April 13, 2001
- Marcis to the BGN? UPDATE: Rumor has it that #71-Dave Marcis is considering moving to the BGN Series.(NASCAR.com Buzz)(3-1-2001)
UPDATE: Dave Marcis said team manager, Dwayne Leik will be back in a race car soon (he attempted the Daytona 500 in the #72 Chevy owned by Marcis), running a limited Busch Series schedule in two cars Marcis purchased from APR(Andy Petree Racing). Marcis plans on going to The Winston Open at Charlotte next month. He also hopes to make upcoming races at Chicago, Indianapolis, Dover and the season-ending race at Atlanta as well as Talladega next week(Hendersonville Times News)(4-13-2001) - Herzog in Cup: Herzog Motorsports, operated by Bill Herzog and sons Randy and Stan, has progressed from winning off-road championships in California and Nevada deserts and Colorado mountain trails to contending for a Busch Grand National victory. Their Busch driver, Jimmie Johnson, has four top-10 finishes and ranks fifth in the points standings going into Saturday’s Pepsi 300(at Nashville). The Herzogs plan to run a two-car Busch team and five to eight Winston Cup races in 2002 and field a full Winston Cup effort in 2003. The Herzogs’ future Busch and Winston Cup plans hit a speed bump this week when they released Toby Porter because of personal differences. Porter had posted third- and 10th-place finishes in three American Speed Association races. Billy Parker filled in for Porter during last week’s ASA race in South Boston and finished seventh. Porter’s departure comes at a critical time because Johnson’s association with the team ends after this season. Under the terms of his contract with Herzog, which expires at the end of 2001, Johnson was allowed to negotiate a new deal with Rick Hendrick, who signed him to a multiyear deal to become Jeff Gordon’s teammate, beginning in 2002(an run some Cup races in 2001 in the #48 Chevy). The Herzogs had planned to move Porter into Johnson’s ride next year, so now they’ll be trying out some drivers during the next few months. For their crew chief, the Herzogs this year hired respected Tony Liberati, who had experience with Winston Cup teams owned by Jack Roush and Hendrick(Kansas City Star)(4-13-2001)
- New Cup team/driver UPDATE: ARCA driver, Brian Conz recently came to an agreement with new to NASCAR Field & Stream Watches® Racing and other soon to be announced associate sponsors. Plans are being made for the #78 Field & Stream Watches® Chevy to make their Winston Cup debut at Talladega Superspeedway on April 22, 2001. Conz plans on running five Cup events, Talladega 4/22, Daytona 7/7, Michigan 8/19, Talladega 10/21 and one event that the sponsor hasn’t decided on yet(Brian Conz Site)(3-15-2001)
UPDATE: The team has postponed their debut until Daytona in July. Also: Other divisions of Field & Stream have signed on and the official title is now Field & Stream Lifestyles Racing. Conz has been in Mooresville/Charlotte area recently purchasing new equipment and all of the team’s equipment is purchased or ordered now, but won’t be ready in time for Talladega(next week Apr 22nd). New team Cup schedule: Daytona, 7/7, Chicagoland 7/15. Brickyard 400 8/5, Michigan 8/19, Talladega 10/21 and Homestead-Miami 11/11. Plans for the 2002 season are being worked on now. Conz has talked to several people regarding the crew chief position but has not decided on anyone yet. The team has found a shop in Mooresville plans are to move into it sometime this season. The team plans on doing quite a bit of testing and running some ARCA races between now and Daytona to get ready for the Pepsi 400(Brian Conz Site)(4-13-2001) - Two Rivals.com Sites dissed: TachZone and Stooges Racing, linked here for over a year now will be dropped by a dying Rivals.com, see the stories at TachZone: Belly Up: The Loss of a Sponsor and Stooges Racing: Stooge’s Racing Moves, Stooges says his site will live on TachZone will not and will be missed. Both Stooge, Ryan(TachZone) and their staffs have been supporters of NASCAR and I wish them the best(4-13-2001)
- Earnhardt Autopsy Photos – continued: A University of Florida student newspaper Thursday filed a new request to see the Dale Earnhardt autopsy photos. The new cross-claim filed by the Independent Florida Alligator against the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office addresses developments in the case that weren’t present when the original request was filed last month. A Deland-based Web site also is seeking access to the autopsy photos. The new cross-claim challenges the constitutionality of a state law passed late last month restricting access to autopsy photos and argues that it can’t be applied retroactively to the Earnhardt autopsy photos(CNN/SI/AP)(4-13-2001)
