April 2, 2004
- Polaris Offers the Ride of a Lifetime – on ATVs with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: One fan and a guest to win an afternoon on Polaris Predators with the Daytona 500 champ This summer, one lucky fan will have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to take a joyride with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – not on asphalt, but in the dirt near his home in North Carolina – through the Polaris “Ride of Your Life” Sweepstakes. Earnhardt, Jr., the sweepstakes winner and a guest will forego a racecar for an afternoon ride on Polaris ATVs. “It’s always fun to hang out with fans doing something I truly enjoy, and I plan to take the winner out for a ride they won’t forget,” said Earnhardt, Jr. “I’ve been riding ATVs for a long time, and the Predator is a great performance machine that helps me get away from the stresses of racing and everyday life. It’s one of my favorite ways to unwind and have a good time, and I’m looking forward to joining a few lucky fans on a great ride.”
From April 1 – 30, 2004, people ages 18 and older can visit Polaris dealerships throughout the United States and Canada to enter the sweepstakes. One winner, to be announced in May, and a guest will meet with Earnhardt, Jr. and ride Polaris ATVs in North Carolina in June. For Polaris dealership locations, go to www.polarisindustries.com. For Sweepstakes rules, visit a local Polaris dealer. Earnhardt, Jr. signed a special services agreement with Polaris ATVs in February, and has since appeared in the company’s print and radio advertising for the “Ride of Your Life” sweepstakes promotion, and provided his signature for a newly styled 2004 Predator 500 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. special edition, complete with a red and black chassis, racing stripes and the No. 8 on the rear fenders.
The special-edition Predator is the second in Polaris ATVs’ line featuring NASCAR stars. The company’s Sportsman 500 H.O. Richard Petty special edition, which was produced in 2002, was a hit with ATV riders and NASCAR fans alike. For more, see polarisindustries.com – click here.(4-2-2004)
- Dale Jr. still leads Most Popular Driver Voting: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has picked up right where he left off-he leads the Grands!® Biscuits NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award voting after the first seven weeks of nationwide fan participation. Since its mid-February launch, the voting Web site, www.mostpopulardriver.com, has recorded more than 400,000 votes. That total surpasses last season’s seven-week mark by more than 170,000 votes. Earnhardt, Jr. is the leader over second-place Jeff Gordon and third-place Kevin Harvick. Tony Stewart is fourth, followed by Michael Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty.(Williams Company PR)(4-2-2004), for past news and to vote, see above
- Bristol Final TV Ratings up 18%: Final Nielsen Media Research numbers show that ratings for Fox’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway increased 18 percent from last year, today’s Sports Business Daily reports. Final figures show the race with a 6.0 rating and a 15 share, up from 2003’s 5.5/13. The 6.0 rating ranked the race third among the weekend’s sporting events behind a pair of NCAA Tournament basketball games. In 2002, Fox’s broadcast of the Food City 500 from Bristol pulled a 6.2/16.(NASCAR Scene Daily ‘Free’ Newsletter), for past TV Ratings Numbers, see my TV Ratings Page.(4-2-2004)
- Irvan Grand Marshal: Retired NASCAR driver Ernie Irvan will be available for autographs Saturday at I-20 Speedway in Batesburg, SC [803-657-6383] from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Irvan will be the grand marshal for the USCS winged outlaw sprint car event.(The State)
AND Irvan has recently become affiliated with the United Sprint Car Series owned and directed by Pete Walton of Fayetteville, GA. Irvan will have an ownership interest in the series and will assist in promoting USCS events. The USCS recently acquired the assets of the American Outlaw Action Series previously owned and directed by Bob Wood. Irvan is expected to play a large part in helping to grow the series.(Irvan.com)(4-2-2004)
- Fan can’t hear race, shoots at plane, gets 6 months: A NASCAR fan armed with a deer rifle and emboldened by a high blood- alcohol level has been sent to prison for six months after firing on a North Carolina crop duster last year. The man opened fire on D. Wayne Slaughter, who owns Wa-Lu Aviation in Farmville, North Carolina. Medication may have enhanced the effects of the alcohol, the shooter’s attorney told the court. The shooter couldn’t hear the televised race while Slaughter was legally dusting pine trees nearby, so he successfully drove the airplane off after a 12-shot volley. Three of the shots hit the aircraft, one piercing the wing a foot from the Air Tractor’s fuel tank and another causing the battery to explode. The pilot was not hit but suffered mental anguish. Slaughter, past president of the National Agricultural Aviation Association, said he hopes publicity about his case will encourage other ag pilots to report similar incidents.(Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Email Newsletter)(4-2-2004)
