March 20, 2009
- Martin on pole at Bristol: #5-Mark Martin won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway with a lap of 125.773mph for his 2nd pole in as many races and 43nd career pole. It was the first tine on 634 races that Martin had won back to back pole, last time in April 1989 at Darlington then Bristol. #39-Newman will start 2nd followed by #48-Johnson, #16-Biffle, #9-Kahne, #00-Reutimann, #43-Sorenson, #66-Blaney, #26-McMurray, and #24-Gordon. #88-Earnhardt Jr. will start 35th.
The Go-or-go homers that made the race: #66-Blaney, #71-Gilliland, #14-Stewart, #64-Bodine, #28-Kvapil, #44-Allmendiner, #87-Nemechek, and #09-Marlin.
Missing the race: #36-Riggs and #41-Mayfield.
See qualifying results/starting lineup on my Bristol Starting Lineup Qualifying Page.(3-20-2009) - Qualifying Fast Facts – Bristol Motor Speeedway:
Mark Martin won the Coors Light Pole Award for the Food City 500 with a lap of 15.256 seconds, 125.773 mph.
This is his 43rd pole in 727 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second pole and fourth top-10 start in 2009.
This is his eighth pole in 41 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
This is the second time Martin has won poles in consecutive races. The last time was in 1989 (Darlington Raceway, this Bristol race). He won two straight poles in 1981 but they were not in consecutive races (Nashville Speedway and Richmond International Raceway).
Martin, at 50 years, 2 months and 11 days, becomes the oldest driver to win multiple poles in a season (Geoff Bodine was the previous oldest – 48 years, 6 months and 29 days when he won two poles in 1997).
Ryan Newman (second) posted his second top-10 start of 2009 and his 10th in 15 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
This marks Ryan Newman’s best start since winning the pole at Phoenix International Raceway last April.
Jimmie Johnson (third) posted his fifth top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his fifth in five races this season.
Scott Speed (11th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Statistics)(3-20-2009) - Fastest Qualifier by Manufacturer::
Chevy: #5-Martin, 125.773, starts 1st
Ford: #16-Biffle, 125.289, starts 4th
Dodge: #9-Kahne, 124.954, starts 5th
Toyota: #00-Reutimann, 124.808, starts 6th - Martin wants to run full time in 2010: Although he hasn’t discussed it with team owner Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin would like to drive at least one more full season in the #5 after this year. When the 50-year-old driver signed a two-year deal with HMS midway through last season, the plan was to run a full schedule in 2009 and perhaps split the 2010 season with Brad Keselowski or another driver. “A lot of things have changed since May and June of ’08,” Martin said on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. “When it all comes down to it, it’s not about contracts. It’s all about what we all want.” What Martin wants, despite a tough start that has him 35th in owner points, is to continue at his current pace.(ESPN.com)(3-20-2009)
- Biffle out of Nationwide race because of injured ribs: Greg Biffle has pulled out of the Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway because he bruised his ribs. Biffle says he was hurt while boating with friends. He says he jumped from the dock to the boat, and his foot slipped on a wet spot on the dock. He says he banged his right side on the side of the boat. Matt Kenseth will replace his Roush Fenway Racing teammate in Saturday’s race. He is still on schedule to drive in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol. (Associated Press)(3-20-2009)
MORE: Greg Biffle is walking around the Bristol Motor Speedway garage with sore ribs. The #16-3M Ford Fusion driver slipped and struck his right side on the edge of the boat while helping friends dock the boat Tuesday evening near his home north of Charlotte. “It was one of those freak, stupid accidents were you take a fall and you have no way to stop it or brace it or grab because I was over top of water. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, I mean; everybody’s jumped onto a boat before, so, just lost my footing.” Biffle tested his ribs Thursday at the shop when he climbed into his Martinsville car and says he feels better in that seat than sitting on anything. Biffle added; “Its hard foam and it’s molded so it doesn’t create any pressure points.” As for how he feels, Biffle says, “I can not believe how much better I feel in three days. I was really hurting Tuesday night and Wednesday I felt a fair amount better and then yesterday (Thursday) I was up doing all kinds of stuff so I feel pretty good now.” As a precaution Biffle will not compete in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race as Matt Kenseth will drive the #16 CitiFinancial Ford.