May 8, 2001
- Mark Martin’s Speedway has an accident UPDATE 4 Good News: James Neaves, president of the New Smyrna Quarter Midget Racing Association, is in critical but stable condition with head injuries in the intensive care unit at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, a hospital spokeswoman said. The 35-year-old Spruce Creek Fly-In resident was injured during a caution lap when a slow moving car driven by a 6-year-old Deltona boy hit him from behind. The impact at the ankles threw Neaves in the air and he landed on his head, a Sheriff’s Office report said. Robert Hart, owner of New Smyrna Speedway where the midget track is located, said it was an unfortunate incident. There was no ambulance on site nor an emergency medical technician on duty during the races. The Little New Smyrna Speedway — geared toward children between the ages of 5 and 15 — officially opened during Speed Weeks in February. Founder and Winston Cup driver Mark Martin, Neaves and Dye worked nearly a year to get the track operational for area kids to learn about competitive racing at a young age. Benny Ertel, spokesman for Martin, said the NASCAR driver was upset about the news and rushed to the hospital to be with Neaves’ family late Sunday night when he returned from the race at Texas Motor Speedway. Martin was unavailable for comment Monday.(see full story at the Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-3-2001)
UPDATE: have heard that James Neaves is doing better, nothing official
UPDATE 2: The youth auto racing official injured at New Smyrna Speedway Sunday has been upgraded to serious condition, a Halifax Medical Center spokeswoman said Thursday. James Neaves, 35, was thrown into the air after being struck from behind by a 6-year-old Deltona boy during a caution lap. The impact from the car, which weighs about 235 pounds, threw Neaves onto the asphalt track, causing severe head injuries. Neaves is president of the newly formed New Smyrna Quarter Midget Racing Association, which built a track in the infield of the speedway. He had just finished fixing a section of the low wooden wall following an accident during the practice session when he was struck. He was transported by helicopter to the hospital’s intensive care unit where he had remained in critical condition until Thursday morning(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-6-2001)
UPDATE 3: good news on Jim Neaves – he is sitting up and having limited conversation and things are actually going quite well. The track was back racing last night(4-12-2001)
UPDATE 4: Jim Neaves went home last Wednesday(May 2). Attended his son’s race at the speedway Wednesday night. Doctors have released him to stay at home and he should be returning to work very soon. Good News(5-8-2001) - New #68 Team Tests: TWC Motorsport, Ltd., Inc.’s, #68 Chevrolet Monte Carlo completed its first test this past Thursday and Friday at the Virginia International Raceway(VIR). The team was quite pleased that the initial shake down of the Monte Carlo went very smoothly. Tom Coleman, owner of the newly acquired TWC Motorsport NASCAR Winston Cup car, stated, “We came to Virginia International Raceway to get Anthony (Lazzaro) comfortable with the car.” Coleman went on to explain that once Lazzaro was comfortable with the car the TWC Motorsport team focused on getting the car dialed in. “Anthony hot lapped the car, with times in the high 1.27’s and it’s our understanding that the other NASCAR teams are in the same range,” Coleman said. “We have certainly come a long way in a short time,” stated driver Anthony Lazzaro, “and I know with more testing, TWC could be a factor at any road course.” Always one to give credit where credit is due Lazzaro went on to state, “Coleman has put together an exceptional team who knows what it takes to make these 3,400 pound cars go!” TWC Motorsport, Ltd., Inc., has more testing scheduled in preparation for the demanding road course at Sears Point in June(TWC Motorsport PR). NOTE: VIR is a road course in Danville, VA, which reopened last year after many years of inactivity.(5-8-2001)
- Martin has Surgery: #6-Mark Martin underwent outpatient surgery Monday morning to remove a screw from his left knee. The screw was inserted in July 1999 after Martin broke a bone in his leg during an accident at Daytona during a practice session for the Pepsi 400. Dr. Chuck Kollmer, the same doctor who operated on Martin’s knee originally, as well as his back in December 1999, performed the minor surgery. The procedure was done in Dr. Kollmer’s office in New Smyrna Beach, FL(That’s Racin’)(5-8-2001)
- Testing At Lowes UPDATE: Lowes Motor Speedway will host many drivers in a test session on Monday May 7th and Tuesday, May 8th. Cup schedule on both days run from 4:00 to 10:00pm/et. Sceduled drivers so far are: #88-Dale Jarrett, #9-Bill Elliott, #22-Ward Burton, #19-Casey Atwood, #66-Todd Bodine, #36-Ken Schrader, #4-Kevin Lepage, #85-Carl Long and #50-Rick Mast. Others may join(LMS PR), many BGN teams will also test during the day(5-6-2001)
