June 1 2005

• Wallace Flooded with Offers: The 1989 NASCAR Cup champion spent several hours Tuesday at Kentucky Speedway testing the No. 64 Dodge he will drive in the Meijer 300 Busch Series event later this month at the 1.5-mile track.  During a break in the schedule, he joined his brother, Kenny, for a news conference previewing the June 18 race, and spoke about life beyond racing and an opportunity that could keep him in the Nextel Cup Series beyond this season.  "I don't mean to be teasing anybody with that," Wallace, 48, said, "but, boy, these offers keep coming, and you've just got to keep thinking about it.  "It just really gets enticing to think about those things." (Enquirer)

• Speedway themed Coffee Discontinued: Got a yen for Richmond Roast coffee? How about Martinsville Short Track Blend, Talladega Blend or even Daytona High Banks Blend coffees?  Motorsports fans might recognize the names of a series of limited edition motorsports coffees that have been sold this past year.  Finding them on the shelves of supermarkets, however, will get harder this summer after the Pepsi 400 stockcar race here. The Christopher Bean Coffee Co., which produced the gourmet blends in cooperation with International Speedway Corp., is discontinuing the promotion. Company spokesman Mark Geallis said it's a matter of economics. (News-Journal)

• NASCAR PR Wire: Waste Management NASCAR Diversity

• Earnhardt's Contract opened Public: The public will be allowed to review an edited version of Dale Earnhardt's contract introduced as evidence in a lawsuit against an insurance company that denied a $3.7 million claim in his death, a judge in Lexington, N.C., ruled Tuesday. But Superior Court Judge Kimberly Taylor, who has so far denied public access to evidence introduced to the jury in open court, ruled that attorneys for both Richard Childress Racing and insurer United of Omaha can argue that other exhibits admitted into evidence remain sealed.  "I think we can work out something to balance everyone's needs," Taylor said. (Indy Star)

• Tweeden Joins NASCAR Nation: Speed Channel has hired Leeann Tweeden as a host of its "NASCAR Nation" program and she will debut with the network on June 27, Speed officials have confirmed.  Tweeden has most recently appeared as a regular on Fox's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" and has appeared on several other Fox programs, including "High Octane," "Blue Torch" and FX Network's Toughman Contest.  A native of Manassas, Va., Tweeden, 31, has been featured in several magazines and calendars, including Playboy and Frederick’s of Hollywood model calendars.  (ThatsRacin)

• Indy drivers past NASCAR in TV Ratings: Danica Patrick's fourth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 was a break for Bombardier Learjet.  Patrick's next race is the IRL IndyCar Series' Bombardier Learjet 500, which ESPN will carry in prime time June 11. Now it undoubtedly will draw more than the 0.5% of cable TV households that ESPN/ESPN2 has averaged for its IRL races this year.  The Indy 500 got its first overnight ratings win in four years over NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, also staged Sunday. The Indy 500 drew 6.6% of TV households in 56 major markets, up 40% from last year. The Coca-Cola 600 drew 5.1%, up 13% from last year — and the race's highest overnight ever.  But the IRL's top race has a ways to go to catch up with NASCAR's: Fox's Daytona 500 overnight this year was 62% higher than ABC's Indy 500 overnight. (USA Today)

• Gordon Clarifies Patrick Remark: Robby Gordon was not being critical of Danica Patrick when he said she had an unfair weight advantage in the Indianapolis 500. Rather, he said he was simply discussing a flaw in the Indy Racing League's rules.  "The only thing I was saying was that I have a problem with the rule, not any particular driver," Gordon said Tuesday. "I've been impressed with Danica from the first time she got in an IRL car earlier this year, and I certainly did not mean to disrespect her or any other driver." (Indy Star)

• Foyt Released from Hospital: Larry Foyt was released from Methodist Hospital Monday afternoon and is expected to fly home to Charlotte Tuesday. Foyt was taken to the hospital Sunday following his crash in the Indianapolis 500 on lap 15. Foyt’s No. 41 ABC Supply/Dallara/Toyota spun entering turn one spinning backwards into the SAFER Barrier. Foyt sustained a compressed vertebra and a chipped disk in his lower spine. He was fitted with a back brace on Monday and released. He is expected to make a full recovery which could take up to six weeks. (Foyt Racing)

