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World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and NDRA Crate Late Models Take Over The Dirt Track

World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and NDRA Crate Late Models Take Over The Dirt Track

CONCORD - The stars of the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and the NDRA Crate Late Model Series will battle it out in the heart of NASCAR country in two action-packed feature races at the Circle K NOS Energy Outlaw Showdown Friday. Below are some newsworthy items leading into Friday’s event at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Kasey Kahne Racing Looking for a Repeat at Home Track

Kasey Kahne Racing drivers will compete at their home track on Friday in the Circle K NOS Energy Outlaw Showdown. Kasey Kahne, owner of the Mooresville, N.C.-based team, looks forward to the Outlaw Showdown each spring since it is part of the 10 greatest days in racing.

“We’ve had lots of fun at The Dirt Track. We’ve won some races over there; we have done a lot of testing at the dirt track,” said Kahne. “I get really excited when I race in Charlotte. We have two weeks where we have the All-Star Race, the 600, the Sprint Car World of Outlaw race across the street, the Saturday race (HISTORY 300); there is always something going on here. I enjoy it.”

WET’N WILD opens this weekend with all new SOAK ZONE!

WET’N WILD opens this weekend with all new SOAK ZONE!

WET’N WILD EMERALD POINTE, the Largest Water Park In The Carolinas’ celebrates the beginning of summer with a fun-filled family opening on SATURDAY, MAY 25TH at 10:00AM for the exciting 29TH SEASON!  (Opening Weekend is May 25, 26 and 27…operating hours are 10:00am-5:00pm each day.  Open daily beginning Saturday, June 8th, 2013.  Final operating day is Labor Day Monday, September 2nd, 2013)

This season, WET’N WILD EMERALD POINTE proudly announces the introduction of the all-new SOAK ZONE water spray area!  The new half-acre SOAK ZONE attraction includes a 7,000 square foot interactive water play area featuring over 35 different water elements!  SOAK ZONE is designed for exciting water spray thrills for the entire family with specialty themed seating and shaded areas, providing a waterfall of relaxation and fun for ALL ages! 

MK wins again! Smash Mouth sings All Star! Must be Parker's Points!

MK wins again!  Smash Mouth sings All Star!  Must be Parker's Points!

CONCORD -  His boss (Matt Kenseth) won again and Adrian Parker might have something to say about it! 

Adrian's career includes football and academic glory at South Rowan High and Catawba College, then public relations perfection for some of NASCAR's top drivers and Charlotte Motor Speedway.  Now, he's the business brains behind Matt Kenseth, frequently balancing the champ's checkbook. 

But when he's not doing that, he provides us with the deep insight known by limo drivers and NASCAR fanatics across the planet as Parker's Points!

TOO TOUGH TOO TAME? Not for Matt Kenseth. The boss man got it done at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Saturday night by leading when it counted and scoring his series best third win of the 2013 season.

"Ten Days of Speed" underway now at Charlotte Motor Speedway

"Ten Days of Speed" underway now at Charlotte Motor Speedway

CONCORD - Every year, Charlotte Motor Speedway packs as much entertainment as possible into the 10 Greatest Days in Racing to give fans an experience that they’ll never forget. From the excitement on the track to pre-race concerts, the expansive Play Zone and a moving salute to our nation’s military, fans that come to Charlotte will be sure to create memories that will last a lifetime.

While you’re in town, be sure to check out these can’t-miss opportunities that you can only find at Charlotte Motor Speedway!

Fan Zone: Every trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway should start with a visit to the Fan Zone. Located at the speedway’s main entrance, the 10-acre Fan Zone is a one-stop shop for race souvenirs, interactive displays and so much more. Fans can visit the Sprint Experience for driver appearances, photos with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series trophy and an autograph from Miss Sprint Cup.

Who wants to Go Pro with Steve Smith?

Who wants to Go Pro with Steve Smith?

Every year, thousands of young football fans dream of breaking the huddle with hero Steve Smith. Showmars, a proud sponsor of Steve Smith’s Football ProCamp, is making that dream a reality for four Charlotte-area children this summer.

Showmars is giving away four spots to the 2013 Steve Smith Football ProCamp. Football fans can sign up by filling out an entry form at any of Showmars 28 Charlotte-Metro locations.

ProCamp is a youth athletic camp for children in grades 1- 8. Established in 1998, the camp provides thousands of youth the opportunity to attend camp with their sporting heroes. At the camp, attendees learn football fundamentals and meet children their own age with like interests.

This year’s ProCamp event will be held at Ardrey Kell High School on Monday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 11.

Ragan wins Talladega and you read it here first!

Ragan wins Talladega and you read it here first!

CONCORD - David Ragan was the surprise winner in the thrilling finish of the Aaron's 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, but if you're a regular reader of Parker's Points, you know it was no surprise.

Why?

Adrian picked it.  On Thursday.  Take a look at this paragraph, copied verbatim from the Thursday edition of Parker's Points:

YOUR TALLADEGA NUMBERS ARE… Since “crapshoot” seems to be a popular phrase among industry insiders when asked to predict who will win at Talladega, I’ll use a random number generator to determine this week’s top-five finishers. They are: No. 34, David Ragan; No. 22, Joey Logano; No. 15, Clint Bowyer; No. 9 Marcos Ambrose; and No. 7 Dave Blaney. You’re welcome!

And there it is, wrapped up and delivered ahead of time, just like having tomorrow's newspaper today, only better.  Look for the newest edition of Parker's Points coming this Thursday.

Team Kenseth reacts to the penalty, JJ strikes a pose, must be Parker's Points!

Team Kenseth reacts to the penalty, JJ strikes a pose, must be Parker's Points!

CONCORD - Yeah, you knew this was coming.  Adrian Parker, business manager for Matt Kenseth, had to cool down a few days before he could respond!  His thoughts on the Gibbs penalty are thought provoking, but he's also weighing in on so much more, let's get to it!

CAN THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME? It’s a question that will be asked a lot over the next week, as Penske Racing will have their final appeal on Tuesday, May 7, for violations at Texas, a day before Joe Gibbs Racing has their first appeal on Wednesday, May 8, for a violation on the No. 20 car at Kansas.

The latter hits a little close to home. It’s been covered ad nauseam so I’ll refrain from recapping. Bob Pockrass, who writes for the Sporting News, wrote a good opinion piece about the infractions and penalties here: http://bit.ly/ZZxdxG

In my opinion, once it is determined there is an infraction then it should come down to a couple of questions that need to be taken into consideration when levying the punishment:

1.     Did the team gain a competitive advantage?

2.     Can the conclusion be made that the team intended to gain a competitive advantage?

If the answer to both of those questions is the same, then that should determine how big of a hammer NASCAR swings at the ruling. “Yes” being a sledge and “no” being a tack.