March 25 – Today in Jayski’s NASCAR history

March 25, 2002

• • • Expect Harvick and R Gordon to be fined and penalized UPDATE penalties announced: #31-Robby Gordon and #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. were called to the NASCAR hauler to meet with series officials following Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol. The two traded bumps several times during the race, and after the race ended, Gordon drove his No. 31 Chevrolet into the back of Earnhardt Jr.’s car on pit road, turning it around. NASCAR officials said they planned to review the incident and that Gordon would likely be penalized in a similar fashion to Tony Stewart, who was fined $10,000 last year for spinning Jeff Gordon on pit road. After the pit road incident, Robby Gordon drove to the garage area, while Earnhardt Jr. stopped on pit road for media interviews, as is common for drivers who finish in the top five (Earnhardt Jr. was fourth). As Earnhardt Jr. was getting out of his car, Mike Scearce, the jack man for Gordon’s team, ran up to Earnhardt Jr.’s car and Scearce and members of Earnhardt Jr.’s team exchanged obscenities before they were separated.(ThatsRacin.com)
      AND Kevin Harvick likely faces a large fine and probation for his actions on pit road following Saturday’s Channellock 250 BGTN race at Bristol. Greg Biffle hit Harvick’s car exiting Turn 4 on Lap 240, sending Harvick into the wall. Harvick waited in a pit stall on the frontstretch until the race was over and when Biffle brought his #60 Ford on pit road, Harvick charged after him and the two locked arms for nearly a minute before they were separated(actually jumped on and over Biffle’s car). Saturday afternoon, Harvick, his crew chief, Kevin Hamlin, and car owner, Richard Childress, all met with NASCAR officials. Childress met with NASCAR President Mike Helton again early Sunday morning, and Childress, Harvick and Helton met again for 25 minutes later Sunday morning. Harvick had to cancel an appearance in the hospitality village Sunday morning because of his meeting with Helton. Helton said penalties against Harvick will be issued this week, perhaps as early as Monday. “I think the issue we have to deal with, is how disruptive Harvick’s actions were and how detrimental his actions were to the overall scheme of things,” Helton said. Childress agreed that NASCAR had to take some action. Not only was Harvick frustrated with having his car wrecked, but he was shaken by the wreck itself. “It was a tough hit,” Childress said. “He couldn’t walk hardly last night. He’s really hurting today.”(ThatsRacin.com)(3-25-2002)
      UPDATE: NASCAR officials announced today they have penalized NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers Robby Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., for intentionally running into each other’s car during the cool-down lap of the Food City 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. Gordon, driver of the #31 NASCAR Winston Cup Series team, was fined $10,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Aug. 28th. Earnhardt Jr. was fined $5,000. Both drivers were penalized under Section 12-4-A in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series rule book: “actions deemed by NASCAR Officials as detrimental to stock car racing.”
      A penalty was also levied against driver Kevin Harvick for his actions in the pits following Saturday’s Channellock 250 NASCAR Busch Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Harvick, driver of the #29 NASCAR Busch Series team, was fined $15,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Aug. 28th. He was penalized under Section 12-4-A in the 2002 NASCAR Busch Series rule book: “actions deemed by NASCAR Officials as detrimental to stock car racing.”(NASCAR PR)(3-25-2002)
  • • Elledge to leave Yates? Dodge is wooing Jimmy Elledge, one of the Winston Cup tour’s rising young crew chiefs, to leave Robert Yates’ Ford #88 operation to join Ray Evernham’s Dodge gang as crew chief for #7-Casey Atwood on the Jimmy Smith-Buddy Barnes operation. And Barnes yesterday said that Elledge could be joining his team soon. Smith, the team owner in a partnership with Evernham, and Barnes, the general manager and interim crew chief, have been rebuilding the team since losing sponsorship last fall. Atwood finished 18th yesterday, his best of the year.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-25-2002)
  • • #90 to the Wind Tunnel: The #90 Donlavey Racing Team is attending a wind tunnel session today at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. The Donlavey Racing team is taking three down force cars to the tunnel. “We wanted to check the numbers on the intermediate cars to get a feel of where we are,” Crew Chief Mark Tutor said. “These are the steps we need to be doing to get things heading in the right direction.”(Donlavey Racing PR)(3-25-2002)
  • • The Winston….an announcement: it was mentioned during the race coverage on PRN (radio) that R.J. Reynolds will make an announcement concerning changes to the 2002 The Winston All Star Event/Race on April 9th at Lowes Motor Speedway. For more on the race, see my The 2002 Winston page.(3-25-2002)
  • • Kyles best in almost 2 years: #45-Kyle Petty finished 12th for his best finish since placing ninth at Talladega in April 2000.(News and Record)(3-25-2002)