• Hermie Committed to Peak: Hermie Sadler, driver of the No. 66 Peak Fitness Ford in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and team owner Jeff Stec are committed to making Peak Performance Motorsports a solid venture in NASCAR's premiere series. Following an erroneous online report regarding his status with the team, Sadler offers the following statement to the public, the media and his fans.  "After the rumor of my departure from Peak Performance Motorsports was erroneously reported on several websites last week, I wanted to personally respond to all the media and fans. "First of all, I am committed to staying with the Peak Performance Motorsports team for the entire 2005 season and am hopeful that relationship lasts beyond that. While we are disappointed with our performances so far this season, we are working together as a team to improve. Although we have a way to go, we are steadily making progress.  "It concerns me that a website would post a rumor that could be fatal to an up-start team such as ours without consulting with the team owner, public relations representative, or the driver. Not only do we have employees that may be affected, but this can also be detrimental to our hunt for additional sponsorship, which is vital to the growth of our team. (Peak Performance Motorsports)

May 31 2005

• Manufactures Not Leaving NASCAR: Billion-dollar losses by the U.S. automakers, sagging sales, loss of market share to foreign manufacturers, soaring health-care costs and high fuel prices. Sounds like trouble for the sport of NASCAR racing, which relies heavily on support from automakers to keep fleets of Fords, Chevys and Dodges on the track. Not so, say the automakers' representatives at the race tracks. "This is the time, when you are in difficult situations, when in fact you rely on racing even more to move your product," said Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology. "I don't think racing is in any jeopardy at this point or that the racing program is going to be somehow eliminated. In fact, it's possibly the opposite. When you have programs like racing that work, and you have limited funds, that's when you start to really rely on those areas. Racing works. We know it works. ... It's solid as a rock."  But there is concern in NASCAR about the health of the U.S. auto manufacturers. "The withdrawal of any one manufacturer in the series can have awful consequences throughout the garage," Roush Racing president Geoff Smith said. "If any one decided not to play any more, there would be a number of teams that would immediately be underfinanced to be able to compete with the people that had the budget." Smith said he sees only two scenarios that would cause any of the Big Three or Toyota, which now competes in the Craftsman Truck Series, to leave NASCAR. One would be if global consolidation eliminates a nameplate. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• Drivers Say Lowes Needs Asphalt: The new smoother surface at Lowe's Motor Speedway wasn't the only problem facing Jimmie Johnson, Bobby Labonte and the rest of the Coca-Cola 600 field on Saturday night. One concrete patch broke loose early in the race and smashed into the nose of Jeff Gordon's car.  "It looked like boulders were flying," Labonte said. "There was definitely something that came apart.  "After that, the ruts were there ... but they weren't as bad as the stuff coming up."  Gordon said track owner Bruton Smith may have to repave the track after all.  "The track is too fast, the tires are too hard (for good racing)," Gordon said. "But for the most part, things were good.  "Once they fix the crack, the track may mature and really come to us and get better (before the October 500). But if not, they're going to have to repave it." Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed with Gordon that new asphalt might be needed: "The track was real slick. It has a lot of grips in spots, and then spots where there's no grip. (Salem-Journal)

• Agent Says Insurer Should Pay Claim: The insurance company that denied a $3.7 million claim in the death of racing legend Dale Earnhardt conducted a mistake-riddled investigation, a veteran life insurance agent testified Tuesday.  "I think it was evident early on that the mistakes began with the application, and the paperwork and process were flawed," agent Dwight Carter said.  Richard Childress Racing has accused insurer United of Omaha of cheating widow Teresa Earnhardt out of the payment after Earnhardt died in a crash at the Daytona 500 in 2001. RCR took out the policy and is pursuing the matter on the family's behalf.  The company claims that the policy was never valid for Earnhardt because he had not taken a required physical. (Charlotte Observer)

