March 29, 1998
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- Texas Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith angrily denied a rumor(never posted here) that next Sunday’s Texas 500 in Fort Worth is in jeopardy of being postponed by NASCAR because of water seepage in the racetrack’s surface. See the rest of the story at TMS owner, NASCAR deny postponement rumor,(That’s Racin’)(3-29-98)
- Condolences to ESPN commentator Dr. Jerry Punch who’s mother Betty Jo Punch died Saturday morning in Charlotte, NC, after a lengthy struggle with cancer. Jerry Punch was to have been on the ESPN announcing team for the Bristol races. Ray Dunlap will fill-in for him in Sunday’s Food City 500.(3-28-98) – Funeral services for Betty Jo Punch, the mother of ESPN motorsports commentator Dr. Jerry Punch and motorsports PR rep Dennis Punch, will be at 11am Monday (March 30) at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Newton, NC. Visitation for Mrs. Punch, who passed away Saturday morning in Charlotte, NC, after a long battle with cancer, will be Sunday night from 6 to 8 at the Drum Funeral Home in Conover, N.C.(NASCAR Online)(3-29-98)
- Ricky Craven visited Bristol on Saturday. His rehabilitation at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel Hill includes eye exercises and head movement
exercises. He will also have his right knee operated on Tuesday morning.(no idea what was wrong with it)(NASCAR Online)(3-29-98) - Remember the Pontiac the #50 Bud team was supposed to test and run at Atlanta? From NASCAR Online: The weather never allowed the team to test the car so they gave it to their truck team and truck driver Jack Sprague might run it in the Winston Open at Charlotte.(3-29-98)
- Thanks to Rusty Wallace’s crew, he was able to get the #2 Miller Lite Ford back out on the track after his accident and pick up two spots and keep the points lead(NASCAR Online)(3-29-98)
- I hear Robby Gordon may help Kenny Irwin and Robert Yates test at Sonoma in May and he is definitely testing with David Green at Charlotte in April in a Buz McCall chevy and possible run a few races for McCall’s team. Also rumors are still floating around that he may considered for the #50 Bud ride(Raceday)(3-29-98)
- Alan Winninger, who has been involved with NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing for the past 15 years, primarily in the racing apparel aspect, has formed Speed Apparel, Inc. Winninger, who most recently was with Exquisite Designs of Denver, Colo., will base the new company in Fairfax, Va.(NASCAR Online)(3-29-98)
- I hear the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy that Dale Earnhardt will drive in the Winston is on display at The Bass Pro Spring Fishing Fair is in Springfield, MO thru the end of this week. The street location is the corner of Campbell and Sunshine.(3-29-98)
- After Kenny Irwin dropped out of the Food City 500 he subbed for Geoff Bodine in the #7 Philips Ford for a while. Hut Stricklin who got t-boned by Kenny Wallace(who had no where to go), he was taken to a local hospital and released with no major injuries, Mike(not Matt doh) Dillon who was standing-by for Mike Skinner took over in the #8 for Stricklin and ran some laps. Robert Pressley, who crashed was airlifted out of Bristol to Wellmont-Bristol Regional Hospital, since the race had been completed and the huge crowd had snarled the road system. Pressley, who complained of a sore shoulder, was treated and released after a CAT scan of his shoulder proved negative.(NASCAR Online)(3-29-98)
- UPDATE: I hear that the #91 LJ Racing Chevy will have Pilot decals and sponsorship on the car today since the #78 Pilot Ford failed to make the Food City 500 – Didn’t happen, the car was blue and bare(3-29-98)
- Joe Gibbs Racing is building a new facility that will be 120,000 square feet with 100,000 devoted to shop space and the remainder to offices. There will also be a museum and an auditorium. It will be located in Huntersville, NC. It will house the Cup and BGN teams with the possibility of the NHRA teams moving there from Indy. The shop should be open in November 1998. The current shop is 34,000 square feet(WC Scene)(3-29-98)
- Second Round fastest was Jimmy Spencer at 122.521mph, DW took another Champ Provisional. See the story and tables at my new and improved Jayski’s Provisional Status Page, I added a few things and tried to clarify some of the rules. Gary can no longer do the page for me and I want to take a moment to thank him for all the work in getting the page started last year, I plan on keeping it going and updated since I can not find another like it out there. Also added Laps Lead by Manufacturer to the Jayski’s Stats Page.(3-28-98) updated to current Owners points(3-29-98)
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