Blackdog Speedshop Is Top Dog

AUSTIN, TX – Blackdog Speed Shop driver Michael Cooper finished the weekend with a race win in the rain Sunday and Top-10 finish Saturday at Circuit of The Americas. This marks Cooper’s first career GTS class win in the Pirelli World Challenge series.

Cooper finished Saturday’s race P8, his first race in the #10 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro
Z/28.R, after starting in the P12 position. Teammate and boss Tony Gaples moved up from P14 to finish 50 seconds behind Cooper and score his first Top-10 of the season.

Cooper began the second race of the weekend on Sunday from the P9 position before executing a series of precision passes in the rain moving him up to P2 on the first lap of the race. This earning him both the Best Start and Hard Charger awards. CoopeAUSTIN, TX – Blackdog Speed Shop driver Michael Cooper finished the weekend with a race win in the rain Sunday and Top-10 finish Saturday at Circuit of The Americas. This marks Cooper’s first career GTS class win in the Pirelli World Challenge series.

Cooper finished Saturday’s race P8, his first race in the #10 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro
Z/28.R, after starting in the P12 position.

Teammate Tony Gaples moved up from P14 to finish 50 seconds behind Cooper and score his first Top-10 of the season.

Cooper began the second race of the weekend on Sunday from the P9 position before executing a series of precision passes in the rain moving him up to P2 on the first lap of the race. This earning him both the Best Start and Hard Charger awards. Cooper slotted in to P1 on the second lap of the race and held that position all the way to the checkered flag.

“The guys at Blackdog Speed Shop did an outstanding job building the new cars for this season, they ran flawlessly,” exclaimed an excited Cooper. “I’m very proud to have been behind the wheel for Blackdog’s first victory in the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R. Racing in the rain on Sunday was something I had been hoping for and it paid off when we crossed the finish line first! Getting my first TS win early in the season takes some pressure off moving forward.”

“Rain is the great equalizer,” said Gaples who started Sunday’s race P16. Gaples got up as high as P10 to finish the race P13 after contact from another driver.

“It was great being back in the car for another season,” said Gaples. “Michael did a great job in both races. We’re looking forward to St. Pete!”

Watch rounds 1 and 2 of Pirelli World Challenge GTS racing on CBS Sports Network Saturday March 14 at 10 AM central time. Racing continues in St. Petersburg, FL March 28th and 29th!r slotted in to P1 on the second lap of the race and held that position all the way to the checkered flag.

“The guys at Blackdog Speed Shop did an outstanding job building the new cars for this season, they ran flawlessly,” exclaimed an excited Cooper. “I’m very proud to have been behind the wheel for Blackdog’s first victory in the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R. Racing in the rain on Sunday was something I had been hoping for and it paid off when we crossed the finish line first! Getting my first GTS win early in the season takes some pressure off moving forward.”

“Rain is the great equalizer,” said Gaples who started Sunday’s race P16. Gaples got up as high as P10 to finish the race P13 after contact from another driver.“It was great being back in the car for another season,” said Gaples. “Michael did a great job in both races. We’re looking forward to St. Pete!”

Source http://www.blackdogspeedshop.com/cooper-wins-at-circuit-of-the-americas-race-weekend-gaples-finishes-top-10/#

"To Me It's Pretty Special" - Roger Penske

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - The 2015 NASCAR season is off to a very unpredictable start.   Even before the Sunday season opener, Kurt Busch’s 2015 aspirations were dashed when NASCAR imposed an indefinite suspension following allegations that Busch tried strangling his ex-girlfriend.  Brother Kyle Busch is also out indefinitely following a leg injury in Saturday’s pre-season race at Daytona.  Finally, under-dog Joey Logano won his first Daytona 500 under a yellow flag following an exciting green, white, yellow, checkered finish.

NASCAR legend, Jeff Gordon, sat on the pole for what may be his final Daytona start, following his announcement that he will retire after this season.  Jeff’s team mate Jimimie Johnson started  at his side with defending Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr in the third position.  Gordon looked strong through the whole race leading six-times and race-best, 87 lead laps.  The four-time Cup champion commented following the race, "for some reason I'm still smiling and enjoyed every moment of it.  I obviously enjoyed the first half (of the race) more than the second half. … This is an amazing week and an amazing day. I'm just in this different place that is so foreign yet so incredible, just soaking it all in. 

