PAST NEWS APR 21-27, 2003
THE PAST NEWS! YESTERDAY and BEYOND..
OTHER PAST NEWS PAGES
(4-27-2003)
- Busch wins the Auto Club 500 at California. #97-Kurt Busch won at California Speedway, the first multiple winner of 2003. #18-Bobby Labonte ended up 2nd, fighting #2-Rusty Wallace, who ended up 3rd. #17-Matt Kenseth ended up 9th and holds on to the points lead. #43-John Andretti had his first top 10 of 2003 and first in 29 races [Sonoma 2002, his last top 5 was 65 races ago in Bristol, Mar 2001]. See my California Race Info Page for my race rundown, lap leaders, cautions and notes.
Race Re-Air: The race will be re-aired on Speed Channel, Wed, April 30, 8:00pm/et (enhanced) and Thurs, May 1st, at 1:00am/et and at 3:00pm/et.
Results Jayski's - California Results Page and at:
ThatsRacin.com, Sporting News/AP, MotorsportsOne, NASCAR.com.(4-27-2003)
- Billy Ray Cyrus Pays Tribute to Earnhardt UPDATE: Billy Ray Cyrus will pay tribute to the late race car driver Dale Earnhardt in an upcoming episode of "Doc." He said Earnhardt, who was killed in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 two years ago, was king in his house. Cyrus said his stepfather was such a fan of the Intimidator that he requested in his will to be buried in his Dale Earnhardt T-shirt, something the family honored. The Earnhardt tribute episode, which Cyrus called "emotional" to make, will air in May. He hopes a lot of people who loved Earnhardt tune into the show because it was "an honest effort at paying tribute to the man." "Doc" is on PAX.(Yahoo/AP)(2-28-2003)
UPDATE: the show, titled "the checkered flag" airs tonight, April 27th at 8:00pm/et/pt [re-air 9:00pm on May 7th], on PAX, the description: Clint helps stock-car racer Scotty Redfield stay physically healthy to compete, but wonders if he can help him regain his spirit to drive. Everyone worries that Dr. Crane will veto expanding the clinic into the vacant offices next door - but when he decides he loves the idea, it's time to worry even more." More info at the PAX site.(4-27-2003)
- Tragic News - Crash at auto track kills spectators: Two sprint cars crashed during an auto race Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway, sending one hurtling into the stands and the other into the track's infield, where two bystanders were struck and killed, authorities said. The driver of the car that flipped into the stands suffered minor injuries, said Jeff Delahunty, a spokesman for the Riverside County Fire Department. The two people killed in the infield were identified as Paul Bagley, 74, of Hesperia, and his wife, Helen, 72. "`It is just a terrible accident,'' said Riverside County sheriff's Deputy Dennis Gutierrez. The Perris Auto Speedway, which features dirt track racing, is about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.(Guardian Unlimited/AP and Press Enterprise/AP)(4-27-2003)
- NASCAR, Flash in the Pan? who is this guy? David D'Alessandro, the chairman and CEO of John Hancock life insurance, isn't one of the corporate leaders who has jumped aboard the NASCAR bandwagon. In a conversation with the Boston Globe about his company's choices for sponsorship money, D'Alessandro said NASCAR wasn't in his final three. "It's a growing sport, but I think it's a flash in the pan," he said. "It's a pure consumer product. It has 1,000 sponsorship symbols, so there's no distinction. The fatter your driver is, the more symbols he can have on his jumpsuit." D'Alessandro isn't high on golf, tennis, pro football or pro basketball, either. His top three? The Olympics, major league baseball and the Boston Marathon.(Press Enterprise)(4-27-2003)
- Two businesses report scam: Two local businesses have been taken in by a fraudulent offer of an advertising opportunity at the Brickyard 400. The perpetrators appear to be working in Lawrence and Monroe counties [Indiana], according to Lawrence County Sgt. Lonnie Johnson. Johnson said a marketing and promotions company from Bloomington is offering business names placed on a #77 Jasper Engines and Transmissions race car for the NASCAR Brickyard 400. The two businesses signed contracts and paid money to the company. However, Jasper Engines and Transmissions denied any such promotion. Anyone with information about the scam should call the Lawrence County Police Department at 812-275-3316.(Hooiser Times)(4-27-2003)
- Supercuts on the #74: looks like the #74 BACE Motorsports Chevy with Tony Raines driving has Supercuts as the sponsor on the car at California Speedway. #83-Kerry Earnhardt was to drive the #83 Supercuts Chevy, but failed to make the race. See an inage of the #74 car on my Paint Schemes Gallery,(4-27-2003)
- Medical Liasons: NASCAR, which focused much of its attention on the mechanized end of stock-car racing, now has keen interest in the human part of the equation. While the sanctioning body has always had a team of officials to measure car bodies and engine specs, it now has a medical liaison for each of its three major touring series. The original primary function of this medical staff, all registered nurses, was to transport records from event to event as Winston Cup, the Busch Series and Truck Series skipped around the country. The three nurses -- Robin Morrisey (Cup), Denese Meeks (Busch) and Lance Davin (trucks) -- were hired in February, 2002, and integrated into NASCAR's regular at-track staff. Kevin Triplett, NASCAR's managing director of business operations, oversees the program. Because of confidentiality concerns, the nurses are not allowed to speak to media.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-27-2003)
- Biffle Injured: #16-Greg Biffle is driving with a cast on his left arm after he sprained his wrist Tuesday when he slipped and fell out of his motorhome on Tuesday. "It doesn't hinder me to drive or anything," he said. "I'll be good by Richmond [next week]."(Roanoke Times)(4-27-2003)
- Portenga beats Schrader; Herta debuts: Steve Portenga passed Winston Cup veteran Ken Schrader with eight of 100 laps remaining at California Speedway and held on for his first Winston West series victory. Portenga won by 2.429 seconds over Schrader to win Saturday's Pontiac Grand Prix 200. Kevin Richards was third. Portenga remains the only driver in the series with three top-five finishes in as many starts this season.(ThatsRacin.com) Former CART driver Brian Herta drove in the race, his first stock car race, starting 16th and finishing 5th.(4-27-2003)
- More on McDonald's as the Title Sponsor for the Cup Series: McDonald’s has confirmed a Bloomberg Report that they’ve seen a presentation by NASCAR to sponsor its elite national touring series, but a deal that could consume 20-30% of the fast food chain’s total advertising and marketing budget hasn’t gone very far up the corporate ladder. McDonald’s has been downsizing its racing programs for some years and just turned in the first-ever quarterly loss for the restaurant company. One source close to the McDonald’s A&M program says a potential $40 million annual payment to NASCAR for title rights and similar payment to the television partners is likely not in the cards. The representative added, “But I’m not sure who has that kind of money to invest in a single program — NASCAR or not.” McDonald’s would need the support of its national franchisees to write the estimated $80 million annual investment to NASCAR. However, many franchises stores are closing with others downsizing.(Ford Racing)(4-27-2003)
- New McDonald's/NASCAR Commercial: McDonald's will launch its newly-created NASCAR advertising campaign during Sunday's FOX telecast of the Auto Club 500 Winston Cup race. The new series of commercials is an enhancement to the inaugural McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade. Tony Stewart and Kyle Petty are featured in three different versions of the 30-second commercials, produced by DDB Chicago, McDonald's national advertising agency. Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet and the reigning NASCAR Winston Cup champion, has firsthand knowledge of the similarities between a NASCAR crew and a McDonald's restaurant crew. As a teenager, Stewart worked as a McDonald's crew person [as did Jayski].(PR)(4-27-2003)
- Odd Andretti Comment: John Andretti flipped idly through a newspaper, not really wanting to talk about his cousin Michael's decision to appoint Robby Gordon as substitute driver in Andretti Green's #27 cars for this year's Indianapolis 500. Andretti, son of Aldo Andretti (Mario's twin brother) and cousin of team owner/driver Michael Andretti, who will retire from driving after the 400, expressed off-the-record bitterness toward his cousin's choice. "I'll be there that Wednesday, and I'll qualify the car, because [Gordon] will be in the hospital by then," John Andretti said. See the full story at Speed Channel: John Andretti Puzzled by Gordon Decision(4-27-2003)
(4-26-2003)
- #1 Rumors abound UPDATE Park not happy with rumors; contract thru end of 2003: hearing that Steve Park could be replaced as the driver of the #1 Pennzoil Chevy before the races at Lowe's Motor Speedway, sources have Jason Keller as the possible replacement driver. Keller is slated to driver the #81 DEI car at Checiagoland in July.
