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T.J. Bell from Sparks has a sponsor for the Coca-Cola 600

MIAMI, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Green Smoke®, one of the nation’s leading electronic cigarette brands, is proud to announce that it will sponsor T.J. Bell in the 52nd running of the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 29th at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bell, who is known to NASCAR fans in the Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series, will pilot the No. 50 Green Smoke® Toyota Camry in his first attempt to qualify for NASCAR’s longest race on the sport’s largest stage – the Sprint Cup Series.

Green Smoke’s sponsorship of Bell will mark its first NASCAR endeavor, as well as the first NASCAR sponsorship by any organization within the electronic cigarette industry.

T.J. Bell from Sparks, NV and the No. 50 Green Smoke Toyota Camry.
T.J. Bell from Sparks, NV and the No. 50 Green Smoke Chevrolet.

“One of the world’s signature televised sporting events, NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 is the ideal global platform to showcase the partnership of Green Smoke® and T.J. Bell, a talented NASCAR driver who is making the move to NASCAR’s premiere division, the Sprint Cup Series,” states Steven Arnold, VP of Marketing & Customer Satisfaction for Green Smoke®, an industry leader in providing an authentic, alternative smoking experience.

“NASCAR represents the passion and peak performance of American race car driving to a worldwide audience and T.J. Bell epitomizes the NASCAR competitive spirit at its very best,” continued Arnold. “A gifted driver at the threshold of an exciting career, T.J.’s talent has captured the attention of the American public in past performances in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Bell’s No. 50 Green Smoke® Toyota Camry will be state-of-the-art equipment. We look forward to seeing Bell and the Green Smoke® Toyota Camry competing among the biggest names in NASCAR.”

“Every driver goes into racing wanting to compete at the highest level possible. Green Smoke® has come on board to make racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series a reality for me and I’m looking forward to putting our No. 50 Green Smoke® Toyota Camry to the test at Charlotte,” said Bell, who currently resides in Mooresville, NC. “This is a big step forward for my career and Green Smoke® couldn’t have picked a more perfect market to promote its product. I’m looking forward to a great future with Green Smoke® and a very exciting Coca-Cola 600 debut.”

T.J. Bell (Timothy Peter Bell, Jr.), born August 25, 1980 in Sparks, NV, has raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series. Prior to joining the stock car racing scene, he made a name for himself in the Toyota Atlantics Series. Bell has raced for more than two decades, accumulating 20 top-10 finishes in ARCA competition and 13 NASCAR career top-10s.

Green Smoke® will sponsor Bell’s No. 50 Toyota Camry for at least three Sprint Cup events this season.

About Green Smoke®

Green Smoke® Inc. is based in Miami, FL and was founded to provide smokers with an exciting new alternative to traditional cigarettes. As a leading electronic cigarette brand, Green Smoke® was amongst the first companies to deliver a simple two piece e-cigarette. Today, Green Smoke® continues to pride itself on consistently delivering the highest quality products and the most authentic e-cigarette smoking experience.

To follow T.J. Bell, visit http://tj-bell.com or on Twitter @TJBell_Racing.

J.R. Hildebrand from Sausalito is the Fastest Rookie at Indy

For those of you following the progress of Northern California native, J.R. Hildebrand in his rookie year in the IZOD IndyCar Series, it has been an exciting week. J.R. has been impressive in each new challenge and it continued this week in Indianapolis. The leader in the Rookie of the Year standings all year, showed that he is not your average rookie, completing the rookie orientation in a little over an hour and was the fastest on the track. Another NorCal rookie is former NASCAR Sprint Cup and Formula One driver Scott Speed from Manteca, CA. The following is a press release from Panther Racing.

J.R. Hildebrand from Sausalito, CA on the track at Indy.
J.R. Hildebrand from Sausalito, CA on the track at Indy.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – (May 12, 2011) – It took National Guard Panther Racing driver JR Hildebrand just over an hour to complete the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s four-phase Rookie Orientation Program on Thursday afternoon, and by the end of the day the 23-year-old Californian was the fastest of the seven rookies who participated. Hildebrand was joined on Thursday by fellow IZOD IndyCar Series rookies Scott Speed, James Hinchcliffe, James Jakes, Ho-Pin Tung, Charlie Kimball and former Panther Firestone Indy Lights driver Pippa Mann.

