Full Throttle

SALEM, Ind. - ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year contender Chad McCumbee, in his first Salem appearance, wowed the party regulars with his career first Pork Pole Award Saturday afternoon at Salem Speedway. McCumbee, aboard Andy Hillenburg’s #11 Fast Track Chevrolet, qualified with a top speed of 113.957 mph for Sunday’s Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 by Federated Auto Parts. It’s the fastest qualifying speed at Salem since Frank Kimmel’s top mark in the spring of 2001.

“Wow; this track’s a blast,” said McCumbee, who played the part of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the film production “3″. “All I heard was horror stories about this place - how rough it is and all that. It’s rough all right, but I like it. Never been on a track like this.

“It’s more of a testament to our crew, more than anything. They’ve been up working past midnight every night. The guys deserved this; I was more happy for them than anything. I just hope to learn as much as I can tomorrow.”

NASCAR veteran crew chief Tim Kohuth guides the effort for the Supply, North Carolina driver making only his fourth series start.

Ron Hornaday III, also making his first attempt on the historic southern-Indiana oval, qualified second at 113.357 mph in the Hantz Group-Dodge Motorsports Dodge. Hornaday is the son of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday.

Chad Blount, the most recent winner on the tour (Nashville, March 05), qualified third in the Foretravel Motorhomes Chevrolet. It’s Blount’s first Salem appearance since September 2002.

Dallas, Texas driver Ken Weaver, in the 1-800-4-A-Phone Chevrolet, qualified fourth. Weaver, also making his first RE/MAX Series/Salem attempt, raced a late model recently here to familiarize himself with the layout.

Six-time series champ and eight-time Salem winner Frank Kimmel, in the Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford, completed the top-five qualifiers.

Sunday’s Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts, the 74th ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Salem since 1955, is scheduled to get underway soon after 1 pm central time.

QUALIFING RESULTS

Official starting grid for Sunday’s “Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 by Federated Auto Parts” ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Salem Speedway, showing starting position, car number, driver, hometown, sponsors, manufacturer, qualiying time and speed:

1. 11 Chad McCumbee/Supply, N.C., Fast Track Driving School, Chevrolet, 17.375 seconds, 113.957 mph.
2. 4 Ron Hornaday III, Mooresville, N.C., Hantz Group/Dodge Motorsports, Dodge, 17.467, 113.357.
3. 67 Chad Blount, Walkerton, Ind., Foretravel Motorhomes, Chevrolet, 17.489, 113.214.
4. 20 Ken Weaver, Dallas, Texas, 1-800-4-A-Phone, Chevrolet, 17.623, 112.353.
5. 46 Frank Kimmel, Clarksville, Ind., Advance Auto Parts/Pork, Ford, 17.655, 112.150.
6. 62 Brett Hudson, Owensboro, Ky., Hudson Machine/Bullett Motorsports, Chevrolet, 17.663, 112.099.
7. 86 Justin Allgaier, Springfield, Ill., Hoosier Tire Midwest/USAF/The Trashman, Pontiac, 17.688, 111.940.
8. 41 Josh Clemons, New Albany, Ind., Larry Clemons, Ford, 17.733, 111.656.
9. 25 Jason Jarrett, Hickory, N.C., Central Merchant Services/ReadyHosting.com, Chevrolet, 17.777, 111.380.
10. 78 Justin South, Hueytown, Ala., Alabama Brick, Chevrolet, 17.778, 111.374.
11. 99 Ken Schrader, Fenton, Mo., Federated Auto Parts, Chevrolet, 17.797, 111.255.
12. 23 Joe Cooksey, Centralia, Ill., 1-800-SERVPRO, Chevrolet, 17.871, 110.794.
13. 59 Mark Gibson, Winder, Ga., Williams Bros Lumber, Chevrolet, 17.883, 110.720.
14. 45 Michael Simko, Clarkston, Mich., Mound Steel, Pontiac, 17.883, 110.720.
15. 9 Joey Miller, Farmington, Minn., Country Joe Homes/Eagle Creek Aviation, Dodge, 17.896, 110.639.
16. 64 Josh Allison, Martinsville, Ind., Dave Allison, Dodge, 17.901, 110.608.
17. 48 T.J. Bell, Sparks, Nev., Heathcliff’s Cat Litter/DefiantClothing.com, Chevrolet, 17.973, 110.165.
18. 19 G.R. Smith, Folsom, N.J., Murtco, Chevrolet, 17.976, 110.147.
19. 34 Darrell Basham, Henryville, Ind., Darrell Basham Racing, Chevrolet, 18.011, 109.933.
20. 1 Andy Belmont, Penndel, Pa., Bootie Lager, Ford, 18.104, 109.368.
21. 90 David Ragan, Kannapolis, N.C., 31-W Insulation, Ford, 18.107, 109.350.
22. 5 Randy VanZant, Brookville, Ohio, Devers Truck Bodies/Mike’s Auto Body, Pontiac, 18.140, 109.151.
23. 13 Johnny Leonard, Cape Coral, Fla., Boca Bay Builders/Affordable Roofing, Chevrolet, 18.143, 109.133.
24. 21 Todd Bowsher, Springfield, Ohio, Safe Auto Insurance, Ford, 18.149, 109.097.
25. 96 Brandon Knupp, Sidney, Ohio, Mark Knupp Tire & Muffler/ShowControl, Ford, 18.256, 108.457.
26. 38 Mike Harmon, Birmingport, Ala., Global Pigeon Supply, Pontiac, 18.272, 108.363.
27. 91 Christi Passmore, Pryor, Okla., GAP Roofing/Asphalt & Fuel Supply, Ford, 18.282, 108.303.
28. 7 Jeff Caudell, Austin, Ind., Ferguson Enterprises, Chevrolet, 18.382, 107.714.
29. 44 Billy Leslie, Algonac, Mich., Leslie Tire/Lee Leslie Racing, Ford, provisional.
30. 08 Bill Eversole, Chelsea, Mich., Hardcore Motorsports, Chevrolet, provisional.
31. 84 Norm Benning, Pittsburgh, Pa., Benning Motorsports, Chevrolet, provisional.
32. 75 Robbin Slaughter, Columbus, Ohio, Locke Motorsports, Chevrolet, provisional.
33. 0 Tim Mitchell, Fayetteville, Tenn., Star Wheels Skate Center, Chevrolet, provisional.
34. 6 Ricky Gonzalez, S. Plainfield, N.J., MAB Paints, Chevrolet, provisional.

