April 2, 2007
- ESPN Acquires Jayski.com: ESPN has acquired Jayski.com – one of the top NASCAR information sites on the Internet. Jayski, who began the site in 1996, will continue to operate Jayski.com, which counts top NASCAR crew chiefs, drivers and owners among its regular visitors. The site has seen tremendous growth in the past three years and is now considered one of the most influential web sites in the sport. Jayski has gained a reputation for consistently breaking industry stories and serving as the ultimate resource and trackside companion for NASCAR fans. Jayski.com will remain an independent voice on ESPN.com and complement the site’s revamped NASCAR editorial section, providing NASCAR fans the most comprehensive coverage of the sport on the Internet.
“Jayski.com is, day-in and day-out, one of the most distinctive, authoritative voices for NASCAR fans online,” said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN New Media. “Few developments for ESPN are more exciting than getting back into NASCAR, and doing so with one of the most dialed-in NASCAR insiders in the business. Jay’s fan perspective informs everything he writes; he’s a must-read for any serious NASCAR enthusiast.”
Jayski.com’s relationship with ESPN extends back to 2004, when ESPN began hosting the website. Jayski and partner Mark Garrow will serve as contributors for NASCAR coverage across all ESPN media – including on-air, online and radio and podcasting. “I am proud to be associated with ESPN, especially as they expand their role in NASCAR,” said Jayski. “I’ll still be running the site, but with the support of ESPN, we’ll have the resources to grow Jayski.com to serve NASCAR fans even better than it already does.”
Jayski.com features more than 1,500 pages of content on NASCAR Nextel Cup, the Busch Series and Truck Series. Some of the most popular features of the site include Jayski’s NASCAR News and Rumors, Team Pages and the Jayski Paint Scheme section. ESPN.com’s core NASCAR news, information and feature coverage is anchored by award-winning writers Terry Blount and David Newton, with contributions from Rusty Wallace, Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis.(ESPN PR)(4-2-2007)
AND: John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN new media, said he wouldn’t tinker too much with Adamczyk’s homespun site. Viewers might see more standard Internet banners and ad units, but the content will remain in Adamczyk’s hands. “The assumption is that if you make a deal with ESPN, your site is going to look like ESPN,” Kosner said. “But Jay has hit on a successful formula. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here. With the Internet, everything is trackable, you can see people’s behavior, you know what works.”(Sporting News/SportsBusiness Journal)(4-2-2007)
- Martinsville overnight TV ratings slip: Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Nextel Cup race at Martinsville Speedway earned a 4.9 overnight Nielsen Media Research rating an an 11 market share, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 3.9% lower than the 5.1 the race earned overnight in 2006.(SceneDaily.com), for more news, 2007 ratings, see my TV Ratings page.(4-2-2007)
- Stewart and Mears to test at Kentucky: #20-Tony Stewart and #25-Casey Mears are scheduled to test at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday, April 10 [not 3rd as posted before]. Test sessions begin at 9:00am and conclude at approximately 5:00pm. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky Speedway)(4-2-2007)
- Biffle contract extension possible with new sponsor With Roush Fenway Racing looking for a sponsor for Greg Biffle and the #16 team next season, the team might end up negotiating more than just a sponsor contract. Biffle’s contract ends in 2008, and Ameriquest has asked to be released from its sponsorship agreement at the end of the season. Team president Geoff Smith said April 1 that he would like to couple a new sponsor agreement with a contract extension for Biffle. “Greg and I, we’ve talked and we’re going to try to make a better opportunity out of this,” Smith said. “It’s in all of our best interests to be able to make a longer-term offering. We’ve got some sponsor interest from some real high-quality companies. That would be the best scenario for both of us.” Smith said the market for sponsors is good because the economy is on the upswing and many teams are solid in their deals for 2008. “Most of the big programs are sold out for next year,” Smith said. “It’s not like you’re sitting here and all top-10 quality drivers are looking for sponsorship next year.” This also will be the first Cup sponsorship that will be negotiated by Smith under the new Roush Fenway banner as Fenway Sports Group (operated by Red Sox owner John Henry) bought half the team in January. Smith said that the Fenway Sports Group has people who can make a run at prospective sponsors. “Fenway Sports Group has the capacity to double and triple our marketing network in short bursts,” Smith said.(SceneDaily.com)(4-2-2007)
- AT&T Lawsuit could be resolved by end of April: AT&T’s lawsuit against NASCAR, in which it asks for an injunction to allow it to rebadge Jeff Burton’s #31 car from Cingular-orange to AT&T blue this spring, may have quick resolution, perhaps even as soon as the end of this month, according to sources close to the situation. However, Sprint Nextel officials continue to have nothing to say about the issue, even though it is directly related to their series sponsorship contract with NASCAR, a $70 million a year sponsorship in its fourth year of a 10-year pact.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-2-2007)
- Sabates leaving in five years: Felix Sabates plans to sell his 20% interest in the Nextel Cup organization he owns with Chip Ganassi in five years. “I’m leaving,” Sabates said. “I’ve told Chip I’m leaving in five years.” Sabates got into stock car racing in 1989. He sold 80 percent of the company to Ganassi in 2001. He doesn’t want to stay in the sport so long that he can’t get over the pit wall by himself. “I’m going to leave at Richmond because Richmond always falls on my birthday,” said Sabates, who is 65. “I’m going to walk over and look at Ganassi and say, ‘See ya. I’m gone.’ And watch it on TV.”(ESPN.com)(4-2-2007)
