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this date in history

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 92 Views

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It was on this day in 1822 that Charles Graham received the first patent for false teeth. On June 9th, 1944, a foxhound named Lena in Pennsylvania gave birth to a record litter-- 23 puppies source>>>

Kentucky Derby Winning Jockey Borel supports Ky. Gov. Beshears gambling effort

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 170 Views

Related Categories: Gambling

A publicist for the horse industry coalition supporting expanded gambling issued letter today from Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winning jockey Calvin Borel advocating Gov. Steve Beshear's video lottery terminal proposal.
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"If it doesn't pass soon, then we will fall way behind, and those hard-working people all over Kentucky who take care of the horses will have to relocate to other states," Borel said of Beshear's proposal, which is on the agenda for the June 15 special legislative session.

Borel's letter was issued by the Kentucky Equine Education Project. source>>>

Instant eChecks offered from Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet have been discontinued after attempts to cash cheques were met with non-sufficient funds notices.

The Attorney General's Office in New York State has even stepped in to target this particular payment method as hundred of complaints have been made about the payment system. The Office has forced the closedown of the payment processor and it is also rumoured to have seized money from both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. The matter is believed to be federal rather than a state investigation. The United States Attorney's Office for the Souther District of New York is notorious for its aggression when dealing with gambling operators.

Players are being advised to not attempt to cash any cheque received from any of these online poker rooms until a solution has been found as banks can even remove banking privileges to anyone trying to cash these cheques.

eCheck is another company of similar name but not associated with Instant eCheck. One spokesperson for eCheck said, "This is a customer service nightmare and is starting to cost us revenues and credibility." To deal with the problem PokerStars has emailed all their customers telling them that Instant eCheck funds have been frozen however there are still other methods for the deposit and withdrawal of funds. source>>>

Minnesota regulators drop bid to block online gambling

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 76 Views

Related Categories: Gambling

Minnesota regulators may have been outplayed when they bet a decades-old federal law would lend itself to an online gambling crackdown.

Following a lawsuit by the gambling industry, which considers the push a violation of federal commerce and free-speech protections, state officials said Monday they'll withdraw a demand that Internet service providers block access to hundreds of sites.

In exchange for the state backing off, the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association filed court papers Monday ending its court fight.

"Broadly, it's a victory for Internet rights because what you had was a government administrative branch deeming a list of sites to be a blacklist that should be censored," said Joe Brennan Jr., the industry group's chairman. "It was preventing Minnesota residents from freely accessing the sites."

A Minnesota spokesman for the Poker Players Alliance, which had campaigned loudly against the enforcement action, didn't immediately return a message.

The state had cited a 1961 federal telecommunications law designed to restrict phone calls used for wagering. Some legal experts had questioned whether the law could be applied to the Internet.

The online gambling trade group sought a federal injunction in early May, claiming the state notice was not legally valid.

"Whether or not iMEGA ultimately would have prevailed in court is unknown," said John Willems of the state's Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division in a letter to Internet providers.

He added, "I believe it may be more appropriate to resolve this problem by working to create clear and effective government policies concerning regulation of gambling."

Eleven national and regional telephone and Internet service providers were served with written notice in late April instructing them to prohibit Minnesota residents from accessing 200 poker and other gambling sites.

State officials say they aren't giving up.

"We have not folded our hand," said Andy Skoogman, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, where gambling regulators are housed. He said he expects new strategies for regulating Internet gambling to emerge.

"The action raised awareness of the broader issue about who is policing the Internet and protecting the consumer," he said. "At this point, we don't feel there is anybody. This is an issue that every state is going to face sooner rather than later." source>>>

Monteverdi's Romans, speaking to the present at Boston Early Music Festival,

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 97 Views

Related Categories: Music

Stravinsky kept a portrait of Monteverdi next to his piano, as if the two composers were keeping tabs on one another across three centuries. "I feel very close to him," the modern master once explained, adding that "perhaps he is the first great musician to whom we can feel close."
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MONTEVERDI'S L'INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA Boston Early Music Festival

At: Calderwood Pavilion,

Saturday night through June 14

At: Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington,

June 19-21

Stravinsky was onto something; Monteverdi was both opera's historic trailblazer and the creator of enduring works that have an uncanny ability to resonate with contemporary audiences. The biennial Boston Early Music Festival, currently in full swing at venues around the city, has as its centerpiece a delightful new production of the composer's late masterpiece "L'incoronazione di Poppea" ("The Coronation of Poppea"), which opened on Saturday night at the Calderwood Pavilion.

