PAST NEWS SEPT 17-23, 2001
THE PAST NEWS! YESTERDAY and BEYOND..
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(9-23-2001)
- Little E wins at Dover: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr won the MBNA Cal Ripken Jr 400 at Dover. Great scene with Dale Jr carrying a large USA Flag around the track on his backwards victory lap. 2nd place finisher was #25-Jerry Nadeau who started 41st using a provisional. #28-Ricky Rudd was 3rd and #24-Jeff Gordon was 4th, Gordon lost 10 points to Rudd, but still leads the Winston Cup Championship by 212 points, with #20-Stewart 3rd, 412 points behind. See That's Racin' for Unofficial Results and Driver Standings and a That's Racin': Rudd spins, Earnhardt Jr. wins(9-23-2001)
- Cope in the #57 UPDATE: Derrike Cope tested at Kansas Speedway last week on Wednesday and Thursday and drove the #57 CLR Ford. This is a Winston Cup team that is owned by Ted Campbell and sponsored by CLR cleaning products. Cope said the test went very well and he was told that they will go to the Kansas race as well as the Charlotte race. Cope and the team will test Charlotte this week on Tuesday and Wednesday(Sept 18-19). Cope said, "I am very excited about the opportunity. They will have Robert Yates engines. The Crew Chief is Joey Cudmore and the entire crew are great guys. We had a good chance to get to know each other and seemed to get along great. Our speeds we felt were good at Kansas, but worked mostly on race set-up."(Derrike Cope Site). It was announced a few weeks ago that Kenny Wallace would drive the #57 CLR Ford at Kansas City, Charlotte, and Homestead but Wallace is subbing in the #1 for injured Steve Park(9-18-2001)
UPDATE: Derrike Cope will attempt to make the inaugural Winston Cup Kansas race in the #57 CLR Ford Taurus this week. Cope and his team drove more than 15 hours each way from Charlotte to test at Kansas on Sept. 12 and 13. "That racetrack is a dynamite facility, and I think it's going to be great racing," Cope said. "It grips (well), but it's going to be tight on the bottom."(FoxSports)(9-25-2001)
- RCR Sues: Richard Childress Racing, the owner of the late Dale Earnhardt's Winston Cup team, has filed suit in federal court accusing a Charlotte-based company of stealing the design of Earnhardt's former car number and profiting from his Feb. 18 death in a last-lap wreck at the Daytona 500. Barry Baker and Billi Jo McCall Baker and their Heavenly Designs of N.C. Inc. company are named in the lawsuit filed Sept. 13 and reported Friday by Bloomberg News. Earnhardt won six of his seven Winston cup titles while driving for Childress and since 1980 competed in cars bearing a slanted No. 3. The lawsuit accuses the Bakers of selling memorabilia with the number combined with wings and a halo to symbolize Earnhardt's death. "We're going to do what we have to do to protect our rights," Childress said Sunday. "We do have the trademark and the service marks on the stylized 3. We'll do what we have to do to protect that. We've had an unbelievable amount of illegal stuff being made. What we usually do is have a cease-and-desist (order) and that pretty much stops it. We're just trying to protect what Dale and I have built over the years." After being told to stop selling the items, the suit contends, the Bakers modified the design and then incorporated Heavenly Designs on July 11 to continue selling items. "As a result of these unlawful activities, defendants have received substantial profits to which they are not entitled, resulting in corresponding losses to RCR," the lawsuit contends. RCR is seeking a court order recalling infringing items from shelves and blocking future sales, along with any profits, damages and court fees. The racing group also asks that the Bakers be held personally liable for the infringements, saying they set up Heavenly Designs to protect themselves from a lawsuit. No court date has been set to hear the case.(That's Racin')(9-23-2001)
- Some more driver rumors UPDATE Pressley to the #4? or is it Skinner?: Mike Skinner to the #77 Jasper Engines Ford with current driver, Robert Pressley possibly headed to the #4 Morgan McClure Kodak Chevy. Skinner is also rumored to the #4 team and the #33 Andy Petree Racing team if a sponsor is found(9-18-2001)
UPDATE: and also hearing Robert Pressley as a stong candidate to the #4 Kodak Chevy for 2002 as well as Skinner(9-23-2001)