• Charlotte Unveils $140 Million Dollar HOF: Leaders of Charlotte's bid for the NASCAR Hall of Fame unveiled detailed architectural renderings of the proposed $137.5 million facility at an uptown rally Tuesday afternoon.  The design of the structure, which would be connected to the Charlotte Convention Center, features a sweeping plaza leading to a modern structure replete with NASCAR's signature corporate sponsor banners and draped in an oval-shaped crown that resembles a track.  The design is the work of Pei, Cobb & Freed Partners, which is responsible for more than 100 high-profile projects around the world, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the John Hancock Tower in Boston and the National Gallery. (Charlotte Business Journal)

• Kansas City HOF Bid Arrives in Charlotte: The Kansas City area's official bid for the NASCAR Hall of Fame departed from Kansas Speedway in a thinkKC branded YellowRoadway truck on Thursday, May 26 and arrived at NASCAR offices via the official Kansas Speedway pace car, a 2005 Ford Mustang, in Charlotte today at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET.  "Kansas City is the perfect place for the NASCAR Hall of Fame," said Mayor Joe Reardon of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas. "The Hall of Fame will build on the continuing success of the Kansas Speedway and will be a welcome addition to the booming Village West shopping and entertainment district at Interstate 70 and Interstate 435."  The Greater Kansas City area is one of five cities vying for the $100 million plus NASCAR Hall of Fame. (Yahoo!)

• Why XM Radio let NASCAR go: Hugh Panero interview with Business 2.0 : With NASCAR, he points out that XM has broadcast the sport since 2001. That experience gave him a finely honed sense of what the 2007-2011 rights were worth -- which, suffice it to say, he thought was a good deal less than the $107.5 million that Sirius wound up paying. (XM paid $15 million for the 2001-2006 rights.) (Business 2.0)

• NASCAR PR Wire: France Family Voted Newsmaker of the last Half-Century

• NASCAR Alabama Plates Available: Alabama motorist will have a chance to show their true racing colors Tuesday when the Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles allows state race fans to begin purchasing "Race Plates" as their official registration license plates. The 20 distinctive license plates are sponsored by the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Eighteen current stars of the Nextel Cup Series are available to choose from, including Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Bill Elliott, Ryan Newman, Michael Waltrip, Matt Kenseth, Jeremy Mayfield, Tony Stewart, Ricky Rudd, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Robby Gordon, Kyle Petty, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jarrett, Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton. (Alabama Live)

May 30 2005

• Eury on DEI Wreck: Dale Earnhardt Jr. rallied from a lap down to get back in the top 10, then crashed himself and teammate Michael Waltrip with a crucial mistake Sunday night.   "I don't know what happened," Waltrip said in measured tones. "I'm trying to figure it out. I was running with the 8 car and I think he got into me. Tony Eury Sr., director of competition at Dale Earnhardt Inc., was Earnhardt's crew chief until this season, and he tried in vain to control his frustration with watching two of his cars taken out in the same wreck.  "I don't know what his problem is with Michael, but it will be fixed tomorrow, I guarantee it," Eury said. (MaconTelegraph)

• NASCAR PR Wire: Labonte's Addington wins WYPALL Crew Chief of the Race

• Who will Succeed Bruton Smith? Will ISC buyout SMI?  At 66, Humpy Wheeler represents the young bucks in the Speedway Motorsports Inc. hierarchy. After all, Wheeler, the company's chief operating officer, works under CEO Bruton Smith, who is 78. Concord-based SMI, operator of six speedways, has 719 employees and generated revenue of $447 million in 2004. Which begs the question: What -- or who -- might be next? Industry analyst Dennis McAlpine, who heads boutique firm McAlpine Partners, acknowledges little in-depth discussion of SMI succession possibilities among financial experts as well as those in racing circles.  "Everybody figures if Bruton died and there was no successor, (rival International Speedway Corp.) would buy the company," he says. "It's plausible if everything else fell apart."  McAlpine and others say the more likely scenario would be for several executives to fill the leadership roles of Smith and Wheeler. Handicapping the field holds no interest for Smith, who declines to discuss what the company would do in the event SMI's top executives left unexpectedly.  At the same time, the SMI chairman's son, Marcus Smith, 31, seems poised for a future leadership role. He is executive vice president of national sales and marketing at SMI and became a board member last year.  Benton and another board member, former DaimlerChrysler Corp. executive James Holden, name Marcus Smith as well as 55-year-old Bill Brooks, the company's chief financial officer, as potential replacements. Others worthy of consideration, they say, include the general managers at each of SMI's six speedways -- led by Atlanta Motor Speedway chief Ed Clark -- scattered from the Carolinas to California. (More at Charlotte Business Journal/MSNBC)

