NASCAR News June 18 - 26, 2006

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June 26, 2006:

• Bank of America looking at replacing NEXTEL? When word of the shake-up first broke in April, Sprint executives insisted they were committed to continuing the NASCAR sponsorship, despite reports otherwise that the new powers were less than interested in NASCAR. Now, according to sources familiar with the situation, there are reports that Bank of America executives are interested in acquiring the title sponsorship to the Cup series. (Salem-Journal)

• Childress among Car Owners looking at Gilliland: NASCAR team owner Richard Childress said Sunday that he is among those interested in signing Chino Hills native David Gilliland to a contract. Gilliland, currently driving without a contract for a part-time, unsponsored entry in the Busch Series, has seen his stock skyrocket since winning the June 17 Busch race at Kentucky, then getting a weak car into Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Sonoma. "He's probably the hottest young commodity out there today," said Childress, who currently fields three Cup cars and won six Cup championships with the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. "There are several teams here that will be after him, but he'd definitely be a good fit for us." Childress noted that Gilliland's good character and family background (his father Butch was also a NASCAR driver) play into the 30-year-old's favor. J.D. Gibbs, who serves as the president of Joe Gibbs Racing, said car owners have noticed how Gilliland never squanders an opportunity. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)

June 25, 2006

• Vickers to Toyota, to drive #83 Red Bull car: Brian Vickers will drive for Team Red Bull in 2007, positioning himself to be the future of Toyota as the Japanese automaker prepares for its Nextel Cup debut, The Associated Press has learned. The hiring was confirmed to the AP on Sunday night by Red Bull officials at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. "Brian brings not only youth, but also championship credentials to the Red Bull seat," general manager Marty Gaunt said. "More importantly, he shares the same vision held by Team Red Bull and he becomes a key building block in the foundation of our team." Vickers asked earlier this month to be released from his contract with Hendrick Motorsports, where he has driven since 2003. His request was granted, clearing the way for Vickers to emerge from the shadow of his successful Hendrick teammates to drive for a startup company that will build its organization around the promising 22-year-old. "I hope this makes us - me and Team Red Bull - champions," Vickers said by phone from Sonoma, Calif., following his 14th-place finish in the NASCAR race. (AP/FoxSports.com)

• Gordon king of the road: Jeff Gordon captured Sunday's Dodge/Save Mart 350 Nextel Cup race on the road course at the Infineon Raceway. The No.24 Hendrick Motorsports driver crossed the finish line 1.251 seconds ahead of Ryan Newman. The victory was Gordon's first of the season and 74th of his Cup career. The win, a record fifth at Infineon, was his first since the fall race at Martinsville. "I didn't know if we were ever going to win another one of these races," said Gordon. "I knew this team was something special, we just hadn't had a chance to really show it." (Sports Network - Points - Results)

• J. Gordon engaged: It was reported on NASCAR on FOX pre-race show by Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon is engaged with his girlfriend of nearly three years.  Gordon proposed to girlfriend  Ingrid Vandebosch Saturday night.

• COT in production phase? Owner Richard Childress said recent test sessions and developments have brought a final design configuration for the so-called NASCAR “Car of Tomorrow” much closer to reality. The new design is to be used in 16 of the 36 Cup races next year. Based on his discussions with NASCAR officials, Childress said, “I think they’re just about ready to push the button” on the design. He said the length of the car and chassis configuration have been finalized and that, based on that information, he and other owners could now begin the production process. (Gaston Gazette)

• NEXTEL sports executives out: Sprint Nextel’s NASCAR Marketing Manager Mike Mooney has had his job eliminated by the telecommunications company in a round of job cuts. Mooney, along with Jill Gregory and Michael Robichaud, were the three most visible executives in Nextel’s NASCAR program when it began prior to the 2004 season. But with Gregory and Robichaud already gone and Mooney leaving as of next Friday, the key strategists behind Nextel’s initial foray into NASCAR are all gone. (SPEEDtv)

