CarRacingBlog.com

In what many fans will forever consider a controversial win, Joey Logano scored his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory lane trip this weekend at New Hampshire. A late-race rainstorm stopped the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 after 273 of the scheduled 301 laps, giving Logano his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

The 19-year-old rookie, who turned 19 on May 24, was probably the only happy driver when NASCAR announced the race official, but veterans of the sport would quickly tell the youngster to enjoy his win because “there’s no telling how long it might be before he wins another one.”

Crew chief Greg Zipadelli, Logano’s mentor and crew chief on the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, a veteran of this sport’s tremendous emotional peaks and valleys, probably told his rosy-cheeked driver, “You take em any way you can get ‘em, kid.”

Congrats go out to Robby Gordon and team who won the 41st annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 down in Mexico this week. Gordon said in a post-race interview:

It was a very good run for us. We had a great race with B.J. (Baldwin) - some of the better racing we’ve ever had. We didn’t have communication for the last 250 miles so it was really hard. We gave up a bunch of time, probably, not being able to use the true navigation. Still, we just paced it and kept it smooth. I had a couple of strategies in place. If I was close to him and I had enough of a gap, I was going to stop at (Race Mile) 80 and they were going to stop at 100. That gave me track position on everybody but Rob (MacCachren) and then Rob stopped at like 130 and that gave me track position on him. But, honestly, I just cruised most of the day. Once I was the first truck on the road, I knew they had to pass me to beat me and that would be hard to do.

Donald R. “Don” Arnold, former ARCA RE/MAX Series driver, died Saturday June 20. Arnold, who was 77, finished seventh in ARCA national championship points in 1964 and 10th in 1965.

Jack Bowsher won series driving championships both seasons, while Rookie of the Years during those seasons were Charlie Glotzbach in ‘64 and Benny Parsons in ‘65.

A U.S. Army veteran who served during the Korean War, Don Arnold is survived by his wife Marilyn of Mentor Ohio.

Funeral services have taken place, final interment is at Western Reserve Memorial Garden in Chester Township, and memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Cleveland Clinic, 6801 Brecksville Road, Independence OH 44131.

In one of the more exciting IndyCar Racing Series races that I’ve had the pleasure to watch, Dario Franchitti took the win at the Iowa Corn City Indy 250. Dario Franchitti is two-for-two at Iowa Speedway. The 2007 winner at the track found his way back to victory lane Sunday, winning the Iowa Corn Indy 250 by 5.0132 seconds over Ryan Briscoe.

Franchitti gave the credit to his Target Chip Ganassi Racing crew, which turned in a quick pit stop on Lap 196 of 250 as the leaders cycled through green flag stops.

Franchitti trailed Briscoe by less than a second as the stops began and led by more than a second when they were completed. As the drivers worked through lapped traffic over the final 50 laps, Franchitti was able to build his lead to a comfortable margin.

Franchitti’s second victory of the season moved him within three points of Briscoe, who remains the IndyCar Series points leader. For the third consecutive race, Briscoe led the most laps but finished second.

Thomas Thrash Jr., age 48, of Houston, Texas, was pronounced dead late Saturday morning at St. Nicholas Hospital (Sheboygan, Wis.). Thrash was involved in a single-car incident Saturday at Road America during the Sports Car Club of America-sanctioned Chicago Region June Sprints event. The cause of death is under investigation.

Witnesses reported that Thrash lost control of his E Production class Mazda RX-7 before Turn Eight, with the car entering the gravel trap and coming to rest against the tire wall.

A 12-year veteran driver in SCCA competition, Thrash was the 2007 SCCA National Champion in E Production and a two-time Runoffs polesitter. Thrash had qualified his car on the pole position for Saturday afternoon’s race before the incident.

“We are deeply saddened to have lost Tom Thrash, a great champion and individual that epitomized the spirit and competition of SCCA racing, and most importantly, a member of our SCCA family,” SCCA President and CEO Jeff Dahnert said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

Formula DRIFT introduces the 2009 Miss Formula DRIFT, Miki Taka. Taka is an experienced model, TV host, and DJ has been chosen as the official spokesmodel for Formula DRIFT and will be at the remaining 4 events of the season.

Originally from Nagoya, Japan, Taka is a Japanese-American that currently resides in Columbus, OH. She is pursuing her degree in Criminal Law, while establishing herself as an import model with Prestigious Models. She has been featured in other events including NHRA, Goodguys, Hot Import Nights, Professional Bull Riders Tour (PBR), Tuaca Body Art Ball and now adds to her resume the title of Miss Formula DRIFT.

“Being chosen as Miss Formula DRIFT is a real honor,” says Miki Taka, 2009 Miss Formula DRIFT. “I am a huge fan of motorsports and look forward to this experience of a lifetime.”

Aside from modeling Taka has appeared in numerous television and film productions such as on VERSUS, Driftstyle on SPEED, and on Nickelodeon, where she interviewed celebrities. Taka is also a featured DJ at the hottest clubs around the country.

The American Sprint Car Series Midwest Region gets back into the swing of things by taking to the lightning-fast high banks of U.S. 36 Raceway in Cameron, MO, for Friday night’s annual Budweiser Sprint Car Shootout.

Grain Valley, Missouri’s Brian Brown holds the slimmest of leads in the points chase as the series takes to a track that has featured five different ASCS Midwest winners in as many events.

Defending ASCS Midwest champion Jack Dover, a Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year contender, topped last year’s Midwest event at U.S. 36 Raceway with other past series winners at the track including Jesse Hockett, Chris Morgan, Toby Chapman and Johnny Anderson.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team driver Mikko Hirvonen has won the Acropolis Rally of Greece, round seven of the 2009 World Rally Championship, after a perfect drive through the toughest conditions of the season in his Focus RS WRC.

The 28-year-old Finn carried a comfortable lead into Sunday’s final five stages, and kept out of trouble to finish 1min 12.9sec ahead of the man in second place, Citroen Junior team driver Sebastien Ogier.

See the full story at www.carracing.com/racing/rally/

CarRacing.com reports:
Leading the final 24 circuits of the 100-lap NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway, Braun crossed the finish line 1.790 seconds ahead of Busch, knowing he had beaten perhaps the top talent in NASCAR racing.

“What an awesome truck — you poured your hearts into this,” Braun told his crew, then turned his attention to the owner. “Thanks, Jack. Thanks for sticking with me.”

For fans of racing series that are non-NASCAR, non-IRL, non-F1, it’s such a nice treat when we get to see our series on television or LIVE via online broadcast. Fans of the growing SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) series can now watch their favorites online via the racing website GoRacingTV.com.

The Chicago Region SCCA 54th Annual June Sprints® will run from June 19th to the 21st, and GoRacingTV.com will be there to cover all of the action from the green flag to the drop of the checkered for each racing class.

The event will be held at Wisconsin’s Road America, a 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course located between Milwaukee and Green Bay, and the running of the event at this track has special significance since the SCCA National Championship Runoffs will be held at that same location later in the year. The June Sprints is considered to be part of the Chicago Region’s Triple Crown® of racing, earned by winning a class in the June Sprints, winning a home Division’s national points championship and winning the Runoffs.

For more information, go to GoRacingTV.com or JuneSprints.com.