Cautions 2 for 9 laps

TRACK/RACE NEWS

• American history on display at Daytona: As part of Fourth of July festivities, NASCAR fans attending this weekend's activities at Daytona International Speedway will have an opportunity to view one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence. The display is part of The Home Depot's sponsorship of the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, a traveling exhibit featuring the document.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(7-3-2003)
  
  
• Twilight Rides at Daytona: After the the Pepsi 400, fans get a chance of their own to ride the historic high banks of Daytona International Speedway under the lights with the Twilight Richard Petty Driving Experience ride-along program. For the second straight year, the RPDE program will offer rides to guests under the lights on Sunday, July 6 and Monday, July 7 from 5-10pm. The Twilight Richard Petty Driving Experience costs $134, which is the regular price for Richard Petty Driving Experience at DIS. It's recommended that fans sign-up in advance for an hour time slot to participate in the Twilight Rides, but walk-ins are allowed. Call DAYTONA USA Guest Services at (386) 947-6530 for more information or to sign up for Richard Petty Driving Experience Twilight Rides. Only individuals who purchase tickets for a Twilight RPDE ride can participate. Tickets are not transferable.(DIS PR)(7-2-2003)
  
  
• DIS President To Meet With Select Fans: Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig believes that not only do "moms know best," but fans have pretty good insight as well. With that, as part of its track-wide, comprehensive initiative called Fans First!, Braig will meet with several fans in town for the Pepsi 400 weekend on July 2-5 to discuss ways to enhance their race experiences. The "Meet & Greet" is a hands-on effort to improve the race time experience for its thousands of guests that visit the "World Center of Racing" each year. Braig will meet with fans from North Carolina, Michigan, Florida and Alabama to get feedback on those things important to race fans traveling to DIS events including, traffic patterns, free parking and shuttle information, and guest information assistance centers. Continuing to build on its Fans First! initiative which launched in early June, Daytona International Speedway recently named Jay Gritton as Manager of Guest Services. Gritton's new role includes management of the Speedway's front door areas where a guest's first impressions occur, including the gates, guest information centers, disabled guest assistance carts and usher programs. Fans First! also focuses on expanded training of event staff and volunteers, plus participating in the Speedway's fan feedback forums.(DIS PR)(6-27-2003)
  
  
• NFLer Warren Sapp and Model Angie Everhart Grand Marshals; Evans to sing National Anthem at Daytona: Super Bowl champion and Florida native Warren Sapp, and supermodel Angie Everhart, will add "Grand Marshal" to their list of distinguished accomplishments as both will serve as Grand Marshals for Daytona International Speedway's 4th of July Weekend extravaganza, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Pepsi 400. In addition, RCA recording artist Sara Evans, whose single "Born to Fly" propelled her to the top of the Country Music Charts and garnered rave reviews in Rolling Stone Magazine and the Los Angeles Times, will perform a pre-race concert on the superspeedway's frontstretch and will also sing the National Anthem at the Pepsi 400 before a national television audience and thousands of race fans. Sapp will give the command of "Start Your Engines" at the nationally-televised nighttime spectacle, while Everhart will get the race underway by leading the field from the Pontiac Grand Marshal car.(NASCAR.com)(6-24-2003)
  
  
• Daytona 500 best friends to RV's: The Good Sam Club, the world's largest membership organization of RV owners, announced Monday its award winners for the 2nd annual Welcome Mat Awards. The awards recognize those businesses that know how to accommodate RVs and offer good service to the growing number of RVers. The Daytona 500 was tapped as best RV-friendly NASCAR event, and the Florida RV Supershow was tapped for best RV-friendly RV show. The voting process took place over several months. Nearly 1 million members of the Good Sam Club were eligible to vote.(Orlando Business Journal)(6-17-2003)
  