June 24, 2006

• Haas released on $10 mil. bail: A NASCAR team owner accused of defrauding the government of more than $20 million in taxes was released on $10 million bail Friday. Gene Haas, the 54-year-old owner of Oxnard-based Haas Automation and NASCAR's Haas CNC Racing, was arrested Monday for investigation of conspiracy, filing false tax returns and witness intimidation. Charges filed by the U.S. attorney's office accuse him of orchestrating a plan to list $50 million in bogus expenses that could be written off as business costs and save the company $20 million in taxes. Haas, of Camarillo, was ordered to turn in his passport at a hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Patrick J. Walsh. The judge said Haas can travel to NASCAR races and to his business in North Carolina with the court's prior permission. Walsh overruled the government's objections to the bail conditions. "The government's assertion that Mr. Haas is a flight risk was based entirely on conjecture and hearsay," Haas' attorney, Kenneth M. Barish, said in a statement. "Mr. Haas has no prior record or criminal history and has never posed a threat, physical or otherwise, to any witnesses or the community at large." (San Jose Mercury News)

• Roush denies UPS sponsorship: Car owner Jack Roush said he isn't signing any sponsorship deal with UPS, despite reports that the FedEx rival may have turned down a Kasey Kahne deal with Ray Evernham. "We haven't had any talks with UPS," Roush said. UPS has sponsored Robert Yates, at Roush's fellow-Ford operation, for six years. But UPS has been debating a move, possibly to a Toyota operation such as Michael Waltrip's. One key - the sudden success of rival FedEx with rookie Denny Hamlin. (Salem-Journal)

• Sprint/NEXTEL says no timetable on series name change: A spokesman for Sprint Nextel said no timetable has been set on any name change. Sprint Nextel officials said this year they planned to decide by this summer on the series name. (Virginian Pilot)

• ScanDisk on #66 at Sonoma: Jeff Green's #66 Chevy is carrying a special red, yellow and white paint design this weekend at Infineon Raceway, featuring the logo of SanDisk Corporation on the hood of the Haas CNC Racing entry. Headquartered about 80 miles from Sonoma in Milpitas, CA SanDisk, the world's largest supplier of flash memory data storage products, is an associate sponsor of the #66 Chevy this season. At the beginning of the 2006 season, SanDisk joined Best Buy, the consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services retail chain, as a sponsor of the Haas CNC Racing entry. Best Buy, which offers many SanDisk products, is the primary sponsor of the #66 Haas CNC Racing team in a select number of races this season. The Best Buy logo will be featured on the car's rear quarter panel in Sunday's event. More information on SanDisk and its product line can be found by visiting sandisk.com. (GMR PR)

• Fernandez Still with Dodge: Dodge’s motorsports czar, John Fernandez, rumored to be headed to Chip Ganassi’s team to replace deposed team manager Andy Graves, is apparently still with Dodge — for the moment, anyway. A Dodge representative said Fernandez was still at his office in Michigan, while Ganassi’s people declined comment on whether Fernandez was going to work for the team. (SPEEDtv)

• MI. Final ratings slip:  Fox's broadcast of last Sunday's 3M Performance 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 4.5 and an 11 market share, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is down 6.3 percent from the 4.8/12 the race earned in 2005. (NASCAR Scene Daily)

June 23, 2006:

• Earnhardt, Jr. thinks NASCAR can race in WA., and even South America? The biggest name in NASCAR used his one-evening cameo in Seattle this week as an opportunity to amplify the need for building a racetrack in Washington state. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not stopping here. "I've always just wanted to race everywhere I could, as many places as I could," said the 31-year-old driver. "I hope there comes a day when we have one race at each track and we're racing all over the place." As in, beyond the Northwest. "I think we should be racing up in Canada a little bit. Mexico is an opportunity. Maybe South America a little bit," Earnhardt said. (Seattle Times)

• Gilliland makes the field, Busch on the pole: David Gilliland can do no wrong. A week after becoming the first non-Nextel Cup driver to win a Busch Series race this season, he pulled off a feat equally as impressive — he qualified for Sunday's SaveMart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Racing for a team that hadn't qualified for a Cup race in 2006, the prospects didn't look good at one point Friday afternoon when his car sat outside the team's hauler in pieces. (The lower rung teams don't' get garage space here.) But after the team put all the parts back together, Gilliland had a run good enough to start 31st. "The way it was going, we weren't going to make it," Gilliland said of his car's last-minute rebuild. "We gambled and it paid off." Kurt Busch seized his second pole position of the season and fifth overall with a lap speed of 93.055 mph (76.987 seconds) on the 1.99 mile, 12-turn road course in California's wine country. Jamie McMurray will start second followed by Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman as full-time Cup drivers kept the road-racing ringer out of the top four slots. (USA Today)

