April 18, 2007
- Rudd to tie Marcis for 2nd all-time starts: #88-Ricky Rudd is currently one start shy of tying Dave Marcis’ record for career starts. Rudd has 882 career starts placing him third on the all-time list of drivers behind Richard Petty (1,184 starts) and Dave Marcis (883 starts).(Eleviation Group PR)(4-18-2007)
- Virtual Army Experience Deploys at PIR: The Virtual Army Experience is a high-tech, team-based experience that immerses participants in the operational roles of Soldiers in a virtual mission to capture a terrorist leader. In the 20-minute experience, participants receive video briefings and execute the ground component of a raid on a terrorist stronghold. Participants fall-in on six Humvee simulators modeled on vehicles employed by Army Special Forces, and onto two covering positions where they work as a team as they employ light arms and TOW anti-tank missiles to defeat the enemy. Each virtual mission has space for 40 people who are de-briefed by one of the Army’s Real Heroes when the mission ends. The Virtual Army Experience was created by the U.S. Army and Ignited Minds and built by SPEVCO, Inc. NASCAR fans will find the Virtual Army Experience deployed at Phoenix International Raceway outside turns one and two, between gates three and four. Virtual Army Experience – Phoenix Hours: Thursday, April 19, 9 a.m.-8:15 p.m.; Friday, April 20, Noon -6:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 21, Noon – 5:30 p.m. The Virtual Army Experience will deploy at five additional NASCAR weekends this season.(3-GSports PR)(4-18-2007)
- Special UPS scheme for Jarrett at Bristol: UPS unveiled a special paint scheme for the #44 UPS Toyota Camry honoring the company’s 100th anniversary and identified the UPS employee who designed it through a special contest. Joe Hill, a field support technician at UPS Worldport here [Louisville, KY], was named the winner of the paint scheme contest. Hill will have the opportunity to watch Dale Jarrett race the #44 UPS Centennial Toyota in person when the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series visits Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 25 for the Sharpie 500.(UPS Racing site)
see image of the scheme on my Paint Scheme Gallery.(4-18-2007) - Yates and NFL Owner to team up? UPDATE denied: Robert Yates [team owner #38, #88] is reported to be looking at a possible deal with the NFL’s New England Patriots, run by Robert Kraft. The Kraft family is considered one of the most powerful families in Boston, and Robert Kraft is listed by Forbes as worth $1.1 billion, putting him No. 698 in the world.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-16-2007)
UPDATE: ESPN2’s NASCAR Now’s Angelique S. Chengelis reported on Tuesday show that she talked to the New England Patriots spokesman Stacy James who said there is no truth to the rumor and news to Bob Kraft.(4-18-2007) - McGlynn Racing expects to be back on track with Cope soon UPDATE: The McGlynnRacing.com site is down while the DNS is being changed for the redesign. The #74 McGlynn Racing team is not shut down but recently merged with an entertainment company and are busy working through a myriad of things to get ready to race. The race schedule is being re-worked and will be posted soon after the site is back online (a couple of days at most). Driver Derrike Cope and the #74 could be back on the track possibly as early as Talladega.(McGlynnRacing)(4-14-2007)
UPDATE: McGlynn Racing and veteran driver Derrike Cope will be competing in at least 12 Nextel Cup Series events in 2007. Additional races may be added to the schedule as the season progresses. Sponsorship opportunities remain for all races. See below for the list of scheduled events as well as potential additional races. Next race planned is the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.(McGlynnRacing.com)(4-18-2007) - Andretti Ready To Make Car of Tomorrow Debut: This weekend, John Andretti and the #37 Camping World Dodge team will head to the flat one-mile Phoenix International Raceway for Saturday night’s Subway Fresh 500. Andretti will be making his debut in the Car of Tomorrow for Front Row Motorsports. Andretti has 12 Nextel Cup starts at Phoenix dating back to 1993. He was a pole winner in 1999 and has two top 10 finishes at the track. Andretti has led a total of 99 laps at the track. Andretti has started on the front row three times in his career at Phoenix.(MCG sports PR)(4-18-2007)
- Sponsor problems at MWR? Elliott to MWR? UPDATE2 denied: Rumors are swirling about Toyota driver #55-Michael Waltrip’s future and his sponsorship support [NAPA], after failing to make the last six tour races. According to one unconfirmed report, Waltrip is having to return $300,000 to his sponsors for each race he misses. There is also speculation that Bill Elliott may be under consideration for a ride with the three-team operation; Elliott, 50 and only a part-time driver these days, would have six championship provisionals, guaranteeing him a spot in at least six races. However Elliott, despite the multimillion-dollar contracts being waved at him by more than one team, has been less than enthusiastic about becoming too deeply involved in the sport again.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-16-2007)
UPDATE: For anyone wondering if Michael Waltrip’s crashing a Toyota SUV could end his relationship with Toyota, they should think again, Toyota Racing Development Senior Vice President Lee White said Sunday before the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Waltrip owns three teams and has been the face of Toyota this year in its first year of Nextel Cup racing. “Our position is still that we have agreements with our teams,” White said. “We live up to our agreements. Everybody is working hard. Michael is working hard. His organization is working hard, as is all the others.” Waltrip said he fell asleep while driving home early in the morning April 7. He suffered cuts to his hands and face in the accident and walked home. The North Carolina Highway Patrol charged him with reckless driving and failing to report an accident.(SceneDaily.com)(4-16-2007)
