BLOG: Happy Christmas Roadies!

Well, we're taking our lead from the Government, and packing in for Christmas and New Year today! So we just wanted to say a quick thank you to all the Road Magazine readers and blog followers – we really appreciate your support for our humble daily auto blog and magazine, and we hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
We'll be back in early 2014 with more ace blogging, our fabulous glossy magazine and the usual Facebook and Twitter nonsense. Have a good one! Oh, and if you get bored over the festive season… here's a link to all the back issues of Road :-)
Finally, a massive thanks to my wife, Bonnie of Royle Media (who does all of Road's gorgeous design work) and all who help contribute to Road… including Travis drummer and Road racer, Neil Primrose,  Stuart Staples, Andy Robinson, Ashley Van Dyke etc. I couldn't do it without you! Season's greetings one and all! Road Magazine Editor, Phil Royle

BLOG: Ashley Van Dyke on NASCAR Action @ Phoenix International Raceway

It's been a while, but our USA correspondent, Ashley Van Dyke, is back in the saddle – with a a nice NASCAR feature for us lucky folk from Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale. 

She says...

Hi Roadies! 

Top NASCAR Sprint Cup driver, Jeff Burton and the throbbing No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS from the Richard Childress Racing stable have just returned to Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, AZ for the second scintillating stop of the year. This stunning southwest desert race track nestled in the desert sun next to the stunning Estrella Mountains is always a pleasure to attend – but especially for the roar of NASCAR!
This will be Jeff Burton’s 28th start at Phoenix International Raceway and he's had a hell of a career here –  sporting two wins in 2000 and 2001, seven top-five finishes, and 14 top-ten finishes. Plus, he's led a total of 222 laps at the one-mile facility. More importantly, this event marks a milestone in Burton’s career making it his 1,000th career NASCAR start. Congratulations Jeff!
"Phoenix International Raceway is a really fun race track, I enjoy going there. We had a top-10 finish in March and I fully expect to go there and contend for the win again," said Jeff. 

"It's definitely another track that is in a transition phase. As the fresh asphalt from the recent repave goes through some of those hot, Phoenix summers, the grip level is starting to fade. That's a good thing though because the tire that Goodyear was taking there made it so difficult to get going on restarts. Now you can take right off and go fast. I think it will be a better race because the restarts will be more aggressive."
On Friday, Burton qualified in 15th position with a best time of 26.153 and best speed hitting 137.652 mph average in his two qualification laps. NASCAR is a fast sport folks! His practice times were timed consecutively at 26.354, 26.703, and 26.964 over the course of the weekend. 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup race got started Sunday afternoon where the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet crossed the finish line in 17th position, after a typically rough, tough race.
No. 99 Ford driver Carl Edwards was leading at the White Flag but ran short of gas on the last lap and No. 29 Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick took the easy pass over Edwards for the win and scored the 200th victory for the Richard Childress Racing organization.
Five drivers have amassed at least 1,000 career NASCAR national series starts in their careers: Richard Petty (1,185), Mark Martin (1,141), Joe Nemechek (1,073), Michael Waltrip (1,062) and Terry Labonte (1,013), and now Burton with 1,000.
Another great NASCAR race over at Phoenix International. Always a buzz. See you soon for more USA reports Roadies. 

Ashley x

Main photo credit:

Photo by TheHotLap.com and caption: Burton making the pass on Danica Patrick at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Advocare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

BLOG: Pirelli World Challenge by Ashley Van Dyke

Our USA correspondent, Ashley Van Dyke reports on the double top 10 finishes at the newly re-vamped Circuit of The Americas for JCR Motorsports' Audi R8 LMS in the Pirelli World Challenge.

