March 26, 2014
- Hamlin cleared to return at Martinsville: Joe Gibbs Racing driver #11-Denny Hamlin will race this weekend at Martinsville Speedway after NASCAR received official confirmation from his doctors that he has been medically cleared to return to regular racing activities. Hamlin first visited the infield care center at Auto Club Speedway Saturday night bothered with an irritation in his eye. He returned to the infield care center again on Sunday morning because his condition had worsened. It was at this time that it was determined by the medical team onsite that he would not be allowed to race due to a sinus infection that was impacting his vision. The doctors at the infield care center referred him to the local hospital for further evaluation. During the evaluation at the hospital a small piece of metal was also found to be in Hamlin’s eye. Doctors were able to remove the sliver of metal and Hamlin felt immediate improvement to his condition. A CT Scan did not find any other complications and thus it is believed that the metal was actually the source of Hamlin’s vision issues. He was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon and was given the doctor’s approval to fly home. Hamlin was then evaluated by a doctor in the Charlotte area on Monday and was sent home to rest. He was instructed to return Wednesday for a follow-up examination. Following today’s examination, his doctors provided the necessary approval for Hamlin to resume all racing activity without restriction. NASCAR has received official confirmation from his doctors clearing him to resume racing this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.(Joe Gibbs Racing)(3-26-2014)
- Congrats to the Kenseths: Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver of the #20 Toyota, Matt Kenseth, and his wife Katie welcomed a new bundle of joy Tuesday evening with the birth of the couple’s third daughter. Clara Mae Kenseth was born March 25 at 7:39pm/et weighing in at eight pounds and five ounces. Both mother and daughter are doing well as the family enjoys the latest addition who joins the couple’s other daughters Kaylin and Grace, along with their son Ross. Kenseth will be able to spend a few days at home with his brand new baby girl before traveling to nearby Martinsville, Virginia for this weekend’s STP 500 Sprint Cup Series event at the Martinsville Speedway.(JGR)(3-26-2014)
- More info on Hamlin expected Wednesday: #11-Denny Hamlin, who missed Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway, tweeted Tuesday evening, “With due respect to the Petty family I will send out a update tomorrow. Please keep their family in your thoughts tonight.”(3-26-2014)
- Earnhardt, Jr. wants NASCAR to address Hamlin’s issue: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants to know why there hasn’t been more information about what caused #11-Denny Hamlin to miss Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway. Hamlin was taken to a local hospital shortly before the race with what Joe Gibbs Racing said was a sinus infection that affected his vision. But Earnhardt wondered aloud why there has been no official NASCAR statement or further explanation from Hamlin on what happened. No further updates were expected from NASCAR or Joe Gibbs Racing on Tuesday and Hamlin has not been officially cleared for this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway. Earnhardt said there were questions because he’d never heard of a driver being pulled from the race shortly before the start after not being cleared to race by NASCAR. “I’m worried the perception is bad for NASCAR and the perception is bad for Denny,” Earnhardt said Tuesday. “… If Denny didn’t race because his vision is blurred and he had a sinus infection, NASCAR should put out a release and say, ‘This is the timeline of the events and this is why we made this choice and this is the protocol for going forward.’ That answers everybody’s questions. Don’t you have questions? I have questions. We shouldn’t have questions. We should all feel pretty comfortable with what happened.” Hamlin is expected to see doctors in Charlotte this week. He cannot race until he is cleared by a NASCAR-approved doctor. If he does not qualify Friday at Martinsville or race on Sunday, he would need another medical exemption from NASCAR in order to remain eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.(USA Today)(3-26-2014)
- Fans raise money to sponsor Wise at Talladega: NASCAR and sponsorship run hand-in-hand. The high costs of racing a car means that wrapping it in corporate logos is of vital importance. What happens when you don’t have a sponsor? You can try and do as best you can, or you can let the internet help you. The folks at r/dogecoin discovered that Josh Wise and the #98 car were without a sponsor. They made it their mission to raise the $55,000 needed to cover his car in their beloved dogecoin for one race. Now they’ve met that goal and the aim is to wrap the #98 for Talladega.
