NASCAR Buschwacker Rule: NASCAR officials are considering a plan for 2006 that would either handicap Nextel Cup teams appearing sporadically in Busch Series races or reward the Busch regulars, this week's NASCAR Scene reports. NASCAR Vice President Jim Hunter says the sanctioning body is looking at the possibility of a system that gives more points or money to the Busch-only teams on a weekly basis. NASCAR is trying to find a way to reward the Busch regulars without eliminating the Cup competitors, who are popular with track owners who want to draw as many spectators as possible. "We're going to try to target more of the prize money to the teams that are running all of the Busch races, which should help them," Hunter said. "I think we'll have [some] form of a program like that in place for next year." (NASCAR Scene Plus)

NASCAR HOF Public Records: The Observer requested Atlanta's bid to host the NASCAR Hall of Fame and any related documents under the Georgia Open Records Law. The lead agency on the bid, Central Atlanta Progress, wouldn't release the proposal. Officials said that because their organization is not a public agency, it is not covered by the law.  The office of Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, however, released 36 pages of documents that include economic figures used as part of the hall of fame bid. The documents describe who would pay for construction and include a projection of the facility's 10-year operating budget.  Charlotte released records related to its bid under the N.C. Public Records Law last week but withheld the hall's proposed operating budget. Officials cited an exception in the law related to the proposed expansion or location of businesses. (Charlotte Observer)

Knuas to join Johnson in driving school: Crew chief Chad Knaus says that he plans to attend a road-racing driving school with points leader Jimmie Johnson before next weekend's race at Infineon Raceway to help improve communication between the two for a road race. They've done it before. "So, when we go to (Infineon) and Watkins Glen we can perform a little bit better,'' Knaus said. (Roanoke)

Newton Groundbreaking Set: Groundbreaking for a $70 million NASCAR-style auto racing track along Interstate 80 in central Iowa is scheduled for June 21.  The state-of-the-art track will offer seating for 40,000 people and racing on a 7/8th mile asphalt oval.  Veteran driver Rusty Wallace, who is designing the track, is expected to join racetrack owners and state and local officials at the event at 1 p.m. on June 21, which is open to the public. (TheIowaChannel)

Bill Elliott to Race in Michigan: Bill Elliott has had a special relationship with Michigan International Speedway ever since he competed in his first race at the two-mile oval in June of 1976. And after a year's absence from MIS, the redhead from Georgia returns to one of his favorite tracks for this weekend's Nextel Cup race. He will be driving the No. 91 McDonald's Dodge Charger in the Batman Begins 400. Speaking of Batman and McDonald's, when Elliott drove the McDonald's Batman Forever car in 1995, it was the first-themed car that competed in a NASCAR Cup race. McDonald's was Elliott's primary sponsor from 1995-2000. Sunday's race will be Elliott's fifth of the season as he continues to run a part-time schedule under the Evernham Motorsports umbrella. His previous races were at California, Atlanta, Texas and Charlotte.  "Anytime I can race at Michigan, I feel like I'm back home," said Elliott. "I've been fortunate over the years to have raced well there and come away with some victories."  Actually, Elliott has won seven times at MIS, making him the track's fourth all-time winningest driver. He also has claimed six poles -- only David Pearon with 10 has had more No. 1 starting spots at MIS. (Evernham Motorsports)

Slowing going to Michigan: As if it's not complicated or slow enough getting to the Michigan International Speedway, it's going to be a little bit tougher for this weekend's big NASCAR Nextel Series Cup race, the Batman Begins 400.  The culprit: I-94, metro Detroit's main route to the Jackson-area track, will have lane reductions and other delays. These can't be lifted for the weekend, but at least race fans won't be competing with weekday commuters.  The worst part is I-94 in Wayne County. It's down to two lanes for a large stretch between downtown Detroit and Metro Airport. If you can catch I-94 west of there, do so. You can find a lot more about how to get to the speedway at www.mispeedway.com, where there are links to maps and other local resources for race weekends. (Detroit Free Press)

