2008 Sponsor Schedule (subject to change):
2/9 - Daytona - Bud Shootout - Crown Royal Cask No. 16
2/17 - Daytona - Crown Royal Cask No. 16
2/24 - California - Crown Royal
3/2 - Las Vegas - Crown Royal
3/9 - Atlanta - IRWIN Industrial Tools
3/16 - Bristol - Crown Royal
3/30 - Martinsville - IRWIN Industrial Tools
4/6 - Texas - - Crown Royal Cask No. 16
4/12 - Phoenix - Crown Royal
4/27 - Talladega - Crown Royal
5/3 - Richmond - Crown Royal
5/10 - Darlington - Crown Royal
5/17 - All-Star - Crown Royal
5/25 - Charlotte - IRWIN Industrial Tools
6/1 - Dover - Crown Royal
6/8 - Pocono - IRWIN Industrial Tools
6/15 - Michigan - Crown Royal
6/22 - Sonoma - Crown Royal
6/29 - New Hampshire - IRWIN Industrial Tools
7/5 - Daytona - IRWIN Industrial Tools
7/12 - Chicago - Crown Royal
7/27 - Indianapolis - Crown Royal
8/3 - Pocono - Crown Royal
8/10 - Watkins Glen - Crown Royal
8/17 - Michigan - IRWIN Industrial Tools
8/23 - Bristol - IRWIN Industrial Tools
8/31 - California - Crown Royal
9/6 - Richmond - Crown Royal
9/14 - New Hampshire - Crown Royal
9/21 - Dover - IRWIN Industrial Tools
9/28 - Kansas - Crown Royal
10/5 - Talladega - IRWIN Industrial Tools
10/11 - Charlotte - Crown Royal
10/19 - Martinsville - Crown Royal
10/26 - Atlanta - Crown Royal
11/2 - Texas - Crown Royal
11/9 - Phoenix - IRWIN Industrial Tools
11/16 - Homestead - Crown Royal
Contract Status: Driver: 2008+; Sponsors: 2008 ?
- Dunkin' Donuts teams up with Fenway Sports: As it expands nationally, Dunkin' Donuts is teaming up with a high-powered group of local sports marketers to bring in new customers. Dunkin’ now has 5,500 stores, but plans to triple that number over the next two decades, targeting markets like Dallas, Cleveland and Nashville that are outside its Northeast base. The Canton-based chain has hired Fenway Sports Group to help devise a national sports marketing campaign. That could mean rolling out Dunkin' ads featuring sports stars in some of its new markets across the country, said Mark Lev, executive vice president at Fenway Sports Group. The Dunkin' deal is a major coup for FSG, which has been building a broad portfolio of deals ranging from a 50% stake in a top NASCAR race team to consulting deals with a range of companies.(Boston Herald)(4-15-2008) Comment here
- McMurray Kicks Off "National Autism Awareness Month" at Texas: This weekend, at Texas Motor Speedway, Jamie McMurray will help promote autism awareness through a special paint scheme, as well as the launch of a month-long online auction with all proceeds going towards the research and support of autism and families coping with this neurobiological disorder. McMurray will pilot the #26 Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Ford in this weekend's Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Along with the black and gold paint scheme, the rear quarter panels and the television panel of the # 26 Ford Fusion will don the autism awareness puzzle pieces. The Jamie McMurray Foundation's month-long auction also launches this weekend and will run through the end of April. Fans can bid on all kinds of memorabilia with all proceeds benefiting autism research and support.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(4-5-2008) Comment here
- Cask No. 16 scheme returns at Texas: This weekend at Texas, Jamie McMurray will pilot the #26 Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Ford Fusion. The #26 Ford will also sport the autism puzzle pieces in support of autism awareness and the Jamie McMurray Foundation. McMurray will have two special guests with him at the track this weekend – Chris Dake and Dawn Litteken from Springfield, Mo., who bid more than $4,200 for a VIP weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The auction helps kick off “National Autism Awareness Month.”(Roush Fenway Racing), see image of the car on my #26 Team Schemes page(4-2-2008)
- Roush Fenway Racing doesn't plan any legal action against MWR: Roush Fenway Racing doesn't plan to take legal action against Michael Waltrip Racing for what it characterized as the theft of a sway bar unless there is evidence that the piece has been duplicated. Team president Geoff Smith said the issue would not have surfaced at all had Toyota general manager Lee White not insinuated that Roush's team of Carl Edwards intentionally cheated at Las Vegas.(see full story at ESPN.com), so lets hope this whole thing is over.(3-30-2008) Comment here
