Dale Jr, Wrangler and
bidder raise over 42k for Red Cross: After spending
seven days at the top of eBay's "Most Watched" list, the
opportunity to ride shotgun with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.,
sponsored by the Wrangler* brand, went for $42,100 with
100 percent of the winning bid benefiting the American
Red Cross. NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt, Jr., The
Dale Earnhardt Foundation, and the Wrangler* brand
conceived the auction to raise funds for relief efforts
for Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and subsequent
hurricanes during the 2005 season. The winning bidder
will ride with Dale Jr. on Oct. 26, 2005, at the
Wrangler* brand's "Take a Test Drive with Dale Jr."
event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. A check ceremony will be
held that same day recognizing the donation with
officials from the American Red Cross. The winning
bidder was Don Crawford of Ocala, Fla. Mr. Crawford bid
on the auction as a gift for his wife Debbie, who is a
Dale Jr. fan. Having felt the impact on Florida from
last year's hurricanes, Don wanted to do something to
help the people along the Gulf Coast. "We knew we had to
help; we just weren't sure which charitable organization
was the best conduit for our donation," said Crawford.
"When we learned of the Dale Earnhardt Foundation's
'Ride with Dale Jr.' auction and that 100 percent of our
contribution would pass through to the Red Cross, our
decision was made. We are both huge fans of Dale Jr. as
well as the entire Dale Earnhardt, Inc. organization. We
are confident that our donation will reach those who
need it most and as an added bonus Debbie will get a few
laps around the track with her favorite driver, Dale
Jr." With a total of 65,703 visitors and 61 bids, the
eBay-hosted auction opened at $888 on Friday Sept. 23
and ended Friday, Sept. 30. Bidding exceeded $10,000
after just 10 minutes. For those not bidding, the
auction became a forum to congratulate Dale Jr. and
thank the corporate partners for sponsoring the
opportunity. Emails ranged from the personal, "I want to
thank the winning bidder for being so generous. I have
friends with family in an area hit by Katrina. Thank You
Dale Jr., DEI, Wrangler*, and everyone involved," from
"Rebecca;" to the general, "thanks for restoring some
faith back into professional sports and its members,"
from "Anonymous." (Wrangler PR)
VJGC charity ride:
The Ride to Victory III charity motorcycle ride,
featuring NASCAR celebrities, to benefit the Victory
Junction Gang Camp is set for Oct. 16 in Charlotte.
Jimmie Johnson will serve as honorary grand marshal and
ride in the event. The 130-mile ride will originate at
10:30 a.m. near Charlotte and conclude at the camp in
Randleman, N.C., where there will be a fish fry and tour
of the facility. All proceeds will benefit the Victory
Junction Gang Camp. Registration can be done online at
www.kylepettycharityride.com. (VJGC PR)
Busch in CarQuest
Scheme: This weekend at Kansas Speedway, Kyle
Busch's No. 5 Chevrolet will carry a special paint
scheme featuring the red, white and blue CARQUEST Auto
Parts logo. It will be the fourth appearance of the
CARQUEST design this season. (Hendrick Motorsports PR)
Kansas Gov. joins
business leaders at track today: Kansas governor
Kathleen Sebelius will join about 1,000 local business
executives today for a free day at Kansas Speedway,
which will include a presentation of the city's bid for
the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Track president Jeff Boerger
said, "A lot of people have already heard the news
reports about it, but this will be the first time that
many of Kansas City's business leaders have seen the
NASCAR Hall of Fame bid proposal." (Salem-Journal)
No word on substance:
(Glenn) Darrow, crew chief for Tony Raines' Nextel
Cup car, was tested for banned substances last Saturday
at Talladega Superspeedway. The results were positive,
leading to an automatic suspension. NASCAR did not
identify the substance and several series officials did
not immediately return phone messages left Thursday.
Darrow becomes the second person suspended by NASCAR
this season for failing a substance abuse test. (WTOP)
Stremme lands
sponsor: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
announced that partner GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer
Healthcare will increase its support of the team by
sponsoring David Stremme in two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races
in 2005. GSK's product, Commit stop smoking lozenges,
will adorn Stremme's #39 Dodge at Lowe's Motor Speedway
and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Stremme will debut the #39
Commit Dodge at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 15 in
the UAW Quality 400 just five miles from the Chip
Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates NASCAR headquarters.
