March 17, 2007
- Martin says, again, he will NOT race at Bristol next [this] week: For weeks, Mark Martin has been answering the questions. Would he or wouldn’t he run Bristol? Friday in the Atlanta Motor Speedway media center, Martin put those rumors to bed, for once and for all. So fans that want to watch him race will have to do so at this weekend’s Kobalt Tools 500, or miss him until the April 15 race at Texas. “There are mixed emotions, but the bottom line is that I’m gonna take a break,” Martin said. “Right now I’m doing what I love. I want to keep doing it and I want to keep loving it. There have been a few times in the past few years that I didn’t love it. I need a break.” He said this in spite of the pressure he’s been getting from former teammates Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton, who have bets riding on whether he’ll return for next week’s Bristol race. Both have said they expect him to race. “Last week I was trying to taxi the plane and my phone rang and it was Kenseth,” Martin said. “He called saying, ‘I wouldn’t have passed you on the last lap, but you aren’t running for points, so I did.’ We were hanging out the other night and he just kept at me; he’s relentless. I finally just had to get up and leave.”(AMS Pit Notes)(3-17-2007)
- Kyle Busch to test at Caraway next week UPDATE and Mears: Kyle Busch and his #5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team will test [a COT] March 20 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., to prepare for the April 1 Nextel Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway.(Hendrick Motorsports)(3-16-2007)
UPDATE: Casey Mears and the #25 National Guard/GMAC team are testing a COT at Caraway as well on Tuesday (3/20) to prepare for Martinsville.(HMS)(3-17-2007) - Bill France Hospitalized UPDATE 3: Former NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. was hospitalized Wednesday night at Halifax Medical Center, where he was under the care of his personal physicians. His condition was not known, and NASCAR officials confirmed only that the 73-year-old France had been admitted.(Associated Press)(3-14-2007)
UPDATE: Former NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. has been diagnosed with a virus, according to ESPN.com’s Marty Smith. France is already showing signs of improvement after being admitted to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach on Wednesday. France, 73, is under the care of his personal physician. He has struggled breathing recently as a side effect of extensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer since 2000. He has been relying on a motorized scooter to get around. France suffered a mild heart attack in 1997 while in Japan for an exhibition race. He was diagnosed with cancer two years later, but never revealed what type.(ESPN.com)(3-15-2007)
UPDATE 2: Bill France Jr. is alert and resting well at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, a NASCAR spokesman said Thursday afternoon.(SceneDaily.com)(3-16-2007)
UPDATE 3: NASCAR President Mike Helton said Friday that former NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. continues to recover from a recent illness. Helton joked that the 73-year-old France hasn’t lost his desire to be the boss. “He’s resting comfortably,” Helton said. “He’s giving orders, and everybody is responding accordingly.”(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(3-17-2007) - Taking Safety to the Short Tracks..LaJoie: Randy LaJoie announced the launch of his Safer Racer Tour Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Tour will visit short tracks all over the country to educate racers on the importance of safety. Only an estimated 30% of short-track race cars are up to safety standards. According to LaJoie, getting the safety features in the cars is an uphill battle. Cost issues as well as negative attitudes are a huge obstacle. Lajoie hopes to work with drivers, track promoters and even chassis builders to get the word out. “I want to educate these guys,” LaJoie said. “The rest of the industry doesn’t know what the top three divisions know. Some people just don’t know what could happen to them.” LaJoie is a two-time Busch Series Champion. His company, the Joie of Seating, has revolutionized the driver’s seat and is rapidly becoming the leading seat provider for drivers of all ages.(source: AMS Pit Notes)(3-17-2007)
- American Idol’s Simon Cowell to be judged by drivers on 60 minutes: #2-Kurt Busch, #15-Michael Waltrip and Racing Legend Mario Andretti will be the “judges” who critique Simon Cowell’s high-speed driving abilities in a segment in Sunday’s edition of “60 Minutes” on CBS, the show airs at 7:00pm/et. Cowell will be behind the wheel of a 600 horsepower, full-sized Indy-style race car in conjunction with the Mario Andretti Racing School. Busch will also be the special featured guest on Monday night’s edition of ESPN2’s NASCAR Now show, which airs at 6:30pm/et.(Tom Roberts PR)(3-17-2007)
- Kyle Petty Ride 2007 Plans announced: The 2007 Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride kicks off in Bar Harbor, Maine, on July 14 and will make overnight stops in Woodstock, Vt.; Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Gettysburg, Pa.; Hot Springs, Va.; Augusta, Ga.; St. Augustine, Fla.; and concludes on July 20 when riders will relax at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Fuel and overnight stops throughout the Ride will be marked by events and activities for fans, supporters and riders. On July 18, riders will stop at the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C., to meet campers and tour the grounds. This week, designed for children with burn, skin or craniofacial disorders, is funded by proceeds from the 2006 Charity Ride. As a result of The Ride’s efforts, 80 children will attend the 5-day camp session free of charge. In 2006, fans and spectators donated coins along the Charity Ride route through the “Small Change. Big Impact.” program. These donations totaled more than $53,000. For the fourth year, Chick-fil-A will serve as the title sponsor of the Charity Ride and recently announced its extension of the sponsorship through 2009. Other 2007 sponsors include Victory Motorcycles/Polaris Industries, Pilot Travel Centers LLC, SunTrust Banks, Sunoco (the official fuel of NASCAR), Wells Fargo, Coca-Cola, Dodge Motorsports, Sprint Nextel and Wincraft Racing. To learn more about the 2007 Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, visit www.kylepettycharityride.com.(PR)(3-17-2007)
