Lowes’s Partners With PIR To Bring Kobalt Tools 500 To Track In November!

Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber announced recently that Lowe’s and Kobalt Tools have joined the track’s team of corporate partners. As part of this new relationship, Kobalt will act as the official title sponsor for the track’s November 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event: The Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

“We’re excited to bring the Kobalt Tools 500 to Phoenix this year to let race fans in the West experience Kobalt as the next generation of tough tools,” said Tom Lamb, senior vice president of marketing and advertising at Lowe’s. “Lowe’s has been active in the Phoenix community for many years, so it was a natural fit to bring this race to our Kobalt fans in the Phoenix market.”

Lowe’s and Kobalt have seen their No. 48 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team make plenty of headlines in Phoenix. Four-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson – driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports – is a PIR record-holder with four Sprint Cup wins, including the last three November Sprint Cup events in Phoenix.

“We are thrilled to be working with Lowe’s and Kobalt Tools for NASCAR’s semi-final race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup here in Phoenix,” Sperber said. “Trusted brands like Lowe’s and Kobalt Tools line up perfectly with the quality of racing and overall quality of event that race fans have come to expect at PIR each November.”

Although this is Lowe’s first time sponsoring a Phoenix race, it has been supporting the Phoenix community for years. Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) have given more than $2 million in donations to education and community improvement projects in Arizona. Most recently, the LCEF gave a $50,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Phoenix to renovate its teen center.

Today, Kobalt and Lowe’s Toolbox for Education program recognized the Metro Tech Vocational Institute of Phoenix as one of more than 400 schools across the country who is receiving a Kobalt tools package worth more than $1,100 to help prepare and educate the next generation of skilled trades professionals.

As the Semi-Final Race in the Chase, the Kobalt Tools 500 will begin at 1 p.m. MST on Sunday, November 14, with television coverage provided by ESPN and radio coverage by the Motor Racing Network. Tickets for the Kobalt Tools 500 and all other events throughout NASCAR’s Semi-Final Weekend at Phoenix International Raceway are available for purchase now at PhoenixRaceway.com.

PIR Giving Fans More Sprint Cup Excitement This April!

Distance increases from 500k to 600k (63 laps) for first night race of 2010 season on April 10

It will be a whole new race on April 10 when NASCAR visits Phoenix International Raceway for the first evening event of the season – new distance, new pit-stop schedules, new fuel cycles, and a new name. The brand new SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600™ will be the longest Sprint Cup event in track history, featuring 63 more laps (100k) of high-octane action at the same affordable cost that NASCAR fans have come to enjoy in the Valley of the Sun.

“Racing is as much about strategy as it is about pure speed,” said PIR President Bryan Sperber. “This new distance ushers in a whole new race at PIR and will likely jumble the conventional wisdom about who can win at Phoenix.”

The addition of 63 laps ensures that PIR’s April race maintains its spot as the first official night race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season again in 2010. For consistency, NASCAR moved to standard race start times in 2010 and PIR’s extra laps will make certain that the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600™ – which starts at 4:30 p.m. locally – will run well into the night under the desert sky.

As mentioned, the 375-lap April 10 race under bright Saturday night lights will be the longest scheduled Sprint Cup event in track history, as each of Phoenix International Raceway’s 27 Sprint Cup races dating back to 1988 were originally slated for 500k (312 laps) from green flag to checkered flag.  PIR’s November NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will maintain its distance of 312 laps – approximately 500 kilometers.

To help celebrate this exciting new development in Phoenix International Raceway’s rich NASCAR history, fans will have the opportunity to turn the first 600 laps of the new season at PIR on Saturday, March 27 – just five short weeks before the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600™. How to participate? Just be one of the first 100 people to call 1-866-408-RACE (7223) and purchase a grandstand ticket to the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600™ using the code-phrase “600 Under the Lights” and you can be one of 100 lucky fans to drive six laps on PIR’s one-mile oval. Fans that call in after the first 100, as well as those who have already purchased their tickets, will also have the opportunity to drive the track at PIR.  For more details, please visit www.phoenixraceway.com/600underthelights.

Tickets for the April 10 SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600™ – with prices as low as $25 – and all other events throughout the first NASCAR event weekend of 2010 at Phoenix International Raceway are still available at www.phoenixraceway.com or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223).

PIR’s Budweiser Roll-Bar Featuring Kasey Kahne!

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star and Budweiser driver Kasey Kahne will appear at Phoenix International Raceway’s Budweiser ROLL-BAR for a question-and-answer session with NASCAR fans before the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil on Sunday, November 15.

Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge for Richard Petty Motorsports, is one of 12 drivers to have qualified this season for the Chase for the Sprint Cup – his second such distinction. Kahne is currently 12th in Sprint Cup Series points with two wins and 11 top-10 finishes in 28 starts this season.

Fellow Sprint Cup competitors Casey Mears and A.J. Allmendinger will also appear at Phoenix International Raceway’s hospitality clubs over the weekend. Each driver will be scheduled to participate for 15 minutes, and appearance times will be confirmed in the coming weeks and announced on PhoenixRaceway.com.

More driver appearances will be announced soon.

Budweiser ROLL-BAR is located just behind the Bobby Allison Grandstands on the west side of the track, and features the best in live entertainment with drink specials each day and night throughout the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 NASCAR weekend and appearances by some of NASCAR’s top personalities.