Ashley says:
Jeff Courtney and the No. 99 Kenda/RecStuff.com Audi R8 LMS rolled into the newly built Circuit of The Americas feeling confident coming off a very successful test just a few weeks prior to the event. Thursday allowed for more testing and Courtney was showing great pace heading into the Pirelli World Challenge race weekend, which was a scorcher – with temperatures reaching the high 90’s. And on Friday afternoon Courtney qualified the car P10 on the starting grid for Round 4.
"The car was great and I think we could have qualified near the front of the field had I not had a slight bobble on my best flyer lap," stated Courtney. "The lap times are so close from the session that less than half a second splits us from P3."
Courtney had a well-executed standing start in Round 4 and was able to get a pass in before the first red flag caution came out. When the field came to take the restart, Courtney started to experience overheating issues with the No. 99 Kenda/RecStuff.com Audi R8 LMS that would continue throughout Saturday’s race.
"The crew did a good job keeping my head in the race as it was very frustrating having to short-shift and find clean air to keep the car at a temperature that would allow us to finish the race," said Courtney.
The No. 99 Kenda/RecStuff.com Audi R8 LMS was able to withstand the 50 minute sprint race, despite overheating issues, and score a Top 10 finish.
The crew worked hard to make changes and best cool the car for Sunday’s race. Another strong start allowed for Courtney to jump from P14 to P11 by Turn 1.
"We had a great car again on Sunday," said Courtney. "For the first part of the race we were able to push hard up to P7. Unfortunately, we started experiencing overheating issues again and from that point forward it was just a matter of trying to hold our position."
Courtney finished P7 in Round 5. Watch the Pirelli World Challenge Live Stream from Rounds 4 & 5 here, www.world-challengetv.com.
Check it out!

BLOG: Driver Focus: Pirelli World Challenge Racer, Jeff Courtney

Our very own USA correspondent, Ashley Van Dyke (pictured below) gives us an insight into Audi R8 LMS driver, Jeff Courtney, racing this year in the thrilling Pirelli World Challenge. 

Jeff Courtney entered the road racing scene at a fast pace by first enrolling in the Panoz Racing School in 2003, immediately entering into their amateur series, and winning the 2005 Panoz Winter Series Championship with multiple podium standings and two race wins. Simultaneously, Jeff was also competing in the SCCA Club division and SCCA Pro-Mazda series. Now, having had several wins under is belt, Courtney was ready for bigger and better competition.

In 2006 Courtney signed up for Touring Car and joined the Pirelli World Challenge Series, competing in an AWD Audi with STaSIS Motorsports. He was awarded Rookie of the Year honors after a very successful season where he posted four top 10 finishes, one top-five finish, and one top 10 start. The following year proved to be even more successful with the entry into World Challenge GT series. Courtney joined Woodhouse Performance in the No. 99 KendaTires/ProMPI Dodge Viper Competition Coup. It was with the No. 99 Dodge Viper that earned him four top-10 finishes, the Hard Charger Award at the Long beach Grand Prix, and was the top placing Viper in the overall championship.
Beginning in 2012, Courtney’s JCR Motorsports teamed with TruSpeed Motorsports to campaign the #99 Kenda/RecStuff.com Porsche 911 GT3. He finished the season in Sonoma showing strong 10 ten finishes throughout the year but also dealing with an onslaught of mechanical setbacks.
Now, fast forward to the 2013 season where Kenda and RecStuff.com are returning to support Courtney along with STaSIS, JG Wheels, Speed Seat Factory, Oakley and GoPro. In a last minute off-season decision, JCR Motorsports decided to switch brands from the Porsche 911 GT3 to the Audi R8 LMS and a significant amount of effort was put into preparing the car for the season opener in St. Petersburg. The Streets of St. Petersburg double-header allowed the team to get the kinks in order to prepare themselves for being competitive in the new car. Jeff Courtney could not be more enthusiastic to continue the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge Championship series and see how far the Kenda/RecStuff.com Audi R8 LMS can go with JCR Motorsports driver Jeff Courtney behind the wheel. More information on Jeff and JCR Motorsports can be found at www.jeffcourtneyracing.com and @JeffCourtney99 on Twitter.