“This is pretty cool being at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and part of the big show for the first time,” Hildebrand said. “This is why we’re all here – everybody wants to compete in the Indianapolis 500, and it’s a big deal when you get to be a part of this event. We were actually able to complete all four phases (of ROP) in just three runs so we’re happy to get that out of the way. You can definitely feel how much quicker it is compared to the Firestone Indy Lights car, 20-30 mph quicker, and that makes a big difference all the way around the track.”

Hildebrand posted a quick lap of 221.533 mph, 40.6260 seconds and he turned a total of 68 laps on the day. Hildebrand’s teammate Buddy Rice, driver of Panther’s No. 44 entry, was on hand for the majority of the day and was quick to assist Hildebrand with nuances of the Speedway’s tricky 2.5-mile oval. Rice and Hildebrand had come to the track on Wednesday afternoon and did some laps in a road car together in preparation of Hildebrand taking his first laps today.

“It’s such a big help having Buddy Rice around as well,” JR continued. “He and I have gotten along really well and we came out here yesterday just shooting the bull about what’s going on on the racetrack and he shared some little things he’s picked up over the years, I know he’s going to be a great teammate and a great addition all around to the team. The two of us together can definitely propel things forward for the entire team throughout the month.”

ROP consists of four phases a driver much complete to participate in practice for the Indianapolis 500. The driver must complete: five laps between 200-205 mph; 10 laps between 205-210 mph; 10 laps between 210-215 mph and 10 laps above 215 mph.

NorCal driver J.R. Hildebrand currently 16th in the IndyCar points standings.
NorCal driver J.R. Hildebrand, currently 16th in the IndyCar points standings.

Hildebrand is the current leader in the IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year point standings. He made two starts at Indianapolis during his Indy Lights career, finishing runner-up in 2009, the year he won the series championship, and led the race on two occasions for a total of 23 laps.

“In terms of the feel of the car; I’ve always said the Indy Lights car is a great proving ground for the IndyCar – the feel is very similar and they’re both on Firestone tires and both on Dallara chassis,” Hildebrand continued. “We were flat chat all the way around during our last run when getting through the last phase of ROP so it’s very special to be here and able to take this all in, especially on a day like today when there’s not a lot of people out here.”

He becomes the third Panther rookie to attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, joining Tomas Enge (2005) and Mark Taylor (2004). Enge started in the 10th position and was running inside the Top Ten when he was taking out by Danica Patrick, who spun during a Lap 154 restart during her rookie season. Taylor started 14th and finished 30th after contact with fellow rookie Ed Carpenter early in the race.

Open Day at Indianapolis is Saturday when the track will be open for all drivers and teams hoping to make the 33-car field for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. Pole Day qualifications will take place the following Saturday with Bump Day commencing a week from Sunday to solidify the ‘500’ lineup.

The 95th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, May 29th at 12:00 pm (ET) with additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, XM Channel 145 and Sirius Channel 121.

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com – www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

A.J. Allmendinger from Los Gatos Looking For First Win at Dover

A.J. Allmendinger believes he is close to getting the first win of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career. Every week he leaves the track a little more confident. A.J. recently explained that Dover is a track he believes is made for him. He spoke to Dave Rodman from NASCAR.COM, who wrote a great article titled “Allmendinger seeks breakthrough win at Dover”.

NorCal driver A.J. Allmendinger with crew chief Mike Shiplett
NorCal driver A.J. Allmendinger with crew chief Mike Shiplett

A.J. Allmendinger spent most of Friday’s first Sprint Cup Series practice session at Dover International Speedway near or at the top of the speed chart — and when the session was over, he’d only just been bumped to second by six-time Dover winner Jimmie Johnson.

During Happy Hour, Johnson and Allmendinger were again almost inextricably tied — though in 23rd and 24th position. But after his 2010 performance here, especially in the fall race when he led more than a third of the 400-lap race, Allmendinger feels like he might be the series’ next first-time winner on Sunday. Read more..