• Sprint//NEXTEL Announcement expected at Daytona?  Sprint/Nextel is expected to make some sort of announcement next week at Daytona about its future plans for the name of the Cup series. Nextel probably will remain part of the title. The Nextel name isn't leaving the merged company, so why would the executives want to eliminate it from its NASCAR sponsorship? However, some type of name change is coming. The question is when. It would take a huge amount of work to change all NASCAR and track logos in time for the 2007 season. (Dallas Morning News)

• Gossage takes note of Mavs. owner Cuban's Giveaway: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage has latched onto a successful ticket giveaway publicity campaign waged by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban during the NBA championship. Gossage on Thursday announced that the speedway will give away 500 tickets for the Nov. 5 Dickies 500 Nascar Nextel Cup Series to soften the blow of the Mavericks loss Tuesday. Cuban promised 500 free tickets to game 7 between the Miami Heat and his team, if the Mavericks won game 6. Though fans swamped the Mavs' Web site to register, the team lost game 6 by a score of 96-92. "I had the pleasure of attending game 6 and saw the passion, enthusiasm and ultimately the heartbreak of the fans when the Mavs lost," Gossage said in a press release. "I listened to the fans as they quietly filed out of the arena and got to thinking about those fans with the free tickets to Game 7 that were now denied. It just seemed like a remedy for the community's heartbreak." (Dallas Biz Journal)

• Despite trouble, Haas wind tunnel still planned: The arrest this week in California of Gene Haas, owner of Haas Automation, will not affect plans to build a $40 million wind tunnel in Concord or stop the race shop's move to Kannapolis, said a company spokesman. Joe Custer, general manager of the Harrisburg race team Haas CNC Racing, said the company's assets have not been frozen or affected by the arrest. He also said Haas CNC and the company for the wind tunnel, Wind Shear, are actually separate entities from Haas Automation. "We're not implicated in the indictments and we are not being investigated," Custer said. "We're not financially in trouble, never have been and don't plan to be." Custer said regardless of the investigation and Haas' legal troubles there won't be any impact on any of the Cabarrus County projects. Haas announced in May that he will construct a $40 million wind tunnel in Concord.  (Independent Tribune)

• Sonoma traffic jam expected this weekend: NASCAR races at Infineon Raceway are expected to prompt a traffic jam this weekend. The California Highway Patrol is advising drivers to steer clear of highways 37 and 121 today through Sunday because of heavy traffic. It is likely that motorists on Highway 101 and Lakeville Road also will be affected by the tens of thousands of race enthusiasts expected to flock to Infineon this weekend, officials said. "We're recommending if there's not really a major need to come up to Sonoma and Napa counties, it's better to avoid those highways this weekend," said Sgt. Joe McDermott of the Napa CHP division. (Independent Journal)

• LENOX Tools to sponsor July NHIS race: LENOX Industrial Tools®, a leading manufacturer of premium power tool accessories, hand tools, torches, and band saw blades has secured the title sponsorship of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway on Sunday, July 16th. This summer classic at “The Magic Mile” is now the “LENOX Industrial Tools 300.” “This is a tremendous opportunity for the LENOX brand,” said Bill Burke, LENOX president. “This high-profile event provides LENOX with a great opportunity to reach out to a very loyal audience in our own backyard. We are very confident that the strength, durability and speed that LENOX products are known for will be very well represented by Jamie McMurray, the driver of the No. 26 LENOX Ford at the LENOX Industrial Tools 300.” NHIS President, Gary Bahre said, “We welcome LENOX Industrial Tools as the Title Sponsor for our July 16 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event. We are very pleased to have a New England based, world class company such as LENOX join us in bringing the excitement of NASCAR racing to millions of fans worldwide.”  (NHIS PR)

June 22, 2006:

