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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Atlanta Motor Speedway's track president defends speedway's two Cup dates: Atlanta Motor Speedway officials have fought off the rumor for years. Almost any time the subject of NASCAR scheduling comes up, someone will mention the possibility of AMS losing one of its two Sprint Cup race dates. It happens because recent races there have failed to sell out and because AMS' parent company, Speedway Motorsports Inc., recently purchased Kentucky Speedway, which has no Cup date. NASCAR's long-standing policy has been that if a company such as SMI wants a Cup date for a track such as Kentucky, which currently hosts Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series events, it must take a race from one of its existing tracks. Clark said he believes AMS, which has seating for 104,000, has a lot going for it, despite some attendance-challenged races in past years. “Number one, there are a lot of events on the schedule that don’t draw as many people as we do,” he said. “People talk about our attendance but we draw a lot more people than a lot of events in other markets that have Cup races.” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Indiana governor gets VIP treatment at Indy: Sam Hornish Jr. and Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials hope Monday wasn't a bad omen as NASCAR rolls into town for Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Shortly after giving rides in a modified stock car to Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indiana Pacers coach Jim O'Brien, Hornish's Mobil 1 Dodge broke a clutch, littering the backstretch of the track with debris. That ended the promotional effort intended to hype the 400. Normally, that wouldn't be a major concern, but the event needs some good karma after last year's Goodyear tire debacle. That race, won by Jimmie Johnson, was overshadowed by tires that didn't last more than 10 or 12 laps. (Indy Star)

NASCAR stands by Mayfield suspension and drug policy: Nascar stands by its open-ended suspension of Mayfield. “What we’ve been told is methamphetamine is America’s No. 1 drug problem,” said Ramsey Poston, a Nascar spokesman. “It’s highly addictive and dangerous.” Nascar was founded 52 years ago by Bill France Sr., and the France family has operated the business unilaterally ever since. No drivers’ union exists to negotiate through collective bargaining drug detection methods and penalties. For two decades, while other pro sports leagues as well as the N.C.A.A. and the United States Olympic Committee were developing and fine-tuning testing programs, Nascar simply declared that the misuse and abuse of any drug constituted a violation. Testing was initiated only by “reasonable suspicion.” The approach was sufficient to ensnare some drivers. “It’s a broad, sweeping policy that makes it the best policy in sports,” Poston said in a telephone interview. (NY Times)

Mayfield's attorneys say NASCAR still has to prove case: Attorneys for Jeremy Mayfield filed papers on Monday arguing NASCAR has not shown sufficient reason that the court should overturn the decision to lift the Sprint Cup driver's suspension for violating the substance-abuse policy. The papers filed in U.S. District Court are a counter to NASCAR's request on Wednesday asking for an immediate stay of the injunction after Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine for a second time. The counterclaim did not address the second test. Mayfield has since claimed the governing body spiked the July 6 test to get the desired results. His attorney, John Buric, released results of another test taken on the same day but performed by LabCorp, an independent laboratory not hired by NASCAR, that came up negative for methamphetamines and amphetamines. NASCAR officials argue that the LabCorp test should not be recognized because there is no evidence that the sample is legitimate or that proper procedure was used. Asked for specifics about the test, such as whether Mayfield was directly observed giving the sample, Bill Bonello of LabCorp said, "LabCorp does not comment on drug testing results."(More at ESPN.com)

Monday, July 20, 2009

Lewis Hamilton may consider NASCAR? The reigning F1 world champion, Lewis Hamilton, was quizzed on his future by Sun readers in an exclusive Q&A session. McLaren ace Hamilton, 24, said: "I'm into all kinds of sports, a bit like Michael Schumacher. I'd love to try a MotoGP bike but not particularly race one. I would love to try one of Malcolm Wilson's rally cars - and one day I might try a NASCAR. But if Mercedes-Benz want to go to Le Mans one day and take me, I'll do that." Hamilton ruled out chasing glory at the gruelling Indy 500, though. He said: "To do the Indy 500 you have to be going at it. It would be unreasonable for me to expect to get in the car and go and win it.(The Sun)

