March 21, 2002
- Hooters signs with Brett Bodine for rest of 2002 and gets a teammate: Brett Bodine got some good news on Thursday. The Hooters Restaurants chain has decided to sponsor #11 Ford Bodine’s team for the remainder of the 2002 season. The company had been one-race sponsor for Bodine in the past two races [Atlanta and Darlington]. “This is a great opportunity for our race team to be involved with Hooters Restaurants for the remainder of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup season,” said Bodine. “This sponsorship will put stability back into our race team so we can focus on making our team more competitive. The sponsorship agreement will give Hooters primary sponsorship of a Winston Cup series car for the first time since 1996. The company won the 1992 Winston Cup championship as sponsor of the #7 Ford driven by the late Alan Kulwicki.(ThatsRacin.com)
and….Bodine gets a teammate: Kirk Shelmerdine, a regular in the ARCA series, will run a limited schedule this season in Winston Cup as a second team with Brett Bodine Racing. Shelmerdine, once a crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, has picked up sponsorship for his schedule by Eastern Foods Inc. The team plans to enter as many as five races this season. “This is a great opportunity for me,” Shelmerdine said. “We look forward to this new partnership.”(ThatsRacin.com)
AND more: Hooters of America chairman Bob Brooks will sponsor Brett Bodine’s #11 Ford for no less than 26 of the remaining 31 races on the schedule and will also back a second car out of the BBR shops in five races for Kirk Shelmerdine using the Naturally Fresh brand of his Eastern Foods company. Bodine’s team has the option of selling the remaining five races to another primary sponsor, but a team spokesperson said Hooters might opt to be on the car for those events as well. Bodine’s associate sponsorship programs with Wells Fargo Financial, Timberland Pro, TEC Graphics and Express Services Inc. all will continue. Doug Richert, who joined Bodine at the season’s second race, at North Carolina Speedway, working in the crew chief’s role as a “consultant,” will continue in that position at Bristol as Bodine weighs his options.(NASCAR.com)(3-21-2002) - Provisonals Rules changed a bit: NASCAR Officials announced this week that teams in the Cup and BGN will not be charged for using a provisional starting position if the entry field for an event is equal to or less than the number of starting positions provided by the official entry blank.[such as 43 at a Cup race]. A team is granted a maximum season allotment of eight provisionals [charged provisional, if not in the top 25 in Owners Points] and under this amendment, provisionals assigned to fill starting positions 37-43 will not count against this allotment. Prior to this amendment, teams were charged for a provisional regardless of the number of entries at an event.(NASCAR.com). For more info on provisionals, see my Provisionals Status page.(3-21-2002)
- No Common Templates: Common templates are not on the horizon, according to NASCAR President Mike Helton. “I don’t know that you’ll ever reach a point where there’s definitively a set of templates that are uniquely common. I think there is a benefit for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Dodge and Ford to have brand identity in these garage areas,” Helton said March 16. “That’s the backbone of the competition and the business. So the controversy that surrounds that, I don’t think will ever go away. You look at the NASCAR stock car that’s in the Cup and the Busch garages, and they’re uniquely NASCAR race cars. They have bowties and blue ovals and ram shields and Pontiac triangles in them, but they are NASCAR race cars. If you took a set of templates from a Pontiac and went to a showroom, they’re not going to fit that car. They’re going to fit the NASCAR race car that carries the Pontiac brand on them.”(Winston Cup Scene – need sub to read)(3-21-2002)
- Jones Not Looking: Rumors have been circulating for a while that Petty Enterprises would replace Buckshot Jones with Joe Nemechek, and in turn, talk had surfaced that Jones and his father, Billy, were looking to take sponsor Georgia-Pacific either to Andy Petree Racing or back to the Busch Series. On March 18, Billy Jones dismissed rumors of his and his son’s departure. “You can print this in bold letters … that’s the biggest bunch of bull I’ve ever heard,” Jones said. “Buckshot’s happy with Georgia-Pacific. He’s happy with the Pettys. And besides, Georgia-Pacific is not our sponsor to take anywhere else. It’s the Pettys’ (sponsor).”(Winston Cup Scene – need sub to read), see my #44 Team News and Links page for the rumor.(3-21-2002)
