April 6, 2004
- Adopt ‘Dale’ the Dog, has a #3: not usually into posting these, but thought this was interesting, “These unique two siblings display playful personalities with deep affection for each other. Dale and Roy have healthy, youthful energy and would thrive within a fenced in yard. Dale was named for the famous Dale Earnhardt due to the fur outline of a numeral three [#3] seen on her hip! These two canines have been coping with kennel confinement since early February and need a special home placement where they receive the love, commitment and exercise they deserve. For more information about this animal, call: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Control Bureau at (704) 336-3786 Ask for information about animal ID number A471303 or see the site at charmeck.org – click here.(4-6-2004)
- Testing at Kentucky: Kentucky Speedway’s testing calendar for this week shows three Nextel Cup tests lined up for Wednesday. The track says Petty Enterprises is scheduled to test both Jeff Green in the team’s 43 Dodge and Mark Green in a research and development Dodge. Also expected to test is Ken Schrader in BAM Racing’s #49 Dodge.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-6-2004)
- Congrats: Andrea Nemechek, wife of NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek, gave birth to the couple’s third child, Kennedy Grace, Monday, April 5 at Carolinas Medical Center University in Charlotte. Kennedy Grace weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 18 1/2 inches long. Mother and daughter are doing fine and are scheduled to be released from the hospital Wednesday (April 7). With the addition of Kennedy Grace, the Nemechek children include John Hunter (6-years-old) and Blair McKenzie (4).(US Army Racing PR)(4-6-2004)
- Testing at Martinsville this week:
April 6: #25-Brian Vickers, #10-Scott Riggs, #88-Dale Jarrett, #42-Jamie McMurray, #40-Sterling Marlin, #18-Bobby Labonte, #30-Johnny Sauter, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #22-Scott Wimmer, #17-Matt Kenseth
April 7: #32-Ricky Craven, #25-Brian Vickers, #10-Scott Riggs, #30-Johnny Sauter, #48-Jimmie Johnson, #12-Ryan Newman, #77-Brendan Gaughan, #2-Rusty Wallace, #17-Matt Kenseth
April 8: #32-Ricky Craven, #0-Ward Burton, #4-Jimmy Spencer
Frontstretch grandstands are open to the public for testing at no charge. Testing hours are normally from 9am to 5pm.(4-5-2004)
- Gordon goes Retro for the Challenge UPDATE: Since Retro is in, Hendricks Motorsports and DuPont are returning to the rainbow scheme for the Nextel All-Star Challenge race weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May for #24-Jeff Gordon.(1-20-2004)
AND Jeff Gordon’s #24 car will sport familiar rainbow livery for next month’s all-star event. Gordon is expected to announce Tuesday that he’ll bring back the “rainbow warrior” paint job for his #24 car in the May 22 Nextel All-Star Challenge race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway outside Charlotte. Gordon says the retro paint job will commemorate the 10th anniversary of his first victory, which came May 29, 1994 at LMS. And NASCAR being NASCAR, there’s also a commercial angle; sponsor DuPont is using the race to promote a new line of paint. For Gordon, driving the rainbow car — he switched to hot rod-style flames for 2001 — will be a reminder of just how good the good-ol’ days were. Bringing back the old paint job also will help Gordon remember a certain amount of ignorant grief he took from fans who didn’t take kindly to a clean-cut kid in an ultra-macho sport racing through the Bible Belt with a symbol often associated with gay rights activism — although, he says, nobody really thought of that when artist Sam Bass designed the paint job. “I took of heat for driving that rainbow car and wearing that rainbow uniform,” he says. “There were times where you didn’t feel like a really cool race car driver. But as long as we were winning races, it didn’t matter.”(USA Today), see an image on my #24 Team Paint Scheme Page.(4-6-2004)
- More Downforce? Now there is talk that Goodyear may be under pressure to let NASCAR add more downforce to these cars and keep the same soft-tire line. That would make any tire engineer very nervous. Goodyear officials won’t say just what they’re talking about with NASCAR executives right now in discussions of the single-file racing. Could Goodyear OK NASCAR adding more downforce to these cars with this tire package, and not risk the tires blistering or tearing apart? Goodyear calls such a question “premature.”(Winston Salem Journal)(4-6-2004)
- IROC Testing at Atlanta: The International Race of Champions (IROC) series will test Tuesday and Wednesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway as they prepare for their Oct. 30 season finale at the fast, high-banked track. Jim and Jay Sauter and Dave Marcis are expected to test the IROC cars on Tuesday, while IROC officials are expecting World of Outlaws drivers Steve Kinser and Danny “The Dude” Lasoski in to test on Wednesday. Lasoski is fresh off a “dream win”after pulling off a stunning victory last Friday in the Crown Royal IROC event at Texas Motor Speedway. In the Crown Royal IROC point standings, which will pay $1 million to the season champion, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman are tied for first with 33 points while Lasoski and Jimmie Johnson are tied for second with 32 points. The two-day test session is closed to the public.(AMS PR)(4-6-2004)
- Gordon to be Miss USA judge: Jeff Gordon will be one of the judges in the 53rd Annual Miss USA competition held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California on Monday, April 12. The show will be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 9pm/eastern time. In addition to Gordon, the judging panel will be comprised of Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, fashion designer Jill Stuart, actor Mekhi Phifer, actor Rocco DiSpirito, actress Liza Huber, former NBA star John Salley, actress and model Vanessa Haydon, actress Tricia Helfer, and Brandi Sherwood (Miss USA 1997). Nancy O’Dell and Billy Bush will co-host the competition. Each contestant from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be judged in three categories, including swimsuit, evening gown, and personality interview.(Gordonline.com)(4-6-2004)