Sadler to run new Dodge motor at Indy: Elliott Sadler will run the new Dodge R6P8 engine for the first time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sadler finished fourth last year in the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard with the previous Dodge engine. Sadler is tied with Tony Stewart for the longest active DNF streak (42 races) of drivers that have competed in every race. Regan Smith is at 51 races, but has not competed in every race during that span. Says Sadler, "This year I’m going to be racing the new Dodge R6 engine there, so I really feel like we are going to be fast and racing for a chance to win at the end. This is the first time that we’re running that engine in the No. 19 this year so I guess you could say I’m pretty optimistic based on what we’ve seen from the No. 9 over the last couple weeks. “(RPM PR )

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Danica says no to F1 Racing: During a visit to Los Angeles to attend the ESPY Awards, Danica Patrick also talked about her recent visit to Tony Stewart's NASCAR shop, the prospects of her moving to the Formula One series and other topics in a question-and-answer session: Have you at least narrowed down the series where you would drive next year? "I'd say it's probably not F1." You don't have any interest in this new U.S. team being formed for F1? "Not really, and the fact that to my knowledge they've never called. I've had opportunities to take it a step further with Formula One, and I don't want to lead anyone down a path. It's not in my heart to go there. I've explored Europe before. I particularly like to be here and I like my family and I like my friends and I like my creature comforts of my home country."(Los Angeles Times)

No Fear racing and Rick Clark Motorsports merger being finalized: Boris Said would love to be driving full-time in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. But most of all, the tall Californian with the trademark head of big curly hair just wants to race. So this weekend fans at Barber Motorsports Park can catch the veteran Said driving a bright yellow and blue BMW in the Koni GS Series as co-driver with Matt Bell, one of road-racing's brightest young talents. Said -- whose fans wear big curly wigs and called themselves Said Heads -- is known to NASCAR fans as a road-racing specialist -- and he'll be back at Watkins Glen for the Cup's second road-course race. Said expects to finalize a merger between his own No Fear team and Rick Clark Motorsports. Plans for the merger were announced in February at Daytona but were held up until now. "It didn't get done yet because the economy slowed us down, the lawyers slowed us down," Said said. "I think we're going to have it done next week." The intention is to run a full-time schedule, but that depends -- as it usually does in these economic times -- on sponsorship. Said has his fingers crossed about that but says he's "a glass half-empty guy" on such things. "They're trying really hard to do the whole season," he said. "We're going to do as much as we can." Said plans to run for No. 08 Carter/Simo Racing at Watkins Glen and probably Talladega in the 2nd half of 2009.(Alabama Live)

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Danica Patrick visits other teams: [Danica Patrick] visited during a daylong skip-hop in Charlotte. She went to Roush Fenway. She went to Michael Waltrip Racing and Richard Childress Racing, too. And her day began at Joe Gibbs Racing.(ESPN.com)

Red Bull Racing's contract held-up: It was reported June 10 that Brian Vickers had agreed to a new multi-year deal with Red Bull Racing and that an announcement would come later that week. So where's the contract? Vickers described the situation last weekend as "strange" and said he'd hoped to have the new deal signed before now. "Right now, we still haven't agreed on a contract," Vickers told reporters at Chicagoland Speedway. "There were many times where I went into the week expecting it to be signed and sent to me to sign, and that didn't happen. Why? I can't answer that. That's a question for Red Bull and a question for Jay [Frye]." Frye is Red Bull's general manager. He was scheduled to meet with team owner Dietrich Mateschitz this week in Austria to work on Vickers' deal and a manufacturer for next season. Red Bull is in the final year of its contract with Toyota, which would like to re-sign the organization. Frye also has been in discussions with Hendrick Motorsports about forming a technical alliance in which HMS would supply engines and chassis as it does for Stewart-Haas Racing. If an alliance occurs with HMS, Red Bull also could be a potential landing spot for Brad Keselowski, although Frye recently said he had no plans to expand.(ESPN Insider)

