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MORE NEXTEL CUP NEWS/RUMORS
DECEMBER 31, 2007
-JANUARY 6, 2008
News from January 6, 2008
- Said wins Bobsled Challenge: Boris Said has been bobsledding longer than any of the other drivers at the 3rd Annual Chevy Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering, but he's still learning new tricks. He utilized some of what he picked up Saturday morning to successfully defend his title. In his second championship run, Said shaved more than 1.5 seconds off his time to beat L.W. Miller and three other finalists. Said's two runs were 52.12 and 50.53 seconds, for a total time of 1:42.65. Miller, the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion, posted the fastest first run time at 52.11 and finished second overall at 1:43.37. Three-time NHRA Powerade Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin was third with an overall time of 1:43.99, followed by former NASCAR driver Larry Gunselman at 1:44.90 and 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Donny Lia at 1:45.46. The Bodine Bobsled Challenge will be aired on SPEED Jan. 20 and 27. Fans can go to www.bodynbobsled.com to learn more about the project and make contributions.(NASCAR PR), for more info, results, speeds.....see the Ongoing Racing Charity page.(1-6-2008)
- Shelmerdine to test at Daytona for RCR: Kirk Shelmerdine will be testing the #33 RCR Chevy at the Daytona International Speedway Monday, January 7th and Tuesday, January 8th 2008 in preparation for the 2008 Daytona 500 on February 17, 2008. Kirk Shelmerdine began his career as a Crew Chief and tire changer at the age of 18. Shelmerdine is best known for his record-breaking achievements while working as Crew Chief for Richard Childress Racing. Between 1986 and 1992, he lead Dale Earnhardt, Sr. to four Winston Cup Championships and won honors such as Mechanic of the Year and UNOCAL Pit Crew Race Competitions multiple times. His statistics include 246 top tens, 142 top fives, 14 pole positions and 46 wins. Shelmerdine decided to become a full time Cup driver in 2002. In February 2006 he qualified for the Daytona 500 and finished 20th driving his Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Chevy. With his long history with Richard Childress Racing, Shelmerdine looks forward to driving for his friend and previous boss.(Wabash Motorsports PR)(1-6-2008)
News from January 5, 2008
- Kahne pleads not guity for Homestead pushing incident: Gillett Evernham Motorsports driver #9-Kasey Kahne has filed a written plea of not guilty to a charge of misdemeanor battery stemming from an alleged pushing incident with a security guard Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The not guilty plea was filed Thursday and cancels the arraignment scheduled for Tuesday. Kahne has hired Richard Sharpstein as his attorney. Sharpstein has been in the news recently as the attorney and family friend of murdered Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Kahne also faces a civil suit stemming from the incident. According to witness statements, Kahne's brother said Kahne was pushing the guard's hands off of him, while the security guard claims Kahne shoved him.(SceneDaily.com)(1-5-2008)
- McDowell to take over #00 after 5 races: Michael McDowell, the 2007 runner-up on the ARCA circuit, will succeed David Reutimann in the #00 Sprint Cup car at Michael Waltrip Racing. McDowell, a 22-year-old native of Phoenix, likely will take over the #00 Toyota in late March at Martinsville, Va., when Reutimann will slide into the #44 car being vacated by the retirement of teammate and 1999 series champion Dale Jarrett [Jarrett will also run the All-Star race in the #44]. A formal announcement is expected later this month. Michael Waltrip Racing officials tested McDowell and Wise repeatedly during the offseason in the hopes that one would be ready to take over the #00 car in 2008. Wise, a two-time U.S. Auto Club champion, likely is bound for a Nationwide Series ride, pending sponsorship.(NASCAR.com)(1-5-2008)
- Latest on the #4 team: With preseason testing beginning next week in Daytona, Sprint Cup teams are finalizing their plan of attack for the 2008 season. The approach at #4-Morgan-McClure Motorsports is radically different. Over the past few weeks, Southwest Virginia’s NASCAR team has lost its crew chief, primary sponsor and driver. "It feels like a hurricane,’’ MMM general manager Larry McClure said. "The way NASCAR has changed, I don’t know if its been good or not.’’ The Morgan-McClure organization, which featured veteran driver Ward Burton last season, has struggled in recent years with lack of sponsorship and driver turnover. Just days before Christmas, McClure learned that State Water Heaters was leaving. According to media reports, the State Water Heaters sponsorship will move to the #66 Haas CNC Racing team with driver Scott Riggs. "I’ve heard the sponsorship went to the 66 car,’’ McClure said "Right now we don’t have a thing.’’ McClure said the agreement with State Water Heaters last year was for 10 races. He was surprised by the change in direction. "It must have been an instant decision because we had no idea it was going to happen,’’ McClure said. "We found out about this before Christmas, then it became official after the holiday. We’ll see how things work out.’’ Lucas Oil will return as an associate sponsor. As for a driver, it appears Burton is gone from the seat of the #4 MMM Chevy. Burton, a former Daytona 500 winner, joined the team with three races remaining in the 2006 season. "[Burton] probably won’t be back,’’ McClure said. "We’re looking at using either Mike Wallace or P.J. Jones for testing next week, then we will go from there. "It’s not going to be hard to find somebody to drive at Daytona. Right now, I’ve got a couple options.’’ One of those options involves a driver bringing a financial package to the team. That step is common in the open-wheel ranks. "We’ve got capable people here for the crew chief role ... the biggest thing we need are sponsorship dollars,’’ McClure said. "We’ve been working on a deal with one of the bigger multicar teams where we could be a satellite team and share some information. That deal is on the table if we get our sponsorship stuff put together.’’ As for the big question of their 2008 schedule, the always-ambitious McClure said to stay tuned. "We’re just going to see how much money we get in the door,’’ McClure said. "We’re not going to race on our own money anymore.’’ On a related note, Abingdon’s Eric McClure plans to runs the Nationwide Series schedule with the Front Row Motorsports team. The Denver, N.C.-based team also plans to field a Sprint Cup car for McClure in the Daytona 500.(Bristol Courier Herald)(1-5-2008)
- Jeff Gordon to co-host “Live with Regis and Kelly” on the 18th: #24-Jeff Gordon is scheduled to make his 11th appearance as guest co-host on the popular daytime talk show “Live with Regis and Kelly” on Friday, January 18. The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and driver of the #24 DuPont Chevy will fill in for host Regis Philbin. “Live with Regis and Kelly” is in its 20th year of national syndication and continues to wake up millions of Americans each day. “Live with Regis and Kelly” is executive produced by Michael Gelman and distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. Produced by WABC-TV in New York, “Live with Regis and Kelly” airs in over 200 markets across the country. Check local listings for time and channel.(Performance PR Plus)(1-5-2008)
- Talladega Keeps Its Crown As The King of Speed and Competition: Below is a list of the top-five race speeds recorded at the tracks and the driver that recorded that speed during competition. Only the fastest driver counts for each race during point races.
Fastest Driver of Race for 2007 Sprint Cup:
1. 4/29 Talladega, #31-Jeff Burton, 195.704 mph
2. 10/7 Talladega, #26-Jamie McMurray, 192.904 mph
3. 2/18 Daytona, #38-David Gilliland, 185.229 mph
4. 7/7 Daytona, #2-Kurt Busch, 183.214 mph
5. 2/25 California, #1-Martin Truex Jr, 178.277 mph
Top 5 Races in Green Flag Passes for 2007 Sprint Cup
1. 4/29 Talladega - 16,808
2. 10/7 Talladega - 7,979
3. 2/18 Daytona - 7,786
4. 7/7 Daytona - 5,220
5. 9/2 California - 3,753
Talladega Superspeedway Tickets are available by calling 1-877-Go2-DEGA, (1-877-462-3342).(TSS PR)(1-5-2008)
- Bobsled Challenge Day 2: Boris Said used a borrowed sled to prove he's still the man to beat at the 3rd Annual Chevy Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering. Said topped the time charts for the two qualifying runs, which set the lineup for Saturday's championship runs. The field of NASCAR and NHRA drivers practiced Friday morning and then took a pair of qualifying runs Friday afternoon. The combined times of those two runs ranked the drivers, with Saturday's order going from slowest to fastest. It means Said will be the last one out of the gate. He was ninth-fastest in his own sled during the first qualifying run. He borrowed the sled of NHRA driver
Morgan Lucas and posted the fastest time of the day at 53.23 seconds - beating Lucas' second-fastest time of 53.96. Said's time converts to 94.48 km/h. The friendly rivalry will continue with Saturday's afternoon session, which will match the NASCAR drivers against NHRA drivers. The Bodine Bobsled Challenge will be aired on SPEED Jan. 20 and 27.(NASCAR PR), for more info, speeds.....see the Racing Charity page.(1-5-2008)
News from January 4, 2008
- Dakar Race Cancelled: The annual Dakar Rally was canceled Friday on the eve of the race because of terror threats and the recent slaying of a French family in Mauritania blamed on al-Qaida-linked militants. It was the first time in the 30-year history of the automobile, motorcycle and truck race across the Sahara Desert that it has been called off. In a statement, organizers blamed international tensions, the tourists' Dec. 24 murders and "threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organizations."
