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 20
Years we have pulled today’s main items from: 2017, 2014, 2010, 2007, 2005, 2002
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.
2017:
- Kenseth hopes to race full-time in 2018 So how would #20-Matt Kenseth handle retirement? “I probably just
wouldn’t show up at Daytona and just everybody say was Matt racing this week? Or I’d send out like a four-word tweet. I don’t know if I’d announce it all.” In other words, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver hasn’t considered the proposition? “Not really.” How many more years does the 2003 champion plan to race? “Fifteen to 20,” he said with typical deadpan. “If Tom Brady can play football at 40 and still win Super Bowls, I think 45 is pretty young to try to win races.” Still, it’s notable that neither Kenseth nor team owner Joe Gibbs definitively said he would be in the #20 in 2018. Gibbs said the Circle K deal is multiyear, so does that mean Kenseth will be with the team in 2018? “I mean, I hope so,” Keneseth said. “That’s always my hope. The details of the sponsorship I mostly don’t know. That would have to come from Coach or somebody there. I don’t know any real details except the races they’re on the car this year.”(NBC Sports)[More](4-20-2017)
2014:
- Keselowski recalls how Rick Hendrick left him heartbroken: In a just-released video interview, #2-Brad
Keselowski [2012 Sprint Cup Champion] – looking perhaps as somber as we’ve ever seen him, at times seemingly ready to break into tears – discusses how heartbroken, if not potentially betrayed he felt in 2009 when team owner Rick Hendrick picked Mark Martin to drive the #5 Chevrolet instead of giving Keselowski the opportunity, even though Bad Brad insists Hendrick had previously promised him that ride in 2010. Appearing on the syndicated “In Depth With Graham Bensinger,” Keselowski also talks prominently about how Roger Penske approached him back in 2008, inquiring if the young talent would be interested in joining Team Penske. See full article at NBC Sports, with a link to the video interview there)(4-20-2014)
Keselowski [2012 Sprint Cup Champion] – looking perhaps as somber as we’ve ever seen him, at times seemingly ready to break into tears – discusses how heartbroken, if not potentially betrayed he felt in 2009 when team owner Rick Hendrick picked Mark Martin to drive the #5 Chevrolet instead of giving Keselowski the opportunity, even though Bad Brad insists Hendrick had previously promised him that ride in 2010. Appearing on the syndicated “In Depth With Graham Bensinger,” Keselowski also talks prominently about how Roger Penske approached him back in 2008, inquiring if the young talent would be interested in joining Team Penske. See full article at 2010:
- Reports: Pennzoil/Shell to leave RCR…to Penske?: Shell/Pennzoil is expected to leave Richard Childress Racing and driver #29-Kevin Harvick at the end of the season and will sponsor a car at Penske Racing – likely for 2004 Sprint Cup champion #2-Kurt Busch – beginning in 2011, according to sources familiar with the situation. An announcement concerning the Shell/Pennzoil sponsorship is expected to come Wednesday. According to sources, the leading candidate for the Pennzoil sponsorship is Busch, whose contract with Penske runs out at the end of this year but team owner Roger Penske has said he planned to pick up the option and just needed to negotiate terms with Busch. Busch’s current sponsor, Miller Lite, could move to #12-Brad Keselowski, whose car does not have sponsor logos but gets support from Verizon, which cannot be on the hood of a Sprint Cup car because of Sprint’s sponsorship of the series. With Shell/Pennzoil as a sponsor, that means that Mobil likely is going away since Mobil and Shell are competitors. Mobil sponsors Penske Cup driver #77-Sam Hornish Jr., a three-time Indy Racing League champion who has competed in Sprint Cup since 2008. Shell/Pennzoil has been with Harvick since 2007, while Busch has been the Miller Lite driver since 2006 [and Miller has been with Penske since 1991]. The departure of Shell/Pennzoil from RCR leaves that organization looking for a sponsor. Harvick’s contract expires at the end of this year. Team and sponsor representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment (SceneDaily)
AND Richard Childress Racing has been informed that Shell-Pennzoil will not return to the organization in 2011 according to team sources. Sources say the Shell-Pennzoil brand will move to Penske Racing next season for a multi-year deal where it will enjoy a business-to-business relationship with both Penske Automotive Group and Dodge. PAG is the second largest publicly traded retailer in the U.S. and operates 316 retail automotive franchises. Shell-Pennzoil will also have a presence on Penske’s IndyCar Series cars. Kurt Busch is will drive the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge in 2011. Busch was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, but this deal ensures he will stay at Penske beyond 2010. As a result, Busch will vacate the #2 Miller Lite Dodge. One scenario mentioned has Brad Keselowski moving into the ride.(FoxSports)(4-20-2010)