Friday, July 17, 2009

Yates Racing hopes to keep drivers: Yates Racing team co-owner Max Jones says he hasn’t soured on his driver lineup despite having seen some good days go bad and some bad days remain bad. “I won’t say I’m disappointed, but it’s not the outcome we were hoping for the first half of the year,” Jones says. “We’ve had some good runs from both teams, but we haven’t been consistent enough. We have a lot of work to do. … When we’ve had good cars and we’ve run up [near the] front, we haven’t been able to close the deal, and that’s what hurt us.” After a first year at Yates Racing where Travis Kvapil finished 23rd in points and David Gilliland was 27th in a pair of underfunded cars, Jones’ expectations rose with Menard bringing his family sponsorship and Hall of Fame Racing providing the Ask.com sponsorship with Labonte as the driver. The team has an alliance with Roush Fenway Racing and is housed in a building next to the Roush Fenway campus and gets its cars as well as technological and marketing help from the organization. “Everybody’s frustrated,” Jones says. “Our expectations coming into the year, I felt that Paul could be in the top 20 in points, and I felt like Bobby was a top-15 [driver] and maybe working our way into the Chase [For The Sprint Cup]. People may think that’s far-fetched, but I don’t think so. That’s attainable. Not this year, with the way we’ve dug ourselves in the hole, but I think that the organization and the drivers are capable of doing that if we put everything together.” The Hall of Fame alliance, where Yates Racing fields the cars, is a one-year deal (as is the Ask.com sponsorship), and Jones hopes that it continues. He says that Menards is a two-year deal that runs through 2010. Whether Yates Racing gets another team siphoned from Roush Fenway Racing, which must cut from five teams to four after this season, is still to be determined, Jones says. (SceneDaily.com)

Hernandez to compete in ARCA race with Truex's car: NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate Jesus Hernandez will take another step forward in his career Saturday night when he competes in the ARCA race at the Kentucky Speedway. Hernandez will compete in a car entered by his fellow worker at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, Sprint Cup driver Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Chevy). Hernandez will pilot the No. 56 Chevrolet. The car will have support from lavendar Boutique and G.C. Pollex and Associates. Hernandez will be making his second career ARCA start, previously racing in this event in 2007, finishing an impressive sixth in his debut. The team, made up of many Sprint Cup employees moonlighting on this project, has made this a true grassroots effort. The team has worked for nearly eight months preparing this car for Saturday night’s race. Hernandez, 27, has competed this season in the Camping World East Series and has collected three top-10 finishes, including one top-five.(Breaking Limits PR)

JJ named Best Driver at ESPYs: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevy, picked up the ESPY for Best Driver during the 17th annual ceremony Wednesday at the Nokia Theater L.A. Live. Fans can watch the ESPYs, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, this Sunday at 9:00pm/et on ESPN. This marks the second year that Johnson has won the award, which is based upon a fan vote. Johnson, the three-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, also was nominated for Best Male Athlete, which was presented to 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps. NASCAR has dominated the Best Driver category, picking up 11 of the last 14 awards. Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammates have won five of them: Jeff Gordon in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2007, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2004.(NASCAR)