AND The LTN HOUR radio show reports that Kurt Busch, driver of the #97 Rubbermaid/Sharpie Roush Racing Ford will drive the #1 DEI Chevy in 2004. However, last reports I have are that he is signed with Roush thru 2006.(4-21-2003)
UPDATE: Steve Park's comments after winning the pole at California on Friday: "Hopefully, this will quiet some critics a little bit," said Park, whose lap bumped Bill Elliott's Dodge to the outside of Row 1 for the Winston Cup season's 10th race. "We're fixing to start winning races." Park, who now has three poles to go along with two career Cup victories, turned defiant as he said he remains confident that he can get the job done with his team. "All the hogwash I have to read that the press puts out there, I have broad shoulders," said Park, whose best 2003 finish has been a 10th at Las Vegas. "Dish it out because I can take it all. When I am in victory lane winning races, everybody who's had bad things to say about this race team is going to bite their tongues. I don't race to finish 20th, I race to win. If I don't have the confidence in my team to win, then I need to go somewhere else. But I do have confidence in (crew chief) Tony Gibson, all of the new people we've hired, our engine shop, the whole team that we have, that we can do stuff like this. We can win poles and win races and we're not going to stop this year until we do that. That will quiet all of the critics that we have." Ty Norris, executive vice president for motorsports at DEI, said he and Park sat down about three weeks ago to discuss the team's slow start in 2003. "I said, 'You're reading a lot of things, but let's focus about what happens inside these walls,'" Norris said. "'Let's come together as a group, believe in each other, pull for each other and help each other. When that happens, no matter what anybody says outside these walls, we're not going to concern ourselves with it.'"(ThatsRacin.com)
On top of that, the team's Pennzoil sponsorship is up in the air. Ty Norris, who runs DEI for owner Teresa Earnhardt, says last month's negotiations with sponsor Pennzoil in Texas were more of a learning experience than anything, because Shell's buyout of the company has resulted in a major corporate shakeup, and only one of the men involved in the original sponsorship negotiations with the late Dale Earnhardt is still around. How the company's new executives might view stock car racing as a marketing machine is unclear.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-26-2003)
AND also hearing that Park recently made a new TV commercial for Food Lion featuring him and six other NASCAR drivers. Park is also featured on boxes of Milk-bone with his dog.(4-26-2003)
- Title Sponsor for Cup Series: Negotiations are under way with several companies as possible successors to Winston as title sponsor of NASCAR's top series. Names regularly mentioned in recent speculation include McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch and VISA. That speculation has been growing since January, when R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. said it had given NASCAR permission to look for a new sponsor for the Winston Cup Series. Brian France, senior vice president of NASCAR and the grandson of the founder of the sanctioning body, confirmed Thursday to a group of Associated Press sports editors at a meeting in New York that the sanctioning body was in negotiations with several companies. France declined to identify them.(ESPN/AP)(4-26-2003)
- 2nd California Race? On Labor Day 2004? A second Winston Cup tour 500-mile race in California is all but a certainty for next season, according a 2004 Winston Cup tour schedule currently under consideration. According to NASCAR sources, this second California 500 could be run on Labor Day weekend. That would mean that NASCAR's annual Labor Day Southern 500, a fixture on the stock-car tour since 1950, could become history, or could be moved to the current March spot in the schedule when a 400-miler is at Darlington.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-26-2003)
- Parker to be Jarrett's new crew chief? Makar NOT leaving Gibbs: Shawn Parker could become Dale Jarrett's new crew chief, according to sources close to the Robert Yates team. And crew chief Greg Zipadelli says that there is nothing to the rumors that his own boss, General Manager Jimmy Makar, might move on to join the Yates team to work with Jarrett. Parker is a chassis specialist for the Elliott Sadler-Raymond Fox half of the Yates team. Parker was once a key member of the Jack Roush operation before moving on.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-26-2003)
- Pocono's France award goes to Jack Roush: Winston Cup car owner Jack Roush [#'s 6,16,17,97,99] has been named the recipient of the 2003 Bill France Award of Excellence, presented annually by Pocono Raceway. The award, first presented in 1977, is named for the late NASCAR founder and is presented to a person, company or organization that has made outstanding contributions to the sport. The award is a sculpted and highly polished piece of anthracite mined in Pennsylvania and will be presented in a ceremony on June 7 at the speedway.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-26-2003)
- Charity Ride: Several organizations from the NASCAR world have joined forces to create a new charity motorcycle ride during Myrtle Beach Bike Week, benefiting the Victory Junction Gang Camp. The "Ride to Victory" will travel from Charlotte, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC, on Thursday, May 15, and will feature NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty, radio commentator Robert D. Raiford and other NASCAR celebrities in the one-day ride. John Boy and Billy's "The Big Show," syndicated in more than 100 markets nationwide, will promote the charity event, which will begin at the Harley-Davidson Buell of Charlotte, stop at Darlington Raceway for lunch, fuel and some hot laps, and terminate at the NASCAR SpeedPark and NASCAR Cafe in Myrtle Beach, SC, for a parking lot concert party. For more info, see my Racing Charities page.(4-26-2003)
- Saturday AM practice #18-Bobby Labonte was the fastest at 184.091mph, followed by #32-Ricky Craven at 132.978 and #12-Ryan Newman at 182.936. Pole sitter #1-Steve Park was 36th with a speed of 178.811. Slowest were #37-Derrike Cope at 176.138 and #14-Larry Foyt at 177.506.
See speeds at ThatsRacin.com(4-26-2003)
- Ramblings - California: Steve Park did something Friday he hadn't done in a loooong time....take a Bud Pole Award. Park becomes the 8th qualifier for next February's Budweiser Shootout. Tony Stewart (3rd) has his best starting spot since he lined up on the
pole at Atlanta last October....but, that field was set by points. The last time he qualified this high on time was at Watkins Glen last
August when he started 3rd. Jack Sprague (12th) has his career-best starting spot for Sunday's event. His previous best was last race at Martinsville when he started 14th [Actually he started 12th in Atlanta Nov 1996 so this ties his career best].
