Damage done due to
Hurricane Wilma at Homestead: Hurricane Wilma did
considerable damage to Homestead-Miami Speedway, which
hosts three major NASCAR races in less than four
weeks. HMS president Curtis Gray said Monday's winds,
which topped 100 mph in the area, did "significant
damage" to the garage suites that run the length of
pit road. "Steel, canvas all tore loose," Gray told
The News-Journal. "It took out some fencing and at
least a dozen light poles. We had debris get into the
catch fence near the start-finish line, and some
damage in the grandstand area." Gray said the damage
indicates the facility was struck by a tornado as
Wilma pounded the area for at least four hours with
hurricane-force winds. Gray said parent company
International Speedway Corp. is sending support teams
from Daytona and Talladega to help. (News-Journal)
Stewart & KaBOOM to
build playground on Thursday: The Home Depot, in
partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and the national
non-profit organization KaBOOM!, will have their ninth
"Racing to Play" playground build on Thursday at
Sumner Park in East Point, Ga. There, Joe Gibbs Racing
drivers Bobby Labonte and J.J. Yeley, along with Joe
Gibbs Racing crew members, will volunteer their time
and energy. The "Racing to Play" program identifies
and works with 10 organizations in select race markets
to build racing-themed KaBOOM! playgrounds in a single
day at the organization's site. The program targets
organizations that serve children, including those
that support at-risk youth and provide positive
after-school and learning environments. The first
eight builds were in Jackson, Mich.; Daytona Beach,
Fla.; Markham, Ill.; Indianapolis; Pomona, Calif.;
Richmond, Va.; Talladega, Ala.; and Kansas City, Kan.,
respectively, while the 10th and final build is
scheduled for Nov. 10 at Longview Elementary School in
Phoenix. (JGR PR)
Testing at Texas:
One of the busiest test sessions in speedway history
will have drivers preparing Tuesday for the Dickies
500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, Cup drivers scheduled to
test include: #31-Jeff Burton, #44-Terry Labonte,
#17-Matt Kenseth, #12-Ryan Newman, #18- Bobby Labonte,
#6-Mark Martin, #19-Jeremy Mayfield, #1-Martin Truex
Jr. and #77-Travis Kvapil. (TMS PR)
NBC unlikely to sell
'06 television rights: A source close to the
NASCAR television contract negotiations said it is
"highly unlikely" outgoing NBC will sell the broadcast
rights of the 2006 Nextel Cup/Busch Series to ABC and
ESPN. The source said NASCAR's next TV pact has
reached the level of "substantial negotiations" with
its future television partners. Fox has yet to renew
its half of the TV deal. The formal announcement of
the new television contract will come any time between
the "final race at Homestead to the day of the 2006
Daytona 500," the source said. (News-Journal)
Oct. 24, 2005:
Early
Martinsville TV Ratings down: NBC's broadcast of
Sunday's Subway 500 from Martinsville Speedway drew a
3.8 overnight rating and an 8 share from Nielsen Media
Research, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports.
The rating is 5% lower than the 4.0 the race drew last
year. (Scene
Daily Newsletter)
ISC looking to build
speedway near Denver again? The France family's
decision to buy and shut down the Pikes Peak, Colo.,
race track, apparently with a clause that any buyer
cannot use the facility for racing, has prompted heavy
speculation that the France's International Speedway
Corp. (ISC) may now revive plans to build a new
superspeedway in the Denver metropolitan area. A Denver
track has been studied for more than 10 years, with
proposed sites near the airport, 30 miles from downtown.
(Salem-Journal)
Public funding for NW
track not likely if bill passes: Public funding for
a NASCAR track in South Kitsap won't happen should
voters approve Initiative 912 and repeal the gas tax,
some state lawmakers say, leaving track organizers to
foot the bill themselves. Legislators claim the
state wouldn't have the money and South Kitsap wouldn't
have the traffic capacity for the track should 912 pass.
"If 912 passes, there'll be no NASCAR track," said State
Sen. Bob Oke, R-Port Orchard. "There'll be no funds from
the Legislature. We won't even take (the issue) up."
International Speedway Corp., which owns 12 racetracks
across the country, wants to add a 13th near Bremerton
National Airport on 950 acres by 2010. The ISC plans to
ask the Legislature in January for a portion of the
state's sales tax revenue to fund about half of the
estimated $330 million track. ISC's rationale for going
to the Legislature is that the track is forecast to
generate $139.5 million in revenues per year, according
to a recent study by Berk and Associates of Seattle. But
roads around the proposed track just won't be capable of
handling the traffic generated by an 81,500-capacity
stadium, said state Rep. Sherry Appleton, D-Poulsbo.
