April 27, 2006
- Toyota looking at Rudd? Ricky Rudd confirmed Wednesday that Toyota is courting him. He’s honored, but to date has politely declined. This retirement thing ain’t so bad. “I’ve had a few conversations with different folks, and that’s one group,” Rudd said. “It’s a two-way conversation. I’m not ready to come back right now, but there has been conversation. They’ve got to move on with their program, and their timeline and mine are not the same. I wanted to take a year off.” That’s not to say he’s ruled it out completely, however. Rudd has pinpointed a September commitment time regarding his racing future. Might he come back? “I enjoy race day a lot, but not the grind of the schedule,” Rudd said. “I’m liable to get bored and restless, though, but haven’t yet.”(NASCAR.com)(4-27-2006)
- 4th RCR team,,,with Mears? denied: RCR team sources tell [Marty Smith – NASCAR.com] the organization would like to add a fourth team with [Casey] Mears [current driver of Ganassi’s #42 Dodge] as driver, but RCR spokesman David Hart discounted the speculation Wednesday. “No decisions have been made to add a fourth team with Casey Mears or any other driver,” Hart said.(NASCAR.com)(4-27-2006)
- Manufacturers title up for grabs: While NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers battle each other on the track and in the series standings, the automotive manufacturers they represent are locked in a season-long title hunt all their own. Three manufacturers – Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford – vie each year for the Manufacturers’ Championship, and those standings are tightly locked through eight of 36 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup events. Heading into Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet leads with 56 points and four wins. Dodge is second with 49 points and three wins. Ford is third with 47 points and one win. While second-place Dodge trails Chevrolet by only five points, the margin is even tighter between Dodge and Ford – only two points prevent a tie for second place [highest gets 9 points, then next 6, then 4, next year with Toyota, 4th place gets 3]. Dodge has held the runner-up spot for the last four races. Dodge seeks its first Talladega win since August 1976, when Dave Marcis won the Talladega 500.(NASCAR PR), see my Manufacturers Championship page for the standings, which drive was highest at each race, which driver have scored the most points, manufacturers all time wins, and more.(4-27-2006)
- #61 Team Sold? UPDATE: hearing that #61 team owner, Jeff Stec has sold the #61 Peak Fitness Motorsports team that Kevin Lepage drivers for the Furniture Row Motorsports, the team that #78-Kenny Wallace drives for. Unclear if it will become a two-car team or merged into the current one car operation. The #61 runs Fords while the #78 runs Chevy’s.
UPDATE: looks like my sources were a little confused as to what team, it is Front Row Motorsports [not Furniture Row Motorsports]…….Front Row Motor Sports owner Bob Jenkins, and Jeff Stec have formed a limited partnership to campaign the #61 Ford Fusion for the remainder of the 2006 NASCAR season. Greg Conner and the balance of the #61 team members will be integrated into the Front Row Motorsports organization beginning this week with the running of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. Kevin Lepage will continue to drive the #61 car. “The #61 team has gotten off to a good start this year by making 6 of the first 8 races. By combining resources and sharing knowledge, we are confident that we can improve each of our teams,” states Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins. “We are looking to upgrade both our qualifying and race day efforts. We are excited about the opportunities this presents our team and the advantages we can gain by working together.”(Front Row Motorsports PR)(4-27-2006) - Sunoco wins Pocono award: Sunoco, Inc. one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of petroleum and petrochemical products has been named the 2006 recipient of Pocono Raceway’s Bill France Award of Excellence. The Pocono Raceway Bill France Award of Excellence has been presented annually to the person, corporation or organization that has made outstanding contributions to the sport of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Racing. This prestigious award, first presented in 1977, is dedicated to the inspiration of Bill France Sr., founder of NASCAR. Sunoco, the world’s largest manufacturer of premium racing gasoline, became the “Official Fuel of NASCAR” in 2004. Under a 10 year agreement, Sunoco provides racing gasoline for NASCAR’s three national series – the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well as NASCAR’s Dodge Weekly Series. With over 4,800 retail locations, Sunoco provides NASCAR with the opportunity for numerous marketing and cross-promotions. Sunoco’s product quality and proven distribution network combined with the rich Sunoco racing heritage “made the grade” when NASCAR selected Sunoco as the fuel of choice. Sunoco is the best in class in the race fuel industry. Even before