April 23, 2014
- Swan Racing Restructures: Swan Racing announced it has successfully restructured the company by finding solutions for the #26 and #30 teams in an attempt to save the jobs of the crews, the drivers, and to keep those teams competing throughout the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. As a result, Anthony Marlowe has merged his ownership of the #26 team into BK Racing, effective immediately. Cole Whitt will remain behind the wheel of the #26. The #30 team has been sold to John Cohen of XxxTreme Motorsports, which will operate the team going forward and intends to compete with veteran driver J.J. Yeley. Stephen “Bones” Lane will serve as crew chief and be joined by several other former Swan Racing crewmembers. Driver Parker Kligerman remains under contract with Swan Racing, which will seek to identify options for him to get back on track. Team owner Brandon Davis issued the following statement:
“I want to first thank our employees, fans, and others in the NASCAR industry for their patience and understanding over the past several days while we work out the future of Swan Racing. As previously stated, the team is restructuring due to a lack of additional funding. However, over the past couple weeks we worked tirelessly to find an alternative to ending operations. Fortunately, we were able to find a home for the #26 team and the #30 team thanks to Anthony Marlowe and Jonathan Cohen respectively. “Anthony and Jonathan are both young and ambitious NASCAR enthusiasts. It is important to keep them in the sport for the long term. I am very relieved to know that the #26 and #30 teams will be in good hands and will continue to compete the remainder of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Most importantly, most of the team members have the opportunity to continue their employment in the sport and to support their families. This was critically important to me. Swan Racing is exploring any and all options to keep Parker Kligerman on track throughout the season. We are encouraged by the response we have received from interested parties. Parker continues to be one of the most talented young drivers in NASCAR. He brought this racing team one of its strongest results in his first race with us, and we are certain of his success in the future.(Swan Racing PR)(4-23-2014) - New sponsor for Keseloswki? UPDATE at Richmond: an image of the #2 Team Penske Ford has been found on https://twitter.com/keselowski that show Brad Keselowski will drive a light blue car sponsored by Detroit Genuine Parts in a future race. A few readers also saw the same car in the Team Penske shop and sent images. See images of the scheme on the #2 Team Schemes page.(4-18-2014)
UPDATE: Keselowski #2 Ford sponsor is listed on the Richmond Entry list as Detroit Genuine Parts.(4-22-2014)
UPDATE 2: This weekend’s race marks the debut of the #2 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford Fusion. Driven by Brad Keselowski, the car features a distinctive blue-grey color that will stand out under the lights at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night. A key Alliance Truck Parts partner, Detroit Genuine Parts is a premiere brand in the transportation aftermarket that supplies remanufactured parts to commercial on- and off-highway customers around the world.(Team Penske).
Detroit Genuine Parts is also scheduled to be the primary sponsor in the October race at Charlotte.(4-23-2014) - Ryan Truex gets 2 race sponsor: Race fans will once again have to keep a keener eye for the #83 BK Racing Toyota in the next two Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. The black color has been replaced with Mardi Gras colors of purple and gold for New Orleans, LA based VooDoo BBQ & Grill. VooDoo BBQ & Grill served as the primary sponsor of the #83 car at the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2013 and has continued as a partner and associate sponsor for 2014 until the opportunity presented itself to have them as a primary sponsor once again. VooDoo BBQ & Grill opened its first location in New Orleans, LA on Mardi Gras Day 2002 and has expanded to reach 57 planned locations in six states.(BK Racing), see an image of the car on the #83 team paint schemes page.(4-23-2014)
- Kurt Busch to undergo Indy 500 rookie orientation: It’s been 14 years since Kurt Busch was last called a rookie. And even though Busch has a Sprint Cup championship trophy at home, he’s still a rookie open-wheel driver as far as the Indianapolis 500 is concerned. That’s why Busch and four other drivers will take part in the rookie orientation or veteran driver refresher course to be eligible to compete in the May 25th Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the track announced Tuesday. Busch will join four other drivers – Mikhail Aleshin, Martin Plowman, Jack Hawksworth and 1995 Indy 500 winner and former CART and F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve – for the three-pronged orientation and driving program on Tuesday, April 29th and Monday, May 5th. Villeneuve will only have to complete the final two phases of the three-phase program to be recertified to race in the 500 because of his prior experience there. The orientation/refresher is designed that all five drivers can potentially complete all three phases in one day. If they are able to do so, the second day would be for practice – or if they need more instruction.(NBC Sports)(4-23-2014)
- Ambrose to “Race for a Miracle” at Richmond: This Saturday night, Marcos Ambrose and the No.9 STANLEY Racing have a million reasons to win. If Ambrose earns his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, Richard Petty Motorsports partner STANLEY will donate $1 million to the Children’s Miracle Network through the Ace Hardware Foundation to benefit sick and injured children. If Ambrose finishes second or third, a donation of $500,000 and $250,000 will be made respectively. The incentive is part of the annual “Racing for a Miracle” campaign by STANLEY and the Ace Hardware Foundation. Ambrose has a best finish of fifth at the track. Ambrose and the team will head to Richmond early on Thursday to visit the patients at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Ambrose and his #9 RPM pit crew will interact with the children through various games and demonstrate pit stops. The #9 will also have a different look to it this weekend. The car will be unveiled this Friday morning at Richmond International Raceway during a special presentation at the amphitheater.(Richard Petty Motorsports)(4-23-2014)
- Richmond Notes and Facts – Wednesday: drivers
” NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Richmond with 63. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 42 starts.
