PIR Gives Fans Access to NASCAR Stars as Part of Entertainment Offering!

Phoenix-area resident Danica Patrick – set to make her Phoenix International Raceway NASCAR debut during the upcoming Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend – will participate in a fan Q&A at PIR’s Budweiser ROLL-BAR stage on Nov. 12. The event will be open to all ticketed race fans, with a special front-stage section reserved for PIR season-ticket holders.

Other drivers scheduled to interact directly with NASCAR fans at PIR include:

·         Rusty Wallace, the 1989 Sprint Cup champion, and his son, Nationwide Series driver Steve Wallace
·         Kevin Harvick, one of three favorites currently competing for the 2010 Sprint Cup
·         Clint Bowyer, winner of two Chase for the Sprint Cup NASCAR playoff races in 2010
·         Ryan Newman, winner of April’s SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600™ at PIR
·         Kasey Kahne and Robby Gordon, two Sprint Cup fan favorites from the West Coast
·         Ricky Carmichael, the former motocross champion turned NASCAR driver (all driver appearance details listed in schedule below)

PIR also offers a host of live music for fans, headlined by the Restrictor Plates – an Atlanta-based Southern Rock experience led by touring slide-guitar ace Benji Shanks. The Restrictor plates will bring race fans a set list of classic Southern Rock from the Budweiser ROLL-BAR stage at 11 a.m. on Sunday Nov. 14, just before Kobalt Tools 500 pre-race ceremonies commence. The weekend kicks off Thursday, Nov. 11 in the SPEED Cantina with PIR fan favorite Harry Luge, Jr. The singer/songwriter and regular on the “Country Thunder” Festival circuit, mixes Southern Rock and Country to create what he calls Arizona’s “own” country music. The Queen Creek native takes the stage from 9 to 11 p.m. at SPEED Cantina both Thursday and Friday nights. Local favorites the Crown Kings, Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band Freebird and popular NASCAR writer/country crooner Monte Dutton are all also scheduled to perform at various venues throughout the race weekend.

The weekend’s full schedule of entertainment is listed below. Please note that events scheduled within the Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club or the Trackside Club requires patrons to purchase a ticket to those areas.

Tickets to Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club are available for advance purchase at $89 for Nov. 13 and $139 for Nov. 14. Additional purchase of a grandstand ticket is still required for track admission. Tickets for a full weekend package in Trackside Club are $699. A three-day package for Octane is $2,400 per person and includes unlimited food/beverage and many other plush accommodations. Tickets to Budweiser ROLL-BAR, Octane, and Trackside Club are available online at PhoenixRaceway.com, or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223).

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE FOR KOBALT TOOLS 500

Friday, November 12, 2010

Noon – West Series Open House begins outside Turn 2
2:30pm – Q&A’s begin – West Series Open House
3:00pm – Driver autograph session – West Series Open House
3:00pm – NASCAR Smarts, SPEED Display on Fan Midway
3:00pm – Danica Patrick Q&A, Budweiser ROLL-BAR Stage
4:00pm – SPEED Talent Autograph Session, SPEED Display on Fan Midway
5:30pm – Trackside LIVE, SPEED Display on Fan Midway
Checkered Flag – Freebird, The Ultimate Lynyrd Skynyrd Experience, Budweiser ROLL-BAR Stage (Fireworks at Checkered Flag)
9:00pm – Rhythm Night at SPEED Cantina featuring Harry Luge, Jr.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

11:00am – Rusty & Steve Wallace Q&A, Trackside Club
11:30am – Ricky Carmichael Q&A, Inside Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club
Noon – Ricky Carmichael Q&A, Octane
Noon – Chad Freeman & Redline, Budweiser ROLL-BAR Stage
5:00pm – NASCAR Live, SPEED Display on Fan Midway
9:00pm to 11:00pm – 3 Amigos Tequila Night at SPEED Cantina featuring the Crown Kings
TBD Time – Colin Braun Q&A, Ford Racing Display on Fan Midway
TBD Time – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford Racing Display on Fan Midway
TBD Time – Miss Sprint Cup, Inside Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club

Sunday, November 14, 2010

9:00am – #31 Pit Crew Autograph Session, Chevy Display on Fan Midway
9:30am – Robby Gordon Q&A, Octane
9:30am – Kevin Harvick Q&A, Inside Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club
9:30am – Ryan Newman Q&A, Trackside Club
9:45am – AJ Allmendinger Q&A, Inside Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club
9:50am to 10:05am – Ryan Newman Q&A, Chevy Display on Fan Midway
10:00am – Kasey Kahne Q&A, Inside Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club
10:00am – NASCAR RaceDay, SPEED Display on Fan Midway
11:00am to Noon – The Restrictor Plates, Budweiser ROLL-BAR Stage
TBD Time – Clint Bowyer Q&A, Inside Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club
TBD Time – Greg Biffle Q&A, Ford Racing Display on Fan Midway
TBD Time – AJ Allmendinger Q&A, Ford Racing Display on Fan Midway
TBD Time – Miss Sprint Cup, Trackside Club

For fan schedule updates, please visit http://PhoenixRaceway.com. Schedule subject to change.