- MWR had [Roush] part, says it was a mistake UPDATE: Michael Waltrip confirmed Friday afternoon that it was his team that Jack Roush was alluding to when saying a Toyota team had stolen a sway bar from Roush Fenway Racing at Dover last September. “It was a mistake,” Waltrip said. “Look at the back of these toolboxes. There are sway bars, there’s jack handles, and it wound up in our possession. We called them and said, ‘We want to give this back.’ ”(full story atSceneDaily)
MORE: Michael Waltrip acknowledged on Saturday that his team had the sway bar that team owner Jack Roush accused a Toyota team of stealing last season. But Waltrip insisted that it wasn't a theft, that the bar accidentally wound up at his shop after the September race at Dover and that nobody realized it belonged to Roush Fenway Racing until that organization called to inquire about it in January. "Accidents happen, mistakes happen," Waltrip said. "If you look inside this garage area today there's over 70 racing vehicles in here and stuff gets slung everywhere ... I could see why he would be upset. He feels like he was wronged and he's mad about it." Roush said the sway bar was specially designed by Roush Fenway for his cars. He said they were larger than the old bars, unable to fit in the toolbox slot and were put underneath the box instead. Roush said a member of a Toyota team -- which turned out to be David Reutimann's #00 car -- parked next to him at Dover, then walked over and took the piece. "I don't know what makes him tick," Waltrip said of Roush. "But I do know that no one went to his toolbox and swiped his bar." Waltrip said he had no knowledge that the piece was sandblasted to hide its identity and that somebody from his team called a vendor to have it duplicated as Roush alleged. "I don't have knowledge of any of that," he said. "I heard it was painted blue and when we figured out that it wasn't ours then it was set off to the side and eventually returned."(ESPN.com)(3-29-2008) Comment here
- NASCAR won't intervene in Roush dispute with Toyota team: NASCAR officials say they will not intervene in the dispute between Roush Fenway Racing and an unspecified Toyota team that allegedly took a part from the Ford organization. Team owner Jack Roush is asking NASCAR for “relief” on the issue, but NASCAR Vice President of Competition strongly dismissed that idea on Friday. “If they’ve got issues with each other or other teams, then they’ve got to talk to those other teams,” Pemberton said. “I didn’t take a part or a piece, all right? Nobody in this [NASCAR] trailer took a part or a piece. We know Jack said that, and apparently some other team acknowledged having a part or a piece. Those people need to work their deal out.” Roush said a Toyota team took a sway bar home from a September race at Dover last season. If that’s true, Pemberton said, “Then shame on a team that has that person working for them. If you’ve got a guy that takes a part or a piece from another team, then, in my opinion, I wouldn’t have a guy like that work for me,” he said. Still, that doesn’t mean NASCAR is going to do anything about it. “[The teams] have to work together,” he said. “We’re not going to build walls in here. We’re not going to separate everything. We’re going to run this garage area just like it’s been run. If you have issues, then you've got to work it out.”(SceneDaily)(3-29-2008)
- Latest on the 'stolen' Roush "proprietary part": Jack Roush said on Friday that a Toyota team stole a sway bar made specifically for Roush Fenway Racing from one of his Sprint Cup teams last season at Dover. "A theft did occur," the co-owner of Roush Fenway said during practice at Martinsville Speedway. "The part was recovered ... We are still considering what if any legal action to seek." One of Roush's options is asking for a restraining order to guarantee the team in question does not duplicate the bar, which has been determined legal by NASCAR, for a competitive advantage. "It's lawyer time," Roush said. Roush made his first comments since he was quoted in ESPN The Magazine as saying a proprietary part was found missing from his inventory and discovered with a Toyota team. He discounted comments made by Jim Aust, the president of Toyota Racing Development, that a valve spring was found during a teardown inspection, identified as belonging to Roush and returned. Roush said the theft occurred in the garage area at Dover in September [2007], where the only Toyota teams in the field belonged to Michael Waltrip Racing and Team Red Bull.