UPDATE: Todd Bodine and Jimmy Spencer topped the speed charts Tuesday as testing hit high gear for the Coca-Cola 600, The Winston and the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Bodine was fastest among 13 NASCAR Winston Cup teams preparing for the 600-mile run on Sunday, May 27, and NASCAR’s annual all-star battle on Saturday, May 19. Driving the #66 Ford, Bodine posted a lap of 180.602 mph, on the unofficial stopwatches. #02-Ryan Newman, who set the overall Lowe’s Motor Speedway track record last October in an ARCA car, was second fastest among the Winston Cup contingent at 179.104mph. Rounding out the top-five on the stopwatches were #88-Dale Jarrett (178.336), #19-Casey Atwood (178.218) and #36-Ken Schrader (178.100). #1-Jimmy Spencer was quickest on the unofficial stopwatches as 20 NASCAR Busch Series teams prepared for the May 26 running of the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300. Spencer’s team had both a Chevrolet and a Ford in the garage, but his lap of 180.180 mph, came in the Chevrolet. #10-Jeff Green was second fastest at 179.820mph with #26-Bobby Hamilton Jr. third at 179.401. #7-Randy Lajoie (178.218), #87-Joe Nemechek (177.223) and #24-Ricky Hendrick (176.991) rounded the top six. There were no spins or accidents during the 13 hours of testing. Testing continues Tuesday with the Busch Cars in action from 9:00am to 4:00pm/et with the Winston Cup teams running again from 4:00 until 10:00pm/et.(LMS PR)(5-8-2001) - #12 in the Wind: hearing the #12 Mobil 1 team has three cars Tuesday and Wednesday. Two for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona(7/7) and an intermediate car for the Coca Cola 600/Winston(5-8-2001)
- Home Depot to leave #20? UPDATE: AutoRacing1.com is reporting that they hear that Home Depot may move from car sponsorship to more race sponsorship and there is a possibility that Target stores may sponsor Stewart in one of Chip Ganassi’s Dodge Cup cars next year(AutoRacing1). Jayski Note: seems hard to believe as Home Depot and Stewart both have contracts with Joe Gibbs Racing thru 2004(5-7-2001)
UPDATE: This rumor is downgraded to ‘false’. In checking with Stewart connections, they tell us he is committed to Home Depot and the Joe Gibbs operation through 2004. However, our source(AutoRacing1’s source) maintains that Home Depot is losing a ton of money and with Lowe’s getting out of NASCAR, this is one contract that may be broken.(AutoRacing1)(5-8-2000) - More Cup drivers at NHIS BGN race UPDATE: Mike Skinner has joined fellow Cup drivers Kevin Harvick(#29 in Cup, #2 in BGN), Steve Park(#1 and #31), Kenny Wallace(#27 and #48), Jimmy Spencer(#26 and #1), Mike Skinner(#31 and #21), (The #00 will not run at NHIS as reported) in the field for the May 12 CVS/pharmacy 200 Presented by Bayer BGN race at New Hampshire International Speedway(NHIS PR)(5-4-2001)
UPDATE: Kevin Lepage will drive the #1 Yellow Chevrolet in the CVS/pharmacy 200. Lepage will be stepping in for Jimmy Spencer, who has family obligations that will keep him in North Carolina for the weekend(NHIS PR)(5-8-2001) - Been Asked: Stanley Smith, who was critically injured at a 1993 Winston Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway, will attempt to qualify for Saturday’s Express 200, a Gatorade All Pro Series race at Birmingham (Ala.) International Raceway(Gaston Gazeete)(5-8-200)
- More Cup drivers at NHIS BGN race UPDATE: Mike Skinner has joined fellow Cup drivers Kevin Harvick(#29 in Cup, #2 in BGN), Steve Park(#1 and #31), Kenny Wallace(#27 and #48), Jimmy Spencer(#26 and #1), Mike Skinner(#31 and #21), (The #00 will not run at NHIS as reported) in the field for the May 12 CVS/pharmacy 200 Presented by Bayer BGN race at New Hampshire International Speedway(NHIS PR)(5-4-2001)
UPDATE: Kevin Lepage will drive the #1 Yellow Chevrolet in the CVS/pharmacy 200. Lepage will be stepping in for Jimmy Spencer, who has family obligations that will keep him in North Carolina for the weekend(NHIS PR)(5-8-2001) - Scholarship Awarded: The first Christain Martin Lovendahl scholarship has been awarded to Zeke Allen Woodard, of Benton, Ark. The scholarship honors the memory of Lovendahl, a crew chief in the Busch Grand National Series who died in an auto accident on May 5, 2000. For more info see my Racing Charities page(5-8-2001)
- ooper to the #73: The #73 Tagsby Racing team has announced that Lance Hooper will pilot #73 beginning with the Darlington Race, May 12. Tagsby Racing is the combined efforts of Joey Sonntag, who has been involved in racing for many years and Oklahoma Lumberman, Ron Crosby. Sonntag had this to say about having Hooper, “We are very happy to have Lance, he is a fine driver and we look forward to what he can bring to our race team.”(Tagsby Racing PR)(5-8-2001)
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