Your DieCast sells NASCAR diecast cars, acrylic display cases, diecast race cars, NASCAR memorabilia, diecast sports cars and NASCAR Action Racing diecast, etc. Shop securely. http://www.yourdiecast.com/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:05:27 -0600 en This Single Acrylic 1:64 Scale Display Case With A Mirrored Back. Great to display your cars. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1653/single_acrylic_1_64_scale_display_case_with_a_mirrored_back.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/D00-0064.gif http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1653/single_acrylic_1_64_scale_display_case_with_a_mirrored_back.html This is a great Single Acrylic 1:24 Scale Display Case With A Mirrored Back. Excellent for displaying your favorite Diecast Metal Cars. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1652/single_acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_with_a_mirrored_back.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/D00-0024.gif http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1652/single_acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_with_a_mirrored_back.html This is a 30 compartment Acrylic Display Case used to display your 1:64th scale cars. Excellent for showing off yourcollection of cars. The Acrylic Display Case measures 12" high x 18" wide x 2" deep. Each compartment measures 1.6" x 3.3"x 1.6". It comes complete with a mirrored back, clear door and includes free mounting hardware. Please note: Due to licensing and manufacturer discretion, some items may be slightly different than pictured on the web. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1660/acrylic_1_64_scale_display_case_that_holds_30_diecast_metal_cars.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/3064.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1660/acrylic_1_64_scale_display_case_that_holds_30_diecast_metal_cars.html This is great for collectors and diecast diehards. An Acrylic 1:24 Scale Display Case with 7 Stanted Shelves That Holds 21 Diecast Metal Cars. Nice on the wall. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1753/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_with_7_stanted_shelves_that_holds_21_diecast_metal_cars.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/D07-2124T.gif http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1753/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_with_7_stanted_shelves_that_holds_21_diecast_metal_cars.html It is great for any type of car. Either it be nascar, hot rod or muscle. This acrylic display case holds up to 21 die cast cars. There are 7 bulit in shelves total and each shelf holds 3 1:24 scale diecast cars. The shelves are slanted for better viewing. The top and front of the shelves are decorated with a checkered flag overlay. Makes a great gift for the diecast collector on your list. Great for collectors. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1752/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_with_7_stanted_checker_flag_shelves_that_holds_21_diecast_metal_cars.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/D07-2124TCF.gif http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1752/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_with_7_stanted_checker_flag_shelves_that_holds_21_diecast_metal_cars.html This is an 8 slot Acrylic Display Case used to display your 1:24th scale cars. Great for collectors and diecast diehards. The Acrylic Display Case measures 12" high x 18.7" wide x 4" deep. It comes complete with a mirrored back, clear door and includes free mounting hardware. Each slot measures 2.8"H x 9.1"W x 3.8"D. Please note: Due to licensing and manufacturer discretion, some items may be slightly different than pictured on the web. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1662/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_that_holds_8_diecast_metal_cars.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/0824.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1662/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_that_holds_8_diecast_metal_cars.html This is a 5 shelf car case for displaying a Top Fuel size 1:24th scale cars. This case comes with a slanted base and mirror back. This case measures 23.7"H x 17.7"L x 4"H, each shelf measures 4.5" x 17.4" x 3.8". Please note: Due to licensing and manufacturer discretion, some items may be slightly different than pictured on the web. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1656/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_that_holds_5_diecast_metal_dragsters.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/05TF.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1656/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_that_holds_5_diecast_metal_dragsters.html This is a 16 slot Acrylic Display Case used to display your 1:24th scale cars. The Acrylic Display Case measures 23.7" high x 18.8" wide x 4" deep. It comes complete with a mirrored back, clear door and includes free mounting hardware. Each slot measures 2.8"H x 9.1"L x 3.8"W. Please note: Due to licensing and manufacturer discretion, some items may be slightly different than pictured on the web. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1658/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_that_holds_16_diecast_metal_cars.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/1624.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1658/acrylic_1_24_scale_display_case_that_holds_16_diecast_metal_cars.html This Acrylic 1:16 Scale Display Case For A Single Diecast Metal Top Fuel Dragster is nice. It is great for anyone who collects dragsters. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1754/acrylic_1_16_scale_display_case_for_a_single_diecast_metal_top_fuel_dragster.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/D0-0016TFW.gif http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-1754/acrylic_1_16_scale_display_case_for_a_single_diecast_metal_top_fuel_dragster.html Chad Knaus (Bio) Chad Anthony "The Magician" Knaus (pronounced /kəˈnaʊs/) (born August 5, 1971 in Rockford, Illinois) is the NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief for the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Impala SS currently driven by Jimmie Johnson, owned by Jeff Gordon and operated by Rick Hendrick's Hendrick Motorsports. In 2008, he became the first crew chief to win three consecutive NASCAR championships. Background Born in Illinois, Chad Knaus grew up around the racetracks of the Midwest helping his father race against the likes of Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki, Rusty Wallace and Dick Trickle. By the time he was 14, Knaus served as crew chief during his father John's Rockford Speedway championship season. The father-son combination also won the Great Northern Series championship and finished second in the Winston Racing Series. A few years and seven track championships later,[1] Knaus moved to North Carolina in 1991 to pursue a job in national stock car racing. After working with Stanley Smith's stock car team, Knaus landed a job working on the #24 Hendrick Motorsports team led by crew chief Ray Evernham and raced by driver Jeff Gordon. From 1993 to 1997, Knaus advanced from a general fabricator to manage the entire chassis and body construction program for the #24 team. Serving as a tire changer on the original Rainbow Warriors pit crew, Knaus was an integral part of the 1995 and 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship teams. Following the 1997 season, Knaus joined Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as car chief, where he worked with Steve Park and later Darrell Waltrip. During the 1998 season, he moved to Tyler Jet Motorsports, and in 1999, the call came that would lead Knaus to Dodge, Melling Racing, and his ultimate career goal. Ray Evernham wanted Knaus to lead the Dodge Development team, an opportunity he quickly seized. During two Dodge test sessions, Knaus worked with Melling Racing driver Stacy Compton. The two worked well together, resulting in Knaus' hire as crew chief for Compton in 2001. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2001 Season In 2001, Knaus was crew chief for Mark Melling's operation, which was sponsored by Pinkerton Tobacco, with Compton as driver. 2002 Season In 2002, Knaus was offered the position of crew chief for a rookie driver in the Hendrick Motorsports stable, Jimmie Johnson. Knaus lead the rookie team to unprecedented success in 2002, earning 3 wins, 6 top 5s, 21 top 10s, and 4 Bud Pole Awards. Johnson became the first rookie in Cup Series history to ever lead the point standings (he eventually finished fifth overall). He also finished second in Rookie of the Year honors to Ryan Newman. As a result of these efforts, Knaus took home the inaugural IRWIN "Crew Chief of the Year" award. 2003 Season For the 2003 campaign, the #48 team had 3 victories, 14 top 5s, and 20 top 10s. Johnson finished the season second in the points standings to Matt Kenseth. 2004 Season In 2004, the season began slowly, with some early disappointments in weeks two and three at Rockingham and Las Vegas. However, the team quickly rebounded with a week five win at the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway. Subsequent victories at the Coca-Cola 600 and the Pocono 500 helped solidify their place in the NASCAR Chase for the Cup towards the end of the season. However, poor finishes at Talladega (37th) and Kansas (32nd) nearly stopped their chances to win the Nextel Cup, but three consecutive wins, and four in the final six races, put the #48 team 18 points behind leader Kurt Busch going into the final race. The second victory at the Subway 500 in Martinsville on October 24, 2004, was marred by tragedy when Rick Hendrick's son, Ricky Hendrick, nieces and brother were killed in an airplane crash en route to the race. All eight passengers and both pilots died in the incident. The team eventually finished second in the Nextel Cup Series points, losing to Kurt Busch by just 8 points. 2005 Season Knaus and Johnson took a step back in 2005, finishing the season ranked fifth in the standings after a crash in the season ending race at Homestead. 2006 Season In 2006, Johnson and Knaus won their first Nextel Cup Series championship with 5 wins, 13 top 5s, and 24 top 10s. 2007 Season 2007 was the best season yet for Knaus and Johnson. The tandem took home their second straight championship with a series best 10 wins. Hendrick Motorsports was the dominant team in 2007, amassing 18 wins in 36 races, or exactly half. Knaus and Johnson led the Hendrick charge that saw the championship battle come down to a race between themselves and teammate Jeff Gordon. Criticism In early 2006, Knaus was accused of cheating after Jimmie Johnson's Daytona 500 qualifying run. Knaus made an illegal adjustment to the rear window, which resulted in his suspension from Sprint Cup events until March 22. Despite the loss of his crew chief, Johnson won the Daytona 500, and two of the first three races overall, with interim crew chief, Darian Grubb. Knaus again found himself at the center of controversy during the road race debut of NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow. On June 23, 2007 the #24 crew (chiefed by Steve Letarte) and the #48 crew entered the inspection line for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway with the newest body style out of the Hendrick shop. While both cars fit the templates, NASCAR officials questioned the shape of the fenders in between the template points.[1] Johnson was not allowed to qualify the car, and he started at the back of the field. Knaus was fined $100,000 and was suspended for six races. Outside Activities Knaus is a regular commentator on NASCAR Performance, a program that broadcasts from each track every week. Each program provides a crew chief perspective on the hot topics in NASCAR, as well as a preview of the weekend's race. Knaus is joined by Bootie Barker of Michael Waltrip Racing, a weekly special guest, and the program is anchored by Fox broadcaster Larry McReynolds. Knaus has also appeared in television commercials for Kobalt Tools by Lowe's, the primary sponsor of Jimmie Johnson's #48 car, asking Johnson, "What are you doing?", after montages of Johnson performing an assortment of repair projects with Kobalt Tools, and precedes Johnson's reply of, "Welding, Chad." (for the first commercial) and "Pipefitting, Guys." (for the second, after both Knaus and a Public Works worker ask the same question). He voices the crew chief in NASCAR 08 and NASCAR 09 on the XBox 360 and Playstation 3. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3951/chad_knaus_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/bio-chad.