March 25 – Today in Jayski’s NASCAR history

March 25, 2006

• • • Jarrett plans to retire after 2008 season, stay with Yates: #88-Dale Jarrett said Friday that his tentative plan is to remain with Robert Yates Racing through the end of the 2008 season and then retire. “Things are pretty good that I’ll be where I’m at through that time,” Jarrett said Friday during a rain delay at Bristol Motor Speedway. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome here … trying to extend any longer than that would be taking a chance as far as my competitive spirit and my body holding up.” Jarrett said he was unlikely he would follow the lead of Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte and driver part-time after stepping away from his full-time ride.(Speed Channel)
      AND Dale Jarrett reaffirmed his plan to race through the 2008 season but revealed there’s a chance he could finish his NASCAR career outside Robert Yates Racing. “Some of the other offers coming my way have kind of a two-year deal, so that’s when I started looking at (2008),” said Jarrett, whose contract is up at the end of the season with Yates, his home since 1995. “I think the high probability is that I’ll be right where I’m at.” The 1999 champion hopes to settle on his future by the end of May.(USA Today)(3-25-2006)
  • • Rusty to help with COT test at Bristol UPDATE 2 no Rusty: Rusty Wallace has been asked by NASCAR officials to help with the development of the new car [COT – Car of Tomorrow]. Wallace is scheduled to drive one at an upcoming Bristol test session scheduled for March 27, the day after the Nextel Cup race. Wallace knows the high-banked track extremely well, having won there nine times.(Yahoo Sports)(3-19-2006)
      UPDATE: Only four teams – Richard Childress Racing (Jeff Burton), Penske Racing South (development driver Billy Wease), Chip Ganassi Racing (Reed Sorenson) and Roush Racing (Carl Edwards) – are expected to bring cars to an open test for the “car of tomorrow” Monday at Bristol Motor Speedway. The test comes a year before the car is expected to make its debut at the track. Manufacturers must submit their specifications for approval by July 1. “This is strictly about tuning the cars, understanding what it will take for springs and shocks and handling of the car,” NASCAR Vice President Robin Pemberton said March 18. “We will get some more feedback from the wing and the [front] splitter.” Pemberton said having four teams would be good, and NASCAR can’t expect every team to come to every test. NASCAR is bring its own.(SceneDaily.com)(3-22-2006)
      UPDATE 2 – No Rusty; Rules Book close: The first rulebook for the Car of Tomorrow is expected to be in teams’ hands next week, said NASCAR’s director of cost research Brett Bodine, who’s been NASCAR’s lead test driver for the project. NASCAR president Mike Helton asked Rusty Wallace, the 1989 Cup Series champion who retired at the end of last season, to test the prototype at Bristol following this weekend’s events, the fifth test and the first on a short track this season. “I was asked to do the test, but I’ll be at a big production meeting up in Bristol, Conn., with Marty [Reid] and Scott [Goodyear] and the rest of the ESPN guys, so I passed on it,” said Wallace, who will not be at Bristol for the first time in 23 years due to his new position as an analyst on the ABC/ESPN broadcasts of the Indy Racing League, which opens this weekend in Homestead, Fla. “But what I am going to do is probably drive the Car of Tomorrow at Martinsville. I do want to drive the car just to feel it. I want to understand what it’s all about, and if I can make some comments about how they can make their car better or different, I’d be happy to tell them.” Bristol’s 2007 spring race is scheduled as the first official event for the Car of Tomorrow. Earlier this season, the Car of Tomorrow was tested twice at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway and twice on Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 1.54-mile track. A test had been scheduled at Darlington after the Dodge Charger 500 in May, but Bodine said that had been dropped in favor of another 1.5-mile test, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on the Tuesday after the May 28 Coca-Cola 600.(NASCAR.com)(3-25-2006)
  • • Sad News – Kenneth Campbell Sr.: Former Richmond International Raceway Vice President of Public Relations Robert “Kenneth” Campbell Sr., who helped promote racing for nearly 60 years in Richmond, passed away late last night. He was 83 and resided in Chesterfield County, Virginia at the time of his passing. Known as “Kenneth” to his friends and co-workers, Mr. Campbell helped promote races in Richmond starting in 1948 when Nelson Royall built the facility that is now know as Southside Speedway. Fourteen years later, he joined former Richmond International Raceway owner Paul Sawyer as a partner to help promote races at the ½-mile dirt track known at the Virginia State Fairgrounds. That track, of course, was later reconfigured into a ¾-mile paved oval and today is known as Richmond International Raceway. Before retiring in 2001, Mr. Campbell was known for being a tireless and innovative promoter. Decades ago, he organized a group of fans, government officials and civic leaders from Richmond to take a train to Darlington to help them understand how big NASCAR was becoming in other cities throughout the south. The plan worked, as the fares were sold out and fans were left at the platform.
