With NASCAR on a temporary hiatus, news is going to be slow in the coming weeks. To help fill the NASCAR void, we plan on taking you on a daily trip down memory lane spanning the years since the Jayski’s site inception. Using our news archives pages, here’s a look back at what’s happened on this date through the last 23 years in NASCAR:
This day in NASCAR history: April 7
Years we have pulled today’s main items from: 2016, 2015, 2011, 2009, 2003, 2002, 1999
Top see everything from this date over previous years: 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997
Note: Many links on older stories don’t work. There’s not a lot of the same websites around anymore.
To see previous articles covering “Today in History”, click here.
2016:
- Ford exec says “no doubt” Harvick will drive a Ford next season UPDATE: Ford Performance boss
Dave Pericak did not mince words when it comes to Kevin Harvick’s status for 2017. “There is no doubt in my mind,” Pericak said. “He will be in a Ford.” Despite rumors Chevrolet would like to keep Harvick in their camp, Pericak insists the 2014 champion will drive a Ford next season. Enlisting the services of Stewart-Haas Racing is just the latest bold move made by Pericak, who took over Ford’s racing arm 16 months ago. With Chevrolet having a stranglehold over half of the Sprint Cup field Pericak acknowledged it was time to even the odds. “We’ve always said we’re here to win races,” Pericak added. “We’re not just here to have fun. We have to have more than just a couple bullets in the chamber every time you show up on the weekends. So we’re going to strengthen all the way across the board and adding a championship caliber team like Stewart-Haas is putting more bullets in the chamber.” As for the bigger picture, Pericak sees plenty of progress for the Blue Oval brigade — from rookie Ryan Blaney’s ability to get up to speed so quickly to the gains at Roush Fenway Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports.(Motorsport)(4-7-2016)
UPDATE: Kevin Harvick strongly reiterated his intentions to remain at Stewart-Haas Racing, saying Thursday “There is nothing to it” as far as the rumors he could leave over the team’s move to Ford next season. “As far as I know, I thought I had a team extension that had two more years left on my contract,” he said.(ESPN.com)(4-7-2016)
2015:
- 350th start for Bliss: Now that two off weekends are in the rear-view, Mike Bliss plans to put another “notch” in his NASCAR belt. Over the past 20-years Bliss has racked up 725 starts across NASCAR’s three premier series’. Earning one Championship, 15 wins, 91 top-five, 192 top-10 finishes, the driver coined “the Hammer” has seen it all. This weekend’s event, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, will turn another milestone for Bliss. The NASCAR XFINITY Series event will mark start number 350 for Bliss in the series. He has 19 previous starts; 40 overall, at the 1.5-mile speedway. Earning two pole awards, two top-five and seven top-10 career finishes at Texas; Bliss knows a thing or two about the superspeedway.(TriStar Motorsports)(4-7-2015)
2011:
- Kyle Busch would like to take team to Nationwide: It’s Kyle Busch’s goal to take Kyle Busch Motorsports
up to the Nationwide level, possibly as early as next season. “I’ve told everybody here that KBM would like to go to Nationwide,” Busch said Thursday at Texas Motor Speedway. “We’d like to have a full-time Nationwide team next year and work toward that.” Busch started KBM last season as a single-truck operation in the Camping World Truck Series. He’s made no secret about the organization being a losing venture financially. On the track, however, it’s been a different story, thanks mostly to Busch himself. In its first year of operation, KBM won eight races (all by Busch) and collected the series’ owner’s championship. (Yahoo Sports)(4-7-2011)
- 900 NASCAR starts for Burton: This weekend’s Samsung Mobile 500 will mark #31-Jeff Burton’s 900th career NASCAR start. Over the course of 899 NASCAR starts, the South Boston, Va., native has accumulated 48 wins, 17 poles, 219 top-five and 393 top-10 finishes. Additionally, he helped capture RCR’s 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series owner’s championship and has finished in the top 10 of the Sprint Cup Series point standings in eight of the 17 years he has run the series full time. This milestone places the veteran driver ninth on NASCAR’s all-time starts list across their top-three national series and ranks him second to Mark Martin in active drivers.(RCR)(4-7-2011)
2009:
- EGR’s #8 car parked: The #8 Sprint Cup Chevy, the centerpiece of Dale Earnhardt Inc. before its merger with