The innovative hospitality environment at Budweiser ROLL-BAR includes a special VIP section for guests, featuring high-end furniture on a raised platform. A number of unique custom structures – including a bar to house a replica of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge driven by Kasey Kahne – adorn the beer garden area and highlight the Budweiser branding seen throughout the club.

Single-day tickets to Budweiser ROLL-BAR are available for $89 on Saturday, November 14 and for $139 on Sunday, November 15. Additional purchase of a grandstand ticket is still required for track admission.

Tickets for the November NASCAR event weekend at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at PhoenixRaceway.com, or over the phone at 1-866-408-RACE (7223). Follow Phoenix International Raceway 365 days a year on the Web at PhoenixRaceway.com and on Twitter at Twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway, and become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway. Be a part of it all at PIR!

PIR and Richard Petty Create One-of-a-Kind Fan Experience!

Phoenix International Raceway has teamed up with the legendary Richard Petty on a joint venture to create the first-ever high performance kart track within a NASCAR facility. This experiential innovation will put race fans behind the wheel and into the action at the brand new Richard Petty Raceway – located on PIR’s Midway – beginning this November for the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 weekend.

The 1/16th-mile Richard Petty Raceway will be located just inside Gate 4 at PIR, providing fans the chance to test their racing mettle for just $20 a session. The permanent one-of-a-kind venue will allow first-hand entertainment for fans 16 and older. Several artist renderings are attached to this press release in a 4-page PDF.

“Throughout his career Richard Petty has done so much for the fans. We’re very excited to be able to partner with him on what promises to be a truly unique offering for PIR’s patrons,” said PIR president Bryan R. Sperber. “Providing race fans the opportunity to turn laps at the brand new Richard Petty Raceway will add to PIR’s engaging appeal and we’re very excited to unveil Richard Petty Raceway in November.”

A grand opening for Richard Petty Raceway is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, November 13. Petty – NASCAR’s all-time wins leader and Raceway namesake – is scheduled to appear, along with Reed Sorenson, the current driver of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Grand Opening of Richard Petty Raceway at PIR,” said Petty. “The fans deserve to have fun and be entertained during their entire experience at the race track. I hope Richard Petty Raceway can be part of that.”

Richard Petty Raceway will open on Thursday, November 12 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The facility will stay open throughout the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 weekend at PIR, with racing from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, November 13, and action beginning at 8 a.m. and lasting until 30 minutes before the checkered flags of the Able Body Labor 200 and Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, respectively, on Saturday and Sunday.

The raceway’s structure will include a pit and garage area, as well as grandstand seating where each driver’s “fans” can gather and show support – just as they would for the Chase for the Sprint Cup competitors on PIR’s one-mile oval. Each race at Richard Petty Raceway can include five competitors.

At 20 feet wide and featuring a flagman’s tower, tire barriers, and a layout quite similar to that of the main Phoenix International Raceway oval, Richard Petty Raceway is designed to give NASCAR fans yet another exciting racing surface – with the added thrill of participation in 9hp high-performance karts, provided by Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE). Competitors will put on firesuits and helmets and receive detailed instruction from RPDE professionals prior to racing.

Fans will have the chance to win a spot to compete in a race at the grand opening against the Sprint Cup Series professionals by entering the Richard Petty Raceway Grand Opening Sweepstakes. More information is available online at www.phoenixraceway.com/rpraceway.

Tickets for the November NASCAR event weekend at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at www.phoenixraceway.com, or over the phone at 1-866-408-RACE (7223). Follow Phoenix International Raceway 365 days a year on the Web at www.phoenixraceway.com and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway. Be a part of it all at PIR!

Let The Chase Begin!

The Chase is on! And, I am thirlled!

Kyle Busch is out, as Brian Vickers bumped out the 4-time 09′ race winner with some amazing driving down the stretch. Jeff Gordon is positioned as a solid contender for his 5th crown. Therefore, the only thing that would have made the race at Richmond International Raceway any better would have been if Juan Pablo Montoya had crashed and missed the chase along with KyBusch.

Now, Twenty-six races into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, it comes down to 12 drivers with a chance to win the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Local native Denny Hamlin from Chesapeake finally won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at his home track after coming “oh, so close” so many times before. He also did it in convincing style, battling door-to-door with Jeff Gordon along the way. It was Hamlin’s second win of the season in his FedEx Toyota. He won earlier this year at Pocono.

Hamlin is one of the 12 Chase participants but his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch didn’t make it. Hamlin had locked in a spot before the race but Kyle needed to finish well ahead of Brian Vickers to make it. Kyle finished fifth but Vickers was seventh and wound up grabbing the 12th spot by eight points over Busch.

Kurt Busch finished second and made the Chase. Jeff Gordon was third and in The Chase.

Everybody’s favorite, Mark Martin, was fourth and secured a Chase spot and there wasn’t a happier man in Virginia on Saturday night when this race ended.

Kyle finished fifth and Clint Bowyer was sixth. Vickers was seventh and former Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish finished eighth. Kevin Harvick was ninth and Ryan Newman 10th, which earned him a slot in the Chase, along with his car owner Tony Stewart, who had a rough night and wound up 17th.

Jimmy Johnson finished 11th and he’s in the Chase, along with 12th-place finisher Kasey Kahne and 13th-place finisher Greg Biffle. Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya also made the Chase. It will be Montoya’s first Chase as well as the first for team owner Chip Ganassi.

Former series champion Matt Kenseth finished 25th and failed to qualify for the Chase for the first time.

The first race in the Chase begins Sunday, Sept. 20 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Go 24 Go!