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

• P.J. Jones to ARCA? In addition to the cast of ARCA RE/MAX Series regulars and a brand new crop of rookies, several well known racing personalities were seen in the ARCA garage during the [Daytona] test, including PJ Jones. Jones, a veteran of NASCAR and the IndyCar Series, is the son of open wheel racing legend and 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones. So just what was Jones doing in Daytona, testing the #37 Spraker Racing Chevy? "PJ and I go way back, and we're trying to put a deal together for him to run here in '09," stated Jeff Spraker, the team owner. "It's interesting. I've been out trying to put some sponsorship together for next year, and one of the companies I talked to was looking for a way to make a little more impact. When I mentioned the possibility of PJ, they said ‘Parnelli's kid?' I said yes, and we agreed to continue to talk."(ARCARacing.com)(12-21-2008)
  
  
• Blaney will be back in 2009: Dave Blaney will be driving a race car next year. Where he races and what circuit he's involved with are questions he can't answer at this time. Blaney, who drove the Caterpillar #22 Toyota of Bill Davis Racing on the Sprint Cup Series last season, is facing the economic crunch. The flow of money that once poured into the world's most popular racing circuit has slowed to the point that NASCAR has placed a one-year moratorium on testing at tracks where events are staged to save costs. Caterpillar recently ended its association with BDR. Blaney is hoping to land another Cup ride but is realistic in knowing he might have to look elsewhere. "It's up in the air at the moment," he said. "There aren't many Cup rides at all. The 22 team is shut down. Other teams are in the same ball park. Some are trying to round up enough money to race. It's pretty tough." The most logical landing point for Blaney is NASCAR's Truck Series. He's raced trucks twice and is intrigued by the idea of switching to that style of racing. "It's good racing," he said. "If you can land with a competitive team with a chance to win races and run for the championship, heck yeah, it would be very interesting."(Tribune Chronicle )(12-5-2008)
  
  
• Blaney's career is up in the air...BDR layoffs: Dave Blaney knows he’ll be involved in racing in some capacity in 2009, but that’s speaking in general terms. It could be in NASCAR Sprint, Nationwide or Trucks series or it could be as overseer of his 14-year-old son’s super late-model short-track activities. Following the last of 36 Sprint Cup races at Homestead Miami Speedway on Nov. 16, the Hartford native reflected on the 2008 season, but, more painfully, gazed into auto racing’s crystal ball. “I’m ready for a break,” said Blaney, who finished 31st in the owners’ points standings. “I’m glad it’s over.” The uncertainty of his place in NASCAR’s top tier is utmost on his mind. “It’s hard to tell what’s going to happen,” Blaney said of the status of Bill Davis Racing’s No. 22 team, which, following Homestead, laid off most of its employees. “The 22 team is kind of up in the air. It doesn’t have sponsorship for 2009.” If it sounds like the end, that’s understandable, but the door doesn’t appear to have closed completely. Blaney said he’d consider the second-tier Nationwide series or Craftsman [Trucks]. “I’d love to run Nationwide or Trucks with a really competitive team. That would be fun. If not, I’ll will look at racing somewhere else. My son is having fun racing, so I could see myself going with him.” Not only has the #22 team shifted into slow gear, but it’s gone into hibernation. “It’s uncertain if it’ll get a sponsor,” Blaney said. In a media release dated Nov. 14, BDR crew chief and competition director Tommy Baldwin said there will be a full staff preparing for the start of the 2009 season. With his one-year contract with BDR expired, Blaney is officially a free agent. “I’m open for next year. I’d stay with the 22 if I’m asked back or I’d look at any other options, but there aren’t a lot of options out there.”(The Vindicator)(11-28-2008)
  