Thursday, July 16, 2009

GM ends sponsorship deals with speedways, drivers and teams: GM obtained court permission Monday to end 56 promotional contracts. Caught in the pile up were 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, 2007 Nationwide Series co-champion Jeff Burton and NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace. The sponsorships were among the contracts left with the “old” GM to be wound down in bankruptcy. The auto maker, which emerged from bankruptcy protection last week, used its spin around the Chapter 11 track to eliminate hundreds of costly contracts, including dozens of sponsorship deals. With the cancelation of Burton’s “personal service” contract, the driver will no longer make personal appearances and perform other duties on behalf of GM, but he will continue to drive a Chevrolet in NASCAR events, said David Hart, spokesman for Richard Childress Racing, Burton’s team. The two other teams did not responded to requests for comment. GM canceled its “motorsport sponsorship agreement” with Wallace’s RWI Racing LLC and its “sponsorship services agreement” with Ryan Newman Motorsports Inc. but did not detail the nature of those deals. Newman is driving the “U.S. Army” No. 39 Chevrolet Impala SS this season, after winning Daytona last year in a Dodge. GM also scraped deals with five race tracks, including Daytona International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the auto maker gave up suites, pit passes and parking permits. (Wall Street Journal)

Tyler Hansbrough to serve as grand marshal at Indy: Indiana Pacers 2009 first-round draft pick Tyler Hansbrough will serve as grand marshal for the 16th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 26. Hansbrough, a 6-foot 9-inch forward selected with the 13th overall pick in the NBA draft, also will wave the green flag to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' mid-summer classic at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.(PR)

Jeff Gordon is looking for wins: When the season resumes next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon plans to emphasize earning wins to record bonus points. "I feel like for the most part that we're really in a great position to be a real threat once the Chase comes around," he said. (USA Today)

NASCAR on TNT at Chicagoland down 6.2%: TNT reports that its coverage of last Saturday night's LifeLock.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway drew a 3.0 rating from Nielsen Media Research, 6.2 percent lower than the 3.2 rating it earned for the race last year. Although previously reported that it was down 18.9 percent, that was comparing the national rating to last year's cable rating. This year's cable rating was 3.5, down from a 3.7. (SceneDaily.com)

Jeremy Mayfield blast NASCAR and stepmother: Jeremy Mayfield didn't spare his stepmother or NASCAR in defending himself against Wednesday's report that he has again tested positive for methamphetamines. NASCAR filed court papers on Wednesday saying that his most recent drug test came back positive and including an affidavit from Mayfield's stepmother Lisa who claims to have seen the racer using drugs on numerous occasions. Mayfield said he does not trust NASCAR testing and saved his strongest words for his stepmother. "She's basically a whore," he told ESPN.com's David Newton. "She shot and killed my dad." Mayfield's father Terry died in 2007 at age 56 of what the Chapel Hill, N.C., medical examiner called a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Nevertheless, Mayfield told ESPN.com on Wednesday that his stepmother will be served with a wrongful death suit on Thursday. "She knows what we've got on her," Mayfield said. "For her to come out and do this is pretty ballsy. Everybody that's ever known me knows I never, ever have been around her for more than 10 hours of my life. She's a gold digger. I knew that from Day 1." Although he said he has no proof, Mayfield claimed that NASCAR paid Lisa Mayfield for her affidavit. "It wouldn't take much money. She tried to get money from me," Mayfield said. "I have a very short fuse when it comes to her." In blasting NASCAR, he went straight for the top, chairman Brian France. "They're playing this high school [expletive], they better be ready," Mayfield said of NASCAR. "I'm coming after them in a big way. I'm prepared to go all the way and have the backing to do it if it takes everything I've got. I'm not going to back down for something I didn't do." (ESPN.com)

Final Mayfield Motorsports employee leaves race team: The general manager of Jeremy Mayfield's race team says he has left the organization because he doesn't believe Mayfield Motorsports will return to the race track. Bobby Wooten says he was the last remaining employee. The team was started this season, and Mayfield said in court documents he had to lay off 10 employees since NASCAR suspended him in May for failing a random drug test. A federal judge has lifted that suspension, but Mayfield did not bring the No. 41 Toyota to the track in the two races since he was reinstated. Wooten says he does not believe Mayfield has any interest in resurrecting the team.(Associated Press)

