THE NEXT Winston Cup RACE
NEWS, STATS and INFO

THE RACE: Protection One 400

Winston Cup Race #29 of 36 for the 2002 Winston Cup season

Updated: often, leading up to the race

---

• Race: Sunday, September 29, 2002 in Kansas City, KS
• TV: NBC – 1:00pm/et
• Race re-air: TNT on Tues, Oct 1st at 1:00am/et; Speed Channel on Wed, Oct 2nd, 8:00pm/et; Thurs, Oct 3rd, 1:00am/et
• Pre-Race Show: NBC – 12:30pm/et – Hosted by Bill Weber
• Pay Per View/NASCAR In Demand: www.indemand.com
• NASCAR.com’s NASCAR on TV
• Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach
• Pit Reporters: Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider, Dave Burns
• Posted Awards/Purse: $4,601,173 (was $3,996,953 in 2001)
• Entry List Link at: Kansas Speedway and NASCAR.com
• 2001 Race Winner: Jeff Gordon, 110.576mph, started 2nd
• Track Race Record: Jeff Gordon, Sept 2001, 110.576mph
• Track/Race Length: 1.5 mile oval, 267 laps, 400.5 miles
• Pit Road Speed: 45mph
  

  ---

  Practice

• Practice: Friday, September 27th, 12:20 – 2:20pm/et; Saturday, September 28th, 10:30 – 11:15am/et.
• Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, September 28th, 12:15 – 1:00pm/et on TV-TNT at 1:00pm/et.
  

  ---

  Qualifying

• Qualifying Draw: Friday, September 27th, 11:20am/et
• Qualfying Order: at or NASCAR.com
• Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Friday, September 27th at 4:05pm/et, TV-Speed Channel and live via MRN Radio, XM Satellite Radio and via NASCAR.com’s Racecast (paid). Re-air on Speed Channel at 8:00pm/et.
• NASCAR Online will have live lap-by-lap coverage of Winston Cup qualifying via the web (NOTE: this is a paid subscription service).
• Second-Round Qualifying: there is no longer a 2nd round of qualifying (since the 2001 season)
• Track Qualifying Record: Jason Leffler, Sept 2001, 176.499mph
• Last Year’s Pole Sitter: Jason Leffler, 176.499, finished 28th (not in Cup this year).
  

  ---

  Track Specs:
  Superspeedway: 1.5-mile quad-oval
  Banking: turns: 15 degrees; frontstretch: 10.4 degrees; backstretch: 5 degrees
  Straights: Frontstretch – 2,721 feet; Backstretch – 2,207 feet
  Attendence: 75,000

• Track Homepage: Kansas Speedway

  
  
  

  ---

  RACE BONUS INFO

• The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus is $240,000 at Kansas for leading the points and winning the race (Sterling Marlin last won the award, $20,000 at Darlington on March 17, 2002). The $360,000 annual award is paid at $10,000 per race to the point leader at the end of each event if he is also the winner. The award increases by $10,000 each week the it goes unclaimed. If the point leader is not the race winner at the end of the year, the balance of the award is distributed among the top-10 finisher in the point standings. The all time record WAS $190,000 for Bobby Labonte’s win at Indy in 2000.(9-22-2002)

*************************************************************

• Jeff Gordon wins the Protection 400 at Kansas #24-Jeff Gordon is the only Cup driver ever to win a Cup race at Kansas Speedway, leading the most laps, it is Gordon’s 61st career Cup win. #12-Ryan Newman ended up 2nd with #2-Rusty Wallace 3rd, #25-Joe Nemechek (his first top five of the year and since winning at Rockingham last November. #9-Bill Elliott finsihed 5th:

  #24-Gordon (116 laps led)
  #12-Newman (81 laps led)
  #2-Wallace
  #25-Nemechek
  #9-Elliott (3 laps led)

  #8-Earnhardt Jr (10 laps led)
  #17-Kenseth
  #20-Stewart
  #19-Mayfield
  #48-Johnson, 1 lap down

  Drivers on the lead lap: 9
  Lap Leaders (10): #12-Newman(81); #8-Earnahrdt Jr (10); #29-Harvick(48); #21-Sadler(1); #10-Benson(2); #6-Martin(1); #9-Elliott(3); #24-Gordon(116); #99-Burton(3); #45-Petty(2);
  Off Track/DNF: #74-Raines(accident-out); #22-Burton(accident-out); #7-Atwood(accident-out); #89-Shepherd(accident-out); #88-Jarrett(engine-out); #55-Biffle(accident-out); #32-Craven(engine-out); #26-T Bodine(engine-out); #49-Kirby(engine-out); #40-Marlin(accident-out); #99-Burton(engine-out); #6-Martin(engine-out); #10-Benson(accident-out); #41-Spencer(accident-out);