  
• Baldwin remains positive for 2009 with BDR:Considering the amount of uncertainty at Bill Davis Racing concerning its future in NASCAR, crew chief and competition director Tommy Baldwin is doing his best to remain positive for the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season. Although BDR's driver Dave Blaney was able to keep the #22 Caterpillar/Bill Davis Racing Toyota in the top 35 in owner points, finishing the 2008 season 30th, the team is currently without a primary sponsor for 2009. "It's disappointing; you feel helpless," said Baldwin, about the sponsor trouble at BDR. "I think we are going to go through a transitional period here so we can move forward. It's been pretty hard. We only have so many guys in the shop, and we've had to play catch up the whole year. We're in the top 35, and we can't complain about that. There are teams more heavily funded that are behind us. We can't really complain for the most part. Do we want to run better? Of course we do. But these are the circumstances we've been dealt with, and we need to keep fighting."(SceneDaily)(11-26-2008)
  
  
• Hunt Bros Pizza & State Water Heaters hope to be back in 2009: There’s been a dearth of new companies coming into NASCAR recently. But Hunt Brothers Pizza (HBP), which joined with Haas-CNC Racing [#66 & #70] in what was termed a “sponsorship test” in 2008, apparently liked what it saw. “HBP plans on participating in the 2009 racing season,” says Malea Barron of Hunt Brothers PR firm Gish, Sherwood and Friends. “However, at this time, HBP has not signed a contract with a team.”
  Can current Haas-CNC driver Scott Riggs stay in the Sprint Cup Series by bringing his sponsor to a new team? Apparently State Water Heaters has some interest in that scenario. “We are still working on our plans for ’09,” says Jeff Storie, the brand manager for State Water Heaters. “Scott has been a great asset for us and many of our hard-working plumbing contractors have enjoyed spending time with him. I hope we can remain together next year but we haven’t reached anything final at this point.”(Long Island Press)(11-8-2008)
  
  
• Riggs still looking for ride: Scott Riggs, who is out of the #66 after the season, says he's unsure when he'll get another Cup deal. He says he continues to talk to teams but the issue is that teams are looking for sponsorship and until they have sponsors they're not making as many moves for drivers.(Roanoke Times)(11-1-2008)
  
  
• Miko Salo to NASCAR? UPDATE: not much reported, but during SPEED's broadcast of "The Petit Le Mans" American Le Mans Series Sports car race from Road Atlanta, it was reported that Miko Salo is talking to NASCAR teams about running there in 2009, no series was mentioned [Cup, Nationwide or Trucks].(10-4-2008)
  UPDATE: Former Formula One racer Mika Salo is pondering moving to NASCAR and has been in talks with a number teams to try to arrange a first test at the wheel of a stock car. The Finnish driver was in attendance at Lowe's Motor Speedway during the race weekend, as he explores the possibility of making a first approach to NASCAR to evaluate if he would like to commit to it in the future. "I have a little interest, yeah, so just having a look to see if there's any opportunity or anything for me to at least try the thing and know if I like it," Salo told autosport.com while visting the Sprint Cup garage. "I've driven everything else in the world, not NASCAR, so that's why I want to try it." Salo has recently been competing in the American Le Mans series driving a Ferrari 430 GT for Risi Competizione, winning a couple of weeks ago in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Salo confirmed he has already approached a couple of teams hoping to get an opportunity to drive a stock car for the first time. He said he still hasn't signed a contract for next year - although he expects to do so next week – but would like to sample the car first before progressing into further talks with teams. "I've been in contact with a few teams and yeah, there's serious contact," Salo said. "But I'd like to try the car first before I sort of go any further. Just trying to work on a test day for now and see then. I haven't signed anything for next year yet but I will probably next week. Then I'm stuck but maybe next year I can try one." The 41-year-old says he has followed NASCAR more closely since former Formula One colleague Juan Pablo Montoya made the switch two years ago. However, he admits he would like to have a first go on a road course, given that he has never raced on an oval before.(Autosport)(10-15-2008)
  
  
• Cope to run at Martinsville: from Derrikecope.com - "I get to come back to the Cup Series with the #75 Cope/Keller Racing Dodge entry. Germane RED from Reading, PA will be on as an associate sponsor as well as Design Elite, a home interior design company based in Concord, NC."(Derrikecope.com)(10-15-2008)
  