• Riggs injured, B. Elliott on standby Sunday: Monday, while on vacation with his family in Myrtle Beach [SC, #10-Scott Riggs injured both feet while unloading his jet ski in an oyster bed. The wounds required 12 stitches in the ball of left foot and eight stitches in the right big toe. The injury to Riggs has caused Valvoline Evernham Racing to make back-up plans for this weekend’s NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race in Sonoma. Ray Evernham and Valvoline Designated Team Owner Jim Rocco have retained former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott to stand by this weekend should Riggs not be able to practice, qualify or race the Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Charger. As things stand today, Riggs will be racing Sunday, according to the team. “Jim and I huddled today with Scott, Bill Elliott, Team Director Rodney Childers and Competition Director Sammy Johns and we are going to Sonoma with the intention of Scott running the full weekend,” Evernham said. “But Bill will be ready for any scenario.” “I’m going to Sonoma to race,” Riggs said Wednesday. “It was a freak incident at Myrtle Beach. There was no warning about an oyster bed where we unloaded. We’ll see what happens when I get in the race car. I’m going to do what’s best for the team this weekend.” Valvoline Evernham Racing will have updates at Infineon Raceway for the media. (Evernham Motorsports/Clear!Blue PR)

• UPS heading to Roush? Car owner Ray Evernham had until last Friday to convince Dodge officials to allow UPS to sponsor Kasey Kahne's Dodge next year, and apparently he couldn't do it. That means UPS will sponsor Greg Biffle's Ford next year. (Augusta Chronicle)

• Barrett lands Sonoma sponsor:  Stanton Barrett Motorsports will have Interush as the primary sponsor on the #95 Chevy for this weekend for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Interush is an affiliate driven Internet Advertising and Marketing company which takes U.S. based technology to the Asian markets. Interush, already featured as an associate sponsor in previous NASCAR Nextel Cup races this season, will be on the #95 throughout the second half of the season, running as primary and associate sponsors for Barrett. (Stanton Barrett Motorsports PR)

• Roberts, Dillner and Venturini renew contracts with Speed: Chris Long, SPEED VP of Studio Production, today announced SPEED has signed popular NASCAR RaceDay host John Roberts through 2009. “John is the quarterback for two of our most popular NASCAR shows, and has shown a versatility that puts him among the best in the business,” Long said. “We’re thrilled that he will be a key part of the SPEED team for years to come.” “I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished this year with NASCAR RaceDay,” Roberts said. “I couldn’t work with a better group of people and I couldn’t be happier with the fact that SPEED wants me around for a few more years.” In related moves, SPEED re-signed veteran motor sports reporters Bob Dillner and Wendy Venturini to two-year deals. “Bob and Wendy are all well-liked in the NASCAR garage area, giving SPEED the ability to deliver unparalleled access and storytelling ability to several of its programs,” Long said. “Wendy will continue her ‘Real Deal’ interviews and garage reporting for NASCAR RaceDay and Bob will serve SPEED in a variety of roles.” (SPEED TV PR)

• R. Wallace to host NASCAR Angels: Rusty Wallace will host "NASCAR Angels," a reality TV show that will begin airing this fall, according to Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily. The show, which will feature top NASCAR competitors showing deserving families a look behind the scenes of NASCAR, is scheduled to debut Sept. 12 on various networks, including ABC. (NASCAR Scene Daily)

• Ferrell named Chicagoland Grand Marshall: Columbia Pictures' "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," is coming to the Chicagoland Speedway on Sun., July 9, 2006 as the film's star, Will Ferrell, will serve as Grand Marshal for the USG Shttrock 400, Nextel Cup Series race. Ferrell's co-stars John C. Reilly, Michael Clarke Duncan and Leslie Bibb will be Chicagoland Speedway's honorary guests. Ferrell, who was nominated for a 2006 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his role in "The Producers," will declare the most famous phrase in racing, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" He'll then ride in the Grand Marshal car in front of the Pace Car, which leads the field of NASCAR drivers onto the track for the race. (Chicagoland Speedway PR)

• 2007 Start times pushed back after 2:00 pm: The 2007 racing schedule hasn't been released but one significant change is expected: All races will start no earlier than 2pm. The later starting times come at the demand of television networks Fox, FX, ABC, TNT and ESPN. They pushed NASCAR to start most races at 4pm to better capture West Coast viewers and create a link to prime-time shows, but they settled for a mix. None of the times, however, will be any earlier than 2pm. (Augusta Chronicle)

• Earnhardt, Jr. on TV Guide for 12th time: As NASCAR approaches the midpoint of its 2006 Nextel Cup season, TV Guide magazine roars into newsstands with annual mid-season special issue, featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr., (June 26 issue, on sale June 22). In an exclusive interview with TV Guide’s resident NASCAR expert Robert Edelstein, Earnhardt speaks candidly about his reemergence at the head of the pack--after enduring his worst season ever last year, finishing 19th—and how adopting a new attitude has made all the difference. (TV Guide PR)

