April 5, 2002
- Elledge to leave Yates? UPDATE 4: Dodge is wooing Jimmy Elledge, one of the Winston Cup tour’s rising young crew chiefs, to leave Robert Yates’ Ford #88 operation to join Ray Evernham’s Dodge gang as crew chief for #7-Casey Atwood on the Jimmy Smith-Buddy Barnes operation. And Barnes yesterday said that Elledge could be joining his team soon. Smith, the team owner in a partnership with Evernham, and Barnes, the general manager and interim crew chief, have been rebuilding the team since losing sponsorship last fall. Atwood finished 18th yesterday, his best of the year.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-25-2002)
UPDATE: #88-Dale Jarrett expects to have crew chief Jimmy Elledge with him, discounting recent rumors that Elledge might leave the Robert Yates Racing team. Jarrett said Elledge does not plan to leave and has told Jarrett that repeatedly this week. (Roanoke Times)(3-28-2002)
UPDATE 2: When Dale Jarrett and the #88 Robert Yates Racing team heads to Texas this weekend, crew chief Jimmy Elledge will not make the trip. Todd Parrott is now the crew chief of that team. Jimmy Elledge this afternoon says he has decided to pursue other options. The door has been left open for Elledge to return to Robert Yates Racing in another capacity. Todd Parrott had been the crew chief for the previous five seasons but was said to be taking a larger role as general manager with the team when Elledge was hired in the off-season [from the #55 APR team].(FoxSports)(4-3-2002)
UPDATE 3: Todd Parrott has reassumed the crew chief position for Dale Jarrett’s #88 Ford team at Robert Yates Racing. Jimmy Elledge, who took over as crew chief after Parrott moved to a team manager position in December, is still employed, but “is exploring other options,” team owner Robert Yates said. “We think he is a very talented individual and our doors will always be open to him.” Late Wednesday, Ray Evernham, co-owner of Ultra/Evernham Motorsports, confirmed he plans to speak to Elledge in the coming days about the crew chief job with driver Casey Atwood and the #7 Dodges. Buddy “Reddog” Barnes currently holds the role on an interim basis.(ThatsRacin.com), also on ESPN’s RPM2Night it was mentioned that Evernham and Elledge have spoken already, but Elledge is not commiting to anything yet.(4-4-2002)
UPDATE 4: Ray Evernham, co-owner of Ultra/Evernham Motorsports and the #7 Dodges driven by Casey Atwood, said he hoped to have a meeting Monday with Jimmy Elledge, who recently lost his position as crew chief for Dale Jarrett. Evernham said he hoped co-owner Jim Smith and Atwood could participate in the meeting. Elledge, who is still employed by Robert Yates Racing, apparently is fielding several offers from several Winston Cup teams. He was formerly crew chief for Bobby Hamilton at Andy Petree Racing.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-5-2002)
- Dale Jr Leads Voting: #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. leads, and more than 130,000 votes have been cast for the Grands NMPA NASCAR Winston Cup Most Popular Driver Award. Voting began in early March at www.nascarpopulardriver.com, and NASCAR fans have responded in amazing numbers. Approximately 400,000 voted all of last year. Voting continues through November 10, 2002. Voting breakdowns were unavailable but, especially since it is early in the process, differences were relatively close down the list. Behind Earnhardt, Jr., in order, were Tony Stewart, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, Kyle Petty, Rusty Wallace, Kevin Harvick and Dale Jarrett. Many of the driver and team web sites have established links directly from their sites to the voting site, while many fan-developed and racing news sites have established direct links for the convenience of their readers (see graphic and link on the Jayski page, on the left side of this page). The award is administered by the National Motorsports Press Association, and is sponsored by Grands!, a product of Pillsbury. Fans are allowed one vote per day but may vote as many days as they wish.(Williams Company PR)(4-5-2002)
- BACE and APR UPDATE: BACE Motorsports and Andy Petree Racing announced the formation of a strategic alliance in conjunction with BACE Motorsports Cup debut with driver Chad Little. BACE Motorsports will field the #74 Chevy in up to 15 Winston Cup events during the 2002 season with engines and chassis supplied by Andy Petree Racing (APR). Additionally, the alliance includes the continuous sharing of information between the #74 Team and Andy Petree Racing’s current Winston Cup entry, the #55 Chevy driven by Bobby Hamilton.. The two teams will work together to exchange technical information learned on and off track in efforts to increase their collective performance. Both teams feel the information sharing is an integral part of the partnership. Little, a former NASCAR Winston West Champion, will pilot the #74 entry in a limited schedule, initially focusing on intermediate tracks, as the team actively seeks corporate sponsorship.. Following BACE’s debut at California Speedway on April 28, 2002, Little will run The Winston Open and Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, then the June events at Dover and Michigan. Additional events will be named as the 2002 season progresses.(ignition, inc. PR)(4-4-2002)