  
• Carpentier blamed by crew chief UPDATE released: After the Gillett Motorsports #10 Dodge failed to qualify on speed at Talladega Superspeedway, crew chief [or as GEM calls them, Team Director] Mike Shiplett decided to put good judgement aside and lash out at team driver Patrick Carpentier in the Tow Truck in a Box team trailer while the doors were open, allowing anyone in the paddock to witness the skirmish. This gesture was not appreciated by the canadian driver. "I think it's a complete lack of respect," said Carpentier. "I never was shy to take the blame when I thought it was my fault, but here, everybody knows that it's like driving in a straight line. The driver just has to keep the steering wheel straight. He should have taken a time out and calmed down before he spoke. " Shiplett accused Carpentier of going too low down on the last straight, which he claimed made the front of the car rub against the ground. "It's bulls**t," said Carpentier. "I've looked at the timing data and we were already three-tenths below the time we needed to qualify when I went below the line. I went low because i felt we had to try everything. I gave it all I had, but now he blames me? This is totally unacceptable. It's not as if my teammates were on the first row! They both ran slower than me! " #9-Kasey Kahne (41st) and #19-Elliott Sadler (43rd) posted times that were slower than the Carpentier (39th). It is their positions in the top 35 point standings that allowed them to be in the starting lineup of AMP 500. Sadler was using the new generation of the Dodge / GEM chassis. Kahne was also using the new chassis until when he damaged his primary car during practice. For Carpentier and the #10 Tow Truck in a Box Dodge, the only option given by GEM was to use an old generation Dodge Charger chassis. What most enraged Carpentier, is that Shiplett decided to scold him at Talladega, a track where the driver can do nothing to improve his fate if his car is not up to speed. "Even though I know his criticism didn't make any sense, what is worst is that he seems to have forgotten pretty quickly races like Dover or in Atlanta where I've qualified a car that he himself didn't think was fast enough to earn a place on the starting grid. I realize now that some people have a really short memory span in NASCAR, "said Carpentier". Shiplett was not available for comment after the non-qualification of his car.(patcarpentier.ca taken from a french article at canoe.com)(10-5-2008)
  UPDATE: Patrick Carpentier has been released from Gillett Evernham Motorsports, sources confirmed Tuesday. Carpentier, a Sprint Cup rookie and former open-wheel racer in Champ Car and the IndyCar Series, was the driver of the #10 Dodge for GEM. He could not be reached for comment. On his Web site, patcarpentier.ca, Carpentier wrote he got into an argument and skirmish Saturday with team director Mike Shiplett, who blamed him for failing to qualifying at Talladega. Dominique Fugere, motorsports writer for Le Journal de Montreal, reported Shiplett later apologized to Carpentier after the argument at Talladega. Carpentier already was a lame-duck at GEM, which announced earlier that Scott Riggs would drive for the team in 2009. GEM officials have not said who will drive the car this weekend for the Sprint Cup race at Lowes Motor Speedway.(ESPN)(10-7-2008)
  
  
• Riggs has ride for 2009? during ABC's TV coverage of the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Dr. Jerry Punch said that #66-Scott Riggs said he has a contract in hand to sign that would settle his 2009 plans. No word on what team Riggs will drive for, rumors include DEI, Petty Enterprises and Ganassi Racing.(10-5-2008)
  
  
• Andretti returning to the #15 truck at Talladega UPDATE: Hearing that during John Andretti's weekly interview on WIBC Radio [Indianapolis], Andretti announced he would be teammates with Kyle Busch at Talladega Superspeedway as he will run the #15 truck again for Billy Ballew Motorsports.(9-23-2008)
  UPDATE: The Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway will mark John Andretti's first Craftsman Truck Series start at the track. Andretti has 21 Sprint Cup Series starts and one Nationwide Series start.(BL Mktg/BBM PR)(9-29-2008)
  
  
• Cope tests at Lowe's; may attempt 2 races: From Derrike Cope's web site: "The next thing on my schedule is to debut our COT car at Lowes Motor Speedway on Tuesday. It will be number #75 Cope/Keller Racing Dodge. We will only test for one day because the transporter will have to leave for Kansas...Provided all goes well there we plan on attempting Charlotte and Martinsville in the Sprint Cup Series."(DerrikeCope.com)(9-24-2008)
  
