April 27, 2005
- A lot of Cautions: Through the first seven races of this season, officials have issued 77 caution flags. In the previous four seasons, the most caution flags issued in the first seven races was 59 in 2003.(USA Today)(4-27-2005)
- Field of Competitors Nearly Set for Pit Crew Championship: Tyson Foods and the Crew Chief Club announce that Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Penske Racing South; Joe Gibbs Racing; Roush Racing; Evernham Motorsports; Richard Childress Racing; Robert Yates Racing; Chip Ganassi Racing; MBV Motorsports; MB2 Motosports; Petty Enterprises; Bill Davis Racing; PPI Motorsports and BAM Racing teams will participate at the National Pit Crew Championship Powered by Tyson on May 9, 2005 at Pit Instruction and Training (PIT) facility in Mooresville, North Carolina from 6:30 to 9:30pm/et. More info post on my Pit Crew News page, for a list of the pit crews and who is on them, see my 2005 Pit Crew Chart. Tickets are free, attendees are encouraged to make a monetary donation to benefit Second Harvest and The Victory Junction Gang Camp. These can be accepted at all ticket locations. To make access in and out of the event easy, special parking lots will be designated with shuttles running continually on the day of the event. The competition will be televised on the SPEED Channel on August 6, 2005 at 8:00pm/et.
Participating Teams- Cup Teams:
o #8 and #15 Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
o #2, #12 and #77 Penske Racing South
o #11, #18 and #20 Joe Gibbs Racing
o #6, #16, #17, No.97 and #99 Roush Racing
o #9 and #19 Evernham Motorsports
o #07, #29 and #31 Richard Childress Racing
o #38 and #88 Roberts Yates Racing
o #40, #41 and #42 Chip Ganassi Racing
o #10 MBV Motorsports
o #01 MB2 Motorsports
o #43 and #45 Petty Enterprises
o #22 Bill Davis Racing
o #32 PPI Motorsports
o #49 BAM Racing
Busch Teams:
o #8 Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
o #20 Joe Gibbs Racing
o #60 Roush Racing
o #2 and #21 Richard Childress Racing
o #41 Chip Ganassi Racing
o #22 PPC Racing
For more information please visit www.pitcrewchampionship.com or www.tyson.com.(4-27-2005)
- Petty to test at the Rock: #45-Kyle Petty is scheduled to test his Darlington car at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, NC on Monday, May 2nd. While the track is not holding any races, it still is open for testing and the Buck Baker Racing School still holds classes there.(4-27-2005)
- Waltrip to be inducted into Hall of Fame – Thursday – UPDATE: Three-time NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip heads the latest class of inductees into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Waltrip is joined by longtime drag racing stars Joe Amato and Bob Glidden, powerboat champion Chip Hanauer and Formula One and CART champion Nigel Mansell. Waltrip won Winston Cup titles in 1981, 1982 and 1985, driving for Junior Johnson. He also had 84 wins — tied for third all-time with former inductee Bobby Allison — 54 poles, and was named Driver of the Year three times. Amato had 54 NHRA Top Fuel wins and five division championships, both records. He also finished in the top 10 in points in each of his 19 seasons. Glidden captured 10 NHRA Pro Stock titles and another one in the IHRA. When he retired, Glidden was the NHRA’s winningest driver in any class with 85 career victories. Hanauer won seven Unlimited Hydroplane national and world titles and 61 national events, including a record 11 Gold Cup races. The five-member class will be inducted on April 28, 2005.(AP)(11-11-2004)
UPDATE: On Thursday night at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, DW plans to talk about people and memories, including 33 years ago when he walked into Talladega to run this week’s race as a rookie. DW started 25th and finished 38th in his very first Cup race on May 7, 1972. It’s ironic that 33 years later, that DW is getting inducted into the hall of fame at the track where he started my career.(see DW’s article at Allwaltrip.com)(4-27-2005) - NASCAR HOF News, Daytona and Charlotte:
CHARLOTTE: The Charlotte City Council endorsed a hotel tax hike and the use of city-owned land for a NASCAR Hall of Fame on Monday. The unanimous vote marked the latest step in the city’s fast-moving bid for the tourism prize. “After this vote we’re at Turn 1,” said Mayor Pat McCrory, a Republican. “We’ve still got a ways to go.” The tax hike, which requires approval from the state legislature, would increase the rate from 6 percent to 8 percent. That is expected to yield $65 million of the $137.5 million construction cost, and the plan already has the crucial backing of the local hotel industry. Council members took turns praising the idea and the opportunity that the hall of fame could bring. In Raleigh on Monday, organizers of Charlotte’s bid detailed their request for state money beyond the hotel tax hike. The state would contribute $10 million in cash over the next two years, plus $10 million over the next 20 years from extra tax money generated by tourists. Private companies would pay $15 million and commit as much as $5 million toward cost overruns.(Charlotte Observer)