It is an opera that was first performed in 1643 and is based on historical events from the first century. Director Gilbert Blin and the creative team have labored assiduously to summon the look, the sound, and the spirit of Monteverdi's day, from the hand gestures down to the decorative flourishes on the footwear. And yet the frame here is never mistaken for the picture itself. The deep poignancy and human emotion at the heart of Monteverdi's strangely amoral tale is allowed to speak without mediation. As Stravinsky understood, none is required.

"Poppea" is of course a well-known, frequently staged work and that makes it something of a departure for BEMF, which has prided itself on unearthing musical gems from the distant past and presenting their first modern performances. Christoph Graupner's elaborate "Antiochus und Stratonica" was to be this year's new discovery but when the recession hit, the festival was forced to switch tacks. In staging "Poppea" the romance of terra incognita is lost, but the upside is that the festival gets to apply its distinctive approach to a work with a proven track record.

Giovanni Francesco Busenello's libretto, a tale of love and power politics, centers on the explosive affair between the Roman Emperor Nero (here Nerone) and Poppea, the noble lady who deftly manipulates everyone around her and is eventually crowned as empress. Many are swept up in the couple's wake, including Poppea's discarded husband, Ottone, consumed variously by sadness, longing, and rage; the spurned empress Ottavia, who curses her plight and tries to eliminate her rival; and the stoic philosopher Seneca, who is sentenced to death after bravely warning Nerone against succumbing to petty lust. Throughout the opera, Monteverdi's score reflects the inner turmoil of his characters with remarkable sensitivity, like some kind of seismograph of the soul. It is surely the depth and precision of his empathy that makes this work feel so resonant across the centuries.

BEMF's new production is an elegantly staged affair that breathes with the music. The lavish costumes are by Anna Watkins and the unobtrusive period set is designed by Blin. The acoustics of the Calderwood Pavilion are very dry but this production benefits greatly from its intimate proportions. The front row of seats has been removed and the musicians sit as if gathered around a long banquet table. With leadership from musical directors Stephen Stubbs and Paul O'Dette as well as concertmaster Robert Mealy, the playing on Saturday night was lithe and highly responsive, with the delicacy and transparency of chamber music.

Gillian Keith heads the relatively young cast and she made an appealing Poppea, kittenish and conniving as needed, singing with a pure tone and an agile technique. The high-lying role of Nerone was sung by tenor Marcus Ullmann, who held his own but at times sounded strained or murky in his upper range and never fully projected his character's fearsome political power. Stephanie Houtzeel was a real standout with her deeply felt portrayal of the shattered empress Ottavia, singing this complex role with musical intelligence and white-hot dramatic intensity.

Holger Falk made a sympathetic and sweet-toned Ottone, and Christian Immler brought a rich voice and dignified bearing to the role of Seneca. Amanda Forsythe was an animated Drusilla, who loves Ottone and tries to protect him from Nerone's wrath. A slew of more peripheral characters, gods and servants of various stripes, hover around the events and at times leaven the proceedings with cynical wit and earthy comic relief. Laura Pudwell had the audience laughing out loud with her saucy portrayal of Arnalta the nurse. Ross Hauck, Nell Snaidas, Erica Schuller, Deborah Rentz-Moore, Aaron Sheehan, and Zachary Wilder were among the singers who took up the smaller roles with skill and grace. The production runs locally through June 14 and then picks up again with three additional performances at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. source>>>

' American Idol' Kris Allen signs with Jive Records

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 82 Views

Related Categories: Music

Kris Allen [ tickets ]'s debut album will be released this fall on the Jive Records label, under license from 19 Recordings, according to a press release.

The "American Idol [ tickets ]" winner said in a statement that his first record will fall into the pop/rock genre, similar to the songs he performed on the televised competition.

Allen and the other season-eight "A.I." contestants will kick off a 50-city tour July 5, in Portland, OR. The tour wraps Sept. 15 in Manchester, N source>>>

Live Nation's "No Service Fee Wednesday" extended

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 88 Views

Related Categories: Music

Yesterday Live Nation announced that it is expanding it's "No Service Fee Wednesday" to include a 24-hour stretch tomorrow, Wednesday, June 10. Last week the live music company ran a promotion through LiveNation.com on Wednesday, June 3, where they offered more than 5 million lawn tickets, for over one100 of the biggest concerts of the summer, free of service charges. Tomorrow, however, the campaign goes even further. This time around fans will have access to every single available ticket in every single one of Live Nation's amphitheaters- again, free of service charges.