  
• Ricky Carmichael to attempt ARCA 'Dega race UPDATE: Ricky Carmichael, a 10-time AMA national motocross champion from 1997 - 2006, will attempt to make his ARCA RE/MAX series debut at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 3. Carmichael, a rookie on the Camping World East Series this season for Ken Schrader Racing, has been entered into the event at the 2.66-mile speedway by Kevin Harvick Inc. With three top-5 finishes and six top-10's Carmichael, 28, is eighth in the Camping World East Series standings after 11 of 13 events this season.(Hartford Courant)(9-17-2008)
  UPDATE: Two Talladega rookies, Joey Logano and Ricky Carmichael, were at Talladega Superspeedway today as part of a two-day ARCA RE/MAX Series Open Test. While both drivers have extensive racing resumes, neither had tackled the high banks of Talladega until today. “It’s pretty fun, I’ve had a good time with it so far,” said Logano. “This is my first time doing superspeedway stuff. I did some Proving Grounds stuff with the Cup guys before, but that’s the only similar thing I’ve been through.”
  “It’s pretty exciting,” said Carmichael. “Everyone was saying ‘oh we’re just doing single car runs this morning’ but it’s new for me. I’m having a good time. The guys at KHI (Kevin Harvick Inc.) are fast. I’m just enjoying it and trying to get as much seat time as I can.” Although Carmichael has competed at Daytona before, he says the 2.66-mile Talladega seems much larger than the 2.5-mile track in Florida. “My first thought when I came to Talladega was ‘wow this place is huge’. I couldn’t believe how much bigger it was, and I mean, I thought Daytona was big.” Both drivers are expected to compete in the Oct. 3rd ARCA RE/MAX Series 250 at Talladega.(TSS PR)(9-17-2008)
  
  
• Hamilton Jr. to Cup? Nationwide Series driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. said Team Rensi Motorsports [#25 Ford] will close its doors in December if a new sponsor to replace Smithfield Foods isn’t found by then. Efforts to reach team president Ronnie Russell were unsuccessful, but a source close to the team confirmed Hamilton Jr.’s statements. Crew chief Chris Wright remains with the team, though a source said nearly half of the team’s payroll was cut via layoffs. Hamilton Jr. said he has been “fishing around” for other rides. “I’m about 40 percent, talking to a Cup deal,” Hamilton Jr. said. “I’ve been on the phone several times with a top-notch organization on the truck side. The Nationwide cars, there’s just none out there. Everybody I’ve talked to, if you’ve got a sponsor, they’ll take you. There are some when you could run a handful of races whenever a Cup guy doesn’t want to. I wouldn’t turn my back to that because it’s in really good equipment. I’d like to run full time but if you can’t, you’ve got to take what you can take.” Hamilton Jr. said he even could end up owning his own Nationwide team next season. The five-time series winner isn’t ready to quit driving.(SceneDaily)(9-15-2008)
  