DAYTONA For weeks, Daytona Beach’s bid to attract a NASCAR hall of fame ran into a one-man legislative roadblock. But when the Florida House met Tuesday, Daytona Beach found a way to maneuver around the roadblock and move forward with its proposal to get a $30 million state subsidy for the hall of fame. With House Finance and Taxation Chairman Fred Brummer, R-Apopka, refusing to take up the NASCAR project in his committee, lawmakers used a procedural move to sidestep him and add the proposal to another bill. That bill — which also includes a tax break related to the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach — could pass the House as soon as today and head to the Senate. Rep. Pat Patterson, a DeLand Republican who is sponsoring the NASCAR project, said lawmakers need to approve the proposal or risk losing the hall of fame to other areas that are trying to land it. Daytona Beach is seeking the $30 million over 25 years to help pay for building the hall of fame. It proposes creating a NASCAR-themed license tag and using sale proceeds to pay back the $30 million. Daytona Beach’s proposal, however, has become tangled in a broader debate about whether Florida should spend tax dollars to help build sports facilities. The projects have moved slowly through Senate committees and stalled in the House Finance and Taxation Committee because of Brummer’s opposition.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-27-2005) - Busch wins Mid-Race Leader Award: #97-Kurt Busch won the MBNA Mid-Race Leader Award last weekend by leading Saturday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Subway Fresh 500 at halfway mark. Busch earned the $10,000 prize and then collected another $5,000 by going on to win the race. The MBNA Mid-Race Leader race-win bonus will reset to $5,000 for next week’s race at Talladega Super Speedway a result of Busch’s victory. It was the second week in-a-row, and only the second time all season that the winner of the MBNA Mid-Race Leader Award went on to win the race as #16-Greg Biffle did the same at Texas, since the award hadn’t been won in 2005, Biffle pocketed an extra #35,000 as the awrd rolls over from race-to-race. I keep tabs of the winners of this and the leader on my Talladega Race Info/Rundown page. MBNA Mid-Race Leader will be eligible for $10,000 + $5,000 available bonus if they also win the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Super Speedway.(MBNA PR)(4-27-2005)
- Dale Jr. isn’t concerned about Truex bolting; Expects Mikey back in the #15 UPDATE 2: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t concerned teammate Martin Truex Jr. will be driving for any team other than DEI. Truex, who is in contract negotiations with car owner Teresa Earnhardt said at Texas rumors of him looking to go elsewhere are false. Dale Jr. said “I feel real confident he (Truex) means what he says and he wants to be with us. I don’t want Martin to feel slighted in any way or feel unhappy with it (his contract) so I told him to just take your time and it’ll get done.” Junior pointed out it took six months to get his current contract worked out. Could Truex be headed for the #15 car replacing Michael Waltrip? Dale Jr. doesn’t think so. “I like working with Michael. If Teresa and Ritchie Gilmore are happy with the way he runs this year I don’t see why we can’t have him back. It isn’t his last year I don’t think…he hasn’t announced his retirement to me. They’ve had good cars…they’ve had some accidents and stuff but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he’d win races aside from plate races. They should win every plate race they run and they should have a couple of more here and there because they’re that good a team and I think Michael can get the job done.”(PRN’s Garage Pass Radio Show/Sporting News)(4-22-2005)
UPDATE – More on DEI’s Future: Considering that the drivers who will be available after the 2006 season are far superior to those who will be available at the end of this year, it would be advantageous for DEI and NAPA, the #15’s primary sponsor, to maintain the status quo. According to Gilmore, one driver who won’t be jumping into the #15 any time soon, especially if NAPA remains on the car, is Shane Hmiel. Hmiel has close ties with DEI; the company must approve any deal for him to race with another team. Hmiel wouldn’t suit NAPA.(Sporting News)(4-26-2005)
