April 14, 2004
- Burton to drive #99 Duke’s Children Hospital Ford at ‘Dega: Roush Racing announced today that Jeff Burton’s #99 Roush Racing Ford will sport a special paint scheme at the Aaron’s 499 in Talladega. Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center will be carried on the car at the 500 mile race Sunday, April 25. Burton is a long-time supporter of the hospital. Burton’s association with the hospital began years ago after an associate sponsor invited him to visit kids admitted to the hospital. Since that time, Burton has continued his support through fundraising events, appearances, monetary donations, time and of course most importantly, visits to the hospital with his wife Kim who has sat on the hospital board for the last four years. Through their efforts the Burtons have raised nearly $900,000 for the hospital to date. Duke Children’s provides $48 million in un-reimbursed charity care each year. Funds also support cutting-edge research, world-class advocacy and support programs for families and their sick children, top-notch clinical care and medical education to ensure future generations receive the most advanced medical care available. For more information visit www.dukechildrens.org.(Roush Racing PR)(4-14-2004)
- Gordon to be honored by HS: Jeff Gordon is among the inaugural class to enter the Tri-West High School Alumni Association hall of fame. Gordon, a 1989 graduate of the Lizton, Indiana school, will join Joe Alberts (’87), Tim Goode (’78), and Joe Burnell (’79) in entering the hall of fame. The induction ceremony will be held on April 17 at The Pavilion on the grounds on West Chase Golf Course in Brownsburg, Indiana. Tickets to the induction banquet are $35 per person. All proceeds will benefit the Tri-West Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. For more information, visit the Tri-West Hall of Fame site or call (317) 994-4000.(Gordonline.com)(4-14-2004)
- More NASCAR Themed TV Shows [2 of them]
A new TV program showcasing Nashville stock car racing and country music will debut April 24. The show, a partnership between Music City Motorplex and Comcast Cable, will air on ESPN2 Saturdays at 10:30am. Motoring Music City will be hosted by Liz Allison and specialize in human-interest stories on local racers and country celebrities. ”It’s a wonderful concept,” said Allison, a Brentwood resident. Allison was married to NASCAR star Davey Allison when he was involved in a fatal helicopter crash 11 years ago at Talladega
AND: The Drive, a new program on CMT that follows seven minor-division race drivers as they try to work their way up the career ladder, is scheduled to debut April 21 at 9:00pm/et. For more information on the show go to CMT.com(Tennessean), the drivers are: David Stover, Davin Scites, Michael Ritch, Michelle Theriault, Mike Herman, Sarah McCune and Zach Niessner.(4-14-2004) - 2nd Team for BAM? road courses UPDATE 3: BAM Racing, which owns the Nextel Cup #49 Schwan’s Dodge of Missouri driver Ken Schrader, will soon add a second car to its team. Eddie Jones, the team’s general manager, said the team will field a second car for both road races this year and perhaps for five other races. He said the team is close to a deal with a sponsor for the second car and have a deal with a driver whom he would not name. “Hopefully, within the next six weeks we’ll have more definite news on the second team,” Jones said. He did say the driver was a 32-year-old who is not currently driving stock cars.(Kansas City Star)(4-4-2004)
UPDATE: hearing the driver is Klaus Graf of Germany, a sports car driver who is entered by BAM Racing in the ARCA Race at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend.(4-5-2004)
UPDATE 2: NASCAR Radio – XM Satellite Channel 144 reports that BAM Racing says they plan to run the two road course races at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen and while they wouldn’t say who would drive, Klaus Graf is a driver under consideration.(4-7-2004)
UPDATE 3: Trained for the highly-technical world of Formula One racing, Klaus Graf has instead found a home with the traditional bodies and carbureted engines of NASCAR stock cars. Graf will run at least two NASCAR Nextel Cup stock car races this year, beginning with the June 27 race at Infineon Raceway at Sonoma, CA. BAM Racing, which fields the #49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodges of driver Ken Schrader, will run Graf in up to seven races in 2004. Graf will join Schrader, who is running the full NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule. Graf, 32, is the first German-born driver to compete in NASCAR’s top series. He lives in Dornhan, which is in Germany’s Black Forrest region, and will eventually relocate to the United States. “Having a multi-car team has been part of our plan from the very beginning and bringing in a driver with the talents of Klaus Graf is the next step,” said Beth Ann Morgenthau, owner of BAM Racing. “We’re very excited with him joining us and with the future this presents all of us.” Said Graf, “My dream all of my life is to compete among the best in motorsports. I am thrilled with the opportunity.” Graf has tested with BAM at Virginia International Raceway and Kentucky Speedway, and was highly competitive in the Apr. 9 ARCA race at Nashville Superspeedway, where he finished third after leading late in the race – his first on an oval. He is scheduled to test at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on Tuesday, April 27. Graf is the first driver professionally trained for Formula One racing by European automobile manufacturers to move into the NASCAR stock car racing world. He comes to NASCAR racing directly from the Porsche Michelin and Porsche Carrera Supercup series where he raced at Talimit Motorsport after a stint as test driver for McLaren. He ran Sportscar Prototype cars 1999-2001. Graf’s career began with the Suzuki Swift Cup in 1990, followed by German Formula Ford Championship 1991-93; International German F3 Championship (1994-96), Porsche Carrera Cup (1997); and ISRS Endurance Championship (1998).