• Atlanta Motor Speedway Construction continues: Atlanta Motor Speedway announced on March 1, 2006 major facility changes that will be in place for the October 27-29 Bass Pro Shops 500 race weekend. These changes include replacing the Weaver Grandstands along the backstretch with an all-new Trackside Terrace RV camping area, plus the addition of the new Winners Grandstand and Club One overlooking Turn 1. Updates of work completed to date: Trackside Terrace RV Camping area: Concrete demolition of the Weaver Grandstands is complete. More than 30 percent of grading is complete and the remainder will be completed in the next three weeks. After completion of the grading process, underground utilities will be put in place. Winners Grandstand / Club One: · More than 70 percent of the footers that will support the Winners Grandstand are currently poured. · Both elevator shafts and stair towers are erected, and concrete landings and floors are currently being poured. · In the next several days, the elevator shafts will be enclosed in steel. · Grading in Turn 1 is 60 percent complete and will result in a concourse level widened by 16’. (AMS PR)

• New Crew Chief for MB2 Motorsports #14: MB2 Motorsports announced today that Scott Eggleston will take over the crew chief duties on Sterling Marlin's No. 14 Chevrolet, replacing Doug Randolph, who will be reassigned to a new position. Eggleston’s first race as Marlin's crew chief will be this weekend at the Nextel Cup road course event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. The reassignment of Randolph along with additional team changes will be announced in a couple of weeks according to Jay Frye, MB2 Motorsports CEO and general manager. "We're going through a restructuring, and once completed, we strongly feel it will be beneficial for the entire MB2 Motorsports organization," said Frye. (DMF Communications)

June 21, 2006:

• Gilliland to attempt Sonoma: David Gilliland will make his Nextel Cup debut this weekend in the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at the Infineon Raceway. The Riverside, CA native will pilot the #72 Dutch Quality Stone Dodge for CJM Racing. Gilliland hopes to bring the momentum of his monumental win in the NASCAR Busch Series to the Napa Valley road course. He became the first non-NEXTEL Cup regular to win in 18 straight Busch Series races when he took the checkered flag in the Meijer 300 at the Kentucky Speedway. Gilliland has a successful history at the Infineon Raceway. He won a NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series event at the track in 2004. The Gilliland name has legions of fans on the West Coast due to the achievements of David and his father, Butch Gilliland. Father and son teamed up as driver/crew chief and captured the NASCAR Winston West championship in 1997. As a result David became the youngest to ever win the Crew Chief of the Year Award for that series. The younger Gilliland has over 70 wins, in various series, on the west coast. Team owners Bryan and Tony Mullet are getting their feet wet in the Nextel Cup Series. He will be a part of the proclamation of "NASCAR Weekend" in Sonoma, will be a part of the Raybestos Rookie press conference on Friday morning and be a guest of the Speed Channel show "Trackside Live" on Friday evening. (Moore Consulting Group PR)

• GMAC Crew wins Drive-Thru Challenge: Brian Vickers' pit crew claimed the Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win in Sunday's rain-shortened 3M Performance 400, becoming the 10th Nextel Cup team of the season to capture the weekly competition. The victory was the result of Vickers' #25 Chevy spending the least amount of time on Michigan International Speedway's pit road - 337.524 seconds. "It was a solid performance by the GMAC Racing team on pit road at Michigan," said Hendrick Motorsports pit crew coach Mark Mauldin. "We had all of our regulars on the crew back in place and it showed. We expect to be able to win this award a couple of mores times before the season is finished." Vickers' over-the-wall crew includes: Mike Moore (jackman), Jake Brzozowski (front-tire carrier), Tony Hamm (front-tire changer), Matt Myers (rear-tire carrier), Jeff Fabian (rear-tire changer), Chris Fasulka (gasman), Chris Hamilton (catch can) and Jim Jenkins (windshield). Crew chief for the #25 team is Lance McGrew. The program awards $10,500 per week to the pit crew of the car spending the least amount of time on pit road. In addition, a bonus of $105,000 will be awarded to the pit crew with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule. Jimmie Johnson's crew leads the season standings with three Checkers/Rally's Drive-Thru Challenge wins. Tony Stewart's, Elliott Sadler's and Kyle Busch's crews are tied for second with two wins each.  (DMF Communications PR)