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3951/chad_knaus_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3950/bob_tasca_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/topeka-kansas-2009-011.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3950/bob_tasca_bio.html Brandon Bernstein was born in Dallas, Texas and is now living in Lake Forest, California. His years with budweiser king racing including: Thirteenth full years, seventh season as driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster. Son of six-time NHRA champion Kenny Bernstein. Brandon worked part-time for the Budweiser King team during his summers away from Texas A & M University. Following graduation in 1996, he worked full-time with the Budweiser King team. In 2001 he drove an Alcohol Dragster and worked part-time for the Budweiser King team. Won the Division 7 Alcohol Dragster championship, along with Driver of the Year honors and finished fourth in national Alcohol Dragster competition. He and his father became the first father/son duo in NHRAs 50-year history to win at the same national event when they doubled at the SummitRacing.com Nationals in April 2001. They doubled again at the Lucas Oil Products Nationals in Chicago in June 2001. Brandon worked solely as a crew member on his fathers team in 2002. In 2003, Brandon had a sensational beginning to his rookie year behind the wheel of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster. He won three of the first eight events, qualified No. 1 twice and even lead the Top Fuel point standings before an injury May 18 at Englishtown, NJ sidelined him for the season. Despite a shortened season, Bernsteins early performance achievements won him the prestigious Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Rookie of the Year award, determined by a vote from a distinguished panel of motorsports journalists. Bernstein has the distinction of having the most successful career launch of any other Top Fuel or Funny Car driver in NHRA history, winning five of his first 13 starts. He is also a second generation King of Speed, having set an NHRA world speed record of 333.41 mph in Chicago in May 2004. In 2005, he won two national events. In 2006, the team logged four victories and three runner-up finishes to challenge for the championship and ultimately finished third in the 06 point standings. In 2007 he won five events, setting a career high number of event wins per season. He was a contender for the Top Fuel championship until the semifinals of the season-ending event and finished third in the final point standings. At the end of the 2007 season, his career Top Fuel victories tallied 17. In 2008, his last season with co-crew chiefs Tim and Kim Richards, the team made four final round appearances, finishing seventh in point standings. Career Highlights 2007: Finished third in inaugural Countdown to the Championship with five wins in seven final round finishes; Earned career-high five wins; Tied career best points finish (3rd, also 2006, 2004) 2006: Earned a career-high four victories; Posted three No. 1 qualifying positions; Finished runner-up three times, including Indianapolis; Contended for POWERade championship until late in season, was as high as second in point standings; Tied his career-best POWERade Series points finish (3rd, also 2004) 2005: Raced to victories at St. Louis and Seattle; Posted two No. 1 qualifying positions; Clocked a career-best speed at Phoenix 2004: Earned three victories in four finals; Led POWERade point standings following win at Topeka; Earned four No. 1 qualifying awards; Finished a career-high third in POWERade point standings. 2003: Earned three victories and two No. 1 qualifying awards in first eight professional starts; suffered season-ending back injury in crash at Englishtown; named Auto Club Road to the Future Award winner, which recognizes NHRA's top rookie; scored first career Top Fuel win at Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals 2002: Worked as a crew member on father's Top Fuel dragster; Earned his Top Fuel license on Oct. 14 at the Texas Motorplex with runs of 4.621 at 322.23 and 4.699 at 320.62 2001: Won NHRA Division 7 Top Alcohol Dragster championship driving for Darien and Meadows team; Earned five national event victories and shared winner's circle with his father at two events (Las Vegas 1 and Chicago 2) Personal Wife: Tracey Height/weight: 5-foot-8, 165 pounds Hobbies: Soccer and golf Notable: Won five events en route to the Division 7 Top Alcohol dragster title in 2001 driving the Darien & Meadows-owned A/FD; He and father Kenny became the first father/son duo in NHRAs 50-year history to win at the same national event at Las Vegas 1, 2001; They both won again at Chicago 2 in 2001; Worked as a crewmember on his fathers dragster in 2002 http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3718/brandon_bernstein_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/b_bernstein.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3718/brandon_bernstein_bio.html Bradley Keselowski (born February 12, 1984) is an auto racing car driver currently competing in the #88 Delphi/Go Daddy Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the #25 Go Daddy Chevrolet Impala SS in the Sprint Cup Series part-time for Hendrick Motorsports. He is the son of Bob Keselowski and the nephew of Ron Keselowski. His older brother Brian competes part-time in both the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the Nationwide Series. Keselowski began competing in NASCAR in 2004, when he began racing in the Craftsman Truck Series, driving the #29 for his family-owned K Automotive Racing team. He made his debut at Martinsville Speedway, where he started 26th and finished 33rd. He made seven more starts that season, his best finish coming at Mansfield, where he finished 16th. In 2005, Keselowski began competing in the Truck Series full-time with backing from SUBcrews.com and Samson Stone. He opened the season with a career-best seventh-place finish at the Florida Dodge Dealers 250. Running every race that season, he finished 21st in points. He ran the first two races of 2006 for K-Automotive, finishing sixteenth at California Speedway, before a lack of sponsorship caused the team to temporarily suspend operations. Keselowski then drove a pair of races filling in for the injured Kelly Sutton, where he had a seventh-place start at Memphis Motorsports Park. He returned to the trucks in August, where he finished 33rd at Bristol Motor Speedway driving the #63 for MB Motorsports. Then in 2006 after being hired by Keith Coleman Racing, Keselowski was given his first shot to compete in the Busch Series. Keselowski would run several races in 2006 for Keith Coleman Racing in the Busch Series where he displayed flashes of his ability. He failed to qualify in his first race with the team at Bristol, but then rebounded to qualify in his next 7 straight races. In 2007, Keselowski began running in the NASCAR Busch series full time and for Rookie of the Year honors with Keith Coleman Racing, but the team suspended operations in July. During the 2007 racing season, Keselowski was tabbed to replace Ted Musgrave at Memphis Motorsports Park after Musgrave was suspended for an in race scuffle with another driver. He qualified first for the Saturday night race, and led a majority of the race, but got bumped by Travis Kvapil with about nine laps to go, who claimed the contact was 'accidental'.[citation needed] Keselowski finished 16th. He drove the #88 for JR Motorsports for the rest of the year, posting five top-ten finishes. His first win came June 7, 2008 at Nashville Superspeedway, overcoming Clint Bowyer after the final caution with only laps to go. His second Nationwide career win came in the same fashion at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 22, 2008. Late in the season, Keselowski was hired to drive the #25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for two races with Hendrick Motorsports.[1] Keselowski was on stand-by for an ill Jeff Gordon in Kansas and for expectant father Casey Mears at Talladega that season as well. Keselowski made his Cup series debut at Texas after failing to qualify twice due to rainouts. He finished the Dickies 500 in 19th position, and 23rd in the season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway. JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports have announced that the primary sponsorship on Keselowski's #88 Chevrolet will be split between GoDaddy.com (18 races), Unilever (10 races), and Delphi (6 races). Keselowski will also drive the #25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in 7 Sprint Cup series races during the 2009 season and the #09 Miccosukee Casino Chevrolet in 10 races for Phoenix Racing. In 2007, Keselowski formed his own race team, which began competing in the Truck Series in 2008. Robb Brent signed to drive the #19 Chevy for three races, with a best finish of 21st. Brad drove the #19 Chevy himself in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. Using the engine out of his race-winning Nationwide car from Bristol, Brad started 7th and finished the race in 6th position. Keselowski said that he planned to enter the team in more races in 2009. Brad Keselowski had a stellar racing season in 2008, finishing third in points in the Nationwide series and notching his first win at Nashville. But even with that success under his belt, young Brad cannot wait for the 2009 season to get underway. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3707/bradley_keselowski_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/25B-.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3707/bradley_keselowski_bio.html Ashley Force (born November 29, 1982) is a funny car drag racer. She is the daughter of 14-time NHRA Funny Car national champion John Force and his wife Laurie Force. She is married to Daniel Hood, who works for John Force Racing. Force attended Esperanza High School in Anaheim, CA, where she was a cheerleader. In 2003, Force graduated from California State University-Fullerton with a B.A. in communications with an emphasis in television and video. In 2007 she was voted as the Hottest Athlete by an AOL Sports Poll, beating out favorites Tom Brady and Danica Patrick. Force was also selected as the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series' RookieoftheYear (Funny Car division) in November 2007. On April 27, 2008, Force earned her first ever NHRA professional win, defeating her father in the final round, and becoming the first woman to earn a win in the Funny Car class at the NHRA Summit Southern Nationals held at the Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia. As a Top Alcohol division rookie, she won three of the seasons final five races including the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, and the season-ending Automobile Club of Southern California at Pomona, where she shared the winners circle with her father - the NHRAs first ever father-daughter winners. Ashley finished 2004 fourth in national driver points. 2007 In 2007, Ashley Force moved into the professional ranks, driving a Castrol-sponsored Mustang Funny Car for her father's team, John Force Racing.[2] At her first meet (Pomona), she qualified 15th and was eliminated in the first round by her brother-in-law and teammate Robert Hight. Despite some mishaps and missteps by her, and despite tragedy within John Force Racing, in light of the challenge inherent in driving a Funny Car (extremely high power, front-engine layout, and relatively short wheelbase) she made very impressive progress during the season, growing in competence and confidence as she gained experience. Ashley Force and her father made NHRA history in Atlanta in April when they became the first father and daughter to race against each other. Ashley won the round with an elapsed time of 4.779 seconds, and a terminal speed of 317.05 miles per hour. She advanced to the semifinals, which tied her for the best ever Funny Car event finish for a female. In October, Ashley Force once again made racing history, this time at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, becoming the first female to compete in a national series Funny Car final round, but was defeated on a holeshot by Tony Pedregon. 