April 1998 News Archives - Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site

PAST NEWS APRIL 1998

Hendrick Motorsports will run a #50 Bud Pontiac in the Winston Open, didn’t mention a driver.(RPM2Nite)(4-30-98)
Despite rumors that Dale Earnhardt will field a second team for Darrell Waltrip after Steve Park returns, Tyler Jet Motorsports says Waltrip will return to the team to drive the #17 chevy at the Brickyard 400.(WC Today Radio)(4-30-98)
Talks with Robbie Gordon almost worked out but it appears that Robbie will not be in the #50 car this year. The only race that was still a possibility was the Winston Open and it appears as though Jack Sprague will drive that race for the Bud team. Also don’t be surprised if the car Sprague drives is a Pontiac(see above)(MRN-Marty)(4-30-98)
Rusty Wallace, who currently leads the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings, has won the first-quarter balloting for Driver of the Year. Fifteen motorsports journalists gave him nine first place votes. His total of 97 points more than doubled those of the second-place drivers, NHRA’s Cory McClenathan and IRL’s Tony Stewart, both with 47 points. NASCAR drivers Mark Martin (26 points), Jeff Gordon (25) and Dale Earnhardt (19) split the other first place votes to round out the top six.(SpeedNet)(4-30-98)
NASCAR officials are trying to set up an aerodynamic test at Daytona and Talladega for several top teams, to try to find ways to break up the huge pack of cars at restrictor-plate races. The first runs could come next week.(JournalNow)(4-30-98)

(4-29-98)
The purse for Sundays Winston Cup race at California is $2,343,914.(4-29-98)
Rocker Eddie Money will sing the National Anthem on Sunday. Friday night he’ll treat the folks in the infield to a concert beginning at 5:30 pm/pt.(4-29-98)
Rich Bickle was on RPM2Nite and said he is close to signing a one race sponsorship deal to run his BGN team Bickle-Smith Motorsports, at Charlotte.(4-29-98)
Sterling Marlin, whose Charity Benefit Program has raised almost half a million dollars, is the first-quarter nominee for the 1998 NASCAR True Value Man of the Year award.(NASCAR Online)(4-29-98)
Former Busch North Champion Dale Shaw, who started the season with the #48 UniFirst BGN team, will attempt to qualify his own car at the BGNN race at NHIS in May, then the BGN race in Nazareth the next week. You can see the story at North East Racing.(4-29-98)
I hear Phil Barkdoll(owner of the #73) is looking for a sponsor so he can run the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. He wants to put himself or Stanley Smith in the car. I hear Stanley Smith looks great and is back doing some racing in Alabama.(4-29-98)
I hear that any BGN provisional restrictions normally placed on the top 35 in the Winston Cup drivers’ standings would not apply to Randy Lajoie. Supposedly NASCAR has decided that LaJoie helping an injured driver is for the benefit of the sport and, if it ever comes to that, would declare that the rule does not apply to
Lajoie in this situation. But from what I hear LaJoie will be able to use the Champ Prov anyhow.(4-29-98)

(4-28-98)
I have some clarification of the #94 McDonald’s deal that I reported on a week ago. McDonald’s Corporation and it’s franchisees pay for the sponsorship of all of our sports alliances, including auto racing. The story that Coke pays for the McDonald’s sponsorship of Bill Elliott Racing in order to remain their customer, was not true.(4-28-98)
Diamond Ridge Motorsports has released Jeff Green, and suspended all Winston Cup #29 operations. The team will be preparing cars for Elliott Sadler #92, five races this year & full season for 1999. Busch teams owned by DRM are NOT effected. During an interview on RPM2Nite, owner Gary Bechtel said while Jeff Green is still under contract with DRM, he is trying to find Green a ride. He also mentioned that later in the season, if sponsorship is found and the team improves, he may put the team back on the track. No mention on if Sadler would be in the #92 or #29 in 1999. The team is concentrating on winning the 1998 Busch Grand National championship.(4-28-98)
Bill Elliott, driver/owner of the #94 McDonald’s Ford, has a bruised sternum and bruised knee from THE WRECK at Talladega. He plans to run the race at California May 3rd but will have Dennis Setzer standing by just in case.(RPM2Nite-Dr Jerry Punch)(4-28-98)
Dr Jerry Punch of ESPN2 and RPM2Nite mentioned that Dale Earnhardt has second degree burns on his neck and when Dr Punch called to speak to him today, he was out working the farm, so it looks like Dale will be in the car full-time at California.(RPM2Nite)(4-28-98)
The hot rumor has Wally Dallenbach in the #50 Bud Chevy at Richmond in June and other teams are looking at him.(RPM2Nite)(4-28-98)
Richard Howard, 73, a former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway and innovative NASCAR promoter, died Tuesday at his Denver, NC, home. See the story at NASCAR promoter dies at 73.(4-28-98)
UPDATE: Rich Bickle was at Greenville Pickens Speedway today testing in the Tyler Jet Motorsports #17.(MRM) I also hear the team is making many personnel changes and is letting go many of DW’s former employees.(4-27-98), actually Bickle said he tested the car at Charlotte last week and will test the #17 truck at Charlotte next week.(RPM2Nite)(4-29-98)
Joe Nemechek and his crew chief Brian Pattie were fined $5,000 each for having illegal stop bolts on the shocks of the #87 Bell South Mobility Chevy at the Talladega BGN race, which Nemechek won.(RPM2Nite)(4-28-98)
Kenny Irwin, Jr tested the #48 UniFirst Ed Porter owned BGN Ford at Charlotte. No plans for Irwin to run the car, they tested it to get acquainted. But Irwin would not mind running a few companion events to reduce his learning curve.(RPM2Nite)(4-28-98)

