April 12, 2007
- AT&T-NASCAR hearing set for April 26: The preliminary injunction hearing in the AT&T vs. NASCAR lawsuit over the sponsorship of the #31 Richard Childress Racing Nextel Cup Chevy driven by Jeff Burton will be April 26 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. NASCAR had asked the court to delay the injunction hearing, but U.S. District court Senior Judge Marvin H. Shoob denied the request Thursday. AT&T is seeking an injunction to put its logos on Burton’s car. NASCAR has forbidden the AT&T logos because of its agreement with Nextel to sponsor NASCAR’s premier series. Cingular, which is Burton’s current sponsor, merged with AT&T in December, and AT&T is phasing out the Cingular name. Cingular had been grandfathered in as a sponsor when the Nextel-NASCAR contract was signed in 2003.(SceneDaily.com)(4-12-2007)
- PRN’s Texas Radio Broadcast Schedule:
April 15: Nextel Cup Series broadcast begins at 1:15pm/et.
PRN’s Crown Royal Post Race Talk show begins immediately after the Nexstel Cup race. PRN’s broadcast crew consists of co-anchors Doug Rice and Mark Garrow; pit reporters Brett McMillan, Steve Richards and Jim Noble and turn announcers Chuck Carland and Rob Albright. PRN’s broadcast will be heard on more than 465 stations nationwide, SIRIUS NASCAR Radio channel 128 and on NASCAR.com. The events can be heard locally on LIVE 105.3 KLLI – FM.(PRN PR)(4-12-2007) - NASCAR Day Scheme for Stewart at Texas: A special NASCAR Day paint scheme will adorn Tony Stewart’s #20 Home Depot Chevy at Texas, as the world’s largest home improvement retailer is the exclusive retailer of NASCAR Day pins. The paint scheme kicks off Home Depot’s role with NASCAR Day, with pins available at stores nationwide April 16. NASCAR Day is a one-day celebration of the NASCAR spirit and its fans, and this year’s edition will be held on May 18. In exchange for a $5 donation, participants will receive a commemorative 2007 NASCAR Day lapel pin. Proceeds from the sale of NASCAR Day pins at The Home Depot will equally benefit The NASCAR Foundation Family of Charities, which is comprised of more than 30 nonprofit organizations supporting children’s causes, animal welfare and conservation efforts. NASCAR Day began in 2004 and celebrates its fourth observance in 2007. In 2006, NASCAR Day raised more than $1.3 million.(JGR/True Speed Comm. PR), see an image of the scheme on my #20 Team Scheme page.(4-12-2007)
- Harvick and Martin to race at Iowa: #29-Kevin Harvick and #01-Mark Martin will race at Iowa Speedway this year. Harvick, driving for Richard Childress Racing, will race in the track’s first NASCAR race, the NASCAR Grand National East-West Sunday, May 20. Martin, driving for Ginn Racing, will race Friday night, July 13, in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series race. The announcement was made by Iowa Speedway Vice President and General Manager, Craig Armstrong.(Iowa Speedway site)(4-12-2007)
- TUMs scheme for Sorenson at Texas: The #41 Dodge will take on a different look this weekend in Texas, sporting a special TUMS paint scheme. A bold, white TUMS logo will adorn the hood of the blue #41 Dodge along with brightly colored TUMS tablets covering the quarter panels and rear of Reed Sorenson’s Charger. See image of scheme on my #41 Team Schemes page. The new TUMS Track Tour Guide provides a list of the favorite restaurants at each and every track in racing along with some insight from our experts on each establishment. From well-known spots like the Tobacco Warehouse in Richmond to the local favorites around Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the TUMS Track Tour Guide offers a glimpse into all of the racing world’s best-kept dining secrets. The TUMS Track Tour Guide is available at www.TUMSracing.com. TUMS will be hosting a campground cook-off for fans to demonstrate their culinary expertise. The event will take place from 11-12:30 pm on Saturday, Apr. 14, at the TUMS “Dinermobile”, located in the Fan Concourse area at Texas Motor Speedway. All fans are encourage to enter the event, which will be judged by an all-star panel including Doug Riepe, rear tire carrier on the #40 Coors Light Dodge, and Reed Sorenson’s mother Becky. Categories include dishes that are Most Likely to Inspire Indigestion, the Hottest Heartburn and the Most TUMS-worthy. Top prizes include a pit tour for two on Sunday morning and a meet and greet with Sorenson.(Chip Ganassi Racing PR/Clear!Blue PR)(4-12-2007)
- Six teams to run new Chevy engine at Texas: The Chevrolet R07 engine development has progressed to the point where up to six teams are expected to run the engine at this weekend’s race. Cars anticipated to debut the new Chevy engine are: Hendrick Motorsports teammates #25-Casey Mears and #5-Kyle Busch; #20-Tony Stewart and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates #11-Denny Hamlin and #18-J.J. Yeley as well as a fourth Richard Childress Racing entry, #33-Scott Wimmer. After more than 50 years of successful race development of the Chevy small-block engine, GM Racing has developed its first (for NASCAR competition) purpose-built small-block race engine, the R07. The engine will debut Sunday at the Samsung 500 Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. A brief presentation by Director of GM Racing Mark Kent, followed by a Q&A period with Jim Covey, NASCAR engine program manager, is scheduled for Saturday, April 14 at Texas Motor Speedway.(GM Racing PR)(4-12-2007)
