Mindy's Minute
MINDY’S MINUTE Moorpark, Calif. - (July 11, 2006) The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) had one final weekend off before heading into another three-week race shift, but other racing series around the States were in full racing swing over the weekend. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series – USG Sheetrock 400 – Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill. The Ringers supporting team of Penske Racing South and its drivers Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman visited the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., just south of Chicago on Sunday. Ryan Newman continues to have an up and down season, as he fought an ill-handling car throughout the race, resulting a 36th- place finish. Kurt Busch recorded his fifth straight top-10 finish of the season, with an eighth. Busch remains 13th in Nextel Cup point standings. Ringers’ supporter Todd Kluever made his Nextel Cup debut on Sunday. Kluever kept his nose clean throughout the race, except when he brought the pit commitment down pit road with him early in the race. That incident put him a couple laps down, but he was able to finish the race in 41st. NASCAR Busch Series – USG Durock 300 – Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill. Kurt Busch pulled double-duty again over the weekend in Joliet. He led on two different occasions for a total of 79 laps in his Penske Truck Rental No. 39 Dodge Charger before taking the checkered in sixth place. With his limited starts and five top-10 finishes, his finishing average now sits at 3.2. Rookie of the Year contender Todd Kluever piloted his No. 06 Post-It Ford Fusion home to an 18th- place finish with his DriverX by Ringers driving gloves, while UnderX supporting driver Jason Leffler finished right behind Kluever in 19th. Another UnderX supporter, Paul Menard, was taken out of contention earlier in the race with an accident, resulting in a finish of 39th. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers – Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky. While we don’t want to jinx them, it appears that the Ringers team of Orleans Racing has turned a corner on their 2006 racing season. Driver Brendan Gaughan has recorded two top-five finishes in the last two weeks in the Craftsman Truck Series. He drove his No. 77 Orleans Hotel Dodge to a fourth place finish at Kansas Speedway the previous week and was again the highest finishing Ringers’ driver at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday night with a third place finish. Gaughan’s third place raised him one spot in CTS points to lucky No. 13. Green Light Racing fielded two trucks in the race on Saturday night. Driver Chad McCumbee continues post consistent finishes and brought home an 18th, while Wayne Edwards’ piloted the No. 07 for the race and finished 33rd. Billy Ballew Motorsports made a recent driver swap during the week and has named Kevin Grubb as the replacement driver for Kyle Krisiloff. Krisiloff was terminated this past week due to lack of payment and a breach of contract by his father, Steve. In Grubb’s return to racing after a brief hiatus, Grubb brought the No. 15 Woodward Pools Chevrolet home in 21st place. Ringers’ driver Justin Allgaier pulled double-duty at Kentucky on Friday and Saturday, competing in both the Craftsman Truck race and the ARCA RE/MAX Series race on Friday night. Unfortunately the CTS race didn’t go in his favor as he was victim of a wreck on lap one, resulting in a 39th place finish. ARCA RE/MAX Series – WLWT Channel 5-150 – Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky. The ARCA RE/MAX Series piggy-backed with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Kentucky over the weekend, with their event being held on Friday night under the Kentucky Speedway lights. The Ringers team of Country Joe Racing and driver Blake Bjorklund took home top-finishing Ringers’ team honors with a 10th place finish. Billy Venturini was having a decent run until lap 99 when he was involved in a multi-car wreck ending his night just short of the finish. He was scored in 25th. Justin Allgaier’s Kentucky experience was not a good one, in Trucks or ARCA. After the No. 16 Century Trading Chevrolet team tweaked with the plumbing system in the motor throughout the day, the motor expired on lap 11, ending his day really early and putting him 39th at the finish. Other Racing Guess what? Tim Kaeding picked up yet another win over the weekend in National Sprint Tour (NST) action on the preliminary night of racing at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., making it his eighth win of the year. Other Ringers notables in the field were Brian Paulus in seventh and Shane Stewart, 11th. On Saturday night, the NST wrapped up the two-day River Cities Speedway visit. TK wasn’t able to pick up a win, but came home with a podium finish in second place behind winner Danny Lasoski. Shane Stewart had another top-five finish of the season in fifth and Brian Paulus finished 11th. Last night the NST visited Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., and to no one’s surprise, TK scored his ninth win of the 2006 season, with Brian Paulus scoring an eighth place finish and Shane Stewart finishing 20th. Keeping with sprint car action, Jonathan Allard finally scored a win at his home track of Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., on Saturday night in the Golden State Challenge Series. Allard now sits out front of the GSC Series points by 78. When Penske Racing South employee Aron Oakley isn’t working in the shop in Mooresville (NC), you can find him racing in the USAC Carolina/Virginia Ford Focus Series for car owner and fellow Penske employee, Corey Tucker. Tucker, Kurt Busch’s No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge car chief, owns Oakley’s No. 43 BEL Lawn Care/Mobil 1 Focus midget. On Saturday at Friendship Motor Speedway, Oakley brought home a second place finish, after leading laps 6-20 of the race. Oakley currently sits fourth in Carolina/Virginia Ford Focus points heading into this weekend’s events at Shenandoah Speedway. And finally, Ringers supporting racer Brad Ellingson picked up his fourth and fifth wins of his season on Saturday and Sunday at Blackhawk Farms in Rockton, Ill. Ellingson competes in the TRO Manufacturing Presents the 2006 Area 5 Championship Series Sponsored by Continental Acura/Audi of Naperville. About Ringers Gloves Ringers Gloves, Official Gloves of NHRA and title sponsor for the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, is a full-line manufacturer of high-end, task specific gloves, SFI 3.3/1, 3.3/10, 3.3/20 racing gloves, UnderX protective undergarments and rdigs pit boots. Keep up with your favorite Ringers racers in ‘06 by logging onto _www.ringersgloves.com_ (http://www.ringersgloves.com/) for photos and highlights!