  Cautions 11 for 51 laps
  Caution 11 262-263: #10-Benson tapped #41-Spencer, both hitting the wall, collecting #28-Rudd and #19-Mayfield. NASCAR red flagged the field right after the yellow was thrown.
  Caution 10 248-252: Debris on the back stretch.
  Caution 9 149-152: #40-Marlin got loose and the #99-Burton slightly got into the #40, the #40 went haed first into the wall hard, but Marlin got out under his own power.
  Caution 8 142-146: #49-Stuart Kirby lost and engine and put down some fluid on the track.
  Caution 7 112-116: #1-Steve Park hit the wall hard after breaking loose in turn 4.
  Caution 6 102-106: Debris on the backstretch.
  Caution 5 76-79: #55-Biffle and #41-Spencer banged doors, Biffle got loose and spun around and hit the outside wall.
  Caution 4 44-49: #77-Blaney spun coming off turn 4 and thru the front stretch grass, looks like another lost right front tire.
  Caution 3 30-32: #89-Morgan Shepherd got loose and backed off the throttle and #45-Petty tapped the #89 who spun, collecting the #60-Sprague and #36-Schrader cars.
  Caution 2 20-26: #15-Waltrip slaps the wall after cutting a front right down.
  Caution 1 7-14: #74-Tony Raines abruptly turned left when his left rear tire came apart, hitting #36-Ken Schrader and causing a multi-car accident which included #7-Atwood, #21-Sadler, #18-Labonte, #22-Burton, #30-Green, #1-Park, #44-Nadeau and #49-Kirby. The #7, #18, #74 and #22 were the most damaged.
  NOTES: During the last caution it was reported that the #6-Martin car is having engine problems and he took one more lap and brought the car in and parked it as it would not start, two other Roush cars #97 and #99 went out with motor problems. On the last scheduled pitstops around laps 205-210, #29-Harvick had to re-pit as a lug nut was loose. Around lap 170 #48-Johnson cut doen a tire, but was able to get the car into the pits and get the tire change, but lost a lap. During the caution 8 stops, #8-Earnhardt Jr and #6-Martin had very long stops as they had problems in the pits. On lap 92, #10-Benson got loose, tapped #2-Wallace and went down to the apron, but saved the car and only lost a few spots. #12-Newman and #24-Gordon made their first pit stops during the 4th caution. On lap 41, #32-Craven came into the pits with a possible engine/radiator problem. Some drivers that pitted under the 2nd caution included: #88, #30, #26, #40, #29 and #18, most of the leaders stayed out.
  Results: at or NASCAR.com.(9-29-2002)

• Rumblings – Kansas: 11 cautions….one red flag….attrition was very high. A slug of DNF’s (16 of ’em), the most since we had 19 drivers out at the end of the Daytona 500 in February of 2001. Joe Nemechek (4th) had his best finish since he won at Rockingham in November of 2001. His Top-5 gives us 30 drivers at that level this season, last year’s number was 34. His Top-10 gives us 40 drivers to hit that mark this year…..last year’s number was 45. Jeremy Mayfield (9th) had his best finish since he was 5th at Richmond in May. Terry Labonte (12th) had his best finish since he was 12th at Pocono in July. Robby Gordon (13th) had his best finish since he was 3rd at Watkins Glen in August. John Andretti (14th) had his best finish since he was 11th at Watkins Glen in August. Elliott Sadler (18th) had his best finish since he was 10th at Loudon in July. And, at the other end of the spectrum, Ward Burton finished last for the second week in a row, the 3rd time this year, and it’s his 7th finish in the 40’s this season.
  STREAKIN….Ryan Newman has 5 Top-10’s in a row. Matt Kenseth has 4 Top-10’s in a row. Tony Stewart has 4 Top-10’s in the last 5 races. Jimmie Johnon has 4 Top-10’s in the last 5 races.
  This Week’s Elevator…UP: We had a tie for The Operator of the Week Award….Matt Kenseth (+20) and Elliott Sadler (+20). DOWN: The Big Dropper was Dale Jarrett (-33), followed by Sterling Marlin (-26), Ward Burton (-24), and Michael Waltrip (-22). Losers outpaced gainers by a 2-1 margin…sounds like the Dow, huh?
  We’ve got our 4th different points leader this season. Ward Burton led week 1, Sterling Marlin led from race 2 to 25, then Mark Martin took the point for the last two weeks. Now, Jimmie Johnson has the top-spot, though it’s by the narrowest of margins (11 points).(StockCarFans.com)(9-30-2002)

