April 26, 2005
- Newman to run a limited Busch Series Schedule: #12-Ryan Newman will drive a limited NASCAR Busch Series schedule this year, beginning in May at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, team President Don Miller announced Tuesday. “When this opportunity presented itself, we felt we couldn’t afford to turn it down,” Miller said. “It will be interesting to see Ryan competing in the Busch Series again.” Chief Engineer Roy McCauley will oversee the Busch Series program and serve as Newman’s crew chief on that circuit. The Busch Series crew will be comprised of personnel who worked with McCauley last fall on Penske Racing South’s #06 Dodge that was driven by Travis Kvapil and Chad Blount. Penske Racing South’s entry in the Busch Series will carry #39, which was the number used by Newman when he raced Midgets in USAC. Sponsorship for the Dodge will be announced at a later date. In addition to the May 28 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Newman’s tentative Busch schedule includes: Chicago, July 9; Watkins Glen, Aug. 13; Michigan, Aug. 20; Bristol, Aug. 26; Richmond, Sept. 9; Dover, Sept. 24; Charlotte, Oct. 14; and Texas, Nov. 5. This is Newman’s first venture into the Busch Series since 2001 when he competed in 15 events. That season he won the August Michigan race, produced two top-five and seven top-10 finishes, earned six poles and started on the outside of the front row on four occasions.(Penske Racing)(4-26-2005)
- Testing at Darlington Tuesday UPDATE: Testing in preparation for the Darlington Busch and Cup races next Friday and Saturday nights [May 6 and 7th] is scheduled for 2:00 to 10:pm/et on Tuesday, April 26th. The following drivers are scheduled to test: Cup – #9-Kasey Kahne, #40-Sterling Marlin and #13-Greg Sacks. Bsuch – #8-Martin Truex Jr., #4-Ryan Hemphill, #90-Dale Jarrett, #58-Brent Sherman and #46-Robert Pressley. No word if the testing is open to the public.(Darlington Raceway)(4-25-2005)
UPDATE: Due to today’s inclement weather, testing at Darlington Raceway has been pushed back until Wednesday and will run from 9:00am – 5:00pm/et.(Darlington Raceway)(4-26-2005)
- #1 Busch Team Appeal, Rejected and Fine INCREASED: The National Stock Car Racing Commission has not only rejected the appeal of car owner James Finch for an illegal carburetor found during post-race inspection at Texas, they slapped on an additional $25,000 fine. NASCAR had disqualified the #1 Dodge from the Busch Series race costing the team 125-points for finishing 14th and $28,000 in prize money. Also, Crew Chief Joe Shear Jr. was suspended until May 18th.
Commenting on the decision, Finch told PRN’s Fast Talk with Benny Parsons radio show Monday night; “It’s pretty consistent with me. The last time I appealed one it was several years ago and it was a $5,000 fine and when it was over they made it 10.”