"No other decision but the cancellation of the sporting event could be taken," they said. France, where the race organizers are based, had urged the rally to avoid Mauritania after the slaying of the four family members in an attack blamed on a terror cell that uses the Mauritanian desert as a hideout. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner "hailed the organizers' courage and wisdom" in calling off the rally, said a spokeswoman for his ministry, Pascale Andreani.
The race, organized by the France-based Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), had been due to start in Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday and finish in Dakar, Senegal, on Jan. 20. Eight of the stages had been set to take place in Mauritania. Some 550 car, truck and motorcycle drivers were expected for the 5,760-mile trek. The race's central appeal -- its course through African deserts, scrubland and savannas -- is also a weak point for security, making it difficult to protect thousands of people as they traverse such remote regions.(AP/ESPN.com/Dakar.com/Robbygordon.com), Sprint Cup driver, #7-Robby Gordon had been scheduled to run the race, and will test at Daytona in the first session, scheduled for Jan 7-9th, Brendan Gaughan was to sub for Gordon.(1-4-2008)
- Riggs to the #66; State Water Heaters sponsor...looks like it UPDATE: hearing that State Water Heaters will sponsor the #66 Haas CNC Racing Chevy and that Scott Riggs will drive the car, supposedly Jeremy Mayfield and the #66 crew will move over to the #70 Team. State Water Heaters sponsored the #4 Morgan McClure team and driver Ward Burton in 2007, no word on MMM or Burton's 2008 plans.(1-2-2008)
UPDATE: Scott Riggs told Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway Friday that be will drive the #66 Haas CNC Racing Chevy next season, with the Bootie Barker-led team
that worked with Johnny Sauter's #70 car last year. In addition, Riggs confirmed that talks are underway to brng State Water Heaters aboard as sponsor. "We're in negotiations pretty heavy with State Water Heaters, and while the deal is not signed, we're hopeful that we can get it done."(1-4-2008)
- Petty Enterprises Hires Derrick Finley as Technical Director: Petty Enterprises announced the immediate hiring of NASCAR veteran Derrick Finley to the position of technical director. Finley, 36, will oversee the full-time implementation of the Car of Tomorrow for the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge, driven by 2000 Sprint Cup champion Bobby Labonte, and the #45 Wells Fargo/Marathon/PVA Dodge, driven by Kyle Petty. His first order of business will be to accompany both teams to the NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing that will begin February 7th at the Daytona International Speedway. Finley brings over a decade of NASCAR experience to Petty Enterprises. Upon his graduation from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Finley held crew chief and engineering positions with several racing organizations. This gives Finley the unique blend of an engineering education and hands-on knowledge that is highly sought after in today's
world of auto racing. Finley is another integral piece in the growth of Petty Enterprises back to a championship-contending team. The move by the organization to a state-of-the-art shop in Mooresville, N.C. is almost complete. Several new hires will also give the team plenty of resources to compete for wins immediately.(MCG Sports/Petty Racing PR)(1-4-2008)
- Elliott to run the #21 at Daytona..after that? Wood Brothers Racing is set to announce driver and sponsor information regarding their #21 Sprint Cup entry for the 2008 Daytona Speedweeks events. Veteran driver Bill Elliott has agreed to once again serve as the driver of the #21 Ford Fusion in this year’s opening event. The team will test with Elliott on January 14-16th of this month. He will compete in all Speedweeks events, which will include the February 9th Bud Shootout, the Gatorade Duels—and the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on February 17th. For the Daytona 500 event, the team will have primary sponsorship from McKee Foods, Little Debbie Snack Cakes Brand. Associate sponsors for this event will again be the United States Air Force and Ford Motor Company’s Motorcraft Brand. Crew Chief Gene Nead will lead all efforts in the Sprint Cup Series.(Wood Brothers/JTG Racing PR), no word on other driver schedules for the team such as Ken Schrader. Marcos Ambrose is scheduled to run 12 races, no schedule announced yet.(1-4-2008)
