April 5, 2003
- Not Real: NASCAR’s venture into the world of reality-based TV has apparently come to a premature end. Cable network FX has been unable to come to terms with Winston Cup drivers Kevin Harvick, Rusty Wallace and Jamie McMurray and their teams to ensure their participation in a reality-based show, ThatsRacin.com has learned. All three drivers rejected the initial contract from the show’s production company, with Wallace pulling out of the show entirely last week. FX could not secure the participation of another driver and was unable to clear contractual issues with Harvick and McMurray and their teams, sources said. The show was tentatively scheduled to air for at least seven weeks beginning on FX in June on Friday nights. Taping was originally scheduled to start at Texas, but didn’t because of the contract problems. FX had hoped to use the programming to maintain a NASCAR presence while rivals NBC and TNT broadcast the second half of the Winston Cup season.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-5-2003)
- Parts Confiscated: NASCAR inspectors confiscated several parts in pre-qualifying inspections Friday and placed them on display in the hauler. Among the items taken: unapproved springs from the cars of Jerry Nadeau and Ken Schrader; a false in-car camera mount from the car of Todd Bodine’s; and improperly mounted oil coolers on driver Sterling Marlin’s car.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-5-2003)
- Penske Engine in the #19? UPDATE: Hearing that the #19 Dodge that Jeremy Mayfield won the pole with at Talladega had a Penske engine in it, not one from Evernham Motorsports.(4-4-2003)
UPDATE: Give some credit to Penske-Jasper horsepower for Jeremy Mayfield’s pole-winning run Friday. Dodge car owners Roger Penske and Ray Evernham have teamed up to improve their efforts at Daytona and Talladega. Evernham gets engine help for Mayfield and Bill Elliott, and Penske gets aerodynamic assistance for Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace. The cooperation worked in qualifying, when Penske’s engines helped Mayfield take the pole for Sunday’s race while Elliott qualified fifth. Newman was eighth for Penske, but Wallace was 31st. “We both struggled in qualifying at Daytona so we teamed up to work on our restrictor plate program,” Evernham said. “We don’t have a name for it, just a group of people from both shops who built engines for this race.” Like Penske, Evernham builds his own engines. But as a third-year program, his motors lag behind and have been a weakness in the operation – Elliott blew his engine while leading the race at Texas last weekend. “Our motor program is good for a a three-year program,” Evernham said. “But we need access to better technology and Roger has access to the experience and technology we need.”(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(4-5-2003)
- Jarrett and Sadler to the final four: Robert Yates Racing teammates Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler plan to fly to New Orleans following Winston Cup practice Saturday to attend the semifinal games in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. Texas coach Rick Barnes is the drivers’ ticket connection.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-5-2003)
- Inspection Slow at Talladega: The big news of the day, besides Jeremy Mayfield winning the pole for Sunday’s Talladega 500, was the pre-practice inspection process. The NASCAR men laid-out several teams during the seemingly endless process, but the aggressiveness of the sanctioning body might have backfired. The lengthy process of car inspection resulted in several cars missing most of the morning practice session. At the half-hour mark only 30 cars had posted times, 39 at the hour mark with the full compliment of 46 joining by the end of the session. Things were so tense www.teamfordracing.com saw one crew chief waving his finger in the face of NASCAR inspectors. Many of the cars were run at Daytona International Speedway and weren’t touched between the time they arrived back in the shops following that race and when they were loaded for this event. Therefore plenty of bodywork was required. Some of the cars just needed a dab of Bondo here or there, while others needed some pretty serious reconstruction to get through the NASCAR hoops. One car that needed considerable work was Jeff Burton’s. Work was required to the A pillars as well as the C pillars of the #99 Ford. But the majority of the work needed to legalize the car dealt with the rear decklid.(Ford Racing)(4-5-2003)
- Final Texas TV Ratings: Today’s Sports Business Daily says that final Nielsen figures for Fox’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Samsung/RadioShack 500 Winston Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway fell 10 percent from last year. This year’s race had a 6.3 rating and 14 share, down from 7.0/10. But all sports events continued to show the impact that the war with Iraq is having. The Daily says CBS’s coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament is down 22 percent from last year and noted that NBC’s coverage of Sunday’s final round of the PGA Players’ Championship was down 23 percent. Overall, the Daily says Fox’s NASCAR coverage is up 3 percent this year, with an average of 6.3/15, compared to a 6.1/15 in 2002.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-5-2003)
- Visa Offers Cardholders the Ultimate NASCAR Experience: Visa, proud sponsor of NASCAR, announced today the Visa Ultimate NASCAR Experience promotion, which offers cardholders a chance to get an inside look at the non-stop, high-octane action of NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing. When cardholders use their Visa card to make a purchase between April 6 and November 30, 2003, they are automatically entered to win a weekend living the Ultimate NASCAR Experience. Each winner (and three of their guests) will receive VIP treatment at one of the most exciting stops along the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, including Sonoma, Chicago, Atlanta, Bristol, Richmond, Dover, Charlotte and Daytona. Comprehensive prize packages include round-trip air travel to a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race, plush trackside accommodations aboard the Visa luxury motor coach, and an official team uniform to wear on race day. Additionally, the winners will receive special access at the race, which includes a behind-the-scenes look at life inside the garage and along pit row, an invitation to attend the official pre-race driver’s meeting, and a “hot lap” ride in an official pace car with a NASCAR superstar – Rusty Wallace or Kurt Busch.. Fourteen winners will be selected throughout the promotional period.