"Those people who want NASCAR should be voting against
(912)," Appleton said. "If the highway's not improved,
(the track) won't be a consideration. We wouldn't have
the capacity." ISC officials are trying to avoid the
debate. "We don't have an official opinion," said Rich
Johnson, marketing consultant for Great Western Sports,
who is overseeing the track's development. "We're trying
to keep the two issues separate." (Kitsap
Sun)
More on television
package discussions: NASCAR is trying to create a
six-race package for TNT into its next Nextel Cup
television package, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness
Journal reports. Sources told the publication that
NASCAR is looking at taking three races from Fox and
three from ABC/ESPN for TNT, although the races have not
been identified. In this week's issue, writer Andy
Bernstein also says that NASCAR wants to give Fox a
chance to bid before awarding the entire Busch Series
schedule to ESPN for its ESPN2 channel, a move that was
reported earlier. (Scene
Daily Newsletter)
Menard sell won't
affect Robby's engines: Gordon said that John
Menard, the wealthy home-improvements businessman who
owns the engine-building operation in England, Menard
Engineering, that supplies his Nextel Cup motors, is
negotiating a sale of that division to Honda for a
second Formula One program. "But it won't affect our
(Cup) engines next season," Gordon said. "Menard will
continue to provide the engines, and he will also be a
sponsor for 13 races." (Salem-Journal)
Addington
Wins Crew Chief of the Race Award at Martinsville:
#18-Bobby Labonte may have received two speeding tickets
in this week's Subway 500, but they never slowed him
down. With help from crew chief Steve Addington, Labonte
overcame his pit road infractions to land a top-five
finish, his best since the Coca-Cola 600. For leading
his driver from the back to the front, Addington was
voted the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race. "We had
a really good car today," said Addington after the race.
"Bobby (Labonte) knows how important track position is
here (Martinsville) and was trying to get as much as he
could on pit road. It ended up costing us twice.
Fortunately our car was strong enough to get it back. We
had the longest green flag run of the day after one of
our penalties and that was a huge help. Our car was
great on long runs and that allowed us to make up a lot
of distance. If we didn't have to start in the back, we
probably could have been battling the leader." The panel
of voters, including Mike Mulhern of the Winston-Salem
Journal, a Wypall Wipers representative and Robbie
Reiser, split their votes on the crew chief of the race.
Mulhern cast his vote for Pat Tryson, who overcame a
brake problem on the #6 Ford. The Wypall representative
and Reiser both voted for Addington. Doug Richert leads
the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year standings with
five wins. Alan Gustafson and Greg Zipadelli are tied
for second-place with three wins. Bob Osborne, Jimmy
Fennig, Robbie Reiser, Chad Knaus, Steve Addington and
Robbie Loomis are tied for third-place with two wins.
Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Fatback McSwain, Steve
Hmiel, Greg Erwin, Slugger Labbe, Pat Tryson and Pete
Rondeau are tied for fourth place, each with one win. At
the end of the season, the crew chief with the most
weekly wins will receive $20,000. Fans can also vote for
their choice at
wypall.com.
(SMC 500)
Oct. 23, 2005:
Gordon Sweeps
Martinsville in '05: Jeff Gordon made a late-race
strategy decision to stay on the track during a caution
and it helped him captured Sunday's Subway 500 Nextel
Cup at the Martinsville Speedway. The No.24 Dupont
Chevrolet took the checkered flag 0.236 seconds ahead of
runner-up Tony Stewart. The victory was Gordon's fourth
of the season and 73rd of his "Cup" career. "I'm so
proud of this guy here," said Gordon said hugging his
crew chief Steve Letarte. "He made the call that won
this race today. I've been telling people how talented
he is and I think today definitely showed that." Stewart
brought the 43-car field to the green flag and led the
first lap to earn the all-important five point bonus.
Then on the next lap he gave way to Ricky Rudd. But
Stewart only let Rudd enjoy the lead for two laps before
re- asserting his dominance at the top. Gordon, a
seven-time winner at Martinsville, was the man on the
move, breaking into the top-10 for the first time on lap
21. (Sports
Network -
Points -
Results)
3 way deal puts Rudd
in 42? Instead of retiring at the end of this year,
Rudd could leave the No. 21 car to drive the No. 42 car
for Chip Ganassi next season. Jamie McMurray would be
released from the final year of his contract with
Ganassi so that he can drive the No. 97 Ford for Roush
Racing, thus freeing up Kurt Busch to get out of his
contract with Roush one year early to replace Rusty
Wallace in the No. 2 Dodge next season. Sources indicate
that Ganassi could also receive payment from the Roush
camp, which in turn likely would receive funds from
Penske Racing South and primary sponsor Miller Lite for
Busch's early release to replace Wallace. Consider who
the sponsor of the No. 42 car is: Texaco Havoline, the
same colors Rudd flew for three seasons (2000-2002)
during his term with Robert Yates Racing. From what I've
heard, Texaco Havoline is not pleased with having
McMurray as a moody, unhappy lame-duck driver in '06 and
has been applying pressure to Ganassi to let McMurray
go. Texaco Havoline would then build a significant
one-year farewell tour marketing campaign around Rudd.