- Eel River to Chevy for Talladega? Barry Dodson, crew chief and (#27) team manager for the team Rick Mast drives for, said that he may take a Chevrolet to Talladega next month if NASCAR doesn't make the Pontiacs more competitive with a rules change soon. Dodson also has canceled the fifth annual Tia and Trey Dodson Memorial Golf Classic, because of last week's tragedies in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The Huntersville charity tournament last year raised more than $10,000 for Motor Racing Outreach, in memory of Adam Petty. This year's tournament was to support the Rick Mast Rockbridge Area Free Clinic for Underprivileged Children(Winston Salem Journal). AJ Foyt, who owns the #14 Conseco Pontiac also mentioned a few months ago that his team may run a Chevy at Talladega in Oct(9-23-2001)
- Long to help Sadler? UPDATE 2 Little Tree: hearing former #7 crew chief Jim Long will join the #13 Virginia Lottery team owned and driven by Hermie Sadler as a consultant for the several races this year while he looks at his options for 2002. Hearing Long will be at Dover this weekend with Sadler and will work with the team in preparations for Martinsville as well(9-19-2001)
UPDATE: With help from veteran crew chief Jim Long, Emporia's Hermie Sadler qualified for his first race of the 2001 season. Sadler, who had failed to make the field in five previous attempts, turned the 32nd-fastest lap (152.104 mph). He credited Long, who recently left the No. 7 Ford, with helping lift the team after Sadler was 44th fastest in the morning practice. "We needed a person to trust to say, 'This is what you need to do, and everything's going to be fine.' This was a big confidence booster for us," said Sadler, who will test at Martinsville Speedway next week in preparation for the Oct. 14 race. "I don't care what happens now. I feel like we won the race." Tomorrow's race will be the first Winston Cup event to feature the Sadler brothers. Elliott Sadler qualified 19th after running the second-fastest speed in practice.(Richmond Times Dispatch)(9-22-2001)
UPDATE 2: during Happy Hour practice coverage on TNT #13-Hermie Sadler said he will have Little Tree's on the car for Sunday's race, Little Tree's are those air fresheners shaped like tree's for use in cars/trucks(9-22-2001)
UPDATE 3: The 48 BGN team that Kenny Wallace drivers for pitted the #13 Little Trees Chevy in the Dover Cup race(Kenny Wallace Racing)(9-23-2001)
- #500 for Beam: #32 PPI Motorsports crew chief, Mike Beam, will crew chief his 500th race today at Dover(FSN's NASCAR This Morning)(9-23-2001)
(9-22-2001)
- NASCAR Personnel Moves in the future? UPDATE 4 - Nelson and Darby: Gary Nelson may indeed have other duties in the organization by next year, NASCAR officials say. Nelson was rumored last fall to be on the way out, but NASCAR President Mike Helton insisted in December that Nelson would stay in place for the time being. Darlington Speedway's John Hunter said Friday, however, that Nelson's duties would change and perhaps expand, possibly by the end of this year, noting that Nelson would remain with the company in some unspecified capacity. Asked about successors, Hunter agreed that present BGN director John Darby is a likely candidate, and that others not currently in NASCAR, or in NASCAR garage roles, also are on the radar(SpeedVision)(1-13-2001)
UPDATE: Gary Nelson's duties could pass to subordinates Buster Auton and Brian DeHart as the season goes on. NASCAR is developing a research facility in Dale Jarrett's old Busch shop in Conover/Hickory, N.C., and it appears likely that Nelson is being pointed in that direction. SpeedVision hear conflicting reports on Busch Series director John Darby, a) that he would be offered Nelson's job for 2002 and would take it, and b) that he would be offered Nelson's job and turn it down, preferring his present role(SpeedVision)(3-19-2001)
UPDATE 2: Circle Racing Online's NASCAR sources say the current garage talk about the future of Gary Nelson as Winston Cup Series Director is heating up, yet again. We first got a rippling of a possible "promotion up and out" for Nelson at last year's Phoenix Winston Cup race. Supposedly, his days were numbered until February of 2001. Well, it's at tribute to his staying power (or the general infidelity of vile garage talk rumors) that it's months later and Nelson still stands at the highest position in the Competition section of NASCAR's staff. But that was before Dale Earnhardt's death at this year's Daytona 500. The resulting public relations debacle for NASCAR has lately revived talk of Nelson's movement to a different position. The latest "best-case" version is that Nelson may head up NASCAR's new safety R&D facility in Hickory, NC, and that other BGN Director John Darby will move up to take his place. Darby's vacant BGN position would then be filled by current CTS Director Wayne Auton(Circle Racing Online)(5-15-2001)
