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Monday, July 13, 2009

Keselowksi to Red Bull Racing? Brad Keselowski wasn't kidding when he said he had "options" for next season. In addition to being close to re-signing a deal with JR Motorsports to run in the Nationwide Series, the latest buzz has Special K paired with Red Bull Racing. If Keselowski indeed stays with JRM, the only scenario that would work on the Cup side would be with a Chevy team. Maybe Red Bull is closer to inking a Chevy deal. Rick Hendrick said on Saturday that HMS has the resources to include Red Bull in its engine program.(FOXSports.com)

Biffle returns to short track racing roots: During an upcoming off-weekend from his Sprint Cup duties driving the No. 16 3M Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, Greg Biffle will return home to the northwest for a 10-lap exhibition race at Sunset Speedway in Banks, Oregon. Sunset Speedway is a local dirt track just over 30 miles from Biffle's hometown of Vancouver, Washington. The exhibition race will be part of the Saturday night racing events on July 18th and will also feature Biffle's brother Jeff who is a regular at Sunset Speedway.(Roush Fenway PR)

Phoenix offers $25 reserved seats for fall race: Phoenix International Raceway is offering a $25 reserved seat to fans for the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil on November 15 – an unprecedented value to watch the semifinal race in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. Beyond the hard-charging Sprint Cup action of the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, fans can secure three full nights of NASCAR action for a mere $47 by purchasing the NASCAR Extreme Value Ticket Package. PIR is offering a $15 reserved seat to its Nationwide Series race on Saturday, November 14 and a $7 reserved seat for the Lucas Oil 150 in the Camping World Truck Series on Friday, November 13. PIR kicks off the November race weekend with grassroots USAC racing as part of the famed Copper World Classic on Thursday, November 12. Tickets for the November NASCAR event weekend at Phoenix International Raceway are available now by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223) or visiting www.phoenixraceway.com.(PIR)(

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Truex car too high after post-race inspection: The No. 1 Chevy driven by Martin Truex Jr. did not pass a post-race inspection when NASCAR officials discovered the right rear quarter panel was too high on the car. Truex finished 16th in the LifeLock 400 race at Chicagoland Speedway. The car will be taken back to the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., for further evaluations. NASCAR officials will determine if the height problem is a violation that requires a penalty. Any announcement of the process will come later this week, likely on Tuesday or Wednesday. Similar height situations have resulted in championship point reductions and fines in the past.(ESPN.com)

Red Bull Racing Execs to meet next week: Red Bull Racing Vice President and General Manager Jay Frye will travel to Austria next week for his semi-annual meeting with his team owner and sponsor’s upper management. During that time, Frye said he will try to nail down a number of details for 2010, including a deal with an automaker, a contract for Brian Vickers and, possibly, a new major associate sponsor for the team. Red Bull is the final year of its deal with Toyota. Frye said on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway that “they’ve (Toyota) been a great partner and it’s our intention to try and go forward with them.” But he also said that talks on a new deal have been ongoing for more than a year and that the team is talking with Chevy as well. Frye said the team absolutely intends to re-sign Vickers.(SPEEDtv.com)

Logano now part of Gillette Young Guns: Gillette announced that it will heat things up this summer by adding recent NASCAR race winner Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, to its elite group of Gillette Young Guns Drivers which includes Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman. Logano earned his rookie stripes from his fellow Gillette Young Guns during the filming of a new commercial to support the Gillette Optimal Shave indicator strip, which alerts consumers that it is time to change their blades when the strip color changes from blue to white. The commercial features all seven Gillette Young Guns and highlights Logano as the latest addition to the roster of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars.(Gillette PR)

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Vickers still waiting to sign contract:  Where will No. 83 Brian Vickers be next year? Surprisingly, there is no answer to that question yet. The 25-year-old racer reached a verbal commitment to remain with Team Red Bull for another year last winter, yet nothing has been inked as of this week. Vickers called the situation "strange" and expected to have a contract signed before now. "We went into the season, with the economy and things the way they were, there were some uncertainties, which is understandable, I think, with anyone in corporate America these days," said Vickers, who won his fifth Cup pole of the year Thursday at Chicagoland. "So, I didn't really think that much about it. Right now, we still haven't agreed on a contract. 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, Red Bull team manager, is expected to meet with owner Dietrich Mateschitz next week in Austria to hash out details of Vickers' contract and the possible technical alignment with Hendrick Motorsports in 2010. Vickers remains happy with the organization and hopes to have answers upon Frye's return.(FOXSports.com)