NEWS: Conrad Grunewald's Hankook/Top 1 Oil Formula DRIFT Camaro Update

Another update from American drift legend, Conrad Grunewald on the progress with his Camaro for the 2013 Formula DRIFT season... and big progress. Another couple of weeks and this baby will be smoking rubber! Conrad's PR guru (& Road USA correspondent), Ashley Van Dyke says: "Since the last update, it's been a flurry of activity. All of the remaining parts for Conrad Grunewald's Chevrolet Camaro seemed to show up here at the shop all at once. The stock sub-frame bushings have been swapped out for beautiful solid mount bushings which will help add stability. The complete COPO engine arrived from GM Racing and the dogbox transmission has been modified to configure with the custom driveshaft from the Drive Shaft Shop. The Hankook/Top 1 Oil Formula DRIFT machine continues to quickly coming together for 2013. The carbon fibre wing's aero mounting system has been designed and built. So, with the fabrication completed and the chassis painted, it's time to assemble all of the great parts provided by our sponsors, and get the car ready for testing."

"It's always been a dream come true to be involved with a build like this, for a driver like Conrad Grunewald, and it has gone a lot more smoothly than I expected" says Lead Mechanic, Shawn Barr. "The first the solid subframe bushings that I installed went in way easier than they do on Nissan 240's. It was a much cleaner process. I didn't have to pull out the torch to burn out the stock bushings!"
All of the hard work is about to pay off and it's an exciting time for everyone involved with Conrad Grunewald Racing to prepare for the season open in Long Beach fast approaching us in April.
For more information on Conrad Grunewald please visit www.conradgrunewald.com and follow him on Twitter at @ConradGrunewald and @AVDMotorsports.

Looking good man! Go for it! 

And you can see more images of the Camaro built on Facebook.

NEWS: Conrad Grunewald Drift Camaro Update II

We've had another ace Hankook/Top 1 Oil Chevrolet Camaro drift car project report from our main man Stateside, Conrad Grunewald via our USA correspondent Ashley Van Dyke. It looks like things are making really solid progress, as Conrad says: "Hey Roadies! It's Conrad here and I am back in the great state of North Carolina to check in on the boys at B.R.E as we continue to develop the new car for 2013. We are excited that you are following along on the development and we hope that you are as excited about the season to start as we are!" You betcha (Ed)!
Since the last update, the crew at B.R.E. have been making solid progress on the build plan for Conrad Grunewald's Hankook/Top 1 Oil Chevrolet Camaro, as top-notch parts from our 2013 partners roll in. The bulk of the work at the current stage is mocking up the parts for fitment. The roll cage has been completed, and the transmission tunnel is ready for the new dogbox, built to match the new Chevrolet Performance engine. The chromoly front and rear crash structures will be completed once all of the body panels have arrived. The O.M.P seat has been installed. The pedal setup from Wilwood has been mounted and installed. The steering column and steering wheel location have been determined. The Speedwire electronic system has been mocked up, and is ready for the ECU from Chevrolet Performance. Again, B.R.E. continues to pay attention to all of the small details that will take this Camaro to the next level.
"It’s been great working on Conrad's Chevrolet Camaro," said Terry “TJ” Johnson Jr, B.R.E Lead Fabricator. "I feel like we’re going back to the old school days of modifying a production car that people are actually buying at the dealership. This is not a kit car that comes with instructions. It’s really giving me an opportunity to apply my creativity and fabrication skills in a new way. I can’t wait to see our hard work pay off when Conrad gets behind the wheel at Long Beach!"
Best of luck with the rest of the build – which you will be able to keep up with every step of the way with here and on our Facebook and Twitter page.