year but team owner Roger Penske has said he planned to pick up the option and just needed to negotiate terms with Busch. Busch’s current sponsor, Miller Lite, could move to #12-Brad Keselowski, whose car does not have sponsor logos but gets support from Verizon, which cannot be on the hood of a Sprint Cup car because of Sprint’s sponsorship of the series. With Shell/Pennzoil as a sponsor, that means that Mobil likely is going away since Mobil and Shell are competitors. Mobil sponsors Penske Cup driver #77-Sam Hornish Jr., a three-time Indy Racing League champion who has competed in Sprint Cup since 2008. Shell/Pennzoil has been with Harvick since 2007, while Busch has been the Miller Lite driver since 2006 [and Miller has been with Penske since 1991]. The departure of Shell/Pennzoil from RCR leaves that organization looking for a sponsor. Harvick’s contract expires at the end of this year. Team and sponsor representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment (2007:
- Teresa already has agreed to 51% of DEI for Dale Jr.? UPDATE: The Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. / DEI contract negotiations continue and the influence of ace negotiator Max Siegel may be bearing success. One contact told me [MaxChevy’s Glen Grissom] on the down-low that the 51% (or majority ownership) that Dale Jr. requires to stay with DEI has essentially been negotiated – agreed to by Teresa Earnhardt. But that she, in turn, is requesting that an independent, impartial review board be set up within DEI that would take into consideration and review any major operational changes that Dale Jr. would want to take place – acting like a board of directors it seems to me [MaxChevy’s Glen Grissom], with Dale Jr. basically reporting to it. So far, this has been balked at – but stranger management structures have survived in the business world. All parties say they want to have the contract resolved by May, so with April half-over, it’s crunch time.(MaxChevy.com)(4-19-2007)
UPDATE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. said an online report that he has been offered ownership in DEI is “news to me.” After qualifying, he was asked about the story that he has been offered 51% ownership of the company started by his late father. “I don’t know anything about that,” Junior said, raising his eyebrows. “As far as I know, there’s been nothing new in the last week or more.” Earnhardt, in the final year of his current contract with DEI, said he isn’t worried about the negotiations. “I just want to get some wins and some good finishes and concentrate of what we’re doing on the track,” he said. A story on ESPN.com Thursday said Max Siegel, president of global operations at DEI and the team’s chief negotiator, said Earnhardt has been offered ownership in the company but would not say what percentage. Siegel could not be reached Thursday for comment.(Associated Press)(4-20-2007)
with DEI has essentially been negotiated – agreed to by Teresa Earnhardt. But that she, in turn, is requesting that an independent, impartial review board be set up within DEI that would take into consideration and review any major operational changes that Dale Jr. would want to take place – acting like a board of directors it seems to me [MaxChevy’s Glen Grissom], with Dale Jr. basically reporting to it. So far, this has been balked at – but stranger management structures have survived in the business world. All parties say they want to have the contract resolved by May, so with April half-over, it’s crunch time.(
2005:
- NFL, NBC and NASCAR AND: been getting a lot of questions about this, so figured I’d answer what I know and some common sense here: NBC has signed to broadcast the Sunday night NFL Football games starting in 2006, so the 2005 schedule stays the same. As for 2006, without seeing the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Schedule, there is no way to tell how it will change the way NBC Broadcasts NASCAR Nextel Cup. But using the 2005 Schedule, it wouldn’t effect any of the races currently run in September thru the end of the season. Richmond has been televised on TNT since NBC/TNT took over the 2nd half of the season and it is on a Saturday night anyhow, the and the Cup race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway is also on Saturday night. In 2006 the NBC NFL Pre-game show starts at 7:00pm/et [with the kickoff at 8:15pm/et].
