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 15
Years we have pulled today’s main items from: 2015, 2012, 2009, 2008, 2005, 2003, 2002, 1997
Top see everything from this date over previous years: Main Page | 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.
2015:
- Kyle Busch meets with media about Daytona accident UPDATE: #18-Kyle Busch, injured in an accident during the Daytona XFINITY Series race, met with members of the media at Joe Gibbs Racing on Wednesday afternoon. Some notes:
• Busch says the accident was the hardest hit of his career.
• He left the racing surface at 176mph and impacted the wall at 90mph.
• The crash was so hard that his helmet and chest hit the steering wheel.
• He says he knew instantly that both legs were broken.
• Busch took the blame for the accident, saying that he was being too greedy trying to win the race.
• Doctors have not given him a timeline to return to racing. They are pleased with his progress and believe he is ahead of schedule.
• He would like to be able to return to racing by Daytona in July, but is not sure that will be possible;
• Busch would like to be Chase eligible upon his return, but believes it could be hard to get to the top 30 in points.
• Busch will need additional surgery. He has one scheduled for December to remove screws and plates in his left foot.
(4-15-2015)
UPDATE: #18-Kyle Busch said he does not know when he will get back into a race car but hopes he can return by July as he continues to recover from a broken right leg and a broken left foot suffered in a crash Feb. 21 at Daytona International Speedway. Busch, speaking about his injuries at a news conference Wednesday at Joe Gibbs Racing, said he hit the DIS concrete wall at 90 mph and the g-forces were 90 g’s. He said he is healing well and still has a small crack in his right leg as well as a walking boot on his left foot. Kyle Busch suffered a broken right leg and a broken left foot in a Feb. 21 crash at Daytona International Speedway. Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images “First and foremost, I have to please my doctors. … They say my recovery is going faster [than expected],” Busch said about his possible return. “I don’t even ask. They won’t release me a timetable.” Busch said the wreck was his fault, being greedy trying to win the race. He was trying to push teammate Erik Jones, who ended up spinning. While Jones was spinning, he took the air off the rear of Busch’s car, sending him into the skid into the wall. NASCAR has made no decision on whether it will waive the rule that a driver must compete each race weekend in order to be eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. NASCAR also could waive the rule that requires a driver to be eligible with a win and a top-30 placement in the regular-season standings, although it has not waived that rule when issuing past waivers.(ESPN.com)(4-15-2015)
2012:
- Roush could bring #6 car back soon: As soon as Roush Fenway Racing owner Jack Roush secures sponsorship for his #6 Ford, he’s ready to bring the car back to the Sprint Cup Series with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as the driver. The #6 has been in mothballs since Stenhouse drove it in the season-opening Daytona 500. “We’ve got the decal for the top of the roof on that 6 car all organized for Ricky,” Roush said Friday night, after Stenhouse won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Nationwide Series race at Texas. “As soon as I can find sponsorship for it, he’s good to go. The highest priority we have for this year in the meantime is to defend (Stenhouse’s) championship in the Nationwide series but hopefully we can find sponsorship and run the 6 car with him next year — and we will run some races with him in the 6 Cup car before this year is over.”(NASCAR News Service)(4-15-2012)
2009:
- Andretti will drive 34 races: John Andretti wasn’t sure how many Sprint Cup races he would enter when Front Row Racing offered him a ride for the Daytona 500. Turns out he will attempt all but two of 36. Andretti plans to miss only two races, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte. He’ll be at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for both weekends, one for qualifying and the other for the Indianapolis 500. His replacement for those events hasn’t been named.(ESPN Insider)(4-15-2009)
- McMurray team gone after 2009? The #26 Roush Fenway Racing team of Jamie McMurray is expected to be dumped by Roush when it has to cut back to four Cup teams after this season.(Virginia Pilot)(4-15-2009)