UPDATE 3: Rumor has it that Busch Series director John Darby is in line to replace current Winston Cup director Gary Nelson at the end of the 2001 season. Nelson, who took the director's job ten years ago, is expected to move to NASCAR's research and development department in Hickory, N.C. Before taking the director's job, Nelson was a top-notch crew chief, winning 21 Winston Cup races in 258 starts. Even though the change is effective at the end of the season, the official announcement is expected before then.(NASCAR.com Buzz)(9-1-2001)
UPDATE 4: Winston Cup Series director Gary Nelson will leave that job at the end of the 2001 season to head up NASCAR's new research and development facility in Conover, NC. John Darby, currently director of the BGN series, will replace Nelson in the Cup series. Brian DeHart, who has been one of Nelson's top assistants in the Cup series, will replace Darby as Grand National series director beginning with the 2002 season. Nelson's departure from the job as the "top cop" in the Winston Cup series has been the subject of rumors for more than a year. The time has apparently come, however, since word is already going out among teams in the BGN garage area that Darby will be moving up from that series to Cup(That's Racin')(9-22-2001)
- Spencer to honor Flight 93 at Lowes UPDATE Stewart to drive? When United Airlines flight 93 crashed September 11, 2001 in a strip mine in Shanksville, PA, Jimmy Spencer was devastated not only because the crash scene was near where Spencer grew-up in Pennsylvania, but of an heroic feat that was felt around the world. As Spencer was driving back home to North Carolina after being stranded at the Houston airport the day America was attacked, Spencer learned about how the passengers of Flight 93 overcame three hijackers and saved the life's of thousands of people in our nation's capitol. Spencer was deeply touched by the actions of the passengers who put their life's on the line to prevent another major devastation. "Obviously, I'm very sad and angry about what happened last week", said Spencer. "I know President Bush and our military are going to find the faceless cowards that did this, and I am so proud of what Americans and other countries are doing to help the families of all the victims." Spencer said, "I want to focus on these forty-five families and try to help them financially. I am going to field my #5 Busch Series Chevrolet at the NASCAR race in Charlotte on October 6. This car will be a memorial to the forty-five passengers of Flight 93 and will proudly display the emblem of "The Presidential Medal of Freedom", America's highest civilian award. I am asking the NASCAR community and fans for their support and to generate as much money as we can for the families of Flight 93 and all the victims of September 11. This is my way to help the families and to pay homage and to give these forty-five American heroes a memorial shrine inside the NASCAR arena. Please send financial donations to: Spencer Motor Ventures, 160 Gasoline Alley, Mooresville, NC 28117, or donate online at www.jimmyspencer.net.. Make checks payable to: American Red Cross. Jayski Note: It was recently announced that Ward Burton would run Charlotte/Lowes in the #5 Pillsbury, no word if Spencer will still try the #5 (the highest qulaifying car gets the number) or if he will use his old #12 or maybe #93(9-18-2001)
UPDATE: hearing Tony Stewart will be the driver for Spencer's effort and ALL the proceeds they raise will go to the relief effort(9-22-2001)
- Andy Houston in the #92 BGN car? UPDATE: Current #96 Cup driver Andy Houston appears headed to the BGN as sources say Houston will join Herzog Motorsports in the BGN in 2002. Excedrin is expected to return as the team's primary sponsor. Houston would replace the Winston Cup-bound(#48 team) Jimmie Johnson. Herzog Motorsports team manager and crew chief Tony Liberati declined comment, as did Houston. Houston also has at least one other offer from a prominent BGN team(Winston Cup Scene - need sub to read)(8-23-2001)
UPDATE: FSN's Totally NASCAR reported Friday that Andy Houston has signed a 2 year deal with Herzog Motorsports to drive the #92 Chevy in 2002. Houston also said Excedrin will be back to sponsor the team in 2002(9-22-2001)
- NASCAR donation? been asked, didn't know, here is what was found - And, finally, what of NASCAR? The ruling body compiled voluminous lists of what its teams were doing, but so far, it has not made any mention of coming off the corporate hip itself to help rebuild the rubble from the terrorist attacks. Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s vice president for communications, said a donation will be forthcoming. "Our thinking is that this is going to be a long-term operation," said Hunter. "This effort to rebuild from the effects of the devastation is going to be long-term. It may go on for a year or more. At some point in the future, we will make a sizeable financial contribution, but we’d rather sit back right now and consider where it would be most needed."(Gaston Gazette)(9-22-2001)