(4-27-98)
UPDATE: Mike Skinner may also miss the California Cup race next week and Morgan Shepherd may sub for him again in the #31 Lowes Chevy. Skinner has a doctor’s appointment on Monday at which time a decision will be made on his participation in the May 3 event. (4-25-98) – Shepherd will take over the driving duties of the #46 First Union Chevy after Dallenbach left and Mike Dillon will run the #31 Lowes Chevy at California.(4-27-98)
Our first driver change of the year(not involving an injury and rumored here for weeks): Wally Dallenbach and Felix Sabates(SABCO) have decided to part ways. Morgan Shepherd will drive the #46 First Union Chevy as an interm driver with the exception of the two road courses(Sears Point & Watkins Glen) where Tommy Kendall will pilot the car. Dallenbach is now a candidate to sub for Ricky Craven in the #50 Bud Chevy after the May 31st Dover race.(RPM2Nite)(4-27-98)
Speaking of Morgan Shepherd, I hear that Shepherd is close to signing with a sponsor for 10-15 Cup races this year and with a 2 year deal for Winston Cup in 1999 and 2000, running Pontiac’s out of his Conover, NC shop. The sponsor is supposedly an insurance company of some type.(4-27-98)
Brett Bodine hasn’t been 15th in Winston Cup points since he drove for Kenny Bernstein in 1993, seems like new crew chief Gere Kennon, new sponsor and a great spotter have done wonders for this team.(4-27-98)
A few readers heard this story on ‘NASCAR Country'(a radio show) on Sunday, April 26 that Darrell Waltrip would not be returning to the #17 car and would remain at Dale Earnhardt’s team running a second car, when Steve Park returns. They said that it was as yet unsponsored and no number had yet been assigned.(4-27-98)
A spokesman for the team formerly owned by Darrell Waltrip Motorsports and now under the control of Texas businessman Tim Beverley said the organization hopes to have the No. 17 car back on the track by the May 24 race at Charlotte, probably with Rich Bickle as the temporary driver. Waltrip, who’s filling in for the injured Steve Park in the car owned by Dale Earnhardt, plans to resume duties in his old car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Aug. 1 Brickyard 400.(Times-Dispatch)(4-27-98)
BGN driver Mike Dillon(#72 Detriot Gasket Chevy) will drive the #31 Lowes Chevy in place of injured Mike Skinner at California this coming weekend. Dillon is the son-in-law of #31 car owner Richard Childress.(RPM2Nite)(4-27-98)
Harry Gant, former NASCAR driver (the famed #33 Skoal Bandit) was involved in a two-vehicle accident on Sunday(4-26). Gant, who started more than 470 races in a NASCAR career that began in 1973, wasn’t injured in the accident. A British tourist was killed and her husband critically injured. See the complete story at That’s Racin’.(4-27-98)
After recording an eighth-place finish, Ward Burton did what some other drivers in his situation have not been man enough to do. He stepped up and took full responsibility for the accident. “I think I caused it and I know a lot of people in the past have speculated and speculated and nobody has taken the blame for it,” Burton said. “That’s not doing much good for all the (damaged) race cars right now. I think I got my left-front on the apron a little bit and that got me loose. I was getting off the throttle quick and I think I slid up a little bit and got into the
back of the 3 (Earnhardt) car. I didn’t get him by much, but hell, it doesn’t take much. I feel really awful about it. I’m glad I wasn’t in it, but I was involved in it and that doesn’t make me feel too good about it.”(GoRacing)(4-27-98)
Dale Earnhardt was treated for second-degree burns to his face and neck in the infield care center. “Just about the same thing happened to Elliott that happened to me here in ’96. The fire came off Elliott’s car and singed my hair and burned my mustache a little bit. After being checked out in the track’s medical facility Bill Elliott was flown in his own plane to Blairsville, GA to be seen by his personal physician Dr. Jim Heaton. Chest x-rays revealed a possible bruised sternum but EKG results were good. Elliott was alert and walking around and plans to be back in the car next weekend at California Speedway.(GoRacing)(4-27-98)
“NASCAR is taking the rumors of Bruton Smith and Tony George starting their own stock car series very seriously in private but will continue to blow it off in public. One scenario has Hooters as the title sponsor and them bringing their Hooters cup cars in as the originating model for rules etc. I am still very concerned over whether this will happen or not, but with the fiasco at Texas and
NASCAR threatening to pull out of there Bruton may feel he has to make a move. It is going to be risky but entirely possible. There are too many good drivers in NASCAR for the number of starting position available. Well financed teams in both Winston Cup and BUSCH go home without racing every week and that could make a new series very attractive to sponsors who want exposure, not just showing up on the DNQ list once a week.”(Bart’s NASCAR Site)(4-27-98)
NASCAR has the windshield that popped out of the car driven by Stanton Barrett(not Brad Loney) and landed 10 rows up in the grandstand during a wreck in Saturday’s Busch series race. The windshield injured four people, one of whom was held overnight at a hospital with a cut on her right hand. NASCAR officials plan to examine the windshield and its mount to see if anything can be done to prevent such an occurence in the future. Regardless, if it’s revealed that the windshield was improperly mounted, expect NASCAR to hand down a hefty fine.(Times-Dispatch)(4-27-98)