2008 If anyone had any lingering doubts about Ashley Force's competitiveness in a Funny Car, those doubts were erased early in the 2008 racing season as she worked her way to the final round of eliminations in three consecutive meetings: Houston, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. She made her first final round appearance of the year on March 30 at Houston, but lost to Del Worsham. At Las Vegas, she was defeated in the final by Tim Wilkerson, yet became the first female racer ever to lead the NHRA Funny Car point standings. On April 27, 2008, at Atlanta, her opponent in the final was her dad, 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force, who was seeking to score the 1000th round win of his career. Ashley claimed her first-ever NHRA Funny Car win on that day, the first ever for a woman, as her dad smoked the tires and she roared to victory with a 4.837-second elapsed time, the second quickest of the weekend in the Funny Car class. On December 13 Ashley got married to one of her crew-men, Daniel Hood, in Lake Tahoe. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3709/ashley_force_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/200px-AshleyForceSEMA2007.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3709/ashley_force_bio.html AUSTIN DILLON AGE: 18 BIRTHDAY: April 27, 1990 RESIDENCE: Lewisville, NC HERO: John Wayne HOBBIES: Hunting DREAM: NASCAR Racing ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 2005 Bandoleros: Early Wins, Moved Directly in Semi-Pro Legends Legends: 40 Races: 4 Wins, 7 Second Places, 25 Top Five Finishes, Summer Shootout: Finished 6th in Point Standings Young Lions National Champion 2006 Legends: 3 Wins, 7 Second Places, 27 Top Five Finishes Spring Midget Classic: One of 40 to be Invited, Finished 5th Dirt Late-Model: Attended McDowell Driving School 2007 Won the May Allstar Challenge: Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway Dirt Late-Model: 34 Races: 3 Wins, 12 Top Five Finishes, 25 Top Ten Finishes UMP Modified: Qualified for Every Race, 3 Top Ten Finishes Asphalt Late-Model: First Race, Finished 6th 2008 Camping World East Results: 13 Races: 1 Wins, 6 Top Five Finishes, 10 Top Ten Finishes 2nd in Point Standings 210 Points Behind Champion Matt Kobyluck. Sunoco Rookie-Of-The Year Champion of Pro Late-Model Nationals http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3745/austin_dillon_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/adgallery1014_1.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3745/austin_dillon_bio.html A. J. Allmendinger (Bio) Anthony James Allmendinger (born December 16, 1981, in Los Gatos, California) is an American racecar driver. He is best known for his accomplishments in the Champ Car World Series, Allmendinger currently drives the #44 Hunt Brothers Pizza/Best Buy/Stanley Works Dodge Charger for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series. Early career He started his career in karts. He won two International Karting Federation Grand National championships. Allmendinger won the Barber Dodge Pro Series championship in 2002, and the Champ Car Atlantic Championship in 2003 with Carl Russo's RuSport team. Champ Car In 2004, Allmendinger and RuSport entered the Champ Car World Series, with Michel Jourdain Jr. joining Allmendinger. He scored a run of 6 top-6 finishes towards the end of the season and won the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year award ahead of Justin Wilson. Wilson joined the team for 2005, and both drivers have been in regular contention for podium finishes. On June 9, 2006, RuSport announced that Allmendinger would be replaced by 2002 CART champion Cristiano da Matta. 5 days later, Forsythe Championship Racing as their nnew driver. In the interim, he became engaged to Lynne Kushnirenko, a Canadian model and chiropractor. In his first race with Forsythe, Allmendinger won the Grand Prix of Portland. Allmendinger became the first American to win a Champ Car World Series event since Ryan Hunter-Reay won at The Milwaukee Mile in 2004. This began a three-race winning streak that included wins at the Grand Prix of Cleveland and the Grand Prix of Toronto. This victory moved Allmendinger into second place in the CCWS championship standings, behind leader Sebastian Bourdais. He chalked up his fourth and fifth wins of the season at Denver and Road America. He left Champ Car to accept a lucrative offer from the NASCAR operation Team Red Bull. NASCAR Allmendinger made his NASCAR debut in the Craftsman Truck Series driving for Bill Davis Racing at New Hampshire International Speedway on September 16, 2006 in the #24 Toyota Tundra[2] [3]. He crashed his primary truck in qualifying but started the race 32nd in a backup truck from teammate Bill Lester and finished on the lead lap in 13th. He also competed at Talladega Superspeedway in October with a finish of 5th. In his 3rd career truck series start, he qualified in 2nd place at Atlanta and led five laps before he wrecked and finished 34th. Allmendinger attempted his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event at Atlanta in October 2006 driving the #84 Red Bull entry, however, due to qualifying being rained out, a lack of owner's points prevented Allmendinger from making the race. He also attempted to make the race at Texas Motor Speedway, failing to qualify again, however. He was still named driver of the #84 full-time in 2007. Allmendinger failed to qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500 after a crash in the first Gatorade Duel race. He also failed to qualify for the next four races before finishing 40th his first Nextel Cup start at the Food City 500 at Bristol. As the season progressed, Allmendinger made a handful of races, predominantly in the "Car of Tomorrow". To assist him in the transition to stock cars, he participated in selected Craftsman Truck Series races for Toyota for the Darrell Waltrip Motorsports organization and the #42 Memorex/Chip Ganassi Dodge in the Busch Series. Allmendinger again failed to qualify for the 2008 Daytona 500. After three failures to qualify in 2 attempts (qualifying for the second race of the season, Fontana, was rained out and set by 2007 owner's points), he was replaced by veteran driver Mike Skinner on a temporary basis. Allmendinger returned to the Cup series at Talladega. On May 17, he won the Sprint Showdown at Lowe's Motor Speedway during NASCAR's annual All-Star weekend. The win qualified Allmendinger for the Sprint All-Star Race later that evening, where he finished 17th. Due to Allmendinger's 11th place finish at Watkins Glen, for the first time in his career, he had a guaranteed starting spot for the next race. He had his best career finish at the time at Kansas Speedway coming in 9th, but was released from the team two days later. He was replaced for the rest of the season by Scott Speed and Skinner. Allmendinger made a one-race deal with Michael Waltrip Racing and a deal to finish the 2008 season with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, scoring an average finish of 15.4 in the #10 car. During the offseason it was rumored that due to the merger of Petty Enterprises, GEM had released Elliott Sadler and placed Allmendinger in the #19 for 2009. However, Sadler was prepared to file suit against both the team and Allmendinger for a breach of contract (Sadler was signed on until 2010). In early January, it was announced that Gillett Evernham Motorsports had merged with Petty, that Sadler would return to the #19, and Allmendinger was to drive the #44 (formerly the #10) part time pending sponsorship. Allmendinger's team ended the 2008 season 36th in owner's points, meaning it did not have exemptions for the first five races of 2009. The retro-styled Valvoline 44 raced its way in to the Daytona 500, and third in his Daytona 500 debut, also his personal best, and is the best Daytona 500 debut except for Lee Petty in the 1959 Daytona 500 and Scott Wimmer in the 2004 Daytona 500. Allmendinger was one of two go-or-go-home drivers (the other being Tony Stewart) to successfully attempt the first five races of the 2009 season. He and his team have also secured sponsorship through September with Dodge, Hunts Brothers Pizza, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Harrah's, Charter Communications, and Super 8 Motel. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3938/a_j_allmendinger_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/A.J. Allmendinger.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3938/a_j_allmendinger_bio.html Bobby Labonte (Bio) Robert Alan Labonte (born May 8, 1964 in Corpus Christi, Texas) is an American race car driver in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #96 Ask.com/Texas Instruments DLP HDTV/Academy Sports + Outdoors Ford Fusion for Hall of Fame Racing, in an association with Yates Racing. He currently resides in Trinity, North Carolina. He is married to Donna and they have two children, Robert Tyler and Madison. He, and his older brother, Terry Labonte (who was also a prominent NASCAR driver, until he retired at the end of the 2006 season) are the only brothers to have both won the championship in NASCAR's top series. He is also the uncle of former Nationwide Series winner Justin Labonte. As of 2008, Labonte is the only driver to have won both the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship (2000) and the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship (1991). He also won the IROC title in 2001.  Beginnings Labonte was born on May 8, 1964 in Corpus Christi, Texas. He began racing in 1969 in quarter midgets in his homestate of Texas, winning his first feature race one year later. From then until 1977, he drove in quarter-midgets throughout the United States, winning many races. In 1978, he advanced to the go-kart ranks, but moved to North Carolina with his family following his older brother Terry's advancement to the Cup series. After competing in several different divisions, Labonte made his Busch Series debut in 1982 at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 30th. Following his graduation from Trinity High School, he worked as a fabricator on Terry's cars at Hagan Racing. After a few years of racing in various divisions, Labonte returned to the Busch Series in 1985, running two races in a car he owned himself at Martinsville. In his first race, he finished 30th, bringing home only $220. In his next race, though, he finished in 17th, his best finish so far. The next season, running his own Bobby Labonte Racing car, he won his first Busch pole position and finished second at Road Atlanta. While he continued to run races in the Busch Series, his main success came driving late-model stock cars. In 1987, Labonte won twelve races at Caraway Speedway, clinching the track championship, in addition to working for Jay Hedgecock. The following season, he competed at Concord Motorsports Park, winning six times, and ran six more Busch races, finishing 16th at Darlington Raceway. The next season, he ran seven races and had his first top-five finish at North Carolina Speedway. He had two more top-tens that year.  1990-1994 By 1990, Labonte had finally earned enough money to race in the Busch Series full-time. He founded his own team, and drove a Slim Jim sponsored #44 Oldsmobile. He was successful, winning two poles (both at Bristol Motor Speedway), scoring six top-5s, and ten top-10s. He ended up finishing fourth in the standings and was also voted the Busch Series' "Most Popular Driver". Next season, he continued his second-division success by winning the NASCAR Busch Series championship with two wins, 10 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. He also won his first Busch Series race, at Bristol, then won again at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August. In addition to his Busch Series schedule, he made two Winston Cup starts in a Bobby Labonte Racing car at Dover International Speedway and Michigan International Speedway, finishing 34th and 38th, respectively. The following season, 1992, he continued racing in the Busch Series. His season was a successful one, and he ended up winning three races (at Lanier, Hickory, and Martinsville speedways respectively), but lost the Busch championship to Joe Nemechek by three points. That championship finish is, to date, the closest finish in either Sprint Cup, Nationwide, or Craftsman Truck Series history. In 1993, Labonte was called up by Bill Davis Racing to drive in the Winston Cup Series. He signed a contract to drive the #22 Maxwell House Ford Thunderbird. In his rookie season, he won his first pole at Richmond International Raceway, collected one top-five and two top-tens, and finished 19th in points. He was also second place behind Jeff Gordon for Rookie of the Year honors. He also competed in two Busch Series races, winning a pole and finishing 2nd and 24th respectively. Also, Labonte continued to operate his main Busch Series team, hiring David Green to drive for him. Green finished third in points for Bobby Labonte Racing. The next season, 1994, Labonte achieved his second major success as a car owner when his Busch Series driver, David Green, won the championship. It was the second championship, and fifth top-five points finish in five years for Bobby Labonte Racing. He also ran in the Busch Series himself, making 12 starts and earning a victory at Michigan in August. In addition to his Busch Series exploits, Bobby continued running full-time in the Winston Cup series for Bill Davis Racing. He collected one top-5 and two top-10s and finished 21st in the standings, just missing out on the top 20 because of Todd Bodine's two-position points standings gain in the final race of the season.  