Donohue Wins Rolex 24

No doubt this weekend’s NASCAR Rolex 24 at Daytona was an emotional race for David Donohue who managed to follow in his late father’s footsteps (winner of the race almost forty years ago). The victory didn’t come easy and it was careful timing and skill that took Donohue to the front of the pack to cross the finish line just split-seconds ahead of other competitors.

Until now Chip Ganassi Racing seemed to have a strong competitive edge as the team has taken home the winner’s trophy for the past three races. In the end, however, it seems that some really sharp driving was all that was needed to end the winning streak. David Donohue started from pole position in a Brumos Porsche Riley when the race got underway on Saturday afternoon, with little hope of coming home with the winner’s trophy. He was facing the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya who replaced teammate Scott Pruett in the Ganassi Lexus Riley at some point during the race and it seemed that this much more experienced driver had the edge to keep the lead during the 53rd hour of the race. But Donohue was not to be outdone. Working with teammates Buddy Rice, Antonio Garcia and Darren Law, Donohue came out of the cockpits with 53 minutes to go in the No. 58 Porsche just behind Montoya. He struggled for a while, almost overtaking him or bumping Montoya a number of times over the course of several laps until finally he was able to take advantage of slower GT class traffic and slip ahead of Montoya’s Lexus, taking the lead on lap 711. Montoya wasn’t about to go down easy. He chased Donohue relentlessly for the remainder of the race, keeping him on his toes. But Donohue was clearly up for the challenge and Montoya ended up finishing just 0.167 seconds behind him. The victory was a new record, with the previous closest 1-2 finish being 30.879 seconds. Hurley Haywood finished third in a Porsche Riley.

Speaking about his victory, a teary Donohue said: “We’re just a small part of what this team could do. I’m just glad I could carry the flag.” What was especially interesting was that four of the new, sleek prototypes finished on the lead lap. This was the most ever, since no more than two cars had ever finished in this way before. To top it off, the four cars spent most of the final two hours of the race nose-to-tail, showing that the cars have incredible potential to dominate the season.

NASCAR Season Kicks Off With Rolex 24

NASCAR hosts a number of exciting auto racing championships every year and this year will be no different. Not only will the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series be kicking off in less than three weeks time, but a number of great drivers, such as Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya and Casey Mears, are set to return to the racetracks for another great season.

So far it seems as though NASCAR enthusiasts cannot wait the last few weeks before the Daytona 500 officially kicks off the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. A large number of drivers and car owners will be heading down to the Daytona International Speedway this Saturday to take part in the Rolex 24. So far the line-up is looking pretty good. NASCAR stars have been participating in this pre-sprint cup race since 1962, making the most of the race and enjoying a fun-filled weekend that also gives them a great season warm-up. Casey Mears, who won the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype in 2006, and Juan Pablo Montoya who took the title in 2007 and 2008, will both be returning to Daytona for this year’s race. Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson will also be making an appearance, as will other greats such as Kyle Petty, AJ Allmendinger and Colin Braun. Roger Penske, Richard Childress and Kevin Buckler have also submitted entries for the event. More than fifty different Daytona Prototype and GT cars are expected to be entered for the event, making the Rolex 24 at Daytona action packed and exciting.

So far the race is set to start at 15:30 on Saturday, but practice runs and qualifying will get underway long before on Thursday. All eyes will be on Montoya, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas to see if they can again burn up the tarmac on the “Roar Before the 24″ test to determine the fastest speed. Both Pruett and Rojas are defending Rolex 24 at Daytona winners and they have taken the Daytona Prototype trophy home before. Montoya has remarked that his car is ‘pretty quick’ and said he is excited about the event. It won’t be long now before fans crowd the Daytona stadium ready to warm up for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship with a little pre-championship racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

O’Reilly Gears Up For Fantastic New Season

The O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis has got fans excited after releasing the details of the 2009 racing schedule earlier this week. The park will see favorites such as NHRA, NASCAR and Super Chevy returning to the track. It will also see a few new events such as the Pinks All Out.

Speaking about the new Pinks All Out race, Ron Anderson, O’Reilly Raceway Park’s general manager, said that they were excited to welcome the crew as “they bring an exciting and energetic event to our world famous drag strip.” He added: “The entire staff also looks forward to all of our weekly programs, premier events such as Kroger SpeedFest, Mac Tools US Nationals and all the events that have made O’Reilly Raceway Park one of the busiest racing venues in the nation.”

So exactly what are some of the great events you can expect to enjoy at this brilliant location during the course of the next racing season? The NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional race will be taking place in April, while the 55th installment of the annual Mac Tools US Nationals will be returning to the track on Labor Day weekend. The Goodguys Hot Rod Nationals, the Indy Import Truck Bash, the Diesel Hot Rod Nationals and the Super Chevy Show will also be making their way to the O’Reilly Raceway Park later this year.

Of course the year wouldn’t be quite the same without the weekly drag races that take place at the O’Reilly Raceway and so the O’Reilly Tuesday Night Street Legal Series will be returning to the track for the duration of 2009. Both racers and spectators can expect to enjoy some great discounts if they are regulars at this event. The VP Fuels E.T. Bracket Racing Series will be hitting the track in summer, along with the test and tunes that go with it.

NASCAR will be featured on the track for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. They will be in good company with the USAC series and the Advance Racing Association and the Advance Racing Association Late models which will both be returning to the track during the course of the year. Clearly 2009 will feature plenty of top-notch racing at the O’Reilly Raceway Park. Make sure you don’t miss out on any of the action!

Hot Rod Heritage Series Gets Makeover

The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series schedule has received a major makeover. Two brand new venues have been added to the series and an extra event promises to provide fans with plenty of great excitement. These are just two of the highlights that are bound to make the 2009 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series a massive success.

The exciting NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series was developed by the NHRA in 2007 as part of efforts to preserve the NHRA’s rich racing history and tradition. It also provided drivers with a penchant for nostalgia drag racing with a new opportunity to test their golden oldies against other antique vehicles. While it is still relatively new, it seems that it continues to grow steadily in popularity. The 2009 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series will now feature as many as eight points-earning events as well as four non-points affiliate events. By the end of the year as many as fourteen points champions will be crowned – one in each category. The prize for this massive accomplishment will be a cash award, a gold Wally trophy and a champion’s jacket and hat. The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series is certainly worth participating in and you can be sure that the competition will be stiffer than ever in 2009.

Peter Clifford, who acts as the NHRA executive vice president as well as the general manager, said: “We are looking forward to another exciting season of the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series. We have made an adjustment to our class structure this year and added two new venues. These changes should increase the popularity of a series that was well-received by fans, competitors and track operators alike in its inaugural season.” Fans can look forward to the season kicking off on March 7-9 at the track in Bakersfield, California. From there the series will travel to, among other places, the Firebird Raceway in Boise (Idaho), the Auto Club Dragway in Fontana (California) and The Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway before the series concludes back where it started with the California Hot Rod Reunion on October 16-18. Make sure that you don’t miss out on this year’s Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series!