The current state of the economy helped to make last Wednesday's push a stellar day in sales for Live Nation, as frugal music lovers flooded the website. The promotion produced a jump in concert ticket sales that was 500% higher than the average number of tickets sold on a usual Wednesday. Live Nation was pleased that concertgoers took advantage of the no service fee offer and were able to benefit from the lower prices.

"Music fans, we heard you loud and clear," said Live Nation's President and CEO, Michael Rapino. "So we have made 'No Service Fee Wednesday' even bigger and better by making even more tickets more affordable. Our job is to get as many fans as possible to the show to see their favorite artists. We're helping to do that by dropping the service fee on all tickets in our amphitheaters this Wednesday only at LiveNation.com."

You will be able to purchase tickets for this week's '"No Service Fee Wednesday" for 24-hours, beginning at 12:01am local time on Wednesday, June 10 exclusively at www.LiveNation.com. Please keep in mind that while the service fees have been discarded, parking and various venue fees and taxes may still apply. This offer is only available at amphitheaters that are owned, operated, and ticketed by Live Nation. source>>>

Kenny Chesney Will Give CMA Music Festival's Closing Performance

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 82 Views

Related Categories: Music

Kenny Chesney has been announced as the closing performer at the CMA Music Festival on Sunday (June 14) at LP Field in downtown Nashville. Taylor Swift, John Rich, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry and Jack Ingram will also perform that night. The annual festival begins Thursday (June 11). In addition, brief acoustic performances will be held during three of the nightly concerts, featuring Jimmy Wayne (June 11), Jason Michael Carroll (June 13) and Heidi Newfield (June 14). source>>>

George Strait and Reba McEntire performed the first concert at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas on Saturday (June 6). Blake Shelton held the second slot. Lee Ann Womack played for 30 minutes, in place of Julianne Hough, who canceled because of laryngitis. Strait's newest single, "Living for the Night," is the lead single from his upcoming album, Twang, due in the fall. The next concert featuring Strait, Shelton and Hough will take place Friday (June 12) in Virginia Beach, Va. source>>>

Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Kid Rock Entertain Masses at BamaJam

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 70 Views

Related Categories: Music

The 2009 BamaJam Music and Arts Festival only ended Saturday (June 6), but Kenny Chesney is already announced as one of next year's headliners. After Taylor Swift's Thursday night performance closed out the first day of the three-day festival, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn and Kid Rock were among the top-name talent performing Friday and Saturday.

Event organizer Ronnie Gilley claims 120,000 people attended Saturday's concerts. And while Thursday's rains transformed the festival grounds into one massive mud puddle, that didn't slow down the BamaJammers the least bit.

After the LoCash Cowboys opened Friday's show on the main country stage, Aaron Tippin arrived onstage to sing his hits -- and to build toys. During "Working Man's Ph.D," Tippin pulled out an air horn and then began assembling a bicycle while he sang. Calling the LoCash Cowboys back to the stage, he presented the bike to a Marine to forward to Toys for Tots. Tippin's set list included "You've Got to Stand for Something," "I Got It Honest" and "There Ain't Nothin' Wrong With the Radio" and cuts from his latest work, In Overdrive.

Anyone who's seen Charlie Daniels perform, knows he remains one of country music's most energetic performers even at age 72. Opening with "Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye," he strummed and picked his way through a slew of hits including "Simple Man" and "Long Haired Country Boy."

Sharing with the crowd his experiences performing for our troops, he said, "This is a special tribute for all the folks who have ever been in uniform," and then led the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. After performing one of his favorite gospel songs, "How Great Thou Art," he was soon changing the dynamic somewhat by roaring into "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" before leaving the stage.

After a quick set change for the bands, Randy Owen was standing onstage and, without wasting a moment, burst into the huge Alabama hit, "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)." Squeezing in as many hits as he could during his hour and a-half set, the rained on, muddy audience was treated to "Old Flame" and "Born Country," among many others. Serenading his fans with "Feels So Right," Owen closed with another classic from his former band, "My Home's in Alabama."
When Owen finished his performance, the countdown to Alan Jackson began. A huge video screen on the stage counted down the seconds until he appeared and opened with "Gone Country." From there, "Small Town Southern Man," "Blues Man," "Who's Cheatin' Who" and "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" all followed. Along with George Strait, Jackson is one of the few artists who simply rolls from one song to the next with a minimum of talk and onstage antics. And like Strait, Jackson totally makes it work.