Gilliland to Joe Gibbs Racing? It's been a tough road for former Yates driver David Gilliland this season. Gilliland, who was 21st in the No. 28 Ford for Doug Yates at this juncture last year, has qualified for every race in the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevy. Gilliland has been a loyal soldier in the start-n-park venture and is currently 43rd in the point standings. However, it appears he will have a reprieve — at the hand of Joe Gibbs Racing. Gilliland, 33, is expected to drive the fourth JGR car in four races at the end of this season.(Fox Sports)

Ford has kept support at same level this year: Last week there was a call placed to Ford Motor Company's Brian Wolfe in Dearborn, Mich., to get an idea where those boys at the Blue Oval were going with their stock-car racing program. Ford, he says, drafted a slimmed down business plan under the company's new CEO Alan Mulally, and yes, cuts were made to the racing budget -- last year. "For our part at Ford, our story hasn't changed a whole lot since the start of the season, other than we haven't won enough races," Wolfe howled. "We're in a little different position than two of the other players in the sport." Those players are GM and Chrysler, which competes in NASCAR with its Dodge brand. Wolfe said Ford had to make some "tough cuts" at the end of the 2008 season, which included an end to direct financial support to Nationwide and Truck Series race teams. "But we have kept our engineering support," he said. "That is really critical; that hasn't changed. The Cup teams, that we have long-term contracts with, have stayed the same. We're pushing along with our plan."(Daytona Beach News Journal)

Goodyear tire test planned Tuesday and Wednesday: In preparation for Atlanta Motor Speedway's first NASCAR Sprint Cup night race, the Pep Boys Auto 500, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is conducting a two-day tire test [July 14-15, Tue-Wed] to ensure the preeminent tire is ready for night racing in Atlanta. Drivers scheduled to take part in the test: Tony Stewart (Chevy), Kurt Busch (Dodge), Denny Hamlin (Toyota) and Jamie McMurray (Ford). This session is closed to the public.(AMS PR)

Dale Jr would like to run Indy 500 someday: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he would jump at the chance to drive in the Indianapolis 500 if there were not a conflicting NASCAR race on the same day. Rain washed out his plans for a ride in a two-seat Indy car on Thursday. Instead, he strapped himself behind the wheel and received a 10-minute driving lesson from former 500 winner Dan Wheldon. Earnhardt said he "picked his brains as hard as I could." And he said driving at Indianapolis "definitely interests me," though he has NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, N.C., on the same day. However, he said he and many other NASCAR drivers would try Indy if the schedules could be resolved.(Associated Press)

Friday, July 10, 2009

Eury Jr to crew chief for Keselowski this weekend: This weekend will mark the first time that Brad Keselowski will work with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. Prior to this weekend, Keselowski worked with Lance McGrew, and the pair scored a team-high finish of seventh at Darlington Raceway. In the Nationwide Series, Keselowski works with Eury's father, crew chief Tony Eury Sr.(Hendrick PR)

Mayfield looking at 'all options':  Unable to find funding since his suspension for failing a random drug test, Jeremy Mayfield is considering selling his race team. Shana Mayfield said Thursday she and her husband are considering selling their remaining inventory because they don't have the cash to field a race team. Mayfield transferred ownership of the No. 41 Toyota to his wife following his May 9 suspension. "We are looking at all options at this point, since we cannot get sponsorship," Shana Mayfield said.(Associated Press)

Jimmy Fallon named Grand Marshall of LifeLock.com 400: He may be associated with the most recognized opening line in American comedy, but on Saturday evening, July 11 the words fans at the LifeLock.com 400 will be waiting for from Jimmy Fallon will be the most famous phrase in racing – “Gentlemen, start your engines!” Fallon, host of NBC’s new “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” will come to you live from Chicagoland Speedway as Grand Marshal of the anchor event of the weekend, NASCAR Sprint Cup's LifeLock.com 400.(Chicagoland Speedway PR)

NASCAR rebrands Jeff Gordon Racing Experience into the NASCAR Racing Experience: NASCAR announced an agreement to rebrand the former Jeff Gordon Racing School into the NASCAR Racing Experience. The multi-year licensing agreement brings an authentic racing experience to NASCAR fans, its sponsors and business partners at racetracks throughout the country. The NASCAR Racing Experience (NRE) provides a menu of racing programs from a ride-along as a front-seat passenger to the full racing experience which puts fans behind the wheel of an authentic race car. The program will use current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racecars for all of its programs. The NASCAR Racing Experience will begin operating at 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series tracks across the country before expanding to additional tracks in 2010. Current locations include: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Kansas Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, Richmond International Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and Texas Motor Speedway.(NASCAR PR)