(PRNs Garage Pass)(3-20-2009) - Snickers scheme returns for Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch and the Snickers team are hoping that the Snickers colors adorning the #18 Toyota for the first time in 2009 bring as much good luck as they did in 2008. Busch drove his #18 Snickers Toyota to victory at Atlanta in March 2008, beginning an incredible string of eight wins in the season’s first 22 races. The Food City 500 will be the first of two Snickers paint schemes for the #18 Toyota in 2009, with the second race coming in July’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While the Food City 500 will mark its first start of 2009, chassis #193 shined brightly for the #18 team in 2008. Busch never started farther back than 11th or finished worse than 13th with this car last season. And in its inaugural start, Busch drove it to victory in at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2008. Snickers Brand recently introduced a new language, called “Snacklish,” that uses its iconic logo and brand essence to communicate the right thing, in the right time and place, to the right people. Beginning this month, the Snacklish language will attempt to reach the American public through a unique advertising campaign called “Snickers Speak.” Ads currently running feature visual dramatizations of euphemisms, including legendary music icon Master P inviting viewers to “Get Some Bling With Master P-Nut,” and basketball legend Patrick Ewing explaining how to ”Get Dunked on by Patrick Chewing.”(JGR/True Speed Communications PR), see an image of the car on the #18 Team Schemes page.(3-20-2009)
- Stewart trains with U.S. Army: #14-Tony Stewart stopped by Fort Knox on Thursday, March 19, 2009 to train with the troops. Stewart’s NASCAR Sprint Cup team [#39-Ryan Newman] is sponsored by the U.S. Army. Stewart and NHRA driver Tony Schumacher spent a few hours with soldiers, getting a taste of Army life that hardly resembled the battles Stewart would wage with green plastic Army men in his parent’s garden growing up.(ESPN.com/AP). See images at the Orlando Sentinel.(3-20-2009)
- Daugherty Plans Tribute To Wendell Scott: Many NASCAR fans will realize a dream at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend when a cast of legendary drivers returns for the Saturday Night Special. For Brad Daugherty, the 15-lap celebrity event before the legends race will have special meaning. Daugherty will pay tribute to the first African-American driver to compete full-time in NASCAR’s premier series. Daugherty’s Late Model car will feature the #34, the former number of Wendell Scott. “Wendell is one of my heroes, and I wanted to honor him,” Daugherty said. A life-long race fan who grew up in rural North Carolina, Daugherty said he wishes more fans had a deeper appreciation for the contributions of Scott. “I don’t think people appreciate the tenacity that the guy had,’’ Daugherty said. “Wendell was treated almost sub-human at times, but he persevered and did what he wanted to do no matter the obstacle.”(Bristol Herald Courier)(3-20-2009)
- Bristol Goodyear Tire Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will be running the same combination of left- and right-side tires at Bristol this weekend . . . this will be the first time Goodyear has brought this combination to the track in 2009, though this is the same tire set-up that NASCAR teams ran at both Bristol (both series) and Pocono (Sprint Cup only) in 2008 . . . Bristol is unique in that teams will be required to run inner liners in only their right-side tires this weekend . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire. The estimated pit window is every 130-140 laps, based on fuel mileage (Sprint Cup).(Goodyear PR). see full report on the Bristol Racing Info page.(3-20-2009)
- The art of NASCAR: Some of the biggest moments in NASCAR are over in seconds. The speed of the sport doesn’t give fans much time remember the moment, much less see it. That’s why the work of Garry Hill hangs on the walls of collectors and fans. He creates on canvas a moment, a memory on the track. Chip Carter sat down with Garry at his home in North Carolina and found an artist whose work is so good, drivers add their signature to his.(more at My Fox Tampa Bay)(3-20-2009)
- Edwards in NYC to race cars with Howard Stern’s wife: #99-Carl Edwards spent about 15 quality minutes racing remote controlled cars with Beth Stern, radio host Howard Stern’s model wife, who interviewed Edwards for the TV show “Extra.” “It’s really kind of fun,” Edwards said after racing Stern. “We try to get all of this stuff out of the way. That’s good.” This stuff, for Edwards, was some media appearances and filming a commercial for sponsor Claritin in New York, before flying his own jet to Bristol, Tenn., for Sunday’s race.(New York Daily News)(3-20-2009)