Heidi Newfield, Trick Pony's former lead singer, kicked things off Saturday afternoon with "What Am I Waiting For," the title track of first solo album which spawned the hit, "Johnny and June." Totally familiar and comfortable on stage, her set was a mix of her former group's hits and songs from her own album.

Pat Green arrived his typical style, strolling out in jeans, a T-shirt and bare feet singing "Carry On," "Baby Doll," "Feels Just Like It Should" and his latest single, "What I'm For." Green invited Newfield and Randy Houser (who played on one of the smaller stages later that day) to join him on a rowdy rendition of the Waylon Jennings hit, "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way." After turning "Wave on Wave" into a crowd singalong, he was waving goodbye.

Luckily for the Saturday crowd, the lineup was amazing enough to keep minds off of the fact that temperatures had risen to 90 degrees by late afternoon. And Jason Aldean helped create that diversion while turning in a performance that included hits such as "Amarillo Sky," "Why" and his new single, "Big Green Tractor." The sun was beginning to set as Aldean played his exit tune, "Hicktown."

Moving into the moonlight hours, Gary Allan greeted the BamaJam masses and gave them what they came to hear -- hit after hit, including "Nothin on but the Radio," "Learning How to Bend" and "Best I Ever Had."

Brooks & Dunn followed, hitting the stage with "Cowboy Town." With their video screen and countless hits from their lengthy career, the duo's time on stage seemed to come and go all too fast. With the last notes of "My Maria," they were gone, but were called back for an encore they used to great effect by singing two of their earliest hits -- "Brand New Man" and "Boot Scootin' Boogie."

With only one act to go on the main stage, the BamaJammers were all but ready for the festival's closing act -- Kid Rock. Hitting the stage with "Rock-n-Roll Jesus," he crossed the rapidly-fading lines that divide genres.

"I've been in Alabama for a few days now," he continued as he held up an Alabama helmet with antlers -- one that apparently was taken from Hank Jr.'s home. "He doesn't know it yet!" Rock bragged.

The third annual BamaJam will be held June 3-5. source>>>

Topekan gets mulligan in MLB draft

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 107 Views

Related Categories: Baseball,Sports

Aaron Crow says he spends little time these days looking back on his decision last August to turn down a $3.5 million offer to fulfill his lifelong dream.

That's probably because he'll get a life-changing mulligan Tuesday.

Crow, a Washburn Rural product, stunned many people last summer when he rejected what the Washington Nationals said was a $3.5 million signing bonus to play for the National League team that selected the University of Missouri right-handed pitcher with the ninth pick of the 2008 draft.

No one leaves that kind of money on the table without some serious second-guessing, to be sure. And Crow admits to doing plenty in the days following his decision not to sign with the Nationals by the Aug. 15 deadline.

"I was down for a few days afterward,'' Crow said Monday from his family home in Wakarusa. "But after awhile I realized it was up to me to move on and make the best I could out of the situation. Once I did that, I've been all right.''

He'll be even better Tuesday evening if, as some baseball experts project, he is drafted even higher in the 2009 baseball draft, which begins at 5 p.m. (CDT) with live coverage on the MLB Network.

Draft analyst Jonathan Mayo, writing for MLB.com., projects Crow will go third overall to San Diego. That would make Crow the top player taken behind can't-miss pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg, the 100-mph firethrower from San Diego State, and first baseman Dustin Auckley of North Carolina, the best hitter in the draft.

If Mayo and others are right about Crow being a top-five pick, he might be in position to command a better offer than the last-ditch offer the Nationals sweetened only minutes before last summer's signing deadline.

But Keith Law, a Scouts.Inc., evaluator preparing the mock draft for ESPN.com., moved Crow out of his first round Monday after initially putting him in the No. 5 spot to Baltimore in his June 2 mock.

"Right now I don't have Aaron Crow or Tanner Scheppers (another unsigned 2008 first-round pick) going in the first round,'' Law wrote.