• Happy Hour Practice at Kansas is over – Labonte wrecks but is OK: (being televised on TNT NOW). The fastest was #1-Steve Park at 171.135mph, followed by #48-Jimmie Johnson at 170.967 and #24-Jeff Gordon at 170.837. Slowest were #89-Morgan Shepherd at 164.885 and #49-Stuart Kirby at 166.868. #18-Bobby Labonte walked (limping a bit) to an ambulance after breaking loose and hitting the wall hard at the beginning of Happy Hour practice and will have to go to the backup car for the race and go to the rear of the field before the green flag. For speeds see .(9-28-2002)
• Dale Jr wins the pole at Kansas: #8-Dale Earnahrdt Jr won the Bud Pole for the Protection One 400 with a new track record of 177.924mph, his 2nd pole of 2002 and 6th of his career. #48-Jimmie Johnson will start 2nd at 177.854 and #12-Ryan Newman will start 3rd at 176.898, both also broke the old track record of 176.499, set last year by Jason Leffler.
  Lineup/Qual Results below and at:
  
  NASCAR.com(9-27-2002)

• Some Paint Stuff: #18-Bobby Labonte has Banquet foods on the hood of the Interstate Batteries Pontiac, #10-Johnny Benson has the Zerex paint scheme. And as announced before, #36 Pedigree and #41 Engergizer schemes will also run.(9-27-2002)
• Saturday AM Practice at Kansas is over. Fastest was #12-Ryan Newman at 174.769mpjh, followed by #97-Kurt Busch at 173.589 and #24-Jeff Gordon at 173.477. Slowest were #89-Morgan Shepherd at 167.463 and #74-Tony Raines at 168.993.
  For speeds see .(9-28-2002)

• Dale Jr wins the pole at Kansas: #8-Dale Earnahrdt Jr won the Bud Pole for the Protection One 400 with a new track record of 177.924mph, his 2nd pole of 2002 and 6th of his career. #48-Jimmie Johnson will start 2nd at 177.854 and #12-Ryan Newman will start 3rd at 176.898, both also broke the old track record of 176.499, set last year by Jason Leffler:

  Pos
  Sched
  Qual
  Pos
  Actual
  Qual
  Pos
  Car#
  Driver
  Manu
  Qual Speed
  Friday
  Practice
  Speed
  Practice
  Speed
  Rank
  Provisional
  Rank

  1
  7
  7
  8
  Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  Chevy
  177.924 TR
  177.038
  4
  14

