PAST NEWS JULY 12-18, 1999
(7-18-1999)
- That's Racin' NASCAR writer David Poole had surgery Tuesday(7-12) to unclog an artery in his neck at Gaston Memorial Hospital in Gastonia, NC. His surgery went well and he has returned home. He will be away from the tracks for at least the near future. Cards, etc, can be sent to Charlotte Observer, P.O. Box 32188, Charlotte, NC 28232. Get Well David! (7-16/18-1999)
- Sad News: I hear Ron Brown, who was Mark Martin's Pilot for seven years and was currently flying for Ward Burton personally, and the Bill Davis team as needed, recently passed away over the 4th of July weekend(7-18-1999)
- Hamilton/Truck: Bobby Hamilton will be running the #4 DANA Dodge in the CTS race at Nazareth on Sunday. The #4 is a team truck to the #18 of Joe Ruttman with Hamilton as the team owner(Stock Car Fans Newsletter)(7-18-1999)
(7-17-1999)
(7-16-1999)
- Petree/Buckshot? Hearing Buckshot Jones met with Andy Petree recently at Petree's shop and may be discussing a third Petree team with Jones driving, or it could be Jones looking for Petree to supply engines for his team(7-16-1999)
- Wells Drivers: Hearing that Wally Dallenbach and Steve Grissom have spoken to new Cup owner(Tide) for the driver opening on the new team(7-16-1999)
- Melling to Sell? Mark Melling says he has NO plans to sell the #9 Winston Cup team his father Harry built. Melling says they will look for a driver and that the rest of the crew should stay intact(NOL) I hear one driver they are talking to is Steve Grissom(7-16-1999)
- Wells/Yates? in a Winston Cup Scene story about Cal Wells and Robert Yates, it was mentioned that Wells has approached Yates about supplying BGN and Cup engines to his new teams. Yates declined the BGN request as he does not build them but gave Wells prices for the deal, back in May(7-16-1999)
- Brooks Hurt UPDATE: former Winston Cup driver and owner, Dick Brooks, was hurt in a motorcycle accident(RPM2Nite), and saw this in today's Stock Car Fans Newsletter: Dick Brooks businessman and NASCAR Legend was injured in a motorcycle accident late Wednesday.
Hi is at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center in ICU. Brooks was in critical condition through the night, but is now list in serious condition. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident -- UPDATE: After taking a tumble through a field in his Harley-Davidson motorcycle without a helmet Wednesday evening, Dick Brooks had a lot of people worried. But Brooks was upgraded from critical condition to serious but stable Thursday afternoon, according to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center spokesman Hunter Kome, and his injuries are not life-threatening. Full story at Brooks avoids life-threatening injuries (GoUpstate/Hearld Journal, SC)(7-16-1999)
(7-15-1999)
- #25 has a sponsor UPDATE 2: This weeks Winston Cup Scene reports that the #25 Hendrick team has signed a sponsor and will make an announcement within the next month. It is unsure if Dallenbach will stay with the team or take one of the offers he has on the table. Jayski Note: I hear it is a construction company of some sort and not Yamaha as reported recently(7-9-1999) -- UPDATE: hearing the sponsor will be Michael Holigan Homes who does the TV show Your New House, Whirlpool may end up as an associate here too(7-14-1999) -- UPDATE: Posted on the USA Today site: Jerry Nadeau will replace Wally Dallenbach Jr. as driver next season in one of the three Winston Cup teams owned by Rick Hendrick. The sponsor is an Internet company, MichaelHoligan.com, that specializes in home repair and garden supplies. The sponsorship will be worth between $8 million-$10 million(USA Today)(7-15-1999)
- Labonte to STAY - UPDATE: as reported numerous times here, from NOL: Over the past two months, Terry Labonte has been the prime subject of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series rumor mill, but Tuesday he set the record straight -- Hendrick Motorsports is home and will continue to be home for at least through the 2000 season. See complete story at: Labonte maintaining status quo at Hendrick(NOL)(7-14-1999) -- UPDATE: in part from a That's Racin' story: ....two-time champion Terry Labonte, who recently signed a contract extension to keep him with Hendrick through the 2001 season(That's Racin')(7-15-1999)