  
• Winn-Dixie, PepsiCo to Sponsor Summer Busch Series Race at Daytona: Daytona International Speedway announced a multiyear agreement for the 250-mile Busch Series race on Pepsi 400 weekend. In 2003, Winn-Dixie and PepsiCo will jointly sponsor the race, known as "The Winn-Dixie 250 Presented by PepsiCo," to be held under the lights on Friday, July 4 at 8:00pm/et. Winn-Dixie is building from its previous relationship with the Daytona International Speedway, as promotional partner of The Daytona 500. In order to share in the celebration of this new relationship with race fans and customers, Winn-Dixie is selling tickets to the race at select stores for a discounted price when customers use their Customer Reward Card. Tickets for the Winn-Dixie 250 Presented By PepsiCo and the 45th running of the Pepsi 400 are available.(DIS PR)(6-7-2003)
  
  
• Rally Race: The Great Race, the longest-running cross-country vintage rally in the country, will finish July 5 at Daytona International Speedway. As many as 120 vintage automobiles -- they must be at least 45 years old -- are scheduled to take part in this event, which will encompass more than 4,000 miles in 16 days. The rally starts June 20 at Michigan International Speedway and will finish at DIS with a ceremony on the grid immediately prior to the Pepsi 400. Winston Cup team owner Jack Roush plans to enter one of his vintage cars in the event.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-20-2003)
  
  
• Pepsi 400 staying put - in July: "We're not going to discuss the 2004 schedule until we've firmed it up and had discussions with everyone involved," NASCAR's Jim Hunter said. "I don't know if we've done that at this point in time. We'd like to release the schedule by August or September." But Hunter and Daytona Intl Speedway spokesman David Talley would talk about one part of the schedule -- the Pepsi 400. It will remain as Winston Cup's midseason stopping point. "I don't foresee in the near future the Pepsi 400 being moved to the end of the season," Talley said. Hunter was even more adamant on the subject. "There are no plans to do that," he said. "In our conversations with the tracks regarding realignment 2004, I haven't heard that even come up as an option. That's not on the drawing board."(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-17-2003)
  
  
• Past track news: posted in the past at Jayski's Past Track News/Rumors - Daytona International Speedway
  
  

DRIVER/TEAM NEWS

• Elliott's Foot - update: "I'm telling you what, these guys have done a fantastic job of keeping us moving forward. I struggled trying to get a feel for what I had to do to drive with this foot, and I feel like I was a little bit of a negative to this team. We kept on plugging away at it though and Sonoma was a good day for us. We needed that little boost after what we've been through the past month or so. I'm anxious to keep that going into the part of the season where're we've done pretty well in the past." says Bill Elliott, driver of the #9 Summer Days Sales Dodge Dealers Dodge.(Evernham Motorsports PR)(7-2-2003)
  
  
• Jeff Green injury update; going synthetic: Jeff Green, driver of the #1 Pennzoil DEI Chevy, about his broken tailbone: "I feel very good this week. Having the past two weeks off was actually a blessing for me. I am able to do things this week that I wasn't a week ago, and a week ago I could do things that I wasn't able to before. Truly it's not an issue for me. I feel great." Green returns to action in the Pennzoil Synthetic Scheme car this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. The specialized silver paint scheme promotes Pennzoil's synthetic brand of lubricants, which protects a car's engine through extreme temperatures. This same paint scheme has previously been used during the Coca-Cola 600.(Jeff Green site), see images of the car on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(7-2-2003)
  
