KENTUCKIANA MOTORSPORTS PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL
Mother Nature is always troublesome during the racing season. We saw it at Charlotte over the Memorial Day holiday weekend in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series. Weather also delayed NASCAR Cup action in St. Louis this past weekend. Toss in the NHRA New England Nationals. Track operators nationwide deal with it on a weekly basis. A weekend of rain when a track has a major event can hit the pocketbook quite hard. That is why we encourage race fans to support local tracks.
When many racers near 40, you can see a drop off in racing skills. Some just use wisdom to get around the track. Not long ago Kyle Busch would get massive booing from fans. They haven't all stopped. But with age, fans seem to be embracing his talent, more and more. And what he's done for racing. With older tires and nearly a half-dozen restarts late, the 38-year old Busch held off the field to get the NASCAR Cup win at St. Louis. Denny Hamlin came in second, Joey Logano was third. Kyle drives for Richard Childress Racing. The #8 and all other racing machines are powered by Lucas Oil Products! It is worth pointing out the veteran, Kevin Harvick ended up 10th for Stewart-Haas Racing. That team has been awful this season. We're not sure why. Outside of being involved in a wreck this season, Harvick has been Mr. Consistent for Stewart-Haas. Running we'll in the top 10 at nearly every race. He is set to retire after this season. We believe Harvick has more in his tank. Doubt he'll change his mind. The 2014 Cup Champion has nothing left to prove. But just imagine, Harvick getting with a team that fully devotes manpower and resources to him. On the other hand, maybe he'll follow Jimmy Johnson's foot steps, buy a percentage of a team, and run a few races. Yes, Harvick has owned his own team's in the past. But the sport has changed since he's owned a team.
In today's economy it is hard to keep longtime sponsors. A big one appears to be sticking around for a little longer. It looks like FedEx is going to stay onboard with Joe Gibbs Racing as a primary partner of the race team. They've been with Gibbs since 2005. It would be hard to imagine the #11 of Denny Hamlin without it. Obviously Fed Ex likes the sport and attention. It's major competitor UPS jumped out as a major sponsor years ago, not long after Dale Jarrett left as a driver. They had some success with David Ragan. It cost big dollars to run a car, a quality car. The return isn't always there. Race fans are loyal. Obviously Fed Ex likes being part of NASCAR.
In the Indy Car Series, Road America is up next on June 18th. This past weekend on the streets of Detroit, Alex Palou held the lead on two late restarts. Palou barely beat Will Power by just over one-second. Street racing is different than oval. The Indy Car Series has rebounded in recent years. But it must do more to reel in fans. One way, get drivers out in non-racing communities (Away from tracks) to sign autographs and be with racing fans.
Despite the weather, do get out and support area tracks. There's a chance at the Salem Speedway, Sportsdrome Speedway, or another regional track, you'll see a future racing star! And many good local racers too. Another fun track is the Ponderosa Speedway. It is known as "Kentucky's Baddest Bullring". It is a short dirt track in central Kentucky at Junction City near Danville (About an hour and fifteen minutes southeast of Louisville). Drive south to Bowling Green (KY) and you'll enjoy Beech Bend. There is an amusement park, camping, and racing. The Beech Bend dragstrip brings in the fans and has a wide range of events. Just outside of Louisville in West Point Kentucky is the Ohio Valley Dragway. It is a 1/8th mile track on Dixie Highway. It is not unusual to see a Lucas Oil logo at local tracks. Forrest, Charlotte, Morgan, and Katie Lucas love grass roots racing! A reminder, checkout social media pages of local tracks for ticket specials, last minute changes, and weather reports too!
The weather caused issues with the NHRA New England Nationals! Lucas Oil is a longtime sponsor of the NHRA. You can see the excitement on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2. This weekend it is the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol. The event has a long history. Whether NASCAR or NHRA, fans in and around Bristol love racing and that includes drag racing!
The summer racing season continues. Thousands will travel on vacations across the country. Be sure to put Lucas Oil Products in your car or truck. They do so much for racing communities across America. Other sponsors of KMS include PNC Bank (Sponsor of Scott Dixon's Indy Car Series Car), Sportsdrome Speedway (Celebrating more than 77 years of Racing!), locally owned Bright Pest Control and Bright Retail in Louisville, (Offering Do-It-Yourself Professional Pest Products with a retail store), and Knox Ford in Radcliff, Kentucky) (It also has a sister dealership, Tri-County Ford in Oldham County, KY). KMS friends also include: VoiceTel Kentucky (Offering telephone service for low as $25.00 a line per month), Temco Roofing, Jim Ellis/Attorney At Law, ICA Dumpsters, Kentucky Raceway Ministries, Nimlok Kentucky, Dynamic Healthcare, Lyndon Mower Repair, and Kentucky Medicare Plans (Serving Kentucky and Southern Indiana with Health and Medicare plans). We also thank our media connections in all series, NASCAR and with NASCAR Media, Indy Car, Monster Jam, ARCA, and NHRA for helping us bring the sport to the fans!
Over the summer, more people will be getting outside. When out traveling or on vacation, we encourage you to look around. See the farms and ranches in America. Our farmers and ranchers are doing work hard and need support. Protect the Harvest backs them. It is a Lucas Oil backed initiative. Learn more at: www.protecttheharvest.com
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