(Williams Company PR), more info about Graf on his website at: klaus-graf.com(4-14-2004) - NASCAR To Debut New Radio Show: On April 14th, NASCAR Performance Live, a one-hour radio show dedicated to discussing and examining the technical side of NASCAR, will debut on XM Satellite Radio (Channel 144) and various Motor Racing Network (MRN) Radio affiliates throughout the country. The program’s talk show format, airing live from 7:00 to 8:00pm/et, will feature NASCAR crew chiefs and other team members getting in-depth on what goes into putting the best stock cars in the world under the best stock car drivers in the world. The show, which will originate from a special radio studio at NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C., will be hosted by MRN Pit Road Reporter Steve Post. Alongside Post will be former crew chief and current color analyst for NASCAR on FOX, Larry McReynolds, and a rotating active crew chief, to be lined-up week-to-week by the Crew Chief Club.(NASCAR PR)(4-14-2004)
- LastCowboys.com complete endangered driver list for 2004:
1. Jimmy Spencer – #4 Morgan McClure
2. Greg Biffle – #16 Roush
3. Johnny Sauter – #30 Childress
4. Robby Gordon – #31 Childress
5. Ricky Craven – #32 Cal Wells
6. Jeff Green – #43 Petty
7. Ken Schrader – # 49 BAM Racing
8. Jeff Burton – #99 Roush
Why these drivers? See the article at LastCowboys.com: Which drivers will be out of a job next?.(4-14-2004) - Top 10: Greatest NASCAR States:
1. North Carolina
2. California
3. South Carolina
4. Virginia
5. Wisconsin
6. Florida
7. Kentucky
8. Indiana
9. Texas
10.(tie) Alabama & Missouri
See the full article at FoxSports: Totally NASCAR’s Top 10: Greatest NASCAR States.(4-14-2004) - NASCAR Busch Series race at Nashville TV Ratings: The NASCAR Busch Series Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, April 10, was the second-most-watched sporting event on cable television this past weekend. An average of 1,007,000 households tuned into the Pepsi 300, a 30 percent increase over the average of 773,000 households that tuned into the 2003 event. An average of 1,416,000 viewers tuned in the Pepsi 300, a 29 percent increase over the average of 1,101,000 viewers that tuned into the 2003 event. The Pepsi 300, won by Michael Waltrip, ranked second only to Major League Baseball’s telecast of the San Francisco-San Diego game. It aired directly against the Masters tournament, Major League Soccer, the NHL Stanley Cup quarterfinals, Women’s tennis and Citgo Racing to the Kentucky Derby. The Busch Series Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway was NASCAR’s only race over the Easter weekend.(Figures compiled by Nielsen Media Research)(NASCAR PR)(4-14-2004)
- #40 Team Closing up? UPDATE: hearing the #40 Key Motorsports team and driver Joey Clanton has parted way and the team may be suspending operations? The will not be at Martinsville, after that…..??(4-12-2004)
UPDATE: the Key Motorsports, Craftsman Truck Series team, is restructuring its team in hopes of gaining the winning edge in the series. Contrary to recent rumors, the team has no plans in shutting its doors. In fact, the team has added two new marketing representatives, Bill Adams and Marie Lupia, to help secure sponsorship. The management is reassessing everyone’s position with the team. “We want Key Motorsports to be successful in its racing endeavors,” stated Curtis Key, owner of the #40 team. “We are still in the process of getting the funds needed to race every week. The sponsor we were told that would do just that has failed to fulfill their end of the deal.” The team has decided not to release any information regarding the employment status of its current or future employees at this time. The team is still actively seeking marketing partners. Interested parties can contact the marketing department at: 757-547-4411 or www.ckeymotorsports.com.(4-14-2004) - Gonzalez to drive at Martinsville UPDATE: Ricky Gonzalez, the New Jersey Hispanic driver has just inked a deal to run The Kroger 250 Craftsman Truck event on April 17 at Martinsville. Gonzalez and his marketing agent, Maureen Rafferty, have been hard at work traveling across country to California to lock down sponsorship. And while the official announcement and the details about the sponsorship will be forth coming soon, Gonzalez did reveal the CTS race in April will be with Ware Racing.(CatchFence.com)(3-18-2004)
UPDATE: Ricky ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez will be running the #93 Craftsman Truck with Lonnie Troxell at Martinsville. For more on Gonzalez, see his website: rickygonzalez.com(4-14-2004)
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