” Bobby Allison and Richard Petty are tied for the lead in runner-up finishes at Richmond with nine each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.
” Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Richmond with 34; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 16.
” Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Richmond with 41. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 26.
” Eight drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Richmond International Raceway. Richard Petty leads the series in consecutive wins at Richmond after posting seven consecutive wins from the fall of 1970 – 1973. Jimmie Johnson (2007 sweep) is the only active driver with consecutive wins at Richmond.
” All of the 13 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Richmond International Raceway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart won at Richmond in their second appearance.
” Joe Nemechek competed at Richmond International Raceway 18 times before winning in 1994; the longest span of any the 13 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
” Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Richmond International Raceway with a 7.222.
” Two active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series average finish in the top 10 at Richmond: Kyle Busch (7.2) and Denny Hamlin (8.9).
” Dave Blaney leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond without visiting Victory Lane at 26.(NASCAR)(4-23-2014) - Hermie Sadler joins wrestling board: Global Force Wrestling welcomes former NASCAR driver and current Fox Sports NASCAR analyst Hermie Sadler to its Board of Directors. Sadler, who turns 45 later this week, is a lifelong wrestling fan who also has promoted live wrestling events. A 1991 graduate of the University of North Carolina, he was the 1993 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year. Sadler has a diverse portfolio away from the race track, including restaurants, finance companies and franchises. Jeff Jarrett, the CEO of GFW and a 12-time world champion, and his wife, Karen, have continued their travels around the world laying the groundwork for Global Force Wrestling. “Hermie and I have been friends for more than 20 years,” Jarrett said. “Yes, he has been a great driver for years, but I have always admired him for his business acumen. He also fits with GFW because he understands the importance of fan interaction as clearly all of NASCAR does.”(Global Force Wrestling/Newsday)(4-23-2014)
- Hendrick pit coach is leaving for a job outside of racing UPDATES: One of the best pit coaches in NASCAR is leaving racing for work outside of the sport. As of Darlington two weeks ago, Hendrick Motor Sports pit coach Lance Munksgard will no longer be at HMS. Munksgard will be taking a new job in McGregor, Texas at Fourseventy Claim Management. Pit Talks talked with Coach Munksgard, he had this to say. “I was blessed to have been able to live a dream of working with the best mechanics and pit crew members in NASCAR over the years which was an unforgettable experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better organization than HMS to finish my NASCAR career. HMS is a truly professional company that starts from Mr. Hendrick down through the management, crew chiefs, and through the pit crews. It was a true pleasure to work with a strong coaching staff and pit crew members at HMS and watch them progress each week. I will truly miss the competition on pit road each week and wish all the guys on pit road the best of luck.”(Pit Talks)(4-21-2014)
UPDATE: Greg Morin, who has been pit crew coach for the teams of Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon, and Chris Krieg, the assistant coach to Munksgard, will oversee the pit crews for Earnhardt and Johnson until a full-time replacement is hired.(MRN)(4-22-2014)
UPDATE 2: Greg Morin and Chris Krieg were the 2 assistants for the #48/#88 pit crews will now be sharing duties until a replacement is hired for Munksgard. The #5/#24 pit coaches will remain the same.(4-23-2014) - Bubba Wallace in the #20 at Talladega: Darrell Wallace, Jr. is set to make his first NASCAR Nationwide Series start of the 2014 season at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, May 3, behind the wheel of the #20 ToyotaCare Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. The start will mark the 20-year-old’s fifth-career start in the series. In his previous four starts in the Nationwide Series, Wallace earned one pole (Dover International Speedway) and three top-10 finishes in 2011. His worst finish in those four starts is 12th at Dover after contact on the last restart late in the race took him out of contention for a top finish. Wallace currently competes full time in the #54 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports where after two races this season, he has one second-place finish and is eighth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings.(Joe Gibbs Racing)(4-23-2014)
