With NASCAR on a temporary hiatus, news is going to be slow in the coming weeks. To help fill the NASCAR void, we plan on taking you on a daily trip down memory lane spanning the years since the Jayski’s site inception. Using our news archives pages, here’s a look back at what’s happened on this date through the last 23 years in NASCAR:
This day in NASCAR history: March 18
Years we have pulled today’s main items from: 2017, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1998, 1997
To see everything from this date over previous years: 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997
Note: Many links on older stories don’t work. There’s not a lot of the same websites around anymore.
2017:
Edwards says he has no plans to return to racing: The Phoenix Raceway garage was buzzing this weekend with rumors that Carl Edwards would be back racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage next year, but Edwards says he has no plans to return. Edwards announced in January that he would leave Joe Gibbs Racing to pursue interests outside of racing. In a text exchange Saturday afternoon with FoxSports Tom Jensen, Edwards wrote, “Like I said at the press conference, I had no racing plans then and do not now. There is no hidden agenda – those three reasons are it.”(FoxSports)[More](3-18-2017)
2015:
Jesse Jones hot dogs out at Martinsville: When fans go to the concession stand at Martinsville Speedway next weekend seeking the “Famous Martinsville Speedway Hot Dog,” for the first time in nearly seven decades the red hots and chili will not be produced by Jesse Jones Southern Style Hot Dogs.
Calling it a business decision, the track has elected to switch to Valleydale Hot Dogs, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, which is a primary sponsor on Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Sprint Cup car, driven by Aric Almirola. But according Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway, the new hot dog and chili will taste the same as the old standby.
“Does anybody think I’m crazy enough to change something so iconic and so cherished as the ‘Famous Martinsville Speedway Hot Dog?’ ” Campbell told NASCAR Talk. “We’re not in the habit of taking steps backward, we’re always going forward. The fans will still have the ‘Famous Martinsville Speedway Hot Dog’ and it’ll be just as good as it has been. I assure you that. We wouldn’t do anything to change that. Number one, my grandfather would come back to get me if I did, and Bill France Jr. would be after me. So we’re not changing it to where fans will notice any difference whatsoever. The color, taste and texture will still be the same.”
The move ends one of the longest-standing relationships between a speedway and vendor in NASCAR annals, said Jesse Jones motorsports marketing director Stephen Drummond. (NBC Sports)(3-18-2015)
2012:
Keselowski wins at Bristol: #2-Brad Keselowski won the Food City 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway for his 1st win of the year, his 2nd win in a row at Bristol and 5th win of his career. Keselowski led the most laps with 215. It is the 10th win at Bristol for Penske Racing, all in the #2 car (7 by Rusty Wallace, 1 by Kurt Busch, 2 by Keselowski).
#17-Kenseth finished 2nd followed by #56-Truex Jr., #15-Bowyer, #55-Vickers [in his first start of the season, also led 125 laps], #31-Burton, #1-McMurray, #42-Montoya, #48-Johnson and #27-Menard. The pole sitter, #16-Billfe, led 41 laps and finished 13th.
Drivers caught up in wrecks included #5-Kahne, #99-Edwards, #18-Busch, #9-Ambrose and #24-Gordon, finished deep in the final results.
THere have been four different race winners in the first four races, four different pole sitters [and none have won] and a different manufacurer win in each of the first four races.
There were 5 cautions for 49 yellow flag laps. There were 13 lead changes among 7 drivers. The estimated attendence was only 102,000, down from 120,000 in 2011.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Bristol Race Results page (pdf).(3-18-2012)
2010:
NASCAR To Meet With Edwards, Keselowski: NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Wednesday that officials from the sanctioning body will meet with #99-Carl Edwards and #12-Bred Keselowski and their respective team owners at some point this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Food City 500. What Pemberton wouldn’t discuss is what is likely to be said at those meetings. But it’s a pretty good bet there will be a stern warning to both drivers to stay away from each other. In April 2009 at Talladega Superspeedway, the two made contact at the start-finish line on the final lap of the race. Keselowski won, Edwards bounced off the hood of Ryan Newman’s car and into the catchfence separating the cars from the grandstands. At Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 7, the two locked horns again, this time twice. The first contact, which occurred early in the race, resulted in Edwards going into the wall and losing more than 100 laps for repairs. The second contact occurred two laps before the scheduled end of the Kobalt Tools 500, when Edwards deliberately bumped Keselowski, turning his car sideways, whereupon it rolled upside down on its roof at 190 miles per hour. For making that move, Edwards received probation for three races.(SPEED)(3-18-2010)
Marlin done racing: Sterling Marlin, retired after 30 years as a driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series, is involved in the sport in a new role: team owner.
