April 16, 2002
- Harvick Statement: The following is a statement from Kevin Harvick, driver of Richard Childress Racing’s #29 GM Goodwrench Service Chevy, regarding NASCAR’s penalty from Martinsville Speedway. “It tore me up Sunday to watch the race from home while Kenny Wallace drove the 29. I haven’t been racing since I was five years old and made it this far in my career to throw it all away now. Having to miss the race in Martinsville definitely got my attention. I’m still learning how NASCAR works and what is involved in the decisions they make. They are trying to create a fair playing field with those decisions and they’re not out to get anyone. In all reality, you make and control your own destiny in this sport. I wish that my team and GM Goodwrench Service weren’t dragged into a situation that they had nothing to do with. For that, I want to thank everyone at RCR and GM Goodwrench Service for sticking with me. In addition to thanking Kenny for stepping in at the last minute and helping us out, I want to thank the Winston Cup drivers who have called over the past couple of days to offer their advice and support. I especially want to thank all of the fans for standing behind me. They have supported me through some very tough times. Our on-track performance so far this season isn’t what we expected it to be and having to sit out last week’s race only dug the hole deeper. But that just means that we’re going to do everything we can to turn things around.” From the RCR site.(4-16-2002)
- DW talks about Harvick: Three-time Winston Cup champion turned FOX TV commentator Darrell Waltrip thinks NASCAR did the right thing by.taking a stronger stand against Kevin Harvick’s actions during Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series Race. Waltrip.said “I think he’s a great kid and I love playin’ with him and havin’ fun with him, but he does have to understanding that.this is the big leagues (Winston Cup, Busch and Trucks) and when you get to that level you have to leave that Saturday night.fight mentality.back at the short tracks and there’s a standard of excellence that you have to adhere to.” DW went to say “I’ve been expecting this…wanting this personally for quite some time…puttin’ a driver on probation. So what?, what does that mean? It’s never meant anything in the past. I spent five years on probation. So, they did what they had to do, they (NASCAR) didn’t do it…he did it to himself is the way I look at it. It’s ugly, you don’t want to see it happen, and I sure don’t want to see it happen to anyone else…I don’t want to see it happen to him again, but, that’s what it took to get his attention”. Waltrip, who says he wants to talk with Harvick, recalled a time when he and Richard Petty sat Ernie Irvan down in the NASCAR hauler several years ago.when Irvan was getting into a lot of wrecks and “kinda had a cavalier attitude about whole thing”. The next weekend, Irvan apologized to all the competitors in the drivers meeting for his behavior and that he was going to try and do better. Darrell said “Kevin needs to do the same thing.”(PRN’s Garage Pass)(4-16-2002)
- Little testing at MIS UPDATE and Earnhardt Jr: the Chad Little site lists Little and the #74 team testing at Michigan on April 16th and 17th. The team plans to make it’s Cup debut at California Speedway next weekend.(4-16-2002)
UPDATE: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. and #74-Chad Little took the first turns around MIS’ high banks Tuesday, the first of a two-day test session for Dale Earnhardt Inc. For Little, who plans to make a handful of Cup starts for owner Andy Petree, the test session allowed him to gauge his equipment against Earnhardt Jr. By mid-afternoon of the first day of the test, Little was running in the 40.2- to 40.3-second range, which would put him at about 179 mph. Earnhardt Jr. was posting laps of about 39.9 or 40.0, which translates to around 180 mph. “We’re running mostly 40-flats, said Earnhardt’s crew chief Tony Eury, whose driver owns the Winston Cup qualifying record at MIS at 191.149mph set in August 2000. “But we’re just getting started.” Little said he plans to run in a few Winston Cup events this season, including the Michigan 400 on Sunday, June 16, and the Pepsi 400 presented by Farmer Jack on August 18. He also is eyeing a Cup start at MIS’ sister track, California Speedway, on April 28.