May 8, 2007
- Motorsports This Week on ESPN and ABC: NASCAR Now will air on ESPN2 at 10am/et Saturday with a wrap-up of Friday’s NASCAR Busch Series race from Darlington Raceway and a look ahead to that evening’s Nextel Cup race. Sunday’s edition of the program will air at 1:00am/et.
Indianapolis 500 Time Trials on ABC and ESPN2 This Weekend: Drivers will run for the pole position for the 91st Indianapolis 500 this Saturday, and ABC and ESPN2 will have five hours of live coverage of time trials beginning at 12noon/et. ESPN2 will have more than three additional hours of live coverage of the second day of Indianapolis 500 time trials on Sunday. Saturday’s coverage of Pole Day begins on ESPN2 at noon for two hours. After an hour off, coverage will resume on ABC at 3pm/et and continue until 6pm/et returning to ESPN2 from 6-7pm/et. On Sunday, ESPN2’s coverage begins at 12noon/et and runs for two hours, then resumes from 5-6:30pm/et. The 2007 running of Indy 500 from famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway marks the 43rd year of coverage of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” by ABC, the second longest-running relationship between a TV network and a major sports property. Only CBS and The Masters have been together longer. ABC and ESPN2’s coverage of Indianapolis 500 time trials will also be on the air the weekend of May 19-20, including coverage of Bump Day on Sunday, May 20.(ESPN PR)(5-8-2007) - Lowe’s Motor Speedway Testing Day 2 evening; Final testing for the car of yesterday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway ended Tuesday night. The fastest was #2A-Kurt Busch [Dodge] with a speed of 185.644mph [the second fastest lap after #40-Stremme’s 187mph on Monday night] followed by #88B-Ricky Rudd [Ford], #36A-Jeremy Mayfield [Toyota], #84B-A.J. Allmendinger [Toyota] and #12B-Ryan Newman [Dodge]. The fastest Chevy was #15A-Paul Menard at 6th. The only incident during the session came when #38-David Gilliland spun but did not hit the wall. See speeds from all sessions on the 2007 Lowe’s Motor Speedway Testing Page.(5-8-2007)
- Engine Builder showdown at NTI on May 23rd: Preparations are in full swing for the Seventh Annual Clevite Engine Builder Showdown. The finals for this year are scheduled for May 23rd at the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C. The Showdown pits NASCAR’s top engine builders in a race to build and successfully run a Nextel Cup 357-cubic inch Ford engine in the shortest time possible. Through a process of three rounds of preliminary and semi-final eliminations, the competition culminates in a final showdown between the two fastest teams. The winning team receives the prestigious Randy Dorton Memorial Trophy in addition to a cash prize of $26,000. The runners-up receive $9,000. Overall, the competition awards a total prize package of over $50,000. More info at www.engineparts.com.(5-8-2007)
- Borland released by MWR #44 team UPDATE 3 Evernham?: Michael Waltrip Racing and #44-Dale Jarrett’s crew chief Matt Borland have parted ways. “Dale Jarrett wasn’t happy, UPS wasn’t happy, and we had to do something immediately,” Waltrip said. “Originally, we had hoped that Matt Borland would take the role as the technical director, but he wasn’t ready to come off the road. We need a technical director down the road, but it wasn’t going to help us this weekend.” Jason Burdett, formerly the co-crew chief of the #88 car at Robert Yates Racing, left Yates on Wednesday and will eventually be the #44 crew chief. Waltrip wanted to give Burdett time to get acclimated to the system at Michael Waltrip Racing before he jumped into that role. Burdett worked with Jarrett last year. This weekend at Richmond, Derrick Finley will be the #44 crew chief. Finley started the season at Bill Davis Racing as the crew chief on Jeremy Mayfield’s #36 car. After leaving BDR, he became the crew chief and then lead engineer on Waltrip’s #55 car and is already familiar with the operations at MWR.(FoxSports)(5-3-2007)
UPDATE: Michael Waltrip announced today the addition of Jason Burdett to Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR). Effective immediately, Burdett joins MWR to serve as crew chief for the #44 UPS Team. Matt Borland, who had been serving as the crew chief for the #44 UPS Team, was offered the position of technical director – a move scheduled to take place during the course of the next two seasons. However, Borland declined the move. Burdett’s tenure with MWR started on Wednesday and he will be serving as crew chief for the No. 44 UPS Team beginning this weekend at Richmond International Raceway.(MWR site)
AND, hearing Borland could end up at Evernham Motorsports in some capacity.(5-4-2007)
UPDATE 2: SPEED’s Bob Dilner reported that Evernham Motorsports officials said they have not talked to Borland at all.(SPEED’s practice coverage)(5-4-2007)