Danica Patrick, Ryan Newman, and Kasey Kahne to Visit with Race Fans at PIR on November 12th!

Phoenix-area resident Danica Patrick – set to make her Phoenix International Raceway NASCAR debut during the upcoming Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend – will participate in a fan Q&A at PIR’s Budweiser ROLL-BAR stage on Nov. 12. The event will be open to all ticketed race fans, with a special section reserved for PIR season-ticket holders.

While Patrick – driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series – has raced Indy Cars at PIR, November will mark her stock car debut in the Valley of the Sun.

“I look forward to going back to Phoenix – it’s a place I thought was cool in an Indy Car,” she said. “It will be nice to sleep in my own bed. I’m excited for that. I think Phoenix is a great track. I think it’s challenging, and I’m sure it will be even more challenging in a stock car with less grip.”

Ryan Newman, winner of April’s SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600™ at PIR, and popular Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne will appear inside the Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club on Sunday, Nov. 14 as part of Q&A sessions available exclusively to ticket-holders for ROLL-BAR. Newman will appear at 9:30 a.m. and Kahne will appear at 10 a.m.  Tickets to Budweiser ROLL-BAR are available for advance purchase at $89 for Nov. 13 and $139 for Nov. 14. Additional purchase of a grandstand ticket is still required for track admission.

On Saturday, Nov. 13, former motocross champion Ricky Carmichael – who will compete in PIR’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events this November – will appear in ROLL-BAR and PIR’s Octane Lounge at times to be announced. Former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and son Steve – a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver – are also slated to make a fan hospitality appearance that Saturday in PIR’s Trackside Club, time tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m.

More driver appearances for the Nov. 11-14 Kobalt Tools 500 weekend at PIR will be announced soon. This will include additional appearances at ROLL-BAR, as well as appearances in PIR’s Trackside Club and Octane Lounge. All appearances are subject to change.

Budweiser ROLL-BAR is PIR’s newest hospitality offering – located just behind the Bobby Allison Grandstands on the west side of the track. It features the best in live entertainment, all-inclusive food and drink tickets throughout the Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR weekend and a custom beer garden area to showcase the No. 9 Budweiser car.

Located just 50 feet away from the track and overlooking PIR’s backstretch, Trackside Club delivers unmatched views of the racing action, and a breathtaking look at the scenery of the surrounding desert from the outdoor terrace. Catered meals, pre-race pit passes, VIP parking, and commemorative race tickets are just the start of the experience at Trackside Club.  Tickets for a full weekend package are $699.

Octane offers a full-service concierge and high-end dining items that include hand-carved meats, fresh pastas and a sushi bar. The three-day package is $2,400 per person for the November NASCAR weekend and includes unlimited food and beverage, wine tasting, and many other plush accommodations.

More driver appearances will be announced next week and updated information will be posted on PhoenixRaceway.com.

Tickets to Budweiser ROLL-BAR, Octane, and Trackside Club are available online at PhoenixRaceway.com, or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223).

Danica Patrick Scheduled To Run 12 Nationwide Races, Including PIR This Fall!

If you don’t already know it (which means you’ve been living under a rock), Danica Patrick is coming to NASCAR…whether you’re ready for her or not! Some believe that she’ll fail, some believe that she’ll succeed.

If there is one thing that is for certain, Danica is going to be incredibly popular and a huge marketing machine for the sport. Hence, the photo I chose to use for this post. How could you not market that? You got to admit, the woman is gorgeous. Furthermore, I don’t think that Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, or even our 4-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson could pull of that look!

Danica will drive the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and will enter at least 12 events during the 2010 season, including the Arizona 200 on Saturday, November 13 right here in Phoenix at PIR.

“I’m thrilled to announce our 2010 Nationwide Series schedule,” Patrick said in a statement released by JR Motorsports. “Like I’ve said before, we just want to be smart and calculative about this process. The tracks we’ve selected not only compliment the IndyCar schedule, but will give me quality seat time at a variety of facilities.”

Patrick’s schedule will begin with the February 20 race at Southern California’s Auto Club Speedway, followed by a February 27 appearance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Following Las Vegas, Patrick will take a four-month hiatus to focus on her IndyCar Series responsibilities with Andretti Autosport before returning to NASCAR June 26 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The remainder of Patrick’s NASCAR schedule includes Nationwide races at Chicagoland Speedway (July 9), Michigan International Speedway (August 14), Dover International Speedway (September 25), Auto Club Speedway (October 9), Charlotte Motor Speedway (October 15), Gateway International Raceway (October 23), Texas Motor Speedway (November 6), and Homestead-Miami Speedway (November 20).

Patrick may enter the February 13 season opener at Daytona International Speedway, though that has not been determined.

Tickets for the November 13th Arizona 200 and all other events throughout the fall NASCAR weekend at Phoenix International Raceway will be on sale starting Thursday, April 8.