#40 Team Past News and Rumors
NOTE: many of the links in the past news will be old and may not work
decided it was not worth the time to go thru each one on all the Team Past News pages
2007 News
Franchitti Racking Up Awards as Daytona 500 Nears After a combined six starts in ARCA, NASCAR's Craftsman Truck and Busch Series, and his debut in the 2008
Sprint Cup Series' Daytona 500 looming in the distance, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates' (CGRFS) Dario Franchitti has been racking up the accolades over the holiday season both in the United States and abroad. Franchitti's feats in winning the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar title won him the Sports Personality of the Year at the Scottish Sports Awards in early December. The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel for Franchitti, who became the first Scot to win since Jim Clark in 1965. While overseas, Franchitti was presented a Gregor Grant Award during the annual Autosport Awards in London. The award, named after Autosport's founding editor, was presented in recognition of outstanding achievement in motorsport. Previous recipients include world rally champion Carlos Sainz, Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham. The 1966 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and fellow Scot Jackie Stewart presented the award to Franchitti. Franchitti also attended the awards ceremony for the Scottish Motor Racing Club (SMRC) where he received the coveted Stewart Medal presented only at the discretion of racing legend Jackie Stewart. Stewart's
40-year reign as SMRC president came to an end this year, and Franchitti is one of only five to ever receive the honor. As a follow up, the SMRC awarded Franchitti the John Romanes Swift Trophy, in addition to an honorary lifetime membership to the organization. Franchitti picked up both the Earl Howe Trophy and the Era Club Trophy as the British Racing Driver's Club (BRDC) celebrated racing achievements of 2007 at their Annual Awards Luncheon at The Savoy in London. The Earl Howe Trophy is awarded to the highest placed British Driver in the Indy 500 or to the British driver who has established the most meritorious performance of the year in North America, while the Era Club Trophy is awarded to the driver who best displayed the qualities of courage and sportsmanship epitomized by the late Innes Ireland. Franchitti is also one of 12 finalists for the Speed Performer of the Year, which will be awarded during the SPEED Performance Awards in February. Finally, Franchitti has been nominated for the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) All-America Team in the Open Wheel category. The annual AARWBA banquet will be held January 12th in downtown Indianapolis. He will also make time in the off season to collect his Borg Warner trophy and Indianapolis 500 ring at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(12-17-2007)
Montoya, Franchitti, Pruett to Run Rolex 24 At Daytona:Defending Grand-Am Rolex 24 At Daytona winners Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced a two-car effort for the Rolex Sports Car Series' 46th running of the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona, featuring eight drivers representing some of the best talent the motor racing world has to offer. Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas will unite for the twice-round-the-clock classic to form the driver lineup in the #01 TELMEX/Target Daytona Prototype, while Team Target IndyCar pilots Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon join Salvador Duran and Alex Lloyd in the #02 Target/TELMEX Daytona Prototype.(CGRFS PR)(12-11-2007)
Fastenal to sponsor Ganassi Racing/Sorenson/Franchitti? UPDATE: hearing that Fastenal Company [which formerly sponsored the #18 Bobby Hamliton Racing CTS team] has signed a deal to sponsor Dario Franchitti and the #40 Dodge in the 2008 Nationwide [was Busch] Series. Fastenal will also sponsor Reed Sorenson in a few select Sprint Cup racess in 2008.(11-20-2007)
UPDATE: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced that Fastenal Company, a leading global industrial and construction supply distributor, has signed a multi-year deal with the team to sponsor driver Dario Franchitti and the #40 Dodge Charger in the 2008 Nationwide Series. The program will feature Franchitti as the car’s primary driver and also include select races with his CGRFS Sprint Cup Series teammate Reed Sorenson behind the wheel.(CGRFS PR)(11-20-2007)
Stremme to Nationwide Series with RWI? UPDATE 3, looking for Cup gig: Hearing David Stremme will drive a part time Nationwide Series schedule for Rusty Wallace Inc in 2008, splitting time with rookie Chase Austin.(10-25-2007)
UPDATE: Expect an announcement Sunday in Atlanta that David Stremme will run a 20-race schedule of Nationwide Series races next season for Rusty Wallace, Inc. Sources close to the team tell Sirius Speedway that Stremme will split the schedule with youngster Chase Austin, running all the companion events with the Sprint Cup Series. Stremme is still rumored to be in the running for the handful of rides still open on the Cup side for 2008, as well.(Motorsports Soapbox)(10-26-2007)
UPDATE 2: David Stremme says that signing with Rusty Wallace Racing to drive in the Nationwide Series in 2008 has no impact on his hunt for a job in the Nextel Cup Series. Stremme is parting ways with the #40 Chip Ganassi Racing team at the end of the season. He announced Sunday morning that he'll be driving for Wallace in 17 Nationwide Series races next season. Although that team will be a Chevy organization, Stremme does not think that will have an impact on any ongoing negotiations. As to a Cup ride, he says that he's been discussing various opportunities with his agent.(SceneDaily.com)(10-29-2007)
UPDATE 3: David Stremme continues to search for a Cup ride for next season, but his agent said that Stremme won't take any ride. Stremme is set to drive in 20 Busch races for Rusty Wallace's team next season -- all companion events with the Cup series. Stremme will be replaced by Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti at Chip Ganassi Racing next season. One possibility, agent Jeff Dickerson said, is that Stremme could drive a fourth car for Ganassi in 2008 if a sponsor is found.(Roanoke Times)(11-8-2007)
Juicy Fruit debut at Phoenix: Juicy Fruit will make its debut in the Nextel Cup Series at Phoenix this weekend when #40-David Stremme will take to the track rocking a new paint scheme in the signature yellow Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Dodge. Wrigley's Juicy Fruit has been on board this season for nearly 20 NBS races with the #41 Dodge.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(11-8-2007)
New look for the #40 at Texas: This weekend as David Stremme and the #40 team take to Texas Motor Speedway, he will be piloting a fresh new HomeLife Communities paint scheme. HomeLife Communities is a third-generation, family-run business based in Atlanta, Georgia and is the leader in value housing. New-home designs are available in Atlanta,
Georgia, Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, Phoenix, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(11-2-2007)
Hmiel to Ganassi: UPDATE: Steve Hmiel has joined Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Hmiel will be responsible for competition management, race preparation, race engineering and testing. John Fernandez remains managing director. Tony Glover will remain as team manager overseeing race weekend activities.(10-26-2007)
UPDATE: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced Steve Hmiel, former director of technical operations at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., has accepted a new position with the organization to serve as manager of competition of its Concord racing operation. John Fernandez will continue to manage the long-term strategic direction of the CGRFS race operations while Steve will focus more on the competition management and preparation – including race engineering. Both Hmiel and Fernandez will report directly to Ganassi.(CGRFS PR)(10-26-2007)
Stremme to Nationwide Series with RWI? Hearing David Stremme will drive a part time Nationwide Series schedule for Rusty Wallace Inc in 2008, splitting time with rookie Chase Austin.(10-25-2007)
UPDATE: Expect an announcement Sunday in Atlanta that David Stremme will run a 20-race schedule of Nationwide Series races next season for Rusty Wallace, Inc. Sources close to the team tell Sirius Speedway that Stremme will split the schedule with youngster Chase Austin, running all the companion events with the Sprint Cup Series. Stremme is still rumored to be in the running for the handful of rides still open on the Cup side for 2008, as well.(Motorsports Soapbox)(10-26-2007)
#40 Coors Light Dodge to feature St. Jude Paint Scheme at Atlanta: Coors Light, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced the #40 Coors Light Dodge driven by David Stremme will be wrapped with a special St. Jude paint scheme for this weekend's Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The purpose of the paint scheme is to increase awareness of the hospital and its work as well as to support Coors Light's yearly pumpkin-themed "Halloween Pinups" fundraiser. During the month-long "Halloween Pinups" promotion, Coors and its distributors will focus on raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In the Atlanta area, employees at participating retail locations will ask patrons to make a $1 donation to St. Jude's to join in the fight against catastrophic childhood diseases. In return for the contribution, the donors will have the opportunity to write their names on pumpkin-themed pinups which will be displayed in each location through Halloween. In addition to its annual "Halloween Pinup" promotion, Coors Light will make a $10,000 base donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on race weekend, with an incremental donation for every lap Stremme completes in the race. Since 1997, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc. has raised more than $440,000 for St. Jude Hospital and Target House by donating $5,000 for each victory, $1,000 for each pole position and $25 for each lap led.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(10-23-2007)
No more contracts for Ganassi crews: Car owner Chip Ganassi [#'s 40,41,42] is reshuffling his massive operation for 2008, releasing a number of crewmen and saying he will not be signing any crewmen to contracts anymore.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-22-2007)
Special schemes for Sorenson and Stremme: Target and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced today that the #41 Target Dodge will feature a pink paint scheme for the next two Nextel Cup Series events to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. Reed Sorenson will be running a pink #41 Dodge in this weekend's 500-mile race at Martinsville Speedway and at his hometown track - Atlanta Motor Speedway on Oct. 28. Additionally, Target and CGRFS also announced Sorenson's teammate #40-David Stremme will be driving a Target House Dodge at Martinsville, highlighting Team Target's commitment to cause-related programs. Sorenson has created a donation pledge for the Atlanta race, which Target will match, that consists of a number of levels, with the top amount (including the match) being $36,400. Sorenson will donate $10,000 for a win, $5,000 for a top-five finish, $1,000 for a top-10 finish, $4,100 for a pole and $12.62 for each lap completed, totaling $4,100 if he completes all of the scheduled 325 laps that will make up the Pep Boys Auto 500. He will also auction his autographed custom race helmet and firesuit with proceeds from the pledge and auction benefiting The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and Project Pink House.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR), more info on the auction on the Racing Charities page, see an image of the scheme on the #41 Team Schemes and #40 Team Schemes pages.(10-17-2007)
Hass Racing Quiet about 2008 Drivers: When it comes to who'll be in what Haas CNC Racing cars in 2008, nobody seems to know much of anything. Joe Custer, the team's general manager, plays his cards close to the vest. Very, very close. Johnny Sauter, driver of the organization's #70 entry, says that he doesn't have a clue what he'll be doing next year, but adds that he's been given permission to look elsewhere. Jeff Green, who steers its #66 Chevy, refuses altogether to comment on the situation. With Scott Riggs already signed for next year and two Haas cars available, there's considerable speculation as to which one he'll drive and whether it'll be Green or Sauter who's left out of the mix. Then again, names other than Riggs' [including Mayfield and Stremme] have been mentioned as joining the operation. If that happens, Green and Sauter would most likely both be gone. According to Custer, neither driver has a decided advantage at this stage of the game.(NASCAR.com)(10-14-2007)
More Stremme Buzz in the Garage: Hearing from many sources that #40 David Stremme is now the leading candidate for at least four teams. Options include third and fourth car situations (GEM?, Penske?, MWR?, Ganassi?) and Haas Racing where Johnny Sauter is expected to be replaced.(10-14-2007)
Franchitti to make debut in Martinsville truck race: On the heels of Dario Franchitti's successful stock car debut in the ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway
last weekend, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced that Franchitti will continue his development program in the Craftsman Truck Series. Franchitti will qualify the #41 Target Dodge Ram next Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. The Cunningham Motorsports-owned truck will be led by Ganassi Crew Chief Brian Pattie and his CGRFS team, who guided Franchitti through his ARCA debut last weekend. The 0.526-mile oval will mark Franchitti's first run behind the wheel of a NASCAR Truck, and his first ever appearance at the Virginia short track.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(10-10-2007)
Stremme? Mayfield to Haas? hearing that both David Stremme, currently driving the #40 Dodge for Chip Ganassi [but out of a job at the end of 2007] has also talked to Haas CNC Racing about driving for them in 2008; also hearing that Jeremy Mayfield, currently driving the #36 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing [but out of a job at the end of 2007] has talked to Haas CNC Racing about driving for them in 2008. Haas CNC Racing has already signed Scott Riggs [now in the #10 Dodge at GEM] to drive one of their cars for them in 2008, either the #66 Chevy currently driven by Jeff Green], the #70 Chevy [currently Johnny Sauter] or a possible third team. Stremme is also being rumored to others rides, including #10 GEN Dodge, Michael Waltrip Racing and Penske Racing [if Horish decides not to run Cup in 2008 in their third car].(10-9-2007)
Molson Coors, SABMiller Combine U.S. Operations: The makers of Coors and Miller Lite plan to combine their U.S. brewing operations in an effort to compete better against industry leader Anheuser-Busch. The joint venture announced Tuesday will be known as MillerCoors and will have responsibility for selling brands including Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Coors, Coors Light and Molson Canadian in the U.S. Anheuser-Busch Cos. accounts for about half of the U.S. market with brands such as Budweiser, Michelob and Bud Light. SABMiller PLC will have a 58% economic interest in the venture and MolsonCoors Brewing Co. will own 42% of the new company. They will have equal voting interests, however. The joint venture will also result in cost savings of $500 million, the companies said. That savings will mainly come from reducing shipping distances, finding economies of scale in brewing operations, optimizing production and eliminating duplicate corporate and marketing services. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies said they will conduct all of their U.S. business exclusively through the venture. The companies said by combining their U.S. operations, the venture will be able to invest more in marketing its brands to consumers and compete more effectively with larger brewers like Anheuser-Busch and InBev NV S.A., which imports a large number of global beers into the U.S. and is the world's largest brewer by volume.(AP/Yahoo Biz), no word how or if this will effect the sponsorship of the #2 Pensek Racing Dodge of Kurt Busch, Coor's Light was just announced as the official beer of NASCAR and will not sponsor a team in 2008.(10-9-2007)
Franchitti finishes 17th in ARCA race; Speed 7th: It took Dario Franchitti less than a straightaway to know he was in foreign territory Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. The reigning IndyCar Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner saw the green flag wave for the start of Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250, his stock car debut, and immediately ran out of room on the highbanked 2.66-mile oval. "You can't pass on the left in this kind of racing like you can in IndyCar and people checked up in front of me on the start and I had nowhere to go," Franchitti said, grinning. "That was my first learning experience and it continued all day." The 34-year-old Scot, driving his first race for new employer Chip Ganassi, managed to stay out of trouble throughout the 94-lap event and wound up 17th. "It was a lot of fun out there," he said. "I'm disappointed with the result. But what I've learned, I don't think you can put a price on it. I learned so much today. I'm looking at the long game, I'm looking at next year." The Scot, who signed a multiyear contract Wednesday to replace David Stremme in Ganassi's #40 Cup entry [in 2008], had never even sat in a stock car until earlier this week. Franchitti was outshone on Friday by another open-wheel refugee, Scott Speed, who finished seventh in his first stock car start. Speed, the only American in Formula One before being let go earlier this season by the Scuderia Toro Rossa team, qualified seventh, got as high as third and was never out of the top 15. The race was won by Bill Davis Racing rookie Michael Annett, who dominated, leading 75 laps on the way to giving Toyota its first ARCA win in his first superspeedway race. Frank Kimmel finished second, all but locking up his ninth series title with one race remaining. Points runner-up Michael McDowell, another rookie, was caught up in a five-car cash and finished 32nd.(ESPN.com/AP)(10-6-2007)
Franchitti qualifies 6th of ARCA race, Speed 7th: Dario Franchitti, in his first official day in a stock car, qualified sixth Thursday for the ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. The reigning IndyCar Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner, who this week signed a multiyear contract to drive in NASCAR for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, will make his race debut Friday. The pole went to Bryan Clausen, a developmental driver for Ganassi, at 184.840. Scott Speed, another open-wheel driver making the move to stock cars, was right behind Franchitti in seventh at 183.480.(ESPN.com/AP)(10-5-2007)
Franchitti to Join Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Drive #40 Dodge Avenger: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced reigning Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti has signed a multi-year deal with the organization to compete in the Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) beginning in 2008.
Franchitti will become the first European driver in the 59-year history of NASCAR to join the series full time when he assumes the driving duties of #40 Dodge Avenger next season.
"Any time you can sign a driver of Dario's caliber you have to be thrilled," said Team Owner Chip Ganassi, who now fields cars for three former Indianapolis 500 winners (Juan Pablo Montoya-2000, NNCS; Dan Wheldon-2005, IndyCar; and Franchitti-2007). "Dario is a world-class driver. He is a proven winner, an Indianapolis 500 champion and an
accomplished individual that will be a super teammate to both Juan Pablo and Reed."
Franchitti will immediately begin a stock car development program similar to the one CGRFS teammate Montoya engaged in just over a season ago when he attempts to qualify a CGRFS-prepared #42 Target Dodge in Friday's ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway. Franchitti now teams with Montoya, a fellow Indianapolis 500 Champion and former CART competitor. The duo took the 1999 CART title to the wire, with the current pilot of the #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge winning via a tiebreaker in the season finale.
The 34-year-old joins CGRFS with impressive open-wheel credentials. Franchitti recently captured the 2007 Indianapolis 500 title, becoming only the second Scottish-born driver to win the race (Jim Clark in 1965), before going on to win the 2007 IndyCar Series Championship over Ganassi driver Scott Dixon in the final turn of the season. With over 180 starts under his belt between the CART and IndyCar Series resulting in 18 wins, 17 poles, 63 top-five and 95 top-10 finishes (1997-2007), Franchitti is the winningest driver in U.S. open-wheel history from Great Britain. He also captured the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 Class earlier this season in his first ever American Le Mans Series start - much like Montoya did in February at the Rolex 24 At Daytona for CGRFS in his first sports car start.
"I've always admired Chip's teams having competed against them over the years, and recently paid particular attention to Juan's successful transition this season," said Franchitti. "This is a great opportunity to join one of NASCAR's premier teams."
Franchitti began racing karts in 1984 at age 11, landing his first crown in the Scottish Junior Kart Championship. After securing back-to-back British Junior Kart championships (1985-1986), the Scottish Kart championship (1988), the Formula Vauxhall Junior Championship (1991) and the British Formula Vauxhall Lotus Championship (1993), he competed and
won in the British Formula 3 Championship (1994) and the FIA International and German Touring Car Championships (1995-1996) before making the move to CART in 1997. The addition of the Scot to Chip Ganassi Racing Teams' stable of drivers furthers the team's international appeal, which now represents seven countries across five series (United States-Reed Sorenson-NNCS, Bryan Clauson-NBS, Scott Pruett-Grand Am, Rob Finlay-Grand Am, Chris Festa-Indy Pro Series; Colombia-Montoya-NNCS; Scotland-Franchitti-NNCS;
New Zealand-Scott Dixon-IndyCar; England-Dan Wheldon-IndyCar; Canada-Michael Valiante-Grand Am; and Mexico-Memo Rojas-Grand Am).
Franchitti will pilot the #40 Dodge Avenger next season while running for the Sprint Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year title along with an assortment of Busch Series races.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(10-3-2007)
Franchitti to run ARCA race at Talladega UPDATE: Dario Franchitti's much-anticipated move to stock cars will begin Friday with an ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway, the Associated Press has learned. Franchitti has agreed to a multiyear deal to replace David Stremme in the #40 Dodge for NASCAR's Chip Ganassi Racing, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity because the deal had yet to be announced. An official announcement is expected Wednesday at Ganassi's race shop in North Carolina. Ganassi said Sunday at Kansas Speedway that he was close to a deal with Franchitti's open-wheel team, Andretti Green Racing, to get the 34-year-old Scot out of his contract, which ends Dec. 1. An Andretti Green spokesman said the team would have no comment on Franchitti's move at this time. Franchitti is expected to get some much-needed seat time in stock cars by running a series of races, including ARCA, Busch and Cup, before the end of this season, much as Montoya did in 2006 after leaving Formula One.(Associated Press)(10-2-2007)
UPDATE: Introduction of Driver of the 2008 #40 Dodge, Wednesday, October 3 at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Race Shop.(CGRFS PR)(10-3-2007)
ON TV: SPEED will interrupt regularly scheduled programming at approximately 10:30am/et Wednesday, October 3rd in order to bring viewers a live press conference from the headquarters of Chip Ganassi Racing in Concord, North Carolina. Programming will resume following the press conference.(10-3-2007)
Ganassi/Franchitti deal could be done soon: Team owner Chip Ganassi said he is hopeful to have a contract with reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti signed this week. Franchitti, who remains under contract with Andretti Green Racing in the IndyCar Series, is joining Ganassi's NASCAR Cup team for the 2008 season. The plan has been for Franchitti to compete in the ARCA race Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. But Franchitti is scheduled to run the American LeMans Series event at Road Atlanta on Saturday for AGR with teammates Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan. "Hopefully it will be done this week and hopefully he'll be in Talladega -- hopefully," Ganassi said Sunday before the Cup race at Kansas Speedway. "I'm working hard on it. I've been working on it every single day. He likes to race. He wants to be here."(ESPN.com)(10-1-2007)
Franchitti's NASCAR plans on hold: Dario Franchitti's plans to kick off his stock car career with Chip Ganassi Racing in two weeks' have been put on hold because of the Scotsman's contractual commitments with Andretti Green Racing. Chip Ganassi has been working on a deal to try to get Franchitti some stock car experience as soon as possible, with the aim of having him well-prepared to drive for his team in the 2008 Sprint Cup Series. However, negotiations have apparently hit a stumbling block as Franchitti is still under contract with AGR, has further commitments to the team, and an early release from his obligations has not been reached. He is scheduled to race for AGR in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on October 6, driving an Acura in the LMP2 class, alongside his brother Marino and Bryan Herta. He raced the car earlier this year at Long Beach and Sebring, and has already tested it at Road Atlanta. Chip Ganassi said last Sunday at Dover that he was trying to get Franchitti in an ARCA race at Talladega on October 5, which is one day before the American Le Mans event. Despite both venues being just 150 miles from each other, there are conflicting schedules that would make it very difficult for the Scot to compete in both.
Autosport.com understands that the bottom-line is that Franchitti, the current IRL and Indy 500 champion, won't be able to race for Ganassi until he is out of his current deal with AGR, the team for which he has raced since 1998, when it was still owned by Barry Green in Champ Car. ARCA teams expected to compete on October 5 at Talladega had their only scheduled day of testing on Tuesday, and although Ganassi's team was testing at the track with the #40 car driven by Bryan Clauson, Franchitti was not in attendance.(Autosport.com)(9-27-2007)
Drivers to thank wounded soldiers: a few NASCAR drivers will pay "Tribute to the Soldiers" this Wednesday, September 26th at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., along with NASCAR's Brian France, Fox's Darrell Waltrip and wife Stevie, drivers David Stremme, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, and Tony Stewart. Drivers and executives will participate in the day-long tribute to the nation's soldiers, their families and hospital staff members with autograph sessions, ward visits, and a Q&A session.(PR)(9-26-2007)
Coors Light to replace Bud as official beer of NASCAR UPDATE 2: Coors Light may become the official beer of NASCAR, replacing Budweiser, according to sources, and Coors may also become the new sponsor of what is now the Busch series tour.(Winston Salem Journal)
AND also hearing Coors could be the sponsor of the #01 DEI team in 2008.(9-9-2007)
UPDATE: Coors Light will announce Tuesday a $20 million deal over five years to become the official beer of NASCAR starting in January. Coors replaces Anheuser-Busch as the official sponsor. The new deal includes renaming the pole award to the Coors Light Pole Award from the Bud Pole Award. For Coors, the NASCAR deal also replaces its sponsorship of the #40 Dodge in the Nextel Cup Series. "Our deal was up with those guys, and this opportunity came up," says Andy England, chief marketer for Coors. "It feels like we are elevating our game." For consumer product marketers, a league deal opens up greater opportunity for strong retail display — especially in and around cities when races occur.(USA Today)
Coors Shootout? no word on what happens to what is known as the Budweiser Shootout BUT, per Florida Today: From Daytona International Speedway: NASCAR’s agreement with Coors does not include the Bud Shootout race, which is a separate entitlement with DIS. There will be a Bud Shootout event in 2008.(9-25-2007)
UPDATE 2: Coors Brewing Company and NASCAR today announced a multi-year partnership, making Coors Light the official beer of NASCAR. The five-year sponsorship agreement gives Coors Brewing Company category exclusivity starting with the 2008 NASCAR season. “We’re proud that Coors Light, the World’s Most Refreshing Beer, is now the official beer of NASCAR – refreshing race fans every weekend from the start of the season to the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup,” said Andy England, Chief Marketing Officer, Coors Brewing Company. “This partnership allows us to deliver exciting and relevant programs to our distributors and retailers – all centered around the number-one spectator sport in the country.” The sponsorship agreement gives Coors Light exclusive rights to NASCAR logos in advertising, packaging and promotions, as well as the right to brand the Pole Award. In addition, Coors Light will build distributor and consumer promotions giving fans exclusive access to one-of-a-kind NASCAR experiences.(Business Wire)(9-25-2007)
Franchitti to run ARCA at Talladega, heading to Cup? The move of reigning IRL champion Dario Franchitti to the Nextel Cup Series with Chip Ganassi Racing is expected to begin in two weeks at the ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway. Ganassi is using the same plan he implemented a year ago when he broke former Formula One star Juan Pablo Montoya into NASCAR's premier series at the Alabama track. "We're trying to get him in [the ARCA race]," Ganassi said before Sunday's race at Dover International Speedway. "We have a few little hurdles left to get done before we can announce something. We're feverishly working at it, and we're confident that we're going to be able to put something together with him. Much like with Juan last year, if and when we get to that point, it's going to be a work in progress and you're going to have to constantly adjust and readjust." Franchitti is expected to move into the #40 Dodge driven by David Stremme, whose option for next season was not picked up when Ganassi couldn't get a commitment from sponsor Coors Light. Ganassi said that Franchitti "is a candidate for our team next year." Ganassi said Franchitti is not bringing a sponsor amidst rumors that Canadian Club was following him from the IRL.
He added that Franchitti has no qualms about driving a 36-race schedule. "He definitely wants to do it," he said. "I don't think there's a question. Some people that [schedule], it would intimidate. Some people it doesn't." Details of Franchitti's deal could come within the next week. He will continue the flow of open wheel drivers -- Montoya, Jacques Villenueve and possibly Sam Hornish Jr. -- to NASCAR. "This is where the action is right now," Ganassi said.(ESPN.com)(9-23-2007)
Franchitti to test ARCA car at 'Dega: There still hasn't been an official announcement about NASCAR but Dario Franchitti will be testing one of Chip Ganassi's stock cars at Talladega later this month in preparation for the ARCA race on Oct. 5. "That's the plan," said Ganassi on Sunday night. "There's an open test on Sept. 27th so we'll run that and then come back for the race." Ganassi didn't elaborate on Franchitti's future but the 2007 Indy 500 and IRL champion is expected to be named as the full-time Cup driver of Ganassi's No. 40 car later this week. Running the high-banked superspeedway in Alabama would give Franchitti a taste of what to expect next February at Daytona. It's believed the 34-year-old Scotsman, whose open-wheel career in the United States began in 1997 in CART, has signed a five-year contract to run in NASCAR's premier series. And that goes against Franchitti's style of signing only one-year contracts.(SPEEDtv.com)(9-17-2007)
Stremme to feature Halo 3 scheme at Dover: Target, Microsoft and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced that the # 40 Dodge will feature an exclusive "Halo 3"-themed paint scheme during the Doodge Dealers 400 Nextel Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 23. As fans throughout the world line up for the blockbuster Xbox 360 title, CGRFS driver David Stremme will showcase a distinctly designed paint scheme in advance of the game's much anticipated release on Tuesday, September 25. In addition to the special paint scheme in the Nextel Cup race on Sunday, Target and Microsoft are giving select drivers the chance to play "Halo 3", one of the most anticipated video games of all time, before it releases to the public. "Halo 3," the final chapter in the groundbreaking "Halo" trilogy, is set to shatter day-one entertainment sales records when it is released worldwide beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25.(CGRFS PR), see an image of what the scheme is supposed to look like on my #40 Team Schemes page.(9-14-2007)
Energizer on Board the #40 again: The #40 Dodge of David Stremme will sport the Energizer e2 Lithium paint scheme for a third time this season at New Hampshire. Stremme drove the scheme previously at the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway (finished 13th) and last weekend at Richmond (finished 19th). The dynamic silver and blue paint scheme will feature Energizer e2 Lithium, the World's Longest Lasting Battery in High Tech Devices, alongside the famous Energizer Bunny.(CGRFS), see an image of the car on my #40 Team Schemes page.(9-13-2007)
More on Franchitti to Ganassi..sponsor: Chip Ganassi has pulled off another stunning move as the team owner appears to have lured Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti to the Nextel Cup Series. Franchitti has an offer for a five-year deal. Franchitti would not confirm the move and neither would Ganassi, but sources close to the two sides have indicated Canadian Club is ready to replace Coors Light as the sponsor for Ganassi's #40 Dodge. David Stremme currently drives that car in Nextel Cup, but will leave the team at the end of this season. Once the details are finalized and the contract is signed, Franchitti is expected to compete in some lower division stock car races, such as ARCA and the Busch series as he prepares to be a Nextel Cup rookie in 2008. The decision appears to have earned the blessing of Franchitti's wife, actress Ashley Judd. The couple lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee.(Yahoo Sports/Sports Ticker)(9-10-2007)
Franchitti to Ganassi? Stremme out? UPDATE2: it was mentioned on SPEED's NASCAR Live that IRL driver Dario Franchitti could end up at Ganassi Racing in 2008, didn't say which team or car.
UPDATE: Chip Ganassi, reached by phone Friday, confirmed that his Nextel Cup organization did not pick up the option on David Stremme's contract to drive the #40 Dodge in 2008. Stremme is free to explore other options, but the door is still open for him to return to Ganassi. "First of all, we had an option on Stremme and I have no sponsor," Ganassi said. "When they say Coors isn't coming back -- would you sign Stremme without a sponsor? That's all I told him. I can't sign you here without a sponsor. Is he free to look elsewhere? Yes. I hope he stays with us. I hope we find something and he stays right here." Ganassi chose not to comment on speculation that open-wheel star Dario Franchitti would replace Stremme. Sources close to the team say a deal is in the works to bring Franchitti, winner of the 2007 Indianapolis 500, to NASCAR. Ganassi, though, said he's still actively seeking sponsorship for Stremme. "I was talking about another deal [for] him not an hour ago," Ganassi said.(ESPN.com)(9-7-2007)
UPDATE 2: A source close to the negotiations said Dario Franchitti will sign with Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the #40 Dodge beginning in 2008. David Stremme, the current driver of the #40, has already been told he will not have the ride next year. The source, who asked to not be identified because details of the agreement have not yet been finalized, said Ganassi and Franchitti decided to make the announcement after the end of the IndyCar Series schedule, which ends with Sunday's PEAK Antifreeze 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. He will join Juan Pablo Montoya, another former open-wheel star, a heralded rookie with Ganassi's NASCAR Nextel Cup team this season. Franchitti and Montoya tied for the CART - now champ Car - series points lead in 1999, with the Colombian driver winning the title on a tiebreaker - four more wins. Franchitti, who currently drives for Andretti Green Racing, goes into Sunday's race with a three-point lead over Ganassi driver Scott Dixon in the battle for the series title. "Right now, all I want to concentrate on is winning this championship and then winning the (Sports Car) championship next week in Utah," Ganassi said Saturday. "All this other stuff can wait until after that." Franchitti also declined to talk about the future, saying, "I'm trying to win a championship here, and that's all I want to talk about." The Scotsman works on one-year contracts, so he would become a free agent on Dec. 1.