• NASCAR Talks Television, New TV Contract by end of the year: Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 ended a stretch of four consecutive Nextel Cup night races where some of those events saw a ratings increase. Will NASCAR add more night races next year? Glover also says talks continue for the next TV contract. NBC's contract expires after the 2006 season. Fox and NASCAR have an option through 2008. Glover says the goal is to have the next TV contract done by the end of the year. It's typical for sports to have network packages finished a year before they begin.  "What we've said all along continues is that we'd like to work something out with the current partners and we're optimistic that we will," Glover said. (Roanoke)

• Rusty and Martin Honored by Wheeler: The gifts just keep coming for retiring drivers Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin.  At the drivers' meeting, Lowe's Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler saluted them with framed photos of the trips to Victory Lane in the Coca-Cola 600. Martin won in 2002, and Wallace came home first in 1990. (ABC News)

• NASCAR Launches Fan Club; NASCAR Convention to Come: During its quiet launch, the club has signed 10,000 members. The Official Members Club has 10 local employees. Stoneacre will move into a 6,000-square-foot office in the University area next month. Brady knows the fan-club and customer-reward industries well. In his previous job at Cyrk, another Boston firm, he established a popular Beanie Babies membership program and also worked with NBA star Shaquille O'Neal.  Brannan anticipates launching a national fan convention in conjunction with the NASCAR club within a few years. Tim Newman, chief executive at the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, has broached the idea of recruiting a national fan convention if the city can win the bidding for the proposed NASCAR Hall of Fame.  "I'm sure we'll look at doing a convention," Brannan says. "I think NASCAR would prefer sooner rather than later." (Charlotte Business Journal/MSNBC)

• Schrader Birthday Boy: Ken Schrader had quite a 50th birthday.  First, his crew surprised him with a homemade "wheelchair" after the drivers' meeting, fastening two pieces of a used tire around a plastic chair. Schrader walked up just as truck driver Jeff Miles lowered the back liftgate to unveil the present, and he momentarily stopped and stared.  A fan yelled for Schrader to sit down in it, but that was going to happen.  "No!" he shouted with a big smile.  Car owner Beth Ann Morgenthau gave Schrader a big hug, and balloons and a sign wishing him a happy birthday adorned the chair. (ABC News)

May 29 2005

• Johnson Wins the Caution Plagued Coca-Cola 600: Jimmie Johnson slid past Bobby Labonte in the final turn to win the Coca-Cola 600 for the third consecutive year Sunday night. This one was nowhere near as easy as his previous wins.  Unlike his past two dominating victories, Johnson had to come from fourth place to chase down Labonte after a restart with five laps to go. Labonte did his best to hold off Johnson, who needed just three laps around Lowe's Motor Speedway to pull onto the leader's bumper.  Johnson got there on the final lap and edged past coming out of the final turn to grab his second victory of the season. He became the first driver to win three-straight Coca-Cola 600s. "Three 600s, that's just amazing," said Johnson, the Nextel Cup Series points leader. "It will sink in as the days wear on. Today, regardless of the record book, regardless of what was going on, we just wanted to have a solid race. (ABC News - Results - Points)

• More on Rondeau and DEI: Pete Rondeau said he signed a three-year contract when he agreed to be Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief before the Nextel Cup season that never was signed by owner Teresa Earnhardt.  In the contract, according to Rondeau, there was a clause that stated he was to be given six weeks notice if performance was in question.  “I just show up on Monday, and I’m out of a job,” he said on Saturday.  Richie Gilmore, the director of motorsports for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, declined to comment on the contract or the clause. (TheState)