Chip Ganassi Racing, is the latest casualty of the economy. Sources close to the situation said officials at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates are parking the car driven by Aric Almirola until sponsorship is found. An announcement could come in the next 24 hours. EGR officials were not available for comment, but sources said a handful of employees have been let go, and that number could grow to 40 to 50 before all is said and done. Almirola ranks 37th in owner points heading into next week’s race at Phoenix International Raceway. He is 59 points behind rookie Joey Logano, who occupies the final spot for the top 35 guaranteed a position in each race. Almirola has an average finish of 32.9 this season, finishing no better than 21st in seven races and no better than 33rd the past three. Parking that car leaves EGR with two full-time drivers in Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya. Sources deny a report that Truex has a clause in his contract that would free him and primary sponsor Bass Pro Shops if he doesn’t have at least two fulltime teammates.(ESPN.com)(4-7-2009)
2006:
- Stewart wins IROC Race at Texas: #20-Tony Stewart won the Crown Royal IROC Race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, with Ryan Newman finishing 2nd, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth. Stewart climed the flag stand after his first ever win in any series at Texas Motor Speedway. It is Stewart’s third career IROC win. More info later. Kenseth’s points lead is now 9 over Stewart [43-34], then Newman, Truex Jr. and Kimmel. See more and results on my IROC page.(4-7-2006)
2003:
- The Flying Tire: Winston Cup officials recovered the tire from Ryan Newman’s car and planned to study why a tether failed to keep it from bouncing out of Talladega Superspeedway in Sunday’s race. Newman’s left front wheel cleared the catch fence off turn 2 where there weren’t any grandstands. The tire hit a parked car. No one was injured, a track spokesperson said. Goodyear lists a left front tire as weighing 24.3 pounds. Newman’s tire was heavier because part of the steel front spindle remained attached. NASCAR requires teams to tether the front spindles to the car to prevent a wheel from coming off. The rule book states that teams must use steel fiber cables or Vectran fiber cables to tether the wheel.(Roanoke Times)(4-7-2003)
2002:
- 300th start for Gordon: #24-Jeff Gordon will make his 300th Winston Cup start at Texas. Two interesting facts: it is 300 consecutive starts, and Gordon has NEVER used a provisional starting spot.(4-7-2002)
1999:
- Who is Carl Long? UPDATE 4: on NOL’s Bristol Cup race entry list, there is a Carl Long listed in the #85 Mansion Motorsports Ford, all I know is that he ran a few truck races in 1998, and made four Slim Jim series starts in 1998, otherwise no info — UPDATE 1: I hear Long drove in the Late Model series at Orange County Speedway near Durham, NC during the past few years. He was sponsored by Romeo Guest Construction and then later by a snack company — UPDATE 2: more info on Carl Long – he from/born in Roxboro NC, and ran Late Model stocks at Orange County Speedway, as well as South Boston. Last year when he wasn’t racing in the Slim Jim or Truck series, he ran in the late model sportsman division at Southern National Speedway in Kenly NC. In 1997 Long ran the full Slim Jim Allpro Series sponsored by Austin Snacks and won the Bristol Race(thanks many readers)(4-6-1999) — UPDATE 4: From the driver himself, let’s find out about Carl Long: “Started racing VW Beetles in 1983 at Sobo and Orange County Speedway. The rest of your info(see above) is accurate. At the end of 1997 politics took my sponsorship. I sold off my part of the All-Pro Team and went job searching. I went to work with Thee Dixon owner of Mansion Motorsports in Durham, NC(this is the #85 Ford). I took Dixon’s truck to four CTS events in 1998 and ran a T-bird at both Charlotte ARCA events. Randy McDonald made attempts at two tracks in Cup. I was to attempt Bristol in August 1998 but NASCAR declined my entry, so Ken Bouchard drove. So far in 1999, I have raced at Daytona and Atlanta in ARCA. NASCAR has approved my entry for this years Bristol race. The car is an older piece with a Ford Taurus body, the engine is an old Stavola Bros that Harold Eatmon has squeezed all he can get out of it. So why even go to Bristol I am asked? To be seen, I have sent resume’s, proposals and whatever to sponsors and owners. If I can qualify for this race maybe someone will take notice and I will have the opportunity to tour again. I am 31, married with one kid and one on the way. I drive the rig(tractor trailer), manage the team(two paid employees and some volunteers), make my own calls on the setup, attempt to do the PR. Thee Dixon is one of the few black owners in NASCAR. Mike Skinner has driven for him in the past”(4-7-1999)
Click a link below for a full listing of news from each year:
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997