(More at
Yahoo! Sports)
Fill in crew chief
for Harvick: Chris Hussey will be unable to serve as
Kevin Harvick's interim crew chief this weekend because
of a family obligation. Car owner Richard Childress said
that Rick Viers, a crew chief for one of Childress'
teams, might make the pit calls for Harvick today. (Roanoke)
NYC and LA leads in
NASCAR ratings last week: New York and Los Angeles
lead household viewership NASCAR's UAW-GM Quality 500
earned a 5.1 rating on NBC, making it the highest-rated
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series fall event in the history of
the Lowe's Motor Speedway. NASCAR fans in New York City
and Los Angeles tuned in to last week's race in
impressive fashion, leading the country in terms of
household viewership. New York and Los Angeles ranked
first and second, respectively, for household viewership
of the Saturday night race. According to Nielsen Media
Research, 174,000 New York City NASCAR fans tuned in to
the race, representing a 23% increase from last year. In
Los Angeles, 159,000 fans watched, up 77% from last
year. NASCAR's popularity continues to grow in major
markets nationwide, demonstrating the wide appeal of the
sport. Other markets ranking in the top 10 for household
viewership included Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Tampa,
Fla., Philadelphia, Chicago, Orlando, Fla. and
Indianapolis. (NBC Universal PR)
Oct. 22, 2005:
Martin wrecks in
final practice goes to back-up: Mark Martin, driver
of the No. 6 Viagra Taurus, was involved in a practice
accident and will be forced to a back-up for tomorrow's
race. Martin, who qualified 35th, will have to drop all
the way to the rear of the field. "I just got high to
let the 09 go by me and then it just went straight
coming off the corner like a right-front went down and
then I hit the wall. Then when I hit the wall I broke a
brake rotor and didn't have any brakes, so I couldn't
get it stopped." (Ford Racing PR -
Final Speeds)
J. Gordon blast
NASCAR on Lowe's track conditions: "I can't
understand how anybody can touch a track without NASCAR
knowing about it or being able to provide input," Gordon
said. "And it seems like only after we have major issues
do we see them get involved. "NASCAR needs to have
experts (involved) who really know a lot about these
tracks and these tires. NASCAR has to have somebody
representing NASCAR in these things ... and Goodyear,
and race teams too. The more we work together, the fewer
issues we'll have." Formula One drivers have their own
safety committee, which rules on whether or not a track
is safe enough to race on. But NASCAR drivers have no
such committee, and they have to rely on NASCAR
officials. So Gordon said that NASCAR officials should
occasionally hold "a real drivers meeting ... to let
people talk, whether it be about safety or the rules.
"They did it once at Richmond, I thought it was one of
the best things they ever did. It was about safety. But
there are other concerns just as vital to this sport -
competition, respect on the track, and issues with
tracks." (Salem-Journal)
Tribe seeks to build
tribal casino near proposed NASCAR Speedway: The
Skokomish Indian Tribe wants to build a casino next to
the NASCAR racetrack proposed for South Kitsap. On
Friday, the Washington State Gambling Commission
received the Shelton-based tribe's formal written
request to renegotiate its gaming compact with the state
to expand the level of gambling at multiple sites,
"including an off-reservation site on or adjacent to the
proposed NASCAR track on the Mason-Kitsap County line."
The letter was sent by Gordon James, Skokomish Tribal
Council chairman. Neither James nor tribal manager Larry
Goodrow could be reached Friday night for comment on
details of the tribe's plans. Such an enterprise would
be located far from the Skokomish reservation on Hood
Canal, north of Shelton. The tribe already operates the
small Lucky Dog Casino south of Hoodsport on Highway
101. Grant Lynch, vice president of International
Speedway Corp., who is managing siting of the NASCAR
track, said his group has had conversations with all
three tribes in the region, but it's not involved with
the Skokomish casino proposal. "We've never talked about
a casino on our property," he said. "We've always said
that when one of these (tracks) is built in an area,
people will look to do other things." Lynch confirmed
that the Cowlitz Tribe in Cowlitz County had pursued a
similar plan for awhile when ISC was considering
locating a track in the area. David Overton of Overton &
Associates, which owns the land where the proposed
NASCAR track would be located, could not be reached for
comment Friday night. Two of the three Kitsap County
commissioners, who have been taking heat from opponents
to the NASCAR proposal, also could not be reached.
Commissioner Chris Endresen, who represents North
Kitsap, said she was stunned to hear about the casino
proposal. "I'm not a fan of gambling, but I respect and
support Native American treaty rights on the
reservation," she said. "I don't think I would support
an off-reservation casino." There are a lot of hoops to
jump through to get approval for an off-reservation
casino, said Leonard Forsman, Suquamish Tribe chairman.
His tribe has not considered such a move, but doesn't
rule it out for the future. "We're pretty much
concentrating on the new hotel right now, but we're
always looking for opportunities to expand," Forsman
said. (Kitsap
Sun) In reader comments most support tribal gaming,
so as long as taxes are collected from tribal
enterprises. Under some tribal compacts, tribes
negotiate to contribute 25% of revenue back to states,
in return becoming the largest single source of taxation
for states example CT. gaming compact with two casinos.
Virginia's get your
GED led by Sadler: Gov. Mark R. Warner said the
state is lobbying NASCAR on the successful Race to GED
program, which has Emporia's Elliott Sadler as
spokesman. Since its 2003 implementation, 35,000
Virginians have earned GED certificates with an increase
of 1,400 last year and 2,600 this year. "We've had some
conversations with NASCAR to see whether they want to
endorse this program nationwide and ramp it up across
the whole country," Warner said. "NASCAR would work with
each individual state, so no matter what state you're
in, there'd be a way to fast-track your way to a GED." (Times-Dispatch)
Kitsap County hires
N.W. track lobbyist: Recently, the (Kitsap)
county commissioners chose to hire a lobbyist. Through
2007, the county will pay as much as $108,000 to Sharon
Wylie, a Vancouver, Wash., lobbyist who is also
representing Clark County. Wylie will lobby the state
Legislature and spend as much as 20 hours per year
lobbying on the federal level. The decision to hire
Wylie was made by commissioners Chris Endresen and Patty
Lent. Lent said commissioners considered hiring a
lobbyist for a couple of years so that someone could
represent the county when local officials couldn't visit
Olympia. Endresen explained a lobbyist could better
represent Kitsap's unique issues. As an example, she
said that Kitsap is one of the few counties with a major
commercial area - Silverdale - outside its incorporated
areas. In an Oct. 11 article, Endresen was quoted saying
the lobbyist will be expected to, "maintain a proactive
effort to develop legislative ideas." Never mind that
the word, "proactive" should be banned eternally from
the English language, Endresen's words flitted about the
likely real job of this lobbyist. I suspect this
lobbyist's hiring was instigated by one recent
development in the county. I'll give you a one-word
hint: NASCAR. (Kitsap
Sun)
Rudd quiet about
plans: After a solid qualifying lap put him on the
outside of the front row for Sunday's Subway 500 at
Martinsville Speedway, Ricky Rudd knew the questions
about his future were coming. He was ready. "Let's talk
about Martinsville. I know what's happening at
Martinsville," Rudd said Friday with a laugh. "No
disrespect to everybody. It's just not time to announce
anything yet." Rudd, in his third season driving for
Wood Brothers Racing and in his 31st season in Nextel
Cup racing, said he realizes his fans want to know his
plans. "We're very aware of the support we have from
them and the last thing we want to do is make it appear
like we're snubbing them or dusting them off," he said.
