Round 4: Atlanta Prerace Interviews

See what the drivers of today's race have to say in preparation for Round 4 at Atlanta.

Nikoo Azizkhan (11th in points, 67 points behind):

"We (Nikoo & I) decided that we were going to make the car as comfortable as we can for her. This is a track that we on the team are all comfortable with ,and we have some winning experience at. With the setup we have, we're just going to let the race speak for itself."

Roger Sandri (12th in points, 75 points behind):
"I like Atlanta, but I usually don't run as well here. However, some of the tracks I run great at I haven't been doing so of late, so we'll have to see how it goes. I'm just hoping not to take a hit like AJ did in testing.




Adam Sweet (8th in points, 57 points behind):
"Judging on previous history, I expect to run in the back the whole race."



Malcom Johnson (4th in points, 25 points behind):
"I'll take a top 5 finish. It will help us in the points to win the championship. I think it will be hard to beat the #03 of Adam Sweet; he will be a big factor in the race."


AJ Stravato (3rd in points, 25 points behind):
"Let the race speak for itself."



JJ Jordan (9th in points, 61 points behind):
"Well, all I'm saying is that I'm not going to be afraid to move other people out of the way in order to win. Also, why is MJ dancing with a chicken?"


Michael James (10th in points, 64 points behind):
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken."

Round 3: Martinsville Post Race Interviews

Here's what the drivers had to say following round three at Martinsville.

Roger Sandri (Finished 7th):
"Pait drove a great race. I on the other hand, found myself with another midpack finish.I'm beginning to feel like Casey Mears must........."


JJ Jordan (Finished 13th):
"Well, first this idiot cameraman hits me trying to get an interview and now I have to take some Excedrin in order to fix it. Anyway, we had a bad day, just because of no cautions."



AJ Stravato (Finished 11th):
Crappy car: crappy day. Enough said."


Josh Mertz (Finished 12th):
"I don't know why I even signed up for this league, to have this bad of luck."


Jake Keel (Finished 8th):
Wow, that was a long race. It took everything I had to keep the top ten. But solid top ten finish and we had a better finish than the car should've. Thanks to my crew for giving me a chance this week, but our setups need work.

Adam Sweet (Finished 2nd):
"Get that *deleted* camera out of my face..."


Series Director, Zack Webster:
"Nothing on the good 2nd place finish getting you to 8th in points?"

Adam:
"Knowing what could have been, no, not really.

Bryant Wombles (Finished 3rd):
"Another great run for the 89. We're slowly but surely closing in on that points lead! Now if we can just keep this momentum going and grab a few wins! Congrats to Josh [Pait] on his victory."

Malcom Johnson (Finished 4th):

"I will take a 4th place finish any day. As long as we are running the same way we have, I think we will win the championship."

Round 3: Martinsville Prerace Interviews

See what the drivers of today's race have to say in preparation for Round 3 at Martinsville.

Jake Keel (7th in points, 41 points behind):
"After last week's and our good run in testing, I'm feeling good about our race team today. Things are looking up."


Bryant Wombles (6th in points, 39 points behind):
"Hopefully we can build on the momentumn from last week's great finish and capitalize in the points at one of my best tracks. I'm really hoping to win one of those grandfather clocks today!"


Mike Oppenheimer (Point Leader, 345 points):
"Oh Buddeh, it's Martinsville!"



Malcom Johnson (4th in points, 35 points behind):
"48 going to win!"



Roger Sandri (11th in points, 71 points behind):
Well, I really like this place so I'm hoping it decides to like me today and convince lady luck to be on my side. If I can avoid any incidents and drive a mistake-free race, I should get a good finish if not hopefully a win.


AJ Stravato (2nd in points, 5 points behind):
"Well, today is going to be a big crap shoot for us. We weren't too good in practice races here lately. However my crew has done a great job adjusting the car before every race, so I'm confident that my crew will nail the setup. It all starts with a good qualifying position. If we qualify better than 4th, you all better watch out......."

01.22.2010: Martinsvillle AI Test 1

A very quiet AI test at Martinsville. No cautions or wrecks. Further AI tweaking will be needed.


Drafting Distance: 1.0
ai_dlat_pad: 1.0
Race Winner: #81 Josh Mertz
Cautions: 0 for 0 laps

Notes:
Lap 25: #09 Oppenheimer blows an engine; camshaft problems.
Lap 50: #81 Mertz wins from the pole.

Round 2: Eight Bowl Winner Speaks

Banner Holds Off a Hard-Charging Stravato to Win at Eight Bowl

"We needed the win, I knew we had the power to do it. The win propelled us up the standings and I am very pleased. Wooooooooo Hoooooooooo!!!!"

Round 2: Eight Bowl Post Race Interviews

Here's what the drivers had to say following today's race at Eight Bowl.

Roger Sandri (Finished 12th):

"Just got wrapped up in somebody else's mess is all. Nothing myself or my crew can do there except fix up the car better than it was before so we can be ahead of any situations that may arise. The lead is the safest place to be, especially when you have a substantial gap between second."