  
• Bliss in a third Gibbs car? UPDATE #80: Mike Bliss reportedly will drive a third Winston Cup car for Joe Gibbs Racing at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona and the EA Sports 500 at Talladega in September. Bliss currently drives for Gibbs in the Busch Series.(Winston Cup Scene - need subscription to read)(5-29-2003)
  UPDATE: Joe Gibbs Racing announced Saturday that they will field a third car out of their Huntersville, NC shops for the Daytona and Talladega races this season. Piloting what will be the #80 Chevy is 2002 Truck Series champion Mike Bliss. Sponsorship for the team will be coming from one of Joe Gibbs Racing's major associate sponsors. GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Advair Diskus (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder), a leading asthma maintenance product, will be the primary sponsor of the #80 car. Earlier this year, GSK and Joe Gibbs Racing announced a joint asthma education initiative, Racing Against Asthma, designed to help raise awareness of Advair and help bring information about asthma and effective asthma management to the public. As part of the education initiative, fans attending the Daytona and Talladega races will have the opportunity to visit the Racing Against Asthma trackside education center, which offers free lung function testing and interactive displays that provide fans with an engaging way to learn more about asthma. In his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Bliss, the driver of the #20 Rockwell Automation Chevy in the Busch Series sits in seventh-place in the current point standings. With 30 NASCAR Winston Cup career starts under his belt, Bliss is no stranger to the big leagues of NASCAR, but admits this opportunity is the best he has ever had in his career and something he is very excited about. "It's a great opportunity for me and I hope I can contribute to this whole effort," said an elated Bliss. "I have always said in the past that I never wanted to go back to 'Cup' unless the opportunity was right or it was with a capable team, so it's easy to see why I'm excited. I am looking forward to working with Jimmy Makar and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing to make this project successful." In light of the current environment within the Winston Cup garage and the level of competition on the track, Joe Gibbs Racing felt as though the time was right to add a third car to an already successful program. It will be a big undertaking with a lot of extra man-hours for all involved, but the thought behind the program is that the benefits will far outweigh any negatives. It will also allow the entire Joe Gibbs Racing operation to gain extra information that would otherwise be unattainable without the addition of the third car at these particular events. "With as tough as the competition has become in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, we felt the timing was right to add a car for a couple of races to benefit our overall race program," said J.D. Gibbs, President of Joe Gibbs Racing. "We owe it to all of our sponsors to make sure we are as competitive as possible every week on the track. Adding this car at Daytona and Talladega will allow us to continue to do that. We are every excited that Advair Diskus has agreed to be the primary sponsor for this special initiative.. Our relationship with Advair Diskus has been great for Bobby Labonte and the '18' team this year and we look forward to having them play a bigger role in the sponsorship of that team next year." Heading up the program will be veteran crew chief and Joe Gibbs Racing's first employee, Jimmy Makar. After serving as crew chief of the Gibbs owned #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet for 11 seasons, Makar made the move up to Team Manager at the conclusion of the 2002 season to help manage the continually growing race operations. With 13 years experience behind him and considered by his peers as one of the best ever, Makar is excited at the opportunity to get back to the track and call the shots again. "This is something we have been discussing for quite some time and I am excited to be able to be a part of it," admitted Makar. "Looking at what's going on in the garage area today, we felt like the time was perfect to give this a try. This will also be a great opportunity for Mike. I have great confidence that he will do a good job for us and it will enable us to gather a lot of information we have otherwise not been able to obtain. It will also give us a chance to try some things we wouldn't normally try."(Joe Gibbs Racing PR)(6-14-2003)
  
  
• Buckshot back: Buckshot Jones will be driving the #09 Miccosukee Resorts & Gaming Dodge for Phoenix Racing and team owner James Finch in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. He will be filling in for Mike Wallace who is subbing for Jerry Nadeau in the #01 US Army Pontiac.(Buckshot PR)(6-13-2003)
  
  
• All 62: Seven drivers have competed in all 62 restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega: Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Rusty Wallace and Michael Waltrip.(4-13-2003)
  

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• See the 2003 Team Chart which has links to past news for each team and info on each team.
  
  

PAINT SCHEME NEWS

• Compton in the #4 at Daytona as a pirate (puffy shirt?): Eastman Kodak Company and The Walt Disney Company announced a joint promotion of Disney's epic motion picture, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, through Kodak's NASCAR marketing program. A Pirates of the Caribbean 'wrap' will adorn the Kodak #4 car during the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 5. The movie theme also will appear on the suit worn by driver Stacy Compton. "NASCAR is the perfect venue to build awareness for a fast-paced, adrenaline-rush-type of motion picture such as Pirates of the Caribbean," said Eric Rodli, president, Entertainment Imaging and senior vice president, Kodak. "This is the first time ever that a Kodak race car has featured a motion-picture film theme - and we wanted to involve our studio partners in this exciting opportunity. Disney is one of our long-standing partners - in fact, Pirates of the Caribbean was shot and printed on Kodak film - so this promotion is just a great fit for both companies." From producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Pirates of the Caribbean stars Johnny Depp as the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow whose nemesis Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) steals his ship, the Black Pearl. When Barbossa later attacks the town of Port Royal and kidnaps the governor's daughter, her childhood friend (Orlando Bloom) joins forces with Captain Jack in a gallant attempt to rescue her and recapture the Black Pearl. The movie is scheduled for release on July 9. Disney and Kodak also will host a Pirates of the Caribbean show car at the movie's premiere at Disneyland in Los Angeles. During the week of July 7, the show car will be on display at Walt Disney World in Orlando. (Business Wire)(6-25-2003)
  