(9-21-2001)
- Petree Close to Sponsors for 2002 UPDATE Square-D Re-ups with the #55 for 2002-2003: Steve Barkdoll, APR’s executive vice president/general manager, did have some good news from the Andy Petree Racing shop this week. “We are so close on signing sponsors for next year that I could scream. So I want to make this statement: ‘In light of the tragedies, APR is very, very hopeful to make a decision later this week about its sponsors for next year,’” Barkdoll said.(Henderson Times-News), hearing one of the sponsors could be Intel(9-18-2001)
UPDATE: sources at APR tell me that APR is close to signing one deal, but still needs a sponsor for one of their two cars(9-19-2001)
UPDATE 2: from a Sqaure-D employee newsletter - "....pleased to announce today that we have reached an agreement with Andy Petree Racing that will continue our primary sponsorship of the NASCAR Winston Cup #55 Chevrolet for the 2002-2003 seasons. We will use our NASCAR sponsorship for the last six races of 2001, as well as the 2002-2003 seasons, as a very key element in the internal and external introduction of our new Schneider Electric/Schneider Legrand organization in North America. We will feature our new Schneider Electric identity on the car, as well as the leading brands of our combined organization -- Merlon Gerin, Modicon, Ortronics, Pass and Seymour, Square D, Telemecanique, The Wattstopper and Wiremold. We will also use our industry-leading hospitality program at these races to introduce and explain our new organization to our customers, distributors and our own people. We will be providing more details to you, including the new paint scheme for the car, on October 18 or 19, after the European Commission has approved our merger. We also plan to unveil this new car at a press conference on Friday, October 19, at the Talladega, Alabama, Superspeedway (where we are the defending champions of the race)."(9-21-2001)
UPDATE 3: Square D and Schneider Electric announced today that a new two-year agreement with Andy Petree Racing has been reached which will continue its primary sponsorship of the NASCAR Winston Cup #55 Chevrolet for the 2002-2003 seasons. This new NASCAR sponsorship will be used as a key element and rallying point for the internal and external introduction of the new Schneider Electric/Schneider Legrand organization in North America. SQUARE D is the flagship brand in the U.S. for Schneider Electric, the worldwide electrical industry leader whose merger with Legrand is expected to be finalized in mid-October. Legrand is a worldwide leader in low voltage final distribution from electrical switches to home automation applications.(Motorsports Decisions PR)(9-21-2001)
- Kirby to attempt Lowes: Stuart Kirby, the 20-year-old ARCA driver from Bowling Green, KY was fourth fastest on the unofficial watches at Lowes Motor Speedway testing Tuesday and Wednesday. Making his first laps in a Winston Cup car, Kirby showed the poise of a veteran as he was clocked at just over 179 mph in the #75 Ford owned by former ARCA competitor Bob Schacht. The car Kirby tested was recently purchased from PPI Motorsports and still sported a portion of the Tide paint scheme. Team members said it was the car Ricky Craven drove earlier this season at Michigan Speedway. Kirby is looking to make his NASCAR Winston Cup debut in the UAW-GM Quality 500(LMS Site)(9-21-2001)
- Kvapil to attempt Charlotte Cup race? UPDATE 2 no: Travis Kvapil driving an #60 Addington Racing Chevy Winston Cup car during testing at Charlotte this week (Tues the 18th and Wed the 19th), if all goes well Kvapil may attempt the UAW-GM Cup race at Lowes Motor Speedway(9-19-2001)
UPDATE: since NASCAR moved the postponed Texas Truck race to the same weekend as the Cup race at Charlotte, there is no way the team can run both(9-19-2001)
UPDATE: CTS driver Travis Kvapil made his first laps at Lowe’s Motor Speedway during testing Tuesday/Wednesday(Sept 18-19). Kvapil had hoped to make a qualifying attempt for the UAW-GM Quality 500, but the postponement of the Chevy Silverado 350 truck race at Texas Motor Speedway changed those plans. Unfortunately, Kvapil’s test ended against the concrete wall with his former Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet suffering heavy damage(LMS Site)(9-21-2001)
