Randy Bernard

A page from Randy Bernard’s basic management philosophy: It takes a lot of hard work, which means you have to have a great team backing you.

For the past 15 years, Bernard experienced the former and was the beneficiary of the latter as he helped expand the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. brand, events, sponsorship and worldwide popularity as its Chief Executive Officer. Now he’ll lead the Indy Racing League — the sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights — that shares a thread with the PBR of a relatively young and growing sports property that draws from its deep heritage.

Bernard was introduced as CEO by Jeffrey Belskus, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation.

“Randy is the right person at the right time to head the Indy Racing League,” Belskus said. “He brings a proven track record as a successful CEO, and is a sports marketer and a promoter. His skills blend well with the leadership in place at the league, which will enable them to direct their full attention to what they each do best.”

Bernard, who observed his 43rd birthday Jan. 31 while at a PBR event in Tampa, Fla., and will start with the league March 1, said he initially wants “to fade into the background, roll up my sleeves and be part of the team.”

“There are so many exciting things with the IRL this year,” Bernard said. “I want to create a positive environment. I want everybody working together – from the team owners to the staff and management to the sponsors. We must share that same vision of growing the Indy Racing League.”

He’ll also listen to the fans, something he’s done at the PBR by reading each e-mail to the organization’s Web site.

“I want to have a pulse on what they like, what they don’t like,” he said. “I also look at other sports. People ask me in my industry right now who is our competitor. And there’s only one answer to that. It’s entertainment. It’s the movie theater. It’s anyone that’s selling a ticket. What we have to do is make sure that our pulse is on what America wants to buy. So my whole thing about listening to the fans is wanting to really figure out the passion, the demographics, which helps to sell sponsorships and helps to put people in seats.”

Professional Bull Riders, Inc., the governing body for the stand-alone rodeo event of bull riding, was formed in 1992 by 20 bull riders who each invested $1,000 to launch an athlete-owned and -operated bull riding tour apart from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

Bernard produced one of the eight PBR events in its inaugural 1994 season while with the marketing and entertainment department of the California Mid-State Fair and “fell in love with the sport.” He was named CEO in 1995 and worked with the PBR founders in the succeeding years to develop and expand the brand, events across North America and the popularity of the sport worldwide.

Under Bernard’s leadership, PBR’s Built Ford Tough Series regular-season attendance increased 12 percent in 2009, and ratings with television partner VERSUS increased nearly 30 percent last year. The PBR has been quick out of the chutes in 2010 with attendance up 23 percent in its first five weeks of competition. In April 2007, Bernard successfully executed a merger between Professional Bull Riders, Inc. and Spire Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, and remained CEO under the new ownership structure.

“I was content with the job I had as CEO of Professional Bull Riders, but then I started doing some research on the IRL and saw tremendous potential,” he said. “I felt like I could really make a difference. I had turned down several opportunities in the past couple years, but when this came along I just thought the opportunities were just huge.

“It’s is a complete different genre in the sporting world that I came from, but that’s what excites me about it. I started with nothing at the PBR. I was the only employee in 1995 and to see it grow I had to learn television, merchandising, marketing, promotion. The IRL is so big already and has so much opportunity. I really see this as a chance just to have to reignite America of why the Indy Racing League is so exciting and the deep traditions of this great sport as well.”

The announcement at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was attended by members of the IMS Board of Directors including Nancy George, Josie George and Jack Snyder. IMS chairman Mari Hulman George, who was traveling, and board member Kathi George Conforti, who lives in California, were not in attendance. It was Josie George who brought Bernard to the attention of the board and Belskus as a CEO candidate.

Bernard thanked the Hulman-George family “for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of this great tradition. I have had the opportunity to meet with Ms. George, Josie, Nancy, Kathi, Jack Snyder and Jeff Belskus several times and really look forward to sharing their vision.”

Belskus assumed the duties of president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June 2009. He subsequently succeeded Tony George as CEO of the Indy Racing League, which is a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The 17-race IZOD IndyCar Series season – the most varied and challenging in motorsports with nine street/road circuits and eight oval events — begins March 14 with the inaugural São Paulo Indy 300 on a temporary street circuit in São Paulo, Brazil – the first Indy Racing League-sanctioned race in South America and one of four countries the IZOD IndyCar Series will visit in 2010. Firestone Indy Lights kicks off its season March 28 in St. Petersburg, Fla., on the same weekend of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (IZOD IndyCar Series domestic opener).

