March 22, 2001
- #97 Sponsor update: hearing the announcement will probably be at Texas and not Bristol that Sharpie®/Sanford/Newell Rubbermaid will be Kurt Bucsh’s sponsor. Hearing the car will be primarily black with a white hood having “Sharpie” in black letters with a blue Sharpie pen underneath it on the hood. The lower left side of the car is blue … the lower right side of the car is red (almost like somebody’s been scribbling on it with a … Sharpie) or an all black with a red “Rubbermaid” logo. Sharpie is on the quarter panels and Paper*Mate is on the deck lid(3-22-2001)
- Talladega Rules Changes Ford/Dodge UPDATE: Ford teams will get a rules break after all, NASCAR decided yesterday. Ford will be allowed a two-inch narrower rear spoiler, giving them the same size rear spoiler as the Chevy at Talladega. Dodge teams will have to add a larger roof spoiler to their Intrepids. The new Dodge spoiler would be the same size as the one Ford teams used last fall at Talladega. Ford will still be allowed to run the smaller roof spoiler at Talladega even though the Ford and Dodge use essentially identical body templates(Winston Salem Journal)(3-22-2001)
UPDATE: NASCAR officials announced today modifications for the Ford and Dodge teams to be used in the Talladega 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 22, 2001. The width of the Ford’s rear spoiler will be decreased from 59 inches to 57-inches wide. The Pontiac’s rear spoiler will remain at 59-inches wide, while the Chevrolet’s rear spoiler will still be 57-inches wide. The Dodge teams will still use a 1 3/8-inch tall roof mounted air deflector. However, the deflector will now have to form a straight line, which will raise the outer edges’ height. Prior to this modification, the deflector had a shape similar to the contour of the roof. Measurements for the Chevrolet and Pontiac models remain unchanged(NASCAR PR)(3-22-2001)
- Buckshot at Texas: Buckshot Jones’ #44 Dodge, one of three Petty Enterprises cars, will carry a special “four generations of Petty’s” paint scheme at TMS. The car will be unveiled in a news conference on pole qualifying morning (Friday, March 30). Adam Petty, the fourth-generation driver, made his Winston Cup debut last spring at TMS. He was killed a few weeks later in a crash at New Hampshire.(Dallas Morning News)(3-22-2001)
- Expert Chosen to Review Photos: A Duke University professor who specializes in neck injury research has been chosen by a mediator to evaluate the fatal injuries of Dale Earnhardt. Barry S. Myers, a physician who also has a degree in mechanical engineering, will study the various reports and photographs related to Earnhardt’s injuries. The selection of a medical expert was part of an agreement reached last week between Teresa Earnhardt and the Orlando Sentinel, which has been seeking such an evaluation by an an independent medical expert. At a Thursday afternoon press conference in Daytona Beach, Sentinel attorneys praised the selection of Myers and said there were no changes to the agreement reached last week with Earnhardt’s widow, Teresa.(Orlando Sentinel)(3-22-2001)
- Trickle News: Dick Trickle was in Darlington last weekend. Trickle spoke with Richard Childress about competing in the #2 AC Delco BGN car when they have conflicts in schedule with Kevin Harvick now driving in Cup for Childress. Childress said they haven’t made any decisions yet, since it won’t be a problem until May, but told Trickle that they would be talking(Dick Trickle Fan Club site)(3-22-2001)
- Simpson Belt Passes Test? UPDATE: hearing it was reported on FSN’s Totally NASCAR that Bill Simpson completed his independent test of an identical lap belt to the one Dale Earnhardt was wearing in the Daytona 500. The belt material used in the test was from the same batch as the one used by Earnhardt. The test was conducted by the SFI test facility outside San Diego, CA. A test video showed a lap belt drawn across a jig to represent the size and shape of a human lower torso. The belt was then pulled on until it broke. The test showed that the belt failed at greater than 4500 pounds on either end for a combined weight of greater than 9000 pounds. Simpson said that his seat belts will not fail unless improperly installed(3-22-2001)
UPDATE: Tests of six lap belts from the same batch used in the car in which Dale Earnhardt was killed show the restraints were able to withstand far more pressure than might be expected in a crash during a race. One of the six belts tested did not fail at all under a maximum load of 5,800 pounds placed on it during the tests at SFI Foundation’s facility in Poway, CA.. The remaining five did fail, but none at lower than 4,750 pounds. According to test reports obtained by The Observer, the six 3-inch-wide nylon belts were tested on March 8. Bill Simpson, owner of the Mooresville-based company that supplies safety equipment to most NASCAR teams, took the belts from that same batch made in November 2000 that were used in Dale Earnhardt’s car at Daytona. See more at the Charlotte Observer(3-22-2001)
- Hillenburg BGN and Cup plans: Andy Hillenburg will attempt to qualify for the March 31 BGN race at Texas in a car owned by Wisconsin businessman Tom Mohrhauser. The car will be fielded out of Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Driving School shop in Harrisburg, NC. Its sponsor, Quail Unlimited, a non-profit wildlife organization, also backed the driver during last year’s Indianapolis 500. Hillenburg’s also got a seven-race Winston Cup deal with BAM Racing, set to begin at Talladega next month(Winston Cup Scene – need subscription to read online), sorry folks, no idea who BAM Racing is….yet, know they run ARCA(3-22-2001)
- #92 Crew Chief Penalized and Suspended UPDATE 2 Knaus back at the track: NASCAR officials announced today they have penalized NASCAR Winston Cup Series crew chief Chad Knaus for rules violations (shoulder harness) discovered in preliminary inspection prior to the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. Knaus, crew chief of the #92 NASCAR Winston Cup Series team, was fined $5,000 and suspended from the next two NASCAR Winston Cup Series races (suspension ends April 4, 2001). Knaus was penalized under Section 12-4-Q in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series rule book: “Any determination by NASCAR Officials that parts and/or equipment used in the Event do not conform… or have not been approved by NASCAR…”(NASCAR PR)
UPDATE: Melling Racing owner, Mark Melling, issued the following statement in response to the suspension of Knaus: “I stand soundly by the safety record of Melling Racing over the many years that we have been participating in this sport. We are one of the first teams to use a neck restraining device (developed in conjunction with associate sponsor Autoliv, the number one automotive safety company in the world). That device was in place prior to this year’s Daytona 500. From owner to driver to crew chief to mechanic safety truly is our utmost concern. We are appealing this penalty immediately. For NASCAR to call us out on a “technicality,” two weeks after the discovery of the alleged infraction, is just wrong. We have been a leader in the safety area long before it became the recent “buzz” word in NASCAR. I’m deeply troubled that NASCAR chose to make an example out of us.”