Three last three races in 2005 are at Texas [3:00pm/et start], Phoenix [3:00pm/et start] and Homestead [4:00pm/et start] and all scheduled to be televised on NBC Live. This past week, the race at Texas was just under 4 hours long, the Phoenix last year was just over 3 hours and the 2004 Homestead race under 4 hours. So in 2006 look for starting times of those races to be set a little earlier or since all three tracks have lights, the races could be moved to Saturday night races. But this is all speculation and until the 2006 schedule comes out, no idea.(4-19-2005)
AND On the heels of securing a lucrative, Sunday night broadcast package with the National Football League, NBC says broadcasting NASCAR is very much in its future plans. “We love our relationship with NASCAR,” said Mike McCarley, vice president for sports communications at NBC. “We feel like we have a very strong relationship with NASCAR and we certainly want to keep that relationship going.” NBC, TNT and FOX ponied up a total of $2.8 billion dollars in 2000 for the rights to broadcast Cup and Busch Series races beginning in 2001. NBC’s portion of the deal ends at the end of the 2006 season, but McCarley hopes that isn’t where their partnership with NASCAR ends. “We’ll sit down with our partners and hopefully figure out a way to make it work,” he said. ESPN, who has been mentioned as a returning player in the upcoming fight for NASCAR’s broadcast rights, will reportedly pay the NFL $1.1 billion per year over the next eight years for the rights to broadcast “Monday Night Football,” also beginning with the 2006 season.(NASCAR.com)(4-20-2005)
2002:
- A 5th Hendrick team? UPDATE 3 Sprague/#60: been told that Hendrick Motorsports BGN driver, Jack Sprague, will drive the #60 Haas Chevy in the Coca Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway in May and possibly up to six more Cup events. See an image of the car on my Paint Schemes Gallery.(3-19-2002)
UPDATE: Dr Jerry Punch interviewed Jack Sprague on ESPN2’s RPM 2 Night and it was mentioned that the team just got the new #60 car in the shop and plans to test at Charlotte/Lowes Motor Speedway in a few weeks. Other races include New Hampshire, both Lowes races and Homestead. Rick Hendrick will be part owner of the team.(4-9-2002)
UPDATE 2: Three-time CTS champ Jack Sprague will run five Cup races this season with a new team owned by Haas Automation. The team will use engines and cars built by Hendrick Motorsports, who Sprague currently drivesin the BGN. The team will move full-time to Winston Cup in 2003. The team will debut at the Coca-Cola 600 next month in Charlotte. Other races scheduled are: New Hampshire in September; Charlotte in October; Atlanta in October; and Homestead, Fla., in November. Additional races may be added. “I have been waiting a long time to get the right opportunity to go Winston Cup racing,” Sprague said. “I’ve had opportunities in the past, but they just weren’t structured in a way that would give me and the team all the ingredients needed for success.” “This new association with Haas Automation has everything needed to make the deal go, both on and off the track. This deal is worth the wait.” Sprague’s current and long-time crew chief, Dennis Conner, will also serve in that capacity with his Cup team. Joe Custer will serve as the team’s general manager.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-19-2002)
UPDATE 3: Haas Automation, one of the leading manufacturers of industrial tools worldwide, announced today that it has formed a Winston Cup Team that will run a select-event schedule of races this season with driver Jack Sprague. Sprague and the team will then enter the Winston Cup ranks on a full-time basis beginning with the 2003 Daytona 500 at Daytona Beach, FL. Haas Automation, a long-time sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports, will receive assistance from the five-time Cup championship organization in making this new team possible. According to Sprague, the #60 Haas Automation Chevy will make its debut at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600, Sunday, May 26. “I have been waiting a long time to get the right opportunity to go Winston Cup racing,” said Sprague, the three-time CTS champion now racing in the BGN. “I’ve had opportunities in the past, but they just weren’t structured in a way that would give me and the team all the ingredients needed for success. This new association with Haas Automation has everything needed to make the deal go, both on and off the track. This deal was worth the wait.” Located in Oxnard, CA, Haas Automation is the largest, most modern machine tool manufacturing operation in the United States. The company manufactures four major product lines and has nearly 750 employees. Haas Automation builds a full line of CNC vertical machining centers, horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes, rotary tables and 5C indexers. Haas