Search results matching tag 'samsung 500'

TMS Announces 2010 Season Schedule - Samsung 500 Date Moves A Week Later To Season's Eighth Race

TMS Media Relations — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:19:00 GMT

TMS Swaps Dates With Phoenix, Samsung 500 Moves To April 15-18
Fall NASCAR Triple-Header Remains First Week Of November
ARCA RE/MAX Series Race Added To April Weekend
Truck Series Race Returns As Companion Event For IndyCar Series In June
Season Tickets, Starting As Low As $279, Go On Sale Friday

FORT WORTH, Texas (August 27, 2009) – Texas Motor Speedway will have a slight shift in its 2010 NASCAR schedule as the Samsung 500 race week will be run April 15-18, moving the Sprint Cup Series race from the seventh to the eighth event of the season as a result of a date swap with Phoenix International Raceway.

TMS officials agreed to the move to accommodate NASCAR and network television partner, FOX, because the Samsung 500 on its traditional April date would have been pitted directly against the final round of the The Masters on television. Phoenix transitions into that slot without a conflict since it will play host to a Saturday evening race.

The move of the Samsung 500 race weekend, which also includes a NASCAR Nationwide Series race, is one of two subtle date shifts that Texas Motor Speedway will have on its 2010 race schedule. The other, announced Wednesday, will have the IRL IndyCar Series/NASCAR Camping World Truck Series combination event move up a week to June 3-5, shifting to the weekend following the Indianapolis 500 rather than the traditional two weeks later.

The Lone Star 500 race week, the NASCAR triple-header scheduled for Nov. 4-7, remains unchanged as it retains its traditional date and the featured Sprint Cup Series race continues as the eighth event in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“We wanted to be good partners by agreeing to the date switch and I think it will be a win-win for everybody involved,” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. “It will be a boost to FOX to not have Junior (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) going against Tiger (Woods), and hopefully those golf fans will watch a marquee event one week on TV and come out to see one in person the following week here at TMS. And if Tiger needs a break from the Tour following The Masters, we’d be glad to have him as the Samsung 500 Grand Marshal, Honorary Starter or, for that matter, drive the pace car.”

The Samsung 500 race week will feature a NASCAR double-header with the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series as well as the addition of an ARCA RE/MAX Series race to the schedule. The week opens Thursday, April 15, with practice and qualifying for the O’Reilly 300 Nationwide Series race as well as for the ARCA/REMAX Series race. The evening is highlighted by Aaron’s Fandango, an entertainment event for season ticket-holders that is hosted by Gossage and features Sprint Cup Series stars.

The Sprint Cup Series takes to the track Friday, April 16, with practice and qualifying for the Samsung 500, and that action will be followed by an ARCA RE/MAX Series race. It will mark just the second visit to Texas Motor Speedway by ARCA, which made its inaugural trip in September of 1998 when the race was paired with an IndyCar Series event.

On Saturday, April 17, final Sprint Cup Series practice will be held prior to the running of the O’Reilly 300 Nationwide Series race. The race week culminates Sunday, April 18, with the 14th edition of the Samsung 500.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be paired once again with the IndyCar Series for the June 3-5 race week, a combination that has been together since the speedway opened in 1997.

Truck practice and qualifying for the WinStar World Casino 400k as well as an evening IndyCar Series practice will be held Thursday, June 3. The action on Friday, June 4, will open with IndyCar practice and qualifying for the Texas 550k and be followed by the WinStar World Casino 400k race in the evening. The weekend closes Saturday, June 5, with the running of the Texas 550k, “America’s Original Nighttime IndyCar Series Race.”

Texas Motor Speedway will close its season with a NASCAR triple-header Nov. 4-7 featuring the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series.

The action begins Thursday, Nov. 4, with truck practice and qualifying for the WinStar World Casino 350k. The Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series arrive Friday, Nov. 5, for practice and qualifying and will be followed by the WinStar World Casino 350k that evening. The O’Reilly Challenge highlights the Saturday, Nov. 6, schedule that also includes final Sprint Cup practice. The week culminates with the Lone Star 500, the eighth race in the 10-event Chase for the Sprint Cup format that determines the series champion.

Race start times and broadcast partners will be announced at a later date.