- Dale Jr. Talks About Penalty, Spin: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says intentionally spinning his car out to bring out a caution flag at Bristol was a mistake. He told PRN’s Garagepass that NASCAR President Mike Helton spoke to him about the integrity of the sport and Dale Jr. agreed saying “NASCAR has to hold up the integrity of the sport and when you look at it from that standpoint something needed to be done I suppose. Nobody likes to get penalized, but it’s something that couldn’t be overlooked. At the time I was doing it I didn’t realize I was making a mistake or breaking any rules, I was doing what first popped into my mind at that time. Maybe if I had time to think it over and made a different decision, but in the heat of the battle I had no time to think, you know, and that’s what I came up with and it wasn’t the best idea. So we’ll try not to make it a huge negative on our part and try to move past it as fast as you can. I hate that I made it because it’s a bad representation of myself and the sport and what we’re trying to accomplish because I want to do what’s best for the sport. I don’t want to do anything that’s going to be a negative on everything we’re doing and I don’t want to do anything that’s altering the show or anything like that…and when you put it that light I feel pretty bad about it. I’m totally cool with everything and understand why the fine and penalty was given to me and just really want to move past it with a win here in Texas would be great.”(PRN’s Garage Pass Radio Show)(4-2-2004)
- What does it cost to run a Cup race? there is a story in the USA Today: ‘Field-filler’ has dreams of making big time, quotes from Andy Belmont, driver of Hermie Sadler’s #02 Pontiac. Total expenses: $49,163.50 [see story for the breakdown]; Income Winnings from finishing 37th at Darlington: $51,225.00; Total profit $2,061.50.(USA Today), also see my #02 Team News and Links page for a transcipt Belmont did with XM Radio’s Claire B. Lang.(4-2-2004)
- #18 Rotating Sponsors: Hearing Interstate Batteries will ‘share’ primary sponsorship of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy driven by Bobby Labonte. Glaxo [Wellbutrin at Bristol] will be the sponsor at eight races: Bristol [last week], Talladega (Apr), Daytona, Chicago, Michigan (Aug), California (Sept), Richmond (Sept) and Atlanta. MBNA will be the primary sponsor at both Dover races. Interstate Batteries will be an associat sponsor for the 10 races. Interstate will retain full sponsorship for most of the Chase for the Champoinship playoff, which covers the last 10 races of the season.(4-1-2004)
PLUS Shrek II will be on the car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway race in May.(4-2-2004)
- Todd Bodine back in the #98, may run Busch with Cicci; looking to 2005: Todd Bodine will compete in this weekend’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway. The Chemung native will be back in the #98 Ford that he’s driven in two previous events in March. Older brother Geoffrey raced the car in the Food City 500 last Sunday while Todd helped crew chief for American Speed Association driver Travis Foster during an event at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, Fla., on Saturday. Foster was involved in an accident in the first quarter of the race and finished 37th. The small-budget Nextel Cup team Bodine is driving for has yet to finish a race. The car has suffered mechanical failures each time early on. The car is normally driven by Larry Gunselman. Bodine [Todd], who is without a full-time ride in NASCAR this year, is trying to put a Busch Series program together with Elmira native Frank Cicci Jr. He’s also working on securing sponsorship for a Nextel Cup program in 2005.(Elmira Star Gazette)(4-2-2004)
- Raines takes over #74 ride: Tony Raines has replaced Damon Lusk behind the wheel of BACE Motorsports’ Busch #74 entry, starting with tomorrow’s O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. Raines has 143 career starts for owner Bill Baumgardner, posting 13 top-5 and 35 top-10 finishes, including a sixth-place finish at Bristol last week. “Naturally, I’m anxious to get back to racing on a consistent basis,” Raines said. “We were able to gather up some momentum last week in Bristol, and I’m looking forward to extending that success over the balance of the season. I’m excited to be working again with Mark Tutor (crew chief), who is leading an extremely talented race team and am confident in our ability to return BACE to Victory Lane.”(ThatsRacin.com)(4-2-2004)
- Todd Bodine back in the #98, may run Busch with Cicci; looking to 2005: Todd Bodine will compete in this weekend’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway. The Chemung native will be back in the #98 Ford that he’s driven in two previous events in March. Older brother Geoffrey raced the car in the Food City 500 last Sunday while Todd helped crew chief for American Speed Association driver Travis Foster during an event at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, Fla., on Saturday. Foster was involved in an accident in the first quarter of the race and finished 37th. The small-budget Nextel Cup team Bodine is driving for has yet to finish a race. The car has suffered mechanical failures each time early on. The car is normally driven by Larry Gunselman. Bodine [Todd], who is without a full-time ride in NASCAR this year, is trying to put a Busch Series program together with Elmira native Frank Cicci Jr. He’s also working on securing sponsorship for a Nextel Cup program in 2005.(Elmira Star Gazette)(4-2-2004)
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997