• Earnhardt Crew Chief Replacement: Jimmy Elledge, crew chief on Casey Mears' #41 Target Dodge, has risen to the top of the rumor-mill list of candidates to become Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s permanent crew chief. But the same family conflicts that many blamed for the split between Earnhardt and his uncle and long-time crew chief, Tony Eury Sr., would be an issue again because Elledge is married to Kelley Earnhardt, Dale Jr.'s sister. "It can be a good thing, but I could have brother-in-law, my mother-in-law and my wife all mad at me at the same time," Elledge said, emphasizing that his comments shouldn't be construed as proof that he's seeking the job. But, he said, he's up to the challenge of leading a high-profile team like Earnhardt's #8 Budweiser crew. "I feel I'm ready for it and could handle it," he said, adding that the job of preparing a car for NASCAR's highest-profile driver comes pressure-packed. You've got to be ready for all the challenges," he said. "You've got a sponsorship sitting there that obviously the sky's the limit as far as money. You have a driver sitting there that everybody knows can contend to win the championship. So you'd better have your gun loaded when you walk in the door and know that if you're going to do it you've got to step up to that level and be able to produce. Otherwise it's not going to be a fun ride." He also said that Earnhardt is very much like his father and requires a special touch as a crew chief. "He's a strong personality," Elledge said. "I watched Kirk [Shelmerdine] and Andy Petree have to hit [Dale Earnhardt Sr.] with a ball bat every once in a while to keep him straight," he said. "[Earnhardt Jr.] is the same way." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• Kvapil sues Meshkin BANG Racing: Penske Racing South driver #77-Travis Kvapil, a rookie in the Nextel Cup Series, has filed suit in North Carolina against his former employer, Alex Meshkin, who owned the now-defunct Bang!  Racing Craftsman Truck team. Kvapil, who drove for Bam! Last season, alleges that Meshkin was contracted to provide a Busch Series ride for him this year but failed to do so. Meshkin, who is also involved in litigation with former employee Larry McReynolds, closed his race team late last year. (Speed Channel)

May 28 2005

• Newman to start on Outside Pole: Ryan Newman's Penske Racing outfit has exercised the option to start on the outside of the front row in the Coca-Cola 600, crew chief Matt Borland confirmed Saturday.   "Yep, we're going to do it," Borland said. "The bottom of Turns 1 and 2 isn't real good, so we're going to start on the outside tomorrow."  Per the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series rulebook, the pole-winning team has the option to flip-flop starting positions with the second-place qualifier and start in the outside line if they so desire. (NASCAR) (Happy Hour Speed - 2nd Practice Speeds)

• R. Gordon says Danica Patrick has unfair advantage: Robby Gordon accused Danica Patrick of having an unfair advantage in the Indianapolis 500 and said Saturday he will not compete in the race again unless the field is equalized. Gordon, a former open-wheel driver now in NASCAR, contends that Patrick is at an advantage over the rest of the competitors because she only weighs 100 pounds. Because all the cars weigh the same, Patrick's is lighter on the race track.  "The lighter the car, the faster it goes," Gordon said. "Do the math. Put her in the car at her weight, then put me or Tony Stewart in the car at 200 pounds and our car is at least 100 pounds heavier.  (ABC News)

• Leffler is Safe: JGR President J.D. Gibbs said Leffler, who is ranked 36th in the points, isn't on the hot seat after missing his first race of the season.  "FedEx and the whole group has been supportive of Jason, and he knows that," Gibbs said. "Obviously, a driver is going to feel pressure in a situation like this. None of us like going through this stuff. You want to make [FedEx] proud of your race team. They've been supportive through all of this, but the bottom line is you have to run well. (Times Dispatch)

• Women arrested on Fraud and NASCAR Scheme: A Texas woman who fled the country after she pleaded guilty to fraud in connection with a scheme to fund her NASCAR racing team has been arrested in the Middle East, the U.S. Marshals Service said Friday. Fatemeh Angela Harkness, 29, admitted in January 2004 that she conspired with Austin banker Gary Jones to embezzle more than $1 million from his bank between 2000 and 2003.  Jones, a former Wells Fargo business banker who was vice president of his branch, prepared about 12 loans using several people's names and kept the money for himself, court documents show.  Jones and Harkness, a former stripper from Round Rock, used the money to assemble a NASCAR team called Angela's Motorsports. The racing team, featuring driver Mike McLaughlin, entered cars in the Busch Grand National Series starting in late 2002. (USA Today)