1995-2000 At the end of the season, Labonte departed to drive the #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing. Bobby would pick up his first career win at the Coca Cola 600 in 1995. He would also go on and sweep the races at Michigan, and finish 10th in the standings. In 1996, he won the season ending race at Atlanta, the same race where his brother Terry won the championship. The two took a victory lap together in what Labonte said was one of the most emotional and memorable moments of his life. That year, he finished 11th in points. In 1997 Bobby switched car makes to a Pontiac Grand Prix. Bobby would go on to win the season ending race at Atlanta for the second year in a row. He ended up in 7th place in the standings, his best finish at that point in his career. In 1998 Bobby won the pole for the Daytona 500, where he eventually finished 2nd to Dale Earnhardt in Earnhardt's emotional first Daytona 500 win. Bobby would later win at Daytona's sister track, Talledega, in the spring. Bobby also again won at Atlanta and also won the pole for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in summer. He finished the year in 6th in the standings, improving by a position. In 1999, Labonte won five Winston Cup races, the most he has ever won in a single season. He won at Dover in the spring, Pocono, where he swept both races(He was the first to accomplish this particular sweep, which has been followed by Jimmie Johnson in 2004 and Denny Hamlin in 2006.), the second Michigan race and the season finale at Atlanta. However, during the season, he suffered a broken shoulder in an accident while qualifying for a Busch Series race at Darlington Raceway, but raced in the Cup event two days later. Bobby started the race, but at the first caution a young Matt Kenseth would take over for him in the race. He finished second in the points to Dale Jarrett, losing the championship by 201 points. In 2000, Bobby went on to win 4 races, the second race of the season at Rockingham, The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, The Southern 500 at Darlington and the fall race at Charlotte. He led the point standings for 25 weeks after taking over at California, and never relinquished it. Bobby would go on to win his first ever Winston Cup Championship, finishing ahead of Dale Earnhardt by 265 points.  2001-2005 In 2001, Labonte finished 6th in the points standings. He also won twice that year at Atlanta and at Pocono. In 2002 Bobby only had 1 win, which was at Martinsville in the spring. He also drove a 9/11 Tribute car in 2002 with the phrase "Let's Roll" on the hood of this stock car. It was his first career short track win at Martinsville. He went on to finish 16th in the standings, and failed to finish in the top 10 for the first time since 1998. In 2003 Labonte rebounded and finished 8th in the standings while winning 2 races at Atlanta, and at Homestead (leading only the final lap). Also Bobby went on a tear during the spring with 3 straight 2nd-place finishes. In 2004 Bobby didn't win a race for the first time since 1994. Labonte finished 12th in the standings. 2005 saw much of the same. Bobby fell out of the top 20 in points, and only had 4 top-5s, one of which was a dramatic 2nd at Lowes Motor Speedway. He also went on to race some truck series events, which included a win at Martinsville. His win there made him join an elite group of drivers that have won in all 3 divisions at one track. In fact, with his win, he became the first driver to do so. He also ran the 24 Hours of Daytona road race, sharing a car with his brother Terry, Jan Magnussen and Bryan Herta. After the disappointing 2005 season, Bobby asked and was granted to be released from Joe Gibbs Racing, having spent the last eleven seasons there. Bobby joined the Petty Enterprises to drive the famous #43.  2006-2008 In his inaugural season in the #43, Labonte collected 3 top-5's and 8 top-10s. His top-5s included an impressive run at the Martinsville Speedway where he finished 3rd after being in contention for the win much of the day. He ended up finishing 21st in the points standings, three spots better than in 2005. Bobby began the 2007 season with a 21st place finish in the Daytona 500, after avoiding the many accidents the race had. Bobby won the Busch Series race at Talladega Speedway in April 2007, edging Tony Stewart to the line in a thrilling finish. This was his first Busch Series win since 1998. Bobby would end the year with no top-fives and only three top-ten finishes, but due to a more consistent season, he finished in 18th place in the standings, a three-position improvement over 2006. In November 2007, Labonte formed a full-service marketing agency,Breaking Limits In the off season following the 2007 season, Labonte agreed to a 15 race contract to drive the # 21 chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for 2008. RCR's No. 21 team earned six victories in 2007 with driver Kevin Harvick, and has earned two of the organization's four series championships. Labonte also formed a full-service marketing agency, Breaking Limits based in Huntersville, North Carolina. In 2008, Labonte continued his contract with Petty Enterprises, but experienced a largely unsuccessful season, gathering only three top-tens and no top-fives on ihs way to finishing 21st in the Sprint Cup standings. In December of that year, Labonte was released from Petty Enterprises while the team was negotiating with Gillett Evernham Motorsports about a possible merger.  2009-Present On January 13, 2009, Labonte was confirmed to be the driver of the #96 Ford Fusion for Hall of Fame Racing, now in a partnership with Yates Racing. Ask.com will sponsor the car for most races in 2009, Texas Instruments/DLP, the team's former primary sponsor will be a secondary sponsor, and Academy Sports and Outdoors will sponsor the #96 Fusion for 5 races in 2009. Bobby Labonte will be re-united with former crew chief Todd Parrott. In the 2009 Spring Las Vegas race, the Shelby 427, Labonte recorded his first top 5 with Hall of Fame racing, and his best finish since he finished third in the Fall Martinsville race in 2006. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3939/bobby_labonte_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/Bobby-Labonte.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3939/bobby_labonte_bio.html Brian Vickers ( Bio ) Brian Lee Vickers (born October 24, 1983 in Thomasville, North Carolina) is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. Vickers was the 2003 Nationwide Series champion, and at age 20, the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series. He currently drives the #83 Red Bull Toyota Camry for the Red Bull Racing Team. Early Years (1994 2006) Vickers began running go-karts in 1994. Over the next three years, he won eighty races in the World Karting Association, and won three championships, including the 1995 championship against three-time winner Mike Schwartz (WKA). In 1998, he moved to the Allison Legacy Series, and won five races during the course of the season. After competing in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series in 1999, he moved to USAR ProCup, winning Rookie of the Year and two races in 2000. The next season, he won five more races and finished second in points. In 2001, Vickers made his Nationwide Series debut at the GNC Live Well 250 in the #29 owned by his father, Clyde Vickers. He qualified 30th but finished 37th after a crash. Vickers ran three more races that season, his best finish a 25th at North Carolina Speedway. In 2002, Vickers began running the Nationwide Series in his father's #40 Dodge Intrepid. He drove in 21 races, and his best finish was 7th at the Hardee's 250, his only top-ten of the season. Due to a lack of funding for his family-owned team, Vickers was hired to replace Ricky Hendrick in the #5 GMAC Chevrolet, owned by Hendrick Motorsports. Vickers won three races in 2003, and won the championship by 14 points over David Green, becoming the youngest champion in the history of the series at age 20. Vickers made his Cup debut at the 2003 UAW-GM Quality 500, qualifying 20th and finishing 33rd in the #60 Haas Automation Chevy. He ran four more races that season in Hendrick's #25 UAW/Delphi Chevy, qualifying in the top-5 each time, but posting only one top-20 finish. In 2004, Vickers ran the #25 in the Cup series full-time, carrying sponsorship from Ditech and GMAC. He won two poles, had four top-tens, and finished third behind Brendan Gaughan and Kasey Kahne for Rookie of the Year. The next season, Vickers won the NEXTEL Open exhibition race. He was right behind Mike Bliss on the last lap. He mad an effort to pass Bliss at the last possible moment. Bliss blocked him and they touched bumpers, causing Bliss to spin out and allowing Vickers to win. That qualified him for the annual All-Star Challenge, in which he finished third. Vickers finished the year 17th in Cup points, scoring ten top-tens, including his then-career best finish of second at the Pocono 500. He also returned to the Nationwide Series in a limited capacity in 2005, and finishing third at Watkins Glen in the #5. He drove five other races in the #57. The season 2006, statistically, was Vickers' best yet. Vickers finished 7th in the Daytona 500, gathered nine top-tens, and got his first victory at the UAW Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. However, the season was marred by conflicts within Hendrick Motorsports. On June 25, Vickers announced that he would leave Hendrick and drive for the new Team Red Bull team in 2007. In the UAW-Ford 500, Vickers was running third when he bumped teammate Jimmie Johnson on the last lap, causing both Johnson (who was second), and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the leader, to spin out. Vickers went on to score his first victory. Johnson was livid with Vickers, and both he and his crew chief Chad Knaus questioned Vickers' motives with the bump, with Knaus stating that Vickers had "run out of talent" prior to wrecking his teammate. However, both Johnson and Vickers had a long discussion about what had happened and decided that it was best to move on. This was easily conveyed when Vickers came to congratulate Johnson and Johnson gave him a hug when Johnson won the Nextel Cup championship at the Ford 400. Red Bull Racing Team (2007 Present) In 2007, Vickers drove the #83 Red Bull Toyota Camry for Red Bull, the first season for the new team. His new crew chief for 2007 was Doug Richert, who spent the last three seasons with Greg Biffle and won a championship with Dale Earnhardt. His new teammate at Red Bull was A. J. Allmendinger, driver of the #84 Red Bull Toyota Camry for then named Team red Bull. This season started out poorly when Vickers suffered a blown tire during his qualifying race for the Daytona 500. The next week the team regrouped, however, and scored a tenth place finish in their first outing, the Auto Club 500, which was coincidentally Toyota's first top 10 in the Nextel Cup series. Two weeks later Vickers led Toyota's first lap in the Nextel Cup series at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. On May 27, 2007, Vickers gave Toyota its first top five ever in Coca-Cola 600. Toyota brought a new engine to Lowe's, and Vickers showed its potential and surprised many by leading more than 70 laps of the race and having the dominant car. However, towards the end of the race, the power steering of the vehicle began to fail, and eventually ceased operation completely. The teams luck continued to decline as Vickers soon blew a tire and slid into the turn four wall. Immediately as Vickers entered pit road, the caution flew for debris on the track, supposedly from his incident. This was a saving grace, as it allowed the #83 car to stay on the lead lap, albeit off the pace and out of contention for the win. Crew chief Doug Richert managed to salvage the race through pit strategy, enabling Vickers to score a fifth place finish. Late in the 2007 season, crew chief Doug Richert was fired from Team Red Bull and replaced by Randy Cox, who was formerly employed on Team Red Bull's Research and Development team. Vickers struggled for the remainder of the season as Team red Bull began to focus on developing it's Car of Tomorrow program, which will compete full time during the 2008 season. The resulting inattention to its "current car" program severely hampered Vickers' efforts during the remaining races of that platform.