  2
  35
  35
  48
  Jimmie Johnson
  Chevy
  177.854 TR
  177.456
  1
  2

  3
  23
  23
  12
  Ryan Newman
  Ford
  176.898 TR
  177.247
  2
  7

  4
  9
  9
  15
  Michael Waltrip
  Chevy
  176.482
  176.528
  6
  15

  5
  6
  6
  9
  Bill Elliott
  Dodge
  176.240
  176.183
  9
  9

  6
  18
  18
  88
  Dale Jarrett
  Ford
  176.211
  175.724
  11
  11

  7
  16
  16
  40
  Sterling Marlin
  Dodge
  176.062
  175.171
  16
  4

  8
  36
  36
  20
  Tony Stewart
  Pontiac
  175.999
  176.499
  7
  3

  9
  12
  12
  6
  Mark Martin
  Ford
  175.879
  173.745
  36
  1

  10
  30
  30
  24
  Jeff Gordon
  Chevy
  175.879
  176.355
  8
  5

  11
  31
  31
  2
  Rusty Wallace
  Ford
  175.856
  175.936
  10
  6

  12
  4
  4
  25
  Joe Nemechek
  Chevy
  175.838
  177.206
  3
  37

  13
  46
  46
  97
  Kurt Busch
  Ford
  175.827
  176.702
  5
  12

  14
  38
  38
  19
  Jeremy Mayfield
  Dodge
  175.581
  175.313
  14
  28

  15
  24
  24
  99
  Jeff Burton
  Ford
  175.370
  174.639
  24
  13

  16
  5
  5
  26
  Todd Bodine
  Ford
  175.347
  174.560
  27
  33

  17
  39
  39
  1
  Steve Park
  Chevy
  175.342
  175.678
  12
  35

  18
  3
  3
  5
  Terry Labonte
  Chevy
  175.308
  174.622
  26
  24

  19
  37
  37
  22
  Ward Burton
  Dodge
  175.154
  175.234
  15
  26

  20
  28
  28
  32
  Ricky Craven
  Ford
  175.137
  174.639
  25
  16

  21
  45
  45
  43
  John Andretti
  Dodge
  175.046
  174.740
  23
  31

  22
  17
  17
  31
  Robby Gordon
  Chevy
  175.023
  174.893
  18
  21

  23
  22
  22
  60
  Jack Sprague
  Chevy
  174.944
  174.853
  19
  none

  24
  13
  13
  30
  Jeff Green
  Chevy
  174.865
  174.836
  20
  17

  25
  44
  44
  74
  Tony Raines
  Chevy
  174.735
  174.820
  21
  46

  26
  29
  29
  29
  Kevin Harvick
  Chevy
  174.459
  174.295
  31
  20

  27
  33
  33
  17
  Matt Kenseth
  Ford
  174.340
  173.975
  33
  8

  28
  42
  42
  23
  Kenny Wallace
  Dodge
  174.199
  173.583
  38
  32/out

  29
  40
  40
  55
  Greg Biffle
  Chevy
  174.126
  173.294
  39
  29

  30
  15
  15
  28
  Ricky Rudd
  Ford
  174.092
  174.984
  17
  10

  31
  1
  1
  18
  Bobby Labonte
  Pontiac
  174.076
  173.807
  35
  18

  32
  2
  2
  4
  Mike Skinner
  Chevy
  174.070
  174.492
  29
  34

  33
  41
  41
  45
  Kyle Petty
  Dodge
  174.014
  174.255
  32
  22

  34
  8
  8
  77
  Dave Blaney
  Ford
  173.868
  175.416
  13
  19

  35
  26
  26
  10
  Johnny Benson
  Pontiac
  173.105
  174.317
  30
  25

  36
  20
  15
  14
  Mike Wallace
  Pontiac
  173.082
  172.927
  40
  38

  37
  19
  19
  7
  Casey Atwood
  Dodge
  172.794
  172.276
  42
  36

  38
  21
  21
  21
  Elliott Sadler
  Ford
  172.601
  172.872
  41
  27

  39
  25
  25
  36
  Ken Schrader
  Pontiac
  172.568
  173.689
  37
  30

  40
  14
  14
  44
  Jerry Nadeau
  Dodge
  172.485
  174.514
  28
  39

  41
  11
  11
  11
  Brett Bodine
  Ford
  171.985
  174.780
  22
  40/out

  42
  27
  27
  41
  Jimmy Spencer
  Dodge
  171.358
  173.868
  34
  23

  43
  43
  43
  27
  Kirk Shelmerdine
  Ford
  170.697
  167.240
  46
  61

  44
  34
  34
  51
  Carl Long
  Dodge
  170.670
  169.603
  44
  60

  45
  10
  10
  49
  Stuart Kirby
  Dodge
  170.261
  171.543
  43
  42

  46
  32
  32
  89
  Morgan Shepherd
  Ford
  168.602
  167.744
  45
  51

  PROVISIONALS and MISSES

  Pos
  Sched
  Qual
  Pos
  Actual
  Qual
  Pos
  Car#
  Driver
  Manu
  Qual Speed
  Friday
  Practice
  Speed
  Practice
  Speed
  Rank
  Provisional
  Rank

  37P
  27
  27
  41
  Jimmy Spencer
  Dodge
  171.358
  173.868
  34
  23

  38P
  21
  21
  21
  Elliott Sadler
  Ford
  172.601
  172.872
  41
  27

  39P
  25
  25
  36
  Ken Schrader
  Pontiac
  172.568
  173.689
  37
  30

  40P
  19
  19
  7
  Casey Atwood
  Dodge
  172.794
  172.276
  42
  36

  41P
  14
  14
  44
  Jerry Nadeau
  Dodge
  172.485
  174.514
  28
  39

  42P
  10
  10
  49
  Stuart Kirby
  Dodge
  170.261
  171.543
  43
  42

  43P
  32
  32
  89
  Morgan Shepherd
  Ford
  168.602
  167.744
  45
  51

  DNQ
  11
  11
  11
  Brett Bodine
  Ford
  171.985
  174.780
  22
  40/out

  DNQ
  34
  34
  51
  Carl Long
  Dodge
  170.670
  169.603
  44
  60

  DNQ
  43
  43
  27
  Kirk Shelmerdine
  Ford
  170.697
  167.240
  46
  61

  (Speeds compiled from watching Speed Channel and listening to MRN radio)

• Some stats pages:
  Provisional Land/Standings
  2002 Provisonals Used
  Did Not Qualify (DNQ)
  Budweiser Shootout 2003

• Lineup/Qual Results also at:
  
  MotorsportsOne
  NASCAR.com(9-27-2002)

• Pole Progression at Kansas: (who had the pole first, who got it next and who ended up with it)
  #18-Bobby Labonte, 1st out to qualify, 174.076, starts 31st
  #5-Terry Labonte, 3rd out, 175.308, starts 18th
  #25-Joe Nemechek, 4th out, 175.838, starts 12th
  #9-Bill Elliott, 6th out, 176.240, starts 5th
  #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr, 177.924, on the pole.(9-27-2002)