- Mayfield Featured in Music Video: Jeremy Mayfield depicts a small town racing hero in Saving Abel’s music video for the single “Drowning Face Down”. The video, shot today at Mayfield Motorsports in Harrisburg, N.C., was produced and directed by Camp Riley and Shaun Silva, respectively. The single was released last week, with the video debut scheduled for mid April. “It was really cool to be a part of this video,” said Mayfield. “I’ve done this sort of thing in the past, but this one really hits home because it’s a story that’s a lot like my own.” The video offers a portrayal of one man’s quest for greatness in the world of NASCAR, prompting fan support for his underdog racing organization – a state of affairs Mayfield knows well. “Considering we just started this team 52 days ago, I think it’s safe to say we know what it’s like to be an underdog in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” added Mayfield. While the video primarily features Mayfield as the hard working driver, there are special cameos by fellow drivers Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards and Brian Vickers. Mayfield’s race shop offered the perfect setting for the video’s depiction of a small town garage in contrast to the typical big-team facilities. While Mayfield’s efforts represent the heart of every small racer across the country, the hopeful hero depicted in “Drowning” will strike a chord with race fans and the general public alike.(Co-Pilott PR)(3-20-2009)
- Tire Tests planned at Indy and AMS: Goodyear is planning additional tests this year at the two tracks where its tires encountered the most criticism last year, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Tests are planned for April and June at Indy, the site of one of the most frustrating events in recent NASCAR and Goodyear history last year, when NASCAR had to throw the caution every 12 or 13 laps because the tires wouldn’t last. Four teams will go to the test April 20-21 and then 12 to 15 teams will go in mid-June, Goodyear director of race tire sales Greg Stucker said Wednesday during a test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Goodyear also plans to test again at Atlanta after not being satisfied with the performance there earlier this month. Goodyear is also set with its tire choice for upcoming events at Dover, Pocono, Michigan and Infineon. It has tests planned for New Hampshire and Chicagoland coming up. It also will conduct a test at Iowa Speedway with Camping World Truck Series teams as the Trucks and Nationwide series debut at the track later this year.(SceneDaily)(3-20-2009)
- Kurt Busch to be on Cribs: “Cribs,” the reality television program on MTV (and now CMT) that features tours of the houses of celebrities, spent more than 15 hours last Tuesday and Wednesday (March 10-11) shooting with Kurt & Eva Busch at their home and their office complex. “It was really cool and we can’t wait to see what they are able to produce with all the footage they shot,” Kurt said. “I think the crew was a little bit surprised to see that we have a pretty elaborate wine cellar downstairs. It didn’t come as any surprise to them that we had some Miller Lite taps to enjoy in our ‘mans-land’ (party/recreation room) in our basement. I’m pretty sure they’ll end the piece with some footage that’ll certainly make our friends at Dodge very happy. It was a lot of fun doing the shoot and we’re anxiously waiting to hear back from them as to when the episode will be shown.”(Tom Roberts PR)(3-20-2009)
- Gunselman Motorsports ready for Bristol: The #64 unsponsored Toyota of Gunselman Motorsports went through some major tweaking and wrench turning during the off-week of the Sprint Cup Series schedule. The car was taken to a chassis dyno before team owner Larry Gunselman, crew chief Doug Richert and gang used some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease to make more improvements. And, in the mix of everything, they also moved from their borrowed space at Nitro Manufacturing by the Mooresville Dragstrip to some shared shop space at Rensi Motorsports in Lakeside Business Park; also in Mooresville. The team will be using Car #8, the same one they used in their attempts to make the Daytona 500, California and Atlanta races but made the race in Las Vegas. The team still has openings for unique sponsorship opportunities for anyone who wants to get involved in NASCAR racing.(Gunselman Motorsports PR)(3-20-2009)
- Celebrity/Pro Driver Teams Announced: The field of professional drivers has been set and so has the lineup of celebrities. Today, Bristol Motor Speedway officials announced the pairings for the Scotts Saturday Night Special, March 21 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Nine-time Bristol winner Rusty Wallace and ESPN analyst Ray Evernham announced nearly two weeks ago their intentions of an alliance. Now the other 11 teams have come together as well; some with history and a relationship, some meeting for the first time.