Wouldn’t that be an oxymoron?

Snarky comment aside, as an addendum to my recent comments on the tobacco advertising ban in F1 the French offer a novel solution.

The French Grand Prix has come up with another new idea about how to promote the event and has done a deal with 1000 of the country’s 32,000 tobacconists and, for the first time ever, they will be selling F1 tickets to their customers. The plan is a precursor for opening up the tobacco kiosks to sell tickets for concerts and other big events. The tobacconists involved will get a commission on every ticket sold with the biggest seller in France being invited along to Magny-Cours as VIP guest.

Tickets in tobacco shops will go on sale on May 1 and will be available until June 6.

According to Jacques Regis, the president of the Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile, which promotes the event, ticket sales this year are up by 27% so far and if that trend continues the Grand Prix should be able to meet its target of having at least 75,000 people on race day. The race attracted 70,000 last year and an extra 27% would take the total up to just short of 100,000 which would give the FFSA money to invest in the future. In order to make more money, however, the race needs more people as the increase in sales has been achieved in part by cutting prices.

While still maintaining the advert ban this idea may have legs. Although I suspect the increase in ticket sales is due to lower prices and not more outlets to purchase tickets.

A look through the Phoenix top ten finishers would lead you to believe this race should be subtitled the Redemption 500. With the exception of Dale Earnhardt Jr. the other 9 found redemption from past bad luck by being caught in someone else’s wrecks or their own mechanical woes.

Busch the defending NASCAR Nextel Cup champion led 219 of 312 laps on the mile oval, emphatically putting behind him a streak of bad luck that included crashes at four consecutive events, including an IROC race a week ago at Texas Motor Speedway.

“It’s probably one of our best wins,” Busch said after holding off a determined Michael Waltrip in the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. “You think you’ve got it put together but something happens and you get behind. It says a lot for the team that we were able to overcome all the things that happened to put us behind.”

Michael Waltrip survived a couple brushes with the retainer and scored his first top five since June of last year.

“We just had a great car,” said Waltrip, who got his third top 10 finish of the season. “I just ran out of brains there at the end and hit the wall a couple of times. I’d rather mess up trying, though. I did all I could do.”

That’s the second week running that both DEI cars have made the top ten and with Talledaga on tap next week - where they have dominated in past years - those that laid a wreath on their teams and declared them dead may have to eat their words.

Unofficial Results: Listing starting position in parentheses, driver, car, laps finished or reason out if not running at finish, and money won:

