March 31, 2007
- COT to run full time in 2008? still undecided: NASCAR isn’t ready to decide after one weekend whether the car of tomorrow will be used for all tracks in 2008. NASCAR’s current phase-in plan includes racing with the car of tomorrow in 16 races this year, 26 races in 2008 and then for the full schedule in 2009. “What we do know is that it’s terribly hard and it’s very frustrating to run two different programs throughout a year,” Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby said Friday. “So for most of the mechanics and the crew members and even a lot of the crew chiefs in the garage, they would prefer just going, just making the decision now. But for the same reason that the original rollout of the new car was three years – a three-year period, will be the same reason that ultimately decides whether ’09 is gone and we’re all in for ’08 or not. That reason is the team owners, the guys that are writing the checks to build these things.If they’re comfortable with scaling up and pushing a little harder and eliminating ’09, NASCAR, we’d welcome it with open arms, for sure. But we also don’t want to force them into that decision,” Darby said. “The team owners will have to come and say, look, this deal is working pretty good. They’re very easy to build, they’re very easy to manage in inventory, so on and so forth, so let’s press on with it.’ We’ll cross that bridge when it comes.”(SceneDaily.com)(3-31-2007)
- Yates also looking for a financial partner: Add Robert Yates Racing to the ever-expanding list of Nextel Cup Series owners actively courting investment partners. RYR president Doug Yates said Saturday that he and his father have been pursing investors for six months. They’ve gotten some inquiries but nothing solid, Yates said. Among those investors with which Yates has spoken are the Maloof brothers, owners of the Sacramento Kings NBA franchise and the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. “We talked to them last year,” Yates said. “Nice group of guys. Nice family. But they felt like, at the time, they were focused on their business. They have a lot of businesses, so that’s a name that’s come around. But there are a lot of people out there interested. We know how popular the sport is and people from the outside can look and see, ‘Hey, this has some value.’” Yates said the most viable method for Nextel Cup teams to hold value is franchising, and feels it’s time NASCAR implemented a franchise system. “At some point, I think NASCAR has got to start looking at franchises, and making these teams worth something,” Yates said. “Right now it’s a shame — [a team] goes from something to nothing really quick. It’s not really fair to the people who have helped grow the sport.” Richard Childress was the first owner to sell a stake of his team to an investment group, and the performance of his team has improved tremendously since. Next up was Jack Roush, who made a high-profile sale of 50 percent his team to Boston Red Sox owner John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group. Ray Evernham is searching for an investment partner and Petty said Friday at Martinsville Speedway that Petty Enterprises is, too.(ESPN.com)(3-31-2007)
- Why no penalty for Biffle? Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby said Greg Biffle’s #16 Ford Fusion wasn’t penalized for being low at Bristol Motor Speedway in part because NASCAR doesn’t have a rule for minimum rear height except at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. There are requirements for minimum heights at other tracks but no set penalties for violators [Jayski Note: but many have been penalized for cars too low]. Biffle’s fifth-place car was whisked to the NASCAR R&D Center because it measured lower than in prerace inspection, but officials found nothing improper after scouring the car Monday. NASCAR will allow a quarter-inch more tolerance on minimum height at Martinsville. “We will need a minimum height down the road,” Darby said. “Right now, we don’t need where we or the teams need it to be.”(USA Today)(3-31-2007)
- Petty may also look for invester: #45-Kyle Petty said Petty Enterprises may have to join Jack Roush, Richard Childress and other car owners and sign with a business partner, to keep making a go of it in this sport. Richard Petty was in Montreal this week checking out businesses [and at a Montreal Canadiens agem]. And fellow Dodge team owner Ray Evernham has been talking with Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillet Jr. about a joint NASCAR business venture. Kyle Petty points to Petty Enterprises’ close ties with Evernham Motorsports, particularly on the engine building side, and said it just makes sense to check out some of the people that Evernham is considering working with. “There’s more to Petty Enterprises than just a race team going round in circles,” Kyle Petty said, mentioning the company’s other ventures. “So that makes Petty Enterprises a little different venture for a potential investor. “We have already folded our company into some of the stuff that Evernham Motorsports does, so as Ray begins to branch out and take on different partners, we need to find out who those partners are, and if there is an opportunity there we’d be foolish not to explore it.”(Winston Salem Journal)