UPDATE: Petree is expected to reach an ownership agreement with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that will begin next season.(Dallas Morning News), for past news on the Jones rumor, see my #55 Team News and Links page.(4-5-2002)
- Kerry Earnhardt to Cup in 2003 and 2004: FitzBradshaw Racing, in its first year in BGN competition, hopes to run five Winston Cup events next season — including Texas Motor Speedway. The team, co-owned by Armando Fitz and Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, currently ranks 27th in the BGN standings with Kerry Earnhardt driving the #12 car. The team’s goal is to compete full-time in the 2004 Winston Cup circuit with Earnhardt — the oldest son of the late Dale Earnhardt — while adding a rookie driver for the BGN. After announcing a sponsorship deal with Jani-King on Thursday (see my BGN site), Fitz said he hopes to get enough sponsorship for Earnhardt to race five Winston Cup events in 2003. Along with TMS, Fitz said Charlotte, Atlanta, Michigan and California would probably fill out the abbreviated Cup schedule. A driver can race up to seven Winston Cup events without losing his rookie status.(Dallas Morning News)(4-5-2002)
- NASCAR Emmy’s Nominations: The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that NASCAR on FOX has been nominated for six Sports Emmy Awards, NASCAR on NBC/TNT two and ESPN one for Racing work in 2001.
The 23rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards will be presented on Tuesday, April 23rd, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
The categories featuring NASCAR:
Outstanding Live Sports Special: NASCAR on FOX: The Daytona 500
Outstanding Live Sports Series: NASCAR on FOX and NASCAR on NBC/TNT
Outstanding Techincial Team Remote: NASCAR on FOX and ESPN Speedworld
Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound: NASCAR on FOX
Outstanding Graphic Design: NASCAR on FOX
Outstanding Innovative Techincal Achievement: NASCAR on FOX and NASCAR on NBC/TNT.(Emmy’s site)(4-5-2002)
- New Publication: If you enjoy NASCAR racing, you’ll love Inside Cat Racing – 2002, a new 40-page, full-color publication packed full of interesting and entertaining information illustrated by more than 75 professional photos see ww.insidecatracing.com. And for more Racing Books, see my Racing Bookstore page(4-5-2002)
- Racing Wives Book: Liz Allison, who knows a little about it, provides some insight about racing relationships in her new book, “Racing Wives: The Women Behind the Sunday Drivers.” Allison was the wife of Winston Cup star and second-generation Alabama Gang member Davey Allison, who died while trying to land his helicopter at Talladega. The author has teamed with UMI Publications on this latest effort, her third book. She started work on it about a year ago. The work began in earnest after the 2001 racing season ended and her editors moved her deadline up early this year. A couple of prominent NASCAR wives aren’t in there, which is creating a little bit of a buzz about the book, no doubt to her delight and that of her publisher. Brooke Gordon, who last month filed for divorce from four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon, isn’t in there. Neither is Teresa Earnhardt. As for Earnhardt, “That was out of respect for her and what she was going through,” Allison says. She got word about her undertaking to the widow of seven-time champion Dale Earnardt, but didn’t push when she didn’t get a response. As for Brooke Gordon, Allison pushed a little. Enough that the former Miss Winston finally let her know that she didn’t want to participate “for personal reasons.” “I knew something was going on there, but I was still shocked when she filed,” said Allison, who now lives in Tennessee but remains plugged in with much of the NASCAR family in North Carolina. She’s got more than two dozen wives in her book and many have provided photos from their personal collections. So there are some images there that most of have never had the opportunity to see, which is kinda neat. The ABC TV news show “Downtown” interviewed Allison and several of the wives at Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s Speedway Club this week and plans to air a segment on them and the book April 17. “Racing Wives” is to be released later this month.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-5-2002)
- Jeff Gordon Book Advance Worth $1.2 million: Four-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was given a $1.2-million book advance by Viacom’s Simon & Schuster for his life story, according to the N.Y. Post. Mark Reiter of IMG brokered the deal, which is thought to have fetched the impressive sum thanks in part to the huge success of Driver #8, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s bestseller.(Winston Cup Scene Newsletter)(4-5-2002)
- Plates at Texas? This Week? UPDATE Fearing that speeds at Texas Motor Speedway could reach dangerous levels, NASCAR officials may consider putting restrictor plates on Winston Cup cars competing in Sunday’s Samsung/Radio Shack 500, a NASCAR official said on Thursday. “We will sit down and talk about it (Thursday night),” said Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice president of communications. “We have the plates here already, but we will probably wait to see what happens over the next couple of days.” But NASCAR clearly feels that the resurfaced 1.5-mile TMS track may need the extraordinary precaution measure.(Dallas Morning News)(4-5-2002)