- Bo-Dyn bobsled on display at LMS: Ten years ago NASCAR Winston Cup driver Geoffrey Bodine dreamed of building a bobsled that could capture Olympic gold for the United States. After seeing that dream become a reality earlier this year, Bodine will bring one of the Bo-Dyn bobsleds to the Food Lion AutoFair, the world’s largest automotive expo, April 4-7 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. As part of the four-day Food Lion AutoFair, Bodine will autograph bobsled posters to raise money for the Bo-Dyn project in the Food Lion Pavilion on Saturday, April 6 from 1-3 p.m. In return for a small donation, show-goers can also sit in the sled while having their picture taken with the NASCAR driver and Bo-Dyn project-founder. The Bo-Dyn bobsled is one of many feature exhibits that will be on display during AutoFair. The event features show cars from nearly three dozen car clubs, thousands of parts and memorabilia vendors plus a collector car auction. See more at the Lowes Motor Speedway site.(3-21-2002)
- LaJoie to run some Cup races: BGN driver Randy LaJoie and his BGN team owner [#7 Chevy], Ed Evans, are talking to a potential sponsor about moving up to run four or five Cup races later this season. “I’m not going to go just to ride around,” he says. “I want to go and be competitive. Like when those Cup guys come over here and kick our butt? I want to go over there and kick theirs.” LaJoie, 40, won back-to-back BGN titles in 1996 and 1997. In the past few years, he has turned down several offers to move up to Winston Cup; one would have paid him four times more than he’s making now. LaJoie says the extra money isn’t worth the additional sponsorship, media and testing hassles that would come along with it. He has several friends in Winston Cup and can’t believe how much family time they miss. “I can’t put a price tag on that,” he says. “It kind of cracks me up when you listen to all these (drivers) that are mid-40s now. I think they finally realized that they had kids. By then their kids are teenagers, you know? To me, I’ve had so much fun watching my 6-year-old get his first basket in basketball, my 8-year-old getting a hit in baseball. I can’t replace that.” LaJoie turned down one particularly enticing offer a few years ago after one of his sons asked him why he’d want a job that would take him away from home more often; didn’t he already make enough money? “He’d better not get mad at me when he goes to a state college instead of Duke,” LaJoie jokes.(more at USA Today)(3-21-2002)
- Commercials too racy? Are some of the commercials and promos aired during NASCAR telecasts on Fox a bit too racy for racing? Some say yes, some say no. Nationally-prominent Nashville song writer and entertainer Ed Bruce falls into the ”yes” category. ”I was watching last Sunday’s race with my 7-year-old nephew when they ran a promo of a man and woman in bed together,” Bruce said. ”They also showed two women kissing. I’m no prude, but I don’t think that’s appropriate for kids to see. I think Fox needs to remember that a lot of kids watch racing on TV and they need to clean it up.” Fox is known for its edgy programming, while NASCAR fans — especially in the racing hotbed of the South — tend to be more conservative. Some fans have expressed complaints similar to Bruce’s in letters to various racing publications, but Fox Sports spokesman Lou D’Ermilio said he is not aware of widespread concerns. ”Your call is the first I’ve heard about it,” D’Ermilio told The Tennessean earlier this week. ”We have not been receiving letters or calls or e-mails from our viewers.” NASCAR, which promotes its races as ”family-oriented entertainment,” has enjoyed record-breaking ratings on Fox and has no intention of rocking the boat. ”NASCAR is happy with Fox,” said Herb Branham, Winston Cup manager of communications. ”It has promoted the sport better than it has ever been promoted. What else it chooses to promote is beyond the scope of NASCAR.” A poll at tennessean.com on Tuesday asked ”What is your reaction to some of the commercials shown during Fox’s NASCAR coverage?” Of the 275 respondents, 19.3% voted they were not offended by them, 13.1% said they were not suitable for kids, 27.3% enjoyed them and 40.4% said they don’t watch racing on TV. See full story (and notes) at the Tennessean.(3-21-2002)
- Suspension Changes UPDATE: NASCAR announced new parameters for suspension and coil springs.(Daytona Beach News Journal) {doesn’t say what those changes are](3-17-2002)
UPDATE: Effective March 20, NASCAR is requiring several changes that will affect a car’s suspension. The maximum height of the panhard bar frame mount, when measured from the center of the panhard bar mounting bolt to the ground, must not be more than 15 inches. And the difference in height between the center of the panhard bar truck arm mounting bolt and the panhard bar frame mounting bolt must not be more than three inches at any time. The other change is with the front coil springs. The minimum number of active coils for each spring will now be 4 1/2 coils. And all coils must be evenly spaced after the first coil on the closed end of the spring. In addition, all coils must have the same inside and outside diameter.(Winston Cup Scene – need sub to read)(3-21-2002) - #4 Jackman to return: Mike James, jackman for Joe Nemechek’s #87 BGN team, served as jackman for #4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports and river Mike Skinner at Darlington. He replaced recuperating Tony Cardamone, who suffered a cracked shin at Atlanta. Cardamone, who was at Darlington, is expected to return to his regular duties March 24 at Bristol.(Winston Cup Scene – need sub to read)(3-21-2002)
