April 15, 2008
- Sprint Cup Series Test Session Added for Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
NASCAR announced the addition of a Sprint Cup Series test session May 5-6 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. On May 5 practice times are set from 9am – 12 noon; 1pm – 5pm; and 6pm – 9pm. On May 6 practice times are set from 9am – 12 noon and 1pm – 5pm. Teams may test a maximum of four of those five practice segments. NASCAR visited with the teams this past weekend at Phoenix about the possibility of adding a test to further prepare for the remaining 17 events the series has at intermediate tracks the rest of the season, including next month’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The extra test gives the series seven sanctioned test sessions this year, the same number the teams had in 2007. “We received input from the teams last weekend at Phoenix and a vast majority of them were receptive to adding a test next month at Lowe’s,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition. “We always strive to work with the teams and do what is in the best interest of the competitors. We have 17 events ahead of us on intermediate tracks and the additional test allows the teams the opportunity to learn more about the new car, work on their setups and adjustments, and apply that information to these future races.”(NASCAR PR)(4-15-2008) - #41 and #42 crew chief swap: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced that Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) crew chiefs Donnie Wingo and Jimmy Elledge will change roles, with Wingo assuming duties on the #41 Target Dodge driven by Reed Sorenson and Elledge on the #42 Texaco/Havoline/Juicy Fruit Dodge driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, respectively. “I really feel that these changes can be instrumental in moving Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates to the next level,” said Team Owner Chip Ganassi. “I have a lot of respect for both Donnie and Jimmy and the jobs that they do and they both agree that this move can be very beneficial to the entire organization. I have said all along that I believe us to be a championship organization and that Felix and I will do whatever we can to make us better. This is toward that end.” Wingo will call his first race for the #41 team with Sorenson, and Elledge with the No.42 team and Montoya, following the NSCS off weekend in Round 9 of the season at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27.(Chip Ganassi Racing)(4-15-2008)
- 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 andcommitment 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)
- New BDR VP hopes to keep CAT as sponsor and get #22 back in Top 35: Marty Gaunt’s first priority as the new vice president of Bill Davis Racing is to try to get the #22 team back in the top 35 in owners points. “There’s a lot of good people and resources at Bill Davis Racing,” said Gaunt, who was with Red Bull Racing last year. “If you look down the road at [BDR affiliate] Triad and their capabilities [with Toyota], everything is there. It’s just going over there and trying to get the puzzle all back together.” While the #22 team is the top priority and obviously Gaunt wants the successful truck programs to continue to thrive, he also wants to get a second Cup car eventually back on the track. BDR had hoped to field a second car this season for Jacques Villeneuve but that project fell through when sponsorship fell through. Stabilizing the BDR program is important as it tries to convince long-time sponsor Caterpillar to remain with the team. Not only was Gaunt brought in as vice president, but BDR has shuffled its management team with Mark Chambers moving from his role as the truck series program manager to team general manager and the hiring of a director of marketing in Jim Thomas. “It’s all of our responsibilities is to make sure we keep all of our partners in-house and keep them happy, but I think with the restructure going on we have at Bill Davis Racing and with the top priority getting performance back up, we can squash all those rumors [about Caterpillar leaving],” Gaunt said.(SceneDaily)(4-15-2008)
- Mattioli makes ARCA debut: 18 year-old Chase Mattioli, the grandson of Pocono Raceway patriarchs, Dr. Joe and Dr. Rose Mattioli, finished 12th in his very first ARCA RE/MAX event, Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 at Salem Speedway. He was able to dodge a number of wrecks, with the aid of his crew chief, Dave McClure, and spotter Charlie Vest, part of Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing Team. This spring Mattioli, an honor student, will graduate from Scranton Preparatory High School and plans to attend Fordham University this fall. In the meantime he plans to attempt to qualify for 9 other events this season, including 4 more ARCA RE/MAX races. ARCA RE/MAX Series veteran Justin Allgaier fought off Sprint Cup Series veteran Ken Schrader in the final laps Sunday to claim the win.(PR)(4-15-2008)
- Racing Resources Says…..
* Jimmie Johnson won the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the 24th Sprint Cup race at Phoenix.
* Johnson scored the first victory for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.
* This was the third straight Hendrick Motorsports victory at Phoenix.
* A Chevrolet has won eight of the past nine races at Phoenix.
* Johnson has scored 10 straight top-15 finishes in his 10 races at Phoenix.
* Johnson has scored six straight top-10 finishes at Phoenix.
* Johnson scored his 34th career victory in 227 career races.
* Johnson posted his fourth top-10 finish this season, all top-5s.
* Johnson climbed from sixth to fourth in the points standings.
* Johnson led 120 of the 312 laps raced, including the final 11.
* The 120 laps that Johnson led were the most laps that he has led in his 10 races at Phoenix.
* Two drivers have scored top-10 finishes in six of the eight races this season: Jeff Burton (finished sixth) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (finished seventh).
* Burton is the only driver to score top-15 finishes in all eight races this season.
* Burton has scored six straight top-10 finishes.
* Burton has scored 15 straight top-15 finishes at Phoenix.
* Jeff Gordon (finished 13th) has scored 14 straight top-15 finishes at Phoenix.
* Clint Bowyer (finished second) has scored five straight top-10 finishes this season.
* Earnhardt has scored seven top-15 finishes in eight races this season.
* Denny Hamlin (finished third) has scored six straight top-15 finishes.
* Hendrick Motorsports tied Roush Fenway Racing for first in owner wins at Phoenix, with five victories (Johnson with, and Terry Labonte, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon with one each).