MAGAZINE: Road Magazine Fiat Special

Open publication - Free publishing - More autocar

This month's FREE Road Magazine is Bellisimo! It's a Fiat special – featuring the deliciously-designer, brand new Fiat 500 'Colour Therapy' range inspired by the 1970s, the new GenIII Panda range with the all-conquering 4x4 making a welcome return to the world again, a road test on a lively TwinAir Punto and a feature from across the pond, by Ashley Van Dyke on a very cool Fiat 500 racer in the fabulous Pirelli World Challenge. Plenty of Fiat-fun for everyone! Ciao!

NEWS: Conrad Grunewald Drift Update: 2013 Camaro Project

Our sideways star from the states, Conrad Grunewald, driver of the Hankook/Top 1 Oil Chevrolet Camaro in the USA Formula DRIFT Championships has just sent us this exciting update on his 2013 new car build. Bring it on! 

Conrad says: "Hi drift fans! I'm currently in North Carolina where my team is getting a new car built for the 2013 Formula DRIFT season. Working with B.R.E. Motorsports last year at Road Atlanta gave me an opportunity to see first-hand how much capability, knowledge and experience they have. From fabrication to engine building to paint and body, B.R.E. is one of very few independent tuning shops in the US that can build a competitive car from the ground up. Beyond the cars they build, their professional track support was also a huge help. So they were the obvious choice to build my new Camaro for 2013.

"We started off by having the stock chassis acid- dipped. This eliminated about 60 hours of tear-down time. It also reduced the weight of the car by 30 pounds before we started cutting out non-essential steel from the body. From there, we tig-welded a chromoly roll-cage, and the quality of the fabrication is the best I've ever seen. Next steps are adding the carbon fiber body panels, measuring the OMP seat and steering wheel for fitment, and getting the engine bay ready for placement of a Chevrolet Performance engine. I'm extremely pleased with B.R.E. Motorsports and their work on the car so far. Looking forward to planning some testing days with Ashley van Dyke once it's ready!"

And you will be able to read all about Conrad's new project here on the daily updated FREE Road blog (where we publish a FREE monthly magazine) and also with images and video on our Facebook page – why not LIKE us there? And follow us on Twitter too here. Thanks and seasons greeting everyone.

PS: If you like reading about Conrad and his drifting, why not check him out in our Road magazine FREE here too?

MAGAZINE: Hot Volvo Special & TV link

If you've not already seen it, the latest issue of www.roadmagazine.co.uk is a hot Volvo special – http://www.issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_28/1 – featuring fast road C30 T5, V60 T6 & XC60 D5 all re-mapped by Polestar and the incredible K-Pax S60's in action on track at Mid-Ohio in the Pirelli World Challenge. And, you can catch catch those K-Pax Volvos and the other cool PWC cars by watching the TV broadcasts on the PWC website, www.world-challengetv.com. Up there now are races from Sonoma, the Cadillac Grand Prix and lots more cool stuff. Go have a look...
And do please share Road Magazine FREE with your mates...

MAGAZINE: Road Issue 28: Volvo R-Design Special

Open publication - Free publishing - More c30 t5

In this Volvo R-Design and Polestar special of Road Magazine, we test & report on some seriously hot road and race Volvos: Ballistic 329bhp V60 T6, 250bhp hot hatch C30 T5 & the 215bhp all-conquering XC60 D5. And Ashley Van Dyke follows the K-Pax S60's at the Pirelli World Challenge, Mid-Ohio. Sorted swedes... you bet your last Krona! Please like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/roadmagblog, follow us on Twitter @roadmagazine and share this FREE publication with your friends and family. Thanks, Road Editor, Phil Royle.