It is expected that Franchitti, who has yet to drive a stock car of any kind, will get a quick course in the sport from Ganassi, who plans, according to the source, to enter him in a series of ARCA and NASCAR Busch Series races to get him up to speed.(Associated Press)(9-9-2007)
#40 Crew Chief fined UPDATE: Steve Lane, crew chief for the #40 Dodge driven by David Stremme, has been fined $2,500 because the team’s scorer, Joel Charpentier, left the scoring area prior to the completion of this past Sunday’s event at California Speedway. Lane was in violation of Sections 12-4A and 9-4A (crew chief assumes responsibility for actions of team members).(NASCAR PR)(9-6-2007)
UPDATE: When Charpentier heard that the #15 jackman, T.J. Ford was injured [ended up being ok] when the #40 car clipped him, and that they did not have a backup, he found someone to relieve him on the scoring stand, and came down to #15 pits to offer his services [his Dad Dave is the crew chief]. With the approval of the #40 Car Crew Chief and Ganassi's Team Manager Tony Glover, Charpentier stepped in and relieved Ford. It was only when he returned to the scoring stand to retrieve his bag and radio, that he found out that NASCAR was not happy with him leaving the scoring stand, because even though he found a replacement before leaving, he failed to inform NASCAR before leaving. So it was not just an arbitrary desertion of his post.(9-7-2007)
Ganassi extends with Energizer, special schemes on #40 in 2007: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc. (CGR), and Energizer Holdings, Inc. announced a multi-year extension to their long-lasting relationship that dates back over a decade. Energizer will continue to showcase its brand as a major associate sponsor on the #41 Target Dodge driven by Reed Sorenson in the Nextel Cup Series and both Target Chip Ganassi Racing (TCGR) entries in the IndyCar Series driven by current championship contender (second place) and past champion Scott Dixon and 2005 Indianapolis 500 winner and series champion Dan Wheldon beginning with the start of the 2008 racing season. "We're thrilled to continue our long-lasting partnership with Target Chip Ganassi Racing." said Jeff Ziminski, Chief Marketing Officer, Energizer Battery. "Both Energizer and TCGR share an ongoing commitment to quality and innovation. It's an honor to extend our pursuit of excellence with an outstanding organization like TCGR." In addition to the sponsorship extension, the #40 Dodge driven by David Stremme in the Nextel Cup Series will feature a special Energizer paint scheme in the upcoming events at Richmond International, New Hampshire and Kansas. The paint scheme, dynamic silver and blue, will highlight not only the Energizer e2 Lithium brand, the World's Longest Lasting Battery in High Tech Devices, but a successful, 12-year partnership between CGR and Energizer that keeps going and going, the famous Energizer Bunny.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR), see images of the scheme on my #40 Team Scheme page.(9-6-2007)
Coors not returning to Ganassi in 2008: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) and Coors Brewing Company announced that Coors Light will not return as a primary sponsor on the team's #40 Dodge in 2008. "After much evaluation on both of our parts, we agreed that having Coors Light back as a sponsor on the #40 Dodge was not going to meet the marketing objectives of either organization," said Chip Ganassi Racing Teams' President Steve Lauletta. "Coors has been a tremendous partner over the last 14 years and we wish them nothing but the best. We continue to weigh our sponsorship opportunities for the #40 and an announcement on that will be forthcoming. CGRFS has always prided itself on not only our long-term partnerships but also on our ability to attract new sponsors to the sport - just as we did earlier this year with Wrigley and Memorex."
"We believe that NASCAR is a valuable property that allows us to reach our target audience," said Bryce McTavish, vice president of sponsorship and channel marketing for Coors Brewing Company. "From a marketing perspective, one of the sport's greatest assets is the variety of ways in which companies can be involved and we are evaluating a number of
them. We enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Chip and Felix and would like to thank them for their efforts on our behalf throughout the years. We will always appreciate their contribution to our business and our success."
The announcement will end a string of 14 years that Coors Light has been the primary sponsor or partial primary of the #40 car (seven with CGRFS). The relationship began in 1994 when Sabates' Team SABCO and the Coors Brewing Company started their first partnership as Coors Light became the primary sponsor of the #40 with Bobby Hamilton behind the
wheel.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)
AND: hearing Coor's Light will end up at DEI, not sure which team.(9-5-2007)
Target scheme for Stremme at Calif: As Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) continues to celebrate its long heritage with Target Racing, which has been with the team for 18 years making it one of the longest racing relationships in history, David Stremme and the #40 team will again be sporting the white and red Target paint scheme
in this weekend's Sharp Aquos 500 at California Speedway.(CGRFS PR), see an image of the scheme on my #40 Team Schemes page.(8-29-2007)
Expanded Role for Stremme's Spotter: Mike Calinoff, who has been handling the day-to-day business chores for Nextel Cup and Busch Series driver, David Stremme, has been named V.P. of Business Development for the sophomore driver. His expanded role includes the procurement of new business ventures, endorsement and appearance programs and personal sponsorships. (David Stremme Racing, Inc.PR)(8-24-2007)
Tums Scheme for Stremme at Michigan: David Stremme will take to the track this weekend at Michigan in an all Tums fashion. The #40 Tums Dodge will feature the blue Tums signature logo across the hood and both rear quarter panels. The rear of the Charger will feature Tums tablets. The last run for the #40, outfitted in the Tums logo, was in July at the Chicagoland Speedway.(CGFSR PR), see an image of the car on my #40 Team Paint schemes page.(8-15-2007)
Stremme to DEI? DENIED: Hearing #40-David Stremme is one of the candidates for the #8 seat at DEI. In the midst of all the buzz about who will take the #8 ride at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., since the merger with Ginn Racing, David Stremme has emerged as one of the frontrunners.(7-31-2007)
UPDATE: on Wednesday's NASCAR Now [ESPN2] Angelique Chengelis reported that DEI's Max Siegel said Stremme was not a candidate [no way] and Stremme's agent, Jeff Dickerson said Stremme is signed with Ganassi Racing thru 2008.(8-9-2007)
Target back on the #40 car at Pocono: As Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) continues to celebrate its long heritage with Target Racing, which has been with the team for 18 years making it one of the longest racing relationships in history, David Stremme and the #40 team will again be sporting the white and red Target paint scheme in this weekend's Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.(CGRFS PR), see an image of the scheme on my #40 Team Schemes page.(8-1-2007)
Two Target cars at Indy: Celebrating an 18-year partnership and rich racing history together that includes a win (2000, Montoya-IRL) and a pole (2004, Mears-NNCS) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will be running two Target Dodges in the Brickyard 400. Reed Sorenson and the #41 crew will be sporting their usual paint scheme, while David Stremme and the #40 team will run the exact opposite color scheme.(CGRFS PR), see my #40 Team Schemes page for the Target scheme.(7-25-2007)
Lauletta Joins Chip Ganassi Racing as President: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc. announced that Steve "Jake" Lauletta has been named president of the organization. Lauletta will oversee all aspects of the Chip Ganassi Racing’s business and marketing operations including both its Concord and Indianapolis facilities. Lauletta was formerly the president of Radiate Sports, the sports marketing division of Omnicom’s The Radiate Group. Prior to Radiate, Lauletta enjoyed a successful 11-year career at Miller Brewing Company. He served in a variety of marketing leadership positions with Miller, most recently as director of sports and event marketing.(Chip Ganassi Racing PR)(7-20-2007)
Tums colors for Stremme at Chicago: The #40 TUMS Dodge Charger of David Stremme will feature a stunning blue design that prominently showcases the signature TUMS logo across the hood and both rear quarter panels. The rear of the Dodge features TUMS trusted tablets. The TUMS “Dinermobile” will travel to Chicagoland Speedway where it will deliver fast relief for fans at the Fan Midway area July 13th through 15th.(Clear!Blue/Tumsracing.com), see an image of the scheme on my #40 Team Schemes page.(7-12-2007)
Dan Wheldon thinking about NASCAR UPDATE denied: Dan Wheldon loves to race, and a visit to NASCAR country with the IndyCar Series only highlights that passion - and makes him think more about moving over to stock cars and getting to do just about all the driving he can handle. 'In my position, you always want to be making yourself better and you always want to be involved in a series that's getting bigger and better,'' he said. "I think everybody knows that I certainly would consider NASCAR. For me, I want to look at the IndyCar Series this year and really consider .. is it going to get a lot bigger than this? Are we going to continue to go to races where we fill the grandstands?"(TSN/AP)(7-1-2007)
UPDATE: team owner Chip Ganassi doesn't foresee open wheel star Dan Wheldon moving to stock cars anytime soon. "I personally don't see it on his radar screen [for] next year," Ganassi told ESPN.com Monday. Ganassi did say he and Wheldon discussed the proposition several months back, but discontinued those talks with the plan to resume them later in the summer. They've yet to do so, Ganassi said. "Having said that, we've had discussions along the lines of 'Hey, let's renew our deal,' and there's some other opportunities within the team for him," Ganassi said. "To be honest, I don't see [NASCAR] as one of the top-five things I'm conversing with him about. I do not consider [a move] imminent." Ganassi said Wheldon's true interest presently is winning a second IndyCar championship. Wheldon won the 2005 crown, then surrendered last season's title to Sam Hornish Jr. by way of a tiebreaker. The drivers finished with an equal number of championship points, but by rule Hornish was awarded the title due to having scored more victories during the year. Wheldon recently expressed interest in NASCAR. In fact, he was especially intrigued by that which deters many open-wheel drivers from jumping to stock cars -- the lengthy schedule.(ESPN.com)(7-3-2007)
Stremme scheme at NHIS: For the second time this season, the Coors Wide Mouth Can paint scheme will run on the #40 Dodge of David Stremme. Earlier this season the paint scheme ran at Pocono where Stremme recorded a personal best finish of 23rd at the track. Stremme will participate in the Coors Light Annual Pub Tour Friday night from 7-9pm in and around the Concord, N.H. area in advance of Sunday's New England 300. Stremme and guests from Capitol Distributors (the local Coors distributor) will hit four local area pubs so keep your eyes open for the Coors Light crew Friday night.(Ganassi Racing PR), see an image of the scheme on my #40 Team Schemes page.(6-28-2007)
Special Coors scheme for Stremme at Sonoma: Instead of the primary Coors Light paint scheme, the #40 Dodge that David Stremme drivers will feature Coors "The Banquet Beer" livery. Earlier this year, Coors unveiled a new look for its original pilsner. With a nod to the days when people couldn't get Coors east of the Mississippi, the packaging and advertising evokes the heritage and mystique that people associate with the original "yellow belly" can.(Ganassi Racing PR), see an image of the car on my #40 Team Schemes page.(6-20-2007)
Ganassi adds name to list of owners interested in Busch: Add Chip Ganassi Racing [#s 40, 41, 42] to the list of teams that are interested in #5-Kyle Busch. Team owner Chip Ganassi said he is interested in talking to the driver. "Who wouldn't be?" Ganassi said when asked if he was interested in pursuing Busch. "A good guy comes along like that, yeah I'm interested." Ganassi said he is not in the position to add a team since the best of his three drivers is #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, who ranks 21st in the points. "Before we can get to a fourth car, we've got to move our three cars up the grid a little bit," Ganassi said.(SceneDaily.com)(6-17-2007)
Ganassi cars to feature Father's Day tribute at MIS: As a tribute to the fathers of the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) drivers and dads everywhere, the #40 Coors Light Dodge driven by David Stremme, the #41 Target Dodge driven by Reed Sorenson and the #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge driven by Juan Pablo Montoya will each feature their father's name above the passenger side window in this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway (MIS).(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(6-15-2007)
Stremme OK after getting out of car at Dover: David Stremme had to reluctantly climb out of the #40 Coors Light Dodge a little more than 125 laps short of the finish line Monday after realizing he was too sick to continue racing in the Autism Speaks 400. The 29-year-old driver was immediately taken to the Dover International Speedway infield care center where he was diagnosed with the flu. He received oxygen and intravenous fluids before being released. Ginn Racing driver Regan Smith stepped in to help the #40 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) team finish the day in 36th place. The #40 CGRFS Dodge lined up in 35th place to take the green.
Battling flu-like conditions, Stremme did all he could to keep the car on the track in the early running of the 400-lap competition. In
addition to feeling sick, the #40 Dodge was keeping him busy as it was severely loose on restarts and seemed to tighten up on long runs.
Stremme threw in the towel as the fourth yellow flag of the race waved on lap 271. His crew members helped him out of the Coors Light Dodge. Then, Smith quickly climbed in to help the team finish the race.(CGRFS PR)(6-5-2007)
Kahne-Stremme feud simmers: #9-Kasey Kahne said things haven’t cooled down between himself and #40-David Stremme.
The two were involved in a wreck last Sunday at Richmond, knocking both drivers out of the race. Stremme finished 38th and Kahne 40th.
The drivers, along with #42-Juan Pablo Montoya and #41-Reed Sorenson appeared together Thursday during a photo shoot, but Kahne said he didn’t speak to Stremme. “We’re trying to get some sponsors and some big deals, and I don’t want to screw it up by getting in a fistfight or anything like that with David Stremme,” Kahne said. Kahne said he hopes to talk to Stremme this weekend and iron things out. “I have my opinion and he has his, but it is not that big of deal,” Kahne said. “… Just racing with David hasn’t ever worked for me.”(Florence Morning News)(5-12-2007)
Sabates to be recognized at college commencement: Felix Sabates Jr., co-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS), will be awarded with an honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service by The University of North Carolina at Charlotte during its commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 12 at 10:00am/et. Sabates is being recognized for his generous philanthropic contributions, unwavering dedication to the Charlotte community and continual support for UNC Charlotte. He served on the board of directors of The Foundation of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Inc. from 1994-2005. "I have seen this institution grow from Charlotte College to The University of North Carolina at Charlotte," said Sabates. "I am grateful to receive such an honor from such a great university, and it is something I will cherish for the rest of my life." Over the years Sabates has made many philanthropic contributions and has received numerous honors and awards for his charitable efforts. Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, N.C.) has a dining hall named for him and Elon College (Elon, N.C.) awarded him an Honorary Doctorate. He also received a "Special Blessing" in writing from Pope John Paul II.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(5-11-2007)
Different Colors for Stremme at Talladega: Wrigley's Winterfresh brand, which made its NASCAR Busch Series debut earlier this month at Nashville Superspeedway, and was carried on board the #41 Chips Ganassi Racing Busch Dodge this past weekend at PIR in Avondale, Ariz., will be making its Nextel Cup debut this upcoming Sunday on the #40 CGRFS Dodge that David Stremme will drive.(CGRFS PR)(4-25-2007)
Sabates leaving in five years: Felix Sabates plans to sell his 20% interest in the Nextel Cup organization he owns with Chip Ganassi in five years. "I'm leaving," Sabates said. "I've told Chip I'm leaving in five years." Sabates got into stock car racing in 1989. He sold 80 percent of the company to Ganassi in 2001. He doesn't want to stay in the sport so long that he can't get over the pit wall by himself. "I'm going to leave at Richmond because Richmond always falls on my birthday," said Sabates, who is 65. "I'm going to walk over and look at Ganassi and say, 'See ya. I'm gone.' And watch it on TV."(ESPN.com)(4-2-2007)
Stremme to run Energizer scheme at Bristol: The #40 Dodge of David Stremme will sport the Energizer e2 Lithium paint scheme this weekend in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The dynamic silver and blue paint scheme will feature Energizer e2 Lithium, the World's Longest Lasting Battery in High Tech Devices, alongside the famous Energizer Bunny.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(3-21-2007)
Ganassi to four teams in 2008? Owner Chip Ganassi [#'s 40,41,42] said he would like to expand his Nextel Cup stable to four teams by as early as next season, if he can secure sponsorship. Dan Wheldon, who drives for Ganassi's IndyCar team attended the Daytona 500 and has been fitted for a seat in a Busch car, is intrigued by the possibility. ''It would be perfect, right?'' Wheldon said this week. ``Chip has to let me try the NASCAR first, so I can see if I like that. That would be something I would definitely consider. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I can take the [IndyCar] title back from Sam [ Hornish Jr.]. If I do that, and I'm able to win the Indianapolis 500, it would be very hard to say no to a [Cup] opportunity like that. I've got to do that and have that opportunity presented to me before I can make a decision.''(Miami Herald)(2-23-2007)
Lonestar and #40 Ganassi team split: On Friday at Daytona International Speedway, Chip Ganassi Racing crewmen were busy Friday removing all traces of Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon sponsorship from David Stremme's #40 Dodge and equipment. Ganassi's Web site no longer displays the brand as part of its sponsorship package.
North Carolina-based Lone Star Steakhouse, which owns and operates more than 250 restaurants under a variety of names, was acquired by Dallas-based private equity firm Lone Star Funds for about $586 million in December. The publicly-owned restaurant chain shared primary sponsorship of the #40 Dodge with Coors Light in 2006, and was featured in 17 races.Coors Light is listed as the official sponsor for next Sunday's Daytona 500.(NASCAR.com)(2-9-2007)
Wheldon would like to race NASCAR...someday: Former Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon told Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway that he expects to make a run at NASCAR one day, but not until he wins another 500, and hopefully, another Indy Racng League title. "I came to Chip Ganassi Racing to win another Indy 500, and another IRL championship. I owe that to him, but if I can accomplish those things, I you take a very serious look at NASCAR. In fact, I'm sure you'll see me test a NASCAR car in the not-too-distant future."(1-7-2007)
2006 News
Bobcat's owner blocks Sabates from donating stock in team: A minority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats wants to donate his share of the basketball team to a charity, but is being blocked by team managing partner Bob Johnson. Felix Sabates [part owner of Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates #40,#41,#42] wants to give his Bobcats stock, which he values at about $1.34 million, to the foundation that supports Carolinas HealthCare System. The Cuban-born Sabates, also a prominent NASCAR team owner, is a member of the system's board. "I was surprised Bob wouldn't approve this, considering it's a donation," Sabates told the newspaper in an interview Friday. Sabates received a letter from Johnson's attorney, Van Sinclair, on Nov. 29 denying his request to transfer the shares, saying the NBA does not allow not-for-profit or charitable entities to own an interest in its franchises. A subsequent letter from Sabates to the health care system quoted Johnson as saying the NBA had nothing to do with the decision, which was made because Johnson "does not wish to have any charitable organization in partnership with the Charlotte Bobcats."
"I am really surprised at his decision. I thought this would be a great opportunity for the Bobcats to become a real part of this community," Sabates wrote. NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Friday that nothing in the NBA's constitution specifically bars a not-for-profit or charitable organization from owning stock in a team. But, he noted, the league's Board of Governors must approve any ownership change. Sabates' share of the Bobcats is less than 1 percent of the original $300 million franchise fee.(Associated Press)(12-28-2006)
Ganassi Racing Development Driver Nominated for Award: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) development driver and USAC National Sprint and Midget Car Series star Bryan Clauson was recently nominated for RACER
Magazine's Rookie of the Year Award which will be presented during this year's SPEED Performance Awards. Clauson's nomination pits him against the best young talent motor racing has to offer worldwide, as evidenced by the selections of Marco Andretti (Indy Racing League), Colin Braun (Grand American), Dan Clarke (Champ Car), Denny Hamlin (NASCAR) and Robert Kubica (Formula One).
At just 16 years of age, Clauson (now 17) became the youngest driver in USAC history to win both a National Sprint Car Series and National feature Midget race- topping a list of USAC's all-time greats including Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. After an injury in September in Wheatland, Mo. sidelined him for the remainder of 2006, Clauson still finished in the Top 10 in both Sprint and Midget points. He also won selected USAC Regional Midget Car Series events in 2006. The RACER Rookie of the Year winner will be featured in the April edition of the magazine. Beginning this week, SPEED will present nominees for the fan-vote categories, allowing viewers to vote for their favorites at SPEEDtv.com. The winners will be announced as part of a 60-minute special in February.
Also, CGRFS recently signed 16-year-old open wheel standout Brady Bacon to the team's driver development program. Bacon has been the feature driver at Keith Kunz Motorsports, filling in for Clauson as he continues to recover from his aforementioned accident. Bacon is the 2006 Southern Midget Racing Series champion, and recently finished third in the USAC National Sprint Car race in his first outing at Eldora Speedway in Ohio.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(11-27-2006)
Wrigley to sponsor Montoya for 3 races in 2007? UPDATE: Chip Ganassi Racing will announce that the William Wrigley Jr. Co., through its Wrigley gum brand, will be a primary sponsor for three races on the #42 Nextel Cup Dodge [main sponsor Texaco] driven by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007 and 25 races as an associate sponsor for the #41 Busch Series car driven by Reed Sorenson.(Sporting News)(11-12-2006)
UPDATE: The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company will make its NASCAR debut with a partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix
Sabates (CGRFS) that features Wrigley's Spearmint, Doublemint, Big Red, Juicy Fruit and Winterfresh brands. Wrigley will sponsor rising stars Reed Sorenson and David Stremme, who will drive the #41 Dodge in the first 25 Busch Series races in 2007, and former Indianapolis 500 champion and Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya, who will drive the #42 Big Red Dodge in three Nextel Cup races for the 2007 NASCAR season. Sorenson and Stremme will alternate as the driver of the #41 car on the first 25 races of the Busch Series. Their car will feature a rotating paint scheme of Wrigley's Spearmint, Doublemint, Juicy Fruit, and Winterfresh brands. Wrigley will be an associate sponsor of the car for the remaining 10 races. When Montoya grabs the wheel of the #42 Big Red Dodge for three Nextel Cup races, his car and uniform will feature a bold black-and-red Big Red color scheme. Wrigley, through its Big Red brand, will also be an associate sponsor of the car for the remaining 33 races.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(11-12-2006)
Chip Ganassi Racing signs Brady Bacon: Open-wheel standout Brady Bacon has signed on to become a part of the Chip Ganassi Racing driver development program. For the remainder of 2006, Bacon will be the feature driver at Keith Kunz Motorsports, filling in for injured teammate and fellow Ganassi prospect Bryan Clauson. The 2006 Southern Midget Racing Series champion, Bacon finished third this past weekend in the USAC National Sprint Car race in what was his first outing at the prestigious Eldora Speedway in Ohio.(Brady Bacon site)(11-10-2006)
Tums to be assoc sponsor for Ganassi in 2007/2008: After providing Americans with fast heartburn relief for more than 75 years, TUMS is speeding into Nextel Cup racing as an associate sponsor with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS). The brand has signed a two-year deal that begins with the 2007 season. As part of the deal, the TUMS logo will appear on the rear decklid of the #41 Dodge, driven by Reed Sorenson, throughout the season. In addition, the car will feature a TUMS paint scheme during the April race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. David Stremme’s #40 Dodge will carry the TUMS logo on its B post throughout the season and also will feature a full TUMS paint scheme at Chicagoland Speedway in July. TUMS branding also will be visible on driver and crew uniforms and on team equipment. TUMS is already a familiar friend to NASCAR fans. During the past two seasons TUMS has reached out to them with sampling programs at several tracks featuring a fleet of golf carts. Samplers on the golf carts traveled around the track and into the campgrounds, meeting fans where heartburn strikes.(Tums PR)(11-3-2006)
Camo for Stremme at Talladega: Coors Light and Coors have partnered in 2006 to target their hunting consumers by leveraging Bill Jordan's Advantage Max-1 and Advantage Max-4patterns on product packaging and point of sale items. Look for these items to feature the patterns in a store near you: Coors Light 6-pack 16 oz. cans, Coors Light Big 18, and Coors 6-pack 16 oz cans. To further leverage the unique camouflage can, Coors Light will take the packaging to the track! The Coors Light #40 Dodge of David Stremme will be wrapped in the same pattern as the can for this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR). See the possible scheme on the #40 Team Schemes page for the image.(10-4-2006)
Stremme's spotter featured in book: Mike Calinoff, who is the spotter for Nextel Cup driver #40-David Stremme, is one of the main characters in the opening chapter of recently released, "Book of Fate", by best-selling author Brad Meltzer. Calinoff, who helped Meltzer research President Bush's 2004 visit to the Daytona 500, is depicted as a retired NASCAR driver who accompanies the President in the motorcade. The "Book of Fate" logo also appeared on the FitzBradshaw #12 in the Busch Series race at Richmond. Read Chapter 1 at mikecalinoff.com.(9-15-2006)
Ganassi Racing Hires new VP of Business Development: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc., announced the hiring of Chris Weiller as Vice President of Business Development. Weiller will be based out of the team's Concord, N.C. race shop and will be responsible for creating and implementing new business and marketing opportunities for the team and its drivers across NASCAR, the Indy Racing League and the Grand Am series. Weiller joins Chip Ganassi Racing from the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats where he served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(9-7-2006)
Pruett to run the #40 Dodge at Watkins Glen: This weekend road racing veteran Scott Pruett will be behind the wheel of the #40 Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Dodge [David Stremme is the regular driver]. This will be Pruett's second start in the #40 Dodge this season. This weekend Pruett will be pulling the triple play. Friday night he will be driving the #01 car in the Grand American Series, Saturday he will be in the #1 car for Phoenix Racing in the Busch Series and Sunday he will be driving the #40 car in the Nextel Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International. Pruett has 36-career Nextel Cup Series starts dating back to 2000, four of which have come at the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International. He recorded his best finish of second at the track three years ago in the #39 Dodge. His average starting position at the Glen is 20th and his average finish is sixth. Overall, he has ten starts on road courses and his highest finish is second at Watkins Glen in 2003. Crew Chief Steve Lane and the #40 Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon crew are taking chassis No. 311 for the second road course race of the season. Pruett tested this car at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) earlier in June before racing it in the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway later that month.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(8-9-2006)
Dodge's Fernandez to Ganassi? UPDATE 2: Hearing that Dodge Motorsports Director, John Fernandez, will assume the General Managers position at Chip Ganassi Racing on July 1st. Fernandez would replace Andy Graves, who stepped down a few months ago.(6-19-2006)
UPDATE: Dodge’s motorsports czar, John Fernandez, rumored to be headed to Chip Ganassi’s team to replace deposed team manager Andy Graves, is apparently still with Dodge — for the moment, anyway. A Dodge representative said Fernandez was still at his office in Michigan, while Ganassi’s people declined comment on whether Fernandez was going to work for the team.(Speed Channel)(6-24-2006)
UPDATE 2: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced Friday John Fernandez, former Director of Dodge
Motorsports, has accepted a new position with the organization to serve as Managing Director of its Concord racing operation. "John has been involved in racing for a long time as an engineer with Dodge and as head of its racing programs," said Chip Ganassi. "I am
very excited to add someone to the team that has so much experience in a number of different areas. He brings so much to the table."
Fernandez will manage all aspects of the organization's racing operation in North Carolina, including overseeing all four teams, as well as the engine, fabrication and paint shops. Fernandez' move to CGRFS follows a long career with the DaimlerChrysler Corporation, where he served for 35 years.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(8-4-2006)
Marco Andretti to Ganassi...in Cup? UPDATE Denied: not much to report...but on the Fox Sports pre-race show at Sonoma, it was just mentioned in their news of the week, IRL driver Marco Andretti could be headed to Ganassi Racing as the driver of one of the three cars?(6-25-2006)
UPDATE - Denied: Indy Racing League rookie Marco Andretti will be in Kansas City, Kan., this weekend, but he's not going to NASCAR. As he prepared to head for Kansas Speedway for Sunday's Kansas Lottery Indy 300, the 19-year-old third-generation racer seemed truly puzzled when queried about driving NASCAR stock cars in his future. Several print media reports and FOX-TV commentators, during the pre-race segment of last Sunday's telecast from Sonoma, Calif., had Marco being a candidate to join Chip Ganassi's Nextel Cup team. "Absolutely not. No way. No talk about NASCAR with anyone," the youngest Andretti said. "I don't know where that rumor started, but that's a part of our sport." Andretti insisted it was news to him when he received a recent call from his cousin, John Andretti, a NASCAR veteran currently racing in the Busch Series. "Man, you're actually the third person who told me -- next to John," Andretti said Wednesday. "He called me and said, 'Man, why don't you tell me these things?' I told him he just told me for the first time." Marco is a rookie Indy car driver under contract to his father's Andretti Green Racing organization. "Man 19 years old I'm just happy to be where I am. I'm definitely loving to be where I am here at AGR for the next three years," Andretti said.(Express Times)(7-2-2006)
Stremme running #41 Dodge in Milwaukee Busch race: Reed Sorenson's Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) teammate David Stremme, primary driver of the #40 Coors Light and Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Dodge in the Nextel Cup
Series, will step in to drive the #41 Discount Tire Dodge in this weekend's Busch Series event at The Milwaukee Mile. Instead of splitting his time between the NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series competitions, Sorenson will stay out west all weekend to run the #41 Target Dodge at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. Chip Ganassi Racing road-course ace Scott Pruett will be driving the #40 Coors Light Dodge at Infineon, allowing Stremme to compete at Milwaukee. Both Stremme and Sorenson will resume driving duties in the #40 Dodge and #41 Busch Series entry next week at Daytona International Speedway. Stremme has three Busch Series starts at the Milwaukee Mile, and in those three starts he has totaled one pole, two top-five starts, and three top-five finishes.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(6-22-2006)
Stremme wins ARCA race at MIS: David Stremme, handily won the Hantz Group 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Michigan International Speedway. Stremme lapped the entire field, and was the only driver to complete all 100 laps of the 200-mile event. Bill Wease finished second, followed by Blake Bjorklund, Erin Crocker and Brad Coleman.(more at ARCARacing.com)(6-17-2006)
Wheldon to Ganassi Cup team? UPDATE 2: ESPN's Mike Massaro reported on ESPNEWS Monday Night NASCAR the time could be right for Dan Wheldon, Ganassi's IRL Driver, to move to a Chip Ganassi Racing Cup team in 2007, since the team will have an open seat with Casey Mears leaving the #42 team.(6-13-2006)
UPDATE: According to an official at Chip Ganassi racing :”There is no truth to the Wheldon story.”(CupSceneDaily.com)(6-13-2006)
UPDATE 2: Dan Wheldon wouldn't comment directly about reports he would be switching to NASCAR next season, but did say he would consider driving stock cars sometime in the future. Wheldon, the 2005 Indianapolis 500 champion, spoke to reporters Tuesday during IndyCar testing at Kanasas Speedway. "It's certainly something that intrigues me," said Wheldon. "Everybody knows I went to some of the races last year to look and to see what it was all about. The one thing that does appeal to me is the schedule. I don't have a family or other commitments. All I love to do is be in the race car. Would I be good? Yes, but it would take awhile." Wheldon said it would have to be an owner who knows his ability and would be willing to give him the proper time to perform.(Racinboys.com - Sports Radio 810 WHB)
AND Car owner Chip Ganassi, who has an unexpected hole to fill on his NASCAR team, said Tuesday that IRL driver Dan Wheldon is not a candidate to replace Casey Mears. "There is no story here," Ganassi said. "Dan has a commitment to Target right now to drive an Indy car and that's where he'll stay."(AP)(6-14-2006)
Stremme to run MIS ARCA race: #40-David Stremme will compete for the second straight weekend in both the NASCAR Nextel Cup and ARCA Series races. Stremme, who drives the #40 Coors Light/Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Dodge in Nextel Cup will also drive Rusty Wallace Inc's [RWI] Racing’s #61 Hantz Group – Nu South Lemonade Dodge in the ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway. “Racing is racing,” Stremme said during an ARCA test at MIS. “I am a racer and anytime I can get behind the wheel and compete I’m all for it. Rusty (Wallace, car owner) has great equipment and I am excited to get the chance to race for fun. I’m looking forward to hopefully pulling off a win in Michigan.” Steven Wallace usually drives the #61 Dodge, however scheduling conflicts made a fill-in driver necessary as Wallace will be racing for RWI in the Kentucky Busch Series race.(RWI Racing PR)(6-13-2006)
Stremme to run Pocono ARCA race UPDATE on the pole: Nextel Cup Series rookie David Stremme will drive the #40 Coors Light Dodge in the ARCA/ReMax event on Saturday, June 10 at Pocono Raceway. "I am looking forward to running the ARCA Race in Pocono," Stremme said. "This will be my first time at Pocono and so the more seat time the better. I am excited that Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates are giving me the chance to race the ARCA race and get familiar with the track. It is great to see Coors Light on the car, they have been a great sponsor for me this season on the Cup car and I appreciate all the support they have given me in my rookie season." The ARCA 200 is scheduled to start at 1:00pm/et and will be broadcast LIVE on SPEED Channel.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(6-6-2006)
UPDATE: on the pole: Stremme won the pole for today's ARCA Pocono 200, posting a lap of 163.660 mph, and it's a good thing in that he's driving one of his Nextel Cup cars, just with a different spoiler and different tires, while everyone else is driving lesser equipment. ''If I don't win, I'll probably be in big trouble,'' said Stremme, who's competing in the ARCA race simply to get seat time at Pocono where he's never raced before. ''Taking nothing away from the guys that run the ARCA Series, but this is actually one of my Cup cars.''(Allentown Morning Call)(6-10-2006)
Pruett to run #40 Dodge at Infineon, Stremme to sit: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced today that the team's road-racing veteran driver Scott Pruett will make the switch from Daytona Prototypes to stock cars to compete in the first Nextel Cup Series road course race of the season at Infineon Raceway on June 25th. Pruett, the California native who currently leads the Rolex Sports Car Series championship for CGRFS, will pilot the #40 Coors Light Dodge entry for the Cup race around the 1.99-mile track in Sonoma, CA. CGRFS regular David Stremme will resume driving duties of the #40 Dodge July 1st at Daytona International Speedway. "I have been very pleased with the strides that David and the 40 car have made over the last several weeks and David is an important part of the future of Chip Ganassi Racing," said team owner Chip Ganassi. "But in Scott Pruett we have one of the best road course drivers in all of racing and once again have the luxury of being able to utilize that expertise." Pruett is no stranger to Nextel Cup racing with 37 career starts under his belt. He has had six starts over the past five seasons for CGRFS, producing three top-five and four top-10 finishes. Two of those starts came at Infineon Raceway, with a best showing of third in 2004. With the commitment to the Infineon NASCAR weekend, Pruett will pull double-duty, commuting back and forth from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course where he'll look to defend his Rolex Series points lead Saturday afternoon in Grand American's EMCO Gears Classic.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(5-31-2006)
Fennig to Ganassi? Denied: hearing former #26/97/6 Rosuh Racing crew chief, Jimmy Fennig is the new team manager at Chip Ganassi Racing.