"It's not intended that way. When everything comes out
and all the hands get played, I think everyone will see
there were reasons why things needed to be kept under
wraps. The time has not come to divulge that. I wish I
could." (USA
Today)
Green looks to leave
Petty: Petty Enterprises CEO Kyle Petty confirmed
Jeff Green likely will leave the team's famous No. 43
Dodge to replace Mike Bliss in the No. 0 Chevrolet in
2006. Petty said the team has "two-thirds" of the 2006
sponsorship needed for his No. 45 Dodge, which is losing
Georgia Pacific, and is extremely confident of landing
the funding for the car. (Times-Dispatch)
Oct. 21, 2005:
Stewart wins pole,
breaking track record: Tony Stewart captured the
pole for Sunday's Subway 500 Nextel Cup race at the
Martinsville Speedway. The No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing
Chevrolet driver circled the tight 0.526-mile short
track in a track record 19.306 seconds (98.084 m.p.h.).
Ryan Newman owned the old mark, 19.513 seconds, set in
October 2004. A total of 11 drivers bettered Newman's
old time. The pole victory was Stewart's third of the
season and 10th of his "Cup" career. "The qualifying
package was real good and our race trim package seems to
be real good too," said Stewart. "I'm pretty excited
about Sunday already." Starting on the front row with
Stewart will be veteran and local favorite Ricky Rudd
(Chesapeake, VA) who posted a second-best time of 19.324
seconds. "Chase for the Nextel Cup" drivers Rusty
Wallace (19.336) and Newman (19.340) make up the second
row. (Sports
Network -
Line Up)
NEXTEL Cup rating up
over 4% last week: NBC's broadcast of last Saturday
night's UAW-GM Quality 500 from Lowe's Motor Speedway
earned a final rating of 5.1 and a 10 share from Nielsen
Media Research, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily
reports. The rating is 4.1 percent higher than the 4.9
the race earned in 2004. (Scene
Daily)
HoF Racing team name
driver at TMS: Bill Saunders, managing partner
for the Hall of Fame Racing team of Troy Aikman and
Roger Staubach, said the team will reveal its driver
during the NASCAR weekend at TMS in two weeks. Busch and
Nextel Cup veteran Tony Raines is one of the candidates
for the job on the new Cup team, but Saunders said
people are making a mistake if they speculate on the
team's choice. "I think the person we select will
surprise some people," Saunders said. "Almost everyone
other than Richard Petty has been rumored as our driver,
so someone's going to be right, but a lot of people will
be wrong." (Dallas
Morning News)
Oct. 20, 2005:
Texas '06 date to
remain unchanged: Texas Motor Speedway will not move
it spring NASCAR weekend next season. The Samsung/RadioShack
500 will remain on April 9, as previously announced. Fox
officials asked NASCAR and TMS president Eddie Gossage
about flip-flopping weekends with Martinsville Speedway
so the TMS events would take place April 1-2. Fox didn't
want the TMS Cup race to go head-to-head with The
Masters coverage on CBS. After careful deliberation,
Gossage and NASCAR officials decided against the change.
"We agreed it wasn't in the best interest of our fans to
change the date," Gossage said. "Even though it's six
months away, we've already sold close to 50,000 season
tickets for that weekend. People from out of town have
made vacation plans and hotel reservations. It would
have been inconvenient for a lot of them." (Dallas
Morning News)
The Big Idea to reair:
Last Monday night, CNBC's The Big Idea with Donny
Deutsch welcomed NASCAR, "the hottest sport in
America and ultimate well-oiled machine, " according to
Deutsch, the host of the provocative CNBC talk show. The
show did so well on a night when Monday Night
Football and MLB's baseball playoffs were in full
swing, the network decided to bring it back for an
encore at 10 p.m. ET Friday. (It also will re-air at 1
a.m. ET Saturday) Guests on Friday's The Big Idea
include NASCAR drivers Rusty Wallace, Jamie McMurray,
Kyle Petty, Shawna Robinson and Erin Crocker; former Cup
Series driver Mike Harmon, NASCAR executive Roger
VanDerSnick; Matt Crossman of The Sporting News, and
Shauna Robinson and members of her all-female pit crew:
Geri Parris, Gina Tomaseski and Tracey Romagnoli. (NBC
PR)
Texas Tickets remains
still: As of Wednesday afternoon, the inaugural
Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is not a sellout.
