April 16, 2004
- Jeff Burton to RCR #31? UPDATE 2 denied: Rumors swirled last week about Johnny Sauter being released from the #30 AOL Chevy team, which is 24th in the standings, and getting replaced by Johnny Benson or Dave Blaney. Another garage rumor: Jeff Burton’s #99 Ford, which is 30th in the standings, will shut down if sponsorship is not found by the end of May, and Burton will move to the #31 Cingular Chevy driven by Robby Gordon. However, anyone who knows Richard Childress, the owner of the #31, realizes Childress left after the Texas race for Canada’s Northwest Territories to go hunting.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(4-12-2004)
UPDATE – denied: Recent rumors of Robby Gordon’s possible release from Richard Childress Racing were repudiated Wednesday by the driver and a team official. Recent media reports have had two RCR drivers, Gordon and Johnny Sauter, out of their respective rides. The latest rumor had Gordon being replaced by Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton. Gordon said that while that’s not a pleasant statistic for anyone at RCR, his release has no part in the organization’s near future. “I think that all that is, is a rumor,” Gordon said. “I’ve got a good relationship with Richard. We’ve had conversations, and it’s all about how we’re going to perform at Martinsville and what we’re doing to try to make the 31 and the 30 cars more competitive, as a team.” RCR director of competition Bobby Hutchens, who Gordon said has been spending extra time working with his group and new crew chief Chris Andrews so far this season, concurred Wednesday afternoon. “Robby Gordon is our driver of the #31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet,” Hutchens said. “Whatever rumors have been flying around out there are just rumors. To my knowledge, there have been no conversations that would prove any different.” Due to his schedule, Childress was unavailable for comment Wednesday afternoon, a team spokesperson said. But Gordon insisted that the circulating stories were unfounded.(NASCAR.com)(4-15-2004)
UPDATE 2: Jeff Burton was Dave Despain’s guest on Thursday’s Wind Tunnel [Speed Channel – M-Th 10:00pm/et] and denied reports he was leaving Roush Racing for the #31 RCR ride or any ride. Burton said he is not sure why his name keeps coming up with RCR rumors the past few years as he has not discussed a ride with team owner Richard Childress. Burton also said that his #99 Roush Racin team is close to a major sponsor signing that would run thru the rest of the 2004 season and future season.(4-16-2004) - Driver helps Ward: Truck driver Bill Waldron, 41, a Pittsylvania County resident who drives for TNC Transportation, was hauling a load of coiled steel down southbound U.S. 29 around 7:30am/et Monday, when he came upon a man on the side of the road, waving his arms. What Waldron didn’t know then was that the stranded motorist was Ward Burton, a NASCAR driver who hails from South Boston [VA]. Burton had fallen asleep at the wheel of his 2004 Chevrolet Suburban only minutes before. The brand-new vehicle hit a guard rail and overturned several times before coming to rest on its roof. “His truck was completely upside down, all four tires pointing towards the sky,” Waldron said. “It looked like it slid a good 40, 45 yards.” Waldron said no one else had stopped to help the man, so he pulled over. “I asked him if he was all right, and he said, ‘Yeah, I believe so,’” Waldron said Tuesday. Waldron said Burton borrowed his cell phone to phone his wife, Tabitha, who called the North Carolina Highway Patrol to report the accident. After using the phone, Burton told Waldron he could leave, but Waldron opened up the cab of his truck so Burton wouldn’t have to stand in the rain. After about 10 minutes of “small chit-chat,” Waldron said authorities arrived at the scene and examined Burton, who suffered only a bump on the head. “Right before I left, he shook my hand. I told him my name was Bill Waldron and he said his was Ward Burton,” said Waldron, who said he doesn’t follow NASCAR enough to recognize the sport’s famous faces. “I know drivers’ names and stuff like that. I knew of Ward, and his brother Jeff, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and some of the other guys. (Burton’s name) just didn’t register with me at the time,” Waldron said. “Then the next morning I was listening to John Boy and Billy (on the radio), and they said Ward Burton had a wreck. I called my wife and asked her to find out if that was the same guy I’d helped out. Sure enough, it was.” Waldron said he is going to start following Burton’s career more closely than he did before. He also jokingly said he regrets not knowing at the time of the accident who Burton was. “I could have gotten his autograph,” Waldron said with a chuckle.(Danville Register and Bee)(4-16-2004)