1. (2) Kurt Busch, Ford, 312, $264,000.
2. (28) Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet, 312, $181,939.
3. (20) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 312, $147,995.
4. (15) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 312, $150,018.
5. (5) Brian Vickers, Chevrolet, 312, $110,325.
6. (4) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 312, $121,950.
7. (11) Carl Edwards, Ford, 312, $94,775.
8. (27) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 312, $92,050.
9. (26) Johnny Sauter, Dodge, 312, $75,750.
10. (13) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 312, $103,158.
11. (33) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 312, $109,141.
12. (1) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 312, $120,886.
13. (8) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge, 312, $98,245.
14. (7) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 312, $119,541.
15. (12) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 312, $113,066.
16. (22) Mark Martin, Ford, 312, $80,700.
17. (14) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 312, $98,375.
18. (16) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, 312, $90,133.
19. (10) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 312, $109,011.
20. (23) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet, 311, $67,600.
21. (37) Jeff Green, Dodge, 311, $94,261.
22. (25) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 311, $61,700.
23. (35) Dale Jarrett, Ford, 311, $100,083.
24. (21) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 311, $72,725.
25. (34) Jamie McMurray, Dodge, 311, $72,900.
26. (31) Sterling Marlin, Dodge, 311, $92,183.
27. (42) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 310, $64,050.
28. (29) Kevin Lepage, Dodge, 310, $60,925.
29. (18) Jason Leffler, Chevrolet, 309, $60,800.
30. (40) Stanton Barrett, Chevrolet, 309, $60,675.
31. (39) Kyle Petty, Dodge, 306, $78,208.
32. (36) Scott Wimmer, Dodge, 305, $82,558.
33. (6) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 305, $109,561.
34. (38) Ricky Rudd, Ford, 293, $87,364.
35. (19) Bobby Hamilton Jr., Chevrolet, 283, $69,572.
36. (9) Rusty Wallace, Dodge, 272, $90,908.
37. (43) Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 262, $59,750.
38. (30) Ken Schrader, Dodge, 255, accident, $59,625.
39. (32) Casey Mears, Dodge, 243, $67,500.
40. (24) Travis Kvapil, Dodge, 237, accident, $67,350.
41. (3) Greg Biffle, Ford, 172, overheating, $77,510.
42. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 164, accident, $107,021.
43. (41) Carl Long, Chevrolet, 52, engine failure, $58,935.

Race statistics

Time of Race: 3 hours, 2 minutes, 16 seconds.
Victory margin: 2.315 seconds.
Winners’ Average Speed: 102.707 mph.
Caution Flags: Nine for 43 laps.
Lead Changes: 16 among nine drivers.

Unofficial Point Standings: 1. J.Johnson, 1,260. 2. Kurt Busch, 1,087. 3. G.Biffle, 1,052. 4. J.Gordon, 1,027. 5. E.Sadler, 1,009. 6. M.Martin, 997. 7. R.Newman, 994. 8. C.Edwards, 979. 9. S.Marlin, 968; 10. R.Wallace, 960.

Rick Kelly will carry the flag for Team Buick in the inaugural Chinese round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series at Shanghai on June 10-12.

The two-time Bathurst champion

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP)

In response to a report over a recent firing of a NASCAR official, Mike Helton is not only pissed but seems to believe censorship is the best way to handle a bad situation.

Via That’s Racin Apparently not everyone in NASCAR is enamored with the “NASCAR Nation.”

The daily news-magazine show on Speed Channel broadcast a segment Thursday night recounting news reports of the departure of a Busch Series official in relation to the disqualification of Johnny Sauter’s Busch car at Texas for a illegal carburetor.

On-air talent also attempted to ask Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president for competition, to comment on reports on the incident, including one from The Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com.

NASCAR President Mike Helton was not pleased with the report and made his feelings clear in a heated discussion with Chris Long, Speed’s vice president of studio production, sources confirmed Friday.

Speed Channel spokesman Erik Arneson said NASCAR officials believed the show reported the ousting of official Woody Neese, but were informed later Neese’s departure was attributed to a Charlotte Observer/ThatsRacin.com report during the segment.

Arneson said he was not aware of any other problems.

NASCAR officials had other misgivings with the program’s segment, and were vocal in expressing their disgust that the show addressed the issue in the first place, sources said.

Asked for a response, NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said, “It would serve no purpose for us to comment on that.”

What’s the next story we read? Helton storming into the Charlotte Observer sports editor’s office.

I smell a much larger story that is being buried by Helton and Hunter. With all the controversy created by expunging the records of Sauter and his team at the Texas event, common sense dictates a free flow of information. Yet the president of the sanctioning body not only doesn’t explain why the guilty official was fired but is pissed word leaked out.

Then makes a fool of himself by accusing the wrong media outlet for leaking the story. I smell a very large rat and a story that’s far from over.

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP)

It

Certainly part of Rubens Barrichello’s loyalty to Ferrari is a possible opportunity to assume the #1 role at the end of Schumacher’s contract in 2006. If this rumor turns out to be true look for Ruebens to move on to another team.

According to Gazetta dello Sport Michael and Ferrari team boss Jean Todt have been talking about an extension to his current contract as well as discussing drivers that could possibly replace him in the near future. “To tell you the truth, Jean at the moment is talking with me about extending my contract,” Schumacher said. And on the subject of replacements Schumacher replied, “Sometimes we talk about drivers, but in very general terms.”

During the official FIA press conference on the Thursday of the San Marino Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was asked about the rumored contract extension:

Q: Can you clear up the story about the discussions with Jean Todt concerning the extension to your contract? Is that the case?

MS: You have to put it from the start. The question was does Ferrari talk about Fernando. I said that from my point of view, they talk less about Fernando rather than Jean having conversations in private relationship about my future. These are more the subject than talk about other drivers.

Q: So you are actually in discussion about an extension to your contract.

MS: I have had a private chat, we are not in discussions. It is quite open to me about when and what time I want to extend my contract. I think it