May 6, 2005
- Johnson has spoken to Dale Jr.: Jimmie Johnson says he’s talked with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and everything is okay between them. This after Junior on Tuesday during testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway called Johnson an “idiot” and blamed him for causing both major crashes last Sunday at Talladega. “Yeah it (Dale’s comments) defiantly caught me off guard, said Johnson, and from what I understand he (Dale Jr.) was put in a bad position during the interview…was put on the spot and some allegations of a comment that came out of my mouth…so looking at that I don’t blame him for saying what he did and I spoke to him and everything’s fine there. We’ll just move on. It’s racing and this Lowe’s team is very strong…I believe in my team and they believe in me and I know everybody in the garage area respects me. Everybody’s given their opinion, right or wrong everyone can point fingers in every direction but in my opinion it’s a racing incident.”(PRN’s Garage Pass Radio Show)(5-6-2005)
- #14 and Andretti coming back in June, for 5-7 races: It was reported on Speed Channel’s NASCAR Nations show Thursday night that the #14 ppc Racing Ford and John Andretti would return to the track to run 5-7 races in 2005, with the first being at Michigan in June. Plans call for the team to run 15 to 17 races in 2006 and then full-time in 2007. No word on a crew chief for the team as it was reported last week that crew chief Dave Charpentier left and went back to DEI.(5-6-2005)
- Rusty does call injured crewman Contrary to a recent report, Rusty Wallace said Thursday that he had, in fact, attempted to contact Richard Childress Racing crewman Josh Yost throughout the past week. Wallace and Yost finally spoke via cell phone Thursday morning. “I just spoke with him and he’s fine,” Wallace said. Yost, the jack man for Jeff Burton’s #31 Cingular Chevrolet, was struck by Wallace’s Dodge during a pit stop in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. An RCR team spokesman who had spoken directly with Yost on Wednesday told NASCAR.COM’s Marty Smith that Wallace had not yet spoken with Yost. The spokesman said Yost had his cell phone with him throughout his hospital stay and had not received a call from the 1989 Cup Series champion. Smith then reported that information on SPEED Channel’s NASCAR Nation Wednesday, greatly upsetting Wallace, who explained he had tried to contact Yost at home and had left messages on his home answering machine. “I’m glad I’ve spoken with him and that he’s OK,” Wallace said. Yost’s right ankle suffered two ruptured ligaments, torn ligaments and a severe laceration in the incident, which the team confirmed would sideline him for the remainder of the 2005 season. Exploratory surgery Tuesday also revealed that the tip of Yost’s right fibula was crushed. Yost had reconstructive surgery Thursday, and may be able to go home Friday, the team said.(NASCAR.com)(5-6-2005)
- Barry Dodson back to the broadcast booth? In an exclusive interview today on Rowdy, former crew chief Barry Dodson talks about his desire to return to television work. “Basically, my stint with Rusty is complete,” says Dodson of his work with longtime compatriot Rusty Wallace. “We started the RWI Busch shop and got it going from nothing–did the same thing with Steven Wallace and the Hooters team, and he’s about to turn 18. So it’s a good time for me to get back into something I really loved doing.” Dodson, who won the a championship as the crew chief for Wallace in 1989, has worked as a television analyst before and is a regular contributor to Rowdy. Also on the show today, Barry talks about the Big One at Talladega, drivers pay a salute to their mothers, and Mark Garrow reports from Darlington. Rowdy is a racing radio show you get on your cell phone, with daily racing news and driver interviews. Call 1-800-95-ROWDY to sign up and try it for free, or listen to samples, check out the archive, and find out more at www.rowdy.com.(5-6-2005)
- Bobby Labonte To Drive Boniva Car at Richmond: GlaxoSmithKline, Roche, and Joe Gibbs Racing, plan to help raise awareness of Boniva(ibandronate sodium), a new medicine for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Boniva will be the primary sponsor for the #18 Chevrolet driven by Bobby Labonte at the Chevy American Revolution 400 May 14 at Richmond International Raceway. In addition to the Richmond race, which is during Osteoporosis Awareness Month, Labonte will drive a Boniva-sponsored car at a second race later this summer. The sponsorship comes in the wake of the Surgeon General’sReport elevating osteoporosis to a major public health threat on par with smoking and obesity.(Camp and Associates/Joe Gibbs Racing)(5-6-2005)
- Talladega TV Ratings Soar: Fox’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 7.6 and an 18 market share, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 20.6% higher than the 6.3 the 2004 Talladega spring race, which was run a week earlier. It is also 24.6% higher than the rating for the 2004 California spring race, which was run on the comparable weekend. The race was also easily the weekend’s most watched sporting event, with Fox’s coverage of last Saturday’s Busch Series race at Talladega finishing second with a 3.3/7. To date, Fox is averaging a 6.2/14 for its Nextel Cup coverage, up 5% from last year.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(5-6-2005)
