May 3, 2008
- Labonte supposedly agrees to contract extension with Petty’s:Bobby Labonte has reached an agreement to remain in the #43 car at Petty Enterprises after this season, sources told ESPN.com on Saturday. Labonte has been widely speculated as a candidate to drive the fourth car at Richard Childress Racing, but Petty officials have remained adamant that he will spend the rest of his career with the organization and that he is determined to be the driver that puts the 43 back into Victory lane. David Hovis, a spokesman for Petty Enterprises, said the team had nothing to announce Saturday about Labonte’s future. “We still remain 100% convinced that Bobby will be with Petty Enterprises next season,” Hovis said. Sources said Labonte’s new deal will be announced as soon as details concerning a new sponsor are worked out. General Mills, Labonte’s current sponsor, will be on the fourth car at RCR next season.
Robbie Loomis, the vice president for racing operations at Petty, has been the most outspoken on Labonte’s commitment to Petty Enterprises. He remained that way on Saturday. “As far as I know Bobby Labonte will be with us for a long time,” he said before the Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. “I feel confident where we’re at with Petty Enterprises and with Bobby. In due time Petty Enterprises will have a lot of announcements coming forward.” One is that a Petty has finalized a deal with New York-based Medallion Financial as a business partner. Loomis said that could come within the next month to six weeks. The other concerns Labonte’s new sponsor. General Mills, Labonte’s current sponsor, will be on the fourth car at RCR next season. Loomis said negotiations for a new sponsor are going well, noting Labonte’s “brand is clean like the Petty’s.”(ESPN.com), one rumored sponsor for the #43 team has been Caterpillar, whose deal with Bill Davis Racing and the #22 Toyota runs out at the end of 2008.(5-3-2008) - Edwards re-signs with Roush UPDATE 2: Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing has signed a multi-year stay with the team on Thursday. His old contract was thru the end of 2008.(PRN’s Garage Pass)
UPDATE: Carl Edwards said Friday he signed a multiple-year contract extension to continue driving the #99 Ford, a decision that takes NASCAR’s most sought-after free agent off the market. “I’m staying with Roush,” Edwards said. “I looked at everything and I talked to everybody and, for me, the number one thing is looking into the future and saying, ‘Where can I win the most races and have the most success?’ I just feel like for me, personally, this is where I want to be for the near future.” He negotiated the contract himself with Geoff Smith, president of Roush. “It took us about a week and a half of going back and forth with just little things and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world for the contract I got,” he said. “If I was dealing with someone that I didn’t trust or that I felt like I couldn’t just kind of air everything out with, then I’d probably have to have an agent, but dealing with Geoff from day one has been very easy at Roush for me, so it was really pretty simple. Besides, I feel like I know what I need more than anyone else. I know what I want to make me happy and this is cool.” It’s not clear if sponsor Office Depot will remain on the car. A spokeswoman for the company said only they are continuing their negotiations with Roush.(ESPN.com/AP)(5-2-2008)
UPDATE 2: Roush said he was battling two rival car owners for Edwards’ services. One of the men in the running for Edwards was apparently Chevy kingpin Rick Hendrick. The other was apparently Joe Gibbs, with backer Toyota; Joe and J. D. Gibbs and Toyota executives may well be resigned to the distinct possibility that Tony Stewart could be leaving their team at the end of this season and thus made a quick — and high-priced — run at Edwards to fill that seat. Whether that means the Gibbs and Toyota will play hardball to keep Stewart or will look for another championship-caliber driver is unclear.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-3-2008)
UPDATE 3: On Friday Edwards announced that he had renewed his contract with Roush Fenway Racing, keeping him behind the wheel of the # 99 Ford for an additional three years.(Athlon Sports)
AND on the Fox pre-race show, Chris Meyers said Edwards salary would be $6 million a year.(5-3-2008) - NASCAR appoints panel to look into changing drug-testing policy:NASCAR president Brian France has appointed a group of company officials to an interim committee that will study the sport’s drug policy, vice president of communications Jim Hunter said Friday. The group, whose members Hunter said have “been around a long time and know the sport,” will report back to France with any recommendations “within six weeks or so.” Among the topics they will survey, Hunter said, is whether or not to add a staff substance abuse expert and whether or not random testing should be implemented. Currently, drivers are drug tested only under “reasonable suspicion.” Any change to the policy, Hunter said, wouldn’t likely take place until the 2009 season.(ESPN.com)(5-3-2008)Comment here
- Bowyer wins at Richmond: #07-Clint Bowyer won the Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Raceway for his first win of 2008 and 2nd of his career after #18-Busch and #88-Earnhardt tangled with a couple laps to go, sending the leader, #88-Earnhardt Jr. into the wall. #18-Busch held on to 2nd, with the rest of the top-10 being #8-Martin, #20-Stewart, #1-Truex Jr., #12-Newman, #99-Edwards, #29-Harvick, #24-Gordon and #9-Kahne. #11-Denny Hamlin dominated most of the race, leading 381 of 382 laps before having a right front tire going down, giving way to Earnhardt Jr until he tangle with Busch, Hamlin finished 24th. #88-Earnhardt Jr. finished 15th on the lead lap. Points leader coming in to the race, #31-Burton finished 11th, but lost the points lead to #18-Busch 1495 to 1477 points. There were 11 cautions for 62 laps and 4 lead changes amongh 4 drivers.