June 20, 2006:

• NASCAR Owner Haas arrested and indicted in tax scheme: The owner of the nation's largest computerized machine tool maker was arrested yesterday morning at his California home and charged with orchestrating a tax fraud that cost the government nearly $20 million as well as intimidating witnesses and a federal agent investigating the case.  Gene F. Haas, 54, of Camarillo, Calif., the owner of Haas Automation and other companies, was accused in a 52-page indictment of running a bogus invoicing scheme to create fake tax deductions. Mr. Haas was held without bail after his arraignment in Federal District Court in Los Angeles. In court papers asking that Mr. Haas be held until his trial, the Justice Department said that he could flee the country in his Cessna jet and head for China, where he has business interests. The Justice Department said China did not have a treaty allowing extradition of accused tax cheats. It called him a flight risk, saying he has few ties to the community, is single, has no children and faces about 20 years in prison if convicted. The indictment also described two other invoicing schemes. One involved a Nascar race team sponsored by Haas Automotive and the other a land title company. The indictment gave few details other than stating that all the money paid in those two schemes was funneled back to Mr. Haas, suggesting that he may have operated them without confederates. (More at NY Times)

• Elliott test MWR car at MI. and KY.: his week, Bill Elliott is testing the No. 00 Burger King NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series entry at the Milwaukee Mile and Kentucky Speedway in preparation for the five races he will compete in this season for Michael Waltrip Racing. "Today, we were just shaking down the Burger King car at the Milwaukee Mile so that we can be well prepared for the race at Loudon (New Hampshire International Speedway) in a few weeks," Elliott stated. "We'll be at Kentucky Speedway tomorrow to work on the car for our first race of the season at Chicagoland Speedway. We'll test at the track for two days. I think Chicagoland will be one of the most challenging tracks for us." As Elliott helps Michael Waltrip Racing continue to lay groundwork for 2007, Michael Waltrip prepares for his role as a team owner and driver of the No. 55 NAPA Toyota Camry. In addition to the relationship with NAPA, Michael Waltrip Racing announced a partnership with Domino's Pizza (DPZ) and Burger King Corporation (BKC) to be co-primary sponsors of their second 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team. "We announced our second NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team yesterday at Michigan International Speedway," Michael Waltrip said, who will be on site at Kentucky Speedway during the test session this Wednesday as team owner.  (MWR PR)

• NASCAR goes Unleaded: NASCAR announced today a timeline to phase unleaded fuel into its three national series beginning next month. The unleaded fuel will first be used for the NASCAR Busch Series race at Gateway International Raceway on July 29. The plan is to evaluate the use of unleaded fuel over several NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events this season before making a decision on when it will be mandated for all three national series. Unleaded fuel will be used for four weeks before undergoing an evaluation period. After the race weekend at Gateway, the fuel will be used at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis on Aug. 4 and 5 for the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; at Watkins Glen for the NASCAR Busch Series and Nashville Superspeedway for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Aug. 12; and at Michigan International Speedway for the NASCAR Busch Series on Aug. 19. Following those events, competitors will return to their regular fuel for four weeks while NASCAR, Sunoco and team engine builders evaluate the effects of the new fuel. On Sept. 23 the NASCAR Busch Series (Dover International Speedway) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) will resume using unleaded fuel for the remainder of the season. In addition, NASCAR, Sunoco and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series engine builders plan to work with the ARCA Re/Max Series at Talladega Superspeedway to study the use of unleaded fuel in engines with restrictor plates. Following the season, a decision will be made on the future of unleaded fuel. NASCAR had previously announced a switch to unleaded fuel by 2008. The current goal is to have all three national series using unleaded fuel fulltime by Speedweeks of 2007. (NASCAR PR)

• NASCAR Mich. ratings slightly off:  Overnight Nielsen Media Research numbers show that Fox's broadcast of Sunday's 3M Performance 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race matched the 2005 event, Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. This year's race earned a 4.0 rating and a 9 share, while the 2005 event earned a 4.0 overnight rating and a 10 share. (NASCAR Scene Daily)