(4-26-98)
DuPont Unveils “Illusion Car” For NASCAR’S 50th Year: As part of the 50th anniversary of The National Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR), DuPont Automotive Finishes held a press conference at the Talladega Superspeedway Saturday to unveil “the illusion car”. The car is one of the famous #24s driven by NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Jeff Gordon, sponsored by DuPont. The #24 DuPont Chevy is painted in DuPont ChromaLusion® Pure Fire Prizm, a color that changes from red to gold, depending on the viewing angle. The car will be driven in The Winston race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16. See the rest of the story at The DuPont Website. They expect to have images up soon. NASCAR Online has an image on it’s website. The paint cost $17 an ounce.(TNN, DuPont and NASCAR Online), also The Official Jeff Gordon Website has an excellent image of the car.(thanks Brad for the heads up)(4-26-98)
According to his brother, John Hendrick, Rick Hendrick appears to be winning his battle against leukemia. “Rick’s doing real well, and his prognosis right now is that he’s real close to being in remission,” John Hendrick said yesterday of the man who owns the cars driven by Terry Labonte, Ricky Craven and defending Winston Cup points champion Jeff Gordon. “The treatment is still very difficult on him, and it makes him really sick. But all the tests have come back very positive. He’s got a great attitude and he expects to be back with [the team] next year.” John Hendrick is the acting head of Hendrick Motorsports during Rick’s absence.(Richmond Times-Dispatch)(4-26-98)
Rich Bickle will also run the #98 Thorn Apple Valley Ford at the California Speedway on May 3rd as Greg Sacks is still recovering from his Texas 500 injuries.(NASCAR Online)(4-26-98)
The #47 Fans Can Race Ford Thunderbird picked up Philips sponsorship for the Talladega race as Geoff Bodine, driver of the #7 Philips Ford failed to make the race. And Billy pulled out a 28th place finish.(4-26-98)
The cars of Bobby Labonte (#18 Pontiac), Dale Jarrett (#88 Ford) and Terry Labonte (#5 Chevrolet) were chosen by NASCAR to go the Lockheed wind tunnel in Marietta, GA(NASCAR Online)(4-26-98)
Grand marshalls for the Diehard 500 were representatives of the “Alabama Gang,” which is the group of drivers that migrated here from their home state of Florida. On hand will be Bobby Allison, father of the late Davey Allison, Donnie Allison, Red Farmer and Susan Bonnett, wife of the late Neil Bonnett.(Richmond Times-Dispatch)(4-26-98)
John Hendrick said he’ll meet with Budweiser officials tomorrow to make a final decision on who’ll be behind the wheel of the No. 50 car for the rest of the season. Craven had been the driver before he had to step aside because of post-concussion syndrome. Busch regular Randy LaJoie has been the substitute, and will be through the May 31 Dover, Del., race. Hendrick confirmed that the team has talked to Robby Gordon, although Craven has said he wants to return by the July 4 race at Daytona. Regardless, Hendrick said LaJoie will drive the car at all the remaining short-track races if he’s
needed.(Richmond Times-Dispatch)(4-26-98)
Want to help out Kevin Lepage and the #91 LJ Racing team, call the Dare County Tourism Board at 1-888-SEE-DARE or goto their site at http://www.outer-banks.com/visitor-info and let them know you support the team and maybe even request information on vacations to the Outer Banks? Dare County is the area covered by what is known as the Outer Banks, NC. It includes areas such as Cape Hatteras which is where the Lighthouse is that is on the hood.(4-26-98)
Until Bobby Labonte won today at Talladega, Bill Elliott was the last driver to win the DieHard 500 from the pole. He accomplished the feat in 1985.(NASCAR Online)(4-26-98)
Randy LaJoie blew an engine at the beginning of ‘Happy Hour’ practice and will start the Diehard 500 with an untested engine. Bill Elliott also changed an engine prior to the race.(TNN’s Raceday)(4-26-98)
Tim Brewer, the veteran crew chief who helped turn Geoff Bodine’s #7 team around over the past year, is under consideration for two jobs, one with Bechtel as manager for the Green team, another with Felix Sabates and Sterling Marlin, according to sources close to the situation.(JournalNow NASCAR News)(4-26-98)
If Chevrolet officials don’t keep an eye on Wally Dallenbach, he might end up back on the Ford roster. Car owner David Blair(#27 Ford, Kenny Irwin ran some races in this car in 1997), who worked with Ford’s Robert Yates last year in developing rookie Kenny Irwin, has been talking with Dallenbach, who concedes his future with car owner Sabates is a bit uncertain.(JournalNow NASCAR News)(4-26-98)
Word from several sources is that Robby Gordon is a long shot to replace Craven/LaJoie in the No. 50 car. A new possibility is Wally Dallenbach, who’s been struggling in his second season for Team Sabco. Word is that crew chief Tony Furr would love the chance to work with Dallenbach, one of the more popular drivers in the garage area.(Richmond Times-Dispatch)(4-26-98)
A couple of hours after the race, NASCAR Busch series spokesman Tim Sullivan announced that inspectors had found “questionable devices” on the shock absorbers of Nemechek’s car. Sullivan said the discovery would not affect the outcome of the race, but that further actions could be taken and any such measures would be announced later this week.(Greensboro News & Record Online/Bob Zeller)(4-26-98)
Four fans were injured Saturday at Talladega during the BGN race when Brad Loney’s windshield popped out of a car and went into the stands during one of the many accidents that occurred.(That’s Racin’/AP)(4-26-98)
Rick Mast was off to Arizona to work on his road racing at the Bob Bondurant School of Racing at Firebird Speedway in Tucson last Tuesday and Wednesday.(Greensboro News & Record Online/Bob Zeller)(4-26-98)

(4-25-98)
Danny “Chocolate” Myers, the long-time gasman for seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt’s Richard Childress Racing team, plans to pull double duty on “Race Day.” His first stop is Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he’ll fuel one of A.J. Foyt’s three entries in the Indianapolis 500, then he’ll jet to North Carolina to gas Earnhardt’s Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet in the Coca-Cola 600 that evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Only one other competitor has completed the unique racing daily double. John Andretti, who drives Richard Petty’s STP Pontiac, participated in the driving doubleheader in 1994. Unconfirmed rumors are that Andretti will drive Foyt’s IRL car at Indianapolis, then head for Charlotte to wheel the STP-sponsored Petty Enterprises Pontiac.(iRace), see Chocolates site at: Chocolate Myer’s Official Homepage.(4-25-98)
Fourteen teams requalified Saturday for the DieHard 500. Dennis Setzer was the fastest in the Bill Elliott owned #89 McRib Thunderbird during second round qualifying with a lap of 192.332mph(would have been 18th fastest on 1st day) in the McRib Ford Thunderbird. All four Thunderbirds that attempted to make the race quaified and will start the DieHard 500. #89-Setzer, #47-Standridge, #97-Little and #77-Pressley. To see who missed the field and who had to take Provisionals, see Jayski’s Provisional Status Page, which also has updated owners points. By the way, great run by Dave Marcis who made the race and ran third fastest!(4-25-98)
Jimmy Foster, who drives the BGN #50 Dr Pepper Ford owned by Julius Erving and Joe Washington, completed successful foot surgery Thursday morning. Foster, who was injured at Texas Motor Speedway, had a pin and a screw put into the front of his foot. He’s expected to return for the May 9 race in New Hampshire and is being spelled by Rick Wilson.(Richmond-Times Dispatch) Get well Jimmy (4-25-98)
Having already lost a fabricator to Roush Racing, Richmond, Va.-based Donlavey Racing had a chassis specialist lured away this week by the first-year team owned by Bill Elliott and Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. Team manager Jeff Kirk is frustrated by the defections, but yesterday flatly denied a rumor circulating through the garage area he’s considering leaving the single-car organization. Instead, Kirk talked of long-range plans for the car owned by Junie Donlavey and driven by Dick Trickle. He said he could see a day when he might consider moving into a general manager role and bring in someone else to serve as team manager. For now, his goal remains to finish the season among the top 25 teams in the points standings and thus punch Donlavey’s ticket to the awards banquet in New York.(Richmond Times-Dispatch)(4-25-98)
The #82 Carolina Shoe BGN team of Mark McFarland tested at Loudon, NH on 4/20-23 and rans a quick time of 30.2 seconds, not bad considering the BGN track record is 30.419.(4-25-98)

(4-24-98)
Wally Dallenbach conceded that he keeps hearing all the rumors that Felix Sabates might fire him, but says he’s talked with Sabates and he’ll be in the car at least the next two weeks. Sources close to the situation say that Shepherd is under consideration for the Sabates ride. One of the offers Dallenbach has on the table, according to NASCAR sources, is to drive for Richard Childress, who confirms he has been considering a third Winston Cup team. Dallenbach said ‘No comment,’ when pressed about the Childress option. Dallenbach will be testing Mike Skinner’s car for Childress at Sears Point in two weeks.(JournalNow)(4-24-98)
There is more talk surrounding Wally Dallenbach and his future with Sabco Racing and the 46 First Union Team. Everyone is aware of his qualifying problems and his past performances at the 2.66 mile do not help his chances of keeping the ride very much. We may see a permanent change very soon and it could be Morgan Shephard getting the opportunity.(www.go200mph.com)(4-24-98)
Chad Little, Robert Pressley, Billy Standridge and Dennis Setzer all drove Thunderbirds this weekend at Talladega.(www.go200mph.com)(4-24-98)
Morgan Shepherd, after an impressive qualifying effort subbing for Mike Skinner in the #31 Lowes Chevy, was interviewed by ESPN2 and says he expects to announce something next week. Possibly the #46??(4-24-98)
During the qualifying show on ESPN2, Diamond Ridge Motorsports owner Gary Bectel said he has a sponsor watching the team and if the team runs well at Talladega and California, he expects to sign them. No idea who it is.(ESPN2)(4-24-98)
The #60 Roush Racing Ford that will attempt to make the Diehard 500 this weekend with Matt Kenseth at the wheel will be sponsored by Peterbilt Truck Centers.(NASCAR Online) – Check out an image of it at Un-Official Matt Kenseth Racing Page.(4-24-98)

