March 20, 2003
- So…what is up with Lake Speed? Five years after injuries forced him to retire from Winston Cup, Lake Speed is enjoying a second life in auto racing, thanks to the recent Vintage Car trend. Speed was the guest speaker Wednesday night for the Emmanuel Baptist Church Outreach Ministry at the Elizabethton Boys and Girls Club. His appearance was part of the I-40 program, which is based on the biblical book of Isaiah 40, verses 30-31. Now retired and living in Kannapolis, N.C., where he operates a real estate business, Speed, 55, talked of returning to the sport he loves to compete in road races for older Winston Cup cars.(Elizabethton Star)(3-20-2003)
- Milestone: #30-Jeff Green is scheduled to make is 100th career Winston Cup start at Bristol Motor Speedway.(3-20-2003)
- Up Front at Bristol Important: At Bristol Motor Speedway, starting position is more important than one might think. Despite the fact the racing is extremely close-quarters with positions changing constantly throughout the field, it pays to start close to the front. In the previous 84 NASCAR Winston Cup races at BMS, only 13 times has the winner started outside the top 10; 32 times the race winner has started on the front row.(NASCAR PR)(3-20-2003)
- Square Pants for Johnson: #48-Jimmie Johnson is scheduled to run a Sponge Bob Square Pants paint scheme at Daytona in July for the Pepsi 400.(3-20-2003)
- Hendrick Teams To Carry Patriotic Decal: In support of American soldiers at home and abroad, the NASCAR teams of Hendrick Motorsports will display patriotic artwork on the “C-post” of their Chevrolet Monte Carlo race cars beginning with this week’s events at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. “During these turbulent times, it’s especially important that we show support for the men and women of the United States military,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “This is a small gesture to show that our thoughts and prayers are centered around these brave individuals and their families.” In the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the decals will be carried on the #5 Kellogg’s / got milk? Chevy of Terry Labonte, the #24 DuPont Chevy of Jeff Gordon, the #25 UAW-Delphi Chevy of Joe Nemechek and the #48 Lowe’s Chevy of Jimmie Johnson. The #5 GMAC Financial Services Chevy of Busch Series driver Brian Vickers will also display the design, which depicts a yellow ribbon wrapped around the American flag.(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(3-20-2003)
- Will Microsoft replace Winston as NASCAR sponsor? UPDATE: The search for a new title sponsor for the Winston Cup Series continues with the sanctioning body looking at companies who have previously lacked an affiliation with the sport and lack “baggage”. There are hints that Microsoft is a primary target, as is an as yet unnamed insurance company, with 2005 being the likely year for the introduction of a new sponsor. One thing you can bet on, the title “Winston Cup Series” will go away, despite the fact NASCAR owns the rights to the term “Winston Cup.”(AutoRacing1.com – need subscription to read/Stan Creekmore, NASCAR Editor)(3-15-2003)
UPDATE: Rumors of interest by Microsoft as a potential new series sponsor for the Winston Cup Series appear to be wishful thinking, or so say marketing types involved in the sports marketing business. Microsoft’s experience with NASCAR dates back to 2001’s Ultimate TV program. That program featured a handful of drivers, at-track displays and fan programs in support of a device that allowed the viewer to select television programs on-demand. According to industry sources, Microsoft was not satisfied with the results of that program, and may not be ready to launch new marketing initiatives in the sport.(Ford Racing)(3-20-2003) - Yates teams get an assoc sponsor: Robert Yates Racing, which fields cars driven by #38-Elliott Sadler and #88-Dale Jarrett, has added Winner International as an associate sponsor. The deal involves The Club and a new WI product, Juice Batteries. The associate sponsorship program marks Winner’s first foray into NASCAR driver or team sponsorship.(NASCAR PR)(3-20-2003)
- #30 Fastest at Darlington: The pit crew of the #30 AOL Jeff Green Chevy, owned by Richard Childress Racing, took first-place honors for eligible teams in the McDonald’s Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade at Sunday’s (March 16) NASCAR Winston Cup Race – Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway. Green spent the least amount of time on pit road — 286 seconds, edging Kurt Busch’s #97 Roush Racing Ford by three seconds. During each 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup points event, the participating team whose car spends the least amount of aggregate time off the race track will be named the weekly winner provided the team’s driver takes the green flag at the beginning of the event and the checkered flag at the conclusion of the event. The team that records the most points during the season will receive a $200,000 bonus at the end of the year. The point distribution per race is: 43 points for first place, descending in increments of one.