      He also helped start the big business of sponsorships in NASCAR. Before decals on cars were commonplace, he once brokered a deal to put a logo from a Richmond car dealer on Richard Petty’s car. Long before NASCAR was a mainstream sport, he helped bring ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” to Richmond to tape a race segment. Mr. Campbell also drove the NASCAR pace car at most major tracks throughout the country and he worked for CBS at NASCAR races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Lois Gronlund Campbell; daughter, Deborah “Dodie” Campbell Ortland; son, Robert Kenneth Campbell, Jr.; sister Wanda Campbell Brinkley and brother Garland Campbell. He was preceded in death by his parents John Harding Campbell and Era Atkins Campbell. The family will hold a private burial. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in his name to the Victory Junction Gang Camp at 4500 Adam’s Way, Randleman, NC 27317. Upon Mr. Campbell’s retirement, the Richmond International Raceway media center was named after him. A memorial service will be held at the Kenneth Campbell Media Center located in the Richmond International Raceway infield on Friday, March 31 at 5:00pm/et.(RIR)(3-25-2006)
  • • Harvick not to own Cup team; leaning toward RCR? Roush? While rumored to be the top choice of Toyota when that auto maker ventures into NASCAR Nextel Cup Series competition in 2007, driver #29-Kevin Harvick says none of the future moves he makes will entail the role of owner/driver. In fact, Harvick’s comments Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway sounded more like the five-year Cup veteran would rather remain with current car owner Richard Childress than either exit to start his own Cup program – he already fields Busch and Truck entries through Kevin Harvick Inc. – or leave to drive for another owner. Harvick is in the final year of his contract with Richard Childress Racing, although there are contract options available to Childress to re-sign the driver. And while the two have mutually agreed to discuss their future later this year, Harvick said Friday that there was no specific date set to have any issues resolved. The talk of Toyota, he said, is speculation. “… As far as [Toyota] courting me, I don’t know what would fall into that category. Everything up to this point is speculation of what’s happening. Right now, there’s nothing done or nothing happening anywhere from any manufacturer or anything.”(SceneDaily.com)(3-25-2006)
      AND There was also a new report, from usually reliable sources, that Harvick is also entertaining a job offer from a current rival team on the tour, possibly Ford’s Jack Roush, although Roush wasn’t here to discuss that.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-25-2006)
  • • FAA now embroiled in Hendrick plane crash lawsuits: Hendrick Motorsports, facing three negligence lawsuits resulting from an Oct. 24, 2004, plane crash near Martinsville (Va.) Airport, contends in court documents that its liability, if any, should be transferred to air traffic controllers. Dianne Dorton, widow of Hendrick engine builder Randy Dorton, and Tracy Lathram, widow of Tony Stewart pilot Scott Lathram, filed separate lawsuits in December in North Carolina Superior Court against Hendrick Motorsports. Linda Turner, widow of former Hendrick Motorsports general manager Jeff Turner, filed a lawsuit earlier this month in North Carolina against the team. Linda Turner also has filed a federal lawsuit in Greensboro, N.C., against the Federal Aviation Administration over the actions of air traffic controllers. All of the lawsuits ask for an unspecified amount of damages. While denying their claims of negligence in the Dorton and Lathram cases, Hendrick Motorsports uses many similar arguments as Turner’s complaint against the FAA. Hendrick Motorsports’ complaint names air traffic controllers Brian Park, William Thomson Jr. and Jerry Wilson. Hendrick Motorsports alleges that the air traffic controllers failed to properly monitor the aircraft and respond when they should have known the plane was in danger of missing the approach at Martinsville Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board has blamed errors of the pilots as the probable cause of the crash, which killed both pilots and eight others, including four family members of team owner Rick Hendrick. The NTSB report on the crash states that once the plane was cleared for approach and was approved to change its radio frequency away from the controllers’ frequency that the “controller no longer had responsibility for the flight.” Hendrick’s filing also states that Dorton’s complaint should be handled as a workers compensation claim.(SceneDaily.com)(3-25-2006)
    • Phoenix Racing to Enter Gale in Nashville ARCA Race: Phoenix Racing has announced that they will be entering Cale Gale in the April 15th ARCA race at Nashville. In an effort to build for the future, owner James Finch is ready to give Gale a chance. Gale went to work for Phoenix Racing in the fall of 2005 as their shock specialist/developmental driver and now looks forward to this opportunity. Miccosukee Resort and Gaming will be the primary sponsor.(Phoenix Racing PR)(3-25-2006)
  • • Steve Wallace Gets Sponsors for ARCA Runs: RWI Racing has announced the addition of the Hantz Group and Nu South Lemonade, a subsidiary of United Beverage Group, LLC to their roster of sponsors. Nu South Lemonade and Hantz Group will don Steve Wallace’s #61 entry in the ARCA/REMAX Series in 2006. Wallace is slated to run seven ARCA/REMAX races this season, including Nashville (April 15), Kentucky (May 13), Michigan (June 16 and August 10), Gateway (July 28), Talladega (October 6) and Iowa (October 15).(RWI PR)(3-25-2006)

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