May 9, 2007
- Dale Jr. & Truex to JR Motorsports? Dave Moody reported on Wednesday afternoon’s Sirius Speedway that rumor has it that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will announce tomorrow [Thurs, May 10th] at JR Motorsports, that both he and #1-Martin Truex, Jr. will drive in the Nextel Cup Series for JR Motorsports in 2008. Hendrick Motorsports will provide engines for the team. A press conference is planned for 11:00am/et at JR Motorsports headquarters per a PR from the team and SPEED will interrupt regularly scheduled programming to go LIVE from the JR Motorsports race shop at 11:00am/et for a news conference with NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.(5-9-2007)
UPDATE: Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s biggest star, has been in contract negotiations with his current employer, Dale Earnhardt Inc., and is asking for 51% ownership of the team. But the location of the press conference, at JR Motorsports, which Earnhardt Jr. owns separately from DEI, indicates his future plans might not include DEI. Earnhardt Jr., who was at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Wednesday evening for a sponsor appearance, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he planned to talk about “some ideas I’ve got for the future” but would not elaborate. Officials from DEI did not return phone calls seeking comment. But Earnhardt Jr., answering questions from fans at an event held by his sponsor Budweiser, indicated that his plans for JR Motorsports might not include adding two Nextel Cup cars. He said his main goal in being a team owner is to be able to help young drivers and mechanics advance their careers. “I don’t want the company to get too big,” he said. “I’ve got about 70 employees now, and I don’t want to get too many more.” He also seemed to squelch another persistent rumor — that he was headed to Richard Childress Racing to drive the #3 Chevrolet made famous by his late father. “‘I’d like to do it for a year or two at the end of my career, when I’m 50 or 55,” he said.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(5-9-2007) - New sponsor for Nemechek at Darlington IMAGE: Three weeks after chairman Brian France led a NASCAR delegation to China to explore business and racing initiatives in the country, the Nextel Cup Series will have a Chinese-owned sponsor in Saturday’s race. Haier America, a division of home-appliance maker Haier Group, will be on the hood of Ginn Racing’s #13 Chevrolet driven by Joe Nemechek.(USA Today)
AND Haier America (pronounced Hi-er), a division of the Chinese-owned Haier Group, has joined the Ginn Racing team of sponsors. A leading manufacturer of home appliances and consumer electronics, Haier will sponsor Joe Nemechek’s Ginn Racing entry in Saturday night’s Nextel Cup race in Darlington S.C. The Haier Group, ranked by Forbes magazine as the most reputable company in China and 25th overall in the world, was founded in 1984 in Qingdao, China. The company’s products are manufactured in 16 countries, including the United States. Haier’s U.S. manufacturing plant is located in Camden, S.C., approximately 30 miles from Darlington Raceway. For more info on Haier America go to haieramerica.com.(Ginn Racing PR), see an image of the car on my #13 Team Schemes page.(5-9-2007) - Fatback and Wood Bros part ways? UPDATE 2 denied: hearing that Michael ‘Fatback’ McSwain, Race Director for the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing, has parted ways with the team.(5-3-2007)
UPDATE: The rumor of Michael McSwain’s departure from Wood Brothers/JTG Racing is untrue at this time.(Wood Brothers/JTG Racing)(5-3-2007)
UPDATE 2: Jon Wood, who is splitting seat time with Ken Schrader this season in the #21 Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Fusion, said Tuesday that there is no truth whatsoever to the rumors that the team’s race director, Michael “Fatback” McSwain is on his way out after two consecutive DNQs for the team. “That’s obviously something I love to address anytime I get the opportunity,” Wood said prior to the start of the second day of Nextel Cup testing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “Anytime you’re able to put a rumor to rest, it’s a good chance to do that. There’s nothing to the rumor that Fatback’s leaving or that Fatback’s getting fired. The only truth to anything related to that is that there was an upper-level management meeting after the #21 car missed Talladega, and it was just to decide what they needed to work on to be more competitive and to move forward. But it wasn’t a finger-pointing meeting, it wasn’t anything. Somehow, it just snowballed from that.”(SPEEDtv.com)(5-9-2007) - Lake Norman High School Hosts the UWF on Friday: NASCAR’s own Hermie Sadler is extending an invitation to everyone within the NASCAR community to join him at Lake Norman High School in Mooresville, North Carolina this Friday night for the United Wrestling Federation’s UWF Live! presented by Peak Fitness. All proceeds from the event go to support the Lake Norman High School Boosters. Sadler, who is President of the UWF, is providing free general admission tickets to any NASCAR licensed crew member who shows their NASCAR license at the door. NASCAR members may also upgrade to the “Ultimate Experience” or ringside seating and receive $5 off each ticket. More info on my Racing Charities page.(5-9-2007)