The McDonald’s Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade is the largest monetary contingency program in NASCAR history and the first to reward pit crews for performance at each race.
Top 10 Pit Crews For Participating Teams In Sunday’s Carolina Dodge 400 at Darlington Raceway:
1. Jeff Green, 286 seconds
2. Kurt Busch, 289
3. Michael Waltrip, 289
4. Elliott Sadler, 291
5. Dave Blaney, 295
6. Bill Elliott, 296
7. Dale Jarrett, 300
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 339
9. Ricky Rudd, 344
10. Steve Park, 364
2003 Winners of The McDonald’s Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade:
Michael Waltrip team — Daytona (Feb. 16)
Dave Blaney team — Rockingham (Feb. 23)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. team — Las Vegas (March 2)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. team — Atlanta (March 9)
Jeff Green team – Darlington (March 16) (DMF Communications PR)(3-20-2003) - Special Elliott/Mayfield schemes? UPDATE 3: hear there will be some sort of special #9-Bill Elliott and #19-Jermey Mayfield schemes, some sort of special Dodge program, but not sure what or where yet.(2-20-2003)
UPDATE: hearing it could be a Simpson’s (TV Show and Jayski Fave) scheme, not sure what for or when.(2-22-2003)
UPDATE 2: not the Simpsons, but a promotion scheme for the movie, “2 Fast 2 Furious”.(2-28-2003)
UPDATE 3: been told that the Mayfield/Elliott “2 Fast 2 Furious” diecast program has been canceled by Action and that it probably also means they will not run the promotion on the #9 and #19.(3-20-2003) - #70 News: Effective this week for Bristol, KAR Racing # 70 BGN car (Ken Alexander Racing) has a new driver and crew chief. Jason White will be driving the car until further notice and Jeff Lemon will be the crew chief. The team is seeking any sponsorship opportunities. Any last minute offers for Bristol wil be entertained. Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to Brian Overton (Piedmont Marketing) 336-362-5566 or toll free 1-877-729-3857.(KAR Racing PR)(3-20-2003)
- Rick Mast to be Grand Marshal at Martinsville’s Truck Race: Martinsville Speedway has always been one of Rick Mast’s favorite tracks, a home track of sorts for the Virginia native. On Saturday, April 12, Mast will make a special trip to Martinsville Speedway, the first visit to any race track in almost a year for the former Winston Cup driver. Mast won’t be in a driver’s suit though. Instead he will be the Grand Marshal for the Advance Auto Parts 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Mast officially retired from racing during the winter after being diagnosed with chronic carbon monoxide poisoning, but he stopped racing late last spring after symptoms of the ailment became severe. “I think it’s fitting that Martinsville is the first place I show back up,” said the 45-year-old Mast. “That’s the track where I had a lot of my early success in the sport. It’s the track that I always thought of as my home track.” Mast said he didn’t return to a track last year because he was still involved in medical testing that eventually led to the diagnosis. “I wasn’t diagnosed until the end of the year and I didn’t want to go to the track and answer questions over and over without knowing what was wrong with me,” said Mast. Mast made 364 starts over a 15-year Winston Cup career. His career highlights included a pole in the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a sixth in the 1989 Daytona 500 while driving an unsponsored car. He won over $9 million in his Winston Cup career. Mast had several top-10 Winston Cup runs at Martinsville Speedway, with his best finish a fourth in the 1996 Old Dominion 500. He also has a Busch Grand National victory at Martinsville, winning a 150-lap Busch race in 1987. Mast says he has missed the camaraderie of racing, but “has kept in touch with a lot of the drivers on the phone and in letters.” Mast probably won’t ever fully recover from the carbon monoxide poisoning, but he understands the ailment better these days and says the trip to Martinsville shouldn’t be a problem. “I’m still working on figuring exactly what exposure I can be around. I’m starting to get a handle on it and I can pretty much tell,” said Mast. “Martinsville garage is not a closed-in area, but you still won’t find me in there involved in a half-hour conversation with all 40 cars going.” Action picks up at Martinsville on Friday, April 11 when both the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the Craftsman Truck Series qualifying during MW Windows Pole Day. The Advance Auto Parts 250 is set for Saturday, April 12, at 3 p.m. while the Virginia 500 is scheduled for Sunday, April 13, at 1 p.m. Good seats remain for both the Virginia 500 and Advance Auto Parts 250. Virginia 500 tickets may be purchased by calling 1-877-RACE-TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com. Advance Auto Parts 250 tickets may be purchased by calling 1-877-RACE-TIX.(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-20-2003)
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