AND Richard Petty, owner of Petty Enterprises, was an invited guest of Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett at Tuesday’s Rangers-Canadiens game at the Bell Centre, Journal de Montréal reported this week. Kyle Petty didn’t shed much light on what his father and Gillett talked about Friday. “As (team owner) Ray (Evernham) begins to branch out and take on different partners, we need who his partners are if we want to stay in businesses (with Evernham ),” said Petty, who drives the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge. “If there’s an opportunity there, then we would be idiots not to explore it. We are exploring different avenues with different people.” The Petty and Evernham organizations — both Dodge teams — have grown closer in recent months. Evernham builds Petty’s engines and the two teams are sharing engineering knowledge. “Those conversations are between George and Richard. I really don’t know what’s going on there,” Evernham said. Petty Enterprises’ last victory came here eight years ago, but Kyle Petty said his family’s company is still attractive to suitors. “The main part of what we do is race around in circles,” he said. “This is our main job, but we have the (Richard Petty) Driving Experience that has 1,000 to 1,500 dates. We are starting a defensive driving program. There’s a lot of stuff going on outside of this and that makes Petty Enterprises a little bit different opportunity for an investor.”(USA Today)(3-31-2007)
- Chrysler buyer? China? Canada? DaimlerChrysler [Dodge] hasn’t sold its U.S. Chrysler division yet, but indications are two more major offers could be put on the table in the next few days. And the big story is intense speculation in Detroit that China will be involved in one of the offers for Chrysler, in order to get a base for selling some of its cars in the U.S., as well as to use Chrysler expertise to expand its own internal car market. China has become the world’s second-largest automobile market in the world, behind the United States. Magna, the big Canadian auto-parts firm, has already made a bid, of nearly $5 billion, for Chrysler. If Magna wins, look for Mark Hogan, a former General Motors’ exec, to take the helm.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-31-2007)
- Fans to vote a driver into the Nextel Challenge: Sprint Nextel announced the return of the Nextel Fan Vote, a voting competition driven by fans to award one lucky team a starting spot in the May 19 Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Voting begins on Sprint or Nextel phones beginning Sunday, April 1. The Nextel All-Star Challengefield consists of drivers who have won a points race in 2006 or 2007, active Nextel All-Star Challenge winners within the past 10 seasons and active past Nextel Cup Series champions within the past 10 seasons. For the Nextel Fan Vote, fans will select one driver among the top 50 in Nextel Cup Series driver point standings who is not already qualified. Voting will be available April 1 and can be completed via the following channels: Sprint and Nextel phones; Text “NASCAR” to 7777 on your Sprint or Nextel web-enabled phone and follow the received directions; Online at www.nextel.com/speed, Online at www.nascar.com; Trackside at the Nextel Experience; Participating Sprint and Nextel retail locations. The winner of the Nextel Fan Vote will be announced following the Nextel Open during Nextel All-Star Challenge pre-race festivities. The NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge will be broadcast live exclusively on SPEED, with coverage beginning at 7:00pm/et. Tickets for the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge start at just $29 and can be obtained at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway ticket office, online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS.(LMS PR)(3-31-2007)
- Cingular/AT&T/NASCAR update: With no court date set for Friday, employees of Richard Childress Racing didn’t even bother to pack the forbidden AT&T logos for the #31 Chevy. AT&T filed a lawsuit on March 16 and sought an immediate injunction earlier this week to allow the logos to appear on the #31 driven by Jeff Burton. NASCAR has so far refused the change, citing its contract with the series’ title sponsor, Nextel. Since its merger last year with BellSouth, AT&T has begun to phase out the Cingular name. It submitted a paint scheme in January to NASCAR, but it was rejected. AT&T spokesman Chris Capo told USA TODAY earlier this week crewmembers could affix the logo to the car this weekend if a federal court judge grated the injunction. He was hopeful Friday that there would be a hearing sometime before the next Cup race, scheduled for Texas Motor Speedway on April 15.(USA Today)(3-31-2007)