• Sadler Denies Internet Report: Hermie Sadler denied an Internet report (Jayski) last night that he was exiting the No. 66 Ford. Car owner Jeff Stec called the Emporia native last night when he learned of the rumor.  "There's no truth to that at all," said Sadler, who didn't make tomorrow's Coca-Cola 600 and is ranked 40th in points. "We'll be going to Dover next week." (Times Dispatch)

May 27 2005

• Possible Earnhardt Crew Chiefs: The two men most prominently mentioned yesterday as candidates were Jimmy Elledge, who is Earnhardt's brother-in-law and also crew chief for Chip Ganassi and Casey Mears, and Robbie Reiser, crew chief for 2003 champion Matt Kenseth and Jack Roush.  "There's really no timetable," Gilmore said. "We just want to find the right person. And if it takes the rest of the year, it takes the rest of the year." (Salem-Journal)

• UPDATE Judge Not to Rule on Earnhardt Documents till Tuesday: A judge will not rule Friday on a request made by The Associated Press to review several exhibits under a protective order in a case that pits the race car owner for Dale Earnhardt against an insurance company that refused to pay up when he died.  The issue - along with a request by the AP and several news organizations to unseal documents in the case - is expected to be handled Tuesday in Superior Court, court clerk Brian Shipwash said Friday. Judge Kimberly Taylor extended an earlier protective order Thursday at the request of the attorney for Richard Childress Racing, who argued that some of the documents - including Earnhardt's contract - were proprietary. (Myrtle Beach Online)

• Wallace and Martin Spilt NEXTEL Cup ride in 06? Could Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace — both of whom are in their last full seasons in Nextel Cup — share time together next season behind the wheel of one of Jack Roush’s Ford Nextel Cup cars? It’s a long shot, the principals involved said Thursday, but not impossible.  Martin said Thursday he’s contemplating doing a split Cup season next year in a Roush Ford. “If you could share a full schedule with the No. 6 car with another top driver, that’s never been done before,” said Martin. “Selling that to a sponsor, it would take the right sponsor and it would take a lot of things.” (SPEEDTV)

• FedEx on Labonte's Interstate Battery:  Due to Joe Gibbs Racing’s #11 race car failing to qualify for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Charlotte, officials from Joe Gibbs Racing, FedEx and Interstate Batteries agreed that FedEx would become the primary sponsor of the #18 Chevrolet for the Coca-Cola 600, replacing Interstate Batteries. Bobby Labonte will remain as the driver of the #18. Crew chief Steve Addington and the entire #18 crew will also retain their normal duties. The #18 Chevrolet was to have run a Madagascar paint scheme in the Coca-Cola 600. However, DreamWorks and Action Performance Co. have graciously agreed to postpone the Madagascar promotion until the June 12 Pocono 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. “We can’t thank Interstate Batteries and FedEx enough for enabling us to deal with this setback in the most positive manner possible,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We stress teamwork throughout Joe Gibbs Racing. To have Interstate Batteries, who has been with us since day one, and FedEx, our newest sponsor, and Bobby Labonte and the #18 crew work through this bit of adversity so seamlessly speaks volumes about the quality of our sponsors and the character of our team.” (Joe Gibbs Racing site)

• Craven Says He's Unlikely Martin Replacement: Craftsman Truck Series racer Ricky Craven was at Texas Motor Speedeay Tuesday, testing for the Chex 400 race on June 10. Tuesday also was his 39th birthday. The former Nextel Cup driver joined Roush Racing this year with hopes of getting back to Cup racing. But he doesn't think he will be selected to replace the retiring Mark Martin next season in the #6 Viagra Ford. "I think that's very remote," he said. "At 39, I'm sort of the end of the scale for what teams are looking for. I totally focused on this truck team and winning the championship this season." Martin is ending his Cup career but not his racing career. Craven expects Martin to join him in the truck series as a teammate next year. (Dallas Morning News)