(4-23-98)
Steve Smith of iRace reports: TONY JUST SAYS NO: One of the hot rumors making the Internet rounds is that IRL head Tony George and track magnate Bruton Smith (Charlotte, Atlanta, Texas, Bristol, etc.) are hatching plans for a stock car series that would directly compete with NASCAR, apparently with the Brickyard 400 becoming the Daytona of the new league. True, Tony? “Bruton called me today, and I meant to ask him about that — I didn’t know anything about it. But i didn’t get a chance.”
So no discussion between you two about a stock car series? “No,” George said. See the rest of the story at iRace.(4-23-98)
In the 57 NASCAR Winston Cup races run at Talladega, 47 have been won by a driver that started in the top 10. That’s 82 percent of the races.(Bill Weber ESPN Sportszone)(4-23-98)
Sources tell me that Wally Dallenbach will be out of the #46 First Union ride by the end of the week, no idea on a sub yet.(4-19-98), looks like Dallenbach will be in the car for Talladega(4-23-98)
Carl Miller spotter for the #81 team of Kenny Wallace – was released yesterday from the team. Team Owner Filbert Martocci will sub until a replacement can be found.(4-23-98)
Internet provider Mindspring will be an associate sponsor for the #20 Blaise Alexander BGN Chevy at Talladega.(WC Scene)(4-23-98)
The late-great Davey Allison was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame Induction in Talladega on Thursday night.(4-23-98)
Rick Wilson is subbing for Jimmy Foster in the #50 Dr. Pepper BGN Ford and Larry Pearson is driving Ricky Craven’s #2 New Holland BGN Chevy at Talladega.(NASCAR Today Radio)(4-23-98)

For Folks Attending the Talladega Race, 92.7 FM(Y92) is covering the race and Jim Jacobs from Y92 tells me the following, hope this helps:(4-23-98)
1. Turn on 92.7 FM for Reliable Race Day traffic from the Alabama State Troopers. Coverage following Bud Pole Qualifying on Friday, plus before and after each race on
  Saturday & Sunday.
2. Y92 FM will provide LIVE radio coverage of Winston Cup “Happy Hour” on Saturday following the Busch race. They’ll have four reporters in the garage and on pit road, plus a continuous on-air monitor of speeds from NASCAR Timing & Scoring.
3. 92.7 FM is the area’s MRN affiliate. They will have their long-form coverage
  of Bud Pole Qualifying on Friday plus the Touchstone Energy 300 BGN Race on Saturday and the DieHard 500 on Sunday.
4. 92.7 FM is bringing in Richard Brickhouse, the first winner of a race at Talladega in September, 1969. He will be making appearances for the station throughout the weekend, signing autographs, etc.
5. 92.7 FM is conducting a contest allowing race fans a chance to win $92,000 in cash if they can correctly pick the top five finishers in the DieHard 500. 92 finalists will be drawn from all entries and announced over a three-hour period on Sunday morning before the start of the race (8:30-11:30am/ct). Fans can register at locations throughout the area through mid-afternoon on Saturday.
6. Fans with scanners can hear the station’s at-track background communications plus our on-air signal on 161.640. It’s a real neat way to keep up with all the inside stuff. Fans with radios can listen in crystal clear FM Stereo at 92.7 FM.
7. Speed Demon will be the official apparel for the 92.7 FM folks at Talladega Super Speedway for the Diehard 500. They designed some killer shirts for the folks and
  will be there with our souvenir trailer set up in the infield. Te;; them Jayski sent ya. You can get a Jayski shirt there too.
(4-22-98)
Cool – On Sunday, May 3, Dale Earnhardt will make a guest voice appearance during the animated comedy series “King of the Hill” airing Sunday, May 3, 8:30-9pm/et on FOX. The episode “Life in the Fast Lane, Bobby’s Saga” begins when Bobby Hill gets a job selling sodas at the raceway.(NASCAR Online), one of my favorite shows.(4-22-98)
Crew Chief Tim Brewer has left the #7 Mattei Motorsports team and has been replaced by Pete Peterson, former crew chief for Darrell Waltrip.(RPM2Nite)(4-22-98)
In part from Marty at MRN on-line(www.mrnnet.com): Speaking of Elliott Sadler, plans are all set for his NASCAR Winston Cup run at Charlotte. The car will be number 92 and the sponsorship deal for five races is done. However, the look for a full-time NASCAR Winston Cup sponsor for the Diamond Ridge team has slowed down a bit. Remember we(Marty) reported here two weeks ago that an inked sponsor deal was imminent for this bunch but Bechtel says the target has been shifted. “We’re looking towards Charlotte to make a sponsor announcement for the Winston Cup team and we also will announce the sponsor for five Winston Cup races this year for Elliott Sadler at Charlotte.”(4-22-98)
“The folks in Dare County are staking thousands of dollars on the notion that NASCAR can sell the Outer Banks. The Dare County Tourism Board has agreed to sponsor car owner Joe Falk’s No. 91 Chevrolet, driven by Kevin Lepage, in Sunday’s DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The car will feature a decal of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in America, on its hood, as well as the tourism board’s 800 number. The board agreed to spend up to $30,000 to advertise on two places on the car and will not have to pay anything if Lepage fails to qualify for the race, according to an article in a local Dare County newspaper.”(News & Record Online – Bob Zeller)(4-22-98)
Ricky Craven’s #2 New Holland Busch team has hired Bryan Berry to replace Vic Kangas as the team crew chief for the remainder of the planned 15 race schedule.
(www.neracing.com)(4-22-98)
Rusty Wallace was fined $1500 by NASCAR for excessive speed in an area occupied by crew members at Martinsville during practice Saturday.(RPM2Nite) Wallace allegedly drove down the lane between pit road and the parking area at a speed NASCAR considers dangerous.(SpeedNet)(4-22-98)
Testing at Charlotte continued Wednesday with the top 10 in speeds being: #29-Jeff Green 179.700mph; 92-Elliott Sadler 179.700(yes the same); #12-Jeremy Mayfield 178.748; #2-Rusty Wallace 178.512; #7-Geoff Bodine 178.217; #43-John Andretti 178.217; #??-Jack Sprague 176.759; #88-Dale Jarrett 176.812; and #22-Ward Burton 176.067., unofficial and randomly timed by hand. Sprague crashed his Pontiac but was not hurt and the damage was minor.(RPM2Nite)(4-22-98)
Spartanburg NASCAR Cup owner Bud Moore(#15 Ford on hiatus) is among five inductees into the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame. Moore won three NASCAR championships as a crew chief and was key to the such safety innovations as the shoulder harness, inner tire, window net and inner fuel cell. Moore created championship cars for Joe Weatherly, Bobby Allison and Dale Earnhardt. The ceremony will be held May 21.(That’s Racin’)(4-22-98)
NASCAR is considering dropping its seven-test limit, according to some Winston Cup team owners, and allowing teams to test as many times as they want. A number of big NASCAR teams have made a shambles of the seven-test limit. Roush’s operation, six cars
strong, with rookie Matt Kenseth set to make his Talladega Cup debut this week, has 45 tests available this season, seven for the five veteran teams and 10 more for rookie Kenseth.(JournalNow)(4-22-98)
More on that proposed Bruton Smith-Tony George racing series: the engines would be standard NASCAR 358s with 12 to 1 compression, according to sources. The series might be used to provide companion races for George’s IRL events.(JournalNow)(4-22-98)
Steve Park Medical Update & Quotes:

#1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo driver Steve Park’s recovery is on schedule according to doctors who examined the 30-year-old rookie this week. Park suffered a broken right femur, right shoulder blade, and left collarbone along with two chipped teeth in a March 6 practice crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After spending ten days in Atlanta and Charlotte hospitals, Park returned to his Cornelius North Carolina home to undergo therapy under the care of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Walt Beaver. Park visited Bristol
Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway after the accident. Darrell Waltrip is driving the #1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo until Park’s return. Park made the following comments Wednesday:

What Is Your Medical Status: “The doctor said the bone, in the last four weeks, has almost doubled its mass. He’s pretty excited by the progress of the leg, the swelling, and the knee. He said the rehabilitation is going real well. He’s hoping that if the development of the bone continues like it has, maybe I can get back in the Pennzoil Monte Carlo ahead of schedule, possibly sometime in June to do some testing.”

When Do You Plan To Race Again?: “The date I have had in mind is the one that everyone knows about and that is the Brickyard 400. I’d like to be well enough to test in July.
You know, we have some races in July that are pretty special to me and I’d like to come back if I could. I’d be thrilled if I could make my comeback at the Jiffy Lube 300 in July in New Hampshire. I’ve won a lot of races there and I have a lot of fans in the area so that would really be special. If we can get back testing in June and get strong enough where we could compete then who knows, Pocono would be a nice place to race as well. Maybe we could do the last two races in July, then go to the Brickyard in August.”

What Do You Do During The Week?: It’s funny because my job now isn’t to drive the Pennzoil Monte Carlo. Instead, my job now is to do as much as I can to get rehabilitated so that I can get back into the car. That means going to the gym for about two hours each morning then in the afternoon I have my therapy for a couple of hours as well. I do whatever I can to get back to being healthy so I can drive again.

Describe Your Feelings Watching the Pennzoil Monte Carlo: “Sunday’s are pretty depressing and miserable to be honest. It’s no different if I’m at the track or away from the track. Actually, it’s easier to be at the track and see a lot of my friends that I have made in NASCAR. I try to help out wherever I can whether it’s offering
advice, just listening or cheering the team on. I’d rather be at the track knowing what is going on and being involved with the team instead of sitting at home not knowing what is happening.”(Pennzoil)(4-22-98)
David Green will drive the #92 BGN Kraft Chevy in place of Derrike Cope at Talladega.(NASCAR Online)(4-22-98)
Bobby Hillin’s #8 BGN Team will be sponsored at Talladega by Winton Blount a candidate for Governor of Alabama.(WSFA, NBC Montgomery, AL)(thanks Sam)(4-22-98)
Churchs Chicken announced sponsorship today of the #78 Mark III Motorsports NASCAR Busch Grand National entry for this weekends’ Touchstone Energy 300. The sponsorship announcement comes on the heels of a driver change for the team. Loy Allen has replaced Hank Parker, Jr. behind the wheel of the Mark III Chevrolet Monte Carlos. Churchs Chicken will sponsor the car for the Touchstone Energy 300 and
determine their level of interest for the remainder of the 1998 season. Churchs Chicken, a 46 year old fast-food chain specializing in southern style chicken is the nation’s second largest quick service chicken chain. The company has 1,300 stores in 27 states and eight countries worldwide.(Dan Browder/MarkIII)(4-22-98)
If Matt Kenseth, who won the Grand National race at Rockingham with a bullish pass past Indy star Tony Stewart, does well at Talladega, the question would be what Roush has planned for him next season. One possibility is a car provided by the Wood brothers for selected races, as teammate with Michael Waltrip. The Woods have been working very closely with Roush on a number of things. But Eddie Wood says that his family-owned team isn’t for sale, to Roush or anyone else.(JournalNow)(4-22-98)
Speeds from the Charlotte practice on Tuesday: 1. Elliott Sadler,#92 181.025mph; 2. Rusty Wallace,#2 180.240; 3. Jeremy Mayfield,#37 178.985; 4. John Andretti,#43 178.394; 5. Ward Burton,#22 178.335; 6. Ken Schrader,#33 177.339; 7. Jeff Green,#29 177.165; 8. Kenny Irwin,#28 176.991 mph; 9. Jack Sprague,#?? Pontiac 176.412 mph; 10. Dale Jarrett, #88 176.125.(SpeedNet)(4-22-98)