Junior Johnson, a 21-time winner at Bristol Motor Speedway as a car owner, is paired with ESPN analyst and former NBA No.-1 pick Brad Daugherty while Jimmy Spencer and TV/Radio personality Riki Rachtman will join forces.
Riki Rachtman has been showing up on television quite a bit lately but Saturday night Rachtman will live out a lifelong dream by strapping in to a race car and taking on the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway. Living in Hollywood one would not think Rachtman as a NASCAR fan but that’s not the case. “I have always had a passion for stock car racing. If you looked back on past episodes of my show Headbangers Ball you would see me wearing a Richard Petty shirt or Dale Earnhardt hat. 6 years ago Rachtman started a radio show Racing Rocks. Every week he would give his own twist on NASCAR news and include exclusive driver interviews. Racing Rocks is beginning its 6th year and is now heard on over 120 stations across America. This past winter Rachtman was a dean on VH1’s highly rated series “Charm School”. Rachtman also served as host for the reunion of both seasons of “Rock of Love”, a role he will return to mid April. April 26th on VH1. This weekend however Rachtman will attempt to sift through the field of drivers as he competes in Scotts Saturday Night Special, March 21 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Rachtman’s charity will be the ASPCA. (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and Cale Yarborough, both multi-time champions in their respective fields, will partner as will ESPN analyst and former title-winning crew chief Andy Petree and Sterling Marlin. Hunting buddies Terry Labonte and Bill Jordan of Realtree Outdoors are teamed as are long-time friends David Green and three-time NHRA Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson. Philadelphia Eagles place-kicker David Akers and Harry Gant will partner as will Jack Ingram and NHRA Funny Car driver Ron Capps and L.D. Ottinger and Terry Bowden, head coach at the University of North Alabama. Larry Pearson, a two-time Nationwide champ and two-time Bristol winner, who this week took the place of his injured dad, David, teams with NHRA Top-Fuel dragster driver Doug Herbert. And Phil Parsons, winner of the first Nationwide Series race at BMS in 1982, and former NFL star Mike Compton round out the teams. Akers, Beamer, Bowden, Compton, Jordan and Rachtman will run the first 15-lap heat to determine the order of the inside starting row of the 35-lap pro event. Anderson, Capps, Daugherty, Evernham, Herbert and Petree will run the second 15-lap heat to set the outside starting row of the main event. The winning “team” is guaranteed $25,000 for their charities and a total of $10,000 will go to the charity or charities of the second-place duo. Every other team will get $5,000, $2,500 per driver, for their charities. The Scotts Saturday Night Special is part of a three-race ticket March 21. Tickets, which start at $45 and include the Scotts Turf Builder 300 and the 100-lap UARA event, may be purchased at www.bristoltix.com or by calling the BMS ticket office at (423) 989-6900. The Scotts Saturday Night Special will be televised on ESPN 2 at 6:00pm/et.(BMS PR)(3-19-2009) - “Lysol Clean” women’s bathrooms at some races: Lysol announced that it will educate families at NASCAR races around the country about the importance of disinfection to help protect themselves from germs and the illnesses they cause. Lysol will activate its sponsorship through comprehensive marketing programs on several levels throughout the year, including customer hospitality, product promotions and at-track marketing. Fans will have the opportunity to visit five “Lysol Clean” women’s bathrooms on-site at nine race events in 2009, each cleaned and maintained by Lysol Brand ambassadors: Bristol (2 races), Charlotte (2 races, All-Star and Oct), Atlanta (Sept), New Hampshire (Sept), Infineon, Texas (2 races). Other elements of the sponsorship include exit samplers at the bathrooms, the distribution of Lysol coupons, Sprint Vision ads, bathroom signage and the Lysol logo on fan guide track maps to help identify “Lysol Clean” bathrooms. Lysol is in its eighth year as part of the racing program of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates as an associate sponsor. The partnership includes deck lid logo placement all season long on Juan Pablo Montoya’s #42 Target Chevy and a Lysol primary paint scheme for the October 17 race in Charlotte at Lowes Motor Speedway.(PR)(3-20-2009)