- Final Martinsville TV ratings off 14.5%: Fox’s broadcast of the April 1 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Nextel Cup race at Martinsville Speedway earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 5.3 and a 13 market share, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 14.5% lower than the 6.2/15 the race drew in 2006 but 3.9 percent higher than the 5.1/13 of 2005. The Daily also reported that Fox’s broadcast of the March 31 Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville drew a final 1.6/4.(SceneDaily.com)(4-12-2007)
- Texas Goodyear Tire Notes: Both the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series will run the same tire codes at Texas this weekend, . . . this is the first time Goodyear has brought this specific combination of left- and right-side tires to the track, though each of these tire codes have been run in different combinations in the past . . . this left-side code (D-4078) is new to the Goodyear tire lineup for 2007 and was run by teams in both these series at California in February . . . this right-side code (D-4064) was run at both Chicagoland and Homestead during the second half of 2006 . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Texas . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire. Estimated Pit Window at Texas is every 48-52 laps, based on fuel mileage (Goodyear PR) see full Tire Notes. Codes, Pressures on my Texas Race Info page.(4-12-2007)
- Texas Rookie News and Notes: #6-David Ragan was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the April 1 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Motor Speedway. Ragan finished 15th and took top rookie honors for the fourth time in six races. Ragan claimed a $5,000 award at Martinsville as part of the Raybestos Rookie Magnificent Seven program and won an authentic Ridgeway clock. Ragan also captured the bonus in the season opening Daytona 500. The Raybestos Rookie of the Race normally pays $1,500 but that increases to $5,000 at seven designated races throughout the 2007 season. The next race where the bonus is available is Darlington (May 12). Ragan took the lead in the Raybestos Rookie standings by one point (68-67) over Juan Pablo Montoya entering the April 15 Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Montoya is 16th in the Nextel Cup Series championship standings, best of any Raybestos Rookie. He is 62 points behind 10th-place Kevin Harvick and only four behind 15th-place Mark Martin. Montoya leads 17th-place Kurt Busch by one point and 18th-place J.J. Yeley by nine. Denny Hamlin was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Samsung 500, grabbing a fourth-place finish.(Raybestos PR), see standings, history and more notes on my 2007 Rookies page.(4-12-2007)
- Dangers of Children in Hot Cars #31-Jeff Burton, Safe Kids Worldwide and General Motors will try to educate families on the dangers children face in hot vehicles via a press conference scheduled for this Friday, April 13 at the Chevy Racing Display at Texas Motor Speedway. As temperatures heat up, children are at great risk for heat stroke when left even for a few minutes in a closed vehicle. At least 41 Texas children – 14 in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex – have experienced this type of horrible death since 1998. Burton, who spends many of his weekends driving in hot cars, will help warn parents and caregivers of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles – even on days when outside temperatures are as low as 70 degrees Fahrenheit.(GM Racing PR)(4-12-2007)
- Andretti back in the #37 at Texas: This weekend, John Andretti and the #37 Camping World Dodge team will head to 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway teaming with Front Row Motorsports. Andretti raced the #37 Camping World Dodge earlier this season at the two-mile California Speedway. Andretti was strong throughout the event, racing in the top-15, before an electrical problem dropped the team out of contention. Andretti will be looking to make his eighth career start at Texas this weekend in Nextel Cup competition. “We’re bringing the same car that we raced in California to Texas. We had an electrical problem at California, but before that we were pretty fast. That’s promising. Ernie Elliott prepares the engines for the cars, and his reputation speaks for itself. We haven’t lost anything under the hood. Looking at those factors, we feel that not only do we feel good about qualifying, but we think we can have a strong race.”(MCG PR)(4-12-2007)
- Mears/Stewart test at Kentucky: #25-Casey Mears transitioned from the Car of Tomorrow to a conventional version of his #25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy during a one-day test at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday and may have found the spark he’ll need to have a strong performance at Texas Motor Speedway this Sunday. Mears and his team led by crew chief Darian Grubb found valuable speed in a new car that should help the driver improve on his average 29th-place race finish through the first six events of the season. #20-Tony Stewart tested his Texas Motor Speedway back-up car at Kentucky Speedway on Tuesday. Stewart was on a compressed schedule that did not allow for interview.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(4-12-2007)
- Wimmer to attempt Texas: Scott Wimmer will attempt to qualify for his first Nextel Cup Series race of the season this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) driving the #33 Holiday Inn Chevy, giving Richard Childress Racing four entries in the Samsung 500. Wimmer was behind the wheel of the #33 at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November, where he started 24th and finished 12th.(RCR PR)(4-12-2007)