(4-21-98)
McDonald’s announced today its sponsorship of Bill Elliott Racing’s second entry into the DieHard 500 at Talladega on April 26. The #89 McRib Sandwich THUNDERBIRD, driven by Dennis Setzer of NASCAR’s Busch Series, will be a one-race sponsorship
agreement. Setzer, a two-time winner in the Busch Series, will be making his Winston Cup debut when he qualifies for the DieHard 500. Although he has 99 career starts in the Busch Series, Setzer’s only start at Talladega’s 2.66 mile-oval was in last year’s Busch race. He started 37th and finished 37th, after being collected in an early accident. Mike Brandt of Bill Elliott Racing will be the crew chief, while the crew will consist of ARCA’s Phoenix Air Racing Team. Brandt is the superspeedway specialist for Bill Elliott Racing. See the story at McDonald’s Website.(McDonald’s thanks Hutch), I love this sandwich but we don’t have it here in NJ. Also Setzer may run for the team at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, the Brickyard 400 and possibly Martinsville later in the season(RPM2Nite)(4-21-98)
This is what I hear about Robby Gordon’s possible return to NASCAR: I hear he would not confirm driving for Budweiser but did confirm he was under a one year contract with Coors Beer and was released from that contract this past Friday(4-17) which opens the way for him to compete for another NASCAR team. He has had talks with Hendrick Motorsports. If he does go NASCAR Cup racing he will be able to drive eight races between the middle of May and The Brickyard 400 and can only compete in races that do not conflict with his new CART Champ Car ride with Arciero-Wells.(4-21-98)
Derrike Cope will be back in the #30 Gumout Pontiac at Talladega this weekend.(RPM2Nite)(4-21-98)
Elliott Sadler tested the #92 Diamond Ridge WC Chevy at Charlotte today in preparation for the Coca-Cola 600.(RPM2Nite)(4-21-98)
Jack Sprague tested a Hendrick Motorsports Pontiac at Charlotte today that he may drive in the Winston Open on May 16th. His truck team has built two Pontiacs and a Monte Carlo.(RPM2Nite)(4-21-98)
Looks like Randy LaJoie will run the #50 Bud Chevy thru the May 31st Dover race(I’ll be there)(RPM2Nite), rumors continue to circle that Robby Gordon will be the sub after Dover.(4-21-98)
And I hear that Coke is behind the deal with Elliott/Setzer — and that McDonald’s spends no money on the Elliott sponsorship deal. It is totally funded by Coke as part of a deal to get their products in McDonalds worldwide.(4-21-98)
In what will be their first Winston Cup Series action since not qualifying for the 1998 Daytona 500, Dan Pardus and the MidWest Transit race team will be attempting to make the field for the April 26 running of the DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Pardus, crew chief Red Farmer, and the team tested there for several days last week, and feel like they have hit upon the right combination. Since Daytona, there have been several new developments for the first year team. They have relocated to a more spacious shop in Ormond Beach, Florida, and owners Hal Hicks and Mike Witters have purchased the cars and equipment needed to run in 10 to 12 Winston Cup events this year. Pardus and the team also recently participated in the April 19 running of the ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 in Salem, Indiana, where they qualified sixteenth and brought home a fourth place finish. One of the new cars has been built by Gary DeHart’s shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. The team will be entering the car in The Winston and the Coca – Cola 600 later in May, and DeHart has agreed to act as a consultant in their upcoming test at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The MidWest Transit race team feels like they have everything in place and are ready to get back to Winston Cup racing. “We feel like we have turned the corner, and are looking forward to a good showing at Talladega and Charlotte,” said Pardus. For further information, please contact Rick Koger at TK Racing, (904) 258-2805 or [email protected].(4-21-98)
UPDATE: “A widespread rumor in Martinsville garages this weekend centers around Jack Roush. Already owner of five full-time Winston Cup teams, he may soon gain dominion of a sixth — the Wood Brothers team of Stuart, Va. It isn’t known whether Roush would buy the team outright, subsume it into his organization, or work out a cooperative agreement.”(SpeedNet – Notes)(4-20-98) – From what I hear the story about the Wood Brothers selling isn’t even close. The Woods are using Roush power exclusively but they aren’t selling and talk about Roush as a partner from a technology standpoint only.(4-21-98)
Former NFL coach Jerry Glanville was released from a hospital Sunday one day after he broke four ribs and his left ankle when he wrecked his Thunderbird during a qualifying run for the NASCAR Winston West Phoenix 150 stock car race. No idea if this effects his plan to attempt the June, Richmond Cup race.(4-21-98)

(4-20-98)
Fans Can Race and Billy Standridge fans, the #47 Ford, with www.jayski.com on the lower 1/4 panel, will attempt to make the DieHard 500 in the same Ford Thunderbird Billy was second round fastest qualifying last October. The team is still looking for a full time sponsor and more fans to join FCR.(4-20-98)
Rayovac Batteries will be the major sponsor and Coors Light will be the associate sponsor on Sterling Marlin’s BGN Chevy. The deal is for four BGN races with a possible 5th race. The sponsorship will include the following races: April 25th at Talladega; May 23rd at Charlotte; August 21st at Bristol; and October 3rd at Charlotte. The last race may be Homestead.(thanks Marty), I assume the car will br #1 as he had in Nashville.(4-20-98)
From Dare County, NC, ‘The Coastland Times'(4/19/98)

“…the board (DCTB) will not have to pay anything if Lepage fails to qualify for the starting Talladega field. …Other Outer Banks private businesses supposedly are kicking into the sponsorship pot in return for advertising on the car. …The Talladega sponsorship is a one-time deal…”. This is in reference to Kevin LePage and the #91 LJ Racing Chevy being sponsored by the Dare County Tourism Board at Talladega.(4-20-98)
Loy Allen will take over as driver of the Mark III Motorsports BGN #78. Allen succeeds Hank Parker, Jr. who resigned last week after Parker and the Mark III team
had trouble finding the right chemistry. “Sometimes you can’t put your finger on the problem,” team owner Dan Browder stated. “We wish Hank the best and hope a change will be good for both of us.” Loy Allen will pilot the Mark III entry for the Touchstone Energy 300 at Talladega this weekend in what is initially a one race deal.(MarkIII)(4-20-98)
Tim Enderle, a crew member and rear tire carrier for Cale Yarborough’s #98 Winston Cup team, and his girlfriend, Teresa Marlowe of Matthews, were involved in a one-car accident Monday morning at about 5:30am just outside Harrisburg. Enderle was not injured, but Marlowe was killed when the 1993 Mitsubishi she was driving struck a tree as she rounded a curve in the road. The N.C. Highway Patrol reported Marlowe was traveling well above the posted 55 mph speed limit and lost control of the car. Marlowe was 25. The couple was on its way to Yarborough’s shop when the accident
happened and were planning to be in Martinsville for Monday’s race.(That’s Racin’), my thoughts and prayers go out to Marlowes family.(4-20-98)
Good to see the “Hat Man”, Bill Brodrick back in victory lane directing the winners circle activities.(4-20-98)
Greg Sacks, in attendance at the race on Monday, said he hopes to be back behind the wheel of the car at Talladega. Also the following was on the mainpage of the Team Thorn Apple Valley page(www.teamtav.com): “Greg Sacks, driver for TeamTAV’s #98 Ford Taurus is at home recuperating and continuing with his physical therapy. We look forward to having him back behind the wheel!!! Get well soon, Greg.”(4-20-98)
It appeared a lot of people either called in sick to their regular jobs or simply took an extra day off to go to the race on Monday. Martinsville Speedway officials said all 72,000 reserved seats were sold prior to Sunday’s rain postponement, leaving just 8,000 unreserved seats to be sold on race morning. There were few empty seats visible Monday, except in the unreserved area along the back straightaway. The turnout was estimated at about 70,000.(Speedworld)(4-20-98)

