April 6, 2006
- Mikey in Stars and Stripes again at Daytona: #55-Michael Waltrip will run his annual Stars and Stripes NAPA scheme for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, this year on his #55 Dodge. See an image on the #55 Team Schemes page.(4-6-2006)
- Too Many Cautions? If you think too many caution flags interrupt NASCAR action these days, you’re not alone. #6-Mark Martin believes excess cautions not only diminish the racing on the track but creates more conflict. “We have 10 times more cautions than we used to,” Martin said. “If a drink bottle or a spring rubber falls out on the track, we have a caution flag. We used to run over starters and alternators and all kinds of stuff. We’d hit them and knock them out of the way and we could keep racing. But things have changed. We have a lot of debris cautions.” As Martin points out, the cautions enable the field to pack in behind the leader, increasing the likelihood of contact — and more cautions. “Every time we pack the cars up, we have another caution,” Martin says. “Then the kids get excited, run over one another and we have another one. It seems that 10-15 laps is all we can go, typically. I don’t feel like we get a chance to race anymore. We run short little 10-lap bursts for 500 or 400 miles. It’s not a chance to really get out there and do your business. And it’s tough on the cars. They get wrecked a lot.” NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said it all boils down to safety. “Perhaps we look at it a little differently than they did years ago. Perhaps they did run over some things years ago. We don’t want to have anything on the racetrack at all that could pose a safety threat to drivers or the spectators.” Sunday’s race produced 16 cautions (only one for debris on the track) and meant 87 of the 500 laps were run under yellow. That wasn’t as disruptive as the 19 cautions last October at Martinsville Speedway.(USA Today)(4-6-2006)
- Last Race for Intrepid at Texas: NASCAR’s last glimpse of the Intrepid — a car that Dodge no longer produces — is expected to come this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. #12-Ryan Newman, the final Intrepid holdout, will run the car one more time before the Penske South team switches to the Charger full time. Matt Borland, Newman’s crew chief, said he expects the transition to go a little easier than last year when Newman found the Charger wanting on intermediate and larger ovals. Roger Penske said recently that he’s pleased with the strides the Charger has made of late, noting Kasey Kahne’s victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 27. “It’s good to see those cars run well,” Penske said. “They had a good car in Atlanta, and we were not where we wanted to be with the Intrepid.” Penske Racing’s other driver, Kurt Busch, also has run the Intrepid at times this season, as has Petty Enterprises’ Bobby Labonte. All the Dodge [supported] teams have run the Charger exclusively at the smaller ovals this season.
“We’re going to run (the Intrepid) in the Texas race. That will probably be the final race for us,” said Robbie Loomis, director of operations for Petty Enterprises. “If we went to Texas, led the most laps and won the race, it would be hard to do something different for Charlotte. But right now we’re 99.9% (sure) it’s going to be Chargers the rest of the year. Dodge re-entered Nextel Cup in 2001 with the Intrepid after a 24-year absence. The Charger has four wins since its debut in the 2005 Daytona 500.(USA Today)(4-6-2006)
- #31 Crew Chief to throw out 1st pitch: As part of a promotion for Cingular Wireless, #31 Cingular Chevy crew chief Scott Miller will throw out the first pitch at Ameriquest Field for the Texas Rangers game Thursday, April 7 vs. the Detroit Tigers.(RCR)(4-6-2006)
- KHI, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation work together for a cure: Kevin Harvick Inc. has partnered with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to raise awareness and funds to support vital research and care programs. The companies have joined forces to sponsor “Fast Lane to a Cure,” a dinner to be held on May 16 featuring silent and live auctions, entertainment and a guest speaker. Three drivers from the KHI family will be in attendance at the event, including Burney Lamar, Ron Hornaday and Kevin Harvick. The dinner will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Later that week, KHI will put the #33 race truck, driven by two-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, to good use; it will banner the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation logo under the lights of the Quaker Steak & Lube 200 race on May 19 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.(kevinharvickinc.com)(4-6-2006)
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