The last several laps of the race were probably some of the most exciting in Daytona history, with the lead 18 cars within a second of each other running 3 wide all around the track.  Jeff’s chances were dashed on the final lap when he got turned by Austin Dillon  and wrecked causing the race to finish under a caution flag.  Gordon’s comment regarding that last lap “I'm not going to miss those final laps. That was just crazy."

Jimmie Johnson made an amazing comeback following a lap-87 pass-through penalty for having a crew member over the wall too soon.  Johnson, and Crew Chief Chad Knaus were perplexed by the penalty.  “We don’t know what we did wrong “exclaimed a frustrated Knaus.  After the penalty, Johnson fought valiantly to actually lead the race in the final laps.  Johnson didn’t have quite enough at the end, and had to settle for a 5^th place finish.  But it was such a close race, it could easily have fallen into Jimmie’s hand.

It was actually pretty surprising that Logano was able to end up on top.  The Fords did not run especially fast on Sunday, nor in the Duel races.  But it is not necessarily HOW fast you are, but WHEN you are fast.  And Joey was fast at the end.  Getting a push from Boyer on the final restart, the 22 car sling shot to the front and was able to keep Kevin Harvick at bay as he crossed the finish line making Joey the second youngest driver to win at Daytona.  "We knew what we had to do and had a really fast car and just need to make sure I didn't get snookered on the restarts," Logano explained. "I can't explain how cool this is. … It feels just like the way you dream it. This is better than Disney World in here."

You know how important a win this is when the Captain, Roger Penske, says “to me it’s pretty special.”

Race Cars in Winter? Must Be Pomona!

POMONA, CA – Racecars in Pomona California in the winter... must be Winternational time!  The 2015 racing season has begun with the first NHRA race of the season at Pomona.  With the gorgeous weather, the racers must think California is always like this (well it’s not, but don’t let our secret out).  It was an exciting weekend, and the most exciting story must be that of Alan Johnson Racing (AJR).  After Al-Anabi announced it was seizing all NHRA racing activities in 2015, Alan found himself in a predicament, how to go racing without a sponsor.  But as any good competitor, and Alan is one of the best, he never quits.  He pulled together some one-event sponsors, including Food Channel’s Guy Fieri, and showed up to Pomona with one Top Fuel dragster piloted by Shawn Langdon.  But AJR didn’t just show up, they showed up with a Knuckle Sandwich earning number 1 qualifier with an et of 3.700 sec at 328.30 mph!

  Langdon put down all of his competitors and in the final round went a 3.799 sec, 309.91 mph against Antron Brown’s 3.804 sec, 310.70 mph to take home the win.  “We had a lot going on positively with Guy Fieri here this weekend,” Langdon continued. “We had to come out here and do well and make a statement. Now we’ll take what we did here and move on to Phoenix and continue what we are doing. We are still looking for sponsorship and trying to do the best we can.”AJR has secured sponsorship for the Phoenix race in two weeks, but after that, it is uncertain.  Surly someone will pick this team up!

Erica Enders-Stevens may have won the 2014 Championship when Jason Line fouled at the winner-take-all final round at the NHRA finals in November.  To make sure Erica still knew who the competition was, Line showed that he was the man to beat in 2015 with a final round victory against Ray Skillman.  Jason went a 6.545 sec at 211.13 mph against rookie Skillman’s 6.556 sec at 211.13 mph run.  "It's great to get off to a good start," Line said. "To be honest, I didn't expect to come here and do this well. I didn't think the off-season had gone well enough for us, but apparently it has. And it feels great to win.”  Erica had some troubles earlier this weekend when she was not able to complete her first two qualifying passes due to some traction issues.  She was able to bring it together and finished third for the weekend.

Competition Eliminator went to Alan Ellis in his A/AP-Altered roadster powered with a Gray Motorsports Pro-Stock 500 cid engine.  Alan was number one qualifier with a 6.464 et putting him 0.686 under his 7.15 index.