NASCAR ratings at Daytona down 18%: TNT says its coverage of Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway earned a 3.1 household rating from Nielsen Media Research. The rating was 18.4 percent lower than the 3.8 TNT earned for the race in 2008, and a spokesperson noted this year’s race fell on the July 4th holiday, which is traditionally a weak time for television ratings.(SceneDaily)

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Kyle Busch says Stewart 'dumped' him: All is not forgiven in the eyes of Kyle Busch. Busch said he felt he was "dumped" by Tony Stewart Saturday night at Daytona when the two cars collided as the drivers headed to the finish line of the Coke Zero 400. Busch didn't directly criticize Stewart at first, but found a way to make his point when asked what NASCAR should do about last-lap crashes at Daytona and Talladega. "NASCAR can take steps to look at it," Busch said. "If the second-place driver dumps the leader, then black flag his ass. He doesn't get the win. If he's up along side the leader and dumps him, give the third-place car the victory." Busch then was asked if he considered the bump with Stewart "a dump." "Yes, it would be considered a dump," he said.(ESPN.com)

Jeremy Mayfield considering selling Cup team: Suspended Sprint Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield has broken his silence, vehemently denying allegations of drug use and adamantly defending himself from recent NASCAR claims in an exclusive interview with ESPN. "Every time there's an action [by NASCAR], there's going to be a reaction. From here on out," Mayfield said in a phone interview Wednesday from his home in Statesville, N.C. "I try to be nice. I try to be respectful to them. I try to do everything right. But I'm not getting drug through the mud no more." Mayfield repeated his stance that he never took methamphetamine. He also said he no longer consumes alcohol, largely due to the fact, he said, his father was a "bad alcoholic." Asked if he had ever taken illegal drugs, Mayfield responded, "What are you calling illegal? I've drank beer. I don't drink beer at all anymore. I don't drink. Don't do anything." He said he feels as though NASCAR is attempting to make an example of him. "I feel like that's exactly what they thought I was going to be. Exactly. To a 'T,'" Mayfield said. "Now, all the sudden, Brian's [France, NASCAR Chairman] coming back saying, 'Well, we have positive tests all the time.' Well, if it's a zero-tolerance policy, how in the hell do you have people testing positive all the time? "Then he comes back and says there's a list. I forget what big word he used -- an exhaustive list of drugs. Everybody in the world has asked him why the drivers don't have a list. What did he say? Now there's a list -- an exhaustive list. Right? Where's it at?" Mayfield broke his silence in response to accusations by NASCAR on Wednesday that he had purposely delayed taking a drug test by more than seven hours on Monday. The comments infuriated Mayfield, who said he was sent on a "wild goose chase," and was given just 18 minutes to get to a NASCAR-appointed lab to undergo testing. "I wasn't running or hiding from anybody, because I don't have to," he said.(ESPN.com) 

Manion to MWR? Martin Truex's current crew chief Bono Manion is expected to join Michael Waltrip Racing in the future, whether that date is after Homestead or before is likely predicated on the Chip Ganassi. Manion has worked with Truex since the May Richmond race in 2003. If Truex and Manion leave EGR prematurely, Aric Almirola, who is still under contract but has not raced since Texas due to a lack of sponsorship, could jump in the car.(FOXSports.com)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

DW: Technology has outgrown Talladega and Daytona: As for those wild finishes at Daytona and Talladega lately, here's what Darrell Waltrip had to say about them: "I don't know what you can change. Technology has outgrown those race tracks. Those race tracks were built in the 1960s to make cars go 200 mph, to help a car go 200 mph. Now we have cars that are a lot better than the track. With that much banking and those big tracks, there's nothing else you can do. All you can do is restrict the engine and when you put them on top of each other, they're going to wreck. That's just a fact of life." (Virginian-Pilot)

Michael Waltrip to race between 4 and 12 races: Michael Waltrip plans to drive at least four Sprint Cup races next season and as many as 12. That will entail creating a fourth team at MWR for a partial schedule. NAPA will sponsor him at the season-opening Daytona 500 (apparently while also sponsoring Truex) and Waltrip will pursue alternative sponsors for the rest of his races. A two-time Daytona 500 winner, Waltrip said it was important - and not ceremonial - that he competes in that race again. "I'm going to run those races because I think I'm the best driver there is" on those tracks, he said. (Charlotte Observer)