- Give Kids the World: On May 13, Colin Albo, his sister and grandparents visited Give Kids The World. Colin thought it was just another day to play at the Castle...but his grandparents were keeping a secret. Representatives from Procter & Gamble, along with race car driver Ricky Craven, were all at the Village to tell Colin that his artwork was selected as the new paint scheme for #32 Tide car. Colin created his masterpiece with the use of a blow pen. Each year, the racecar gets repainted for one race with a special design created by a guest of Give Kids The World. Colin's artwork will be applied to the #32 Tide Ford for the October 7 race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. Colin's design is also featured on a die-cast collectible car, which is now available for a $5 donation with 100% of the proceeds going directly to Give Kids The World. See their site at www.gktw.org (Ricky Craven Site)(9-21-2001)
(9-20-2001)
- DuPont 200th Scheme: Jeff Gordon unveiled the special DuPont 200th Anniversary #24 Chevy at the DuPont Country Club on Thursday. Gordon also presented a check for $50,000 from the Jeff Gordon Foundation to the DuPont United Way Campaign for United Way of Delaware. The car has a celebratory paint scheme honoring the 200th anniversary of the DuPont Company, which will occur in 2002. The hood and the deck lid of the car will feature the "DuPont 200 Years" logo which is illustrated with a flask that has confetti spouting out of the top. The logo signifies DuPont as a leader in science for 200 years. Gordon will debut the anniversary car at Speedweeks in Daytona Beach, Fla., in mid-February. Fans will get to see it in three nationally televised races at Daytona International Speedway – the Budweiser Shootout, and one of the Gatorade Twin 125 qualifying races, and the Daytona 500(DuPont.com). See the schemes on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(Action Performance Companies)(9-20-2001)
- RedCell stiffs Bodine? Word has it that Red Cell Batteries has stuck Brett Bodine for about a half million dollars.(Catchfence), that is why you no longer see them on the 1/4 panels of the #11 Ford(9-20-2001)
- Testing at Lowes UPDATE 3: Lowe’s Motor Speedway will be open for NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams to test on Tuesday, Sept. 18, and Wednesday, Sept. 19, no word yet on which teams will test(LMS PR)(9-4-2001)
UPDATE: actually no update nor any word on what teams will test at Lowes(9-18-2001)
UPDATE 2: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #88-Dale Jarrett, #28-Ricky Rudd, #26-Jimmy Spencer and #43-John Andretti were among the Cup drivers participating in Tuesday evening's test at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Also testing were #92-Stacy Compton, #14-Ron Hornaday, #97-Kurt Busch, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #46-Frank Kimmel, #57-Derrike Cope, #30-Jeff Green, #60-Travis Kvapil, #75-Stuart Kirby(That's Racin'), no word on speeds(9-18-2001)
UPDATE 3: top 10 speeds from Tuesday test:
#92-Stacy Compton 182.125mph
#48-Jimmie Johnson 181.208
#28-Ricky Rudd 180.602
#75-Stuart Kirby 179.342
#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. 179.223
#97-Kurt Busch 179.104
#43-John Andretti 178.926
#30-Jeff Green 178.880
#57-Derrike Cope 178.807
#88-Dale Jarrett 178.630(LMS PR)(9-20-2001)
- More Jerry Jones II: Hearing that Dallas Cowboy's Owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys Franchise is interested in the Body Dynamics/America's Most Wanted Racing(AMW) program as a possible partnership or underwriter. And that the team has received requests from McDonalds, Cingular, Hershey Foods, K-B Toys and Toys-R-us to just name a few that have requested information about the underwriting sponsorship opportunities for the America's Most Wanted Racing program, which they have decided to expand into BGN and Trucks series as well. Body Dynamics/America's Most Wanted Racing is also in the final stages of signing a deal with Robby Unser to drive the AMW CTS entry next season(8-16-2001)
UPDATE: Jerry Jones, who owns the Dallas Cowboys, is still working toward building a Winston Cup operation, apparently in the mold of Gibbs' operation. The word from Detroit is that he's looking at Ford and Dodge(Winston Salem Journal)(9-20-2001)
