Chevron Luncheon? UPDATE 3 postponed/canceled Yes – the saga continiues: hearing there will be a luncheon of some sort at Lowe’s Motor Speedway next Tuesday afternoon held by ChevronTexaco (Havoline) to discuss its future in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.(8-10-2002) UPDATE: If youre a Ford fan, and you dont hear a driver named in Tuesday’ Ganassi and Havoline press conference, take a collective deep breath and keep those fingers crossed. Apparently, the powers that be who manage the Blue Oval Racing program have rounded up the cavalry and are throwing everything that they can think into a deal to keep Rudd, True Blue until his retirement years. This, like last week’ mention, is extremely preliminary, but the good fight is being fought to keep Rudd in-house and in a Ford.(Ford Racing)(8-11-2002) UPDATE 2: Ricky Rudd’s sponsor, ChevronTexaco, has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte and the assumption is that the driver’s future would be addressed. That, however, may not necessarily be the case. Rudd’s appearance at the gathering is not assured because his situation still remains “fluid,” sources said Sunday. There may be a possibility that ChevronTexaco would announce what Winston Cup team it will move to next season and Rudd’s future could remain unspecified. Should Rudd, rumored to become the driver for a third team at Chip Ganassi Racing next season, not have his situation resolved by Tuesday, the news conference might be canceled, sources said.(ThatsRacin.com)(8-12-2002) UPDATE 3: Chip Ganassi is expected to attend a press conference in Charlotte today to announce Chevron-Texaco’s Havoline brand as a new sponsor for a third Winston Cup team. And if Ricky Rudd’s attorneys have finished their examination of the contracts, he could be at the press conference also, as Ganassi’s new driver. The Rudd-Texaco-Ganassi package has been coming together not so quietly for several weeks, but the big news in the Ganassi camp could be about Jimmy Spencer. Last week, Spencer figured he would be coming back for another season with Ganassi, despite several weeks of speculation otherwise. Now, in the wake of Spencer’s Indy run-in with Kurt Busch, there is speculation again that Spencer’s ride is in jeopardy. If Ganassi does shake things up, there is increasing conjecture that the new man could be Bobby Hamilton. And there are indications that Jimmy Elledge, Hamilton’s current crew chief at Andy Petree’s, could be following him to Ganassi’s. Neither Hamilton nor Elledge has said what lies ahead after Jerry Jones buys into Petree’s team. Hamilton says he needs to run a Dodge on the Winston Cup tour because of his Dodge truck program.(Winston Salem Journal) BUT: am hearing this Press Conference has been postponed or canceled and will not take place Tuesday AND The Chevron Texaco/Havoline press conference scheduled for Tuesday morning at Lowe’s Motor Speedway has been canceled, according to the agency which administers the brand’s NASCAR services. No reason was given for the cancellation, and no follow-up date was announced. It is widely believed that Rudd and Havoline will migrate to a Chip Ganassi-owned team, although other team entities have been mentioned through the summer. Ganassi team officials would not confirm at third team, and there is also talk that Jimmy Spencer, driver of Ganassi’s #41, could be on the hot seat. Yates, meanwhile, will announce at some time that Mars Candy will take over as sponsor of #28, with driver Elliott Sadler, currently with the Wood Brothers. Mars, now with MB2, has offered substantially more money. Yates also has been vague, not entirely closing the door on a third team in 2003. Apparently a deal is very close, but this is very complicated, and minutiae could abort a planned announcement.(SpeedChannel) UPDATE 4: Chevron Texaco/Havoline announced Monday evening that its scheduled press conference for Tuesday at Lowe’ Motor Speedway to announce future plans in Winston Cup Racing has been cancelled. Insider speculation early in the weekend at Watkins Glen, N.Y. was that Texaco could go forward with their planned announcement this week; and likely announce a sponsorship deal with Chip Ganassi to field a third car with Ricky Rudd as driver. Saturday at The Glen brought word that high-level Ford officials wanted to make sure every opportunity, idea, and option had been explored to keep Rudd in Ford gear until his retirement. The idea was also advanced that perhaps Rudd would not attend the Chevron press conference, but that it could go on without him. Now, with this latest word form Chevron, it could signal a change in momentum for any deal that could have been coming together with Ganassi.(Ford Racing)(8-13-2002)
