April 1, 2008
- JR Motorsports being sued over accident: A local [Florida] family is sueing JR Motorsports and #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. following a rear end crash by a tractor trailer. In November 2006, Michael Harris and his son, 21 year old Chris, were driving in their pick up truck headed south on Interstate 95 in St. John’s County [FL]. Harris was several cars in front of a Champion tractor trailer. Traffic started to back up and slow down on the interstate. Harris’ lawyer, Charles Sorenson, says he slowed down to, going about 15 miles per hour and then pulling on to the shoulder. The only problem, Sorenson says is the semi didn’t slow down with everyone else. Sorenson says the impact was so severe, the bolts in the pickup’s seat, which hold it down to the floor, were broken. Both father and son were wearing seatbelts, but both went to the hospital. Both are still being treated for neck and back injuries. According to the lawsuit, JR Motorsports is the owner of the tractor trailer. The owner of JR Motorsports belongs to NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Sorenson says Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will most likely be deposed in the case. JR Motorsport’s team told First Coast News it has received the lawsuit, but will not make any other comment at this time. The driver of the semi, Ricky Mace, is also being sued.(First Coast News)(3-31-2008)
- Martinsville overnight TV Ratings same as 2007: NASCAR on Fox tallied a 4.9/10 yesterday for racing from Martinsville. Yesterday’s 4.9/10 is flat with last year’s Martinsville rating [4.9/11], but in this case that’s good news given the dramatically tougher competition faced by this year’s race. Yesterday’s race came against a pair of NCAA Regional Finals, including the strong Davidson-Kansas game, while last year’s race aired on the Final Four weekend and faced no NCAA basketball. By matching last year’s rating, FOX maintains its streak of seven straight NASCAR events this year that have been at least flat with last year in the metered markets (this excludes the Fontana race because of rain). Los Angeles has emerged as the surprise market of the year for NASCAR. Yesterday’s race earned a 2.8/7 in LA, a +65% gain over last year’s 1.7/5. For the season-to-date, Sprint Cup racing on FOX is averaging a 6.2/12, including Fontana, a +5% bump over last season’s 5.9/12.(Fox PR), for TV ratings news so far in 2008, see my 2008 TV Ratings page.(3-31-2008)
- Sad News – Max Helton…services: Max Helton, who 20 years ago helped begin a Christian ministry in the NASCAR garage that grew into the Motor Racing Outreach organization, died Sunday afternoon at his home in Huntersville, N.C. Mr. Helton was diagnosed with brain cancer in August. He is survived by his wife, Jean, along with four daughters and nine grandchildren. Funeral arrangements had not been finalized Sunday night. Mr. Helton was working at a church in Glendora, Calif., in 1988 when he met Darrell and Stevie Waltrip at a race in Riverside, Calif. Helton told the Waltrips that he felt he was being called to lead a racing ministry. The Waltrips, along with Lake Speed and Bobby Hillin Jr. and their wives, were looking for a spiritual leader for a Bible study group they had formed. Within a year, Mr. Helton had moved his family to North Carolina to begin MRO, which conducts chapel services at the track each weekend and also provides counseling and support services to people in racing. Helton led Bible study and counseling sessions at dozens of NASCAR drivers’ homes and race team shops before leaving the organization in 2002. Since then, Mr. Helton had formed World-Span, an organization to serve the spiritual needs of racing series around the world. Before his illness, Mr. Helton traveled extensively, helping spread his message of “personal evangelism” and teaching others to serve as spiritual leaders and teachers. “A lot of lives and a lot of things have changed in our sport because of Max.Helton,” Darrell Waltrip said.(Charlotte Observer)(3-31-2008)
Services: A memorial service is planned for Wednesday, April 2 at 3pm at Grace Covenant Four-Square Church. (17301 Statesville Rd, Cornelius, NC 28031 – Exit 25 off of I-77). There will be a visitation and viewing on Tuesday evening, April 1, from 7-9 pm at Raymer Funeral Home,(16901 Old Statesville Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078 (704) 892-9669) located at Hwy 73 and Old Statesville Road in Huntersville.) The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorials contributions may be sent to: Worldspan Ministries, P.O. Box 681117, Charlotte, NC 28216.(MRO Site)(3-31-2008)
- Race and Commercial Breakdown of the Goody’s Cool Orange 500:
Total number of commercials: 118
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 65
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 41
Total number of companies or entities advertised in brief promos or crawlers: 33
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 2:00 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 5:52 PM
Total minutes: 232
Minutes of race broadcast: 178
Minutes of commercials: 54
Number of missed restarts: 0
Total race brdcst time 178 Total comm. brdcst time 54
See full report and stats at CawsnJaws.com.(3-31-2008) Comment here
