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Friday, Aug. 21, 2009

Patrick expected to stay in IRL? Michael Andretti plans to maintain a four-car IndyCar Series team and said he expects to retain popular star Danica Patrick. "Getting close," he said of negotiations. "We've been back and forth a lot, but they want it and we want it. We're just going through the particulars right now. I'm happy with the way things are going." An announcement could come as early as next week. Her car's sponsor, Motorola, is based in Schaumburg, Ill., near Chicagoland Speedway, site of the Aug. 29 race. Patrick's three-year contract expires at the end of the season, which has four races left, including this weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. AGR will be a five-car team this week with Franck Montagny driving an entry shared by AFS Racing. (Indy Star)

Legends race to return to Bristol in 2010: The legends of NASCAR will race again at Bristol Motor Speedway next spring, but the rules of engagement have been revised. Along with three former driving greats, BMS officials outlined the details for the 2010 legends race Thursday afternoon. To be eligible for the event, a driver must not have competed in a Nationwide or Sprint Cup Series event in the past seven years. That would disqualify Sterling Marlin, who led every lap of the 35-lap Scotts Saturday Night Special late-model event last spring. Rusty Wallace, who finished second, would also be ineligible. The other major switch involves the cars. Instead of allowing drivers, such as Wallace, to bring their own late models every driver will compete in a car provided by the USARacing Pro Cup Series. L.D. Ottinger, who finished third behind Wallace and Marlin, attended Thursday's press conference along with Charlie Glotzbach and Jack Ingram. Other drivers who have committed to participate in the 2010 legends race are Phil Parsons, Larry Pearson, Harry Gant and Cale Yarborough. Details of the event are still being formalized, but it will likely be run after the Scotts Turf Builder 300 Nationwide Series event. The celebrity portion of the 35-lap race has been scrapped. Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer and former National Football League star Mike Compton ran exhibition laps in the spring.(Bristol Herald Courier)

Stanley Tools to donate up to a million dollars to Children's Miracle Network if Kahne or Sadler wins at BMS: Richard Petty Motorsports driver Elliott Sadler and the No. 19 Stanley Dodge now have a million more reasons to win the Aug. 22 race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Primary sponsor Stanley will make a $1 million donation to Children's Miracle Network if Sadler wins the 500-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the half-mile, high-banked track AND Stanley will donate $500,000 to Children's Miracle Network if Kasey Kahne wins Friday night's race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The incentives are part of the "Racing for a Miracle" program created by Stanley, the Ace Hardware Foundation and Children's Miracle Network. "Racing for a Miracle" is a multi-dimensional program that benefits sick and injured kids by raising funds for the hospitals that provide their care. In addition to the race, Sadler is encouraging Ace Hardware patrons to visit one of the country's 1,100 participating Ace Hardware stores during the month of August to buy a $1 "Racing for a Miracle" icon. All donations benefit a local Children's Miracle Network hospital. Kendrick Cohen, a 12-year-old patient at Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., will attend the Aug. 22 race as part of a helmet design contest that he won. Elliott Sadler will present Cohen the helmet he designed and a second helmet will be auctioned off later in the season with donations benefiting Children's Miracle Network.(RPM PR)

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas to sponsor Robby Gordon at Bristol: The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas / The Rogue Joint will return as the primary sponsor at Bristol. The flashy black and purple scheme was seen last on Gordon's No. 55 Nationwide entry at Watkins Glen where he finished 14th. The Rouge Joint inherited its name from the legendary original Hard Rock venue and was designed by the renowned Montreal-based architectural design firm Scéno Plus. This upgraded facility has a seating capacity of 4,000 and will carry on the up-close and authentic feel of the original venue with the furthest seat in the house only 155 feet from the stage. The Rogue Joint is a multipurpose facility featuring a state-of-the-art sound system, an innovative lighting system, and 38 flat screens throughout the venue to guarantee the ultimate viewing experience and is part of the widely-publicized $750 million dollar expansion of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas slated for completion later this year.(RGM)

