March 19, 2009
- Bechtel Becomes Co-Owner of Tommy Baldwin Racing: Former NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series owner, Gary Bechtel [remember the #29 Cartoon Netwrok car?] joins forces with Tommy Baldwin to become a co-owner of Tommy Baldwin Racing. “This is an incredible opportunity that allows me to get back into racing,” Bechtel said. “I am very impressed with what Tommy (Baldwin) has been able to accomplish in just three months. I love his passion and his desire to be successful on the race track. I hope to bring the last piece of the puzzle that can make TBR one of the teams to watch each week.” Bechtel knows a thing or two about running a successful NASCAR race team. In 1990, Bechtel debuted onto the NASCAR scene when he formed Diamond Ridge Motorsports. Bobby Hamilton was slated as the first driver for Bechtel’s race team. His first race was in the 1990 Coca-Cola 600. Bechtel’s success on the race track didn’t come until he started his NASCAR Nationwide Series program in 1995. Steve Grissom was tabbed as Bechtel’s first Nationwide Series driver. In only 15 races, he notched two wins, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Bechtel continued to have success in the Nationwide Series over the next five years. All told, he earned 10 wins, 30 top-five and 54 top-10 finishes in 174 Nationwide Series starts. At the end of the 1999 season, Bechtel sold his entire operation to Joe Gibbs and left Charlotte for California to live 70 miles outside San Francisco on a family ranch near Morgan Hill, Calif. “I learned a lot from my past experiences,” Bechtel said. “I know Tommy has the knowledge, background and technical capabilities to be successful this year and for years to come. I look forward to being an integral part of growing this team into a contender.” Baldwin is obviously pleased with the coming addition of Bechtel to his race team. “Gary Bechtel has proven to be successful on and off the race track,” Baldwin said. “He brings a track record of success to an organization that is trying to make it to the next level. This partnership shows that we are a serious race team and that we are here to stay. Gary brings instant credibility to our race team with his past successes as a business man. He also brings a passion for racing and I am very proud and excited to have him as a key partner of our team.” TBR is still seeking sponsorship.(Everest-Marketing Group/TBR PR)(3-19-2009)
- New sponsor for Robby at Bristol: SPOT LLC (www.findmespot.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globalstar Inc.a leader in personal satellite messaging and emergency communications, today announced it is sponsoring Robby Gordon Motorsports (RGM) at this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. SPOT is the primary sponsor of Robby Gordon’s #7 Toyota Camry, which will be branded in SPOT’s familiar black and orange colors for the Food City 500’s racing action at Bristol Motor Speedway. SPOT is the world’s first Satellite GPS Messenger. The personal handheld satellite-based messaging, safety and tracking device sends the user’s GPS location coordinates and select messages over a global satellite network to friends, family, co-workers or in case of an emergency, a rescue coordination center. Because SPOT uses satellite technology, it works regardless of cellular service availability from virtually anywhere around the world. Robby Gordon was an early adopter of the SPOT Satellite Messenger(tm), using its satellite and GPS technology to stay connected with his support team and his friends and family while practicing and racing off-road, often times in extreme remote areas. SPOT enables Robby to send his GPS location and selected message to his contacts so they know he is OK. SPOT also allows others to track his GPS position, updated automatically in real-time on Google Maps(tm). For a limited time fans of Robby Gordon and NASCAR can take advantage of a special promotional offer on the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger. Visit www.findmespot.com/robby for complete details. Offer valid for U.S. residents only.(CNN Money), see an image of the car on the #7 Team Schemes page.(3-19-2009)
- JR Motorsports headed to Cup? On the surface the announcement that Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin and Scott Wimmer would share a 21-race schedule for JR Mortorsports in the Nationwide Series was all about luring sponsorship. Not really. JR Motorsports announced on January 16th that Fastenal would be the primary sponsor for the No. 5 for 14 races before the driver lineup was nailed down. But having five drivers with 91 career Nationwide victories and a pair of titles doesn’t hurt during tough economic times when sponsorship, particularly outside of NASCAR’s primary series, is hard to find. It’s also good for the series, which needs top Sprint Cup drivers to attract fans. Success in the series also could fast-forward JR Motorsports transitioning to a Cup team. Earnhardt said last season that with costs the way they are it makes sense to consider such a move if he can find the right sponsor and drive combination. He’s said little about it since, and for now he’s focused on the Nationwide program. “This #5 team carries a strong tradition and a lot of expectations and we are fortunate to attract such quality talent to help carry on that tradition,” Earnhardt said. “We had a similar setup with this team last year and we were able to go to Victory Lane twice. Obviously with this driver lineup there’s no reason we can’t exceed last year’s win total.”(ESPN.com)(3-19-2009)