- NASCAR Radio: NASCAR Radio, one channel of the new 100-channel pay-to-hear satellite system coming on line this fall, is an interesting experiment in several aspects. Not only will it be interesting to listen to Tim Farley, the channel's programming boss, trying to come up with 24 hours of NASCAR sports news every day, but also to follow the cross-marketing, cross-promotional links with some of the other 99 channels. The whole operation is housed in a spiffy new building in Washington, with 400 people working out of 82 digital studios, all making for strange and interesting bedfellows: Andréa Bocelli, meet Dale Earnhardt Jr. "The rebirth of radio," is the slogan behind the two new satellite systems, XM Radio and Sirius. NASCAR has signed on with XM, which is partly owned by General Motors, which has the new radios in this year's Cadillacs and will have the new radios in more models next year, with a tiny shark fin antenna the size of a cell-phone link. The official launch of XM, about eight years in the works, was set for Sept. 12 but has been postponed until Tuesday, when it will debut in Dallas, San Diego and other points in the Southwest. It will roll out nationally in the coming weeks, dependent more on the availability of new radios and adapters than anything else. There will be 70 music channels and 30 talk channels, including NASCAR, and one selling pitch is digital-sound quality. Other talk channels include XM News, USAToday, BBC, Fox, ESPN, Sporting News, CSPAN, MTV, VH1, BET and Bloomberg. Most channels will be commercial free, in part because the service costs $10 a month. The NASCAR angle is being pitched hard. XM will have a hauler and hot-air balloon at Dover Downs this weekend to entice Winston Cup fans to buy into the package. The channel will carry all Winston Cup, Busch events and truck races, all qualifying from start to finish, all MRN and PRN broadcasts, Benny Parsons' FastTalk, Eli Gold's NASCAR Live, replays of classic races, and a number of in-house produced shows. There will also be a morning NASCAR News Now, a news magazine show. Farley, from Richmond's WRVA, will be the host for a NASCAR talk show every day, 4-7 p.m.(Winston Salem Journal), TWO NOTES: the XM Radio site address is www.xmradio.com and recently Jayski did an interview for the channel (9-20-2001)
(9-19-2001)
- Hooper to attempt Dover: Former Southwest Tour and Winston West Champion Lance Hooper will be attempting to qualify for the Winston Cup Race in Dover this weekend. He will be driving # 47 Ford for Dark Horse Racing. Dark Horse is owned by Florida businessman Roger Smith. The Excedrin #92 BGN Team, headed up by crew chief Tony Liberati, will pit the car for Hooper on Sunday. Hooper is looking for a full time ride for the 2002 season in NASCAR and the #47car is looking for a primary sponsor. Anyone interested can contact Richard Jackson Motorsports @ 828-684-8885 and ask for Lisa(9-19-2001)
- CART changes race name UPDATE Sad News Zanardi Injured badly: The first CART race in Europe was renamed "The American Memorial" in tribute to victims of terrorist attacks in the United States. ESPN announced that it would not carry Saturday’s American Memorial race from the German Lausitzring live, instead opting to show it Monday afternoon on a tape-delayed basis.
UPDATE - Zanardi Hurt: Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi lost both of his legs after his car was hit by another traveling about 200 mph Saturday during the American Memorial 500. CART officials described the 34-year-old Italian's condition as "stable" and said he lost one leg above the knee and one below. He was airlifted to a Berlin hospital for surgery. Kenny Brack won the race under a yellow flag.(ESPN)(9-15-2001)
UPDATE 2 on Zanardi: Alex Zanardi, the CART driver who had both legs amputated after a gruesome crash last weekend in Germany, is now listed in "critical but non-life-threatening condition," and doctors are performing surgery every 48 hours to clean out and remove debris from his wounds. Doctors have used drugs to place Zanardi in a medically induced coma, but the amount of medication is now being gradually reduced.(9-19-2001)
(9-18-2001)
- Cope in the #57: Derrike Cope tested at Kansas Speedway last week on Wednesday and Thursday and drove the #57 CLR Ford. This is a Winston Cup team that is owned by Ted Campbell and sponsored by CLR cleaning products. Cope said the test went very well and he was told that they will go to the Kansas race as well as the Charlotte race. Cope and the team will test Charlotte this week on Tuesday and Wednesday(Sept 18-19). Cope said, "I am very excited about the opportunity. They will have Robert Yates engines. The Crew Chief is Joey Cudmore and the entire crew are great guys. We had a good chance to get to know each other and seemed to get along great. Our speeds we felt were good at Kansas, but worked mostly on race set-up."(Derrike Cope Site). It was announced a few weeks ago that Kenny Wallace would drive the #57 CLR Ford at Kansas City, Charlotte, and Homestead but Wallace is subbing in the #1 for injured Steve Park(9-18-2001)
- Lowes to Hendrick? UPDATE 7: Winston Cup team owner Rick Hendrick hopes to announce the primary sponsor for Jimmie Johnson's Winston Cup effort within the next six weeks. "We have associates and all that done, we just haven't announced it," Hendrick said Aug. 3. "Probably sometime in the next 30 to 45 days. We haven't signed anything yet." If Lowe's were to leave Richard Childress Racing, rumors are the company could move to Hendrick Motorsports.(Winston Cup Scene - need sub to read online)
