Special Friday Show On Tap For CARS Pro Cup

Wednesday, July 25 2012 @ 03:29 PM EDT

Series Returns To Tri-County Motor Speedway For First Time Since 2000

By Adam Fenwick – adam@carsprocup.com, CARS Pro Cup Series Public Relations Director

Hudson, N.C. – This Friday the CARS Pro Cup Series returns to action with a visit to Tri-County Motor Speedway, the first time the series has visited the four-tenths-mile asphalt oval in 12 years.

Entering the seventh event of the 2012 season, J.P. Morgan continues to dominate the headlines. Morgan has led exactly half of the laps run so far this season in Pro Cup competition, which has led to three victories for Morgan and the J&R Racing team thus far.

Chasing Morgan is South Carolina’s Allen Purkhiser, who earned his first Pro Cup victory earlier this season at Ace Speedway in Atlamahaw, N.C.

The CARS Pro Cup Series has held six events at Tri-County, but only two drivers on the entry list for Friday’s event raced in any of those events.

The most prominent of those would have to be Bill Plemons, Jr., who raced in all six Pro Cup events held at Tri-County from 1998 to 2000. His best finish in those six events at Tri-County was a 13^th place finish during the first of two events held there in 1998.

Stacy Puryear, a veteran of 73 CARS Pro Cup Series starts, will be making his return to the series this weekend wheeling the No. 36 Puryear Race Parts Chevrolet for Wes Gonder Racing. Puryear has one Pro Cup start at Tri-County, a 24^th place finish in 2000.

Pro Cup Profile: J.P. Morgan

Tuesday, July 24 2012 @ 12:38 PM EDT

Series Veteran Has Eye On First CARS Pro Cup Championship

By Adam Fenwick – adam@carsprocup.com, CARS Pro Cup Series Public Relations Director

Mooresville, N.C. – If you had to pick one driver who has been the class of the field throughout most of the 2012 CARS Pro Cup Series season, it would have to be veteran driver J.P. Morgan.

Through six races this year, Morgan has won three times and finished in the top five in every race. He has also led 751 of 1502 laps completed, exactly half of all laps run during the 2012 season.

Those dominant numbers aren’t happening by chance and they didn’t happen overnight. Morgan and the J&R Racing team have had to work for years to find the sort of consistency that has them atop the CARS Pro Cup Series standings in 2012.

Morgan first started his racing career in August of 1998, racing NASCAR-sanctioned late models at what is now known as Concord Speedway in North Carolina.

“My dad and I started a team and ran those late models for quite a while and then started road racing late models in the SCCS (Stock Car Championship Series) division,” Morgan said. “We ran those for a few years and won a championship in that in 2003.”

At the same time that Morgan was road course racing he started racing in the CARS Pro Cup Series, then known as the Hooters Pro Cup Series, driving an entry fielded by Chuck and Jim Bown.

CARS Pro Cup Series Weekly Notebook – July 19, 2012

Thursday, July 19 2012 @ 03:26 PM EDT

More Awards For Morgan After Dominant Victory At Dillon

Mooresville, N.C. — J.P. Morgan continues to add to his contingency award haul during the 2012 season, winning six contingency awards following his dominant victory in the Black’s Tire & Auto Service 250 at Dillon Motor Speedway Saturday night.

Morgan was all but untouchable during the 250-lap event, leading 233 laps en route to his third victory of the season and his second-straight. As a result, Morgan was awarded the Lap Leader Award presented by U-Pull, U-Save.

Morgan also took home the Half Way Leader Award presented by Holley, the T&D Rocker Arms High Finisher Award, the Brake of the Race Award presented by Pro-System Brakes and product certificates from Cool Shirt and Brown & Miller.

Rookie Gus Dean was very impressive during Saturday’s event at Dillon, taking home three contingency awards after earning a career-best second-place finish.

Morgan Can't Be Stopped In South Carolina

Sunday, July 15 2012 @ 09:20 AM EDT

CARS Pro Cup Championship Leader Dominates At Dillon Motor Speedway

By Adam Fenwick – adam@carsprocup.com, CARS Pro Cup Series Public Relations Director

DILLON, S.C. – J.P. Morgan was totally untouchable Saturday night at Dillon Motor Speedway as he rolled to his third CARS Pro Cup Series victory of the season during the Black’s Tire & Auto Service 250.

Wheeling the No. 23 J&R Racing Chevrolet from the outside pole, Morgan completely dominated throughout the 250-lap event. The only time he wasn’t out front was following an invert during mid-race intermission, but within 15 laps he’d made his way back to the front and led the rest of the way.

