March 21, 2004
- Sad News: The Maritime stock car racing community was shocked this morning with the news that one of their most talented and respected competitors, Scott Fraser was the victim of a fatal snowmobile accident which occurred in the Wentworth Valley region of Nova Scotia. Scott Fraser died as a result of a head on collision with another snowmobile in the early hours of the morning. The driver of the other snowmobile is reported to be in critical condition. A second generation racer, Scott Fraser followed his father (Frank Fraser, a short track legend in eastern Canada) into the oval bullrings and began racing in 1987 at Onslow Speedway at the tender age of 16.(more info at maritimemotorsports.com or Speed51.com)(3-21-2004)
- Johnson wins at Darlington: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway fior his first win of 2004 and his first win at Darlington. #18-Bobby Labonte finished 2nd. The rest of the top five were #12-Newman, #31-Gordon and #38-Sadler. Pole sitterm #9-Kasey Kahne spun twice but ended up 13th. Points Leader #17-Matt Kenseth had some troubles and aa penalty and ended up 31st, four laps down, but maintains a slim points lead of 21 over #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 10th.
Scheduled Race Re-Air: of the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 on Speed Channel
Wednesday, March 24th [Fast Forward] at 4:00pm/et;
Thursday, March 25th [Full race] at 3:00pm/et;
Friday, March 26th [Fast Forward] at 12:00am/et.
For race results, see ThatsRacin.com, Motorsports One or NASCAR.com.(3-21-2004) - Speaking of Military: #0-Ward Burton is scheduled to participate in a re-enlistment ceremony before today’s race at Darlington Raceway for Chief Gunners Mate David Allen. The 19-year Navy veteran contacted Burton’s office about the request. Allen’s ship came to port in Norfolk on Friday. “This is a dream come true for me, I love NASCAR and Ward is my favorite driver,” Allen said.(Roanoke Times)(3-21-2004)
- Three Networks instead of Two? 40 races still being talked about: ….NASCAR might be looking at a new three-network TV package, with ABC joining Fox and NBC, and with ESPN back in the mix, too. That could lead NASCAR to create a “three-season” tour – spring, summer and fall, 13 or so races each, with the tour finale a “Super Bowl” of sorts rotating from network to network each season, perhaps at Las Vegas one season, perhaps at Daytona the next.(Winston Salem Journal for more to this story)(3-21-2004)
- and more on the TMS/NASCAR lawsuit: Key individuals involved in the lawsuit over a second Nextel Cup race for Texas Motor Speedway say the sides are close to reaching an out-of-court settlement. No one would give details of the possible settlement because of a stipulation to keep the negotiations private, but any agreement is likely to include a second annual Cup race for TMS, starting with the 2005 season.(Dallas Morning News), see past news about the lawsuit and what it is all about on my Lawsuits News Page.(3-21-2004)
- Testing at Texas: Some Nextel Cup teams plan to test at Texas on Tuesday, March 23rd and Wednesday, March 24th, including: #5-Terry Labonte, #2-Rusty Wallace, #21-Ricky Rudd, #16-Greg Biffle, #99-Jeff Burton, #97-Kurt Busch, #38-Elliott Sadler [only Wed] and #01-Joe Nemechek.(TMS PR)(3-21-2004)
- Yeley Wins at PIR: JJ Yeley, who is running an ABC [ARCA,Busch,Cup] program for Joe Gibbs Racing this year, won the first national USAC midget race of 2004 Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway in the 27th annual Copper World Classic. It was Yeley’s first win at PIR.(Arizona Republic)(3-21-2004)
- Gordon attends Funsraiser; then has to make emergency landing…not happy: Jeff Gordon was in the Tri-state [OH/KY] Thursday for a very special evening of raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Home Builders Associations of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky combined efforts to bring the four time NASCAR champion to the auction. Gordon signed memoribilia for the auction and then Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken gave Gordon a key to the city, the mayor of Newport declared Thursday “Jeff Gordon day”, but the main reason for the night was to make money for Make-A-Wish. “It wouldn’t happen without Make-A-Wish. I’ve had a lot of boys and girls come to race tracks all over the country who wanted to be at a race or meet a race car driver or meet me, there’s nothing that trouches your’re heart more than something like that,” Gordon said.(wcpo.com)
UPDATE: Jeff Gordon was in the Tri-State Thursday night, apparently for a business dinner, but it was a WLWT Eyewitness News 5 photographer who was on the business end of the NASCAR star’s anger. The small plane he was in had some engine trouble as it was trying to land at Lunken Airport at about 6 p.m. Thursday, WLWT Eyewitness News 5’s Jonathan Hawgood reported. Hawgood and photographer Pat Story went to the airport to cover that aspect of the story. But when they got there, the plane already had landed safely and Gordon made it to his dinner. A short time later, he emerged from the airport restaurant. And if you think Gordon is an aggressive racer on the NASCAR circuit, try talking to him a couple hours after a few tense moments in the air, Hawgood reported. “Apparently, they had a light come on that indicated an engine fire,” Cincinnati Fire Department spokesman Mike Fehring said. Fehring was among the crew called to meet the plane after pilots made an emergency landing. He said if there was a fire, it was deep in the engine, and wasn’t throwing out smoke. “(Gordon) is probably a little bit out of his control, but he’ll live to race another day,” Fehring said. When Hawgood tried to talk to Gordon after his dinner, he wasn’t interested. But then he took disinterest to an interesting level:
Gordon: “What the (expletive) is wrong with you?”