The idea that it is, TMS president Eddie Gossage said,
is a misperception. "It's a misperception we've battled
from Day 1 -- that [whatever] race is sold out," said
Gossage, 19 days removed from the start of Race No. 8 of
the 10-race Chase. "We have about 12,000 seats left,
which we don't have any history to compare to for this
race. So the only thing we can do is compare 19 days out
in the spring. It's right on target, but we were ahead
-- substantially ahead -- back in August. And then the
storms hit and things like that." For sure, some of the
rows of empty seats on display at Talladega (Ala.)
Superspeedway and to a lesser extent at Lowe's Motor
Speedway in Concord, N.C., can be traced to the
devastation dealt by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It's
difficult to get excited about stock-car racing when
your life is in shambles. "Those are all things I'm
thinking about," said Gossage, who coincidentally said
he has broached those subjects with Brian France, NASCAR
chairman//CEO and son of Bill Jr. "It's just a different
economy. The whole industry is aware of this issue, and
there's clearly a concern. I'm paid to be concerned
about it and paid to try and stay ahead of that. On the
other hand, we've always done extremely well. If we stop
selling tickets today, it's still the biggest crowd in
the Chase. If we didn't sell one more ticket, right now,
we're in great shape." (Ft.
Worth Star-Telegram)
Dover tweaks 2006
schedule: The NASCAR schedule at Dover International
Speedway will have a different look, beginning with race
weekend in June 2006. The biggest change is that Nextel
Cup qualifying will be moved from Friday to Saturday in
a move that will align Dover with most other tracks on
NASCAR's schedule. "It is a significant change, because
it obviously changes our Friday lineup pretty
dramatically," said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of
Dover International Speedway. "We thought we'd try this
new schedule out and see how it goes. "NASCAR has spoken
to all of the tracks about going this route, and we're
all on the same team here. We're just trying to give and
take and see how it helps all parties involved."
Highlighting the changes in the race weekend schedule at
Dover beginning next year: (Delaware
Online)
Don't make your TMS
Samsung/Radio Shack reservations just yet: NASCAR
officials have approached Texas Motor Speedway president
Eddie Gossage about a possible date swap for the 2006
Samsung/RadioShack 500 Nextel Cup weekend. The race in
Fort Worth currently is scheduled for April 9, one week
after the series visits Martinsville Speedway. Gossage
said Fox Network officials would like TMS and
Martinsville to swap dates, taking TMS out of a battle
for viewers against the Masters -- one of golf's biggest
tournaments. "They want to maximize TV ratings [for
TMS], and that's a compliment," Gossage said. "But I do
want to caution people -- do not move any reservations.
It's an ongoing discussion." Gossage said a decision
should be announced in "a week or two." (Ft.
Worth Star-Telegram)
Hendrick
unsure about attending Martinsville: Car owner Rick
Hendrick won't decide until Sunday whether he'll travel
to Martinsville for the Subway 500 cup race. It was one
year ago this weekend when a Hendrick Motorsports plane
crashed into Bull mountain near Martinsville while
attempting to land in foggy conditions.10 people lost
their lives, including his son Ricky, brother John and
head engine builder Randy Dorton. Hendrick told PRN'S
Garagepass; "I've learned since the accident that I have
to take things day by day. I can have three or four days
great and then I'll get really down and thinking about
things. It could be somebody's birthday or Ricky's
daughter comes over to the house or whatever and it just
unleashes a lot of emotions so I just try not to make
too many plans. I want to go back to support the guys
and I also feel like you just can't run from it. But, if
that morning if it doesn't feel right then I won't go."
(PRN's
Garage Pass Radio Show)
WWE Champ Cena in
Wally's World: This week on "Wally's World," WWE
champion John Cena steps out of the "squared circle" and
onto the half-mile oval when he takes a ride with NBC &
TNT analyst Wally Dallenbach on the "Bank of America
Countdown to Green" pre-race show. (NBC PR)
Oct. 19, 2005:
NASCAR
upholds Todd Berrier Penalty: On October 19, 2005,
the National Stock Car Racing Commission [Brad
Daugherty, Richard Gore, and George Silbermann,
Chairman] heard and considered the appeal of Todd
Berrier, crew chief for the #29 car. The appeal
pertained to a penalty issued by NASCAR under Section
12-4-A of the Rule Book "Actions detrimental to stock
car racing" and Section 12-4-Q "Any determination by
NASCAR Officials that the car, car parts, components
and/or equipment used in the Event do not conform to
NASCAR rules: Unapproved aerodynamic modifications and
unapproved fuel cell vent mounting." The penalty stemmed
from post-qualifying inspection at Talladega
Superspeedway for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event on
September 30, 2005.
The penalty assessed was: * $10,000 fine; suspension from NASCAR until October
19, 2005; probation until December 31, 2005.
* Upon the request of the Appellant, the Commission
deferred the original penalty until the hearing could be
conducted.