  
• Robby Gordon would love to add Riggs/2nd team: #7-Robby Gordon may not have full sponsorship for his Sprint Cup team next season, but he doesn't seem too worried about his prospects. In fact, the driver is talking about the potential of adding a second team to his Robby Gordon Motorsports organization. For now, though, Gordon is focusing on running a pair of races on the Watkins Glen International road course this weekend. Based on his history, the driver expects to excel. Gordon finds himself pelted with questions about his sponsor lineup for next season. As the economy tightens and a list of teams seek sponsorship, Gordon has found himself running some races without a primary sponsor. "Right now, next year looks a lot like it did this year, where we have sporadic events," the owner/driver told a national teleconference with reporters Tuesday. "So there is opportunity. Obviously, sponsors and everybody wants to be involved with a team that can win races. I look at this weekend as an opportunity of putting our team in victory lane. There's only been three teams this year that have been in victory lane. So if we could pull it off, that would be big."
  Gordon says that his role as owner/driver has built in a little more flexibility than some would have when it comes to racing with a car that needs sponsorship. This season, he has primary backing from Jim Beam, Mapei, Camping World and Charter, and he picked up a race from Valvoline. He has also run some races without anything on the hood, including the road course event at Infineon Raceway. Still, Gordon remains confident that his team will weather the storm. He has formed an alliance with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, one in which he gets support from the three-car Dodge organization, and has never fallen out of the top 35 in owner points despite changing manufacturers shortly before the season-opening Daytona 500. Gordon knows that a second car would likely boost the performance of his organization, but he's not rushing to add another effort. He admits, though, that Scott Riggs, whose status with the team now known as Haas CNC Racing is unclear as Tony Stewart prepares to take it over next year, would be someone he'd look at should that become a possibility. "I think Scott Riggs is a very good race car driver," Gordon said. "[Am I] committed to running a second car? You know, we'd love to run a second car. I think our team and our facility and our systems and procedures and policies, all that stuff, is in place now to run a second car. Gordon seems confident that the sponsorship will work itself out for next season. Gordon will run the full Sprint Cup schedule either way, but full sponsorship would certainly make his task less difficult. "We know what it takes as far as sponsorship to go and do this thing," he said. "And I feel confident that we'll get a sponsor for next year, and we'll able to continue on. I also have a lot of confidence that Jim Beam will return with us, as well."(SceneDaily)(8-6-2008)
  
  
• Riggs looking around, pretty sure he is out at Haas UPDATE: Scott Riggs, driver of the #66 for Haas CNC Racing which will become the #4 Stewart-Haas car next year, is already talking with others about his future. "I'm 99.99999 percent sure I won't be here next year," Riggs said Friday. Joe Custer, the team's general manager, said, "no one is out," but expect a decision on the driver lineup next week. "We're wide open on it," he said. "A deal is not done until it is inked so for us to say we're about there means we are not there. I can tell you we are working on them."(NASCAR.com)(8-2-2008)
  UPDATE: With the thought that Scott Riggs won't be asked to stay with the Stewart-Haas, Riggs said he has been in talks with other teams about 2009. "I've been having a lot of conversations," he said. "I'm trying to figure out what is going to happen with me. I know this organization is on the way up and going to have a great group of guys and drivers coming on board. It will be interesting to see where my feet land and I've been talking to a lot of people, but right now I'm focused on what we are doing and trying to be the best we can be for the rest of this year."(NASCAR.com), hearing that Riggs has talked to Bill Davis Racing, Yates Racing and Robby Gordon Motorsports and that sponsor State Water Heaters could move with him.(8-5-2008)
  
  
• Another F-1 driver attends Cup race: Formula One Toyota driver Jarno Trulli snuck into Michigan International Speedway on Sunday without the fan crush he's accustomed to when he races in Europe. "A few people asked me for autographs when I first arrived but it basically cooled down," Trulli said. "In Italy or France, you would basically be surrounded." Trulli, an Italian, competed in the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal this month, where he finished sixth, and decided to stick around and pay a surprise visit to former F1 drivers Juan Pablo Montoya (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates) and Scott Speed (Bill Davis Racing), who are running in NASCAR. "They were the first two people I visited with," Trulli said. "They were surprised to see me." Trulli, eighth in F1 points, said he watches NASCAR on television, but Sunday's was the first stock car race he'd attended. Would he take a crack at ovals if given a chance? "Maybe one day -- a test or something," said Trulli, who began his F1 career with Minardi in 1997. "I like the U.S. and having another (racing) experience would be good." Though Trulli has never raced a stock car, he drove at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., in 1994. "I competed in the Race of the Americas karting series in 1994 and 1995 on the road course at Charlotte," Trulli recalled. "I finished first and second."(Detroit Free Press)(6-17-2008)
  