2008:
- BAM goes to a part time schedule: Open letter from BAM Racing owner, Beth Ann Morgenthau: “Our recent switch to Toyota is a strong testament to our focus and commitment to become more competitive. Even though we
were disappointed it became necessary to miss two races to complete the transition to Toyota. We were excited about the potential for the balance of the 2008 season. That excitement was abruptly interrupted this past week by news that a primary sponsorship deal once planned for the majority of the 2008 season had been reduced to a fraction of a season and that fraction will likely be in the fall. The private company has been in the process of raising funds in the equity market for working capital which included a portion going to a product launch using the #49 race car. Due to the uncertainty of the stock market raising the capital is taking longer than expected. With no other primary sponsor currently in place to fill the void the harsh reality of this most recent news is that we are forced to reduce our 2008 participation to a partial season. Our marketing groups are working hard to fill the sponsorship void so we can get back on the track sooner than later. When new primary sponsorship is secured you will be one of the first to know! It is of little consolation that we are not alone in this plight. The uncertain economic times affecting our sponsor are affecting sponsorships throughout NASCAR and are having a winnowing affect on the number of teams showing up each week to compete. We’re confident that with the decreasing numbers of teams, with the competitive cars we produce and with the horsepower Toyota engines provide, we will be able to step back into competition effectively and successfully on short notice–and we are making every effort to make our sabbatical as short as possible.(BAM Racing)(4-15-2008)
2005:
- More on possible #6 Drivers UPDATE 2: Geoff Smith, the manager of Jack Roush’s racing operation, must fill Mark Martin’s seat when Martin retires at the end of this season, and he must also sign a new sponsor for that team. Martin was a proven product when Smith did his five-year, $60 million deal with Pfizer. But how many companies would be willing to risk making a deal like that for a little-known racer? And the price tag is now closer to $20 million a year to run a NASCAR team. “One of the reasons we hired Ricky Craven for the Truck series is there’s the sense Ricky has never gotten the right break with first-rate equipment, so he is very hungry to prove he’s got it in him to be successful. And he is a great guy, very compatible with our guys.” Sterling Marlin is one name driver whose 2006 contract is up in the air. And Ryan Newman, NASCAR’s premier qualifier, has been mentioned as a possible candidate for another ride, as has Michael Waltrip.(in part from the Winston Salem Journal)
UPDATE: Virtually everywhere Ricky Craven goes, fans continually ask whether he’ll be back in Nextel Cup racing soon. He already has turned down one marginal opportunity this season and instead chose stay with Roush, as he feels it’s the best place for him to be at this point in his career. There indeed will be opportunities with Roush at the
Cup level, as Mark Martin is retiring at the end of this season. Craven delicately sidesteps rumors that he may replace Martin in the Roush-owned #6 Ford or take over for Carl Edwards in the #99 if Edwards is tabbed to replace Martin next year. “Jack and I have had conversations, but our primary conversation and objective is to battle for the championship in the 99 truck,” Craven said. “I still think there’s an opportunity for me [to go back to Cup], but that’s all predicated on us meeting our goals this year. … If [that] happens, then I’ll have made a pretty good argument for a year in a Roush Cup car. That’s really only as far as it goes.”(Yahoo Sports)(4-14-2005)
UPDATE 2: Several NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams tested at Gateway International Speedway near St. Louis, Mo., Wednesday [4/13] in preparation for the Truck Series race there on April 30th. KFNS – kfns.com) motorsports reporter Brandon Mudd talked to Ricky Craven, driver of the #99 SuperChips Ford, who was among those testing there. Craven said there has been talk of his possible future in the #6 Ford that will be vacant at the end of the season with Nextel Cup veteran Mark Martin’s retirement. “I’m not going to tell you it doesn’t interest me and I’m not going to tell you that there hasn’t been some conversation, but it is so premature that it just doesn’t get any consideration. (Right now) I’m all about this Truck Series, all about the next 21 races.” Craven went on to say, despite what happens with that potential opening, he’s still paying close attention to Martin. “I’m watching Mark for other reasons. It’s primarily because I’m a big believer in Mark Martin and his career and his abilities and he’s going to battle down to the wire for this (Nextel Cup) title. He deserves it and I’m pulling for him.”(KFNS.com)(4-15-2005)
