headed without problems during the 125 laps required at the two miles track.

“I am so happy to have won. We had been so close before. I do not know how we were able to win over Tony. He was very fast. The car was genial during the whole day”, stated Edwards after finishing the race”.

This is Edwards’ third victory of the year in the Nationwide Series, but during this race Edwards was ahead for the most laps and a time difference of 3,5 seconds ahead of Vickers. Unfortunately for Efland he crashed at the starting of the final lap and only managed to finish the race with the yellow flag.

On the other hand, Vickers himself stated that he left sad as despite of his constant efforts and hard work to win one of the races he has not been able to be successful at it, perhaps he also needs to bit of luck to his favor.

There is also a question regarding the efficiency of the vehicles driven by Edwards (Ford) and Vickers (Toyota). Vickers believes there is a manner of the machines’ power involved and the technology implemented by both teams.

Another driver who had a good weekend was Tony Stewart who finished third in the race followed by Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Mike Bliss and the 18 year-old rookie, Joey Logano. 

By the end of the present season Stewart will become the Stewart-Haas Racing driver and owner, he is very pleased with his decision as well as the way he has been performing during this campaign. His new project will be very demanding and he is looking forward to a new beginning. He has won a total of five races and he is already a strong candidate for the upcoming competitions.

The highlight of the race was the crash of Clint Bowyer and David Reutimann in the final part of the race but there was no need for medical assistance. Edwards has to his account a total of 16 victories and 113 points just behind Bowyer. Keselowski who finished in the eleventh position has a total of 132 points. Now, all drivers are heading to Bristol next week for the decisive race.

Nevertheless there are always questions and doubts about the drivers, the vehicles, the mechanical teams, and the strategies used on the track but that is the way Nascar racing unveils its good and bad moments. One thing is certain and that is we will see more action throughout the remaining races and more new talents appearing every day.

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Keselowski started, for the first of his NCTS career, on the pole in the No. 9 Team ASE Tundra for Germain Racing and led three times for 23 laps. Skinner led 16 laps, and has now led at least one lap in the season’s first 12 races. As a result, he tied the NCTS record for consecutive races led to start a season (Jason Leffler, 2002).

No. 60 Con-way Freight Tundra driver Jack Sprague said that it was a difficult race. He explains that they were horrible but they did a great job with we made some great adjustments. According to him, his truck was a little loose but cooperated by rotating pretty well in the center. He added that they have to give up something at this race track because it is not going to be perfect on both ends.

No. 5 Toyota Tundra diver Mike Skinner said that the truck was very consistent though each set of tires they put on it was a bit different. He considers the recent race as the best run they have ever had in Memphis.

No. 1 RFMS Tundra diver Aaron Fike said that they were looses the whole race but it was their first top-five of the season. He added that they probably should have had a couple top-fives already this year, but they caught a couple bad breaks. He further said that they been in the top-10 in points all year so it is nice to get a good finish and keep the truck up there in points.

No. 9 Team ASE Tundra driver Brad Kaselowski commented that they had a strong truck all night, but it just did not end how they wanted it to. He said that he used everything he had to get to Travis and pass him. Kaselowski caught a little break in traffic to get by Travis. The two got into more traffic and could not get around a couple lapped trucks, and used the rear tires a little too hard and used them up. Though disappointed, Kaselowski was certain that it was the best run he has ever had.

Toyota’s History in America Motorsports

Aside from making quality auto parts such as Toyota Highlander parts, Toyota is also into the world of Motorsports.

Challenges abound as Toyota prepares to face its biggest motorsports test ever in North America when it enters the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series this year.

In 2006, a pair of manufacturer’s championships, a driver’s title and a win in America’s most prestigious sports car race was all a part of the rich motorsports history. Todd Bodine bagged Toyota’s first-ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) Driver’s Championship with three victories. Furthermore, Bodine led a sweep of the top six positions by Toyota Tundra drivers to give Toyota its first Manufacturer’s Championship. For the season, Tundra drivers would achieve victory 12 times in the 25-race campaign.

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Few who enjoy the sport from the outside realize just how much preparation, innovation and time is spent preparing engines, transmissions and the car bodies themselves for the long racing season. Technicians work tirelessly to adjust, refine and perfect every aspect of a car’s performance while maintaining strict adherence to NASCAR regulations. Pit crews train together in order to maximize their speed and accuracy while minimizing the risk for serious injury to both themselves and the driver they will assist. All in all, their combined efforts are more likely to determine who will finish the season with the most points than anyone behind the wheel.

These are no ordinary mechanics by any standard. Most diagnostics and pit crew personnel receive specialty training at facilities designed for those interested in working within the sport. These facilities, such as the NASCAR Technical Institute run by the Universal Technical Institute in a joint partnership with NASCAR, cater to both the industry itself and those who wish to be a part of it. Additionally, most graduates undergo extensive training developed by the respective racing teams they become a part of.