machine tools and rotary products are built to deliver higher accuracy, repeatability and more durability than any other machine tools on the market. Haas Automation, which also serves as a major associate sponsor on Sprague’s #24 NetZero Chevy BGN entry this season, has sold more than 40,000 rotary tables and 32,000 CNC machines throughout the world. The company ships more CNC machines per month than any other U.S. manufacturer. In addition to the Charlotte Winston Cup event in May, Sprague and his #60 Haas Automation Chevy will compete at New Hampshire (Sept. 15), Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Oct. 13), Atlanta (Oct. 27) and Homestead- (Nov. 17). Additional races are also being considered at this time. The effort will be fielded out of HAAS CNC RACING headquarters located in Harrisburg, NC. Joe Custer is the team’s General Manager, while Sprague’s current and long-time crew chief, Dennis Connor, will also serve in that capacity for the new Winston Cup team. Hendrick Motorsports will provide cars, engines and technical assistance for the team.(Motorsports Management Group PR)(4-20-2002)
in the BGN. The team will move full-time to Winston Cup in 2003. The team will debut at the Coca-Cola 600 next month in Charlotte. Other races scheduled are: New Hampshire in September; Charlotte in October; Atlanta in October; and Homestead, Fla., in November. Additional races may be added. “I have been waiting a long time to get the right opportunity to go Winston Cup racing,” Sprague said. “I’ve had opportunities in the past, but they just weren’t structured in a way that would give me and the team all the ingredients needed for success.” “This new association with Haas Automation has everything needed to make the deal go, both on and off the track. This deal is worth the wait.” Sprague’s current and long-time crew chief, Dennis Conner, will also serve in that capacity with his Cup team. Joe Custer will serve as the team’s general manager.(- Keller wins wreck fest at Talladega: #57-Jason Keller won the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega on Saturday, his second BGN wins of the season and 7th of his career, holding off #59-Stacy Compton by .163 seconds in a race that saw just three of 43 cars on the lead lap at the finish. On Lap 14 of 117, rookies #10-Scott Riggs and #47-Shane Hmiel started a chain-reaction accident exiting Turn 2 that eventually collected a total of 29 cars. With cars on the fastest area of the track, it was difficult for many to slow in time to miss the melee. “I had a run on Kenny (Wallace) on the outside and I got about two or three feet on him there and he hit my front end and I had to check up and catch it, and I did,” Riggs said. “I just got hit from behind. You can’t check up when you run these kinds of speeds.” Pole-winner Johnny Sauter’s #2 Chevy flipped on its hood and then rolled side-over-side. Mike McLaughlin’s #18 car ended up on top of two others. “I saw them all wrecking and I figured my hole was going to close up sooner or later, but I didn’t know it was going to close up from above,” said #99-Michael Waltrip of the number of airborne cars in the accident. The race was red-flagged for more than 40 minutes while the track was cleaned. Despite the scale of the accident, no drivers were injured. When the race restarted, 14 cars were running, 13 of them on the lead lap. The top three in BGN points now stand at: #24-Sprague, 1,169; #57-Keller, 1,147; #7-R.LaJoie, 1,079. See ThatsRacin.com for a column, Keller misses BGN melee, wins, and for Aaron’s 312 race results.(4-20-2002)
aw just three of 43 cars on the lead lap at the finish. On Lap 14 of 117, rookies #10-Scott Riggs and #47-Shane Hmiel started a chain-reaction accident exiting Turn 2 that eventually collected a total of 29 cars. With cars on the fastest area of the track, it was difficult for many to slow in time to miss the melee. “I had a run on Kenny (Wallace) on the outside and I got about two or three feet on him there and he hit my front end and I had to check up and catch it, and I did,” Riggs said. “I just got hit from behind. You can’t check up when you run these kinds of speeds.” Pole-winner Johnny Sauter’s #2 Chevy flipped on its hood and then rolled side-over-side. Mike McLaughlin’s #18 car ended up on top of two others. “I saw them all wrecking and I figured my hole was going to close up sooner or later, but I didn’t know it was going to close up from above,” said #99-Michael Waltrip of the number of airborne cars in the accident. The race was red-flagged for more than 40 minutes while the track was cleaned. Despite the scale of the accident, no drivers were injured. When the race restarted, 14 cars were running, 13 of them on the lead lap. The top three in BGN points now stand at: #24-Sprague, 1,169; #57-Keller, 1,147; #7-R.LaJoie, 1,079. See ThatsRacin.com for a column,
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