  
• WoO Champ considering NASCAR: Donny Schatz doesn't have to prove to anyone how good he is behind the wheel. He's won back-to-back World of Outlaws titles, making him the king of dirt tracks. Yet when Schatz agreed to drive for Tony Stewart this year, he had to prove to his new boss that he has what it takes to three-peat -- and, maybe, compete in either the Nationwide or Sprint Cup series. Schatz said yesterday that he'll consider all options if Stewart decides to leave Joe Gibbs Racing to form a NASCAR team. Stewart acknowledged last month that he has considered opting out of the final year of his contract with JGR to explore ownership options. "I don't know exactly what Tony is thinking of doing," Schatz said. "If something else comes along, I'll evaluate it and maybe want to make a move. The main focus for us right now is to be on the dirt [tracks]. I feel like I can race with those [NASCAR] guys, and sure it's in the back of my mind. It's not something I'm dead-set on doing, and I'm not going to trade the ranch for it, but it's definitely something I would try given the right opportunity."(Richmond Times Dispatch)(5-24-2008)
  
  
• Castroneves considering moving to NASCAR UPDATE Denied: Helio Castroneves, who is seeking to win his third Indianapolis 500 this weekend, said he is considering following several other open-wheel racers and moving to NASCAR but has made no decision yet. "I won't deny that I'm thinking about it," Castroneves said Monday night. "It would be great to one day try the [stock] cars. But at this point I'm focusing on Indy cars and winning the Indianapolis 500 again." IndyCar is making a stepped-up effort to market its drivers, much as NASCAR already does, especially Castroneves and Danica Patrick, who last month became the first woman to win an Indy car race. Castroneves said the renewed interest in the IndyCar Series sparked by the merger and Patrick's victory is one reason why he might not switch. However, Castroneves said he's also intrigued how other open-wheel drivers have migrated to NASCAR and is debating whether such a move is appropriate for him. "It depends on the opportunity," he said. "It's all about the timing and I'm not sure if the timing is right." Castroneves' opportunity is better than many other drivers, though. He now drives for Team Penske, whose owner Roger Penske already has a three-car Sprint Cup team and could add one more under NASCAR's rules. And one of Penske's stock cars is driven by three-time IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr., Castroneves' former teammate, who switched to NASCAR this season. (Penske's other Cup drivers are Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman.) Hornish was the latest big name former open-wheel racer to jump to NASCAR, a growing list that includes Juan Pablo Montoya, 2007 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti and Patrick Carpentier. Castroneves said his contract with Team Penske is up for renewal after this season. Asked if he had talked to Roger Penske about his interest in NASCAR, Castroneves said, "We're going to talk after Indy."(Los Angeles Times)(5-21-2008)
  UPDATE: Castroneves said Wednesday he doesn't plan to leave the IRL's IndyCar Series for NASCAR any time soon. Refuting a story in Wednesday's editions of the Los Angeles Times that speculated on Castroneves following former IRL stars Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti to NASCAR as early as the 2009 season, Castroneves said his comments were taken out of context. "It's kind of strange to print a statement like that," said Castroneves, who will start fourth in Sunday's 92nd running of the Indy 500. "I did not understand much. I found my English is apparently getting worst. (They) definitely took it out of context."(ESPN.com/AP)(5-22-2008)
  
  
• John Andretti gets Indy 500 ride: John Andretti will attempt to qualify for his ninth Indianapolis 500 in the #24 Roth Racing car. Andretti, who started 24th and finished 30th last year in a Panther Racing-prepared car in his first Indy 500 since 1994, will replace Jay Howard in the seat for the race. Howard, the 2006 Firestone Indy Lights champion, passed the Rookie Orientation Program earlier in the week and practiced May 6. He has finishes of 22nd, 14th, 13th and 13th in IndyCar Series races this season. "As a result of the days lost due to weather, and losing our chief engineer (David Cripps) days before the start of this month, we found ourselves behind the 8-ball," team president Margaret Roth said. "John brings with him a wealth of experience, which can help us build two competitive cars for the 500. Jay will be back at Milwaukee. He has our full support. He's a great driver."
  "I want to feel it out a little bit, and see what we can do," Andretti said on the way to pit lane for the tail end of practice preceding qualifications for the first 11 spots in the 33-car field. He topped 220 mph on three laps. Team owner-driver Marty Roth will attempt to qualify for his fourth 500-Mile Race in the #25 car. He has a high finish of 24th in 2004.(Roth Racing), Andretti skipped Darlington and Lowe's testing to find an Indy 500 ride and Jeff Green attempted and failed to get the #34 Chevy into the race at Darlington.(5-10-2008)
  