GM Puts their Future Young Guns to Test: So here he is on a warm afternoon in late May, at General Motors' Area 51 - Caraway Speedway, way back down in the woods from Shepherd's Mountain. He's talking softly with fellow racer Ross Thompson, just in from Phoenix, about the unexpected turn of events that brought them and 10 others to Caraway for GM's first computer-data driver auditions.  With the stakes as high as they are, these guys should be nervous. After all, their careers are on the line in this three-day series of tests of 13 candidates by GM racing engineers. (More at Salem-Journal)

More on Undercover Counterfeit Sting: Undercover officers were so successful halting sales of counterfeit merchandise during this month's NASCAR race weekend that Dover International Speedway officials plan to conduct similar stings at future races.  The team of officers, disguised as racing fans, seized about 3,500 T-shirts, hats, flags, stickers and rain ponchos from illegal vendors at the Speedway, Speedway spokesman Gary Camp said.  He could not provide a definitive value for the seized merchandise.   Eight vendors caught selling the unlicensed merchandise were held and questioned. No one was charged, he said.  "Through collaboration with Dover International Speedway, the FBI, Delaware state and Dover police, we were able to significantly reduce the sale of counterfeit merchandise," Dover police Maj. Ray Taraila said. (DeleMarvaNow)

Labonte fills in for Daytona Testing: With Mike Bliss still recovering from recent hernia surgery, NASCAR Busch Series driver Justin Labonte got behind the wheel of the No. 0 NetZero Chevrolet fielded by Haas CNC Racing during a one-day test session at historic Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the 47th annual Pepsi 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race on Saturday, July 2. (Insider Racing News)

June 14, 2005

PR Wire: Labonte in for Leffler at Sonoma

Agent testifies in Earnhardt Case: A day after a judge ruled in favor of the late Dale Earnhardt's car owner in a trial pitting the racing team against an insurance company, the jury heard Tuesday from the insurance agent who sold the disputed $3.7 million policy.  Insurance agent Knox Hillman, of Concord, testified he was contacted by Bill Patterson, executive vice president of Richard Childress Racing, about obtaining more coverage on the driver.  "He indicated a new contract was coming and he needed some life insurance to secure certain requirements of the contract," Hillman said. At Patterson's direction, Hillman said he obtained several proposals before narrowing them down to two, including one from defendant United of Omaha Insurance Co. (USA Today)

Judge Rules in favor of RCR: A judge ruled in favor of the late Dale Earnhardt's car owner Monday, saying an insurance company failed to share legal documents in the case over whether benefits should have been paid after the NASCAR star's death. Earnhardt died Feb. 18, 2001, in a last-lap crash in the Daytona 500.  Davidson County Superior Court Judge Kimberly S. Taylor issued the order against United of Omaha Life Insurance Co. after 12 days of proceedings.  Taylor declined Richard Childress Racing's request to enter a default judgment of $3.7 million, plus interest, and triple that amount as allowed under state law.  The Lexington Dispatch reported on its Web site Monday that attorneys discovered the papers were missing June 7, when a special investigator for Mutual of Omaha testified he had reviewed the documents in question. (USA Today)

June 13, 2005

Terry Labonte in for Leffler at Sonoma?: Terry Labonte is expected to substitute for Jason Leffler in the #11 Fed-Ex Chevy in the June 26 race at Sonoma if Leffler fails to climb into the top 35 in points by then. Drivers in the top 35 are guaranteed starting spots. Labonte is the safety net for the team because he has a champion's provisional, which guarantees him a starting spot. Leffler says he has wrecked so many cars that "we're bringing cars back to the track that aren't in the best shape" because the fab shop hasn't had enough turnaround time. (Sporting News)

PR Wire: Busch's Gustafson win WYPALL Crew Chief of the Race

Pocono Ratings Up: Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway earned 5.1 overnight rating and a 12 market share from Nielsen Media Research, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 8.5% higher than the 4.7 Fox drew for the June Pocono race last year. (NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)

DEI Crew members swap:  Dale Earnhardt Inc. made a few more crew changes yesterday. The front tire changers and carriers were switched between the teams of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip during the race after Earnhardt fell out of contention because of tire problems. The swap helped Waltrip finish fifth after starting on pole.  "We just had some trouble today, and they wanted to address it," Waltrip said. "Boy, when we needed a great stop, the combination of the Bud boys and the NAPA boys pulled it off. It was obviously a smart decision." (Times-Dispatch)