Report: Shell's contract runs through 2010: Contrary to multiple Internet reports Tuesday and Wednesday indicating otherwise, the sponsorship deal between Shell Oil Co. and Richard Childress Racing and its No. 29 Chevrolet Sprint Cup Series team extends through the 2010 season. Representatives with Shell confirmed via e-mail to the Observer today the sponsor's deal matches the current contract of the team's driver Kevin Harvick. Harvick's contract with RCR also goes through the 2010 season.(Charlotte Observer)

J. Gordon makes near $30 mil annually: There is no doubt that Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet and four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, is rich. In fact, Gordon's riches have been recently measured by Forbes magazine. Forbes has listed Gordon as number 63 on their list of the top 100 richest celebrities. The wealth rating magazine also estimates that Gordon brings in approximately $30 million annually. Matt Miller, of Forbes, disclosed that Gordon's worth as a celebrity is calculated based on his winnings at the race track, his share of co-owning the No. 48 car driven by his friend and past Champion Jimmie Johnson, endorsements, and licensing of various products. "Jeff Gordon is a major brand," said Miller. "His selection to the list is based on a combination of money, fame and power." Miller cited Gordon's new ventures, including video games, a wine label and his move into race track design as also contributing to the wealth ranking. (Bleacher Report)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Mayfield test postive for Meth again; stepmother claims he's used meth atleast 30 times: NASCAR says Jeremy Mayfield has again tested positive for methamphetamine and wants the federal judge who lifted the driver's drug suspension to reinstate the ban. The positive result from a July 6 random test was included in a U.S. District Court filing Wednesday. The filing includes an affidavit from Mayfield's stepmother, who claims she personally witnessed the driver using methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years. NASCAR says in its filings that the "A" sample had levels of methamphetamine consistent with habitual users who consume high doses. The filing also claims Mayfield and his attorneys have failed to select a qualified laboratory to test the backup "B" sample.(Associated Press)

RCR statement regarding Harvick: The following is a statement from Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing, regarding recent reports about RCR team sponsor Shell-Pennzoil and Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: “Richard Childress Racing has a multi-year contract with Shell-Pennzoil that includes the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Shell-Pennzoil remains a great partner for RCR and Kevin Harvick as well as our sport overall. RCR also has a multi-year contract with Kevin Harvick that includes the 2010 season. That said, Shell will be the sponsor and Kevin will be the driver of RCR’s No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS in 2010.”(RCR.com)

Keselowski happy to forfeit ROTY to get more seat time: It looks like Brad Keselowski won't run for Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2010. The hot, young driving prospect has started seven Cup races in 2009, which is the maximum allowed by NASCAR in order to retain a rookie standing. Keselowski, who won the Cup race at Talladega, will lose the chance to run for rookie honors with one more Cup start. After his seventh start at Chicagoland on Saturday night, Keselowski said, "I just want to continue to gain experience and have fun at the same time." Back in May, the 25-year-old driver said he would give up a chance for the rookie title if he continued to get quality seat time. (Daytona News-Journal)

ISC links new brand to Daytona: International Speedway Corp. is creating a new brand -- Daytona Elite, named after its signature speedway -- that the company plans to license to automotive aftermarket products. Items bearing the Daytona Elite brand are expected to be on store shelves by the first quarter of next year, possibly earlier. (Sports Business Journal)

Dale Jr is happy to be a racecar driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked if he has ever questioned his decision to be a racecar driver: "Never a moment, never happens�That's what being a racecar driver so cool is you know what you want to do, you know where you want to be, you know where you have to be and it's easier. I had to work at a real job and I know what that's like. Being a racecar driver is where it's at�The business part of it is not a real pain. It's not what I got into the sport for. Parts of it is pretty interesting, parts of it aren't, parts of it are boring. I don't like meetings any more than the next guy. The driving part is what you get into it for. There's other things that come along with it, good and bad. You just take it." (WDNE)