“The most exciting thing for 2010 to me is IZOD being the title sponsor,” Bernard said. “I met with them as part of my due diligence and I was blown away with how they are going to promote this sport. It’s such a young, fresh look and that excited me.

“I also look forward to working with (commercial division president) Terry Angstadt and (competition and racing operations president) Brian Barnhart. I am confident we will make a great team. I want to learn the sport and the staff, and I need to take their direction on a lot of this right now. I don’t have a motorsports background so Brian is going to be the most important person in my life.”

Considering Bernard is married with three children, Barnhart chuckled.

“Randy’s experience with the PBR is the right fit to enhance the positive growth that we have experienced over the last few years,” Barnhart said. “We continue to produce one of the most exciting on-track products, challenging both teams and drivers, and the addition of Randy demonstrates how much the Hulman George family believes in that product and is willing to invest in it.

“We have made many positive strides in the last couple of years, including the unification of open-wheel racing, and, of course, we welcome IZOD as our first title sponsor in nearly a decade.

“The addition of Randy to the team is another step in the right direction. And Terry (in Brazil at the time of the announcement) and I very much look forward to working with Randy and working with him to help continue this growth.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — She swapped paint at 200 mph, slid through the grass and saved her Chevrolet from hitting the wall. She fretted about the blinding sun, was coached by her crew in great detail during pit stops and made a banzai move for the front in the closing laps.
Danica Patrick didn’t win Saturday’s ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway, but one of the most ballyhooed debuts in stock-car history was as eventful as it was exhilarating.

“That was fun!” she radioed her JRM team after the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200. “Aww, yeah! I’m rubbing fenders, rubbing the side of the car. This thing isn’t going to be pretty but whatever.”

The sight of her No. 7 Chevrolet Impala in one piece after a typically caution-plagued ARCA showing at the 2.5-mile superspeedway was more than pleasing for her team.

“Be proud of yourself,” crew chief Tony Eury told Patrick, who is moving into NASCAR part-time this year with the team owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. “You done awesome.”

Rick Hendrick, whose powerhouse Sprint Cup team supplies chassis and engines to JR Motorsports, was just as impressed.

“That was a great job,” Hendrick radioed Patrick on the cool-down lap. “You drove the wheels off that thing, girl. We’re proud of you.”

“Thank you very much,” said Patrick, the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 who will be running in the IndyCar Series for at least another two seasons.

A decision won’t be made until Monday whether she’ll make her Nationwide debut Feb. 13 at Daytona, but Patrick certainly exhibited plenty of moxie and ability Saturday in the often finicky draft of a restrictor-plate race, where underpowered cars often run inches apart in tight packs.

Patrick started 12th and hung in the top 10 for much of the race (which featured a long red flag after flip in Turn 4 by Jill George) until Lap 54 when she made contract with Nelson Piquet off Turn 4. After skidding through the grass, Patrick’s car made a half-spin up the track, but she caught it before it hit the wall.

After a pit stop to repair minor damage, her No. 7 Chevrolet returned in 23rd place with about 20 laps remaining.

“I thought, ‘Shoot, why would we be out of it?’” Patrick asked. “The guys did a good job getting it right in the pits.”

Patrick had clawed to fifth with fewer than 10 laps remaining when she went high entering Turn 1. She couldn’t find a drafting partner, though, and fell back several spots. She rallied to nip Ricky Carmichael for sixth at the checkered flag.

“I said, ‘What the heck, I don’t really care,’ ” Patrick said of her ill-fated move. “We made it this far, let’s see what else we can do. So I just jumped up high, and unfortunately not many takers came with me up there. But it was a lot of fun. I got bumped from the side, and bumped from the front, I got bumped from the back, and I learned a lot. I had so much fun. I can’t wait to do it again.”

Kelley Earnhardt, who co-owns JRM with Eury and her younger brother, was “ecstatic” with Patrick’s performance — so much so that she recalled her late father’s famous charge from 18th to first in the final five laps at Talladega. That October 2000 win was the last of Dale Earnhardt’s career.

