April 21, 2007
- Kentucky Speedway wants Frances to sell either NASCAR or ISC: Kentucky Speedway has backed away from its demand that a jury award a Nextel Cup race to its track as part of its antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. But the track is demanding that NASCAR change the way it does business in a revised complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kentucky. The track is asking that NASCAR develop objective factors to award Nextel Cup races, as well as asking the France family to sell off either ISC or NASCAR. It also asks that ISC divest itself of eight of its 12 tracks that operate a Cup race. Kentucky Speedway seeks damages in excess of $200 million.(SceneDaily.com), see more info on my Kentucky Track Page.(4-21-2007)
- Jeff Gordon wins at Phoenix: #24-Jeff Gordon won the Subway Fresh Fit 500k at Phoenix International Raceway for his first win of 2007 and his first win since Chicago last year. It was also his 76th career win which moved him into a tie with Dale Earnhardt, Sr. for sixth in all time wins. On the cool down lap Gordon flew a #3 flag from his car. In addition, it was the first time a driver had ever won from the pole in a race a Phoenix. #20-Stewart finish second after having a dominating car through most of the second half of the race. #11-Hamlin fought back from an early race speeding penalty to finish third. The remainder of the top ten were #48-Johnson, #17-Kenseth, #66-Green, #5-Busch, #43-Labonte, #70-Sauter, and #29-Harvick. Jeff Gordon expanded his points lead to 74 over #31-Jeff Burton, who finished 13th. #01-Mark Martin, who was competing in his first car of tomorrow race, finished 12th and moved back into 10th in the point standings. There were 6 cautions for 34 laps and 7 leaders with 12 lead changes.
Race Results on my Phoenix Race Results/Awards Page.
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Phoenix page
Race Rundown: see my Phoenix Race Info/Rundown Page for my race rundown page, laps led, top 10, race notes, lucky dogs and more.(4-21-2007) - Unofficial Driver Points Top-12 Standing after Phoenix [8 of 36 races]:
#24-Jeff Gordon 1326
#31-Jeff Burton 1252 -74
#17-Matt Kenseth 1166 -160
#48-Jimmie Johnson 1115 -211
#11-Denny Hamlin 1084 -242
#5-Kyle Busch 1002 -324
#20-Tony Stewart 994 -332
#99-Carl Edwards 967 -359
#07-Clint Bowyer 963 -363
#01-Mark Martin 921 -405
#29-Kevin Harvick 902 -424
#26-Jamie McMurray 899 -427
some notables:
#8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 15th
#42-Juan Montoya is 16th
#9-Kasey Kahne is 33rd
For drivers/owners points, see my Jayski’s Drivers/Owners Points Page.(4-21-2007) - Rumblings – Phoenix Race Notes: We had that dreaded caution during a green flag pit cycle tonight, but after everything “shook” out, the top two cars were back at the front and we had a solid 19 lapper to the checkers. And in the end, it was Jeff Gordon prevailing for the first time ever at Phoenix International Raceway. He took tonight’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 by .697 seconds over Tony Stewart (who led the most laps) for his first win of the year and the 76th of his NEXTEL Cup career. He’s now tied with Dale Earnhardt for 6th on the all-time win list. Gordon’s 18th win from the pole was also the 154th for Hendrick Motorsports, their 5th this season, and was worth $251,411 from the over $4.9M in posted awards. Hendrick has also taken all three C-O-T races, btw.
Bobby Labonte (8th) had his best finish since he was 3rd at Martinsville last October.
Johnny Sauter (9th) ties his career-best finish tonight. He was also 9th here in April of 2005.
David Reutimann (32nd) had his best finish since he was 22nd at Lowe’s in October of 2005.
STREAKIN….Jeff Gordon has 7 Top-10’s in the last 8 races.
Matt Kenseth has 6 Top-10’s in the last 7 races.
This Week’s Elevator….UP: Operator of the Week is a lonely Johnny Sauter (+33). DOWN: The Big Dropper was Scott Riggs (-38), followed by Dave Blaney (-28), Casey Mears (-24), Jamie McMurray (-21), and Kasey Kahne (-21). This is Riggs’ third time already this season at the bottom end of the “Shaft”…..which tells you why he’s up against it at qualifying time.
