Summer Stretch

“BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK” A SUCCESS:

The NASCAR Nationwide Series stepped up for another good cause last week at Kentucky Speedway as 15 teams participated in Hilary Duff’s “Blessings in a Backpack” campaign. The America’s Incredible Pizza Company was a major part in the success of the program. CJM Racing’s sponsor donated 46 backpacks to the cause. In total, the Nationwide garage contributed 406 backpacks to help assist children in need. The initiative is designed to feed children in grades K-5 who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Program but may not have enough food for the weekends. The empty backpacks are stuffed with food and are then distributed to children across seven states.

 
TRIP TO FLORIDA MEANS MORE THAN JUST THE HALFWAY POINT:

It’s hard to believe that the NASCAR Nationwide Series will hit the halfway point in two weeks at Daytona. 43-cars will hit the high banks again over the 4th of July weekend for race number 17 on the schedule. Not only does this mean the season is in high gear, it means that driver Scott Lagasse Jr. gets to return to his “hometown” track. Scott was born and raised in St. Augustine, Fl., just one hour north of Daytona Beach.

While back home, Scott will take part in several activities including: an ESPN filming with pro-wakeskaters Brian Grubb and Brandon Thomas and pro-wakeboarder JD Webb on Lake Jessamine in Orlando. Wednesday evening Scott will return to his alma mater, Flagler College, for a charity event from 5 - 7 pm and Friday afternoon he will have an opportunity to meet face-to-face with his fans at an autograph session at the Sprint FanZone inside Daytona International Speedway from 5:30 – 6:30 pm.

UPDATE ON THE COT IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES:

NASCAR is considering introducing the Nationwide Series car of tomorrow (COT) at restrictor-plate races and road-course races in 2010, series director Joe Balash confirmed at the Milwaukee Mile. The rule book for the car is close to being finished, Balash said. All four manufacturers have had their cars’ aerodynamic profiles approved by NASCAR. Many Nationwide team owners did not want the COT to be introduced until 2011, citing the prohibitive cost of building new cars. Using the new car at five races – two at Daytona and one each at Talladega, Montreal and Watkins Glen – could appease some of the concerns of car owners. A town-hall type of meeting like NASCAR had recently with its Sprint Cup teams is a possibility with Nationwide teams, Balash said. Once NASCAR finishes its discussions with competitors and an agreement is made, Balash said the sanctioning body can release the rules so teams can start building cars

In Other Words . . .

The green initiative within NASCAR …..

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing announced "NASCAR Green Clean Air" -- a program to help capture the carbon emissions produced by racing. Under a pilot program that will expand significantly next year, NASCAR will plant 10 new trees for each green flag that drops during Cup Series events.

Over time, rolled out across all three national series, NASCAR and its partners will be planting approximately 20 acres of new trees each year. Michigan International Speedway, which is at the forefront of green initiatives, is matching the carbon-capturing planting effort at its track. A tree stores approximately one ton of CO2 over its lifetime, which means that the entire CO2 emissions from a typical race will be offset during this time.

The tree-planting program is just one part of the NASCAR industry's growing green initiative. There are strong waste management, land conservation and bottle-and-can recycling programs at NASCAR-sanctioned race tracks; all oils and car fluids used at the track are recycled by Safety-Kleen; Goodyear recycles all tires used in racing; Exide provides a recycling program for racing batteries and all NASCAR offices have introduced a recycling program aimed at 100 percent recycling, while two new NASCAR office buildings, the 20-story NASCAR Plaza in Charlotte, N.C., led by NASCAR and the new headquarters building for ISC and NASCAR in Daytona Beach, Fla., will qualify for LEED certification, an important and relatively rare distinction making them "green buildings."

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