March 18 -Today in Jayski’s NASCAR history

March 18, 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)
    • Goodyear Tire test at LMS March 17-18 UPDATE: Goodyear is scheduled to hold a tire test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway with four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams representing each of the series manufacturers next week in preparation for the track’s May races, including the 25th NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 16, and the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24. Drivers scheduled to test at #9-Kasey Kahne (Dodge), #48-Jimmie Johnson (Chevy), #47-Marcos Ambrose (Toyota) and #98-Paul Menard. During both days of the Goodyear tire test, Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s frontstretch grandstand will be open free of charge from 9am – 5pm and fans should enter through Gate 5A, located next to the main ticket office. Additionally, NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 ticket holders will have access to an infield grandstand on Wednesday, March 18, from 10am to 5pm, and can participate in a special fan forum featuring all four drivers from 12 – 1pm. Ticket holders for Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s May Cup races will need to check in at the speedway’s ticket office to receive verification of their ticket purchase before entering the infield at Gate 26.(LMS PR)(3-13/17-2008)
      UPDATE: The tire compound Goodyear brought to Las Vegas Motor Speedway last month got favorable reviews from drivers conducting testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, increasing the likelihood that the Vegas tire will be used going forward at mile and a half tracks like Lowe’s. Goodyear officials said the right-side tires in particular will be the new “control” tire at most intermediate tracks. Goodyear officials said the only reason the Vegas tire wasn’t used at Atlanta was that the tire for Atlanta had already been approved before the Vegas race.(3-18-2009)
    • Sponsor troubles for Mayfield? UPDATE denied by co-owner/sponsor: sources have told Frontstretch that thanks #41-Jeremy Mayfield to missing races at both Las Vegas and Atlanta, and being outside the top-35 in owners points, funding from All Sport and Big Red, Inc. could be in jeopardy as soon as following this weeks race at Bristol. Clearly, this weekend could be a make or break deal regarding their partnership for the 2009 campaign. Representatives of Mayfield Motorsports, when contacted, offered no comment on this report.(Frontstretch)
      UPDATE:response from All Sports Gary Smith: “All Sport remains dedicated to Mayfield Motorsports and driver Jeremy Mayfield,” said Gary Smith, Chairman and CEO of Big Red, Inc. and co-owner of Mayfield Motorsports. “As a company, All Sport made a long term partnership commitment and we are prepared to endure the highs and lows of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. In the event that another sponsor comes on board with Mayfield Motorsports, All Sport will remain involved as a partner.”(All Sport PR)(3-18-2009)
    • Testing at “Little Rock” Getting ready for the next two weeks of short track racing at Bristol and Martinsville, no less than eight Sprint Cup teams tested this week at “Little Rock”. That’s the nickname of the half-mile oval with concrete turns that was built adjacent to the Rockingham Speedway. The drivers turn laps there were #6-David Ragan, #17-Matt Kenseth, #07-Casey Mears, #29-Kevin Harvick, #31-Jeff Burton, #33-Clint Bowyer, #12-David Stremme and #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
      AND Testing (today) Wednesday [March 18th] at “Little Rock” were #1-Martin Truex, Jr., #19-Elliott Sadler, #43-Reed Sorenson, #44-A.J. Allmendinger and #26-Jamie McMurray.(PRN’s Garage Pass Radio Show)(3-18-2009)
    • F1 champion to be determined by race wins, NASCAR?: Formula One’s championship will be decided by the number of race wins and not accumulated points. Governing body FIA decided Tuesday that the current points system will remain in effect only to determine the driver’s title in the case of a tie, with points also determining the order of finish behind the overall champion. Under the new scoring system, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa would have won the 2008 championship ahead of Lewis Hamilton of McLaren. The Brazilian driver won six grand prix races to Hamilton’s five, but the British racer took the title by one point, 98-97, after finishing fifth in the season-ending Brazilian GP.(Associated Press)
      so…NASCAR? If NASCAR would have had this system since 2000, how would the champs look for those season?