Letarte named Wypall Crew Chief of the Race: Steve Letarte, crew chief for the No. 24 Dupont/ National Guard Chevy driven by Jeff Gordon, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race after Saturday night's Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. The team started the race with a stout car, taking the green flag on the inside of row four. Letarte kept his driver running up front most of the night by making adjustments to improve a tight racecar. With just 20 laps to go, he called his driver to pit road for four fresh tires in hopes to give him an advantage over the top eight teams who chose to stay out. The call paid off, and Gordon was able to pass cars at ease on his way to a second place finish. 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)

Wood Brothers add an additional race: While the NASCAR Sprint Cup series began the second half of its 36-race season Saturday night, the race marked the sixth event of the season for the Wood Brothers and the no. 21 Ford Bill that Elliott drives. The team scaled back to a partial schedule this season because it was unable to find enough sponsorship to run the entire year. This marks the first time since 1984 the team hasn't attempted to run a full Cup schedule. Eddie Wood, co-owner of the team, said that the team has added one race -- the Charlotte fall race -- giving it 13 for the year [plus the team ran the Sprint Showdown]. The team's next race is Indianapolis in two weeks, and then the team will skip two races before returning to Michigan in mid-August. "It's really working out for us,'' Wood said. "Just like everybody else in here, we send out [sponsorship] proposals everyday. Literally. If something turns up to where we get another chunk of money, we'll add races accordingly. But we won't run races if we don't have the money to support it and do it correctly.''(Roanoke Times)

Mayfield hopes to have sponsorship for All-State 400 at Indy: If Jeremy Mayfield’s injunction against NASCAR is upheld during upcoming court proceedings, he may have a sponsor for the July 26 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard—and beyond. In an interview Friday with Full Throttle Autos Online, Robert Craddock, the Florida-based owner of SmallSponsor.com, expressed his confidence in Mayfield’s innocence despite a failed drug test in May. "How many years has Jeremy been doing this? Has there ever been an indication [of a drug problem] in all those years?” Craddock said. “I think the answer is no.” Craddock went on to call the test “completely bogus,” citing reports that Mayfield would be dead if he tested positive at the level of methamphetamine NASCAR says he did. To that end, Craddock says he’s in very positive discussions with a Fortune 500-level company that would be willing to join SmallSponsor.com as a co-primary sponsor of Mayfield’s No. 41 Camry. Even if that partnership didn’t develop, Craddock said SmallSponsor.com has funding to support Mayfield. “We could definitely support it, but it’s like everything else, you can never have enough money,” Craddock said of his company, which funded Mayfield Motorsports prior to the driver’s suspension and for a brief period after J.J. Yeley was put into the car. Bobby Wooten, team manager of Mayfield Motorsports, was noncommittal about Craddock’s promises, although he called Craddock a friend of the team and said he was working hard to help put the No. 41 back on the track. “We’re waiting for Robert to get everything put together,” Wooten said. (Full Throttle Autos)

No. 11 FedEx crew wins Tissot Pit Road Precision Award: Denny Hamlin’s crew took top honors in the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award during Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway. Hamlin’s No. 11 crew became the 13th Tissot winner in the 19 Cup races contested in 2009. The pit crew win was the result of Hamlin’s FedEx Toyota Camry spending the least amount of time on pit road – 194.055 seconds. The quick work helped Hamlin and the Joe Gibbs Racing team to a fifth-place finish in the 267-lap, 400-mile race. Hamlin’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Jonathan Sherman (front-tire changer), Brandon Pegram (front-tire carrier), Mike Hicks (rear-tire changer), Heath Cherry (rear-tire carrier), Nate Bolling (jackman), Scott Wood (gasman), John Eicher (catch can) and Bobby “Spike” Christenson (windshield). The team’s crew chief is Mike Ford and the pit crew coach is Paul Alepa. The athletic director for Joe Gibbs Racing is Michael Lepp. The no. 11 team 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. The crews for Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle lead in the Tissot standings with three wins each. Tony Stewart’s and Jimmie Johnson’s crews are tied for third with two wins each.(Tissot)

