March 21, 2008
- Top 12 after five races..a year ago: and where they finished:
1) #24-Gordon [2nd]
2) #31-Burton [8th]
3) #48-Johnson [1st] 4) #17-Kenseth [4th]
5) #29-Harvick [10th]
6) #5-Kyle Busch [now #18] [5th]
7) #01-Martin [now #8][part time 27th]
8) #07-Bowyer [3rd]
9) #11-Hamlin [12th]
10) #99-Edwards [9th]
11) #40-Stremme [not in Cup this year][24th] 12) #20-Stewart [6th]
drivers who made the chase, who were not in top 12 after 5 races:
#2-Kurt Busch [was 20th finished 7th]
#1-Martin Truex Jr. [was 25th finished 11th]
So by race 5, ten of the twelve chasers were in the top 12, with 21 races to go.(3-21-2008) Comment here - Testing at Kentucky: #48-Jimmie Johnson and Regan Smith, in the #8 DEI Chevy, are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Monday, March 24th and Tuesday, March 25th. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway)(3-21-2008)
- Motorcoach driver lawsuit fails again: A U.S. District Court Judge has dismissed a second lawsuit that David Scott, a black motorcoach driver who worked for Penske Racing, had filed against NASCAR stemming from a highly publicized 1999 incident at New Hampshire International Speedway. The incident occurred when Scott was greeted by a pair of motorcoach drivers, one of whom was wearing a white pillow case over his head as if he were a member of the Ku Klux Klan. NASCAR indefinitely suspended the two motorcoach drivers involved. Scott had claimed NASCAR and sister company International Speedway Corp. discriminated against him by not granting him a vendor contract he sought and that NASCAR discriminated against him for not following through with an alleged promise to hire him following the incident. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in New York City. Judge Deborah Batts ruled in January that the statute of limitations had passed for all of the allegations except for the vendor-contract situation. The judge had ordered Scott to re-file the lawsuit to assert a plausible claim and the grounds for it. The judge then dismissed the remainder of the case Wednesday, ruling that the new complaint did not expand on the original one. “[Scott] was given explicit direction as to what set of facts could survive another motion to dismiss but chose not to change a single word in the description of the underlying events,” Judge Batts wrote. In past court filings, NASCAR says that Scott was given several work opportunities that were declined and he was not qualified for the racing official job he wanted. Scott can ask the judge to reconsider her ruling and also can appeal the judge’s decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.(SceneDaily)(3-21-2008) Comment here
- Trickle skipping races this season UPDATE: Dick Trickle had plans to run select races in the Midwest this summer, but those plans will be put on a hold. Wirphotos.net has been told Dick Trickle had to have heart surgery in which 2 stents/shunts were put in. Trickle won’t be able to wheel a car this season per doctor orders. Trickle has drove a car prepared by Tim Rothe over the last couple a seasons and has told Tim Rothe not to prepare a car for him as he will be taking this year off.(Wirphotos.net)(3-18-2008)
UPDATE: Dick Trickle is touched by everyone who is concerned about his health. Or maybe the better word is overwhelmed. He’s just fine for a 66-year-old man who underwent heart catheterization last week, his daughter, Vicky Trickle Bowman, said Thursday. (Factor in caffeine and nicotine addictions, chronic sleep deprivation and a nearly 50-year history of high-speed crashes and the Wisconsin short-track racing legend is downright great.) Besieged by questions about his heart this week, Trickle begged out of a slew of interviews, and instead Bowman offered this update: Trickle began to experience chest pains shortly after hip replacement surgery in November. Numerous medical tests turned up nothing until doctors performed a catheterization last week to check blood flow to his heart. They found two blockages and put in stents – tiny wire tubes designed to keep the arteries open – during an outpatient procedure. Because Trickle is taking blood thinners and cannot take unnecessary risk of internal injuries, he won’t race this season. “He’s fine,” Bowman said. “It’s nice that people care.”(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel )(3-21-2008) Comment here - Final Bristol Cup TV Ratings up: NASCAR on Fox Final National TV Rating for Sunday’s race from Bristol earned a 5.5/13 (8.9 million viewers). That’s an +8% gain over last year’s 5.1/12 and a nice increase on a day when the competition came up stronger than expected. For the season-to-date, including the rain-impacted Fontana race, NASCAR on Fox is averaging a 7.1/14 and 12.1 million viewers. That’s up +4% over last year on rating (vs. 6.8/14) and up +7% on average audience (vs. 11.4 mill.). Excluding that one rain-impacted race, NASCAR on Fox is up +7% on rating (7.3/15 vs. 6.8/15) and +10% on viewership (12.4 mill. vs. 11.2). So far this season, FOX has aired six Sprint Cup programs that were not impacted by rain, and all six of them have posted better ratings than last year (Bud Shootout, Daytona qualifying, and four points races). This is the first time in FOX’s history that six consecutive NASCAR events have enjoyed a year-to-year increase. Saturday’s Nationwide race from Bristol aired on ABC and earned a 2.0/5, down -5% compared to last year’s 2.1/6 for the same race.(Fox PR)(3-21-2008) Comment here
- Cup teams test at New Smyrna: Mike Skinner was at New Smyrna Speedway [FL] on Wednesday testing at the half-mile oval in the #84 Red Bull Racing Toyota, a car normally occupied by AJ Allmendinger. Skinner has been given the wheel for a short span of Sprint Cup races in an attempt to get the second-year race team a bit more competitive. That’s it. “I’m a consultant,” he said after dozens of test laps at NSS. “I’m trying to bring all my years of experience to help them find a balance in the car. I don’t want AJ’s job. Allmendinger was in attendance, dressed in street clothes, watching the telemetry screens, monitoring the chatter between Skinner and the crew. Skinner was running this show on pit road. “They’re getting a lot of test data,” said Skinner, who calls Daytona Beach home. “We’re trying to give them a thicker notebook, a bigger playbook.” The #84 car was joined at the session by the Red Bull test team, with Tim Fedewa behind the wheel, and the #43 Petty Enterprises Inc. Dodge, jockeyed by Bobby Labonte.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(3-21-2008)