STREAKIN....Ryan Newman has 8 Top-10 starts in a row. Bill Elliott has 4 Top-10 starts in the last 5 races. Rusty Wallace has 4 Top-10 starts in the last 5 races.(StockCarFans.Com Winston Cup Newsletter)(4-26-2003)
(4-25-2003)
- Steve Park wins the pole at California: #1-Steve Park wins the pole for the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway with a speed of 186.838, his 3rd pole of his career and first since Homestead in Nov 2000. Nice to see with all the rumors floating around. #9-Bill Elliott was the first to go out in qualifying and held the pole until Park went out 37th, Elliott hangs on to the outside pole, 2nd. #20-Tony Stewart starts 3rd, his best starting spot of 2003. Missing the race are #66-Hideo Fukuyama and #83-Kerry Earnhardt. See Jayski's California Qualifying Page for the results, lineup links, who takes provisionals and who missed the race, along with notes and other jayski oddities.(4-25-2003)
- Some California Qualifying Notes: #29-Kevin Harvick had a very slow 1st lap and pulled off the track after the first lap, when he exited the car, Harvick said the car was so loose he couldn't drive it. #22-Ward Burton went out and pulled the car back in with an engine problem, a left engine head head gasket, NASCAR went out and inspected the track.(4-25-2003)
- The Big Mac [a jayski fave] Cup? McDonald's is negotiating with NASCAR for naming rights to the Winston Cup Series, according to a Bloomberg News report. McDonald's has always been among the companies considered as possible replacements for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco as the series' title sponsor, a deal said to be worth between $40 million and $60 million. "Are we interested? Sure," John Lewicki, head of sports marketing for McDonald's, told Bloomberg. "If it makes sense for us, we'll absolutely look at it." NASCAR vice president for communications Jim Hunter said Friday the sanctioning body is having discussions with several companies about title sponsorship of its top series, but would not comment on any specific companies involved.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-25-2003)
- Robby Gordon to run Indy? UPDATE: hearing there will be an announcement soon regarding #31-Robby Gordon's attempt to run the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on May 25th, no word on the team or sponsor...yet.(4-25-2003)
UPDATE: Indianapolis 500 veteran Robby Gordon will replace Dario Franchitti in the #27 Alpine/Archipelago/Motorola/Budweiser Dallara/Honda/Firestone for Andretti Green Racing during the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500. Gordon, who has eight career Indianapolis 500 starts, will run both the '500' and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, marking the fourth time in his career he has attempted to run both events in one day. Last season Gordon successfully completed "the Memorial Day double," finishing eighth in the Indianapolis 500 and 16th in the 600-mile Winston Cup event held annually at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. "I'm thrilled to have the chance to attempt one of the ultimate racing challenges again this year and hopefully win both races," said Gordon. "I've run the Indy 500 eight times and been competitive and run near the front each year. I certainly haven't given up on the goal of winning both races and hope 2003 will be my year to do it. Running in an Andretti Green prepared-car will no doubt give me a good shot at having one win down and one to go when I head to Charlotte that afternoon." Gordon, who drives the #31 Cingular Wireless entry for Richard Childress Racing, is currently in 14th place in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup point standings and finished sixth at the season-opening Daytona 500. He won the 2001 season-ending Winston Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway. "I want to thank Richard, all of the guys on the Cingular Wireless team, and everyone at RCR for letting me chase one of my dreams," said Gordon. Gordon owns five top-10 finishes in his eight Indianapolis 500 starts, one of which was a fourth place run in 1999 when he ran out of fuel while leading with less than two laps to go. Gordon's entry is part of a four-car Indianapolis 500 effort by Andretti Green Racing which is owned by Michael Andretti, Kim Green and Kevin Savoree. Andretti is seeking to qualify for his 14th Indy 500 and make the final start of his racing career behind the wheel of the #7 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Tony Kanaan, who is nursing a broken left arm sustained in a crash during the Indy Japan, plans to qualify the #11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Rookie Dan Wheldon, who passed rookie orientation last week in the #26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone, is looking to become the first British driver since Nigel Mansell to start the Indy 500. "Having Robby in our car for the month of May gives us a great shot to win the Indy 500, although we expect all four of our cars to compete for the win," said Michael Andretti. "It's just peace of mind for us, knowing we've added another veteran in our lineup who knows his way around the Speedway and knows how to prepare for the biggest race of the year."
Indy 500 Career Summary
Starts - 8
Total Laps - 1,367
Best Start - 3rd (2001)
Best Finish - 4th (1999)
Top 5 - 3
Top 10 - 5
Races Led - 5
Laps Led - 53
Winnings $1,615,283(RCR PR)(4-25-2003)
- Gordon's near miss: Jeff Gordon's victory in the Virginia 500 would have been a lot harder to pull off if NASCAR officials hadn't been gracious. They called for Gordon's crew chief, Robbie Loomis, twice at the start of the drivers' meeting before Loomis finally materialized, barking ``Here'' as he stormed into the meeting and took a seat. The rest of the drivers and crew chiefs joined in a chorus of ``Oooooooh'' and laughed at the near miss. NASCAR could have sent Gordon to the back of the field if Loomis had been late for the mandatory meeting. ``I was getting a little nervous,'' Gordon said. ``Usually it's the other way around -- he's looking for me, going `Where's Jeff?' -- and I show up just in the nick of time. He was just getting me back.''(Mercury News)(4-25-2003)
- Earnhardt Car Cruise Saturday: Organizers say they are expecting thousands to show up Saturday for Kannapolis’ [NC] ‘Remembering Dale Cool Car Cruise and Show.’ The celebration falls on the birthday of Kannapolis native and racing legend Dale Earnhardt. The show opens at 8:00am at Cannon Village with entertainment beginning at 10:00am. More than 200 cars, trucks and motorcycles will be on display from all across the region, said Patti Rader of the Kannapolis Business Council. The business council is promoting the event to raise money for the Dale Earnhardt Tribute site.(Independent Tribune)(4-25-2003)
- Rudd, Elliott to be honored: On Sunday, Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott will be presented with personalized belt buckles commemorating their first Winston Cup victory 20 years ago at Riverside International Raceway. California Speedway executive Les Richter was general manager at RIR at the time before joining NASCAR.(Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)(4-25-2003)
- More on a potential tire war: dding another tire maker to the Winston Cup garage, a development that may be in NASCAR's future, could be a nightmare for teams, although it would certainly add unexpected elements to each race. At the height of the last NASCAR tire war, with Hoosier eight years ago, Goodyear was custom-designing tires for each track in the Winston Cup series. That meant that teams had to keep up with more than 50 tire designs, an expensive prospect for team owners and a major headache for crew chiefs. And tire designs frequently changed even for the same track from race to race. But during the past two years, Goodyear has trimmed the number of tire codes to just 18, mixed and matched for the 23 tracks. However Goodyear has cut back on its NASCAR testing during the past six months, which some Winston Cup teams are questioning.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-25-2003)
- Rock n' Roll at Richmond in Sept: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. featuring the band Staind; #33 [Truck]-Tony Stewart featuring the band Diamond Rio; #15 or #99 Busch -Michael Waltrip featuring the band Hootie & The Blow Fish; will run at Richmond in Sept. Supposedly the "Chevy Rocks" program is said to be similar to the Looney Tunes program ran at Richmond the last couple of years in that it will include many Chevy teams from Cup and maybe some Busch and Truck Series.(4-25-2003)
- Robby Gordon scheme: #31-Robby Gordon will run a special Cingular FDNY paint scheme in August at Watkins Glen.(4-25-2003)
- Elliott Scheme at the Brickyard: 2002 Brickyard 400 winner, #9-Bill Elliott will run a speical 10th Running of the Brickyard scheme at Indianapolis in August. See my Paint Schemes Gallery - Car #'s 0-23 for the image.(4-25-2003)
- Charity Auction News: NASCAR.com will partner with The Hendrick Marrow Program to host a charity auction featuring NASCAR memorabilia. For five days, beginning April 24, participants will be able to bid on eBay for NASCAR memorabilia such as an autographed Jeff Gordon Race-Run Bumper, an autographed Jimmie Johnson Race-Run Hood and an autographed Lithograph from seven-time Winston Cup Champion, Dale Earnhardt. For the full list and links, see my Racing Charities page.(4-25-2003)
- Bass off to Chicago: Sharpie, the world's most popular family of permanent markers made by Sanford, is proud to welcome Sam Bass, the first officially licensed artist of NASCAR, as its guest on May 2 from 10:00am to 12:00noon (Booth No. 1808) at the National Art Materials Trade Association (NAMTA) annual convention held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago May 1 - May 3. Bass will be showcasing his works and autographing fine art posters of his latest creation, a piece depicting one of NASCAR's "young guns" - Sharpie sponsored driver, Kurt Busch (#97 Ford). For more than 20 years, Bass has been immortalizing the legends of NASCAR with his realistic illustrations using Sharpie markers and his watercolor originals. From the late Dale Earnhardt to Jeff Gordon to Kurt Busch, Bass has captured the personalities that catapulted NASCAR into the fastest growing spectator sport in the United States.(Sam Bass PR), see full PR on my Collectibles Links and News page.(4-25-2003)
- Looney Tunes for Gordon and others at Phoenix: Jeff Gordon will take time from racing today to go Hollywood. At Warner Bros. Studios, the "Looney Tunes – Back in Action" movie will be formally introduced to the entertainment media at a press conference that will include an appearance by Gordon and the unveiling of the DuPont #24 Fire & Flames show car decked out with Looney Tunes images. Last year Gordon and the #24 car filmed a cameo scene in the movie, playing opposite animated Looney Tunes characters Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny and others. The picture will debut nationally for holiday audiences in November. To promote the release of this new WB show, with the Looney Tunes gang, the graphic design of the DuPont Fire & Flames #24 Monte Carlo and Jeff's Fire & Flames uniform will carry images of Looney Tunes characters during the Sunday, November 2 Winston Cup race at Phoenix. In addition, a DuPont Motorsports Network Sponsor brand, Zodiaq quartz surfaces, appears on the #24 car TV panel for this special theme race at Phoenix.(DuPont Site - thanks to many readers for the heads up)(4-24-2003)
UPDATE: In the Looney Tunes: Back In Action NASCAR Winston Cup race, #24-Jeff Gordon will team up with Yosemite Sam on his Looney Tunes-branded Chevrolet, along with driver #25-Joe Nemechek who will feature graphics of Bugs Bunny on his #25 UAW-Delphi Chevrolet. Kerry Earnhardt will join forces once again with Yosemite Sam in the NASCAR Busch Series race where he will drive his #12 Supercuts Chevrolet, and for the first time ever, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck event will be even more animated when Kevin Harvick hooks up with his favorite Looney Tunes teammate, the Tasmanian Devil on his #6 Chevrolet truck.(Action PR), see an image of Gordon's car on my 2003 Winston Cup Paint Schemes Gallery - Cars #'s 24-99.(4-25-2003)
- Some Politics - Jesse Jackson and NASCAR UPDATE: getting more questions on this [since is was mentioned last Thursday night on the Fox News O'Reilly Factor show], have something that was posted back on April 3rd, see my Past NASCAR News/Rumors page.