- Aaron's to sponsor #00, MWR testing: As early as Sunday, Michael Waltrip Racing’s #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota team departs to participate in the first official 2008 Sprint Cup Series test session at Daytona International Speedway. David Reutimann, who switches to the #44 UPS Toyota Camry after the first five events, will test the #00 entry from January 7th-9th. Session two will commence on January 14th and include both the #55 Napa Toyota team and the #44 UPS Toyota team with drivers Michael Waltrip and Dale Jarrett respectively. The second session will wrap on the 16th. After the Sprint Cup Series test sessions conclude, there is no downtime for Michael Waltrip Racing. Not only is MWR testing Daytona this month, they are scheduling various test sessions simultaneously at different locations on a weekly basis. This weekend Josh Wise heads to the Harley Davidson Florida Evaluation Center in Naples (Fla.) for a straight-line test. Next week, Michael Waltrip and Michael McDowell are scheduled to test Cup cars at Nashville Superspeedway. Then McDowell heads back to Nashville on the 17th with David Reutimann to test at the venue again. Michael Waltrip Racing returns a third time as Josh Wise takes his turn at the 1.33-mile D-shaped oval on the 22nd in a Cup car.(MWR site)(1-4-2008)
- NASCAR Official leaving post: NASCAR Vice President of Broadcasting and New Media Dick Glover will leave the sanctioning body later this month, a NASCAR spokesman confirmed Thursday. Glover will become CEO of Funny or Die Networks, a celebrity and user-generated video content site co-founded by comedian/actor Will Ferrell, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. Glover, who worked at ABC and ESPN prior to joining NASCAR in 2003, managed the sanctioning body's television partnerships, new media and entertainment. Glover's last day at NASCAR will be January 15, Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reported.(SceneDaily.com)(1-4-2008)
- Bobsled Challenge starts: A field of NASCAR champions traded the asphalt for the ice Thursday as the 3rd Annual Chevy Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering kicked off with an afternoon of training runs. NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion Steve Carlson was among the first ones down. Carlson is one of three NASCAR Developmental Series champions invited to participate by Whelen vice president of motorsports Phil Kurze. Carlson is joined by NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Donny Lia and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified champion L.W. Miller. Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday is also participating, along with Craftsman Truck drivers Johnny Benson, NASCAR Camping World Series East champion Joey Logano, and Sprint Cup Series driver Boris Said. This year’s challenge also includes a full contingent of NHRA drivers. Friday, the drivers will take more practice runs and then a qualifying run. Saturday, they will take two final runs. The afternoon session will feature a face off between the NASCAR drivers and the NHRA drivers.(NASCAR), for more info see the Racing Charity page.(1-4-2008)
News from January 3, 2008
- Atlas Copco to sponsor #70 at NHMS...and Mayfield: Atlas Copco Compressors is proud to continue its partnership with Haas CNC Racing for the 2008 Sprint Cup Season. Atlas Copco's 2008 program consists of primary sponsorship of the #70 Chevy by Jeremy Mayfield for the June 29th race at New Hampshire and secondary sponsorship
throughout the season. Jim Bruce, Atlas Copco's Regional VP, says he's very happy looking back at the company's first year in NASCAR in 2007 and even more excited about the
preparations underway for the #70 team in 2008. "Our involvement with both Haas CNC Racing and the Windshear Inc wind tunnel project has brought tremendous exposure of Atlas Copco Compressors to a very broad audience from local grass roots fans to global B-2-B partners. We are working very hard to achieve Atlas Copco's vision to become and remain First in Mind First in Choice of its customers and other key stakeholders." For additional information visit atlascopco.us.(Atlas Copco Compressors)(1-3-2008)
