April 3, 2003
- All 61: Seven drivers have competed in all 61 restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega: Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Rusty Wallace and Michael Waltrip.(4-3-2003)
- Chartwell Investments invests in RCR: Chartwell Investments II LLC announced today that it has made an equity investment in RCR Enterprises, LLC, the elite NASCAR racing team founded and majority-owned by Richard Childress. “We are pleased to partner with Chartwell Investments,” said Richard Childress, President and CEO of RCR. “I’ve had investors in RCR since the late 1990’s and I am confident that Chartwell’s people and capital will help us to continue to build one of NASCAR’s top organizations. I’ve made a long-term commitment to Chartwell and there will be no changes in how RCR is run.”
“NASCAR is the fastest-growing major sport with over 75 million fans nationwide and we are enthusiastic about partnering with Richard Childress, a legendary figure in the NASCAR racing world,” said Todd R. Berman, President and Founder of Chartwell Investments. “We hope our participation will give Richard even more time to focus on winning races and supporting the company’s sponsors.”(PRN Newswire)(4-3-2003)
- Hank Hill and DW in a commercial: Autolite and Fox Licensing & Merchandising are teaming up to bring the world’s most famous propane salesman – Hank – and his zany companions from the hit animated series King of the Hill (Sundays, 8:30-9:00pm/et on FOX – and a Jayski Fave) to the airwaves in a unique advertising campaign promoting Autolite Double Platinum Spark Plugs. Two brand new television ads will creatively focus on the hit Fox television show, one of which will feature a special guest appearance by retired NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip. The ads are part of an all-new multimillion-dollar campaign from the Honeywell Consumer Products Group’s Autolite unit. Both 30-second spots – created by ad agency McCann-Erickson Detroit – will utilize the King of the Hill characters Cotton, Bobby, Hank, Luanne and the rest of the gang to showcase Autolite as the Official Spark Plug of NASCAR among its core do-it-yourself audience. Featuring Autolite Double Platinum Spark Plugs and the tagline, “Autolite: It’s Time to Change Your Plugs,” the ads will appear during two prime-time selling windows throughout the year on select pre- and post- NASCAR programs on Fox as well as on additional lifestyle/outdoor cable networks, including Speed Channel, Fox Sports Net, FX, Sci-Fi, Comedy Central, CMT, TNN and OLN.
The spots are expected to kick off on April 6 on Fox to coincide with the NASCAR race, The Aaron’s 499 from Talladega Superspeedway. Retired champion driver Darrell Waltrip appears in a spot tagged “NASCAR,” where Cotton, Bobby and Hank are walking in the pit area before a big race, only to discover that the mechanic working on a car they pass by is Waltrip. A three-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion, Waltrip is a fan favorite, winning the Most Popular Driver Award in 1989 and 1990. He has garnered 84 Winston Cup wins; including the 1989 Daytona 500. “This has been a great experience. It’s very exciting seeing my alter ego as a cartoon character in Autolite’s new campaign,” said Waltrip. “I am a firm believer in the brand’s products because they are designed for people like me, who appreciate their vehicles and are interested in higher performance.” The second spot, tagged “Texan,” borrows nicely from reality television, where Bobby wanders around with a video camera in an attempt to make his own show called ‘Who Wants to Marry a Texan.’ (PR)(4-3-2003)
- Geoffrey Bodine finds a Gig…in TV: Geoffrey Bodine has accepted the “color analyst” position on SPEED Channel for their coverage of the Winston West race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 12th. The race will be shown tape delayed on SPEED April 19th. This assignment means that Bodine will not be driving the Thompson Motorsports #36 Ford in the Craftsman Truck race at Martinsville Spedway on April 12th. He is still working out a deal with Al Thompson to drive at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Charlotte on May 16th.(Geoffrey Bodine Fan Club)
AND This isn’t new territory for Bodine, who has appeared as a television analyst before, most recently for the International Race of Champions events in 2001. “It’s something he’s willing to pursue,” Lisa Cox, his publicist, said Wednesday. “He’s trying to do more television.” Cox said there’s a possibility Speed will use him on more Winston West race telecasts. Bodine, who turns 54 on April 18, isn’t willing to hang up his driving gloves just yet. Cox said he’s looking for other opportunities to get back behind the wheel of a race car. Bodine was originally scheduled to drive in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race for Thompson Motorsports at Martinsville, Va., on April 12. He agreed to give up the seat to driver James Stevenson, who brought some money to the unsponsored team. Meanwhile, Bodine has a busy schedule of non-racing events coming up. He’ll participate in the Dodge Celebrity Invitational golf tournament, presented by former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon. The pro-am event at the Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club in Estero, Fla., begins today. On May 9 and 10, Bodine hosts his annual fishing tournament in Pompano Beach, Fla., to benefit the U.S. bobsled team. Bodine helped initiate the research and development of the Bo-Dyn Bobsleds the team uses. On May 14, he holds his 12th annual Geoffrey Bodine Celebrity Golf Tournament, benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation, at Birkdale Golf Club in Huntersville, N.C.(Star Gazette – short term link)(4-3-2003)