UPDATE 2: Martin Truex says he was “flattered” by the attention he received regarding his uncertain status for next season. Dale Earnhardt Inc. has not yet signed Truex for 2006, leading to speculation he would leave the organization. His buddy, teammate and owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., spoke with Truex last week and says he’s “confident” Truex will drive DEI’s #1 Chevrolet as a Nextel Cup rookie next season.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(4-27-2005) - Gordon with the Force: Jeff Gordon will have everyone’s favorite Jedi Master, Yoda, as his co-pilot when he takes the wheel on May 1 and tries to capture his second straight win in the spring race at Talladega Superspeedway, the Aaron’s 499. In conjunction with the highly-anticipated May 19, 2005 release of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, the hood of Gordon’s #24DuPont/Pepsi Monte Carlo will feature Star Wars’ beloved Yoda brandishing a light saber above the familiar Pepsi logo. This marks the second time Gordon, a Pepsi driver, has teamed up with Star Wars. The #24 car featured a Star Wars/Pepsi paint scheme in 1999 when Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace was released. In addition to the #24 paint out, Pepsi is currently running a national promotion centered around Yoda. Pepsi drinkers and Star Wars fans have three ways to play the “Call Upon Yoda” instant-win sweepstakes — online, by phone, or by text messaging — to see if they’ve won one of ten $100,000 grand prizes. More info at www.calluponyoda.com.(Talladega Superspeedway), see an image of the car on my #24 Team Schemes page.(4-27-2005)
- Labonte to make some Demo laps at Talladega: Labonte will drive demonstration laps in the #44 Doran Labonte Racing DORAN JE4 Pontiac Grand American Rolex Series car prior to NEXTEL Cup drivers’ introductions Sunday morning at Talladega. Labonte, along with brother, Terry, IRL IndyCar Series standout Brian Herta and road-racing star Jan Magnussen finished ninth with the car in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in February. Bobby Labonte will drive the car in three more Rolex events in 2005: the Brumos Porsche 250 June 29-30 at Daytona International Speedway, the 400-kilometer event July 29-31 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., and the Watkins Glen 200 Aug. 11-12 at Watkins Glen International. Events at Daytona and Watkins Glen are in conjunction with NEXTEL Cup Series events, while the Birmingham event is during the off-week between the Pennsylvania 500 and the Brickyard 400.(JGR)(4-27-2005)
- Testing at Richmond: Two drivers will be at Richmond International Raceway testing Tuesday, April 26th, in preparation for the FUNAI 250 and Chevy American Revolution 400. Mark Martin will test his #9 Busch car and #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr. will test his Cup car. Many drivers are scheduled to test May 2-4 including: #2-Rusty Wallace, #16-Greg Biffle, #9-Kasey Kahne, #21-Ricky Rudd, #40-Sterling Marlin, #10-Scott Riggs, #42-Jamie McMurray and #43-Jeff Green. Busch Series #8-Martin Truex Jr., #60-Carl Edwards, #41-Reed Sorenson, #31-Dave Blaney, #2-Clint Bowyer and #56-Tim Sauter.(RIR)(4-25-2005)
UPDATE: NASCAR drivers Mark Martin and Bobby Hamilton Jr. recorded some extra laps with a day of testing today at Richmond International Raceway. Martin was setting up his #9 Pennzoil NASCAR Busch Series car while Hamilton Jr. turned laps in his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series #32 Tide Chevrolet. Martin turned in a best lap time of 21.45 seconds [125.874mph] on Tuesday, his first of two consecutive days of testing at Richmond International Raceway.(RIR)(4-27-2005) - Biffle To Fly In F-16: On Wednesday, #16-Greg Biffle will take a ride in an F-16 fighter jet with the 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard. The flight will take place at the Montgomery Regional Airport. “I can’t wait,” said Biffle. “I’ve talked to a couple of other drivers who have gotten the chance to fly in an F-16 and they have all said it’s like nothing else. The National Guard gave me the opportunity to drive an M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank last year and that was pretty cool. This is another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I can’t wait.” Biffle will undergo a physical examination prior to climbing into the F-16 just to make sure his body will hold up to the extreme conditions. For example, when driving his National Guard Ford into the high-banks of Daytona, Biffle will experience around three-four “G’s” (G-force is a measure of stress on a body during rapid acceleration). However, the F-16 is capable of pulling nine G’s without even trying and the effect of nine G’s on the human body is significant. As you pull more G’s, your weight increases correspondingly and thereby, your 10 pound head will weigh 90 pounds when you reach nine G’s. The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation’s longest enduring institutions. The National Guard operates in all 50 states, three territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit the National Guard website at www.1-800-GO-GUARD.com.(Roush Racing)(4-27-2005)