- English teens follow the circuit: Nineteen-year-old Alan Brewer hails from East Farleigh in Kent, and his 18-year-old friend Fred Guyenette is from Rye, East Sussex. Both towns are on the southeast coast of England. Since the beginning of NASCAR season, they have been criss-crossing the country to take in NASCAR’s Nextel Cup racing. “It’s such a different style than European racing,” said Guyenette, a barefoot youth with curly hair and wearing a T-shirt and shorts as he relaxed Thursday at the speedway’s campground. Equally casual, Brewer wore spiked blond hair, wrap-around shades, a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers. The teens have been planning this trip for about three years, they said, ever since they met in an international boarding school back home. Before heading off to college in September, they wanted to take a year off to travel the American racing circuit. After graduating high school in July, they went to work to save up money for their NASCAR adventure — Brewer by working 70-80 hours per week in a pub and a grocery store, and Guyenette with a moving company. In Europe, Formula 1 racing is king, with the circuit’s sleek, sexy cars dashing through tight mazes built on city streets, said Brewer, adding that NASCAR racing is not even televised in England. Brewer said he got turned on to NASCAR after watching the 1990 movie “Days of Thunder,” a Tom Cruise movie that dramatized the high-pressure world of NASCAR racing.(Martinsville Bulletin)(4-16-2004)
- Special Scheme for Elliott: been told that Bill Elliott will drive the #09 Dodge Elvis Presley “He Dared To Rock” 2004 Dodge in the Memphis Busch Series race.(4-16-2004)
- Gordon wins pole at Martinsville: #24-Jeff Gordon won the Budweiser Pole for the Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway with a speed of 93.502mph, it is Gordon’s 47th career pole, 3rd striaght at the track and 4th consecutive spring race pole at Martinsville. #42-Jamie McMurray starts on the outside pole with a speed of 93.239. The rest of the top five are #12-Newman, #8-Earnhardt Jr. and #29-Harvick. Missing the race was #72-Kirk Shelmerdine who was out of provisionals. For qualifying, practice vs. qualifying speed, provisional rank, and who has to use provisionals, see my Martinsville Qualifying Page – click here. For qualifying results/starting lineup see:
ThatsRacin.com
MotorsportsOne
NASCAR.com.(4-16-2004) - StockCarFans.com – Ramblings – Martinsville:
Usually Fridays belong to #12-Ryan Newman….but this is Martinsville and another driver owns this place. #24-Jeff Gordon grabbed the Bud Pole award today for Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts 500 with a lap of 20.252 seconds (93.502 mph). It was his third pole in a row at this half-mile paper clip, his 5th overall (DW had 8 here), and the 47th of his Cup career. He now becomes the 5th qualifier for next February’s Budweiser Shootout. Gordon was over 1/2 10th quicker than #42-Jamie McMurray….and that’s pretty sizeable considering that 1st to 13th was only separated by two 10ths.
#29-Kevin Harvick (5th) has his best starting spot he started 5th when we were here last October.
#0-Ward Burton (6th) has his best starting spot since he started on the outside pole when we were here last fall.
#10-Scott Riggs (13th) has his career-best starting spot for Sunday’s event. His previous best was 15th at Las Vegas last month.
#21-Ricky Rudd (14th) has his best starting spot since he started 12th here last October.
Think there were a lot of guys happy to see this race come up on the calendar?
Only two sets of ties today (unusual for this place). Sterling Marlin & Mark Martin tied for 18th & 19th and Brian Vickers & Stanton Barrett tied for 35th and 36th. Remember, the tie-breaker is owners points.
STREAKIN….Jeff Gordon has 5 Top-10’s in a row. Ryan Newman has 6 Top-10’s in the last 7 races.
NASCAR did a little revising today on their original starting grid. Upon further review, they decided that #72-Kirk Shelmerdine was out of provisionals (he’s not eligible for his next freebie till we get to Charlotte the end of next month), so he was the lone passenger on this week’s Trouble Train.(StockCarFans.Com Nextel Cup Newsletter)(4-16-2004) - Newman breaks unofficial speed record at Kentucky: Penske Racing South NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Ryan Newman turned an unofficial test lap of 186.851 mph (28.9 seconds) in his #12 ALLTEL Dodge to set an unofficial Kentucky Speedway stock car speed record Thursday. Newman joined Brian Vickers, Chad Blount, Kerry Earnhardt and Mike Harmon in the test session. NASCAR Busch Series driver Stacy Compton turned Kentucky Speedway’s fastest official stock car lap of 176.384 mph (30.615 seconds) on June 13, 2003 while winning the Bud Pole for “The Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo.” The fastest official lap on record at the speedway was a 221.390 mph pole-winning effort by Indy Racing League IndyCar Series driver Sarah Fisher on Aug. 11, 2002 during qualifying for “The Belterra Casino Indy 300.”(Kentucky Speedway PR)(4-16-2004)
- Marlin’s car to get horse: The official Kentucky Derby logo will appear on Sterling Marlin’s #40 Coors Light Dodge in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega, six days before the 130th running of the Kentucky Derby.(Courier-Journal)(4-16-2004)
- Labonte to visit Coast Guard: Justin Labonte, driver of the #44 Coast Guard/Labonte Motorsports car in the NASCAR Busch Series will visit the Coast Guard Unit in Portsmouth at 4000 Coast guard Blvd, Portsmouth on Monday, April 19th. Labonte’s orientation to the Coast Guard will include driving a 41-foot Coast Guard rescue boat. The media will also be treated to a search and rescue demonstration involving an Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., helicopter. (RIR PR)(4-16-2004)