- Not NASCAR, but interested me..so: Al Unser Sr. roared to victory in WIBC’s Fantasy 500 race Sunday. The race, which patched together past broadcasts of great contests, included vintage commentary from Sid Collins, Bob Jenkins and Paul Page. In the end, Unser edged out Jimmy Bryan, A.J. Foyt and Michael Andretti in a photo-finish. That is, if a fantasy race can have one. WIBC-AM (1070) chose the field by taking the most successful drivers in the history of the Indianapolis 500 and adding some of the most popular — but less successful — drivers. To keep the “contest” even, organizers took the actual qualifying times of each driver/car combo to calculate the number of laps each car had to run — the faster the car, the more laps.(Indy Star), of course Jayski’s finish would have had Mark Donohue winning, with A.J. Foyt pulling a Kasey Kahne and finishing 2nd by a hair, followed by surprise entry Ernie Irvan, then Little Al and Bill Vukovich finishing fifth. Mario would had continued his luck at Indy and fell out while leading with 10 laps to go. Hey, it’s my site, I can have some fun sometimes with it.(4-6-2004)
- Turning the Corner: Truck Series Driver Shane Hmiel Racing to make a Difference: In an effort to revamp, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program has been stepping up its prevention and teaching techniques to help educators cope with the issues now facing our schools such as violence in schools and terrorism in addition to their drug resistance programs. “Gone is the old-style approach to prevention in which officers stand behind podiums and lecture students in straight rows. New D.A.R.E. officers are trained as “coaches” to support kids.” As part of this effort to relate to the children as role models and mentors Iredell County, NC D.A.R.E. and Community Resource Officers have been working with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Driver Shane Hmiel. “Our goal is for me to go to the schools and talk about the choices I made and the consequences I suffered.” Shane Hmiel is the former NASCAR Busch Series rising star that tested positive to an illegal substance September 5th after a race in Richmond, shocking the NASCAR community. “I made the wrong choices and I got caught.” Hmiel said that most difficult part of all of this is how it affected his family. “They were heartbroken, and more embarrassed than anything. My dad has been in this sport for a long time. It hurt everybody around me.” Shane’s father Steve Hmiel is technical director at DEI, Inc. “actually, it was embarrassing for me, but I don’t think it’s as embarrassing for me as it is for them. They were so excited when I made it to Busch, because they knew how hard I’d worked. Then to throw it away like that was so stupid.” During Hmiel’s suspension from NASCAR, he underwent the substance abuse rehabilitation program mandated by NASCAR. He undergoes random drug testing and when NASCAR calls, he has one hour to be at an approved facility to have the test taken. “I don’t mind it at all. I think it’s been a good deal. NASCAR’s handled it really well and I am doing everything they ask me to do. I met with several doctors and counselors and having that time off I got my priorities straight and set my mind to being reinstated.” Hmiel’s reinstatement came in January just prior to NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. “I am so thankful that NASCAR gave me this second chance.” Hmiel not knowing when his suspension would be lifted had been talking to Billy Ballew Motorsports about driving the #15 Chevy Silverado but knew everything hinged on his reinstatement. “I am so thankful that people believed in me. Billy Ballew gave me his truck when most people didn’t want to take on the risk. I know I was wrong and made a mistake. Now it’s time for me to help others learn from my past mistakes.” Hmiel went on to say “I’m honored that the people at D.A.R.E. are giving me this opportunity to share my experience and I hope I can make a difference.”
D.A.R.E. started a new elementary and middle school program this year and Hmiel will be speaking to 5th graders at their D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony Tuesday, April 6th at Mount Mourne Elementary School in Mooresville, NC.
“New D.A.R.E. is setting the gold standard for the future,” says Charlie Parsons, Executive Director of D.A.R.E. America, “Prevention inside the 21st century school house will need to be diverse, accountable, and mean more things to more people, particularly with the safety issues that have emerged since Columbine and terrorist alerts. That’s one reason why every New D.A.R.E. officer is also being trained as a certified School Resource Officer (SRO).” More info at www.DARE.com.(PR)(4-6-2004)
- Chris Wimmer to Team with Race Fans for a Cure at Martinsville: Breast cancer is a disease affecting not only the lives of the afflicted, but that of their families and friends as well. The personnel at MB Motorsports know this only too well, as Beverly Mittler, wife of team owner/crew chief, Mike Mittler, is a breast cancer survivor. With this in mind, it is with great pride MB Motorsports announces its driver, NCTS Rookie of the Year candidate, Chris Wimmer, will carry the logo of Race fans for A Cure (RFFAC – www.racefansforacure.com) as the primary sponsor of the #63 Ford during the Kroger 250 Craftsman Truck Series race in Martinsville, VA, April 17th. “I’m very honored to have Race Fans for a Cure® as our primary sponsor for my race in Martinsville,” said Wimmer. “This will be my first race in NASCAR and to have an organization onboard like this who has done so much to help so many makes this race all the more special.”
“Having lived through the nightmare of cancer with Bev,” said Mike Mittler, “I know the good that the Komen Foundation has done for its victims and their families. For Race Fans for a Cure to come onboard with us for this important race for MB Motorsports and Chris Wimmer, it’s very special. I just hope we can do our part to promote this organization that has done so much to help so many.”(MB Motorsports PR)(4-6-2004)
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