The Top-5 in Driver Points remains unchanged this week…..but Jeff Gordon has lengthened his margin to 74 markers. Johnny Sauter (35th to 30th) made the best advance this week while David Stremme (12th to 18th) and Ryan Newman (20th to 26th) fell the most spots. Stremme also fell below the “Chase” line and Kevin Harvick advanced into the Top-12 to take his place.
No changes in the Top-35 in Owner Points this week, but we’ve got a new bubble team. The #25 of Casey Mears is in by the skin of their teeth over the #21 of Ken Schrader (37 points). The #44 of Dale Jarrett is another 27 markers back in 37th.(Stock Car Fans)(4-21-2007) - Phoenix Penalty Report:
Car#, Penalty, Reason, Issued
1 #25 TE Pitting before Pit Road is Open 99
2 #11 TE Excessive Speed-Entering pits 99
3 #4 OL Running the stop & go sign/light 213
4 #88 TE Excessive speed – Exiting pits 282
5 #18 TE Pitting before Pit Road is Open 284
6 #78 TE Pitting before Pit Road is Open 285
PT – Pass through
TE – Tail end of the longest line
SG – Stop and Go
OL – One lap
ND – NASCAR discretion
MCI – Must come into pits
(Provided by NASCAR Statistics)(4-21-2007) - Montoya gesture could result in Busch Series penalty: NASCAR will look into whether Juan Pablo Montoya violated any of its rules by using an obscene gesture that was telecast by a Speed in-car camera during the final Busch Series practice Friday, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston confirmed. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver apparently was unaware the camera was being used for live television. NASCAR has fined and penalized drivers for obscene gestures caught on live television in the past.(SceneDaily.com)(4-21-2007)
- Ward Burton to Visit Virginia Tech: There are many things close to Ward Burton’s heart — family, conservation efforts, racing. But this weekend it’s Virginia Tech. News of the more than 30 students and employees killed on the Virginia Tech campus prompted the Virginia-based team to swap its traditional paint scheme for the VT logo on the hood of Burton’s #4 Chevy this weekend at the Phoenix International Raceway. Burton’s Morgan-McClure Motorsports team is the only one at the Nextel Cup level that is based out of Virginia, and owner Larry McClure had an vital role in getting permission to use the logo. To further demonstrate his Virginia pride, Burton will visit the campus on Monday offering his condolences and support to the students and staff at the university.(NASCAR.com)(4-21-2007)
- No retirement consideration for Stewart … for at least 2 1/2 years: #20-Tony Stewart made headlines when he said he was “ready to retire” after a frustrating race at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday. Although Stewart later said he had spoken in the heat of the moment, retirement remains a possibility when his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing expires at the end of the 2009 season. “I’m not going anywhere for 2½ years,” Stewart said Friday as he prepared for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. “We just have to assess in 2½ years where we’re at and whether we’re still having fun or not. If we are, we’ll stay. If we’re not, we’ll go do something else.”(ESPN.com/AP)(4-21-2007)
- Sad News – Dick Miller: Dick Miller of Raleigh NC, retired CEO of Goodmark Foods, died Thursday at Myrtle Beach, SC while on vacation after fighting Parkinson’s disease for several years. While Dick was CEO at Goodmark Foods they were very active in NASCAR with their Slim Jim and Penrose brands. Under his leadership they began sponsoring Bobby Labonte in the Busch Series with the Penrose brand in 1990. Bobby won the 1991 Busch Series Championship with Penrose. In 1992 they brought Slim Jim on as primary sponsor and Bobby finished second to Joe Nemechck, in the closest finish in Busch Series history. When Bobby moved to Cup racing he kept his team going and signed David Green to drive the Slim Jim #44. David then won the 1994 Busch Championship driving for Bobby and Slim Jim. Goodmark Foods also participated in NASCAR programs sponsoring the Penrose Rookie of the Year program and the Slim Jim All Pro Series. Other Slim Jim and Penrose drivers of note included Terry Labonte, Justin Labonte, Jason Keller, Mike Cope and Todd Bodine. Goodmark also made the famous Martinsville hot dogs under their Jesse Jones brand. Dick was cremated and there will be a visitation Saturday evening from 6-9 pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home on Millbrook Road in Raleigh. A memorial service will be held at 3pm Sunday at Brown-Wynne.(4-21-2007)