AND MORE NLPC vs. NASCAR: The National League and Policy Center pushed its protest of NASCAR's contributions to Jesse Jackson to television last week. Peter Flaherty, president of the NLPC, contends Jackson abuses his nonprofit privileges and that NASCAR has made $250,000 in donations in the last two years to his organizations to create the guise of diversity. "Our message to NASCAR is you don't take short cuts to diversity by paying off Jesse Jackson," Flaherty told The O'Reilly Factor host Bill O'Reilly. "This whole thing started in 1999, when Jesse Jackson complained to NASCAR that they had no black drivers at the Winston Cup level, which is the major league of stock car racing." Flaherty said IRS records show NASCAR is Jackson's top contributor among professional sport organizations. "I think what (NASCAR) is trying to do is insulate themselves from charges of racism," Flaherty said. "I think it is an insult to the NASCAR fan." O'Reilly, who said if Jackson is "shaking down" NASCAR it's an insult to "every American," asked NASCAR to participate in the show, but the racing organization declined.(Augusta Chronicle)(4-24-2003)
UPDATE see NASCAR's response and an excellent column at NASCAR.com: A reluctant foray into political writing by Marty Smith; and NASCAR statement on Rainbow/PUSH Conference.(4-25-2003)
(4-24-2003)
- Fellows fastest in 2nd day of testing at Infineon Raceway: Infineon Raceway says #81-Ron Fellows, a road-racing veteran running a limited Winston Cup schedule with Dale Earnhardt Inc. this year, posted the fastest stock-car lap ever at the Sonoma, Calif., road course to lead six Winston Cup drivers testing Wednesday. Fellows, who will compete for DEI at Infineon and Watkins Glen, lapped the 10-turn, 2-mile circuit at 1:16.24 (94.439mph). #20-Tony Stewart holds the official track record of 1:16.64 (93.946), set in 2002. "The equipment and resources I have at DEI are incredible, and it showed in this test," said Fellows, who has twice won at the track in the American Le Mans Series driving a Corvette. #6-Mark Martin was second-fastest Wednesday at 1:16.47 (94.155) followed by his Roush Racing teammate #17-Matt Kenseth at 1:17.19 (93.276). Chip Ganassi Racing's #42-Jamie McMurray at 1:17.24 (93.216) and #41-Casey Mears at 1:17.47 (92.939) were fourth and fifth, and Haas/CNC Racing's #0-Jack Sprague rounded out the test at 1:18.04 (92.260).(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-24-2003)
- Fukuyama Plans California Run: Hideo Fukuyama says he will attempt to qualify Travis Carter's #66 Ford for Sunday’s Auto Club 500 Winston Cup race at California Speedway. The Japanese driver, who made his 2003 debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, made his most recent run in an ARCA event but tested at California Speedway on April 15-16. "The test results weren’t too bad, but I didn't run near as fast as the course record, so I’m still concerned over whether I can qualify at the California Speedway," Fukuyama says.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-24-2003)
- So...what is up with that #20 impounded car? Meanwhile, NASCAR Winston Cup series director John Darby updated Autoweek on the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet, impounded by NASCAR on March 28 at Texas Motor Speedway after a template irregularity was found during the initial inspection process. The Joe Gibbs Racing, Tony Stewart car remains at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. “We’re close to finishing up our [assessment] process on the car,” Darby said. “After that we’ll make a determination on what to do further.”(Autoweek)(4-24-2003)
- Spys at Daytona USA?After Michael Waltrip won his second Daytona 500 in February, his #15 NAPA Chevy was rolled into Daytona USA for public display -- or easy pickings? There are whispers out there that several Winston Cup teams, bound and determined find the strength of DEI's restrictor-plate fleet, sent people to photograph and measure Waltrip's sitting duck car. "It's a great story to say people are going to Daytona to look at our car," Waltrip said Wednesday while doing a media tour in California. Daytona officials said no one carrying a tape measure has entered Daytona USA after paying the $16 adult admission price. Nobody has taken measurements of the car and nobody better try it in the future. "There's no way they can get close to the car," Speedway spokesman David Talley said. "We don't allow anybody to get close to the car or touch it. They can come take pictures if they want, but they can't take out a tape measure and get up to the car, touch it or measure it." Daytona USA has at least one employee near the car at all times and security makes regular sweeps through the building. Talley said if somebody was caught messing with Waltrip's car, they'd get the bum's rush. "We'd call security and escort them out of the building," Talley said. NASCAR heard the same story about spies doing detailed measurements of Waltrip's car and immediately called the Speedway about it.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-24-2003)
- Cope gets a sponsor for California UPDATE: Great Barrier Reef announces today their sponsorship of Derrike Cope a Winston Cup driver scheduled to race in the Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway April 27, 2003. Cope is a former Daytona 500 winner and a television analyst for Fox Sports News’ “NASCAR This Morning”. “Getting involved in the fastest growing sport in the United States fulfills a marketing objective of increasing our brand awareness”, stated Mike Hardy, Chief Operating Officer for Great Barrier Reef. “We believe that the demographics of NASCAR coincide closely with the demographics of our target customer base. We will use this relationship with Derrike to bring the excitement of NASCAR to our subscribers and the value of our service to an even wider population.” Hardy also stated “We at Great Barrier Reef are pleased to enter into this venture with Derrike Cope. We feel he represents the same values in which we strongly believe:. Hard work, value for you money and quality performance.” Great Barrier Reef, Inc. (GBR) provides Internet access services to subscribers across the United States. They offer unlimited Internet access for $9.95 per month, or just $110 per year. GBR is a 56k dialup service. GBR has grown rapidly to serve most major cities in the US. Dedicated to providing quality service to our customers, they offer FREE 24-hour support, unlimited access, V.92 high-speed dial-up connections, multiple email accounts, UseNet news feed and up to 10 MB of personal web space. For further information please visit the GBR website at www.gbronline.com.(Williams Company PR)(4-22-2003)
IMAGES added to the Paint Schemes Gallery.(4-23-2003)
UPDATE: The United States Coast Guard is pleased to be associated with Derrike Cope and Quest Motor Racing for a select schedule of NASCAR events. The recruitment initiative possibilities that evolve from a NASCAR relationship are a valuable promotion. NASCAR has a tremendous following. The Coast Guard wants to present its' message to the many millions of loyal fans. Many people are not aware that the U.S Coast Guard was over in.the Mid-East.during recent hostilities as well as keeping the waterways safe here too. They will.appear.on the #37 Winston Cup car along with Great Barrier Reef Online."(4-24-2003)
- Mario Andretti survives wild wreck: Racing Legend and former Indy 500 and Daytona 500 winner Mario Andretti ran well Wednesday at Indianapolis until crashing hard just before the session ended. Sweeping through the first turn with the throttle wide open, Andretti found the short chute littered with debris from Kenny Brack's car, which had just pounded the outside wall. Andretti's car ran over a piece of Brack's car and launched the 1969 Indy 500 winner into the air like Evel Knievel. His car soared some 20-to-25 feet in the air [check out the video clip - quite wild], nearly cleared the spectator fence and somersaulted four times before slamming back down to earth -- thankfully -- rightside up. Andretti hopped out and, incredibly, only suffered a scrape on his chin. Brack also escaped injury.(see full story and video at ESPN)(4-24-2003)
- SunTrust Bank to Partner with MB2 Motorsports SunTrust Bank, Mid-Atlantic has partnered with the MB2 Motorsports NASCAR Winston Cup team for the May 3 PontiacExcitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway. One of the nation's largest and strongest financial holding companies, SunTrust Bank will be featured as an associate sponsor on the #01 U.S. Army Pontiac driven by Jerry Nadeau for the action-packed night race at the 0.75-mile track.(MB2/MBV Motorsports PR)(4-24-2003)