Taken individually, each of the components that failed
to conform to the rules had plausible explanations, but
taken collectively, constituted a serious violation of
the rules. Therefore, it is the unanimous decision of
the National Stock Car Racing Commission to uphold the
original penalty issued by NASCAR. The period of the
suspension will be adjusted to commence from the date of
this hearing. The Appellant has the right under Section
15 of the Rule Book to appeal this decision to the
National Stock Car Racing Commissioner. (NASCAR Racing
PR)
McMurray Fans win:
Forty two lucky participants have the chance to win
a complete set of four limited edition No. 42 Texaco/Havoline
"Shine On" diecast cars signed by Jamie McMurray. To
register, visit
www.texacohavoline42.com
. The replica cars driven by McMurray at Texas (April),
Charlotte (May), Sonoma and Talladega (Oct.) are a part
of the "Shine On" series celebrating the history of the
Texaco brand with four retro logos on the hood. The
sweepstakes began on Sept. 20 and ends on Nov. 30. (Havoline
Weekly PR)
Roush goes home for a
day: A record number of fans gathered at the
Riverbarn in Manchester to see, get an autograph from
and maybe get a picture with Manchester's own Jack
Roush. After a night of racing in Charlotte, Roush flew
in Sunday morning to again be honored by his hometown
family, friends and fans. Spectators crowded into the
community building at noon to have lunch with Roush. He
told of his start into racing and the growing business
NASCAR racing has become. Jack is the owner of Roush
Racing, and at this time has five drivers in the "Chase
to the Championship." Greg Biffle in the 16 car is 2nd
in points, Matt Kenseth in the 17 car is 5th in the
points, Carl Edwards driving the 99 car is 6th in the
race to the chase, Kurt Busch, piloting the 97 car is
7th in points and probably one of the most famous
drivers, Mark Martin in the 6 car is 9th in points. With
only five more races to finish out the 2005 season, the
championship is still reachable by any of the Roush
drivers. After the dinner, Roush was escorted to the
Riverbarn, by Sammy Holbrook in his Chevelle. Holbrook
was the winner of the drawing held in conjunction with
the car show. (More at
Peoples Defender)
Need your need for
NASCAR on Television? Find the latest news, and also
updated NASCAR television schedule on the
GNEXTINC.com: NASCAR TV page.
Yeley Fastest In NEXTEL
Cup Testing at Atlanta Motor Speedway: NASCAR NEXTEL
Cup Series testing continued today at Atlanta Motor
Speedway. Fourteen cars were on the track testing in
preparation for the upcoming Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 on
October 30. For the second day in a row, in his No. 80
Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet, J.J. Yeley was at the top of
the speed charts posting a lap of 188.636 mph, (29.39
seconds). The No. 6 car of Mark Martin was second
fastest, followed by the No. 20 Chevrolet, driven by
Tony Stewart. Dale Earnhardt Jr. recorded a lap of
184.003 mph, (30.13 seconds). There were two on track
incidents towards the end of the day. The first one
occurred when Earnhardt, Jr. spun exiting turn four, but
did not make contact with the wall and the second
occurred minutes later when Yeley blew an engine
entering turn one. Atlanta Motor Speedway testing will
continue tomorrow as drivers prepare for the upcoming
Oct. 28-30 race weekend. (Atlanta Motor Speedway PR)
D.J. and UPS testing:
The UPS Team spent Wednesday, October 19th testing
at Carraway Speedway in preparation for this weekend's
race at Martinsville. (UPS Weekly PR)
Blaney testing:
Dave Blaney and the Jack Daniel's Racing Team tested at
Atlanta Motor Speedway Tuesday, October 18 in
preparation for the upcoming MBNA Bass Pro Shops 500 at
AMS. (RCR Jack Daniels Weekly PR)
Kyle Busch
testing at Homestead/Texas: Busch and his #5
Kellogg's Racing team will test at Homestead, Fla., on
Wednesday [Oct 19th] in preparation for the Nov. 20
NEXTEL Cup season finale. The team will also hold a
two-day test Oct. 25-26 at the Texas Motor Speedway to
warm up for the Nov. 6 event there. (Hendrick
Motorsports PR)
SUBWAY 500 Sold Out:
Martinsville Speedway officials announced Tuesday's
afternoon that all of the grandstand seating for
Sunday's SUBWAY 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup have been sold. A
limited number of standing-room only seats will be put
on sale at 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Tickets do remain for
Saturday's Kroger 2o0 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
race. Tickets for Saturday's event, which include two
NEXTEL Cup practice sessions, are $35 for adults in
advance, $40 at the gate. Tickets for children 6-12 are
$5 and children under six get in free. (Martinsville
Speedway PR)
Busch Series to ESPN2
Exclusively? ESPN2 expects to land exclusive rights
to all Busch Series races, Street & Smith's
SportsBusiness Daily reports. Speaking on conditions of
anonymity, officials at ESPN said the Busch Series races
would be exclusive domain of ESPN2 under terms of a new
television contract, reporter Andy Bernstein writes.
