May 2, 2007
- Congrats: Andrea Pemberton, wife of Ginn Racing #01 crew chief Ryan Pemberton, gave birth Tuesday (May 1) to daughter Britton Ladera at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center in Mooresville, N.C. Britton weighed in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Britton joins 3-year-old sister Payton Lucia in the Pemberton household.(Ginn Racing PR)(5-2-2007)
- McCumbee, Andretti named to Drive #45 Dodge: Petty Enterprises announced that Chad McCumbee and John Andretti will drive the #45 Marathon/Wells Fargo/Tire Kingdom Dodge this summer. The duo will be filling the seat of full time driver Kyle Petty. Petty, with permission from primary and associate sponsors will step out of the car in a five race hiatus to join TNT during their six-race broadcast schedule. Petty will return to the car during the road course event at the Infineon Raceway and provide in-car race analysis. Petty will complete the season after the July 15 event at the Chicagoland Speedway in the #45 Marathon/Wells Fargo/Tire Kingdom Dodge. McCumbee, 22, will attempt to make his Nextel Cup debut at Pocono Raceway on June 10 during the Pocono 500. Veteran driver John Andretti will race the remaining four open races for Petty. McCumbee, currently in his second year in the Craftsman Truck Series, will have plenty of seat time before heading into Pocono. McCumbee will be assigned to various testing duties for Petty Enterprises including testing next week at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. McCumbee continues his duties for Green Light Racing.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing)(5-2-2007)
- Harvick, McMurray fined for on track altercation after Talladega race: NASCAR announced today that Kevin Harvick, driver of the #29 Chevrolet and Jamie McMurray, driver of the #26 Ford, have been fined $25,000 each and placed on probation until Oct. 3, 2007 for being involved in an altercation with each other’s cars during this past Sunday’s Nextel Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. The altercation occurred during the final caution period that came on the white-flag lap. Both drivers were found to be in violation of Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing – involved in an altercation with another competitor’s car during a caution period) of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series rule book.(NASCAR PR)(5-2-2007)
- Pedigree on te #88 at RIR; Buddy Parrott to spot: This weekend the #88 team and driver Ricky Rudd will be running the bright yellow Pedigree Brand Food for Dogs Ford Fusion instead of their normal Snickers Ford. Legendary Crew Chief Buddy Parrott will be spotting for the #88 team this weekend in Richmond. Parrott replaces Jon Wolfe who is now serving as Car Chief for the #88 Pedigree Ford. Also on Thursday, May 3rd, Rudd and his family will attend Virginia’s Royal Welcome event commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. The event will take place at the Capitol Square in downtown Richmond and her majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be the guest of honor. Rudd was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame last weekend and was named Virginian of the Year in 2006. (Snickers Racing PR)(5-2-2007)
- Long John Silver’s/A&W to sponsor Lepage and the #37 team: Long John Silver’s/A&W will be the primary sponsor of the #37 Front Row Motorsports entry driven by Kevin Lepage at Richmond International Raceway, for the Crown Royal presents the Jim Stewart 400. “I look forward to driving the Long John Silver’s/A&W car at Richmond,” commented driver Kevin Lepage. “We had a real good test in Richmond about a month ago and I’m excited about the opportunity for my 200th career Nextel Cup start.” Long John Silver’s is the world’s most popular quick-service seafood chain with more than 1,200 restaurants worldwide. In May, 2002, Long John Silver’s was acquired by Yum! Brands, Inc., joining a family of restaurants that number more than 33,000 units in more than 100 countries and territories. Long John Silver’s along with Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and A&W Restaurants make Yum! Brands, Inc., the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system units. For more information about Long John Silver’s/A&W please visit www.ljsilvers.com or www.awrestaurants.com.(FRM PR)(5-2-2007)
- Teams testing at New Smyrna: two Nextel Cup teams testing ay New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. Joe Gibbs Racing arrived at the half-mile track Tuesday with two haulers, three [COT] Nextel Cup Chevy, three drivers (including Tony Stewart) and more than a dozen mechanics. Bill Davis Racing was represented by its #36 Toyota, with Jeremy Mayfield at the wheel, and the #5 Tundra truck raced by Mike Skinner. All the stock cars were of the Car of Tomorrow variety. It’s the first time in recent memory that NASCAR Cup teams have tested at New Smyrna, which is sanctioned by FASCAR. The two sanctioning bodies have no connection. Skinner’s team had booked the track and the others piggy-backed their way into the facility. Today’s session is closed to the public. Aric Almirola was behind the wheel of the #18, normally driven by J.J. Yeley. Mike McLaughlin was assisting