For pit crew personnel in particular, the physically demanding aspects of the position require a great deal of stamina. Every active racing team on the circuit today incorporates physical conditioning as part of their training in order to increase stamina. Long periods of inactivity are intermittently infused with moments where the crew must work as a cohesive unit, and with not a moment to spare. Additionally, they must be at the ready through every lap, from the first to the last.

For those who develop and diagnose performance standards for the cars, minute adjustments and constant testing are commonplace. From the timing belt and air intake to the aerodynamics measured in wind tunnel testing, their mission is to give their car, and consequently their driver, every possible advantage. The efforts they make can mean the difference between a pole position or starting the race at a disadvantage.

So while fans of NASCAR are familiar with the victory lap and hoisting of the trophy, there is a quiet celebration among the unknown faces that comprise the racing team which spectators will likely never see. Without question, a win for the driver is also a win for the combined efforts of those who helped make a trip through victory lane possible.

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The Budweiser Shootout, a non-points All-Star race featuring the previous season’s pole winners and past Budweiser Shootout champions which kicked off a week before the big day of the season shows a record of 23 racers this year. The shootout is very famous in the United States; however, nothing is more important than the NASCAR’s Superbowl or Daytona 500 usually held the second Sunday of February and always associated with the Presidents Day weekend.

Winning Daytona 500 is the perfect chance to shine on the sport’s biggest day. It’s also the biggest payday each year. The winner’s share this year likely will top $1.5 million. But the drivers aren’t thinking about the money because it is all about a place in history since winning this event makes you the most valuable player in NASCAR since fans remember Daytona 500 winners more than Cup champions.

In fact, Daytona 500 TV audience has been the highest for any auto race of the year. Actually, the 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers. People who normally don’t watch NASCAR will tune in and watch the Daytona 500, just like people watch the Kentucky Derby or the Masters.

There are already three drivers leading the pack as early favorites to win the 2008 Daytona 500. Defending Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports Teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are all listed as favorites to win the 50th running of the Great American Race.

As yet, Jimmie Johnson has the fastest speed in the first Daytona 500 practice; he posted it this morning going 186.285 miles per hour while rookie Carpenter was the fastest in the afternoon going 186.150. Patrick Carpentier was the quickest driver in the second practice session for the 50th Daytona 500. The Valvoline Dodge driver lapped the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway tri-oval in 48.348/186.150 mph.

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Once again one of the Busch brothers achieves excellence in the NASCAR Sprint Cup; this time was Kurt who obtained the glorious triumph in a spectacular way in Atlanta, at the Kobalt Tools 500.  In the previous race in Las Vegas, it was Kyle, Kurt’s younger brother, who was crowned as champion.  This victory is without a doubt, a very positive aspect for Busch’s older brother, who was losing its luster while being overshadowed by the continuing success of his brother.

Since the start of the competition, Kurt managed to maintain himself in the front for 232 of the 325 laps set with full control of his vehicle (a Miller Lite Dodge Penske), demonstrating his amazing skills to lead and thus surpassed the yellow flags that were shown during the first twelve laps. During this period, the leading position was occupied for four different drivers in a given moment, but in the midst of a successful maneuver, Busch was able to take the control of the race, getting ahead and moving away from Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon, who were chasing him at a very close range.

As the competition progressed, the emotions were growing strong as well as the hard fight to achieve and maintain the leading position. In the middle of this battle, Mark Martin had some problems with his car again, similar to the last week, causing the yellow flags to appear once again. Because of this, Kurt Busch lost the lead, which was occupied during that moment by Jeff Gordon, while Kurt followed him very concentrated to never lose his sight because Jimmy Johnson was making pressure behind him.

Brian Vickers also managed to join to this battle for the first position, but he saw how his efforts dropped down after getting another yellow flag due to Robby Gordon’s punched tire. This incident was the reason why most drivers had to enter the pits area and as they were going out of it, a new contest to get the best position in front of the race was restarted.

Carl Edwards was the one who took the lead and was placed at the top, where he stayed for a short time since Kurt made a display of his great talent, the same one that he shown when he achieved the NASCAR Sprint Cup2004 title. The efforts to reach Busch seemed worthless at this point of the race, as he increased his performance and controlled to perfection his car # 2, while maintaining his leading position until the end of the race.

In this worthy victory, Kurt Busch was able to lead a greater number of laps in a single competition that what he did throughout the entire last season, when he marked 164 laps overall. After this exciting competition in Atlanta, Kurt is placed in the third position at the overall standings with 588 points behind Clint Bowyer, who is ranked second with 591 points and both drivers remain a long way from Jeff Gordon, who owns the privileged position with 634 points.

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