- Busch crashes into ambulance at Road America UPDATE: During a mid-morning track test session at Road America [4 mile road course, Elkhart Lake, WI], #97-Kurt Busch drove through a tire barrier and hit an ambulance. Although two ambulance personnel were taken to the hospital for minor injuries, Bush was not hurt in the accident. According to Busch, a loose brake fitting caused break failure as he went into turn five. The incident is under review by the Road America Safety Team.(5-3-2005)
UPDATE: It’s news enough that Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch came to Wisconsin in early May to test his Cup car at Road America, considering NASCAR hasn’t competed at the 4-mile road course in Elkhart Lake since 1956. Then you learn that he crashed and hit an ambulance. Two workers were treated for minor injuries and released from a Sheboygan hospital after the accident Monday in Turn 5, according to a track spokeswoman. Busch’s crash occurred when a brake line failure caused him to lose control, Roush Racing said. Busch aimed for a tire barrier in the runoff area in Turn 5, a sharp, downhill lefthander, and then hit the ambulance, which was parked in a standard location, the spokeswoman said. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(5-6-2005) - Kenny Wallace to run #00 for Waltrip, different sponsor: Kenny Wallace will be behind the wheel of the #00 Bryan’s Chevrolet prepared by Michael Waltrip Racing this weekend for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event at Darlington Raceway. Wallace seeks his second NEXTEL Cup start of the 2005 season, his 18th career start at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” Wallace ran four races for Waltrip in 2004 and ran the Daytona 500 earlier this year finishing 40th due to an engine failure. He is scheduled to drive six more NEXTEL Cup events this season for Michael Waltrip Racing.(Michael Waltrip site)(5-6-2005)
- #650 for Marlin: #40-Sterling Marlin will make his 650th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup career start at Darlington Raceway this weekend. Marlin made his Cup debut in 1976 at Nashville Speedway, driving for his father Coo Coo Marlin.(Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)(5-6-2005)
- Darlington Qualifying Notes:
• Kasey Kahne won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Bud Pole for the Dodge Charger 500, lapping Darlington Raceway in 28.923 seconds at 170.024 mph. Ward Burton holds the track-qualifying record of 28.295 seconds, 173.797 mph, set March 22, 1996.
• This is Kahne’s fifth career Bud Pole in 46 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races, his first since Pocono last June.
• This is Kahne’s second Bud Pole at Darlington Raceway. He also won the Bud Pole here last March.
• Kahne became the eighth Bud Pole winner in 2005. Ryan Newman (three) is the only repeat Bud Pole winner this season.
• Ryan Newman posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 29.003 seconds, 169.555 mph – and will join Kahne on the front row for the Dodge Charger 500. Newman has started from a top-10 starting position in six of his seven races at Darlington. He is the only driver to post top-10 starts in every race this season
• This is the fourth Bud Pole for Dodge in 2005. Chevrolet also has four Bud Poles and Ford has two.
• Greg Biffle (third) posted his third top-10 start in five races at Darlington. It is his eighth top-10 start in 2005.
• Elliott Sadler (fourth) scored his eighth top-10 start in 13 races at Darlington and his sixth in the past seven races here. It is his fifth top-10 start this season.
• Brian Vickers (fifth) posted his first start better than 27th in his three races at Darlington and his fourth top-10 start in 2005.
• Four drivers failed to qualify for the Dodge Charger 500: Johnny Sauter, Robby Gordon, Tony Raines and Morgan Shepherd.
• There have been eight different Bud Pole winners in the 12 races at Darlington since September 1999. Kahne is the only repeat Bud Pole winner since 1999. Qualifying was rained out three times in the 12-race period (spring 2001, fall 2002, fall 2004).
• The furthermost back that a race winner has started at Darlington was 43rd in the inaugural Southern 500 in 1950 by Johnny Mantz. That race had a 75-car field. Only four other drivers have won at Darlington from a starting position further back than 15th: Herb Thomas (23rd – fall 1954), Bobby Labonte (37th – fall 2000), Ward Burton (37th – fall 2001) and Ricky Craven (31st – spring 2003) (NASCAR Statistical Services)(5-6-2005) - Stock Car Fans – Ramblings – Darlington:
It’s an all-Dodge front row for tomorrow night’s Nextel Cup event! Think the Sponsor’s happy?
Kasey Kahne edged out Ryan Newman this afternoon and grabbed his first Bud Pole of the season for Saturday Night’s aptly named Dodge Charger 500 at Darlington Raceway. His time of 28.923 (170.024 mph) was good enough for his 5th career top-spot and first since he led ’em to the green at Pocono last June.
He becomes our 8th qualifier for next February’s Budweiser Shootout at Daytona as well.
We had the three “S”‘s today…..Slippin’, Slidin’, and Slappin’. When you consider that was with only one car on the track we could have another memorable event with 43 of ’em out there.
Sterling Marlin (7th) has his best starting spot since he lined up 3rd at Bristol last August.
Michael Waltrip (19th) has his best starting spot since he started 3rd at Daytona in February.
Carl Long (21st) has his career-best starting spot this week. His previous best was 26th at Atlanta in November of 2001!
Jeff Fuller (40th) makes his first Cup start of the season.