The 1.5-mile oval will be the sight of Stremme's third
career NEXTEL Cup race. For more info see the Web site
Quit2WinRacing.com, which has information about quitting
smoking as well as racing news and behind the scenes
interviews. (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)
Newman is hot in
Kansas: Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Alltel
Dodge, will make his fifth Kansas Speedway start and his
146th in the NASCAR Cup Series this Sunday. In his four
previous Kansas starts, Newman has posted one victory
and two runner-up finishes. His only finish outside the
top two occurred in this race last year, when Newman hit
the outside wall and finished 33rd. (Penske Racing South
PR)
Schrader is a busy
man: The busiest driver in major league motorsports,
Schrader, a native of Fenton, Mo., has raced and
continues to race on virtually every type of speedway in
virtually every type of race car. In 2005, Schrader
plans to once again race over 100 races and throughout
his career has raced at over 310 different racetracks
around the nation. Schrader continues a winning career
with BAM Racing, which fields the Schwan's Home Service
team. (BAM Weekly PR)
Kvapil's #77 in white
this weekend, support Breast Cancer Awareness Month:
This weekend at Kansas Speedway, Eastman Kodak Company's
Health Imaging Division will once again leverage the
firm's Penske-Jasper Racing NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
sponsorship to join in the race to promote better breast
health for women. In 2005, 40,410 women and more than
460 men are expected to die of breast cancer. With this
in mind, the Kodak Racing team is trading its well-known
Kodak gold this weekend for a white No. 77 Kodak
Mammography Products Dodge Charger for Travis Kvapil to
race in the Banquet 400 in support of Breast Cancer
Awareness Month, which runs through October. Through its
sponsorship of Kvapil's car, Kodak hopes to raise
awareness of the importance of early detection,
diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. In addition to
the No. 77 Kodak Mammography Products Dodge, Kodak is
supporting the race for better breast health in other
ways. Kodak EasyShare Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com),
formerly known as "Ofoto", has teamed with the Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as the official photo
sponsor of the Breast Cancer 3-Day, an organized
fundraiser, which from June through the end of October
will have visited 10 different cities to aid in the
fight against breast cancer. (Penske-Jasper Racing
PR)
Jarrett to travel
home for daughters homecoming: Following practice on
Friday afternoon Jarrett will travel back to his home in
Hickory, N.C., to attend the homecoming festivities for
Hickory High School. Jarrett's oldest daughter, Natalee,
is a senior at Hickory High School and has been selected
to the school's homecoming court. She is one of the
individuals who have been nominated for the school's
homecoming queen. Jarrett will travel back to Kansas for
Saturday's qualifying activities on Saturday morning.
(UPS RACING PR)
Jeff Burton speaks
about NASCAR: Burton was the keynote speaker
Thursday evening at the Richmond Chapter of the
Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) fall conference
in Richmond, Va. The 17- time NASCAR Cup winner will
discuss the business of NASCAR. The ACG Richmond Chapter
is part of an international organization of over 9,000
members representing Fortune 500, Fortune 1000, FTSE
100, and mid-market companies in 48 chapters in North
America, Europe and soon Asia. ACG Richmond, established
in 1996, has the reputation of being known as the
premier organization for the best speakers and
networking opportunities in the Central Virginia region.
(RCR Weekly PR)
Fan becomes honorary
crew member: As the Cup Series prepares to head to
Kansas for the first and only time this year, Cingular
Wireless is providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
for a local race fan to experience the excitement of
stock car racing up close and personal. Richard Garrett
of Pleasant Hill, Mo., was randomly selected as the
grand prize winner during a special Cingular sweepstakes
and is being rewarded with a chance to serve as an
honorary pit crew member for Jeff Burton and TEAM
Cingular during Sunday's big event. As an honorary pit
crew member, Garrett will get the opportunity to meet
Burton, driver of the Richard Childress Racing #31
Cingular Wireless Chevrolet and a 17-time Cup Series
winner, and team owner Richard Childress on Sunday,
October 9, before the green flag drops. Garrett will
truly be a part of TEAM Cingular the entire day, from
helping the team set up the pit stop and to attending
pre-race team meetings. The weekend package also
includes hotel accommodations for Garrett and a guest.
(Career Sports & Entertainment)
Leading Laps for
Autism Awareness: Jamie McMurray led a total of 38
laps last weekend at Talladega. As a part of his
"Driving Autism Awareness" campaign, he will be donating
$42 dollars for each lap led to benefit the Autism
Society of America (ASA). Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix
Sabates and McMurray's sponsors Cheveron Corp. and
Home123 will be matching his contribution, together
making a donation of $6,384 to ASA. For more information
about the fundraising campaign or ASA visit
www.autism-society.org or
www.jamiemcmurray.com (Chip Ganassi Racing with
Felix Sabates PR)
Newman visits Gulf
Region: For information on the Ryan Newman
Foundation's trip to the Gulf region last week, visit
www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.