“She did a fantastic job; I couldn’t be happier,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “I think she showed us she’s able to drive. One time, she pulled down low, and I kept thinking, ‘C’mon, let’s pull off an Earnhardt and pass 18 cars in three laps and win this thing, you know?’ But she did fantastic in her first stock car race.”

Earnhardt said she was “50-50″ on whether she wanted Patrick to delay her NASCAR debut until Feb. 20 at Auto Club Speedway of Southern California.

“It’s totally her decision,” Earnhardt said. “Right now, she’s probably like, ‘Hell yes, let’s go,’ because she’s beaming with excitement. But, take the night to think about it and see what’s going on.”

There was plenty of support from NASCAR for Patrick. On Twitter, Kyle Busch was among several drivers and industry types to compliment her on the save.

Even Bobby Gerhart didn’t seem to be mind having his record sixth ARCA win at Daytona slightly overshadowed by Patrick’s debut.

“Overshadowed by what? Did I miss something?” Gerhart joked. “I’m glad she was here, really. It brought some well-needed attention to this series. I welcome the opportunity to have a national platform. When someone talks about the series now, they’re not going to say what?”

Budweiser Shootout

Date: Saturday, February 6th
Site: Daytona International Speedway — Daytona Beach, Florida
Track: 2.5-mile tri-oval speedway
Laps: 75 (25 laps in 1st segment; 50 laps in 2nd segment)
Miles: 187.5
Capacity: 168,000
Total purse: $1,217,154 (2009 figures)
Payouts: 1st Place – $200,000; 2nd Place – $100,000; 3rd Place – $60,000

1 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 76 0 0 $202,357
2 19 Kasey Kahne Ford 76 0 0 $97,834
3 9 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 76 0 0 $57,834
4 17 Kyle Busch Toyota 76 0 0 $48,834
5 24 Denny Hamlin Toyota 76 0 0 $47,834
6 23 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 76 0 0 $46,834
7 21 Joey Logano Toyota 76 0 0 $44,834
8 3 Brian Vickers Toyota 76 0 0 $42,834
9 13 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 76 0 0 $40,834
10 20 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 76 0 0 $39,334
11 11 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 76 0 0 $38,834
12 7 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 76 0 0 $38,334
13 16 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 76 0 0 $37,834
14 14 Ken Schrader Toyota 76 0 0 $36,334
15 5 Greg Biffle Ford 74 0 0 $35,834
16 8 Matt Kenseth Ford 74 0 0 $34,834
17 1 Carl Edwards Ford 74 0 0 $32,834
18 12 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 74 0 0 $30,834
19 4 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 74 0 0 $27,834
20 6 Mark Martin Chevrolet 74 0 0 $25,834
21 15 Michael Waltrip Toyota 69 0 0 $23,809
22 10 John Andretti Ford 69 0 0 $22,809
23 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 32 0 0 $21,309
24 18 Derrike Cope Dodge 15 0 0 $18,809
Average Speed: 144.670 mph
Caution Flags: 5
Caution Flags Laps: 14
Lead Changes: 12
Lead Changes Drivers: 5
Total Laps: 76

Kevin Harvick

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — What began as an exhibition race ended as the cage match NASCAR wanted, won in a Chevrolet by a driver too sick to practice.

So it was during Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout won by Kevin Harvick, who won for the second year in a row. He battled Greg Biffle on the final restart before blowing past him during a two-lap extension. Biffle was collected in a multi-car wreck with a tap from Jeff Gordon.

Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray, in their first races driving a Ford and Chevy, respectively, were next with Kyle Busch (Toyota) fourth and teammate Denny Hamlin fifth.

“I didn’t get to see a lap in this thing, and it was a rocket,” said Harvick, who started second and led five times for 21 laps. “The best thing about it was that the car handled really well.”

For Harvick, it was a surprise ending to a weekend that began without him. Flu-like symptoms kept him out of Thursday’s media day, leaving Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer to practice his No. 29 Impala SS on Thursday.