UPDATE: been to by folks at Ganassi that the hiring of Jimmy Fennig is not true.(4-25-2006)
Graves Steps Down as Ganassi Team Manager: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced today that Andy Graves has resigned his position as team manager and will be reassigned to a different position within the company. "Andy Graves has been a passionate and valued member of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates for the past seven years," said Team Owner
Chip Ganassi. "I have an extremely high regard for him both professionally and personally and look forward to his continued
contributions here at Chip Ganassi Racing."
"It has been a privilege to work with Chip, Felix and the whole team over the last seven seasons," said Graves. "These years with the team have been a part of my life that I will never forget and for that I am truly grateful. I am now just looking forward to the next chapter of my career here at Chip Ganassi Racing." Graves was in his sixth season as team manager for CGRFS. He joined CGRFS in 2000 as one of its first employees and was promptly named team manager for the Indianapolis 500 team that would go on to capture the
2000 Indianapolis 500 crown. Graves was also instrumental in the transition from SABCO to CGRFS. On an interim basis the duties of team manager will be absorbed by the current management staff that is in place.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(4-18-2006)
#40 Crew Chief change? UPDATE: hearing that Steve Lane has taken over crew chiefing the #40 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge for rookie driver David Stremme, no word on plans to crew chief Jeff Vandermoss who was the crew chief. Vandermoss moves over to the #41 Target team and driver Reed Sorenson as the car chief. Lane was the car chief there.
UPDATE: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced today that Steven Lane will take over crew chief duties on the #40 Coors Light/Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Dodge starting this weekend in Phoenix. "Everyone is excited about the experience that Steve will bring to the #40 team," Team Manager Andy Graves said. "This is Steve's third year with the organization and has been instrumental in the success of this year's #41 car. We are committed to getting all three teams running up front and Steve brings with him the necessary experience to help both David Stremme and the entire team. This is a great opportunity for him and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates." Lane has been the car chief on the #41 Dodge since joining the CGRFS team in 2004. Before coming on board at CGRFS, Lane was crew chief of the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge for two seasons. He also served as Jeremy Mayfield's car chief at Penske from 1997 through 2001. Jeff Vandermoss will assume the car chief duties on the #41 Dodge. Vandermoss began the season as crew chief on the #40 car after a successful seven-year career at Roush Racing, four of those years as the car chief for Matt Kenseth.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(4-17-2006)
Stremme to run Truck race at Martinsville: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced NEXTEL Cup Series rookie #40-David Stremme will drive the #04 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge in the Truck Series event on Saturday, April 1 at Martinsville
Speedway. Scott Lagasse Jr. will resume driving duties of the #04 Dodge at Gateway International Raceway on April 29.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(3-28-2006)
Stremme Wrecks...is OK: Testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedwat was stopped for about a half-hour after the engine let go on David Stremme's #40 Coors Light Dodge. The car slipped in the oil and crashed getting into turn three. Stremme was seen and released from the infield care center. His team rolled out a backup Dodge Charger.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show), #48-Jimmie Johnson also spun, but didn't hit anything.(1-31-2006)
Ganassi doesn't want wing: While the wing on the NASCAR "car of tomorrow" is intriguing, team owner Chip Ganassi said that he didn't want to see a wing on the cars. Ganassi said he is happy that NASCAR has had dialogue with the teams and considered their input - and he hopes that could include eliminating the idea of a wing on the cars. Ganassi has had experience with wings in open-wheel and road racing. "There better not be a wing on the car of tomorrow," Ganassi said. "It is an area that is wide open and rampant for cheating, and it's an area that's very hard to police. Why they would want to get involved in something that's hard to police, I have no idea."(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(1-31-2006)
Ganassi's comments about Toyota: Q) Does the new Manufacturer's Lineup [now with Toyota] surprise you and would you consider joining them [Toyota]? A-Chip Ganassi - #40, #41, #42 team owner) "I've been in Phoenix all week, so I'm not exactly sure what they announced or who they announced. Whoever they go with, I think you saw in the truck series they made winners out of teams that were otherwise not. I don't really know what their plans are for teams or drivers, but I can assure you they'll do it right no matter who they're with. We were with them for a lot of years and had some success with them on the Indy car side. Right now we don't have any plans to switch off from Dodge. We'll see what happens down the road, but right now that's not in our plans."(Clear!Blue PR)(1-26-2006)
Stremme feeling better: #40 Coors Light/Lonestar Dodge Driver David Stremme is feeling better after twisting his ankle and tearing all the ligaments in his right foot while using a leaf blower. The injury occured at his home near Charlotte several weeks before Christmas. Stremme said, “I’ve been fighting with the landscape company…they’ve not been showing up and they’ve been a pain in the butt. All my leaves were blowing across the street into my neighbor Joe Nemechek’s yard so I figured I needed to clean them up.” Stremme made sure he was okay to start the season by testing his foot riding go-carts. Stremme added, “I wish it had been my brake pedal foot instead of my gas pedal foot.”(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(1-13-2006)
2005 News
New Crew chief for #40? hearing that #17 car chief, Jeff Vandermoss, will leave and take the #40 Ganassi Racing team crew chief gig for 2006 when David Stremme takes over.(10-24-2005)
UPDATE: Ganassi Changes: Since Ganassi Racing announced it would expand to four teams, it has been adding personnel--including former Roush car chief Jeff Vandermoss to become crew chief for David Stremme in the #40 Dodge. Now with just three teams, that leaves current [#40] crew chief Steve Boyer as the odd man out. But with his talent, he could end up as the lead engineer for Ganassi's Cup programs.(Sporting News)(11-28-2005)
Get Well: Bart Creasman, spotter for #40 Sterling Marlin at Chip Ganassi Racing, was injured on Tuesday near his Ashville, NC home in a motorcycle accident. Creasman is in good condition and resting at home. Mike Calinoff will substitute this weekend in Phoenix. Calinoff was #17-Matt Kenseth's spooter until recently when Califnoff went to Ganassi where he will spot for David Stremme in 2006, Stremme takes over the #40 car then.(11-11-2005)
Ganassi staying at three cars? UPDATE 3: now hearing that Ganassi is going to remain at three teams with one of the four Cup sponsors they have may change their sponosrship around and appear on more of the Ganassi cars [#40,#41,#42 and #30?]. WIth...McMurray moving to Roush Racing and Kurt Busch to Penske Racing.(11-6-2005)
UPDATE: hearing Mears to the #42, with Texaco staying as the primary sponsor and Home 123 as a major assocciate and being hte primary in a few races as they were this year on the #42. Expect an announcement early this week and could be as soon as Monday.(11-6-2005)
UPDATE 2: There is speculation that if Ganassi can't get a top-name driver for the McMurray-Texaco ride, he is willing to promote Casey Mears.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-7-2005)
UPDATE 3: been told the deal is done, Ganassi stays a 3-car team, #40-David Stremm, #41-Reed Sorenson and #42-Casey Mears with Texaco. Home 123 will be sub sponsor for all three.(11-7-2005)
Kenseth loses spotter after 2005 UPDATE: As #17-Matt Kenseth's spotter for the last six years, Mike Calinoff [stockcarcity.com] has experienced the highs and lows of NASCAR's top series. Certainly, Saturday night was the latest of milestones since he guided Matt to rookie-of-the-year honors in 2000. He was the "eyes in the sky" for the #17 Dewalt Ford when Matt delivered Jack Roush's long-awaited first title. But he's also witnessed the frustrations of maintaining a championship caliber team over the long haul. When the cars roll out at Daytona next February, Calinoff's unmistakable bass will be booming over #40-David Stremme's radio channel. In addition to his spotting duties, Calinoff will also oversee the day-to-day business aspects for the Ganassi Racing up-and-comer. There's an opportunity for growth with Ganassi, whereas the Roush spotter's gig didn't offer for the chance for advancement. And like any new relationship, Stremme's deal will be loaded with firsts -- first pole, first win and if Calinoff is lucky, a first title.(Sporting News)(9-1-2005)
UPDATE: Sunday's Subway 500 at the Martinsville Speedway marked the final race of Mike Calinoff's six-year term as Matt Kenseth's spotter. The two mutually agreed that an early separation would afford Kenseth the time to audition a new spotter, and allow Calinoff the opportunity to begin handling the management chores for Rookie David Stremme. For the remainder of the season Calinoff, who was featured this weekend on NBC's Today Show, will serve as spotter for Reed Sorensen's Nextel Cup debut races in Atlanta and Texas, as well as Stremme's entry in Homestead and his remaining Busch Series events.(PR)(10-24-2005)
Camo Scheme for Sterling at Talladega: In August of 2005, Coors Brewing Company launched a truly unique, one-of-a-kind package, the camouflage can. The 2005 Coors and Coors Light Camouflage Can is the ideal beer container for the American outdoorsman. This packaging will be available in certain markets through November 2005. To further leverage the unique camouflage can, Coors Light will take the packaging to the track! The Coors Light #40 car will be wrapped in the same camouflage pattern as the can for two of this fall's races at Talladega Superspeedway and Texas Motor Speedway.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)(9-27-2005)
Marlin to MB2 in 2006? UPDATE 4 Done Deal: hearing that Sterling Marlin could be part of the MB2 Motorsports stable of drivers in 2006, replacing Scott Riggs. MB2 is also grooming 20-year-old World of Outlaws driver Kraig Kinser. The 20-year-old driver is part of MB2's driver development program and will make his MB2 debut today in the ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway. He qualified second for the ARCA event. Kinser, son of racing legend Steve Kinser, won Sunday's Knoxville National in central Iowa, the most prestigious
event in the World of Outlaws series.
the #10 Valvoline team with driver Scott Riggs is losing Valvoline as the sponsor and will change car numbers, hearing either #35 or #02, rumored sponsors include: Allstate, Big Lots or/and State Farm. Riggs had a contract extension on the table, but MB2 recently pulled it. Riggs could end up in Evernham Motorsports #10 Valvoline Dodge.(Jayski)(8-19-2005)
UPDATE: Sterling Marlin has talked to MB2 Motorsports about taking over what's now the #10 car for next season. MB2 Motorsports GM Jay Frye says Marlin is on his short list. Sponsorship and a car number have not been decided, but the team has petitioned NASCAR for 02 or 35. Current driver Scott Riggs, who finished a career-high second at Michigan, is expected to continue with Valvoline and the No. 10 at Evernham Motorsports.(Sporting News)(8-22-2005)
UPDATE 2: Sterling Marlin appears headed to MB2 Motorsports next season as a teammate of Joe Nemechek, although the veteran racer from Columbia said yesterday the deal is not finalized. "It's a good team with a good engine program," Marlin said. "Joe has won with it." Marlin is expected to take over the team's #10 Chevrolet [will be #35 or #02] currently driven by Scott Riggs. Riggs will move [with the car #10 and Valvoline] to Evernham Motorsports next year. "We're still talking," Marlin said of MB2. "We should know something soon."(Tennessean)(8-27-2005)
UPDATE 3: been told the announcement will be soon, Marlin to the #35 Chevy for MB2 Motorsports.(9-3-2005)
UPDATE 4: Sterling Marlin confirmed yesterday that he will race the next two seasons for MB2 Motorsports as a teammate of #01-Joe Nemechek. "I've got a deal," Marlin said, "and it's a good one." The 48-year-old racer from Columbia will replace Scott Riggs, who is jumping to Evernham Motorsports next year. MB2, based in Concord, N.C. [sson to be Mooresville], could have followed the recent trend in NASCAR and picked one of a dozen young drivers with a more polished image than Marlin, a self-described "country boy."
But team official Jay Frye said "age equates to experience," and that Marlin's lack of pretension is appealing. "Sterling has no baggage," Frye said. "Everybody likes him." And it wasn't just Marlin's personality that landed him the ride. "We think he can still do it," Frye said. "We've very excited about the next couple of years." Frye said details on Marlin's new sponsor and car number are still being finalized.
"They've got good people and a good motor program," Marlin said. "It's a team with a great future." Marlin said he is relieved to get his new deal finalized because it's the last one he will have to negotiate. "Two more years is all I want," he said. "After that I'm done."(Tennessean)
AND The signing of Sterling Marlin to drive the #10 Chevrolet [#35 in 2006 probably] of MB2 Motorsports is still in the works, but an insider estimated the official announcement may be a month away. Apparently the sponsorship details are still being worked out, and it’s unlikely that an official an-nouncement will be made until the sponsor is officially signed.(Gaston Gazette)(9-10-2005)
AND II: Frye has said sponsorship is promising, although a full announcement will have to wait until details are finalized. He says the new car number has not yet been chosen, although #'s 02 and 30 are under consideration.(Speed Channel), although #35 is the number I keep hearing for the car to replace #10.(9-11-2005)
Kenseth loses spotter after 2005: As #17-Matt Kenseth's spotter for the last six years, Mike Calinoff [stockcarcity.com] has experienced the highs and lows of NASCAR's top series. Certainly, Saturday night was the latest of milestones since he guided Matt to rookie-of-the-year honors in 2000. He was the "eyes in the sky" for the #17 Dewalt Ford when Matt delivered Jack Roush's long-awaited first title. But he's also witnessed the frustrations of maintaining a championship caliber team over the long haul. When the cars roll out at Daytona next February, Calinoff's unmistakable bass will be booming over #40-David Stremme's radio channel. In addition to his spotting duties, Calinoff will also oversee the day-to-day business aspects for the Ganassi Racing up-and-comer. There's an opportunity for growth with Ganassi, whereas the Roush spotter's gig didn't offer for the chance for advancement. And like any new relationship, Stremme's deal will be loaded with firsts -- first pole, first win and if Calinoff is lucky, a first title.(Sporting News)(9-1-2005)
The Softball Champs: Chip Ganassi Racing Won the NASCAR Softball Championship 22 to 9 against Hendrick Motorsports on Tuesday night [Aug 23]. Team photo and players names are on www.racecitymarketing.com/softball.(8-25-2005)
Marlin to MB2 in 2006? UPDATE 2: hearing that Sterling Marlin could be part of the MB2 Motorsports stable of drivers in 2006, replacing Scott Riggs. MB2 is also grooming 20-year-old World of Outlaws driver Kraig Kinser. The 20-year-old driver is part of MB2's driver development program and will make his MB2 debut today in the ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway. He qualified second for the ARCA event. Kinser, son of racing legend Steve Kinser, won Sunday's Knoxville National in central Iowa, the most prestigious
event in the World of Outlaws series.
the #10 Valvoline team with driver Scott Riggs is losing Valvoline as the sponsor and will change car numbers, hearing either #35 or #02, rumored sponsors include: Allstate, Big Lots or/and State Farm. Riggs had a contract extension on the table, but MB2 recently pulled it. Riggs could end up in Evernham Motorsports #10 Valvoline Dodge.(8-19-2005)
UPDATE: Sterling Marlin has talked to MB2 Motorsports about taking over what's now the #10 car for next season. MB2 Motorsports GM Jay Frye says Marlin is on his short list. Sponsorship and a car number have not been decided, but the team has petitioned NASCAR for 02 or 35. Current driver Scott Riggs, who finished a career-high second at Michigan, is expected to continue with Valvoline and the No. 10 at Evernham Motorsports.(Sporting News)(8-22-2005)
UPDATE 2: Sterling Marlin appears headed to MB2 Motorsports next season as a teammate of Joe Nemechek, although the veteran racer from Columbia said yesterday the deal is not finalized. "It's a good team with a good engine program," Marlin said. "Joe has won with it." Marlin is expected to take over the team's #10 Chevrolet [will be #35 or #02] currently driven by Scott Riggs. Riggs will move [with the car #10 and Valvoline] to Evernham Motorsports next year. "We're still talking," Marlin said of MB2. "We should know something soon."(Tennessean)(8-27-2005)
Ernie Elliott Re-Ups with Ganassi: Ernie Elliott, the engine-building expert from Dawsonville, GA who provides the power for several NASCAR teams including the Chip Ganassi-owned operation, won't be retiring to his Montana ranch anytime soon. He recently signed a multiyear extension with Ganassi, his principal customer. Although Elliott, the older brother of Bill Elliott, has been building racing engines on the Cup circuit since the early 1970s, he said he still relishes the competitive nature of his job. "I wish we were running better, but Chip and his people will get that worked out," he said. "Our Busch cars are running good, but there have been too many Cup races since we've won." Ganassi's last Cup victory was in 2002 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but Reed Sorenson has driven a Ganassi car to two victories on the Busch Series this season.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(8-19-2005)
Sad News: Clifton "Coo Coo" Marlin, one of NASCAR's early stars and father of current Nextel Cup driver Sterling Marlin, died Sunday after a battle with lung cancer. He was 73. Marlin died in his hometown of Columbia, Tenn., said officials from Chip Ganassi Racing, which fields cars for Sterling Marlin. Sterling Marlin had returned home from this week's race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., to be with his father. Scott Pruett was scheduled to replace him in Sunday's event. Although he never won a NASCAR points race, Marlin was one of the sport's earliest stars. A hard-nosed racer who made his name racing around the short tracks in Tennessee and Alabama. He became a regular at the Tennessee Fairgrounds, running against the likes of Bobby and Donny Allison and Red Farmer. Marlin won his first title at the Fairgrounds in 1959. He added titles in 1962, then again in 1966 and 1967 and his four titles are a record at the now-defunct race track. Marlin moved onto NASCAR, where he made 165 Cup starts from 1966 to 1980. He had no wins, but earned nine top-fives and 51 top-10 finishes. His series best points finish was 20th in the 1975 season. Recognized as a driver, Marlin also was well-known for a blue collar work ethic that kept him maintaining the land on his Tennessee farm until his death. He passed that work ethic on to his son, Sterling, who despite being a two-time Daytona 500 winner still spends his weekdays working on the farm.(ESPN.com/AP)
AND: Members of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will begin racing festivities this morning at Watkins Glen International with heavy hearts as the driver of the #40 Coors Light Dodge, Sterling Marlin, mourns the passing of his father, Coo Coo Marlin. Sterling made his way back to Tennessee to be at his father's side in their home state late Thursday night. Coo Coo passed away early this morning from lung cancer in Columbia, Tenn. The elder Marlin was a pioneer in the NASCAR industry and very instrumental throughout Sterling's racing career. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Coo Coo's name to the American Lung Association. Ganassi pilot Scott Pruett will handle the driving duties in the #40 machine for Marlin in light of the situation for this afternoon's 92-lap Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)(8-14-2005)
Marlin's Dad Ill UPDATE on Coo Coo; Pruett to run the #40: Ganassi Racing's Busch driver, David Stremme [who will take over the #40 in 2006] is practicing the #40 Coors Light Dodge for Sterling Marlin who flew back to Tennessee last night to be with his father, former Cup driver Coo Coo Marlin, who is ill. No word on Coo Coo's condition and if Stremme will be in the #40 car all weekend.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)
AND from a Dodge/Clear!Blue PR Chip Ganassi: "Sterling Marlin is not here this morning, and his father is not doing too well. He flew out of here last night to go back home to be with Coo Coo. (David Stremme will practice the #40 Coors Light Dodge on Friday). None of this could happen today without the steadfast support of Sterling Marlin since I got in partners with Felix. A lot needs to be said there about that man.(8-12-2005)
LATEST on Coo Coo: Retired racing great Coo Coo Marlin of Columbia is hospitalized in serious condition, continuing his battle with lung cancer. The 73-year-old Marlin's son, Nextel Cup driver Sterling Marlin, has decided to skip tomorrow's race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., to be at his father's side. Sterling Marlin and his wife Paula returned home from New York at 2:00am yesterday when informed that the elder Marlin's condition had worsened. Paula said her husband was with his father yesterday and unavailable for comment. The family has requested privacy during this period. Coo Coo Marlin was the first Middle Tennessee racer to rise to national prominence, spending 14 seasons on the Grand National (now Nextel Cup) circuit. He never won a points race, but was widely respected as a hard-nosed, determined racer. He was also a farmer and cattleman before retiring. Sterling Marlin credits his father for instilling in him the qualities that carried him to two Daytona 500 victories and made his one of the sport's most popular racers. David Stremme, with help from Scott Pruett, practiced Sterling Marlin's #40 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing yesterday at Watkins Glen. Stremme, who is taking over the #40 Dodge next season, is expected to drive the car in qualifying today and the race tomorrow. Marlin has been working to secure another ride for 2006.(Tennessean)
UPDATE: Scott Pruett, who was to run the #39 Target Dodge for Ganassi Racing until rain cancelled Cup qualifying, will run the #40 Coors Light Dodge for Sterling Marlin at Watkins Glen. Marlin is missing the race to be with his ill father in Tennessee, David Stemme was going to qualify and race the car but was scheduled to go out 46th of 46 cars. The #39 team only had two attempts, so didn't make the race.(8-13-2005)
Ganassi Announcement on Friday UPDATE 2: Chip Ganassi will be on hand for a special announcement at Watkins Glen International regarding sponsor activities and plans for the 2006 season on Friday, August 12, 2005 at the Watkins Glen International Victory Lane.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)
Hopefully this will help clear up some of the Silly Season rumors, such as does Casey Mears stay in the #41 Target Dodge? move to a 4th team, #39? go back to Busch so Reed Sorenson can move up to the #41? does Jamie McMurray get out of his contract? if so, then who goes in the #42 Texaco Dodge? Mears? Sorenson? someone else? So far the only thing we know for sure is David Stremme in the #40 Lonestar/Coor Light Dodge in 2006...supposedly #41 crew chief, Jimmy Elledge will be his crew chief.(8-10-2005)
UPDATE: been told that Ganassi will expand to a full four car team in 2006, with Casey Mears moving to the Home 123 Dodge, possibly #39, with Ganassi Busch Series driver, Reed Sorenson going to the #41 Target Dodge and also running the #41 Discount Tires Dodge on the Busch Series. The fate of the #42 Texaco Havoline team is unknown, but at present Jamie McMurray is expect to drive the car unless he can get out of his contract for 2006 and move to the #6 Roush Racing Ford, the team he signed to drive for in 2007.(8-11-2005)
UPDATE 2: Home123 Corporation, a subsidiary of New Century Financial Corporation , together with Chip Ganassi Racing
with Felix Sabates (CGRFS), today announced plans to expand their partnership to sponsor a fourth NEXTEL Cup Series entry in 2006 with current CGRFS driver Casey Mears taking the helm. Mears and his Home123 Team will take to the track in 2006 in an all-out pursuit to win races and build awareness of one of America's premier providers of home mortgage loans.
Home123 Corporation, the official mortgage company of NASCAR, joined forces with CGRFS prior to the 2005 season as a major associate on both the #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge driven by Jamie McMurray in the NEXTEL Cup Series and the #41 Discount Tire Dodge piloted by Reed Sorenson in the Busch Series. In addition to Home123's NASCAR involvement, New Century Mortgage Corporation, also a subsidiary of New Century Financial Corporation, is the primary sponsor on Chip Ganassi Racing's #02 Rolex GrandAm Series team with drivers Cort Wagner and Stefan Johansson. Casey Mears has been driving for CGRFS since joining the NEXTEL Cup Series ranks in 2003. To date he has amassed two pole positions, two top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes in 93 starts. Prior to moving up to NASCAR's elite division, Mears cut his racing teeth competing in the NASCAR Busch Series, CART, IRL, Indy Lights Series and USAC Triple Crown, along with many other forms of motorsports. To find out more about Home123 or New Century, please visit www.Home123.com
AND UPDATE 2 1/2: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced today its complete 2006 driver line up for
its NASCAR NEXTEL Cup programs. The multi-car team will expand its Concord-based racing stable to four NEXTEL Cup Series teams in 2006 with drivers Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Jamie McMurray and David Stremme piloting the Dodge Chargers.
"I'm extremely excited about our 2006 driver line-up," said team owner Chip Ganassi. "We began working toward this goal in 2002 when Felix and I signed David, and it continued with the addition of Reed, Jamie and Casey in 2003. This is a testament to Lorin Ranier and our driver development program as well as our unparalleled sponsor services team and the investments we've made over the past few years to achieve our goal of a four-car operation. It is my belief that these four drivers will help us accomplish our mission of winning races and adding value to our sponsor partners."
4th Team: Mears will continue his driving duties with CGRFS in 2006, but will pilot the Home123 Dodge Charger for a full season with backing from one of America's largest providers of home mortgage loans, New Century Mortgage subsidiary Home123. Mears is set to begin his fourth year with CGRFS next season after serving as driver of the No. 41 Target Dodge since 2003.
#41: Having already notched victories at Nashville and Gateway, and establishing himself a championship contender in his first full season of NASCAR Busch Series racing for CGRFS in the #41 Discount Tire Dodge, Sorenson's reward will come in the form of a full-time NEXTEL Cup Series ride in 2006 behind the wheel of the #41 Target Dodge. The 19-year-old rookie will remain the driver of the Discount Tire Busch machine next season, and will benefit significantly from running a full slate of Busch and Cup Series races in 2006.
#40 ream: As previously announced, Stremme will be piloting the #40 Coors Light and #40 Lonestar Steakhouse & Saloon Dodges for 2006 in the NEXTEL Cup Series for CGRFS. Stremme, the 2003 NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year, will be making a run at the NEXTEL Cup Rookie of the Year honors alongside Sorenson. And if last weekend's Busch Series performances at Indianapolis Raceway Park were any indication of things to come, the two will have plenty for the competition as they stand third (Sorenson) and eighth (Stremme) in the championship standings.
#42 team: As the team's leading contender for 2005's edition of "The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup," McMurray (11th) will again pilot the #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge in his fourth year of tenure at CGRFS. The former NEXTEL Cup Series race winner will return to the familiar black and red Dodge Charger with the Texaco/Havoline sponsorship he's enjoyed every season at CGRFS since joining the squad in 2003.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(8-12-2005)
No news on Marlin yet: "Nope, nothin' yet," #40-Sterling Marlin said as a reporter approached him in the infield at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where rain washed out a scheduled practice session yesterday. The veteran racer from Columbia is searching for a new Nextel Cup ride, having been informed that he won't be retained at Chip Ganassi Racing after this season — 16 more races. "I'm still talking to some people," Marlin said. "In fact I've had a couple of conversations this week. But there's a lot of things involved — sponsors and stuff like that — so I don't know anything definite yet." Marlin said he won't settle "for just any ride. I want to go with a team that can give me a good car, good motor, and a good pit crew. I want to be with a competitive team that can win races." And if such an opportunity fails to present itself? "It won't be the end of the world," Marlin said. "If I can get with a good team, that'll be great. If not … well, life goes on."
There had been speculation that Marlin might join Richard Childress Racing [#07], having been offered a ride there toward the end of last season, but Childress recently indicated he will stick with his present drivers. Another scenario had Marlin replacing retiring #6-Mark Martin at Roush Racing, but Roush is trying to talk Martin into racing one more year before turning the car over to Jamie McMurray in 2007. Another report has linked Marlin with Richard Petty's famous #43 as a replacement for Jeff Green. Marlin declined to comment on any of the reports, probably out of courtesy to the drivers who currently have the rides. "I figure we'll know something before long," said Marlin, "I'll keep looking and see what turns up."(Tennessean)(8-6-2005)
Marlin to the #43? Contrary to the belief held by many, Sterling Marlin will not replace Dave Blaney in the Richard Childress Racing-owned #07 Chevrolet in 2006. On the surface, that move made sense, as the sponsor of the #07 is Tennessee-based Jack Daniels Whiskey, and Marlin is one of Tennessee's favorite sons. But it's not happening. [Yahoo] originally heard Marlin was heading to the #0 Chevy to replace Mike Bliss, but banter now has Marlin going to Petty Enterprises and the #43 to replace Jeff Green, as Marlin and his father Coo Coo have been longtime friends of the Petty family. Green isn't necessarily happy at Petty, anyway, as that team isn't giving him a car good enough to show off his talents. As for the #07 in '06, Blaney's not going anywhere – he's a lock to stay in the car for next season, providing a good buffer to teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. It doesn't hurt that Blaney is one of team owner Richard Childress' favorite people in racing.(Yahoo Sports)(7-25-2005)
Stremme and Sorenson test Cup car at Gateway: Both David Stremme and Reed Sorenson tested the #39 Ganassi Dodge Cup car at Gateway International Raceway outside St. Louis on Tuesday. Stremme in the morning, Sorenson in the afternoon. Not much was said. Sorenson said he didn't know what was going to happen next year, whether he would be in Busch or Cup. He also said he wasn't sure if he would drive a Cup car this season. He said being at Gateway killed two birds with one stone: He was getting seat time in a Cup car and he was getting some laps at Gateway, a track he's never run before.(590 The Fan, KFNS/Brandon W. Mudd)(7-22-2005)
Marlin to the #0? now hearing Sterling Marlin's new gig in 2006 could be the the #0 Haas CNC Racing team.(7-20-2005)
So would Sterling Marlin take the #6 ride for a year? Actually Roush has more - conversations with Sterling Marlin, possibly to take Martin's ride for 2006. "Jack and I have talked a little, but I don't know anything," Marlin said. "I need to know something pretty quick, and I've got some meetings next week. We'll see how it shakes out." So would Marlin be willing to take just a one-year deal? "Yeah, if you look at what those guys are doing - it would be hard to give up the opportunity to win a championship," Marlin said.(Winston Salem Journal)(7-9-2005)
Marlin in Childress car? or maybe Yates? Jack Daniels Distillery says it is not lobbying for Columbia's Sterling Marlin to be the driver of the Nextel Cup car it sponsors, but it expects to be "consulted" about the decision. "We will support whatever decision (team owner) Richard Childress makes, but we will be consulted," said John Hayes, brand director for the Lynchburg-based distillery. Marlin said he was offered the job near the end of last season but turned it down to honor the final year of his contact with Chip Ganassi Racing. Childress hired Dave Blaney on a one-year contract. With Marlin now officially out at Ganassi after this season, there is speculation that he might join Childress and drive the Jack Daniels Chevrolet next year. Through 17 races, Blaney has one top-ten finish and is 27th in the standings. "Dave is a great guy and has been an excellent representative for us," Hayes said. "He is a talented driver but has had some bad luck this season. We got into this a little late (waiting for NASCAR to approve sponsorship by companies that produce hard liquor) and everything considered, Dave has done a good job." Jack Daniels has a multiyear contact to sponsor a Childress Nextel Cup car and Hayes said it is important that the car be "competitive." "We're the world's No. 1-selling whiskey, and being competitive is important to us in whatever we do," he said. "We're in the big leagues now."
