May 4, 2008
- Truex to Penske? with UPS? UPDATE UPS denies: hearing that Martin Truex, current driver of the #1 DEI Chevy, could be headed to a 4th Penske Racing team with UPS as the sponsor.(5-4-2008)
- Latest Stewart Rumor…Bass Pro Shops? There has been no official word from either side, but it is becoming increasingly likely that #20-Tony Stewart will indeed leave car owners Joe and J.D. Gibbs at the end of this season, to start his own team, under the Rick Hendrick Chevrolet [with Haas CNC?] umbrella, possibly with Bass Pro Shops as his sponsor. If Stewart does depart, that would leave the Gibbses looking for a new driver. Joey Logano’s chances of getting the nod? Sunday’s Carolina 500 at Rockingham Speedway could offer clues. Logano is to start from the pole.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-4-2008) Comment here
- Target leaving Ganassi at end of 2008? UPDATE 2: There are persistent rumors that Chip Ganassi may be in financial deep water, with his long-time sponsor Target [sponsor of #41-Reed Sorenson and sometime sponsor of #40-Dario Franchitti] likely announcing by the end of the year it will be ending its association with the race team.(Yahoo!Sports)(4-10-2008)
UPDATE: Steve Eastman, Target Vice President: “The 19-year partnership between Target and Chip Ganassi Racing is one of the longest consecutive partnerships in motor sports. Our race program has proven successful and we in fact have a solid base of sponsors in place. We continue to build on the excitement and momentum around the program and look forward to celebrating our 20th anniversary next year… Any rumors regarding an end to the partnership are simply without merit.”(Target Communications)(4-10-2008)
UPDATE 2: Target, according to sources, may be reconsidering its NASCAR sponsorship. Target has been sponsoring Dodge owner Chip Ganassi [#41 Reed Sorenson] for several years, though still without a major win.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-4-2008) - Toyota staying out of Stewart negotiations: Toyota officials don’t want to lose #20-Tony Stewart to another manufacturer, but they won’t get involved in negotiations to keep the two-time Sprint Cup champion at Joe Gibbs Racing after his contract expires in 2009. “We’re not a company that gets in the middle between owners and drivers,” Lee White, the general manager of Toyota Racing Development, said before Saturday’s race at Richmond International Raceway. “If there is a manufacturer out there that is spearheading or brokering or promoting an activity like this, I can promise you it will not be Toyota. We don’t consider that to be our role in the garage.” There has been speculation that Chevrolet is behind a move to lure Stewart, who uses the manufacturer for his Sprint car organization, to CNC Haas Racing. Part-ownership of the team also is on the table, which Stewart has acknowledged. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say Tony really likes to win,” White said. “I think Tony’s best opportunity to win races, multiple races, and continue to threaten for championships is right where he is.”(ESPN.com)(5-4-2008)
- Logano wins ARCA race at Rockingham: Joey Logano, in the #25 Venturini Motorsports-prepared Joe Gibbs Racing Oil-Gresham & Associates Chevy, led 257 of 312 laps to conquer the “Rock” in his career-first ARCA RE/MAX Series start in the Carolina 500 at Rockingham Speedway. Logano also earned the Aaron’s Lap Leader award for leading the most laps. Outside of a late-race wrestling match with Ken Schrader and mid-race battle with Michael Annett and Matt Hawkins, Logano had nary a challenger during the 500 kilometer/312-mile race.(more info and results at ARCARacing.com)(5-4-2008)
- Smith rookie of the race at RIR: #01-Regan Smith scored a 21st-place finish at Richmond and claimed Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the second consecutive race and for the fifth time in 10 races this season. Smith unofficially leads the Raybestos Rookie standings by one point (97-96) over #77-Sam Hornish Jr. Smith has been the top Raybestos Rookie in all three short track races this season.(Camp & Assoc/Raybestos), for standings, history and more, see my 2008 Rookies page.(5-4-2008)
- Field Set for Carolina 500 at the Rock: Joey Logano, who paced Friday’s ARCA RE/MAX Series practice at Rockingham Speedway, edged Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by a mere 0.080 second Saturday to earn the pole position for this weekend’s Carolina 500. Logano, who will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut for Joe Gibbs Racing in June [at Dover], posted a lap of 146.645 mph, 24.549 seconds, in a Chevrolet. Stenhouse, driving a Roush Fenway Racing Ford, turned a lap on the 1-mile track of 146.169 mph, 24.629 seconds. “I feel pretty confident for tomorrow,” Logano said. “I think we got a really good car for the long run. We were able to move around a lot in practice yesterday and try different things. Traffic is gonna be a bear out there, so it’s gonna be staying out of trouble most of the night.” Stenhouse said he didn’t expect for be second quickest. “To come out here and pick up a second, I was pretty surprised,” Stenhouse admitted. “I figured we’d be top five or 10. I didn’t really know we’d be on the front row. The guys changed a little bit on the car from out last qualifying run yesterday [Saturday]. I just got into the gas and it stuck.” Rounding out the top 10, respectively, were: Justin Lofton, Dodge; Michael Annett and Jack Bailey in Toyotas; Matt Carter, Ford; Justin Marks, Toyota; Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet; Ken Butler, Toyota; and Austin Dillon, Chevrolet.
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.(5-4-2008)
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