UPDATE 3: Evernham Motorsports has an interest in hiring Matt Borland, who was released as the crew chief for Michael Waltrip Racing. Team owner Ray Evernham said on Monday that members of his organization have talked to Borland, who helped Ryan Newman win a series-best eight races in 2003, about a role with the company. Evernham said he needed to find out if Borland wants to remain a crew chief or work strictly as an engineer. Borland turned down an offer to remain the technical director at MWR. Evernham doesn’t have a crew chief opening, but he is concerned with the recent performance of the #19 team of driver Elliott Sadler and crew chief Josh Browne. “We’ve got to change something,” Evernham said. “As for Matt, I don’t know where he would fit in here. Others are interested in him and I don’t want to get into a bidding war for him. Matt’s a sharp guy and he would add depth to our organization, which we really need right now. But he’s got to want to work here.”(ESPN.com)(5-8-2007) - Checkers/Rally’s to Sponsor Skill Element in the Pit Crew Challenge: Checkers/Rally’s will sponsor the rear-tire changer and rear-tire carrier pit box as part of the individual skill element that will take place in the Nextel Pit Crew Challenge, May 16 in Charlotte at the Bobcats Arena. In the Checkers/Rally’s pit box, tire changers and tire carriers will work together to simulate race-day conditions by replacing the rear tires. Competitors will use their own air guns, and a five-second penalty will be assessed for any lug nuts not passing a 20-pound torque test. Checkers/Rally’s is currently in its third season of sponsoring the Double Drive-Thru Challenge, a weekly pit crew competition in NASCAR’s three professional series — Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck. The Nextel Pit Crew Challenge, which will be broadcast on SPEED, will consist of 24 Nextel Cup teams. The competition is a prelude to the May 19th Nextel All-Star Challenge race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.(Checkers/Rally’s/DMF Communications PR)(5-8-2007)
- Rusty/Dale Jr. rank among top-20 in Athlete Biz Index: Although former NASCAR champion, ABC / ESPN Lead Auto Racing Analyst and Busch Series [#66-Steve Wallace] team owner Rusty Wallace has retired from driving, his well-known commitment to corporate partners and sponsors undoubtedly remains as solid as ever. This was proven recently, as New York-based TSE Sports and Entertainment released the April 2007 edition of the Athlete Business Index. The index, highlighted in Sports Business Daily, ranked Wallace 16th among all athletes. Other athletes appearing in the top-20 of the index included Michael Jordan [3], Tiger Woods [4] and Lance Armstrong [6] – (Magic Johnson was 1st). Danica Patrick [15th] and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. [11th] were the only other auto racing-related personalities to appear in the top-20. The rankings were based upon the results of surveys completed by 213 Fortune 500 marketing executives who make use of athletes for corporate purposes. In explaining the rankings, TSE notes that the executives surveyed were asked to score athletes’ ability to succeed in ten specific corporate categories or functions. These categories included trade show appearance, keynote speech, sales promotion, clinic / demonstration, meet and greet and others. Athletes are graded on a point system in each category and are given a score for both local market presence and national marketability.(RWI PR)(5-8-2007)
- Jeff Gordon’s Team Takes Pit Crew Challenge Honors in Richmond: Jeff Gordon’s over-the-wall crew earned its first win of the season in the weekly Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge by spending the least amount of time on pit road during Sunday’s rain-delayed Nextel Cup event. The #24 crew spent 201.593 seconds on Richmond International Raceway’s pit lane, and lifted its team to a fourth-place finish in the Jim Stewart 400 presented by Crown Royal. Checkers/Rally’s will award an $11,000 prize to Gordon’s crew for winning the weekly competition. The #24 crew, out of the Hendrick Motorsports stable, includes: Jeff Cook (jackman), Mike “Tiny” Houston (front-tire carrier), Clay Robinson (front-tire changer), Jeff Knight (rear-tire carrier), Kevin Gilman (rear-tire changer), Caleb Hurd (gasman), Jamie Frady (catch can) and Andy Kruep (eighth-man). The crew chief is Steve Letarte. After ten Nextel Cup races, Mark Martin’s/Regan Smith’s #01 pit crew leads in the Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge standings with four wins. Denny Hamlin’s #11 crew is second with two victories. An additional $111,150 will be presented to the pit crew with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race Nextel Cup schedule. To win the Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge, teams are required to finish on the lead lap while spending the least amount of time on pit road. Checkers/Rally’s is in its third season as title sponsor for the pit crew challenge. Checkers/Rally’s is the Official Burger and Drive-Thru Restaurant of NASCAR, more info at checkers.com.(DMF Communications PR)(5-8-2007)
- Biffle working on contract with Roush: from a transcript:
Q) There’s been a Lot of Talk about Your Contract. How Would You Like To See This Play Out?
