March 28, 2003
- RCR to Honor POW’s: All five cars fielded by Richard Childress Racing (RCR) will carry decals recognizing the plight of United States prisoners of war in Iraq during this weekend’s NASCAR races at Texas Motor Speedway. “The men and women captured by the Iraqis are serving our country in the most honorable way possible,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing Enterprises, Inc. “They have put their lives on the line in the name of our country so we all have to keep them in our thoughts and prayers and hope that they will be returned safely.” RCR’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo teams in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series include the #29 GM Goodwrench entry with driver Kevin Harvick, the #30 America Online entry with driver Jeff Green and the #31 Cingular Wireless entry with driver Robby Gordon. Its NASCAR Busch Series teams include the #2 ACDelco entry with driver Ron Hornaday and the #21 PayDay entry of Johnny Sauter, who will be driving the car this weekend in Texas. The POW decals will be placed on the C-posts of each car. Childress was the catalyst behind a five-day visit in late January to U.S. troops stationed in Europe. NASCAR team owners, drivers and celebrities traveled to Germany, Bosnia, Sicily and Spain with the 134th Air Refueling Wing of the Tennessee National Guard. Last October at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Childress signed a statement of support for the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves (ESGR). The National Guard and Reserves make up nearly half of the United States military personnel.(RCR PR)(3-28-2003)
- Power of Pride campaign launched: The sponsor of Jimmie Johnson’s #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy, Lowe’s, created the Power of Pride initiative in the fall of 2001 as a way to pay tribute to the armed forces, police and fire departments following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. On Thursday in Washington, Johnson, Lowe’s officials and the United Service Organization (USO) unveiled the latest installment of the campaign – allowing individuals to send personal messages and care packages to members of the military overseas. The packages contain an assortment of items the personnel have requested, such as prepaid international calling cards, disposable cameras, toiletries, and sunscreen. In honor of the nearly 300 Lowe’s employees serving in the National Guard and reserves, Lowe’s launched its newest Power of Pride campaign a $100,000 contribution to the USO. Effectively immediately, donations to the program will be accepted at Lowe’s stores nationwide and SMI races. Additionally, Lowe’s will tour a giant “Thank You” banner to the military. Military supporters will be invited to write personal messages and signatures on the banner at sporting events and Lowe’s stores throughout the spring. During the Memorial Day weekend, Lowe’s will present a Power of Pride pre-race show at the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which will include a military exhibition, a country music concert and a check presentation to the USO. Also, Johnson will run a special Power of Pride paint scheme during the race and at The Winston all-star race on May 17. In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, Lowe’s, its employees and customers raised more than $6 million, which included Johnson running a Power of Pride paint scheme in selected races in 2001 and last season.(ThatsRacin.com), also see other ways you can supports our troops on my new look Racing Charites page and see real images of the car on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(3-28-2003)
- Car Raced By Earnhardt, Sr. Takes Pole At 2003 Georgia Speed Week: The late Dale Earnhardt had a winning legacy in Georgia. He dominated at Atlanta Motor Speedway winning there nine times. Even though he is gone, “The Intimidator” will again lead the way, this time at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame’s 2003 Georgia Speed Week. The third annual event will take place on Saturday, April 5th from 9:00am – 5:00pm. Events outside the Hall of Fame and in Cherry Street Plaza are free to the public. Regular admission will be required for entrance into the facility. Earnhardt’s 1978 Chevy Nova #8, that he raced before attaining NASCAR Winston Cup stardom, heads a list of over two-dozen cars that will be displayed in Cherry Street Plaza. From 1:00 – 3:00pm inside the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, some of the Peach State’s legendary motor sports figures will be signing autographs. They include 1960 NASCAR Grand National [now Winston Cup] champion Rex White, famous car owner Raymond Parks, NASCAR Grand National drivers Bob Moore and Bruce Brantley. For more information on Georgia Speed Week see their website: www.georgiasportshalloffame.com.(3-28-2003)
- Stewart’s Primary Car Disallowed and Impounded, has to go to a backup: NASCAR impounded the primary #20 [Home Depot] Chevy presented for inspection by Tony Stewart’s team Friday morning at Texas Motor Speedway, forcing the team to switch to a backup before it started practice. The confiscated car was rolled to a prominent position beside the NASCAR transporter and roped off. NASCAR officials did not allow the team to put a cover over the car, and the orange race car was drawing a lot of attention. “When the 20 came through inspection, it was not in a condition where it would pass,” NASCAR president Mike Helton. “It was enough out of that condition that we felt like what we wanted to do was impound the car instead of letting them cut it up and try to fix it, even if they could.” Helton would not specifically say what it was about the car that was out of whack, but did say the problem was in the area from the rear window to the rear deck lid. “What I will say is that it did not fit the templates, and did not fit them very well at all,” he said. Officials from Joe Gibbs