  
• Herman to run special scheme at Daytona: #23-Kenny 'Herman' Wallace will run a special Stacker2 scheme at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona promoting the new energy drink, YJ Stinger. YJ Stinger, the newest energy drink from Stacker 2 [NVE Pharmaceuticals], is set to launch this summer and comes in three flavors: Pounding Punch, Sinful Citrus and Enraged Raspberry.(mentioned by Kenny Wallace in Speed Channel's Inside Winston Cup TV progran)(6-24-2003)
  
  
• #43 Berry Scheme UPDATE 2: John Andretti is scheduled to run a Cheerios Berry Scheme at the Winston Open and Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May, this is a very cool looking scheme.(2-5-2003)
  UPDATE: Petty Enterprises and sponsor Cheerios joined forces Thursday morning, Feb. 13, prior to the "Great American Race" to unveil a special paint scheme for the legendary #43. The paint scheme celebrates Berry Burst Cheerios, the first-ever pairing of wholesome Cheerios with great tasting real berries right in the box. Petty Enterprises and sponsor Cheerios will race the new paint scheme in July, when the NASCAR Winston Cup teams come back to the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. The two new products - Berry Burst Cheerios Strawberry (with real sliced strawberries) and Berry Burst Cheerios Triple Berry (with real sliced strawberries, whole blueberries and.whole raspberries) - provide the taste and experience of fresh fruit through the process of freeze-drying. The #43 Berry Burst Cheerios Dodge will have John Andretti behind the wheel in the July race at Daytona.(Williams Company PR)(2-18-2003)
  UPDATE 2: since Andretti was released from the #43 ride, no idea who will drive the car, Christian Fittipaldi was named the new #43 driver, but will drive the #44 Bugles car at Daytona.(6-10-2003)
  UPDATE 3: Shane Hmiel will drive the car at Daytona.(6-24-2003)
  
  
• #97 and Irwin Tools UPDATE 2: hearing that Kurt Busch will run a #97 Irwin Tools scheme at Daytona in July, Chicago, Talladega in Oct and Lowe's in Oct.(2-5-2003)
  >UPDATE The Box: at Michigan Internation Speedway on Saturday, June 14th, Kurt Busch will open some sort of 'big box' in a press conference with sponsor Rubbermaid [it was for Irwin Tools], Busch drivers the #97 Rubbermaid/Sharpies Ford.(6-14-2003)
  UPDATE: While race fans have grown accustomed to seeing Kurt Busch's red, black and silver #97 Rubbermaid Racing Ford running up front in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, they will get an exciting surprise in four races, kicking off the second-half of the season. It was announced today that Busch's #97 Roush Racing Ford will don the new trademark blue and yellow colors of IRWIN Industrial Tools beginning with the NASCAR Winston Cup race at Daytona International Speedway on July 5, 2003. IRWIN will also be the primary sponsor of the #97 Roush Racing Ford for the Chicagoland Speedway race on July 13th as well as the races at Talladega SuperSpeedway (Sept. 28th) and Lowe's Motor Speedway (Oct. 11th). The formal announcement was made at Michigan International Speedway, site of this weekend's NASCAR Winston Cup Series event. Just like the #97 IRWIN car, both product and packaging feature IRWIN's new trademark blue and yellow color scheme. IRWIN brand products are available at industrial and contractor supply houses, hardware stores, home centers and automotive tool distributors worldwide.(Irwin Tools PR). See images of the car on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(6-14-2003)
  