- Stewart to test at Daytona: Tony Stewart will test the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota during the Jan. 14-16 session [2nd session] at Daytona International Speedway after skipping the session for the last three years. Sprint Cup teams will begin testing Monday [Jan 7th] and are split into two three-day sessions. Stewart will test in the second session, according to a team spokesman. The test will be the first full NASCAR test of the car of tomorrow at Daytona and will be the first NASCAR test for JGR in a Toyota after the team left Chevrolet following the 2007 Cup season.(SceneDaily.com)(1-3-2008)
- AARWBA Dinner to Draw Champions, Winners, Headliners: Dario Franchitti, Emerson Fittipaldi and Carl Haas are among the headliners confirmed to attend the Jan. 12 American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association’s All-America Team dinner presented by A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. The 38th annual ceremony will be at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis. AARWBA is the country’s oldest and largest organization of motorsports media professionals. The All-America Team, voted on by AARWBA media members, includes drivers from open wheel, drag racing, stock car, road racing, short track, touring and at-large categories. The highlight of the evening will be the announcement and presentation of the Jerry Titus Memorial Trophy. The Titus goes to the Team driver who received the most votes. In addition to Indy 500 winner/IndyCar Series champion Franchitti, other Team drivers set to attend include: NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher (last year’s Titus winner); NHRA Funny Car champ Tony Pedregon; Rolex Series co-titlists Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty; Rolex runner-up Scott Pruett; ALMS GT2 co-champions Mika Salo and Jamie Melo; and Indy Pro Series champ Alex Lloyd. AARWBA will offer its tribute to Bill France Jr., Wally Parks and Shav Glick. Popular broadcaster Bob Jenkins will serve as dinner Master of Ceremonies for the third consecutive year. The event is open to the public and tickets can be ordered at the www.AARWBA.org.(1-3-2008)
- Front Row Motorsports to Busch, some Cup UPDATE: been told that Front Row Motorsports [ran the #37 and #34 Dodges part time in 2007] will run the full Nationwide schedule with Eric McClure as the drive and Hefty as the sponsor, with McClure attempting to make the Daytona 500. The team plans to run the first 5-6 Sprint Cup races in 2008 with either McClure or another driver and see how the owners points shakes out and decide from there, either to continue to go every week or pick and choose which races to enter. Also hearing that former driver Kevin Lepage is actively seeking a ride in Cup, Nationwide or Truck Series.(12-29-2007)
UPDATE: McClure will run the full Nationwide Series in the #24 Hefty Chevy; McClure to attempt the Daytona 500 in the #37 Hefty Chevy and may run some more races; FRM plans to run the #34 Chevy full time in 2008, driver is TBD with Scott Eggleston as the crew chief.(1-3-2008)
News from January 2, 2008
- Gaughan to test for Robby at Daytona UPDATE: Brendan Gaughan will fill in for Robby Gordon in the #7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Ford during the upcoming Sprint Cup test session at Daytona International Speedway [didn't say which session]. Gordon is in Africa to compete in the Dakar Rally, which runs Jan. 5-20. With Gordon tied up, the #7 team opted to go with a substitute driver for the session, which begins Monday. Gaughan will fill that role, a team spokesman said Wednesday. Gaughan is currently without a NASCAR ride after his South Point Racing team in the Craftsman Truck Series closed down after a failed merger with Wyler Racing in the offseason. Gaughan will be working with the team's new crew chief, Frank Kerr, who came to RGM after being released from Michael Waltrip Racing, where he worked as a crew chief with David Reutimann's team last year.(SceneDaily.com)
UPDATE: #7-Robby Gordon had been scheduled to run the race in Dakar, which was cancelled, and will test at Daytona in the first session, scheduled for Jan 7-9th, Brendan Gaughan was to sub for Gordon.(1-2-2008)