Racing said Greg Zipadelli, Stewart’s crew chief, would comment on the situation following Winston Cup qualifying scheduled for Friday afternoon. Helton said NASCAR impounded the car because it was the first to be presented for inspection this year that fell “outside of the box” of a new set of rules regarding body shape and location that is more common among all makes in 2003. “This is the first we’ve seen this year of anything being this exotic,” Helton said. “There was a great deal of effort put in over the winter by NASCAR and the teams to adapt to the common body templates. …We feel that has been a success on the track and in the garage area and there is a high level of interest in trying to keep things going in that direction.” Helton said he did not recall NASCAR ever confiscating an entire car from a team before. Officials frequently confiscate unapproved parts from cars, tag them and leave them on display on a counter in its hauler. “This fits in that scenario,” Helton said. “It’s just too big to put on the counter.” Helton said the car would be taken back to NASCAR’s new research and development center in Concord where it will be examined further. He would not rule out further fines or penalties against the team pending the outcome of that investigation. “We want to understand it more,” Helton said. “We feel that taking this car out of their system is quite a reaction. The car they presented to race here is now not an option to them to use. …That car is ours for right now.”(ThatsRacin.com)
AND #20-Tony Stewart was forced to pull his backup car from the hauler before Friday’s Winston Cup practice after NASCAR disallowed his primary, claiming it failed the common body template inspection. The car, which had not yet been used by the team, was confiscated by NASCAR and its backup, another unused chassis according to Joe Gibbs Racing team manager Jimmy Makar, was pulled out of the transporter in its place. “I’m not sure we ever have done this,” NASCAR president Mike Helton said. NASCAR impounded the car and planned to return it to its technical and research and development facility in Concord, N.C., to investigate it further.(NASCAR.com), no problems reported on the backup car.(XM Satellite- NASCAR Radio – Subscription Required)(3-28-2003)
AND – Statements from Stewart and Zipadelli: While presented for inspection prior to the first practice for Sunday’s Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR officials found that the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet did not conform to the specified templates mandated by NASCAR.. The issue arose at the rear of the car, specifically the area encompassing the greenhouse and decklid. As a result, NASCAR impounded the car, forcing the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Team to pull the backup car from the transporter and use it for the rest of the race weekend.. The car now being used by the #20 team for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 is Chassis No. 75.. It is a brand new chassis.. A car from the Joe Gibbs Racing facility in Huntersville, N.C., is currently en route to Texas Motor Speedway to be used in the event another backup is needed.
The following are quotes from crew chief Greg Zipadelli and driver Tony Stewart regarding the day’s events:
GREG ZIPADELLI, crew chief on the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet: “There’s a measurement between the offset of the decklid and the roof, and it wasn’t exactly where it needed to be.. It’s something that they check back on the plates (at the race shop) as we’re building the car.. Obviously, they didn’t check it close enough.. When they put the back window in, it seemed to change the measurement an awful lot.. It’s something (NASCAR) didn’t like.. There’s a rule on it, so I don’t have much to stand on.. I’m disappointed with the people at the shop, because it’s a measurement that’s pretty cut and dry.. We’ve done well with it this year.. We haven’t had any issues or anything like that.. We’ve just got to deal with it and move on.. We unloaded the backup car and we’re just trying to play catch-up right now.. It’s nobody’s fault but our own.. We’re working hard on some procedures in going through some templates and things like that before (the car) comes to the track to make sure we’re where we need to be so that we don’t have to go through the inspection room more than once.. Things have been going fairly well.. This was just as big a shock to me as it was to the people at NASCAR.
“The car we have now is set up really similar to the car we had.. We put our backup motor in, which is only a couple horsepower off of what we had in the primary.. We just changed a lot of things.. There were a few little things that we weren’t able to change.. Are they worth anything?. I don’t know.. They were nothing huge, just little things.. We’ll try to change the rest of the car over after qualifying.. We needed to get a couple of laps on the race track during practice before qualifying.. It’s just disappointing.. We had a rough week last week (at Bristol, Tenn.), but everyone was still pretty pumped up because we ran well here last year.. But we’ve got to work a little harder now to overcome this deal this weekend.. We’ll race well, but this has got everyone kind of down.. It’s a distraction is the biggest thing.. But it’s self-inflicted, so we’ve got no one to blame but ourselves.
“We called the shop and had a motor put in the car that we ran Atlanta with, set it up and scaled it with what we’re going to start the race with, and it’s on its way out here right now.. They just left at 3 o’clock (EST).. It’ll be here tomorrow morning at 7 o’clock or something.. So we’ll have a backup that’s prepped and ready to go if, unfortunately, we have a problem in race practice.. We’re just doing everything we can to try and carry on.. It’s just a bunch of extra work for the guys here.. I appreciate it because it certainly wasn’t their fault, by any means.”