- Hamilton Jr. has troubles in Nashville UPDATE: #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr. hurried home from Saturday night’s Nextel Cup race in Phoenix to compete at Music City Motorplex[see image of Hamilton’s car there] yesterday afternoon, but made an early exit with a badly-rumpled car and equally-ruffled feathers. Hamilton and Mark Day crashed while jockeying for second place just 10 laps into the debut of the track’s new All American Late Model Challenge Series. The front of Hamilton’s car was crushed and he said he had no control of his steering when he came down pit road and smacked into Day’s parked car. ”This is why Mark Day is where he’s at now,” said Hamilton, who is in his first full season in NASCAR’s Nextel Cup Series. ”Someday when he’s sitting around explaining to his kids why he never got anywhere in racing, he can tell them (stuff) like this is why.” Hamilton had planned to run four of the remaining five Challenge Series races, but after yesterday’s incident he said: ”I won’t be back. If they can’t control their competitors any better than this, I don’t want any part of it. I come in here on my day off to race and help the track get a little publicity, and something like this happens.” Hamilton claimed the incident was a carryover from a highly-publicized rift between Day and former Fairgrounds driver Deborah Renshaw. Renshaw quit racing at the track because of the controversy and now drives in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Bobby Hamilton Sr. ”Day ran off Deborah because he couldn’t beat her,” Hamilton said, ”and now he pulls something like this.” The senior Hamilton, who was watching the race from track-side, said: ”Day just put him in the wall.” Day, a veteran racer from Clarksville [TN], was asked to give his version of the incident but declined comment.(in part from the Tennessean)(4-25-2005)
UPDATE – could face charges? Hamilton, Jr.’s first appearance at the famed Nashville Fairgrounds track (now called Music City Motorplex) in years ended with fist flying and police cars cruising the pits. And the incident could lead to Hamilton, Jr. facing an arrest warrant. The incident that got the fracas started began 10 laps into the All-American Late Model Series Challenge when Hamilton and Mark Day’s cars touched on the back straight, shortly before entering turn three. The incident sent Hamilton’s car into the outside wall, severely damaging the front end. With hampered steering, Hamilton limped his car around the track for more than a lap. His crew later said that he was unable to turn the car into the pits, so he was forced to stay on the track. According to Hamilton, he finally regained enough control to navigate onto pit road, where he made contact with Day’s car, which was pitted behind Hamilton’s stall. One of Day’s crewmembers, William Scogin, who was checking the left front of Day’s car, was slammed into the pit wall by Day’s car when Hamilton’s car hit it. A brawl immediately ensued, with both crews going after each other. The antics caused a red flag that parked the remaining field on the back straightaway until track officials could gain control of the situation. Scogin, who met with Metro Nashville Police at the track, told MTRN that he was considering swearing out a warrant on Hamilton, Jr. for vehicular assault. Day said that he was surprised by Hamilton’s actions after the incident. Day insisted that the on track incident was a racing accident. Hamilton, who started fourth, was racing Day for second at the time of the crash. Hamilton’s crew later claimed that the damage to Hamilton’s car caused the pit road crash and that Hamilton didn’t intend to hit Day’s car.(Middle Tennessee Racing News)(4-26-2005)
UPDATE 2: Nextel Cup driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. and local driver Mark Day have each been fined $1,000 and they and their crew chiefs have been suspended from racing at Music City Motorplex after an incident on Sunday. The two were involved in an accident in turn four. Day drove to the pit area. Hamilton’s car, which received front-end suspension and steering damage, struck Day’s car when entering his assigned pit box directly in front of Day’s pit. Crews from each team scuffled but were quickly subdued by officials. Hamilton blamed Day, who would not comment after the race. ”Firm action is required to prevent these types of situations from continuing,” track president Joe Mattioli said. ”Competitive racing is one thing, but we cannot and will not allow this type of behavior.”(Tennessean)(4-27-2005)
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