- Wider tire couple years away: A Goodyear official said that the new wider, taller tire that should be better suited for the Car of Tomorrow and help with the handling of those cars is now “at least” 2 years away from being used in a race. Greg Stucker made the comment Wednesday during a tire test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Stucker told me in January that he was hopeful that the new tire could be used in a race in 2010, but the timeline has since changed. Stucker said that Goodyear met with NASCAR officials on Tuesday to update series officials on the progress of the new tire. “We feel like we’ve still got some work to do,” Stucker said. “We’re certainly seeing some performance advantages, which was one of the goals. There are a few things we’re not comfortable with yet as far as the overall footprint shape, the way the tire interacts. We think we’ve got some thing to improve before we put it on the race track. I’d say there’s an outside chance we could be on a race track by the end of this year (for testing) but I’d say it’s a litlte more long term than that. There are still a lot of things that have to happen before you put it in the race. We’re a couple of years out before we do that. It’s going to be some fairly significant changes we think.” The new tire is 17 inches in diameter. The current tire is 15 inches in diameter. The new tire is 1.5 inches wider. What Goodyear likes about the new tire: “We’re able to have a litlte bit more durable package. The tire is going to be wider and with it being taller actaully elongates the footprint, makes it longer. By having a wider footprint that means more cornering power that translates, basically into more grip.(Virginian Pilot)(3-19-2009)
- Different look for Labonte at Bristol: The #96 Hall of Fame Racing Ford of Bobby Labonte will make its debut this weekend with an Academy Sports + Outdoors paint scheme; the first of five races with one of the nation’s largest sporting goods retailers as primary sponsor.(HOF Racing PR), see image of scheme on the #96 Team Schemes page.(3-19-2009)
- Bristol Rookie Notes: #20-Joey Logano was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the March 8 Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Logano scored a 30th-place finish and took top rookie honors for the third consecutive race. Logano leads #82-Scott Speed by two points (43-41) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering Bristol Motor Speedway. The most recent Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap at Bristol is Kevin Harvick. Harvick led three times for 137 laps in the 2000 Food City 500 (more than any other driver), a span of 10 races. The best finish by a Raybestos Rookie in the Food City 500 came in 1979 when Dale Earnhardt scored his first career win. Tony Stewart is the only Raybestos Rookie to win a pole at Bristol in his rookie season. Stewart took the top spot in the 1999 Sharpie 500 (August race). He also holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos Rookie, holding the top spot once for 225 laps. Two or more Raybestos Rookies have finished in the top-10 in both races at Bristol just once since 1975. In 1981, Morgan Shepherd (fourth) and Tim Richmond (10th) logged top-10 finished in the Food City 500 while Ron Bouchard (fifth) and Richmond (eighth) placed inside the top-10 in the Sharpie 500. The most recent Rookie to win a Sprint Cup Series race is Juan Pablo Montoya in the 2007 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway (59 races). The most recent Rookie to win a pole position in the Sprint Cup Series is Patrick Carpentier in the 2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (24 races).(Camp & Assoc./Raybestos PR) or see the 2009 Rookies page.(3-19-2009)
- Motorsports Authentics streamlines: Motorsports Authentics, a joint merchandising venture by the country’s two largest speedway owners, laid off 40 employees Wednesday, said Joe Mattes, the company’s new interim president. The cuts represent about 15% of the Charlotte-based company’s workforce, and between 250 and 300 employees remain, Mattes said. Named interim president last week, Mattes said he and senior managers spent recent days analyzing the company’s workforce and processes before cutting the 40 positions – 33 of them full-time. “It was from the manager level to the customer service level,” he said of the layoffs. “Every facet of the organization was reviewed.” Motorsports Authentics laid off several other employees earlier this year, but Mattes said he didn’t know how many employees were let go before Wednesday. Mattes also wouldn’t say how much money would be saved with the layoffs, saying only that “it’s significant.” While the sour economy was one factor, Mattes said the layoffs were mostly intended to improve efficiency at Motorsports Authentics, which is owned by Concord-based Speedway Motorsports and International Speedway Corp. of Daytona Beach. Speedway Motorsports Inc. is the company headed by Bruton Smith. International Speedway Corp. is the sister company of the France family’s NASCAR. “We think strongly these changes will have positive effects. They’re going to increase sales and make things happen,” Mattes said. “By doing this, we’re in a position to be a stronger company.”(Charlotte Observer)(3-19-2009)
- Budweiser to leave NASCAR? #9 car? UPDATE Denied: 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)(3-18-2009)
UPDATE: #9-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 No. 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.”
