NASCAR holding Preseason Thunder at Daytona

NASCAR's Preseason Thunder testing for Sprint Cup at Daytona takes place this week. Seven hours of testing is scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sunday is listed as an optional rain date. It will be the first look at how well NASCAR's tweaks to the cooling systems and rear spoilers will work to break up the two-car drafting that has been prevalent at Daytona and Talladega the past two seasons. The test also will use a restrictor plate that is 29/32" - 1/64" larger than the plate used in last year's Daytona 500. The plate will sit under a throttle body which is located where the carburetor used to be, restricting airflow to the cylinders which will get fuel through eight electronic fuel injectors.

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At least one new driver will join the test. Richard Petty Motorsports announced on Wednesday that they had signed Aric Almirola to drive the No. 43 Ford for the upcoming season. Almirola is no stranger to the team, as he drove the last five races of the 2010 season in the No. 9 car after the abrupt departure of Kasey Kahne.

Almirola, who has 35 Cup races to his credit, has driven for Joe Gibbs Racing and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports in the Nationwide series. His best Cup finish was fourth at Miami-Homestead in 2010, and he finished second in points in the Camping World Truck series the same year. Crew chief Greg Erwin will be on the pit box for Almirola.

The announcement leaves David Ragan and Brian Vickers still looking for work in 2012. With sponsorship difficult to obtain and many teams only running partial seasons, they and other hopefuls may be left standing at the altar when the green flag falls on the 2012 season. David Reutimann managed to land a ride with Tommy Baldwin's Cup team, but without sponsorship they may be a start and park team. 2011 Daytona winner Trevor Bayne is also looking for sponsorship to fund a full-season Cup ride. Ironically, Ragan, Vickers, and Bayne are all listed in the lineup for the Feb. 18 Shootout at Daytona. Of the three, only Bayne is assured of a car to drive in that race.

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The 2012 IndyCar schedule is set. Fifteen races are scheduled, but only four, including the May 27 Indy 500, are ovals.

The other ovals are Texas on June 9, Iowa on June 23, and the season finale at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on Sept. 15.

All the rest are road or street course races, including the Streets of Qingdao, China, which replaces the Twin Ring Motegi race in Japan. Ovals cut from last year's schedule are Milwaukee, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Las Vegas.

The closest race to us will be the Aug. 26 road race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The Sept. 2 Baltimore street race is currently iffy. Last year's inaugural Streets of Baltimore event was well attended and an artistic success; on the financial side, not so much. The city of Baltimore revoked a five-year agreement with Baltimore Racing Development because of the organizer's failure to meet its $1.5 million obligation to the city. Negotiations are underway to find another organizer to replace BRD.

And in breaking news, Beaux Barfield, ex-racer and former race director for the American Lemans Series, Formula Atlantic, Trans-Am, and other series, has been named race director for IndyCar for 2012, replacing the controversial Brian Barnhart.

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Locally, Reno-Fernley Raceway's Clay oval has scheduled opening day for April 14, with two points races per month through September for Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Dwarfs, Modified Minis and Pure Stock Minis. The season will end on Sept. 29-30 with the 2012 Shootout. The Reno-Fernley road course will host the Great American Stock Car Series April 27-29, the Great Western Race Series on May 5-6, drag racing in conjunction with Hot August Nights week, the Northern California Kart Club Sept. 22-23 and a number of track days and high performance driving events put on the Reno Region SCCA, Precision Track Days, and Hooked on Driving.

Check their website at renofernleyracetrack.com for more details.