Well, sort of. Marlin is listed as co-owner of a new team, BD Racing, which plans to compete in the Sunoco National Tour this season, but Marlin said his role is mostly as an “advisor.’’ BD Racing is named for Bryan Dant, an acquaintance of Marlin’s from Nashville’s Fairgrounds Speedway. The team is fielded out of Performance Motorsports shop in Richmond, Mich. Brian Oritz, a 21-year-old kart champion from Puerto Rico, will drive for the team. The first of the 10-race schedule starts March 27 at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. As for his own driving plans, Marlin – who had run a limited Cup schedule the last few years – has a Late Model car that he may race some at the Fairgrounds. A promoter hopes to run a final few races on the old track that’s scheduled to close this summer. Marlin said he may also take an occasional trip to Montgomery. As for Sterling’s Sprint Cup career: “It’s over,” Marlin said. “I won’t be racing any more.” Marlin said he hasn’t attended any races this year, not even to Daytona as a spectator. “I don’t think I’d enjoy just standing around watching,” he said. “I might go down to Talladega when they run there … I haven’t decided for sure.” The budding racing career of his daughter Sutherlin has been put on hold while she undergoes treatment for an eye problem. Son Steadman has no ride prospect on the immediate horizon.(Racin’ Today)(3-18-2010)
2009:
Budweiser to leave NASCAR? #9 car? Now comes word that one of NASCAR’s longest running sponsors and one many fans consider synonymous with the sport is pulling out. Budweiser had already dropped their official status in 2008 after 9 years. Anheuser-Busch was also a longtime sponsor of the sports most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Junior having sponsored the driver from his debut in 1999 until his defection to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. It was in 2008 that Bud moved their sponsorship to Gillette-Evernham Motorsports and driver #9-Kasey Kahne 
[supposedly thru 2010]. Belgian company Inbev purchased Anheuser-Busch [Budweiser] in July of last year, a controversial and unpopular move. Since then the company has been trimming staff and divisions. In December last year the company laid off some 1000 workers or about 6% of its total workforce. And there is talk that when done the layoffs could total up to 15 percent of the total workforce. The company is also rumored to be seeking a buyer for its theme parks, which include Sea World and Busch Garden properties and significantly scaling back their presences in sports. In motorsports Anheuser-Busch recently announced that they would be ending a 30-year partnership with the NHRA’s Kenny Bernstein. First as a driver and more recently as a team owner, Bernstein has won six championships under the Bud colors. A source confirmed that Budweiser’s decisions concerning the NHRA and going forward would be made to redirect dollars to a non-sports-enthusiast audience. Add to that the fact that over the winter, the Gillette-Evernham team merged with Petty Enterprises to form Richard Petty Racing. The Petty family has always been staunchly against sponsorship from any type of alcoholic beverage maker to the point of refusing to display contingency stickers when one of their teams won a ‘Bud Pole” award. Combined with the economy, the new Anheuser-Busch corporate philosophy and the Petty family legacy 2009 will most likely be the last one for Budweiser.(NASCAR Examiner)
Kahne hopes to keep Bud: Kasey Kahne says Anheuser-Busch appears committed to him and the Sprint Cup series even though the beer company on Monday ended its sponsorship with the NHRA and Kenny Bernstein Racing. “We have another year with Budweiser,” Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge, said during a Wednesday tire test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “They’ve been great to work with. They’ve been my favorite sponsor I’ve ever had. I hope we do things to keep them happy and keep impressing them and keep working with them for a long time.” Anheuser-Busch officials could not be immediately reached.(ESPN)(3-18-2009)
2008:
Terry Labonte could return to racing? Two-time Cup champion Terry Labonte has enjoyed his cameo appearances at the track and would do so again. “A couple of years ago I ran some races for a team and they called me about this race and that race,” Labonte said Monday, chuckling while recalling the story. “I said, ‘Man, I’ve already got a fishing trip planned, and invited a bunch of my friends and stuff. They’ve already made their plans. I can’t change them.’” Labonte and his past champion provisional would be available, under the right circumstances. Labonte subbed three times for Michael Waltrip in 2007 to help guarantee the #55 Camry a spot in the field, and told the Richmond Times-Dispatch last year he would’ve helped old boss Rick Hendrick had Casey Mears fallen out of the top 35. But Labonte made it clear that an appearance would be less about a past relationship and more about running at tracks that he enjoys. He admitted that he’d love to compete at the road races, where his proficiency is well-noted, and he also mentioned short tracks like Richmond as a preference. More than anything, he doesn’t want to have a negative effect wherever he goes. “Like I told one guy, the only way I’d be interested in doing it is if everybody’s onboard with it,” Labonte said. “‘Cause I don’t want this [driver] to think I’m trying to take his job, because the last thing I want is his job. If I could help them, I would.” With Dale Jarrett’s retirement from points competition, his provisional is out of play. Labonte’s past champion provisional from his 1996 title would take precedence over Bill Elliott’s crown from 1988. Teams are considering switching owner points with past champions to guarantee spots in the field-Matt Kenseth/Jamie McMurray and Terry’s brother Bobby Labonte/Kyle Petty serving as examples-but the champs are running well enough that racing their way in on speed is likely, giving Terry Labonte’s provisional value.(Long Island Press)
AND [Petty Racing] Team officials planned to meet Monday afternoon to discuss options for the #45 car, including the possibility of putting another driver temporarily behind the wheel. Petty Enterprises could switch points between Petty and Bobby Labonte, who could get in on a past champion’s provisional if he failed to make it on speed. But their obligations to sponsor General Mills, which backs Labonte’s car, make that a long shot. A more viable option might be calling on another Labonte — Bobby’s brother Terry, also a past champion, who Petty Enterprises was thinking of putting in the #45 car for road course events anyway. “We could do the Bobby thing, but we don’t want to do that because of the sponsor thing,” team vice president Robbie Loomis said Sunday. “We could call on brother Terry. He might be willing to help us out a little bit. We could use him to start the race. He’s got the championship status like they have with Bill [Elliott] and with Dale Jarrett. So that’s an option for us, too. But ultimately, we’d like to leave Kyle in there as the driver of the car, and have him make the race.”(NASCAR.com)(3-18-2008)
2007:
Yates still sees challenges in Unleaded Fuel usage: Doug Yates [#38, #88 Roberts Yates Racing Fords] has had a chance to pull apart and examine the engines from the first two races in the unleaded era, and he sees some challenges ahead. In fact, Yates said, his engines came within, say, 10 laps of wholesale failure in unleaded’s debut at California. “We came back from Fontana and every engine we had was almost broken,” said Yates, chief of Roush-Yates Engines, which produces all motors for Ford’s NASCAR fleet. “Some were broken and just didn’t fail on the track. The 21 car [Ken Schrader/Wood Brothers] broke. #99-Carl Edwards’s engine was broken and he didn’t even know it. It must have broken coming to the checkered flag or on the way to the garage. “I’ve talked to the other engine builders in the garage, and they say this is a way bigger challenge than we all thought it was going to be.” NASCAR has used unleaded gas in the Craftsman Truck and Busch Series for a few years [actually started in 2006]. It decreed last year that unleaded would become the mandate beginning at California this year. The California and Las Vegas races were the laboratories. Yates said he saw few problems with valves and valve seats, which had been thought to be most vulnerable with the new fuel. Lead has lubricating properties, and unleaded fuel deprives the engine of much of that inherent lubricity. But it goes much deeper than that. “What people don’t understand is anything you change in these engines is a big deal,” Yates explained. “I’m getting tired of hearing people on TV saying, ‘Oh, it’s just unleaded fuel.’ It’s a very hard change for the engine guys. The initial thing was valves and valve seats; that continues to be a problem. But what people don’t understand is they reduced the octane from 112 to 98. Whenever you reduce octane, the fuel burns faster, so now you’re microwelding rings, breaking pistons, having [fuel] distribution issues. It used to be when you lowered the octane, you lowered the compression. Well, obviously in racing, you’re not going to lower the compression, so the tuning of the engine is probably the toughest thing.” Doug, son of legendary team owner Robert Yates, studied engineering at North Carolina State, and he admits the change to unleaded has been a major mental puzzle. “I should have gone for my master’s,” he said with a smile.(source: Ford Racing site)(3-18-2007)