Dan McHugh, vice president of media, sponsorship and activation for Anheuser-Busch, said in a statement: “Budweiser remains committed to its presence in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, including sponsorship of Kasey Kahne and the #9 Budweiser Dodge, as well as the Budweiser Shootout.” The St. Louis-based division of Anheuser-Busch ended a 30-year relationship with Bernstein’s NHRA team. The brewery said the relationship was the longest in motorsports history, topping STP’s 28-year relationship with Richard Petty. “I’m disappointed to see the Bernsteins without a sponsor,” Kahne said. Budweiser has been a longtime partner of NASCAR, with its most visible years under Dale Earnhardt Jr. before he left Dale Earnhardt Inc. for Hendrick Motorsports two years ago.(ESPN)(3-19-2009)
- Robby places 2nd San Felipe 250 UPDATE 2 appeal dropped: Second-generation veteran Las Vegas desert racer Brian Collins roared through the rugged trails and washes of Mexico’s Baja California desert Saturday, earning his second straight overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck victory in the #12 Collins Motorsports Mopar Dodge Ram1500 at the 23rd Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 desert race. NASCAR’s Robby Gordon finished 2nd in the SCORE Trophy-Truck class.(dirtnewz.com)(3-15-2009)
UPDATE: On Saturday, March 14th at the 2009 Baja 250, several top racing teams filed a formal complaint against Robby Gordon for illegally shortcutting the course approximately 4 miles in order to pass Trophy Truck competitor Ed Herbst who has signed an appeal having witnessed the action. In the most remote part of the course at race mile marker 132.5 Gordon veered off course and drove down a cliff to bypass a difficult section and pass Herbst. He was discovered by a pit crew known as the Baja Fools who had set up a pit stop in that section of the course. They had thought that Gordon was broken down on an earlier section until the radio confirmed that Gordon had finished in second place. On investigation, two sets of Toyo tire tracks were found re-entering the course at ~ mile 136. Gordon had clearly premeditated the deviation and had practiced the maneuver once before. Appeals were filed with the SCORE International race officials and they are currently investigating. Gordon may be facing possible probation.(dirtnewz.com)(3-17-2009)
UPDATE 2: on Saturday evening, a protest was heard by Score & CRB against 2nd place score trophy truck finisher Robby Gordon and a decision was rendered in favor of Robby Gordon. An appeal of this decision was submitted by a trophy truck competitor on Sunday morning and the appeal was accepted by Score. This appeal has been formally withdrawn by the competitor. As a result, the initial decision in favor of Robby Gordon will stand and the score trophy truck results are now official.score-international.com.(3-19-2009)
- Goodyear Tire Test Concludes at Lowe’s Motor Speedway: Goodyear concluded a two-day tire test Wednesday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway as the tire manufacturer prepared for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600. Assisting Goodyear in gathering data for the test was a driver from each manufacturer represented in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series-Marcos Ambrose in the #47 Toyota, Jimmie Johnson in the #48 Chevy, Kasey Kahne in the #9 Dodge, and Paul Menard in the #98 Ford. Each of the drivers expressed their approval of the tire compound that Goodyear brought to the famous 1.5-mile quad-oval, the same tire first introduced in competition at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early March.