  
• Square Pants for Johnson UPDATE: #48-Jimmie Johnson is scheduled to run a Sponge Bob Square Pants paint scheme at Daytona in July for the Pepsi 400.(3-20-2003)
  UPDATE: Lowe's announced on Tuesday that Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants is swimming onto the NASCAR scene and taking over the #48 Lowe's Chevy paint scheme for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway later this summer. Team Lowe's will run the special SpongeBob paint scheme over the Fourth of July weekend to promote American Tradition Signature Colors Design Centers located in Lowe's stores nationwide. Lowe's and The Valspar Corporation have joined forces to deliver a breakthrough paint formulation in distinctive palettes with colors inspired by children's favorite Nickelodeon programs as well as five other popular American brands. In addition to the SpongeBob SquarePants palette, the Nickelodeon collection will feature five other color families inspired by favorite children's programs, including Blues Clues, Oswald, Dora the Explorer, Rugrats and Jimmy Neutron. These exciting and familiar bright colors are especially designed for children's bedrooms and playrooms, as are the coordinated kits of themed sponges and appliqués.(Golin Harris PR), see an image on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(6-11-2003)
  
  
• Confetti for Martin at Daytona: #6 Mark Martin will run a Viagra/Confetti Ford at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona.(5-20-2003)
  
  
• T3 Announcement: #42-Jamie McMurray and representatives from Havoline and Action Performance will hold a press conference on Saturday, April 26 at 9:30am/pt in the California Speedway media center to unveil McMurray's "T3: Rise of the Machines" car that will run July 5th in Daytona.(Jamie McMurray Site), see my 2003 Winston Cup Paint Schemes page for an image.(4-21-2003)
  
  
• Pepsi and a Billion: Michael Davies' Diplomatic Productions and The WB are near a deal for a two-hour live special in which the grand prize is $1 billion, according to a report in today's Daily Variety. Pepsi will be partnered in the program, for which contestants are selected through the purchase of a few specially marked Pepsi products. Plans call for Pepsi to promote the program throughout the summer and up to the special's September airdate. Details are still being worked out for the contest, in which contestants will face off in a game of nerve and "chicken," the report said. Mr. Davies was responsible for bringing ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" to the United States.(TV Week), looks like one of the promotions will be at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, see the car Jeff Gordon will drive there on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(4-4-2003)
  
  
• Stewart special at Daytona: hearing that #20 Tony Stewart will run a Daytona Special in July which supposedly be unveiled in Feb 2003)(12-19-2002)
  UPDATE - Stewart and Home Depot Unveils Declaration of Independence-Themes Scheme: Tony Stewart, driver of the #20 Home Depot Chevy, proudly unveiled the new Declaration of Independence-themed car today prior to qualifying for the Bass Pro Shops/MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Stewart will race this car at the July 5 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway to celebrate The Home Depot's sponsorship of the Declaration of Independence (DOI) Road Trip. Founded by producer Norman Lear, the DOI Road Trip is touring an original copy of the Declaration to inspire Americans to participate in civic activism, to exercise their rights, and above all, to vote. The Declaration of Independence Road Trip will travel to cities and towns across the United States, creatively combining elements of education, entertainment, and community outreach. The project is led by Honorary Co-Chairs and former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. The Home Depot is the Presenting Sponsor of the Road Trip. The United States Postal Service is the Official Carrier of the DOI Road Trip and AXA Financial, Inc. is also a Sponsor of The Declaration of Independence Road Trip. For additional information on the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, please visit www.IndependenceRoadTrip.org.(Home Depot PR), see my 2003 Cup Schemes page for an image of the car.(3-7/8-2003)
  
  
• #8 MLB News UPDATE: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr will run a MLB - Major League Baseball scheme at ChicagoLand Speedway in July to promote the MLB All Star game on July 15thm which will be held at Chicago's Comisky Park(Go Phillies)(1-24-2003)
  UPDATE: Action Performance Companies announced the release of a Dale Earnhardt Jr. special edition die-cast collectible featuring the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Major League Baseball [MLB]. Since 2001, Budweiser and MLB have emphasized their close association via an All-Star Game paint scheme, honoring the Mid-Summer Classic, featured on Dale Jr.'s #8 Budweiser Chevy during the July night race at Daytona. That same year, Earnhardt took a pearl-white colored Budweiser/MLB All-Star Game car all the way to Daytona's victory lane. This year, Chicago sports fans will enjoy quite an action-packed July when both NASCAR and MLB descend on the Windy City. On July 13, 2003, Dale Jr. will showcase the latest #8 Budweiser/MLB All-Star Game paint scheme during the 400-mile NASCAR Winston Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway. The following Tuesday night, July 15th, baseball's best players and coaches will headline the 74thAll-Star Game being held at Chicago's Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox. In cooperation with Dale Earnhardt Inc., Major League Baseball, Anheuser-Busch and Action Performance Companies again will produce the full line of die-cast collectibles and related memorabilia featuring the 2003 Budweiser/All-Star Game paint scheme.(Action Performance PR)(1-27-2003)
  