A-Biffle) “…we’re negotiating with Roush on getting the extension done. We’ve got a couple of sponsors on the table that want to come over and be on our race car, and there are other teams that have shown interest in me coming and driving their car. So, I’m pretty sure I’m staying at Roush. The negotiations are going well. I don’t see a reason why I’d be out talking to anybody else at this point, or at least entertaining those ideas until I feel like I’ve gone as far as I can with Roush, we can’t come to terms.”
Q) Do you feel like you’ll get this Done This Year? Geoff Smith Said It Could Be This Year or Next Year?
A-Biffle) “If we don’t get it done this year, I’ll be announcing where I’m going to be driving in the future.”
Q)How Close Are You to Getting A Deal Done? There’s An Understanding That Geoff Smith Sent You Some Specifics in the Last 10 Or 12 Days on What He Has To Offer, And He Was Waiting For You To Get Back With Him.
A-Biffle) “You’re right; we just got some information last week, and I think that we’re going to discuss the terms with them this week. In fact, I was just talking to somebody today before I came in here, ironically enough. That was their first, preliminary offer – this many appearances, this whatever, all the necessary stuff in there. So, we’re just in the beginning stages of negotiating a deal through 2012, or something. So, we’re not close at all about having a deal done. At least 60 days, I would say, have to guess, by the time we back and forth a couple of times. I let somebody kind of handle that for me because I don’t want it to distract me from what my job is and my job is to go over there and drive that car in a half hour and try and be the best I can. That’s what I focus on, and I don’t worry about the rest of it. I don’t have any reason to believe that we’re not going to be able to do the deal with them.”(Ford Racing)(5-8-2007) - Career Start #450 for Jeff Burton this weekend: #31-Jeff Burton is set to reach another career milestone when he takes the green flag at Saturday’s Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway for his 450th start in NASCAR’s premier series. “It’s fitting that my 450th career start will take place at Darlington. It’s one of my favorite race tracks on the circuit,” said Burton. “What makes Darlington so special is the history that surrounds the track and how entrenched it is in our sport. It’s always an honor to race at Darlington and I’m looking forward to my 450th start at the track.” (RCR PR)(5-8-2007)
- Darby: No COT changes planned: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he expects to be frustrated with the car of tomorrow at Darlington this weekend. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby says that’s how it’s supposed to be. He has heard drivers talk about the cars being more difficult to turn since the start of testing with the new car. But drivers will learn. “There should be a level of frustration – obviously different levels,” Darby said Monday during a break in testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “I would imagine anybody yesterday other than [Richmond winner] Jimmie Johnson had a concern or a frustration at some point because that’s the way our sport works. Frustration to the point where we’re going to change anything going forward, probably not.” In addressing car of tomorrow competition issues, Darby said he is not concerned about the dominance of Hendrick Motorsports (four wins) and Chevrolet (which has led all but 63 of the 1,716 laps in COT events).(SceneDaily.com)(5-8-2007)
- Lowe’s Motor Speedway Testing Day 2 evening; Final testing for the car of yesterday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway ended Tuesday night. The fastest was #2A-Kurt Busch [Dodge] with a speed of 185.644mph [the second fastest lap after #40-Stremme’s 187mph on Monday night] followed by #88B-Ricky Rudd [Ford], #36A-Jeremy Mayfield [Toyota], #84B-A.J. Allmendinger [Toyota] and #12B-Ryan Newman [Dodge]. The fastest Chevy was #15A-Paul Menard at 6th. The only incident during the session came when #38-David Gilliland spun but did not hit the wall. See speeds from all sessions on the 2007 Lowe’s Motor Speedway Testing Page.(5-8-2007)