Lee White, the general manager of TRD, said his organization launched a full investigation into the allegation when Roush's allegations were published in ESPN The Magazine.
He said a valve spring that did not belong to Toyota ended up at TRD's California location after the California race, that it was reported to NASCAR and returned. Roush said he became aware of the theft in early January when the vendor that produced the product for Roush Fenway was contacted by the Toyota team in question about duplicating the bar.
Roush said he's had several discussions with NASCAR officials about the situation. He was alarmed when Robin Pemberton, the vice president of competition for the series, said disappearing parts are a common occurrence and the teams needed to work it out amongst themselves. Roush said there is something fundamentally wrong if NASCAR doesn't intercede, reminding the governing body has no problem reacting when somebody uses an illegal part -- on purpose or not. Roush, noting he has been in the business 22 years, and said this is the first time he's heard of such a situation. He declined to respond to a question in which Michael Waltrip Racing was insinuated as the Toyota team. "I don't substantiate," he said. Waltrip declined to comment until he heard how the question was posed and the way Roush responded.(see full story at ESPN.com)(3-28-2008) Comment here
- Roush Says Toyota Team Stole "Proprietary Part" UPDATE 2: ESPN the Magazine has an interesting and potentially explosive quote from Roush Fenway Racing co-owner Jack Roush as part of its 10th Anniversary issue, which is on newsstands this week. Two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the magazine quotes Roush as saying, “We had a proprietary Roush Fenway part go missing from one of my race teams, and we recovered it from a Toyota team. I’m not going to say which team it is, but we are considering legal action, or getting NASCAR involved.” If Roush’s allegations prove to be true, this could become NASCAR’s version of the recent spy scandal that rocked Formula One racing, in which the McLaren-Mercedes team was caught with confidential, proprietary test information belonging to rival Ferrari. We contacted Roush Fenway Racing today in search of further information – including team was involved and the specific part in question -- and we [SIRIUS Speedway w/ Dave Moody] hope to have a statement from them later today.(Motorsports Soapbox)(3-25-2008)
UPDATE: Jack Roush, co-owner of Ford-based Roush Fenway Racing, leveled another serious accusation at nemesis Toyota at Atlanta Motor Speedway -- one that took nearly three weeks to surface. No one from either RFR or Toyota was willing to comment on Tuesday, but no one was denying Roush told a reporter from ESPN The Magazine on March 7 that a Toyota team had been in possession of an RFR team part.(ESPN)(3-26-2008)
UPDATE 2: Toyota officials on Wednesday identified the Roush Fenway Racing part that owner Jack Roush said was found in a Toyota team's possession during a Sprint Cup post-race teardown as a spring. Jim Aust, the president and chief executive officer of Toyota Racing Development, said once the part was found to belong to RFR that it was returned. He was uncertain how the part, discovered on a table with other Toyota parts, got there or from which team it came. "I don't understand the whole procedure when a teardown happens," said Aust, referring to a post-race process in which several cars are broken down by NASCAR inspectors. "The only thing I know is it wound up with parts we had and [which were] returned to Roush. "It's unfortunate it happened the way it did. It wasn't anything intentional. There's no reason to be done intentional. I have no idea how it happened to begin with." Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith said the part in question was not a spring, but he would not elaborate. No one at RFR has identified which Toyota team had the part. "Jack is the only one to talk to at this time and he presently doesn't want to make any additional comments," Smith said.(ESPN.com)(3-26-2008) Comment here
- No Roush Points swap: Roush Fenway Racing spokesman tells me that Roush Fenway Racing has no plans of swapping points from the #17 Matt Kenseth team to the #26 Jamie McMurray team, who is 36th in onwers points and nees to race his way into the race at Martinsville.(3-19-2008) Comment here
- McMurray flies with the Thunderbirds: Along with driving the high banks of Daytona International Speedway last week, Roush Fenway Racing driver Jamie McMurray
experienced a once-in-a-lifetime thrill when he was invited to fly with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. McMurray was invited to fly in an F-16 Fighting Falcon, along with television star Jeff Hammond. The two paired up last Tuesday at the Daytona Beach International Airport, where they met their crew for the afternoon. After receiving their suits and pre-flight instruction, McMurray and Hammond made their way out the tarmac. McMurray flew first with Thunderbird No. 8, Major Tony Mulhare, who showed the driver of the No. 26 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, a few maneuvers the jets and pilots perform during a typical mission. After a 45-minute flight that included a maximum vertical climb takeoff, high-speed rolls and turns and aggressive tactical maneuvers, the F-16 touched down safely on the runway. When the two climbed out of the jet, Major Mulhare awarded McMurray with a "9-G" pin. The pin is only given to those participants who are able to endure 9 G-forces during the flight. Three days later, the pilot and crew attended the race at Daytona International Speedway and were there to shake McMurray's hand before he climbed into his #26 Ford.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(2-21-2008) Comment here
- McMurray back in regular scheme:Jamie McMurray will pilot the #26 Crown Royal Ford Fusion for the first time this season. This will be McMurray’s first time in 2008 back in his Crown Royal purple and gold paint scheme. The #26 Crown Royal Ford Fusion will run a special decal on the rear quarter panel this weekend in support of “Dress for Success,” which is a program to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(2-20-2008)
- New Young Guns Named: #07-Clint Bowyer and #11-Denny Hamlin are the latest additions to the Gillette Young Guns program. The pair join #2-Kurt Busch, #12-Ryan Newman, #99-Carl Edwards and #9-Kasey Kahne as clean-shaven drivers in the campaign. #48-Jimmie Johnson and #26-Jamie McMurray are no longer participating in the program. The company is unveiling a new ad campaign featuring the drivers with WWE veteran John Cena attempting to teach the group to wrestle. Cena learned to drive a Sprint Cup car as part of a reality television show last summer. The Gillette program is entering its fifth season.(SceneDaily.com) Comment here.