Roush Plane Ride Scary: Roush flew Saturday to Nashville, Tenn., for the Busch Series race on a plane that included Edwards, his girlfriend, Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard, and Sterling Marlin. The plane returned to Pennsylvania on Saturday night after the race was postponed because of rain.  Cloud cover forced Roush to land near Wilkes-Barre instead of at Mount Pocono, and Edwards said it was an experience.  "I stayed up until 4 in the morning doing missed approaches with Jack Roush, which, by the way, are way scarier than the tunnel turn over there," Edwards said. "My heart was pounding." (Times-Dispatch)

It's really "In the game": Carl Edwards turned his first laps at Pocono Raceway playing a video game. He paid attention, and when it came time for the real thing, nobody was better. Edwards raced to his second Nextel Cup victory of the year Sunday, easily adjusting to a new gearing rule and avoiding the tire woes that plagued other drivers. "It's a NASCAR game that you can buy on the shelf," he said. "I've got a steering wheel and a clutch. Coming to a new track and spending time on one of those things really helps." (Advocate)

June 12 2005

Edwards Wins at Pocono: Carl Edwards raced to his second Nextel Cup victory of the year Sunday, easily adjusting to a new gearing rule and avoiding the tire woes that plagued other drivers Sunday at Pocono Raceway.  The Missouri driver, who celebrated his first NASCAR Nextel Cup victory three months ago in Atlanta with a backflip from the window of his car, did it again Sunday then credited the makers of a video game among other things for his win at a track he'd never seen before.  His Ford led 45 of 200 laps and beat the Chevrolet of Brian Vickers in a race that ended under caution on the 2.5-mile triangle. Edwards took the lead for the fourth and final time on lap 187. Vickers led six times for 121 laps, both race highs. (ABC News - Results - Points)

Stremme to 40? and Marlin to Roush?  David Stremme, presently in the Busch Series, will likely succeed Sterling Marlin in Chip Ganassi’s No. 40 Dodge, with Lone Star replacing Coors Light as the primary sponsor.  Marlin, by the way, is having discussions with Jack Roush about the possibility of replacing Mark Martin next year in the No. 6 Ford. (Gaston Gazette)

Goodyear Called to NASCAR hauler: Usually it's driver summoned to the NASCAR hauler after a race for bad behavior on the track, or crew chiefs who line up outside to argue a call. Sunday at Pocono Raceway, it was Goodyear Tire officials called to the hauler following the race as NASCAR sought an explanation for the dozen or so teams that experienced blown left-front tire problems.  "We just reviewed what happened today, tried to get all the facts sorted out," said Goodyear product manager Rick Heinrich. "We're just taking a closer look at what happened when and to whom."  NASCAR officials believed the problems were isolated to a few teams.  "Several cars had multiple occurrences. It wasn't like it was across the board," said NASCAR spokesman Herb Branham. (The State)

Aero Package to be similar '06: Despite some grumbling in the garage about the current aero package, NASCAR vp/competition Robin Pemberton confirmed that the 2006 rules package likely won’t be much different from what it is now. "It’ll be close," Pemberton. Pemberton also said NASCAR's "car of the future" and "engine of the future" (read: common engine) processes are in no great rush. The car of the future, which includes such safety innovations as the driver moved toward the center of the car and a higher roof line, could be phased in beginning in 2007. The engine item would be considered for 2008 at the earliest. (SPEEDTV)

Speed Channel names CEO: Veteran cable TV sports executive Hunter Nickell will take the over at Charlotte-based Speed Channel beginning next month, replacing the recently departed Jim Liberatore, according to sources familiar with the move.  Neither Nickell nor Speed Channel executives could be reached for comment, but an announcement confirming Nickell's appointment is expected Monday. His title will be executive vice president and general manager. Liberatore ran the locally based national cable network for four years before parent company News Corp. decided in April not to renew his contract. During Liberatore's tenure, the network more than tripled its revenue, to $200 million annually, and became one of the fastest-growing properties in cable. Speed Channel now reaches 63.7 million U.S. households (out of 110 million overall).  (Charlotte Business Journal)