Although Blaney has not been in contention to win, Hayes said the company is "very satisfied" with the exposure it has received during the first half of the season. "Our consumer research has been very positive," he said. "We rank seventh or eighth in merchandise sales and considering that we're competing against drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, that's very good. Right now we're very happy with where we are and we will definitely be back next season." Marlin said recently he hopes to learn his plans for next season "in the next few weeks."(Tennessean)
or Yates: hearing that Marlin could be in a third Robert Yates Racing Ford in 2006, if they decide to field a third team. Yates recently said he had no plans for a third Cup team and would run the Busch team another year, while it was mentioned a few weeks before that RYR was looking into a third team with CitiFinacial sponsoring the team.(7-5-2005)
No Decision on Marlin's 2006 plans yet: #40-Sterling Marlin, who will start 37th in tonight's Nextel Cup Pepsi 400, said no decision has been made about his racing plans next year. "There's still some discussions going on and hopefully I'll know something before long," Marlin said. Marlin has been notified that his driving contract will not be renewed next season with Chip Ganassi Racing, but he has been offered a "consulting" job with the team. He also has an offer to drive a limited Busch Series schedule for FitzBradshaw Racing, but indicated he would prefer a full-time Nextel Cup ride if he can land with a "competitive" team. Marlin said he has talked to "two or three owners," believed to include Richard Chidress and Jack Roush, and originally thought a decision might come this weekend. Yesterday he said it "will probably be later next month" before a decision is finalized.(Tennessean)(7-2-2005)
A purple #40 at Daytona: The #40 Dodge driven by Sterling Marlin will be sporting the Prilosec OTC purple and black paint scheme for this weekend's Pepsi 400.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), see images of the scheme on my #40 Team Schemes page.(6-29-2005)
Marlin considering consultant role: Sterling Marlin yesterday said he will "consider" an offer to remain at Chip Ganassi Racing next year as a consultant — a move that would end his Nextel Cup racing career — but made it clear he hopes to land a new ride with a different team. "Chip and his people have made a really good offer," Marlin said from his home in Columbia, referring to a six-figure deal that would keep him at Ganassi Racing in a non-driving role. "The offer's on the table but I haven't given them my answer yet. I want to wait and see what happens." What Marlin is waiting on is word from "two or three really good" Nextel Cup team owners about his prospects of driving for them next year. "We've talked, but nothing has been decided yet," Marlin said. "Hopefully I'll know something soon." In addition to receiving an offer to remain with the team as a consultant, Marlin's longtime sponsor Coors also offered him a three-year personal-services contract. Marlin said he could take the Coors offer and continue to drive for another team, as long as it was not sponsored by a rival brewery. "I couldn't be a spokesman for Coors and race for some other (beer) company," he said. "But as long as there was no conflict I could do both. Coors and I go way back. They sponsored my car when I was 19 and racing at the Fairgrounds."
Another development over the weekend was an extension of Marlin's contract with FitzBradshaw Racing to continue to drive their car in a partial Busch Series schedule next year, but with one major addition: Marlin would be joined by his son Steadman. "I'd run about 20-25 races and Steadman would run the rest," Marlin said. "The details aren't worked out yet, but this could be a big chance for him." Marlin said he could run the Busch races even if he accepted the consultant offer from Ganassi. "Working for Ganassi and running Busch wouldn't be a problem," he said. "But I couldn't work for Chip and run Cup."(Tennessean)(6-21-2005)
Marlin and Ganassi, Sorenson to a 4th team, Mears to stay: As a result, at a press conference later today Chip Ganassi will start reshaping the future of the team by formally announcing long-rumored changes that will yield Marlin's #40 Dodge to driver David Stremme. "It wasn't an easy decision, I'll tell you that," Ganassi said. "I'm sure if you were to ask Rick Hendrick if Tim Richmond or Geoff Bodine contributed to his team's overall success, he'd answer 'yes.' Sterling's done that for us, too, and that's why I'm not just cutting him loose, even though at the end of this contract I didn't owe him anything." Engineered by Ganassi, Marlin will get a substantial, six-figure, three-year personal services contract -- the money coming in equal parts from Ganassi and Coors. According to Ganassi, the changes won't stop with the #40 Dodge -- though such aren't scheduled to be formally announced today. Reed Sorenson, also recent grist in the rumor mill, will be moving up to Cup, too -- but not at the expense of Casey Mears, as many have predicted. Though all the parts have yet to fall perfectly into place, Ganassi is working toward fielding a four-car Nextel Cup effort in 2006. There's even a fairly substantial chance of Ganassi's Rolex Series effort growing from two to three DP cars in 2006.(Daytona Beach News Jourmal)(6-19-2005)
AND So...what is up with Marlin? David Stremme was officially introduced Sunday as driver of Chip Ganassi Racing's #40 Dodges for 2006, but that news was overshadowed by the announcement of Sterling Marlin's potential plans. Marlin, who has driven the #40 Coors entry for the past eight seasons, will finish out the 2005 campaign in that machine. But moving forward he has a decision to make. Team owner Felix Sabates said Marlin wants to compete full-time in the Nextel Cup Series next year, but has a lucrative deal on the table from Sabates and Chip Ganassi to "hang around." The personal services deal, which Chip Ganassi said was "well into the six-figures," also includes a full-time schedule Armando Fitz's #40 Busch Series entry, Sabates said. "Both Chip and I wanted to make sure he hung around with us," Sabates explained. "So I went to Coors and said, 'Hey, Sterling has been with us now for eight years and deserves for you guys to do something with him.' So he has a very lucrative deal just to hang around, really. He said he wants to (drive in Nextel Cup). But he told me yesterday he's not going to drive for somebody that doesn't have a competitive team. I hope he gets something, but if not he's got a full-time Busch ride for next year. If I was him, with the money we're paying him, I'd take the Busch ride. He's still going to be involved with us. That's an extension of our race team."(NASCAR.com)(6-19-2005)
Ganassi Announcement Sunday at MIS UPDATE 3 2006 - Marlin out, Stremme in: Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates [owner's of tht #39, #40, #41, #42 teams in Cup] will be on hand for a special announcement on Sunday, June 19th at Michigan International Speedway regarding new sponsor activities and plans for the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates).....#40 with Stremme???(6-16-2005)
UPDATE: NASCAR’s Youth Movement has swept aside veteran Sterling Marlin. Months of speculation about the future of the 47-year-old racer from Columbia will end at a press conference tomorrow at Michigan International Speedway when David Stremme, 27, is introduced as Marlin’s replacement for Chip Ganassi Racing. “They decided they wanted a younger driver,” Marlin said yesterday from the track where he is preparing for tomorrow’s Nextel Cup race. “They’re going with Stremme.” Marlin said he “understands” that he will finish out the season in the #40 Dodge he has driven for the past eight years. “I think they may put Stremme in another car [#39?] for about four races,” he said, “but as far as I know I’ll run them all.”(Tennessean)(6-18-2005)
UPDATE 2: Lone Star Steakhouse announced Sunday at MIS a multi-year partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates on the #40 Dodge Charger with driver David Stremme for 17 races in 2006. Coors Light will sponsor the #40 Dodge Charger in the other 17 NASCAR Nextel Cup races next season.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates/Clear!Blue PR), no word on the sponsor for the other two races.(6-19-2005)
UPDATE 3: Coors Brewing Company announced today that they have extended their relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing with
Felix Sabates [CGRwFS] in the Nextel Cup Series. The extension will include the primary sponsorship of the #40 Coors Light Dodge with CGRFS development driver and current Busch Series driver David Stremme for 17 races in the NEXTEL Cup Series in 2006. The partnership also includes associate sponsorship of the #40 during the other 19 Nextel Cup races. David Stremme joined the CGRwFS stable of drivers in 2002 when team owners Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates signed him as part of the CGRwFS driver development program. Currently he is driving the #14 Navy Dodge for FitzBradshaw Racing.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)(6-19-2005)
AND In 2006, Stremme's Dodges will split sponsorship between Coors Light and Lone Star Steakhouse. Coors will grace the hood in 19 events, while Lone Star will be the primary sponsor in the other 17 races. Stremme will make his Nextel Cup debut at Chicagoland Speedway next month. He plans to test the speedway Monday. Ganassi said Stremme will run four Nextel Cup races in 2005 before running for rookie of the year next season [#39 team?].(NASCAR.com)(6-19-2005)
Marlin to the #6? Sterling Marlin [#40 Dodge] is having discussions with Jack Roush about the possibility of replacing Mark Martin next year in the #6 Ford.(Gaston Gazette), also have heard that Marlin could go to the #21 Wood Brothers Ford with Ricky Rudd moving over to the #6.(6-12-2005)
New 2006 Sponsor for Ganassi....team? #40? Stremme? UPDATE: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced the signing of Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon to a multi-year sponsorship. The long-term agreement begins with the 2006 NASCAR season. Specific details are to follow at a later date. Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon is a restaurant chain that offers full-service casual dining, featuring Texas-style ambiance. There are over 300 locations nationwide.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)
AND Though no further details were announced, sources tell the Observer the new sponsor will pair with Coors in sponsoring David Stremme in the #40 Dodges in Nextel Cup next year.(Charlotte Observer/David Poole)(6-9-2005)
UPDATE: Although driver Sterling Marling has all but confirmed that he’s on his way out of the #40 Ganassi Dodge, team manager Tony Glover, a long-time associate of Marlin, said Saturday that he’s staying with the organization, despite rumors of an impending shake-up. "To be quite honest with you, what’s going on with Chip [Ganassi] and Felix [Sabates] and Sterling, I’m not exactly 100 percent sure of the plan” Glover said. "As far as me being back, I plan on being here a long time." Questions remain, however, about the future of general manager Andy Graves, who has been with Ganassi since his entry into stock cars in 2002. Next week at Michigan, Ganassi is expected to announce that David Stremme will replace Marlin in the #40 in 2006, with sponsorship split between Coors and Lone Star Steakhouse.(Speed Channel Notebook)(6-12-2005)
and More on Ganassi possible changes: How big a shakeup is in the works in the Ganassi Racing camp? Busch driver David Stremme is considered the heir apparent in the #40 to replace Sterling Marlin. He could do so for the last seven races of the season, and not jeopardize his rookie status for next season. Changes are expected involving the #41 team and driver Casey Mears. Sources say owner Chip Ganassi plans to clean the entire house, making way for Busch Series rookie sensation Reed Sorenson and crew chief Brian Pattie. Mears' crew chief, Jimmy Elledge, has been mentioned as a potential crew chief for Stremme.
(Daytona Beach News Journal)(6-12-2005)
Double Duty at Pocono-Nashville: two drivers are planning on running the Nextel Cup race at Pocono and the Busch Series race in Nashville:
#40-Sterling Marlin will be running the Busch Series race at his home track of Nashville Superspeedway. He will be piloting the #40 for FitzBradshaw Racing.(Ganassi PR)
AND This will be #99-Carl Edwards' first double duty weekend in two separate cities. Edwards will practice and qualify the #99 Stonebridge Insurance Ford in Pocono on Friday and Saturday morning then head to Nashville to race the #60 Charter Ford in the Busch race. Edwards will then return late Saturday night to race the #99 Ford in Sunday's 500-mile event.(Roush Racing)(6-10-2005)
Marlin says he is out at Ganassi, expects to finish year: Reports have recently circulated that Sterling Marlin might not drive the final seven races of the season for Chip Ganassi Racing. Marlin, the guest driver on yesterday's weekly NASCAR Nextel Cup conference call, said he "feels pretty certain they'll honor the deal," but added: "Some things are out of your hands." The veteran driver from Columbia said he is "100 percent sure I won't be back (with Ganassi) next year," and said he is currently looking for a new ride.
Marlin also announced plans to run Saturday's Busch race at the Nashville Superspeedway.(Tennessean)
AND When it comes to determining his future in the NASCAR Cup Series, it's a different matter. Marlin actively has several lines in the water trying to land a ride for next season. "I've been approached by some teams and I'm talking to some teams," Marlin said. Marlin said he hasn't officially received word that he won't be back for a ninth season with the team that Chip Ganassi bought from Felix Sabates in 2000. But Marlin knows which way the wind is blowing as Ganassi grows dissatisfied with not winning.(High Point Enterprise)(6-8-2005)
Ganassi Shake-up imminent? Marlin, Mears out? Is a shakeup in the works in the Ganassi Racing camp? Sterling Marlin still hasn't been officially told what the plans are for the #40 Dodge in 2006, but he says he's not ready to retire. "I'd like to race another two or three years and then go fishing," says Marlin, who'll turn 48 on June 30. Marlin has spoken with several teams and hopes to have a plan solidified in the next two weeks. Busch driver David Stremme is considered the heir apparent in the #40. He could replace Marlin for the last seven races of the season, gaining experience while not jeopardizing his rookie status for next season. Changes are expected involving the #41 team and driver Casey Mears. Sources say owner Chip Ganassi plans to clean the entire house, making way for Busch Series rookie sensation Reed Sorenson and crew chief Brian Pattie. Mears' crew chief, Jimmy Elledge, has been mentioned as a potential crew chief for Stremme.(Sporting News)(6-6-2005)
Ganassi has no plans for Marlin, to the #07? UPDATE: #40-Sterling Marlin said last month that he didn't think he'd be back at Chip Ganassi Racing next year because the car owner had been reluctant to discuss a new contract with him. Ganassi said Marlin can change that via on-track performance. "Right now, we don't have a plan for Sterling for next year,'' Ganassi said. "But if he wins a couple of races, it's not like we can't change our plans.''
Assuming he needs a new job next season, garage speculation has him moving over to Richard Childress Racing to drive the #07 Jack Daniel's Chevy that Dave Blaney currently pilots. Jack Daniels is a Tennessee-based company that would love to be represented by a homestate driver. Busch series driver David Stremme, who is part of Ganassi's development program, is most commonly mentioned to replace Marlin in the #40 Dodge.(ESPN.com RPM), NOTE: have heard that Marlin has already met with Jack Daniels's reps and is a front runner for a Jack Daniels's sponsored ride, it could be in the #07 RCR Chevy or Jack Daniel's coud move to another team.(5-8-2005)
UPDATE Q) Marty Smith: Word is you've [Marlin] got a liquor sponsor interested. You've done the beer deal, now we're hearing the liquor folks are after you.
A) Marlin: Naw. That's a vicious rumor. We'll just have to wait and see what plays out.(see full conversation at NASCAR.com)(5-10-2005)
#650 for Marlin: #40-Sterling Marlin will make his 650th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup career start at Darlington Raceway this weekend. Marlin made his Cup debut in 1976 at Nashville Speedway, driving for his father Coo Coo Marlin.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)(5-6-2005)
Marlin has an offer for 2006? liquor company as sponsor? #40-Sterling Marlin already has said he’s “99 percent” sure he won’t be back driving for Chip Ganassi next year. Multiple sources in the garage indicate that a well-known liquor company [Jack Daniels?] has contacted at least one established team about putting Marlin in one of its cars next season.(Speed Channel)(5-2-2005)
Marlin's Dad, Coo Coo, to serve as Grand Marshall at Music City: Tennessee racing legend, Coo Coo Marlin, will serve as Music City Motorplex's Grand Marshall for an evening of NASCAR Stock Car racing at the Tennessee State Fair Grounds on Friday evening, April 29th. Coo Coo is the only driver to in the history of the track to have captured the track championship and amazing four times, before moving up NASCAR top division, now known as NASCAR Nextel Cup. Coo Coo will be on hand for pre race ceremonies and driver introductions. Clifton "Coo Coo" Marlin was born in Columbia, TN in 1932. In 1959 he won his first driving title at the Fairgrounds in Carl Wood's 1934 Flathead Ford. He repeated that accomplishment in 1962, 1966 and 1967, making him the
only four-time champion in the track's history. In NASCAR's premier division, Coo Coo had a total of one hundred and sixty-five starts, forty-two top ten finishes and three top three finishes. He ran his last race at Talladega in 1980, and in 1987 was inducted into Tennessee Motor Sports Hall of Fame. Coo Coo is the inspiration of a clan of racers including son #40-Sterling Marlin and grandson Stedman Marlin who are carrying on the family tradition. (more info at the Music City Motorplex site)(4-25-2005)
Stremme to Cup....in 2005? Don't be surprised to see David Stremme in a Nextel Cup car before season's end. Stremme's testing last season at Nashville led to significant chassis developments for Ganassi Racing's Cup program, and he also filled in for Bill Elliott and tested the #39 at Daytona. In Busch, Stremme has bounced around three teams over the past three years, working under four crew chiefs. He could show what he's capable of if given an opportunity in a Cup car later this year, especially with the assistance of current crew chief Randy Cox.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(4-16-2005)
More on possible #6 Drivers: Geoff Smith, the manager of Jack Roush's racing operation, must fill Mark Martin's seat when Martin retires at the end of this season, and he must also sign a new sponsor for that team. Martin was a proven product when Smith did his five-year, $60 million deal with Pfizer. But how many companies would be willing to risk making a deal like that for a little-known racer? And the price tag is now closer to $20 million a year to run a NASCAR team. "One of the reasons we hired Ricky Craven for the Truck series is there's the sense Ricky has never gotten the right break with first-rate equipment, so he is very hungry to prove he's got it in him to be successful. And he is a great guy, very compatible with our guys." Sterling Marlin is one name driver whose 2006 contract is up in the air. And Ryan Newman, NASCAR's premier qualifier, has been mentioned as a possible candidate for another ride, as has Michael Waltrip.(in part from the Winston Salem Journal)(4-14-2005)
More on Marlin, Stremme and Sorenson: Sterling Marlin, says the team owner won't call him back about the status of Marlin's #40 car next season. "My contract is up after this year," Marlin says. "I guess you've got to make a change sometimes, but I'd like to know something soon so I can start looking." Marlin says a team was willing to buy out his contract last year, but he remained loyal to Ganassi. Multiple sources at Ganassi say Busch Series regular David Stremme will get the ride over Reed Sorenson because Sorenson is under 21 and the car's sponsor is Coors Light.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(4-13-2005)
Marlin doesn't expect to be back with Ganassi in 2006 UPDATE: #40-Sterling Marlin said Friday he is "99.9% certain" that he won't be back with Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2006 Nextel Cup season. Marlin, 47, has been driving for the team formerly owned by Felix Sabates since the start of the 1998 season. He's won four races with the team after having six victories in the previous four seasons at Morgan/McClure. Marlin, who will be making his 646th career Nextel Cup start in Sunday's Advance 500 at Martinsville Speedway, is in the final year of his contract. Marlin said he has a few very preliminary discussions with others about potential rides for 2006 and beyond, but nothing substantive yet.(David Poole/ThatsRacin.com)(4-8-2005)
UPDATE: FOX's Jeff Hammond said on the Martinsville Pre-race show, that he had heard one scenario had Jamie McMurray, driver of the #42-Texaco-Havoline Dodge for Ganassi, moving over to the #40 Coor's Light Dodge, with Busch Driver David Stremme possible in the #42. Also have heard that McMuarry could still end up in the #2 Miller Lite Dodge to replace retiring Rusty Wallace, with Stremme and Reed Sorenson moving up into the #40 and or #42.(4-10-2005)
Marlin needs to run well: It's no secret in the garage area that #40-Sterling Marlin needs results to get a contract extension at Chip Ganassi Racing. Marlin said Saturday getting a deal done is one of his top priorities. "I'd like to get something worked out by May or June,'' Marlin said at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of his last Nextel Cup victory, in March 2002 [actually Marlin's last win was at Darlington in March 2002]. "A few people have walked up and asked me when my deal's up with Chip, but I like where I'm at. If I can stay here, I'll stay here.''(ESPN.com/AP)(3-13-2005)
Marlin tests at Bristol: With snow flurries swirling, Sterling Marlin turned laps in his #40 Dodge Charger at Bristol Motor Speedway on Tuesday afternoon to prepare for April’s NASCAR race. For the first time in his 29-year NASCAR career, Marlin tested the settings on his car in the snow. "It takes a lap or two for the tires to come in," Marlin said about driving in the freezing temperatures. "When it’s 25 degrees, it takes a little time to get some heat in the tires to get some more grip. After three or four laps, you are back where you normally are."(Bristol Herald Courier)(3-9-2005)
Marlin to race at Nashville: For the first time since the opening of the Nashville Superspeedway, local NEXTEL Cup Driver and two-time winner of the Daytona 500, Sterling Marlin will run in the fifth annual Pepsi 300 NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday, March 26. Marlin, a back to back Daytona 500 Champion, will be driving for Fitz-Bradshaw Cottman Transmission Dodge #40. "I'm excited to be racing in my own back yard," Marlin said, who lives in the Middle Tennessee area. "I've tested many times at the Nashville Superspeedway and I'm looking forward to competing for the first time." Tickets for the PFG Lester 150 ARCA RE/MAX Series race and the Pepsi 300 NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday, March 26 are on sale now by calling toll-free 1-866-RACE-TIX or online at www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com. All race tickets include two races, all the pre race festivities, and the post race Capitol Concert Series.(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(2-19-2005)
So..what is up with Sterling? #40-Sterling Marlin, a regular on the circuit since 1987, wants to drive for a couple of more years and wants to remain with Chip Ganassi so he can close his career with a team that was owned by Felix Sabates when Marlin joined it in 1998. That scenario is far from a lock. Marlin is in the last year of his contract with Ganassi and is winless since 2002. He knows to be asked back he will have to show improvement over the three top-fives and a 21st-place points finish of 2004. Ganassi bluntly called the performance of Marlin's team disappointing in prepared remarks to the press during last week's media tour stop at a mammoth new building that houses the cars of Marlin and teammates Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears. "I don't know if we're going to renew," Marlin said. "I talked to Chip about re-upping a month ago to see what we're going to do and Coors is going to do." Marlin indicated that Ganassi didn't close the door. "Chip was open to extending," Marlin said. "I'd like to stay here. I've got a lot of friends here and they've built a really nice shop. I've driven for Felix a long time. So I'd like to retire here if I can."(High Point Enterprise)(2-2-2005)
2004 News
Boyer Named Crew Chief for Marlin: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced today that race engineer Steve Boyer will take over crew chief duties on the #40 Coors Light Dodge for the 2005 season. "It is a top priority for both Felix and myself to get the Coors Light 40 team back into championship form," team owner Chip Ganassi said. "Over the last six races of the 2004 season we asked Steve to assume a leadership role with team manager Tony Glover and the 40 team and he proved he could get the job done. Steve has the confidence of Team management, Sterling and the 40 crew and we look forward to seeing the 40 car up front in 2005."
"I greatly appreciate the opportunity from Chip and Felix to become the crew chief of the No. 40 Coors Light Dodge for the 2005 season," Boyer said. "After working with Sterling and the #40 team for the last three seasons, I believe that I can help this team return to the forefront of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup competition. We hope to continue the quality races that we had over the last six races of 2004 into the beginning of 2005, and get Sterling back to the form he has shown in years' past." Boyer has been a member of the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team since 2001. He started as Jason Leffler's race engineer and won his first pole at Kansas in 2001. Boyer began working with Sterling Marlin in 2002. Befrore joining Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Boyer worked for 10 years for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in tire design. Boyer has a BS in Engineering from the University of Nebraska and a Masters from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland Ohio.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(12-21-2004)
Marlins pit crew takes the honors at Homestead: Sterling Marlin's pit crew took top honors in the NASCAR season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was the third McDonald's/POWERade win of the season for the #40 crew. Marlin's Coors Light Dodge spent the least amount of time on pit road - 238.383 seconds. Bobby Labonte's Interstate Batteries Chevrolet was second at 241.073 and coming in third was Michael Waltrip's #15 NAPA Chevy at 258.508. Marlin's over-the-wall crew consists of Steven Wolfe (front-tire changer), Trent Davis (front-tire carrier), Barry Boeckenstedt (rear-tire changer), Tim Shore (rear-tire carrier), Mark Jacobs (jackman), Randy Hildreth (gasman) and Mike Motil (catch can). The team's crew chief is Tony Glover and the pit crew coach is Phil Horton.(DMF Commincations PR)(11-24-2004), for the top 10, race by race winner and season standings see my Pit Crew News/Awards page, past race results on the very large 2004 Pit Crew Past News page.
#40 to sport a Lone Star paint scheme at Homestead: Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon has joined Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in a partnership that will debut on the #40 Coors Light Dodge at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The #40 will be adorned with the Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon logo for the November season ending event. The #40 Dodge will be black with red and white accents and will feature the Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon logo on the hood and the deck lid as well as the rear quarter panels. The Coors Light logo will appear on the rear bumper and lower rear quarter panel. Lone Star first opened in October 1989 in Winston-Salem, NC. There are currently 268 Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloons, 15 Sullivan's, six Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak Houses, 20 Texas Land & Cattle restaurants and one Frankie's Italian Grille.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(11-16-2004)
Sabates almost on the Hendrick flight: With his helicopter grounded by bad weather, Felix Sabates, co-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing, decided he did not want to take the chance of having the plane diverted and then having to drive to the Martinsville, Va., track in race traffic. Sabates said his helicopter pilot called to say he could have a seat on the plane and he was preparing to leave for the Concord, N.C., airport when Ganassi phoned. Ganassi told Sabates his plane had been diverted from the airport near the track to Danville, Va., 30 miles away. ''Chip said his plane missed its approach in Martinsville because of the weather and he was thinking about going home,'' Sabates said. ''I didn't feel like going to Danville and then having to drive to the track in traffic. If Chip hadn't called me, I would have been on that plane. He saved my life.'' After deciding to pass up the race, Sabates was at his home in Charlotte when he got a telephone call from NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr., telling him the plane was missing and asking Sabates to go to the home of fellow team owner Rick Hendrick. ''When I got to the house, I'm the one that told Rick about the accident,'' Sabates said. ''Then Bill France called to tell me that they had found the wreckage and everybody was dead. I still get chills thinking about it. It's just horrible for everyone.''(USA Today/Associated Press)(10-26-2004)
Slugger to the #40? UPDATE: Richard "Slugger" Labbe, who crewed Michael Waltrip to two Daytona 500 victories before stepping down from that crew-chief spot at Dale Earnhardt Inc. this past Wednesday, is under consideration for a possible job next season working with Sterling Marlin at Chip Ganassi's, according to team sources.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-18-2004)
UPDATE: Labbe was interviewed on XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 144 and was at Atlanta testing with Martin Truex Jr. and said he was happy in his new role and it was his choice to step down.(10-19-2004)
Tony Glover Named Interim Crew Chief of the #40: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced that team manager Tony Glover will act as interim crew chief on the #40 Coors Light Dodge starting this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway, while Lee McCall has accepted a new shop-based crew chief position in the organization. "Our team is about performance and the No. 40 team hasn't regained its championship-caliber form of just two years ago," car owner Chip Ganassi said. "Sometimes in any sport, you need to change things up in order to re-energize the team and this is one of those times. We have made some other changes as well to try and help the performance of the team for the remainder of the 2004 season," Ganassi added. "Tony and Sterling have been working together for a long time and hopefully they can get this team back on track. I guess we want to try and put the band back together." Glover was the team manager of Team SABCO racing teams when Ganassi partnered with Felix Sabates in 2000. Together with Andy Graves, Glover continued his role as a team manager for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Since Glover's affiliation with CGRwFS, the teams have had five wins, five poles, 32 top-fives and 62 top-10s. This is
the Kingsport, Tenn. native's seventh season with the team and his 10th season partnered with driver Sterling Marlin.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)(10-13-2004)
#40 scheme at Talladega: Multi-platinum selling country group Rascal Flatts will once again join Sterling Marlin and the Coors Light team to bring some country charm to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Marlin's #40 Coors Light Dodge will sport a special Rascal Flatts paint scheme in Talladega supporting the group's new album, "Feels Like Today", that hit music stores nationwide today.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(9-28-2004)
Marlin's Pit Crew Wins in New Hampshire: The pit crew for Sterling Marlin won the McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade in Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. It was the second time this season that Marlin's crew earned the $20,000 weekly prize - the team's other win was at the March race in Bristol, Tenn. In the McDonald's/POWERade point standings, Elliott Sadler's pit crew remains in the lead and the chase for the $200,000 bonus which will go to the season champion. After 27 races, Sadler's crew enjoys a 26-point lead - 977 to 951 -- over the pit crew for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kevin Harvick's crew, a non-winner so far in 2004, is third with 937 points. Marlin's No. 40 Coors Light Dodge spent the least amount of time on pit road in New Hampshire - 169.138 seconds. Michael Waltrip's No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet came in second with a time of 172.124. Harvick's No. 29 Goodwrench Chevy was third at 180.261. "The Coors Light crew did a great job getting me in and out of the pits," said Marlin. "The guys work hard week in and week out and I am proud of them for winning the McDonald's/POWERade pit crew competition this past weekend." Marlin's over-the-wall crew consists of Steven Wolfe (front-tire changer), Trent Davis (front-tire carrier), Barry Boeckenstedt (rear-tire changer), Tim Shore (rear-tire carrier), Mark Jacobs (jackman), Randy Hildreth (gasman) and Mike Motil (catch can). The team's crew chief is Lee McCall and the pit crew coach is Phil Horton.(DMF Communications PR), for the tp 10 at Loudon and the season standings, see my Pit Crew page.(9-23-2004)
Ganassi signes Lagasse Jr. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced today the signing of 22-year-old Scott Lagasse Jr. to its Talent Development Program. The St. Augustine, Fla. native joins the program with impressive credentials as a driver and a person. Lagasse Jr. becomes the fourth driver on the Talent Development roster at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, which includes David Stremme, Reed Sorenson and Ryan Hemphill. Lagasse Jr. began running in the ASA series in 2003 where he
earned an impressive four top-10 finishes in just six starts. This year, Lagasse Jr. captured his first win in the series at Kentucky
Speedway and his first pole at Indianapolis Raceway Park. As impressive as his on-track performance is, Lagasse Jr. is also committed to his education. He attends Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla. on a full academic scholarship where he is on track to
earn a Business/Marketing degree.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(9-5-2004)
House of Blues for Sterling: The #40 Coors Light Dodge will be highlighting Coors Light's partnership with House of Blues by showcasing them on the lower rear quarter panels and the decklid for this weekend's race in California.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(9-1-2004)
Some Parts confiscated: Over the weekend, NASCAR inspectors confiscated an expired shoulder harness from the No. 40 Dodge of Sterling Marlin and an unapproved filler board from the No. 29 Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick.(ThatsRacin.com)(8-16-2004)
Special Scheme at Indy for Marlin: Salute to the Troops: The Coors Light Dodge will once again sport the Marines paint scheme this weekend for the Brickyard 400. This will be the third of four races for this paint scheme. Also, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Michael Hagee, will be in attendance for Sunday’s festivities. Country group Rascal Flatts will be singing the national anthem kicking off the Brickyard 400. The band, which is also sponsored by Coors Brewing Company, will be featured on the lower rear quarter of the Coors Light Dodge for Sunday’s race.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(8-5-2004)
Marlin to run low-carb beer scheme UPDATE: In support of their new low carb beer Aspen Edge, Sterling Marlin will be driving an all White Aspen Edge themed #40 Dodge at the August 1st Pocono Raceway race.(4-23-2004)
UPDATE: In support of its new low-carb light lager, Aspen Edge, Coors Brewing Company will display a special Aspen Edge paint scheme on Sunday, August 1st at the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway. "NASCAR is one of Coors' highest profile sponsorships, and we have showcased our Coors Light brand with great success over the years," said Steve Saunders, director of event marketing for Coors Brewing Company. "We are really excited about the opportunity to bring the Aspen Edge brand into the fold and increase awareness among NASCAR fans." Coors Brewing Company launched Aspen Edge nationally in early May and since then, the beer has steadily been gaining popularity and market share. Now, Aspen Edge is the second-largest-selling low-carb beer in
supermarkets. Aspen Edge has just 2.6 grams of carbohydrates and 94 calories and is available in retail outlets nationwide.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR) See the scheme on the #40 Team Paint Scheme page.(7-27-2004)
Coors and Molson to merge: Molson Inc., Canada's largest brewer, has agreed to merge with Adolph Coors Co. [sponsor of the #40 Dodge] in a $6-billion US deal that creates a new beer behemoth and ends the independence of two of North America's biggest family-run brewing icons. In reporting financial results early Thursday, the Montreal company revealed it had struck a deal to join with Coors, the third-biggest brewer in the United States.(Canadian Press), no word on how or if this would effect the sponsorship of the #40 Dodge Sterling Marlin drives in the Cup Series. Also more on the merger at Yahoo: Coors-Molson Brew Deal, Questions Loom.(7-22-2004)
Marines on the #40 Dodge: The Coors Light Dodge will be sporting a Marines paint scheme this weekend at the Pepsi 400. This is the second of four races that the Coors Light Dodge will be featuring the Marines paint scheme.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR), see the #40 Team Paint Scheme page for an image.(7-1-2004)
Marlin Safe: [Chip Ganassi's] Comment on Sterling Marlin's Future with the 40 team: "Sterling is not going anywhere. I asked him yesterday if somebody else was throwing him out besides me. I ain't throwing him out. I'm just going to send our young guys to language class so they can understand him (said in jest)."(Dodge Notes/Clear!Blue PR)(6-20-2004)
Ganassi Racing to have a Busch team in 2005 UPDATE: been told that Ganassi Racing will run a full time Busch program next year in house and possibly a second team for 15 - 20 Busch races also. Supposedly the drivers will be some combination of their current three Cup drivers (Marlin, McMurray and Mears) and possibly David Stremme and/or Reed Sorenson. Ganassi Racing also plans to move into their new building by the Concord [NC] Airport in July.(5-10-2004)
UPDATE: announced at MIS and on Fox Sports Net's NASCAR This Morning, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, will field a full-time Busch Series team in 2005 with Discount Tires as the sponsor. Reed Sorenson will drive in four Busch races later in the 2004 season. Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray and Sorenson will drive in 2005.(6-20-2004)
Stremme to Cup by 2006: NASCAR Busch Series driver David Stremme, one of several up-and-comers Chip Ganassi has signed to driver development contracts, should join the Nextel Cup ranks by 2006, said Andy Graves, Ganassi's team manager. "We have David Stremme signed long-term with the Ganassi organization, Reed Sorenson and Ryan Hemphill. We're excited about those three young guys," Graves said. "I think you're going to see David Stremme in Cup in the near future, if not 2005 I'd say for sure in 2006. Reed and Ryan are both getting their feet wet. It's going to take a little more work to get them to that level, but they both have the talent." Stremme is driving the #32 TrimSpa Dodges for Braun Racing this season. Sorenson is running full-time in the American Speed Association and Sorenson and Hemphill are both running Automobile Racing Club of America series events. Graves called Roush Racing among the most successful at developing new talent in the Cup series. "I think those guys have done good jobs bringing up Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth. I think they're the ones that kind of started it," he said. "Both Hendrick and ourselves have kind of caught up with them, and hopefully we've got some young guys to get ready for the future."(ThatsRacin.com)(6-5-2004)
Ganassi Shakeup? [no details]: A shakeup may be brewing inside the Chip Ganassi camp, according to insiders. Ganassi's three drivers are all winless over the past year and a half.(Winston Salem Journal)(6-5-2004)
Ganassi Being Sued: NASCAR and IRL Team[s] owner Chip Ganassi was accused in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday of failing to pay his share of a $35 million debt linked to the construction of the Chicago Motor Speedway. The multimillion dollar lawsuit filed by the Chicago-based National Jockey Club alleged that Ganassi failed to adequately fund the project and was trying to duck his share of the debt, according to a statement from the club. Ganassi could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.(CBS Sportsline/AP)(6-2-2004)
Fans choose Marlin's Prilosec scheme: Chip Ganassi Racing has unveiled a special paint scheme that fans picked for the No. 40 Dodge that Sterling Marlin will drive in the Oct. 16 UAW/GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The paint scheme promotes Prilosec OTC medication. Out of three possibilities, fans selected a car that is purple and black with gold numbers and white lettering.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter), see an image of the car on my #40 Team Paint Schemes page.(5-28-2004)
Ganassi Employees get watches: Chip Ganassi Racing is using their new partnership with TAG Heuer to recognize their employees. As part of their partnership, every employee with at least one year of service to the company will receive a free TAG Heuer luxury watch. It was recently announced that TAG Heuer is the Official Timekeeper, Official Watch, and Chronograph and Official Partner for Chip Ganassi Racing for their entries in the Indy Racing League, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and the Grand-Am Series. TAG Heuer, the benchmark in prestigious sports watches and chronographs since 1860, is the fourth-largest luxury brand in the world watch market.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(5-27-2004)
Marlin and the Marines: The #40 Coors Light Dodge will be sporting a Marines paint scheme this weekend at the Coca-Cola 600 with driver Sterling Marlin. This is the first of four races that the Coors Light Dodge will be featuring the Marines paint scheme.