(MIS PR)(4-16-2002) - Penalties Announced: NASCAR officials have announced penalties for two NASCAR Winston Cup crew chiefs. Jimmy Fennig, crew chief of the #97 Ford, received a $1,000 fine for a rule violation found during pre-race inspection prior to Sunday’s Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Fennig was penalized under Section 12-4-Q in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series rule book, “Any determination by NASCAR Officials that parts and or equipment used in the Event do not conform to NASCAR rules: deck lid.” Charley Pressley, crew chief of the #55 Chevy, received a $500 fine and was penalized under Section 12-4-W, “Weight attached in a location that was not acceptable to NASCAR Officials.”(NASCAR PR)(4-16-2002)
- Wallace, Innovative and Stacker2 to Cup UPDATE: Jeff Hammond reported on FSN’s Totally NASCAR that Kenny Wallace and the BGN team he drivers for, Innovative Motorsports, will run four Winston Cup races this year. The tentative schedule is: Daytona in July, Chicagoland, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen. DEI will supply techincial support to the team which is currently running the full BGN season. No number mentioned but it won’t be #48 (#81 maybe?).(4-15-2002)
UPDATE: IMI Announces that it will race 4 Winston Cup Races with Stacker 2 and Kenny. Those races will be Daytona, Chicago, Indy and Watkins Glen. IMI will purchase some cars from DEI and possibly other organizations to speed along the process. The Cars number used will be #98.(Kenny Wallaces Racing site)(4-16-2002)
AND Innovative Motorsports, Inc. (IMI) is proud to announce that it will field an entry in four Winston Cup events in 2002, and STACKER 2 will be the primary sponsor on the #98 Chevy driven by Kenny Wallace. Wallace will compete at Daytona July 6th, Chicagoland July 14th, Indianapolis August 4th and Watkins Glen August 11th. The effort will mark IMI’s first ever entry in a Winston Cup event (They were going to run the 2nd NHIS event in 2001 until Steve Park got hurt and Wallace took over the #1 car). Wallace is currently fifth in the BGN standings. He is the only driver to complete every lap thus far in BGN competition. Wallace competed in the first four Cup events in 2002 driving DEI’s #1 Pennzoil ride while Steve Park recovered from injuries suffered in 2001. NVE Pharmaceuticals, based in Newton, N.J., is the sole manufacturer STACKER 2 and an entire lineup of the world’s strongest fat burners and energy products in the country. Known primarily for its nationally advertised line of STACKER products, NVE has helped thousands reach their weight-reduction and performance enhancement goals. NVE Pharmaceuticals is a multi-faceted manufacturing company. NVE prides itself in being a full-service one-stop shop for everything from the custom manufacturing of capsules, tablets, powders and liquids, to the marketing of its nationally known brand of STACKER products – STACKER 2 (“The World’s Strongest Fat Burner”), STACKER 2 Lite, STACKER 2 Ephedra Free, and STACKER 3. Innovative Motorsports has campaigned three cars (#30, #47 and #48) in the BGN for drivers Chad Little, Mike McLaughlin, Hermie Sadler, Andy Santerre and, currently, Kenny Wallace, Christian Fittipaldi and Shane Hmiel. IMI received the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award in 1998 with Santerre.(IMI PR)(4-16-2002) - Lewis Penalized: NASCAR officials have announced a penalty for NASCAR BGN driver Ashton Lewis, of the #46 Chevy, received a $2,500 fine and was placed on probation until June 12, 2002 for rough driving in Saturday’s Nashville 300 at the Nashville Superspeedway.(NASCAR PR)(4-16-2002)
- #48 Team and Crew Chief Split: hearing that crew chief Bobby Foley, was released after the Texas race as Crew Chief for the #48 Stacker 2 Team with Innovative Motorsports. No word on a new crew chief. Foley worked with Rodney Sawyers in the CTS race at Martinsville this past weekend and is looking for a full time crew chief position.(4-16-2002)
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