• Friday Practice is over at Kansas, the fastest were #48-Jimmie Johnson at 177.456mph, followed by #12-Ryan Newman at 177.247 and #25-Joe Nemechek is the fastest at 177.206mph. The track record is 176.499mph, held by Jason Leffler from 2001, the first Cup race held there. For speeds, see .(9-27-2002)
• Qualifying Order is up for the Protection One 400 at Kansas. See above for the links. 46 cars/drivers are listed, no one dropped off the Entry List. First scheduled out is #18-Bobby Labonte, last scheduled out is #97-Kurt Busch.(9-27-2002)
• Entry List for the Protection One 400 at Kansas Speedway is already up, see above for the links. 46 cars/drivers are listed, the 40 regulars and #27-Kirk Shelmerdine, #49-Kevin Lepage, #51-Carl Long, #60-Jack Sprague(team debut), #74-Tony Raines and #89-Morgan Shepherd. Imagine there will be some changes as Long has supposedly left the #51 team and Shepherd attempted to make the race in the #51 at Dover and withdrew his own team #89.
  UPDATE: been announced that Stuart Kirby will be in the #49. Also been told the Carl Long will be in the #51 car with SR Engines.(9-23-2002)

• How to break a tie during qualifying?(same speed/time) When drivers are tied for a starting spot during qualifying, it is broken by owners points standings(not drivers). For provisionals standings see the Jayski’s Provisional Status page
• an interesting point: When NASCAR officials decided to disallow Jerry Nadeau’s qualifying time at Daytona in Feb 2001, it raised an interesting question. With the Winston Cup series having only one round of qualifying the rest of the season, what happens if an unapproved part is found? According to NASCAR, drivers no longer have to post an official qualifying time to use a provisional, they only have to practice. So a driver could have a penalty on a qualifying issue but still have access to one of the seven provisionals for the race(Richmond Times Dispatch)(2-11-2001)
• Links: Practice speeds, qualifying and results can be found at these
  sites: NASCAR Online and on my Race Results/Points page

**********************************************************************

TRACK/RACE NEWS

• A Proposal at Kansas: Michael Reed of Kansas City got down on one knee, air gun in hand, at the Richard Petty tire-change challenge at Kansas Speedway. His girlfriend, Kimberly Oliver, was by his side. He started working on the tire and then suddenly dropped the gun. He turned to Kimberly, still kneeling, and popped the question.(what did she say? see the full story at the : Kansas City Star)(9-28-2002)
• Joe Montana and Reggie Jackson Grand Marshal’s at Kansas: Football legend Joe Montana will be the grand marshal for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Protection One 400 on Sunday. And Mr. October himself, baseball great Reggie Jackson will be the grand marshal for the NASCAR Busch Series Mr. Goodcents 300 on Saturday. Saturday s race is not Jackson s only involvement with motorsports. Earlier this year he formed having formed Herzog Jackson Motorsports and became a co-owner of the #92 Excedrin QuickTabs Chevrolet with co-owners Bill, Stan and Randy Herzog in the BGN.(Kansas Speedway PR)(9-24-2002)
• National Anthem at Kansas: Jessica Andrews will sing the national anthem for the Protection One 400 at Kansas Speedway. Andrews was named Top New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2000 following the release of her No. 1 album “Who I Am.” Andrews, 18, has toured with Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Trisha Yearwood, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Live! With Regis and Kelly.” The Huntingdon, Tenn., native, is in the studio working on her third album. Her second album, “Who I Am,” went gold three weeks after its release. The.title song from that album became her first No. 1 country hit. Patti DiPardo-Livergood will sing the national anthem for Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series Mr. Goodcents 300. The Kansas City native and Kansas City Chiefs musical director has been in the entertainment business since her childhood days, having accompanied her father, Tony “Mr. Music” DiPardo. She plays numerous musical instruments including percussion, horns and keyboards. While not entertaining and wowing the crowds with her music, she can be found creating video pieces one of which was an award-winning piece for the rededication of the Liberty Memorial Monument in Kansas City, Mo., this past May.(Kansas Speedway PR)(9-24-2002)
• New Right Side Tire at Kansas: Goodyear will have a new right-side tire next weekend at Kansas Speedway. Goodyear officials have found that since the track has aged a year, its grip has changed. The right side tires, tested by #24-Jeff Gordon earlier this year, should provide that extra grip.(Roanoke Times)(9-21-2002)
  UPDATE:Contrary to published reports, Goodyear will not introduce a new tire this weekend at Kansas Speedway, says Rick Campbell, Goodyear team leader.(Sporting News)(9-24-2002)