Truex: No. 56 has been important to my family: Martin Truex Jr. on the significance of the car number change: "The car number 56 has been has been in my family for a long time. My dad raced it some back in the 80s. I've raced it until I moved down to North Carolina, the Busch series had the No. 56 on it, so it's a number I've had a lot of success with, it's one I used from the time I raced my first go kart all the way up through the ranks. It's always been my number and it's special, you know, that everybody here let me use my number, and the folks at NAPA were kind enough to help us make it happen. So it's really significant for me and it's really cool." (Press of Atlantic City)

Speedway Exec: Chicagoland will not sell-out: NASCAR, which has experienced phenomenal growth, is feeling the economic pinch along with the rest of the nation. And that means the Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday night is likely to have its lowest attendance since the premier stock-car racing series began coming to the Joliet track in 2001. The bar has been set high. Seven of the first eight races at the 75,000-capacity were virtual sellouts. And the only non-sellout, in 2007, had only a few thousand empty seats. "We won't give the exact numbers, but we're down," new track president Craig Rust said Tuesday. "I do not believe we will sell out, but you can get surprised. The phones have been ringing this week, and we're going to keep pushing till the bitter end. We've seen late walkups at other tracks. It's a later-buying crowd. Fans are waiting longer to make their purchases, given the economy." (Gary Post-Tribune)

Matt and Katie Kenseth welcome Kaylin Kenseth into the world: Katie Kenseth has given birth to a baby girl - Kaylin Nicola Kenseth. The news was broken by Ross Kenseth, driver Matt Kenseth's son, via Twitter. Said Ross, "Everyone is really excited!" The Kenseths did not know the baby's sex until her birth on Monday. The child is the first for the couple and the second for Matt. Ross, 16, is Matt's son from a previous relationship. Matt and Katie married in 2000. (All Left Turns)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Official: Martin Truex to Michael Waltrip Racing: Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) announced that NAPA Auto Parts has signed a multi-year contract to continue its primary sponsorship with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series organization, and has named two-time Nationwide Series champion and 2007 Chase participant Martin Truex, Jr. as its driver. Starting in 2010, the car number on the NAPA Auto Parts Toyota will be the No. 56, a number that has been in the Truex racing family for three generations. MWR co-owner Michael Waltrip, the only full-time driver NAPA has had since joining the Sprint Cup division in 2001, will drive a limited schedule, to include the 2010 Daytona 500 driving the No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota - an event in which Waltrip and NAPA have shared two memorable victories. Waltrip will retain the number 55. The owner points earned during the 2009 Sprint Cup campaign will be transferred to Truex's full-time effort.(MWR PR)

No. 14's Darian Grubb named Wypall Crew Chief of the Race: Darian Grubb, crew chief for the No. 14 Burger King Chevy driven by Tony Stewart, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. After qualifying was rained out, the No. 14 team was able to pick the first pit stall by virtue of acquiring the pole position as the points leader. Great track position and a strong car that needed very few changes throughout the evening gave the team an advantage over the rest of the field. Stewart led the most laps in the race and resided in the top-three for nearly all of the 400 miles completed. 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)

International Speedway Corp. reports drop in revenue: International Speedway Corp. has seen revenues drop 13.6 percent and has reported a loss for the first six months of its 2009 fiscal year - the loss mostly attributed to a write-down of $55.6 million for struggling merchandise arm Motorsports Authentics. In releasing its financial statement for December 2008-May 2009, ISC said it has seen admissions revenue drop 16.5 percent, motorsports-related revenue drop 8.7 percent and food, beverage and merchandise revenue drop 33.7 percent. Admissions revenue for March-May (including NASCAR Sprint Cup weekends at Martinsville, Phoenix, Talladega, Richmond and Darlington) were down 18.2 percent. The track operator has had a net loss of $6.5 million for the first half of the year, compared to a profit of $62.25 million in the first half of last year.(SceneDaily)

No. 14 crew win Tissot Pit Crew Award in Daytona: Tony Stewart's crew won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. The fast pit stops by the #14 crew helped Stewart win the 160-lap, 400-mile race. Stewart's Chevy spent the least amount of time on pit road - 238.890 seconds. The No. 14 over-the-wall crew consists of: Jeff "Gooch" Patterson (gasman), Scott Radel (catch can), Rick Pigeon (jackman), Kelly Kellis (front tire changer), Todd Drakulich (front tire carrier), Daniel Smith (rear tire changer) and Mike "Shrek" Morneau (rear tire carrier). The team's crew chief is Darian Grubb and the pit crew coach is Joe Piette Jr. At the halfway point of the season (18 races completed), the crews for Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle lead in the Tissot standings with three wins each. Stewart's and Jimmie Johnson's crews are tied for third with two wins each. The No. 14 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.(Tissot)