Stewart with a pair of #20 Chevys. Gibbs Racing was going to test at a short track in Georgia, but decided to try New Smyrna at the last minute. Joining in the test session was Jamie Skinner, Mike’s son, who was driving a FASCAR Late Model. At one point during the afternoon a truck, Cup car and Late Model were on the course at the same time. Mayfield has struggled this season in his new Toyota ride. Without owner’s points from last season, he has failed to make six grids through nine Cup events. He hopes this test session helps him conquer the next Cup race, scheduled Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. “This is the first time I’ve been around here in a racecar,” Mayfield said. “It’s a neat little track. I think we’ve picked up some information.” Gibbs Racing plans to return here for more testing in the fall.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(5-2-2007)
- Teams after Biffle for 2008 UPDATE: By disclosing that Roush Fenway Racing is re-negotiating its contract with #16-Greg Biffle, team president Geoff Smith may have indirectly increased the driver’s value. Biffle told ESPN.com Friday that Smith’s comment has produced intrigue in the Nextel Cup garage regarding the driver’s contract status. He is an elite driving talent. Teams are calling. “The biggest thing that’s been a bit of a deterrent for me is that Geoff Smith put in the paper that we’re negotiating — Roush and Greg Biffle — an extension,” Biffle said. “And in my eyes there was no reason for that. I’m under contract.” Biffle is under contract with Roush Fenway through the end of the 2008 season. But when the sponsor of the #16 Ford, AmeriQuest, told Roush it would like to terminate its contract at the end of the year, and that Roush should seek alternative sponsorship, it created a bit of an issue for the team. Biffle described the difficulty in getting a three-year sponsor commitment based on a driver that has just one year left on his deal as all but impossible. Roush Fenway Racing wants to lock Biffle up to a longer-term contract, to ensure potential sponsors he’ll be there for the duration of the relationship. Biffle said that lead executives from some other teams to believe his contract was up at the end of the current season, rather than next year’s. “So now I’ve got all these teams that are looking to add a team or a driver calling me,” Biffle said. “Not every team, but there’s been a few because of that quote.” Biffle said he wants to remain at Roush Fenway, and echoed Smith’s sentiment that the team has its pick of potential sponsors.(ESPN.com)(4-29-2007)
UPDATE: Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith said Sunday that rumors that #16-Greg Biffle’s name would come up with Silly Season couldn’t be avoided, given that the team is simultaneously trying to sign a new sponsor to replace Ameriquest and at the same time sign Biffle beyond the end of 2008, when his current deal expires. The situation is a classic catch-22: Potential sponsors want drivers signed to long-term deals before they’ll commit, and drivers want to know a sponsor is in place to pay the bills before they sign on for another tour of duty. “When you go out in public to request a sponsor, you have to tell the sponsor how long the term is,” Smith said. “And so it was inevitable, always inevitable, that the moment the word got out in any fashion that we were looking for a three-year deal for a sponsor, that it would trigger the questions back to the driver. The fact that it made it a little bit awkward for Greg … it just puts him back into the marketplace again. There wasn’t anything I could do about that. It was inevitable. You just have to go say what is and move through it as fast as you can.” Smith said he was optimistic about keeping Biffle in the Roush fold, though he was unsure if the deal would get done this year or next. “Whether or not the contract is extended is Greg’s decision, and he’ll let us know,” Smith said. “If he wants to sit for another year, or wants to do it now … we can have a sponsorship now without any issue. When Greg gets done reviewing the deal, we’ll see.”(Ford Racing)(5-2-2007) - Tracy Hines Injured in Off-Road Accident: Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) driver Tracy Hines was injured in an accident on the evening of Monday, April 30 on his Indiana property. Hines crashed while riding his off-road motorcycle and was transported via helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis where he underwent surgery to repair a fractured pelvis, fractured left femur and a dislocated right knee. On Tuesday afternoon he was listed in stable condition. Hines drives the #21 TSR/Chevy entry in the USAC National Midget and Sprint Car Series and the #22 TSR/Chevrolet machine in the USAC Dirt Silver Crown Series.(GM Racing PR)(5-2-2007)
- Hinder Remakes Rock Classic “Born To Be Wild” for TNT’s 2007 NASCAR Coverage: Turner Network Television announced that they have teamed with multi-platinum rockers Hinder to remake Steppenwolf’s classic hit single “Born to be Wild” as the network’s beat-driven anthem to promote its 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series coverage. The song will serve as the primary musical bed for all six of TNT’s races, as well as for the network’s multiplatform marketing campaign surrounding its exclusive race coverage. To accompany Hinder’s cover of the rock-and-roll classic, the network is also producing a full-length music video of the song for the band that will debut exclusively on NASCAR.COM on June 6.(TNT PR)(5-2-2007)
