TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Recent Blogs

1. 

   Reed set for Nationwide debut

   Wednesday, Apr 24 2013 03:49 PM

   He won the only race he’s entered this season — in a Super Late Model at Irwindale Speedway last month — but Bakersfield’s Ryan Reed takes a big step up the competition ladder Thursday at Richmond International Raceway.

   Reed, a Type I diabetic, will be behind the wheel of the Drive to Stop Diabetes Ford Mustang as he makes his Nationwide Series debut for Roush Fenway Racing.

   There will be a two-hour practice session this morning on the three-quarter mile track with another practice session and qualifying on Friday before the start of the Toyota Care 250 (4:30 p.m. ESPNnews).

   “I’m definitely excited,” said Reed, 19,who spent much of Wednesday at the American Diabetes Association home office in Alexandria, Virg. “We’ve got a...

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2. 

   Thorn gets a shot in Nationwide Series

   Derek Thorn will celebrate his 27th birthday by doing something he's never done before: drive a Nationwide Series car. Thorn, who turns 27 on Thursday, will be behind the wheel of the the No, 52 Camaro owned by Jimmy Means as practice...

3. March Meet 2013 Videos

   Over the last few days, The Bakersfield Californian has produced live video shows and clips from the 2013 March Meet. Here are all of the videos produced by The Californian. Check back as we add more videos throughout the weekend. [View...

4. Testing under way at Famoso for March Meet drag races

   Nitromethane fumes drifted through the air Friday at Auto Club Famoso Raceway as three days of testing got under way at the track in preparation for the annual March Meet nostalgia drag races March 6-10. Around 75 cars were in the pits on...

5. Ryan Reed to run at least 5 Nationwide races for Roush

   Two years to the day after he was diagnosed with type I diabetes, Bakersfield’s Ryan Reed announced a sponsorship linked to his disease that will put him in at least five NASCAR Nationwide races this season. Reed, 19, will drive the No. 16...

6. Kern County Raceway to open April 20

   It’s taken more than six years, a bankruptcy and a set of new investors but the opening of Kern County Raceway Park is just around the bend. The facility, located adjacent to Interstate 5 and Enos Lane, will open on April 20 with NASCAR...

7. Montes signs deal to race on NASCAR K&N West Series

     Bakersfield's Dallas Montes has signed with NTS Motorsports and will be competing full time on the NASCAR K&N West Pro Series in 2013. Montes, 19, is coming off a solid 2012 campaign where he won his first Late Model race in and...
9. 

   Race driver and sports car designer Carroll Shelby dead at 89

   DALLAS -- Carroll Shelby, the legendary car designer and champion auto racer who built the fabled Shelby Cobra sports car and injected testosterone into Ford's Mustang and Chrysler's Viper, has died. He was 89. Shelby's company, Carroll...

10. Fire forces Daytona 500 to pause with 40 laps left

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- First came the rain. Then came the fire. Everything that could go wrong with this Daytona 500 did go wrong, and the first NASCAR race in primetime television could be remembered for everything but the eventual...

11. Danica Patrick OK after wreck in Daytona qualifier

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Danica Patrick walked away uninjured after taking a hard hit to the wall in her qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday. Her race car didn't fare quite so well. Patrick was caught up in a crash...
12. 

    Liberty grad Reed to race at Daytona in ARCA Series

    For 18-year old Ryan Reed, the past year has been all about learning. Learning to live 3,000 miles from his parents and friends in Bakersfield.  Learning how to drive stock cars on racetracks he’d never seen before. Learning how to run...

13. Buds on fruit trees mean March Meet is near

    After a December of rain and January of fog, I noticed the tell-tale signs of spring as I strolled though my fruit trees a day ago -- green shoots and buds on a nectarine tree. Which means that the largest nostalgia drag race in the...
14. 

    Jungle Pam makes Hot Rod Reunion appearance

    When it comes to honoring the past, the 19th edition of the NHRA Californiana Hot Rod Reunion (Friday-Sunday at Auto Club Famoso Raceway) is honoring one of the most famous back-up girls ever to step on to a drag strip in knee-high boots —...