STREAKIN….Ryan Newman has 17 Top-10 starts in a row.
Greg Biffle has 8 Top-10 starts in the last 9 races.
Jeremy Mayfield has 5 Top-10 starts in the last 6 races.
The Trouble Train had four cars in tow today. Johnny Sauter (his 4th dnq of the season), Robby Gordon (also his 4th), Tony Raines (the 2nd dnq for the #61 car), and Morgan Shepherd (the #89 car’s 4th dnq as well).(Stock Car Fans)(5-6-2005) - Bliss wrecks during practice: #0-Mike Bliss crashed while running third during practice and will go to a backup car – “We were in qualifying trim and we wrecked in Turn 2. I’m okay. We feel like our primary car was good and we should be able to apply all that to the back up car. Our back-up car is a brand new one. We tested it at Kentucky, but that’s all.”(GM PR), if the team takes the engine out of the car that crashed, and uses it to qualify, Bliss will not have to start at the rear of the field before Saturday nights race.(5-6-2005)
- Tru-Line Donates to NASCAR Tech: Tru-Line Laser Alignment, Inc. has provided the NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI) [Mooresville, NC] a laser wheel alignment system for its NASCAR training program. The TR-12 is completely portable, weighs less than 100 pounds, and runs off of D cell batteries. “The Tru-Line laser wheel alignment system is a welcome addition to the NASCAR training program at the NASCAR Techinical Institute. Setting up the chassis on a NASCAR racer is an integral part of our education process. NTI requires the very best equipment available to the industry and Tru-Line is at the top of its class. The Tru-Line system is portable, accurate, reliable, and cuts our set-up time in half. It’s a proven winner in the industry”, says John Dodson, Community and Race Team Relations Director for NTI. For more information visit www.tru-line.net.(PR)(5-6-2005)
- Travelodge back to the #16, primary at Darlington UPDATE: Travelodge Hotels announced the renewal of its associate sponsorship of the #16 National Guard Ford Taurus, driven by Greg Biffle, in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The agreement continues the Travelodge brand’s two-year relationship with Roush Racing of Concord, N.C. As part of the agreement, Travelodge Hotels will appear as the team’s primary sponsor at Darlington Raceway’s Carolina Dodge Dealers 500 on May 7.(PRN Newswire)(3-24-2005)
UPDATE: This weekend the #16 National Guard Ford will feature a special Sleepy Bear logo on the hood. Sleepy Bear is the official mascot for Travelodge, now in their second year of associate sponsorship with the #16 National Guard Ford.(Roush Racing)(5-6-2005) - Kenseth wins at Darlington: #17-Matt Kenseth won the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway, his 18th career Busch Series win. The rest of the top five were #22-Kenny Wallace, #8-Martin Truex Jr., #66-Greg Biffle and #21-Jeff Burton. #60-Carl Edwards maitains the points lead with a 11th place finish. There were no changes in the top five in drivers points. Pole sitter #5-Jimmie Johnson finished 23rd.
Race results at:
ESPN.com
BGNRacing.com
Motorsports One
NASCAR.com.(5-6-2005) - Johnson wins the pole at Darlington: #5-Jimmie Johnson won the pole for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway with a speed of 168.186mph. The rest of the top-5 are #57-Brian Vickers, #46-Robert Pressley, #40-Sterling Marlin, and #32-Shane Hmiel. Only one driver missed the race, #52-Eric McClure.
See Starting lineups:
BGNRacing.com – Starting Lineup
NASCAR.com.(5-6-2005) - Special Scheme for J.J. at Darlington: J.J. Yeley will sport a new look this week in Darlington. Yeley’s #18 Chevy will feature a similar decal scheme, but the traditional white and orange paint will become black and orange for Friday evening’s Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at “The Lady in Black”, Darlington Raceway.(Vigoro Racing PR)(5-6-2005)
- Vickers in the #57 with Pizza Hut: On Friday at Darlington Raceway, Brian Vickers will begin a limited 2005 NASCAR Busch Series schedule in the #57 Chevrolets of Hendrick Motorsports, Pizza Hut will be the sponsor at Darlington. Vickers next Busch race will be at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.(Hendrick Motorsports), see an image of the scheme on my Busch Series Paint Scheme page.(5-6-2005)
- Mayflower and Burton at Bristol: Jeff Burton will drive the #29 Mayflower Chevy in the August Bristol Busch Series race. See an image of the scheme on my Busch Series Paint Scheme page.(5-6-2005)
- Benson gets assoc sponsor for season: Toyota Certified Used Vehicles (TCUV), a program of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., became the associate sponsor on the #23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra piloted by Johnny Benson in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Gateway International Raceway. The sponsorship will run for the remainder of the season. Toyota Certified is an industry leader selling more than 200,000 vehicles a year throughout the U.S. Certified Toyotas come with a six year/ 100,000 mile warranty, roadside assistance and all vehicles pass an extensive 160-point quality assurance inspection. To learn more about Toyota Certified visit www.toyota.com/certified.(Bill Davis Racing)(5-6-2005)
Main Page | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997