AND Marlin will be presenting at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. The show will be broadcast on CBS at 8:00pm/et.
AND II There will be a special announcement at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Thursday regarding the Prilosec OTC paint scheme to be run on the #40 Dodge later this season. There was a contest of three schemes and the winner will be announced.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)(5-26-2004)
Congrats: Steve and Abbey Boyer added a new daughter to their family Tuesday. Kylie Ann was 8 lbs 13 oz and 21-inches long. Steve is the team engineer for the #40 car. Everybody's doing well.(5-12-2004)
New look for the #40:the #40 Coors Light Dodge that Sterling Marlin driver will have an altered paint scheme this weekend at California Speedway. Starting this weekend the car will sport a new paint scheme for the rest of the season [have not seen it...yet]. AND Fans have until the end of the month [April? May?] to vote for one of three different #40 Prilosec OTC paint schemes, to be run later this season, on www.prilosecotc.com.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR), see images of the 'new' scheme on the #40 Team Paint Scheme Page.(4-30-2004)
Marlin to run low-carb beer scheme: In support of their new low carb beer Aspen Edge, Sterling Marlin will be driving an all White Aspen Edge themed #40 Dodge at the August 1st Pocono Raceway race.(4-23-2004)
Marlin to Appear on Country Music Awards: The Academy of Country Music says Sterling Marlin, driver of Chip Ganassi Racing's #40 Coor's Light Dodge in the Nextel Cup Series, will be a presenter at the academy's 39th annual awards show on May 26. The event will be broadcast by CBS from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, beginning at 8:00pm/et.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-23-2004)
Marlin's car to get horse: The official Kentucky Derby logo will appear on Sterling Marlin's #40 Coors Light Dodge in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega, six days before the 130th running of the Kentucky Derby.(Courier-Journal)(4-16-2004)
Marlin's Pit Crew Takes Bristol Win: #40-Sterling Marlin's pit crew won the McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade in Sunday's (March 28) Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Marlin's crew earned $20,000 for the victory and became the sixth different winner in the first six races of the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season. Kurt Busch's #97 crew, which finished second to Marlin's crew in Bristol, remains in first place in the McDonald's/POWERade standings with 236 points. #38-Elliott Sadler's crew is second (220) and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew is third (219). The season pit crew champion will receive a $200,000 bonus. Marlin's fourth-place finish at Bristol was helped by his Coors Light pit crew. His #40 Dodge spent 250.170 seconds on pit road, six seconds fewer than Busch's Sharpie Ford. Michael Waltrip's NAPA Chevrolet was third with a time of 315.650. "I think it is great that McDonald's and POWERade put on a program that allows the pit crews to compete against other pit crews and show what they do every weekend," said Lee McCall, crew chief for the No. 40 team. "We had some good stops at Bristol and I am really proud of the guys. The Coors Light pit crew works hard every week and this time we were able to get a top-five finish." Marlin's over-the-wall crew consists of Steven Wolfe (front-tire changer), Trent Davis (front-tire carrier), Randy Cox (rear-tire changer), Tim Shore (rear-tire carrier), Mark Jacobs (jackman), Randy Hildreth (gasman) and Mike Motil (catch can). The team's pit crew coach is Lorin Ranier.(DMF Communications PR), see the top 10 at Bristol and season standings on my Pit Crew Page.(3-31-2004)
McCall chosen Crew Chief of the Week: Lee McCall, crew chief for Sterling Marlin's #40 Coors Light Dodge, has won the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Race for his efforts in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Fans who logged on to www.WYPALL.com concurred that Lee McCall's pit strategy earned him this week's top spot in the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge. Although McCall made good calls in the pits from the start, it was the two-tire pit stop during the caution on lap 201 that made the difference. With fresh tires on the right side, Marlin came out front and maintained the lead for the next 67 laps. Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ultimately managed to sneak past Marlin to secure 2nd and 3rd place spots and then the five cautions during the last 120 laps served to keep the track position intact. McCall joins #48-Chad Knaus, #42-Donnie Wingo and #17-Robbie Reiser in a tie for 2nd place in the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge, at one win each. #8-Tony Eury, Sr., with two wins, leads the challenge. The crew chief with the most weekly wins at the end of the season will be named WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and receive $10,000.(ThatsRacin.com)(3-31-2004)
Grandpa Marlin...and congrats Steadman: #40-Sterling Marlin became a grandfather at 6:14pm/et Sunday following the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway. Marlin's son, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Steadman Marlin and his wife, Mandy, gave birth to Stirlin Blaise Marlin at at Williamson County Hospital Tennessee. The baby weighed in at 9 lbs 3 oz and is 21 ˝ inches long. "Paula and I are very excited," Sterling said. "The baby is a healthy and beautiful baby boy! I have been looking forward to this and I am glad the day is finally here."(ThatsRacin.com)(3-22-2004)
5 Freightliners Hauling Ganassi NASCAR Teams: Five Freightliner Coronado heavy-duty trucks will serve as transporters for racing teams of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Inc. during the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing Season. The brightly painted and accessorized Coronado trucks will haul Sterling Marlin's #40 Coors Lite Dodge, as well as drivers Jamie McMurray's #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge and Casey Mears' #41 Target Dodge. Some of the trucks will haul racecars and equipment to the 36 Nextel Cup races, while the other two will transport cars and materials to various test tracks around the country. The Coronado is Freightliner Trucks' flagship Class 8 truck for owner-operators. "Our sponsorship of the three Ganassi teams is a great way to showcase the Freightliner Coronado," said Mark Lampert, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Freightliner Trucks. "With their spectacular appearance, Ganassi Racing's Coronado trucks are sure to turn heads on the road and at the racetrack."(TruckingInfo.com)(3-2-2004)
Fans Given Chance Vote on Sterling's Car Scheme: Prilosec OTC and two-time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin announced today that race fans throughout the country will be given the chance to determine how Sterling's #40 Prilosec OTC Dodge [Coor's Light] will look when it competes in a Nextel Cup race later this season. "Fan interaction is something our sport prides itself on," said Sterling Marlin. "We thought it would be a lot of fun to have the fans pick the paint scheme for the Prilosec OTC car. After that, it's up to me and the crew to win the race for the fans." Beginning Sunday, February 8, fans will have the opportunity to vote for one of three different #40 Prilosec OTC paint schemes posted on www.prilosecotc.com . Fans will be able to vote on the website by clicking on their favorite paint scheme. Paint scheme selection will conclude at 12 midnight, April 30. Voting for Sterling's purple racing machine will kick off with a national coupon insert that will appear in Sunday morning newspapers across the country this weekend. The #40 Prilosec OTC Dodge paint scheme that receives the most votes will be unveiled at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday, May 28. Prilosec OTC officially begins its associate sponsorship of the #40 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Nextel Cup entry this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. In addition to its one-race paint scheme later this year, Prilosec OTC will also appear on Sterling Marlin's firesuit and the B-post of the #40 Coors Light Dodge throughout the 2004 Nextel Cup season.(Yahoo Sports)(2-5-2004)
Ganassi team wins pole for 24: Scott Pruett put the #01 CompUSA Lexus Riley of Chip Ganassi Racing on the pole for the 42nd anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Pruett set a new Daytona Prototype track record with his 1:45.783 lap at 121.154mph, shaving more than four seconds off the previous record held by David Donohue.(Speed Channel)(1-30-2004)
New #40 Crew Members: Sterling Marlin will work with the new #40 Ganassi Racing crew. Paul Clapprood, who had been the front mechanic on Ganassi's #41 car, is the new car chief. Randy Cox, formerly the #41's car chief, is Marlin's new rear tire changer and will be an asset to the team on race weekends. Shocks specialist Jeff Price joins the team from the #49 car, and Dave Atkins will be Marlin's spotter.(Yahoo Sports/Sporting News)(1-5-2004)
2003 News
New #31 Team Members: Scott Miller has returned to Richard Childress Racing as team manager for the #31 car after working with #32-Ricky Craven for a year at PPI Motorsports as the crew chief. Miller will join crew chief Chris Andrews and driver Robby Gordon along with newly named car chief Todd Osborne, who came from Ganassi Racing's #40 car. Andrews inherited the pit crew from RCR's #30 team, which he describes as "awesome."(Yahoo Sports/Sporting News)(12-31-2003)
Pruett to run for Ganassi: The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series says Chip Ganassi Racing will field an entry in the endurance series next year for former Winston Cup driver Scott Pruett. Pruett and Max Papis are scheduled to drive a Lexus-powered Riley MK XI Daytona prototype in the 12-race series that kicks off Jan. 31 with the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Pruett ran in the 2000 Winston Cup Series for Cal Wells' PPI Racing and has made road-course starts for Ganassi in recent years. He finished second at Watkins Glen this season for Ganassi and also won his third Sports Car Club of America Trans-Am championship this year.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(12-12-2003)
Ganassi Testing at Nashville:
Ganassi Racing is conducting a two-day testing session at the Nashville Superspeedway on December 9-10. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver, #40-Sterling Marlin, and NASCAR Busch Series driver, #1-David Stremme are in
the Music City to test out a few new cars for the upcoming 2004 racing season.(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(12-9-2003)
Ganassi's Move: Mooresville business officials say they hope the Chip Ganassi Racing building, which sits in a prominent location among Race City USA's NASCAR shops, won't be vacant long. "It will be loss, but we're hopeful that another company will buy their existing building," said Melanie O'Connell Underwood, economic developer for the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce. "Although it's not a given, the building is made for racing." Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates confirmed last week that it has accepted roughly $370,000 in incentives from Cabarrus County and Concord to move to a new and larger facility closer to Lowe's Motor Speedway. Ganassi Racing, which supports NASCAR Winston Cup drivers #40-Sterling Marlin, #42-Jamie McMurray and #41-Casey Mears, employs about 150 people in Mooresville at a high-profile location just inside the main entrance to Lakeside Park. The business park is home to several dozen racing teams. The larger Concord facility, which is already der construction, will have up to 350 employees. The team had also been looking for places to relocate to in Mooresville, having outgrown its Lakeside Park site. In April, Ganassi struck a tentative deal to move into the vacant Matsushita Compressor Corp. plant in Mooresville, but those plans fell through despite incentive offers from Iredell County and Mooresville. Underwood showed the team the high-tech Matsushita building, which manufactured electronics. But Concord's incentive –a 65% property tax return over four years- with an airport and speedway were factors in the decision to move. "They're going to be looking for a hangar at the Concord Airport," Underwood said. Right now the airport, a popular location for NASCAR team jets, is in the process of lengthening a runway to accommodate longer flights. "The airport, I think that's a huge driver in this project," said John Cox, CEO of the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce. Ganassi racing has occupied its Lakeside Park location since 1994. In 2000, Chip Ganassi bought majority ownership of the team. Previously known as Team SABCO, the organization was initially a NASCAR research and development team that Felix Sabates bought from Rick Hendrick in 1987.(Mooresville Tribune)(12-1-2003)
Dale Jr's Pit Crew To Collect $200,000 Bonus; Sterling Marlin's Crew Takes Homestead Victory:
#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr's pit crew made a late-season charge to capture the 2003 McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade. For winning the championship, Earnhardt's pit crew will collect a $200,000 bonus. The check presentation will take place Dec. 5 in New York during the NASCAR Winston Cup Awards Banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria. With five McDonald's/POWERade race victories that paid $20,000 each, Earnhardt's pit crew earned a total of $300,000 in the season-long championship. Earnhardt's crew edged Michael Waltrip's pit crew to claim the inaugural championship that recognized and honored the unsung heroes in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Earnhardt's team collected 1,243 points while Waltrip's team totaled 1,230. The two DEI crews waged an impressive battle with both teams entering last week's season finale in Homestead, Fla. tied in points.
"At the first of the year when we found out about the McDonald's/POWERade program, everybody got pumped up and had something to shoot for," said Tony Eury Sr., crew chief for Earnhardt's team. "We never dreamed that it was going to come down to a battle with our own teammate. Both teams put a lot effort into this and it was sure nice of McDonald's and POWERade to recognize their efforts. We are proud to be the first champions of the program."
Earnhardt's over-the-wall crew consists of: Jeff Clark (gasman), Kevin Pennell (jackman), Phil Drye (front tire changer), Danny Earnhardt (front tire carrier), Jay Guarneri (rear tire changer), Troy Prince (rear tire carrier), Bill Snyder (catch can). Assisting Eury with the crew chief duties is the team's car chief Tony Eury Jr. Walt Smith is the pit crew coach at DEI.
In Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Sterling Marlin's pit crew won the McDonald's/POWERade championship. Marlin's No. 40 Dodge spent the least amount of time on pit road - 220.757 seconds. Bill Elliott's Dodge was second at 229.941and Jamie McMurray's Dodge was third at 246.539. Marlin's over-the-wall pit crew consists of: Steven Wolfe (front tire changer), Trent Davis (front tire carrier), Mike Atwell (rear tire changer), Tim Shore (rear tire carrier), Greg Pasi (jackman), Jerry Schweitz (gasman) and Rick Reling (catch can). The crew chief is Lee McCall and the team trainer is Al Shuford. For the final points standings, who won each weekm top ten at Homestead, see my Pit Crew News page.(DMF Communications PR)(11-19-2003)
Marlin Cleared: A federal civil jury took 10 minutes yesterday to determine that NASCAR driver Sterling Marlin had not assaulted anyone when he threw a man into the Jamaican surf during a promotional beach week for race fans. Joel Whitcomb, of Pittsfield, Mass., sued Marlin in U.S. District Court, claiming that when Marlin shoved him into the shallow water, it caused a sore shoulder and a knee injury that required surgery and months of painful rehabilitation.(Tennessean)(11-13-2003)
Marlin Goes to Court: A confrontation between NASCAR driver Sterling Marlin and a race fan a couple of years ago on a Jamaican beach has landed Marlin in federal court. This week, a jury is considering Joel Whitcomb's claims that he injured his knee and shoulder when Marlin assaulted him and threw him into shallow salt water. Marlin, who lives in Columbia, TN, contends he could not have hurt the man. Besides, he testified Monday, he had every right to stand his ground when the plaintiff accused him of being a cheater. Whitcomb, a Pittsfield, Mass., used-car dealer, went with his wife to Jamaica in December 2001 for a promotional beach holiday that drew NASCAR aficionados from across the United States.
Whitcomb, a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan, went with his wife, Julia, who likes Bill Elliott, according to U.S. District Court testimony. In Jamaica they found themselves at a beachfront resort, where they could mingle with the drivers by night and join teams to compete in the sunny beach Olympics that organizers staged on the sand. The Whitcombs were pleased to find themselves on Dale Jr.'s team.
Joel Whitcomb competed in almost all the events, including the tug of war between the Earnhardt's fans and Marlin's fans. The men from both teams each won once, leaving the rubber match to the women. When the women from Marlin's team began to lose to those from Earnhardt's, Marlin reached in and grabbed the rope as if to aid their cause. Marlin told the jury he was just horsing around and didn't really pull. But Joel Whitcomb concluded otherwise. Testimony from the witness stand and from depositions showed that he told Marlin that he thought the driver was a cheater — always had been, always would be — and jabbed his finger into Marlin's chest.
"I thought he needed to be cooled off," Marlin told the court. Marlin said he grabbed Whitcomb by the swim trunks and T-shirt and shoved him toward the ocean, where Whitcomb landed in about 2 feet of water. He came up spitting water and insults, testimony showed. Whitcomb's wife testified that her husband's knee soon began to swell, requiring a trip to the doctor and several months of rehabilitation in Massachusetts. In November 2002 Whitcomb sued in U.S. District Court in Nashville. The suit was filed in federal court because the plaintiff and the defendant are from different states. According to court records, Marlin declined to settle the case out of court. The trial is scheduled to resume after the Veterans Day holiday.(USA Today/AP)(11-12-2003)
Pit Accident at Phoenix: During the a pit stop on lap 120 in the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway when the #40 Coors Light Dodge, there was an accident when the air hose was tangled with another competitor’s car. Mike Motil, tire specialist and catch can man for the #40 Dodge, was taken to the infield care center after experiencing pain in his knee. He was then taken to the local hospital and released after x-rays were taken.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR).