BLOG FEATURE: Pirelli World Challenge by Ashley Van Dyke

Here's another fabulous blog feature by our talented USA correspondent Ashley Van Dyke () – coming from the awesome Pirelli World Challenge at the Mid-Ohio circuit. Ashley says: "Hey Roadies! I've just returned home from a long trip over to the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course for the Cadillac Grand Prix Presented by StopTech. It was an eventful weekend with 100 plus degree temps and then thunderstorms. Crazy to imagine going from being too hot to needing a jacket and experiencing rain the very next next day! (Try any meet in European motorsport AVD, Ed). It was sure a lot for the teams and drivers to manage and try to call the right race strategy.
The double-header weekend saw no shortage of excitement. The fans were out in full force and the venue was jam-packed... just like the Pirelli World Challenge paddock. Randy Pobst stole the show winning the race on Saturday and Sunday in the ace K-Pax Racing Volvo S60 (pictured). He was so fast and the car was hooked up really well. Behind Posbt the action was hot battling it out on track for position. The series only has one more event now leading into the final championship round and will head to Sonoma August 24th. Congrats to Cadillac for sealing up the manufactures championship win! More to come on that... 

Meantime, you can watch the fabulous races from Mid Ohio on www.world-challengetv.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@WCRacing) to stay updated and in the loop! There will be a juicy article on the recap of the entire weekend coming out in the next issue of www.roadmagazine.co.uk. Stay tuned!" Thanks AVD! 

Oh, and if you can't wait to see more of Ashley in action on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/roadmagblog. Please like & share us... and follow us on Twitter @roadmagazine.

NEWS: Ashley Van Dyke's New Website

Our talented, glamourous USA correspondent, Ashley Van Dyke has launched a new AVD Motorsports website – check it out here: http://www.avdmotorsports.com. She says: "The first step in any client engagement is to lay out the objectives, scope and measureable business results of the project. These goals are defined through an intensive, cross-functional, cross-hierarchical process that AVD Motorsports calls 'fusion.' We go beyond the initial scope to forecast and look out for the long-term interests of our partners and clients. AVD Motorsports is consistent with client-focused delivery; we amaze our clients with the business value we deliver and their positive experience working with us. We create maximum value by deploying innovative ideas and approaches. We inspire exceptional results from every member of the team and maintain an open and honest work space between employee and client relationships." Ashley and team offer:
• Motorsports Marketing
• Brand Management
• Public Relations
• Event Planning
• Viral Advertising
• Social Engineering
• Mobile Applications
• Digital Communications
• Multimedia Production
• Experiencial Marketing

We recommend her work highly at Road HQ. Get involved... 

USA BLOG: RallyCross Stars Hit The States

Another top blog post from Road Magazine's first lady, Ashley Van Dyke: "Big weekend ahead at Charlotte Motor Speedway as the longest race of the year for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series takes place – the Coca Cola 600. Oh and there’s a Global RallyCross event…wait... what? If you’ve been to X Games or a Global RallyCross competition, then you'll have seen the sideways show and are most likely to be very interested in watching the ace sport and identifying with various names and brands. If you've never been or even heard of it... you need to. These race cars sound like hardcore sex, screaming with a “turbo sigh” exhale of sensational bliss. It’s got the cool factor all you marketers want to hit with your millennial target jargon. You can’t buy being this cool. Aspirational marketing and appealing to specific markets is not a new concept. This is only one aspect of having a sought after product by today’s youth – just look at Ken and his DC Shoes brand. But, like any other motorsport series that exists out here, it all boils down to car count. In order to sell tickets to a race, attract sponsors and secure steady growth, the core ingredient is a packed grid of talent and amazing cars. There is a big need for manufactures to be involved on various levels, but independent teams need to be able to battle against the factory and give them a run for their money. A good balance between the two is healthy and exciting to watch play out on the race track. Wheel-to-wheel racing is always more exciting in a setting where the fans have good views, and RallyCross certainly has that, not to mention now attracting BIG names: Travis Pastrana, Marcus Gronholm and Tanner Foust are all lining up this weekend... super skilled drivers and motorsport champions, in phenomenally fast, big bhp rally cars, on tarmac and gravel. Perfect! Global RallyCross attracts an impressive entry list of characters and the racing action itself is nail biting to say the least. Passing and door banging happen every lap and these guys drive with a load of steam and aggression, not like they do all composed on the WRC special stages. You can feel the adrenalin and energy behind the drivers. It’s addictive stuff. I love it...! And so should you! Get involved in one of the best forms of modern motorsport, which is usually viral in 60-seconds of a race finishing: Feed the content machine, Global RallyCross!" Thanks to Ashley and to Al Merion for the ace snap... have fun guys!