Visa is supporting the Ultimate NASCAR Experience promotion with a multi-million dollar integrated marketing campaign, including a national television commercial starring NASCAR veteran Rusty Wallace, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Intrepid, and the hottest young driver in the Winston Cup Series, Kurt Busch, driver of the #97 Rubbermaid Ford Taurus. Wallace and Busch are also featured in print advertising, scheduled to run in Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine, as well as online and radio ads. The more cardholders use their Visa cards, the more times they are entered to win. Winners will be randomly selected, and no purchase or obligation is necessary to enter or win. For additional information, including consumer sweepstakes official rules, visit www.visa.com/NASCAR.(Visa USA/Golin/Harris International PR)(4-5-2003) - Helton and Vickers talk: NASCAR president Mike Helton took a few minutes Friday to speak with Brian Vickers to make sure the 19-year-old driver understood why he was black-flagged while leading the Busch series race last Saturday in Texas. Vickers appeared on his way to his first career win when he moved to the left of a lapped car on the restart to avoid running into the back of it. NASCAR made him pit for a stop-and-go penalty that cost him the win. “I still disagreed with him, but I told him I understood the rule now,” Vickers said. “But I appreciated him taking the time to try to talk to me about it.”(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(4-5-2003)
- Earnhardt Jr wins at Talladega: #87-Joe Nemechek ran out of time. #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of gas. But a timely caution with two of 117 laps remaining in Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway, allowed Earnhardt Jr. to claim the victory as two of the top-three cars ran out of gas after crossing the start/finish line. The win makes Earnhardt Jr. two-for-two in appearances in the NASCAR Busch series this season. He also won the series opener at Daytona with the same team he co-owns with his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt. During a pit stop on Lap 59, Earnhardt Jr. was first off pit road when he took only fuel. However, he elected not to relinquish the lead and stop for gas when a caution came out on Lap 111. It is unlikely Earnhardt Jr. would made it to the finish had the race remained under green. “I don’t think there was a whole lot of fuel left in it when I took the checkered (flag),” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We just didn’t have enough gas there at the end to go green, so that final caution coming out really helped us out. The racing gods here at Talladega really like the Earnhardt family because we seem to do pretty good here.”
#48-Shane Hmiel, who also ran out of gas after the finish, was third. #2-Ron Hornaday was fourth and #20-Mike Bliss rounded out the top five. A 19-car wreck erupted on Lap 10 after #21-Johnny Sauter blew a left-rear tire. Among those caught up in the accident were three drivers – #92-Todd Bodine, #57-Jason Keller and #38-Kasey Kahne – in the top 10 in points. Bodine, who finished 27th, leads the series race with a 39-point advance over #1-Jamie McMurray. The race was slowed five times by caution for 23 laps. There were seven lead changes among six drivers, with Earnhardt Jr. leading a race-best 60.(ThatsRacin.com column)
For results see Thatsracin.com, BGN Racing (they have many pictures posted over the weekend there too), MotorsportsOne or NASCAR.com.(4-5-2003)
- RAIN at Talladega has put the brakes on Cup practice this morning at Talladega Superspeedway, will post the schedule change or other news when I hear/see it. The Busch Series race is scheduled for 2:00pm/et. Radar on the Weather Channel shows a bit of green (rain) for the next few hours.(4-5-2003 – 10:30am/et)
- #54 gets a new sponsor: Zapf Creation, a leading manufacturer of play, function, and collector dolls and doll accessories, such as BABY born and CHOU CHOU, announced itspartnership with the Toys “R” Us Racing NASCAR Busch Series program. In conjunction with its sponsorship, Zapf Creation’s logo will be displayed on the #54 Toys “R” Us Chevrolet driven by Hermie Sadler throughout the 2003 season. Through this sponsorship, Zapf Creation is showcasing itself as an innovative leader, not only within the toy industry, but also as a marketer willing to experiment in forging non-traditional marketing partners as it continues to gain awareness throughout the Americas. “It’s very exciting for the Toys “R” Us Racing Team to have a company like Zapf Creation join our marketing program this year,” said Rick Goodwin, owner of the #54 car’s Bristol Motor Sport. “Zapf Creation is poised for a boom in sales and long-term consumer loyalty through its sponsorship of the #54 NASCAR Busch Series Chevrolet.” As the season continues, we will definitely see much more of Zapf Creation as they have their great girls’ products available for sale trackside beginning this weekend in Talladega. They are also developing NASCAR themed products for girls and collectors of all ages that will be unveiled soon. Zapf Creation AG is a leading brand manufacturer of play, function and collector dolls as well as its accessories. Celebrating its 70th Anniversary in 2002, Zapf Creation is striving to develop its large doll segment to become the leading large doll manufacturer in its key worldwide markets. For further information, please visit www.zapf-creation.com.(PR)(4-5-2003)
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