- Valvoline News: Early this month, Valvoline announced that it would not renew its primary sponsorship of Derrick Walker's CART racing team, which features driver Gil De Ferran. But that prompted speculation that Valvoline might quit the sponsorship game altogether -- even ending its relationship with NASCAR Winston Cup star Martin and the Jack Roush racing team. A spokesman for ESPN said an announcer on sister network ABC erroneously said on Sunday that Valvoline was getting out of motorsports sponsorships altogether. Then on ESPN2's "RPM 2night," the news about the Walker CART team was repeated, with the clarification added that Valvoline is not ending other sponsorships. Valvoline never even considered ending its sponsorship of Martin, Kish said(Tennessean)(7-15-1999)
- Wallace story: Mike Wallace plans to try to qualify for the Brickyard 400 Aug. 7 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He's hired veteran Winston Cup crew chief Tim Brewer to prepare a car(CNN/SI/AP) he'll be in the #32 Ford owned by his Truck series owner Jim Smith(#2 Ultra Wheels Ford)(7-15-1999)
(7-14-1999)
- Rudd UPDATE: Ricky Rudd, driver,owner of the #10 Tide Ford, is not eliminating the idea of driving for another team and having someone else drive his car next season. He prefers to stay with his own team but said Tuesday that he has some calls about driving for other teams(News and Record) - see Yates story below, and I hear Target is a possible sponsor for the #10 and UPDATE: Winston Cup Today radio reports that CART owner Chip Ganassi(sponsor is Target) was in the garage area at Indy during Ford testing talking to Rudd....he says he was just visiting(7-14-1999)
- Dallenbach? where might Wally Dallenbach end up? actually hearing many rumors he may go back to....SABCO and I hear he is talking to Cal Wells about the Tide ride(7-14-1999)
- #25 Driver UPDATE: I hear the Jerry Nadeau will replace Wally Dallenbach as the driver in the #25 in 2000. Dallenbach will finish out the season in the #25 Bud Chevy(7-13-1999) -- UPDATE: Hearing it will be Jerry Nadeau as the driver -- UPDATE: Jerry Nadeau will join Hendrick Motorsports next season as the driver of the #25 Chevrolets. Nadeau, 28, will replace Wally Dallenbach, who has been in Hendrick's third car since the Michigan race in August of last season. The sponsorship for Nadeau's car is a multiyear deal, according to sources. Melling Racing is planning to continue its Winston Cup operation and is currently involved in a search to replace Nadeau next season(That's Racin')(7-14-1999)
- Bud Moore deal? UPDATE 2 and Irwin? whatever happened to the #15 Bud Moore/AMVETs deal? No idea(6-20-1999) -- UPDATE: Looks like it's still on, I hear the deal is still being finalized. Moore is going to the AMVETS National conference or meeting in early/mid July, where supposedly they are bringing a show car to display. Supposedly the deal would be to run the final 5 races this year with 2 full seasons in the deal beginning next year. No word on a driver yet(6-21-1999) -- UPDATE 2: I hear the #15-Bud Moore/AMVETS has fallen through, they had a deal then they didn't. Supposedly, Moore has two options: 1) Sell the team, he supposedly has an offer/buyer in place or 2) wait out one more sponsorship deal he may have in the works. Also hear Kenny Irwin, Jr is a possible driver for the team if he exits the #28(7-14-1999)
- Ticker: Now you can follow the StockCar Stocks Index via NASDAQ under the ticker symbol SCARX(will take you to the quote via Yahoo)(7-14-1999)