(Scene
Daily Newsletter)
Oct. 18, 2005:
Texas Motor Speedway
to swap dates in '06? NASCAR executives are reported
to be interested in persuading Texas Motor Speedway to
swap its April 9, 2006, Cup weekend with Martinsville's
April 2 date, in order to keep the Texas race from going
head-to-head against the Masters. However, Texas has
already started selling tickets for the April 9 race. (Salem-Journal)
Group gets behind
NASCAR NYC track: The Mariners Harbor Civic
Association threw its support behind the proposed NASCAR
track on Staten Island last night at a meeting attended
by about one-fifth of its membership. After hearing a
presentation from track developer International Speedway
Corp., the group voted 17-5, with one abstention, to
support the raceway plan. With the vote, the group --
which numbers 121 members in total -- became the first
major civic association to give its public backing to
ISC's plan to build an 80,000-seat track in Bloomfield,
on the Island's West Shore. "We've said from
the beginning of this project that we believe we have a
thoughtful, workable plan and that we are simply asking
for the opportunity to share the details with the
community," said ISC lobbyist and former borough
president Guy Molinari in a statement. "We are proud to
have earned the backing of such key civic leaders --
especially those who live in the neighborhood closest to
the proposed track -- and look forward to continuing to
keep them and their neighbors informed." But one
dissenting member, Mariners Harbor resident Betty Price,
questioned whether the low turnout could possibly be
decisive on such a crucial proposal. (Staten
Island Advance)
Roush ready to fight
cap ruling: It took more than a week, but Jack Roush
gave his definitive opinion about NASCAR's proposed plan
to cap the number of cars owned by one person in coming
seasons. "I'm ready for a big fight," Roush said Monday
in a national conference call with racing media. On Oct.
8 at Kansas Speedway, NASCAR chairman Brian France and
president Mike Helton said they hope to attract new team
owners by capping the number of teams one person is
allowed to have in Nextel Cup. "I didn't understand what
was behind it and I don't know what the end game is
yet," Roush said of the France-Helton press conference.
Roush Racing fields five, full-time teams in the series
and his entire stable of cars made the 10-car Chase
field this season. Rick Hendrick has four cars and
drivers in the elite division. Other owners have
three-car teams. "We don't care if Jack's got five, six
or 10 cars -- if it were good for the sport," Helton
said. "But we don't think it's good for the sport and we
have to address that, and that's a big move for us."
During their impromptu discussions with media in Kansas
City, France and Helton said a cap timetable would be
established and hinted strongly at a three-car,
ownership limit in Nextel Cup competition. "We haven't
arrived at that (cap figure), but very shortly we're
going to be announcing a long-range policy that will
speak to that," France said. (Daytona
News-Journal)
DIRECTV plans to
sponsor race, and driver: Capitalizing on NASCAR's
proven ability to drive customer acquisition and
retention strategies, DIRECTV has signed a corporate
sponsorship agreement with NASCAR that will give the
nation's leading digital television service exclusive
rights among subscription television distributors to use
the NASCAR brand in marketing and advertising promotions
through early 2010. The sponsorship agreement will
enable DIRECTV to create consumer marketing and retail
promotions targeting NASCAR's 75 million fans, and
leverage the power of the NASCAR brand in promotions for
DIRECTV customers who have access to all networks on
DIRECTV that air NASCAR events. The company says NASCAR
will be integrated into many of its marketing campaigns,
including national promotions. Many of these
NASCAR-related campaigns will focus on the company's new
DIRECTV Plus® DVR. Special NASCAR promotions are also
planned. DIRECTV will also sponsor a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Series race team and driver in the 2006 season, and has
the rights to use NASCAR marks and taglines to promote
its NASCAR sponsorships on DIRECTV receiving equipment,
service vehicles and installer uniforms. "In all my
years televising NASCAR races, it's been very obvious to
me that everyone involved in NASCAR demands the very
best and most reliable equipment," said David Hill,
president, DIRECTV Entertainment. "It also became very
obvious that the television service most used by
everyone in NASCAR is DIRECTV. "On pit lane, in the
drivers' and their team's motor homes, in NASCAR's
official trailers, and in the fans' RVs -- a NASCAR race
is a sea of DIRECTV dishes. It made perfect sense to
DIRECTV President and CEO Chase Carey, John Suranyi,
DIRECTV's president of Sales and Service, and me that we
should cement our unofficial relationship." The networks
airing NASCAR events -- Fox, FX, NBC, TNT and SPEED
Channel -- are currently available on DIRECTV. Through
Fox and NBC, DIRECTV will begin delivering races
broadcast in high-definition (HD) when it launches the
local HD feeds of those channels in several major
markets later this year and early next year. (Directv
PR)
Lowes Rating up:
NBC's broadcast of NASCAR Nextel Cup racing from Lowe's
Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday night
delivered the highest overnight rating in the history of
the event. The 4.8 overnight rating and 8 share
outperformed last year's 4.6/8, the previous high for
the fall race from Charlotte, by 4 percent. NBC Sports'
coverage of the Lowe's 500 NASCAR race (2.8/9 in 18-49,
7.9 million viewers overall for its full duration)
delivered the highest Saturday primetime rating for any
network so far this season in adults 18-49. It was NBC's
highest Saturday primetime average in 18-49 since Jan.
11 and highest Saturday total viewership since March 12.