NEXTEL Cup to Sprint in '07:  Barring an unexpected snag, NASCAR's top series will undergo another name change, beginning with the 2007 season.  The company created by the merger of Sprint and Nextel is expected to take on the name Sprint. And the name of what is now known as the Nextel Cup Series will also change to the Sprint Cup Series, ThatsRacin.com has learned.  Executives of both companies are expected to formally approve the company's new master brand name within the next two weeks. An announcement of the branding change for the Cup series would follow, sources said.  Sprint in now headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., and Nextel in Reston, Va.  "No decision has been made. Obviously, we are conducting extensive research because we want to do this right," NASCAR spokesman Michael Mooney said Sunday.  "We expect to make a decision (on the company name) by the end of the month." (Charlotte Observer)

MB2 Buyout? Valvoline to Evernham? MB2 Motorsports will shortly announce the buyout of Valvoline, which had held partial ownership of its No. 10 Dodge under the name MBV. That buyout would free Valvoline to move over to sponsor a third Ray Evernham Dodge in 2006. (Gaston Gazette)

Harvick DENIES Report: Kevin Harvick, master of the angry smile, strongly denied Saturday a report that he was the top choice to replace retiring Rusty Wallace in Penske Motorsports's No. 2 car. The report had been made during the television broadcast of Friday night's Craftsman Truck race at Texas.  "I think Ray [reporter Ray Dunlap] will be thoroughly embarrassed in the next couple months when everything we've been working on [is announced]," Harvick said to a summoned group of reporters Saturday noon at Pocono. "I've got another year on my contract with RCR and a couple more with Chevrolet. I think if the facts had been checked on and not just dreamt up over a couple of beers, they'd have had a much better broadcast on Speed Channel last night." (SPEEDTV)

Pocono not for Sell: The offers keep rolling in — one, sometimes two a year. They broke $100 million in 2001 and, lately, they've been between $200 and $300 million. But Doc Mattioli — builder, owner and patriarch of Pocono Raceway — isn't selling. ''No way!'' he says for the umpteenth time. ''I don't need to sell. I don't need the money. What am I going to do with it? I tell 'em money doesn't mean anything to me, but some of them just keep calling.'' That's because Mattioli is sitting on a gold mine. (Allentown Morning Call)

Moving Back: Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch made post-qualifying changes to their cars and were forced to drop to the rear of the field on the pace lap. Teammates Gordon and Kyle Busch scraped the wall in qualifying Saturday. Series champion Kurt Busch arrived Sunday morning to find a puddle of break fluid under his car and the team changed its master cylinder

More on Gannasi: Changes are expected involving the No. 41 team and driver Casey Mears. Sources say owner Chip Ganassi plans to clean the entire house, making way for Busch Series rookie sensation Reed Sorenson and crew chief Brian Pattie. Mears' crew chief, Jimmy Elledge, has been mentioned as a potential crew chief for Stremme. (News-Journal)

June 11 2005

Rondeau Committed to DEI: Dale Earnhardt Inc. director of racing Richie Gilmore Saturday said Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s former crew chief Pete Rondeau has made a commitment to the organization for the rest of 2005. Gilmore said he was not aware if Rondeau was seeking other crew chief opportunities outside DEI. "I really don't know -- that would have to be a question for Pete," Gilmore said. "But right now he's been there every day -- he's told me he's committed for the rest of the year and he's been there every day just digging.  "But Pete's a pretty committed guy and I really don't have any doubt on it. Everything Pete's always told me he's been dedicated to it. He's just a really good guy and whatever we ask him to do he'll do for us." (NASCAR.com)

NASCAR and Montreal: The promoter of Montreal's race track is lobbying to bring NASCAR to Canada and says his facility is the best place to host the stock cars.  Normand Legault said he's had preliminary talks with NASCAR executives in an effort to bring the United States' top racing series to the road course at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.  "I would love to have it here. It is a super, super show," Legault said. "I am quite sure Canadian fans would take to NASCAR racing just like a match to dry wood."  NASCAR expanded into Mexico this year, staging a junior division Busch Series race at a road course in Mexico City. Although executives have explored reaching into Canada, NASCAR repeatedly has said it has no plans to do so. The focus is currently on bringing a race to New York City and expanding into the Pacific Northwest.  (USA Today)

