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Goes In History Books As First Driver To Ever Repeat
Irwindale, Calif. (January 26, 2009): Matt Kobyluck survived a wild three-wide battle for the lead and earned the victory in the All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Saturday night, and became the first driver to ever repeat a victory in what has been dubbed short track’s Daytona 500. Kobyluck, who won in 2006, got the victory after Joey Logano and Peyton Sellers wrecked in turn four of the final lap.
“You can’t take out the leader of the race and expect to be the winner,” said Kobyluck. “It was sad to see it for those guys, but in the same breathe I’ve been dealt that hand before. To be the benefactor at that point was a pretty good feeling. That was by far the wildest I’ve been a part of. To roll out a backup car with no laps on it and win this thing, I’ve got the best guys in the business!”
Kobyluck wrecked his primary car in a late-night practice session Friday evening after rain had halted all on-track activity throughout the day. Kobyluck blew a tire and hit the wall forcing the team to go to a backup. What he pulled out of the hauler, however, was the very car he won the 2006 edition of the Showdown with.
Rain again prevented any practice for the 250-lap event, and teams were forced to go out and qualify just two hours before lining up for the feature event. Kobyluck’s time trial lap of 18.627 seconds (96.634 mph) was only fast enough to earn the guaranteed starter a 23rd place starting position.
Though he was making headway through the field in the first 100 lap segment, Kobyluck knew the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet needed an adjustment.
“We came in and the changes the guys made helped make the car a little tighter in the middle,” said Kobyluck. “You had to be right on because everyone out there was pretty equal, which made it tough to pass.”
Kobyluck had made it up to tenth for the start of the second segment of the race, but knew patience was still the order of the day. Following a restart at lap 142, Kobyluck had a near miss when he was running behind Ron Hornaday and Brian Ickler when they made contact. With the guidance of his spotter, and a little luck on his side, Kobyluck made it through the carnage and avoided being a part of a wreck that involved 12 cars.
“That was close,” admitted Kobyluck. “I couldn’t see anything and cars were everywhere and we made it through!”
Kobyluck continued to methodically work his way through the field and started the final 50 lap segment in fourth. He dropped back to fifth on a restart at lap 207, but picked off two cars for the final restart at lap 242.
At the drop of the green, Kobyluck dropped to the bottom groove and challenged Joey Logano and Peyton Sellers in a wild three-wide battle for the lead. Coming across the line at lap 244, it was Kobyluck’s No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet out front. Sellers challenged and reclaimed the lead in turn two. Logano got back in the mix when he got door to door with Kobyluck for second. At the white flag it was Sellers, Logano and Kobyluck in that order.
“I think everyone got one heck of a show,” said Kobyluck. “We ran three-wide for three laps and we were using every inch of real estate out there. You’re squeezing up until someone gives and then you make contact with someone and you ease up off them a little bit. You’re using up everything you got. It was a blast and I had a lot of fun.”
Coming around turn four, it appeared that Sellers had the race wrapped up, but Logano had one more challenge left in him. He dove into turn four, and he did it too hard. Contact was made with Sellers.
“I saw Joey just drive in there, go to the bottom, and he was going to do the slide job. He drove in there so hard that if Peyton wasn’t there he would have smacked the wall. It’s just one of those deals.”
Kobyluck kept his foot in the throttle and was awarded his second career NASCAR All Star Showdown victory after Logano was penalized for aggressive driving.
“This is the icing on the cake for the season we’ve had,” said Kobyluck. “This is huge! We rode back there in the field for a while, we made an adjustment to make it better, and we just kept plugging.”
Jig-A-Loo Says Peyton Won - Sponsor to Honor
Promotional Campaign
Los Angeles, CA (January 26, 2009) - Despite the heavy rain and multiple
weather delays at Irwindale Speedway, Peyton Sellers and his #83 Jig-A-Loo
Chevrolet proved again why they are one of the most inspiring race teams
in NASCAR. Showing that perseverance and heart are just as important as
talent, Peyton Sellers led the last five laps of the Toyota All-Star
Showdown before a rough collision took him out only yards from the finish
line. Impressed by Sellers performance both on and off the track, his
sponsor, Jig-A-Loo USA announced it will honor the SkillsUSA "Watch with
Peyton and Win!" campaign by providing a full travel scholarship to the
2009 SkillsUSA National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri on June 21-26,
2009.