UPDATEs see more past news on this on the #48 Team News and Links page
UPDATE 3: hearing that Haas Automation, currently an associate sponsor on the three current Hendricks cars(#'s 5,24,25) could be the primary sponsor of the #48 Chevy for Johnson(8-21-2001)
UPDATE 4: There are indications that Lowe's suddenly might not have as solid a sponsorship deal with Hendrick and rookie Jimmie Johnson as once anticipated, that Lowe's might not be that interested in marketing such a young rookie, even with the Jeff Gordon tie-in.(Winston Salem Journal)(9-3-2001)
UPDATE 5 - Hendrick to announce new team on Tuesday: Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon are expected to officially announce their plans for a 2002 Winston Cup team for Jimmie Johnson at Tuesday's media day at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The selection of the site for the announcement is no coincidence since it appears that Lowe's will be the primary sponsor for Johnson's team(That's Racin')(9-17-2001)
UPDATE 6: a letter/flyer was sent out by Lowes to Team Lowes Racing Fan Club members, the letter says (in part) - "In 2002, Jimmie Johnson will take the wheel of the No. 48 Lowes Monte Carlo and team with three-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Jeff Gordon as part of the successful Hendrick Motorsports stable of drivers. You can catch a sneak preview of the new team at three events this year, as Jimmie will debut the No. 48 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC, on October 7, followed by runs at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 11 and Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 18(many readers), also see a 'possible' image of what the #48 will look like on my Paint Schemes page(9-18-2001)
UPDATE 7 - it's OFFICIAL: Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse announced today a multi-year primary sponsorship with Hendrick Motorsports for the new #48 Monte Carlo team to be driven by Jimmie Johnson in the Winston Cup 2002 season. In addition, Lowe's will be an associate sponsor on the #24 Monte Carlo driven by Jeff Gordon, who will be Johnson's new teammate. The new Lowe's No. 48 will give fans a sneak preview on Oct. 7 when it makes its racing debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway, followed by runs at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 11 and Atlanta Motor Speedway on Nov. 18. The car will run a full schedule in 2002. The Lowe's sponsorship is the final piece of a program that began earlier this year when Hendrick signed Johnson to drive for the team in 2002. The #48 Lowe's Monte Carlo will be co-owned by Hendrick and Gordon, a three-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion. See an image from CMI on my Paint Schemes page(CMI PR)(9-18-2001)
- #14 Crew Member injured: Troy Cole, the truck driver for Ron Hornaday's Cup team, suffered a broken right leg when he fell from the loading ramp of the team's hauler as it unloaded at the track on Tuesday(That's Racin')(9-18-2001)
- Ultra Motorsports to Quit Cup? UPDATE 2: While contemplating taking sponsor NationsRent to court, Ultra Motorsports owner Jim Smith says he won't run his Winston Cup team without sponsorship next year. He does, however, expect to have a Busch Series team in addition to his two-team entry in the Craftsman Truck Series. He plans on running a Dodge in the Busch Series, and will convert his Cup team to Dodges as well if it still exists. Truck series star Ted Musgrave expects to drive for the team, but exactly what he'll drive is uncertain. He has heard from a few Winston Cup teams, but said they currently lack sponsorship so he's wary of signing with anyone else. Problems with NationsRent, meanwhile, will likely send Smith to court. "We have a contract for next year," Smith said. "They're in financial trouble, I don't know. I see us in court very soon."(Winston Cup Scene - need sub to read)(9-13-2001)
UPDATE: hearing the team and crew chief, Jim Long, along with a few employees have parted ways with the team
UPDATE 2: Buddy Barnes and Scott Lepage will lead the Ultra Motorsports NASCAR Winston Cup team and the #7 NationsRent Taurus beginning with this weekend.s race at Dover. Owner Jim Smith made the announcement Tuesday morning after accepting the resignation of Jim Long. "We're moving forward," Smith said. "We're not quitting. We're not stopping. We're going to keep doing everything we can do to be successful. Both Buddy and Scott have plenty of experience and they know how to run a race team."