Story: “I’m just doing my job.”
Gordon: “Well, your job sucks.”
Fehring added that Gordon wasn’t only in a foul mood toward local media. “We tried to talk to him, but he seemed a little bit irritated,” he said. “I imagine he had a big day. He was in town for obviously some business, and that’s not a good way to end the day.” Gordon got on a different plane and headed out of town after his dinner, Hawgood reported.(ChannelCincinnati.com)(3-19-2004)
UPDATE: Clarie B. Lang of XM Satellite – NASCAR Radio 144 asked Gordon about the incident: Gordon said: “Well..it was an unfortunate situation. I hate that it happened. I was very frustrated with not only with as going on in my airplane, and the story’s been very misconstrued. They have all the facts wrong and that’s unfortunate too but ahh there’s nothing I can say except to say that I was frustrated and at the time I certainly said some things I shouldn’t have said and somebody sort of egged me on and it is what it is and I can’t take it back but you know just learn from it like I do every other thing that happens in my life.”
About the airplane problem: “It was scary. I tell you we took off. We were acctually Leaving Kentucky and we took off and had a light that came on on the dash that showed that there was a problem with the left engine….they shut the engine down pulled the fire extiinguisher cause -they said there was a fire in there. But there really never was a fire that we know of. We turned around and came back and landed and had to wait for a plane to come pick us up.I still don’t know exatly what happened I’m waiting to hear back right now.
AND been told that NASCAR will not fine Gordon and has dismissed the incident [rightfully so, what did the reporter expect, Gordon just had a very scary moment in the air and asked the reporter to leave him alone].(3-21-2004) - Young Guns 4 for 4 [Earnhardt Jr and Kenseth anyway]: By picking Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the top Gillette Young Gun finisher in the Golden Corral 500, Presented by Gillette Mach3Turbo Champion, Dave S. of Coatesville, IN was the winner of the weekly Gillette Young Guns $5,000 challenge. Dave picked Earnhardt Jr. to win the race by going to www.gilletteyoungguns.com and entering before the weekly deadline. With the victory and once again being the highest finishing Gillette Young Gun, a $1,000 donation will be made to the National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC) on behalf of Earnhardt Jr. The Gillette Young Guns are four for four so far in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. At the season-opening event in Daytona and again this past weekend in Atlanta it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. visiting victory lane, and at both Rockingham and Las Vegas it was Matt Kenseth. Four of the top-10 positions in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings are still held by Gillette Young Guns, including the leader – Kenseth (First), Earnhardt Jr. (Third), Kurt Busch (Sixth) and Jimmie Johnson (Ninth). Fellow Young Guns Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick are not too far back though as they are 11th and 12th respectively. Every week, fans can register to win $5,000 in the Gillette Young Guns Weekly Challenge by going to www.gilletteyoungguns.com and entering before the weekly deadline at midnight PT the day before the race. If you correctly predict which Gillette Young Guns driver will place highest in the next race, your correct entry will be automatically entered in a random drawing for $5,000.(Alan Taylor PR)(3-21-2004)
- Sauter fined $10G and 25 points for cursing UPDATE 2 to appeal: In a pre-race drivers meeting several weeks ago, drivers were warned by NASCAR President Mike Helton, to watch their language and to maintain a suitable level of decorum during live television (and radio) interviews in the wake of Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl halftime show. Helton said. “We have a policy about profanity, and that is under more of a microscope today than it ever has been.” Following the Sam’s Town 300 Busch Series race at LVMS, Johnny Sauter, driver of the #27 Kleenex Pontiac, had a bone to pick with Michael Waltrip and let loose a string of expletivities during a post-race radio interview. NASCAR may come down hard on him, to make an example of what shouldn’t be done. If penalties are in order, they will probably be announced by next Tuesday.(Insider Racing News)(3-9-2004)
UPDATE: NASCAR has fined Johnny Sauter $10,000, deducted 25 NASCAR Busch Series championship driver points and placed him on probation through Dec. 31 for using inappropriate language following the NASCAR Busch Series race on March 6 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sauter, driver of the #27 Pontiac in the NASCAR Busch Series, was penalized under Section 12-4-A of the NASCAR Rule Book (Actions detrimental to stock car racing: Use of improper language.) for his comments during a post-race broadcast interview. The loss of 25 driver points dropped him from second to fourth in the NASCAR Busch Series championship standings, with an adjusted total of 425 points. The use of inappropriate language and NASCAR’s lack of tolerance for such behavior was brought to the attention of all drivers by NASCAR President Mike Helton during the drivers’ meeting held for the NASCAR Busch Series on Feb. 21 and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series on Feb. 22 during the race weekend at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, N.C.(NASCAR PR)(3-10-2004)
UPDATE 2: Brewco Motorsports and driver Johnny Sauter have decided to appeal part of his penalty for using profanity in a post-race radio interview following the NASCAR Busch Series race at Las Vegas. Sauter was fined $10,000, placed on probation through the end of the year and docked 25 Busch Series driver points after a live radio interview with Performance Racing Network. Sauter and the team will appeal the points reduction and their appeal is scheduled to be heard Tuesday before a three-member panel of the National Stock Car Racing Commission in Daytona Beach, Fla. During the race weekend at Rockingham, N.C., NASCAR President Mike Helton warned participants the sanctioning body would be strictly enforcing its restrictions on the use of profanity in radio and TV broadcasts. Helton cited the Federal Communication Commission’s recent crackdown on such language for its toughened stance.(ThatsRacin.com)(3-21-2004)
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