* Matt Kenseth (finished 38th) made his 300th Sprint Cup Series start.(ESPN/Racing Resources)(4-15-2008) - Dunkin’ Donuts teams up with Fenway Sports: As it expands nationally, Dunkin’ Donuts is teaming up with a high-powered group of local sports marketers to bring in new customers. Dunkin’ now has 5,500 stores, but plans to triple that number over the next two decades, targeting markets like Dallas, Cleveland and Nashville that are outside its Northeast base. The Canton-based chain has hired Fenway Sports Group to help devise a national sports marketing campaign. That could mean rolling out Dunkin’ ads featuring sports stars in some of its new markets across the country, said Mark Lev, executive vice president at Fenway Sports Group. The Dunkin’ deal is a major coup for FSG, which has been building a broad portfolio of deals ranging from a 50% stake in a top NASCAR race team to consulting deals with a range of companies.(Boston Herald)(4-15-2008)
- Pedestrian, driver ID’d in fatal accident at PIR: The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating how a suspected drunken driver fatally struck a 39-year-old Milwaukee woman Friday outside Phoenix International Raceway. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Heidi McCallister was crossing Avondale Boulevard south of Southern Avenue on foot with her boyfriend about 9:36 p.m. when a northbound 2007 Chevy pickup truck struck her. McCallister was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, where she died. Deputies arrested Michael William Nagle, 48, of Phoenix, on suspicion of DUI. No other citation was issued because the woman was crossing mid-block, said Capt. Paul Chagolla, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman. NASCAR races were held Thursday through Saturday at PIR in Avondale. A DUI patrol working in the city on Saturday arrested 11 people on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Avondale police said the West Valley DUI Task Force arrested eight people on suspicion of DUI. Three were arrested for extreme DUI, or having a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.15 percent.(Arizona Republic)(4-15-2008)
- Verizon Wireless and Motorola Sponsoring Chase Miller: Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced that Verizon Wireless and Motorola will sponsor rookie Chase Miller in seven additional races completing the #9 Dodge’s sponsorship schedule in the Nationwide Series.(GEM PR)(4-15-2008)
- Stanton Barrett Hires His Dad to Drive at Mexico: In an apparently unprecedented move, Stanton Barrett has hired his 65-year-old father, Stan Barrett, to drive the SBM Motorsports #31 in this weekend’s Nationwide Series event in Mexico City. Stan Barrett, a former driver and Hollywood stuntman, will attempt to make the field for Sunday’s Corono Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. The first man to break the speed of sound on the ground in 1979, will pilot the Stanton Barrett Motorsports #31 Chevy while his son, Stanton, will drive the team’s #30 entry.(SceneDaily.com)(4-15-2008)
- Pardo in the #22 at Mexico: Ruben Pardo was tabbed just a few days ago to drive the 22 car in this year’s Nationwide Series event in his hometown Mexico City. Sponsoring Pardo and car 22 at the event are Telcel, a Mexican wireless company, and Bombardier LearJet. The team will also receive prominent support from Helivan of Mexico and Karisma Cantina Restaurant and Bar.(Fitz Motorsports PR)(4-15-2008)
- Darnell Making Nationwide Debut at Mexico: Erik Darnell will make his Nationwide Series debut this weekend at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. The 25-year-old Craftsman Truck Series regular will pilot the #17 CitiFinancial Ford and will be led by crew chief Drew Blickensderfer.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(4-15-2008)
- Raybestos Rookie Notes for Mexico: Dario Franchitti was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. Franchitti scored an 11th-place finish and claimed top Raybestos Rookie honors for the fifth time this season.
Franchitti holds a 28-point lead (80-52) over Bryan Clauson in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico.
Juan Pablo Montoya won the 2007 Corona Mexico 200, crossing the finish line .750 seconds ahead of second-place Denny Hamlin. Montoya became the first Raybestos Rookie to win at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the first to lead the most laps (four times for 42 of the event’s 82 laps). Montoya is also the only Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap at the 2.518-mile course.
The best qualifying effort by a Raybestos Rookie in three races at Mexico City is third by Montoya.(Raybestos PR)(4-15-2008) - Carino’s on the #27 at Mexico: UPDATE: Brad Coleman’s #27 Ford will carry the familiar black Carino’s Italian Grill theme that was sported by the Gibbs #18 last season. This is Carino’s only primary race of the early season but the restaurant group is an associate sponsor on the #27 Kleenex Racing Ford Fusion throughout the year.(Coleman PR)(4-14-2008)
UPDATE: Carino’s Italian Grill restaurants have put their pasta where your mouth is, and if Nationwide driver Brad Coleman is on his game in Mexico City, everyone in the country could be eating free pasta Monday following the race.(Brad Coleman PR)(4-15-2008) - Braun stays busy; running Nationwide race in Mexico UPDATE More info: Later this month, Colin Braun is off to Mexico City where he will drive in his third-career Nationwide Series race [Sunday, April 20th – Corona 200 at the Autodrome Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City]. “I’ll be driving the #16 3M Ford in Mexico for my second Nationwide race of the season,” said Braun. “I’ve raced there before in the Grand Am cars, so I am really looking forward to going back. It will be the first time this year that we’re going to a track where I probably have more experience than some of the other Nationwide drivers.”(Roush Fenway PR)(4-3-2008)
UPDATE: The 19-year-old has five years of road course racing experience including two starts at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Rolex Grand AM Daytona Prototype races. He finished second in 2006, and started on the pole and finished second in 2007. This will be Braun’s first start on the track in a stock car. Braun has one Nationwide Series start this season. He qualified ninth and finished 15th at Nashville Superspeedway last month. (Roush Fenway Racing PR)(4-15-2008)
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