May 3, 2001
- Ride the Rails…with Rusty: Rusty Wallace rode the rails from Charlotte to Richmond on Thursday as part of an Amtrak promotion. Amtrak unveiled plans for a “Monster Mile Express” — a special train to Dover, Del., on June 3. Instead of driving, fans can board the train in New York, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del., for the ride to the Winston Cup MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover Downs International Speedway. The Monster Mile Express, complete with race stripes and special fares for riders, is promised to be a “party on wheels,” according to the release from amtrak.com. “NASCAR and Amtrak have always been the fastest thing on the tracks,” Wallace was quoted as saying. “Now people can enjoy the speed and ease of both by riding the Monster Mile Express to Dover.” Amtrak claims fans can get to 32 of 38 Winston Cup races via train this season.(NASCAR.com Buzz), more info see the Amtrack Promotions section(5-3-2001)
- Musgrave back in Cup? UPDATE: hearing Ted Musgrave, currently running the full 2001 CTS season for Ultra Motorsports will run a Dodge in some selected races during the year as a teammate to #7 Mike Wallace in Winston Cup, Wallace will supposedly stay in a Ford but the #7 could switch to a Dodge in 2002(3-29-2001)
UPDATE: hearing the Ultra Motorsports team is going to run a second car at Indy in the Brickyard 400. Supposedly will use the #07 and Ted Musgrave supposedly will drive it, no idea on a sponsor or if it’ll be a Ford or Dodge(5-3-2001) - Yunick Sick: Legendary racing mechanic Henry “Smokey” Yunick was battling for his life April 30 at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. The 77-year-old Yunick was diagnosed with leukemia more than a year ago and had recently started a series of chemotherapy treatments. He was first admitted to the intensive care unit April 22 to fight off pneumonia. He stayed there for three days then was transferred to a private room, where a steady stream of friends and family came to visit(Winston Cup Scene – need subscrition to read online)(5-3-2001)
Address: Halifax Medical Center 303 N. Clyde Morris Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32114 - Lepage Signed? Kevin Lepage was scheduled to formally sign a contract with #4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports May 1, a development unaffected by his failure to qualify for the April 29 Napa Auto Parts 500(Winston Cup Scene – need subscrition to read online)(5-3-2001)
- Johnson’s Plans UPDATE: Jimmie Johnson, who is scheduled to run for Winston Cup rookie of the year with Hendrick Motorsports in 2002, will hold off on the Cup series for now as he attempts to improve his BGN performance. Johnson will probably run four to six Cup races, but none before the August race at Michigan Speedway(Gaston Gazette)(2-9-2001)
UPDATE: Initially, Johnson thought his debut might come at Michigan in August, but it now appears he’ll wait until the October event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. A tentative schedule he won’t divulge calls for at least four races with his future #48 team and possibly as many as seven(Winston Cup Scene – need subscrition to read online)(5-3-2001) - Simpson to meet with France and Helton on Thursday UPDATE 4 no meeting: Bill Simpson, founder and chairman of the company that made the seat belts in Dale Earnhardt’s race car, said Tuesday that he will ask NASCAR’s top two officials to issue a statement that the seatbelts in Earnhardt’s car had nothing to do with Earnhardt’s Feb. 18 death in the final lap of the Daytona 500. Simpson told ESPN’s Kelly Neal that he would make the request in a meeting he has scheduled for Thursday morning with NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. and NASCAR president Mike Helton in Daytona Beach(full story at ESPN)(5-1-2001)
UPDATE: Word on the street is that, in what appears to be a miscommunication, there will be no meeting Thursday morning between anyone at NASCAR and Bill Simpson of Simpson Racing Products. A spokesperson at Simpson’s office in Mooresville, NC, said she could not reach Simpson or his pilot but “NASCAR apparently had canceled the meeting.” A NASCAR spokesman said, “There never was a meeting — there is nothing on Bill, Jim or Mike’s calendars,” referring to NASCAR chairman of the board Bill France, NASCAR executive vice president/secretary Jim France or NASCAR president Mike Helton.(NASCAR.com Buzz)(5-2-2001)
UPDATE 2: but the Orlando Sentinel is reporting: With a showdown meeting between Simpson and NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. looming at 10:00am/et today in Daytona Beach, Simpson offered his version of events in the days after Earnhardt’s death during an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. Simpson wants to be exonerated by NASCAR, whose officials did not return repeated phone requests for comment
UPDATE 3: Bill Simpson came to Florida on Thursday looking for an apology from NASCAR over remarks that the failure of one of his products may have been responsible for the death of Dale Earnhardt. Instead, he waited alone in NASCAR’s lobby for 15 minutes before being told that his lawyer didn’t want him to have any contact with NASCAR without legal representation.(That’s Racin’/AP)(5-3-2001) - Reffner Leaves The #3 UPDATE: The #3 Menard Racing Chevrolet of Bryan Reffner has withdrawn from Sunday’s race at Gateway. Team sources say Reffner has left the team and they have yet to name a replacement(Daytona Beach News Journal)(5-2-2001)
UPDATE: Unable to find a major sponsor and frustrated at battling multi-truck teams with a single-truck operation, team owner John Menard has closed his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program based in Indianapolis. Menard said through a spokesman that he would “take the rest of this season off to regroup” and said he plans to do “something in NASCAR next year, but it won’t be trucks.” Menard purchased Richard Childress’ truck team at the end of the 1999 season. Driver Bryan Reffner scored Menard’s first truck victory at Texas Motor Speedway last October(NASCAR.com Buzz)(5-3-2001) - Ruttman goes for Pole Record: #18-Joe Ruttman, the series’ oldest driver at 56, will seek his 16th pole Saturday in qualifying for Sunday’s Ram Tough 200 in Madison, Ill. He matched Mike Skinner’s series record last month in Martinsville, Va., then finished fourth. “The pole would be especially cool just because the guys really want me to have the record,” said Ruttman, who won the season-opening race at Daytona from the pole for his 11th series victory. “They make it easy to run fast with the trucks they build.”(That’s Racin’/AP)(5-3-2001)
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