• Lights at Kansas for 2003? For the second straight year, more than 75,000 fans endured 90-degree-plus temperatures and filled Kansas Speedway for both Saturday’s CTS and Sunday’s IRL races. And in September, about 100,000 fans, including those who watch from motor-home parking on the infield and motor-home terrace, will attend the Sept. 28-29 BGN and Winston Cup races. So speedway president Jeff Boerger plans to petition the board of directors of International Speedway Corp., parent company of the speedway, and seek approval to expand the year-old facility by 5,000 to 8,000 seats and to install lights for night racing. The board will meet in September at ISC headquarters in Daytona Beach, FL. The speedway was built with the eventual plan to double in size by completing grandstands in sections until they surround the 1.5-mile tri-oval. The infrastructure for electricity and water lines were installed when the $260 million facility was built, making expansion easier and more economical. The light poles are already in place with plates in which lights can be affixed. The initial expansion would add seats to the lower grandstands in turn one, the 3,000 people on the waiting list for season tickets would get the first opportunity for the new seats. By adding lights, which would cost in excess of $2 million, Kansas Speedway could not only attract a second Winston Cup or IRL date, it could bid for NASCAR’s all-star race, The Winston, which NASCAR is considering rotating much like other sports rotate their all-star games. If Kansas Speedway had lights, Boerger said either or both the July Craftsman Trucks or IRL races could be held at night, depending on the desire of NASCAR and the Indy Racing League.(Kansas City Star)(7-9-2002)
• Wait and See for softwalls at Kansas: Don’t expect to see “soft walls” in place for racing anytime soon at Kansas Speedway. Jeff Boerger, president of Kansas Speedway, said he will wait and see how the walls perform at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before making any decisions on use at his track.(Kansas City Star)(5-3-2002)

• How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Bristol(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph
• Past track news: posted in the past at Jayski’s Past Track News/Rumors – Kansas Speedway

**********************************************************************

DRIVER/TEAM NEWS

• Teen Safety 500 program at Kansas: Georgia-Pacific Corp. brings its Teen Safety 500 program to two Kansas City area high schools on Thursday, Sept. 26. Shawnee Mission North High School and Shawnee Mission West High, both in Overland Park, have been selected to participate in this innovative program that extends Georgia-Pacific’s involvement with NASCAR to spread the message of safe driving among teen-agers. NASCAR driver Kyle Petty will be on hand to present the Georgia-Pacific Teen Safety 500 program to students. The program will include various local dignitaries, Georgia-Pacific representatives and Petty speaking to students about the importance of safety behind the wheel. After the assembly, students will have the opportunity to view an actual NASCAR Winston Cup car outside the school and receive autographs. Activities begin at 10 a.m. at Shawnee Mission North High School. The Georgia-Pacific Teen Safety 500 program is in its second year, with students from four states logging more than 400,000 safe miles in 2001. Kansas City is the fourth of six stops the Teen Safety 500 will make during the 2002 NASCAR season. Student drivers at the two schools will sign a safe-driving pledge to remain violation-free with no crashes during a three-week period. Once registered at Georgia-Pacific’s Web site, students will have the opportunity to win prizes for themselves and their school. Both schools will receive a cash contribution from Georgia-Pacific for their participation. The school with the highest ratio of students completing three weeks of safe driving will win an additional contribution. Georgia-Pacific will provide participating students with a variety of prizes for those who log safe miles, including MP3 players, phone cards from Sprint, and product coupons from McDonalds and Sonic Drive-In. One winner will be chosen from all participating students nationwide to win the grand prize – a $1,000 gift card from Best Buy. Petty will be joined by Romell Cooks, regional administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Patrice Pomeroy, assistant bureau chief of traffic safety for the Kansas Department of Transportation; Tracie Kalic, education program consultant for the Kansas State Board of Education; Col. Donald Brownlee, Kansas Highway Patrol; George Wurtz, president of paper and bleached board for Georgia-Pacific; Dr. Chuck McLean, principal of Shawnee Mission North High School and Dr. Karl Krawitz, principal of Shawnee Mission West High School.(Williams Company PR)(9-24-2002)
• Kirby Testing the #49? UPDATE in at Kansas: hearing the BAM Racing #49 Cup team is testing with Stuart Kirby at Kentucky on Wednesday and Thursday, 9/11 & 9/12.(9-11-2002)
  UPDATE: Twenty-year-old Stuart Kirby, the Bowling Green, Ky., native who has run under the watchful eye of several top Winston Cup owners, will drive the BAM Racing’s #49 MNR Productions Dodge in Sunday’s Protection One 400 at Kansas Speedway. “We are so excited to have a driver with Stuart’s skills and talent in our car at Kansas,” said Beth Ann Morgenthau, owner of BAM Racing. We had been watching him for several races, and really appreciated his abilities. The more we watched what he could do, the more we thought he had a solid future in Winston Cup racing,” she said. “Obviously, this one race won’t make or break him but we are very anxious to see how he handles himself. Kirby has started eight races in the BGN this year, driving for [#34] car owner Jimmy Spencer. “As the word started getting out at Dover this past weekend, it was amazing how many people kind of eased over and asked about him,” Morgenthau said. “When we said, ‘Yeah, he’s going to be running at Kansas for us,’ just about every one said the same thing – ‘That’s a great decision.’” Kevin Lepage ran a solid race at Dover this past weekend for BAM Racing before an accident put him out of the event late. The team appeared to be headed to a top-25 finish prior to that. Like many first-year teams, BAM Racing has tried several drivers this season. “We want to be the best race team we can possibly be,” Morgenthau said. “Every person at BAM is working very hard to reach that goal. We’ve tried different things with the car and different things in the car. And the progress is there because of it. Many of the changes have been really good ones. Bringing in Scott Eggleston as crew chief a few weeks ago has made a profound difference. And each driver has added something to our effort by design,” she added. “The things that have remained constant – Ernie Elliott’s engines, for example – have been great for us as well. We’re looking forward to a really good weekend for this MNR Productions Dodge.”(Williams Company PR)(9-23-2002)