• Drivers Lose Track Time Again: As at Richmond two weeks ago, [11] several drivers were held out of practice for periods of time for having been late to inspection. At Richmond, cars were held for being late the previous week at Darlington. This week, eight cars were delayed for the same thing at Richmond. The drivers held Thursday were #9-Kasey Kahne, #29-Kevin Harvick, #40-Sterling Marlin, #41-Casey Mears, #5-Kyle Busch, #49-Ken Schrader, #66-Hermie Sadler and #27-Kirk Shelmerdine. (SPEEDTV)

• First 600 Winner Passes Away: Joe Lee Johnson, 75, winner of the first Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 1960, passed away Thursday after battling cancer. Arrangements are incomplete at this time

• Jeff Gordon Donates, Gets Hospital Named After him: NorthEast Medical Center will announce Friday that its new children’s hospital will be named after Jeff Gordon. The Jeff Gordon Foundation will make a significant contribution to the medical center.  The children’s hospital will come at a cost of $9.4 million, $5.9 million of which will be raised by the NEMC Foundation in the next three years. Details on Gordon’s contribution will be announced Friday at a news conference. According to a release sent out Wednesday afternoon, “NorthEast Medical Center and The Jeff Gordon Foundation will announce a significant financial gift directed toward a project focusing on children’s causes.”  The announcement will be made at 1 p.m. on Friday to the media at Hendrick Motorsports in Harrisburg. (Independent Tribune)

• Darlington Gets Commitment from ISC: The venerable South Carolina speedway has gotten its NASCAR sanctioning agreement for 2006, officials close to the situation confirmed Thursday. It is “99 percent certain” that Darlington will keep its current date, on the night before Mother’s Day, for 2006, the sources said.  Better yet, perhaps, Darlington’s parent company, International Speedway Corp., has committed to a five-year, multi-million-dollar plan to refurbish the track, which opened in 1950, sources said. (SPPEDTV)

• Daytona Submits NASCAR HOF Bid: With the roar of race cars giving rides to Daytona USA visitors in the background Thursday, local dignitaries gathered at Daytona International Speedway to sign a proposal to build the NASCAR Hall of Fame here.  "NASCAR was born on our beaches," said Jon Ferguson, chairman of The Chamber, Daytona Beach/Halifax Area. "NASCAR was raised on our streets. NASCAR grew to international prominence in our community. NASCAR's Hall of Fame belongs here."  More than 100 people attended the ceremony at Victory Lane to show public support for the project. Thursday's ceremony took on the tone of a pep rally, but local officials kept details of the local proposal under their hats because of fears they might tip off competitors. (News-Journal)

• Media Seeks Earnhardt Case Documents: Several news organizations asked a judge Thursday to unseal documents in a case that pits the race car owner for Dale Earnhardt against an insurance company that refused to pay up when he died.  Superior Court Judge Kimberly Taylor extended an earlier protective order in the case at the request of the attorney for Richard Childress Racing, who argued that some of the documents, including Earnhardt's contract, were proprietary.  The ruling came after an Associated Press reporter asked Wednesday to review evidence that had been introduced to the jury in open court and was told it was under a protective order. The AP, the Charlotte Observer, NASCAR Scene and the North Carolina Press Association later filed a motion asking the court to reconsider. (St. Petersburg Times)

• NASCAR Tech Grads Landing Jobs: NASCAR's Technical Institute has proven such a hit, with a large number of graduates landing jobs on stock-car teams, that Rick Hendrick is considering organizing his own Hendrick Motorsports Technical Institute, to train prospective crewmen. (Salem-Journal)

• Atlanta Submits NASCAR HOF Bid: Atlanta hopes to park a NASCAR hall of fame on real estate owned by hometown mogul Ted Turner, just across the street from the shrieks and spray of Centennial Olympic Park's famous fountains.  Atlanta's NASCAR shrine will cost about $92 million, money the city's bid team would raise from Georgia's major corporate NASCAR sponsors, bank loans and as much as $30 million in support from the state and city governments. Atlanta's hall would open by 2008.  The attraction's potential site, now a parking lot at Luckie Street and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, would be a short walk from the city's coming-soon tourist destinations: the Georgia Aquarium and the new World of Coca-Cola. (News-Journal)