During practice, Clint Bowyer was then caught up in a seven-car accident that forced RCR to use a backup car. In Saturday’s pole qualifying his Chevy was only 30th fastest, but his Shootout car proved to be fast and efficient, particularly after a final pit stop for tires.

Fourth on the restart, he had the traction advantage to get inside and grab the lead from Biffle, who stayed out on old tires.

“When he chose the top lane, I knew it was going to be up to me to get a good restart,” Harvick said. “We timed out it perfect and was able to get to Greg. I knew if I could get him out and was able to get underneath him with the momentum we carried into (turn) one. … I wanted to maintain side-by-side with Biffle because I thought I had an advantage over him when I got to the next corner.”

The season’s first race followed NASCAR’s announcement last month that it was easing enforcement of the bump-drafting prevalent at tracks such as Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Cars also were fitted with a bigger restrictor plate, setting the stage for an ultimately wild night.

After a 25-lap first segment featuring just one caution for a spin by Michael Waltrip, the final 50 laps saw four accidents involving 14 of the 24 cars that started. The final one took out pole sitter Carl Edwards, who led twice for a race-high 42 laps.

1 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet GoDaddy.com 191.188 47.074 Leader
2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Amp Energy / National Guard  190.913
3 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army  190.577 47.225 -0.151
4 21 Bill Elliott Ford Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center  190.573
5 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 190.408 47.267 -0.193
6 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite  190.359 47.279 -0.205
7 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 190.359 47.279 -0.205
8 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Cheerios / Hamburger Helper  190.118 47.339 -0.265
9 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s 190.054 47.355 -0.281
10 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 190.050 47.356 -0.282
11 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Crown Royal  190.050 47.356 -0.282
12 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Mobil 1  190.050 47.356 -0.282
13 82 Scott Speed Toyota Red Bull  189.958 47.379 -0.305
14 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota Kroger Floral  189.757 47.429 -0.355
15 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge Penske Racing  189.737 47.434 -0.360
16 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota NEMCO Motorsports  189.709 47.441 -0.367
17 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot  189.693 47.445 -0.371
18 71 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet TaxSlayer.com 189.665 47.452 -0.378
19 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker  189.593 47.470 -0.396
20 151 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA Auto Parts  189.454 47.505 -0.431 
21 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot / Old Spice  189.374 47.525 -0.451
22 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine  189.314 47.540 -0.466
23 98 Paul Menard Ford Peak / Menards  189.294 47.545 -0.471
24 6 David Ragan Ford UPS 189.282 47.548 -0.474
25 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford Best Buy  189.255 47.555 -0.481
26 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 189.195 47.570 -0.496
27 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express  189.072 47.601 -0.527
28 9 Kasey Kahne Ford Budweiser 189.056 47.605 -0.531
29 36 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Wave Energy Drink  189.052 47.606 -0.532
30 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil  188.996 47.620 -0.546
31 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 188.865 47.653 -0.579
32 7 Robby Gordon Toyota Monster Energy  188.735 47.686 -0.612
33 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts  188.727 47.688 -0.614
34 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row Companies  188.699 47.695 -0.621
35 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull  188.628 47.713 -0.639
36 19 Elliott Sadler Ford Stanley 188.533 47.737 -0.663
37 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 188.411 47.768 -0.694
38 132 Reed Sorenson Toyota Dollar General  188.391 47.773 -0.699
39 190 Casey Mears Chevrolet Keyed-Up Motorsports  188.300 47.796 -0.722
40 13 Max Papis Toyota GEICO 188.198 47.822 -0.748
41 49 David Gilliland Toyota Warner Music Nashville / Larry the Cable Guy  187.766 47.932 -0.858
42 34 John Andretti Ford Window World Cares  187.512 47.997 -0.923
43 197 Jeff Fuller Toyota FrontRowJoe.com 187.363 48.035 -0.961
44 38 Robert Richardson Jr. Ford Mahindra Tractors  187.289 48.054 -0.980
45 37 Travis Kvapil Ford Extenze 187.285 48.055 -0.981
46 09 Aric Almirola Chevrolet Phoenix Racing  187.278 48.057 -0.983
47 46 Terry Cook*  Dodge Whitney Motorsports  187.056 48.114 -1.040
48 26 Boris Said Ford Window World Cares  186.908 48.152 -1.078
49 66 Dave Blaney Toyota Prism Motorsports  186.254 48.321 -1.247
50 55 Michael McDowell Toyota Prism Motorsports  185.923 48.407 -1.333
51 175 Derrike Cope Dodge Asset Protect
/ Strutmasterspro.com 185.040 48.638 -1.564
52 127 Kirk Shelmerdine Toyota Kirk Shelmerdine Racing  184.407 48.805 -1.731
53 192 Mike Wallace Dodge K-Automotive Motorsports  182.678 49.267 -2.193
54 157 Norm Benning Chevrolet Norm Benning Racing  180.607 49.832 -2.758

