Candlebox to Perform at Budweiser ROLL-BAR at Phoenix International Raceway!

Legendary rock band Candlebox will energize the crowd at Phoenix International Raceway with a live concert this Sunday, March 4, to celebrate the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ event weekend. The concert begins at 11 a.m. at Budweiser ROLL-BAR, PIR’s showcase venue for live music and entertainment.

“Candlebox is going to get the crowd rocking on the main stage at Budweiser ROLL-BAR,” said Phoenix International Raceway President, Bryan R. Sperber. “By the time the concert is finished, fans are going to be as fired up as the drivers for the start of the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™.”

Known for their blend of hard rock and a contemporary sound, Candlebox is scheduled to release their fifth album, Love Stories and other Musings, on April 3 and will begin a six-week U.S. tour two days later.

Live entertainment on the Budweiser ROLL-BAR main stage and access to the custom Budweiser ROLL-BAR Beer Garden is available to all grandstand ticket holders. Hours for the Budweiser ROLL-BAR for the March 2012 NASCAR event weekend are 10 a.m. until one hour after the checkered flag waves for the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 and the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™.

Single-day tickets to Budweiser ROLL-BAR are available for $99 on Saturday, March 3 and for $149 on Sunday, March 4. A Budweiser ROLL-BAR Club Pass and a Pre-Race Pit Pass for Sunday, March 4 is available for $179 and a weekend Budweiser ROLL-BAR pass (Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 4) including a Pre-Race Pit-Pass is $249.  Additional purchase of a grandstand ticket is still required for track admission.

About Phoenix International Raceway

Since 1964, Phoenix International Raceway has served race fans as the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest. Watch the brightest stars in NASCAR take on PIR’s one-mile oval on March 4, 2012 in the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™. Tickets for the entire SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ NASCAR weekend at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at PhoenixRaceway.com/Tickets or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223). For more information, visit PhoenixRaceway.com, Facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway and Twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway.

Matt Kenseth holds off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the Daytona 500!

Matt Kenseth is under the radar no longer.

His second Daytona 500 victory, a straight-up, I’m-faster-than-you performance in arguably the most unique of the race’s 54 editions, confirms the popular Wisconsin veteran’s status among the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series elite competitors in the current era – and arguably in any era.

We should have known it all along – although Kenseth, like many racers from his home state, has always raced hard but with humility.  His post-race reaction?  Typical: “I wasn’t expecting to win when I woke up this morning,” said Kenseth.  That said, Kenseth has won a championship (2003), two Daytona 500s and 22 times overall. Those victories have come in 10 different seasons beginning in 2000 – his first full campaign with the Roush Fenway organization, his “home” for all but one of Kenseth’s 437 starts.  The two Daytona 500 victories alone move the Cambridge, Wis., driver into legendary territory.

He becomes one of only nine drivers to win the race multiple times. Three of the other eight – Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison – are members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a possible destination for the 39-year-old Kenseth.  Kenseth is the first repeat Daytona 500 winner since Jeff Gordon in 2005.

Now on to Phoenix, where Kenseth won in 2002.  He followed his 2009 Daytona 500 victory by winning his next start at Auto Club Speedway.

With the win at Daytona, Jack Roush and Roush Fenway finally posted NASCAR national series victory No. 300. The number is unprecedented and extends the record for wins in NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck series. “This is a special night,” said Roush, who won for the first time in 1989 with Mark Martin at the wheel.  Roush has won championships in all three national series.

Old school, new school – it doesn’t matter to the No. 17 crew chief Jimmy Fennig. The victory was the 34th for the 58-year-old pit road master, who guided Allison to his second Daytona 500 victory in 1988. Fennig has won with four different drivers from 1987 through the present: Kenseth, Allison, Kurt Busch and Mark Martin. He was Busch’s championship crew chief in 2004.

You can say Doug Yates has NASCAR’s new Electronic Fuel Injection system figured out. His engines powered the winner, third-place Greg Biffle and eighth-place Carl Edwards. They won the Coors Light Pole and a Gatorade Duel qualifying event. Ford won the Daytona 500 for the third time in four years.

It is also safe to say that Matt Kenseth is an elite performer, in any era!  Congrats to the 17 team for a great win!

Hamlin, Bowyer and Harvick Headline All-Star Cast of Celebrity Appearances at PIR’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 Weekend!

Racing fans will be treated to a star-studded lineup of NASCAR drivers and celebrity guests making special appearances throughout the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ race weekend, Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4 at Phoenix International Raceway. NASCAR superstars Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick headline the list of drivers and VIPs who will makes special appearances at the track.

Drivers will talk about what to expect during the weekend’s race action, their forecasts for the 2012 NASCAR season and discuss their own personal stories.  Other celebrities participating in the weekend’s race festivities will also be on hand to meet fans and discuss their passion for racing.

Following is a list of guest appearances scheduled throughout the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ race weekend. Denny Hamlin will also appear at Budweiser ROLL-BAR and Octane on Sunday, March 4. Fans are encouraged to visit www.PhoenixRaceway.com, Facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway and Twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway for the exact times of those appearances and for additional appearance schedule updates.

Saturday, March 3

Budweiser ROLL-BAR
10:00 a.m………………… A.J. Allmendinger
10:30 a.m………………… Denny Hamlin
11:00 a.m………………… Michael McDowell

Octane
10:30 a.m. ………………. Martin Truex Jr.

Turn 4 Wine Trackside Club
10:30 a.m. ………………. Michael McDowell

 

Sunday, March 4

Budweiser ROLL-BAR
9:00 a.m…………………. Clint Bowyer
9:30 a.m…………………. Dominick Cruz
10:00 a.m………………… Kevin Harvick

Octane
9:30 a.m…………………. A.J. Allmendinger
10:00 a.m………………… Robby Gordon
10:15 a.m………………… Dominick Cruz
2:30 p.m…………………. Ndamukong Suh

Turn 4 Wine Trackside Club
10:20 a.m………………… Robby Gordon

Ndamukong Suh Named Grand Marshal of SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500!

All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will serve as Grand Marshal for the 2012 SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ on Sunday, March 4 at Phoenix International Raceway, it was announced today.

Suh was immediately recognized as one of the most dominant defensive linemen in pro football after being selected second overall by Detroit in the 2010 Draft. In only two seasons, he has registered 102 tackles (75 solo), 14 sacks and one interception while starting all 30 games in which he has played.  Suh, whose first name means “House of Spears,” is a native of Portland, Oregon.

“We are thrilled to have Ndamukong Suh start the engines for the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ on March 4,” said Bryan R. Sperber, President of Phoenix International Raceway. “His accomplishments on the field have been amazing and I think our fans are going to be excited to welcome him as our Grand Marshal.”

Suh, one of SUBWAY’s famous fans, regularly does his work in the Motor City. On March 4, he will help fuel the energy of ZOOMTOWN U.S.A.® as NASCAR’s top drivers converge on the Phoenix area for one of the region’s biggest annual sporting events. In his role as Grand Marshal, Suh will participate in pre-race festivities and will kick off the race by saying the most famous words in NASCAR, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”

“I am honored to serve as the Grand Marshal of the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™,” said Suh. “I’ve been fortunate to experience motor sports all over the world and am somewhat of an enthusiast. I am really excited to share this experience with my great friends from SUBWAY, and I can’t wait to give the command.”

Additional information about the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ and all race weekend activities (March 2-4) can be found by visiting www.phoenixraceway.com.