Sterling Marlin
testing: Sterling Marlin and the Coors Light team
spent two days at Kansas Speedway last week in
preparation for the 267-lap event this weekend. (Ganassi
Racing PR)
Oct. 6, 2005:
France not in favor
of Confederate flag at NASCAR races: NASCAR CEO
Brian France doesn't like fans flying Confederate flags
at races as he tries to make stock-car racing more
appealing to minorities and women. "It's not a flag that
I look at with anything favorable. That's for sure," he
said in an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes to be
aired Sunday. "I can't tell people what flag to fly. I
can tell you the flag we get behind: It's the American
flag." France is trying to broaden stock-car racing's
appeal with minorities in places like Los Angeles, where
France moved the important Labor Day NASCAR event last
year, and New York, soon to have a track. "(Reaching out
to minorities) is something I work on every day. I work
on it personally," France said. (USA
Today)
Frances on CBS 60
Minutes: The phrase "NASCAR Family" usually refers
to the millions of fans obsessed with the
fastest-growing sport in America. But the real NASCAR
family is the France family of Daytona Beach, Florida.
For six decades, they have literally owned the sport,
and made themselves into billionaires in the process;
NASCAR today is one of the biggest businesses in the
country still owned and run by the family that founded
it. Third-generation France siblings Brian and Lesa are
now in running the show, and they recently spoke with
Lesley Stahl about the company's next "big goal": moving
more NASCAR race to America's biggest cities and
attracting more minority fans by moving away from the
sport's southern "good ole boy" image. For more on
NASCAR'S past, present and future, watch 60 Minutes on
Sunday, October 9, 7PM ET/PT on CBS. (CBS News PR)
Jeff Gordon Poker
Tournament: The Jeff Gordon Foundation and Harrah's
have teamed for a new series of No Limit Hold'em
Tournaments beginning in November at Harrah's casinos.
The series of No Limit Hold'em Tournaments provide
motorsports fans, Hollywood celebrities, NASCAR drivers
and poker enthusiasts an opportunity to go "all-in" to
support The Jeff Gordon Foundation. The series of
high-stakes poker events, which will include events at
several Harrah's casinos, will culminate with a
championship event to be held in March 2006 in Las
Vegas, Nevada. The championship is scheduled the week of
the annual race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and will be
held at Caesar's Palace, one of Harrah's premier
casinos. (Jeff Gordon Foundation PR)
NASCAR kicks off
minority college tour: NASCAR on Thursday announced
the details for the 2005 NASCAR College Tour presented
by The Coca-Cola Company. In a joint effort, NASCAR and
The Coca-Cola Company will visit four Historically Black
Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving
Institutions to raise awareness about the NASCAR
industry and its many career opportunities. The tour
kicks off Thursday with a visit to Johnson C. Smith
University in Charlotte, N.C. Students will get an
in-depth look at the business side of NASCAR as
presented by a panel of industry executives and select
students will have the opportunity to earn scholarships.
In addition, NASCAR and partnering companies will be
collecting resumes from attending students to help with
internships and job placement within the industry. "The
NASCAR College Tour presented by The Coca-Cola Company
has been educating diverse college students about the
opportunities in NASCAR for five years," said Tish
Sheets, NASCAR director of diversity. "The College Tour
has helped increase exposure for the NASCAR Diversity
Internship Program which, in turn, has led to more
diverse students earning jobs within the industry."
Beatriz Perez, vice president, media, sports and
entertainment marketing for The Coca-Cola Company said,
"The Coca-Cola Company has been proud to partner with
NASCAR on the College Tour since its inception in 2001.
A strong commitment to education and sports has been a
part of Coca-Cola for many years, and we feel it is
important to introduce NASCAR and its career
opportunities to students of all backgrounds." The 2005
NASCAR College Tour also will visit North Carolina A&T
State University on Oct. 12, Clark Atlanta University on
Oct. 27 and the University of Miami on Nov. 17. At each
school visit, three pre-selected students will compete
for a NASCAR scholarship presented by UPS. Each student
will make a presentation on NASCAR, diversity and
corporate America related opportunities. The winner will
be selected by the executive panel. Along with the
educational aspects of the College Tour, NASCAR will
have an on-campus presence all day, including the Nextel
Mini-Experience, show cars, informational booths and
live music. Students will also see a College Tour video
voiced by hip-hop pioneer and radio personality
Funkmaster Flex. (NASCAR PR)
37 team hires Wooten
as Crew Chief: Terry Wooten has joined R&J Racing
and will be with the race team for this Sunday's race at
the Kansas Speedway. Wooten, who recently worked as a
crew chief at Michael Waltrip Racing's NASCAR Nextel Cup
Series team, replaces Glenn Darrow. "We appreciate
everything Glenn did for our race team," said car owner
Roger Craven. "He certainly elevated our program. But we
had the opportunity to take our team to another level,
and we were very fortunate to get somebody with Wooten's
experience." Darrow is no longer with R&J Racing, Craven
said. "The very first thing I noticed at R&J Racing is
they've built a very strong foundation," Wooten said.
"It's just a matter of refining what they already have.
You have to stay moving in this sport. The old adage is
true: If you're caught up, you're already behind. We
will focus our attention in working ahead of the curve."