(4-19-98)
Heard back from Thorn Apple Valley and they assure me that Greg Sacks will return as the driver of the #98 Ford.(TAVI)(4-19-98)
TNN’s Raceday reports that Greg Sacks may miss the Talladega race also. No sub mentioned but Rich Bickle will probably sub if Sacks has not recovered from his Texas injuries. Sources continue to tell me Sacks is on the hot seat, but he’ll probably get a chance to return from his injuries and run a few more races.(4-19-98)
“Are Bruton Smith and Tony George planning a separate stock-car series? Smith strongly denies that. However, there are reports that Smith and George do have something up their sleeves and could have a major announcement at one of their IRL events later this season. According to one report, a Thursday-night television package, possibly with Fox, is under consideration.”(JournalNow)(4-19-98)
The Goody’s Headache Powders 500 has been postponed because of rain until Monday, April 20th at 11am/et to be shown on ESPN. It is supposed to rain so hard that NASCAR told the teams to put the cars back on the haulers instead of leaving them out on pit road as Martinsville has no garages in the infield.(NASCAR2Day)(4-19-98)
UPDATE: North East Racing News in conjunction with Chad Little Outdoor Power Equipment is offering race fans a chance to win an autographed picture of Chad Little. North East Racing News will also be taking your questions for Chad. We will be meeting with Chad on Monday and will ask as him a few of your questions. And Win tickets to the July NHIS WC Race! Chad Little Outdoor Power Equipment is also having a raffle at the business location. Chad Little Outdoor Power Equipment will host several events on the April 20th to celebrate the grand opening. See all the details at the North East Racing News website.(NERacing)(4-15-98) – because of the Martinsville race delay, Chad will be at the Grand Opening on Tuesday, April 21st.(4-19-98)

(4-18-98)
Mike Skinner who will miss Martinsville and Talladega, may also miss Fontana. Wally Dallenbach will test the #31 Lowes Chevy at Sears Point in Sonoma, CA the week after the Fontana race at the California Speedway(May 2nd). It is a cooperative effort between RCR and SABCO for the test.(ESPN2 Happy Hour)(4-18-98)
Randy LaJoie said Friday(4-17) he has at least three more races substituting for the injured Ricky Craven in the #50 Budweiser Chevrolet.(News & Record Online)(4-18-98)
George Freeman, a member of the Jimmy Spencer Fan Club, is donating $100 to Spencer’s favorite charity Motor Racing Outreach each time Spencer finishes in the top 10. So far, Freeman has donated $300. If Spencer finishes in the top 10 in points this year, Freeman said he will donate an extra $1,000. Spencer said he’ll match it.(That’s Racin’)(4-18-98)
During Happy Hour practice it was announced that the #91 LJ Racing chevy with driver Kevin Lepage would have a one-race sponsorship deal at Talladega with the Dare County Tourist Bureau, which is where the Outer Banks of North Carolina are located. A lighthouse will be displayed on the hood. For information on Dare County see Dare County Tourist Bureau website. The deal could turn into a longer term deal.(ESPN2)(4-18-98)
Steve Park is healing well and plans are to have him test the #1 Pennzoil Chevy in the open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 13-17th and July 22-22, 1998.(ESPN2 Happy Hour)(4-18-98)
Have to wonder…if you go to the Team Thorn Apple Valley site, www.tavi.com there is a bio on Rich Bickle, but no mention of Greg Sacks or of Bickle just being a sub for Martinsville. This may mean we will see Bickle in the #98 car past Martinsville. Sources tell me the rumor mill has Sacks out and Bickle in.(4-18-98)
From Henry of Stock Car Fans: WC Owner points are used as tie-breakers in qualifying, and today we had ties for 3rd (Jeff Gordon/Rudd), 15th (Jeff Burton/Kyle Petty), 23rd (Dale Jarrett/Lake Speed), and 37th (Dick Trickle/Wally Dallenbach).
Those owner points are a lot more important than just tie-breakers though. Next time you see some crew busting their butt to get a rolling wreck back out in the field, keep in mind it may make the difference between making a race and loading up the hauler early somewhere down the road.(StockCar Fans)(4-18-98)
NASCAR officials cancelled Saturday’s Winston Cup second round qualifying session due to rain in the Martinsville, VA area. The starting grid for tomorrow’s Goody’s Headache Powder 500 was set according to first round qualifying results.(goRacing) For provisional info and who took them and who dnq’d see Jayski’s Provisional Status Page, orinally NASCAR Online has Terry Labonte in the 37th spot and then later changed it to 43rd with Labonte taking a past champs prov.(4-18-98)
Bobby Hamilton won the pole at Martinsville using an old 18-degree motor instead of the new SB-2 chevy engine.(JournalNow)(4-18-98)

(4-17-98)
More special Winston (for the Open) paint schemes: Mike Skinner will be running a special paint scheme on the #31 Chevy honoring the Special Olympics .(4-17-98)
Owner Gary Bechtel announced that the #29 Winston Cup entry would be ready to rejoin the Winston Cup ranks when the series visits Talladega Superspeedway for next weeks DieHard 500.(GoRacing)(4-17-98)
“Robby Gordon, a talented but volatile Indy-car star whose NASCAR rookie season didn’t go quite as well as he expected it to, might be back on the stock-car circuit later this season as a substitute for injured Ricky Craven, according to NASCAR sources.”(JournalNow)(4-17-98)
Chad and Donna Little are expecting their second child, due October 1998. Congrats. Chad of course drives the #97 John Deere Ford.(Matt)(4-17-98)
Dick Trickle had that green roof panel owner Junie Donlavey wanted and was reported here a few weeks back. Junie wanted the #90 Helig Meyers Ford to loose some of the black in the color as it was hard to pick put in a crowd of cars. It was supposed to debut at Texas, but they had to go to a backup after a Texas wreck and the backup had not been repainted.(4-17-98)

(4-16-98)
On the Diamond Ridge sponsorship front Bechtel says things have slowed down. “They have settled down for a while. We (Bechtel and Jimmy Johnson) have two or three meetings this week but we’re not in a great hurry.” Remember we reported here last week that an inked sponsor deal was imminent for this bunch – but Bechtel says the target may have been shifted. “We’re looking toward Charlotte to make a sponsor announcement for the Winston Cup team and we also will announce the sponsor for five Winston Cup races for Elliott Sadler at Charlotte.” Hopefully these guys will be busy come Charlotte.(MRN Net – Marty)(4-16-98)
UPDATE: Buckshot Jones may have decided on another track to run one of his five NASCAR Winston Cup races this year and of all places it’s Pocono. It will clearly have to be the June Pocono race. During the July Pocono weekend the NASCAR Busch Series races at Myrtle Beach on Saturday night. Whenever the date, Buckshot will share a Pocono test session with fellow Pontiac driver Ward Burton in a few weeks.(MRN Net – Marty), no idea which race attempt this will take place of in Jones plans.(4-16-98) – Buckshot Jones will attempt the June 21st Pocono race, see his five race schedule at The Official Buckshot Jones Site.(4-17-98)

