INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — I hope everyone had a fun-filled Fourth of July weekend full of fireworks, family and food! My parents came over from Illinois to spend the holiday with me and my brother. We grilled out, shot off some fireworks and just enjoyed a relaxing weekend.
The NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series visited the birthplace of NASCAR, the Daytona International Speedway for the annual night races during the Fourth weekend. Night races at Daytona always provide an action-packed event, with close and sometimes chaotic finishes!
On Friday night, the Nationwide drivers competed in the Subway Jalapeno 250 powered by Coca-Cola. Penske Racing rookie sensation Justin Allgaier took the top honors of the highest-finishing rookie of the race in the eighth position. This marked Allgaier's first top-10 finish on a superspeedway track. Ringers' supporter Brendan Gaughan finished 17th.
Saturday night the Penske Racing trio and the Sprint Cup Series dueled in the Coke Zero 400. Overcoming a shredded tire and an issue with another driver, Kurt Busch led his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to the checkered flag in the fifth position at the end of the 400-mile race. Teammate Sam Hornish Jr., experienced a blown tire in his No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge on lap 56, which required multiple pit stops for damage to his Penske steed. Hornish finished 32nd, while remaining teammate David Stremme had a consistent run going until lap 76 when he was involved in an incident sending him spinning into the grass, before being hit by another car, resulting in suspension damage. The No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge was forced to the garage area for repairs, losing laps to the leaders. Stremme finished in the 35th position.
This weekend Allgaier returns to his home state of Illinois for the Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola in the Nationwide Series at Chicagoland Speedway. The Chicagoland race is also sort of a homecoming for Penske Racing's David Stremme as well. South Bend, Ind., where Stremme hails from, is only a couple hours to the east of Chicago. He, Busch and Hornish will take to the 1.5-mile track on Saturday night for the LifeLock.com 400.
Both series that make up the Indy Racing League competed in their respective races at The Glen at Watkins Glen International Speedway in upstate New York on Saturday and Sunday.
The Firestone Indy Lights Series and the Ringers' teams of Andretti Green Racing ran the Corning 100 on Saturday. After starting from the fourth position, the AGR No. 26 ARPRO/AFS Racing driver stood atop of the podium with the victory on America's birthday. His teammate in the No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers entry finished 18th.
IndyCar Series and Andretti Green Racing drivers competed in the Camping World Grand Prix on Sunday at the 3.4-mile road course. The No. 26 Team Venom Energy car led his teammates to the finish line in the fifth-place; his teammate in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven entry finished in eighth, while the No. 27 Formula Dream car finished 18th.
The Indy Racing League continues onto the Streets of Toronto for the Toronto 100 with the Indy Lights and the Honda Indy Toronto for the IndyCar Series. The weekend is put on and promoted by Andretti Green Promotions.
Ringers' supporting IHRA racer Terry McMillen and his Hoosier Thunder Motorsports team visited Edmonton, AB Canada for the River Cree Resort and Casino IHRA Rocky Mountain Nationals over the weekend. McMillen qualified in the No. 1 position and followed that up with a strong semi-final finish.
This weekend kicks off the start of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series' "Western Swing" at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., with the Mopar Mile-High Nationals.