Driver Tony Raines welcomed the change. "Glenn did a
great job, but when you have the chance to bring that
kind of experience to your team, you have to take it,"
Raines said. "I'm really looking forward to taking the
next step with Terry. I joined the team in August and I
quickly realized they have all the tools to be
successful. Terry Wooten will help us put those tools in
order. Success in this sport usually doesn't come with
major changes. It's a quarter-inch here, an
eighth-of-inch there. "I look forward to creating a
long, successful relationship with Terry." (Tony Raines
PR)
NASCAR suspends crew
chief: NASCAR has suspended crew chief Glenn Darrow
indefinitely, for violation of the sanctioning body's
substance abuse policy. Darrow, [now former] crew chief
for the #37 Dodge [Tony Raines driver] that competes in
the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, was tested for banned
substances last Saturday (Oct. 1) at Talladega (Ala.)
Superspeedway. Test results were positive, violating
Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing)
and Section 12-4-E (violation of the NASCAR Substance
Abuse Policy) of the 2005 NASCAR rule book. (NASCAR PR)
NASCAR Talladega
Final Ratings: NBC drew a 5.3 national rating and 11
share for last week's NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing from
Talladega, off slightly from 2004 (5.4/12) and
representing a 77 percent increase over 2000, the last
year before NBC began broadcasting the event (3.0
converted national rating on ESPN). NBC & TNT's average
2005 rating is a 4.6 through 12 races, up 2 percent over
2004 and up 59 percent over 2000 (2.9 through 13 races).
The top ten metered markets for NBC's Talladega
broadcast are as follows: 1) Greensboro, NC 13.1; 2)
Greenville, SC 12.7; 3) Knoxville, TN 12.6; 4)
Birmingham, AL 12.0; 5) Charlotte, NC 10.9; 6)
Louisville, KY 9.8; 7) Atlanta, GA 9.3; 8) Jacksonville,
FL 8.5; 9) Raleigh-Durham, NC 8.3; t10) Indianapolis, IN
7.8; t10) Richmond, VA 7.8. (NBC PR)
Oct. 5, 2005:
Speedway tax could
help improve roads: The backers of a NASCAR track on
Staten Island want a new state law requiring that part
of the taxes from its proposed speedway be spent on
improving the borough's stuffed-to-the-gills roadways.
International Speedway Corp., which wants to build an
80,000-seat NASCAR stadium in Bloomfield, has suggested
creating what it calls a "transportation improvement
district" for the race track -- essentially locking part
of the tax money the site would generate into a fund for
Island transportation and infrastructure projects. The
idea is still in its infancy, though, and the company is
still exploring if it's legally possible, said Michael
Printup, ISC director of corporate development and the
proposed track's project manager. Printup sent a letter
to borough elected officials on Monday, explaining the
district and how it might work, that it would have to be
proposed as a law, and approved by the state
legislature, the governor, the City Council and the
mayor. (Staten
Island Advance)
Raines hopes to be
man behind the wheel of HoF racing: After
meeting with Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach last week in
Dallas, veteran NASCAR driver Tony Raines said he hopes
he convinced the former Cowboys to hire him as the man
behind the wheel of their Hall of Fame Racing team next
season. "I don't know anything officially, but I'm
keeping my fingers crossed," Raines said. "It's an
opportunity of a lifetime. I think these are the right
guys at the right time for me." Raines, 41, has met with
officials for the new Nextel Cup team three times. Bill
Saunders, the managing partner for the team, said last
week that it hopes to announce its driver within two
weeks. HOF officials could not be reached for comment
Tuesday. Raines is a native of Laporte, Ind., but lives
in Concord, N.C., near Lowe's Motor Speedway. He has
competed in 54 Cup events since 2002. Raines ran a full
season in 2003 and had one top-10 finish for an
under-funded team. (Dallas
Morning News)
Richard Childress
Statement Regarding NASCAR Penalty: The following is
a statement from Richard Childress, president and CEO of
Richard Childress Racing (RCR), regarding NASCAR's
penalty to RCR crew chief Todd Berrier for a rules
infraction Sept. 30 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway:
"After several discussions with the crew of the No. 29
team, we have decided to appeal NASCAR's ruling. We feel
we have a responsibility to GM Goodwrench and all of our
sponsors, as well as all of our fans, to stand up for
what we think is right. Regardless of the outcome, we
can't let it get in the way of what the No. 29 team is
trying to accomplish this season. The goal is to finish
11th in the point standings. That's where they are now
and that will remain their focus." (Richard Childress
Racing PR)
Commission Waltrip
penalty overturned: Michael Waltrip's penalties for
allegedly making an inappropriate gesture during a race
last month were overturned Wednesday. NASCAR had accused
Waltrip of gesturing during the Sept. 18 race in New
Hampshire after Robby Gordon threw his helmet at Waltrip
following an accident involving the drivers. Waltrip was
fined $10,000, docked 25 points and placed on probation
until the end of the year. Waltrip denied making the
gesture and appealed to the three-member National Stock
Car Racing Commission. The panel said two members found
TV footage ``inconclusive,'' and the commission then
voted to rescind the penalties. (Yahoo!)