Season tickets for the 2010 TMS race season, starting as low as $279 for 11 days of race action, go on sale 9 a.m. CT Friday and will be available by calling (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com. Individual 2010 race tickets go on sale for the Samsung 500 and Texas 550k race weeks beginning Wednesday, Nov. 11, and for the Lone Star 500 on April 28, 2010.

2010 TMS Race Schedule At A Glance

 Thursday, April 15 – O’Reilly 300 Nationwide Series practice and qualifying; ARCA/REMAX Series practice and qualifying; Aaron’s Fandango (Season ticket holders only)
 Friday, April 16 – Samsung 500 Sprint Cup Series practice and qualifying; ARCA/REMAX Series race
 Saturday, April 17 – Final Samsung 500 Sprint Cup Series practice; O’Reilly 300 Nationwide Series race
 Sunday, April 18 – Samsung 500 Sprint Cup Series race
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 Thursday, June 3 – WinStar World Casino 400k Camping World Truck Series practice and qualifying; Texas 550k IndyCar Series opening practice
 Friday, June 4 – Texas 550k IndyCar Series practice and qualifying; WinStar World Casino 400k race
 Saturday, June 5 – Texas 550k IndyCar Series race
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 Thursday, Nov. 4 – WinStar World Casino 350k Camping World Truck Series practice and qualifying
 Friday, Nov. 5 – O’Reilly Challenge Nationwide Series practice and qualifying; Lone Star 500 Sprint Cup Series practice and qualifying; WinStar World Casino 350k Camping World Truck Series race
 Saturday, Nov. 6 – Lone Star 500 Sprint Cup Series final practice; O’Reilly Challenge Nationwide Series race
 Sunday, Nov. 7 – Lone Star 500 Sprint Cup Series race

Help a newbie please!

crna2be — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:12:18 GMT

I have searched everywhere...I can't find a video/dvd/etc of this year's Samsung 500.

Anyone know where I can download/buy/???

Thanks!

Foreigner Gives Props To Texas Motor Speedway On New 'Can't Slow Down' CD Set For September Release

TMS Media Relations — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:04:00 GMT

FORT WORTH, Texas (July 17, 2009) – Texas Motor Speedway introduced Foreigner to NASCAR during April’s Samsung 500 race week, and the legendary band has decided to show their appreciation for that opportunity in a very unique manner.

Foreigner will release a new CD – “Can’t Slow Down’’ – on Sept. 29 through Rhino Entertainment and the title track is their salute to their rousing April 5 pre-race concert appearance at the Samsung 500 Sprint Cup Series race and initial NASCAR experience.

“Coming from a legendary band like Foreigner, that is a tremendous compliment for Texas Motor Speedway and the NASCAR community,” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. “Mick (Jones), Kelly (Hansen) and the entire band were a pleasure to work with and judging from the PR work and concert they performed for the Samsung 500, ‘Can’t Slow Down’ is an apropos title track after personally witnessing their work ethic and desire. I don’t see them slowing down for quite some time.”

The three-disc set will feature 13 new songs including “Can’t Slow Down,” remixed super hits and live performance cuts. The CD will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart for $12.

Redesigned TMS Website Attracting Fans From 122 Countries And Territories, All 50 States

TMS Media Relations — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:53:00 GMT

FORT WORTH, Texas – Texas Motor Speedway is known as “The Great American Speedway!” for its broad appeal across the United States, but its website www.texasmotorspeedway.com attests to its worldwide allure as well.

During the four-week period encompassing the April 2-5 Samsung 500 NASCAR double-header weekend, the redesigned Texas Motor Speedway website attracted fans from 122 countries and territories as well as all 50 states, according to Google Analytics.

The list included nine of the 10 most populated countries (China, India, United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Russia and Japan) as well as several of the least populated including Liechtenstein, Belize, and Antigua and Barbuda. The only country absent among the top 10 was Bangladesh. The top five in terms of number of page visits were the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and Mexico, respectively.

Within the U.S., the top five states for page views were Texas, Oklahoma, New York, California and Louisiana, respectively.

“Who knew we were so big in Sri Lanka?” Gossage kidded. “This information makes you realize how big our sport is and the international impact of Texas Motor Speedway. People around the world have a great appetite for the racing here and the international interest is simply overwhelming.”