- Foam and smoking a problem: When the Car of Tomorrow debuted a week earlier in Bristol, several drivers – most notably 2003 series champ Matt Kenseth – complained of the foam padding in the right side of the door melting and releasing noxious fumes. NASCAR insisted that the cars that had problems with the foam had incorrectly installed, a charge Kenseth strongly denied. The foam problem reared its ugly head again at Martinsville, with the victim this time being #29-Kevin Harvick, who actually had it catch fire in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. “Smoke just started coming out the right-side door so I guess blaming it on something else is probably not the right thing to do,” said Harvick. “I mean this thing just started burning up so it’s almost turning it into a joke now.” He was uninjured, and NASCAR has promised an investigation.(SPEEDtv.com)(4-2-2007)
- Dale Jr, gets debris in eye, is ok: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. led at Martinsville until the rain showers came, causing a 33-minute red flag period on lap 357. Dale Jr. climbed back into his car as the leader, but was showered in debris from a stationary jet track dryer. Some of the debris became lodged in Dale Jr’s left eye, but he was able to continue. Following the stoppage, the changed track seemed to negate the speed advantage of the Bud car, and Dale Jr. fought back from 11th place after his final pit stop to gain his first top-five tally of 2007. “I got something in my eye when I got back in the car after the rain. The jet dryer was moving really, really slow – and I was helpless just sitting there while it blew (stuff) inside my car for what must have been 15 to 20 seconds. I mean, that’s ridiculous. I was sitting there thinking ‘Go! Move on! Let me out! Help!’ It was crazy. They need to be better about that. Either dry the track before we get in – or keep those dryers moving.”(fingerprint inc./Budweiser PR)(4-2-2007)
- NASCAR takes three cars to R&D center: NASCAR officials took Kevin Harvick’s #29 car to its research and development center to study why the energy-absorbing foam started smoking in his car. It’s a problem other drivers, including Matt Kenseth, said they had at Bristol last weekend. NASCAR took Jimmie Johnson’s #48-car and #26-Jamie McMurray’s car to its research and development center in its continuing process of studying how a race affects the Car of Tomorrow. Both teams are expected to have their cars back today.(Roanoke Times)(4-2-2007)
- Commercial breakdown of the Goody’s Cool Orange 500:
Total number of commercials: 138
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 64
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 38
Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 3 min. 30 sec.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 2:00pm
End time to record race/commercial periods: 6:33pm
Total minutes: 273
Minutes of race broadcast: 210
Minutes of commercials: 63
See full report at CawsnJaws.com.(4-2-2007)
- #48 team helmets stolen: Around 7:00pm/et on Sunday [April 1] evening, Martinsville Speedway track security radio announced for everyone to be on the lookout for helmets that belonged to the Nextel Cup Series #48 team. They were stolen from the infield pit area while the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 race winner, Jimmie Johnson and crew were in victory circle celebrating.(Insiderracingnews.com)(4-2-2007)
- ESPN NASCAR Team To Have Different Look at Nashville: ESPN’s NASCAR coverage team will feature a few new faces this weekend as the Busch Series returns to action at Nashville. Coverage of Saturday’s race, as well as practice and qualifying, will air on ESPN2. ESPN veterans Marty Reid and Vince Welch are on loan from ESPN’s IndyCar Series coverage as part of a schedule weekend off for NASCAR regulars Jerry Punch and Dave Burns. Reid will handle the play-by-play call of Saturday’s 300-mile NASCAR Busch Series event at Nashville, as well as in the practice and qualifying programs, while Welch will work as a pit reporter on the Nashville telecasts.(ESPN PR)(4-2-2007)
- Raybestos Rookie Notes for Nashville: David Ragan was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the Sharpie Mini 300 at Bristol. Ragan finished 13th, his best finish of the 2007 Busch Series season and grabbed Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the first time this season. Juan Pablo Montoya leads in the Raybestos Rookie standings by six points (68-62) over Marcos Ambrose entering the Pepsi 300 at Nashville. For the second consecutive race, two rookies rank inside the top-10 in the Busch Series championship standings. Montoya is sixth, Ambrose is seventh.(Raybestos PR)(4-2-2007)
- Bill Davis Racing strong in Series: When Mike Skinner[#5 Toyota] brought home his third victory of the 2007 campaign last Saturday at the Martinsville Speedway Bill Davis Racing captured its 12th win in three years. Skinner all but seven laps in the 250-lap event. In 2007, Bill Davis Racing has lead 378 laps in the Craftsman Truck Series which is 65% of the total laps completed. Since veteran driver Johnny Benson won his first race last summer at his home track in Michigan, BDR has been on fire. They have won nine of the last twenty races. The High Point, NC based team has had a truck finish in the top-ten at every race except two. They have accumulated 20 top-five and 29 top-ten finishes between the three teams in the 20 race span. The teams have nine poles to their credit, counting two consecutive poles at Atlanta and Martinsville picked up by Mike Skinner. Skinner leads all NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers in the pole category with 34 front row starts in his career. The organization also picked up the coveted Checkers Rally’s Drive-Through Championship in 2006 with Johnny Benson and the #23 Toyota. (Bill Davis Racing PR)(4-2-2007)
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