April 28, 2006
- Fifth Annual Dale Earnhardt Day Celebration April 29th: Organizers at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. have confirmed that celebrations honoring the life and legacy of Dale Earnhardt will take place at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., on Saturday, April 29, 2006 from 9:00am – 4:00pm. Dale Earnhardt will be honored and inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on April 27 in Talladega, Ala. The Busch Series race will be held on Dale’s birthday, April 29th. In honor of both events, this year’s theme will highlight Dale’s incredible track record at Talladega International Speedway. Dale Earnhardt is the winningest driver at Talladega with 10 trips to Victory Lane during his illustrious career. His 76th, and final, victory occurred at the 2.66-mile superspeedway on October 15, 2000 when he roared from 17th to first in the final laps.
Fans attending the Dale Earnhardt Day festivities at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. on Saturday, April 29 are in for a special day. Aside from all the functions and activities that surround the birthday of our co-founder and seven-time NASCAR champion, they will also get to hear from a major network news anchor. Brian Williams, lead anchor of NBC Nightly News, will be the Grand Marshall. A fan of NASCAR and friend of Dale Earnhardt, Williams will preside over the 3:00pm/et ceremony to officially mark Dale’s birthday. He will share stories of his relationship with Dale and assist the Dale Earnhardt Foundation in recognizing achievements from the past year. He will join Teresa Earnhardt, President and CEO of DEI, at the 3:00pm/et. ceremony, as well. They will sign a special Dale Earnhardt Day flag which will be auctioned during the day. Later in the afternoon, Williams will be honored during a VIP guest reception. And, just like last year, there will be some autographed sheet metal and other exclusive items up for auction throughout the day. The first silent auction is from 9:00am – 12:00pm/et and the second one will run from 1:00 – 3:00pm/et. The main silent auction will begin at 9:00pm/et and end at 3:00pm/et featuring 10 items of very exclusive nature. For more information of times and events, activities, places to stay and things to do while in town for Dale Earnhardt Day, check out www.DaleEarnhardtInc.com under the Legacy Section..(4-24/28-2006) - #09 Now a Ford: it was noted on the Talladega Qualifying Order that the #09 Miccosukee Resort Dodge was changed to the Miccosukee Resort Ford, no word if this is permanent or just for Talladega. Speed Channel Happy Hour practice reported the #09 Ford Taurus was purchased from RYR and has a leased Roush-Yates engine.(4-28-2006)
- Final TV ratings down for Phoenix: Final Nielsen Media Research ratings for last Saturday night’s Subway Fresh 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway were down 5.8 percent from last year’s race, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Daily reports. This year’s race earned a 4.8 rating and a 9 market share, down from 5.1/10 last year, but it was still the weekend’s highest rated sports event.(SceneDaily.com), see my TV Ratings page for the 206 Ratings Chart.(4-28-2006)
- Talladega Tire Notes: This is the first time Goodyear has brought this combination of left- and right-side tires to the track . . . both Nextel Cup and Busch Series teams will run the same tire set-up this weekend . . . while this combination is part of the superspeedway group for 2006, Talladega is the only track at which teams will run these codes . . . this set-up is slightly different than the one run at NASCAR’s other restrictor plate track at Daytona . . . as on all ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Talladega . . . the inflation of the inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire. Estimated Pit Window: Every 34-36 laps, based on fuel mileage.(Goodyear PR), see more on my Talladega Race Info/Rundown Page.(4-28-2006)
- Rookie News and Notes: Clint Bowyer was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the April 22 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Bowyer finished fifth, his first top-five in nine career NEXTEL Cup Series starts. He led for the first time in his NEXTEL Cup Series career, holding the top spot three times for 21 laps. Bowyer took top rookie honors for the second time this season. Bowyer qualified eighth at Phoenix, the best qualifying effort of his NEXTEL Cup career. Bowyer took the lead in the Raybestos Rookie standings over Denny Hamlin at Phoenix. He enjoys an eight-point lead (85-77) over Hamlin entering the April 30 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, The Subway Fresh 500 is the second consecutive race where TWO or more Raybestos Rookies led at least one lap: Bowyer and J.J. Yeley, who led once for one lap. The 2002 Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway is most recent NEXTEL Cup Series race where TWO Raybestos Rookies finished inside the top five. Jimmie Johnson finished fourth ahead of Ryan Newman, who placed fifth. The late Davey Allison is the only Raybestos Rookie to win the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. He won the 1987 event by .78 second over Terry Labonte. Allison also led the most laps in the race, holding the top spot six times for 108 of the 178 laps (the event was shortened by 10 laps due to darkness). Allison remains the only Raybestos Rookie to lead the most laps in the Aaron’s 499 and holds the record for most laps led by a rookie in the spring race at Talladega. Since Allison’s win in 1987, a Raybestos Rookie has finished in the top-five in the Aaron’s 499 just twice: Tony Stewart (fifth in 1999) and Kurt Busch (third in 2001). Only one Raybestos Rookie has won the pole position in 35 previous Aaron’s 499 races at Talladega Superspeedway: Jimmie Johnson (2002).(Raybestos PR), for many more notes, standings and more, see my Rookie Page.(4-28-2006)