[citation needed] In 2008, Vickers, with new crew chief Kevin Hamlin, qualified for the 50th running of the Daytona 500, after racing himself in with an 11th place finish in the Gatorade Duel 150. He then went on to make the next 4 races with an average finish of 21st including a top 10 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway where he finished 9th. Vickers was outside the top 35 in point all during the 2007 season, which meant he did not have a guaranteed starting spot. However, in 2008, he is now ensured a started sport, for now, since he is in the top 35 after 5 races. Vickers' pit crew won the 2008 Pit Crew Challenge during the 2008 All-Star weekend. Vickers went on the next weekend and led 61 laps in the 2008 Coca-Cola 600 before he lost his left rear wheel and crashed about halfway through the race. He posted Team Red Bull's best finish to date, 2nd place, at Pocono Raceway in June 2008. For the 2009 season, Vickers will remain at Team Red Bull. It was announced he has picked up an additional sponsor in Mighty Auto Parts, formerly with DEI. He won the sixth pole of his career at the spring race at California Speedway. Vickers' 2009 season began in controversy at the 2009 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. got a run to the inside of Vickers, but Vickers blocked. Earnhardt Jr. clipped the left rear fender, getting Vickers loose, sending him into the field. Kyle Busch, who dominated the day and was surely on his way to winning, had a destroyed car. His brother Kurt, Jimmie Johnson, Scott Speed, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards, and Robby Gordon (This is a Fragment). Vickers was out of the race. Vickers said after the race that Earnhardt should have been black-flagged, due to an incident involving Jason Leffler,and Steven Wallace the previous day. Earnhardt later stated that he was unaware that Vickers was a lap down, and that both were fighting for the Lucky Dog position. Earnhardt later apologized. Vickers won the pole for the 2009 Auto Club 500, but had to go to the rear because of an engine change. Vickers ran in the top five all day during the 2009 Kobalt Tools 500. In the final laps, Vickers was chasing down Kurt Busch for the win, but Robby Gordon blew a tire and Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards flew by Vickers on the restart. Vickers finished fifth. Vickers won the pole at Richmond, a place where he had set the track record previously. On June 10, 2009, Team Red Bull pulled off an amazing pit stop...all in the middle of downtown NYC. Brian pulled the #83 Red Bull Toyota Camry to the side of the road and the team changed 4 tires right in Times Square with traffic still moving around them. Onlookers cheered while wondering what in the world was going on. Again Vickers won the pole for the Lifelock 400 at Michigan. Vickers won his 4th pole of the season for the Toyota/ Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. On Thursday July 9th, Brian Vickers won his 5th pole of the season at the Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland speedway. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3940/brian_vickers_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/Michigan1-6.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3940/brian_vickers_bio.html Bill Elliott (Bio) William Clyde Elliott (born October 8, 1955 in Dawsonville, Georgia) is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007.[1] He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship and has garnered 44 wins in that series. He had two Daytona 500 victories, and a record four consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway during 1985-86. He holds the track record at both Talladega and Daytona International Speedway with speeds of more than 200 mph. Elliott won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award a record 16 times. He withdrew his name from the ballot for that award after winning it in 2002. The award will be renamed for Elliott when he officially retires from the sport. In 2005, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue declared October 8 as Bill Elliott Day in the state of Georgia. Elliott has also been honored by the state legislature, having a stretch of road in his native Dawsonville renamed Elliott Family Parkway.. NASCAR Career Elliott made his first Winston Cup Series start at Rockingham in 1976, qualifying 34th in a field of 36 cars. Elliott only lasted 32 laps that day before the oil pump failed in his Ford Torino, earning him $640. Elliott toiled for five years in the Winston Cup Series without sponsorship, and along the way showed flashes that he could compete with the established veterans of the sport. In mid-1977, Elliott bought a Mercury Montigo from Bobby Allison after his split from Penske Racing to replace the inferior Torino, and the move paid off. He soon earned his first top-10 finish in the Southern 500 (10th), and his first top-5 finish 2 years later in the same race, finishing second to race winner and boyhood hero David Pearson. With Melling Racing In the fall of 1980, Elliott gained his first major sponsor in the form of $500 from Harry Melling of Melling Racing in the 1980 National 500 at Charlotte. Melling would extend his contract and gave the team enough sponsorship to run a 12 race schedule in 1981. After a 1981 season that consisted of one top-5 and seven top-10 finishes in 13 races, including the team's first pole in the CRC Chemicals Rebel 500, Melling bought the team from Elliott's father George on December 1, 1981. In 1983 Elliott earned his first Winston Cup win in the Winston Western 500 at Riverside in the final race of the 1983 season. He gained full sponsorship from Coors in 1984 to the tune of $400,000 and won three races, four poles and finished third in the championship standings. In 1985, Elliott earned 11 wins and 11 poles out of 28 races and also won the first Winston Million[2] in the Southern 500 at Darlington. This earned him the nickname "Million Dollar Bill", and "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville." He won the Daytona 500, the Winston 500 at Talladega (at the time ran at a record average speed 186.288 MPH) and the Southern 500 to earn the Winston Million. This led to him becoming the first NASCAR driver to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Elliott finished second in the championship standings by 101 points, losing the Winston Cup Championship to Darrell Waltrip after a string of poor finishes in the last quarter of the season. In 1986, Elliott won two races, four poles and finished fourth in the championship standings. He also won the The Winston II, held at Atlanta, the only year the race was run somewhere other than Charlotte. He won six races in 1987, including his second Daytona 500, seven poles, and finished second in the final point standings. In The Winston he tangled with Dale Earnhardt in what has become known as "the Pass In The Grass". However, Elliott's most lasting accomplishment that year was setting 2 Nascar qualifying records, which stand to this day. At Daytona, he set the NASCAR speed record with an average speed of 210.364 mph. He broke his own record at Talladega with an average speed of 212.809 mph; the previous record he set in 1986 was 209.383 mph[3]. In both races, he used a Ford Thunderbird which contained an engine built by his brother Ernie. However, at Talladega, Bobby Allison was spun and went airborne into the catch fence, tearing a large section away and injuring several fans. After this incident, NASCAR mandated the use of restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega. As a result, Elliott's speed records will likely never be broken. In 1988 Elliott won another six races, six poles, and his only Winston Cup Championship. Following his championship season, Elliott broke his wrist in a crash during testing at Daytona and required relief by Jody Ridley during several races in the first part of the 1989 season. Elliott won two poles and three races and finished sixth in the championship standings. In 1990, Elliott won one race and two poles and finished fourth in the championship standings. In the 1990 race at Atlanta, Elliott's rear tire changer Mike Rich was killed when Ricky Rudd lost control of his car, spun, and slammed the crew member between his car and Elliott's. This resulted in NASCAR restricting the speed of cars on pit road. The year 1991 saw Elliott's sponsorship change to Coors Light beer and the familiar red on the car was replaced with blue. Elliott won once in the Pepsi 400 and won two poles and finished eleventh in the championship standings during his last season with the Mellings. With Junior Johnson Elliott left Melling to join Junior Johnson and Associates in 1992. Elliott's sponsor during his time with Johnson was Budweiser; ironic because his sponsor at Melling Racing was from Bud's rival brewery Coors. In 1992, Elliott won five races (including four in a row) and three poles, but much like his 1985 season he finished a disappointing second in the championship standings after squandering a large lead in the standings with a late season string of poor finishes. He did win the season finale at his home track in Atlanta, but lost the championship by 10 points to Alan Kulwicki. The difference was that Kulwicki gained the 5 bonus points for leading the most laps in the race. Kulwicki led one more lap (103 vs 102) than Elliott. The 10 point difference was the closest point differential until NASCAR changed to the Chase for the Cup points format 12 years later.[4] Elliott went winless in 1993 and finished eighth in the standings. He scored just one win the following season in the 1994 Southern 500 while finishing 10th in the championship standings. After his Darlington victory, Elliott announced he would be starting his own team with sponsorship from McDonald's in 1995. As an independent driver and at Evernham Motorsports After leaving Johnson's team, Elliott fielded his own Winston Cup race team from 1995 to 2000. Elliott suffered a long winless streak during this time, though he did manage two top ten finishes in the championship standings, with eighth place finishes in both 1995 and 1997. In 1996, Elliott suffered a broken leg during an accident at Talladega and missed several races that season. Elliott sold his team to Ray Evernham in 2000 and began driving the #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Intrepid the following year. The team found success in his first race in the #9 Dodge, as Elliott won the pole for the 2001 Daytona 500 and finished in the top 5, bringing home a 5th place finish. Though, the race will forever be remembered for the death of fan favorite Dale Earnhardt. Bill finished his first season with Ray Evernham Racing with two poles, five top 5 and nine top 10 finishes, and a win at the season ending Pennzoil Freedom 400 at Homestead from the pole. This was his first win in over seven years. He finished 15th in the final standings. In 2002 he won four poles and went to victory lane twice. His wins included the Pennsylvania 500, and one week later an overwhelmingly dominant victory in that year's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He finished 13th in the final standings. His last win, in what became his final full-time season, came in 2003 at Rockingham. And, he came within a lap of winning his final race as a full-time driver (he would have been the only retiring driver to do so) in the 2003 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Elliott led 189 of 267 laps and was on his way to victory, but a cut tire on the final lap gave the win to Bobby Labonte. He still finished the race and maintained his ninth-place position in the final points standings, his best finish since an eight-place finish in the 1997 standings. A few weeks later, Elliott announced that he was relinquishing the #9 car to Kasey Kahne and switching to a part-time schedule driving R&D cars for Evernham. Semi-Retirement In 2004, Elliott drove the #91 Dodge Intrepid for Evernham in three events (along with the Budweiser Shootout) and also drove the #98 Dodge Intrepid in one other event because of sponsorship issues between Coca-Cola (Elliott's sponsor) and Pepsi (Evernham's sponsor). Elliott was listed as the owner of the #98 car, but Evernham leased the car to him. Although he only made six starts during his first part-time season, he still managed to have some success which included a ninth-place finish at Indianapolis and second and third-place qualifying efforts at Texas and California respectively. In 2005, Elliott continued his part-time driving duties which included driving the #39 Coors