Racetrack Insider - News and Views of the Motorsports Industry from Insiders Drew Patey and Buddy Judy

Jr Motorsports Wins Nationwide Race

Brad Keselowski drives for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Motorsports and flatly "beat" Kyle Busch in an exciting battle on Saturday to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway. The JR Motorsports team is sponsored by Safety-Kleen and even though Keselowski led the most laps, the win was far from easy. Busch fought all the way from the back of the pack to take the lead, but never had the horsepower to stay ahead of Keselowski. This was the fifth time this season that Busch has finished second and that doesn't sit well with the highly competitive Toyota driver. Safety-Kleen driver Jason Leffler had another great day and finished third ahead of Carl Edwards with Kelly Bires coming to the flag in fifth. Kyle Busch takes his championship lead to Watkins Glen next weekend with a 207 point lead over Edwards with Keselowski 165 points behind.

Hornaday Takes 5th in a Row

Ron Hornaday set another record on Saturday in Nashville by becoming the third driver to win five consecutive races in NASCAR. Hornaday joined Richard Petty and Bobby Allison, who both did it in 1971 in the Cup Series. Hornaday led 115 of 154 laps in the Kevin Harvick Inc. Safety-Kleen Chevrolet. It was his 6th victory of the season and 45th of his Truck Series career - the most of any driver. Hornaday used his driving ability to lead the final 63 laps and hold off a charging Brian Scott with Colin Braun finishing in third. Pole-sitter Timothy Peters was fourth, followed by Matt Crafton. Hornaday's commanding performance over the last two months has put him into a 216 points lead ahead of second place Crafton and 248 in front of third place Mike Skinner, who finished 14th at Nashville. It was great to see all three top drivers proudly display the Safety-Kleen logo on their trucks. The Nashville branch coordinated the recycling efforts this weekend at the track and did a great job. Next stop for the trucks is Bristol on Wednesday night, August 19th.

NASCAR Racing Experience Brings On-Track Action to Fans Former Jeff Gordon Racing School Rebranded

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today an agreement to rebrand the former Jeff Gordon Racing School into the NASCAR Racing Experience. The multi-year licensing agreement brings an authentic racing experience to NASCAR fans, its sponsors and business partners at racetracks throughout the country. The NASCAR Racing Experience (NRE) provides a menu of racing programs from a ride-along as a front-seat passenger to the full racing experience which puts fans behind the wheel of an authentic race car. NRE will use current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racecars for all of its programs. The program wiluse current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racecars for all of its programs. "We have provided more than 200,000 driving experiences to race fans and business partners since 1998," said Robert J. Lutz, President and CEO of NASCAR Racing Experience. "This new step in becoming an officially licensed NASCAR property further enhances the program to allow it to expand our reach." "The Jeff Gordon Racing School provided an unequaled opportunityfor fans to sit in the driver seat and -for a moment -become a race car driver," said NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and four-time Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon. "This move to become the NASCAR Racing Experience is a good step to expand the program throughout NASCAR working with more teams and tracks." The NASCAR Racing Experience currently has 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup race cars, 40 professional instructors and is headquartered in Concord, N.C. NRE offers realistic racing action that includes timed racing sessions, no lead-follow and Personal Racing Instructors that provide constant feedback to each customer through an exclusive in-car radio communication system. Prices for ride-alongsstart at $129 and the driving programs begin at $429. "The thrill of riding in or driving a real NASCAR Sprint Cup caris an experience of a lifetime," said Blake Davidson, NASCAR managing director of licensed products. "This program allows fans, corporations and our business partners to get first-hand knowledge of what its like to race at speeds upwards of 170miles per hour around the same tracks as the biggest stars of NASCAR. No other sport provides to its fans thechance to experience the realism of competition like a racing experience using authentic race cars on a NASCAR track."