Starting the race in 21st place, Sellers was involved in the fourth
caution flag of the evening on lap 55 when the #50 car of pole sitter
Chris Johnson spun in front of him. The damage to the right side of his
#83 Jig-A-Loo Chevrolet was extensive, but only cosmetic. After restarting
on the lead lap but in 30th place, Sellers mounted one of the biggest come
from behind charges in the history of the Toyota All-Star Showdown. With
244 laps completed and only six laps to the checkered flag, Sellers had
made his way back to the front of the pack, passing both Jason Bowles and
2009 Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano to take the lead. On the 249th lap of
the race coming out of turn four and into the final stretch, Logano
collided with Sellers hard against the wall, leaving the #83 Jig-A-Loo
Chevrolet stopped just yards before the finish line. Peyton finished in
13th place to conclude the last race of the 2008 season.
"The outcome of the race was obviously unfortunate for us. Our team worked
very hard this week to get us prepared and we had a great car. Although we
had an incident on the final lap of the race, we fought hard all day to
put ourselves in contention to win," said Peyton Sellers, #83 Jig-A-Loo
Chevrolet. "I am so proud of our team and group of sponsors. This race is
so special to me on many levels. The race marked our first partnership
with Jig-A-Loo and SkillsUSA and without their support we couldn't have
pulled this off. We had more than 15 students from SkillsUSA out here to
cheer our team on and I am so thankful for their enthusiasm."
"Peyton's truly a remarkable human being. We not only sponsor him because
he's a great race car driver, we sponsor him because he's a great person.
Peyton's professionalism continues to shine through and despite the mishap
at the end of the race; he again, proved why we are so proud to be
associated with him," said Cindy Sutton, vice president of sales and
marketing, Jig-A-Loo USA. "In our hearts, Peyton won that race and it's
for that reason we are honoring the SkillsUSA campaign and will send one
student to the National Conference in June."
As the Camping World Series' largest race of the year, this year's
Showdown featured top drivers from around the country, all vying for the
All-Star crown. It was this reason Jig-A-Loo USA, Inc. (www.jigaloo.com),
makers of the all-around silicone lubricant, chose the "Daytona 500 of
short tracks" to debut Peyton Sellers' all-new #83 Jig-A-Loo Chevrolet
Monte Carlo SS as part of their inaugural NASCAR sponsorship.
The Sellers/Jig-A-Loo partnership will continue moving forward in 2009
when Jig-A-Loo becomes an associate sponsor of Peyton's all-new #77 SFP
Chevrolet in the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Jig-A-Loo is no stranger to the automotive industry. Just last year, they
launched their latest automotive hardware lubricant, Graphite Extreme, at
the 2008 SEMA Show. Graphite Extreme is a high performance graphite-based
lubricant designed for automotive and high temperature applications
wherever friction and heat cause lubrication problems.
Jig-A-Loo products are available at The Home Depot, Advance Auto Parts and
participating Independent Hardware stores, and coming soon to even more
retailers nationwide. They can also be purchased online at
www.homedepot.com. In the coming months, Jig-A-Loo
USA will be the
launching their new line of eco-friendly plastics called EconoGreen. For
more information or to keep updated on Jig-A-Loo's latest news, please
visit www.jigaloo.com.
About Jig-A-Loo
Jig-A-Loo has been used in industrial and commercial establishments since
1958. The product was launched in 1998 in the Canadian mass retail market,
quickly capturing a substantial portion of the lubricant market with its
clean, dry and smooth application winning over do it yourselfers and
professionals alike. Jig-A-Loo is ideal for wood, metal, leather and a
number of other surfaces. It is an exceptional water-repellent, a rust and
freeze inhibitor, and will not stain. Unlike traditional lubricants,
Jig-A-Loo contains no oil, grease, wax or detergent.
Trevor Bayne Battles Back to Second at NASCAR All-Star Showdown
CONCORD, NC (January 26, 2009) - t took a lengthy trip for Trevor Bayne
and the Strutmasters.com-sponsored #1 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. team to get to
Irwindale Speedway for the 2009 version of the NASCAR All-Star Showdown.
Eventually, they were all rewarded for their travels with a runner-up
finish in the prestigious race. But even after Bayne was already at the
track on raceday, he had to take quite a long road to get that result.
The 17-year-old Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates development
driver finished a strong second in the first of three Showdown segments
and then got collected when Brian Ickler and Ron Hornaday tangled while
battling for the lead in the second segment. Bayne lost a lap while
repairs were made to his Chevrolet, but fought to get that lap back. By
the time that the race was flagged complete, Bayne was back up to second
place, having endured a wild last-lap melee that involved several other
cars that had been running in the top five.
"It was crazy, I'll tell you," said Bayne after the race. "There was
carnage everywhere - we were dodging wrecks left and right. We had to
come back from the rear a few times, and those three-wide battles were
crazy."
Had circumstances played out differently, Bayne could have easily been
celebrating after the race in victory lane.
"I think that we had the best car on the racetrack for the first 100 laps
," said Bayne. "Brian Ickler and I were racing for the lead and we were
just riding around. He had a great car, too, and there was some clean
racing between us and Eric Holmes. We were having a fun time, but our
party got spoiled for a little while. We all got piled up in turn four
and had to come back from that.