- Teen driver needs liver transplant: Four days after doctors at the Ohio State University Medical Center performed life-saving emergency surgery on teenaged racing sensation Kyle Jones to stem bleeding caused by cirrhosis of the liver, Jones isn’t thinking about the fact he nearly died last week. He wants to get back in a race car and do everything he had planned for 2003, a year that promised to add a couple of highlights to his already impressive racing resume. Despite the fact that cirrhosis of the liver kills 25,000 people in the United States every year, it isn’t Jones’ liver, per se, that’s putting his career on hold. It’s the swelling of the spleen, which is the gateway for blood into the liver, that is keeping him in the pits. "My spleen is so enlarged that (the doctors) said if I get hit, it would probably explode," Jones said. “Otherwise, I could drive.” He could die, too, if his spleen ruptured. The doctors politely refused to remove the organ, which people can live without, just to get Kyle back on the track. But the mere fact he asked provides sharp insight to how Kyle is dealing with his ordeal. Everything was finally coming together for Jones’ racing career in 2003. Six years of driving everything from Quarter Midgets to E-mods to Late Models, and winning at every level, had landed him the opportunity he’d been hoping for: A ride on the bigger circuits that lead to NASCAR. Jeff Miller and the J-VEE-M Racing Team in Columbus were giving him that opportunity. Miller and Kyle had five-race schedules planned for the American Speed Association (ASA) circuit and the CRA/Sunoco Super Series as well as a three-race schedule on the Main Event Racing Series circuit. The doctors haven’t given the Joneses a timetable for how soon Kyle will need to undergo the liver transplant. He is on the list to receive a new liver, but doesn’t know where on the list he is. So for now, he’s on hold as doctors keep an eye on the progression of the disease and determine what treatments he will need. The shunt will remain in his liver until the transplant is done. Kyle’s road back to the track could be a long one and will most definitely be a hard one — physically, mentally and financially. Kyle’s aunt and cousin have set up the Kyle Jones Medical Fund with National City Bank, where people can donate money to help the family with medical costs that will total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Donations can be made at any of the Springfield-area National City Bank locations. (See full story at the The Springfield News Sun)(4-24-2003)
- Sadler colors at California: #38-Elliott Sadler will sport the Pedigee Brand colors this weekend at California Speedway. He will visit a plant that produces Pedigree Dog Food in Vernon, CA before heading to the track.(M&M's Motorsports)(4-24-2003)
- Some California Speedway facts: Jeff Gordon Holds Many California Speedway Records: Four-time Winston Cup Champion Jeff Gordon holds numerous California Speedway records, including the best averaging finishing position, 5.8, in the six previous Winston Cup races here. He holds that distinction despite his worst finish in last year's event, 16th. It also marked the first time Gordon had not completed every mile of the 500-mile event. He holds the record with 2,998 miles completed. Other records for Gordon, who has won this event twice (1997 and 1999), include most laps led, 331, and most money won here, $737,745. Gordon was also the youngest winner here at 25-years-old when he won the Inaugural race in 1997.
Miles/Races: Michael Waltrip has logged more miles than any other driver around California Speedway's two-mile oval. Waltrip has competed in 13 races in six years at the speedway, including Winston Cup, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck. He has completed 4,600 miles, 2,792 in Winston Cup, 1,496 in the Busch Series and 312 in the Truck Series. Ken Schrader has competed in 13 races here as well. Schrader has run all six Cup races, along with five Winston West races and two Craftsman Truck Series events here.
A NASCAR Sweep: Kevin Harvick, Mike Wallace and Ron Hornaday are the only drivers to compete in at least one of every NASCAR-sanctioned event at California Speedway. The trio has competed in Winston Cup, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck and Winston West at one time or another over the previous six years.(California Speedway PR)(4-24-2003)
(4-23-2003)
- Sad News - Get Well: Austin Cameron will not compete as the driver of the #16 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet in Saturday’s Pontiac Wide Track Grand Prix 200 NASCAR Winston West Series event at California Speedway. Cameron was diagnosed earlier this week with lymphoblastic lymphoma cancer. Final results late yesterday determined that Cameron should not drive in the race this weekend. He is beginning treatment today at Grossmont Cancer Center. For fans who wish to send cards or express their support to Austin, the team asks that those be sent to the team shop at: 3630 Cincinnati Ave., Suite B, Rocklin, CA 95765.(Racing West)(4-23-2003)
- Boy Stars With Johnson: Flashing an infectious smile, Lamott Ebron is clearly enjoying his 15 minutes of fame. That boyish grin, after all, helped land the Simon Gratz High sophomore a spot opposite Winston Cup driver Jimmie Johnson on national television in February. The duo teamed up in A Walk in Your Shoes, an educational series matching two people from different backgrounds learning about each other's environment. The show, which was shot during a NASCAR weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway last season, was part of "The N" teen block on Noggin - Nickelodeon's sister cable network. Earlier this month, when Johnson came to town to promote a race in Dover, Del., the two greeted each other as if they were longtime friends. "Jimmie is my favorite driver because, week after week, he performs at a consistently high level," Ebron said. "He's very competitive and I like his style of driving, although sometimes he gets himself in trouble by being a little too greedy on the track - just like me." Chuckling at the comparison, Johnson called Ebron "a great kid" and gushed about the time they spent together at the track. His motor sports education shifted into high gear last year when Ebron enrolled in the Urban Youth Racing School, which has its headquarters on Parkside Avenue near Fairmount Park. The nonprofit organization provides inner-city youths - ages 8 through 18 - a chance to race go-carts and learn about career opportunities in motor sports and the automotive industry. Founded in 1998, the program has provided free instruction to more than 500 students. According to executive director Anthony Martin, the school is about to expand, with new schools set for Indianapolis; Charlottesville, Va.; Phoenix; and Kansas City, Kan. The Urban Youth Racing School held its annual awards banquet last night at Dave and Buster's on Columbus Boulevard. The festivities were to include a screening of Ebron's television debut.(Philadelphia Inqurier)(4-23-2003)
- Stewart thinks NASCAR should have safety crew: Defending champion Tony Stewart wonders why NASCAR doesn't have a traveling safety team. While NASCAR has made changes to improve safety, it has not created a safety team that goes from race to race. Both the Indy Racing League and CART have a trained team of safety workers to respond to each accident. NASCAR has a medical liaison at the track while relying on local firefighters and emergency workers to go to the accident scenes. "I've tried to get NASCAR to get their own safety crew," Stewart said. "When I ran in the IRL ... you always felt comfortable knowing that if you were in an accident you knew who the people were who were coming to get you out of the car. You knew they were trained properly. Having the medical liaison there each week is a step in the right direction. At times it's frustrating that we haven't gone any farther than that, but at the same time I kind of applaud NASCAR for at least using their heads. They don't do things very fast a lot of times but when they do get something done it's been well thought out, and I think they're looking at that now. I'm praying for the day I show up at the race track and we see a bunch of guys in uniform that are the same guys we see the week before in the previous race and the week before that."(Roanoke Times)(4-23-2003)
- Mark Martin Posts Top Time in First Day of Testing at Infineon Raceway: #6-Mark Martin posted the top time Tuesday during the first day of a NASCAR Winston Cup test session at Infineon Raceway. Martin, one of six Winston Cup drivers testing the 10-turn, 2-mile road course in preparation for the Dodge/Save Mart 350 (June 19-22), ran 92.903mph, followed by #81?-Ron Fellows at 92.474 and #17-Matt