Richmond Race Results Awards Page.(5-3-2008) - UNOFFICAL Drivers Points Standings [after Richmond race 10 of 36]:
1) #18-Kyle Busch 1495 [2 wins]
2) #31-Jeff Burton 1477 -18 [1 win]
3) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1391 -104
4) #07-Clint Bowyer 1372 -123 [1 win]
5) #29-Kevin Harvick 1350 -145
6) #11-Denny Hamlin 1349 -146 [1 win]
7) #48-Jimmie Johnson 1318 -177 [1 win]
8) #20-Tony Stewart 1297 -198
9) #16-Greg Biffle 1269 -226
10) #99-Carl Edwards 1230 -265 [would be 7th if no 100pt penalty][3 wins]
11) #12-Ryan Newman 1212 -283 [1 win]
12) #9-Kasey Kahne 1162 -333
other chase contenders
13) #24-Jeff Gordon 1156 6pts out of 12th
14) #6-David Ragan 1106 -56
15) #1-Martin Truex Jr. 1104 -58
16) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya 1096 -66
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Richmond page.(5-3-2008) - Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Darlington
no changes in who is in or out, the order got changed a bit and the points between 35th and 36th is now 71
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
32) #00-McDowell/Waltrip Racing 799 +113
33) #44-Reutimann/Waltrip Racing 767 +81
31) #55-Waltrip/Waltrip Racing 760 +74
34) #01-Smith/Dale Earnhardt Inc 759 +73
35) #77-Hornish/Penske Racing 757, 71 points ahead of 36th
these teams/ drivers must qualify by speed:
36) #22-Blaney/Bill Davis 686 -71 points out of 35th
37) #70-Sauter/Haas CNC Racing 648 -109
38) #96-Yeley/Hall of Fame Racing 640 -117
39) #40-Franchitti/Ganassi Racing 629 -128
40) #84-Allmendinger/Red Bull Racing 572 -185
For the owner points standings, see my Drivers/Owners Points Standings page.(5-3-2008) - Richmond International Raceay Penalty Report:
Car#, Penalty, Reason, Lap Issued
1 #70 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 66
2 #70 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 129
3 #42 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 206
4 #84 Non-compliant refueling (overflow container) TE 208
5 #15 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 220
6 #83 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 221
7 #48 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 230
8 #96 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 230
9 #99 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 231
10 #83 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 231
11 #00 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 231
12 #15 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 231
13 #31 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 231
14 #09 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 232
15 #28 Outside half pit box tire violation/Team member not in contact with the outside tire. TE 234
16 #00 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 261
17 #84 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 261
18 #5 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 355
19 #55 Safety violation MCI 355
20 #26 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 366
21 #11 Intentionally causing a caution 2 Laps 392
PT – Pass through
TE – Tail end of the longest line
SG – Stop and Go
OL – One lap
ND – NASCAR discretion
MCI – Must come into pits.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-3-2008) - Richmond International Raceway Fast Facts
.. Clint Bowyer won the Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400, his second victory in 83 Sprint Cup Series races. His other win came at New Hampshire in September 2007.
.. This is his first victory and seventh top-10 finish in 2008.
.. This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in five races at Richmond.