• Gordon's Take on Wrigley Embarrassment:  Jeff Gordon is used to getting television exposure, but he could have done without this.  On Tuesday, the four-time Cup champ sang ``Take Me Out To the Ball Game'' at Wrigley Field, and he butchered the lyrics pretty badly. His effort was played over and over on ESPN and other outlets, and he tried to explain himself after practice for the Coca-Cola 600.  ``It was pretty awful, I admit that,'' he said. ``It really just had everything to do with being in a booth and it's a lot harder to do than it looks, because the fans are singing and it's delayed. I just got off of the words and was trying to catch back up and looked like an idiot.''  Gordon's trouble began before he actually started singing, when he mistakenly said ``Wrigley Stadium.'' It got worse from there. (Yahoo!)

• Jack Roush Gong Show News: Jack Roush's annual Gong Show tryouts for potential NASCAR drivers will be carried as a TV series this fall on the Discovery Channel, Roush said yesterday.  The show will follow 25 drivers vying for a ride with Roush. (Salem-Journal)

• Rondeau on Leave, Maybe Yates, Rondeau is taking a leave from Dale Earnhardt Inc. He said he’ll speak with Richie Gilmore, vice president of motorsports at DEI, next week about his options.   Rondeau said he’d like to be a crew chief. One possibility is with Dale Jarrett’s team . Bill Wilburn is serving as the interim crew chief after replacing Mike Ford, who left the team last week.  “I definitely wouldn’t put myself in the same position I just came out of — being in a no-win situation,’’ Rondeau said. “ If we ran good, it was supposed to. If it didn’t, it was going to be my fault. I knew that going in, but at the time I thought I would have more backing than I currently had.’’ (PilotOnline)

• Casinos at Pocono? Anticipates 2 Dates: Dr. Joseph Mattioli, board chairman and CEO of Pocono Raceway, plans to apply for a casino/slots parlor license. The casino would be on the race track's grounds in Long Pond, Pa., which hosts two Nextel Cup races annually. Mattioli's project involves a convention center and shops. The proposed casino would be built behind the track's grandstands. The state Gaming Control Board is expected to award seven licenses to horse-racing tracks, five to stand-alone slot parlors and two to resorts. "We have the land, water, sewer and parking, and people know where we are," Mattioli said recently. "We're only 3 miles off the interstate [Route 80]. It's a gamble, but it's not as big a gamble as building [the raceway] was 40 years ago." Although the attendance at both Pocono Cup races each year is very good, speculation persists that the track eventually will lose one of its races. Whenever I ask Mattioli about this, he pretends he can't hear me. Finally, Mattioli said that he "anticipates" having two races next year. (Philadelphia Daily News)

• Kansas City Submits NASCAR HOF Bid: Thursday afternoon, in a first step, the Kansas bid for the Hall of Fame was officially sent off to NASCAR. This bid, though, was sent off by several members of the Kansas Army National Guard. They were wearing camouflage. They were fully armed. Their faces were painted. Their eyes were large. Several hid in the infield grass. They seemed to be taking this mission very seriously. Air cover was provided by a UH-60 Black Hawk military aircraft.  The infantry squad was protected by an M2 A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, which, according to the Military Analysis Network Web site, has the “medium and long range firepower capable of defeating any vehicle on the battlefield.” (KC Star)

• Charlotte NASCAR HOF Land: City leaders worked with the federal government to transfer a parcel of land to the city, ideally sold to help the city pay for the construction of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory has been working on the deal all day - and there is a sense of urgency.  "We need to have our proposal ready by May 31 and we want as much in our financial plan as possible and ready for the proposal," said McCrory.  City officials want to build the hall in the area between Brevard and Caldwell streets.  The federal land that the city wants is right along Interstate 277. The plan is to reconfigure the interchange and make it easier for people to get to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The city-owned land freed up by the new interchange would then be sold and developed.(WSOCTV)