Lepage has been car chief for Ultra Motorsports, while Barnes has been heading up the research and development program. Both are veterans in NASCAR Winston Cup racing.(Williams Company)(9-18-2001)
- Testing at Kentucky Speedway: Hendrick Motorsports and MB2 Motorsports are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Tues., Sept. 18 (#36-MB2 Only) and Wed., Sept. 19 and Thurs., Sept. 20 (#5-Hendrick Motorsports Only) from 9:00am to 5:00pm each day at the Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky(Kentucky Speedway PR), no word on if the testing is open to the public(9-18-2001)
(9-17-2001)
- Elliott Start #650 Reposted Labonte #700: #9-Bill Elliott will make career start #650 on Sunday at Dover Downs. Among active drivers, only Ricky Rudd (721), Dave Marcis (758 - this is modern era, Marcis had 880 total Cup starts) and Terry Labonte (699) have more starts. Elliott made his first NASCAR Winston Cup start at Rockingham on Feb. 29, 1976. He qualified 34th and finished 33rd in that event. Since then, Elliott has won 50 poles, 40 races and more than $26 million. He's currently 13th in the NASCAR Winston Cup Standings in his first year driving for Dodge and car owner Ray Evernham. The 45-year-old veteran is one of only two drivers with no DNFs this season. He's moved from 19th to 13th in the standings in the past seven races since his 21st-place finish at NHIS on July 22, 2001(Golin/Harris PR), #5-Terry Labonte is scheduled to make his 700 th career Winston Cup start at Dover Downs on Sunday(9-11/17-2001)
- #31 Driver...soon? Expect team owner Richard Childress to announce plans for the #31 car soon, possibly during the final weekend of the month when the Winston Cup circuit is at Kansas Speedway. Sources say Robby Gordon will drive the car in 2002, but the legal terminology in the contract still is being worked out.(Sporting News)(9-17-2001)
- Lepage Out: Morgan-McClure Motorsports has made a decision not to renew a contract with Kevin Lepage as its driver for the 2002 Winston Cup season and beyond. The team will continue in its efforts to take the #4 KODAK MAX Film Monte Carlo back to a weekly competitive level. Morgan-McClure has not made a decision on a replacement for Lepage. Future plans will be announced later in the season(Morgan-McClure Motorsports PR)(9-10-2001)
UPDATEs more updates on the #4 Team News and Links page
UPDATE 7: Lepage signed a three-year contract after his third race with the M-M team. However, the season has gone downhill since then, as Lepage has an average qualifying position of 30.3, an average finishing position of 29.2, and has failed to qualify for three races. ``The driver and team had an option that was easy for both sides to get out of,'' said Lisa Shealy, M-M director of public relations. ``Larry didn't want what happened with Robbie to happen again. Basically, Larry had to let (Lepage) know before the end of the season whether he intended to renew the contract or not. Under the circumstances, Larry informed him that he would not renew it.'' The team has not ruled out bringing Lepage back for next season, but it seems highly unlikely with drivers like Mike Skinner looking for a ride in 2002. Skinner visited the Morgan-McClure shop in Abingdon last month, and according to Shealy, the team has interviewed several drivers. While they would like to have a new driver secured by the end of the season, M-M says there is currently no timeline to fill the vacancy. Tired of talk that it was the team and not the driver, M-M had its engines tested over the summer on the chassis dyno of other teams like Penske and DEI, and had the aerodynamics compared as well.(Bristol Herald Courier) AND Mike Skinner has talked with No. 4 co-owner Larry McClure about that ride for next season. Kevin Lepage will not be back in that car(Sporting News)(9-17-2001)
- New Wind Tunnel: Gary Eaker, of Hendrick Motorsports, plans to break ground next month for a wind tunnel in Mooresville, NC. It will give Charlotte-based teams an alternative to facilities in Langley, VA, Detroit and Marietta, GA. Eaker, a former aerodynamicist with General Motors, joined Hendrick Racing in 1994. When the tunnel is finished, he will leave the team to manage it and will be replaced by Kurt Romberg, formerly of Petty Enterprises and General Motors(Sporting News)(9-17-2001)
- Dover Rumor? New Hampshire Instead? UPDATE NO It is DOVER: hearing UNCONFIRMED rumors that it is under consideration to move this weeks race to New Hampshire and run Dover on Nov 23rd, but at this point it is nothing but speculation. The above PR from Dover Downs seems to indicate that Dover plans to have the race there this weekend. New Hampshire was of course postponed due to the Attacks in NYC and Wash DC on Sept 11th. Dover has a large military presence (Jayski was stationed there 1982-86) and the base is being used for the bodies of the Wash, D.C. Pentagon attack and teams are being asked to give up rooms needed for military personnel and families of the dead
UPDATE: sources tell me there is no truth to this rumor and that the race WILL BE AT DOVER DOWNS this weekend and that the NHIS-Dover swap was never discussed or considered. Also see column at Lap by Lap: Dover Race might be in jeopardy by Mike Mulhern, which include comments from Dover Downs officials Denis McGlynn and John Dunlap(9-17-2001)
(9-16-2001)
see the Sept 10-16, 2001 Archived News Page
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