- Lowe’s Motor Speedway Testing Day 2 afternoon: The second day [of two] of testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway had 84 cars with 49 drivers/teams. #36A-Jeremy Mayfield [Toyota] was the fastest at 183.667mph, followed by #40B-David Stremme [Dodge], #15A-Paul Menard [Chevy], #07A-Clint Bowyer and #1B-Martin Truex Jr. The fastest Ford was #16B-Greg Biffle who was 16th on the speed chart. No incidents or accidents reported. See speeds from all three sessions so far on the 2007 Lowe’s Motor Speedway Testing Page.(5-8-2007)
- McCumbee tests 3rd Petty car at LMS: Chad McCumbee, 22, has been assigned by Petty Enterprises to drive the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge this June at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway. McCumbee made his first Nextel Cup laps Monday afternoon at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway located in Concord, NC in the #47 Petty Enterprises Test Dodge. McCumbee, along with the rest of the Nextel Cup regulars, were testing for the upcoming May events highlighted by the Coca-Cola 600. McCumbee made nine laps Monday afternoon posting a fast lap of 175.137mph. McCumbee will continue to test Tuesday.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing PR)(5-8-2007)
- Testing at the Rock: hearing the #21 Wood Brothers team is testing at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, NC on Tuesday, May 8th.(5-8-2007)
- Todd Kluever Hosting Charity Motorcycle Ride: Todd Kluever began his racing career riding motorcycles on dirt-oval tracks in and around Wisconsin. Now he is using his love for motorcycles to raise money to fight diabetes. Kluever, driver of the #16 3M Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the Busch Series, is hosting the first annual “Todd Kluever Ride To Cure Diabetes” on Sunday, June 24, 2007. The event will be a day-long motorcycle ride which will begin at Capital City Harley-Davidson in Madison, Wisc., and end at Nora’s Tavern in nearby Deerfield, Wisc. All proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Association and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(5-8-2007)
- Border Patrol to Sponsor Jay Robinson Racing: Jay Robinson Racing announced that the U.S Border Patrol and the team have finalized a 25 race sponsorship agreement on the #28 Chevy for the remainder of the 2007 Busch Series season. The package will be equally split between primary and associate exposure. The U.S. Border Patrol’s sponsorship will start this week at Darlington Raceway as the primary sponsor on the #28 Chevy. Johnny Sauter, Jeff Green, Robert Richardson Jr. and Derrike Cope will split seat time in the #28 Chevy while the U.S. Border Patrol is the sponsor.(Jay Robinson Racing PR)(5-8-2007)
- Morgan Shepherd Attempting Darlington: Faith Motorsports has entered the Racing With Jesus Dodge in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington. The race attempt will be the first time the familiar green and yellow car has attempted a race in NASCAR’s Busch Series this year. The #89 Dodge will be mostly unsponsored for its inaugural event at Darlington. It will feature the team’s Racing With Jesus logo on the hood.(MorganShepherd.com)(5-8-2007)
- Mark Martin Making Busch Debut with Hendrick at Darlington: Mark Martin will team with car owner Rick Hendrick this week for the first time. Martin will drive the 35 Hendrick Autoguard/hendrickcars.com Chevy in Friday’s Busch Series race at Darlington Raceway, marking his first time behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports-prepared car. Friday’s event will mark the first of Martin’s three scheduled Busch races for Hendrick in 2007. He will also drive the #5 Chevy at Michigan and Homestead-Miami.(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(5-8-2007)
- McCumbee tests 3rd Petty car at LMS: Chad McCumbee, 22, has been assigned by Petty Enterprises to drive the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge this June at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway. McCumbee made his first Nextel Cup laps Monday afternoon at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway located in Concord, NC in the #47 Petty Enterprises Test Dodge. McCumbee, along with the rest of the Nextel Cup regulars, were testing for the upcoming May events highlighted by the Coca-Cola 600. McCumbee made nine laps Monday afternoon posting a fast lap of 175.137mph. McCumbee will continue to test Tuesday.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing PR)(5-8-2007)
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