The Creative, Innovative and Entrepreneurial Spirit of Dan Gurney -

DEARBORN MICHIGAN - Congratulations to Burns Stainless Customer Dan Gurney who recently received the Edison-Ford medal by the Henry Ford Museum. We are excited that a legend in our beloved field of motorsports has won this lifetime achievement award that has only been awarded once before. Dan is pictured here with Steve Kilgore, project manager for the restoration of the famous 1967 Le Mans winning GT40.
From The Automobile section of the New York Times -



Dan Gurney, whose considerable achievements as a racing driver were the prelude to a career as one of the more influential forces in motorsports, will be presented with the Edison-Ford Medal by the Henry Ford museum.

The award, established by the museum in 1989, recognizes individuals who “fully leverage the creative, innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that resides in every one of us.” Gurney, 83, is only the second person to receive the medal. The first was W. Edwards Deming, the champion of statistical process control and the person widely credited for Japan’s industrial renaissance in the decade starting in 1950.



Gurney’s driving record included wins in 1950s British sports cars and Ford prototypes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He is the only American to win a World Championship Formula One race — the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix — in a car designed and built by his own company, All American Racers.

He was responsible for bringing Ford Motor together with the designer of Lotus cars, Colin Chapman, a move that changed the face of the Indianapolis 500 when Chapman’s rear-engine entries dominated the event. Gurney retired from driving in 1970 to devote all of his time to All American Racers, which is in Santa Ana, Calif.



Born in Port Jefferson, N.Y., his introduction to auto racing was made as a teenage spectator at nearby Freeport Stadium, the quarter-mile paved oval where, Gurney said in a recent telephone interview, “I was infected with the virus.”

His rapid rise through the ranks of Southern California amateur events made Gurney well known to American racing fans, and he went to Europe in 1958. By 1959 he was a driver for the Ferrari factory and also drove for Porsche, BRM, Maserati and for Carroll Shelby’s Cobra and Ford GT teams. The All American Racers website shows that Gurney’s career included 312 starts and 51 victories. He had seven Formula One wins (four in World Championship events) and five wins in six starts with Nascar stock cars. In addition to building cars, Gurney’s team designed, constructed and marketed the Alligator motorcycle.



Gurney’s company designed and built 158 Eagle single-seaters, all bearing a family resemblance to his Formula One machine. The Eagles built for Indianapolis were so successful that in 1979 a total of 21 of the 33 starters at the 500 were built by All American Racers. Gurney’s team also handled Toyota’s American racing interests for several years, winning three championships.

The award ceremony will be held at the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Mich., on Oct. 29.

77 Lucas Oil SilverHook :: 2014 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

PRESS RELEASE

KEY WEST, FL - For the third year in a row, the team is crowned National Champions and this year in the Superboat Unlimited class competing against the biggest, fastest catamarans and monohulls in the World! Team owner and throttleman, Nigel Hook said "We weren’t always the fastest boat in this class, but we certainly deserved and earned this National Championship not only because we accumulated the most national points by attending every race showing a firm commitment to the Superboat International series, but also because of the persistence and dedication of our team and the reliability of our Mercury 1075 engines.”

"Heading into this 34th Annual Superboat World Championships in Key West, people were saying we didn't stand a chance" Hook said "but we knew we did, we just needed something other than the flat water seen all season!" 

It turns out that Hook’s “other than the flat water” comment was upheld during the final race on Sunday where course conditions were confused. The protected areas, running in and out of Mallory Square harbor, presented easy two-foot waves, however, the outside legs came alive with three to four-footers, the occasional five-foot hole, and gusty wind conditions. "Not that I considered those condition really rough, but it was rough enough to see the big cats get ridiculously out of shape with Miss GEICO standing vertical on its transom (more than once) and even the 52' MTI looking like an accident waiting to happen" said Michael Silfverberg, driver of the 77 Lucas Oil SilverHook. (VIDEO)

Harvick, Anders-Stevens: Thrillers in Florida and California

It was an important weekend of racing with the nail-biting conclusion of the thrilling NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase, and with the NHRA Pro-Stock championship decided in the final round of the World Finals in Pomona.  The race at Homestead saw 4 drivers still contending for the Sprint Cup title.  In the final analysis, Kevin Harvick finished on top with an amazing pass of Ryan Newman following the 13^th restart with only three laps to go.  Harvick on 4 fresh tires and Newman on only two gave it all on those three laps leaving the rest of the field in the dust.  In the end, Harvick had the faster car when he needed it most.