Dodge Charger(in a paint scheme reminiscent of his 1987 Coors Light Ford) for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Budweiser Shootout and the #91 Evernham Dodge in several events. Although he made three more starts than the previous season, he did not have the same amount of success. He managed to get an eleventh-place finish and a tenth-place qualifying effort at Michigan, along with a ninth-place qualifying effort at Texas. He also competed in select NASCAR Busch Series events for Rusty Wallace and also drove the #6 Unilever Dodge Charger in the Busch Series for Evernham at Memphis, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas. For the 2006 season, the 2005 owners' points for the #91 team went to the new #10 Evernham team and driver Scott Riggs and the 91 team was discontinuted. On January 4, 2006, Elliott announced that he would pilot the #36 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for MB2 Motorsports in the 2006 Daytona Speedweeks events. This included the Budweiser Shootout, the Gatorade Duel, and the Daytona 500, which Elliott had not competed in since 2003. On March 17, 2006, it was announced that Elliott would drive the #00 Burger King Chevrolet for Michael Waltrip Racing in five NEXTEL Cup events which included Chicagoland, New Hampshire, Indianapolis, California, and Homestead. On August 8, 2006, Evernham Motorsports announced that Elliott would return to the organization for the race at Watkins Glen driving the #19 Dodge previously driven by Jeremy Mayfield. The team fell out of the top-35 in owners' points after Indianapolis, leading to the firing of Mayfield, and Evernham assumed that Elliott would guarantee a starting spot in the field by being a past champion. However, since the driver switch was made past the entry deadline, NASCAR said that Elliott was not eligible for the past champions provisional. For the race at Kansas, Elliott teamed up with R&J Racing to drive the #37 Dodge. Elliott finished a season-high 16th at the Banquet 400 at Kansas, but did not qualify for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte two weeks later. Elliott was scheduled to be the Team Red Bull entry at Atlanta and Texas, but A. J. Allmendinger drove the car instead (though he did not qualify for either race). Elliott instead drove the #37 Dodge at Atlanta, marking the 30th Anniversary of Elliott driving at his hometown track. Elliott attempted to qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500, but failed to make the race in the #37. Elliott signed to drive the #21 for Wood Brothers Racing for at least two events for 2007, in part due to his championship provisional, which guaranteed starting the race. Since fellow champion Dale Jarrett had used all of his guaranteed starts in his Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, Elliott was the only champion eligible for the provisional not guaranteed a spot by being in the top 35 in owner's points. His first race for the team was the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte, which he qualified without needing one of his six provisionals. He lead the race at one point until he was involved in a wreck around lap 200. At Michigan, Elliott gave the team a much needed 11th place finish, and was kept in the car until the fall Richmond race. The car then fell out of the top 35 again but at Bristol got back into top 35 in points. Ken Schrader returned to the #21 replacing Elliott at a testing session at Talladega Superspeedway due to the team being back in the top 35 in owners points. He returned for the final four races after the 21 fell out ofof the top-35 once again. On September 23, 2007, in an interview with Charlotte Observer Len Wood the co- owner of the #21 said in 2008 Elliott would have his own sponsor and share ride with Jon Wood & Marcos Ambrose. Bill Elliott returned to the #21 to try to get the car back into the Top 35 points at Lowes Motor Speedway. NASCAR: Elliott: I'm done with top series after 2008 | ajc.com Elliott has qualified for ten races this season, with a best finish of 20th in the Sunoco Presents: The American Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway. At Daytona Bill announced that 2008 will be his final season as a Sprint Cup driver. But at Kansas in an interview on NASCAR Raceday, Bill was asked about him racing, Bill said "We will be at Lowes, and do a few more races. Then we will see how things go." Bill in 2008, best starts were 5th at Bristol & 7th at Kansas. Bill best finish was 12th at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In 2009, Elliott is scheduled to run 12 races in the #21 Motorcraft Ford for the Wood Brothers. One of the scheduled events is the Daytona 500, along with 11 other races on superspeedways. On Memorial Day May 25th, 2009, Elliott became the 7th member of the "800 club", with his 800th career Sprint Cup start at Lowes Motor Speedway. NASCAR Video Games In 1990, Konami released the first officially-licensed NASCAR game, Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge for MS-DOS. The game was released for the NES and Amiga in 1991, and Bill Elliott's NASCAR Fast Tracks was released for the Game Boy at the same time. Elliott continued to appear in most NASCAR games until the release of EA Sports' NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup in 2004 when he began his semi-retirement. The following year, he was seen in several screenshots and videos for EA Sports' NASCAR 06: Total Team Control driving the #91 Stanley Tools Dodge. However, he was removed from the game before its release and the #91 was removed from the Custom Car Garage feature for NEXTEL Cup. Ironically, Elliott's then-teammate Jeremy Mayfield was also absent from NASCAR 2005 (though he reappeared in NASCAR 06) and an official explanation was never given for Elliott's absence in 2006. Jeremy Mayfield was originally going to be the cover of Nascar 2005: Chase for the Cup, but when that was given to Kevin Harvick, he refused to be in the game. Unlike Elliott in NASCAR 06, Mayfield had not been seen in any screenshots or videos for NASCAR 2005. However, Kasey Kahne was featured in the #9 Evernham Dodge, and Mayfield and the #19 Evernham Dodge had been featured in previous NASCAR games. In addition, Bill isn't one of the drivers of the #21 in the Sprint Cup Series in NASCAR 09; Marcos Ambrose is the driver. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3949/bill_elliott_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/088.JPG http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3949/bill_elliott_bio.html Aric Almirola (Bio) Aric Almirola (born March 14, 1984 in Tampa, Florida) is a Cuban-American race car driver. He is currently a developmental driver of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in NASCAR. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to pursue a career in racing. Early Career Almirola began racing when he was eight years old, racing go-karts. At 14, he began racing nationally. He won the pole position in his debut in the World Karting Association race and finished fourth in the standings that year. Two years later, he moved up into modifieds and won several Rookie of the Year awards. In 2002, Almirola moved to the NASCAR Sun Belt Weekly Racing Division and finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings. He followed that up with five pole positions in 2003. In 2004, he became one of the first drivers to participate in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. He also signed with Joe Gibbs Racing as a development driver under a partnership with former NFL player Reggie White. Almirola ran the season at Ace Speedway, and won two races before finishing 11th in the points standings. He won five more races at the track in 2005, and made his Truck Series debut with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports and had two top-tens in four races. Joe Gibbs Racing For 2006, Almirola drove the #75 Spears Manufacturing Chevy for Spears Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, as part of the JGR development program. He started every race and had three top-ten finishes, including a best finish of ninth. That season, he also drove nine races in the Busch Series for Gibbs in the #19 Husqvarna/Banquet Foods Chevrolet Monte Carlo. His best finish was an eleventh at Dover International Speedway. He also served as a test driver for Gibbs teammates J. J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin when their Nextel Cup and Busch Series schedules conflicted. Almirola moved up to the Busch series on a regular basis in 2007, driving the #18 and #20 Chevys for Joe Gibbs, driving each car in ten races apiece. He won his second career pole award for the Orbitz 300 at Daytona, and the first he actually took the green flag after winning a pole, as his first pole at Milwaukee, he was forced to relieve the driving duties over to Denny Hamlin. He again won the pole at Milwaukee in 2007, but thought he was going to give up driving duties to Hamlin again. A late team decision allowed Almirola to start the race due to Hamlin not arriving before the start of the race. On lap 59, during a caution period, because of sponsor commitments, Hamlin took over for Almirola while Aric was running in the third place. Hamlin went on to win the race, but Almirola was credited with his first NASCAR Busch Series win because he was the driver who started the race. Almirola did not participate in team victory celebrations after the race as he had already left the track. He asked for, and was granted his release from Joe Gibbs racing a month later. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Following the incident at Milwaukee, Almirola departed Joe Gibbs Racing to join Dale Earnhardt, Inc. following the sale of Ginn Racing. He drove the #01 Chevy in five races in 2007, and had a best finish of thirtieth. Almirola was named co-driver of the #8 United States Army Chevy in the 2008 Sprint Cup, sharing the ride with Mark Martin. His best finish to date is an 8th place finish in the 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol, and his best career start in Sprint Cup is a 3rd place start at the 2008 Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville. Almirola was named the full-time driver of the #8 for the 2009 season. Almirola in the Camping World East Series at Dover in September 2008 won after replacing driver Jeffery Earnhardt. Almirola is not eligible for 2009 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year candidacy, having ran more than 7 races in 2008. 2009 Daytona Duel The team had great success in the days leading up to the 500 as Almirola qualified seventh and posted the fastest practice speed prior to the Duel 150s. Almirola then went on to finish fifth in his Duel. Daytona Almirola and the No. 8 Guitar Hero World Tour team rolled off 11th for The Great American Race. With rain threatening, Almirola found himself in 11th position on lap 142. However, on lap 145 the No. 77 of Sam Hornish Jr. spun Almirola from behind. After saving the car, Amirola found himself in 30th position. The rain came and the cars were called down pit road. NASCAR called the race due to rain, and the No. 8 Guitar Hero team had to settle for a 30th place finish. Fontana Almirola 31st for Sundays Auto Club 500 at the two-mile oval. The team spent the weekend practice sessions fighting handling issues, and those handling issues from practice continued for Almirola as the young driver reported that the car was extremely loose on lap 47. The No. 8 crew went to work when the team pitted under green on lap 84, making numerous changes to the suspension package. But, the issues persisted as Almirola reported that he was hanging on for dear life just past the races midway point. Almirola found his way inside the top 25 with just over 20 laps remaining in the 250 lap race. With only seven laps to go Almirola radioed that he was blowing up. Almirola finished in 35th position. Las Vegas Almirola, in the No. 8 TomTom for the first time this year, found themselves to be victims of misfortune during the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor-Speedway. A late-race spin in turn two that caused damage to the front suspension relegated the team to a 39th place finish after working their way into the top 15. Atlanta Working in the No. 8 Cub Cadet sponsored car for the first time this year, Almirola posted his best finish of the year. Falling victim to an early green pit stop that became yellow when a pit crew member of the Marcos Ambrose team got too close to the track during race conditions while chasing an errant tire, Aric found himself down a lap. Although having one of the stronger cars in the field he was no match for the frontrunners and ended up three laps down with no chance at the lucky dog, Aric kept himself at the front of his group of lapped cars and wound up with a respectable 21st place finish. Aric picked up three spots in the chase for the cup and currently finds himself in 35th position. However, after the Texas race, EGR decided to park the car due to sponsorship troubles. The team was a few spots out of the Top 35 at the time of the decision, which some say is because of the economy. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3948/aric_almirola_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/20090212dg5210.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3948/aric_almirola_bio.html Casey Mears (Bio) Casey James Mears (born March 12, 1978 in Bakersfield, California) is the driver of the #07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Impala SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing. He is the nephew of four time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and the son of Indy and off-road veteran Roger Mears. Open Wheel Racing After racing in go-karts for a season in 1991, Mears began competing in the SuperLites Off-Road Series in 1992 where he posted several top-three finishes. He moved to sprint cars in 1994 and finished third in the Jim Russell USAC Triple Crown Championship, with a win at Mesa Marin Raceway. The next season, he won the championship in the USAC series. In 1996, Mears made his CART's Indy Lights championship series debut at the Cleveland Grand Prix and finished eighth. The following year, he competed full-time in the Indy Lights championship and in 1999 finished second, losing by 14 points. He was also just the fourth driver in Indy Lights series history to complete every lap in a single season. Mears continued to compete in the Indy Lights in 2000 and won his first race at the Grand Prix of Houston meeting in October. After testing Indy Cars for multiple teams in 2000, Mears was offered a chance to drive a third entry for Team Rahal at California Speedway in October. After qualifying 15th and leading 10 laps, he posted a career-best fourth finish in his CART Series debut. He ran three IRL events at the start of the 2001 season, and ended the season by filling in for injured Champ Car driver Alex Zanardi, posting one top-10 finish in four starts. Mears had five CART starts, with one top-5 finish, and three IRL starts, with no top-5 finishes. NASCAR Mears made his NASCAR debut in the Busch Series in 2001 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, driving the 66 car for Cicci-Welliver Racing. He started 21st and finished 28th. When the team was sold to Wayne Jesel the next season, Mears drove for them full-time, finishing 21st in points with two top-ten finishes. To the surprise of many, he was selected by Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the #41 Target Dodge in 2003. In his rookie season, he finished 35th after failing to finish in the top-ten in any race. He drove the car for two additional seasons, and won two poles in 2004. During the 2005 season, it was announced Mears would move to a separate car for Chip Ganassi with Home123 sponsorship, with the #41 to be piloted by Reed Sorenson. The Home123 sponsorship fell through and he instead moved to the #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge for Ganassi, replacing the departing Jamie McMurray. Mears started off 2006 with a then-best career finish of second, holding off Ryan Newman as Jimmie Johnson soared away to win the 2006 Daytona 500. On June 6, 2006, Mears announced that he was leaving Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of the season to join Hendrick Motorsports for the 2007 season, to replace the departing Brian Vickers. On 8 July , he finally won his first NASCAR race, a Busch Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, coasting to the finish after running out of fuel. For the 2007 season, Mears assumed driving duties for the #25 Hendrick Chevrolet, with co-primary sponsorship from the National Guard of the United States and GMAC. On May 27, he won the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte for his first career Nextel Cup victory. Once again, Mears secured the win with a fuel gamble, taking the lead with five laps remaining when most of the other lead lap cars stopped for fuel. Mears stretched his fuel to the finish, running out moments after his first checkered flag. 2008 Cup Car In 2008 Mears moved to the Alan Gustafson-led No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUESTChevrolet Impala formerly driven by Kyle Busch. On July 4, 2008, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick and current DEI driver Mark Martin both announced that Martin will replace Mears in the #5 car for the 2009 season, running a full-time schedule for the first time since 2006, with the same Kellogg's/Carquest as a sponsor.[1] On August 23, 2008, Mears was announced as the driver of Richard Childress Racing's No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Impala SS. The previous driver of the car, Clint Bowyer, will drive the team's new No. 33 General Mills Chevrolet Impala SS.[2] In his first season at RCR, Mears has notched 2 top ten finishes. After struggling after the first seven races of the year, Richard Childress switched the crew cheifs of Harvick and Mears, hoping for a better performance from his two drivers. the move worked for Mears, where Harvick has continues to struggle. Going into Daytona, Mears ranks 20th and Harvick ranks 27th. GrandAm Mears teamed with Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon on January 29, 2006 to win the 44th annual Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona for Chip Ganassi racing. They set a race record for the Daytona Prototype category, running 723 laps in 24 hours to score the win. Mears became the first ever full-time NASCAR driver to win the Rolex 24 overall. In 2009 Mears shared the #2 Gentleman Jack Pontiac-Crawford with Andy Wallace, Rob Finley and Danica Patrick. They suffered electrical and handling issues during the race and finished eighth. http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3942/casey_mears_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/casey_hood.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3942/casey_mears_bio.html Carl Edwards (Bio) Carl Michael Edwards, II (born August 15, 1979) is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series driver for Roush Fenway Racing. In the Sprint Cup Series, Edwards Drives the #99 Aflac Ford Fusion. He also Drives the #60 Ford Fusion in the Nationwide Series, which is sponsored by Scotts-Miracle Gro (and their brands, Scotts, Miracle-Gro, Ortho and Roundup), Save-A-Lot Food Stores, Citigroup, Vitaminwater, and the World Financial Group. Early Career Edwards grew up in Columbia, Missouri, watching his father, Carl, Sr., race, and was inspired to do the same. Carl, Sr. has been racing modified stock cars and USAC midget sprint cars for over four decades, winning over 200 races. Carl, Jr.'s career began in 1993, when he raced Minicup cars all over the Midwest. His success was not far off, in 1994, he won four feature races in the MMRA National Future stars Minicup series. He added a combined total of 14 wins from the 1995 and 1996 seasons. Carl attended the University of Missouri, and was a substitute teacher when he began racing in NASCAR. NASCAR Edwards' big break came in 2001, when he competed in 7 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events for MB Motorsports. His best finish in the seven races was 8th at Kansas Speedway. He also ran one Busch Series race for Bost Motorsports, finishing 38th at Gateway International Raceway. However, it was enough to impress Jack Roush, and Edwards became a full-time Truck Series competitor in 2003, driving the #99 Ford F-150 sponsored by Superchips. He won Rookie-of-the-Year honors in addition, to three race wins, eventually finishing 8th in the points standings at the end of the season. In 2004, he notched three more race wins, including the season-opening Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at the Daytona International Speedway. At season's end, Edwards finished 4th in the points. In August 2004, he made his NEXTEL Cup Series debut, replacing Jeff Burton, who left the team, in the No. 99 Ford Taurus for Roush Racing, at the Michigan International Speedway. He finished 10th. He drove the #99 Ford for the remainder of the 2004 NEXTEL Cup. He also once again ran one Busch Series race; this time for Bobby Benton's RAB Racing team at Bristol Motor Speedway with sponsorship from Mac Tools. 2005 In 2005, Edwards became a full-time driver in both the NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series. He has already won races in each, and he made history in the process of winning. On March 19, 2005, Edwards won the Aaron's 312 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, recording his first Busch Series win. The next day, he beat Jimmie Johnson by 2-hundredths of a second to win the Golden Corral 500 at the same track for his first NEXTEL Cup Series win. Until this took place, no driver had ever won both the Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series races in the same weekend at Atlanta, although the feat had been pulled off numerous times before at other tracks by other drivers. Also, Edwards became the first driver in NASCAR history to pick up his first career Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series wins in the same weekend, and became the eleventh driver in NASCAR history to win races in all three of the organization's major racing series. On June 12, 2005, Edwards picked up his second NEXTEL Cup win by taking the checkered flag at the Pocono 500 at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The weekend was somewhat bittersweet for Edwards, as the Busch Series race at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee had been rained out the night before, and rescheduled for the same day. Even worse, qualifying for that race had been rained out, too, and in NASCAR, when qualifying is rained out, the starting grid is set by owner points. Through this process, Edwards was awarded pole, but Hank Parker Jr. ended up driving the car to a 20th place finish. Since Edwards did not start the race he was not awarded any points, and as such lost a 74 point lead in Busch Series points and dropped to fourth in the standings; Edwards never recovered from the missed race and finished the season third in points, well behind eventual series champion Martin Truex, Jr.. Edwards got his third win of 2005 on October 30 in the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Edwards got his fourth win at Texas and became the tenth different driver to win at that track, and the fifth to win there for Roush Racing. By finishing the remainder of the 2004 season in the NEXTEL #99 car, he was not eligible to compete for the 2005 Rookie of the Year in NEXTEL Cup, but did win the 2005 Busch Series Rookie of the Year. 2006 In 2006, Carl Edwards' and Roush Racing struggled to keep up with the competition. Edwards did not win a race in 2006. His best finish was at Michigan Speedway where he finished 2nd. 2007 On May 18, 2007, Edwards won the pole for the 2007 NEXTEL Open, and while he lead almost the entire 40 lap race, he faded to third in the last few laps, just missing the feature event. On June 17, 2007 Carl Edwards broke his 52 race winless streak in the Nextel Cup by winning the Citizens Bank 400. Shortly thereafter, on July 23, he dislocated his thumb in an eleven car pileup at a late model race at Nebraska Raceway Park (formerly I-80 Speedway) near Lincoln, Nebraska. Carl won his second race of the 2007 season, and sixth career Cup race, at the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 25. During the post-race interview on Victory Lane, Edwards commented on the race, saying, "This is the biggest win of my career". At the conclusion of the first 26 races, the 2007 "regular season", Edwards ranked 6th in overall standings, with 3372 points, 477 points behind overall points leader Jeff Gordon. Edwards entered the 2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup in 4th place, with 5020 points, based on his two wins in the 2007 season, clinching a spot in the Chase after his win at the Sharpie 500 at Bristol. Edwards struggled through the Chase despite winning at Dover during the Chase. The Hendrick duo of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon dominated the Chase for the Championship winning six of the 10 races and finishing #1 and #2 in the final 2007 standings. Edwards finished ninth in the final 2007 standings. On November 3, 2007, Edwards clinched his first NASCAR Busch Series Championship by finishing 11th at the O'Reilly Challenge. This came despite struggling in the second half of the Busch Series season. Edwards became the 19th different Busch Series Champion in the 26 years of the modern-era series. 