More on Gordon & Stewart: Jeff Gordon hasn't talked with Tony Stewart after the two exchanged barbs in separate interviews last week at Dover, but Gordon isn't losing sleep over it.  "Tony gave me a call this week and left me a message, I called him back and left him a message," Gordon said. "I'm still not thrilled about what happened there and definitely not thrilled with what was said after the race, but it's hard racing. (Times-Dispatch)

Hispanic driver to make start at Infineon: At Infineon Raceway, José Luis Ramírez will attempt to become only the second Mexican-born driver to compete in a NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Sponsored by Bay Area-based mortgage company Pro30.com, he will try to qualify the #52 Dodge for the Dodge/Save Mart 350, to be held at the Sonoma track June 26. Ramírez was among the nine Latino drivers showcased in NASCAR's Busch race held in Mexico City in March - the sport's first foray onto foreign soil. In the field of 43, he finished 31st, ahead of such Cup regulars as Jamie McMurray and Robby Gordon. Ramírez, 26, started his career in karting and Trans-Am road racing in his hometown of Mexico City before switching to stock cars. Now a regular in NASCAR's Grand National West Series, Ramírez has made 17 starts. He finished 10th in the series standings in 2004. (Sacramento Bee)

A third Evernham Car? Evernham Motorsports, says chances are "better than 50pct" that he will have a third Cup team in 2006. He said he has tentative agreements with significant sponsors, and he pulled up short when asked who would drive the car.  Evernham says he has constructed a building for the proposed new team and has personnel aboard. "I think you can get the team started and kind of take it from there. The sponsor is going to have to have realistic expectations. For a first-year team, to jump right up there and win races, there's not too many people who do that.  (SPEEDTV)

Sadler Around the Garage: It didn't take long for Hermie Sadler long to find a new ride, albeit a temporary one. Four days after resigning from the No. 66 Ford, Sadler was in the No. 92 Chevrolet at Pocono filling in for Stanton Barrett, who is running tonight's Busch race at Nashville Superspeedway. It's a one-race deal for Sadler.  "I had planned on taking a couple weeks off just to regroup and get my thoughts together," Sadler said. (Times-Dispatch)

Schrader & BAM After '06: Eddie Jones, general manager of BAM Racing's No. 49, says the team intends to begin discussions for 2006 shortly with sponsor Schwan's and that he expects a positive outcome. He is not as positive about current driver Ken Schrader, 50, who likely will take his act elsewhere next year. (SPEEDTV)

Wallace's Iowa Track receives economic help: A proposed NASCAR racetrack in Newton received another boost from the state Friday when the Iowa Department of Economic Development Board voted to guarantee a $1 million loan for the project. The $70 million project is expected to create 26 jobs at an average wage of $14.66 an hour, development officials said.  The city of Newton promised a $1.3 million loan for land and a $2 million loan to finalize the project, said Mayor Charles Allen. The money was borrowed by the city and backed by tax receipts from a tax increment finance district in Newton. (Sioux City Journnal)

Elliott's long term deal: Elliott Sadler will be driving the M&M's Ford for at least another three years after Robert Yates Racing extended its deals with sponsor and driver through 2008.  "I think there was never any doubt that we were going to continue this relationship, but to go through the process and get it done through 2008 is a great, great feeling for me and my family," said Sadler, who is ranked third in the points standings after finishing a career-best ninth last year. (Times-Dispatch)

NASCAR Seize illegal merchandise: The police say putting the brakes on counterfeit sales at Dover's NASCAR race last weekend was a huge success.  Law enforcement officers removed and fined, eight illegal vendors during the race held at Dover International Speedway. Raceway officials, the FBI, and Delaware police agencies worked together. They went undercover looking for counterfeit merchandise.  "It was a difficult operation in some sense because you're not looking for the legal vendors who have their booths set up," said Capt. Lester Boney of the Dover Police Department. (WBOC)