- Special scheme for McMurray in the Shootout: Jamie McMurray will pilot the #26 Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Ford Fusion in Saturday's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. This special paint scheme promoting a new blend of Crown Royal will run in both the Shootout and the Daytona 500. McMurray on racing at Daytona International Speedway in the Shootout: "I'm really looking forward to the Shootout in Daytona for a lot of reasons. The last time we raced at Daytona; I won there, which gives the team a lot of
confidence heading into the race. Also, I really think that all speedway races should be no more than 50 to 70 laps. The rest of the time the guys are just putting themselves into a position to really go for it at the end. We are showcasing a brand new paint scheme in Daytona. It's the #26 Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Ford Fusion. The No. 16 isn't the car number, but actually the beginning of the postal code from the famous cognac region of France. Cask No. 16 is a new blend from Crown Royal.(Roush Fenway Racing PR), have not seen an image of the scheme...yet.(2-5-2008)
- McMurray misses media tour due to jury duty: #26-Jamie McMurray will not be present at the Lowe's Motor Speedway Media Tour Thursday afternoon. It's not because McMurray is testing a racecar, or at a sponsor appearance, but serving his civic duty at the Iredell County Courthouse. "I can't believe that I'm going to miss the media tour this year," said McMurray. "Instead of being the driver of the #26 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, I'm Juror #7 at the Iredell County Courthouse, after being selected for jury duty earlier this week. So rather than joining my teammates at Roush Fenway Racing this afternoon, I'll be at the courthouse serving my civic duty. I'm looking forward to returning to Daytona in a couple weeks and hope to catch up with all the media when I get there. We have some really exciting things coming up with both Crown Royal and IRWIN Industrial Tools. The #26 Crown
Royal Ford Fusion will have a new look when we return to Daytona - we're running the Cask #16 paint scheme on it. It's a great looking car that I hope we can return to Victory Lane for Crown Royal." The new paint scheme is intended to celebrate the recent unveiling of Crown Royal Cask #16*, a special blend of Crown Royal whisky, which is finished in
rare Cognac casks.(Roush Racing)(1-24-2008) Comment here
- CitiFinancial sponsoring Roush: CitiFinancial will be the primary sponsor on a variety of Roush Fenway Racing entries in all 35 Nationwide Series events in 2008. The sponsorship is part of Citi's new multifaceted, strategic marketing partnership with Roush Fenway Racing. As part of the relationship, CitiFinancial will tap into Roush Fenway's all-star driver lineup to pilot the CitiFinancial Ford. In addition, Citi will become a major associate sponsor on all Roush Fenway Racing teams, including the Sprint Cup Series entries of #16-Greg Biffle, #99-Carl Edwards, #17-Matt Kenseth, #26-Jamie McMurray, and #6-David Ragan.(Roush Fenway PR)(1-19-2008) Comment here
- Roush Fenway Racing Announces 2008 Lineup for McMurray & #26 Team: Roush Fenway Racing announced the 2008 schedule for Jamie McMurray and the #26 Sprint Cup team. The #26 team will again be led by crew chief Larry Carter. In 2008, McMurray will split his seat time between the #26 Crown Royal Ford and the #26 IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford. "We at Crown Royal are looking forward to another exciting season with Jamie McMurray behind the wheel of the #26 Crown Royal Ford Fusion," said Jim Lorenz, Senior Brand Manager, Crown Royal. "Not only are we unveiling a new Crown Royal Cask No. 16 paint scheme at the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 500, but we also are thrilled to continue our commitment to spreading the brand's 'Be A Champion. Drink Responsibly.' message, which reminds race fans to always make smart decisions when drinking, like assigning a designated driver." In 2008, Crown Royal will be the primary sponsor for 27 Sprint Cup races, with IRWIN Industrial Tools the primary sponsor for 11 races.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(12-20-2007)
- Roush Fenway Racing announces new GM - Robbie Reiser: Roush Fenway Racing announced Thursday that championship crew chief, Robbie Reiser, has been appointed General Manager of Roush Fenway Racing’s Nextel Cup team operations. “This is a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to the next phase of my racing career,” Reiser said. “If it’s anywhere near as fun, competitive, and successful as the previous phase, then we’re going to be in good shape. It wasn’t an easy decision to stop being the crew chief of the #17 team, but now I get to work with all of our Cup teams and help improve our performance as a whole. I’m looking forward to the new challenge.” Reiser replaces Max Jones and steps into the GM role with well over 20 years of racing experience under his belt. Roush Fenway Racing is expected to name other crew changes to the #17 Ford team in the upcoming weeks.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(11-15-2007)