"Teams in the top 10 are telling me that neither is a top choice for them. Everyone is pointing to their belief that neither player will sign for less than what he turned down last year. More than one scouting director or GM has said to me in the last few days that he doesn't want to risk a first-round pick on a player who might not sign.''

Indeed, the signability issue has hung over Crow's head ever since last August.

How does a then 21-year-old young man not agree to a $3.5 million signing bonus to play a sport he's loved all his life?

Former Nationals general manager Jim Bowden said Crow's agents, Alan and Randy Hendricks, opened negotiations with an outlandish $9 million demand. The Nats opened at $2.1 million. They hiked that offer to $3.3 million to match the bonus Baltimore paid to lefty Brian Matusz, the first pitcher drafted at No. 4. Crow's camp countered late in the process at $4.4 million, and the Nats went to $3.5 million in the final minutes before the midnight deadline.

Why didn't he take the deal?

"The last couple of days (before the signing deadline), things kind of turned sour," Crow told The Capital-Journal last August. In other published reports he said he felt "bullied'' by the team.

"They thought they were going to break me,'' he said.

Crow spent last fall and winter hanging around the Mizzou campus, working out with former teammates he left after his standout junior season when he was the Big 12's pitcher of the year.

He returned to the field in April with the independent Fort Worth Cats of the American Association. Fort Worth also served as the holding area for Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar in the year when he went from being an unsigned first-round pick in 2005 to the first player drafted in 2006.

"It's a very competitive league that let me face at least three players who'd been in the big leagues,'' said Crow, who was 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA in three starts. "It was better competition than I faced in college. I feel good about the way I was pitching there.''

Scouts generally agree that Crow's fastball, slider and effective change make him the same solid pitching prospect today that he was a year ago.

"Is he going to go higher than 10? Yeah. Absolutely,'' predicted analyst Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.

"But that's not necessarily what it's about. The final offer from Washington was somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.5 million. You need to figure out how much more money he gets, and after that, there's a whole balancing act you need to worry about. He'd be a year further along in his development (had he signed with the Nationals). Let's say he gets four-something (million) this year -- maybe the 3.5 would have better for him, because he would have been a free agent sooner.''

"Right now I have no idea where I'll be taken,'' said Crow, who will watch the draft from his parents' home as he did last year. "There's a chance I could go higher than I was last year, and that would be a relief.

"But I do know I'm happy with the way things turned out.'' source>>>

MLB draft projections

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 170 Views

Related Categories: Baseball,Sports

Utah players who might be picked in this week's MLB draft. The draft will last three days. Rounds 1-3 are today. Rounds 4-30 are Wednesday, and rounds 31-50 are on Thursday.

Steve Parker, 3B, BYU/Am. Fork HS. Hit .361 with 13 doubles; should be the first Utahn selected. Prediction: 2nd day.

Jeremy Toole, P, BYU. Powerful pitcher was 5-5 with 5.77 ERA. Projection: 2nd day.

Kent Walton, OF, BYU. Hit .377 following shoulder surgery in the fall. Projection: 2nd day.

Jordan Whatcott, OF, Utah. Utes' ace could get picked on his birthday -- Wednesday. Projection: 2nd day.

Nick Freitas, OF, Southern Utah. Miami transfer hit .347 with 14 home runs, 60 RBIs. Projection: 2nd day.

Keenyn Walker, OF, Judge Memorial HS. Has tremendous athleticism, could skip school to play. Projection: 2nd day.

Jace Brinkerhoff, 3B, UVU/Spanish Fork HS. Former state MVP hit .433 with 19 doubles. Projection: 2nd day.

Justin Smith, P, UVU/Pl. Grove HS. UVU's ace went 8-4 with 4.73 ERA. Projection: 2nd day.

Egan Smith, P, S.Nevada/Pl. Grove HS. Former Viking threw 63 innings, had a 2.98 ERA. Projection: 3rd day. source>>>

Michael Vick given bankruptcy plan deadline

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 82 Views

Related Categories: Sports

Lawyers for former Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick said Tuesday his bankruptcy plan will depend on his getting back in the game.

A judge told Vick at a hearing in Norfolk that a plan must be accepted by the end of the summer, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

Vick, 28, has been under house arrest since his release from federal prison, where he served a sentence for running a dog-fighting operation at his home in rural Virginia. He said nothing to reporters at the hearing in federal court.

Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro told Vick and his lawyers that the first bankruptcy plan he put forward, which Santoro rejected, "left something to be desired."