Pocono Notes: Happy Hour Speeds | 1st Practice Speeds Starting at or near the front is advantageous at Pocono Raceway. The winner has come from the first two rows in 31 of 54 Pocono races

June 10 2005

Hmiel has no appeal options: Busch Series driver Shane Hmiel will not be allowed to appeal his indefinite suspension for a second violation of NASCAR’s substance abuse policy, a NASCAR official confirmed Thursday.  “It cannot be appealed. We have a very structured process for violations of our substance abuse policy,” said Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s vice president of corporate communications.  “Right now, he is suspended indefinitely. If that were to change, we would inform everyone.” (Charlotte Observer)

PR Wire: Homestead-Miami Speedway, sets Ford Championship Weekend Schedule

No 2006 Toyota? The rumors of an earlier than expected entry by Toyota into the Nextel Cup Series appear to be unfounded. There had been speculation that Toyota already had built and tested cars, but no one seems to have seen the car. Most insiders say Toyota, which competes in the Craftsman Truck Series, won't move up before 2007.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

June 9 2005

Former Cup driver Atwood, Back with Evernham in Busch: It's not a full-time ride, but at least it will get Nashville's Casey Atwood back on the track for a couple of races.  Atwood is scheduled to compete in upcoming NASCAR Busch Series races at Kentucky Speedway (June 18) and Pikes Peak International Raceway near Colorado Springs, Colo., (July 23). Atwood will drive a car fielded by Evernham Motorsports, for whom he once drove in the Nextel Cup Series.  The 24-year-old racer lost his Busch ride with Fitz-Bradshaw Racing late last season and has not landed another full-time ride. He drove a few NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races for Mt. Juliet-based Bobby Hamilton Racing earlier in the year. (Tennessean)

Former NASCAR Driver Fittipaldi Debuts at the Glen: Christian Fittipaldi is too young to remember his father and uncle competing at Watkins Glen International.  The Fittipaldi name first made its mark in international racing at the Glen during the U.S. Grand Prix in 1970. That year, a young Emerson, with only a few races under his belt, won his first Formula One race. The Brazilian driver went on to win two Formula One championships and the Indianapolis 500. His 34-year-old nephew, Christian, is scheduled to make his first start on the famed 3.4-mile Grand Prix course where his uncle jump-started his career when he races in Sunday's Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen, the culmination of three days of racing at the track this weekend. (Star Gazzette)

Nemechek Army Special Paint Scheme: MB2 Motorsports says its No. 01 Chevrolet will carry a special paint scheme designed to resemble the U.S. Army's new camouflage combat uniform in Sunday's Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway. The car will carry the digital camouflage pattern, which mixes green, tan and gray, to help celebrate the 230th birthday of the Army, which is the team's primary sponsor. (ScenePlus)

Wallace Wins Stewart's Prelude to a dream: Several NASCAR drivers walked away impressed with a dirt racetrack owned by driver Tony Stewart.  Stewart hosted the Nextel Prelude to the Dream charity event Wednesday night at Eldora Speedway, a 51-year-old track in western Ohio that the driver purchased in November.  About 18,000 people flooded into Eldora, located about 40 miles northwest of Dayton, to see a race featuring drivers such as Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Petty.  Kenny Wallace held off Stewart to capture the race, which donated $50,000 to the Victory Junction Gang Camp for chronically ill children, a charity founded by the Petty family.  "The track was so much faster than I thought it was," said Wallace, who celebrated the victory with a spin-out in front of the grandstand. (Fort Wayne)

PR Wire: Gannasi and Sabates sign Sponsorship; Stremme?