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009

The latest on Kansas Speedway's casino project: Wyandotte County moved a step closer to landing a casino Wednesday when the Kansas Lottery Commission approved contracts with two developers. On separate unanimous votes, the Lottery Commission gave the nod to Kansas Entertainment LLC and Penn Hollywood Kansas LLC, keeping their chances alive for managing what would be a state-owned casino. Kansas Entertainment and Penn Hollywood now have 30 days to pay a $25 million “privilege” fee. Kansas Entertainment, a partnership of Kansas Speedway and the Cordish Co., wants to build a $387 million casino next to the Kansas City, Kan., race track. The contracts will be forwarded to the Lottery Gaming Facilities Review Board, which then has 60 days to select a proposal. (Kansas City Star)

Drivers invited to White House donated to Republican Party: President Barack Obama on Wednesday afternoon welcomed 17 current and former NASCAR drivers to the White House to honor the sport’s 2008 champion Jimmie Johnson, but if their campaign contributions are any indication, they might have preferred to have been greeted by a Republican president. The invited drivers have given a total of $113,625 in federal campaign contributions since the early 1980s, all of which went to Republican candidates and party committees, a POLITICO analysis of federal campaign finance records found. (Politico.com)

Here are the total federal contributions given by the NASCAR stars invited to the White House Wednesday:
Darrell Waltrip: $60,625
Richard Petty: $23,450
Dale Jarrett: $6,200
Kurt Busch: $5,000 *
Jeff Gordon: $4,300
Tony Stewart: $4,000
Greg Biffle: $3,500
Jeff Burton: $3,000
Jimmie Johnson: $2,300
Kurt Busch: $1,000
Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte: $250

President Obama: NASCAR can help with American Automakers' recovery: President Obama said it was important for the Big 3 American automakers to remain in NASCAR but said it is "understandable" that they would cut back their sponsorships during tough economic times. "It's about as good advertising as you can get," Obama said of the auto companies' NASCAR sponsorship. "If somebody's excited about NASCAR, that means their excited about cars. We want to make sure people know what great American cars are." The president was optimistic about the future of the American auto industry and the role NASCAR can play. "Over the long term if you look 5, 10 years out I think they're going to come back stronger than ever and I think their association with NASCAR makes a great difference," he said. (ABC News)

President Obama hopes to attend NASCAR race: Here is the last probing question the "NASCAR Now" panel asked: "When are we going to get you to a race?" The answer: "I would love to do it. I was supposed to do it during the campaign but we just ended up having to travel too much and we weren't able to devote the amount of time that I wanted to. Hopefully sometime during my presidency I'm going to get out there." So that seems to mean President Obama hasn't been to a NASCAR race? Ever? (LA Times)

Edwards and Ambrose to team up for Grand-Am race: NASCAR stars Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose will team up in Montreal for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal on August 29. Edwards and Ambrose will co-drive the No. 77 Ford DP car owned by Doran Enterprises, Inc. in the two-hour race. Aflac is the primary sponsor with Subway as a secondary sponsor for Edwards and iRacing.com and Aussie wines as secondary sponsors for Ambrose. The Montreal 200 at Circuit Gille Villeneuve will precede the Nationwide race next week and marks the duo's debut in the series.(Roush Fenway PR)

New roller coaster featuring Dale Earnhardt's likeness to be unveiled in 2010: The most exciting ride in Kings Dominion's 35-year history will debut in the spring of 2010, as the amusement park introduces a mammoth 5,100-foot long steel Giga-coaster. Intimidator 305 takes it name from one of stock car racing's most beloved and tenacious drivers, Dale Earnhardt, "the Intimidator" along with the height of the coaster's lift hill, 305 feet. Intimidator 305, only the second Giga-coaster ever built in North America, will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster of its type on the East Coast. The lift hill will stand a towering 305 feet at its highest peak; descend 300 feet at an 85 degree-angle and thunder along the track at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour during its three minute race to the finish. The trains, fashioned after Dale Earnhardt's signature black car, will roar through six airtime humps plus three high-speed turns and the experience will have guests screaming for another lap around the track. Intimidator 305 will be located in the park's Congo section and becomes Kings Dominion's 15th World-class roller coaster. Those who cannot wait until 2010 may take a virtual ride on Intimidator 305, access exclusive updates, features, virtual renderings, ride statistics, and more atwww.intimidator305.com. Intamin AG of Wollerau, Switzerland, a recognized industry leader in roller coaster development, designed Intimidator 305. The ride is scheduled to open in the spring of 2010.(Victory Management Group)