“Dogecoin” is one of several peer-to-peer cryptocurrencies, much like bitcoin. The main distinction is that dogecoin is based on and embraces the popular “doge” meme. One dogecoin is worth a fraction of one cent. This isn’t the first fundraising spearheaded by the dogecoin community. Previously they’ve sent the Jamaican bobsled team to Sochi, raised money to supply needy families with service animals and gathered $30,000 to help supply clean water to Kenya.
A funding page was set up to accept dogecoin donations and regular, boring monetary offerings. It certainly helped that the founder of a cyrptocurrency trading site accidentally donated 22 million coins (just over $15,000 worth). Roughly 1,200 people helped reach the goal of 67,500,000 dogecoins. Fundraising organizer Kevin Dusenberry has told SBNation.com that the car will run in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega on May 4.(SB Nation)(3-26-2014)
- Earnhardt, Jr, Graham Rahal interested in ride swap UPDATE: Verizon IndyCar Series driver Graham Rahal believes the timing and circumstances are just too perfect not to do the much-ballyhooed car swap with his National Guard NASCAR counterpart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Rahal attended the Auto Club 400 in Fontana on Sunday afternoon with girlfriend Courtney Force and her father, 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion, John and reached out to Earnhardt after the race, via Twitter, about the possibility of swapping rides somewhere down the line. For his part, Earnhardt seemed agreeable. Rahal says the Twitter exchange was calculated but “100 percent authentic” and something that the second-generation IndyCar ace has wanted to do for quite some time. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t want it to happen,” Rahal told Popular Speed. “Dale and I share a sponsor now (National Guard) and my dad (three-time champion, Bobby) and Rick (Hendrick) have always had a great relationship.” Rahal believes the shared National Guard sponsorship makes for a great marketing opportunity for both himself and Earnhardt, allowing for Rahal to knock a machine off his personal bucket list – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. Rahal, who is pushing for the car swap to take place on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is just looking forward to potentially hanging out with Earnhardt, believing that their similarities could establish a fast friendship.(Popular Speed)(3-25-2013)
UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Tuesday he wants to swap race cars with Graham Rahal, but believes it won’t be possible because they drive for rival manufacturers. Both drivers are sponsored by Army National Guard this season. Rahal reached out to Earnhardt on Twitter after Sunday’s NASCAR race at Fontana, proposing they swap cars in an exhibition. Only Earnhardt drives a Chevy in NASCAR, and Rahal’s car in IndyCar is a Honda. Because Chevy and Honda are direct competitors in IndyCar, and Earnhardt is so closely associated with Chevy, he said he doesn’t think the swap is doable. “Well, he drives a Honda, which is more than just a speed bump,” Earnhardt said during an appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “If I wanted to drive an Indy car, I’m sure I could get with Penske or somebody who owned a Chevy and take a couple laps somewhere. But it would have been fun to do that with Graham because of the relationship with our sponsor and the history of our families. I look forward to meeting him one day, but I think the fact he has a relationship with a different manufacturer is going to make it challenging – if not impossible – for me to drive that particular car.”(Associated Press)(3-26-2014)
- Billy Boat Motorsports partners with RedFest at Texas: Billy Boat Motorsports (BBM) announces a partnership with RedFest presented by Natty Light for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) on Friday, April 4th. NNS rookie Chad Boat is set to make his second start of the season in the #84 RedFest Chevy Camaro under the lights on the 1.5-mile track. RedFest is a three day celebration of music, comedy, reality tv, camping, hunting, fishing and loads of hands-on activities for people who work hard, play harder and love the outdoors. Held at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, RedFest offers some of the biggest headliners in music and comedy as well as fun outdoor activities for the entire family. RedFest is a festival for anyone who loves the outdoor lifestyle. (Integrity Sports Marketing)(3-26-2014)
- Nemechek ready for first race of 2014: Second generation driver, John Hunter Nemechek, will make his 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut racing the #8 SWM-NEMCO Motorsports Toyota Tundra in this Saturday’s Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. Nemechek, son of veteran NASCAR competitor, Joe Nemechek, will be making his second attempt at Martinsville and his third in the series overall. Approved by NASCAR to compete on tracks one mile in length or under, the 16-year old Nemechek is slated to run 10 races in the #8 entry with his father filling the seat for the remaining 12 races on the NCWTS schedule. SWM International will serve as primary sponsor in Martinsville.(SWM-NEMCO)(3-26-2014)