Stewart Ticketed for speeding: Former NASCAR champion Tony Stewart had the pedal to the metal, but not on a racetrack. Instead he was caught speeding on a rural Jackson County highway.  An Indiana State Trooper clocked the 33-year-old Stewart at 80 miles per hour. He was driving his 2004 Humvee well above the posted limit of 55 miles per hour north of the city on U-S 31.  Stewart, of Columbus, at first decided to fight the May fifth citation in court. But he has changed his mind and will instead pay 141 dollars to enter a deferral program. (WANE)

PR Wire: Rain Cancels Testing at Infeonon

Speedweeks Schedule Changes: The Rolex 24 At Daytona is moving up -- to a new date on the calendar. And the focus of next year's Speed Weeks will be different.  The Rolex 24 At Daytona is being moved from its normal first weekend of February one week earlier to Jan. 28-29. The move is believed to be permanent, and is designed to end a longstanding first-Sunday-in-February schedule conflict between the race and the NFL's Super Bowl. Daytona International Speedway and Rolex Series officials will announce the move today. The move breaks the Rolex 24's longstanding tradition of being DIS' opening act in a three-week glut of car racing to follow. The NASCAR portion of the schedule remains unchanged, although the switch may affect testing dates.  By slating the race's 44th edition for an off-weekend falling between the NFL's conference championships and ultimate game, those connected with the event say the move will allow fans to participate in both, instead of having to choose one over the other. (News-Journal)

Hmiel hires Attorney: Online website ANR-AtT is reporting that Shane Hmiel has hired a lawyer to fight NASCAR about his latest drug suspension. According to sources Hmiel admitted that in 2003 he was on drugs when he was tested and failed, but he went on to say that he was not on drugs this time and had nothing in his system (he would not say what NASCAR suspended him for). The lawyer is going to have drug test run by Hmiel giving hair, urine and blood samples to prove the NASCAR test was wrong and try to get Hmiel reinstated as soon as possible. (ANR-AtT)

June 8 2005

Dover FX Ratings Up: Ratings for FX’s live NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series races for the first half of the racing season which FX airs, along with sister broadcast network, Fox, are the highest ever on the network since it has been airing Nascar races in 2001.  FX’s final Nextel Cup race this season, the MBNA 400 from Dover, Del., last Sunday, was the network’s highest-rated race ever, posting a 4.9 household rating and drawing in 6.1 million viewers.  For the 2005 season, FX’s three Nextel racing events posted an 18 percent increase in household rating (to a 4.5 from a 4.0 last season), a 14 percent gain in viewers to 5.7 million from 5.0 million, and a 6 percent hike in adults 18-49, reaching 2.8 million viewers per telecast vs. 2.5 million last year. (Media Week)

Gaughan to relieve Bliss, After Successful Surgery:  Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan will share driving duties in the #0 NetZero Best Buy Racing Chevrolet with Mike Bliss, who underwent successful hernia surgery Monday morning, for this weekend’s event at Pocono Raceway. “When it became obvious to us that Mike would need some help this weekend our thoughts immediately went to Brendan,” said Joe Custer, General Manager of Haas CNC Racing. “Brendan, along with Orleans Racing and its sponsor Jasper Engines and Transmissions, have been gracious enough to agree to let us borrow him for the weekend even though he is competing for his fifth win at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night. A big part of what is great about this sport is the willingness of the competitors to jump right in and help each other out in situations like this. Our main focus is to make sure that Mike is healthy for the remainder of the season and whatever we need to do this weekend to make sure that happens is what we will do.” Gaughan will take part in the scheduled practice and qualifying sessions at Texas Motor Speedway before heading to Pocono Raceway Friday. Bliss plans to make several laps during practice for the Pocono 500 Friday afternoon before Gaughan takes over. Bliss is scheduled to qualify the car Saturday and start the race before giving up his seat in the NetZero Best Buy Chevy during the first possible opportunity. (NetZero Best Buy Racing)

Labbe Back: Crew chief Slugger Labbe plans to return for the Pocono race after missing Sunday's race with Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Kenny Francis reunited with driver Jeremy Mayfield at Dover while Labbe dealt with the illness. He attempted to return to work Tuesday but vowed to be back in Mayfield's pit box Sunday. "You'll see a slimmed-down Slugger at Pocono," spokesman Denny Darnell said Tuesday. (USA Today)

Bristol Founder Dies: Larry Carrier, who helped start the race track now known as Bristol Motor Speedway, died this morning.  He was 82 when he died after a long illness at Bristol nursing home. As developer, carries worked with Carl Moore and R.G. Pope in building the half-mile oval track, which opened in 1961. Carrier bough the track out of bankruptcy in 1986, gave E-S-P-N execlusive rights to broadcast Bristol's night race for years, and built the seating capacity to 71-thousand. He sold the track to Bruton Smith in 1996 for 26 (M) million dollars. (WVLT)