“I’m very encouraged by this tire and talking with (Goodyear’s) engineers, they plan to run this tire a lot more and start working it in,” said Johnson, a three-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600. “It (the tire) was new in Las Vegas but hopefully this is a tire we can use at a lot of places to bring some stability back. There’s a lot of speed out there right now and with comfort comes speed. That’s really what it boils down to.”
“Goodyear has done a great job over the past six months to a year in developing a tire you can race side-by-side on,” said Kahne, two-time winner and defending champion of the Coca-Cola 600. “This car threw some different things at them at first, but I think Las Vegas was a huge improvement and I think that same tire will be good here.”
Each driver also participated in question-and-answer fan forums during the lunch hour from pit road. Ticket holders for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in May at Lowe’s Motor Speedway were allowed to watch today’s test session and participate in the fan forums from a special infield viewing area. Tickets for the NASCAR race events at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, including the May 16 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24, are on sale now and can be obtained by calling 1-800-455-FANS or online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com. Convenient payment plan options and affordable multi-day ticket packages are available.(LMS PR)(3-19-2009) - ConstructionJobs.com to Sponsor David Green & SK Motorsports in Bristol: Major construction is needed for many race cars following a 300-lap Nationwide Series race at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway. David Green and his SK Motorsports team are hoping that’s not what they will encounter during this weekend’s event, however, should they need help they will have the perfect partner on board to assist. ConstructionJobs.com has signed a one-race deal to sponsor Green and the #07 SK Motorsports Toyota for Saturday’s Scotts Turf Builder 300.(SK Motorsports PR)(3-19-2009)
- Bayne making Nationwide debut: Trevor Bayne, who turned 18 Feb. 19, 2009, will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bayne will drive the #52 Taco Bell entry for Jimmy Mean’s Racing.(Everest-Marketing PR)(3-19-2009)
- Montreal race tickets on sale Friday: Stock-Car Montreal announced that tickets for the NASCAR Nationwide Series NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge will go on sale Friday, March 20. The Nationwide Series returns to Montreal for the third consecutive year at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on Saturday August 29 and Sunday August 30, 2009. The Montreal race will be held on an off weekend from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Fans may purchase tickets by dialing (514) 397-0007 or ordering their tickets online at www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca.(3-19-2009)
- Helluva Good! renews Dover race sponsorship: Heluva Good!, a leading producer of real sour cream dips and naturally aged cheese, announced their continued sponsorship of the “Heluva Good! 200” Nationwide Series race at Dover through 2010. The “Heluva Good! 200” is part of the spring race weekend at the Monster Mile, and will be held on May 30, 2009 this year.(Dover Speedway PR)(3-19-2009)
- Bad Boy Mowers sponsoring Skinner at Martinsville: Randy Moss Motorsports announced that Bad Boy Mowers has signed with the team to sponsor Mike Skinner for next weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Skinner, the inaugural 1995 Truck Series Champion, will drive the #5 Bad Boy Mowers Toyota in the fourth race of the NCWTS season, as the veteran currently sits third in the championship point standings. (RMM PR)(3-19-2009)
- Oakley to sponsor Carmichael at Martinsville: Ricky Carmichael has been entered in the #4 Oakley / KHI All-Stars team Chevrolet Silverado for the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway Saturday, March 28. Carmichael was not originally scheduled to compete at this event, but Oakley has signed a sponsorship agreement with Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) to back the rookie driver and the KHI All-Stars team at Martinsville for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race. The global leader in performance sunglasses, goggles and prescription eyewear, Oakley also offers technical and lifestyle apparel, footwear, watches and accessories. [For past news on Carmichael, visit the March Archives Page.] (KHI PR)(3-19-2009)
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