- Doug Yates and Max Jones join forces: Yates Racing announced Thursday that Max Jones, long-time general manager for Roush Fenway Racing and former road-racing driver has joined Yates Racing as a co-owner and will also assume the role of General Manager . Jones, a native of Long Beach, Calif., joins Yates Racing after serving as general manager for Roush Fenway Racing’s Cup program in 2007. “We’re thrilled to have someone as respected as Max join Yates Racing,” said Yates Racing owner, Doug Yates. “With his experience in the sport and working with such a large and successful organization as Roush Fenway Racing for so many years, he will immediately step in and improve our race operations. As we continue to improve and restructure in preparation for a successful 2008 season, having someone with Max’s experience and credibility only accelerates the process of getting Yates Racing back to where it needs to be and that’s competing for wins and championships on a weekly basis.” Jones will add his experience to one of the most successful operations in motorsports. Since venturing into NASCAR’s Cup series in 1989, Yates Racing has recorded 57 wins, 269 top fives, and 427 top-10 finishes, including the Cup
series championship in 1999.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(11-15-2007)
- Special Scheme for McMurray at Texas: Jamie McMurray will drive the #26 Crown Royal Special Reserve Ford in this Sunday´s Dickies 500 at Texas.(Roush Racing PR). See an image of the scheme on the #26 Team Schemes page.(10-30-2007)
- Irwin Vice Grip scheme for McMurray: This weekend at Talladega, Jamie McMurray will pilot the #26 IRWIN Vise-Grip Ford Fusion. The IRWIN paint scheme has the same blue and yellow look, but with a large pair of locking pliers on the door of the #26 Ford Fusion.(Roush Racing PR)(10-4-2007)
- McMurray to appear on a soap opera: Before making his way to Fontana this weekend for the Sharp Aquos 500 at California Speedway, Roush Fenway Racing driver #26-Jamie McMurray stopped in Hollywood for a brief cameo appearance on the soap opera "Passions." On Wednesday afternoon, McMurray visited the set of "Passions" located in Studio City, Calif., where he participated in a scene for an upcoming episode. McMurray was invited to tape a scene on "Passions," where the 31- year old played himself a "real-life NASCAR driver," as the script refers to him. The episode is scheduled to air on September 26, 2007. "It was a lot of fun shooting my scene on "Passions," said McMurray. "I think the best part about the shoot was how nice the people were on the set. It was pretty cool to be able to go behind the scenes and see how it was shot. It's amazing to think they shoot five days a week, and sometimes for up to 15 hours in one day. My part in the show was really quick and I only had a few lines to remember, but I have to admit, I was pretty nervous when all the cameras were turned on. What people don't realize is that it isn't just you and the other actors; it's also like 20 other people behind the cameras. And on top of that, I didn't want to be the one to mess up the shoot." When the lights were up and the cameras were rolling, it only took McMurray one shot to nail his lines.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(9-1-2007)
- Race sponsor on the #26 at Calif: Jamie McMurray will run the #26 Sharp AQUOS/3M Vikuiti paint scheme for the second time this season in the Sharp AQUOS 500 at California Speedway. His first start in the Sharp AQUOS / 3M Vikuiti Ford Fusion yielded a top-five finish at Talladega Superspeedway.(Roush Racing PR), see an image of the scheme on my #26 Team Schemes page.(8-30-2007)
- Braun to make stock car debut in ARCA for Roush: Colin Braun, driver of the #99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion, will make his Roush Fenway Racing debut in Friday night's ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Gateway International Speedway. Braun recently signed long-term contracts with Roush Fenway Racing and Ford Racing.(Ford Racing PR)(8-29-2007)
- Roush to sell off one team, then help: In 2010, Roush Fenway Racing will have to shrink from five cars to four, but Jack Roush already has a plan in mind: Sell the fifth car to a group of investors as what he called "seed corn" for an investor-controlled four-car team owned and funded by a group outside of Roush but fueled with Roush crews and technology. "It shouldn't go without notice that we are unabated in our effort to find and identify new drivers and to build our crews and teams with outsiders to the extent that we can and advance them through the programs as they get experience," Roush said. "We're on a track to be able to help somebody come in and provide the technology and the manpower to get them started."(Ford Racing)(8-18-2007)