Also: been told that Motil left knee was diagnosed for having torn ligaments and will receive further test when he gets back to Mooresville, NC.(11-3-2003)
Special Scheme for Marlin at Atlanta: Coors Light will be highlighting their support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital this race season with a special paint scheme at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sterling Marlin, driver of the #40 Coors Light Dodge will display a special pumpkin themed paint scheme at the Georgia 500 at the end of October. Coors Brewing Company has been a national sponsor of the St. Jude Halloween Pin-Up Program since 1994. The program, in which nearly 600 Coors Light distributors and 35,000 Coors Light retail accounts participate, allows patrons to purchase a paper pumpkin cut out with the proceeds donated directly to St. Jude’s. Through this eight year program, Coors has raised more than $17 million during the month of October to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(10-21-2003)
Prilosec to be an associate sponsor on the #40 in 2004: Prilosec OTC will sponsor two time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin and the #40 NASCAR Cup team owned by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Beginning with the 2004 Nextel Cup season, Prilosec OTC will integrate its Associate sponsorship into a variety of marketing and promotional activities. “Frequent heartburn is a condition that affects many racing fans”, said Scott Mautz, Prilosec OTC Brand Manager. “This is a perfect way to reach those race fans and educate them about the first and only over-the-counter treatment for frequent heartburn.” The sponsorship will be highlighted by a unique one-race paint scheme each season that will transform the silver Coors Light Dodge into a purple Prilosec OTC racing machine. Throughout the Nextel Cup season, Prilosec OTC will also receive logo placement on Sterling Marlin’s firesuit and a logo position on the #40 Coors Light Dodge. Financial terms and length of sponsorship contract were not disclosed. In addition to its sponsorship of Sterling Marlin and the No. 40 team, Prilosec OTC unveiled its Prilosec OTC Racing logo and race day firesuit and helmet. The logo will serve as the brand’s identity within its racing related marketing efforts. The Prilosec OTC Racing logo will appear in a number of applications including apparel, merchandise and point-of-purchase materials. Sterling’s Prilosec OTC firesuit and helmet will also be seen on point-of-purchase materials.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(10-10-2003)
Ganassi Racing Moving? Chip Ganassi Racing [#40, #41, #42 Dodges] is considering moving its headquarters to Concord from Mooresville, Concord city officials announced Tuesday. The move would add to Concord's racing credentials, giving the city three of the largest NASCAR racing teams. Already, Winston Cup teams Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have their headquarters in Concord. The city is also home to Lowe's Motor Speedway and a NASCAR research and development complex. Ganassi is looking at a 59-acre site at Poplar Tent and Derita roads adjacent to Concord Regional Airport. The land is large enough for expansion or for the company to sell off to related businesses, said City Manager Brian Hiatt. The company would invest $15.5 million and employ 150 initially. That could grow to 350 within five years, Hiatt said. In addition to a headquarters building, the company also would build an airport hangar at Concord Regional, a city-owned airport. Construction is expected to be finished in 2004, according to the city. In return, Concord is likely to dangle a total of $242,690 in grants over four years for real and personal property taxes. That follows the city's incentive policy for this size investment. The council will consider the incentives Oct. 20, and Padgett said he expects them to be approved. An official with Ganassi declined to comment.(Charlotte Observer)(10-8-2003)
Sabates to own part of the Bobcats: An influential group of local Charlotte investors has joined majority owner Robert L. Johnson as minority partners in Bobcats Basketball Holdings, LLC, the ownership group of the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association and the Charlotte Sting of the Women's National Basketball Association the team announced Monday. Felix Sabates, owner of NASCAR Winston Cup racing teams and the Charlotte Checkers minor league hockey club, and chairman of Trinity Yachts, the largest yacht builder in America, is a member of the ownership group.(WSOC.com)(9-16-2003)
Ganassi going to four teams in 2004? Now that Chip Ganassi has lost the battle for Stewart, he could jump back into the marketplace to find another man to fill that possible fourth Winston Cup team. According to one man familiar with the new game plan, Ganassi is going to the top of the standings and will keep making runs at drivers at the sport's big names until he finds one willing to bite on his $5 million a year deal.(Winston Salem Journal); lets see...top of the standings........Kenseth signed for 2004+; Earnhardt Jr. - not signed; Harvick is signed; Johnson is signed; Gordon is signed; Busch signed; Newman signed; Waltrip signed; Labonte signed.......seems to be pointing at one driver in the 'top of the standings'.(8-30-2003)
Marlin to be Scary UPDATE: The Coor’s Light Twins [and.....Twins!] will be part of the pre-race ceremonies and are confirmed to sing the National Anthem prior to the stat of the Winston cup race on October 5th in Kansas and will be featured on the #40 Dodge along with Scary Movie 3. See images of the car at 2003 Winston Cup Paint Schemes - Car #'s 24-99.(8-19-2003)
UPDATE: Coors Light is bringing their "Here's to Twins" advertising campaign from the television to the racetrack. Sterling Marlin, driver of the #40 Coors Light Dodge will display the Coors Light twins in a special paint scheme for the Kansas 400 at Kansas Speedway. "It is always fun to cross-pollinate our marketing initiatives. This special paint scheme paying homage to the twins also highlights our partnership with Miramax, as the twins will be featured in the soon to be released Miramax feature: Scary Movie III. The twins continue to be very popular with our consumer, so we look forward to bringing the twins to the Speedway for the fans,ť said Steve Saunders, director of event marketing for Coors Brewing Company. Diane and Elaine Klimaszewski, better known as the Coors Light Twins, will not only be featured in the special paint scheme but they will pull double duty, singing the national anthem at the start of the race. The twins are coming off a very successful summer where they appeared at the ESPY awards, NBC's "The Restaurant", FX's season finale of "Lucky" [Great show can't believe they canceled it] and the Drew Carey show. They also have a busy fall they start it by heading to the Kansas Speedway for the race activities. Then they are also set to appear in Scary Movie 3 which is set to be released in the fall. They will also help raise money for the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at the end of the month when they serve as the Coors Light Queens of Halloween. Sterling Marlin will race his "Here's to Twins" Coors Light Dodge in the Kansas 400 on Sunday, October 5th.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(8-26-2003)
Marlin testing at Nashville: Sterling Marlin and the #40 Coors Light team are testing Tuesday and Wednesday, August 5-6th at the Nashville Superspeedway. Also, #42-Jamie McMurray is testing there too(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(8-5-2003)
Paul Tracy to NASCAR? Volatile, hard-driving Paul Tracy, an outspoken Indy-car star, may be looking for place to race next season, with CART going down the tubes. And two Winston Cup team owners interested in Tracy are Chip Ganassi and Richard Childress. Childress has made a career of dealing with hard-to-deal with drivers. It's unclear if Childress might be considering expanding to four Winston Cup teams.(Winston Salem Journal)(8-3-2003)
Ganassi expanding to 4 teams? Look for Ganassi to expand to four teams next season, according to team sources. That could be fuel for the report that Robert Yates has expressed interest in selling his teams. But Ganassi is more likely to make a run at Sam Hornish, GM's struggling Indy-car star, according to sources.(Winston Salem Journal)(8-3-2003)
Marlin stays with Ganassi: during an interview on Fox Sports Net's NASCAR This Morning interview with Sterling Marlin, driver of the #40 Coors Light Dodge for Chip Ganassi. mentioned he has signed with the team for two more years [thru 2005] and the paperwork should about be done.(7-27-2003)
Ganassi Closing Down IRL team? Dixon to NASCAR? UPDATE: AutoRacing1.com [love how they 'hear it first' a day after the team press release is out on stuff - LOL] is reporting that the IRL series will be loosing one of its top teams at the end of the season. Target Chip Ganassi Racing will be closing its Indianapolis offices at the end of the IRL season. No CART team, no IRL team. They are currently looking at offers on the property and equipment. They are looking to take Scott Dixon with them to NASCAR land. There is a very small chance, that if they win the championship, they would continue on for one more season. There are some at Ganassi, that are looking for funding to buy the operation, and continue on in open wheel racing, CART or the IRL.(AutoRacing1.com need subscription to read)(6-17-2003)
UPDATE - from Ganassi Racing: "We're fully committed to the IRL and fully committed to the operation and my employees in Indianapolis this year and in the future, " owner Chip Ganassi stated.(6-17-2003)
New driver for Ganassi? in Trucks? Shelby Howard, a 17-year-old who is expected to join the NASCAR world very shortly - perhaps racing a truck for Chip Ganassi - won Sunday's ARCA 200 at Kansas. Howard, that tour's youngest-ever winner, was quick to praise Ernie Elliott's motor [Ganassi' s engine builder].(Winston Salem Journal)....a Toyota truck maybe?(6-3-2003)
Gordon sorry, Marlin ticked UPDATE: #24-Jeff Gordon spunout #40-Sterling Marlin Sunday at Dover International Speedway early in the race. Gordon was apologetic. Marlin was furious. "The 24 got up under us and turned us around again," said Marlin, who wound up 35th. "That's twice in three races. It's getting kind of old. I don't know what's wrong with the 24, but we need to find out. You've got to give and take in this league, and he has done a lot of taking." Gordon called it a mistake, not an intentional act. He said his car might have hit the apron. He shot up toward the wall and caught the left rear of Marlin's Dodge. "I'm sure he's mad, and I was mad when I got hit by him one time in Richmond," Gordon said. "Hopefully, we'll get past it and move forward. He's not a guy I really talk to a lot and he doesn't talk to me a lot, so I guess we'll see each other on the race track."(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(6-2-2003)
UPDATE: After Sunday's MBNA 400 at Dover International Speedway, Sterling Marlin is mad at Jeff Gordon. Gordon says he's not angry with Marlin, but he's not backing down. Marlin took exception to Gordon's bump coming off Turn 2 on Lap 114 at Dover. It was the continuation of a mini-trend for Gordon, who hit Marlin and Ward Burton at The Winston all-star race two weekends ago at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I definitely got into him, no doubt about it," Gordon said of the Dover bump, which took out Marlin's No. 40 car -- one of the field's stronger cars. "I didn't mean to. Sure he's mad. I was mad when I got hit by him one time at Richmond. Hopefully, we'll get past it."(Charlotte Observer)(6-3-2003)
Two Crew Chiefs Fined: NASCAR fined two Winston Cup crew chiefs from actions at The Winston. #40 crew chief, Lee McCall was fined $10,000 for an improper weight attached on the #40 Coors Light Dodge. #48 crew chief, Chad Knaus was fined $1,000 for an unapproved air directional device.(Fox Sports Net - Totally NASCAR)(5-20-2003)
Bigger for Ganassi: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and its trio of [#40, #41, $2] teams now based in Mooresville's Lakeside Business Park, is looking for an $11 million facility that would more than double the size of its operation, says Gene Haskett, executive vice president. Haskett recently gave a serious look at the vacant, 427,000-square-foot former Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. building, also in Mooresville, but found it too large. "We are still looking," he says. Ganassi needs about 220,000 square feet for its three Winston Cup teams -- featuring drivers Sterling Marlin, Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray.(Charlotte Business Journal)(5-20-2003)
Special for Marlin in the Coke 600 UPDATE: Coor’s has decided to race a #40 Brooks & Dunn themed car with Sterling Marlin at the Coca-Cola 600 next week. The paint scheme will be solid silver with B&D decals. They are promoting the upcoming Neon Circus concert tour, which is sponsored by Coors. Being told, no diecast will be produced for this scheme.(5-16-2003)
UPDATE: Country duo, Brooks & Dunn are once again bringing some country charm to the Winston Cup Series. Sterling Marlin's #40 Coors Light Dodge will feature a Brooks & Dunn paint scheme for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "Chip Ganassi racing and Brooks & Dunn are two of our longest running sponsorships and are our two most valued partners," said Pat Ramirez, Director of Sales Services for Coors Brewing Company. "Kix and Ronnie will be performing in Charlotte on June 13, and their new album, Red Dirt Road, will be in stores in mid July, so it made sense to put their logos on the car for this race. We know the fans and the race team will enjoy this special paint scheme." The special paint scheme will feature logos of the Neon Circus tour as well as the Red Dirt Road logos to help promote the tour and the new release. Sterling Marlin will race his Brooks & Dunn Coors Light Dodge in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 25.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(5-19-2003)
Toyota Stuff - Ganassi and Davis? Things have been pretty quiet on the Toyota front lately, but work on the Japanese company's new NASCAR Tundra racer is well under way. The two NASCAR teams expected to play a big role in Toyota's truck venture next season are the ones owned by Chip Ganassi and Bill Davis, although neither is willing to confirm anything. Davis' suspected Toyota truck operation, according to team sources, is being run at a secret shop that is being called Area 54, a take-off on the U.S. government's top-secret flight base, Area 51. Where might that shop be? According to sources, it's probably at Davis' old Busch shop in Thomasville, NC.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-14-2003)
Board OKs public funding for Ganassi expansion: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, which fields three NASCAR Winston Cup [#'s 40, 41, 42] teams out of Mooresville, N.C., received an economic incentive grant Tuesday to expand in town at an abandoned factory. Iredell County commissioners awarded the group $47,000 to $122,200 over three years for a $2.5 million investment in the county. The grant would help the race group buy and retrofit the former Matshushita Compressor Corp. of America building. The move would allow Chip Ganassi Racing to add another race team and create 65 to 75 jobs.(Charlotte Observer)(4-3-2003)
Team Ganassi Tested: Chip Ganassi Racing's Winston Cup drivers #40-Sterling Marlin, #42-Jamie McMurray and #41-Casey Mears joined IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Tomas Scheckter in getting baseline assessment tests at the Center for Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The drivers had comprehensive physical fitness testing, sports performance training and other specialty consultation by UPMC's sports medicine and sports performance team. The exams included assessment of vision and hearing, pulmonary function, cardiac stress, oxygen consumption and physiologic response to exercise. They also got blood screening and tests for balance and rotator-cuff strength. They were tested for strength, flexibility and agility.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-2-2003)
Martin/Marlin on "Beyond the Glory": Sterling Marlin and Mark Martin will be the subject of Fox Sports Net's "Beyond the Glory", Marlin on Mar 16th and Martin on March 30. The program looks at the lives of athletes "beyond the playing area." Previous episodes of the hour-long documentary-style program have featured Darrell and Michael Waltrip, the Petty family, Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt, and the Andretti family. Following each episode's Sunday night debut, the program will re-air on Fox Sports Net [FSN] throughout the week. Check your local listings for dates and times.(3-10-2003)
Marlin says wreck wasn't intentional: #40-Sterling Marlin denied intentionally hitting #48-Jimmie Johnson on the final lap at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, while Johnson dismissed rumors Tuesday of a later confrontation between the two at a casino. The drivers were in the only side-by-side battle headed to the finish line in Sunday's race. Fighting for eighth place coming out of Turn 4, Marlin's Dodge wiggled just a touch, enough to bang into the left side of Johnson's Chevrolet. The contact sent Johnson spinning through the grass and to an 11th-place finish, the final car on the lead lap, drawing questions over Marlin's intent.(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(3-5-2003)
Toyota, new shop? Ganassi? Toyota is buying a 240,000-square-foot building in Charlotte on a 124-acre plot of land for part of its NASCAR venture, according to NASCAR sources, who report that car owner Chip Ganassi has already gotten a check for $35 million to crank up a Toyota operation. Toyota officials are pushing NASCAR to OK fuel injection and eliminate the old-fashioned carburetors used on these 358 cubic-inch racing engines for many years. Ford also is pushing for fuel injection, in large part because the company has developed - and patented - a solid-fuel injection system for race cars, a system better than anything General Motors or Dodge has. The GM system has a significant delay when drivers try to get off the gas. NASCAR has been so eager to get Toyota involved in stock-car racing that Detroit manufacturers believe that NASCAR might approve fuel injection.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-1-2003)
Ganassi announces new sponsorship program for all teams: Chip Ganassi Racing is proud to announce an innovative new sponsorship program that includes several of the world's top technology companies. Through their long-standing partnership with Target Corporation, Chip Ganassi Racing has finalized sponsorship agreements with Microsoft, Dell, EMC, Syntel and Avaya. The technology consortium will become the official technology partners to Target Chip Ganassi Racing in the Indy Racing League with drivers Tomas Scheckter and Scott Dixon, and for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series with drivers Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, and Sterling Marlin, and will benefit the programs of team primary sponsors Target, ChevronTexaco, and Coors Brewing Company. The alliance marks the first time that major IT companies have united to work together with a racing team in the U.S. In addition to dedicated intellectual capital, as part of the sponsorship Microsoft will
provide consulting services and software solutions based on their .Net platform, Dell Corporation will provide computer hardware, EMC will
provide data storage solutions, Syntel will provide customized software development and Avaya will power TCGR's converged communications network and wireless infrastructure.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(2-18-2003)
Marlin tours The Hunley: Sterling Marlin first learned of the Civil War at the knee of his relatives in Tennessee. On Wednesday, Marlin touched a piece of Confederate history as he toured the recovered submarine H.L. Hunley [www.thehunley.com]. Marlin flew to Charleston, SC from Charlotte, N.C., after several days of interviews for the upcoming Winston Cup season. Marlin, his wife Paula and 12-year-old daughter Sutherlin spent about 2˝ hours learning about the Confederate sub that became the first to sink a ship during wartime. The best part? "Probably, all of it. You say, 'How they did things so well 130, 135 years ago,'" said Marlin, marveling at the watertight seals and smooth, machined edges on the fledgling sub's remains. Marlin's great, great grandfather, William Marlin, fought with the 32nd infantry in the Army of Tennessee, C.S.A. and young Sterling heard tales passed down through generations of growing up around Columbia, TN, and near the site of the Battle of Franklin. The Hunley rammed the U.S.S. Housatonic in Charleston Harbor on Feb. 17, 1864. While the Union ship was destroyed, the nine-man crew of the Hunley were also lost. After a presentation at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center about the Hunley's history and recovery, Marlin's family then stepped in the 12-foot deep holding tank clad in ankle-high galoshes for a hands-on experience. The Hunley was found beneath decades of sediment in 1995. Lasch's group is raising funds for a permanent home for the submarine — which some estimate could cost up to $40 million — once the scientific salvage part is complete.(Greenville News/AP)(1-23-2003)
Medical Tests for Ganassi Drivers: Car owner Chip Ganassi is sending his Winston Cup drivers for a three-day medical test so his organization will have detailed health records in case of injuries. #40-Sterling Marlin spent 25 straight weeks on top of the Winston Cup standings last season before he was sidelined for the final seven races with a cracked vertebra in his neck. Now Marlin and rookies #42-Jamie McMurray and #41-Casey Mears are being sent in April to the University of Pittsburgh's Medical Center in Ganassi's hometown for "a baseline-operation program." "It's just one more tool for us to have, just in case things like Sterling's injury happen again in the future," Ganassi said. "I hope we don't need the information, but it can only help." Teams are constantly working on improving the safety aspects of racing, but Ganassi said he is not a pioneer in sending his drivers' in for the test. "Everyone is always trying to be proactive, but this is something I read about somewhere else," Ganassi said. "The Steelers do it, the Pirates do it. It can't hurt for us to do it."(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(1-23-2003)
a new Sterlin and Marlin: The New Year's first baby born in Roanoke, VA. will carry NASCAR Winston Cup driver Sterling Marlin's first name, and the baby's younger twin brother will be known by the racer's last name, Marlin, according to a report on WSET-TV in the Virginia city. Gwendetta Jamison gave birth to Sterling at 12:21 a.m. on Jan. 1, and Marlin entered the world at 12:50 a.m. While Jamison loves racing, she told the TV station that it was the father of the twins who named the boys. Jamison's grandmother, Linda, is a NASCAR fan herself and would have preferred the parents name the children "Kyle" and "Petty," but she let her daughter go with her own name. WSET reported that Sterling weighed five pounds, 13 ounces, and Marlin came in at six pounds, one-and-a-half ounces.(FoxSports)(1-3-2003)
2002 News
Marlin being sued: A Massachusetts man filed a federal lawsuit last week in Middle Tennessee’s U.S. District Court against professional NASCAR driver Sterling Marlin, a resident of Maury County. Joel Whitcomb, a native of Pittsfield, Mass., is seeking damages in the amount of $350,000 for injuries allegedly sustained in a beachfront brawl last year during the fourth annual Race Fans Beach Bash in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The Beach Bash invites NASCAR fans to attend a multi-day event in which they participate in recreational and leisure activities with various professional drivers. Whitcomb claims Marlin assaulted him during a women’s tug-of-war match in which Whitcomb, Marlin and their spouses were taking part during the Beach Bash. Whitcomb alleges that Marlin, who was coaching the team opposing that of Whitcomb’s wife during the tug-of-war game, physically attacked him during the match after Whitcomb accused Marlin of cheating and helping the women on his team. Whitcomb’s suit claims that he suffered extensive physical injuries after being thrown into shallow water by Marlin, including a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder and torn ligaments in his knee. He claims medical expenses that amount to nearly $34,000.(The City Paper)(12-6-2002)
Medical Update of Sterling Marlin: Dr. Jerry Petty, neurosurgeon, and Dr. Dom Coric, spinal injury specialist, of the Carolina Neurological and Spinal Injury Clinic, performed a medical update on Sterling Marlin the morning of Wednesday, December 5. Dr. Petty and Dr. Coric have cleared Marlin to begin racing again. Today, Marlin's CAT scan clearly showed healing of the C2 vertebra.
Marlin will begin testing the #40 Coors Light Dodge at Talladega Superspeedway on December 9 and 10. During this time, Marlin will be fitted for the HANS device. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates certified athletic trainer, Al Shuford M.Ed,A.T.,C.-L, will continue working with Marlin on a stretch/strengthening program. Marlin suffered a non-displaced fracture of the #2 cervical vertebra as a result of his accident at Kansas Speedway on September 29. Due to the injury, Marlin was sidelined for the remainder of the 2002 season and Jamie McMurray took over driving responsibilities in the #40 Coors Light Dodge.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(12-5-2002)
Beer wars? The "beer wars" may be heating up, along demographic lines. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s success in reviving Bud's business has Miller and Coors both itching to promo a similarly young driver, Miller with Ryan Newman and Coors with Jamie McMurray.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-18-2002)
#40 Crew wins Pit Award: Mechanix Wear is proud to congratulate the #40 Coors Light Crew as the winner of it’s 2002 Mechanix Wear Pit Crew of the year Award. The #40 Coors Light crew was chosen from four quarterly finalists by the crew chiefs of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The four quarterly finalists were: #40 Coors Light Crew; #6 Viagra Crew; #88 UPS Crew;#97 Rubbermaid Crew
Complete award rules and final standings can be found by visiting the National Association of Pit Crew Members website at www.napcm.com.(11-18-2002)
Wingo to Ganassi? Another crew chief apparently on the move is Donnie Wingo, currently the crew chief on the #26 Fords owned by Travis Carter. Wingo is expected to join Lee McCall and Randolph as crew chiefs on the three Ganassi teams in 2003. Wingo would most likely be the crew chief for McMurray, although team manager Tony Glover said the crew lineup for the team next year won't be decided until the driver for the #41 is decided.(ThatsRacin.com)(11-11-2002)
Marlin to know Monday UPDATE: Sterling Marlin heads back to the doctor Monday for an examination of his neck. His C-2 vertebra was cracked after two hard crashes, and he was told to take the rest of the season off. However, he's opened the door to an earlier return. "But if it's not 100 percent, I'm not going to mess with it," Marlin said.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-26-2002)
UPDATE: Dr. Jerry Petty, neurosurgeon, and Dr. Dom Coric, spinal injury specialist, of the Carolina Neurological and Spinal Injury Clinic, performed a medical update on Sterling Marlin the morning of Monday, October 28. Marlin, who suffered a non-displaced fracture of the #2 cervical vertebra as a result of his accident at Kansas Speedway on September 29, is progressing well with the healing. Marlin's MRI clearly showed the first steps of healing of the C2 vertebra. He must continue to wear the Aspen collar, which keeps the cervical vertebrae stable, for two more weeks and will then be reevaluated. Marlin is on schedule to be back in the #40 Coors Light Dodge for 2003 Winston Cup testing. "The MRI showed the best case scenario," said Dr. Dom Coric, M.D. "Sterling is on target to make the recovery we want him to make." Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates certified athletic trainer, Al Shuford M.Ed,A.T.,C.-L, will begin the first steps of physical training in re-strengthening Marlin's neck. Jamie McMurray will continue to replace Marlin in the #40 Coors Light Dodge for the remainder of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup season. McMurray will pilot the Havoline Dodge for the Ganassi team in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(10-28-2002)
Marlin back at Phoenix? The Kansas wreck that brought the curtain down on Sterling Marlin's best season in the Winston Cup Series, given that the original prognosis said he wouldn't race again until 2003. But if everything goes according to plan, Marlin could be back in the car in time for the Phoenix race on Nov. 10. "The doctor said four to six weeks, so we'll have to see what he says," Marlin says. "I know I can't get back in the car at Atlanta or Rockingham, but if the doctor says I'm healed up, it's possible I could be back at Phoenix. I want to get back. This is all I've ever done since 1987 -- full time. I want to drive. I want to run. I want to go, but right now I can't do it."(Sporting News)(10-18-2002)
Coor's and the Marine's at Martinsville: Coors Light will honor and celebrate at Martinsville Speedway this weekend with the United States Marines as they celebrate their 227th anniversary. In support of the anniversary, the #40 Coors Light Dodge will sport a commemorative U.S. Marines paint scheme during the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway. "The Coors family and Coors Brewing Company have a long history with honoring all divisions of the United States Military. With our Marine Corp paint schematic we are paying tribute to the Marines and their unwavering nobility in defense of our country," said Carl Barnhill, Senior Vice President of Sales for Coors Brewing Company and former Marine. Coors Brewing Company is very committed to honoring United States military services and veterans. The veteran employees at Coors came up with a plan to honor all five divisions of the military with a statue called "Defenders of Freedom." This statue stands proudly at the entrance of the brewery in Golden, Colorado. It is the only memorial that honors all five divisions of the U.S. Military to stand on corporate campus. General James Jones, the Commandant of the Marine Corp, will be present at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, October 20 and will be recognized and address the crowd during the Winston Cup pre-race ceremonies. Mike Bliss will drive the #40 Coors Light Dodge in the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Bliss will be in the car for one race only; Jamie McMurray will resume driving responsibilities in Atlanta.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(10-18-2002)
McMurray not to run at Martinsville, Bliss in: Jamie McMurray, who won at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Sunday in just his second career Winston Cup start, apparently will not drive the #40 Coor's Light Dodge in this week's race at Martinsville. A NASCAR spokesman said Tuesday that Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, which owns the car, had notified NASCAR to change the driver's name on the team's entry blank from McMurray to Mike Bliss. When McMurray was called on to replace the injured Sterling Marlin before the race at Talladega, Martinsville's race loomed as a conflict because the BGN races this weekend at Memphis. McMurray is committed to finishing the season in the #27 Chevys owned by Brewco Motorsports. After Sunday's victory, McMurray said he hoped it could be arranged for him to compete in the BGN race on Saturday while another driver practiced and qualified the Winston Cup car at Martinsville, then go to Martinsville and start the Winston Cup race from the rear of the field. Although McMurray has never raced at the .526-mile Martinsville track, he and Bliss both tested with the #40 team for two days at Martinsville earlier this month.(ThatsRacin.com)(10-15-2002)
Oh My! HUGE Upset - Jamie McMurray wins in his 2nd career race!: in what has to be one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR in quite sometime, Jamie McMurray won in only his 2nd career Winston Cup start in the #40 Coors Light Dodge at Lowe's Motor Speedway and is the third Rookie to win in 2003. The win also puts McMurray in the 2003 The Winston. #18-Bobby Labonte gave it a good run and ended up 2nd. Points leader #20-Tony Stewart finished up third and extends his points lead to 97 over #48-Jimmie Johnson. The race didn't start until 4:45pm/et or so after a rain delay. See my Race Info Page.
Results: at ThatsRacin.com or NASCAR.com.(10-13-2002)
McMurray and Miss Winston: Miss Winston Cielo Garcia has been absent in Victory Lane, the Indianapolis Star reports that Cielo is now the lady formerly known as Miss Winston. She is currently dating Jamie McMurray, and his promotion to Winston Cup forced Ms. Garcia to choose between her job as Miss Winston and McMurray. The rules do not allow Miss Winston to date any Winston Cup drivers. The new Miss Winston is Shannon Wiseman.(MotorsportsTV)(10-14-2002)
Testing at Martinsville UPDATE 3 Bliss in the #40 at Martinsville? yes, No DW: #28-Ricky Rudd is testing Monday at the Martinsville Speedway. Among those expected at the track Tuesday and Wednesday are #30-Jeff Green, #55-Bobby Hamilton, #7-Casey Atwood, #26-Todd Bodine, #02-Hermie Sadler and #28-Ricky Rudd (Tuesday only)(10-7-2002)
UPDATE: Mike Bliss is testing at Martinsville in the #40 Dodge today and Jamie McMurray will be testing it on Wednesday. . Bliss is testing today because McMurray had a prior commitment with his BGN [#27] team today. Bliss could be the driver of the car at Martinsville as McMurray will not drive the #40 at that race due to a BGN race at Memphis.
AND NASCAR.com's Buzz reports other candidates for the car at Martinsville are Rich Bickle and Darrell Waltrip.(10-8-2002)
UPDATE - Tuesday testing: #66-Hideo Fukuyama made a quick discovery at Martinsville Speedway Tuesday morning, one that didn’t need English to convey. When asked through an interpreter the most difficult thing he had experienced during his first couple of hours of testing at Martinsville Speedway, the Japanese driver furiously pumped his right leg to show the need for brakes on the half-mile track. “It is very slippery,” Fukuyama said through his interpreter Yumiko Maeta. “I have never hit the brakes so hard. A driver need to be really brave here. A driver has to do a lot of work here.” Fukuyama was one of four drivers testing at Martinsville Speedway Tuesday, preparing for the Old Dominion 500 NASCAR Winston Cup test on October 20. Other drivers testing included #30-Jeff Green, #55-Bobby Hamilton and #40-Mike Bliss, filling in for the injured Sterling Marlin. All four teams will be back Wednesday for a second round of testing, but Jamey McMurray will be in Marlin’s #40 Dodge. Fukuyama hopes to make the Old Dominion 500 field. If he does, it
would be his second Winston Cup start in the Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford. Fukuyama struggled early with the tight Martinsville turns Tuesday, but had improved dramatically by late in the day. His best lap speed was around 88.693mph. Bliss and Hamilton ran quick laps of 90.603 while Green’s best lap was 90.300.(Martinsville Speedway PR)(10-8-2002)
UPDATE 2: Darrell Waltrip has no plans to run the #40 car at Martinsville.(Fox Sports). Mike Bliss will drive the #40 at Martinsville.(10-9-2002)
Championship Chase: Sterling Marlin isn't the first NASCAR driver to lose a shot at the championship late in the season because of an injury. Herb Thomas lost the 1956 championship after a late-season crash [with 2 races to go]; Buck Baker won that title.(Winston Salem Journal) [Ernie Irvan was also running for the Championshio in 1994 after 20 races when he had his near fatal accident at Michigan] AND The points leader after the 20th race of the season went on to win the championship in each of the last nine years, but it won't happen this
year. Sterling Marlin was the leader after 20 races this season. The winner of the Brickyard 400 has gone on to become the champion in each of the last four years, but 2002 Brickyard winner Bill Elliott would be a long shot to do it this year. He is ninth, 201 points back.(Dallas Morning News)(10-5-2002)
Marlin Update: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates certified athletic trainer, Al Shuford M.Ed,A.T.,C.-L, explains Sterling Marlin's health following racing accidents at Richmond International Speedway on September 7 and Kansas Speedway on
September 29. "Following Sterling's accidents at Richmond and Kansas he participated in the same evaluation procedure with Dr. Petty, neurosurgeon of the Carolina Neurological and Spinal Injury Clinic, each time. The non-displaced fracture of the #2 cervical vertebra showed up in the evaluation procedure following the Kansas accident. The fracture did not show up following the Richmond accident. Sterling is currently wearing an Aspen collar which keeps the cervical vertebrae stable. He is expected to wear it for a minimum of four weeks. The fracture will heal naturally and Sterling is currently not scheduled to undergo surgery. Following Sterling's accident at Richmond, I suggested to Sterling to try the HANS device. Prior to this he had only worn the Hutchens device. Sterling was fitted for it and tested two days in Kentucky with it prior to the Dover race. We modified the seat at this time and he felt comfortable with it going into the Dover event. Sterling wore the HANS device for the first time during the Dover race weekend. The week following the Dover race, Sterling said that his chest was sore. He decided to go back to wearing the Hutchens device during the Kansas weekend due to the fact that the HANS device was uncomfortable because his chest was sore. There is no way to determine if either
device would have prevented this injury."(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(10-4-2002)
Big News - Marlin out for the rest of 2002: #40-Sterling Marlin has been diagnosed with a fractured vertebra and will miss the remainder of the 2002 racing season. Team co-owner Felix Sabates confirmed Marlin's status Wednesday and said BGN driver Jamie McMurray would be in the car for the rest of the Cup season. McMurray, expected to join join Marlin and Jimmy Spencer on the Chip Ganassi Racing team, will also run the rest of the BGN season [in the #27 Brewco Chevy]. "It is unfortunate that Sterling has to end his season early due to his injury," Ganassi said. "Sterling has dominated the championship points race, and we were looking forward to helping him win his first NASCAR Winston Cup title. We are expecting Sterling to make a full recovery and be ready to go for the title chase again in 2003."
"Sterling, obviously, is very upset becasue he felt like he had a legitimate chance at winning his first championship," Sabates said. "Yes, the team had fallen off a little bit over the past couple of weeks, but with the tightness of the points race, he had as good a shot as anyone." NASCAR President Mike Helton said, "Right now, Sterling's well-being is everyone's primary concern. His health is certainly more important than anything else. Even though he's sidelined for the remainder of this season, we wish him the best for a full recovery that will put him back in the championship hunt next year." A second-generation driver from Columbia, Tenn., Marlin has suffered accidents in two recent Winston Cup races, at Richmond and Kansas City. He had fallen to fifth in the season standings. Doctors in Charlotte, N.C., diagnosed Marlin with a fracture in his C-2 vertebrae - in the neck - Wednesday morning.(ThatsRacin.com/NASCAR.com) NOTE: The #42 Dodge that McMurray was to drive at Talladega has been withdrawn or removed from the entry list. Also McMurray will NOT run the Cup race at Martinsville as he has a BGN commitment that weekendm a driver will be named at a later date.(10-2-2002)
McMurray to make Cup debut at Talladega UPDATE in a Melling car? Wingo crew chief in 2003? BGN [#27 Brewco] driver Jamie McMurray is expected to make his Winston Cup debut in a third Chip Ganassi Racing entry next weekend at Talladega. McMurray is expected to drive the #42 Dodge as a teammate to Ganassi drivers #41-Jimmy Spencer and #40-Sterling Marlin. Earlier this month the team announced McMurray would join the organization in Winston Cup full time next season. Other Cup races are being considered for McMurrary this season, including Phoenix, Homestead and possibly Atlanta, sources said.(ThatsRacin.com)(9-27-2002)
UPDATE: hearing that McMurray will be in the #92 Melling Dodge with Ganassi support? AND Jamie McMurray, who signed on as the third driver for car owner Chip Ganassi, will have a potent Dodge to drive in his Winston Cup debut at Talladega this week. McMurray's #42 Dodge will be the same car that Stacy Compton put on the pole for both Talladega races last year when he was driving for Melling Racing.(Atlanta Journal Constitution) AND Jamie McMurray says he's excited about making his Winston Cup debut at Talladega. McMurray, 26, who announced at Richmond that he will drive for Chip Ganassi next year, will drive the #42 Dodge with Melling Racing's Dean Johnson as crew chief. A full-time crew chief hasn't been selected for McMurray's 2003 season, but Donnie Wingo has been mentioned as a possible candidate.(Sporting News)(9-30-2002)
Toby Keith on the #40 UPDATE 2 cancelled?: #40-Sterling Marlin will run a Toby Keith (country singer) paint scheme at Phoenix.(7-31-2002)
UPDATE: hearing this program and scheme have been cancelled.(9-27-2002)
However this month's RCCA mag from Action has an inage of the diecast and says it will run at Phoenix but their website says it has been cancelled.(9-29-2002)
Marlin switches to the HANS: #40-Sterling Marlin used the HANS device Friday and plans to wear it for the rest of the season. Marlin had been wearing a Hutchens device since last season. He decided to switch safety devices after suffering a sore neck in a crash in the Richmond race two weeks ago. Marlin tested with the HANS device at Kentucky Speedway this week, experienced no discomfort and made the change.(Roanoke Times)(9-21-2002)
Marlin expected to race at NHIS: #40-Coors Light Dodge crew chief Lee McCall was on PRN's "The Pitreporters" show on Wednesday and said driver Sterling Marlin has been undergoing physical therapy three times a day this week following his injuries at Richmond. McCall think Marlin will be 100% by Sunday. Even though Marlin wears a Hutchins safety device, and Mcall said it did it's job during the crash, Marlin would probably wear a HANS device during testing next week at Kentucky Speedway to see how it feels to him.(PRN's Pit Reporters Radio show)(9-13-2002)
Marlin hurting but expects to race at NHIS: Sterling Marlin, still in intense pain yesterday after a hard crash at Richmond International Raceway this past Saturday night, said if he needed to race today, he couldn't do it. ''I'm too sore to even climb in the car,'' Marlin said from his home in Spring Hill, where he is resting. ''Hopefully I'll start feeling better on into the week. I plan on racing this weekend.'' Marlin crashed early in the Richmond race and had to be helped from his car as he was wincing in pain. He was checked at the infield hospital and released. ''Nothing was broken,'' Marlin said, ''but I'm so sore I can hardly move. I must have stretched muscles and tendons in my back, chest and neck. I'm scheduled to go to a chiropractor [this morning] to get some treatments.''(Tennessean)(9-9-2002)
Ganassi Third Team UPDATE 3: Car owner [#40, #41] Ganassi said he's committed to fielding a third Dodge Intrepid next season alongside the two Sterling Marlin and Jimmy Spencer currently drive, but would not confirm that Texaco-Havoline will be the sponsor. Texaco-Havoline was expected to go with Rudd to Ganassi, along with the #28, and the company has confirmed it will be in NASCAR next season. But Ganassi needs a driver for the car, which could switch to #42 to stay in succession with his other teams, and he said he'd prefer to hire someone already in stock car racing. Jerry Nadeau has said he'd love to drive for Ganassi, even offering to forfeit his pay should he not meet expectations, and John Andretti also is an option if he decides to leave Petty Enterprises. A remote option would be Jason Leffler, who was a rookie for Ganassi last season but was let go at the end of the year and now drives in NASCAR's truck series.(CNNSI/AP)(8-25-2002)
UPDATE: been told that the team is not considering Leffler and Leffler is not considering the team.
UPDATE 2: The sponsorship deal for next year is done between Chip Ganassi Racing and ChevronTexaco. But there has been no official word on a pilot for the expected third Ganassi team. Word is that Ganassi may make the plans for driver, sponsor and car number known at Richmond International Raceway in two weeks.(NASCAR.com)(8-26-2002)
UPDATE 3: Chevron/Havoline has completed a deal to sponsor a third car at Chip Ganassi Racing next year. No word on the driver.(Augusta Chronicle)(8-29-2002)
Ganassi third team drivers? John Andretti and Jerry Nadeau are believed to be the leading candidates to drive a third Dodge Intrepid for Winston Cup team owner Chip Ganassi next season. Ganassi had hoped to sign Ricky Rudd, who last week announced he would drive for the Wood Brothers beginning in 2003.(Las Vegas Sun)(8-28-2002)
Glover being honered at Indy: Tony Glover, a team manager at Chip Ganassi Racing, will be presented Sunday with the "True Grit" award for contributions to the sport. Glover, a longtime crew chief who won the Daytona 500 twice before moving into management when he helped launch Ganassi's NASCAR teams two years ago, gets a $10,000 award from C & R Racing. "The cool thing is that my name is going to be on a trophy over in the Hall of Fame," Glover said. "I'll go over and see that a few times." The soft-spoken Glover was almost embarrassed over the award. He shied away from Ganassi when the car owner began chanting "Hall of Fame" to him. The award, started five years ago by former Indy car mechanic Chris Paulsen, honors non-drivers for achievement, excellence in preparation and management, and dedication to working on race cars. C & R gives out a similar award during the Indianapolis 500.(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(8-4-2002)
Coors re-ups with Ganassi: Sterling Marlin locked up his primary sponsor through 2005 when Coors Brewing Co. signed a three-year extension on the #40 Dodge Intrepid. Coors has been with Marlin since 1998, continuing the relationship after car owner Chip Ganassi bought the team from Felix Sabates two years ago.(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(8-2-2002)
Sabates House Burns UPDATE: A $2 million home under construction in southeast Charlotte burned down early Wednesday morning, one month before a prominent local businessman was to move in. Flames broke out at the home at 7414 Baltusrol Lane around 5 a.m. The 10,000 square feet home is owned by racing team {part owner of Chip Ganassi Racing with Flex Sabates #40 and #41 cars] owner Felix Sabates, who also owns a part of the Charlotte Checkers hockey team.