• NASCAR RaceDay Ratings up in 2006: NASCAR RaceDay – Built by The Home Depot®, SPEED Channel’s definitive NASCAR pre-race show hosted by John Roberts and NASCAR drivers Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace, is much more than a television show for SPEED. It’s a unique opportunity to come face to face with fans, sponsors and viewers in a meaningful way throughout the season. SPEED officially renamed the popular pre-race show from NASCAR This Morning to NASCAR RaceDay at the start of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Since then, the overall Nielsen household ratings for NASCAR RaceDay have increased more than 20 percent, with younger audiences (men 18–34) showing nearly a 60-percent increase from a year ago. “The energy level at the stage keeps growing and growing,” said Chris Long, SPEED VP of Studio Production. “We work very closely with our track partners to create a tremendous live-event environment, which in turn makes for an entertaining television show. NASCAR RaceDay is the total pre-race package for SPEED.”  (SPEED PR)

June 19, 2006:

• J. Gordon angry with teammate Johnson: Jeff Gordon was upset with Hendrick Motorsports teammate and good friend Jimmie Johnson during Sunday's 3M Performance 400 Nextel Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.  He led 50 of the first 68 laps, but it was a pair of three-wide encounters with Johnson that raised Gordon's ire. Gordon spoke to his crew over the team's radio about his displeasure, and the conversation was picked up by Fox television broadcasters. "I'll definitely talk to him about it," Gordon said as rain pelted the garage after the race was called. "I didn't understand why the second he got a chance to take me three-wide when I was trying to pass somebody, [he did]. "We had a good car, and we were taking our time, making some passes, and he got inside me, made it three-wide twice. I just didn't think it was necessary at the time, and I was just asking for him to give me a little bit of a break and explain to me what was going on."  (Scene Daily)

• Slight schedule change? The Virginian Pilot is reporting: NASCAR is working on its 2007 schedules. One change is expected next July. Nothing is set since sanctioning agreements aren't signed, but the New Hampshire race is expected to be moved to July 1 before the Daytona race, which will be held July 7. Unless something changes, that means the Cup series will race at Infineon Raceway on June 24, then go to New Hampshire and Daytona in consecutive weekends. Also, Martinsville's two Cup races next season are expected to remain about the same time in the schedule with one race in the championship chase.

• Fernandez to leave Dodge, and Dodge to leave NASCAR? Could Dodge be the manufacturer that's rumored to be cutting ties with NASCAR? The buzz out of Detroit is that John Fernandez, director of Dodge Motorsports operations, will become the new general manager at Ganassi Racing. If Dodge departs, would owner Chip Ganassi go to Toyota or wait until Honda, the manufacturer for his IRL cars, enters the stock car scene?  (Sporting News)

• Yates denies Sadler report: Car owner Robert Yates denied Internet reports that Elliott Sadler is unhappy and wants out of his contract to drive the No. 38 Ford that runs through 2008. "That's not what he's telling me," Yates said. "That's all I can really say. I guess the grandstand can start speculating anything. So far, he hasn't communicated that with me yet." (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

• Francis Wins WYPALL® Wipers Race Award: Kasey Kahne and Kenny Francis, crew chief of the No. 9 Dodge, appeared to be bulletproof at this weekend’s 3M Performance 400. The duo overcame a run-in with the wall and an overheating machine to score their fourth win of 2006. Francis’ day earned him the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award. Kahne started his weekend out with a bang; with a speed of 185.644 mph, Kahne sat the Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge on the pole. Unfortunately for the No. 9 team, Kahne’s car tagged the retaining wall during the final practice session. Francis was able to repair the damage; however, Kahne wasn’t able to turn any laps in the reformed vehicle until go-time. Still, the No. 9 showed little evidence of weakness in the race, as Kahne led the opening lap and was once again in the top spot on lap 32. Kahne’s fortune took another turn south, though, when a piece of debris collected on the grill of his car, causing the engine to overheat. Francis called his driver in for an unscheduled stop on lap 38 to clean the grill, which relegated him to 38th place, one lap down to the leaders. Kahne was the beneficiary of the “lucky dog” award on lap 55 when the caution flag waved for rain. Once he was back on the lead lap, Kahne methodically worked his way through the field. He recaptured the lead on lap 117 and held on until lap 129, when the race was called due to rain. “It was nerve-racking, that’s for sure,” said Francis. “I think part of the key to it for sure was being on the pole and having that pit box. The way it’s laid out here, that’s a big advantage under caution. We knew it was going to rain and we kept watching the radar in the pit box. When they finally did throw the yellow, I couldn’t believe it was raining. It was just surrounding.” A panel of voters; including a member of the local media, Robbie Reiser and a WYPALL® Wipers representative; all cast their vote for Francis as the crew chief who did the best job. (SMC 500 Press Release)