- Board OKs public funding for Ganassi expansion: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, which fields three NASCAR Winston Cup [#’s 40, 41, 42] teams out of Mooresville, N.C., received an economic incentive grant Tuesday to expand in town at an abandoned factory. Iredell County commissioners awarded the group $47,000 to $122,200 over three years for a $2.5 million investment in the county. The grant would help the race group buy and retrofit the former Matshushita Compressor Corp. of America building. The move would allow Chip Ganassi Racing to add another race team and create 65 to 75 jobs.(Charlotte Observer)(4-3-2003)
- Wallace Paying Tribute To Fallen American Hero: When Rusty Wallace sports his United Association hat during Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 pre-race activities at Talladega Superspeedway, he will be paying a special personal tribute to a fallen hero. He will be wearing the hat to honor Marine Reserve Sgt. Bradley Korthaus, who died on March 24 while participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Korthaus, 28, of Davenport, Iowa, was a UA member out of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 25 in Rock Island, Ill. “Brad lost his life in the line of duty and he is an American hero,” said Wallace. “His story is certainly an inspiration. He pursued his lifetime dream of becoming a U.S. Marine and joined the military right out of school.”(Tom Roberts PR)(4-3-2003)
- Kulwicki Honored: Ten years after fate took away our reigning Winston Cup champion, Alan Kulwicki, the fans still remember with a passion that is addictive! A full house at the Greenfield Wisconsin Hooter’s Restaurant sure reminds us that as the time goes by the pain of loss might weaken, but thankfully the memories of his greatness grow! Even the folks that just stumbled across the festivities during their regular Hooter’s run got in the spirit! The evening started with one of Dennis Mielcarek’s AK videos, the interview Benny Parson did with Alan after his Championship. The second of Dennis Mielcarek’s memorable videotapes was a tribute to AK done by the local media in Milwaukee. Such great scenes of Alan doing things “His Way.” When Garth Brooks “The Dance” played along with the scenes of AK and his family it was a moving moment. A caravan of cars and trucks left for the cemetery for the candle light vigil. Many of the vehicles had “AK 7” all over them.(Full story at Frontstretch)(4-3-2003)
- #1 Team has a Nickname: Steve Park, driver of the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, is without a posse no longer. NASCAR fans can now add “One Mo’ Posse” to cheer for at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Said Park, “Dale Jr. has his Dirty Mo Posse and Michael [Waltrip] has the Sherill’s Ford Posse. Now there is “One Mo’” at DEI.”(Steve Park site)(4-3-2003)
- Capps Tests IROC – ‘Like Day’s of Thunder’: NHRA Funny Car driver Ron Capps made a little oval-racing history this week, testing an IROC Firebird at Talladega Superspeedway, where the second round of the 2003 International Race of Champions Series will be run on Saturday. Capps, who has raced on ovals in sprint cars, worked with IROC test driver and driving school teacher Andy Hillenburg on Tuesday and quickly got up to speed. “I’m in the car and the radios are hooked up together and Hillenburg and I are having a conversation at 180 mph about how he wants me to pull up closer to him,” Capps said. “I said, ‘Andy, are you sure about this?’ I’d only been out there about 10 laps. We were going wide-open and he had me following him all over the place. We ran down around the apron for a few laps and then he said we were going to explore other parts of the race track and, before you know it, he had me running 180, about a foot away from the wall. If that doesn’t get your heart pumped, I don’t know what will.” Capps went out for one more session, but this time in a four-car draft with IRL driver Felipe Giaffone, World of Outlaws champion Danny Lasoski, and IROC test driver Dick Trickle. Capps was last in line, drafting with Trickle, when suddenly Trickle shot up to the wall between turns one and two and passed Giaffone and Lasoski. “I started to go with him and then remembered, ‘I’m not that good yet.’ It was exactly like in ‘Days of Thunder,’ ” Capps said. “He did an excellent job,” Trickle said. “We had him up front, behind us, three-wide and he had great car control the entire time. Very impressive.” Capps, who would love to get a chance to really race in the all-star series, said, “The drag racing community has been going wild since this got out about me testing an IROC car. I’ve gotten more interview requests about this than I do when I win a race.” Currently, IROC includes driving stars from NASCAR, the IRL and the World of Outlaws.(ThatsRacin.com/AP/IROC PR)(4-3-2003)
