May 4, 2006
- Petty to run MyCokeRewards scheme at Coke 600 – IMAGE: Not only will Kyle Petty run a special MyCokeRewards-themed car in the Coca-Cola 600, but some lucky fans will have a chance earn pieces of the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge, and a piece of Coca-Cola 600 history, as part of the $50 million MyCokeRewards prize package. By collecting MyCokeRewards points, fans of the Coca-Cola 600 will have the chance to obtain hundreds of unique NASCAR-themed prizes, including the hood, deck lid and side panels from Petty’s #45 MyCokeRewards Dodge. Other rewards include Petty’s helmet, driver’s uniform, shoes, and gloves, as well race-worn crew uniforms and other NASCAR-themed collectibles. Go to www.mycokerewards.comfor more info.(Petty Racing PR), see an image on my #45 Team Scheme page.(5-4-2006)
- Hamlin Tripped Up After Lowe’s Testing UPDATE 2 is OK: Frontstretch.com is reporting: Through two days of testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, there were several wrecks but no major injuries…on the track. Off the track, it was a different story as teams packed up to head home Wednesday night. The #11 FedEx team with driver Denny Hamlin found themselves goofing around and doing a little personal testing of their own after on-track activities were completed at 9:00pm/et. Members of the crew found themselves being timed as they ran laps around the team’s hauler. Unfortunately, the horseplay led to a minor mishap, as driver Denny Hamlin tripped and was injured during all the fun. Hamlin was loaded into an ambulance and taken from the track as a precaution. The nature of his injuries are unclear at this time.(Frontstretch.com)
UPDATE: Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin injured his left hand in an off-track accident last night following the conclusion of testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. The driver of the #20 Rockwell Automation Chevy in the Busch Series and the #11 FedEx Chevy in the Nextel Cup Series cut his left hand between his pinkie and his wrist. He was taken from the track via ambulance and was treated at a local hospital where he received stitches. Hamlin is expected to participate in all of this weekend’s racing activities at Richmond based upon the evaluations of Joe Gibbs Racing’s team physicians. The following is a statement from Hamlin regarding the accident: The guys were having races around the hauler after the test. I thought I’d try for the best lap of the night, and as I was running around the front of the truck, I caught my hand on a sharp piece of chrome. I got all stitched up and I’ll be fine to race this weekend. By the way, I did finish first. Hopefully Coach Gibbs will be impressed that I can play ‘hurt’.”(Joe Gibbs Racing/True Speed Cummunications PR)(5-4-2006)
UPDATE 2: Before heading for Richmond Denny Hamlin’s injured left hand was given a final check by a doctor Thursday morning in Charlotte. It took 19 stitches to close the gash caused when he caught the hand on a piece of chrome on the front of the Fedex hauler following testing Wednesday night at Lowes Motor Speedway. Despite the injury Hamlin plans on running both the Busch and Cup races this weekend.(PRN’s Garage Pass Radio Show)(5-4-2006) - Sadler to run Pirate scheme: This weekend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series comes ashore at the Richmond International Raceway with Virginia native Elliott Sadler at the helm of the #38 White Chocolate M&M’S® Ford. Looking for his first win at his home track, Sadler and his trusty hands hope that “M” marks the spot and the treasure awaiting will be a trip to victory lane. The special paint scheme on the #38 Ford Fusion is part of a promotion in conjunction with the July 7th release of the new Walt Disney Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Film’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” as well as the introduction of the M&M’S® White Chocolate Pirates Pearls. This marks the first time M&M’S has released a white chocolate candy in the United States, which will be available nationwide for a limited time. Joining Sadler on his #38 Ford Fusion are three of his biggest supporters in the M&M’S Characters – Red, Yellow and Green. Each character will be featured in their favorite pirate costume against a tropical background with the new White Chocolate M&M’S Pirate Pearls featured on the hood. In addition, Pirate Red will be at the track for the racing action on Saturday.(M&M Motorsports), see an image of the scheme on my #38 Team Schemes page.(5-4-2006)
- Waltrip discusses Jarrett: Michael Waltrip says he and several other teams have talked with Dale Jarrett about his future plans; however Waltrip downplays a report Jarrett was offered a two year, $10-million contract [see below] to join his Toyota team. “I haven’t made him any offer monetarily and I think I’m pretty sure I can tell you no one has offered him that (10-million) but it makes for pretty good print.” Waltrip said he’s more interested in Jarrett’s services than sponsor UPS. “We have our second car pretty much agreed upon with the sponsor and we’ve got a list of drivers that would be approved by the sponsor and he’s on that list. Anybody would hire Dale Jarrett, former cup champion and his sponsor UPS. We just want to hire Dale because we think he can win races and because that being our focus and the reason our drive for hiring him then I think he appreciates that.”(PRN’s Garage Pass Radio Show)(5-4-2006)