- Photographer honored at Martinsville: T. Taylor Warren, a longtime racing photographer and Martinsville resident, was honored Sunday during pre-race ceremonies of the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Warren, 83, received the H. Clay Earles Award, given in honor of the Martinsville Speedway founder to recognize individuals who have made an impact on the sport of NASCAR through their life’s work. During post-race ceremonies in Victory Lane, track officials had Warren pose with winner Denny Hamlin so the moment could be commemorated on film, something the photographer has done countless times in his career. Warren covered his first race in 1948, a midget-car event held in Milwaukee, Wis. Since that time, he’s become a fixture at racetracks across the country, well known for his timely shots of on-track action as well as pit-road scenes. Warren has photographed all 50 runnings of the Daytona 500, and he has been the official photographer for Goody’s Headache Powders for 31 years, dating back to the product’s first association with NASCAR. Warren was working at Martinsville Speedway over the weekend, something he’s done at virtually every race since 1952. As usual, he was clad in a photojournalist’s vest loaded with equipment that has become a virtual trademark of the legendary photographer. During pre-race ceremonies, Warren also received the Doug Agee Award, given annually at the speedway to a person or persons who most embodies the value and spirit of Agee, a pioneer of racing promotions. He was a longtime employee of Goody’s. Karen Parker, business development and partnerships director at the Martinsville Speedway, also received the Doug Agee Award. Though Warren is perhaps best known for a 1959 finish-line photo that helped decide the winner of the first Daytona 500, he was hesitant to claim one picture as the best of his career. Warren gave no indication he has retirement plans.(Martinsville Bulletin)(3-31-2008)
- NASCAR to return to Australia? Marcus Marshall, a driver in Australia’s V8 Supercar Series, said Saturday that countryman Marcus Ambrose’s success in NASCAR has boosted the sport’s popularity in the country, and sparked rumors that a dormant 1½-mile track might get active again. The track hasn’t been used for about eight years, he said. “It was pretty popular and now there are rumors at the moment of it opening up again, so that kind of fits with NASCAR maybe looking to be more international and Australia as a place to maybe take a round of one of their affiliated championships.” Queensland, Australia, is already a destination of the Indy Racing League.(ESPN.com/AP)(3-31-2008)
- RFR working on driver contracts: Greg Biffle’s contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing is nearly complete, and the team is working on extensions for David Ragan and Carl Edwards. Using Biffle’s words from earlier in the week, Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith said that the contract with Biffle is 90% along. He said the fact that Biffle is running second in points has not accelerated the deal. “We wanted to get it done over the winter,” Smith said Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. “We like to get them done so they don’t become a distraction of the team in terms of the race season.” The contracts for Edwards and Ragan, as well as those with the companies sponsoring [AAA announced they would leave at the end of 2008] their cars, end after the season is over. Smith indicated that the team would like to sign the sponsor and driver at the same time. He said the team also is working with a sponsor to finalize the Biffle deal. “For us, there’s a money equation that has to be met,” Smith said. “The sponsor has to pay [a certain amount] in order for us to pay the driver and so forth. We close all of that out at the same time.” Smith doesn’t anticipate having trouble finding sponsorship for Edwards. His organization currently is looking for sponsorship for the two Yates Racing cars. “It’s pretty early,” Smith said about the sponsor search. “Carl Edwards, even in this down economy, he’s the hottest property in the garage. We’ve got all the sponsorship we can handle for him. David, and Travis [Kvapil] and David Gilliland, they’re all in the mix. We’re hoping the economic climate improves here shortly and typically May and June are big months for significant prospects to come forward for us. We’re about to find out if that’s true.”(SceneDaily)(3-31-2008)
- Prilosec on the #21 at Texas: Prilosec OTC’s major associate sponsorship kicks into high gear this weekend in Texas as Bobby Labonte and the #21 team will sport a purple and lightning-themed Prilosec OTC Wal-Mart racing machine for the O’Reilly 300.(RCR PR)(4-1-2008)
- Raybestos Rookie Notes for Texas: Cale Gale was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the Pepsi 300 at Nashville. Gale scored an eighth-place finish, his best in 14 career Nationwide Series starts and first top-10. He claimed Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the second time in three starts this season. Dario Franchitti holds a six-point lead (58-52) over Bryan Clauson in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the O’Reilly 300 at Texas. David Ragan was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2007 O’Reilly 300, scoring a fifth-place finish. Ragan led the race once for two laps and was the only first-year driver to lead a lap. Ragan won the pole for the O’Reilly 300, his first career pole in the Nationwide Series. He is the third Raybestos Rookie to win a pole at Texas, joining Jason Leffler (2000) and Kyle Busch (2004).(Raybestos PR)(4-1-2008)
- Keselowski Giving a Ride to Irvin at Texas: Prior to practice on Thursday, Brad Keselowski will get behind the wheel of the #88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevy Team Texas two-seater to drive former Dallas Cowboys star and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin around Texas Motor Speedway. The laps will mark the former wide receiver’s first experience in a race car, and fittingly enough they will be inside the #88 – the same number Irvin wore from 1988 to 1999 while making 750 receptions for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns with the Cowboys.(JR Motorsports PR)(4-1-2008)