Vick, under indefinite suspension by the NFL, is trying to get back into professional football. His lawyers said the next bankruptcy plan would depend on his getting a contract.

The Falcons, Vick's largest creditors, are owed $7 million. His debts total $25 million. source>>>

The battle between NASCAR and Jeremy Mayfield Heats Up

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 93 Views

Related Categories: NASCAR,Sports

The battle between NASCAR and a driver who failed a drug test is now getting even bigger.

NASCAR has fired back with its own lawsuit against Jeremy Mayfield who has been suspended since a positive drug test.

The lawsuit is 49 pages defending NASCAR.

Most startling: The claim that Jeremy Mayfield knowingly put people in danger.

"Had we known things previously we wouldn't have allowed him to race," says Ramsey Poston,

NASCAR's Communications Director.

The suit points to Mayfield's driving record on the track saying he had 3 accidents in 5 Sprint Cup races this season.
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Accidents, NASCAR says, happened during the same time he tested positive for an illegal drug.

The name of that drug, and its street name, is being hidden in the suit.

NewsChannel 36 asked NASCAR why?

"We're honoring the state court's order," says Poston.

Mayfield says he was taking Adderal for Adult Attention Deficit Disorder and Claritin-D for allergies.

But the lawsuit claims he was taking an illegal drug that can fight fatigue, keep you alert, and produce a sense of euphoria.

The suit says it can also cause insomnia, high blood pressure and paranoia.

NASCAR also says Mayfield knew about its drug policy and even signed an agreement to notify doctors about any prescription drugs he took.

He didn't do that until he was tested.

The suit also claims Mayfield defrauded NASCAR and other competitors by accepting $150,000 in winnings for two races, in which, he admits using the undisclosed drug.

"He took a spot that another racer could have had and had those earnings," says Poston.

The suit is not seeking monetary damages right now.

But a NASCAR representative says it's possible they'll look to get that money back as things progress in the case. source>>>

NASCAR's Logano Wins ARCA RE/MAX Series Pocono 200

Posted on June 9, 2009 | 81 Views

Related Categories: NASCAR,Sports

Joey Logano earned his second career ARCA RE/MAX Series win in his fourth Series start on Saturday at Pocono Raceway. The 19-year-old NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
rookie has never finished worse than second in an ARCA RE/MAX Series race. He entered the Pocono ARCA race in a Venturini Motorsports Toyota as a way to prepare for Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at the 2.5-mile triangle (finished 23rd on Sunday).

"The ARCA Race helped me learn a bunch of little things," said Logano. "Little bumps on the racetrack, different lines where you find a little more grip. Let off points, stuff like that. The cars are real different. The cars are just so different. At the same time you find little things like that, like you would in the Nationwide Series too, you kind of transfer back and forth."

Logano is not the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver to use the ARCA RE/MAX Series as a way to gain experience at Pocono Raceway. Former ARCA RE/MAX Series winners at Pocono Raceway include Travis Kvapil, Scott Riggs, Casey Mears, Casey Atwood and Ryan Newman.

Penske Takes Parker Kligerman from Pocono to Prom

Following his sixth-place finish in Saturday's Pocono 200, Rookie of the Year Contender Parker Kligerman traveled from Long Pond, Pennsylvania, to his hometown of Westport, Conn., to attend his Senior Prom. Kligerman, a Penske Development driver for Cunningham Motorsports, has spent his senior year of high school juggling school work and fulltime ARCA RE/MAX Series competition in hopes of landing a fulltime career in motor sports.

"It's kinda a hectic schedule," said Kligerman. "I go to Staples High School. It's the public school in my hometown of West Port, Connecticut. I have a lot of support from my principal. The day that I walked into school Freshman year I said 'You know I want to be a racecar driver and I'm going to have to travel a lot.' I didn't know exactly how far I was going to go but at the time I was racing open wheel cars on the West Coast. He said as long as you keep your grades up, it's a cool endeavor, we like it. My parents said, 'well it keeps you focused so we'll support it as much as we can as long as you keep your grades up'.

"My parents, actually [were the harder sell than my principal in convincing that I should be a racecar driver]. You would think that it would have been the principal but he thought it was awesome right away."

In seven ARCA RE/MAX Series starts in 2009, Kligerman has finished outside of the top-10 on just one occasion. He earned his first Series win at Toledo Speedway on May 17. source>>>

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