Berrier appeals
suspension, will be in pits Sunday: Crew chief Todd
Berrier plans to appeal his two-race suspension and will
be in Kevin Harvick's pit for Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup
race at Kansas Speedway. The appeal is expected to be a
heard early next week by a National Stock Car Racing
Commission panel. Berrier announced his plans Wednesday
and will be allowed to work with the team. "We feel we
have a responsibility to GM Goodwrench and all of our
sponsors, as well as all of our fans, to stand up for
what we think is right," team owner Richard Childress
said. Berrier was sent home and Harvick's Chevrolet was
disqualified last Friday after NASCAR found several
violations in the trunk of Harvick's car after he
qualified second at Talladega Superspeedway. (Sporting
News)
Kentucky NEXTEL Cup
testing:
#88-Dale Jarrett, #77-Travis Kvapil and the #11 R&D car
were scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday,
Oct 4th. (Kentucky
Speedway)
More NEXTEL testing:
Brian Vickers, Ken Schrader and Ricky Rudd took part
in a Goodyear tire test at Martinsville Speedway on
Monday and Tuesday. (Roanoke.com)
Wallace blast
restrictor plate racing: (Rusty Wallace) While still
very much in the hunt for the Nextel Cup championship -
he trails leader Tony Stewart by 76 points - and with an
eye toward his impending retirement following the
season, Wallace addressed what he considered to be the
main factor behind Sunday's multicar accidents. "Bump
drafting has gone from touching a little bit, where you
pull up behind a guy and kind of touch him in the draft
with a very slight touch, to such a ferocious, violent
hit from behind that ... it's bending the frames down in
the back of the race cars," Wallace said Tuesday during
a conference call. "I just couldn't believe the bump
drafting I was seeing. That's one thing that, come (the
2006 season-opener at) Daytona, NASCAR is going to have
to crack down on with some severe penalties. It could
have killed some people. It was just the wrong way to
race." Wallace, who will make his 700th career start
Sunday in the Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, was asked
whether the way to keep cars from traveling in tight
packs was to remove the restrictor plates from the
engines at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway.
"That would be totally unreasonable," he said pointedly.
"Taking the plates off isn't the answer. Having smaller
cubic-inch engines isn't the answer, because it's all
about horsepower. ... "We've got to keep tweaking the
rules so we can get enough distance between the cars so
they're not packed over each other, and we've got to
keep working on them so we can get the old slingshot
draft working like we used to have. We've got to train
the drivers to keep their bumpers off these guys and
keep from running into people." (Mercury
News/Philadelphia Inquirer)
Berrier suspension
extended: The suspension of Todd Berrier, the Nextel
Cup crew chief for Kevin Harvick and the No. 29
Goodwrench Chevrolet, was extended two more races by
NASCAR. Berrier also was fined $10,000 for unapproved
fuel cell modifications at Talladega last weekend. He
was ejected from the speedway Saturday. (Dallas
Morning News)
Tim Richmond day:
Ashland will finally honor one of its most famous sons.
Tim Richmond Day is Saturday, and will be highlighted by
a proclamation and dedication ceremony at 1 p.m. at
Evergreen Tavern, 1450 Ohio 60. A sign will be unveiled
and later hung atop the tavern, one of the late race car
driver's favorite spots in his hometown. Richmond was
voted one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers and inducted
into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Born June 7, 1955, he got his break in open-wheel
racing, earning Rookie of the Year honors at the 1980
Indianapolis 500. However, Richmond earned his
reputation in stock cars. He was a 13-time winner and
had 78 top-10s in just 185 Winston Cup starts. In 1987,
his career was cut short in its prime when he contracted
HIV. He died Aug. 13, 1989. (Mansfield
News Journal)
No. 12 ALLTEL Team
wins Drive-Thru Challenge: The No. 12 ALLTEL® Team
with driver Ryan Newman won the Checkers®/Rally's®
Double Drive-Thru Challenge at the UAW-Ford 500® on
October 2nd at Talladega Superspeedway with a
pit-road-service time of 314.519 seconds. As the
Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR®,
Checkers/Rally's recognizes the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
team with the best pit road performance each week with a
$10,000 prize. At the end of the season,
Checkers/Rally's will award the $100,000 grand prize to
the team that garners the most Checkers/Rally's Double
Drive-Thru Challenge wins throughout the race season.
Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge offers one
of the richest weekly contingency awards in NASCAR. The
Double Drive-Thru Challenge focuses on the team element
of the race that is integral to successful performances
each week. Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge
takes place at all 36 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point
races. To win, teams must finish on the lead lap while
spending the least amount of time in pit lane. For
details on the
Checkers/Rally® Double Drive-Thru Challenge, visit .