  
• Kenseth and Smirnoff Ice? UPDATE: hearing #17-Matt Kenseth will race either 8 Cup or 8 BGN races with Smirnoff Ice as the sponsor, the BGN thing makes sense, since he is running 15 races with Bayer/Alka Seltzer, not sure about the Cup part of the rumor.(1-25-2003)
  UPDATE: hearing this is for 8 Cup races, with at least one Richmond race to be part of it.(1-27-2003)
  UPDATE 2: Smirnoff Ice Triple Black will sponsor Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth's #17 Ford in a limited program of 2003 Cup races, beginning with The Winston all-star race in May at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The program includes at least co-primary sponsorship of Kenseth's Ford Taurus, whose five wins in 2002 led the series, for eight races and secondary status for the balance of the season. The partnership includes driver appearances, the use of show cars and image rights, a large hospitality program and an extensive social responsibility agenda. A Smirnoff spokesperson said an advertising program was in the works featuring Kenseth, who said that was one of the "coolest" aspects of the program. Kenseth will drive the Smirnoff Ice car at The Winston, Pepsi 400 at Daytona, Brickyard 400, Southern 500, Richmond (Sept), Talladega (Sept) and Atlanta (Oct). The race at Texas on March 30 is a co-primary event with Dewalt Tools.(NASCAR.com, see an image of the car there - do NOT email it to me)(2-8-2003)
  
  

  Car#/Driver	Sponsor/Scheme/Promo	Race/Date	Image?
  #4-Stacy Compton	Pirates of the Caribbean	Daytona - July	Car #'s 0-23 page
  #6-Mark Martin	Viagra/Confetti	Daytona - July	Car #'s 0-23 page
  #15-Michael Waltrip	Stars and Stripes	Daytona - July	Car #'s 0-23 page
  #17-Matt Kenseth	Smirnoff Ice Triple Black	Daytona - July Brickyard 400 - Aug Darlington - Aug Richmond - Sept Atlanta - Oct	Car #'s 0-23 page
  #20-Tony Stewart	Declaration of Independence	Daytona - July	Car #'s 0-23 page
  #23-Kenny Wallace	YJ Stinger	Daytona - July	Car #'s 0-23 page
  #24-Jeff Gordon	Pepsi $1 Billion	Daytona - July	Cars #'s 24-99 page
  #31-Robby Gordon	Reverse Cingular	Daytona - July Bristol - Aug Richmond - Sept Lowe's - Oct	Cars #'s 24-99 page
  #38-Elliott Sadler	Groovy M&M's	Daytona - July Chicago - July	Cars #'s 24-99 page
  #42-Jamie McMurray	T3: Rise of the Machines	Daytona - July	Cars #'s 24-99 page
  #43-Shane Hmiel	Cheerios Berry Burst	Daytona - July	Cars #'s 24-99 page
  #44-Christian Fittipaldi	Bugles	Daytona - July Talladega - Sept Lowe's - Oct	Cars #'s 24-99 page
  #48-Jimmie Johnson	Sponge Bob Square Pants	Daytona - July	Cars #'s 24-99 page
  #97-Kurt Busch	Irwin Tools	Daytona -July Chicago - July Talladega - Sept Lowe's - Oct	Cars #'s 24-99 page

  
  
  
• More Paint Scheme news can be found on Paint Schemes Gallery
  
  

• Waltrip going for a rare triple: If #15-Michael Waltrip wins Saturday night's Pepsi 400, he'll become only the second driver to win three consecutive NASCAR Winston Cup points races at Daytona. Cale Yarborough is the only driver to have a Daytona "triple". Yarborough won the 1967 Firecracker 400, then swept the Daytona 500 and Firecracker 400 in 1968.(NASCAR PR)(7-2-2003)
  