- Ron Fellows/Nemechek UPDATE 2: Ron Fellows' will be a semi-regular on both the BGN and CTS in 1999. Joe Nemechek, who will drive for SABCO racing next year, has contracted Fellows to drive about 12 races for him in 1999 including the Winston Cup event at Watkins Glen, which has become a favorite track for the Canadian(TSN Motorsports)(12-18-98) -- NASCAR Online reports that as of now, Fellows is contracted to run the BGN race at Watkins Glen and four truck races with AER Manufacturing as the sponsor. Fellows schedule could expand if he finds additional sponsorship, which he feels confident about. Nemechek will run 13 BGN events in 1999 in the #87 Chevy. No mention of a Cup race at all in the story.(NASCAR Online)(12-21-98) -- UPDATE 2: been a while on this one......Ron Fellows will once again be teaming with Bully Hill Vineyards of Hammondsport, NY, for the Winston Cup Frontier at The Glen, August 15, 1999. This time Fellows will be driving the #87 Chevy's owned by Nemechek-McGraw Racing with sponsorship from Bully Hill Vineyards of Hammondsport, NY. Fellows' achievements at The Glen include three consecutive CTS poles and two wins; a BGN pole and a win; as well as two wins in the SCCA Trans Am Series. Should he achieve victory in the Frontier @ The Glen, he would become the first driver to win a race in each of NASCAR's three premier touring series' at one track. Bully Hill Vineyards was started by Greyton H. Taylor and Walter S. Taylor in 1958. The family has been either growing grapes or producing wine since 1878. In 1970 Bully Hill Vineyards, Inc. was formally incorporated. Located in Hammondsport, NY, it now produces over 200,000 cases of wine each year. Bully Hill Vineyards, Inc. prides itself on the production of the highest quality New York State wines and grape juices. Visit their web site at www.bullyhill.com(NEMCO Motorsports PR)(7-14-1999)
- TV Guide Update: just an FYI so folks know, looks like the NASCAR TV Guide covers are a regional deal of some sort, I got a Dennis Franz(NYPD Blue, one of my favorite shows) cover, no NASCAR, the story is still in there(see TV Guide story below)(7-14-1999)
(7-13-1999)
- Whirlpool too: I hear via a company newsletter that the Whirlpool brand will end its four-year involvement with Ricky Rudd and his #10 Cup team at the
end of this year's racing season. The company is reviewing it's involvement with NASCAR in light of their Brand-Focused Value Creation strategy(?). In other words, they may continue their involvement with NASCAR or not(7-13-1999)
- Wally World: Wally Dallenbach says he should know in a week or so if he'll be back with Hendrick Motorsports or with another team next season. He finished seventh on Sunday, his best placing of the year(PitNow), I hear he will NOT be back in the #25(7-13-1999)
- TV Guide UPDATE 2 BUT..and: Last month I reported that a few NASCAR drivers were to be on a June issue of TV Guide Cover, whoops, it's July 17th. The issue will feature 4 multiple covers of the "Up and Coming Stars of Nascar". The covers will feature Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, Jeremy Mayfield, and Tony Stewart(Tony Stewart Online Newsletter) But, just saw this: "NASCAR's censorship of TV Guide three weeks ago has come back to haunt it. TV Guide's hood decal on Kevin Lepage's car at Michigan Speedway was to have carried the TV Guide cover of sexy female wrestler Sable, in line with a number of similar cover decals this season. But NASCAR officials ruled the photo too sexy for the stock-car audience and demanded it be altered to a more demure pose, in a behind-the-scenes debate that dragged on the entire week. Now TV Guide has canceled its plans for a four-cover NASCAR issue next week featuring the Winston Cup tour's new young guns, Tony Stewart, Jeremy Mayfield, Bobby Labonte and Jeff Burton. The feature stories on those drivers will still run, but the cover will be women's soccer instead of NASCAR. NASCAR officials politicked hard to get TV Guide to change the decision, to no avail."(PitNow)(7-3-1999) -- UPDATE 2: looks like TV Guide reconsidered - Mobil 1 Taurus driver Jeremy Mayfield will be the key driver appearing on the cover of TV Guide next week. The edition of the national magazine, which is one of the highest-circulated magazines in the world, is due on newsstands this weekend. Three other drivers also appear on the rotating covers(Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Jeff Burton). The cover was originally scheduled to run in June but was postponed until this weekend(Williams Company)(7-13-1999)