- (MARC PR)
More on Car of
Tomorrow: NASCAR's "car of tomorrow" looks and
drives a lot like today's race cars. But the redesigned
car could prevent injuries and provide better racing
down the road. Officials and teams tested prototype
versions of the redesigned car at Talladega
Superspeedway on Monday. Roush Racing driver Carl
Edwards tested a Ford, Kyle Petty tested a Petty
Enterprises-built Dodge and Brett Bodine tested a
Chevrolet that was built by NASCAR's own engineering
staff. Gary Nelson, NASCAR's managing director of
research and development, said the cars will make their
full-scale debut in 2007 but might be used in one race
next season. "Today's a big step toward that," he said.
Petty said the new car doesn't drive much differently,
but he is excited about its potential safety features.
The redesigned car is slightly larger, and the driver's
seat has been shifted about 4 inches toward the center
of the car. Roush Racing president Geoff Smith
says the new car will cost teams millions of dollars to
produce. But if NASCAR phases it in gradually, Smith
says the cost will fall from "catastrophic" to merely
"expensive as hell." (USA
Today)
Oct. 4, 2005:
Talladega fines:
Tony Gibson, crew chief of the #15 Chevrolet driven by
Michael Waltrip, was fined $10,000. During
pre-qualifying inspection last Friday, the #15 was found
to have an unapproved air directional device and
unapproved wheel spacers - violations of Sections 12-4-A
and 12-4-Q. Tony Eury Jr., crew chief of the #8
Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., was fined
$2,500. During opening day inspection last Thursday, the
#8 was found to have unapproved fuel cell foam,
violating 12-4-A and 12-4-Q. Dustin Smith, crew chief of
the #89 Dodge driven by Morgan Shepherd, was fined
$2,500. During opening-day inspection, the #89 also had
unapproved fuel cell foam. (NASCAR PR)
#29 Crew Chief
Berrier suspended: NASCAR announced today that
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series crew chief Todd Berrier has
been suspended, fined and placed on probation because of
rule violations this past weekend at Talladega
Superspeedway. Berrier, crew chief of the #29 Chevrolet
driven by Kevin Harvick, was suspended from NASCAR
competition until Oct. 19, fined $10,000 and placed on
probation until Dec. 31. During post-qualifying
inspection last Friday, the #29 was found to have an
unapproved aerodynamic modification and an unapproved
fuel cell vent mounting - violations of Section 12-4-A
(actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4-Q
(car, car parts, components, and/or equipment that do
not conform to NASCAR rules) in the series rule book.
(NASCAR PR)
Nevada Motorsports
tax exemptions have failed to bring teams: A bill
introduced in the Nevada Legislature four years ago
granting tax exemptions for professional auto racing
teams and sanctioning bodies was supposed to bring about
a "Field of Dreams" scenario: Pass it and they will
come. The bill, eventually signed into law by Gov. Kenny
Guinn, was designed to help diversify the state's
economy, but has failed to generate the influx of either
racing teams or sanctioning bodies that proponents had
anticipated. The law will expire at the end of this
year. When the bill was introduced, one major open-wheel
racing series (Championship Auto Racing Teams) and a
handful of National Hot Rod Association teams expressed
interest in moving to Southern Nevada. Joe Heitzler,
then president and chief executive of CART, testified
before the Assembly Taxation Committee and all but
guaranteed he would move that series' headquarters from
Michigan to Las Vegas if the bill became law. (Vegas
Sun)
NASCAR dyno testing:
After the
race, NASCAR took the engines from the following cars:
#20-Tony Stewart, #25-Brian Vickers, #31-Jeff Burton,
#38-Elliott Sadler, #17-Matt Kenseth, #12-Ryan Newman,
#42-Jamie McMurray and #9-Kasey Kahne. NASCAR will test
the engines on its dyno to evaluate relative horsepower
.(Speed
Channel)
Early 'Dega television ratings same as '04:
NBC's
broadcast of Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 earned a 4.6
overnight rating from Nielsen Media Research and a 9
market share to match the overnight figures of 2004,
Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. (NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter)
More on Car of Tomorrow testing:
NASCAR's "car of
tomorrow" looks and drives a lot like today's race cars.
But the redesigned car could prevent injuries and
provide better racing down the road. Officials and teams
tested prototype versions of the redesigned car at
Talladega Superspeedway on Monday. Roush Racing driver
Carl Edwards tested a Ford, Kyle Petty tested a Petty
Enterprises-built Dodge and Brett Bodine tested a
Chevrolet that was built by NASCAR's own engineering
staff. Gary Nelson, NASCAR's managing director of
research and development, said the cars will make their
full-scale debut in 2007 but might be used in one race
next season. "Today's a big step toward that," he said.
Petty said the new car doesn't drive much differently,
but he is excited about its potential safety features.