their sponsorship agreement with NASCAR, Sunoco distributed racing gasoline to more than 400 racetracks and over 40 other race sanctioning associations in the United States. “Because NASCAR literally runs on fuel, Sunoco has become a vital partner in NASCAR’s recent success,” stated Pocono Raceway C.E.O Dr. Joseph Mattioli. “We are proud to announce that Sunoco, a Pennsylvania corporation, has been named the recipient of Pocono Raceway’s 2006 Bill France Award of Excellence,” concluded Dr. Mattioli. “On behalf of Sunoco employees, dealers and distributors, I am pleased to accept this prestigious award,” stated Bob Owens, Sunoco’s Senior Vice President. “We are all honored to be recognized by our home state’s premier track. As you know, our involvement in NASCAR has been a source of great pride for the whole Sunoco team.” The Pocono Raceway Bill France Award of Excellence, a beautifully sculptured and highly polished piece of anthracite coal mined in Pennsylvania, will be presented to Sunoco at an award ceremony on Saturday, June 10, 2006. This ceremony is part of the festivities leading up to the June 11, 2006 Pocono 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway.(Pocono Raceway PR)(4-27-2006)
- Earnhardt, Gant, Guthrie, Roush and Wheeler to be inducted in IMHOF UPDATE 2 TV: While most everyone expected Dale Earnhardt to be among the five individuals that will be honored next April with induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, very few would have anticipated the overall strength of the Class of 2006 being what it is. “This is one heck of a class for 2006,” declared IMHOF Executive Director Jim Freeman. “We are pleased to announce that we will induct Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant, Janet Guthrie, Jack Roush and Humpy Wheeler next April 27th.” Earnhardt, of course, is the seven-time Winston Cup champion and Gant is one of the all-time greats in both Cup and Busch racing. Guthrie is the first female to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Roush’s race teams have won titles in drag racing, sports cars, Craftsman trucks, Busch Series and Nextel Cup Series. Wheeler is the long-time innovative promoter at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte. While the quintet has a definite NASCAR flavor, three of the future inductees also have made names for themselves outside of the stock car world. Guthrie, and Wheeler have been involved in sports cars and Indy cars during their careers, while Roush has been successful in several different racing series.
Tickets will go on sale on November 7th for the 16th annual induction ceremony that will take place on the Thursday evening of the first race weekend of 2006 at Talladega. The induction will be held in the Speed Channel Dome at the Hall of Fame. In addition to the five inductees, the 2005 Driver of the Year will also be honored that evening.(IMHOF PR)(11-3-2005/4-24-2006)
UPDATE SPEED will air a one-hour special from the 16th Annual International Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on May 1 at 10:00pm/et from the SPEED Dome in Talladega. This year’s inductees include Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant, Janet Guthrie, Jack Roush and Humpy Wheeler. The special will re-air at May 6 at 1:00pm/et.(Speed Channel)(4-25-2006)
UPDATE 2: hearing Darrell Waltrip will be inducting Janet Guthrie, no word on the others.(4-27-2006) - Almirola to Make Busch Debut: Aric Almirola will make his Busch Series debut by trying to qualify Joe Gibbs Racing’s #19 Chevy for the May 5 Circuit City 250 at Richmond, according to JGR officials.(NASCAR Scene)(4-27-2006)
- Kauffman Cuts Back on Schedule: Armando Fitz, co-owner of FitzBradshaw Racing, and Joel Kauffman, driver of the #12 Dodge Charger for FitzBradshaw Racing, together came to a mutual decision today to limit the number of races that Kauffman will participate in for the 2006 season. Kauffman and Fitz will select a number of races where they feel Kauffman will benefit the most from running. Tentatively, Kauffman is scheduled to run again on May 5 in the Circuit City 250 at Richmond.(FBR PR)(4-27-2006)
- Aric Almirola will make Busch Series debut: Aric Almirola will try to qualify Joe Gibbs Racing’s #19 Chevy for the May 5 Circuit City 250 at Richmond International Raceway, according to JGR officials. Almirola, a JGR developmental driver, is 20th in the Truck Series point standings driving the #75 Spears Motorsports Chevrolet. He tested a Busch Series car at Richmond during the open session in March. Almirola has driven for JGR since 2004 as part of the Joe Gibbs Racing/Reggie White Drive for Diversity program.(scenedaily.com)(4-27-2006)
- Stout to run Gateway: The only Truck Series team headquartered in the Northeast will debut their #91 Chevy this weekend at Gateway International Raceway. JC Stout will join the field of trucks at Gateway International Raceway this Saturday April 29th carrying the Hunter’s Hope Foundation logo on the hood and the Alyssa’s Army decal on the rear spoiler(jcstout.com)(4-27-2006)
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