• New Team to debut at Kansas: The #60 Haas CNC NASCAR Winston Cup team and driver Jack Sprague will test at Lowes Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday with many other Cup teams with plans to make their 2002 Winston Cup debut later this month in the Protection One 400 at Kansas Speedway. And after a less-than-exemplary performance at a Lowe’s test in May caused the new team to cancel its planned debut in the Coca-Cola 600 at LMS later that month, they hope this session will tell them exactly how much progress they’ve made this summer. They tested three cars — one a brand new piece and the others the same ones they ran at Lowe’s in May’s test — on the 1.5-mile Kentucky oval last month and were pleased with the results. Crew Chief Dennis Connor said the team has an industrious testing schedule planned for the next two months, along with racing and testing the #24 NetZero BGN Chevy. “We’ll have a total of four Winston Cup races: Kansas, Charlotte, Rockingham and Homestead.”(NASCAR.com)(9-3-2002)
• See the 2002 Team Chart which has links to past news for each team and info on each team. And see my 2003 Team Chart

**********************************************************************

PAINT SCHEME NEWS

• Schrader has a different Pedigree at Kansas: The #36 team and driver Ken Schrader will trade in its familiar “M&M’s” paint scheme this week for the Pedigree Dog Food [Yellow and Blue] colors. It is one of six races [Atlanta (Mar), Lowes (Winston, Coke 600), Indy, Kansas, Phoenix] this season that the Pedigree car will appear on track.(M&M Mars Motorsports)(9-26-2002)
• Energizer Scheme? the Bunny? UPDATE: hearing Jimmy Spencer will run a Energizer Battery scheme sometime this season on the #41 Dodge, will be at Kansas.(4-30-2002)
  UPDATE: Target Chip Ganassi Racing will feature a new paint scheme for the Protection One 400 at Kansas Speedway on September 29. St. Louis-based Energizer will be the featured artwork on the #41 Energizer Dodge driven by Jimmy Spencer
  for this one event. The black and silver trim paint scheme will feature the famous Energizer Bunny® on the hood of the car.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR), see an image of the car on the Paint Scheme Gallery.(9-17-2002)

• More Paint Scheme news can be found on Paint Schemes Gallery, choose current news

*************************************************************

• Some Kansas/NASCAR Stats and Facts: Only three drivers have won the Winston Cup championship without posting a victory on a short track: Dale Earnhardt (1993), Bobby Labonte (2000) and Jeff Gordon (2001). The points leader after the 20th race of the season went on to win the championship in each of the last nine years [Sterling Marlin in 2002]. The winner of the Brickyard 400 has gone on to become the champion in each of the last four years [Bill Elliott in 2002]. Under the current point system, never has a season’s Winston Cup champion finished last in a race twice. Some Lap leader news: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has led at least one lap in 16 races in 2002, more than any other driver. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart have each led the most laps in four races, more than any other drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart have all scored 90 lap- leader bonus points, more than any other drivers. Forty-four drivers have led at least one lap in 2002. Did ya know? The 2001 Protection One 400 was the first Winston Cup race in the
  state of Kansas. There have been 12 first-time race winners on the Winston Cup circuit since the 2000 Daytona 500. There were only 15 first-time winners during the entire decade of the 1990s. Dick Hutcherson posted nine victories in 1965 in what was his first full-time season in Winston Cup (Grand National) racing, but he was not eligible for Rookie-of-the-Year consideration since he was a former champion of another series.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(9-27-2002)