TONY STEWART, driver of the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet: “The cars all look the same from where I’m sitting.. I’ve got three things that I’m in control of – a steering wheel, the shifter and the pedals.. I’ve got everything I need to do the job I need to do with the car we’ve got now.. All of our cars are good, whether they’re a primary or a backup.”(Edelman/Home Depot Racing PR) and more on the #20 Team and Linka page.(3-28-2003)
- News to Gaughan: the rumor I had posted yesterday and the past few days; ‘Evernham Changes‘ with a mention of CTS driver Brendan Gaughan as a possible driver for on of Evernham’s three cars, brought this response from Gaughan: “I want to go to Winston Cup, we know that,” Gaughan said. “But I don’t ever want to hope that someone does bad. I’m rooting for all the other Dodge drivers. Right now I’m just worried about getting our team through this Craftsman Truck Series season. We’re third in points — two points out of second — and that’s right where we want to be at this point. I haven’t heard anything about the rumor, but it’s cool my name’s out there. That’s a bonus.” …(Las Vegas Review Journal)(3-28-2003)
- Court upholds ruling against RJR: R.J. Reynolds violated its settlement agreement with the state when it failed to remove signs mentioning its Winston brand at the Sears Point Raceway [Infineon Raceway now], a state appellate court ruled Thursday. The state was previously granted summary judgment in its case against Reynolds, based in Winston-Salem, N.C. But Reynolds contended the Superior Court of San Diego County erred in concluding that the continued display of the Winston signs was a violation. The 1998 settlement was the result of the state’s lawsuit against various tobacco product manufacturers, including Reynolds. The settlement banned all billboard and outdoor advertising of tobacco products, but permitted Reynolds to continue to promote and its NASCAR Winston Cup Series as a “Brand Name Sponsorship.” Reynolds interpreted that portion of the settlement to mean they could keep their signs in place at the racetrack from 90 days prior to the first event in the series until 10 days after the final event. But the state understood the language of the settlement to cover individual events and individual locations. The fourth appellate district court agreed and upheld the lower court’s ruling.(Charlotte Obseerver/AP)(3-28-2003)
- Who is that? been asked, and saw this: Michael Waltrip taped a Domino’s Pizza commercial with his family that airs regularly during NASCAR events. Most people know Waltrip and his wife, Buffy, have two daughters, but the commercial also includes a 3-year-old boy. “A lot of people have asked me about that, so I need to clear that up,” Waltrip said. “He’s not ours. We borrowed him. We didn’t have a boy in the age range they wanted. But the two girls [Caitlan, 13, and Margaret, 5] are ours.” In other word’s the boy is an ‘actor’.(Dallas Morning News – may need to register to view/read)(3-28-2003)
- Real TV: NASCAR programming is everywhere on cable, with Inside Winston Cup and the nightly Totally NASCAR. But the Fox braintrust will go a step further this summer, launching a seven-week behind-the-scenes series on FX. Three drivers — Jamie McMurray (the rookie), Kevin Harvick (the relative newcomer) and Rusty Wallace (the veteran) — will be featured in the series, and shooting will begin this week at Texas Motor Speedway. “There’s a thousand things they can do with it. You’ve just got to be cautious,” Wallace said. “I think people’s personal lives are semi-private. That’s the reason the show is not a reality show. This is a documentary, and I told them I don’t want no part if it’s reality. There’s not going to be Ozzy Osbourne stuff going on.”(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(3-28-2003)
- No Backup for Starr: David Starr will attempt to make his Winston Cup debut at Texas Motor Speedway in the #75 Chevy. Starr will race a new car that was purchased by his uncle, Mike Starr, who owns the Team Texas Driving School at TMS. Mike Starr bought the Winston Cup chassis from Larry McClure, owner of the #4 Kodak Monte Carlo [well actually a Pontiac Grand Prix, so Starr’s Chevy is probably a 2002 which can still be used and raced] driven by Mike Skinner. Starr’s engine is being leased from Richard Childress Racing. But it is the only car Starr will have this weekend. There is no backup, so keeping it intact is paramount for him to make Sunday’s race. During test sessions last week at TMS, Starr, using a modified truck series engine, drove several laps around the 1.5-mile oval in less than 29.5 seconds [approx 183mph]. Starr was hoping to have NASA as a sponsor for his car. Mike Starr sent a formal proposal to NASA officials, but reduced the asking price for the one-race sponsor fee from $150,000 to $100,000. Even though that’s not much by Winston Cup standards these days, it appears the NASA deal never came to fruition.(Dallas Morning News – may need to register to view/read)(3-28-2003)
- Jeff Fuller News: Jeff Fuller will be driving the #88 Nemco Motorsports car April 5th in the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. Also, Joe Gibbs Racing [JGR] is very happy with the results of the tests conducted earlier this month at the Gerneral Motors proving grounds. Fuller drove the Winston Cup cars of JGR in a series of tests conducted by both team and Chevrolet engineers. Fuller has been asked to return to the proving grounds later this season to assist in further testing.(Jeff Fuller site)(3-28-2003)
- Get Well Message on Kenseth’s car: #17-Matt Kenseth, the Winston Cup points leader who also is racing a Busch car this weekend, will have “Get Well Ginger” on the side of his Busch car this weekend. The message is for Ginger Burns, who is battling cancer. Burns is an employee of the Bayer Company, which sponsors the car.(Kansas City Star)(3-28-2003)
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