- Dale Jr. leans toward Hendrick? UPDATE denied: The efforts to sign #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. to a NASCAR driving contract for 2008 and beyond has reached a critical point, and the top two teams on Earnhardt’s list are the Chevrolet teams owned by Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick, according to men familiar with the negotiations. Earnhardt today is leaning toward a deal with Hendrick [NOTE: where would Earnhardt go? HMS has four Cup teams and all three drivers signed for a couple more years, unless some sort of deal with Haas CNC Racing or Ginn Racing would be worked out], largely because of Hendrick’s very strong engine program, sources here said yesterday. Earnhardt and veteran crew chief Tony Eury Jr., his cousin and close confidante as well as the man who has led him to many of his 17 Cup victories, have talked with both the Hendrick and Childress camps in recent weeks about the positives and negatives each team owner would have to offer, sources said yesterday. And Eury will have a major voice in the decision, because Earnhardt’s primary goal now, at age 32, is to win a championship.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-9-2007)
UPDATE: Hendrick Motorsports General Manager Marshall Carlson told Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Sirius Speedway Tuesday that his team is fully stocked with drivers for 2008 and beyond, and that he has not spoken with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., about the possibility of joining the Hendrick stable.(Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Sirius Speedway)(5-9-2007) - Triple Duty for Yeley at Darlington: J.J. Yeley, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Chevy Impala SS, accomplished his most notable trifecta the year prior to signing with the powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing organization. In 2003, Yeley set a USAC single-season record with 24 wins to break A.J. Foyt’s mark of 19 wins set in 1961. That same year, Yeley handily won the USAC Triple Crown by earning titles in all three USAC divisions – Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown. Only one other driver has accomplished that feat in a single season – Yeley’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Tony Stewart, who did so in 1995 before earning his ride with Gibbs. Not only will Yeley participate in this weekend’s Busch Series and Nextel Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway, he’ll also compete in Thursday night’s USAC Silver Crown event in the #14 car owned by legendary racer Foyt.(True Speed Communications PR)(5-9-2007)
- Crocker to be pit reporter for PRN: During an interview on Sirius Radio driver, Erin Crocker announced that she has reached an agreement with the Performance Racing Network (PRN) to become part of the broadcast team for the radio network. Crocker will also continue her current driving responsibilities in the ARCA Series [14 races] along with a handful of scheduled Busch Series events. Crocker will work as a pit reporter during qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 with a possibility of other dates to be added later.(5-9-2007)
- AT&T suit hinges on unwritten agreements: AT&T Mobility’s case against NASCAR regarding the branding of the #31 car owned by Richard Childress and driven by Jeff Burton hinges on a meeting with representatives of the sport’s governing body in June 2003, during which “promises” were made by NASCAR. NASCAR, however, dismissed the “alleged” promises and introduced compelling testimony by a former Cingular employee designated as the “point person” for the sponsoring of the car, in a 94-page filing in U.S. District Court. The document filing was made Monday in Atlanta. AT&T and NASCAR have been in court since April 26 for an injunction that would allow AT&T, which merged with Cingular last December and is phasing out the Cingular brand, to put its logos on the car. A decision is expected from Judge Marvin H. Shoob by the end of this week or early next week. The sponsorship contract with Richard Childress Racing runs out at the end of the season, and based on court documents, RCR and AT&T are not currently negotiating a renewal. According to AT&T Mobility’s 40-page filing, the two sides met on June 26, 2003 — a meeting in response to a letter sent by NASCAR to all team owners indicating that beginning in 2004 when Nextel became the exclusive series sponsor for an approximate $700 million investment, all Nextel competitors would be prohibited as sponsors. During that meeting, Cingular was informed it would be grandfathered in as a sponsor but the company could not increase its brand position on the car and it could not move sponsorship to another team. Cingular representatives were not given anything in writing from NASCAR, according to court documents. NASCAR officials simply told them, “Trust us.” NASCAR’s position, however, is that no promises were made and that it made clear the limitations on Cingular to feature other telecommunication brands.(more at ESPN.com)(5-9-2007)