Adam Sweet (Finished 13th):

"No comment."

NIkoo Azizkhan (Finished 10th):

"Well, we didn't do good, but we didn't do bad. The team stayed really strong today but we didn't really get the results. We look forward to seeing what happens when we get to Martinsville next week. The league we ran in didn't include the short track on the schedule. Nikoo has little short track experience, so we'll have to wait and see how she does during that race."

AJ Stravato (Finished 3rd):

"Well, what can I say? We had led the most laps, had the best car, and I couldn't pull it off. Eight Bowl is a very hard race track on us drivers with the high banking left and right turns, so I was getting a little tired at the end of the race there. I just gave it away to David [Banner] and Jake [Keel] at the end. I think I should have pulled it of, yes. However, I will take another 3rd place finish any day of the week.

Overall, my spotter and crew chief have been great this season so far and I can't forget my guys back at the shop.

Only five points from the points lead is pretty sweet. But I can't be too overconfident heading into next week. Anything can happen then.

Either way, I'm disappointed about the win slipping away, but I'm also very happy with my team's chemestry."

Mike Oppenheimer (Finished 5th):
"Though not as good as we were expecting, I'll take a points lead anyday. JJ [Jordan] dropped back quite a bit, but now AJ's on my [censored]. Hopefully the big wrecks he's had in testing will rattle him up a bit and keep off us!"

Jake Keel (Finished 2nd):

"Well, we had a great run in the 88 today. Duane really got the setup rocking. I'd like to thank everyone on my crew for giving me a great car and we really put our team in a big step forward today. Thank you NOS for sponsoring this great series and my sprint car team for helping me win the championships needed to get me into this series.

Michael James (Finished 14th):

"No comment."

JJ Jordan (Finished 11th):
"Well, we won the pole today, we got off to a good start, but we got collected in a wreck. Despite being the last car on the lead lap, I think we had an okay rebound. We are going to have to make up those points right now, but honestly I'm not going to take being tied for third for granted. I am in a very good spot here right now."

Round 2: Eight Bowl Prerace Interviews

See what the drivers of today's race have to say in preparation for Round 2 at Eight Bowl.

Mike Oppenheimer (Point Leader):
"We're gonna win, enough said."



JJ Jordan (2nd in points, 10 points behind):
"Uh, the #43 team is ready for whatever comes. Hopefully, we can make up at least 11 points today."


Michael James (6th in points, 30 points behind):
"Well, I've been very impressed lately with my team and how we have preformed. We won the third practice and now we feel that we are in very comfortable position to win it. Expect our car up front today."


Malcom Johnson (4th in points, 25 points behind):
"Well, I think we have a good car and will be able to keep the #09 [Mike Oppenheimer] from winning 3 in a row."

01.15.2010: NOS IROC Update 1

No AI testing today or tomorrow at the Eight Bowl Speedway. The next time the series hits the track will be on Sunday at 3:00 CT for Round 2 of the championship.

01.14.2010: Eight Bowl AI Test 4

Overall, just a quiet race. Nothing too special to talk about. Also, I did not get any screenshots for this. Here are the specs:

Drafting Distance: 1.07
ai_dlat_pad: 1.0
Race Winner: #24 AJ Stravato
Cautions: 1 for 3 laps


Notes:

Lap 17, Turn 4: #03 Adam Sweet almost turns #81 Josh Mertz in front of traffic, stacks up the field.

Caution 1: Lap 18, Turn 2: #09 Mike Oppenheimer spins in traffic, no one else hits him.

During Caution 1, Lap 19: #56 Nikoo Azizkhan and #52 Zack Johnson wreck after taking the caution.

During Caution 1, Lap 20: Putting previous bad luck behind him, #24 AJ Stravato wins under caution.

01.13.2009: Eight Bowl AI Test 3

The third AI test at Eight Bowl has ended. Fantastic racing and more controlled AI was what I saw here. Here are the specs:

Drafting Distance: 1.1
ai_dlat_pad: 1.0
Race Winner: #31 Michael James
Cautions: 1 for 5 laps


Notes:
Lap 1: #52 Zack Johnson follows the pace car down pit road for unknown reasons, takes the green on pit road. (Finishes 3rd)

Caution 1, Lap 5: #13 Roger Sandri turns #03 Adam Sweet into #56 Nikoo Azizkhan. Sweet and Azizkhan goes back up the track and into #43 JJ Jordan. Jordan makes spectacular save and keeps going, though off the pace. Azizkhan retired immediately after due to ignition problems.

During Caution 1, Lap 9: #94 Josh Pait blows an engine. Would be confirmed 2 laps later to be a broken header.

Lap 19, Turn 4: #13 Roger Sandri bounces hard off of two straightaway walls coming to the checkered following contact with #88 Jake Keel and #81 Josh Mertz.

Overall, I think I've found the perfect AI setup for Eight Bowl. Will start with 1.05 drafting distance tomorrow.