- Sadler hopes Jarrett stays at RYR: Elliott Sadler hopes Dale Jarrett will stay at Robert Yates Racing however he told Jarrett not to reveal to him too many of his future plans. Sadler joked, “I just told him to keep me out of it. I don’t want to know about it. I want to find out when everybody else does that way I won’t get into trouble.” Sadler added, “If he stays that great, I would love to keep him as a teammate and love to keep him at Robert Yates Racing. If he goes I’d hate to lose him as a teammate but still I’m going to keep him as one of my best friends. I want to be there as a friend first, but if he decides to stay I definitely want to be his teammate again.”(PRN’s Garage Pass Radio Show)(5-4-2006)
- No COT for RYR yet: The next Car of Tomorrow [COT] test is scheduled for May 30 and 31 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. NASCAR said it hopes to have at least eight cars on the track and as many as 12. One team that won’t be there is Robert Yates Racing [#38 and #88 Fords]. Yates has yet to start working on the Car of Tomorrow and doesn’t plan to until NASCAR sets its rules. Car owner Jack Roush said he’s built and rebuilt the Car of Tomorrow a couple of times. Every time he gets one done, NASCAR makes changes. He said he spent more than $300,000 on the car before it ever hit the track.(Augusta Chronicle)(5-4-2006)
- COT to the Wind Tunnel UPDATE: NASCAR plans to take its car of tomorrow [COT] to a wind tunnel this week and test different nose pieces.(Roanoke Times)(5-1-2006)
UPDATE: Representatives of Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota joined NASCAR officials for a wind-tunnel session Tuesday in Marietta, Ga., in which each manufacturer’s proposed nose for the “car of tomorrow” was tested. One person present for the test said the results left the manufacturers encouraged they could get more room to give each nose more features that distinguish between models without creating competitive disparity.(ThatsRacin)(5-4-2006) - #38 Team Takes Pit Crew Honors at Talladega: Elliott Sadler’s #38 team took top honors in the Checkers / Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge competition at Talladega Superspeedway. The M&M’s pit crew, which spent 276.495 seconds on pit road in Monday’s rain-delayed Aaron’s 499, also won the competition at Martinsville Speedway on April 2. The victory moved Sadler’s pit crew into a three-way tie for first place in the Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge standings. The pit crews for Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart have also scored two wins with a quarter of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season completed (nine races). Sadler’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Rodney Fetters (jackman), Ryan McCray (front-tire carrier), Mike Lingerfelt (front-tire changer), Lance Hanna (rear-tire carrier), Dave Smith (rear-tire changer), Brian Dunaway (gasman), Frankie Good (catch can) and Toby Mellott (windshield). The team’s crew chief is Tommy Baldwin, Jr. The #38 crew, part of the Robert Yates Racing stable, will be awarded the weekly $10,500 prize. The Nextel Cup pit crew with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus. Checkers/Rally’s is the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR, more info at checkers.com.(DMF Communications PR)(5-4-2006)
- Speed Channel Driver of the Year – 1st Qtr: Melanie Troxel became the first woman, in the 40-year history of the Driver of the Year award, to win the quarterly title in voting by a panel of leading journalists and broadcasters. The 33-year-old driver of the Skull Shine/Torco Race Fuels Top Fuel dragster impressed the voters as well as her rivals as she made all-five final-round appearances in the quarter and took victories in Pomona and Las Vegas in her first full season. Troxel took six first-place votes and tallied 82 points. Second in the voting was the effervescent “Spiderman”, Helio Castroneves, who notched two victories in the IndyCar Series. Castroneves got one first-place tally and totaled 68 points. Jimmie Johnson, who won both the prestigious Daytona 500 and Las Vegas races in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series, was third in the vote with a total of 51 points and one first-place vote. NASCAR’s, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart, Driver of the Year 2005, also garnered first-place ballots. A total of 14 drivers scored points in the first quarter voting. In its’ 40th year Driver of the Year is unique because it is the oldest award that encompasses all of the racing series in the United States. A panel of 17 leading journalists and broadcasters from across the U.S. determine the winner. In quarterly voting, points are awarded on a declining 9,6,4,3,2,1 basis. A separate one-driver vote will determine the 2006 Driver of the Year. Troxel will receive a trophy and a Maurice Lacroix wristwatch. The trophy presentation is set for Sunday May 7th at the Summit Nationals in Atlanta, GA.(DOTY PR)(5-4-2006)