- Cheez-It colors on the #5 at Texas: Kellogg Company’s tasty baked snack cracker Cheez-It will adorn the hood of Kyle Busch’s #5 Chevy Monte Carlo SS for Sunday’s Nextel Cup Series event at Texas Motor Speedway. The Cheez-It logo will make another appearance at the California Speedway event later this season.(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(4-12-2007)
- Michael Waltrip Charged After Vehicle Accident Saturday UPDATE 2: Statement from Waltrip: #55-Michael Waltrip is charged with reckless driving and failure to report an accident after a crash on Molly’s Backbone Road in Catawba County. The Highway Patrol says Waltrip was driving about 70 miles per hour in the 55 mile-per-hour zone when he went off the right side of the road in a curve around 1:50 a.m. Saturday. His car then traveled back across the pavement and off the left side of the roadway, sliding sideways and striking a utility pole as it overturned. The car then rolled over and came to a rest on its side. Troopers said a witness saw Waltrip crawl out of the vehicle and leave the scene. When a trooper went to his home around 2:30 a.m. no one was there, but when he went back at 8 a.m. he found Waltrip, who admitted he’d fallen asleep at the wheel. Waltrip, with scratches on his face and some deep cuts on his finger, spoke with Eyewitness News about the crash. He said he was on his way home to Sherill’s Ford from Charlotte. “I was almost home. I relaxed a little bit and ran off the road,” he explained. “I woke up with gravel hitting the car and I tried to correct but it was too late. The seasoned driver says he instinctively got out of his car, and then decided to walk home because he often runs the route and was only a mile away. Waltrip will be in court in Newton on May 14.(WSOCTV.com)(4-10-2007)
UPDATE: Michael Waltrip was uninjured in a single car accident Friday night near his home in Sherrills Ford, N.C. The 43-year old was returning from Charlotte, N.C. when he fell asleep at the wheel within a mile of his home and ran off the road, striking a telephone pole. “I am really embarrassed about the accident, but I feel fortunate that I wasn’t hurt,” said Waltrip. “For 25 years I have had a great driving record. I consider myself to be a courteous and safe driver on public roads. I never expected to fall asleep behind the wheel of a car.” The North Carolina Highway Patrol ticketed Waltrip for reckless driving (admitting to falling asleep at the wheel) and failure to notify authorities of an accident in a timely manner.(MWR PR)(4-10-2007)
UPDATE 2: see a short slideshow of the vehicle Waltrip was driving at wcnc.com.(4-12-2007) - Tuff Hedeman Honorary Starter at Texas: World champion bull rider Tuff Hedeman will be serving as the honorary starter of Saturday’s O’Reilly 300 race. He will have the honor of waving the green flag to start the Busch Series event. The Stephenville, Texas native is a former superstar in the bull riding ranks and even had his life portrayed in the motion picture, “8 Seconds.” Hedeman is a four-time Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association champion and the winner of the 1995 Professional Bull Riders Championship. He was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2003.(Texas Motor Speedway PR)(4-12-2007)
- Buschwhackers will miss most of Busch test at Charlotte: Some Busch Series teams will skip the upcoming May 14-15 test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. That’s because their drivers will be at the Nextel Cup test May 14-15 at Dover, a critical test for the car of tomorrow. Teams with Cup drivers competing for them on the Busch level might opt to skip the test or have someone else shake down the car. There also is the possibility of drivers flying from Dover to Charlotte in time for the last couple of hours because the Dover test is during the day and the other is at night. “We’re looking for somebody to drive the car at the Charlotte Busch test …, and we’ve also talked about flying back for an hour or two in the evening each night,” said Busch Series points leader Carl Edwards. “But definitely you have to go test the car of tomorrow.” Brewco Motorsports, which has Jamie McMurray and Ward Burton as its Busch Series drivers, indicated it will skip the test entirely. Dave Blaney, who is second in points and also running both series, said he is trying to find out if someone will be flying back and forth. “Maybe a few of us can jump in a plane and go back,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind getting a little bit of time at Charlotte.”(SceneDaily.com)(4-12-2007)
- Robert Richardson Driving for Father’s Team at Texas: Robert Richardson is spending his 2007 season racing in a limited number of Busch Series events with Jay Robinson Racing [in the #28] in cooperation with Haas/CNC Racing. But this weekend, Richardson will pilot the #80 Clover Leaf Backyards Chevy owned by his father, Robert Richardson Sr. with his other team owner, Jay Robinson, serving as his crew chief.(LM Motorsports Marketing PR)(4-12-2007)
- Series to celebrate 300th race at Dover – free autograph session: Six active Craftsman Truck Series champions will sign autographs for fans during a free autograph session at Dover International Speedway on race weekend. The event will be held on Friday, June 1, 2007, from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the Craftsman display in the Fan Zone area, located outside of Turn 4 at the track. The autograph session commemorates the 300th race in the history of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Participating champions include Todd Bodine (2006), Ted Musgrave (2005), Travis Kvapil (2003), Jack Sprague (1997, 1999 & 2001), Ron Hornaday, Jr. (1996 & 1998) and Mike Skinner (1995).(Dover Int’l Speedway)(4-12-2007)
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997