- Mike Bliss to the #1? UPDATE 3: Mike Bliss [currently driving the #22 for Fitz Motorsports] has emerged as the front-runner in a three-driver race to take over the Nationwide Series driving duties for Spartanburg-based Phoenix Racing, sources say. According to the sources, the team is expected to make a decision within the next day or two. If Bliss is chosen, his first race would be April 5 at Texas Motor Speedway. Sterling Marlin, who drove the team’s Nationwide Series Chevy last weekend at Nashville, will continue to drive a limited Cup schedule for Phoenix Racing.(Spartanburg Herald Journal)(3-26-2008)
UPDATE: Mike Bliss has left Fitz Motorsports for Phoenix Racing, a Fitz spokesperson has confirmed. To fill the void at Fitz, Robby Gordon has agreed to drive the #22 Supercuts entry in at least the next two Nationwide events, at Texas and Phoenix. Gordon is unavailable for the April 20 Mexico 200 Nationwide event because he’ll be competing in the rescheduled Dakar Rally. It’s a curious move for Bliss, who ranks fifth in the Nationwide Series after six events, 120 points out of the lead. In contrast, Phoenix Racing struggled to 17th in the standings through five races with Johnny Sauter in the seat before releasing him. He was replaced by Sterling Marlin for the most recent Nationwide event at Nashville. When asked why Bliss would make the move, the spokesperson said, “It’s always about the bottom line,” later adding, “Everyone was looking out for themselves and their families.” But she added there was no ill will between Bliss and his now-former team.(Long Island Press)(3-28-2008)
UPDATE 2: Effective immediately, Fitz Motorsports will move forward with plans to utilize an array of Sprint Cup veterans throughout the remainder of the 2008 season in its Supercuts-sponsored #22 Dodge. The first driver tapped for the ride is owner and driver of the Sprint Cup Series #7 Dodge, Robby Gordon. Beginning with the upcoming races at Texas and Phoenix , Gordon will drive the #22 Supercuts Dodge, with a variety of Dodge drivers scheduled to round out the season.(Fitz Motorsports PR)(3-28-2008)
UPDATE 3: Phoenix Racing announced the signing of Mike Bliss to drive the Miccosukee Resorts and Gaming #1 Chevy. James Finch has been a car owner in NASCAR for many years with multiple victories and was happy to bring Bliss in to drive. “I believe this is the spark we need to get our program competitive again” said Finch. “I have asked everybody on the team to step it up, and I’m looking for better results right away” continued Finch.(Phoenix Racing PR)(4-1-2008)
- McCumbee to race #45 Dodge at Texas for Petty: Quotes from Kyle Petty: “Chad McCumbee is going to step into the #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge this weekend at Texas. Texas is a good track for him. He had a strong run going in the truck race there last year. At Pocono, he did a great job filling in for me when I went into the booth. Everyone at Petty Enterprises believes in Chad and his abilities. Texas gives us a chance to get another good look at Chad without throwing him to the wolves. He should be relaxed because he knows he can get the job done there.”
Quotes from Chad McCumbee: “I feel comfortable around the #45 team. Billy Wilburn and I work well together. We had a great race last year at Pocono. I’m hoping for more of the same this weekend. Kyle is going to be there, giving me advice and pointers. That means a lot to me. I’ve learned a lot from him already. I’m anxious to do my part to help this team. We’re planning on going to Kentucky Speedway on Wednesday for a test. Just to help me get used to the new car. The two races last year were in the old car, so there will be a little bit of an adjustment period there. I don’t have a lot of experience in the old car either, so maybe that will be a positive.”
In 2007, McCumbee competed in two Sprint Cup Series races for Petty Enterprises, with a high finish of 25th coming in the “spring” race at Pocono. McCumbee is currently 13th in the Craftsman Truck Series point standings. McCumbee, 23, won an ARCA event last June at Pocono Raceway on the same weekend that he made his Sprint Cup Series debut in the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge. In the Truck race at Texas Motor Speedway last fall, McCumbee started second and led four laps but finished thirteenth after an accident forced him out of the race.(MCG Sports/Petty Racing PR)(4-1-2008)
- BBM #15 to stay with Toyota: In his first year behind the wheel of the Billy Ballew Motorsports’ #15 Ergon truck, [Marc] Mitchell and the team announce they will race Toyota’s for the remainder of the 2008 Craftsman Truck Series season. Prior to Martinsville Speedway, the team ran Chevy’s. Team owner Billy Ballew is excited to have both of his teams in the Toyota camp. “We’ve had a lot of success with our #51 team this year,” commented Ballew. “Kyle (Busch) won at Atlanta (Ga.) and California in a Toyota this year. Switching the Ergon team to Toyota will allow both of our teams to share setup information and streamline what they’ve learned. I think it will benefit both teams at Billy Ballew Motorsports.”(BL Marketing/BBM PR)(4-1-2008)
- Mansfield next race for Chrissy Wallace: During an interview with Dave Moody on the Sirius Speedway radio program, Mike Wallace announced that daughter, Chrissy Wallace’s next race in the #03-Germain Racing Toyota truck will be May 24th at Mansfield Motorsports Park.(4-1-2008)
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