Associated Press
The NASCAR roundup …
NASCAR drivers Regan Smith and Paul Menard escaped injury Wednesday when Smith lost control of his truck and crashed into trees after hitting a patch of ice near his mountain home in Evergreen, Colo.
The two racers along with Smith’s wife, Megan, and a family friend, were on their way to a ski slope in Vail when the accident happened about 8:45 a.m., said David Ferroni of the Furniture Row Racing team.
GRAND MARSHALL
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Actor Gary Sinise will be the grand marshal at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway on April 1.
The speedway also announced Tuesday that Patrick County Marine Cpl. Joshua Kerns will wave the green flag to start the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. Kerns lost his right arm below the elbow and both his legs below the knees in an explosion in Afghanistan.
Sinise’s foundation is helping build a specially equipped home for Kerns.
STENHOUSE
FORT WORTH, Texas — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has gone step-by-step in racing. There were the go-karts as a kid, then midget and sprint cars for Tony Stewart’s team before going to ARCA. Once he became a full-time NASCAR Nationwide driver, Stenhouse was the top rookie in 2010 and followed that up with a series championship last season.
The natural progression would next take Stenhouse to NASCAR’s highest level on a regular basis.
But not just yet for the up-and-coming driver.
“Honestly, we need to win another (Nationwide) championship, but I feel like to make it successful, I think we need to win at least six races,” said Stenhouse, who won twice last season. “I wanted to stay in Nationwide again and learn some more.”