- Battle Heats Up for the Most Popular Driver Award: The 2007 season is well under way and the battle is heating up for the 2007 NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award. Race fans have really begun to show their enthusiasm for their favorite driver and continue to make their votes count at www.MostPopularDriver.com. One million votes have been cast to date, and surpassing last year’s total of 2.8 million votes is in sight. So far this year the competition is among many of the favorites from last year. The top-10 drivers include in alphabetical order: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart, and Michael Waltrip. Fans are encouraged to continue voting once a day, every day for their favorite driver. Every time fans vote they increase their chances of winning big themselves with the Chex Vote to Win Sweepstakes. Votes will continue to be counted every day through the remainder of the season. Fans should vote once a day, every day before Monday, November 19, 2007, at 11:59 a.m. CST to advance their favorite driver to the top of the standings.(PR)(5-9-2007)
- Ten Drivers Unite for American Heroes Memorial Day Tribute at LMS UPDATE: The stars of NASCAR will, on Tuesday, May 8th, announce the American Heroes Memorial Day Tribute and unveil the participants and paint schemes on in the spectacular salute set for Memorial Day weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The program will raise funds for four major military support organizations and the soldiers and their families of America’s Armed Forces. Sprint Nextel and Motorsports Authentics will support the program with a fundraising effort designed to raise more than $1 million for U.S. troops and their families.(ClearBlue PR), have images of some of the schemes, including: #48-Johnson/USO/Power of Pride; #11-Hamlin/U.S. Marine Corp; #21-Wood/Air Force; #4-Burton/Air Force 60th Anniversary; #01-Martin/US Army American Heroes; #24-Gordon/America Supports You; #25-Mears/National Guard/“American Heroes” [no image]; plus #16 Coast Guard and #88 Navy in the Busch Series race.(Clear!Blue PR)(4-5-2007)
UPDATE: Eight Nextel Cup drivers and two Busch drivers will lead all NASCAR fans in the American Heroes Memorial Day salute to the armed forces on Sunday, May 27th, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway to kick off a nationwide effort to raise funds for military families in need. Participating drivers include #16-Greg Biffle [Busch Series], #4-Ward Burton, #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #24-Jeff Gordon, #11-Denny Hamlin, #88-Shane Huffman [Busch Series], #48-Jimmie Johnson, #01-Mark Martin, #25-Casey Mears and #47-Jon Wood. The cars were unveiled Tuesday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. Distinguished members of the military kicked off the American Heroes tribute in grand style with a military color guard presentation and the presentation of the cars that will run in the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend to show their support for America’s armed forces. The NASCAR team owners, sponsors, drivers and employees donated the space on their cars to collectively thank the armed forces at the Coca-Cola 600. The American Heroes Memorial Day Tribute is being supported by Sprint Nextel, which will conduct a national fundraising campaign to encourage Sprint Nextel customers to support the troops with their donations to the USO. Diecast models and officially licensed merchandise of the participating drivers will be available for sale through Motorsports Authentics. The American Heroes program hopes to raise significant funds for American military families in need through the effort.(Clear!Blue PR)(5-9-2007) - COT Statistics: As the Nextel Cup Series prepares for its fifth Car of Tomorrow event – this week at Darlington Raceway – numbers truly tell the tale of its impact. All four events to date have featured margins of victory less than one second; the first two, at Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, literally went down to the wire. But other statistics, specifically those pertaining to qualifying for series events, also illustrate the car’s positive effects. In examining the first four events at Bristol, Martinsville, Phoenix International Raceway and Richmond International Raceway, respectively, the average speed difference from the Bud Pole winner to the 40th overall qualifier has decreased by an average of almost two-10ths of a second. Comparative first-to-40th qualifying differences from 2006 to 2007 are listed below:
• Bristol – 2006 (0.566 of a second); 2007 (0.358). Note: the August 2006 qualifying results were used in this comparison, as qualifying for the 2006 spring event was rained out.