- Chevy Dominating in 2007; Dodge wants Aero Help: Seven of the top 10 [in points] are Chevys. The [Phoenix race] lineup reflects the first seven races in which Chevys have won six times, taken 27 of a possible 35 top-5 positions and led an amazing 81 percent of the laps. That number is even more lopsided over the past five races in which Chevys have led an astounding 91.4 percent of the laps. It’s so out of whack that representatives from other manufacturers have called Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s director of competition, to see what can be done to level the playing field. Pemberton isn’t concerned. While he admits NASCAR is working with Dodge to alleviate an aerodynamic problem in traffic, he said the chassis dyno and wind tunnel numbers don’t suggest Chevy have a competitive advantage over Ford, Dodge or Toyota. He said NASCAR isn’t looking to make rule changes to help the other manufacturers, saying the Chevy advantage is in the sheer number of cars. Twenty-one of the 50 cars that attempted to qualify for Saturday’s race at Phoenix were Chevys, compared to 13 Dodges, nine Fords and seven Toyotas.(ESPN.com)(4-21-2007)
- Bondurant Grads Make up 9 of top 12 driver in Cup standings: With the NASCAR Nextel Cup series coming to Phoenix, nine Bondurant School graduates are in the top 12 in points going into this weekend’s race. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving continues to be the premier place to go for NASCAR drivers looking to improve their road racing skills. Series champions Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart are among the alumni competing at racing’s highest level. Hard charging contenders, such as Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, are also graduates. Various race teams, such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Ginn Racing, and Jr Motorsports, have sent, not only their top drivers through the program, but also their developmental drivers. For more information, log on to www.bondurant.com.(Bondurant School PR)(4-21-2007)
- Sad News – Dick Miller: Dick Miller of Raleigh NC, retired CEO of Goodmark Foods, died Thursday at Myrtle Beach, SC while on vacation after fighting Parkinson’s disease for several years. While Dick was CEO at Goodmark Foods they were very active in NASCAR with their Slim Jim and Penrose brands. Under his leadership they began sponsoring Bobby Labonte in the Busch Series with the Penrose brand in 1990. Bobby won the 1991 Busch Series Championship with Penrose. In 1992 they brought Slim Jim on as primary sponsor and Bobby finished second to Joe Nemechck, in the closest finish in Busch Series history. When Bobby moved to Cup racing he kept his team going and signed David Green to drive the Slim Jim #44. David then won the 1994 Busch Championship driving for Bobby and Slim Jim. Goodmark Foods also participated in NASCAR programs sponsoring the Penrose Rookie of the Year program and the Slim Jim All Pro Series. Other Slim Jim and Penrose drivers of note included Terry Labonte, Justin Labonte, Jason Keller, Mike Cope and Todd Bodine. Goodmark also made the famous Martinsville hot dogs under their Jesse Jones brand. Dick was cremated and there will be a visitation Saturday evening from 6-9 pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home on Millbrook Road in Raleigh. A memorial service will be held at 3pm Sunday at Brown-Wynne.(4-21-2007)
- Mike Wallace Donates Uniform to Benefit Slain Police Officers: Recently, Mike Wallace, driver of the #7 GEICO Chevy, donated the GEICO driver uniform he wore when he won the Winn-Dixie 250 Busch Series race at Daytona in 2004, to the John Boy and Billy Big Show for an on-line auction. He donated his prized possession to assist the radio show in raising money to benefit the families of two Charlotte police officers who were gunned down at point blank range. Officers Sean Clark, 34, and Jeff Shelton, 35, were responding to a domestic call at a Charlotte apartment complex on March 31, 2007, at 10:35 PM. While trying to subdue one person, another person walked up and shot both police officers in the back of the head. You can bid on Mike Wallace’s Daytona uniform, as well as several other items, at www.wrfx.com. Bidding closes at 5:00 PM (ET) on Monday, April 23, 2007.(Player Management International PR)(4-21-2007)
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