The strategic call that likely won the race for Harvick came with 20 laps to go during a caution period for debris on the track.  Harvick and Newman chose to come in and take on tires, Harvick for four and Newman for two.  Chase contender Denny Hamlin instead chose to stay out and gain field position.  With 15 laps to go, Hamlin outgunned Jeff Gordon on another restart, but Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman were coming on strong from behind. On the second to the last restart with 9 laps to go, Hamlin succumbed to the quicker car of Kevin Harvick.  Then, on the final restart, with only three laps to go, Harvick made the race winning move as he out accelerated the field.  Newman tried his best to stay on Harvick taking the inside line, but the 4 fresh tires on Harvick’s car made him unbeatable as he crossed the finish line as Sprint Car Champion – his career first.

For Harvick, it has been a long road to hoe.  Tasked with the impossible, Harvick replaced the late Dale Earnhardt Sr at RCR, but after 13 years, the talented driver could not pull a championship title.  Following a turbulent year at Childress, Harvick chose to drive for Tony Stewart in 2013.  Harvick had some nicr things to say about the NASCAR Chase format. "I forgot we won the race, how about that?" Harvick said after his emotional victory. "I think this Chase is about the best thing that has happened to this sport over the last decade. This is probably going to shorten the drivers' careers because it's been so stressful but I want to thank every single fan for sticking with this sport, and to the industry for working to get it right. You guys are what makes us go around, and we love racing hard for you."  And as for how he withstood the pressure, "This week ate me up," said Harvick. "If it wasn't for Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart, I would have been in bad trouble this week. Those guys really helped me get through the week."

 In NHRA, history was made as Erica Enders-Steven became the first woman in NHRA history to win the Pro-Stock world championship title on Sunday.  Though Erica had a fabulous season with 6 wins and on top of the point standings for most of the year, it came down to the final round of eliminations as she faced her closest point competitor, Jason Line.  Line and Enders-Stevens have each won 12 times against the other in prior events and Enders-Stevens is 2 - 1 against Line in prior final rounds. Line is too quick on the tree and turn on the red light, as does Erica. Since Line fouled first, Erica was crowned champion.  But just to show that it was not just a stroke of luck, Enders-Stevens ran the quickest pass of the weekend for the Pro Stock Championship...this is her sixth National event win and here 12th career. She is the first woman to win the Pro Stock Championship.   On a side note, Jack Burns texted Nick Ferry Saturday night an encouraging note “to wait upon the Lord.”  Well, Erica apparently heeded the advice!

In another heart-warming story, Bobby DeArmond won his Stock Eliminator race in the final round against Paula Cotton as Paula also red-lighted.  DeArmond went on to run a 10.128 second pass in his A/SA ’69 Camaro.  What makes this win special is that this is Bobby’s first race since his son was tragically killed a year ago.  Our heart-felt sympathy is extended to the DeArmond family.

Westcott Wins SS/AH at Indy Again

Though not the fastest or quickest this weekend, Charlie Westcott again shows his prowess for drag racing by claiming the top prize at the 14^th Mopar Hemi Shootout at the NHRA Indy US Nationals.  This was the 60^th year of the US Nationals at Indy, and it was a well-attended event.  Charlie’s Burns-equipped Dodge ’68 ‘cuda defeated Wendall Howe by a  8.55 to 8.66 margin in the final round.  Burns customer Rick Houser was the fastest and quickest Hemi at Indy with a 8.501 sec elapsed time and a terminal speed of 158.95 mph.  Rick made progressively faster runs all weekend until his Liberty transmission dead-headed in 3^rd gear in the 2^nd round of eliminations.

“This win in a way was bigger than the others because we didn’t come in with the performance advantage we typically have,” said Westcott Jr., whose father Charlie Westcott Sr.(shown) also won the Mopar HEMI Challenge event at Indy in 2009. “I had been fighting some kind of gremlin all weekend in my car. I never could get it right, but the final round was a little better. We got the job done, and that’s all that matters. We’ve won this thing six times, and seven if you count my dad. It’s always a good event for us.”

Charlie might be a bit hard on himself because the fast cars of the meet were Westcott-powered cars for crying out loud!

For more on the  Hemi Shootout, go to Bangshift.com