GoBowling.com 400

Dale had an awesome day at Pocono! Coming behind from 25th, he led a few laps and finished 5th. He remains 5th in points.

Here are some pics from my annual August trip to Pocono Raceway!!

 Dale helped welcome a soldier who had served in the Pennsylvania National Guard and his family.

 Junior being introduced. You can't tell, but I zoomed in after taking this pic and Dr. Rose Mattioli (co-founder and wife of late Pocono Raceway founder Doc Mattioli) is holding Dale's hands in hers.

 

 

 Junebug leading!!

Crown Royal Presents The Samuel Deeds 400 At The Brickyard

Dale had a strong day at the Brickyard, starting 15th and working his way to a 6th place finish. He is still 5th in points.

Falling behind on updates, I know....

and I'm sorry!! My Mom and I took care of my 3 nephews (ages 10, 8, and 6) a few weeks ago, and it's been another crazy summer so far, so here are the recaps for the races I've missed.

Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts

Started: 1st
Finished: 12th

Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola

Started: 16th
Finished: 8th

Camping World RV Sales 301

Started: 3rd
Finished: 14th

As of the race finish yesterday, Dale Jr is still in the top 10 in points, sitting in 5th. Next week the guys go to the world famous Indianapolis Speedway. Then I'll be at Pocono for the GoBowling.com 400. :)

Race rescheduled

The race at Kentucky was rained out, the jet dryers would get just about done and it would start to rain again. So after the third attempt, NASCAR called the dryers in and rescheduled the race for 12noon tomorrow. Tune into TNT to see who takes the checkered flag!!

Dale on the pole at Kentucky!

Earnhardt's granddaughter to race as No. 3

by Holly Cain, NASCAR.com

Twelve-year-old Karsyn Elledge proud to carry on family's tradition in racing

SONOMA, Calif. -- Her name and car number are familiar signs of racing success, and Dale Earnhardt's 12-year-old granddaughter Karsyn Elledge announced plans Saturday to enter the family business full throttle.

Wearing a bright pink SpongeBob SquarePants driving suit, the petite eighth-grader stood in the Sonoma Raceway Winner's Circle and proudly unveiled the new No. 3 Nickelodeon-sponsored pink Mini Outlaw sprint car she'll use barnstorming the West Coast for her summer vacation.

Elledge has been racing for four years and has dominated the Mini Outlaw Box Stock class at her local Millbridge, N.C., short track, winning five of eight races this season. Her father, former Sprint Cup Series crew chief Jimmy Elledge, felt it a good idea to test her elsewhere, and the Nickelodeon sponsorship cemented the deal.

"It's very fun and not just because it's my family's thing," Elledge said of racing. "It's interesting and so much fun. And, I'm thankful for the opportunity."

As for the famous car number that donned her grandfather's championship cars, Elledge said,  "I definitely am proud of the No. 3. I didn't get to witness what went on with this number, but I've only heard how great it was and I'm excited to carry on."

While Elledge comes from a lineage of racing royalty -- her mother is Earnhardt's daughter Kelley and her father is a former Cup winning crew chief -- she couldn't be more down to earth.

For someone on a first-name basis with Danica Patrick and who calls the sport's Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., 'uncle,' Elledge seems very much a typical pre-teen.

And that includes her list of heroes.

"(Danica Patrick) is like my idol because she's a girl and she races and she shows that girls can do it, too. That's why I like her," Elledge said. "She always asks me how my racing's going and wishes me luck. It's always fun when I talk to her because … she's Danica Patrick."

When Elledge isn't racing she said she spends time on her phone or computer, likes to ride her bike and visit with her horse. She insists her classmates in school don't pay much attention to her racing.

And Elledge couldn't be more humble about her early success and promising future.

"I've been to Victory Lane a couple times and I've had some not-so-good nights too,"
Elledge said smiling.

Her father got a bit emotional during the announcement, looking over to his daughter and acknowledging, "I guess she's growing up."

"You think, 'wow, this is a 12-year-old kid,' and you realize life is progressing faster than you think.

"I did not expect it. I took her to a race with me and she thought they were cool cars, and ignored her about it, but she kept asking and kept asking. So we got her a car. I didn't know if she'd stick with it or even be competitive at it. And we've evolved to this today."

Quicken Loans 400 and Toyota-Safe Mart 350

Dale had a strong run going until his engine blew up and ended up finishing 37th and falling to 7th in points.

Today Dale was up in the top 5, but got turned around in the closing laps and finished a decent 12th. He stays in 7th place in points.

Next Sunday the guys are headed to Kentucky.