01.12.2010 Eight Bowl AI Test 2

The second AI test at Eight Bowl has been completed and I saw results far better than I expected! Overall, it was a very tense race. Here are the specs:

AI Drafting Distance: 1.0
ai_dlat_pad: 1.0
Race Winner: 52 Zack Johnson
Cautions: 1 for 5 laps


Notes:

• Caution 1, Lap 5: 5 car crash in turn 3. Involved #03 Adam Sweet, #9 David Banner, #24 AJ Stravato, #56 Nikoo Azizkhan, #09 Mike Oppenheimer. Starts when Nikoo Azizkhan turns the #9 of Banner into the #03 of Sweet. Banner and Sweet go up the track and collect the #24 of Stravato. Meanwhile, Azizkhan and Oppenheimer bounce off each other and keep going. Stravato would finish 14th, out of the race along with Sweet who finished 13th. Banner would continue and finish 1 lap down in 12th.
• Lap 10, Turn 1: #09 Mike Oppenheimer, #94 Josh Pait, and #89 Bryant Wombles all avoid wrecking
• Lap 10, Turn 3: #43 JJ Jordan, #56 Nikoo Azizkhan, and #81 Josh Mertz all save their wrecking cars.
• Lap 16, Turn 4: #94 Josh Pait and #48 Malcom Johnson pop the wall trying to miss Josh Mertz's nearly wrecking car.

01.11.2010: Eight Bowl AI Test 1

The first of five AI Tests at the Eight Bowl Speedway began today and needless to say, there was early success:

Drafting Distance: 1.2

ai_dlat_pad: 1.0

Race Winner: 52 Zack Johnson

Cautions: 0 for 0 laps

Notes: Though the race went caution free, there was a single car crash on lap 4 when #24 AJ Stravato spun across the nose of Michael James off of turn 4. Stravato would finish the race 1 lap down, but with the main pack.

01.10.2010: Round 1: Daytona Winner Speaks

Mike Oppenheimer Repeats Shootout With Win at Daytona

"I apologize [for] how late I am, the boys in Victory Lane got a little crazy....As I said in the pre-race festivities, we dominated the Shootout, and we dominated today. We went from last to first on the first lap, and after that, I knew I had a good car under me. After getting around Roger [Sandri] on lap 12, I just put my head down and didn't look back. Hopefully we can keep this level of performance throughout the season. I'd like to thank my crew, NOS Energy, and Series Director, Zack Webster for a fantastic weekend!"

01.10.2010: Daytona Post Race Discussion

Here's what the NOS IROC Series drivers had to say about their runs today at Daytona:

Michael James (Finished 6th)

"My car was ok today. I had a hell of a fast car but it wobbled in the corners and it wasn't good. I had a better day than I expected"

AJ Stravato (Finished 3rd)

"Our #24 NOS IROC car was great, but it was a tad loose off the corners. I think that was the difference maker for us today, we over adjusted a little bit too much before the race. But I'll take a top three finish any day.

I gotta congratulate Mike Oppenheimer and the rest of his team. His team was just flawless throughout all of the practice races Daytona, and he showed what great of a team he has. He's going to be a big contender throughout the season.

We had a big crash at Atlanta a little while back and I'll admit, I was a little bit nervous today. Once I hopped into that car though, that thought was in the back of my mind.

Overall, I'm very happy with a 3rd place finish. I'm looking forward to Eight Bowl next week. We have a great base setup there. Hopefully we won't disappoint."

Jake Keel (Finished 13th)

"Well, the car just couldn't handle in [turns] 2 and 4.... It was just how I liked it going into the corners but coming out I got wicked loose and had to use my dirt racing techniques that didn't work too well with the restrictor plates. Duane [#88 crew chief] just couldn't figure out what changes to make. We even tried our setup from the Shootout. We will be back next week."

Adam Sweet (Finished 10th)

"Well, I do believe my crew chief is gonna be fired. We haven't run well any time. Practice races, the Shootout, even this race. I expect more out of my crew and they can't deliver. There's gonna be 15 guys looking for a job."


Josh Mertz (Finished 14th)

According to a crew member on Mertz's team:

"Josh was unhappy about his run, as soon as he got out of his car, [he] got in his limo and left the track."

JJ Jordan (Finished 2nd)

"Good run for the #43. I will always take second, especially at a plate race."

Malcom Johnson (Finished 4th)

"Well, we did very good. A top 5 finish out of 14 cars. We hope we will be in contention for next week's race to get a good finish to take the point lead after next week"

Nikoo Azizkhan (Finished 5th)

From Car Owner:

"Don't forget about my entry, she's looking for another S&L highlight! The guys (and girls) from the S&L Racing Shop all pour their heart into all their cars, and I expect nonetheless from my driver in the NOS IROC Series. Expect us to be around come Daytona again."

Bryant Wombles (Finished 7th)

"Not exactly the run we were hoping for in the 89, but after starting in the back it was a good solid finish. Considering how quickly something can go wrong here we'll take this and hopefully we can keep building on it!"