Kenseth at 92.367. #20-Tony Stewart owns the track qualifying record of 93.946mph. Other testers included rookies #42-Jamie McMurray (91.954), #41-Casey Mears (91.603) and #0-Jack Sprague (91.082). The two-day session will conclude on Wednesday.(Infineon Raceway)(4-23-2003)
- Special #12 Paint Scheme: This weekend’s Auto Club 500 at California Speedway marks the first of five (5) 2003 races that Ryan Newman’s #12 Penske Racing South-ALLTEL Dodge Intrepid will feature the familiar Mobil 1 color scheme. Newman first ran these colors in last year’s California race where he won the pole in record fashion. In last year’s five races carrying Mobil 1 colors, Newman won three poles (two track qualifying records) and the points-paying race last September at New Hampshire. He also had two other top-five finishes. Newman will carry the Mobil 1 colors this season at California, Chicago, Pocono (July), New Hampshire (September) and Atlanta (October).(Tom Roberts PR)(4-23-2003)
- One Andretti to run, one to test and maybe qualify for the Indy 500, another to get a ride? Michael Andretti still hasn't announced who will replace Dario Franchitti next month at the Indianapolis 500. But he has a backup replacement plan for his other injured driver. He's bringing in the old man. Mario Andretti, arguably the most versatile racer of all time, will step out of the past and into Tony Kanaan's 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda for testing Wednesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kanaan, who suffered a broken left arm earlier this month in Japan, might not be able to practice May 4 or later qualify for the Indy 500. Dr. Terry Trammell did say Tuesday that Kanaan should be well enough to run the race May 25. The Andrettis already have agreed to Mario qualifying the car for Kanaan if Kanaan is unable to. It is unlikely -- even if Mario qualifies and the 28-year-old Brazilian can't run the race -- that Mario would run at Indy. Mario won the 1969 Indy 500 but has not competed at the Speedway since 1994, the year he retired from championship car racing after a 30-year career. But Andretti did compete at LeMans until 2000 and said he doesn't believe he would be in over his head for the qualifying run. The oldest driver to qualify at Indy is A.J. Foyt, who was 57 in his 1992 finale. "Yeah, dad and I predict that A.J. will be in a car by Thursday," Michael Andretti said, laughing. "I'm afraid poor Anthony (Foyt IV) will be out of his ride." It's a role reversal that amazes John Andretti, a full-time NASCAR driver who is hoping to assume Franchitti's Indy ride. Robby Gordon also is a strong possibility to replace Franchitti, suffered a broken back in a motorcycle accident and will be out until July. "Nothing my uncle does surprises me, but to think that he's going to be driving for Michael is pretty neat," he said. "I'd love to join them because it's Michael's last race and he's got a great team. Heck, I'd even drive for nothing." Michael Andretti already has announced that the Indy 500 will be his final race before focusing solely on ownership.(ESPN)(4-23-2003)
- Only Eight Left: With a quarter of the 2003 season now complete, Terry Labonte is one of only eight drivers who have been running at the finish of all nine races thus far; the others being Ricky Craven, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kenny Wallace and Michael Waltrip.(Hendrick Motorsports PR) see my DNF page for stats.(4-23-2003)
- Rudd Testing at Kentucky: Kentucky Speedway says Ricky Rudd was scheduled to test Wood Brothers Racing's #21 Ford today. Testing is not open to the public, but the track says spectators may watch from the visitor center in turn three.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-23-2003)
- NASCAR Testing Device: NASCAR is testing a device designed to reduce or eliminate dangerous carbon monoxide fumes being inhaled by drivers. Gary Nelson, NASCAR's managing director of competition, called it a "catalyst system," and said Tuesday that it was used two weeks ago in Martinsville, Virginia, by Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart during practice and the race. Stewart was sickened by carbon monoxide fumes during a race last fall at Martinsville Speedway, and the Joe Gibbs Racing team volunteered to be the first to test the new system. "We have a system we have been developing in our laboratory and thought it was time to try it at the track," Nelson said. Stewart was supposed to try the device only in practice, but chose to use it in the race as well. "I felt better than I probably had after any of the Martinsville races I remember," Stewart said. "I still did have a headache after the race was over, which is typical of a Martinsville race, but not nearly as severe as it was in the past." Stewart said he told Nelson he would like to try the device again in the fall race at Martinsville "to be certain it wasn't just a good day. But I'm somewhat encouraged the filter did its job." Nelson, who heads up NASCAR's new research and development facility in Concord, North Carolina, said the device that Stewart described as a filter "is a catalyst that sits on the floor in the car next to the driver. The system sends (clean) air to the driver's helmet." Nelson said the new system runs on "the same theory" as catalytic converters used in street cars to diminish pollutants in the exhaust, "but this is a low-temperature catalyst." NASCAR has been working since last fall on systems to filter the air a driver breathes during a race, a project that drew increased focus after Rick Mast announced in January he was retiring because years of exposure to toxic fumes had given him acute and chronic carbon monoxide poisoning.(more at Charlotte Observer)(4-23-2003)
- Tennessee Looking at NASCAR License Plates: In an unlikely marriage of interests, a Nashville state senator wants the legislature to create a NASCAR-themed specialty license plate that would benefit the financially strapped Tennessee State Museum. Proceeds, under Sen. Douglas Henry's plan, would be shared between the Bristol Motor Speedway Children's Charity and the Nashville museum. The museum is looking for funds after losing $225,800 to budget cuts, including $92,100 that it said it needed to buy artifacts to preserve the state's history. The union with NASCAR is not that unnatural, according to museum Executive Director Lois Riggins-Ezzell, who hatched the idea. The museum helped build the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame at the Gaylord Entertainment Center and owns the sports collection there, she said. Jeff Byrd, president and general manager at Bristol Motor Speedway, said he is working with NASCAR to work out a licensing agreement. If NASCAR requires a licensing fee, the plate probably would replace ''NASCAR'' with ''Race Fan'' and a checkered flag or something similar, Byrd said. If NASCAR agrees to drop its licensing fee, Byrd would like to design several plates featuring top NASCAR drivers.(Tennessean)(4-23-2003)
- Fuller to test for Gibbs: Busch Series veteran driver, Jeff Fuller, is scheduled to test the Winston Cup Chevrolets of Joe Gibbs Racing {#18 and #20] at the General Motors proving grounds April 25-27.(Jeff Fuller site)(4-23-2003)
- NASCAR on FOX Wins Wins Sports Emmy; No Major Awards for NASCAR TV UPDATE: Both NASCAR on NBC/TNT and Totally NASCAR were among the finalists for the prestigious Sports Emmy Awards, but neither came out a winner on Monday night. NBA on NBC beat out NASCAR on NBC/TNT in the live series category. ESPN's Baseball Tonight bested Totally NASCAR for the top daily studio show. However, NASCAR on FOX won in either the Outstanding Editing or Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound category. Excerpts from the ceremony will air this Sunday on Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period.(MotorsportsTV)(4-22-2003)
UPDATE: NASCAR on FOX won for best live event audio.(4-23-2003)
(4-22-2003)