      Year: Most Wins, Actual Champ
      2008: Edwards [9 wins], Johnson [7]
      2007: Johnson [10], Johnson
      2006: Kahne [6], Johnson [5]
      2005: Biffle [6], Stewart [5]
      2004: Johnson [8], Kurt Busch [3]
      (2004-2008 have used the Chase format)
      2003: Newman [8], Kenseth [1]
      2002: Kenseth [5], Stewart [3]
      2001: Gordon [6], Gordon
      2000: Stewart [6], Bobby Labonte [2]
      (stats from ESPN.com/Ed Hinton)(3-18-2009)
    • Hamlin Can Build On Car Number History at Bristol: Ned Jarrett drove the #11 car to a third-place finish in the first race at Bristol in July 1961. He also drove the car to its first victory at Bristol in July 1965. Since then, the #11 car has been synonymous with Victory Lane at the track. In 86 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since Jarrett’s victory, the #11 car has won the race 17 times. Credit team owner Junior Johnson, who fielded the #11 car for those 17 victories. Three-time champion Cale Yarborough drove for Johnson in the 1970s and made Bristol his personal playground, winning nine of 16 races from 1973-1980. Two that he lost were won by a flashy young driver named Darrell Waltrip. “The 11 number and Bristol certainly go together,” said Darrell Waltrip, who leads all drivers with 12 wins at the track. “With all of the wins Junior has been a car owner for, that makes that number special when you go to Bristol.” When Yarborough decided to scale back his career after the 1980 season, Waltrip gladly moved over to take the ride. “When I got out of the 88 and into the 11, I had my credentials and I was prepared, at the top of my game, and then they gave me that race car to drive … I couldn’t lose,” Waltrip said.(NASCAR PR)(3-18-2009)
    • ESPN2 to Have Live Coverage as NASCAR Legends Return to Action at Bristol: ESPN2 will have live coverage as some of the greatest names in the history of NASCAR return to action for a special charity race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 21, at 6:00pm/et. And just as many great drivers will be racing again, Ned Jarrett, a mainstay of ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR from 1986-2000, returns to the air to join his son, ESPN lead NASCAR analyst Dale Jarrett, and lap-by-lap announcer Dr. Jerry Punch in calling the action in the Scotts Saturday Night Special. Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, David Pearson, Harry Gant and ESPN analyst Rusty Wallace are among the 12 legends of NASCAR who will compete for 35 laps in late model stock cars. The winning driver will earn a $25,000 donation for the charity of his choice. The race airs following ESPN on ABC’s live coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Scotts Turf Builder 300 event at Bristol that day at 2:00pm/et. Others in the race, all former winners in NASCAR competition at Bristol, include Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, Phil Parsons, L.D. Ottinger and former NASCAR Nationwide Series champions Jack “Iron Man” Ingram and David Green. Wallace will be ESPN’s “In-Race Reporter” and will talk via radio with Dale Jarrett during the telecast. Allen Bestwick will host the telecast and pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch.(ESPN PR)(3-18-2009)
    • Legends test at Bristol: One look at Junior Johnson strapped into his #11 race car with old-fashioned goggles wrapped around his helmet, and it was like taking a step back in time. Johnson was one of several former Bristol Motor Speedway winners testing Tuesday at the .533-mile oval in preparation for this weekend’s Scotts Saturday Night Special. Also taking to the track was Harry Gant, Jimmy Spencer, Jack Ingram, Rusty Wallace, L.D. Ottinger, and Phil Parsons. The last time Johnson, who won the 1965 Southeastern 500 at BMS, raced at BMS the track was asphalt – and it was much different. “When it was first built, you run off in the first and second turn like you went down a hill,” said the 77-year-old Johnson. “Now, it is so much smoother. I haven’t been on it since the last time they redid it, but I can tell it is a lot smoother. The pavement was kind of humpy and bumpy, so it’s got to be better (than it was). Jack Ingram, who earned 31 victories and two championships in what was then the Busch Series, now the Nationwide Series, won the second race in that series ever held at BMS, in 1982. Now 72, Ingram didn’t seem intimidated by anyone on the track. Harry Gant, 69, winner of 18 Sprint Cup victories and 21 in the Nationwide Series, was the 1992 Budweiser 250 winner at BMS. Other drivers expected to compete in the Saturday Night Special are David Green, Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Phil Parsons and Larry Pearson. Former BMS winner Larry Pearson will be subbing for his father, David, who was scheduled to be in the race. Track officials learned earlier this week that reoccurring issues with the elder Pearson’s back will prevent him from taking part in the event.