- Tix for sale to see the Pit Crew Challenge in May: Tickets for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman, featuring competition between the top 24 pit crews in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, are on sale now. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased online at www.pitcrewchallenge.com or by calling the Charlotte Bobcats ticket office at (800) 495-2295. The NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge is set for Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena and will be aired at 9 p.m. that evening on SPEED. Now in its fourth year, the competition is a signature lead-in event to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Saturday, May 17 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.(JHE Production Group PR)(3-21-2008)
- Sad News – Teresa Ellen Burton: Teresa Ellen Burton died on March 18, 2008, surrounded by her loving family. Her death follows a brave and cheerful fight against non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She was the aunt of NASCAR drivers Ward and Jeff Burton. More info and service times at the Richmond Times Dispatch.(3-21-2008)
- Motorcoach driver lawsuit fails again: A U.S. District Court Judge has dismissed a second lawsuit that David Scott, a black motorcoach driver who worked for Penske Racing, had filed against NASCAR stemming from a highly publicized 1999 incident at New Hampshire International Speedway. The incident occurred when Scott was greeted by a pair of motorcoach drivers, one of whom was wearing a white pillow case over his head as if he were a member of the Ku Klux Klan. NASCAR indefinitely suspended the two motorcoach drivers involved. Scott had claimed NASCAR and sister company International Speedway Corp. discriminated against him by not granting him a vendor contract he sought and that NASCAR discriminated against him for not following through with an alleged promise to hire him following the incident. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in New York City. Judge Deborah Batts ruled in January that the statute of limitations had passed for all of the allegations except for the vendor-contract situation. The judge had ordered Scott to re-file the lawsuit to assert a plausible claim and the grounds for it. The judge then dismissed the remainder of the case Wednesday, ruling that the new complaint did not expand on the original one. “[Scott] was given explicit direction as to what set of facts could survive another motion to dismiss but chose not to change a single word in the description of the underlying events,” Judge Batts wrote. In past court filings, NASCAR says that Scott was given several work opportunities that were declined and he was not qualified for the racing official job he wanted. Scott can ask the judge to reconsider her ruling and also can appeal the judge’s decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.(SceneDaily)(3-21-2008)
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reality to sponsor racing team: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Realty has teamed up with Glacier Bear Racing for entire 2008 year as Primary Sponsor on race truck. 17 year old WKA Multi-Champion Jessica Brannam and NASCAR Car Engineer Tiffany Daniels have been approved by Dale Jr. to drive Glacier Bear Racing race truck in the Best in the Desert Racing Association Off Road Truck Series.(Glacier Bear Racing PR)(3-21-2008)
- Gale Returns to #33 Camping World Chevy at Nashville: Nashville will be the first time in 2008 that Cale Gale in 2008 will be behind the wheel of the #33 Camping World Chevy. This will mark Gale’s fourth start at Nashville Superspeedway in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In just his first start at one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Cale Gale raced his way to top Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors driving the #77 Rheem Chevy for KHI.(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR)(3-21-2008)
- McCumbee hopes he is part of Petty’s summer plans: Chad McCumbee had never been to Rockingham Speedway (formerly known as North Carolina Speedway) so he figured it would be a good experience to turn some laps on the track Friday. McCumbee has been a somewhat busy man these days, driving a truck for MRD Motorsports, an affiliate to Haas CNC Racing. The 23-year-old McCumbee also has tested a Sprint Cup car for Haas CNC Racing and has plans to test for Petty Enterprises. Having driven in the Cup races at Pocono and Michigan last year for Petty, McCumbee could again return to the #45 car when Kyle Petty gets out to go into the TNT broadcast booth. A test scheduled with the Petty’s earlier this week at Gateway International Raceway was canceled because of bad weather conditions. The #45 car needs a driver for the six races Petty will miss during the summer. “It being so early, it’s hard to pinpoint [where] the 45 Cup car is going to be in points, and [where] my schedule in the trucks is going to be and [where] I’m at in the truck points – there’s a bunch of different things that are factors,” McCumbee said Friday as he prepared for the May ARCA race at Rockingham. McCumbee said, though, that his first priority is the truck, where he is currently fourth in points and has two top-10 finishes in three races. McCumbee said, though, that his first priority is the truck, where he is currently fourth in points and has two top-10 finishes in three races.(SceneDaily.com)(3-21-2008)
- Lawler ready for debut at Martinsville: 19-year old Ryan Lawler will be making his NASCAR Truck Series Debut at Martinsville Speedway with SS Green Light Racing. Lawler will pilot the #07 ASI LIMTED Chevy. Short Track Legend, Butch Miller and Veteran Driver, Bobby Dotter will be the coach / crew chief for the young talent. Lawler has raced in the several late model stock car series including the NASCAR Southeast Series, PASS Super Late Models, and ASA Late Models. He earned two victories in his rookie year of the ASA Late Model Series and won a PASS race at the historic and challenging Hickory Motor Speedway. (SS-Green Light Racing PR)(3-21-2008)
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