  
• Dry Spell at Daytona for Pontiac: There have been 38 Cup races since the last Pontiac victory at Daytona when Richard Petty drove the #43 STP Pontiac to a win, with President Ronald Reagan in attendance, on July 4, 1984. It was Petty's 200th and last NASCAR Winston Cup victory.(NASCAR PR)(7-2-2003)
  
  
• Free Preview NASCAR in car in Demand: iN DEMAND will offer NASCAR fans and viewers a free-preview of the innovative and ground-breaking NASCAR IN CAR on iN DEMAND package “ television's first enhanced multi-channel digital sports package “ on Saturday, July 5, for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The July 5 free preview of NASCAR IN CAR on iN DEMAND marks the start of the second half of the 2003 NASCAR season and the availability of the package to digital cable subscribers for the half-season rate of $89. NASCAR fans were first invited to preview the NASCAR digital package on iN DEMAND at the start of the season during the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16, 2003, at Daytona International Speedway. More information at www.indemand.com.(6-26-2003)
  
  
• Free Trackpass for Daytona: This year NASCAR.com is providing fans free access to TrackPass for the weekend of the Pepsi 400 on July 3-6. NASCAR.com users will have full access to all of TrackPass' features, including PitCommandcoverage of the Pepsi 400 on July 5 at 8:00pm/et. Users will be able to view Live Leaderboard timing and scoring coverage of NASCAR Winston Cup Series practice and qualifying events, NASCAR Busch Series qualifying and race, as well as exclusive multimedia features such as live in-car race audio, condensed races, and searchable video clips. To take advantage of the free TrackPass trial, fans only need to log on to NASCAR.com July 3-6. Since its launch in February 2002, TrackPass has attracted over 150,000 signups.(NASCAR PR)(6-26-2003)
  
  
• Safety Meeting: NASCAR has driver safety update meetings scheduled for July 4th for competitors in the Cup and Busch Series at Daytona. The series has been holding such meetings a couple of times a year or so since Dale Earnhardt 's fatal crash at Daytona in 2001.(Roanoke Times)(6-23-2003)
  
  
• Fins Increased: NASCAR recently told teams to increase the rear window fins from 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches for the Pepsi 400 July 5 at Daytona. While officials were researching the possibility of adding a third roof flap to the cars for restrictor-plate races, they discovered that adding an inch to the fins improved the efficiency of the two existing flaps. NASCAR still is working on adding a third flap, but for now the larger fins should make the cars more stable.(Sporting News)(6-23-2003)
  
  
• Some Rules Changes for Daytona: NASCAR on Friday issued a four-page technical bulletin to all Winston Cup teams outlining several changes that must be made to cars for next month's Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The most visible change is the requirement of an additional rear roof air deflector, which will likely slow the cars slightly as well as help keep them stay grounded should they get involved in an accident. NASCAR recently conducted a wind-tunnel test with a third roof flap and discovered a change in the air deflector improved the efficiency and performance of the two flaps currently in use. Several other, minor changes were outlined in the bulletin, including rules mandating the height and thickness of air filters, quarter panels, and the fuel cells.(ThatsRacin.com)(6-13-2003)
  
  

• note: this is not to promote gambling but to offer readers odds and ideas on what the 'experts' think about the upcoming race and the Cup series season
  
  
• America's Line - Odds for the Pepsi 400
  
  
• National Sports Services - 2003 Winston Cup and the Pepsi 400
  
  
• NASCAR Odds - Early Odds for the Pepsi 400
  
  
• Racebook: Pepsi 400 - Odds To Win and the 2003 Winston Cup
  
  
• Stardust: Odds to win 2003 Winston Cup Championship and the Pepsi 400
  
  
• Vegas Insider - Odds to Win the 2003 Winston Cup Championship and Vegas Insider - Pepsi 400
  
  
• World Sports Exchange:Pepsi 400 odds and other NASCAR odds
  
  

STATS and STUFF

Moved to my STATS and STATS Links page