The Google Analytics data, which tracked from March 23 through April 22, also compiled various site usage statistics. During that period, there were 207,038 visits to the site where fans averaged 6.16 pages and 5 minutes, 18 seconds per visit. Of those visitors, 52.54 percent were new to the site.

The redesigned site, which officially launched Feb. 25 with a live webcast of Texas Motor Speedway’s Media Day featuring NASCAR and IndyCar stars, has been enhanced with several social networking tools to become a more comprehensive fan destination. The website features personal fan profiles; blogs, forums and communities; acknowledgment of top post contributors; weekly video blogs from Gossage; fan photo and video galleries; video features and podcasts; in-house news content as well as daily content from Scene Daily and The Sporting News NASCAR Wire; and series standings for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series and IndyCar Series.

Countries/territories represented (in order of amount of visits): United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, Australia, Netherlands, Italy, France, India, Ireland, Ukraine, Poland, Japan, China, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Romania, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Belgium, Denmark, South Korea, Bulgaria, Serbia, Philippines, Greece, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Colombia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Slovakia, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Hungary, Pakistan, Egypt, Vietnam, Kuwait, Austria, Iraq, Iran, Slovenia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, Venezuela, Thailand, Bermuda, Singapore, Israel, Croatia, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Algeria, Macedonia, Dominican Republic, Morocco, Taiwan, Estonia, Costa Rica, Latvia, Qatar, Peru, Luxembourg, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Malta, Georgia, Jordan, Ecuador, Oman, Jamaica, Ghana, Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Bolivia, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Cayman Islands, Nigeria, Tanzania, Albania, Senegal, Libya, Cyprus, Aruba, Uruguay, El Salvador, Palestinian Territory, Panama, Bahrain, Fiji, Armenia, Nepal, Mali, Angola, New Caledonia, Sri Lanka, Liechtenstein, Mongolia, Jersey, Antigua and Barbuda, Kazakhstan, Guam, Tunisia, Yemen, Montenegro, Kenya, Netherlands Antilles, Turks and Caicos Islands, Greenland, Belize.

Foreigner Re-Enters The Billboard Top 200

TMS Media Relations — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:26:00 GMT

"No End In Sight," Foreigner's 32-track double CD, re-entered the Billboard Chart this week at No. 159. The album features 16 of Foreigner's top-30 hits and perennial favorites from the band's deep catalog. The package also includes "Too Late" - the band's latest single - together with live tracks highlighting vocalist Kelly Hansen's inspiring performance.

The album had a run in the Top 200 for several weeks immediately following its release last summer and had been bubbling under the chart every week since the band's appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres's Show" in January. However, it took an epic performance before a crowd of over 176,000 for the Samsung 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, April 5 to propel the album back onto the chart.

Foreigner's leader and founder Mick Jones remarked, "It was quite a rush being driven around Texas Motor Speedway track at 170 mph in the Team Texas Shell/Pennzoil car. Performing for the fans before the race was a blast. NASCAR is my kind of people!"

Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage: “Foreigner was the most amiable band we’ve ever worked with and the NASCAR fans loved them. They worked hard in the market all week long, making live acoustic appearances on local morning television and radio shows and performing a special acoustic concert at Billy Bob’s, all of which moved the needle on both tickets to their pre-race concert and race, as well as their two-disc CD set, ‘No End In Sight: The Very Best of Foreigner.’ They were professional…and I have to tell you they have never sounded better.”

Foreigner manager Phil Carson said, "The NASCAR audience is massive and loves fast cars and rock music. Our appearance at The Samsung 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was a significant event for Foreigner and the promotional clout that Texas Motor Speedway has in Dallas was a major factor in this week’s sales increase. Their PR team enabled us to make television and radio appearances that would have been quite impossible to achieve without their help. Samsung used 'Jukebox Hero' on a TV Spot launching their Juke phone last year and we have played several corporate shows for our friends at Sprint. These are other examples of the compatibility of the Foreigner and NASCAR audiences."

Recap of the 2009 Samsung 500 Weekend

EddieGossage — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:19:00 GMT

It sure was an exciting weekend!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Samsung 500 Delivers FOX Best NASCAR Nielsen Rating In A Month

TMS Media Relations — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:54:00 GMT

Sunday’s Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway posted a 4.2 overnight Nielsen rating for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race broadcast by FOX. The Samsung 500 was a runaway winner as the day’s highest-rated sports event and it delivered FOX’s best NASCAR rating in a month. Saturday’s O’Reilly 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway that was broadcast by ESPN2 registered a 1.4 rating, attracting an average of 1.3 million households.

