Bloggin' is Racin'

This week's racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Shelby 427
Site: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (D-shaped oval, 1.5 miles, 20 degrees banking in turns)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 5:30 p.m.); Sunday, race (KDFW/Ch. 4, 2:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 427.5 miles/285 laps
2008 winner: Carl Edwards
Fast facts: Matt Kenseth is the first Cup driver to win the first two races of the season since Jeff Gordon did it in 1997 on the way to the second of his four championships. Kenseth, who has won twice at Las Vegas, will try to become the first driver in Cup history to start 3-0. ... Gordon, who has 81 career victories, hasn’t won a points race since October of 2007 at Charlotte. ... Tony Stewart has started the season with consecutive eighth-place finishes. ... Joey Logano, the 18-year-old rookie who replaced Stewart in the No. 20 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing, finished 26th at Fontana after crashing and finishing last in the Daytona 500. ... Jeff Burton is expected to make his 450th consecutive Cup start this weekend.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Sam’s Town 300
Site: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (D-shaped oval, 1.5 miles, 20 degrees banking in turns)
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 11 a.m.), race (ESPN2, 3 p.m.)
Race distance: 300 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Mark Martin
Fast facts: Carl Edwards has finished second and fourth in the first two Nationwide races. ... Four of the last five Nationwide races at Las Vegas had a margin of victory of a half a second or less. ... Kyle Busch finished second in the 2007 event, but has had an average finish of 19th in his other four Nationwide starts at Las Vegas. ... Chevrolets won the last two Nationwide races at Las Vegas and seven times at the track overall.
www.nascar.com

Stewart extends "Smoke Show" at TMS to two days

When NASCAR Sprint Cup star Tony Stewart held his "Smoke Show" fantasy racing camp at Texas Motor Speedway last year, it raised a single-day record $262,000 for the Speedway Children's Charities-Texas Chapter.

Stewart was so excited about the amount that he decided to aim for twice that amount this year. Instead of a one-day camp, the event will be two days and is scheduled for Aug. 4-5. Fans will be able to select either day for their racing experience, which includes pre-race ceremonies, driving Team Texas stock cars, riding with Stewart in his No. 14 Chevy and a Victory Lane celebration. The camp also includes a dinner and auction with Stewart on Aug. 4. Prices for the camp have not been set. Check back at the SCC Texas web site or www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

-- Michele Vincze

Service fees dropped for Texas Motor Speedway tickets

Texas Motor Speedway Media Day was chock fun of news for fans attending races at the track this season. The scoop:

Ticket savings
Starting Wednesday (Feb. 25) service fees for all TMS tickets purchased via the Internet, Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster phone centers have been suspended. Fans can expect savings up to $9.50 per seat depending on the location. The TMS ticket office also continues to work with fans to create a personalized payment plan. Call 817-215-8500 for more information. Visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com to check for ticket availability.

Pat Green, Foreigner set to perform
Texas native Pat Green and legendary rock bandForeigner will entertain fans during the Samsung 500 weekend in April. Green is scheduled to perform on April 3 after the completion of Sprint Cup qualifying. Tickets for the entire day's festivities are $25. Foreigner will perform during the Amdro FireStrike Pre-Race show on April 5.

Coca-Cola continues "Go Green" recycling program
In November, Coca-Cola Recycling placed 250 barrels throughoutthe TMS concourse, midway souvenir area and VIP campground. With the help of 128 volunteers from "Keep Fort Worth Beautiful" walking the grandstands after the Dickies 500, more than 5,900 pounds of cans and bottles were recycled. Coca-Cola will be back in April with the program and this time they have set a goal of collecting 15,000 pounds of recycled items with the help from more than 300 local volunteers. The barrels will be back throughout the speedway grounds and volunteers will pick up bottles and cans Saturday and Sunday.

-- Michele Vincze