It took nearly three dozen firefighters about 90 minutes to contain the blaze, but not before the roof caved in, according to Charlotte Fire Captain Rob Brisley. No one was injured in the fire. Sabates says this was going to be his family's " last house," so he's upset about ehf fire, but glad no one was hurt. He says he spent a year-and-a-half building the home. Around 5 a.m., a neighbor told police he woke up to the sound of a ringing doorbell. When he answered the door, he found a man, who told him that the house next door was on fire and to call 911. The neighbor never saw the guy again, and authorities have no idea who he was, or what he was doing in the neighborhood at that hour. Arson investigators are now on the scene, looking for a cause of the fire and talking with construction crews who were building the house.(nbc6.com)(7-31-2002)
UPDATE: A fire that destroyed a $2.5 million home being built for NASCAR team co-owner Felix Sabates was intentionally set and may be connected to other unsolved arson cases, fire officials said. The home was engulfed in flames just after 5:00am/et Wednesday. The house was about 30 days from completion and unoccupied at the time. On Thursday, Charlotte Chief Fire Investigator David Lowery said accidental ignition sources had been eliminated. He said the front door of the home was open and a padlock had been removed, but declined to reveal other evidence suggesting arson. "I don't know what to think," Sabates said after hearing the fire was intentionally set. "Hopefully, it's a random thing. I don't know of anyone who would want to hurt me or my wife." The Charlotte (N.C.) Fire Investigation Task Force is investigating whether the blaze is connected to other intentionally set fires at vacant or partially built homes in the surrounding area. Lowery said investigators are looking closely at three or four unsolved fires set at unfinished homes in southeast Charlotte last year. Lowery said Wednesday's fire was started inside the 10,000-square-foot house and spread through the attic and roof before being noticed. Flames were shooting through the roof when firefighters arrived. Residents reported seeing a man who doesn't live in the neighborhood about the time of the fire, but fire officials had no description of him. Lowery said investigators are interviewing contractors, subcontractors and laborers who worked on Sabates' house and others nearby. He also said nothing outside the house indicates that it belongs to Sabates, so it is unlikely the person who set the fire knew who owned it. Sabates said he was at the house near Quail Hollow Country Club the night before the fire to look at wallpaper recently hung in his home office. He said he secured the front door with a padlock when he left. The padlock was gone when firefighters arrived, but its key was still in its hiding spot, an electrical box on the front porch. Sabates said anyone who required access to the house knew where to find the key. He and Chip Ganassi own a Winston Cup racing team that fields cars for Sterling Marlin and Jimmy Spencer. Sabates is also part owner of the Checkers, Charlotte's minor-league hockey team. He was an original investor in the Hornets. At a news conference Thursday afternoon, police and fire officials announced a $10,000 reward offered by the N.C. Arson Awareness Council for information leading to an arrest. They said anyone who might have information should call Crime Stoppers at (704) 334-1600. Fire officials estimate the fire caused $1.6 million in damage to the house in 7400 block of Baltusrol Lane. Sabates said he plans to rebuild - hopefully in time for the Wachovia Championship, a PGA Tour event scheduled at the country club in mid-May. "I have a perfect view," he said.(Charlotte Observer)(8-2-2002)
Toby Keith on the #40: #40-Sterling Marlin will run a Toby Keith (country singer) paint scheme at Phoenix.(7-31-2002)
Scott Pruett to run Watkins Glen...for Ganassi: Scott Pruett will drive a third car for Chip Ganassi Racing at Watkins
Glen.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(7-24-2002)
Buckshot Announcement UPDATEs Ganassi?: from the Buckshot racing site: "Look for Buckshot [Jones] to make a big announcement by the end of June"(6-11-2002)
UPDATE: more from the Buckshot Jones site - The family is growing! Jina, Buckshot, and Kolton are going to have a new addition to the family. Jina is expecting a baby due to arrive in January, 2003. Look for Buckshot to make an announcement about his future racing plans in the near future.
AND Buckshot Jones said this week that he'll be able to find a new Winston Cup ride in about two weeks. Released earlier this year from his job as driver of Petty Enterprises' #44 Dodge, Jones has been talking with several race teams and potential sponsors about a ride for next season. "We don't have any definite deals, but I have spent at least two days every week meeting with race teams," Jones said. And to make sure that he hits the tracks in high gear in 2003, Jones plans to enter some races before the end of this season. "We plan to run either the Busch or Winston Cup race at Atlanta in the fall and maybe more," he said. Since splitting with the Pettys in April, Jones has worked on his family farm in Monticello and vacationed in Florida.(Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Ganassi involved? hearing this could be a Chip Ganassi Racing third team or could end up taking the sponsorship to #92 Melling Racing.(6-21-2002)
UPDATE: being told now that Ganassi Racing is not considering Jones to drive a car or start a new team.(6-22-2002)
Marlin to test short tracks: #40-Sterling Marlin said Tuesday that his team plans to test later this season at Richmond and Martinsville because it is not pleased with its short-track performance. Marlin was 11th Sunday at Richmond. He finished 12th at Martinsville and 19th at Bristol in the other short-track races this season.(Roanoke Times)(5-8-2002)
Third Ganassi Team? Team manager Andy Graves said that car owners Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates have talked about expanding the team to make it a three-car organization. "It's something that if a good driver becomes available and we can find money to do it, that they would be interested in doing a third team," Graves said. "We'd have to add on some people and space might be a little bit of a concern, but as far as equipment and everything, we're basically geared to handle it pretty easily." The key could be sponsorship since, based on talk in the garage, there could be a few quality drivers available for next season. Graves said a third team could provide additional resources for the team's research and development program. Such departments can be the difference between a team winning and one struggling. Sterling Marlin continues to lead the points standings after Sunday's rain-delayed Richmond race, while teammate Jimmy Spencer is 20th. Graves said that if needed, the organization could run a few races this season with a third team, using personnel from its test team.(Roanoke Times)(5-6-2002)
Pit Awards: The first quarter finalist for the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew of the Year Award is the #40 Coors Light Crew. The #40 Coors Light Crew led the first quarter points standings with a total of 83 points to become the first of four final crews who will compete for the Mechanix Wear Pit Crew of the Year Award and the $75,000 in prize money. Others include the #17 DeWalt crew at 76; #8 Budweiser crew at 64; #20 Home Depot crew at 63l and the #48 Lowes crew at 62. The #40 Coors Light Crew becomes a year-end nominee and is no longer eligible for points. At the completion of the fourth quarter there will be four NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams eligible for the final voting. (National Association of Pit Crew Members PR)
AND Sawing Through Adversity, #36 Crew Chief Newt Moore Takes Home IRWIN Crew Chief of the Week Honors.(Irwin Tool PR)(4-25-2002)
Be an Original? UPDATE: hearing that #40-Sterling Marlin will run an original Coor's scheme for ten races in 2002(1-22-2002)
UPDATE: Coors Chip Ganassi Racing withFelix Sabates has announced a Coors Original paint scheme for the #40 Dodge Intrepid R/T for 10 races during the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The #40 Coors Original Dodge paint scheme will kick off at Fontana and will also been seen at Dover, Michigan, Sonoma, Daytona, Pocono, Talladega, Martinsville, Atlanta and Phoenix. Coors Brewing Company has been a committed sponsor of NASCAR Winston Cup racing for nearly two decades and is looking forward the high profile exposure that the Coors Original paint scheme will provide with the 21+ male NASCAR enthusiast market. Coors Original, Coors Brewing Company's flagship beer, is currently aligned with several other partnerships including Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and musicians Kid Rock and Toby Keith. Coors Original will leverage its relationship with Toby Keith by incorporating Keith elements onto the Coors Original car.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(4-22-2002)
UPDATE 2: see images of the car on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(4-24-2002)
#40 at Texas: look for #40-Sterling Marlin to run a Brooks & Dunn scheme on the #40 Coors Light Dodge at Texas.(3-30-2002)
Coo Coo Recovering: Coo Coo Marlin, a four-time [Nashville] Fairgrounds Speedway champion and father of current Winston Cup star Sterling Marlin, recently suffered a mild stroke and is recovering at his home in Columbia, TN. ''I'm doing OK,'' he said this week. Marlin had been active on his farm while also attending many of his son's races and working with grandson Steadman on his race team.(Tennessean)(3-28-2002)
Marlin tests at California: #40-Sterling Marlin is testing at the California Speedway this week, Wed/Thurs, as well as attending the Denver Nuggets game in a driver appearance.(3-27-2002)
IRWIN Rough to Finish Award: This week, no one would doubt that Lee McCall, crew chief for the #40 Coors Light Dodge, had the roughest start to the race and the best finish. As a result, he'll take home the "IRWIN Rough to Finish Award" for the team's worst to first finish at the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington. Sterling Marlin, who initially qualified in the 11th position, started at the back of the field due to a weekend engine change. But that didn't slow down Marlin, McCall and the team. Sterling drove from 43rd to the top 20 early and by lap 100 Marlin found himself in the top five. After avoiding the big wreck on lap 226, Marlin won the race. Despite the engine change and the move to the back of the field, the team's crew chief, Lee McCall, was confident that they had a car capable enough to pull through the pack and be a top competitor in the race. "We knew we had a problem with the engine and couldn't take a chance with it," said Lee McCall. "We put our best motor in and started in the rear and watched Sterling drive that thing up through traffic all day long. He picked 'em off one at a time, and raced this race track all day long. He did a heck of a job, and my hat's off to him and our whole race team. That just goes to show how strong he is."(PR)(3-21-2002)
Marlin wins at Darlington: #40-Sterling Marlin won the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington. It is Marlin's 2nd win of 2002 and his 2nd career win at Darlington, his 10th overall career win. Marlin started 42nd after the team elected to change an engine after Happy Hour, however, Marlin will be officially credited with starting 11th. #21-Elliott Sadler finished 2nd, his 2nd runner-up finished of 2002 (also at Daytona). The top ten finishers:
1) #40-Marlin (57 laps led)
2) #21-Sadler
3) #29-Harvick (first top five or ten of 2002)
4) #8-Earmhardt Jr (10 laps led)
5) #12-Newman
6) #48-Johnson
7) #2-Wallace
8) #17-Kenseth
9) #24-Gordon (176 laps led)
10) #9-Elliott
Lap Leaders (7): #32-Craven (18); #1-Park (19); #24-Gordon (most laps led); #40-Marlin; #22-Burton; #6-Martin; #8-Earnhardt Jr
Cautions/Laps: 5 for 40 laps
Cars on the lead: 12
DNF's (7 - did not finish): #71-Hillenburg(engine); #49-Robinson(handling/accident?); #88-Jarrett (engine); #32-Craven(handling); #11-Bodine (accident); #41-Spencer(accident/handling); #20-Stewart(accident);
Caution 5 - lap 225: huge wreck - Stewart OK...but, at least 11 cars involved: #'s 20 (the leader), 24, 97,36,10,6,77,41,22, 18 and 44. #36-Schreader was motioning for help for #20-Tony Stewart, who was awake and removed from the car on a stretcher, Jimmy Spencer reported that Stewart is going to be ok and talked to Stewart in the care center, but Stewart will be airlifted to a local hospital to be checked out as he is complaining of lower back/leg pain and will have a CAT Scan of his head, back and abdomen. #44-Jones lost control and spun in front of Stewart, then #41-Spencer couldn't see and t-boned Stewart.
Caution 4 - lap 198: #97-Busch spun will trying to come into the pits, the #23-Stricklin car slowed up and the #11-Bodine Ford hit the #23. The #97 car gassed it and stayed on the lead lap. This caution came during many green flag pit stops and has jussled the field.
Caution 3 - lap 132: #23-Stricklin nudged the #19-Mayfield car, spinning Mayfield without hitting anything.
Caution 2 - lap 90: #31-Smacked the wall and broke off parts of the suspension and brakes.
Caution 1 - lap 39: The leader of the race, #1-Steve Park got involved with #14-Compton as Park was passing him, #32-Craven was also involved. Looks like Park slid up into Compton as he was going high to allow Park to pass him. Park is out of his car and waved to the crowd.
NOTES: A clean start on the first lap, #32-Ricky Craven led the first lap. #49-Robinson hit the wall on lap 2 or 3 but didn't cause a yellow and Robinson stayed on the track but has fallen a few laps down and finally retired the car after hitting the wall a few times. #71-Hillenburg took the car into the pits, the crew lifted the hood and the car was taken to the garage. #43-Andretti wapped the wall a few times and had to make unscehduled green flag stops. #32-Craven is back on the track as of lap 90. #19-Mayfield penalized (held for 15 seconds) as the team didn't have a catchcan person in place before refueling started. #88-Jarrett lost an engine when his oil pump belt broke/fell off. #32-Craven has retired the #32 Tide Ford. #1-Park came back in the race around lap 195. #41-Spencer came back out and ran two laps and picked up a spot and retired the car.
So much for RaceCast today, no audio available here.
See ThatsRacin.com for Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 unofficial results and a column: Marlin dodges trouble, takes the win and for Unofficial Drivers Standings.(3-17-2002)
Glover Statement: Statement From Tony Glover, Team Manager Of Chip Ganassi Racing With Felix Sabates, Concerning Sterling Marlin Getting Out Of The #40 Coors Light Dodge During The Red Flag Period Of The Daytona 500: "After Sterling and Jeff Gordon got together in turn 1, the right front fender on Sterling's car was rubbing just bad enough that he was probably going to cut down the tire.. We couldn't take that chance and put him and everyone else in danger. We were going to have to come in one way or the other so we had Sterling jump out and check out the damage during the red flag."(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)(2-18-2002)
Red Flag Rule: Here is the rule applied to Sterling Marlin on Lap 197 of Sunday's Daytona 500. Rule 10-5 of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series rulebook preventing any repairs on a car during a red flag: Red Flag - The red flag means that the race must be stopped immediately regardless of the position of the cars on the track. The red flag shall be used if, in the opinion of NASCAR Officials, the race should be stopped. Cars should be brought to a stop in an area designated by NASCAR Officials. Repairs or service of any nature or refueling will not be permitted when the race is halted due to a red flag. All work must stop on any car in the pits and/or garage area when the red flag is displayed, unless the car has withdrawn from the Event. Work cannot be resumed until the red flag is withdrawn (race is restarted).(Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-18-2002)
Be an Original? UPDATE looks true - images: hearing that #40-Sterling Marlin will run an original Coor's scheme for ten races in 2002(1-22-2002)
UPDATE: got some images of the car, very nice looking, see my Paint Scheme Gallery for a few shots(1-26-2002)
Another Mears in NASCAR: Roger Mears, former off road racing champion and brother of four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, has gone to work for Ganassi as operations director for Ganassi's stock car team.(Daytona Beach News Journal), Roger's son Casey is driving in the BGN for Welliver-Jesell Motorsports as driver of the #66 Phillips Dodge(1-18-2002)
Marlin and Martin at the track: Sterling Marlin and Mark Martin, who tested here last week, were seen patrolling the garage area Tuesday. Marlin, who drives for Ganassi Racing, is shooting a television commercial at the track. Martin came over to say hi to Roush Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(1-16-2002)
Texas Tire Testing: hearing the #40 Coors Lite team and driver Sterling Marlin will be doing a Goodyear tire test at Texas Motor Speedway on January 29th and 30th(1-14-2002)
2001 News
Marlin testing: Sterling Marlin's team [#40] already has tested two days at Lakeland, FL. Rules prohibit any testing at a track that sanctions NASCAR events during December, but short tracks such as Lakeland aren't associated with NASCAR, and they prove to be a great place to work on things like braking, engine combinations and transmissions.(Savannah Morning News)(12-8-2001)
Flag Beef: After Marlin crossed the finish line, his crew ran to him with an American flag, but NASCAR refused to let Marlin take the customary victory lap. He instead drove straight to the winner's circle, carrying the flag out his window. "I was going to make a lap around the track with the flag, from what went on this morning we just wanted to show support overseas and for the armed forces," Marlin said. "But the NASCAR posse got us." NASCAR said it prohibited Marlin from taking the lap because it was unsafe due the amount of people who had raced out to the finish line. The decision disappointed the crew, which sent partial team owner Felix Sabates to express that to NASCAR.(CNN/SI) and from the Gaston Gazette: NASCAR manages to stifle patriotism; AND Felix Sabates, who maintains a minority interest in the team, said NASCAR President Mike Helton later apologized for series officials disrupting their celebration(Racing Extra)(10-8-2001)
Marlin wins at Charlotte: #40-Sterling Marlin won the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Marlin's crew met him on the frontstretch after the checkered flag, bringing two large American flags with them. Marlin took one of the flags and drove with it to victory lane. #20-Tony Stewart was 2nd. Points leader #24-Jeff Gordon finished 16th but increaded his points lead to 237 over #28-Ricky Rudd. The last time a Dodge won Charlotte's fall race was in 1975, when Richard Petty won(10-7-2001)
Special #40 Scheme at Kansas UPDATE: hearing that #40 Sterling Marlin will be carrying a special "God Bless America" paint scheme this weekend in Kansas City. The team evidently did not have enough time to prepare the car for Dover, so they will be running it this weekend instead. The last I heard the team was going to run the Coors Brooks and Dunn scheme at Kansas.(9-26-2001)
UPDATE: Coors Brewing Company will continue its effort to help the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America by extending its $10 donation for every lap that the #40 Coors Light Dodge completes in this weekend's Cup race in Kansas. Following last weekends race, Coors donated $4,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to support relief efforts.. If the #40 car is able to complete all 267 laps of the Protection One 400 race, Coors will donate an additional $2,670 for a total of $6,670 going to help the victims of this tragedy. In addition to the donation, Coors.has developed a special "American Pride" paint scheme for its #40 Dodge for this weekends race.. The car will not display any Coors' branded identification, but will display the words "Proud to be an American" on the upper-rear quarter panels, and "God Bless America" on the TV panel. "I really like the red, white and blue paint scheme and I'm excited about racing at a new track this weekend,".driver Sterling Marlin said.. "It's great to work with a sponsor who is cares so much about the community."(Ganassi Racing PR and Images)(9-28-2001)
#40 first in 31 years: The last time a Cup race was won by the car #40 was August 23, 1970 when Pete Hamilton at Talladega, Sterling Marlin's win at MIS was the fifth time the #40 car has won in a Cup points race. See my Wins by Numbers/Last Win by Number page(8-20-2001)
Marlin Wins at Michigan: #40-Sterling Marlin wins the Pepsi 400 at Michigan Intl Speedway when the race was called after 162 laps because of rain. It is Marlins first win since July 6, 1996 at Daytona (also in the Pepsi 400) a streak of 169 races. It is also Dodge's first Winston Cup win since Neil Bonnett won at Ontario CA on Nov 20, 1977 in the #5 Dodge. It was also the first win for a Coor's sponsored car since Kyle Petty won at Dover in June 1995. #32-Ricky Craven came home 2nd(his career best) with #9-Bill Elliott in 3rd.
#24-Jeff Gordon's Winston Cup Drivers Points lead (now has 3353 points) is now 298 over #28-Ricky Rudd with #88-Jarrett now 354 behind in third and #40-Marlin sneaking up on Jarrett in 4th 381 behind.(8-19-2001)
Target car at Bristol? UPDATE 2: hearing Ganassi Racing may have a Target sponsored Dodge at the Bristol race on Aug 25th. No word on if it is the #01 or #40 or if it is a third car/team(8-7-2001)
UPDATE: looks like it'll be the #40 Dodge with Sterling Marlin driving, a Target/Coors Light scheme(8-8-2001)
UPDATE 2: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced today that the team's #40 Dodge will feature a Target Stores paint scheme for the Aug. 25 Sharpie 500 at Bristol. Ganassi and Target have partnered in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) FedEx Series since 1990, earning four consecutive titles from 1996-1999. "Our Champ Car team owes much of its success over the years to Target Stores, and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and dedication," Ganassi said. "Coors Light, Cingular and Dodge have made this season a very positive experience, and I'm excited to introduce a first-class organization like Target to a well-respected series like NASCAR. This is Target's first stock car experience, so it would be a thrill to go to Bristol and achieve the type of success this partnership is accustomed to producing." Sterling Marlin, who ranks fourth in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings, will drive the bulls-eye-emblazoned Dodge at Bristol. Although the Sharpie 500 marks the only race in which Marlin's car will feature the special paint scheme, Target team members are eager for the green flag to signal its NASCAR debut. "Target Chip Ganassi Racing has produced some impressive results over the years, and we're excited Chip has asked us to be a part of his newest venture," said John Remington, vice president of events marketing and communications for Target Corporation. "Target has enjoyed its involvement in auto racing and is dedicated to continuing its sponsorship in the CART FedEx Series, but we're also very excited for this one-race partnership with Chip at Bristol." Coors Light will remain on the #40 car at Bristol as an associate sponsor, with signage on the upper rear quarter panels, and will again serve as primary sponsor the following weekend in Darlington(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR), see an image of the car on my Paint Scheme Gallery(8-10-2001)
Some Paint Scheme Rumors: hearing that #40-Sterling Marlin is running a "Kiss" paint scheme somewhere this year and that #6-Mark Martin is running a Viagra car with special ultra reflective metal flake paint for the upcoming Bristol night race(7-27-2001)
UPDATE: yes it is a KISS, rock-n-roll band scheme, supposedly it'll run at Homestead(7-30-2001)
Target as a Sponsor? The name Target has re-emerged as a potential NASCAR team sponsor in the past couple weeks, and that refers directly to Chip Ganassi Racing, with Sterling Marlin and rookie Jason Leffler. Team officials say, however, that Coors likely is steady as Marlin's sponsor. A renewal with Leffler sponsor Cingular is "under negotiation". But Target in NASCAR is at least a year away, they say. Target, of course, is mega-major backer of Ganassi's CART teams. Target is keeping an eye on its niche, with Kmart and Wal-Mart, sources say. Wal-Mart will not be a player, as that is not in corporate philosophy, sources add. Team owner Travis Carter said he had a good meeting with Kmart officials after the Joliet race and hopes to extend that sponsorship beyond 2002, its present end date. Target's name may have reappeared on the screen as a result of a test of Indy Racing League-pattern cars by Ganassi at Nashville last week, which came in under the radar. Target likely would be the sponsor of a Ganassi IRL effort(SpeedVision)(7-24-2001)
Third Ganassi Team? If Chip Ganassi finds proper backing, he might have a third Cup team in the works for next season(Sporting News)(7-23-2001)
Ganassi Hire: Team owner Chip Ganassi announced that Bruce J. Mosley has joined Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates as vice president. Mosley will be responsible for overseeing all sales, marketing and communication functions for Chip Ganassi Racing’s two NASCAR Winston Cup Series entries - the #01 Cingular Wireless Dodge R/T driven by Jason Leffler and the #40 Coors Light Dodge R/T driven by Sterling Marlin. For the past five years, Mosley has worked as a director of corporate partnerships for the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) in Daytona Beach, Fla. He was responsible for event, series and network marketing for ISC’s 13 motorsports facilities, MRN Radio and the Grand American Road Racing Association. Prior to joining ISC, Mosley worked for Campbell Soup Company as a territory manager in North Florida.(Ganassi PR)(6-11-2001)
Brooks and Dunn Return: The #40 Coors Light Dodge has gone country for this weekend's race at Talladega. Driven by Sterling Marlin, the Coors Light Dodge will feature a paint scheme touting the country music duo Brooks & Dunn's upcoming Neon Circus & Wild West Show tour. A known country music lover, Marlin hopes to give the duo's tour a little more exposure by parking his Coors Light Dodge in Victory Lane on Sunday afternoon. Marlin is also scheduled to run the special Brooks & Dunn paint scheme at the Winston and Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte and the inaugural race at the Kansas Speedway(Ganassi PR)(4-17-2001)
Marlin's Crewmen OK: Two members of Sterling Marlin's crew sustained sprained ankles but escaped serious injury when they were hit by Rusty Wallace's car in the pits on the 266th lap. Darren Wolfe, the right front tire carrier, was treated for a sprained left ankle but returned to the pits for the end of the race. Rick Reling, the right front tire changer, also was cut on the right calf. He also continued to work in the pits(That's Racin'/AP)(4-2-2001)
Another Marlin: Steadman Marlin has signed to run races in the ARCA and BGN series with Nashville-based Sadler Racing. The team, founded by Earl Sadler, has given career boosts to such prominent drivers as Steadman's dad Sterling, Davey Allison, Jeff Green, Michael Waltrip and Jeremy Mayfield(Tennessean)(3-2-2001)
Marlin's Trailer: Despite security provided by the race track, Sterling Marlin’s souvenir trailer was defaced while on the grounds of North Carolina Speedway Saturday night. However according to Don Wade, driver of the Coors Light trailer to and from each NASCAR Winston Cup event, the comments — which were written in marker — “were all positive. Things like good luck, we know it wasn’t your fault ... just stuff like that,’’ Wade said Sunday morning(Kingsport Times News) AND ‘I’ll kill you Sterling’ scrawled on drivers' trailer(2-26-2001)
Marlin Speaks: #40-Sterling Marlin believes he did not cause the wreck that killed Dale Earnhardt in the final lap of the Daytona 500 last Sunday and resents those who label him the culprit, Marlin said in an interview with The Tennessean this afternoon. Marlin also said he had been contacted by members of Earnhardt's race team as well as NASCAR officials "and all of them say, 'Man, you didn't do anything wrong. Don't let it bother you," Marlin said.(2-20-2001)
2000 News
#40 Crew Chief? UPDATE 2: hearing that Lee McCall, formerly with Penske-Kranefuss, has been chosen by Ganassi Racing to replace Scott Eggleston as the crew chief on the #40 Coors Light Chevy and driver Sterling Marlin. Scott Eggleston is moving to be the crew chief of DEI's #15 Napa Chevy with driver Michael Waltrip
UPDATE: hearing Kevin Cram, who worked on Bill Elliott's team in 2000, will be Ganassi Racing's #01 Crew Chief(12-6-2000)
UPDATE 2: Lee McCall, a stock car racing mechanic since 1986, has been named crew chief for driver Sterling Marlin and the new Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge team. McCall, 32, started work at the team's Mooresville, NC, shop last week and participated in a two-day test with Marlin at Kentucky Speedway(Greenville News). Tony Glover, who was acting crew chief for the #01 Chevy will be the Team Manager in 2001(12-7-2000)
DEI Crew chief and number? UPDATE 2 #40 Crew Chief? still hearing that the new NAPA Cup team with Michael Waltrip will be the #15 and also now hearing that SABCO/Ganassi Racing's Scott Eggleston, who is Sterling Marlin's crew chief(#40) may be the new crew chief of Waltrip's team with DEI(10-9-2000)
UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Inc. was expected to sign Scott Eggleston to a contract on Monday to be the new crew chief for the #15 car and driver Michael Waltrip next season. Eggleston, 38, is currently the crew chief for Sterling Marlin on the #40 car at Ganassi/Sabco Racing(Sporting News)(10-10-2000)
UPDATE 2: still hearing Scott Eggleston will be the crew chief of DEI's #15 Napa Chevy, who will replace him at Ganassi Racing/Sabco on the #40 car? Hearing it could be be Kevin Cram, who is part of Bill Elliott's crew chief by committee on the #94(10-24-2000)
Coors Re-Signs with the #40 UPDATE: Chip Ganassi Racing/Team Sabco have renegotiated and extended the sponsorship deal between Coors Light and driver Sterling Marlin. An official announcement of the new deal is planned for Oct. 7 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Ganassi Racing is also working on a similar renegotiated and extended sponsor contract with BellSouth for its #01 Chevy's(to be Dodges in 2001)(That's Racin')(9-30-2000)
UPDATE: Coors Brewing Company and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates are teaming up for the 2001 Cup season with Sterling Marlin returning to the seat of the #40 Dodge Intrepid. New ownership and new maufacturer have sparked a different look for the #40 Dodge as it will sport a unique scheme, which was introdued in several events during the 2000 season, resembling the "Silver Bullet" Coors Light can. More at TachZone, including an image of the car(10-7-2000)
Marlin Wins, Steadman: Steadman Marlin, 19 year old son of NASCAR Winston Cup driver Sterling Marlin and his cousin Tandy each won their respective 50 lap feature events in the final 2000 points race Saturday night at Nashville Speedway USA(Nashville Speedway Site)(10-2-2000)
Coors Re-Signs with the #40: Chip Ganassi Racing/Team Sabco have renegotiated and extended the sponsorship deal between Coors Light and driver Sterling Marlin. An official announcement of the new deal is planned for Oct. 7 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Ganassi Racing is also working on a similar renegotiated and extended sponsor contract with BellSouth for its #01 Chevy's(to be Dodges in 2001)(That's Racin')(9-30-2000)
More Bristol Testing: #40-Sterling Marlin tested a Cup car for a second day at Bristol in preparation for the "goracing.com 500" a week from Saturday(Bristol Motor Speedway Site)(8-17-2000)
Big Announcement UPDATE 2 OFFICIAL: Team SABCO owner Felix Sabates is scheduled to announce his team’s future plans in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series at Indianapolis on Friday, August 4th at 6:30pm/ct. As has been rumored for the past few months, part of the announcement should be that CART owner Chip Ganassi is buying a majority of the team(7-28-2000)
UPDATE: no surprise but....Team Sabco owner Felix Sabates will make official the sale of a majority interest of his two Winston Cup teams to CART series owner Chip Ganassi during a press conference Friday night at Indianapolis, ThatsRacin.com has learned. In addition, the teams will change manufacturers next season and become the newest entries into the Dodge camp, according to sources. Ganassi's teams would become the first established Chevrolet teams to make the switch and bring the number of expected Dodge entries to 11 next season. Sabates will remain a minority owner in the teams(That's Racin')(8-1-2000)
UPDATE 2: Team SABCO owner Felix Sabates and Chip Ganassi announced today their NASCAR Winston Cup partnership beginning with the 2001 Daytona 500. Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is Ganassi’s first venture into the world of stock car racing with the acquisition of the #40 Coors Light and #01 BellSouth entries. Although Ganassi’s majority interest in the team officially begins in 2001, he will contribute to Team SABCO’s management for the remainder of this year’s Winston Cup season. The team also announced its alignment with Dodge to field two Dodge Intrepid R/T entries in 2001. With the addition of Ganassi’s two Dodge Intrepid R/T racecars next year, a total of 10 Intrepids are slated to debut at the Daytona 500 in 2001. Former NASCAR crew chief Andy Graves, who joined Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2000 to direct its Indianapolis 500 and Winston Cup interests, will oversee the team’s racing operations together with current Team SABCO team manager and crew chief Tony Glover.(Team Sabco PR)(8-4-2000)
SABCO's BGN cars? UPDATE 2: hearing #91 Winston Cup owner, Joe Falk, may be a partner in buying the #'s 01, 81 and 82 SABCO BGN teams and moving them to his shop(8-1-2000)