Gordon Wins Samsung 500

TMS Media Relations — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:18:00 GMT

Jeff Gordon had to feel one thing standing in Victory Lane on Sunday — finally.

Gordon, the four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, had been winless since 2007 and his No. 24 Chevrolet had never tamed Texas Motor Speedway.

Gordon broke both draughts with a victory in the Samsung 500 before an estimated 176,300 fans holding off Hendrick Motorsports teammate and second-place Jimmie Johnson. Gordon hadn’t won in 47 consecutive races and made his 17th start at Texas a special one after starting second.

"It feels like I won for the first time," Gordon said. "I think this is the best place we probably could have won."

Gordon earned a TMS-record purse of $541,874.

All the years of frustration for Gordon at TMS were wiped away and boosted by a late-race win off pit road. Gordon, the series points leader, raced out front after the re-start on Lap 309 and led the final 26 laps to the checkered flag. He also benefitted from leader Carl Edwards' botched pit stop and lost 11 positions.

Greg Biffle finished third followed by Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin.

The victory now leaves Gordon with only one track (Homestead) where he has not won during his impressive career. In last year's spring race at TMS, Gordon had one of his only two career last-place finishes. The 37-year-old is also proving he is still a title championship contender.

Said Biffle, "There was never a doubt in my mind that Jeff Gordon would win races again. He knows what his car needs to feel like."

Gordon, who earned his 82nd career victory, led the most laps with 105 and leads Jimmie Johnson by 162 in the Chase standings. The race featured a season-high 28 lead changes and one shy of a TMS record.

"I feel if we can win at Texas we can win anywhere," Gordon said. "This is a big day."

Early in the race, Gordon had the lead but faded because of poor handling. However, his team made the right adjustments and Gordon did the rest.

Then near the end, Johnson felt he could have caught his teammate with a few more laps.

"Five more and we would have had a shot at him," Johnson said. "I'm very happy for Jeff and now he's got a victory (in Texas). He's going to be tough this year, awfully tough."

- Rick Herrin

Fin	Str	Car	Driver	Team	Laps	Pts	Bns	Winnings	Status
1	2	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont/National Guard GED Plus Chevrolet	334	195	10	$541,874	Running
2	9	48	Jimmie Johnson	Kobalt Tools Chevrolet	334	175	5	$367,724	Running
3	14	16	Greg Biffle	3M Ford	334	170	5	$249,625	Running
4	7	14	Tony Stewart	Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet	334	165	5	$219,146	Running
5	3	17	Matt Kenseth	DeWalt Ford	334	160	5	$221,363	Running
6	23	5	Mark Martin	Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet	334	155	5	$163,975	Running
7	16	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet	334	146		$184,071	Running
8	28	2	Kurt Busch	Miller Lite Dodge	334	147	5	$151,000	Running
9	15	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevrolet	334	138		$176,304	Running
10	13	99	Carl Edwards	Aflac Ford	334	139	5	$176,579	Running
11	1	00	David Reutimann	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota	334	135	5	$172,346	Running
12	22	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Ground Toyota	334	127		$139,025	Running
13	5	98	Paul Menard	Quaker State/Menards Ford	334	129	5	$156,079	Running
14	32	12	David Stremme	No. 12 Penske Dodge Dodge	334	121		$155,213	Running
15	21	39	Ryan Newman	U.S. ARMY Chevrolet	334	118		$150,002	Running
16	18	83	Brian Vickers	Red Bull Toyota	334	120	5	$147,746	Running
17	12	77	Sam Hornish Jr.	Mobil 1 Dodge	334	112		$136,833	Running
18	8	18	Kyle Busch	Interstate Batteries Toyota	333	114	5	$160,246	Running
19	6	9	Kasey Kahne	Budweiser Dodge	333	106		$153,371	Running
20	20	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet	333	108	5	$128,625	Running
21	35	07	Casey Mears	Jack Daniel's Chevrolet	333	100		$125,375	Running
22	19	33	Clint Bowyer	Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet	333	97		$109,575	Running
23	40	25	Brad Keselowski	GoDaddy.com Chevrolet	332	94		$105,325	Running
24	34	55	Michael Waltrip	NAPA Toyota	332	91		$114,475	Running
25	31	1	Martin Truex Jr.	Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet	332	88		$140,913	Running
26	26	34	John Andretti	MyAutoLoan.com Chevrolet	332	85		$111,275	Running
27	17	29	Kevin Harvick	Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet	331	82		$139,593	Running
28	37	21	Bill Elliott	Motorcraft Ford	331	79		$100,075	Running
29	30	71	David Gilliland	Capital Window Chevrolet	330	76		$95,775	Running
30	10	20	Joey Logano #	Home Depot Toyota	330	73		$145,524	Running
31	33	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Chevrolet	330	70		$92,700	Running
32	42	19	Elliott Sadler	Best Buy Dodge	329	67		$102,700	Running
33	41	8	Aric Almirola	Guitar Hero Metallica Chevrolet	328	64		$102,450	Running
34	25	44	A J Allmendinger	Super 8 Dodge	328	61		$92,400	Running
35	39	13	Max Papis #	GEICO Toyota	326	58		$88,275	Running
36	38	43	Reed Sorenson	McDonald's Dodge	315	55		$127,524	Running
37	4	6	David Ragan	UPS Ford	293	57	5	$94,025	Engine
38	36	26	Jamie McMurray	Valvoline/Sears Ford	255	49		$92,875	Running
39	29	7	Robby Gordon	Jim Beam Toyota	249	46		$104,058	Engine
40	24	96	Bobby Labonte	Ask.com Ford	229	43		$112,802	Accident
41	11	47	Marcos Ambrose	Clorox Toyota	216	40		$99,606	Engine
42	27	09	Mike Bliss	Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Dodge	76	37		$84,390	Clutch
43	43	66	Dave Blaney	Prism Motorsports Toyota	48	34		$84,717	Brakes