Finch’s main bone of contention is that NASCAR hands down the penalties AND hears appeals. “The racing is great, it always has been, I’m just saying that they need to give up part of the sport and let somebody else referee the rules. If they want to do this right, get an independent commission to make an independent hearing and make the ruling. It’s kind of like having a highway patrolman pull you over and tell you you’re speeding and you say…I don’t believe I am…and he says yes you are…and you say okay, I don’t believe you but I’m gonna sign the ticket. Then 30 minutes later you go to the courthouse and he’s the judge. In the rule books it’s all minimum fines…they don’t have any maximum fines. In the NFL it’s five yards off sides for everybody every time. In NASCAR it’s according to who you are. In baseball it’s three strikes you’re out…NASCAR it’s according to who’s swingin’…just let ‘em keep swingin’.”(PRN’s Fast Talk with Benny Parsons)(4-25-2005)
AND see my Busch Series site for NASCAR’s full ruling.(4-26-2005) - Winston Cup Museum to hold ceremony: The Winston Cup Museum will house authentic Winston Cup race cars from different eras of the sponsorship, trophies, uniforms, helmets, winner’s checks, autographed pictures, wall murals and framed/signed original racing posters. The museum will be on a constant rotation of General Motors, Ford and Dodge conceptual cars and special paint schemes. The museaum will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 10th, 2005. The museum will open to the public on May 11 at 12:00noon/et. It’s located at 1355 Martin Luther King Drive, Winston-Salem, NC, in the old Bob Neill Pontiac dealership that is currently being renovated. Tickets will be $5 for adults and $3 for children 5-12. Children under 5 will be admitted free.(MSNBC)(4-26-2005)
- Jeff Gordon, Newman and Kenseth to test at Indy today: #24-Jeff Gordon is scheduled to begin preparations today for what could be a historic victory in August at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The four-time Brickyard 400 champion is representing Chevrolet in a closed two-day tire test at the Speedway. He’ll be joined by Ryan Newman (Dodge) and Matt Kenseth (Ford) as Goodyear checks to see how its new, softer tire compounds fare on Indy’s newly paved surface. All the teams can be expected to test at the Speedway either before or after the Nextel Cup race July 10 at Chicagoland Speedway. The sessions are scheduled July 5-6 and 11-12. Rain is in the forecast for today, which could disrupt a test already postponed once. It was pushed back to allow for grinding of the track after a Firestone test in preparation for the Indianapolis 500 produced unusual tire wear. A subsequent Firestone test indicated the grinding had done its job.(Indianapolis Star)(4-26-2005)
- Yates Looking to start 3rd Team? Robert Yates is cranking up plans for a third Ford team next season, and every top NASCAR crew chief worth his salt is looking at that opportunity – particularly if Yates can snare a hotshot driver. The top two drivers mentioned so far are Martin Truex Jr. [denied he is looking, working on contract with DEI, denied by Yates] and Reed Sorenson [under contract with Ganassi]. Yates is expected to go after at least one of Chevrolet’s top crew chiefs to run the team. Two men he has his eye on are Tony Eury Jr., at Dale Earnhardt Inc., and Todd Berrier at Richard Childress Racing. Yates, however, may be battling rival car owner Ray Evernham of Dodge for both driver and crew chief. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Truex’s teammate and friend at DEI, said he has talked with Truex, who still doesn’t have a contract. “I asked him how he felt, and I feel real confident he means what he says, and that he wants to be with us,” Earnhardt said. “My contract took about six months to work itself out. You want everything done today or tomorrow, but you have to understand it takes time. It’s good to be patient in this situation. I’m sure it will get done.”(Winston Salen Journal)(4-26-2005)
- GM Plans to stay in racing: Despite General Motors’ quarterly loss of $1.1 billion, the largest deficit since the first quarter of 1992, the newly appointed director of GM racing, Mark Kent, will defend the racing program to stockholders and is optimistic that Chevrolet will be able to compete with Toyota when Toyota enters Cup, which is expected in 2007. Insiders expect Toyota’s technology to make it a strong contender immediately.(Sporting News)(4-26-2005)
- A Bit of Toyota Speculation: Toyota executives may handle all driver contracts at the corporate level, instead of leaving it up to individual team owners. And Toyota has considerable cash in the bank for whatever it might want to do, because the company is the most profitable of the automakers at the moment. Might Toyota come in and spend whatever it takes to get whichever driver it wants? Executives at Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler may have to ante up themselves to keep prized drivers in the fold. Toyota appears to be cranking up things for a 2006 Busch effort, with a Nextel Cup project planned for 2007 – and it may need some drivers. And not just one or two, because NASCAR is expected to insist that Toyota back at least six teams when it steps up. Toyota is spending $98 million on its Indy Racing League program, and that money, maybe more, is expected to be moved to the NASCAR account soon.(Winston Salen Journal)(4-26-2005)
