March 21, 2001
- Martinsville Hotel Fire UPDATE 2: A massive fire gutted a portion of the Dutch Inn hotel in Collinsville, VA (near Martinsville) late Monday. Flames engulfed the portion of the building adjacent to an automotive parts store and the Dutch Inn Plaza shopping center. Thick smoke rose into the sky from flames that shot from the top of the structure. Firefighters were still battling hot spots in the hotel’s windmill tower early this morning. A portion of the building’s roof caved in about 12:20 a.m. as firefighters extinguished the blaze. A firefighter atop a ladder truck sprayed water onto the fire from high above it(Martinsville Bulletin). So with the Martinsville races coming up in a little over two weeks, folks who were planning on staying there may wish to check out the situation in a few days when things calm down at the hotel(3-20-2001)
UPDATE: Except for the two suites in the tower, none of the guest rooms was damaged, so the hotel will be able to accommodate almost everyone booked there for the April 8 race at the Martinsville Speedway. Electricity and cable television were restored Tuesday. The hotel should reopen next week(Roanoke Times)
UPDATE 2: The good news is all of the rooms are inhabitable and will be ready for the Virginia 500 weekend. The bad news is all of the paperwork concerning room reservations for the Virginia 500 were burned. Martinsville Speedway is trying to help the management of the Dutch Inn get in contact with anyone who might have had reservations for that weekend so the paperwook can be recreated. If you have made reservations with the Dutch Inn for the Virginia 500, and have not already spoken with Amanda at the Dutch Inn, please fax her a copy of your contract or any other paper work. Her fax number is (540) 647-4119. The folks at the Dutch Inn have assured Martinsville Speedway they will honor all reservations for race week(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-21-2001) - New #44 Crew Chief: Bryant Frazier has been named crew chief for driver Buckshot Jones and the #44 Georgia-Pacific Dodge team. The announcement was made this morning by Petty Enterprises CEO Kyle Petty. Frazier, 36, is no stranger to winning. The Alabama native began his racing career with driver Steve Grissom in NASCAR.s All-Pro Series and Busch Grand National Series, winning national championships in each division. Since 1996, he has been working – and winning races – with drivers Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart in the BGN. Frazier has already begun his new duties. His first NASCAR Winston Cup race as crew chief will be this weekend.s Food City 500 at Bristol(Williams Company), no word of the status of the former crew chief, Mark Tutor(3-21-2001)
- #15 and DEI? UPDATE: have heard it was reported on Fox Sports Net show on Tuesday night that some crew members have left or were released from the #15 DEI team
UPDATE: hearing Car Chief Mike Kelly and Front Tire Changer Tim Sheets are two of the three who left(3-21-2001) - Wind Tunnel UPDATE 2: NASCAR took #’s 88, 24, 40 and 18 to the wind tunnel in Marietta, GA., following the race on Sunday at Atlanta(Sporting News)(3-12-2001)
The information from NASCAR’s wind-tunnel last week showed all four brands within 20 pounds of each other in downforce. But Bobby Labonte’s Pontiac showed the least drag, according to one GM official, which was a surprise(Winston Salem Journal)(3-18-2001)
UPDATE 2: some numbers(unofficial):
Test 1 Tested at inspection height, and with the nose taped off as for qualifying, at 3 degrees of yaw, slightly sideways as in entering a corner:
#18-1,344lbs of total downforce
#88-1340lbs
#24-1331lbs
#40-1325lbs
Test 2 Tested with the nose lowered, in more of a real-race situation:
#88-1521lbs of downforce
#40-1481lbs
#18-1456lbs
#24-1432lbs
Test 3 Drag Comparison – horsepower needed reach 200-mph in the wind tunnel:
#24-505
#88-513
#40-517
#18-538
These are the only numbers I have seen, can’t say I totally understand them so don’t ask me to explain, see the full story at the Winston Salem Journal(3-21-2001) - Skinner and the HANS UPDATE: many folks have emailed me and wondered what Mike Skinner thought about the HANS device and the situation where there was quite a bit of fire. On ESPN2’s RPM 2Night Skinner said he may had taken him a little longer to get out with the HANS device, but he was happy with it’s performance and he will continue to wear the device. He said the length of time to get out of the car had more to do with him shaking off the effects of the crash and trying to get the steering wheel and unstrapping the belts and the HANS device(3-20-2001)
UPDATE: Mike Skinner credits the HANS device with helping him avoid serious injuries in a crash late in Sunday’s race at Darlington. “I’ve taken a lot less severe hits than this and hurt a lot worse,” Skinner said. “I give a big thumbs-up to the HANS device. It kept me from hurting a lot worse than I did.” Car owner Richard Childress said the HANS device did not prevent his driver from exiting quickly. Skinner told Childress that he didn’t drop the left net, which is between the driver’s head and the window net, at first and that held him up. Skinner said that he slid forward in the seat in the wreck and got his belt stuck against the steering wheel, further slowing him(Roanoke Times)(3-21-2001) - #0 Closed Up? UPDATE nope: hearing the #0 Ohio State Alumni Motorpsorts team has closed up and will auction off it’s equipment in the near future. Johnny Rumley was the last driver of the #0 Chevy(1-19-2001)
UPDATE: Having failed to interest sponsors in an Ohio State University race car, the owners of Alumni Motorsports are turning to a tie-in with broader appeal: professional athletes. Alumni Motorsports, owned in part by former Ohio State football standouts Mike Tomczak and Jim Lachey, has so far sat out this season of BGN racing after a disappointing inaugural effort. The team last year was unable to find a paying sponsor and struggled with spotty race qualifying and driver changes. Drew West, Alumni Motorsports’ general manager, said the team is in what he called an “operational pause” while the owners continue looking for a primary, paying sponsor. The team has kept some key personnel on the payroll and still has up to a dozen race cars in various stages of readiness at its garage in Ronda, N.C., the former headquarters of NASCAR legend Junior Johnson.(in part from Business First thanks to Catchfence for the heads up)(3-21-2001) - Wasson gets sick: Flu takes toll on Wasson at Darlington. Chris Hoiles Motorsports driver Gus Wasson finished 35th at the Suncom 200. According to crew chief Tony Burgess, Wasson was lucky to start the race at all. ” I figured we might be in trouble when I walked out of the hauler two hours before the race and Gus had his head in a trash can making really bad noises” Wasson was told he didn’t have to start the race but strapped in anyway. Owner Chris Hoiles was impressed with his driver’s tenacity. ” Darlington’s tough enough to get around when you’re healthy, but to race here with the stomach flu, that’s got to be miserable.” The driver of the # 96 Chevy was taken to the infield care center after the race and treated for dehydration. The team will be at Bristol for the Cheez-It 250 with sponsor Bell Motor Company of Leonardtown, MD(The Motorsports Group)(3-21-2001)
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