INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — While I did some spring cleaning around my house and yard this weekend, there was a lot of racing going on in all parts of the country. NASCAR was in Texas, NHRA in Vegas, IRL in St. Petersburg for their season opener and so much more! Where do I begin?
We'll start with the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series from Primm, Nev. Rounds 1 & 2 of the series kicked off on Saturday and Sunday and a Ringers' supporting racer swept the weekend in the Unlimited Lite class. Ringers' racer Rob Naughton shattered his right foot four weeks prior to the event and had to use his left foot to brake and throttle. What would be a difficult task for anyone, Naughton seemed to have enough finesse to pilot his No. 54 ReadyLift Suspension/Maxxis truck to a double-victory celebration.
Sprint car racer Jonathan Allard also had a couple podium nights at two different dirt tracks in California. Allard started his weekend off on Friday night with a win at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., marking his 36th career win at the track. Allard and his No. 0 Williams Motorsports crew then traveled to Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif., on Saturday night for round two of the Golden State Challenge Series. Allard led over half the race, but was challenged by Tyler Walker within the last 12 laps. Walker ended up winning the event and Allard came home second.
Ringers would like to congratulate both Allard and Naughton on their wins this weekend!
The Indy Racing League started their season in Florida with the Andretti Green Promotions events of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The Firestone Indy Lights teams of AFS/Andretti Green Racing kicked off the season with a couple podium finishes. In race one of the double-header, the AFS/Andretti Green Racing No. 26 ARPRO started on the pole and led a total of 22 of the 40 laps, before finishing in the third position. His teammate in the No. 27 entry only completed six laps, due to a mechanical issue. In the second race the AFS/AGR teammates swapped luck, as the No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers car started from the pole and led 31 of the 40 laps, before finished in the second position. His teammate in the No. 26 experienced engine problems and finished 21st.
Only one of the four competing Andretti Green Racing teams finished completed all laps and the race in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete. The No. 11 Team 7-Eleven entry finished in the fifth position, while the No. 26 entry fell out with six laps to go, finishing 13th and the No. 27 Formula Dream team finished 15th.
In two weeks, the Andretti Green Racing teams will travel to California for the Long Beach Grand Prix, April 17-19.
On Saturday in Ft. Worth, Tex., the NASCAR Nationwide Series and its drivers competed in the O'Reilly 300. Rookie sensation Penske Racing driver Justin Allgaier was once again the highest-finishing rookie in his No. 12 Verizon FiOS Internet Dodge in 10th place. Ringers' supporting driver Brendan Gaughan finished 37th.
Sunday the Penske Racing Sprint Cup drivers took to the 1.5-mile oval for the Samsung 500. After having an up-and-down Martinsville the weekend before, Kurt Busch drove his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge home to an eighth-place finish, leading the trio to the checkers; teammates David Stremme and Sam Hornish Jr., finished 14th and 17th, respectively, at Texas Motor Speedway.
The Sprint Cup Series has the weekend off due to Easter, but the Nationwide Series will be in action on Saturday at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn.
And finally, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series visited The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the SummitRacing.com Nationals. After his longtime crew chiefs Tim and Kim Richards retired after the 2008 season, veteran driver Brandon Bernstein drove his Rob Flynn-led Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to another final in 2009. Bernstein, who learned a couple weeks ago that 30-year sponsor Budweiser would not return in 2010, had the better reaction time, reigning Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher just out-powered Bernstein with a 3.874-second, 311.77 mph run. Bernstein leaves Vegas third in championship points.
Whew! That was a lot of racing coverage from the weekend! This weekend I will head to Ohio and Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway for the season opener. The USAC Sprint Cars will headline the weekend, with Eldora Stocks racing on Friday and UMP Modifieds on Saturday.
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