(NBC Sports PR)
Oct. 17, 2005:
Knaus Wins WYPALL® Crew
Chief of the Race Award: Jimmie Johnson and Chad
Knaus did it again. Together, the duo overcame a last
place starting spot, a faulty alternator and a
compressed fender in route to their fourth straight win
at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Johnson's win marked his
fourth of the season and catapulted him into first place
in the championship point standings. For leading his
driver to Victory Lane, Knaus won the WYPALL® Wipers
Crew Chief of the Race award. "This was an amazing run
and we had to start from the back," said Johnson. "We
had a flat tire at one point. We had an alternator and
battery issue. We had to change batteries under a pit
stop. We just overcame a lot of stuff." "The thing about
this Lowe's team is they never give up," said Knaus. "In
the face of adversity, the team is so strong. These guys
worked so hard today. We had tire issues, battling back
and forth between scuffs and stickers and battery
changes and all that stuff. We've got the best race car
driver, the best team and the best engines. We're pretty
fortunate." The panel of voters, including Jim Utter of
the Charlotte Observer, a WYPALL® Wipers representative
and Tony Eury Sr., all agreed that Knaus's performance
deserved Crew Chief of the Race honors. "The team has a
habit of winning here (Lowe's Motor Speedway)," said
Eury Sr. "No matter how bad the night seems to be going
for them, they always come back to win. Jimmie ran into
all kinds of problems tonight, but Chad had an answer
for all of them. He proved that you just can't count him
out." Doug Richert leads the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief
of the Year standings with five wins. Alan Gustafson and
Greg Zipadelli are tied for second-place with three
wins. Bob Osborne, Jimmy Fennig, Robbie Reiser, Chad
Knaus and Robbie Loomis are tied for third-place with
two wins. Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Fatback McSwain,
Steve Hmiel, Greg Erwin, Slugger Labbe, Pat Tryson and
Pete Rondeau are tied for fourth place, each with one
win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the
most weekly wins will receive $20,000. - (SMC 500)
NASCAR Wives on Today:
Pattie Petty, along with husband Kyle and father-in-law
Richard, will be the lead interview among NASCAR
drivers' wives on NBC's The Today Show Friday, Oct. 21.
Petty led the contingent of wives, which also includes
Jeff Burton's wife Kim and Jimmie Johnson's wife
Chandra, in the interview, which was taped this past
weekend. An interview with Pattie and Kyle together, as
well as with Richard Petty, will also be part of the
piece. Latest ratings show approximately 6 million watch
the show each morning. - (Williams Co., Of America,
Inc.)
Bliss out? Green in?
Mike Bliss is the latest driver to learn he's out after
the season finale at Homestead. Jeff Green appears to be
the top candidate for Bliss' Haas CNC ride. If he gets
it, the dominoes really would start to fall. The most
curious possible replacement? Bobby Labonte for the
Petty Enterprises ride Green would vacate. Labonte, who
drives the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing, has been less
than thrilled lately, and his name was mentioned earlier
as a candidate for the Penske Racing No. 2 and Richard
Childress Racing No. 29. Gibbs is auditioning Busch
drivers Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley for the No. 11
Chevrolet. Hamlin finished eighth in Saturday night's
crashfest at Charlotte, so give him the nod. But should
Labonte leave, it would open the door for both drivers
to move up to Cup in 2006. (Sporting
News/Lee Spencer)
Menard to run part
time for DEI in #15: Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s No. 15
NASCAR Nextel Cup team will campaign a seven-race
schedule in 2006, with Paul Menard driving and
sponsorship from Menard's, the hardware chain owned by
the driver's father. If all goes well, Menard and the
team will do the full Cup schedule with DEI in '07.
Menard's first race will be the 2006 Daytona 500, DEI
Vice President of Motorsports Richie Gilmore said
Saturday night. "We'll kind of see how it goes from
Daytona, but it looks like it'll be the big races:
Daytona, Indy. We'll run Watkins Glen again, which Paul
ran this year and then move him up the next year." Next
year, Menard will also run the full NASCAR Busch Series
schedule in a DEI Chevrolet, Gilmore said. "It'll be a
lot better for Paul to keep him down there and running
him for a championship like we did with Martin (Truex,
Jr.). That's where we really feel comfortable." Gilmore
said DEI mulled a third full-time Cup team next year,
but instead will run full-time cars for only Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. and Truex in '06. "We had a couple
options that we looked at, but for us we're better off
trying to regroup the two teams we have now," Gilmore
said. (DEI PR)
Blaney
plans for 2006: Dave Blaney, who will be replaced by
Clint Bowyer in the #07 RCR car in 2006, has spoken with
team owner Cal Wells [#32 Tide Chevy] but is waiting to
see how Silly Season shakes out before committing to a
ride. (Sporting
News)
Chevy Stampede rolls
into Dallas: Chevrolet, Texas Stampede and JHE
Production Group announced this week Chevy Speed
Stampede - benefiting Children's Medical Center Dallas,
November 4 and 5 on Main Street in Downtown Dallas. The
NASCAR® festival planned in conjunction with the
activities at Texas Motor Speedway closes each day of
the event with a free concert featuring country music
stars from yesterday and today along with classic Rock
'n Roll both Friday and Saturday night. Music is only
part of this family event for this first year festival
as the thrill of NASCAR® rolls into Downtown Dallas
during Chevy Speed Stampede. This free family fan event
brings spectators the experience of racing up close and
personal with interactive tours, show cars, simulators,
driver appearances and entertainment with proceeds from
the event benefiting Children's Medical Center. Festival
hours are Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
For concert times, driver appearance schedules and more
information about the event visit
www.speedstampede.org. (JHE Group PR)
NASCAR says NBC drops
plans for NASCAR Cup coverage: NASCAR spokesman Jim
Hunter confirmed late Saturday night the reports that
NBC is not interested in televising Cup races after its
contract expires in 2006. "They are no longer involved
in the contract negotiations," Hunter said following the
500-mile race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Since 2001, NBC
has televised the second half of the season and Fox has
carried the first half. Hunter said the networks still
involved in negotiations for the package that begins in
2007 are Fox, ABC/ESPN and TNT, which currently carries
the second-half races that NBC opted not to air. Hunter
declined to say when an announcement about the
television package might be made. -
(The
High Point Enterprise)
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