• Martinsville – 2006 (0.551); 2007 (0.410)
• Phoenix – 2006 (1.024); 2007 (0.768)
• Richmond – 2006 (0/534); 2007 (0.437)
(NASCAR PR)(5-9-2007) - Time changed for Dover testing next week: The Nextel Cup Series will be on track for testing at the Monster Mile, Monday, May 14, now beginning at 12:00pm/et. The session will end at 6:00pm/et and will resume on Tuesday, May 15 from 9:00am to 5:00pm/et. Over 50 Nextel Cup teams will look to setup their versions of the Car of Tomorrow [COT] in preparations for the June 1-3, 2007 race weekend at Dover. Fans are encouraged to attend the May 14 and 15, 2007 test sessions, and admission is free. Gates will open at 12:00pm/et on May 14 and at 9:00am/et on May 15. Parking is free and will be located behind Turn 2. Fans can enter the Speedway grandstands through Gate 14. The Dover ticket office, concession, and souvenir stands near the open grandstands will be available. The Nextel Cup Series will return just two short weeks following the test for the June 1- 3, 2007 tripleheader race weekend, joined by the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series. Tickets for all NASCAR events at the Monster Mile are still available by calling 800-441-RACE or online at www.DoverSpeedway.com.(Dover International Speedway PR)(5-9-2007)
- RIR Prez responds to Dale Jr. commnets about track surface: Richmond International Raceway president Doug Fritz was surprised as anyone to hear the comments from Dale Earnhardt, Jr. yesterday regarding his concerns about the track surface. “This is completely out of left field,” said Fritz. “All of the comments I have heard about our track surface from the drivers have been overwhelmingly positive since we repaved it before the 2004 season. Between our two-day test session in early April and our races this past weekend, I did not hear one comment or concern regarding our track surface from Dale Earnhardt, Jr. or any other driver,” said Fritz. “I’m always available and accessible to the drivers and I have received feedback from many of them over the years on a number of issues. I was in the garage frequently this past weekend and talked to many of the drivers, and there was no mention of any issues with the track surface. In fact, we’ve made numerous changes and enhancements at the drivers’ request over the years, including concreting our pit stalls, taking out a kink in the backstretch wall, relocating the spotters’ stand to a better location and many other improvements related to the competition side,” continued Fritz. “Certainly, if there is a consensus among the drivers and NASCAR that we need to do something with this issue or any other, we will certainly take a look at it. Obviously, the drivers are busy today testing, but we have reached out to a number of them, including Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to talk about this.” During testing Monday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Earnhardt told reporters, “The thing about Richmond, now honestly-they need to start sealing that track again. You ain’t gonna have a second and third groove at Richmond if the sealer ain’t up there to use. I don’t know why that ain’t registered in anybody’s brain. I mean, when that track was good is when they were sealing it ever year…You know-hello?” Track officials have not applied any sealer to the asphalt after it was resurfaced prior to the 2004 season. Since it was repaved, the track has received rave reviews from the drivers-including Earnhardt-on the quality of the repaving job and the quality of the racing. “Considering his positive comments about our track and the repaving job during our test session last month and after his victory in last May’s Crown Royal 400, I’m even more surprised at his statement,” said Fritz. NASCAR has also not heard any complaints from any of the drivers. “Neither (Vice President, Competition) Robin Pemberton or (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Director) John Darby has heard anything from any of the drivers on this,” said Kerry Tharp, Director of Communications, Competition, for NASCAR. This past weekend’s Crown Royal Presents the Jim Stewart 400 featured more of the great side-by-side action Richmond International Raceway is known for. The race tied the track record for the most lead drivers (12) and fell one short of the record for the most lead changes (25), which has happened twice, most recently in March 1996.(RIR PR)(5-9-2007)
- Charter to Sponsor Riggs at Darlington: Charter Communications will be the sponsor of Evernham Motorsports #9 Dodge this weekend with Scott Riggs behind the wheel. See an image of the car on my Paint Schemes Page.(5-9-2007)
- Crocker joins PRN as pit reporter for Lowes qualifying: During an interview on Sirius Radio driver, Erin Crocker announced that she has reached an agreement with the Performance Racing Network (PRN) to become part of the broadcast team for the radio network. Crocker will also continue her current driving responsibilities in the ARCA Series [14 races] along with a handful of scheduled Busch Series events. Erin will work as a pit reporter during qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 with a possibility of other dates to be added later.(5-9-2007)
- Miller released from Bobby Hamilton Racing: Bobby Hamilton Racing and Dodge Motorsports are redirecting its focus in the Craftsman Truck Series from driver development in the #4 Open Joist Dodge. BHR and driver Chase Miller will part ways effective immediately. A replacement will be determined. Evernham Motorsports driver Kasey Khane and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kevin Hamlin will test the Open Joist Dodge later this week at Lowes Motor Speedway. (BHR PR)(5-9-2007)
- Park to fill-in for Huffman at Lowes test: Key Motorsports will test two trucks during the open testing session scheduled for the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte this Thursday and Friday [May 10-11] in preparation for the May 18th Quaker Steak & Lube 200 Presented by Circle K, Craftsman Truck Series race. Veteran Steve Park and up-and-coming driver Clay Rogers will pilot the two Chevy trucks for team owner Curtis W. Key during the two days of testing. Park will help ready the team’s primary #40 truck for the race that NASCAR Busch Series driver Shane Huffman has been entered to drive. Huffman was unavailable for the test because of his full-time commitment to JR Motorsports and that team’s #88 Chevy that is racing in Darlington, SC this weekend.(Key Motorsports PR)(5-9-2007)
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