- Rusty Wallace Inc hires development driver: Rusty Wallace, Incorporated (RWI) announced that 17-year old short track phenom, Chase Austin, has joined RWI Racing’s driver development program. This program will see Austin behind the wheel of an RWI #66 Dodge Charger for the entire 14-race NASCAR Busch East Series, with primary backing from RWI’s Busch Series sponsor, Atlanta, GA-based home builder, HomeLife Communities. Austin will join Steve Wallace, the youngest son of NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace, as one of the two drivers currently competing under the RWI banner. Wallace and Austin will pilot identically painted #66 HomeLife Communities Dodge Chargers prepared at the state-of-the-art RWI complex, located just north of Charlotte, NC. Though he is only 17 years old, Austin has won more than 100 feature races in go-karts, stock cars and sprint cars. Much like Rusty Wallace, Austin competed and won, in the Midwest-based American Speed Association before deciding to make the jump to NASCAR. With that in mind, Wallace, one of NASCAR’s top-ten all-time winningest drivers and ABC / ESPN’s Lead Auto Racing Analyst, is eager to help Austin become a pioneering and successful African American driver in one of NASCAR’s touring series and beyond. The NASCAR Busch East Series features 13 races, plus the NASCAR All-Star Showdown event, at 12 tracks, using cars similar to those in the NASCAR Busch Series. “While Chase is not a part of the Drive for Diversity program, we all definitely support it and fully believe in the cause,” Wallace said, “Right now though, Chase just wants to focus on driving for Rusty Wallace, Inc. and learning what it takes to win races at a higher level. We’re going to give Chase everything he needs to do just that. I really believe that he’s going to have a great year; if it goes as well as we hope, we could potentially be looking at Steve (Wallace) having a Busch Series teammate in 2008.”(RWI)(3-17-2007)
- Home Depot named 2007 Exclusive Retailer of NASCAR Day Pins:The NASCAR Foundation announced that The Home Depot will become this year’s exclusive retailer of NASCAR Day pins. NASCAR Day 2007 [scheduled for May 18], which is a little more than two months away, is an annual, charitable celebration of the spirit of NASCAR fans. In support of the initiative, the company will run a special NASCAR Day-themed paint scheme on the #20 The Home Depot Chevy driven by Tony Stewart at Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR Day pins will be available for a $5 donation at The Home Depot stores nationwide starting April 16 while supplies last. Proceeds raised from NASCAR Day pins at The Home Depot will equally benefit the NASCAR Foundation Family of Charities, which is comprised of over 30 nonprofit organizations supporting children’s causes, animal welfare and conservation efforts, and The Home Depot’s national nonprofit partner KaBOOM!, whose vision is to create a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. NASCAR Day is a one-day celebration of the NASCAR spirit and its fans. In exchange for a $5 donation, participants including NASCAR fans, corporations, schools and organizations across the country will receive a commemorative 2007 NASCAR Day lapel pin for their donation. NASCAR Day, which this year is scheduled for May 18, began in 2004 and celebrates its fourth observance in 2007. Annually held on the Friday prior to the Nextel All-Star Challenge in May, it has become one of the most important and fastest-growing traditions in the NASCAR Family. In 2006, NASCAR Day raised more than $1.3 million which included over 3,000 company locations across the country, over 100,000 pins sold online, 29 official state proclamations issued and NASCAR Day celebrations held worldwide. More info at foundation.nascar.com.(3-17-2007)
- Newman to the back: #12-Ryan Newman’s team changed engines after practice Saturday morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Newman won the pole, his 7th at AMS on Friday [tying Buddy Baker for the most all-time at the track]. Newman will start the Kobalt Tools 500 from the rear on Sunday, but is still credited the Budweiser Pole, his 38th of his career. See more on the 2008 Bus Shootout, pole records and more on my 2008 Bud Shootout page.(from SPEED’s Busch Series Qualifying coverage)(3-17-2007)
- Cancer Screening at AMS: With the recent passing of NASCAR driver Bobby Hamilton from head and neck cancer, this terrible killer is all too relevant. Now Atlanta Motor Speedway is teaming with the Yul Brynner Foundation in honor of Bobby Hamilton to help race fans with free early screening for this devastating disease, which kills more than 15,000 people each year. It will be the second year for the screening at AMS, with six private screening rooms available in the corporate display area in front of Atlanta Motor Speedway. The screening rooms will be open Saturday from 8:30am to 3:00pm and will be manned by doctors and nurses. Last year, head and neck specialists screened more than 200 race fans at AMS, catching many pre-malignant lesions and even some early cancers.(AMS Pit Notes)(3-17-2007)