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.— Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. secured the front row for the Daytona 500 on Saturday.

Martin, the only driver to top 191 mph during qualifying, earned his first Daytona 500 pole. Earnhardt will start second, trying to rebound from the worst season in his Sprint Cup career.

The front-row sweep validates, at least for a week, the offseason moves team owner Rick Hendrick made in an attempt to get Earnhardt’s team turned around.

“It’s such an incredible accomplishment for the 5 and 88 team,” Martin said. “It’s all about the team. That was not an accomplishment of mine. … To have Dale Jr. on the outside of the front row, locked in, just means we’re doing something right.”

Earnhardt was nearly as optimistic.

“This is a start, and hopefully we can keep the ball rolling over the next several days and have a good Speedweeks,” Earnhardt said.

Martin and Earnhardt are the only drivers in the 43-man field who have their starting positions locked in.

The top 35 drivers from last season are guaranteed starting spots in next Sunday’s race, but their positions will be set in Thursday’s 150-mile qualifying races. Eight other spots will be up grabs in those races, which could be wild affairs since NASCAR is giving drivers more horsepower and more leeway for aggressive driving.

Martin and Earnhardt, meanwhile, might just want to stay out of trouble.

Hendrick Motorsports, the most successful team in NASCAR right now, spent the offseason trying to get Earnhardt more in line with teammates Jimmie Johnson, Martin and Jeff Gordon— who swept the top three spots in the final standings last season.

Earnhardt, the sport’s most popular driver, went winless in his No. 88 Chevrolet. He notched just five top-10 finishes, had his crew chief fired midway through the year and suffered through the most confidence-rattling season of his 10-year Cup career.

After celebrating Johnson’s fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship, Hendrick made getting Earnhardt’s team turned around his top priority. He restructured shop practices and shifted a lead race engineer and a key mechanic from Martin’s successful team to Earnhardt’s struggling crew.

Whether the moves pay off won’t really be known for some time, but for at least a week, it looks like Hendrick pushed all the right buttons.

“It takes a little bit of the pressure off and relieves a little bit of the stress,” Earnhardt said.

Bobby Gerhardt wins 6th ARCA Race at Daytona International Speedway

Danica Patrick finishes a solid 6th

Top 10

Pos Driver Points

 1 Bobby Gerhart 235
2 James Buescher 230
3 Mark Thompson 220
4 John Wes Townley 215
5 Patrick Sheltra 205
6 Danica Patrick 200
7 Ricky Carmichael 195
8 Tommy Joe Martins 190
9 Bryan Silas 185
10 Steve Arpin 180

More new soon!!

Robby Gordon will be first out in Daytona 500 qualifying (1 p.m. ET Saturday on FOX).

[54 entered for 43 spots]
will make the race, at least thru the Past Champ Provisional:
#71-Bobby Labonte [PC1]
still need to go out to qualify:
#87-Joe Nemechek,
#36-Mike Bliss,
#75-Derrike Cope,
#92-Mike Wallace,
#27-Kirk Shelmerdine,
#09-Aric Almirola,
#82-Scott Speed,
#97-Jeff Fuller,
#49-David Gilliland,
#46-Terry Cook,
#13-Max-Papis,
#21-Bill Elliott [PC2],
#55-Michael McDowell,
#32-Reed Sorenson,
#66-Dave Blaney,
#90-Casey Mears,
#57-Norm Benning,
#71-Bobby Labonte [PC1],
#51-Michael Waltrip,