- ALS Association on board with Kennedy: This weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Ben Kennedy’s #31 Chevy Silverado will be carrying the colors of the ALS Association. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects neurons (nerve cells) in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. For unknown reasons, veterans are approximately twice as likely to get ALS. There is no cure and no life-prolonging treatments for the disease. ALS and the ALS Association are particularly near to Kennedy’s heart, as close family friend Annette Farmer was diagnosed with the disease in 2010. Farmer will be riding along with Kennedy for this weekend’s 250-lap race with her name above the right-side door of the #31 Silverado. Kennedy has supported ALS research in the past as a result of his close connection to the cause, running in the Daytona Beach Half Marathon and honoring Farmer with a fraternity fundraiser last year, raising more than $20,000.(TSM)(3-26-2014)
- Pistone’s Martinsville run to support Plagiocephaly Awareness: For the second race of the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Schedule, Chase Pistone will make his season debut with NTS Motorsports. Pistone will run fourteen NCWTC events this season. This will mark Pistone’s second start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, his first career start also came at Martinsville, in October of 2005. Pistone and his NTS Motorsports team will be racing to support Plagiocephaly Awareness. A condition, sometimes referred to as deformational or positional plagiocephaly, which develops when an infant’s rapidly growing head attempts to expand and meets some type of resistance, can occur either prenatally in the mother’s womb or after the child is born because the baby’s head is pressed against a bed or other flat resting surface.(NTS)(3-26-2014)
- Robertson family filling honorary positions at Texas: The Robertson clan of A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” fame will not be ducking any of the honorary positions associated with the Duck Commander 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, April 6, at Texas Motor Speedway. The Robertsons, ranging from patriarch Phil to granddaughter Sadie, will fill six honorary positions for the race that bears the name of their family-owned business as more than two dozen family members and relatives will be on hand for the festivities surrounding their first NASCAR race sponsorship venture. Many of the family members will play integral roles in the festivities throughout the weekend. Willie will welcome the crowd to the largest-attended, single-day sporting event in Texas, and he and Korie’s 16-year-old daughter Sadie will deliver the invocation. Jase will introduce the top-10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers, and his wife Missy will sing the National Anthem. Phil Robertson, patriarch of the Robertson clan, will serve as the Honorary Starter and wave the green flag from the starter’s stand while his brother “Uncle” Si will be the Grand Marshal and provide the command to the drivers to start their engines. Jep Robertson, the younger brother of Willie, Jase and Alan, will be in one of the Chevy Camaro pace cars. Willie also will have a post-race role and will present the iconic wooden boot trophy to the Duck Commander 500 winner in Victory Lane. In addition to the honorary roles, Phil and Alan Robertson are scheduled to lead the service for Racing for Faith prior to the Duck Commander 500 at 8:45am/ct in the Turn 1 Speedway Club grandstands on Sunday, April 6.(TMS)(3-26-2014)
- Richmond working to get Robert Griffin III to race: When Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked his fans on social media to help convince Robert Griffin III to attend Richmond’s late-April race, Richmond International Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier quickly e-mailed Junior’s tweet to his staff. “Boom,” the track president wrote. When Griffin quickly responded, saying he was in, Bickmeier e-mailed his staff again, this time including Griffin’s tweet. “Double boom,” he wrote. In case you were wondering whether Sunday night’s flurry of tweets about getting Griffin to the Toyota Owners 400 on April 26 was just a goof, well, rest assured it was not. By Monday morning, track officials had already reached out to the Redskins, trying to capitalize on what Earnhardt started. “Our plan at this point is we’d love to connect with Robert and the Redskins and certainly determine his availability,” Bickmeier said in a phone conversation. “I don’t even know if he knew the actual date of the race. We have to determine all those things first, but we would love to have him. We’ve got a good spot for him, and I think giving him kind of an immersion in NASCAR would be pretty cool. I think it’s a win for everybody. Earnhardt had originally suggested Griffin act as the grand marshal; that’s typically an honor bestowed in conjunction with a race’s sponsor, which is why Bickmeier instead suggested the quarterback drive the pace car. RIR hasn’t used an honorary pace car driver in the recent past; “quite frankly, that’s really reserved for someone of RGIII’s stature,” Bickmeier said. Track officials are willing to make any visit as intense or low-key as the quarterback would like.(Washington Post)(3-26-2014)
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