UPDATE no plates for the BGN: NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter said Friday morning the sanctioning body has no plans to use carburetor restrictor plates for the BGN race Saturday at Texas. On Thursday, Jeff Green won the pole for the race with a track record lap of over 193 mph – far above the 189 mph previous mark. Green also bettered the previous Winston Cup qualifying mark. A repaved surface and cooler temperatures Thursday help produce fast speeds. “I think the Busch race will be fine. I don’t expect any problems with speeds,” Hunter said. “As far as the Cup cars, we’ll see how practice and qualifying go today. It is not my expectation that we will have problems. But we will certainly keep an eye on the situation throughout the weekend.” Hunter also said NASCAR always brings restrictor plates of different sizes to each track so they are available should officials decide to use them.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-5-2002) - Tim Sauter gets sponsor for Texas: O’Reilly Autoparts has announced a one race primary sponsorship for Tim Sauter’s #19 AP Performance Chevy in the O’Reilly Autoparts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. The AP Performance Racing Team has raced the full 2002 BGN so far with no sponsorship, yet this week managed to break into the Top 20 in points.(Motorsports Management Group PR)(4-5-2002)
- Spencer and Kirby to team up UPDATE 3: Plans are being made for Jimmy Spencer to put his Busch Series team back on the track, with Stuart Kirby behind the wheel and a joint venture between the Air Force and the Racing: My Anti-Drug program as the sponsor. Kirby would debut the Spencer Motor Ventures Chevrolet at Texas, and run a total of about 18 races. Peter Guild will build the team’s engines. Past that, Spencer is in the process of hiring a crew chief, who’ll oversee the operation along with longtime Busch Series team owner Frank Cicci. The sponsorship deal with the Air Force and the Racing: My Anti-Drug campaign hasn’t been signed, according to Spencer, who filmed an anti-drug public service announcement while in Daytona.(Winston Cup Scene – need sub to read)(2-21-2002)
UPDATE: Jimmy Spencer has hired Larry Carter as the new crew chief of Spencer Motor Venture’s #34 BGN Chevy that will be driven by Stuart Kirby. Carter comes over to Spencer Motor Venture from Haas Carter Motorsports where he was the crew chief on the #66 Kmart Ford driven by Todd Bodine.(Spencer Motor Ventures PR).(3-7-2002)
UPDATE 2: Spencer Motor Ventures has scheduled a press conference at the Texas Motor Speedway on April 5th at 1:45pm to unveil their new sponsorship with driver Stuart Kirby. The #34 BGN team will test March 26-27 at the Texas Motor Speedway and is entered in the O’Reilly 300 BGN race April 6th at Texas.(Spencer Motor Ventures PR)(3-23-2002)
UPDATE 3: The U.S. Air Force announced a partnership today with the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to carry anti-drug messages to millions of young people with a specially designed “Racing: My Anti-Drug” car to be driven by rookie Stuart Kirby during 15 televised races this year. The Air Force will kick off their participation in the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign at a press conference April 5th at the Texas Motor Speedway. Kirby will drive the car on its inaugural race April 6th in the O’Reilly 300. NASCAR has a fan base of 75 million; three million of whom are teenagers, the media campaign’s target audience. “Our partnership is a natural fit,” said Brig. Gen. Duane Deal, commander of Air Force Recruiting Service. “One of our core messages to young people is they must graduate from high school drug free. We want young men and women to keep all of their career options open. Drug use closes many of the doors they have otherwise open.” “The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign encourages youth to seek out the positive things in their lives that stand between them and drugs,” said John P. Walters, director of ONDCP. “We know that for many young people, being involved in sports is a powerful deterrent to using drugs. Joining efforts with the U.S. Air Force and a young talent such as Stuart Kirby drives home the message that by rejecting drugs, your goals can be achieved.” Kirby is a 20-year old Kentucky native who began racing go-karts at the age of 11. After winning local and state races, he moved on to world competitions and fulfilled his teen-age dream of racing at the Daytona International Speedway. He attributes his success to the influence of his father and his devotion to the sport. “Racing has always been the one thing that keeps me going,” said Kirby. “Driving in NASCAR is a goal I would never have accomplished if I had wasted my time with drugs.” By carrying the “Racing: My Anti-Drug” brand on his car, Kirby plans to promote anti-drug messages to NASCAR fans and youth across America. He will join veteran NASCAR driver Jimmy Spencer in using interviews and appearances to engage youth in considering and declaring their Anti-Drugs, or the positive things that stand between them and drugs.(US Air Force PR)(4-4-2002)
see my BGN Paint Schemes page for an image of the car.(4-5-2002)
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