- Steve Park searching for a ride: Steve Park, whose last NASCAR race was in a Busch car at O’Reilly Raceway Park last August, was in the garage at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday knocking on doors in the hopes of finding a ride for 2007. While driving a Cup car for DEI in 1998, Park was seriously injured in a crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He returned to race later that year, but in 2001 he suffered a brain injury in a violent crash during the Busch race at Darlington. In his only full season in the trucks (2004), Park finished ninth in points. The following year he won the second race of the season at California Speedway, but by the end of the season, Park and team owner Steve Gaughan went their separate ways. In 2006, Park started the season driving 10 races for James Harris’ CTS team but moved over to the Busch Series to compete in six races for James Marsh. “I’m here looking for a job,” Park said. “Atlanta is the first stop on the East Coast for a lot of these teams and I wanted to be here to talk to a few people about a ride in the truck or Busch series.” Park says it’s been tough for him to sit at home. “I was born to race,” he said. “I should be on the race track right now.” Park said he had a deal to get back in the Busch Series this season, but it fell apart a month before Daytona. “I spent a lot of time in the Craftsman Truck Series and enjoyed it,” Park said. “I’d like to get back into one for the rest of this season.” Park joked that during his time away from racing, he cut 10 strokes off his golf game. “Playing golf is great over the winter time when you know you have a job to go racing again in the springtime,” Park said. “But when the spring time comes and you’re not out there racing, it’s a bummer.”(Yahoo Sports)(3-17-2007)
- Dale Jr on SpeedFreaks: SpeedFreaks TV Guests this weekend include Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Extended Interview), Fourteen Time NHRA Funny Car Champion John Force, IndyCar Series Champions Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon, Drifting Champion Sam Hubinette, Heavy Metal Demigod Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, ABC/ESPN Motorsports Host Jamie Little. The show airss on ESPN Saturday at 11:30am/et and re-airs on ESPN2 Tuesday March 20 at 5:30am/et.(3-17-2007)
- Randy LaJoie Going on Safety Tour: Randy LaJoie announced the launch of his Safer Racer Tour Saturday at Atlanta. The Tour will visit short tracks all over the country to educate racers on the importance of safety. Only an estimated 30 percent of short-track race cars are up to safety standards. According to LaJoie, getting the safety features in the cars is an uphill battle. Cost issues as well as negative attitudes are a huge obstacle. Lajoie hopes to work with drivers, track promoters and even chassis builders to get the word out. “I want to educate these guys,” LaJoie said. “The rest of the industry doesn’t know what the top three divisions know. Some people just don’t know what could happen to them.” LaJoie is a two-time NASCAR Busch Series Champion. His company, the Joie of Seating, has revolutionized the driver’s seat and is rapidly becoming the leading seat provider for drivers of all ages.(Atlanta Motors Speedway PR)(3-17-2007)
- Steve Park Looking for a Ride: Steve Park, whose last NASCAR race was in a Busch car at O’Reilly Raceway Park last August, was in the garage at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday knocking on doors in the hopes of finding a ride for 2007. “I’m here looking for a job,” Park said. “Atlanta is the first stop on the East Coast for a lot of these teams and I wanted to be here to talk to a few people about a ride in the truck or Busch series.” Park said he had a deal to get back in the Busch Series this season, but it fell apart a month before Daytona.(Yahoo! Sports)(3-17-2007)
- JR Motorsports to run ‘SEALs’ scheme at Daytona: JR Motorsports unveiled the #88 Navy SEALs Chevy that Shane Huffman will drive in the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona. In honor and recognition of the Navy’s maritime Special Forces, the #88 Navy Chevyt will feature a special black paint scheme with the SEAL Trident on the hood for that event.(JR Motorsports PR), see an image of the car on the Paint Schemes Page.(3-17-2007)
- Skinner wins WIX Filters Lap Leader Award: Mike Skinner led five times for 67 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in the American Commercial Lines 200. Skinner took the honor for the second time in 2007. Skinner has led 11 times in three races this season for a total of 119 laps. Skinner won the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, crossing the finish line .711 seconds ahead of second-place Todd Bodine. The victory was the 21st of Skinner’s 132-race Craftsman Truck Series career. He scored the 10th victory in the series for Bill Davis Racing.(WIX PR)(3-17-2007)
- Raybestos Rookie Notes following Atlanta: Joey Clanton [#09 Zaxby’s Ford) was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race at AMS. Clanton finished ninth; his second top-10 in four career Craftsman Truck Series starts. Kelly Bires finished ninth, his best effort in four career starts.(Raybestos PR)(3-17-2007)
- Steve Park looking for a ride: Steve Park, whose last NASCAR race was in a Busch car at O’Reilly Raceway Park last August, was in the garage at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday knocking on doors in the hopes of finding a ride for 2007. “I’m here looking for a job,” Park said. “Atlanta is the first stop on the East Coast for a lot of these teams and I wanted to be here to talk to a few people about a ride in the truck or Busch series.” Park said he had a deal to get back in the Busch Series this season, but it fell apart a month before Daytona.(Yahoo! Sports)(3-17-2007)
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997