UPDATE: Joe Falk is renting his race shop to Felix Sabates, who was looking for a place to move his BGN teams to after selling majority ownership of SABCO to Chip Ganassi. SABCO began moving their equipment to Falk's shop this week. It was also mentioned that Sabates and Falk may be forming some sort of partnership, though no details were divulged, other than the fact that it will not be until November before anything became official. The rumors are that they will partner the Busch teams for next year, which Falk has had past experience(Victory Lane) BUT Team SABCO has leased Joe Falk's shop for its Busch Series teams for the remainder of the year. The lease will expire in November once the season is complete. The Busch teams are moving from SABCO's Mooresville facility to allow space for expansion to the existing fab shop. There is no truth to the rumor that Joe Falk and Felix Sabates will partner for next year(Team SABCO PR)(8-2-2000)
UPDATE 2: According to a news release from Joe Falk that was published in Friday mornings Daily Press (printed edition), Falk intends to revive his dormant #91 LJ Racing team this fall with financial help from Felix Sabates. According to the report, Falk will have #81 BGN driver Blaise Alexander make his Winston Cup debut later this season, and run up to five races towards the end of this season. It wasn't disclosed what races those would be, but Falk mentioned to Victory Lane in the past that he want's to run at Richmond this fall, as well as at Charlotte and possible other Cup races. The news release also confirmed reports that Falk has rented the LJ Racing shop out to Felix Sabates until the end of the season. The reason given, was that Ganassi/SABCO senior owner Chip Ganassi was going to be switching the Winston Cup team over to Dodge for 2001, and wanted the BGN cars and equipment out of the way in order to have room to build the new fleet. No mention was made as to what will follow for next year. Family members have told Victory Lane that Falk is at Indianapolis Raceway Park this weekend overseeing Blaise Alexander's BGN team. Falk also mentioned that he was going to try and find a BGN ride for Jody McCormick, who runs in the LMSC division at Langley Speedway(VA)(Victory Lane) AND Sabates is also investing resources and equipment in a partnership with Joe Falk, bringing along the remnants of his Busch Grand National teams(Gaston Gazette)(8-5-2000)
Marlin to the BGN: Team SABCO NASCAR Winston Cup driver Sterling Marlin will pilot the #01 BellSouth
Mobility/Ericsson Chevrolet in the remaining six NASCAR Busch Series events on the team's 2000 schedule. Kenny Irwin, who was fatally injured in a practice crash July 7 at New Hampshire International Speedway, piloted the then #42 entry in 10 Busch Series races earlier this season. Out of respect for Irwin and his memory, Team SABCO and BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson chose to permanently change the number of the Busch Series entry from #42 to
#01, in addition to changing the paint scheme. Marlin is slated to enter the events at Bristol, Darlington, Richmond, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Memphis and Homestead-Miami. Although Marlin has never run a full season in the Busch Series, he has posted two wins, one pole position, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in 48 starts. In March of this year, he drove the #82 Channellock/Team SABCO Chevy at Bristol. Marlin will continue to compete in the Cup Series driving the #40 Coors Light Chevy, on which BellSouth is an associate sponsor(SABCO PR)(7-25-2000)
Wind Tunnel News: hearing Sabco has one each of the #40 and #42 Chevy's testing today at the wind tunnel of N.A.S.A.'s Langley Research Center located in Hampton, VA(7-5-2000)
Montoya in Indy? UPDATE No: Sources in the Michigan garage have told Speedway Scene that the winner of this year's Indy 500 may try his hand in the Brickyard 400 this August. The reports, from unconfirmed sources, tell Speedway Scene that Juan Montoya will likely be in a SABCO / Ganassi stock car when NASCAR invades the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway(Speedway Scene)(6-12-2000)
UPDATE: The Ganassi Team put this rumor to bed. Montoya will not run the Brickyard 400, nor will the team run any other series besides CART(Autoracing1)(6-27-2000)
Dodge and Sabco/Ganassi UPDATE: Felix Sabates says he and Chip Ganassi have "agreed to agree" on a transaction that could bring Ganassi aboard as majority partner in Sabates' NASCAR racing organization(SABCO). Such a deal, Sabates said, would likely happen in the next 30 days. SABCO, fields the #40 Coors cars(Chevys) for Sterling Marlin and the #42 BellSouth car for Kenny Irwin. Sabastes says they have not discussed drivers and that any deal must be done in the next two or three weeks. Reports last fall had said Ganassi would link with Pontiac, which may be in need of teams with the defections to Dodge of Petty Enterprises and Bill Davis Racing. More recent rumors, however, pointed Ganassi in Dodge's direction(in part from SpeedVision)(5-17-2000)
UPDATE: Speedway Scene has learned that it is likely that the Chip Ganassi/Felix Sabates SABCO collaboration are expected to make the change to Dodge sheet metal in 2001. Where SABCO will fit into the program as far as team alignment goes is unknown, but Bill Davis, owner of the #22 and #93 Pontiacs says that they'll not be part of the three team consortium that includes himself, Ray Evernham and Petty Enterprises(Speedway Scene)(6-25-2000)
Marlin/Ganassi Handshake: Sterling Marlin said he and new car owner Chip Ganassi "have shaken hands" on a deal to team next season. Ganassi is buying controlling interest in Felix Sabates' Chevy team(PitNow)(6-17-2000)
Wells and Marlin? UPDATE: The plan was for Wells to field a Busch and Winston Cup car this year, with McDonald's and Lazzaro jumping to Winston Cup next season. But those plans are obviously changing, though Wells isn't yet disclosing what he expects to happen. Rumors have Wells talking with a couple of veteran NASCAR drivers, with one being Sterling Marlin, about taking over the McDonald's ride in 2001. Wells also is looking for more help in preparing the cars, so he might be interested in someone like veteran crew chief Tony Glover, a longtime buddy of Marlin's(in part from CBS Sportsline)(5-31-2000)
UPDATE: Sterling Marlin intends to remain with the #40 team working with new owner Chip Ganassi in 2001. Marlin has talked to Ganassi and hopes to have things finalized in a few weeks. As for Coors, the sponsor on the #40 car that Marlin drives, they are leaning towards taking their sponsorship to another Cup team(Winston Cup Scene Magazine)(6-8-2000)
Glover back to the #4? UPDATE: There is speculation that Tony Glover may return to the Morgan McClure #4 Kodak team, which has won only once since Glover left more than three years ago(PitNow). Glover is presently with SABCO(#'s 40 and 42) and with Chip Ganassi buying a large stake in SABCO and bringing Andy Graves in, the time would be right for Glover to make a move(6-2-2000)
UPDATE: Team Mgr/Crew Chief Tony Glover will stay with Team Sabco for the rest of the 2000 season and says he'd like to stay there in the future also, Glover also has a contract with Sabco thru 2002(Winston Cup Scene Magazine)(6-8-2000)
Wells and Marlin? Benson? UPDATE: The plan was for Wells to field a Busch and Winston Cup car this year, with McDonald's and Lazzaro jumping to Winston Cup next season. But those plans are obviously changing, though Wells isn't yet disclosing what he expects to happen. Rumors have Wells talking with a couple of veteran NASCAR drivers, with one being Sterling Marlin, about taking over the McDonald's ride in 2001. Wells also is looking for more help in preparing the cars, so he might be interested in someone like veteran crew chief Tony Glover, a longtime buddy of Marlin's(in part from CBS Sportsline) AND also hearing Wells has talked to Johnny Benson of the #10 Lycos team and to James Ince, crew chief for the same team
UPDATE: from Tyler Jet Motorsports - our committment now is to stay together as a TEAM right where we are(5-31-2000)
Gannasi/Sabco to Dodge? TNN's Raceday reports that that Sabco who will be bought by Chip Ganassi next month will change to Dodge from Chevy in 2001(5-28-2000)
Sabco Auction: Team Sabco employees hosted a memorabilia auction this week that raised nearly $30,000 to benefit the children of T.L. Stiles. An automobile accident claimed the life of Stiles, a Sabco fabricator, in November 1999. Drivers Blaise Alexander, Glenn Allen, Jeff Green, Randy LaJoie and Tim Fedewa were on hand to sign autographs. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Stiles Children College Trust(Gaston Gazette)(5-28-2000)
Schrader to Ganassi/Sabco? from today's St Louis Post-Dispatch - One hot rumor flying around the Speedway(Indy) is that Chip Ganassi, who runs the highly successful Target team featuring Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser, will form a NASCAR Winston Cup operation and hire former St. Louisan Ken Schrader as his driver. The story reports that Gannassi had lunch with Schrader 'the other day'. Schrader drives the #36 M&M's Pontiac(St Louis Post Dispatch) AND Driver Sterling Marlin is meeting with owner Felix Sabates and CART owner Chip Ganassi on Monday and Tuesday. The deal hasn't been finalized, but Ganassi could buy 80 percent of Sabates' team, which includes the cars driven by Marlin and Kenny Irwin(Times-Dispatch)(5-21-2000)
Sabco/Ganassi? UPDATE 5: hearing SABCO owner Felix Sabates(#'s 40 and 42) and CART championship team owner, Chip Ganassi are getting close to forming some sort of partnership that would bring a Ganassi team (an Andy Graves) to the Cup series for 2001(5-9-2000)
UPDATE: Chip Ganassi, who has won four consecutive championships as a team owner in CART, may be on the verge of entering NASCAR. Ganassi is negotiating with Felix Sabates to become a part-owner of Team Sabco. If there's a partnership with Ganassi, it wouldn't begin until next year(Dallas Morning News)
UPDATE 2: On Thursday's ESPN2 RPM2 Night, Robin Miller reported that the Ganassi-Sabates is a done deal with Ganassi owning 80% and Sabates owning 20% with Ganassi talking to Jeremy Mayfield and Bobby Hamilton as part of a two car team to run in 2001. Target is the rumored sponsor(RPM2 Night). Note: Mayfield is signed with Penske-Kranefuss thru 2002 and Hamilton with Morgan-McClure thru 2001(5-11-2000)
UPDATE 3: See the story at SpeedNet: Ganassi to join NASCAR, source says, no drivers mentioned like on RPM2 Night but the story adds: "According to a source in Charlotte, who requested anonymity, Ganassi will become a majority owner of Felix Sabates' operation and run a two-car effort starting in 2001 with Dodges." No mention of what would happen with the current drivers, Sterling Marlin or Kenny Irwin, on RPM2 Night it sounded like a deal in addition to Sabates current teams, but the story sounds more like a partnership. Three of the drivers have contracts at least thru the 2001 season, Marlin has the option to leave at the end of the 2000 season(5-12-2000)
UPDATE 4: Felix Sabates says he and Chip Ganassi have "agreed to agree" on a transaction that could bring Ganassi aboard as majority partner in Sabates' NASCAR racing organization(SABCO). Such a deal, Sabates said, would likely happen in the next 30 days. SABCO, fields the #40 Coors cars(Chevys) for Sterling Marlin and the #42 BellSouth car for Kenny Irwin. Sabastes says they have not discussed drivers and that any deal must be done in the next two or three weeks. Reports last fall had said Ganassi would link with Pontiac, which may be in need of teams with the defections to Dodge of Petty Enterprises and Bill Davis Racing. More recent rumors, however, pointed Ganassi in Dodge's direction(in part from SpeedVision)(5-17-2000)
UPDATE 5: According to CNNSI.com motorsports insider Marty Snider, Felix Sabates has agreed in priniciple to the sale of 80% of SABCO to Chip Ganassi, who will take over day-to-day operation of Team SABCO on July 1. Sabates will continue to own 20 percent of the team. The three SABCO BGN teams will be disbanded at the end of the 2000 season. Target will join both the #40-Marlin and and #42-Irwin teams as an associate sponsor after July 1.(CNN/SI)(5-19-2000)
1999 News
Sabates Honor: Felix and Carolyn Sabates became members of the philanthropic Dream Makers Society of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County, Florida recognizing their 11-year commitment, personal contributions, and development and support of special fund-raising events through the years. In their honor, the naming of the Felix and Carolyn Sabates Athletic Center will be dedicated in a formal ceremony at the NFL YET Center/Lester White Boys & Girls Club in Fort Lauderdale. The formal installation of the Felix and Carolyn Sabates Athletic Center will be held in early 2000. In addition to the naming, the Sabates will be recognized on a Dream Makers Society sculpture to be placed in a public location in the community. The Dream Makers Society ceremony took place on November 13 at the Power & Motoryacht Rendezvous at Fisher Island, Florida, an event attended by the Sabates since 1988. The award was presented by business tycoon and philanthropists, Wayne and Marti Huizenga, in a surprise ceremony attended by 300 guests including NASCAR owners Bill and Betty Jane France, NASCAR Team Owner Jim Mattei, actor Burt Reynolds, television’s “Just Shoot Me” star Enrico Colantino, and 30 mega-yacht owners and their guests. After the ceremony 14 year old protege’ Ashley Ballard sang in the Sabates’ honor a heart-warming rendition of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion(SABCO PR)(11-17-1999)
Sad News UPDATE 2: Thomas "T.L." Stiles of Charlotte, N.C., 45, a fabricator with Team Sabco for the past eight years, was killed Thursday afternoon in an automobile accident on Interstate 77 north of Charlotte. Also injured in the accident was Team Sabco fabricator Len Sherrill of Kannapolis, N.C., who is listed in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Sherrill, 37, has worked with Team Sabco for 11 years. Team Sabco owner Felix Sabates closed his race shop Thursday and will keep it closed Friday. Sabates is making plans to fly his race teams back to Charlotte for the funeral, expected to be held Saturday(That's Racin')(11-11-1999) -- UPDATE: The funeral for Team Sabco fabricator Thomas "T.L." Stiles, who was killed in an automobile accident north of Charlotte Thursday, is 1 p.m. Monday at Blair Road Methodist Church in Mint Hill, NC. The visitation is 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at McEwen Funeral Home in Mint Hill. Len Sherrill, also a Team Sabco fabricator and injured in the accident, was upgraded to good condition Friday at Carolinas Medical Center and released from the intensive car unit. He remains in the hospital. A college fund for Stiles' children has been established. Donations can be made to the Thomas Stiles Children College Fund, care of BB&T, 7716 Matthews-Mint Hill Rd., Charlotte, NC 28227 Both Sabco teams, that of Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin, were scheduled to test their 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlos at Homestead-Miami Speedway Monday and Tuesday, but the team has canceled those plans(That's Racin')(11-13-1999) -- UPDATE: Team Sabco fabricator Len Sherrill of Kannapolis, who was injured Thursday in an automobile accident that killed fellow Team Sabco fabricator Thomas "T.L." Stiles, was released from Carolinas Medical Center on Saturday and returned home. Sherrill suffered shoulder, neck and head injuries in the accident, which took place on Interstate 77 north of Charlotte(That's Racin')(11-14-1999)
Dover Downs responds to Felix: Winston Cup team owner Felix Sabates, expressing his opinion of Dover Downs, said this week that he'd "rather drink a bottle of laxative than go to Dover. I don't like that place. You go out and wear out tires and have a lot of wrecks and the purse pays nothing." Dover Downs chairman Denis McGlynn posted this response in the press room Friday: "Dear Felix: Hope the laxative helped. Thank you for staying home and not stinking up our garage area. Your teams seem to do better in your absence anyway. Get well soon. Denis."(Racer Magazine Site) meow...(9-25-1999)
Sabates Chat: #01, 40 and 42 SABCO team owner, Felix Sabates was in NOL Chat Tuesday. A few of the highlights were "No" to Joe Nemechek staying with SABCO, and when asked about the third team(currently the #01 Chevy), he said "probably going to run 5-8 races in 2000 with a third car" and about #40 driver, Sterling Marlin: "We've signed a new three-year deal with Coors and Sterling will be back with us for the next three years", so forget the earlier rumor of Marlin leaving. As for Tony Glover: "Tony will be team manager, but on Sunday he will be crew chief of the 42 car"(9-21-1999)
Marlin Looking? Sterling Marlin, who drives for Felix Sabates(#40 Coors Light Chevy), has been calling car owners about possible openings for next season, according to car owners who have talked with him(PitNow)(9-20-1999)
(9-20-1999)
SABCO Test: Cuban car owner Felix Sabates(#'s 01,40 and 42) will have Mexican driver Jimmy Morales test for Team Sabco at Martinsville Speedway Sept. 14-15. Also testing for Team Sabco will be Ron Hornaday, who will attempt to qualify for races at Richmond and Martinsville this season(in the #01)(News and Record/The Depot)(9-1-1999)
Marlin and Coors renew with SABCO: #01, #40 and #42 Cup car owner Felix Sabates said that Sterling Marlin and Coors have each signed three-year deals with his team. Sabates also said that he won't run a third full-time Cup team next year. He plans to run as many as three of four Grand National cars next season. He says two of those teams will be fulltime teams. One could be a joint effort with Jim Mattei, who owns the Cup car of Michael Waltrip(News and Record - The Depot)(8-29-1999)
Testing: Team SABCO is scheduled to test at Martinsville Speedway on Sept. 14-15 in preparation for the Oct. 3. NAPA AutoCare 500(News and Record)(8-20-1999)
The Marlin Bump UPDATE: Sterling Marlin and his crew chief, Scott Eggleston, were called into the NASCAR hauler after Sunday's race to discuss an incident between Marlin and Chad Little. Marlin was involved in an incident on pit road after the cool down lap during which he ran into the right side of Little's car. Little had stalled on pit road after coming off the course and created a backup at the entrance to the garage area. Marlin wanted to get around Little and into the garage, and instead of waiting, hit Little's car and then turned into the garage(That's Racin')(8-16-1999) -- UPDATE - FINE: NASCAR announced that they have fined Sterling Marlin for an incident following the Frontier @ The Glen at Watkins Glen. Marlin, who drives the #40 Coors Light Chevy, and Chad Little, who drives the #97 John Deere Ford, got into a confrontation on pit road after the race in which Marlin drove into the side of Little's car to get into the garage area. The two had made contact late in the race. Marlin was fined $5,000 for intentionally hitting another car. Marlin's fine resulted from a violation of Rules 12-4 A: Actions detrimental to auto racing(NOL)(8-20-1999)
Marlin/Sabates/Coors: Sterling Marlin will be in the option year of his contract with Felix Sabates next season, and it's not necessarily firm that Marlin will be back, according to sources. Coors, Marlin's sponsor, has an offer on the table that may be too low for Sabates to accept, an offer that is reported to be a 'take it or leave it' offer(PitNow)(8-16-1999)
The Marlin Bump: Sterling Marlin and his crew chief, Scott Eggleston, were called into the NASCAR hauler after Sunday's race to discuss an incident between Marlin and Chad Little. Marlin was involved in an incident on pit road after the cool down lap during which he ran into the right side of Little's car. Little had stalled on pit road after coming off the course and created a backup at the entrance to the garage area. Marlin wanted to get around Little and into the garage, and instead of waiting, hit Little's car and then turned into the garage(That's Racin')(8-16-1999)
Marlin Contract: Sterling Marlin(#40 Coors Light Chevy) says that he has another year on his contract with car owner Felix Sabates and that they are in the middle of a contract with Coors(PitNow)(7-9-1999)
Penalty: NASCAR officials announced today that they have levied a fine for rules violations prior to this past Saturday's Pepsi 400 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Scott Eggleston, crew chief for Sterling Marlin's Chevrolet, was fined $50,000 for an illegal insert in the intake manifold. The infraction was determined during the pre-race inspection process Saturday. Eggleston is also placed on probation until October 20, 1999. Eggleston's fine resulted from a violation of Rules 12-4 A: Actions detrimental to auto racing; and Rule 12-4 Q: Use of parts that do not conform to NASCAR rules, Inserts not allowed in intake manifolds at Daytona and Talladega(NOL)(7-7-1999)
Marlin Update: On NASCAR Onlines teleconference a NASCAR official came on to clarify one point involving the illegal part in Sterling Marlins car. The #40 Coors Light Chevy WAS legal after the race. They found something they didn't like prior to the race, and the decision now is whether there will be a fine as a result. That decision has not been made, but the 12th place finish will stand as again, the car was legal after the race. Also RPM2Nite said no decision has been made on the outcome. An update on the situation with similar tones at That's Racin'(7-7-1999)
More on Marlin: NASCAR inspectors found an illegal part on the Chevrolet of Sterling Marlin during a routine pre-race inspection Saturday night at Daytona and a fine or other penalty may result. Apparently the violation was so minor that NASCAR is undecided whether any penalty is necessary. NASCAR will make a decision in the next few days(in part from the Tennessean/Larry Woody)(7-6-1999)
Marlin's Engine UPDATE 2: NASCAR officials still were inspecting the intake manifold on Sterling Marlin's Chevrolet more than two hours after the race last night. The intake manifold had been called into question by officials during a prerace inspection. Marlin finished 12th(Times-Dispatch) -- NASCAR spokesman Tim Sullivan said early Sunday morning it would be Tuesday before NASCAR would be able to examine everything related to the car it needed to, but he said the outcome would not affect Marlin's result in the race(That's Racin') but on TNN's Raceday it was mentioned that the illegal part was not removed and that there will be a change in the finishing order(TNN's Raceday)(7-4-1999) -- UPDATE 1: NASCAR's Mike Helton said results of the post-race review of the Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek engines won't be announced until Tuesday. Just as the race began, NASCAR told the Marlin and Nemechek crews they wanted to inspect both engines after the 400, and engine parts were X-rayed, a standard NASCAR search for illegal air holes(PitNow) -- UPDATE 2: The OFFICIAL results and standings are up at NOL, still has Marlin in 12th place and no points were deducted, but that could change Tuesday, one mistake noted, they have Loy Allen and Ricky Craven listed in the #58(7-5-1999)
Marlin Top 5: Sterling Marlin's 4th place finish in the Pocono 500 was his first in 62 races(6-20-1999)
SABCO Crew Chief CORRECTION, UPDATE 2: Jay Smith has been named as the crew chief for the #40 Coors Light SABCO Chevy and driver Sterling Marlin(NASCAR Today Radio) Smith was most recently the crew chief of the #34 Goulds Pumps BGN Chevy. Also worked for Bobby Hillin's BGN team and Irvan-Simo in the past few years -- CORRECTION: hmmm....I hear this incorrect, folks from SABCO tell me that Smith is not the new #40 crew chief but has been hired by SABCO to work on the #42 shocks. An announcement should be coming in the next day or two concerning the #40 crew chief(6-2-1999) -- UPDATE 1: Hearing that Scott Eggleston will switch over from the #42 to be the #40 crew chief -- UPDATE 2: it's official - Scott Eggleston has been named crew chief for Team SABCO's #40 Coors Light Chevrolet and driver Sterling Marlin. He moves the 20 feet or so from where he was crew chief for Team SABCO's #42 BellSouth
Chevrolet and driver Joe Nemechek. Team manager Tony Glover will serve as interim crew chief for the BellSouth team and Nemechek(The William Co/SABCO)(6-3-1999)
Marlin sponsor: Tracfone, the new Felix Sabates sponsor on the #01 Chevy that missed the Coca-Cola 600 when Jeff Green failed to make the field, will move to Sterling Marlin's Coors Light car today(Times-Dispatch)(5-30-1999)
Marlin's Son: Steadman Marlin, eighteen year old son of NASCAR Winston Cup star Sterling Marlin, led all 50 laps en-route to his first ever NASCAR Winston Racing Series Late Model Stock Car main event Saturday night at Nashville Speedway USA. Young Steadman became the third Marlin in the tracks 41 year history to etch his name in the speedway's record books and the first - third generation driver to win a premiere division feature at the fairgrounds ovalNashville Speedway Site. Jayski Note: I met Steadman in the Talladega infield in Oct 1997 and he was a very polite, respectful teenager, was nice to see, congrats(5-24-1999)
SABCO Changes? UPDATE 1: Hearing Tony Glover may leave the SABCO team? (Team-Sabco page -unofficial)(5-17-1999) -- UPDATE 1: Corrie Stott, crew chief for the #40 Coors Light Chevrolet, and Team SABCO have parted ways, it was announced this morning. The decision was mutual for both parties. Stott was named crew chief in April of last year. His first event with the Coors Light team was the Goody’s 500 at the Martinsville, Va., Speedway. During that time, Marlin posted seven top-10 and 19 top-15 finishes in NASCAR Winston Cup Competition. Team Manager Tony Glover will serve as interim crew chief until a suitable replacement has been named(The William Company), Hmm...I guess the rumor about Glover leaving was incorrect(5-17-1999)
SABCO 3rd Car returns UPDATE 1 Sponsor: Driver Jeff Green and car owner Felix Sabates will be reunited later this year in the Winston Cup series. Sabates has decided to return to a three-car operation and has obtained sponsorship from a 'a major communications company' to run a seven-race schedule this season. And depending on the results, it may translate into a full schedule in 2000. Sabates fielded the #46 Chevys for Green last season. Sabates lost his sponsor, First Union/Money Store, at the end of last season and dissolved the team. The new team will not carry the #46. An official announcement of Sabates' plans is expected this week in Charlotte(That's Racin'/Jim Utter) -- UPDATE 1: Hearing the sponsor may be Florida based Topps Communication, found a little info on this company on the 'net, not much, seems they are based in Miami and deal with Sprint(5-17-1999)
Marlin vs Marlin: NASCAR Winston Cup star and two time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin will compete in Saturday night’s 50 lap NASCAR Winston Racing Series Late Model Stock Car main event at Nashville Speedway USA. Saturday’s race event, sponsored by Sterling Marlin Chevrolet and 98 WSIX marks the first time ever, the past three time Nashville Speedway champion (1980,’81,’82) will compete against his eighteen year old son Steadman, a second year Late Model competitor on the historical .596 high banked oval. Sterling will drive a family owned Chevrolet Monte Carlo that will carry the number 711, a number made synonymous during the 1950’s and ‘60’s by his father Coo-Coo Marlin(Nashville Speedway)(5-7-1999)
Marlin and The Duke: Sterling Marlin is carrying the John Wayne paint scheme at California(5-2-1999)
Felix, changes? I hear from some readers that #'s 40 and 42(not 43 doh!) owner, Felix Sabates appeared on Speedvision's Inside Winston Cup Racing Show on the Hot-Seat segment and indicated that if his teams don't start performing better soon, it will be time for some drastic changes, though he did say in general he is happy about being down to two teams keeping the best personnel from last years three team effort, and that the team is much better than their bad-luck finishes show(3-23-1999)
Marlin and UT scheme: (NOTE: this has nothing to do with the #40 Cup team, just Marlin) - Race fans will be seeing orange and checkerboards Tennessee style when two-time Daytona 500 Champion Sterling Marlin debuts a special paint scheme featuring the University of Tennessee - 1998 National Football Champions - for the April 2-3 BellSouth Mobility 320 NASCAR Busch Series event at Nashville. The University of Tennessee Chevrolet Monte Carlo, prepared by Marlin Racing, of Columbia, Tenn., also is slated to enter the April 9-10 Moore's Snacks 250 at the Bristol Motor Speedway and again at Bristol on August 27 for the Food City 250. PR from SterlingMarlin.net. See an image in my Paint Schemes Gallery (3-17-1999)
John Wayne Scheme: Sterling Marlin will have a Coors Light/John Wayne paint scheme at Texas and Phoenix. See images of the car at the Sterling Marlin Site(an excellent site btw) go to the hot news. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of souvenirs featuring the special design will benefit the John Wayne Cancer Institute(many readers and saw it on RPM2Nite)(2-16-1999)
Vegas Testing: Bobby Labonte(#18), Tony Stewart(#20), Sterling Marlin(#40), Joe Nemechek(#42) and Kenny Wallace(#55) tested at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last week. Nemechek posted the fastest unofficial lap speed of 166.02 mph in his BellSouth Chevrolet while Stewart was second fastest at 165.73 mph in The Home Depot Pontiac. The top qualifying speed for last year's inaugural Las Vegas 400 was 168.224 mph, set by pole sitter Dale Jarrett(Concord Monitor)(1-19-1999)
SABCO PR: Team SABCO will return to a two-car NASCAR Winston Cup operation in 1999 after fielding a third entry for the past several seasons. The #46 Chevrolet had been sponsored by First Union and The Money Store, however, the financial institution opted to refocus their involvement in the Winston Cup series. "If in the next few weeks a sponsor shows interest in SABCO, we'll investigate further into the possibility of bringing the 46 team back," said Team SABCO owner Felix Sabates. "At this time, we've chosen to concentrate our efforts on a two-car operation and focus on returning to a top-notch Winston Cup organization." Sabates' two other teams will remain intact. Joe Nemechek extended his contract to drive the #42 BellSouth Chevrolet through 2001, while two-time Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin returns to the No. 40 Coors Light Chevrolet for the next two years.(SABCO PR)(11-30-98)
OLD Ganassi News
Montoya in Indy? UPDATE No: Sources in the Michigan garage have told Speedway Scene that the winner of this year's Indy 500 may try his hand in the Brickyard 400 this August. The reports, from unconfirmed sources, tell Speedway Scene that Juan Montoya will likely be in a SABCO / Ganassi stock car when NASCAR invades the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway(Speedway Scene)(6-12-2000)
UPDATE: The Ganassi Team put this rumor to bed. Montoya will not run the Brickyard 400, nor will the team run any other series besides CART(Autoracing1)(6-27-2000)
Marlin/Ganassi Handshake: Sterling Marlin said he and new car owner Chip Ganassi "have shaken hands" on a deal to team next season. Ganassi is buying controlling interest in Felix Sabates' Chevy team(PitNow)(6-17-2000)
Gannasi/Sabco to Dodge? TNN's Raceday reports that that Sabco who will be bought by Chip Ganassi next month will change to Dodge from Chevy in 2001(5-28-2000)
Sabco/Ganassi? UPDATE 3: hearing SABCO owner Felix Sabates(#'s 40 and 42) and CART championship team owner, Chip Ganassi are getting close to forming some sort of partnership that would bring a Ganassi team (an Andy Graves) to the Cup series for 2001(5-9-2000)
UPDATE: Chip Ganassi, who has won four consecutive championships as a team owner in CART, may be on the verge of entering NASCAR. Ganassi is negotiating with Felix Sabates to become a part-owner of Team Sabco. If there's a partnership with Ganassi, it wouldn't begin until next year(Dallas Morning News)
UPDATE 2: On Thursday's ESPN2 RPM2 Night, Robin Miller reported that the Ganassi-Sabates is a done deal with Ganassi owning 80% and Sabates owning 20% with Ganassi talking to Jeremy Mayfield and Bobby Hamilton as part of a two car team to run in 2001. Target is the rumored sponsor(RPM2 Night). Note: Mayfield is signed with Penske-Kranefuss thru 2002 and Hamilton with Morgan-McClure thru 2001(5-11-2000)
UPDATE 3: See the story at SpeedNet: Ganassi to join NASCAR, source says, no drivers mentioned like on RPM2 Night but the story adds: "According to a source in Charlotte, who requested anonymity, Ganassi will become a majority owner of Felix Sabates' operation and run a two-car effort starting in 2001 with Dodges." No mention of what would happen with the current drivers, Sterling Marlin or Kenny Irwin, on RPM2 Night it sounded like a deal in addition to Sabates current teams, but the story sounds more like a partnership. Three of the drivers have contracts at least thru the 2001 season, Marlin has the option to leave at the end of the 2000 season(see the interview at RacinDeals - see link in the story section below)(5-12-2000)
Ganassi/Sabates? No: Felix Sabates denied rumors that he might sell his Cup operation, possibly to CART owner Chip Ganassi, who appears poised to join Winston Cup next season. He admitted he had talked to Ganassi last year and had advised Ganassi on such a move, but had no interest in selling(SpeedVision)(4-17-2000)
Ganassi/Cup UPDATE 2 No? Maybe: Chip Ganassi and Target will field a NASCAR Winston Cup team, starting in 2001, with Terry Labonte's former team manager Andy Graves calling the shots. As for joining the open-wheel exodus to stock cars (A.J. Foyt, Robby Gordon, Cal Wells), Ganassi said he preferred to wait on the official announcement from Target before giving any more details(SpeedNet/Robin Miller)(12-20-1999) -- UPDATE: Ganassi admit's to hiring Graves but said he never said Target is going NASCAR, see the full story at Racer Magazine(12-21-1999) -- UPDATE 2: Target/Chip Ganassi Racing may have taken a step in that direction with the official announcement of the hiring of NASCAR crew chief Andy Graves. A press release stated Graves is exploring opportunities for Ganassi's Indianapolis-based team, including the possibility of racing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Winston Cup Series(SpeedNet)(12-22-1999)