- Ribbon Cutting for Johnson’s Victory Lanes Bowling Alley at Victory Junction: Jimmie and Chandra Johnson unveiled Jimmie Johnson’s Victory Lanes at the Victory Junction Gang Camp on Thursday, the first major initiative for the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. Just a year after announcing the formation of the foundation, the Johnson’s joined Pattie and Kyle Petty, Lynda and Richard Petty, and the campers of Victory Junction to bowl the inaugural frames at the 5,100 square foot bowling alley. The colorfully decorated bowling alley is complete with four lanes, a shoe counter, an arcade area, and a one-of-a-kind light show that enables campers to go “retro” bowling at night. The QubicaAMF lanes have space themed-masking and a cutting-edge string pin setting design. The building is complete with a replica of Johnson’s #48 Lowe’s Chevy on the roof. During the Grand Opening, Jimmie, Chandra, Kyle, and Pattie were paired with a Victory Junction camper that created an impromptu “bowl off” between the Johnsons and the Pettys.(PR)(3-31-2007)
- Skinner wins Wix Filters Lap Leader Award: Mike Skinner [#5] led twice for 246 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in the Kroger 250. Skinner took the honor for the third consecutive race. Skinner has led 13 times in four races this season for a total of 365 laps. Skinner won today’s race at Martinsville Speedway, crossing the finish line .527 seconds ahead of second-place Todd Bodine. The victory was the 22nd of Skinner’s 133-race Craftsman Truck Series career. He scored the 11th victory in the series for Bill Davis Racing. Skinner won the pole position for today’s race, his 34th pole in the series and second consecutive of the 2007 season. (WIX Filters PR)(3-31-2007)
- Raybestos Rookie Notes following Martinsville: Aaron Fike[#1] was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the Kroger 250. Fike finished seventh in today’s race at Martinsville, his first top-10 and best finish in four Craftsman Truck Series races. His previous best finish was a 12th-place effort this season at Atlanta. Fike took Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the second time in four races this season. [Unofficially] Fike leads Joey Clanton [#09] by 10 points (45-35) in the Raybestos Rookie standings. Tyler Walker [#36] finished eighth, his first top-10 in seven career Craftsman Truck Series races. Walker’s best previous finish was 21st at Las Vegas in 2003. Blake Bjorklund[#8] finished 19th, his best finish in four Craftsman Truck Series starts.(Raybestos PR)(3-31-2007)
- Sutton has four race deal with Billy Ballew Motorsports: UPDATE: Announced by BBM Ray Dunlap reported during the Martinsville practice session broadcast on Speed/TV that Kelly Sutton has a four-race deal to drive the #51 truck for Billy Ballew Motorsports beginning with the race at Kansas Speedway in April. Sutton will also race at Mansfield, Texas and Milwaukee. The sponsor will be Copaxone.(3-31-2007)
UPDATE: Billy Ballew Motorsports has formally announced a four-race deal that will put Kelly Sutton behind the wheel of the #51 Team Copaxone Chevy beginning at the Kansas Speedway Craftsman Truck Series event, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 April 28, 2007. Team Copaxone is the primary sponsor of the #51 truck and an associate sponsor for the #15 Craftsman truck driven by Bill Lester.(Billy Ballew Motorsports PR)(3-31-2007)
- Hernandez could drive truck this season: Ginn Racing development driver Jesus Hernandez will likely run three Craftsman Truck Series races this year. The Drive For Diversity driver, who will compete full time this season in the Busch East circuit, said Friday that his three races in the #47 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports truck likely will be Memphis (June 30), Las Vegas (Sept. 22) and Atlanta (Oct. 27). Hernandez is sharing time in the truck with another Ginn development driver, Kraig Kinser.(scenedaily.com)(3-31-2007)
- McCray to run Lucas Oil ASA Super Late Model race: UPDATE: 10th place finish: Toni McCray, former publicist for Erin Crocker at Evernham Motorsports, will be behind the wheel of a new Victory Circle ASA Super Late Model on Saturday, March 31st at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, CA. [McCray is the daughter of OSS 1970’s regular Rick McCray.] While living in North Carolina Toni learned every aspect of the racing business, and fifteen years later, will make her debut appearance in the #08 Lucas Oil sponsored ASA Super Late Model race car. This will be Toni’s very first race in the Super Late Model division.(Racing West)(3-28-2007)
UPDATE: Toni McCray of Highland made her debut in the class and finished 10th.(Orange Show Speedway)(3-31-2007)
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