      Among the celebrities testing Wednesday will be Ray Everham, Andy Petree, Brad Daugherty, and former NFL star Brad Compton. Other competing in the race are Frank Beamer, Terry Bowden, David Akers, Bill Jordan, Riki Rachtman, Doug Herbert, Ron Capps and Greg Anderson. The celebrities will run 15-lap or 10-minute heats to help determine the starting spots of their pro driver teammates, who then will run 35 laps. The Saturday Night Special will take place after the completion of the Scotts Turf Builder 300 Nationwide Series race and will be followed by a 100-lap UARA late model event.(BMS PR)
      AND: GDSI Racing with driver Sterling Marlin are preparing for Bristol Motor Speedway on March 21st. Marlin will compete in a 50 lap late model celebrity race where celebrities will be paired up with drivers. Andy Petree will drive the first 15 laps and Sterling Marlin will drive the final 35 laps in the Legend brands Chevy Monte Carlo. The winning team will win $25,000 for the charity and Sterling Marlin and GDSI Racing have selected The Epilepsy Foundation of Middle and West TN, second place will receive $10,000 and the rest of the starters will receive $5,000. The race is slated as the first “Saturday Night Special”.(GDSI Racing PR)(3-18-2009)
    • Newman’s Pit Road Pets crew to photograph fans with their pets: NASCAR’s pet loving fans will have an opportunity to join their favorite drivers in the upcoming book Pit Road Pets: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets, the Second Lap. The Pit Road Pets crew will be photographing fans with their pets during the upcoming Bristol, TN race weekend. Following the success of the Ryan Newman Foundation’s first charity book, Pit Road Pets: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets, the foundation will be producing a second edition that will not only feature NASCAR’s biggest stars with their furry family members, but also NASCAR’s biggest fans with their own pets. One hundred percent of the net proceeds will be donated to humane efforts nationwide. Photographer Karen Will Rogers will be taking pictures of NASCAR fans with their pets at the Pit Road Pets tent in the Earnhardt Campground at the Bristol Motor Speedway from 9am to 2pm on Saturday, March 21 and from 9am to 2pm on Sunday, March 22. Fans are encouraged to stop by the booth with their pets to have their family photos taken. The first edition of the Pit Road Pets book will be on sale at the Pit Road Pets booth from Noon to 4 PM on Friday, March 20 for a special discounted price of $18, which is a savings of $7. Everyone who purchases a book at the tent will receive a complimentary Pit Road Pets tee-shirt. Books can also be purchased at Newman’s track-side merchandise trailer or ordered online at www.ryannewman.org.(Ryan Newman Foundation PR)(3-18-2009)
    • Congrats: Two members of the #29 Shell-Pennzoil RCR team of Kevin Harvick have recently welcomed new additions to their respective families. Shock specialist Chris Chase is the proud parent of twin girls, Hayden and Addison, born on Feb. 27. Engine tuner John Goodwin is the father of a baby girl, Ella Grace, born on March 12.(RCR PR)(3-18-2009)
    • Sad News – Hal Marchman: “Shalom and amen.” With that trademark ending to prayers he offered before every Daytona 500 for 46 years, the Rev. Hal Marchman endeared himself to race car drivers and hundreds of thousands of their fans. It was the Baptist preacher’s way of being inclusive, the same way he lived his life, whether he was counseling an alcoholic or persuading community leaders to take on some civic project. Marchman, 89, the retired pastor of Central Baptist Church, died unexpectedly at Indigo Palms Memory Care Facility on Sunday. After years of fighting dementia and memory loss, a sudden bout of illness ended his life, said his daughter Anne Marchman-Jones. “We feel like we got our fair share of time with him, but it’s hard because we didn’t expect (his death) to be so sudden,” Marchman-Jones said Sunday. Not only did Marchman pray with the drivers and fans before the race, he spent the rest of the day in the hospital area at the track to be available for drivers’ families if anyone was hurt. “Hal was a servant and a shepherd,” said NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip, adding that Marchman always “took good care of his flock.”(Daytona Beach News Journal)(3-16-2009)