- Crosby to run Talladega UPDATE: Kim Crosby announced during a recent chat on her website that she will be driving a Ware Racing entry at Talladega. Additional races will be announced once sponsorship is finalized.(BGNRacing.com)(4-8-2004)
UPDATE: Female racecar driver Kim Crosby announced, she will once again attempt to make stardom in the NASCAR Busch Series as she has teamed up with longtime NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner, now turned NASCAR Busch Series owner Rick Ware to compete in the Aarons’ 312 next weekend from Talladega Superspeedway. Crosby, an ARCA RE/MAX Series veteran heads to the 2.66 mile Superspeedway hoping to bounce back from her first NASCAR Busch Series attempt at Daytona. After struggling in practice, and qualifying, she failed to make the lineup, vowing her to return to the series with a vengeance. Kim, who serves as a junior high school principal by trade has one career start at the Alabama based-track. Crosby driving her #06 Boudreaux’s Butt Paste Chevrolet qualified 30th, and while running in the top-twenty suffered an engine failure which regulated her to a 35th place finish in last year’s Automobile Racing Club of America Food World 300. WARE Racing heads to the track hoping to make their 2004 restrictor plate debut after Kevin Conway, and Stan Boyd failed to make the season-opener Hershey Kisses 300 at Daytona International Speedway. Crosby will take the driving duties of the #51 Dodge Intrepid. The team will haul in a brand new Labonte Racing engine for the event, while also bringing Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, Dixieland Electrical Contractors, Golden Flake Snack Foods, Pepper Source, and TCI Trucking, ICCI of Mississippi, and Storage onboard as sponsors. For more information Kim Crosby please visit her NEW Website at crosbymotorsports.com.(Catchfence PR)(4-16-2004) - Sprague on the pole at Martinsville: #16-Jack Sprague’s lap at 92.375mph on Friday earned the pole for Saturday’s Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Although he has three series championships (1997, 1999 and 2001) and now 21 career poles, Sprague’s pole Friday is his first at the .526-mile short track. His previous best start at the track was fourth in 2000. His best finish was third on three occasions. His most recent pole was October 2001 at Las Vegas. Sprague went out late in the qualifying session and knocked #18-Chad Chaffin from the top spot. Chaffin will line up second and #14-Rick Crawford, still nursing broken bones in his left foot from an accident in Atlanta, was third fastest. #99-Carl Edwards was fourth fastest and #4-Bobby Hamilton completed the top five. Series points leader #24-Travis Kvapil will line up sixth. #11-Darrell Waltrip will starts 21st.(ThatsRacin.com)
For qualifying results/starting lineups see:
ThatsRacin.com
Truckseries.com
NASCAR.com.
Missing the race included: #63-Chris Wimmer, #43-Johnny Sauter, #03-Geoffrey Bodine, #57-David Froehlich Jr., #19-Richard Hampton, #48-Wayne Edwards, #02-Kelly Sutton, #73-Craig Wood and #93-Ricky Gonzalez.(4-16-2004) - Edge Performance Group #43 Curb Records Chevy debuts at Martinsville: Debuting this weekend at the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia is a new NASCAR Craftsman Truck team fielded by NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series pilot Johnny Sauter, legendary motorsports figure Cary Agajanian and renowned music and racing mogul Mike Curb. Called the Edge Performance Group, the team will field the #43 Curb Records Chevy. This new team marks the rejoining of Sauter, Curb, Agajanian, and crew chief Joe Shear who had plenty of success in the 2003 NASCAR Busch Series with a victory at the Funai 250 at Richmond International Raceway. “I’m thrilled to be joining the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series this season,” said Sauter. “I had been looking for an opportunity to work with Joe Shear, Cary Agajanian and Mike Curb, knowing the four of us made a great combination. The truck team will help me hone my driving skills and also provide great information to use in my Nextel Cup and Busch Series efforts. Thanks to Chevrolet, Curb Records and Motorsports Management International for helping make this happen!” Edge Performance Group principal and longtime racing sponsor and team owner Mike Curb is also glad to be a part of this new team. “Since our experience last year in the Busch Series, I knew that I wanted to partner with Johnny again,” he said. “This NASCAR Craftsman Truck team has the right ingredients for success in a very challenging racing environment. Right now the Edge Performance Group is prepared to run four or five races, but if more sponsorship is found, we could do a lot more.”
Cary Agajanian, Edge Performance Group co-owner, is also the managing director of Motorsports Management International (MMI), which represents many of NASCAR’s most successful drivers and brightest stars. “We have been working with Johnny for many years and we think that Craftsman Truck is a perfect way to continue to display Johnny’s exceptional driving prowess,” he said. “I look forward to seeing his performance this weekend at Martinsville.”(Edge Performance Group PR)(4-16-2004)
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