USA BLOG: Ashley Van Dyke @ Formula D Road Atlanta

The talented Road USA correspondent, Ashley Van Dyke gives us this ace blog from the weekend's second round of the Formula D championship at Road Atlanta: 

"With a different track configuration for the drifters, it was challenging for many in the field to find their marks. Driver of the #79 Hankook/Top 1 Oil Chevrolet Camaro was Conrad Grunewald, and he set the pace for entry speed on the first day of practice, and was looking sharp with his lines and angle.
"It was a little overcast with big dash of humidity when I arrived on Friday. Grunewald was fired up for the event and told me that Road Atlanta is one of his favorite places to drift and definitely one of the most fun to drive. The energy around the Hankook camp was positive and in good spirits, hopeful for a possible win.
"Also at the track when I arrived was Scoggin Dickey Parts Center. They came down from Texas to check out their first FD event. I met these guys down at PRI last year and learned so much about LS parts from them. It was an exciting site to see engines on display at the track. So many drivers prefer the LSX platforms in their competition drift cars, and street cars too.
"There were some “technical” issues with qualifying that had about half the drivers in the field in an absolute uproar. Your definition of technical might be a little bit different than what I am referring to. Never mind the details on that, it’s better to just report the facts. Grunewald would have sat as number one qualifier, had things been left alone, however it didn’t turn out to be that way and his ranking was moved to the fifth qualifying position. Everyone else also experienced a change in their original qualification order, some moving ahead in the order and some falling back.
"That really set the pace for the rest of the weekend for this Chevrolet team. Grunewald had issues with the car and even bigger issues with going up against Tony Angelo in Top 32. Angelo’s Scion tC was not in proper order for battle on track. Officials never should have let him take the line. His car was all over the place, the rear hatch went flying up during his drifts and bits and pieces were flying out from his car everywhere.
"It was a near flawless first run for the Hankook/Top 1 Oil Chevrolet Camaro but Grunewald found trouble when going tandem and having to follow Angelo. It was in the last turn heading back up the hill, when the car carried off line and pulled a hard slide-job into the left outside wall. The day was done for Grunewald just like that.
"The effort from Conrad to pull though these obstacles this weekend was truly a demonstration of a class act racer. Dedicated and always giving his best to taking care of the car is what I enjoy most about him. He loves what he does and it shows on and off the race track. Next round on the schedule is Palm Beach International Raceway coming up in a few weeks. Good luck, Conrad!" Thanks Ashley! And also to Andrew Bohan for the fabulous image above... 