2003:
- TRAC announcement UPDATE: TRAC – Team Racing Auto Circuit is expected to make a major announcement today. See more at their site www.traczone.com or my TRAC page.(4-15-2003)
UPDATE: Team Sports Entertainment, Inc. through its wholly owned subsidiary, Team Racing Auto Circuit (TRAC), announced that it has reached a multi-year agreement with ESPN to be the exclusive network for all TRAC races beginning in May of 2004. The two companies have been in negotiations for over a year on the deal, and TRAC National Spokesman and stock car racing legend, Cale Yarborough, stated, “ESPN made stock car racing what it is today. They are the perfect partner for us. I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” The specific schedule is expected to be released in the near future, and the circuit’s inaugural race is expected to be in mid May of 2004 culminating in a season ending championship event in mid August. The thirteen event package will air live on ESPN or ESPN2 primarily on Saturday afternoons and evenings. Plans are for the races to be conducted in a two hour window. In addition, TRAC President and Chief Operating Officer, Terry Hanson, announced that Raycom Sports has been retained to sell and market all of TRAC’s in-house and league-wide sponsorships including the television advertising package. With these new television contracts in hand, Moag & Company, one of the nation’s leading sports and media investment banking firms, will initiate the sale of area team operating rights.(TRAC PR)(4-15-2003)
2002:
- Harvick Fined: NASCAR officials announced that driver Kevin Harvick has been fined $35,000 and his probation has been extended through the remainder of the year for his actions this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway. NASCAR also put Harvick on notice during this probationary period that if there are any actions, in NASCAR’s opinion, that are deemed detrimental to the sport or disruptive to the orderly conduct of an event, he will be suspended indefinitely. Harvick, already on probation following an incident March 23 during the BGN race at Bristol, was initially “parked” by NASCAR officials after an on-track incident with Coy Gibbs during Saturday’s Truck Series race. The penalty was then extended to include Sunday’s Virginia 500 NASCAR Winston Cup event. Following further review of the incident by NASCAR officials, a fine was levied and Harvick’s probation, originally scheduled to conclude Aug. 28, was extended through the end of the calendar year to Tuesday, Dec. 31.(NASCAR PR)(4-15-2002)
2000:
- Ray Evernham’s 2nd Driver UPDATE: Ray Evernham said Friday he hopes to be able to announce the driver for his second Dodge Winston Cup team for the 2001 season during the circuit’s visit to Charlotte at the end of May(That’s Racin’)
UPDATE: Ray Evernham doesn’t know where the recent round of rumors started, but he’s focusing on only one driver to team with Bill Elliott on his two-car Dodge team next season — BGN driver Casey Atwood. On Friday afternoon, Evernham talked with Atwood and his BGN team owner Clarence Brewer. Evernham admits he is talking with Brewer about a possible BGN team for 2002 but has no intention of keeping the 20-year-old Atwood in the series next season(Times-Dispatch)(4-15-2000)
1997:
In light of increasing Federal pressure to ban Tobacco advertising look for Jimmy Spencers car to drop Smoking Joe graphics and go to plain “Winston” like Johnson/ Scelzi dragster has already to show RJR is willing to be reasonable. Plain red scheme with white ribbon and Winston logo. If not before year is out , by next year almost certainly. I also hear Jimmy Spencer will not last the year(4-15-97)- RPM2Nite reports that Joe Gibbs may field a second team with three possible scenarios: 1) Full Time WC with an established driver; 2) Full Time BGN with limited WC starts; 3) Part time BGN and WC team(4-15-97)
Click a link below for a full listing of news from each year:
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