Brief filed in Mayfield vs. NASCAR case: Jeremy Mayfield's legal team has filed its final reply brief in arguing against NASCAR's request that U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen, in light of a disputed July 6 drug test, reconsider his injunction that lifted Mayfield's suspension centering around his May 1 drug test. NASCAR suspended Mayfield for a May 1 drug test that it says showed a positive result for methamphetamines. Mayfield claims the test resulted in a false positive reading created by the prescription drug Adderall, which is used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and the allergy medication Claritin-D. Mayfield obtained an injunction from Mullen on July 1 to keep NASCAR from enforcing the initial suspension. Since then, NASCAR has gotten that injunction put on hold - leaving Mayfield suspended - by the U.S. Court of Appeals until the appeals court can hear arguments on the matter, a process that likely will last until at least October. Mayfield's filing Tuesday mainly focuses on the legal precedent on why Mullen should not rescinded the injunction. Mayfield's lawyers also argue that NASCAR expert Mace Beckson contradicts NASCAR's contention that Mayfield poses a danger to fans since Beckson indicates that no absolute conclusion about a person's medical condition can be based solely on a drug test. There is no deadline for Mullen to rule on NASCAR's request to have the injunction rescinded.(SceneDaily.com)

Terry Labonte in the No. 08: Terry Labonte is one of 13 "Go or Go Home" drivers on the Bristol Motor Speedway entry list heading into this weekends Sharpie 500. The 1984 and 1996 Champion will be guaranteed a start via the Past Champions Provisional, but the team feels the No. 08 Toyota is more than capable of making the field on speed. Even with a locked in spot, champion driver and quality crew, the car is missing one thing, sponsorship.(Carter Simo Racing)

Johnson to be induced into Auto Club Speedway Walk of Fame: Native Southern Californian Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevy, will take his place alongside past Auto Club Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners when he is inducted into the ACS Walk of Fame on Saturday, October 10 at 9:30 a.m. during the inaugural Southern California Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Located at Gate 12, on the east end of the Opportunity, California FanZone, the ACS Walk of Fame ceremony has become a must attend, fan favorite. Race fans join Johnson as his footprint, signature and a bronze plaque are preserved in concrete during the enshrinement ceremony.(Auto Club Speedway PR)

Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009

Keselowski has a couple Cup options? Brad Keselowski says there's a scenario that could keep him affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports in 2010 that nobody knows of. Turns out Phoenix Racing isn't his only option with HMS ties. Here are some possibilities: Richard Petty Motorsports: Most of the speculation has RPM leaving Dodge for Toyota, but multiple sources said RPM has had discussions with HMS and Richard Childress Racing should they switch to General Motors. An HMS official, however, assured us that talks with RPM haven't gotten serious. Furniture Row Racing: Furniture Row Racing could expand to two teams -- Regan Smith will be in one car -- with Keselowski. But it's a huge risk for Keselowski to join a team that can't run a full schedule this season.(ESPN Insider)

Front Row Racing announces plans to run full Cup schedule in 2010: Furniture Row Racing announced that it will run the full 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in 2010. The race team also announced that Regan Smith will continue to drive the No. 78 Chevy next season. The decision to return to a full-time schedule was based on the positive effect the race team along with NASCAR's popularity have had on the Furniture Row Companies marketing and advertising programs. The race team, which ran a full schedule in 2006, 2007 and 2008, also stated that it will continue to search for additional sponsorship partners, in the form of primary or associate to help with costs and possibly grow the race team. The No. 78 Furniture Row team was originally scheduled to compete in 12 races in 2009. Four additional races have been added to the schedule, including Saturday night's race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. According to Garone, there is a good possibility of adding more races.(Furniture Row Racing PR)