It wasn’t all peaches and cream for Morgan however as he had to hold off a hard charging Gus Dean in the closing stages of the event. Dean drove his family-owned No. 56 Chevrolet hard in the final 50 laps in an attempt to catch Morgan, but simply ran out of time and ended up a career-best second.

Saunders and Gonder Dial-In for Dillon

Friday, July 13 2012 @ 04:52 PM EDT

Wes Gonder Racing Team Release -

Scott Saunders, 23 year old driver out of Brisbane, Australia, will prepare for his third event in the #33 seat of Wes Gonder Racing this Saturday at Dillon Motor Speedway in the CARS Pro Cup Series Black’s Auto & Tire Service 250.

After concluding only eleven events in a stock car throughout his entire career, Saunders managed to pull off a 10th place finish in his first CARS Pro Cup Series start at Motor Mile and 9th place finish in his second at Caraway. Now Scott and the rest of the Wes Gonder Racing team will head to Dillon, South Carolina to see if they can improve upon their best finish together.

“I am looking forward to working with Scott in the next Pro Cup event at Dillon. The team will be working hard to get Scott a better car so we can build upon our finish and better showcase his talent,” team owner Wes Gonder stated.

Morgan, Purkhiser Take Title Fight To Dillon

Thursday, July 12 2012 @ 11:38 AM EDT

Ryan Glenski Making CARS Pro Cup Series Debut

By Adam Fenwick – adam@carsprocup.com, CARS Pro Cup Series Public Relations Director

DILLON, S.C. – In the midst of a duel for the CARS Pro Cup Series championship, J.P. Morgan and Allen Purkhiser are both looking for an advantage heading into this Saturday’s Black’s Tire & Auto Service 250 at Dillon Motor Speedway.

Statistically speaking, Morgan and Purkhiser have had nearly identical seasons thus far. Both drivers haven’t finished outside the top 10 in five events this year, with Morgan earning a 2.2 average finish and Purkhiser notching a 2.6 average finish.

The difference, so far anyway, has been victory lane. Morgan has two victories this year, while Purkhiser only has one. As a result, Morgan enters Saturday’s 250-lap event with a 45-point lead over Purkhiser.

“They’ve got a great car and a great team and Allen is a great driver,” Morgan said. “I feel like we bring a great car and we’ve got a great team and, I’m not going to toot my own horn, but I feel like I’m a pretty good driver.

“We’re two of the top teams,” Morgan said. “There is so much quality there in the top-10 cars. All of us are just fighting at the tooth to get out there and just run 250-lap sprint races.”

Purkhiser, who is embarking on his first full season with the series, laughed when asked what it would take for him to beat Morgan for the championship.

“It would take him wrecking in every race just about,” joked Purkhiser. “He keeps gaining about five points on me every race because he leads at half way. He’ll usually finish right behind me or I’m right behind him. You just can’t really gain anything that way.”

Pro Cup Profile: Wes Gonder

Wednesday, July 04 2012 @ 12:32 PM EDT

Canadian Native Owns Only Multi-Car Team In CARS Pro Cup Series

Mooresville, N.C. – Anyone that knows CARS Pro Cup Series team owner Wes Gonder knows he loves what he does.

You might find him working under the hood of one of his race cars, beating on sheet metal or coaching one of his drivers. No matter where you find him however, it’s clear that he is simply happy to be there.

“I got started racing in Ontario, Canada, at a short-track called Barrie Speedway helping (work on) late models,” Gonder said. “I never ever did drive them, I always worked on them. I never had the desire to drive them, always just wanted to work on them.”

So the obvious question is how did Gonder make his way from the province of Ontario all the way to North Carolina? He gave all the credit to the CARS Pro Cup Series, then known as the Hooters Pro Cup Series.

“The Hooters Pro Cup, back then, had northern races in Canada Cayuga (International Speedway) and I met some Hooters Pro Cup guys there,” Gonder said. “I asked them what they did full time. At that time I was only part-time doing late-model stuff after work. They said that (working in Hooters Pro Cup) was their full-time job.

“I asked how I got involved in something like that,” Gonder said.

So, like so many before him, Gonder packed his things and moved to North Carolina to try and get more involved in the world of stock-car racing. He started in Pro Cup, eventually taking jobs in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Yet, something just didn’t feel right.

Special Friday Show On Tap For CARS Pro Cup

Pro Cup Profile: J.P. Morgan

CARS Pro Cup Series Weekly Notebook – July 19, 2012

Morgan Can't Be Stopped In South Carolina

Saunders and Gonder Dial-In for Dillon

Morgan, Purkhiser Take Title Fight To Dillon

Pro Cup Profile: Wes Gonder

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