  • • DW to drive a truck at Martinsville UPDATE 4: although ESPN2’s Dr Jerry Punch wouldn’t say his name, he said D.W. [Darrell Waltrip] is coming out of retirement for one race only to drive a truck at Martinsville in Mark Melling’s truck that Stacy Compton ran last year [#92 Dodge won the pole at Phoenix last year].(ESPN2’s PRM 2 Night)(3-19-2002)
      UPDATE: actually been told that D.W. was ASKED to drive the truck and has NOT committed to it yet.(3-20-2002)
      UPDATE 2: The Festival of Speed [in England] will also see a genuine American racing hero return to the driver’s seat when three-time NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip puts Chevrolet’s legendary Monte Carlo stock car through its paces. Waltrip’s quick wit is rivaled only by his speed in a race car, and he has vowed (with tongue planted firmly in cheek) to outrun the Formula 1 contingent on Goodwood’s long and winding road. What is the Festival of Speed? The ninth Festival of Speed will, once again, confirm that Goodwood is an absolute must in motor racing’s social calendar. The Festival will feature many stars of car and motorcycle racing, and a sensational array of both four and two-wheeled machinery, charging up the hill, competing against the clock. This is the closest you can get to the breathtaking speed of a modern Formula 1 car, while at the same time enjoying relaxed hospitality in Goodwood Park. It will be held on July 12-14th in Goodwood, England. DW attend the event last year.(3-21-2002)
      UPDATE 3: Darrell Waltrip is expected to come out of retirement for one event and return to racing next month at Martinsville Speedway in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck. An announcement should be made early next week. Waltrip would drive a truck owned by Winston Cup driver Stacy Compton and Jim Harris, a Lynchburg, Va., businessman. The truck race is April 13, and Waltrip had to get permission to skip FX’s broadcast of the BGN race that day in Nashville to race. Waltrip won’t be the only broadcaster missing that race. Jeff Hammond, one of Waltrip’s former crew chiefs, will work with Waltrip’s crew that weekend.(News and Record)(3-23-2002)
      UPDATE 4: Darrell Waltrip, who hasn’t driven in a race since Nov. 2000, has NASCAR’s blessing to run the April 13 Craftsman Truck Series race in Martinsville. ”Darrell’s been around long enough not to need much testing,” NASCAR President Mike Helton said yesterday. Helton’s reaction to the surprise announcement that Waltrip plans to come out of retirement for the one-race deal with Stacy Compton’s truck team.(Tennessean)(3-25-2002)
  • • Last Race for #26? #26-Joe Nemechek finished last for Haas Carter Motorsports in what published reports have stated could be the team’s final race since it has not found a sponsor after Kmart pulled out of its contract when it field for bankruptcy.(News and Record)(3-25-2002)
    • DW to drive a truck at Martinsville UPDATE 4: although ESPN2’s Dr Jerry Punch wouldn’t say his name, he said D.W. [Darrell Waltrip] is coming out of retirement for one race only to drive a truck at Martinsville in Mark Melling’s truck that Stacy Compton ran last year [#92 Dodge won the pole at Phoenix last year].(ESPN2’s PRM 2 Night)(3-19-2002)
      UPDATE: actually been told that D.W. was ASKED to drive the truck and has NOT committed to it yet.(3-20-2002)
      UPDATE 2: The Festival of Speed [in England] will also see a genuine American racing hero return to the driver’s seat when three-time NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip puts Chevrolet’s legendary Monte Carlo stock car through its paces. Waltrip’s quick wit is rivaled only by his speed in a race car, and he has vowed (with tongue planted firmly in cheek) to outrun the Formula 1 contingent on Goodwood’s long and winding road. What is the Festival of Speed? The ninth Festival of Speed will, once again, confirm that Goodwood is an absolute must in motor racing’s social calendar. The Festival will feature many stars of car and motorcycle racing, and a sensational array of both four and two-wheeled machinery, charging up the hill, competing against the clock. This is the closest you can get to the breathtaking speed of a modern Formula 1 car, while at the same time enjoying relaxed hospitality in Goodwood Park. It will be held on July 12-14th in Goodwood, England. DW attend the event last year.(3-21-2002)
      UPDATE 3: Darrell Waltrip is expected to come out of retirement for one event and return to racing next month at Martinsville Speedway in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck. An announcement should be made early next week. Waltrip would drive a truck owned by Winston Cup driver Stacy Compton and Jim Harris, a Lynchburg, Va., businessman. The truck race is April 13, and Waltrip had to get permission to skip FX’s broadcast of the BGN race that day in Nashville to race. Waltrip won’t be the only broadcaster missing that race. Jeff Hammond, one of Waltrip’s former crew chiefs, will work with Waltrip’s crew that weekend.(News and Record)(3-23-2002)
      UPDATE 4: Darrell Waltrip, who hasn’t driven in a race since Nov. 2000, has NASCAR’s blessing to run the April 13 Craftsman Truck Series race in Martinsville. ”Darrell’s been around long enough not to need much testing,” NASCAR President Mike Helton said yesterday. Helton’s reaction to the surprise announcement that Waltrip plans to come out of retirement for the one-race deal with Stacy Compton’s truck team.(Tennessean)(3-25-2002)

2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997