• Aero Rules for GM to get another look UPDATE: NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said that NASCAR would would review the kick-out on front air dams allowed on the Chevy and Pontiac in Sunday’s Southern 500. Hunter said, however, that early indications point to allowing the rule to remain in effect for the rest of the season. A 1-inch kick-out was given to the Chevrolets at Michigan as was a 1/2-inch allowance on Pontiacs. It was retracted last weekend at Bristol, then reinstated this weekend at Darlington on a week-to-week basis.()(9-2-2002)
  UPDATE: the GM front air dam rule will stay for the remainder of the 2002 season.(Fox Sports Net Totally NASCAR) AND NASCAR officials have announced that recent NASCAR Winston Cup Series rules modifications regarding Chevrolet and Pontiac air dams, in effect for races at Michigan and Darlington, will be in effect for the remainder of the season. The modifications were not in effect for the Aug. 24 event at Bristol. For the remainder of the season, the leading edge of the Chevrolets’ air dam must not extend more than 3½ inches forward of the bumper. For Pontiacs, the leading edge of the air dam must not extend more than 1½ inches forward of the bumper. Prior to the race at Michigan, the Chevrolets’ air dams could extend 2½ inches forward, while the Pontiacs’ air dams could extend 1 inch forward of the bumper. The leading air dam for Dodges and Fords must not extend more than 1½ inches forward of the bumper.(NASCAR PR)(9-4-2002)

• Provisonals Rules changed a bit: NASCAR Officials announced this week that teams in the Cup and BGN will not be charged for using a provisional starting position if the entry field for an event is equal to or less than the number of starting positions provided by the official entry blank.[such as 43 at a Cup race]. A team is granted a maximum season allotment of eight provisionals [charged provisional, if not in the top 25 in Owners Points] and under this amendment, provisionals assigned to fill starting positions 37-43 will not count against this allotment. Prior to this amendment, teams were charged for a provisional regardless of the number of entries at an event.(NASCAR.com). For more info on provisionals, see my Provisionals Status page.(3-21-2002)
• New Pit Road Rules: NASCAR will change its policies for speeding violations on pit road following confusion over an infraction for which eventual race-winner Sterling Marlin was never penalized a week ago at Las Vegas. NASCAR president Mike Helton announced the changes Sunday morning at the drivers’ meeting prior to the MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The new rules go into effect next weekend at Darlington Raceway. The key change is that, under green-flag conditions, the penalty for speeding on the way onto pit road will now be the same as the penalty for speeding off the pit lane. The new penalty will be what NASCAR is calling a “pass through,” meaning the offending car will have to come off the track and travel the length of pit road at its speed limit without stopping. Under the old rule, a car speeding on the way onto pit road during a green-flag stop was held for 15 seconds in its pit stall. A car speeding off pit road was brought back to its pit box for a stop-and-go penalty. During last week’s UAW 400 at Las Vegas, NASCAR officials said Marlin was speeding as he came to his pit stall after being spun out in Turn 4. NASCAR’s race control officials called for the 15-second penalty, but that message was not heard by the official working in Marlin’s pit stall. Marlin left without serving a penalty and NASCAR decided not to enforce any further sanction, saying that bringing Marlin back to pit road would be too severe of a penalty. Since the usual penalty for speeding on the exit to pit lane was to bring a car back in for a stop-and-go, that raised the question of why the sanction for speeding on the way out should be more severe for speeding on the way in. The rule change announced Sunday addresses that issue. Helton admitted Sunday that not giving Marlin a penalty last week might not have been the right decision. Helton said the change was made to avoid the kind of confusion and miscommunication that happened at Las Vegas. Under the rule that goes into effect next week, a driver speeding on the way in and on the way out on the same pit stop will be brought back in for a stop-and-go penalty. A driver who exceeds the pit road speed limit as he serves the “pass through” penalty for speeding will also get a stop-and-go. The penalty for speeding in or out of a pit stop made under yellow-flag conditions will not change – the offending car will be sent to the end of the longest line of traffic for the restart.()(3-10-2002)
  UPDATE: plus a nice breakdown at RacingOne:
  The New Pit Road Rules

  Speeding Entering Pit Road
  Current Penalty: 15 seconds
  New Penalty: Pass through at correct pit road speed.

  Speeding Exiting Pit Road
  Current Penalty: Stop and Go
  New Penalty: Pass through at correct pit road speed

  Entering and Exiting Pit Road
  Current Penalty: 15 seconds after stop; brought back for stop and go
  New Penalty: Stop and Go

  Speeding on Pass Through
  New Penalty: Stop and Go
  Multiple Violations: NASCAR’s Discretion.(RacingOne)(3-11-2002)

• Spoilers – not at Daytona/Talladega: the spoilers on the Winston Cup cars are as follows:
  Chevy: 6 1/4″ height, 55″ wide
  Dodge: 6 1/4″ height, 55″ wide
  Ford: 6 1/4″ height, 55″ wide
  Pontiac: 6 7/8″ height, 57″ wide
  70 degrees at intermediate tracks.(2-22-2002)

• Crew Chief Club

**********************************************************************

• note: this is not to promote gambling but to offer readers odds and ideas on what the
  ‘experts’ think about the upcoming race and the Cup series season

• Vegas Insider – Odds to Win the 2002 Winston Cup Championship and Vegas Insider – Protection One 400

**********************************************************************

STATS and STUFF

See the STATS and STATS Links page