- Sad news - Ed Sutton: Ed Sutton, father of Truck Series driver, Kelly Sutton, passed away December 30 in Crownsville, MD at the age of 61. Sutton followed in his father's footsteps into the world of Motorsports, racing locally in Maryland. Sutton began drag racing, but quickly moved into Figure 8 racing and eventually oval tracks in the early 1980s throughout the east. Sutton passed his racing legacy on to his daughter, Kelly, in 1991, establishing Capitol City Motorsports and launching her racing career. In 2003, Sutton built Sutton Motorsports and took his daughter's career to one of the top levels of NASCAR - the Craftsman Truck Series. Viewing for Ed Sutton will be held on Thursday, January 3rd from 2:00pm -- 4:00pm and from 7:00pm -- 9:00pm at Hardesty Funeral Home at 851 Annapolis Road in Gambrills, Maryland. Funeral services will be held at 11:00am on Friday, January 4th at South Shore Baptist Church at 725 Herald Harbor Road in Crownsville, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kelly Sutton Let it Shine Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis.(Billy Ballew Motorsports)(1-2-2008)
News from January 1, 2008
- Lake Speed still racing: Lake Speed, who won a world karting championship in his youth, competed in 402 Cup Series races, scoring one victory at rugged Darlington Raceway in 1988. This past weekend, he was back on a go-kart flying over the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, the site of his famous runner-up finish to Bill Elliott in the1985 Daytona 500. Speed, who celebrates his 60th birthday Jan. 17, is now a business real estate developer who plays every so often on a stock class go-kart. Speed dabbled with historic stock car racing for a few years, but said the costs of fielding a competitive car got too high for his budget. "So I sat around a few years and this NASCAR official I know said, 'Hey, come out and do karts with me at the kart track in Charlotte,' " Speed said. "Then the bug hit me again real bad. I had forgot how much fun these things are to drive." Speed was one of hundreds of competitors who have made camp at the Speedway for Daytona KartWeek by Cometic Gasket. The World Karting Association's races ended Sunday. Speed may add more racing to his schedule this season if an old-timer series launches in May. Old School Racing Champions Tour hopes to run 10 races featuring stars of NASCAR past and other motorsports notables. "Those people asked me about racing with them and I told them to put my name on the list," Speed said. "It would be like waking up like 15 years ago."(Daytona Beach News Journal)(1-1-2008)
- Sad News - "Penny" Paniagua: James "Penny" Paniagua, who gave NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon his first taste of speed, died Saturday, a week after suffering a heart attack. "He was at home, surrounded by all his family," said son Jimmy Paniagua of his father's passing. James Paniagua, 89, introduced hundreds of youngsters – including a 4-year-old Gordon – to quarter-midget racing. An innovative designer and mechanic, he custom built more than 100 quarter-midget cars. Among his first models was one bought by John Bickford, Gordon's stepfather, for the racing prodigy. His wife of 65 years, Naomi, also has been in poor health. The couple have four children, all of whom have been active in the local auto racing community. Their grandson, Paul McMahan, is a veteran sprint-car racer in the World of Outlaws. Visitation for Paniagua will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Elk Grove Funeral Chapel, 9101 Elk Grove Blvd., Elk Grove. His memorial service is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at the United Methodist Church, 6th and M streets in Rio Linda.(Sacramento Bee)(1-1-2008)
News from December 31, 2007
- Hylton teams with EM Motorsports team for Daytona ARCA race: John Carter, owner of EM Motorsports, informed James Hylton that he was selected to drive the team’s 2007 Dodge Charger in the 2008 ARCA Daytona 200 on February 9th. Hylton tested the 2007 Charger at Daytona International Speedway in mid December and was 18th fastest with a best lap of 50.702 seconds / 177.508 mph. In 2005, John Carter / EM Motorsports scored a 9th place finish in the Daytona 500 with a Dodge Charger driven by Kevin Lepage. The 2007 EM Motorsports Dodge Charger will be sponsored by Rhino Energy Drink of Austria. Hylton has said that Speedweeks 2008 will be his final run at Daytona as a driver in the ARCA/REMAX series. Hylton sees this effort as a great opportunity to start the 2008 ARCA/REMAX season off with a bang. Hylton is also looking for an opportunity to attempt a start in the 50th Daytona 500.(Hylton Motorsports PR)(12-31-2007)
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