• Unleaded fuel for 2007: Nextel Cup cars will be mandated to run unleaded fuel beginning with next season's Daytona 500. NASCAR's Busch Series cars will switch to unleaded fuel on a temporary basis starting with the July 29 race at Gateway International Raceway, before running the brand full-time in 2007 along with the Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. "The plans are for Sunoco to evaluate what they learned for three or four races in the Busch Series beginning at Gateway, then come back later and finish out the [2006] season in the Busch and Truck Series running unleaded fuel," NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter said. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

June 18, 2006:

• Kahne wins rain-shortened race: Rain washed away Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s shot at a victory Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, but the wet weather didn't dampen his spirits. "I'm real happy and ready to go home," Earnhardt said after finishing third in the 3M Performance 400. "Man, it's 5 o'clock. It's pretty late." Besides, there's no sense working overtime on a Nextel Cup superspeedway this season with Kasey Kahne in the lead. The 26-year-old got his series-high fourth win, leading the final 13 laps of a race shortened by 71 laps because of a midafternoon storm. (USA Today - Results - Points)

• MWR Sponsorship announcement: Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) announced Sunday it has formed a unique partnership with two marquee brands – Domino's Pizza and Burger King Corporation to be co-primary sponsors of its second 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team. "When we first approached Burger King and Domino's Pizza, we knew we were thinking outside of the box and didn't know if two food brands would be willing to work together to sponsor the same team," said Michael Waltrip. "We took the risk and are very excited to have two of the world's most recognized brands sponsoring the #00 NASCAR Nextel Cup team." "It's not unusual for two or more sponsors to split a sponsorship season," said Ty Norris, General Manager for Michael Waltrip Racing. "However, this is the first time that two companies within the same industry agreed to be sponsors of the same car during the same season. This is another example of the unprecedented approach Michael Waltrip Racing is taking to becoming a multi-car NASCAR Nextel Cup team organization." Domino's will kick off the season at the Daytona 500 and continue as the primary sponsor through the May race in Darlington, SC. A Domino's paint scheme will also adorn the #00 Toyota Camry at the August Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. Domino's will deliver its final five races during the Chase for the Nextel Cup Series championship. The #00-Burger King Toyota Camry will hit the track Memorial Day weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC, and cap off the regular season under the lights at Richmond International Raceway. Five Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup races, including the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, will feature the Burger King paint scheme. The split-season sponsorship allows Domino's and Burger King to continue their respective relationships with Michael Waltrip Racing, while positioning both companies at the forefront of the changing motorsports industry. The team along with input from both sponsors is in negotiations to secure a driver and will make a separate announcement once a driver has been determined.(Michael Waltrip Racing PR)

• Toyota to submit '07 model, and then testing: The 2007 Toyota Camry that will be used in 20 of the 36 Nextel Cup Series races next season will be submitted to NASCAR on Monday morning, Lee White, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) USA's senior vice president and general manager, said Saturday. White was at Michigan International Speedway in conjunction with Toyota's Craftsman Truck Series program and said the 2007 Camry, complete with the latest generation nose, would be delivered to the NASCAR research and development center in Concord, N.C.  NASCAR will take the car to the Lockheed wind tunnel in Marietta, Ga., for testing on Monday evening, he said. The car, which was constructed at TRD's engineering facility in High Point, N.C., by the group led by engineer Todd Holbert, is scheduled to test for NASCAR on Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, driven by Toyota Truck Series driver Johnny Benson. (NASCAR.com)

• Earnhardt, Jr. and DEI agree to trademark terms:  Earnhardt told NASCAR.COM on Saturday that he and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. had agreed to terms Friday evening that awarded him sole ownership of the trademark rights to his lucrative name. Amazingly, it won't affect the earning potential of an asset estimated at some $5 million annually. Earnhardt said the current agreements between he and DEI won't change. (NASCAR.com)

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