      SERVICES: see full notice and info about services at the Daytona Beach News Journal.(3-18-2009)
    • StopRepairBills.com to Sponsor Key Motorsports: StopRepairBills.com has officially announced their sponsorship debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The company is launching a multi-race deal with Key Motorsports and the #40 Chevy driven by Scott Wimmer. The sponsorship deal is the first for StopRepairBills.com in the NASCAR Nationwide series with StopRepairBills.com brand as the primary sponsor for an initial 12 races. StopRepairBills.com and Key Motorsports will debut their new partnership in this Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.(Key Motorsports PR)(3-18-2009)
    • Menard making first start of 2009: This weekend, Paul Menard will make his first start in the Nationwide Series in 2009, running the #98 Richmond / Menards Ford.(Yates Racing PR)(3-18-2009)
    • St. Clair Foods to sponsor SK Motorsports in Bristol UPDATE 2: deal is off: David Green’s #07-SK Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series team will be sponsored by St. Clair Foods in next weekend’s Scotts Turfbuilder 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Officials from St. Clair Foods also said the company has signed a “multirace sponsorship” with more races to be announced later.(Scene Daily), see an image of the car on the #07 Paint Schemes page.(3-13-2009)
      UPDATE: Later that night, Green will also sport the St. Clair logo in the Saturday Night Special at Bristol. Green will be joined by other NASCAR icons driving late-model cars for charity in the 50-lap race. St. Clair Foods began in Memphis, Tennessee in 1976 making four signature salad dressings. Three decades later the company is one of the premier deli salad and frozen side dish manufacturers in the country.(St. Clair Racing PR)(3-14-2009)
      UPDATE 2: A two-race sponsorship deal intended for SK Motorsports’ Nationwide Series entry with driver David Green and St. Clair Foods was withdrawn today. “I regret that the two parties could not reach an agreement,” said David Goodman of Mountain Empire Sports Marketing Group, who was involved in brokering the agreement. “A failure to finalize exclusivity rights for St. Clair Foods by my company was central to the failed agreement.” St. Clair withdrew from the agreement because of the inability to reach an exclusive sponsorship agreement with SK Motorsports for this weekend’s Scotts Turf Builder 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway and a series race scheduled for later this year in Memphis.(Scene Daily)(3-18-2009)
    • JD Motorsports Names Sponsors: Johnny Davis Motorsports announces a multi race sponsorship from Cash4Gold, America’s #1 Gold Buyer and Refiner. A no-obligation request for a “Free Refiners Kit” through the team’s link or the toll free 1-800-527-1801 number will result in direct support of the team.
      In addtion, #01 driver Danny O’Quinn is receiving associate sponsorship from Food City and its 93 locations in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.(Johnny Davis Motorsports/Hufco Pro-Motion PR)(3-18-209)
    • “Toyota Skinner Round UP” raises big bucks for Charity: Celebrities gathered at Daytona International Speedway and Spruce Creek Country Club in Daytona Beach, Fla last week to raise money for charity during the 2009 Third Annual Toyota Skinner Round Up hosted by Mike and Angie Skinner. Over $134,000 was raised to benefit Volusia County charities over the two-day event.(Mike Skinner PR)(3-18-2009)

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