- Biffle out of Nationwide race because of injured ribs: Greg Biffle has pulled out of the Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway because he bruised his ribs. Biffle says he was hurt while boating with friends. He says he jumped from the dock to the boat, and his foot slipped on a wet spot on the dock. He says he banged his right side on the side of the boat. Matt Kenseth will replace his Roush Fenway Racing teammate in Saturday’s race. He is still on schedule to drive in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol. (Associated Press)(3-20-2009)
MORE: Greg Biffle is walking around the Bristol Motor Speedway garage with sore ribs. The #16-3M Ford Fusion driver slipped and struck his right side on the edge of the boat while helping friends dock the boat Tuesday evening near his home north of Charlotte. “It was one of those freak, stupid accidents were you take a fall and you have no way to stop it or brace it or grab because I was over top of water. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, I mean; everybody’s jumped onto a boat before, so, just lost my footing.” Biffle tested his ribs Thursday at the shop when he climbed into his Martinsville car and says he feels better in that seat than sitting on anything. Biffle added; “Its hard foam and it’s molded so it doesn’t create any pressure points.” As for how he feels, Biffle says, “I can not believe how much better I feel in three days. I was really hurting Tuesday night and Wednesday I felt a fair amount better and then yesterday (Thursday) I was up doing all kinds of stuff so I feel pretty good now.” As a precaution Biffle will not compete in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race as Matt Kenseth will drive the #16 CitiFinancial Ford.(PRNs Garage Pass)(3-20-2009) - Cajun Industries on the #26 at Bristol: Cajun Industries will sponsor Brian Keselowski and the #26 Dodge at the famed Bristol track this coming weekend March 21st. Brian and the K-Auto team has worked with Cajun earlier this year at Daytona and share a common bond when it comes to hard work and dedication.(Keselowski PR)(3-20-2009)
- Whelen to sponsor Bodine at Martinsville UPDATE more info: been told that Whelen will be the primary sponsor for #30-Todd Bodine at Martinsville Speedway. The hood will display the familiar Whelen logo with “All Products Made In America” and the Whelen logo will also be on the rear quarter panels.(3-17-2009)
UPDATE: Whelen Engineering Company has stepped in to insure that Todd Bodine will race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway. Sonny Whelen is a long-time friend of Todd and the Bodine family, and Whelen Engineering is a familiar name in auto racing. Whelen has been the title sponsor of the Whelen Modified Series for several years and also sponsored two SPEED GT cars in the 2008 season. While Whelen, who is a key sponsor of the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, will cover the hood and quarter panels of the #30 Whelen Tundra for the 250-lap race at Martinsville on March 29th, Germain Racing has the bed top and tailgate (or TV panel) available for sale for the Kroger 250 race weekend and the team is still seeking local, regional and national sponsorship in order to compete for the remainder of the season.(Germain Racing PR)(3-20-2009) - Teams test at Rockingham UPDATE More testing for Crawford & Buescher: On Thursday several truck teams tested at the “Little Rock” [nickname for the half-mile oval with concrete turns that was built adjacent to the Rockingham Speedway] in preparation for the upcoming race at Martinsville Speedway. Teams testing were; #15-Shane Sieg, #6-Colin Braun, #30-Todd Bodine, #9-Max Papis, #14-Rick Crawford, #10-James Buescher, #16-Brian Scott. Brad Keselowski Racing also participated; driver name unknown.(3-19-2009)
UPDATE: On Friday, Rick Crawford and James Buescher stayed over and tested on the one-mile track in their trucks at Rockingham.(3-20-2009)
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