- Teen Safety 500 to Birmingham: Georgia-Pacific Corp. brings its Teen Safety 500 program to two Birmingham-area high schools on Thursday, April 3.. Mountain Brook High School and Vestavia Hills High School have been selected to participate in this innovative program that extends Georgia-Pacific’s involvement with NASCAR to spread the message of safe driving among teen-agers. NASCAR driver Kyle Petty will be on hand to present the Georgia-Pacific Teen Safety 500 program to students. The program will include Petty, local dignitaries and Georgia-Pacific representatives speaking to students about the importance of safety behind the wheel. After the assembly, students will have the opportunity to view an actual NASCAR car outside the school and receive autographs from Petty. The Georgia-Pacific Teen Safety 500 program is in its third year. To date, students have logged more than 1 million safe miles through the program. Birmingham is the first of six stops the Teen Safety 500 will make during the 2003 NASCAR season. Student drivers at the two schools will sign a safe-driving pledge to remain violation-free with no crashes during a three-week period. Once registered at Georgia-Pacific’s Web site, students will have the opportunity to win prizes for themselves and their school. Both schools will receive a cash contribution from Georgia-Pacific for their participation. The school with the highest ratio of students completing three weeks of safe driving will win an additional contribution. Georgia-Pacific will provide participating students with a variety of prizes for those who log safe miles, including product coupons from Chick-fil-A, racing merchandise and entertainment and dining packages. One student will be chosen from the winning school for the grand prize – a $200 gift card from Best Buy. Petty will be joined by John O’Donnell, president, North American Commercial Business, Georgia-Pacific; Sgt. William Rogers, Birmingham district public information/safety education officer; Dicky Barlow, principal, Mountain Brook High School; and Ann Jones, principal, Vestavia Hills High School. Visit Georgia-Pacific’s racing Web site at www.gp.com/racing for more information about the Teen Safety 500 program.(Williams Company PR)(4-3-2003)
- Some Politics: Peter Flaherty, President of the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), today sent the following letter to William C. France, CEO of NASCAR: Because American troops are currently engaged in combat in Iraq, we ask that NASCAR cease and desist from further support for Jesse Jackson and/or his nonprofit organizations. According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, you have stated that NASCAR fans are “the kind of people who go to war and win wars for America.” Branches of the Armed Services and the National Guard maintain important NASCAR sponsorships. Race teams have demonstrated their support for the troops in a variety of ways. NASCAR’s support for our troops is undercut by your support for Jackson, which includes substantial monetary contributions, at a time when Jackson is leading anti-war protests, even in foreign countries. Disturbingly, Jackson has employed extreme and provocative anti-American rhetoric. NASCAR was a “Platinum” sponsor of the 2002 Rainbow/PUSH and Citizenship Education Fund Annual Conference, reportedly paying $100,000 for the distinction. NASCAR’s relationship with Jackson is detailed in a new report I authored and published by the Capital Research Center. See Organizational Trends, April 2003. (http://www.capitalresearch.org/news/news.asp?ID=111) Jackson spoke at the January 18, Washington, DC anti-war rally organized by A.N.S.W.E.R., an alleged Marxist front group. At a March protest in London, Jackson reportedly stated, “Today is not about Saddam Hussein. Today is about Bush and Blair and the massacre they plan for Iraq.” On March 18, Jackson told a rally that the United States would be guilty of “war crimes” if it attacked Iraq. After the military operation began, Jackson on March 27 proposed a “truce.” Toyota has ended support for Jackson’s groups in apparent response to my request that it do so, after a wave of negative media coverage last year. A DaimlerChysler executive touched off a firestorm of criticism in January for remarks critical of Jackson’s critics that he made at Jesse Jackson’s Wall Street Conference. DaimlerChysler has formally apologized to me. NLPC is a nonpartisan foundation that supports ethics and accountability in public life. In 2001, the group filed a still-pending Complaint with the Internal Revenue Service alleging that Jesse Jackson’s largest nonprofit group violated of its tax status. (Catchefence via a National Legal and Policy Center PR)(4-3-2003)
- Nemechek wins pole at Talladega: #87 “Front Row” Joe Nemechek won his 15th career Busch series pole Thursday, running a lap at 188.649mph for the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. #38-Kasey Kahne was 2nd at 187.618, followed by #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #2-Ron Hornaday and #59-Stacy Compton fifth. Series points leader #92-Todd Bodine qualified 29th.
See reults/lineup at ThatsRacin.com, BGNRacing or NASCAR.com.(4-3-2003) - #29 Owner Keselowski Hospitalized: Veteran NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver and crew chief Bob Keselowski was transported by ambulance to Crittenton Hospital in Rochester, MI late Wednesday afternoon with an undisclosed illness. Keselowski and his K-Automotive team were wrapping up a daylong test in the Detroit area when the 51-year-old Keselowski was stricken just past 5:00pm/et. Keselowski was later transported by ambulance to William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI around midnight were he was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit. Additional details will be released as they become available.(Motorsports Management Group PR)(4-3-2003)
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