Melling Racing crew chief, Chad Knaus, made the following statement: “NASCAR’s concern is that safety belts are up to current standards. The belts in question are brand new belts, and we can prove that. As a matter of safety, we trim off excess shoulder belt material,” continued Knaus. “If we did not discard the extra 16 to 24 inches of material, the unused part of the belt would hang free in the cockpit. We don’t believe rolling up the excess material provides as safe an alternative as trimming off the excess. When we trimmed off the excess belt material, we also cut off the tag. However, the other belts from this set still had their dated tags, which indicated that this set was new. If NASCAR fined and suspended every crew chief because only one belt was not dated, then every crew chief would be fined and suspended because not every belt is dated. Only three of the five belts that make up a safety restraint system have dated tags, and Simpson even makes a set of belts, harnesses and hardware that come in one box and has only one date tag. So how does NASCAR know the other belts or harnesses are up to spec? They look at the other belts or harnesses that are dated, and they judge the system as a whole. They didn’t do that in Atlanta. It’s unfortunate, because I personally make sure that our team goes above and beyond the industry standard to ensure the safety of our cars,” said Knaus. “Let me add that I’m glad that NASCAR leaves the choice of safety equipment to the teams. I want that responsibility, and I think NASCAR generally does a very good job policing the safety equipment in these cars. In this case, however, I feel like we are being made an example of.” During his absence, the #92 Kodiak Racing Team will operate under a “crew chief-by-committee” structure at Bristol and Texas. Race-day-calls will be made by team owner, Mark Melling, car chief, Dean Johnson, and mechanic, Cory Stott(Melling PR)(3-21-2001)
UPDATE 2: Chad Knaus, crew chief of the #92 Kodiak Dodge driven by Stacy Compton, will work with his Melling Racing team in this weekend’s Food City 500 at Bristol after team owner Mark Melling appealed Knaus’ $5,000 fine and two-race suspension to NASCAR officials. Matt Chambers, crew chief of the Roush Racing #97 JR’s Garage Ford driven by Kurt Busch, received the same penalty as Knaus, but did not appeal it.(NASCAR.com)(3-22-2001)
- TV Ratings: According to Nielsen Media Research, the late NCAA Baskeyball games Sunday pulled a 7.1 overnight rating on CBS. The games that ran opposite the Cup race at Darlington pulled a 5.8, while the race managed a 5.2 (12 share) on Fox(SpeedVision)(3-22-2001)
- Marcis 2001 Schedule: been asked enough, so here it is, Dave Marcis’ 2001 Cup schedule:
Daytona 500(missed), Talladega(both), Winston Open, Dover(June), Daytona, Chicagoland, Indy, Darlington and Atlanta(fall)(Marcis Racing Site), Marcis also was going to attempt last weeks race at Darlington but got fogged out(3-22-2001)
- Sad News: Condolences to Mike and Scott Beam, whose sister, Kathey, died of cancer March 15. Mike is the crew chief for PPI Motorsports driver Ricky Craven and Scott is the shop foreman for Jason Keller’s ppc Racing organization(Winston Cup Scene – need subscription to read online)(3-22-2001)
- #84 News: Long Brothers Racing is returning to action in 2001 with Richard Landreth driving their #84 Ford in the Advance Auto Parts 250 at Martinsville Speedway on April 7th . This is the same team that got Scott Riggs noticed last year at Martinsville with a 5th place qualifying run and a 9th place finish. Last year, the team also finished 9th at Daytona with Donnie Neuenberger, 3rd at Nashville with Chad Chaffin, and had a top 5 run going at Richmond with Elliot Sadler before being sidelined late in the race with a mechanical failure. Richard Landreth has more than 25 Late Model Stock wins at tracks including South Boston Speedway, Concord Motorsports Park, Orange County Speedway, and Ace Speedway. In 11 Late Model Stock feature races at Martinsville Speedway, Richard has had 5 Top 3 starts, including 3rd last year out of a field of over 120 cars, and posted 4 top 5 and 9 top 10 finishes. This will be his first career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Long Brothers Racing plans to compete in 7 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2001. Lemons Auto Parts and Trogdon Electrical Contractors will be among the sponsors on the truck for Martinsville, but the team is seeking sponsorship for this and the other 6 races(Long Brothers Racing PR)(3-22-2001)
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