May 2008 Nationwide Series Archive
- Shepherd Honoring Mothers at Darlington: In a fitting tribute to mothers around the world, Morgan Shepherd's #89 Racing With Jesus Dodge will honor and remember all mothers this Mother's Day weekend. Shepherd's Dodge Charger will carry a large red banner on its rear quarter panels in Friday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race which reads "Happy Mother's Day" and will also display the names of his late mother, Bettie Poovey; his mother-in-law, Betty Jones; Tony Stewart's mom, Pam Boas; Kevin Harvick's mom; JoNell Harvick; and Matt Yocum's mother, Mary Yocum, as a small Mother's Day tribute.(Faith Motorsports PR)(5-7-2008)
- MC2 Energy Drink Back on the #81 at Darlington: Beverage Plus Inc. has aligned itself with MacDonald Motorsports at the Nationwide Series race in Darlington. The company also sponsored the team's #81 Dodge, driven by D.J. Kennington, at Mexico.(MacDonald Motorsports PR), see an image of the car on my #81 Team Paint Schemes page.(5-7-2008)
- Raybestos Rookie Notes for Darlington: Bryan Clauson was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond. Clauson scored a 21st-place finish and claimed top Raybestos Rookie honors for the second time in 2008.
Dario Franchitti holds a 26-point lead (89-63) over Clauson in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington.
Franchitti has led the Raybestos® Rookie standings for the past nine consecutive races.
David Ragan was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2007 Diamond Hill Plywood 200, collecting a 13th-place finish.
Kyle Busch is the most recent Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap at Darlington. He held the top spot once for 12 laps in the November 2004 Bi-Lo 200.(Raybestos PR)(5-7-2008)
- Verizon Debuting on the #9 at Darlington: Chase Miller will be making his ninth career start this weekend at Darlington Raceway, but first with Verizon Wireless Motorola on the #9 Gillett Evernham Dodge. Miller has never seen the newly repaved track “Too Tough to Tame” in person.(Gilett Evernham Motorsports PR)(5-6-2008)
- Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Darlington: Long one of NASCAR's most treacherous tracks because of its unique, egg-shaped layout, Darlington Raceway will be even more daunting for Nationwide Series drivers this weekend as they race under the lights on a new coating of pavement that has turned the track into an ultra-fast circuit. ESPN2 will have live, prime-time coverage of the Nationwide Series at Darlington presented by The Coleman Company Friday night, May 9, beginning at 7 p.m. with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com. Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2's coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty in the ESPN pit studio. Matt Kenseth will join the ESPN coverage team as In-Race Reporter, talking to Wallace on the race's pace laps and during caution periods.(ESPN PR)(5-5-2008)
- KHI Crew Pitted Shepherd at Richmond: Often when you hear “double duty” in NASCAR, it’s referring to the driver’s running in two of NASCAR’s elite series in the same weekend, usually the Nationwide and Cup Series. In Richmond, this term took on a new meaning for the #33 team. Not only did the team pit for Harvick, but several members of the #33 team also helped pit #89-Morgan Shepherd’s car. With Shepherd off the lead lap, providing no conflict with the team’s main focus, the KHI crew was able to assist on Shepherd’s car.(KHI PR)(5-5-2008)
- Blue Angels on the #88 at Richmond: IMAGE In honor of the U.S. Navy’s elite flight demonstration team, Brad Keselowski will drive the #88 Navy Blue Angels Chevy in Saturday’s Lipton Tea 250 Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Speedway. Instead of the usual “Dress White” paint scheme the Navy Chevy has sported throughout the 2008 season, the #88 will be blue and gold, just like the Blue Angels’ F/A-18 Hornets.(JR Motorsports PR)(4-30-2008)
IMAGE: See an image of the car on my #88 Team Paint Scheme page.(5-2-2008)
- Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Richmond: UPDATE 2: Moved to ESPN Classic & Speed: NASCAR drivers and fans consider Richmond International Raceway one of the most competitive tracks in the sport, and racing on the .750-mile track takes on even more excitement at night under the lights. ESPN2 will have a live, prime-time telecast as the Nationwide Series races at Richmond Friday night, May 2, beginning at 7 p.m. with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast also will air in high definition on ESPN2 HD. Marty Reid will be the lead announcer for ESPN2's coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty in the ESPN pit studio.(ESPN PR)(4-28-2008)
UPDATE: Friday night's ESPN production of the Nationwide Series race from Richmond has been moved to ESPN Classic and also will be simulcast on ESPN360.com and SPEED. The telecast begins at 7 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown. The change was made to accommodate NBA playoff game six between Washington and Cleveland. Additionally, for fans without ESPN Classic, a special encore presentation of the race from start to finish will air that evening following the NBA game beginning at approximately 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.(EPSN PR)(5-1-2008)
UPDATE 2: Here is the revised broadcast plan for the race:
* The live telecast of the race in its originally scheduled time slot (7–10:00 p.m. ET) will air simultaneously on both SPEED and ESPN Classic.
* ESPN2 will join the race live immediately following the Cavaliers – Wizards game and will also re-air the race in its entirety immediately following the conclusion of the race broadcast.
* Both NASCAR.com and ESPN.com will stream the race live.
* ESPN and SPEED will begin on-air promotion today (Thursday, May 1).
* SPEED’s live coverage from Richmond begins at 1:00 p.m. ET with NASCAR LIVE and will continue straight through the live broadcast of the race until 10:00 p.m. ET.(NASCAR PR)(5-1-2008)
- Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Sponsorsing Rensi at Richmond: Team Rensi Motorsports driver Bobby Hamilton, Jr. hopes to prove false the old racing superstition of peanuts leading to bad luck in a NASCAR race. The #25 Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Ford will take the green flag on Friday night in the Lipton Team 250 at Richmond International Raceway.(Team Rensi PR)(5-1-2008)