- Bayne finishes first in class at TryCharleston Sprint Triathlon: While the majority of his fellow NASCAR competitors enjoyed a relaxing Easter weekend off, Roush Fenway Racing’s Trevor Bayne embarked on a different type of race. Rather than ‘kicking back’ on an exotic sandy beach down south, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner chose to push his mind and body to the limits in the TryCharleston sprint triathlon. In what was only his second sprint-tri, Bayne finished first in his age group (male 20-24), posting a personal best time of 1:10:21. The sprint triathlon event consists of a 750-meter swim, a 20K-bike ride and a 5K-run. Bayne – who has six top-10 finishes in seven NASCAR Nationwide Series starts this season – says his consistent training regimen has also paid dividends behind the wheel of his #6 AdvoCare Ford Mustang this season.(Roush Fenway PR)(4-23-2014)
- K-LOVE Crisis Response Training on the #44 at Richmond: TriStar Motorsports announced that the K-LOVE Crisis Response Training logo will adorn the hood of the #44 Toyota Camry piloted by Blake Koch this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. The K-LOVE Crisis Response Training program is about impacting the community through Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) training and by helping create a network of first responders within the community that will be on hand during disasters or times of need. This will mark Koch’s sixth start at Richmond International Raceway and his first RIR start behind the wheel of the #44 TriStar Motorsports Camry. Koch has a strong relationship with the Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) program and is excited to represent the K-LOVE Crisis Response Training this weekend in Richmond.(TriStar Motorsports)(4-23-2014)
- Reaume debut delayed UPDATE: 23 year-old Redlands, CA native Josh Reaume will have to wait just a little bit longer for his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut. In a mutual decision, Reaume has moved out of the #23 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet for this Saturday’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway with former series Rookie of the Year Timmy Hill taking the controls. The move comes after a rough start in 2014 with the team falling out of the top 30 in owner’s points, a critical threshold which guarantees a starting position. Reaume’s debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series will be postponed to April 25 at Richmond International Raceway as part of a multi-race program with Rick Ware Racing.(RWR)(3-12-2014)
UPDATE: 23 year-old Redlands, CA native Josh Reaume will make his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this Friday, driving a #23 Rick Ware Racing-owned Chevrolet with support from longtime RWR supporter Lilly Trucking. The Virginia-based company will support Reaume as he competes at Richmond International Raceway in the TOYOTA Care 250. Reaume’s previous experience at the .750 mile Richmond International Raceway includes a start in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, East in 2013. The #23 entry will also carry sponsorship from Colonial Countertops, as part of a multi-race associate sponsorship program, Contractor Rush, Cry of the Outcast the book, and Pray for Your Pastor.(Reaume PR)(4-23-2014) - Martins gets Talladega sponsor: Diamond Gusset Jeans will return to Martins Motorsports as primary sponsor of the #76 at Talladega Superspeedway. Diamond Gusset sponsored Willie Allen at Bristol & Daytona earlier this year.(4-23-2014)
- Robert Griffin III to drive pace car at Richmond: It started with a tweet from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Robert Griffin III, followed by some chiming in from Richmond International Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier and RIR. What began as a Twitter conversation about a month ago has resulted in Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III driving the Official Pace Car to start this Saturday’s TOYOTA OWNERS 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Griffin will join thousands of fans who align with the Redskins and NASCAR, just a short trip south of Washington, DC. Prior to Griffin leading the field of 43 NASCAR drivers to the Green Flag, he’ll go through Pace Car training, spend some time with his pal Dale Earnhardt Jr., and get together with legendary Washington Redskins Coach and NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs for a garage tour.(RIR)(4-23-2014)
- Jordy Nelson to drive pace car at Kansas: Catching passes in the NFL, including one for a touchdown in the 2010 Super Bowl, is nothing new for Kansas native Jordy Nelson. But on May 10, Nelson, who is a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, will add a new title to his resume – pace car driver. He will drive the Toyota Highlander V pace car to start the Kansas 400, Kansas Speedway’s inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series night race, as part of Toyota’s official partnership with Kansas Speedway. Nelson, is one of the most prolific football players in K-State history. He went from being a walk-on safety as a freshman to earning consensus All-America honors, including being named to nine first-team All-America squads, in 2007 as a senior and being named a Biletnikoff Award finalist. The Biletnikoff Award is given annually to the top receiver in the nation.(Kansas Speedway)(4-23-2014)
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