- Wheaties Returns? UPDATE 2: I hear that the #26 Cheerios Ford and Johnny Benson, will run a Wheaties scheme, possibly in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona(5-20-1999) -- UPDATE 1: I hear that Johnny Benson will drive a Solid Gold Cheerios #26 Ford in a one race deal sometime this summer, not sure when(5-27-1999) -- UPDATE 2: well we know the Wheaties deal didn't happen at Daytona and have heard nothing else on it but I hear the car may be raced in Atlanta, there is also a contest involved with this(www.jbfans.com(7-13-1999)
- Action News: Action Performance announced that Greg Penske, president of Penske Motorsports, Inc and future board member of International Speedway Corp., has been named to the Board of Directors of Action Performance(Yahoo Biz)(7-13-1999)
(7-12-1999)
- Rudd to Yates? Now comes word that Robert Yates might be interested in hiring Ricky Rudd. Rudd said Yates hasn't talked to him, but he finds the idea intriguing. Yates has moved the Texaco team out of Charlotte up to a shop leased near the speedway, but he has looked at putting a shop in the Mooresville sports complex where Rudd has his own shop and another six acres of prime undeveloped land. Rudd talked with Yates last year about doing an engine program(PitNow)(7-12-1999)
- Irwin Decision: Kenny Irwin now expects to know by Pocono if he'll be back with Yates next season. There have been reports for several months that Yates might be interested in hiring Terry Labonte to drive the Texaco-sponsored car. But Labonte has another year on his contract with Rick Hendrick, and John Hendrick has begun a major push to improve the performance of the Labonte team(PitNow)(7-12-1999)
- To Kill a few Rumors: Roush Racing's Geoff Smith said that Johnny Benson will be back with Jack Roush next year, and that there will be no driver changes at Roush Racing. Chad Little and Kevin Lepage will also return for another season(PitNow) and we know Mark Martin and Jeff Burton are going no where and Matt Kenseth will be aboard in a sixth Roush Ford(7-12-1999)
- Heated Exchange: NASCAR officials apparently weren't too pleased with Jeff Gordon's bumps and pass of Dale Jarrett on the last lap of Sunday's Jiffy Lube 300. Gordon and his crew chief, Ray Evernham, were called into the NASCAR hauler to discuss the incident, in which Gordon bumped Jarrett's No. 88 Ford a couple of times through Turns 3 and 4 to take third place, pushing Jarrett to fourth. Kevin Triplett, NASCAR's director of operations, would not comment about what was discussed. Quotes and more at Gordon, Jarrett quarrel after last-lap rubbin'(That's Racin'/Jim Utter)(7-12-1999)
- Craven off for a few weeks: Ricky Craven who finished 13th in the #50 Midwest Transit Chevy at Loudon said the team will skip the July 25 race at Pocono and return for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. The team may also skip Watkins Glen but then finish out the season(That's Racin')(7-12-1999)
- Fuel Cells UPDATE 2: NASCAR officials confiscated the fuel cells from the #3, #30, #45 and #58 teams Friday at NHIS. The fuel cells were too light. NASCAR has size requirements that are for the outside of the container. If a thinner metal is used to build the cells, then they can hold that minor amount of extra gas, a slight advantage at a fuel-mileage track. #11 Brett Bodine also had his fuel cell confiscated as the foam in the cell had been cut out, allowing the cell more capacity. There will be no fines for any of the teams since the problem was caught before qualifying(Times-Dispatch and That's Racin')(7-10-1999) -- UPDATE: see
Taking Liberties with Fuel Cell Cans - A Classically Dumb Idea by Tom Hintz(Speedwords)(7-11-1999) -- UPDATE 2: NASCAR officials added the fuel cells of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Mast to a growing stack in the garage. The two were confiscated Saturday morning. Like the four that NASCAR took from teams on Friday, the cells were too light(Times-Dispatch)(7-12-1999)