.. Kyle Busch (second) posted his sixth top-10 finish in seven races at Richmond and tied his best finish here for the second time. It is his seventh top-10 finish in 2008.
.. Mark Martin (third) posted his 24th top-10 finish in 45 races at Richmond.
.. Regan Smith (21st) was the highest finishing rookie.
.. Denny Hamlin led 381 laps, setting the record for the number of laps led in a 400-lap race at Richmond. He eclipsed the mark of 369 set by Bobby Allison in September 1979. The record for laps led all-time at Richmond is 488 of 500 on the .500-mile configuration by David Pearson in September 1970.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-3-2008) - TMS’s Gossage offer Dale Jr. $100k to run Indy car; Dale Jr turns it down: IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick recommended on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s XM Satellite Radio show Thursday evening that if the NASCAR superstar ever wanted to swap cars and run an Indy car that Texas Motor Speedway would be the place to give it a shot. Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage is wholeheartedly backing that recommendation by Patrick and giving Earnhardt Jr. 100,000 reasons why “The Great American Speedway!” is indeed the ideal choice. Gossage is offering $100,000 to Earnhardt Jr. if he would pay the IndyCar Series a visit and compete June 7 in the Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway. Gossage is open to presenting Earnhardt Jr. $100,000 in cash or a check to his favorite charity for that amount if that is more to his liking.(TMS)
AND Dale Earnhardt Jr. ON EDDIE GOSSAGE OFFERING HIM $100,000 TO RUN THE INDY CAR RACE. “He thinks I’m a cheap date I guess. I wouldn’t be able to do it, my conscience wouldn’t let me. If they offered me more money, my conscience wouldn’t let me feel comfortable with doing it. I know his intentions are well and we had that discussion with the billboard thing and I totally understand what his approach is advertising now. If I had the opportunity if I was there testing my car and somebody had their car there, I’d like to jump in it and run a couple of laps but that would be the extent of the adventure.”(Team Chevy PR)(5-3-2008) - FreeCreditReport.com Extends Partnership with Yates Racing: Yates Racing announced that Experian Consumer Direct, the leading provider of online direct-to-consumer credit reports, scores, and monitoring products, will sponsor the #38 entry for an additional number of races for the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season. Yates Racing driver, David Gilliland, who pilots the #38 FreeCreditReport.com Ford Fusion, will continue to feature the company’s website, www.FreeCreditReport.com. Gilliland has a history with Experian Consumer Direct as a sponsor, racing the #38 FreeCreditReport.com Ford Fusion for a total of eight races in the 2008 Sprint Cup series as well as driving the FreeCreditReport.com Ford 19 times in the 2007 Nationwide Series. “It’s wonderful to know that our #38 team will continue to be partnered with FreeCreditReport.com,” commented Gilliland. “They have been a wonderful sponsor to our team and it is very comforting to know that we’re going to showcase our #38 FreeCreditReport.com Ford for more races this year. Everyone at Yates Racing has worked extremely hard this year to yield strong finishes every week, and we look forward to continuing that tradition for FreeCreditReport.com.” Experian Consumer Direct and the FreeCreditReport.com sponsorship will be featured at Richmond International Raceway this weekend in the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400.(Yates Racing)(5-3-2008)
- Keselowski testing for Haas CNC: Dale Earnhardt Jr’s [JR Motorsports] Nationwide Series driver, Brad Keselowski has already tested for the #70 Haas CNC Racing Sprint Cup team at Nashville Superspeedway and he might test with them Monday and Tuesday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Haas CNC Racing General Manager Joe Custer declined comment on his future drivers Friday, but said he hoped to get some things solidified this weekend. With Rick Hendrick owning half of JR Motorsports, the team for which Keselowski drives in the Nationwide Series, and Haas CNC Racing being a Hendrick affiliate, Keselowski’s participation with the team makes sense. “We’re going to figure that out this weekend,” Keselowski said on whether he would test with Haas CNC Racing at Charlotte. “It looks like I might go down there Monday and Tuesday and just help them out. We’ll see.” Whether Keselowski would actually drive in a Sprint Cup race for the team, the driver said he didn’t know and would take things “one step at a time.”(SceneDaily)(5-3-2008)