- 30 Years for Marlin in Cup: When #14-Sterling Marlin takes the green flag for Saturday night’s Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway it will be two days shy of the 30-year anniversary of his first NASCAR Cup start. Marlin made his NASCAR Cup debut on May 8, 1976 at Nashville Speedway, substituting for his father, Clifton “Coo Coo” Marlin, who sustained a shoulder injury during an ARCA qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway the week before. When it became evident that the elder Marlin wouldn’t enter the Nashville race, he made a deal with his son, “If you can fix it, you can race it.” Sterling took his father up on the offer and climbed behind the wheel of the #14 Cunningham-Kelley Chevy soon after. Though the 18-year-old Marlin posted an uneventful, but respectable finish of 29th in his maiden ride, it was the beginning of a high-profiled journey for the Columbia, TN native. Saturday’s race in the #14 Waste Management Chevy will mark Marlin’s 685th start in the Cup series. To date, his career statistics include 10 wins, 83 top fives, 215 top 10s, 11 pole positions and earnings of more than $37 million.(MB2 Motorsports PR)(5-4-2006)
- Kurt Busch attends Race Fever: #2-Kurt Busch took time out during his schedule last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway to attend the “Race Night Fever” fundraiser for the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind and it was a huge hit all the way around. “We grossed over $200,000 and it was the most successful event in our 21 years of doing this,” AIDB’s Cary Nolen said on Tuesday. “Having a top-level driver like Kurt Busch attend our function was the highlight of the evening and we’re so thankful for his time and generosity. You could tell that he was the favorite driver there with all the kids. He made many new fans at Talladega last Friday night.”
“They asked me if I’d attend and I said, ‘Heck, yes.especially if it’ll help those kids out.’ We donated a hood off one of our Miller Lite Dodge Chargers for them to auction off and we went over there and had a great time meeting all the kids and signing autographs. I’m glad that it was such a huge success.”(Tom Roberts PR)(5-4-2006) - NASCAR Autocare by Ecolab Features DW in TV Commercial: NASCAR Autocare by Ecolab has launched a new television commercial introducing its full line of auto appearance products. Featuring NASCAR personality and Fox Sports Broadcast Analyst Darrell Waltrip, the commercial which has appeared on ESPN, ESPN-2, OLN and SPEED, early April. Using the theme “The quickest way to a great finish!” the commercial highlights NASCAR Autocare by Ecolab’s full line of car care products. As a Chevrolet Corvette speeds to a stop on pit road, a pit crew of seven specialist wash and wax the car, shine the tires and clean the windows, all to “crew chief” Darrell Waltrip’s approval – “14 (seconds) flat – not bad!” See more at ecolabathome.com.(5-4-2006)
- Kevin Conway Joins Carver Racing: Las Vegas-based business executive David Carver announced today the formation of Carver Racing. The new team will participate in the NASCAR Busch Series during the 2006 season. Kevin Conway, a native of Lynchburg, Va., will drive the #40 Dodge and compete for the Rookie of the Year award. The team is set to make its debut at Richmond International Raceway this Friday. The organization is led by General Manager Joe Whitley, who has been involved in the motorsports industry for 25 years, and Crew Chief Steve Plattenberger, a long-time veteran of the Busch Series.(Carver Racing PR)(5-4-2006)
- Brewco Faces Dilemma with Waltrip: UPDATE 2: Brewco Motorsports will have to decide what to do about the Busch Series races in which Yard-Man is a sponsor, the next of which is May 5 in Richmond. Michael Waltrip was supposed to run those events, but his Nextel Cup sponsorship from NAPA conflicts with Brewco’s associated sponsorship from Federated Auto Parts. In an attempt to appease everyone, Waltrip ran the Yard-Man paint scheme with the #99, which represents the Busch team Waltrip owns. But a Brewco Motorsports crew worked on the car during the race and it was a Brewco car. Meanwhile a Michael Waltrip Racing car had the #66 on it with David Reutimann as driver. NASCAR did not award Brewco the points its team earned through Waltrip, so the Brewco team is now in a quandary for the six other races scheduled this season. That was a 73-point difference and six spots in the points standings.(NASCAR Scene)(4-27-2006)
UPDATE: A sponsor conflict will preclude Michael Waltrip from driving for Brewco Motorsports in any more Busch Series races this season, team owner Clarence Brewer confirmed Saturday. Waltrip’s spot in the #66 Ford will be taken by Scott Wimmer, who already was splitting time with Waltrip and Ken Schrader in Brewco’s second car. Wimmer will drive the #66 next week at Richmond, replacing Waltrip. (NASCAR Scene)(4-27-2006)