2008 2008 was Carl Edwards strongest year for Edwards finishing second to Jimmie Johnson in the NASCARSprint Cup Series Edwards won the 2008 Auto Club 500 his 1st Sprint Cup win of the year. The following week, Edwards won the UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his first back to back victories since 2005 when he won back to back in Atlanta and Texas. These victories would put Edwards at the top of the point standings for the first time in his career. However, following the Las Vegas win, on March 5, 2008, NASCAR penalized Edwards, owner Jack Roush, and crew chief Bob Osborne for violations found in post-race inspection. The #99 car driven by Edwards was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A, 12-4-Q, and 20-2.1J of the 2008 NASCAR rulebook, specifically the cover was off the oil tank. The violations were found during post-race inspection at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 2. The following penalties were levied by NASCAR: Edwards was fined 100 driver points and stripped his 10 bonus points for the Las Vegas win which would be used to seat him in the Chase for Championship (should he make The Chase). Roush was fined 100 owner points and Osborne was suspended for six races and fined $100,000. RFR may contest the penalty, but only for the basis of drivers and owners points lost, as Osborne will begin serving his suspension. However, others in the garage, such as Ryan Newman, Elliot Sadler, and Lee White of Toyota have criticized the Roush Fenway team, saying that it was intentional. A similar penalty involving the #0 JD Motorsports team, who also had their oil tank top removed, was contested by the team but was not lifted.Edwards was leading the Kobalt Tools 500 looking for his 3rd consecutive victory, but on lap 274 his car began to smoke and his crew diagnosed the problem as a broken transmission. Edwards went on to finish 42nd. On April 7, he won the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway for his third win of the season. On May 2, Edwards announced that he had signed a multi-year contract to remain with Roush Fenway Racing.[1] It was announced that Aflac will be the full time sponsor of the 99 car in 2009. This was the largest sponsorship contract that Roush Fenway Racing has ever signed. On August 3, Carl got his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup victory of the season, surviving a rain delay and fuel shortage to win at Pocono. On August 17, Carl Edwards dominated the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway capturing his fifth win of the season and surpassing his career high season win total of four in 2005. On August 24, Carl Edwards earned another victory by winning the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The win was his second consecutive and sixth of the season. He did a bump and run Kyle Busch in the closing laps to take the win from the dominant driver of the night. Busch showed his displeasure with Edwards after the race by driving into the side of Edwards' car, to which he returned the favor by spinning Kyle out. On October 26, Edwards earned his 7th victory of the season with a win in the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta. On November 2, Edwards tied Kyle Busch for the series wins lead by winning his second Dickies 500 at Texas, his eighth win of the season. He reduced his deficit in the points to 106 behind Jimmie Johnson. On November 9 at Phoenix, Edwards finished fourth behind race winner Johnson, who by virtue of the win and the 10 bonus points he earned for leading one lap and the most laps took a 141-point lead over Edwards. Edwards won the season finale at Homestead to take over the series wins lead for the season, extending his career high win total to nine. However, he did not finish far ahead enough of Johnson to take the Sprint Cup championship, as Johnson finished fifteenth and led at least one lap to win the championship by 69 points over Edwards (who led the most laps). 2009 Heading into the 2009 Nascar Sprint Cup Season, Carl Edwards will be sponsored by Aflac, Subway for three races, and Claritin for one race. The Office Depot sponsorship heads over to Tony Stewart and his Stewart-Haas team. In the #99 Claritin car, on the final lap of the April 26, 2009 Talledega race (Aarons 499) Edwards survived one of the most violent crashes in NASCAR history. Heading into the trioval with the lead, Brad Keselowski attempted to make the pass. Following this, Edwards came down the track and touched the right front side of Keselowski's car, sending him spinning. Edwards bounced off Ryan Newman, and flipped airborne into the catchfence. Edwards emerged from the car unharmed and sprinted on foot over the start/finish line to the cheers of the crowd. Eight fans were injured, the worst being a woman with a broken jaw. The woman was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Other Racing On June 6, 2007, Carl won the 2007 NEXTEL Prelude to the Dream at the Eldora Speedway. The Prelude is a dirt late model race organized in part by Tony Stewart, owner of Eldora, to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp and other worthy causes. Over 20 NEXTEL Cup drivers participated in the heat races and 30-lap feature, along with other drivers from different forms of motorsports. Edwards started second in the feature and held off Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon to win. Edwards participated in the 2008 Race of Champions, partnered by Tanner Foust. While in the individual event Edwards faced 7-time Formula One Champion Michael Schumacher and defeated him. In the next round, however, Edwards was defeated by eventual runner-up David Coulthard. Personal Life Edwards once dated Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Amanda Beard. Carl Edwards is close friends with WWE Superstar John Cena. The two first met at the taping of Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race in 2007. Edwards is a first cousin once removed to fellow NASCAR driver Ken Schrader, who furiously told Edwards early in his racing career to get dirt track experience before going to Cup; he would later take the advice. In light of this relationship, Edwards is often referred to as "Cousin Carl." Edwards would give a business card to other teams for his services before getting a ride with Roush Racing. Off the track, Carl has been busy promoting his new record label, Back40 Records, a company he started with a high school friend back in Columbia, Missouri.[3] During the week of the Auto Club 500, Edwards participated in taping of the Fox television series 24, where he played Homeland Security Agent Jim Hill. It has been rumored that he is the cousin of Buffalo Bills Quarterback Trent Edwards. During an interview with Dave Hollander of AOL Sports [4], Hollander asked if Carl's cousin Trent Edwards had the same allergies as he did. After Carl replied that, "My old cousin Trent...he probably has the same kind of stuff I do," Roush Fenway Racing Senior Account Manager Randy Fuller said he didn't know that Trent Edwards was Carl's cousin. In response to Fuller, Edwards said, "He isnt. Im just rollin with it." Edwards and Dr. Katherine "Kate" Downey were married January 3, 2009.[5][6] On April 5, 2009 Edwards appeared at WWE Wrestlemania XXV as it was in Houston, TX as so was the NASCAR race at Texas earlier in the day. Athleticism Edwards has appeared on the covers of ESPN The Magazine and Men's Health shirtless, displaying his muscular body. He appeared in an Under Armour commercial during Super Bowl XLII. For a NASCAR driver, Edwards spends a lot of time developing his body, as photos of his abdominal and pectoral muscles have shown. Edwards made an appearance on the February 22, 2006 episode of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Ferguson produced the cover of the February issue of ESPN The Magazine which featured a bare-chested photo of Edwards. Joking that Edwards' nipples seemed far apart, Ferguson suggested this was due to the high rates of speed at which Edwards often traveled. Edwards is popular among fans for celebrating his wins by doing a backflip off his car (or truck), a style of celebration he took from sprint car driver Tyler Walker. Seizing on the popularity of Edwards' trademark celebrations, Ford has recently run several "Overactive Adrenaline Disorder" commercials featuring a "young Carl" performing backflips in his baby crib, off of a couch, and off a doctors exam table. Edwards also performed his signature backflip not once, but twice in a recent This Is Sportscenter commercial when he tried to cheer up anchor Neil Everett following a bad show. He has recently appeared in Aflac Commercials with the Aflac duck driving the #99 car and doing Carl's trademark backflip which causes Carl Edwards to utter "I taught him that!". After his win in Milwaukee in the Nationwide Series in 2008, Edwards opted out of his typical backflip. NHRA racer Scott Kalitta was killed earlier that day and Edwards felt his backflip was inappropriate. Races Won (2008 2003) Sprint Cup 2008 Auto Club 500 at California Speedway - February 25, 2008 UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway - March 2, 2008 Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway - April 6, 2008 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway - August 3, 2008 3M Performance 400 Presented by Bondo at Michigan International Speedway - August 17, 2008 Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway - August 23, 2008 Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway - October 26, 2008 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway - November 2, 2008 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway - November 16, 2008 2007 Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway - June 17, 2007 Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway - August 25, 2007 Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover International Speedway - September 23, 2007 2005 Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway - March 20, 2005 Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway - June 12, 2005 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway - October 30, 2005 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway - November 6, 2005 Nationwide Series 2009 NorthernTool.com 250 at The Milwaukee Mile - June 20, 2009 2008 Camping World RV Rental 250 at The Milwaukee Mile - June 21, 2008 Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway - July 19, 2008 Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway - August 16, 2008 Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond International Raceway - September 7, 2008 Kroger On Track For The Cure 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park - October 25, 2008 Hefty Odor Block 200 at Phoenix International Raceway - November 8, 2008 Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway - November 15, 2008 2007 Sharpie Mini 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway - March 24, 2007 Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway - April 7, 2007 Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway - June 2, 2007 Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway - June 9, 2007 2006 Carquest Auto Parts 300 - at Lowe's Motor Speedway - May 27, 2006 Federated Auto Parts 300 - at Nashville Superspeedway - June 10, 2006 New England 200 - at New Hampshire International Speedway - July 15, 2006 Busch Silver Celebration 250 Presented by Shop 'n Save - at Gateway International Raceway - July 29, 2006 2005 Aaron's 312 - at Atlanta Motor Speedway - March 19, 2005 Funai 250 - at Richmond International Raceway - May 13, 2005 Meijer 300 presented by Oreo - at Kentucky Speedway - June 18, 2005 Ameriquest 300 - at California Speedway - September 3, 2005 Arizona 200 - at Phoenix International Raceway - November 12, 2005 Camping World Truck Series 2004 Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway - February 13, 2004 O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway - July 3, 2004 O'Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline Maxlife at Bristol Motor Speedway - August 25, 2004 2003 Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway - July 12, 2003 Power Stroke Diesel 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park - August 1, 2003 Federated Auto Parts 200 at Nashville Superspeedway - August 8, 2003 http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3941/carl_edwards_bio.html http://www.yourdiecast.com/images/products/b-Carl-Edwards-driver--434397cd8fde.jpg http://www.yourdiecast.com/content-product_info/product_id-3941/carl_edwards_bio.html