WTG Regan!!

JR Motorsports had a great day today with Regan Smith holding off Kyle Larson for his second win this season in the Nationwide Series.

Brad Sweet, who shares his ride with Kasey Kahne, finished 6th.

Regan said in the post race interview that a portion of his winnings will go to the trust fund that has been set up for Jason Leffler's son Charlie. :)

Gone too soon. :(

 

Yesterday the racing world lost one of it's up and coming stars. Jason Leffler was racing at Bridgeport Speedway in NJ when he struck the wall during a heat race and had to be extricated from the car. He was rushed to Crozer-Chester Medical Center where he was pronounced dead shortly after 9pm. Jason was 37 years old.  He leaves behind a 5 year old son, Charlie. Please join me in sending my deepest condolences to Charlie and the entire Leffler family.

Fedex 400 benefiting Autism Speaks and Party in the Poconos 400 presented by Wal-Mart

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with this like I should. I was on vacation last week so I really didn't get a chance to update the blog.

Dale had a pretty decent day at Dover, starting 12th and finishing 10th.

Dale's car at Pocono was awesome! He was in contention for the win, but for some reason his car fell off on the last 3 laps and he finished 3rd. Many are saying that if he does that well in August he could very well take the win.

Coca-Cola 600

It was rough night and an early end for Dale in Charlotte. He battled the car and went from being tight during the daylight to loose after the sun went down. On lap 257, Dale said that smoke started to fill the cockpit and then 3 laps later the engine went. As of lap 310 Dale will finish 37th. Next week the boys head north to Dover, DE.

Sprint All-Star Race

Dale had a good run in the All-Star Race. Crews were allowed to work on their cars during the rain delay, and Stevie took full advantage of that. Dale finished 7th. Next week is the longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!

Aarons 499 and Bojangles Southern 500

Dale had an up and down night at 'Dega. He managed to avoid getting caught up in the big ones and finished 17th.

Dale's car tonight was pretty good. Stevie only made minor adjustments so Dale was able to stay in the top 10 the majority of the night. He finished 9th and remains 4th in the points.

STP 400 and Toyota Owners 400

I wasn't able to post last weeks race results due to my nephew and niece having soccer games in two different towns, so I'll post it and tonights race results together.

STP 400 - Dale had a pretty good car throughout the race, starting 23rd and finishing 16th. Dale remained 5th in the standings.

Toyota Owners 400 - Dale's car was extremely tight tonight and at one point he was fighting to stay in the top 20. He and Stevie worked hard throughout the race to get the car to handle better and Dale was able to finish 10th. He's moved up one spot in the standings to 4th!

Next week the guys hit the fast and furious high banks of 'Dega for the Aaron's 499!!

Tributes

 

 

Taking a moment to remember those who were lost and are injured in Boston and Texas.

My thoughts and prayers are with all affected by both accidents.

 

 

 

 

 

NRA 500

Dale Jr had a great car running as high as 3rd, however about half way into the race his main battery died and he pitted to check out the problem with his car (not thinking it was the battery) His night only got worse from there. Since the battery was dying, he couldn't see how fast he was going, so he sped going into the pit road. While serving his pass through penalty, Steve (who didn't know there was a rule against pitting while serving a pass through penalty) called him into change tires. Since Dale stopped, he had to serve another pass through penalty which put him 5 laps down. He did pass leader Kyle Busch at one point, getting one lap back the hard way. Dale finished 29th, 4 laps down and has fallen to 6th in points. Next week the guys head to Kansas.

O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 (Nationwide)

Junior had a fast car and with good strategy by Stevie, got up front and almost challenged for the win. He ran loose almost the entire race, and then tight right near the end. He finished 4th after starting 11th.

Regan Smith had a very good night as well, starting 6th and finishing 7th. He has moved into 2nd in points, 2 points behind leader Sam Hornish Jr, who spun through the grass on the front stretch and had problems the rest of the night.

Kasey Kahne also did well, starting 16th and finishing 8th.

STP Gas Booster 500

Dale had a (rare) bad day at Martinsville, thanks in small part to Jimmie Johnson. Dale was already a lap down when he spun out and instead of letting him go in front of him (once he got his car fired and rolling), Jimmie sped past him, putting Junior two laps down. He finished 24th.

Auto Club 400

Dale had an up and down day today. He started 13th and fell to the mid 20's, then came back up into the top 10. He battled tightness and being loose, but with the wreck that happened between Joey and Denny, Dale finished 2nd and has moved into the points lead. The boys are off next week, then it's on to Martinsville.