- Petty’s Visit VA Medical Center: While in Richmond this week, Richard and Kyle Petty visited with paralyzed veterans in the Spinal Cord Injury Unit of Richmond’s Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center. The two spent time with seriously wounded troops and met with members of the Paralyzed Veterans Virginia Mid-Atlantic Chapter. The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) will adorn the hood and sides of Kyle Petty’s #45 Dodge this weekend for the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Petty Enterprises recently donated sponsorship of the #45 Dodge to the PVA for the Kobalt Tools 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The organization will join the team again at the Pocono 500 held on June 8 at Pocono Raceway. The Petty’s were proud to spend their afternoon with some of our nation’s service men and women. They are longtime supporters of the armed forced and have a deep appreciation for the commitment and sacrifice made by American troops. The PVA, founded in 1946, works to ensure that all veterans, people with disabilities, and their families have everything they need to thrive. For more information on the organization, visit www.pva.org.(Petty Racing), see images of the PVA.org car on my #45 Team Schemes page.(5-3-2008)
- The Rock is Racing Again: Joey Logano led ARCA RE/MAX Series practice Friday at Rockingham Speedway, but only in the final minutes of the three-hour session as festivities began for Sunday’s Carolina 500 – the reopening of “The Rock”. Throughout Friday’s practice at the 1-mile track, Matt Carter, the series point leader and son of former NASCAR crew chief and team owner Travis Carter, sat atop the speed chart. But in the session’s final minutes, Logano’s team placed a new set of tires on his Joe Gibbs Racing Oil-Gresham & Associates Chevrolet, allowing him to leap over Carter and into the No. 1 position with a 25.111-second, 143.363-mph lap. Carter, in his Stine Seed-NuSouth Lemonade Ford, wasn’t far behind at 25.121 seconds, 143.306mph. Rounding out the top five, respectively, were Michael Annett and Justin Marks, both in Toyotas, and Dexter Bean in a Chevrolet. Austin Dillon, grandson of NASCAR championship car owner Richard Childress, posted the 13th quickest lap. Driving his Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet, Dillon recorded a lap of 25.852-second, 139.254-mph lap. Defending series champion Frank Kimmel was 17th quickest, while Chad McCumbee was 18th fastest. Craftsman Truck Series regular Johnny Benson, a former Cup winner at Rockingham, practiced Ken Schrader’s Four Winds Motorhomes Dodge. Schrader was in Richmond for Sprint Cup qualifying. He will be at Rockingham Saturday for qualifying. Veteran James Hylton, who finished second to Richard Petty in the Grand National [now Sprint Cup] standings in 1967, hit the wall during practice and had to settle for 48th quickest. Qualifying for Sunday’s race begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, with the second round of time trials set for 2:30 p.m. Tony Stewart is scheduled to wave the green flag on the Carolina 500, signaling the reopening of The Rock, at noon on Sunday. For more information or to order tickets for the May 4 ARCA RE/MAX Series Carolina 500 and the Nov. 1 Hooters Pro Cup American 200, please contact the speedway at (910) 205-8800 or visit rockinghamspeedway.com.(5-3-2008)
- Chase Notes: Matt Kenseth’s third Bottom 10 finish in 9 races put him back to 19th in the race to the chase and 120 points out of 12th, but the Killer Bees need look back no farther than 2005, when they made up more than 13 spots and 192 points after race #9. Still, the 17 car doesn’t want to drift back much further before making a run this summer. Juan Pablo Montoya’s strong run at Talladega has landed him on the all-important bubble spot (12th place) in The Race to the Chase. Giving chase are names like Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kenseth and Kurt Busch, all with at least one Chase under their belts. See more on my Chase Stats after Talladega page, also past stats on my Chase Stats after Phoenix page and Chase Stats after Texas page.(5-3-2008)
- Gunselman Released: Larry Gunselman said Friday that he did his best to slow his car down and avoid hitting Dario Franchitti in the door last week in an accident at Talladega Superspeedway that broke Franchitti’s left ankle. Gunselman was driving for MSRP Motorsports, a team that is more or less starting and parking this year. He said he was released from the team after the accident. Although he was released from the infield care center following the wreck, Gunselman said he started feeling nauseated and was taken to a hospital for observation. He had a CAT-scan and X-rays to his elbow and was released. He said he is still sore from the wreck. Gunselman was replaced at Richmond by Kenny Hendrick.(SceneDaily.com)(5-3-2008)
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