"I had to make up some ground in a hurry. I burned up my stuff somewhat.
When I got to sixth or seventh, we finally got a caution, which was what
I needed. I would have loved to win this thing, but when you overcome so
much adversity you have to be happy with a second."
The Showdown was Bayne's first race at Irwindale and the 17-year-old took
an instant liking to the facility.
"It's a fun racetrack, but it can get clogged up in a hurry."
Bayne is still working to put together his plans for the 2009 racing
season, and he does not know quite when his next race will be at this
time.
"We're trying to find whatever we can," said Bayne "With the economy,
a
lot of people are struggling right now. Whether it would be full-time
ARCA racing or a one-off Nationwide Series deal somewhere.our minds are
open."
For news and information on Trevor Bayne, please visit his website at
www.trevorbayne.com.
All-Star Showdown Proves To Be Tough Night For Schrader Racing
Irwindale, Calif. (January 26, 2009): The All-Star Showdown held at the Toyota Speedway of Irwindale proved to be a disappointing night for the Ken Schrader Racing trio of Ricky Carmichael, Jamie Hayes, and Dakoda Armstrong. Carmichael and Hayes fell out of the race due to accidents and finished 34th and 37th respectively. Armstrong was unable to start the feature event after failing to qualify through time trials or the open race.
Rain halted all but a 45-minute practice session Friday and postponed qualifying until Saturday morning, however, more rain pushed the schedule back and teams were forced to time trial without any further practice Saturday afternoon.
Armstrong’s lap of 19.089 seconds was not enough to get in the field on his time alone, and he was forced to start the open race, which gave the winner a starting position in the field. Armstrong went a lap down in the 50-lap race, but gained some valuable seat time behind the wheel of a full-fendered stock car.
“We only got five laps of practice so I turned pretty much all of my laps in that race. The last couple of laps we got better and better. It was a neat experience and I have to thank Ken Schrader for giving me the opportunity to race in these cars,” said Armstrong.
Hayes started the Showdown from the 31st position while
“It is what it is, but we broke the lower control arm and there was a small hole in the radiator,” explained Hayes. “We would have been laps down before we got it fixed and would have been out there risking the equipment. This isn’t a points race so we cut our losses and parked it for the day rather than go out there and try to gain one or two spots.”
On lap 142,
“It was just a crappy weekend for me. We missed the set up in practice and I
didn’t qualify well. Right there put me in a bad position. I started getting up there
(through the field) and I got tangled up in a caution and got hit. It was a downhill slide
from that point,” explained
Accident Sidelines Dillon At All-Star Showdown
Irwindale, Calif. (January 27, 2009): Austin Dillon and his Lance Deiters-led Shell-Pennzoil race team didn’t have much time to find a race-winning set-up for the All-Star Showdown Saturday night. Rain halted all but five laps of practice, and teams could only hope the combination they brought was good enough to get to victory lane. Deiters stepped up to the challenge with a solid set-up, but a lap 153 accident forced the team to park the car for the night and settle with a 30th place finish.
The event, which featured drivers from all of NASCAR’s touring divisions including entrants from the Cup and Truck Series, was squeezed into a single day after rain only allowed a single 45 minute practice session on Friday. Qualifying took place on Saturday just two hours before driver introductions with Dillon turning a lap of 97.046 mph for a 19th place starting spot.
Dillon wheeled the Shell-Pennzoil Chevy up to 10th during the first 100-lap segment, but dropped back to 21st before the mandatory 10-minute break, when teams could make adjustments to their cars. The team was confident for the second 100-lap segment, but bad luck was just around the corner.
Dillon had worked his way up to 10th for a lap 142 restart when Ron Hornaday drove into the leader Brian Ickler. Cars scrambled everywhere and Dillon got caught up in the wreck. The Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet had been hit twice before he made it to pit road. Deiter and his crew patched up the damage and got him back in the race for the restart.
Less than ten laps later, Dillon was in the wrong place at the wrong time when polesitter Chris Johnson got turned around. Dillon went high to try and avoid, but Johnson spun up the track and collected the Shell-Pennzoil machine. Dillon got it fired back up again, but the damage was extensive and the team had to park it for the night.
DRIVER QUOTE
“The guys did a great job getting the No. 3 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet put back together, and I had a really good car even after it was wrecked the first time. On that last one, I couldn’t get out of the way and I just got pulled right into that mess. The car was pretty tore up and we were shot. We really wanted to win this one, and I really love the racetrack. It’s definitely a driver’s racetrack. I wish the East Series ran out here a little more often.”
Last Updated on 01/27/09
By George Campbell or Greg Fish
Email: neracing@neracing.com