The redesigned car is slightly larger, and the driver's
seat has been shifted about 4 inches toward the center
of the car. The changes provide extra room for new
energy-absorbing blocks of metal that NASCAR has been
developing since the death of star driver Dale Earnhardt
in February 2001. The new car's roll cage, a steel
skeleton that protects the driver, also has been beefed
up. The new car's body intentionally has been designed
to be boxier than current cars; officials hope less
aerodynamic cars will be able to pass each other more
easily on the track. Although teams build several new
cars every year, building a fleet of redesigned cars
will be an extra expense. (USA
Today)
Record purse at
Lowe's: NASCAR drivers competing in the Oct. 15 UAW-GM
Quality 500 and the Oct. 14 Dollar General 300 at Lowe's
Motor Speedway will be battling for a record $6,133, 806
in posted prize money. The record awards for the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series events are part of a
$6,184,306 purse announced today for the four nights of
racing that comprise the Oct. 12-15 UAW-GM Quality 500
Week schedule of events. The record NASCAR purse of
$6,133,806 represents an increase of $75,984 over the
prize money posted for the same two races just one year
ago and is $2.8 million greater than was paid for the
October events just five years ago. Tickets
for all UAW-GM Quality 500 Week events are available by
calling 1-800-455-FANS or online at
www.lowesmotorspeedway.com. (LMS PR)
Oct. 3, 2005:
More on Dodge
sponsoring the Daytona 500: Despite denials
from Daytona about any possible sponsorship name change
being added to the Daytona 500, Detroit sources confirm
that DaimlerChrysler officials have indeed been in talks
with executives from the International Speedway Corp.
about Dodge sponsorship of some sort of the season's
biggest race. Daytona officials will say only that they
have been talking with Dodge about sponsoring the
Daytona Truck race and insist they have no plans to pin
sponsorship to the Daytona 500 itself. However, Detroit
sources said that there have indeed been discussions
between Dodge and Daytona about sponsoring the Daytona
500, but that Dodge executives have ruled out any such
sponsorship because they say the ISC price tag is too
high. (Salem-Journal)
Zipadelli Wins WYPALL®
Wipers Crew Chief of the Race Award: Tony Stewart
may not have won the UAW-Ford 500 this weekend at
Talladega Superspeedway, but he performed in
award-winning fashion. Stewart led the parade 11 times
for a race high total of 65 laps before claiming
second-place in one of the season's most thrilling
finishes. Stewart's big day brought his crew chief Greg
Zipadelli the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race
award. Although Stewart made his top-five run look easy,
but his finish didn't come without a roadblock. The Home
Depot Chevrolet seemed to battle overheating problems
from the start of the race. Despite pulling all of the
tape off the grill of the #20 machine, the temperature
continued to climb before finally reaching 275 degrees.
Water began to leave the engine, which gave Zipadelli no
choice but to sacrifice his driver's track position and
attempt fix the problem. The team made an extended stop
on pit road to refill the engine and cool the motor.
Zipadelli's plan got Stewart back on the track without
losing any laps. Stewart battled back to claim
second-place. More importantly, his race day comeback
put him back on top of the championship point standings.
"The Home Depot Chevrolet was pretty good, but we had an
overheating problem," said Zipadelli. "We probably had a
little too much tape on it and in traffic it got too
hot. It pushed some water out, so we had to put some
water in it. I think we got an air bubble in it. Once we
got that worked out, we went to the front and led a
bunch of laps afterwards. Everybody on the team did a
great job today and we got the points lead back. That's
the most important thing." 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 and Robbie Loomis are tied for third-place
with two wins. Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Fatback
McSwain, Steve Hmiel, Greg Erwin, Slugger Labbe, Chad
Knaus and Pete Rondeau are in a tie 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 issues Shock
Bulletin:
NASCAR last weekend issued a bulletin tightening gas
pressure restrictions on rear shocks for Nextel Cup
cars. That was in response to a tactic used at Dover by
Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, who
finished 1-2 in the race. Their shocks - in conjunction
with a softer spring setup - were built to work in
reverse by lifting the rear end of the car up while
traveling over bumps to create more rear downforce and
allow faster lap speeds and more grip in the corners. (Sporting
News)
Parts seized at
Talladega:
Michael Waltrip's #15 NAPA Chevrolet had a steel spacer
confiscated by NASCAR at Talladega, measuring 14 inches
across which blocked the holes in the wheel/rim. It fit
between the wheel and the hub. NASCAR rules make it
illegal to block the rim openings, according to [DEI's]
Steve Hmiel teams use to tape the openings closed
allowing the cars to go faster. NASCAR allows a spacer
but only 7 inches in diameter. (Insider
Racing News)
No penalty for
McMurray: Jamie McMurray's car failed a post-race
inspection but won't be penalized, a series official
said. McMurray finished 12th and was the car randomly
selected for post-race inspection. The car was too low
but a series official said no penalty would be levied
because the car was damaged during the race. (New-Record)
NASCAR and Honda?