Good News for Pocono Race Traffic: Race fans driving to this weekend's Pocono 500 will get a break from road construction.  Road work along Interstate 80 and I-380 will be halted from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Monday due to the expected increase in traffic from the NASCAR event, the state Department of Transportation said.  "We understand the need to keep traffic flowing for major events like this, and are happy to adjust our schedule for the tens of thousands of race fans who will meet in Long Pond this week," PennDOT District Executive Amar C. Bhajandas said.  PennDOT said construction work will also be halted on secondary roads in Monroe and Carbon counties, include routes 115, 209, 534, 903, Long Pond Road and Kuhnenbeaker Road. (Philly.com)

Kahne and Mayfield testing: Mayfield and the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger team are scheduled to test at Carolina Motorsports Park, in Kershaw, S.C., next Thursday, April 16. The team will use the test to prepare for the June 26 roadcourse race at Infineon Raceway. (Evernham Motorsports)

Bristol Council Approves Camping Tax: The City Council gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a tax on race fans who camp near Bristol Motor Speedway but not before hearing some sharp criticism from a campground owner and a speedway official.  The council voted 3-0, with two members abstaining, to approve a 5 percent tax on campsites at more than 70 temporary campgrounds surrounding the track.  The ordinance must be approved on second reading later this month before becoming final. The tax would generate about $280,000 annually that would help defray the cost of providing police and other services during the track’s twice-yearly NASCAR races.(TriCities)

Said Fastest in Infineon Testing: Boris Said (Centrix Financial Chevrolet) posted the fastest time on Tuesday during the first day of a two-day NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series test session at Infineon Raceway. Said, who has placed sixth the last two years at Infineon Raceway in the Dodge/Save Mart 350, turned the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in 1 minute, 16.50 seconds. Jeff Gordon (DuPont Chevrolet) holds the track qualifying record of 1:15.968, set in 2004.  "I've always enjoyed coming out here and I'm hoping we can have a good finish in a few weeks," commented Said, who has won at Infineon Raceway in a variety of classes, including the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1998. "I know this track pretty well and think we'll have a good shot at it." Said was one of six drivers testing the course on Tuesday. Scott Pruett (Target Dodge) and Jamie McMurray (Texaco Havoline Dodge) both posted identical times of 1:16.60, while Kyle Busch (Kellogg's Chevrolet) clocked in at 1:17.25. Pruett, a road-race specialist and native of Sacramento, placed third in last year's event, while McMurray took second. (Infineon Raceway PR)

Mike Ford named Crew Chief for Leffler: Joe Gibbs Racing has hired veteran crew chief Mike Ford to oversee the #11 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team of driver Jason Leffler effective immediately. Dave Rogers, the #11 team's former crew chief and a member of Joe Gibbs Racing since 1998, will remain with the organization. "Despite extremely hard work by everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, the performance of the #11 team wasn't where it needed to be," said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. "The #11 team is still a new operation, and we believe that adding the experienced leadership of Mike Ford to an already exceptional crew will be invaluable as we shape the #11 into a winning race team. Dave Rogers has been and will continue to be a tremendous asset to Joe Gibbs Racing. He was an integral part of our championship seasons with Bobby Labonte in 2000 and Tony Stewart in 2002, and he put together an absolutely first class crew from scratch in his debut as a crew chief. Expanding our organization to three teams has been a massive undertaking, but one that will pay huge dividends in the near future. We believe that adding Mike's experience to a management structure that includes Jimmy Makar (senior vice president of racing), Greg Zipadelli (crew chief of the #20 team) and Steve Addington (crew chief of the #18 team) will help us to turn the #11 team around." A member of the motorsports community since the late 1980s, Ford's first crew chief position came with Bill Elliott in 2000. In four years together the duo logged four wins, including the prestigious Brickyard 400 in 2002. Ford moved to Robert Yates Racing in 2004, where he served as Dale Jarrett's crew chief through the first 11 races of this season. (JGR PR)