2003:
Goodyear NOT leaving NASCAR: Goodyear Officials say there’s nothing to talk about the company looking for a way out of NASCAR, a topic of speculation over the weekend. Adding fuel to the fire was an ad buy by Michelin on the FOX broadcast, making Michelin a presenting sponsor of the event. Goodyear has been in the financial wringer the past few months, with financial losses, layoffs, and a much-publicized reorganization. The last Goodyear was in trouble, during the 1987-88 buyout attempt, [NASCAR’s Bill] France reached for the phone and invited Hoosier Tire into the game, setting off two costly tire wars (1988-89 and 1993-94). There was speculation that Michelin’s ad play arose, perhaps, from just such an invitation, with NASCAR seeking to ensure a reliable supply of tires. According to Goodyear, not so. Goodyear’s contract with NASCAR as exclusive supplier is through 2007 and was renewed last fall. Michelin? “They’re a South Carolina company [U.S. operations based in Greeneville, S.C.], and that’s just the way they play,” marketing director Rick Heinrich said Friday. “They like to jab at us. We’ll jab back when the time is right.”(Speed Channel)(3-18-2003)
2001:
DJ wins Darlington: #88-Dale Jarrett wins the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington, his 25th of his career and 9th year in a row that Jarrett has had a Cup win. Jarrett had the HANS device on. Jarrett’s win is Ford’s first of 2001 and the first not in a Chevy. The others in the top five: #1-Park, #12-Mayfield, #26-Spencer and #40-Marlin. Jarrett now leads the Winston Cup points championship by 65 points over #10-Benson and #40-Marlin. 24-Gordon who entered the race leading the points drops to 4th after encountering Overheating problems that cooked his engine and put him out of the race, finishing 40th. Jarrett also becomes the first driver of the year to win the NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus of $50,000 for leading the points and winning the race (Bobby Labonte last won the award, $50,000 at Lowes/Charlotte on Oct 8, 2000). 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. See unofficial results at That’s Racin’: Dodge Dealers 400 results and see a story at: Jarrett’s Ford first at Darlington.(3-18-2001)
See Jarrett’s winning paint scheme and others from 2001.
2000:
Little E’s Problem UPDATE 2: got this from quite a few readers – “….on the scanner today(at Atlanta on Sunday), was listening to the #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr team and it was relayed that the speed sensors that were put on the car to relay telemetry for TV somehow cut or rubbed a hole in the brake line that caused Earnhardt’s problem”(3-13-2000)
UPDATE: … Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s day ended early when a television(not a camera, but telemetry for Mph, RPM etc) sensor cut a brake line(PitNow)(3-14-2000)
UPDATE 2: Dale Earnhardt Jr. confirmed that a wheel sensor placed on his car last week by ABC came off and sheared his brake line early in the race, causing him to hit the wall. Dale Earnhardt, owner of his son’s car, said at Atlanta he wasn’t going to let TV put that kind of sensor on the car again(Total Sports)(3-18-2000)
#25 Special Paint: Lance, Inc. is spearheading a campaign to re-launch its “Gold-n-Chees” cracker product with an attractive paint scheme for the #25 Team Rensi Motorsports Chevy for the March 25 BGN Cheez-It 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Lance Racing Chevrolet will shed its normal orange and white paint scheme for that of a primarily red and gold colored car for the Bristol race(PR)(3-18-2000)
shot of the #25 Chevy that Kenny Wallace and Andy Santerre will run. From the Kenny Wallace site(2-3-2000)
See this, and other Busch, – now XFINITY – Series schemes from 2000.
1998:
According to an AP news story, Darrell Waltrip will sell his race team after this Sunday’s Darlington race. He said he has spent $1 million dollars out of his own pockets this season, that he can’t continue doing that, and that he tried owning his own team, and it just isn’t working. He said he was not sure how the sale would affect him, and whether he will race March 28 in Bristol, Tenn., and the rest of the 1998 Winston Cup schedule.(WRAL/StockCarFans)(3-18-98)
1997:
Homestead Raceway has started construction on renovations that will make the track a true oval and not like a small Indy anymore. In present configuration the track is disliked by CART, BGN and Truck series drivers and Winston Cup has shown no interest in scheduling a race there in it’s present setup. Owners are hopeful that the changes will attract a Winston Cup race in 1998(3-18-97)
Click a link below for a full listing of news from each year:
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