BLOG: Ashley Van Dyke: Formula Drift @ Long Beach

Another first rate blog feature by our USA corespondent, www.ashleyvandyke.com – this time from the Formula Drift event at Toyota Long Beach in California, following our pal, Conrad Grunewald and his animal 730bhp Chevrolet Camaro (as seen in Road Magazine Issue 15, here: http://issuu.com/roadonlinemagazine/docs/road_15/1).
Ashley says: "It’s been a long off season for driver and team owner Conrad Grunewald. As many competitors in Formula DRIFT have worked with changes to their programs during the Winter, Grunewald had a lot on his hands too. He balances the weight of making all the decisions for the car’s set-up with his focus to drive the Chevrolet Camaro at its top ability (as above, inches from the wall at full tilt, Ed). One change to the car came with the addition of a partnership with Holley. The products and services that Holley offers with the EFI seems a good fit for the car, and the team is excited about the benefits of going in this direction. Holley supports a number of drivers in Formula DRIFT and they are great with providing support and being available to help.
"At the end of the 2011 Formula DRIFT season, Conrad brought the Camaro home for an 8th place finish in the official points standings. Adding up the points, this was a 30% increase in performance results from the previous season. Grunewald enjoyed an event win at New Jersey and was had the best overall qualifying average.
"The weather was picture perfect in Long Beach this weekend for Round 1 and Grunewald was ready to battle the largest field of cars ever entered in Formula DRIFT. The entry list had over 75 cars when I arrived to the circuit on Friday. Over half of them would be sent home as qualifications came later that day, and only the top 32 would stick around for competition on Saturday. Conrad Grunewald put the Hankook/Top 1 Oil Chevrolet Camaro 8th on the starting grid for the top 32 elimination rounds. He was able to make it through the first round taking out Robbie Nishida in his 180SX with a Nissan 350Z. It was a hard fought battle for Grunewald in the top 16. He wasn’t able to advance though, and Kenny Moen eliminated him running Tanner Foust’s old Nissan 350Z."
"The weekend went really well for us," said Conrad. "Long Beach is not our team’s strongest event historically, but given the circumstances we finished great. I’m looking forward to the east coast events coming up and I really want to thank all of our partners who are on board with us this year."
The next stop on the Formula DRIFT calendar is Road Atlanta, May 11th and 12th. Between now and then you can keep tabs on Conrad Grunewald Racing by following his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Conrad-Grunewald/240081099387013.

Thanks to Ashley Van Dyke for this brilliant blog feature and Andrew Bohan for the fabulous image, and all at Toyota Long Beach in California.

BLOG FEATURE: Ashley Van Dyke NASCAR Action

Big thanks to our USA correspondent, Ashley van Dyke and her snapper, Hannah Ross for this original Road Magazine blog feature on this weekend's NASCAR action in Fontana, California, hosted by The Auto Club Speedway, attracting up to 50 teams and top NASCAR drivers, taking part in the Auto Club 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The lovely, NASCAR-mad, Ashley Van Dyke says: "Nationwide race on Saturday saw great racing weather and had a very exciting shoot out in the front of the pack for the final 30 laps. The action ended with checkard flag in hand for Joey Lagano. He was piloting the #18 car from the Joe Gibbs Racing stable. Mr. Gibbs was on-site at Fontana and was a very happy man standing in victory lane with Joey and the hard working team. 

"After being unsure of how this NASCAR weekend would turn out due to a chance of rain on Sunday, the crews and fans awaited early morning with clear skies to get the Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 400 started. The driver introductions took place as it was sunny and appeared to be good to go for a full race of 400 miles. Fan favorites like Dale Earndhart Jr. and Jeff Gordon made their way on to the grid for opening ceremonies as the Three Stooges gave everyone the starting commands. Pole sitter Denny Hamlin looked confident before the race as he started in the number one spot in his #11 Fedex Camry next to teammate #18 Kyle Busch.
"The beginning of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race started off strong for the two Toyota drivers but slowly and surely, the Chevrolet cars were coming up the pack toward the front. With the rain coming, the crew chiefs and teams had to be prepared for all or nothing. When to pit and how long to stay out quickly became the deciding factors in what the outcome would be for the Auto Club 400.
"Some rain drops came and the race went yellow. Unsure if it would let up or not, Tony Stewart ended up winning a race shortened event as NASCAR made the decision to call the race, as it was over the half way mark. Victory lane took place under the walkway to the garage as everyone was trying to stay dry. It didn't stop raining for the rest of the day.
"Second place behind Tony in the Auto Club 400 was #18 Kyle Busch, third was #88 Dale Jr., #29 Kevin Harvick followed in fourth, and #99 Carl Edwards completed the top five. The action was up and down with drivers focusing not only on their cars, but also on the rain. Everyone was glad this race didn't get pushed to Monday and was completed with no delays. Now, off to Martinsville and then the teams will have a week off for Easter." Thanks to Hannah and Ashley for that. See more of Miss Van Dyke at www.ashleyvandyke.com. Loving the NASCAR report...