UPDATE 2: David Newton reports on ESPN2’s NASCAR Now that he talked to Elliott’s wife who said there was no truth to the rumor that Elliott would drive for Waltrip.(4-18-2007) - Frank Cicci Racing Closes #34 Team Until Sponsorship is Found: In his 20th year of ownership, Frank Cicci still has the desire to race. What he doesn’t have is the money. Frank Cicci Racing is shuttered for the immediate future unless a primary sponsor steps up. Cicci withdrew his Busch Series entry at Texas last week and again for Saturday’ Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix. “We were in the top 30 and a guaranteed starter at Texas, but I had to withdraw due to a lack of sponsorship,” Cicci said Wednesday from his Mooresville, N.C., shop. “I’ve been trying all year to find sponsorship and have been paying this out of my pocket for the first seven races and just couldn’t go on any more.”(NASCAR.com)(4-18-2007)
- McClure to Run Special Decal for Virginia Tech: UPDATE 2: All NASCAR Teams to Have Logo: Eric McClure, driver of the #0 HeftynChevy, will pay tribute to the Virginia Tech community this weekend in the running of the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 in Phoenix. McClure, who lives only an hour south of the Virginia Tech campus, will run a special decal on the #0 Hefty Chevy and wear VT memorabilia honoring those who lost their lives in the tragedy that occurred on Monday in Blacksburg, Virginia.(McClure PR)(4-18-2007)
UPDATE: In honor of the victims of the April 16th tragedy at Virginia Tech University, a commemorative decal will appear on the #7 GEICO Chevy beginning with the April 20th race in Phoenix.(GEICO Racing PR)(4-17-2007)
UDPATE 2: NASCAR has received permission from Virginia Tech University to display the school’s logo on race cars for the next three weeks, in a tribute to the victims of this week’s shootings at the Blacksburg, Va. campus. The logo will be displayed against a black background on the “B-post” – the area just to the right of the driver’s side window net – of cars competing in NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series events at Phoenix, Talladega and Richmond.(NASCAR PR)(4-18-2007) - McClure to Run Special Decal for Virginia Tech: UPDATE 2: All NASCAR Teams to Have Logo: Eric McClure, driver of the #0 HeftynChevy, will pay tribute to the Virginia Tech community this weekend in the running of the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 in Phoenix. McClure, who lives only an hour south of the Virginia Tech campus, will run a special decal on the #0 Hefty Chevy and wear VT memorabilia honoring those who lost their lives in the tragedy that occurred on Monday in Blacksburg, Virginia.(McClure PR)(4-18-2007)
UPDATE: In honor of the victims of the April 16th tragedy at Virginia Tech University, a commemorative decal will appear on the #7 GEICO Chevy beginning with the April 20th race in Phoenix.(GEICO Racing PR)(4-17-2007)
UDPATE 2: NASCAR has received permission from Virginia Tech University to display the school’s logo on race cars for the next three weeks, in a tribute to the victims of this week’s shootings at the Blacksburg, Va. campus. The logo will be displayed against a black background on the “B-post” – the area just to the right of the driver’s side window net – of cars competing in NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series events at Phoenix, Talladega and Richmond.(NASCAR PR)(4-18-2007) - Elliott Sadler in the #9 at Phoenix: Elliott Sadler will drive his first Busch race in an Evernham Motorsports Dodge this weekend at Phoenix. (Clear!Blue / Evernham PR)(4-18-2007)
- Revelocity Racing Collaborative Partner: Revelocity Racing announced it has established a collaboration with The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) for the Pediatric Allergy & Asthma Initiative for the 2007 Busch race season. AAAAI is a professional, medical specialty organization in the United States, Canada and 60 other countries that represents thousands of physicians and other healthcare professionals who specialize in asthma, allergy and immunologic disease. Revelocity Racing and the Pediatric Allergy & Asthma Initiative are dedicated to allocating education and resources to more than 17 million asthma and allergy sufferers throughout the United States, and will include industry-specific sponsors for the 2007 NASCAR Busch season.(Revelocity Racing PR)(4-18-2007)
- Wise will make debut at Kansas: Josh Wise is scheduled to make his Truck Series debut at Kansas Speedway on April 28, 2007 in the #00 Waltrip Racing Toyota. Wise will also be pulling double-duty at Kansas as he will be driving the #22-Eddie Sharp Racing Dodge in the ARCA Series race on Friday, April 27.(joshwiseracing.com)(4-18-2007)
- KHI development driver Gale to run Late Model races:This weekend Cale will be competing at both Five Flags Speedway and Mobile International Speedway driving for Smith Motorsports. Cale will be driving the #33 Smith Motorsports Chevy in the Pro Late Model division at Five Flags Friday night [April 20]. The following night [April 21] he will be racing #83 Smith Motorsports/Keller Smith Red Chevy in the Miller Lite Super Late Model 100 Lap Series event at MIS. Gale is scheduled to run the #2 KHI Camping World Chevy at Kansas Speedway on April 28.(calegale.com)(4-18-2007)
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