Honda, long-rumored to be interested in NASCAR Nextel
Cup racing, is now trying to hire NASCAR engine builders
for its Honda Racing Development operation, according to
engine men familiar with the situation. It is unclear
just what game plan that Honda might be considering. But
NASCAR has provided Honda with Truck-racing templates,
and Honda, since introducing its first big truck this
season, the Ridgeline, has been widely expected to enter
NASCAR Truck racing eventually. (More at
Salem-Journal)
More on Toyota and
Cup series in '07: Toyota will support eight Nextel
Cup teams when its cars make their debuts in 2007, but
none of them is likely to be from Ganassi Racing, which
all along figured to be part of the Toyota contingent.
Toyota Racing Development will support four Penske
Racing squads and two each from Bill Davis Racing and
Michael Waltrip Racing. Davis and Waltrip will be
partners in 2006, then turn their attention to Toyota.
(Sporting
News)
Honda Official at
Talladega:
Robert Clarke, president of Honda Performance
Development, attended his first NASCAR race Sunday. He
said Honda isn't planning to follow Indy Racing League
rival Toyota into NASCAR, and he came simply to watch
the race. (Indianapolis
Star)
More on HoF racing
Driver: The team is petitioning NASCAR for No. 98,
and Tony Raines appears to be the top candidate to fill
the driver's seat. (Sporting
News)
More on Busch/Penske/Roush:
Defending series champion Kurt Busch says he's
trying to get out of his contract with Roush Racing and
move to Penske Racing South next season and fill the
spot vacated by Rusty Wallace. Busch's contract with
Roush goes through next season. He has signed to race at
Penske for 2007. Any change is likely to be contingent
on Jamie McMurray getting out of his contract at Chip
Ganassi Racing to move to Roush Racing. McMurray's
contract with Ganassi goes through next season. He has
signed to race at Roush for 2007. Geoff Smith, president
at Roush Racing, says the team will need to have a deal
finalized in the next two weeks to allow Busch to move
on or he'll remain with the team next year. Smith says
sponsors are planning their marketing campaigns for next
season and any major change at this point would alter
those plans. (New-Record)
Car of Tomorrow
testing today: NASCAR will test its "car of
tomorrow" at Talladega today with help from Roush Racing
and Petty Enterprises. The bigger, boxier car, intended
to enhance safety and reduce the importance of
aerodynamics, also will be tested at Atlanta later this
year. The new design tentatively is scheduled to appear
in 2007, but car owner Jack Roush said its debut could
come as early as the Oct. 8, 2006 race at Talladega.
NASCAR met with Nextel Cup owners at its Research and
Development Center last week. Roush said he would prefer
a gradual rollout of the car to ease costs rather than
rebuilding a team's entire fleet to start a season (Times-Dispatch)
Oct. 2, 2005:
Jarrett wins crash
fest at Talladega: Dale Jarrett's voice was
hoarse and choked with emotion. He had just won a
frantic shootout to end a 98-race drought and steal the
spotlight from NASCAR's championship drivers. The
hardened veteran could hardly believe what had happened
yesterday at Talladega Superspeedway. "When you get to
this point of your career, you're not exactly sure when
that last victory is going to be there, so you learn to
cherish each one," Jarrett said. "It is very emotional.
When I was coming down that backstretch, it was very
emotional." Jarrett used a three-wide pass to
challenge Tony Stewart for the lead on the final lap of
a three-lap overtime shootout, then passed Stewart on
the backstretch in the UAW-Ford 500 for his first
victory since 2003 at the North Carolina Speedway. Kyle
Petty spun to bring out a caution before the leaders
crossed the finish line, freezing the field. NASCAR had
to review tape to establish a final finishing order. The
final decision had Stewart second and back on top of the
Nextel Cup leader board after the third of 10 Chase for
the championship races. "The big picture is what we were
worried about today," Stewart said. "Even if we finished
10th and gained points, that was the big thing." Matt
Kenseth finished third and Ryan Newman was fourth.
Stewart holds a four-point advantage over Newman after a
race that shuffled the Chase standings.
New York Daily -
Results -
Points)
Wallace or Raines
driver for Hall of Fame Racing? The Charlotte
Observer has learned that the team has had conversations
with Mike Wallace and is considering Tony Raines.
Published reports have also linked Ward Burton to the
job, and that the team also has thought about asking
Terry Labonte to drive some races because his status of
a former champion could help provide a backup to get the
car into races if there's a problem in qualifying. (Charlotte
Observer/ThatsRacin)
More on NFL WR Brown
sponsorship:
Roush Racing's
Sam Belnavis said Sunday morning that former NFL star
wide receiver Tim Brown should know within seven to 10
days whether or not he'll have the sponsorship necessary
to fund a start-up Cup team in 2006. Brown announced
plans for a new team in August at the Brickyard 400, but
whether the team begins next year or in '07 depends on
sponsorship. Roush is helping Brown put the team
together. (Speed
Channel)
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