- Ford Taurus Ends Production Ends in March 2006: The last Ford Taurus will roll off the assembly line in the first three months of 2006, ending a 21-year run that has racked up nearly 6.7 million total U.S. sales. The news was relayed to employees at Ford Motor Co.’s Atlanta plant in an April newsletter distributed by United Auto Workers Local 882. With its jellybean shape, the debut 1986 model helped revolutionize American car design and pull Ford out of a financial tailspin. By 1992, it was the country’s best-selling car — a title it held for five consecutive years. But in recent years, as sales have waned, Ford has been pushing the Taurus out of its retail lineup and into the fleets of rental car companies. It is being replaced in dealer showrooms by the Ford Fusion, which debuts this fall. The end of Taurus production robs Ford’s Atlanta assembly plant of its last product. Production of the Mercury Sable, a Taurus twin, ends this month — and no new product has been earmarked for the plant, which opened in 1947 and employs nearly 2,000 hourly workers. Ford would not confirm when Taurus production will end and declined comment on Atlanta’s future.(Detroit News), see my Ford Past News page for past news, supposedly the 2006 Ford Fusion wil be the new NASCAR Ford car.(4-25-2005)
AND Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing technology, says that the 2006 Ford for the Nextel Cup Series currently is on schedule for the July 1 submission date. Engineers are close to completing the car and will take it to Atlanta for a trial run to make sure the Ford can reach minimum speed and to the wind tunnel before turning it over to NASCAR for approval. NASCAR keeps the car but returns the engine and other pieces.(Sporting News)(4-26-2005) - Newman to run a limited Busch Series Schedule: #12-Ryan Newman will drive a limited NASCAR Busch Series schedule this year, beginning in May at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, team President Don Miller announced Tuesday. “When this opportunity presented itself, we felt we couldn’t afford to turn it down,” Miller said. “It will be interesting to see Ryan competing in the Busch Series again.” Chief Engineer Roy McCauley will oversee the Busch Series program and serve as Newman’s crew chief on that circuit. The Busch Series crew will be comprised of personnel who worked with McCauley last fall on Penske Racing South’s #06 Dodge that was driven by Travis Kvapil and Chad Blount. Penske Racing South’s entry in the Busch Series will carry #39, which was the number used by Newman when he raced Midgets in USAC. Sponsorship for the Dodge will be announced at a later date. In addition to the May 28 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Newman’s tentative Busch schedule includes: Chicago, July 9; Watkins Glen, Aug. 13; Michigan, Aug. 20; Bristol, Aug. 26; Richmond, Sept. 9; Dover, Sept. 24; Charlotte, Oct. 14; and Texas, Nov. 5. This is Newman’s first venture into the Busch Series since 2001 when he competed in 15 events. That season he won the August Michigan race, produced two top-five and seven top-10 finishes, earned six poles and started on the outside of the front row on four occasions.(Penske Racing)(4-26-2005)
- Greg Sack’s in the #7 GIC Chevy at Talladega, Crosby?: Greg Sacks will drive the #7 GIC entry in Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 at the Talladega Superspeedway. The event will be his first of the 2005 season. Sacks is the fourth driver in a rotation that has included Kim Crosby, Mark Green and Scott Gaylord at the wheel this season. A winner on both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series circuits, Sacks brings over 20 years of experience to the team. He has been regarded as a superb restrictor plate racer. His first victory in the Nextel Cup series came in 1985 in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. A year later he earned a Busch Series win at Talladega. “Greg has proven to be a solid driver on the bigger tracks like Daytona and Talladega,” said team owner James Whitener. “This week we are going to turn to him for assistance. We will continue to rotate drivers based on their level of experience at each track. We have been encouraged by the results we have seen so far.” Co-primary sponsorship this weekend is provided by Boudreaux’s Butt Paste and Golden Flake Snacks.(PSE-3), so much for the announcement below that Kim Crosby would be back in the car at Talladega.(4-26-2005)
- All Three Wallace’s to race at Gateway: Mike Wallace will join his brothers #64-Rusty and #22-Kenny in the NASCAR Busch Series Race at Gateway International Raceway on July 30th, 2005, driving the #6 Evernham Motorsports Dodge.(Motorsports Lounge PR)(4-26-2005)
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