- Andretti and the #43 helping childhood literacy: John Andretti and the #43 Dodge, which normally carries the Cheerios and Betty Crocker colors, will have something different for Sunday's NASCAR Winston Cup race at the two-mile California Speedway. The team will be driving home Cheerios commitment to childhood literacy, with the #43 Dodge carrying that message on the car for the only event in the Los Angeles area. For each of the 250 scheduled laps Andretti competes in the race, Cheerios and First Book, a national children's literacy organization, will donate 43 books per lap to children in need in the Fontana, Calif., and Los Angeles area. "As a father myself, I know the importance of reading and the critical role it plays in children wanting to learn," said Andretti. He and his wife Nancy have three children, two in elementary school. "Having their own book makes a big difference in a child wanting to read. This program is incredible and I am behind it 100 percent," he added. "We're going for the maximum." As many as 10,750 books would be donated by First Book and Cheerios if Andretti completes all 500 miles of the race. The books are slated to go to children participating in Boys and Girls Club of Fontana, Sivaland Head Start and The Agape House, also both in Fontana, and in LA's Best, an after-school program in Los Angeles. To kick off the weekend, Cheerios and California Speedway will host 400-500 children from the Fontana Unified School District Friday morning at the speedway. After being served breakfast, the children will be read to by Andretti, will receive a book of their own from Cheerios, and then have the opportunity to watch practice and qualifying. Just as Cheerios helps fuel kids for the day, reading gives them the power to succeed in life. With that in mind, Cheerios is making a significant commitment to childhood literacy through the Spoonfuls of Stories program. Andretti and Petty Enterprises are partnering in this effort for one race by encouraging children to read more, and by reaching out to help others. More info at www.cheerios.com/familyfun/spoonfuls.asp and www.firstbook.org.(Williams Company)(4-22-2003)
- Ramblings - Off Week: [Note: this is not from Jayski, see link at end of this blurb for questions/etc]. We'll start with everybody's hero, Mr. Lead Lap. After an off-year last season, ol' LL is getting back in form. He's had two Top-10's already this season (he had only three all of last year and none at this point), and has improved by 89 markers in the standings. He's currently 10th in the rundown and has been in the Top-10 the last 5 weeks. Last year at this time he resided in 14th place, and never got any higher than 12th in the points. He's improved his average finish from 17.9 thru the first nine races last season to 14.6 this year.
When you compare this year's points vs last year after nine events, we see considerable changes. Sterling Marlin had a 109 point margin over Matt Kenseth last year, whereas it's Matt on top of Jr. by 51 markers this season. The best improvement goes to Kevin Harvick. At this point last year he was in 29th spot (of course he'd been parked for one event) while this year he's 6th. In the opposite direction, Bill Elliott has digressed 17 spots (from 12th last year to 29th this season). One thing that's really fallen off is the number of drivers. Last year at this point we had 54 drivers who'd scored points....this season that number is only 48.(StockCarFans.com Newsletter)(4-22-2003)
- #92 Busch team in Cup? Team Close to a Sponsor?: The owners of St. Joseph-based Herzog Jackson Motorsports say talks with potential sponsors are going well. So well, in fact, that they will take their Busch team to the race this week at California Speedway. Randy Herzog, co-owner of the team, said some consideration was given to skipping Saturday's race at California Speedway in an effort to save money. But, he said Monday, talks with sponsors are progressing to the point where "we felt it was in the best interest of the team to go." The team's driver, Todd Bodine, currently leads the Busch series in points. He has won one race and leads second-place driver Ron Hornaday by 78 points. And Bodine and the team have done all that with a car lacking a primary sponsor. Herzog would not say who his team is negotiating with nor when a deal might be struck. He did say that several levels of sponsorship are being discussed. One of those levels could involve some participation in the Winston Cup series.(Kansas City Star)(4-22-2003)
- New Jersey [Jayski's current homebase] driver to debut with Earnhardt team in Busch race at RIR: Martin Truex, Jr. is
hoping to take advantage of an opportunity he describes as "once in a lifetime." He will pilot Dale Earnhardt Jr's #8 Chevy for Chance 2
Motorsports, a team owned by Earnhardt Jr and his stepmother, Teresa. Truex Jr.'s first race with the team will be the Hardee's 250 "under the lights" on Friday, May 2 at Richmond International Raceway. How Earnhardt Jr. picked Truex Jr. to drive for him is remarkable. "You know, we didn't really have a handful of guys to pick from, so we just kind of sat down and talked about it," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Richie Gilmore, our engine builder at DEI, mentioned Martin as a guy we should look at. I met him down here for the first time last year. He's a pretty quiet, soft-spoken kind of guy but he has obvious talent and he seems like a good guy to work with. He's been to the shop and our guys pitted his car at Nashville last week so he has gotten familiar with them." The team got to know each other even better this past week when Earnhardt Jr. and Truex Jr. were at Richmond International Raceway on April 15 for a test session. "This is our first official test
together and it went really good," Earnhardt Jr. said. "This is the same car we that we ran here last year that we led all those laps with," Earnhardt Jr. said of the FUNAI 250 race he dominated at Richmond International Raceway last September. "The car seems to be
just as fast. I ran a couple of laps this morning and Martin matched my laps all day, so we are pretty excited," Earnhardt Jr. said. Despite having more experience in a NASCAR Busch North Series car that uses a more forgiving bias-ply tire as opposed to the radial tires used in the NASCAR Busch Series, Truex Jr. is confident he will do well. "I feel really comfortable in the car," Truex Jr. said. "The biggest thing I have to learn is the tires. I have a little bit of experience running on these tires, so I'm probably one step ahead if I hadn't run any Busch races with my own stuff. But I can't wait. I'm really looking forward to coming back for the race." Earnhardt Jr. plans to run Truex Jr. in as many as seven races this season, but says Truex's future with the team is up to his new protégé. "We are giving him an opportunity to step into some good equipment and I feel like the combination of him and the car are going to be great when we come back to Richmond to race. I'm concerned about the difference in the radial tire, but watching him today proves to me that he can do the job. It takes a driver a while to build up to the difference in the tires and you have to take it easy. He's done that and to me that is a sign that he's using his head." Truex Jr., who won six poles in the NASCAR Busch North Series last season and competed in four NASCAR Busch Series events in 2002, knows that this is his big chance. "My father (former NASCAR Busch North champion Martin Truex, Sr.) has fielded cars for me since I was 11. It's a chance of a lifetime and a lot of guys like me dream about it every day. This is real fortunate for me to have this opportunity and I'm going to try make the best of it."(RIR PR)(4-22-2003)
- New NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway: A new NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway (NSMS) attraction at the NASCAR SpeedPark Smoky Mountains opened this past weekend, signaling the first time that NSMS’s proprietary simulated racing experience has expanded out of the company’s own mall-based Racing Centers. It was recently announced a revenue sharing agreement between NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway and Burroughs & Chapin Company of Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the installation of 10 proprietary simulators at the NASCAR SpeedPark Smoky Mountains and the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park’s Ocean Front Arcade. Perfect
Line, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of IMTS, owns and operates the unique NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway mall-based racing centers. NASCAR SpeedPark Smoky Mountains, located in Sevierville, Tenn., is one of two exclusively licensed NASCAR SpeedParks that provide an interactive fan attraction that puts the fan in the driver’s seat. A third NASCAR SpeedPark is planned to open this summer at Concord Mills in Concord, N.C. Six simulators like those in use at the 12 locations of NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway opened this past weekend at the NASCAR SpeedPark Smoky Mountains. Four simulators will open soon at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park’s Ocean Front Arcade. For more information visit www.SMSonline.com.(PR)(4-22-2003)