- Marlin Plans Civil War Pit Stop on His Way to Richmond: Sterling Marlin plans to make a pit stop on his way to Richmond for Saturday night’s Nextel Cup event. A known Civil War buff, Marlin will use this weekend’s Jim Stewart 400 as an excuse to make a side trip to Cold Harbor, one of the many parts of Richmond National Battlefield. Cold Harbor was the site of a Civil War battle from May 31-June 12, 1864. Marlin, who has always had a fascination with the Civil War, began collecting artifacts from that time period years ago.(Ginn Racing PR)(5-2-2007)
- Testing at Nashville: DEI Driver #15-Paul Menard and #55-Derrike Cope/Michael Waltrip tested the car of tomorrow (COT) at Nashville Superspeedway on Tuesday.(Nashville Superspeedway PR)(5-2-2007)
- ITT Night Vision Joins Morgan-McClure Motorsports in Tribute to Virginia Tech: Morgan-McClure Motorsports President Larry McClure announced today that ITT Night Vision, a Roanoke, Va. based company, is joining State Water Heaters on the #4 Chevy Impala driven by Ward Burton. A special scheme will be run this weekend at Richmond International Raceway that will include a large VT hood decal in tribute to nearby Virginia Tech. (Morgan-McClure Motorsports PR)(5-2-2007)
- Subway and KFC Showing Most Interest in Series Sponsorship: UPDATE: KFC Bows Out: NASCAR is talking to at least five companies about replacing Anheuser-Busch as title sponsor of its No.2 series, with Subway and KFC showing the most interest. A-B has spent 25 years as title sponsor of the Busch Series, but is refocusing its overall NASCAR marketing. Its Budweiser brand is “the official beer of NASCAR,” and is the primary sponsor of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Samsung was originally thought to be in the running to replace A-B, but company officials said last week in Texas they weren’t interested. Wal-Mart also is believed to be in discussions with NASCAR. (AlabamaLive.com)(4-30-2007)
MORE: Sources also told [Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal] that Dish Network could emerge as a candidate, though NASCAR’s partnership with DirecTV seems to make that difficult. DirecTV broadcasts “HotPass” during the race and is the sanctioning body’s official TV partner.(SceneDaily.com)(4-30-2007)
UPDATE: Louisville-based KFC Corp. was recently in talks with NASCAR about becoming the title sponsor of what is now the Busch Series, but spokeswoman Laurie Schalow said the company dropped out of the race yesterday. Schalow called NASCAR a “great fit” for the fast-food chain, but she said the title sponsorship didn’t line up with the brand’s spending priorities for the next couple of years.(Louisville Courier-Journal)(5-2-2007) - Circuit City on Hamlin’s Chevy at Richmond: Friday night under the lights in front of the home folks with Z-Line Designs on his #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy and the Busch Series race’s title sponsor – Circuit City – on the hood: It just doesn’t get any better for Denny Hamlin this weekend at Richmond. Hamlin will be carrying the red and black colors of first-year NASCAR sponsor Z-Line Designs for the very first time and hopes to score his third career Busch Series victory before all is said and done.(True Speed/Joe Gibbs PR)(5-2-2007)
- Larger Than Life Sponsoring Keselowski at Richmond: Larger Than Life, Inc. will be the primary sponsor of the #23 Chevy for the Circuit City 250 at the Richmond. Larger Than Life, Inc. provides various large format printing solutions for companies across the United States. Larger Than Life, Inc. is a digital printing company that provides race teams with the latest in graphic technology and materials.(Keith Coleman Racing PR)(5-2-2007)
- Wolfe Penalized by NASCAR: Paul Wolfe, crew chief of the #22 Dodge driven by Mike Bliss in the Busch Series, has been fined due to rule violations this past weekend at Talladega. Wolfe was fined $1,000 for violating Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing), 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used that do not conform to NASCAR rules) and 20A-13B (steering idler arm must be solid) of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Rule Book. The infraction was found during opening day inspection on April 26.(NASCAR PR)(5-2-2007)
- Skinner tests at New Smyrna: Teams are always looking for the upper hand, which explains why a pair of NASCAR teams showed up for a two-day test at New Smyrna Speedway. Bill Davis Racing was represented by its #36-Cup [COT] Toyota, with Jeremy Mayfield at the wheel, and the #5-Tundra truck raced by Mike Skinner. Skinner said the new blacktop surface makes New Smyrna Speedway an ideal testing facility. Also on hand, Joe Gibbs Racing; they arrived at the half-mile track Tuesday with two haulers, three Nextel Cup Chevys, three drivers (including Tony Stewart) and more than a dozen mechanics.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(5-2-2007)
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