Dexter Bean withdraws Cup entry: BlackJack Racing and Dexter Bean have decided to withdraw from the Sharpie 500 after the news of crew chief, Ryan Bergenty, breaking his ankle in three places on Tuesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bergenty went to Bristol earlier than the rest of the team, on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 to take in all the racing festivities. As he hopped out of a motor coach, Bergenty's ankle rolled and he was suddenly in severe pain. Bergenty was then taken by ambulance to the Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center, where he is scheduled to have surgery this afternoon. Depending on Bergenty's progress, the next race for Bean could be the Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, on September 20, 2009.(BlackJack Racing)

Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009

Brian Vickers signs extension with Red Bull Racing: Red Bull Racing Team announced that Brian Vickers has signed a multi- year extension to his contract. Vickers will continue to drive the No. 83 Toyota under the leadership of crew chief Ryan Pemberton. "The team is continuing to prove that it is a consistent force week in and week out," said Jay Frye, Vice President and General Manager of RBRT. "Brian has been here from the beginning and he continues to be a vital piece of the puzzle with regards to our ultimate goal of building Red Bull Racing into a consistent contender." Since joining RBRT at the beginning of the 2007 season, Vickers has racked up a win, eight top-five and 22 top-10 finishes, along with seven poles. "I'm thrilled," said Vickers. "This has been a long time coming, and there is no where else I would rather be. I am looking forward to building on what we have started the last couple of years. It is an interesting experience being with a team from the ground up  going through the growing pains, then successes, together. I am so proud to have been able to bring this team their first win." The No. 83 currently sits 13th in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver points, 12 points out of the top-12.(Red Bull Racing)

Wimmer to attempt Bristol Cup race: Scott Wimmer, 33, will attempt to qualify for Saturday's Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in a car sponsored by Alpha Natural Resources, an Abingdon-based coal producer. "People are always asking when this car is going to get back on the track," Wimmer said. "I'm really thankful to have the opportunity to make that happen." Wimmer drove 23 races for the MMM team during the 2006 season, recording a top finish of 19th in the Food City 500 at BMS. "I've kept in contact with everybody up here quite a bit," Wimmer said. "I knew they were working on some stuff for Bristol, and I'm surprised at how fast it all came together. There are a lot of drivers out there they could have chosen to drive this car, but they gave me a chance. " (Bristol Herald Courier)

No. 20 Crew wins Tissot Pit Road Precission Award: Joey Logano's No. 20 crew claimed the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. It was the first Tissot win of the season for the Joe Gibbs Racing crew and the 15th different team to capture the pit road weekly competition. Logano's No. 20 Toyota Camry spent the least amount of time on pit road  204.366 seconds -- during the 200-lap, 400-mile race. The effort lifted the rookie driver to a seventh place finish and his fifth top-10 of the season. Logano's over-the-wall crew consists of: Ira Jo Hussey (front-tire changer), Thomas Dean (front-tire carrier), Aaron Smith (rear-tire changer), Eric Groen (rear-tire carrier), Jason Tate (jackman), Jeff Clark (gasman), Brian Larson (catch can). The team's crew chief is Greg Zipadelli and the pit crew coach is Mike Lepp. Logano's crew will collect $5,000 for the pit road win. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule will receive a $100,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the crew and driver. After the 23rd of 36 races Greg Biffle's No. 16 crew leads the Tissot standings with four wins. Jeff Gordon's and Jimmie Johnson's crews are tied for second with three wins each.(Tissot PR)

Pemberton wins Wypall Crew Chief of the Race at Michigan: Ryan Pemberton, crew chief for the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota driven by Brian Vickers, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Sunday's Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway. A caution on Lap 149 of the 200-lap event gave the field a chance to pit, with some teams choosing to try and stretch their fuel to the finish. Pemberton brought his driver down pit road for the final time and opted for just two tires and fuel - giving him much needed track position and a shot at the win. Pemberton told his driver that in order to win the race, he would have to conserve fuel. Vickers gained six positions on the two-tire gamble and restarted ninth (behind other drivers who didn't pit) when the green flag fell with 48 laps to go. Ten laps later Vickers was leading, only to give up the lead to Jimmie Johnson with 35 laps to go. He drafted behind Johnson for the next 33 laps, conserving fuel. With just two laps remaining, Johnson's tank ran dry, handing the win to Vickers. In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly wins will be honored as the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at the season finale in Homestead.(Wypall PR)