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Report: Harvick wants to join Stewart-Haas Racing: Kevin Harvick has told Richard Childress he would like to leave after this season, according to multiple sources. Harvick has one year remaining on his contract with RCR, but the Shell/Pennzoil sponsorship deal on the No. 29 Chvey ends at the end of this season, and Harvick is trying to move with it to Stewart-Haas. Tony Stewart has said his team is interested in running a third car in Sprint Cup in 2010. Childress is in a tough spot. He could hold Harvick to the contract and try to re-sign Shell/Pennzoil, but in a performance-based business, the Stewart-Haas option, undoubtedly, is more appealing to the gas and oil company. If Shell/Penzoil decides to leave, Childress has to find $15 million to $20 million in sponsorship to replace it -- a very difficult prospect in this economy. Harvick would also bring additional Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series capability to the organization, joining the JR Motorsports operation owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick. Kevin Harvick Inc. competes in both series.(SI.com)

NASCAR announces No. 1 and Truex penalties: NASCAR announced that Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 1 Chevy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, crew chief Kevin Manion and car owner Teresa Earnhardt have been penalized for rule violations during last weekend’s event at Chicagoland Speedway. Truex was penalized 25 points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver standings. Manion was fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31, 2009. Earnhardt was penalized 25 points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner standings. The three were penalized for violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); Section 12-4-I (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules) and Section 20-12.8.1C (right rear quarter panel height did not meet the required specifications; too high in post-race inspection).(NASCAR)

Danica Patrick visits Stewart-Haas race shop: Patrick was a guest of team owner Tony Stewart last fall at Phoenix. But the two-time Cup champion was not available to be a guide Monday because he was at a Goodyear tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway. According to sources, Patrick was introduced to Ryan Newman, crew chief Tony Gibson, General Manager Bobby Hutchens and engineer Matt Borland. The tour included stops in the fabrication shop and a look at the seven-post shaker rig.(FOXSports.com)

Goodyear tire testing underway at Atlanta: Tire testing is currently underway at Atlanta Motor Speedway, as four NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers assist the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in preparing the preeminent tire for Atlanta’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup night race, the Pep Boys Auto 500 on Sept. 6. Goodyear is tasked with preparing the first tire for Sprint Cup night racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the company is utilizing NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray and Tony Stewart in the two-day Goodyear Tire Test. “It’s definitely tough to prepare a tire for a night race [in Atlanta], because there are unknowns going into a night race – how fast is the track going to be and where do we need to have many of our settings,” said Busch, who won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. “I felt like the tire was just fine in March, obviously. With the way our car handled and we drove it into Victory Lane, I wouldn’t change a thing. But, we’ve got a night race now, so we’re here working with Goodyear to find something better and make the racing more exciting.” All four participating drivers have higher-average finishes in night races than afternoon races in 2009. In five-2009 night races, Stewart has the highest average night race finish of the four at 2.4, compared to his season average of 7.6. Of the remaining drivers, Hamlin has an average night race finish of 8.2 (13.4 for the entire season), Busch has an average of 10.6 (12.5) and McMurray’s average night race finish is 14.6 (20.2). Tire testing will resume at 2:00pm/et on Tuesday and continue until 10:00pm/et. The test is closed to the public.(AMS PR)

Menard looking at options: Paul Menard and his family are surveying their options and shopping around their sponsorship package to other teams for 2010. Both driver and sponsor are a package deal, although Menard's list of options on the current Sprint Cup landscape is rather short. Among those teams still under the pending four-car limit and with the ability to expand include Michael Waltrip Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing (extremely unlikely), Robby Gordon Motorsports (Menards has a relationship with Gordon already), Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (the team Menard left in 2008), and Penske Racing.(Frontstretch.com)