  
• Road Racer looking for Cup Options: In the midst of a hectic stretch of sports car races in both the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Series, Atlanta-area race car driver David Murry is also beginning to cast his NASCAR line out in an effort to land a Sprint Cup ride for the road course races at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen. "The timing is right to look at those teams that might be able to use my help," said Murry. "Specifically, those teams that aren't in the Top 35 in points and who don't have an experienced road course driver might just need to look elsewhere to get them in the show. I'm hoping they look my way. I'm ready, willing and able." Murry is no stranger to Sprint Cup road course events. He's recorded numerous qualifying attempts at both venues and even made a start at Watkins Glen with the defunct Phoenix Air Racing Team.(PR)(4-26-2008)
  
  
• Pressley adds page to family's GPS legacy: Asheville's [NC] Coleman Pressley became the first third-generation driver to see the checkered flag at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. "This is my biggest win, ever," Pressley said. "I have been trying so hard here. My grandfather won here, and my dad [former Busch and Cup driver Rovert] won here, and this is just terrific. We got flames (on his car) this week, and maybe they made the difference. I've been trying so hard and we finally got it all together." Richard Childress's grandson, Austin Dillon was third. See full story at the Greenville Pickens Speedway site.(4-14-2008)
  
  
• Bubba In The Garage? Could James "Bubba" Stewart leave motocross to pursue a career in NASCAR? "I'm trying to convince him four wheels are better than two," said Max Seigel, the president of global operations at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Stewart was Siegel's guest on Sunday at Daytona, the first Cup event he has attended. The 22-year-old phenom said Siegel has "hinted around with it a lot" about putting him in a developmental program. "Yeah, I'd like to try it," he said. "Once I came down saw all the people, all the merchandise, that definitely interests me." Stewart reminded that there were five times as many people at the 500 [185,000] as there are at a motocross event.(ESPN.com)(2-18-2008)
  
  
• Andretti still looking for 2008 ride: John Andretti says he is looking for a ride for 2008 and won't totally rule out a return to #49 BAM Racing in the future. Andretti drove 15 Cup races last year, including 14 for BAM and had been slated to drive for the team until a couple of weeks ago when the team put Ken Schrader in the driver's seat for the season-opening Daytona 500. For now, the only thing solid for Andretti is this weekend, where he will drive in the Rolex 24 At Daytona for Indianapolis Motor Speedway/Indy Racing League CEO Tony George, who will be one of Andretti's teammates along with Anthony Foyt IV and others. "I think the sponsorship [at BAM] didn't come through like they had hoped - they're still working on it," Andretti said Thursday in the Daytona garage. "That's all I really know. ... I'm out looking and talking." Andretti said he anticipates participating in the Las Vegas test Monday and Tuesday if he can finalize a deal with a Cup team. Andretti wouldn't confirm which team he would test with, although one possibility would be Front Row Motorsports, which he drove for last year. He also said he has talked to teams in other NASCAR series. He also is seeking an Indianapolis 500 ride. "I probably am going to do a few races in the truck series, and then we'll see," said Andretti, who has 355 career Cup starts. "Everything happened so late [at BAM]; it happened after the new year. I guess I thought I was going to be doing that, so [now] I've got to change course." Andretti didn't rule out a return to BAM, which hasn't named a driver for anything past the opening race.(sceneDaily.com)(1-25-2008)
  
  
• BAM Racing has Schrader at Daytona, Andretti unlikely: BAM Racing has not solidified its driver lineup beyond the Daytona 500. Ken Schrader will attempt to qualify the #49 for the team with sponsorship from healthlife.com, BAM Racing marketing coordinator Rhett Vandiver said Tuesday. A sponsor for the Budweiser Shootout is still to be named and a driver beyond Speedweeks is still to be determined, Vandiver said. Vandiver also confirmed that John Andretti, who drove for the team at the end of last season, likely would not return to the seat.(Scenedaily.com)(1-23-2008)