- Teams Test at Memphis to prep for RIR: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. tested DEI's short track program with a two-day test that opened Monday at Memphis Motorsports Park. The session on the .750-mile oval was closed to the public. Memphis is very similar to the Winston Cup Series' next short track, the .750-mile Richmond International Raceway, site of the May 3 Pontiac Excitement 400. Other Winston Cup teams are scheduled to be at Memphis, Penske Racing, which anticipates testing its Dodges and Robert Yates Racing, which may bring both Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler; as well as a couple more possible attendees.(NASCAR.com)(4-22-2003)
(4-21-2003)
- Hillman's Dad in ths hospital: Rudolph (Rudy) Hillman, father of #11 Crew Chief Mike Hillman Sr. is in Millard Filmore Suburban Hospital, Buffalo NY, battling lung cancer. He is also the grandfather of Mike Hillman Jr., front tire changer and crew member of the #16 car.(4-21-2003)
- Indy 500 rumors UPDATE 3 Stewart to do the Double? - Denied: Dario Franchitti will miss the Indianapolis 500 and perhaps all three of the Indy Racing League's races in June, his team confirmed Friday. Franchitti suffered a lumbar fracture of his back when he crashed on his motorcycle April 4. Dr. Terry Trammell said the fracture does not require surgery but does require bracing for approximately three months. AGR officials do not expect to name a replacement until next week, but team co-owner Kim Green admitted Friday he wants to know the availability of Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon. Stewart, the Winston Cup champion, previously said he was not interested in competing in the 500 this year.(Indianapolis Star), since this is Michael Andretti's team and his cousin John is looking for an Indy 500 ride........(4-19-2003)
UPDATE - Stewart to replace Franchitti: ESPN.com has learned that defending NASCAR Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart will replace Dario Franchitti on Andretti's team for the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500. Stewart, who will run alongside rookie Dan Wheldon, Andretti and Tony Kanaan (if he's healthy enough), will start testing one of the Andretti-Green Dallara/Hondas this Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The versatile 32-year-old native of Columbus, Ind., had previously said despite his passion for Indy, he wouldn't jeopardize his Winston Cup effort by running Indy and Charlotte on the same day -- like he did in 1999 and 2001. Racing USAC midgets in Modesto, Calif. on Saturday night, he could not be reached for comment. But, evidently, the opportunity to drive one of the factory Hondas for one of the best teams was too good to pass up. The NASCAR schedule is very accomodating to Stewart. There is no Cup race the first weekend of qualifying at Indy (May 10-11) so he'll be able to come right from his stock car show at Richmond, Va., on May 4 and practice that entire first week leading up to time trials. NASCAR runs The Winston on May 17 at Charlotte, N.C., as a prelude to the annual Coca Cola 600 on the evening of May 25.(EPSN)(4-20-2003)
UPDATE 2: Tony Stewart might change his mind and participate in next month's Indianapolis 500. But he has not decided yet, he told The Star on Sunday. "When I'm ready to say something, we'll send out a press release," he said. However, Stewart denied weekend reports that he will join Andretti Green Racing for this week's test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the upcoming race. He said he has not spoken with anyone from Michael Andretti's team, which needs a replacement for injured Dario Franchitti (fractured back). "(The Internet) was the first I'd heard about (the possibility)," Stewart said. A team source said late Sunday that no driver decision has been made and won't be before Tuesday.(Indianapolis Star)
AND Mentioned as possible replacements for Franchitti are Winston Cup drivers Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon, both of whom have experience doing double duty — racing in the Indy 500 on the Sunday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend, then flying to suburban Charlotte to drive in the Cup race that night. A report on espn.com said that Stewart has agreed to fill in for Franchitti, but a spokesman for Stewart dismissed the report as a rumor and said that Stewart is expected to honor a preseason pledge not to race at Indianapolis this year. Stewart grew up in Indiana dreaming about winning the Indy 500, but he said in January that he wouldn't try it this year because it might distract him from defending his 2002 Winston Cup championship. Stewart already has scheduled personal appearances during times he would have had to be in Indianapolis if he were to race in the Indy 500. Gordon wants to do both races but hasn't been able to secure sponsorship money. Andretti's cousin John, another Cup driver who has done double duty, also has expressed interest in doing both races.(USA Today)(4-21-2003)
UPDATE 3: Reigning Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart said Monday he will not enter the 2003 Indianapolis 500, disputing a report on ESPN.com claiming he would take the place of injured driver Dario Franchitti. "It's flattering to know that my name still comes up this time of year as someone teams want to have in their car at Indy," Stewart said in a statement. "But as I've said from the beginning of the season, I am not going to compete in the Indianapolis 500, and my reasons are still the same." At preseason Winston Cup testing in Daytona Beach, Fla., Stewart said he was going to focus on his Joe Gibbs Racing team this season. He reiterated that stance Monday. "There are 200 employees at Joe Gibbs Racing, making all sorts of sacrifices to provide me with everything I need to go out and win races. And when you go back and forth between Indy and Charlotte, it puts a strain on the entire team," he said. "As much as my heart wants to do it, I can't justify putting my personal ambitions ahead of the sacrifices made by my race team."(ThatsRacin.com)(4-21-2003)
- #1 Rumors abound: hearing that Steve Park could be replaced as the driver of the #1 Pennzoil Chevy before the races at Lowe's Motor Speedway, sources have Jason Keller as the possible replacement driver. Keller is slated to driver the #81 DEI car at Checiagoland in July.
AND The LTN HOUR radio show reports that Kurt Busch, driver of the #97 Rubbermaid/Sharpie Roush Racing Ford will drive the #1 DEI Chevy in 2004. However, last reports I have are that he is signed with Roush thru 2006.(4-21-2003)
- Makar to the #88? still hearing rumors that Jimmy Makar, former crew chief of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy and current team manager for Gibbs is trying to work out a deal so he can crew chief the #88 Robert Yates Racing team and driver Dale Jarrett.(4-21-2003)
- 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)
- Lepage hopes to run at Charlotte/Lowe's: Kevin Lepage hopes to run the races at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May (The Winston Open and Coca-Cola 600) with his own team, Matrix Motorsports, and hopes to find a sponsor to support the team.(XM Satellite- NASCAR Radio - Subscription Required) for info on the team, see kevinlepageinc.com.(4-21-2003)
- Schrader wins: NASCAR Winston Cup regular Ken Schrader raced Saturday night at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., and won the late-model feature. He finished half of the straightaway ahead of Mark Oller of Highland, Ill.(Kansas City Star)(4-21-2003)
- Update on NASCAR's Carbon Monoxide Study: NASCAR has been studying the effects of carbon monoxide on drivers through the course of a race weekend, and the results from Martinsville Speedway, where Tony Stewart had a severe reaction last fall, were integral to the findings. Gary Nelson, who oversees NASCAR's technical center, says the data received through breathalyzer testing at Martinsville weren't “alarming” but added the reports weren't conclusive. Nelson cites two ways to decrease a driver's chances of suffering harmful effects: strengthening the crush panels that protect the driver from exhaust fumes and improving a driver's conditioning, which decreases susceptibility to the gas. Because contact between cars damages the crush panels, their strength is particularly important at a short track such as Martinsville. Nelson says several teams have installed scrubber systems that the teams and NASCAR have worked on to remove or lessen the amount of carbon monoxide ingested by competitors under race conditions.(Sporting News)(4-21-2003)
(4-20-2003)
see the Apr 14-20, 2003 Archived News Page
(4-13-2003)
see the Apr 7-13, 2003 Archived News Page
(4-6-2003)
see the Mar 31-Apr 6, 2003 Archived News Page