UPDATE 2: Brewco Motorsports, Inc. announced today that Scott Wimmer will expand his racing schedule to cover the six races that Michael Waltrip was originally scheduled to compete. An unexpected sponsor conflict is the reason for the change.(Brewco PR)(5-4-2006) - Almirola to Make Busch Debut: UPDATE: Aric Almirola will make his Busch Series debut by trying to qualify Joe Gibbs Racing’s #19 Chevy for the May 5 Circuit City 250 at Richmond, according to JGR officials.(NASCAR Scene)(4-27-2006)
UPDATE: Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Aric Almirola will make his NASCAR Busch Series debut at Richmond when he attempts to qualify for Friday night’s Circuit City 250. He will drive the #19 Husqvarna Chevy for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Busch Series race at Richmond.(Joe Gibbs Racing PR)(5-4-2006) - Hamilton hoping to drive by October: Bobby Hamilton now hopes to be back driving his Craftsman Truck Series entry by late October after starting radiation treatments to treat his head and neck cancer sooner than expected. Hamilton, the series’ 2004 champion, turned his truck over to his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., after the year’s third race of the season at Atlanta to begin chemotherapy and radiation treatments for the cancer. He was initially set to begin radiation treatments on May 30, but he’s now on his second week of treatments. “As far as my return, I said in my press conference in Atlanta that I would love to make my comeback the last race of the season [at Homestead in November],” Hamilton said Wednesday. “That would just mean so much to me, and this is the first time I’ve said this … the rehab for this thing is two to three months. Until this past week, I probably could have raced every week – there haven’t been that many races, I wouldn’t have had to step out of the truck. But for the safety of my competitors, the welfare of my business and my race teams and all the people surrounding me, I just felt like the best guy to do the job would be Bobby Jr. The next best thing for me, when I get done with all these treatments and they say everything is okay, is that I would love to come back at Atlanta where I got out of the truck.” (scenedaily.com)(5-4-2006)
- Crawford to take part in National Guard Rally/Celebrity Golf Tournament Circle Bar driver Rick Crawford will take part in the National Guard Welcome Home Rally and Rod Smith Celebrity Golf Tournament in Pittsburg, Kansas on May 5th and 6th. There will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Kansas headquarters, followed by a welcome home luncheon for 1,000 soldiers returning home from a 2-year tour of duty in Iraq. Crawford has been asked to be one of the guest speakers at the luncheon along with the Governor of Kansas, the US Senators from Kansas and the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen Richard Myers. In addition to the speech Crawford will make a special NASCAR presentation to one of the returning troops. On Saturday, Crawford will tee it up along with a dozen NFL Players for charity in the Rod Smith Celebrity Golf Tournament. The proceeds from the golf tournament will go to a disabled children’s charity, Skill Kids.(rickcrawford.com)(5-4-2006)
- Reutimann and Miller to Drive for Waltrip/Toyota in 2007?: UPDATE [Waltrip] said he has sponsorship for one of his two Busch Series teams. He said he would like David Reutimann, the driver for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports in the trucks, drive one of those Busch cars. He also said that Reutimann’s teammate, Joey Miller, is a possibility for the other Busch car.(NASCAR Scene)(4-29-2006)
UPDATE: From the Nextel Wake-Up Call Transcript: Waltrip: My plan is to have two NEXTEL Cup Series teams and two Busch teams. I haven’t hired a second driver yet for the Cup car. I would like to think that (David) Reutimann could drive one of my Busch cars. We do have sponsorship in place for the two Cup cars and one of the Busch cars. And we are working towards announcing who the second sponsor is and who that driver will be. We think we have put the right people in the right places so far. We just have to continue to build. If you can appreciate that it costs a lot of money to hire people, the Burger King program allowed us to ramp up a little bit sooner than we would probably have been able to afford to before because we have some sponsorship dollars coming in that will help pay those people as we race through 2006. It costs a whole lot of money to build a race team and not go race, because there is not a whole lot coming in. So we’re real thankful for the Burger King piece of it because it will help offset the tremendous costs that we’re faced with this year. Q.So you have hired David Reutimann to drive your Busch car? Waltrip: Yes.(MichaelWaltrip.com)(5-4-2006)
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