- Kmart’s Motion Approved: U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan Pierson Sonderby approved Kmart’s motion Wednesday to get out of its NASCAR sponsorship agreement with Haas-Carter Motorsports. Kmart had sponsored two Haas-Carter cars, the #66 driven by Todd Bodine and the #26 driven by Joe Nemechek. The Kmart logo hasn’t been on either car since Feb. 24. The cars haven’t found new sponsors and the #66 has been parked for financial reasons.(Catchfence)(3-21-2002)
- IRWIN Rough to Finish Award: This week, no one would doubt that Lee McCall, crew chief for the #40 Coors Light Dodge, had the roughest start to the race and the best finish. As a result, he’ll take home the “IRWIN Rough to Finish Award” for the team’s worst to first finish at the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington. Sterling Marlin, who initially qualified in the 11th position, started at the back of the field due to a weekend engine change. But that didn’t slow down Marlin, McCall and the team. Sterling drove from 43rd to the top 20 early and by lap 100 Marlin found himself in the top five. After avoiding the big wreck on lap 226, Marlin won the race. Despite the engine change and the move to the back of the field, the team’s crew chief, Lee McCall, was confident that they had a car capable enough to pull through the pack and be a top competitor in the race. “We knew we had a problem with the engine and couldn’t take a chance with it,” said Lee McCall. “We put our best motor in and started in the rear and watched Sterling drive that thing up through traffic all day long. He picked ’em off one at a time, and raced this race track all day long. He did a heck of a job, and my hat’s off to him and our whole race team. That just goes to show how strong he is.”(PR)(3-21-2002)
- Childress off to the Artic after Bristol: Richard Childress [owner of the #’s 29,30,31] is taking a hunting trip, smack in the middle of Winston Cup season. “I’m changing my lifestyle a little bit,” Childress said. “I need to.” The change was prompted in part by the death of Childress’ friend and driver, Dale Earnhardt, more than a year ago. Not that the hunting trip will cost Childress much time in the garage, but it might. A day after Sunday’s race at Bristol, Tenn., Childress leaves for the Arctic to hunt polar bear and musk ox. Winston Cup does not race the following weekend, Easter Sunday. Childress plans to fly directly to Texas on April 7 for that race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.(Atlanta Journal Constitution)(3-21-2002)
- LaJoie to run some Cup races: BGN driver Randy LaJoie and his BGN team owner [#7 Chevy], Ed Evans, are talking to a potential sponsor about moving up to run four or five Cup races later this season. “I’m not going to go just to ride around,” he says. “I want to go and be competitive. Like when those Cup guys come over here and kick our butt? I want to go over there and kick theirs.” LaJoie, 40, won back-to-back BGN titles in 1996 and 1997. In the past few years, he has turned down several offers to move up to Winston Cup; one would have paid him four times more than he’s making now. LaJoie says the extra money isn’t worth the additional sponsorship, media and testing hassles that would come along with it. He has several friends in Winston Cup and can’t believe how much family time they miss. “I can’t put a price tag on that,” he says. “It kind of cracks me up when you listen to all these (drivers) that are mid-40s now. I think they finally realized that they had kids. By then their kids are teenagers, you know? To me, I’ve had so much fun watching my 6-year-old get his first basket in basketball, my 8-year-old getting a hit in baseball. I can’t replace that.” LaJoie turned down one particularly enticing offer a few years ago after one of his sons asked him why he’d want a job that would take him away from home more often; didn’t he already make enough money? “He’d better not get mad at me when he goes to a state college instead of Duke,” LaJoie jokes.(more at USA Today)(3-21-2002)
- Crew Chief’s fined: NASCAR announced today that BGN crew chiefs Charles Hylton and Gregg Mixon have been fined $5,000 each for rules infractions that occurred during this past weekend’s event at Darlington Raceway. Hylton, crew chief for the #21 car of Jeff Green, and Mixon, crew chief for the #44 car of Mike Harmon, were cited for actions detrimental to stock car racing and the use of parts or equipment in an event that do not conform to NASCAR rules. Both cars were found to have carburetor-related violations as determined by NASCAR officials.(NASCAR PR)(3-21-2002)
- What happened to Donnie Neuenberger? not sure, but noticed Neuenberger, was not in the #81 CTS truck at Darlington, but hearing the owner, Rick Ware and Neuenberger had some sort of disagreement over the sponsor IHOP and went their separate ways. So Ware put Jonathon Price in the #81 truck for the race.(3-21-2002)
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