# Denotes Rookie

Race Comments:	Before an estimated crowd of 176,300, Jeff Gordon won the Samsung 500, his 82nd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. No cars dropped to the rear to start the race.
Failed to Qualify:	(5) 87 Joe Nemechek, 82 Scott Speed #, 41 Jeremy Mayfield, 64 Todd Bodine, 36 Scott Riggs.
Time of Race:	3 Hrs, 25 Mins, 22 Secs.
Average Speed:	146.372 MPH
Margin of Victory:	0.378 Seconds
Caution Flags:	6 for 30 laps: Laps: 98-102 (Debris [44]); 157-161 (#19 spun frontstretch [83]); 221-225 (Oil on track [83]); 233-236 (#33, 77, 96 accident turn 2 [98]); 252-258 (Oil on track [00]); 305-308 (#12 spun turn 4 [39]).
Lead Changes:	28 among 14 drivers: D. Reutimann 0; J. Gordon 1-7; D. Reutimann 8-46; M. Kenseth 47-50; D. Reutimann 51; T. Stewart 52; Kyle Busch 53-54; M. Kenseth 55-87; T. Stewart 88-98; M. Kenseth 99-116; G. Biffle 117-152; J. Gordon 153; D. Ragan 154; Kurt Busch 155; M. Martin 156; G. Biffle 157-208; T. Stewart 209-211; J. Gordon 212; M. Martin 213-214; J. Johnson 215; P. Menard 216; G. Biffle 217-221; J. Gordon 222-252; D. Earnhardt Jr. 253-258; J. Gordon 259-295; C. Edwards 296-304; T. Stewart 305; B. Vickers 306; J. Gordon 307-334.
Top 10 Driver Points:	(1) J. Gordon 1,154;(2) J. Johnson 992;(3) Kurt Busch 974;(4) C. Bowyer 967; (5) T. Stewart 963;(6) D. Hamlin 938;(7) Kyle Busch 914;(8) C. Edwards 889; (9) M. Kenseth 864;(10) K. Kahne 851;(11) D. Reutimann 845;(12) J. Burton 835.
Coors Light Pole Award:	David Reutimann, #00 (190.517 mph)

DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race:	Matt Kenseth, #17
DOW Automotive Strategic Call of the Race:	Jimmie Johnson, #48
EA Sports Move of the Race:	Jeff Gordon, #24
Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap:	Jeff Gordon, #24 (186.123 mph, Lap 310)
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder:	Jeff Gordon, #24
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race:	Juan Pablo Montoya, #42
Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race:	Mark Martin, #5 (.37 sec )
O'Reilly People, Service and Performance Award:	Matt Kenseth, #17 (280.419 sec)
Raybestos Rookie of the Race:	Joey Logano, #20
Sunoco Diamond Performance:	Jeff Gordon, #24
Tissot Pit Road Precision Award:	Jeff Gordon, #24 (217.453 sec)

TMS Debuts Burnout Alley

TMS Media Relations — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:06:00 GMT

Bryan Woods didn't know what to expect from Burnout Alley when he arrived this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Woods, the 39-year-old race fan from Arlington, quickly found out his new perch at TMS was well worth the investment. This weekend is the debut of Burnout Alley, which is a collection of gated RV spots (30 feet by 60 feet) located above the seats on the backstretch that cost $15,000 per season. TMS eliminated the top section of seats to build the new feature.

"It was a kind of gamble but I think it will pay off in the next two days," Woods said. "We didn't know what to expect and it's great."

The fans are raving about the space, convenience and privacy. The spaces create an outdoor suite-like atmosphere and fans have the chance to set up their area anyway they like. Some have tables and chairs and some have constructed tents.

Possibly the most unique spot belongs to Johnny and Lisa York of Cat Spring (west of Houston). The couple has converted a car hauler into a buffet and bar area for their friends for the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races.

The spots offer plenty of space with high fences on each side and allowed the Yorks to have an RV and 22-foot hauler in the space. The spots are open to 20 fans apiece.

The Yorks have been coming to TMS since 2006 and were so sold on the spot they committed for three years.

"When we heard about it [Burnout Alley] we thought it would work out better for us to entertain a lot of customers and guests," said Johnny York, who owns a construction company.

"You really can see all of the track except for right in front of the finish line," Lisa York said.

Race fan and Highland Village resident Warren Ivie has been coming to TMS since the speedway opened in 1997. Burnout Alley was something he couldn't pass on and is thrilled by the exclusivity and convenience to the parking lot.

"I'm real excited about it," Ivie said. "They have done it right."

Edwards Aims For More Success At Texas

TMS Media Relations — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:22:00 GMT

Carl Edwards hasn't been himself this season but don't tell him.

Despite not posting a victory in six Sprint Cup Series races in 2009, Edwards contends he's doing just fine and isn't worried. When asked this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway why there hasn't been a sign of 2008 verison of Edwards, he fired back in disagreement.

Simply, Edwards feels he's doing well considering his bad luck.

He got caught up in the 10-car wreck at Daytona and finished 18th and blew an engine at Las Vegas and ended 17th. Last week at Martinsville he finished a season-worst 26th and was derailed by a cut tire. With just two top-10 finishes this season (his best was third at Atlanta) he still sits eighth in points. The top 12 drivers qualify for the Chase.

"I feel like for all of the bad stuff we've had happen so far this year, we're great in the points right now, we're running well," Edwards said, who had two victories in his first six races last year. "We could be 30th in points right now."

Searching for some good luck, Edwards might have found the place. TMS has been one of Edwards' best-performing tracks and he became the first driver to sweep both NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races last year winning the Samsung 500 and Dickies 500. He will start 13th in today's Samsung 500.

Edwards' Roush Fenway Racing team is the best in Cup when it comes to success at TMS. Roush has sent a driver to Victory Lane seven times since the facility opened in 1997.
Not only does his race program fit Texas' high speeds, so does Edwards. He's a three-time winner who likes the 1.5-mile tracks and feeds off the thrill.

What appears to be a frustating season on the outside comes off Edwards' unbelievable season that wasn't enough for a championship title. Jimmie Johnson was just more amazing running to his third consecutive series championship leaving Edwards scratching his head at what more he had to do. He won a series-best nine races but finished second to Johnson.

"If we run like that every year, we'd win two out of three championships," Edwards said. "That's my opinion, because I think Jimmie (Johnson) just had an unreal year."

Edwards will look for more unreal results at Texas and hopes to leave with his signature post-victory backflip.

"We could run here every week, that would be fine with me," Edwards said. "This is a good track for us."
- Rick Herrin