- Evernham Hires Pit Crew Coach: Ray Evernham now the owner of Evernham Motorsports, a first-year Dodge team for drivers for #9-Bill Elliott and #19-Casey Atwood has a new pit crew coach – Terra Flynn, a former classmate at Raritan High School in Hazlet, N.J., who recently completed a distinguished career as a Navy Seal. “When I was putting this deal together, I knew I needed someone to train and motivate our team,” Evernham said. “I thought he would be really good if I could teach him the racing side.” As the title implies, a pit crew coach recruits and trains the pit crew. Flynn has shared those duties with the more experienced Ed Watkins, who doubles as the jackman on the Atwood’s #19 car.(Dallas Morning News)(4-12-2001)
AND also see a story about this from a few weeks ago at Winners Magazine: High School Reunion – Ray Evernham’s New Pit Coach – Lessons From The Navy SEALS by Claire B. Lang(great shot of Ray Evernham)(4-13-2001) - Gordon and AJ Foyt at Indy: A.J. Foyt has entered a car for Robby Gordon in next month’s Indianapolis 500. Gordon finished fourth in the 1999 edition and sixth last year, driving for Team Menard(ESPN)(4-13-2001)
- Weekend Off: After eight straight races, Winston Cup teams get their first weekend off for Easter. Vacation plans for some of the drivers: Bill Elliott is hiding eggs with his 5-year old son; Ward Burton is camping with his children; John Andretti is celebrating the 80th birthday of his grandmother in Moorestown, Pa.; Stacy Compton is playing four days of golf in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Jeff Burton is flying his family to the Bahamas; Mark Martin is watching his son race and being a “couch potato.”(Atlanta Journal Constitution) and Jayski is just gonna relax(4-13-2001)
- Another Racing Oriented Restuarant Closed? Yep – UPDATE: hearing that Race Rock Restaurant in Las Vegas has closed its doors, at least temporarily. The Pettys, Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Mario and Michael Andretti, John Force and Don Prudhomme are among the owners of the restaurant. The restaurant was full of memorabilia from various race teams. It was the site of numerous NASCAR related press conferences, and a favorite hangout of race teams and fans during NASCAR events in Las Vegas. There is a possibility it may re-open in February. This has no effect on the Race Rock Restaurant in Orlando.(4-10-2001)
UPDATE: The multimillion-dollar Race Rock restaurant became downtown Las Vegas’ perhaps most expensive empty storefront Monday after managers said that delays at the unbuilt Neonopolis entertainment complex across the street had cut too deeply into their business. Race Rock’s closing means taxpayers must continue to wait for the downtown casino-funded Fremont Street Experience to repay more than $5.6 million in public funds spent to obtain the land that the restaurant was built on, city officials said. Slightly more than $8,000 has been returned, officials said. Tourists walking by the motorsports-themed Race Rock on Monday saw a locksmith barring the entrance. A sign taped to the door read, “If circumstances allow it, we expect to reopen our Supercharged Restaurant when Neonopolis reopens in our block of Fremont Street early next year. However, we cannot continue to sustain the significant operating losses we’ve been experiencing until that happens.”(Las Vegas Review Journal)(4-13-2001) - Biffle Fastest in Practice: #60-Greg Biffle was fastest in the 2nd practice at Nashville, 157.772mph with #2-Kevin Harvick 2nd at 157.503mph. See the speeds at NASCAR.com(4-13-2001)
- Marcis to the BGN? UPDATE: Rumor has it that #71-Dave Marcis is considering moving to the BGN Series.(NASCAR.com Buzz)(3-1-2001)
UPDATE: Dave Marcis said team manager, Dwayne Leik will be back in a race car soon (he attempted the Daytona 500 in the #72 Chevy owned by Marcis), running a limited Busch Series schedule in two cars Marcis purchased from APR(Andy Petree Racing). Marcis plans on going to The Winston Open at Charlotte next month. He also hopes to make upcoming races at Chicago, Indianapolis, Dover and the season-ending race at Atlanta as well as Talladega next week(Hendersonville Times News)(4-13-2001) - Tires: The Busch Series teams will each get 32 tires to get through their weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. Today each team will have to designate which set of tires it will use for qualifying. Those four tires have to be left at the tire warehouse at the end of the track’s garage area until qualifying.(Tennessean)(4-13-2001)
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