- #61 gets Talladega sponsor: Front Row Motorsports announced that State Water Heaters will be the Primary Sponsor on the #61 Ford for the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. State has an impressive heritage and market leading products.State Industries was founded in 1946, as a small entrepreneurial company in Nashville, TN. In the years that followed, State expanded and became a leader in the water heating industry, through steadfast commitments to providing water heater solutions for years of dependable service.(Front Row Motorsports PR)(4-28-2006)
- Penske News: #2 crew chief back; Window Net problem looked at: #2-Kurt Busch crew chief Roy McCauley was back on the job at Penske Racing South early Monday after missing the race weekend at Phoenix. McCauley missed the Nextel Cup race after undergoing a minor heart procedure during the week. He is already at Talladega Superspeedway with his NASCAR team for this weekend’s Aaron’s 499. “I told them that I’d take it easy over the weekend last week, and I did just that,” McCauley said. “But I also told them that at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, we were going back to my normal schedule.”(SceneDaily.com)
AND: Penske Racing South crew members are intent on making sure that a window net problem never costs one of their drivers points again. At Phoenix, #2-Kurt Busch’s window net came loose, and he lost laps pitting to fix it. NASCAR requires window nets be secure anytime a driver is on the track.(SceneDaily.com)(4-28-2006) - #74 appeals NASCAR fine and penalties UPDATE: #74-McGlynn Racing announced today that the have formally requested a hearing with the National Stock Car Racing Commission for the [25 point] penalties issued to owner, Raynard McGlynn, driver Derrike Cope as well as the $50,000 fine issued to crew chief, Domenic Turse.(McGlynn Racing PR)(4-23-2006)
UPDATE: Derrike Cope says McGlynn Motorsports’ appeal of a $50,000 fine and 25 points for an illegal intake manifold at Texas is scheduled for next Tuesday. Cope, the driver of the team’s #74 Dodge in the Nextel Cup Series, said the team was using a new intake manifold, and when a NASCAR official saw them putting it on the car, they were told it was probably illegal. The car never actually went through inspection with the illegal manifold. “We’re going to go through the appeal … and see if there is some type of situation that could reduce the fine,” Cope said. The team sat out the Phoenix race and will sit out the Talladega race with hopes of returning at Richmond.(SceneDaily.com)(4-28-2006) - NCMA Appoints Andy Papathanassiou Executive Director: The board of the North Carolina Motorsports Association (NCMA) today named Andy Papathanassiou as the executive director of the organization. He will also serve as the executive director of the North Carolina Motorsports Foundation, the educational and charitable arm of the industry in the state. The NCMA is the voice of the motorsports’ industry in North Carolina representing businesses in the state that support more than 26,000 jobs. In addition to his role with NCMA, Papathanassiou began his career in the motorsports’ industry in 1992. As a crew member and pit-crew coach, he won four championships (1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001) with the #24 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team of driver Jeff Gordon before assuming his current role in which he oversees crew training and employee development. Papathanassiou will continue the work of retiring NCMA and NCMF executive director Ed McLean. For information on the NCMA go to ncmotorsportsassociation.org.(4-28-2006)
- JR Motorsports to Add Second Team: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports Busch Series team plans to expand to a two-car effort later this season, with Shane Huffman driving in five or six races as a teammate to Mark McFarland. JR Motorsports hopes to expand to a two-car team full time in 2007. Huffman drives for JR Motorsports in the Hooters Pro Cup series, standing second in the Southern Division points standings.(NASCAR Scene)(4-28-2006)
- CarFax to Sponsor Michigan Busch Race: Carfax and Michigan International Speedway (MIS) announced today that Carfax will be the title sponsor of the August 19 “Carfax 250” NASCAR Busch Series race at MIS. As the first NASCAR sponsorship of any kind for Carfax, the company is looking to make a lasting impression on the millions of racing fans around the country.(BusinessWire.com)(4-28-2006)
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