(4-15-98)
Mike Skinner will not only sit out the Martinsville Cup race but will also miss the Talladega race on April 26th. Morgan Shepherd will sub for Skinner at both races in the #31 Lowes Chevy.(WC Today Radio)(4-15-98)
BGN Cars will run new shock and spring rules at Talladega next week, limiting spring rates and shock travel.(WC Today Radio)(4-15-98)
“In February, people across the country(especially the Jayski readers!) participated in Celebrate The Century™, the 20th Century stamp series. Through mail and online ballots, over 800,000 people voted for their favorite stamp subjects to represent the 50s decade.” One of the 15 winners is: “stock car racing”!! See the results at USPS Celebrate the Century.(Thanks Jim)(USPS)(4-15-98)
The race is on for the Winston. Sterling Marlin is one of 18 drivers that have positions for the May 16 Winston at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Marlin qualifies for the
19th position and serves as a threat to some being that he is a former winner of the 1996 Winston 500 at Talladega. Only three races are left and all drivers are pushing their way to get into Marlin’s slot.(SpeedNet), to see who is in the Winston and how they got there, see Jayski’s Stats Page.(4-15-98)
Corrie Stott has been named the crew chief for the #40 Coors Lite Chevy of Sterling Marlin. Stott had been Jimmy Spencers crew chief in the BGN series. This allows Tony Glover to go back to being the Team Manager for SABCO and the #40, 42 and 46 cars. Stott takes over at Martinsville.(RPM2Nite)(4-15-98)
Pennzoil and Quaker State Oil Companies will merge. 1998 Motorsports programs will not be effected by the merger.(RPM2Nite), see the story at: Pennzoil and Quaker State to Form Premier
Automotive Products and Consumer Car Care Company. The merger of Pennzoil and Quaker State will not effect any of the 1998 race programs in either company, in any of the race divisions. Pending government approval of the merger, team and event sponsorships for 1999 and beyond will be determined during the fourth quarter of
1998.(Pennzoil)(thanks Nancy)(4-15-98)
Fans can begin to find their favorite recipes by their favorite NASCAR drivers in NASCAR Cooks, an official cookbook of the NASCAR 50th Anniversary. The cookbook features favorite Tabasco recipes from 50 NASCAR drivers and other celebrities. The
McIlhenny Company has become the sponsor of Team Tabasco Racing and the marketing partner for this cookbook. Fans will have the chance to taste test the recipes from the cookbook at Speed Street in Charlotte on May 23-24.(SpeedNet)(4-15-98)
Not sure what to think about this: P.E.T.A. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has painted up a supposed race car similar to Ricky Rudd’s #10 Ford. They are going to put it on display in front of Procter & Gamble tomorrow as a protest. They have apparently replaced “Tide” with “Died”. Yikes(4-15-98), see the story in the Charleston Daily Mail at Activists hope race car will rev up support.(4-16-98)
Eleven Cup cars tested at Talladega Wednesday(not sure which ones), BGN teams testing there included Dale Earnhardt, Jr(#3), Patty Moise(#14), Phil Parsons(#10) and Joe Nemechek(#87). Kyle Petty’s son, Adam also tested an ARCA car. No speed posted for any of the tests.(WC Today radio)(4-15-98)
Testing at Greenville-Pickens Speedway continued today with Rich Bickle(#98), Jeff Gordon(#24), Robert Pressley(#77), Geoff Bodine(#7), Todd Bodine(#35), Hut Stricklin(#8) and Bobby Hamilton(#4).(MRM)(4-15-98)
One rumor I hear about the sponsor and paint scheme on Mark Martins #6 Ford is Racing Champions “Authentic” with a gold paint job at the Winston and the same scheme but black at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona.(4-15-98)(FALSE)

(4-14-98)
From the Mark Martin NASCAR Online chat 4-14: Mark Martin will be running a special car for the Winston, as well as the July 4th Pepsi 400 at Daytona. It will be a different sponsor for each of those races. So it won’t be just a color or paint job scheme, it will be a different product on the car.(NASCAR Online), no idea who the sponsors may be at this time.(4-14-98)
I hear Bob Dell, General Manager of the #77 Jasper Engines Ford team has left the team and that Mike Rompf, Public Relations was released.(4-14-98)
Branch Bank and Trust(BB&T), a subsidiary of Southern National Corporation will be an associate sponsor on the #91 LJ Racing Chevy this weekend at Martinsville.(LJ Racing Website)(4-13-98)
Todd Wilkerson, the team manager for Mark Green’s No. 37 Timber Wolf Chevrolet, had successful surgery in Owensboro, Ky., Tuesday to have pins inserted in his left wrist, which was fractured in an accident on pit road in the Busch series race at Hickory Motor Speedway last Saturday. Wilkerson was injured when a car(Kevin Grubb) spun onto pit road and hit the pit box on which Wilkerson was sitting, throwing him to the ground. He also suffered a fractured left elbow.(Record and News Online)(4-14-98)
Testing also continued at Talladega after a bit of a rain delay. Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek(BGN & WC) and Elton Sawyer tested SABCO cars, Dennis Setzer tested the #89 Elliott Ford(no sponsor seen), Kenny Schrader(#33), Ernie Irvan(#36), Kenny Irwin(#28), Dick Trickle(#90), Kenny wallace(#81), Gary Bradberry(#78), Mike Dillon(#3 Earnhardt chevy), Johnny Benson(#26), Brett Bodine(#11) and Matt Kennseth(#60). Also Robby Reiser, who owns Kenseth’s BGN team will server as crew chief for Kenseth’s Cup debut at Talladega.(WC Today and NASCAR Today Radio)(4-14-98)
Testing continued at Greenville-Pickens(SC) Speedway today with Jeremy Mayfield( #12) and Jimmy Spencer (#23) testing once the rain let up. Testing continues Wednesday with Steve Grissom(#41), Rich Bickle(#98), Todd Bodine(#35) and Robert Pressley(#77).(MRM)(4-14-98)
Vic Kangas former crew chief of the #91 LJ Racing Chevy in Cup and resently the crew chief for Ricky Craven’s BGN team has been named the crew chief for the BGN #33 BACE Motorsports Kleenex Chevy taking over for Butch Enders who left after Hickory.(NASCAR Online)(4-14-98)
Lyndon Amick, driver of the #35 BGN Pontiac may switch over to Chevy’s soon. He tested a chevy at Charlotte recently and was very happy with the Chevy’s performance.(RPM2Nite)(4-14-98)
>I hear that 19 year old BGN driver Kevin Grubb is becoming a ‘hot commodity and that after his last few qualifying efforts that Grubb has been approached by no less than three BGN owners to drive their cars.(4-14-98)

(4-13-98)
Dennis Setzer will attempt to make the Die Hard 500 in Talladega on April 26th in a third Bill Elliott Ford Taurus. No idea on a number or a sponsor(Coke??).(WC Today Radio)(4-13-98)
Most of the Pepsi 400 weekend at Daytona Beach, Fla., will take place under
the lights, Daytona International Speedway officials announced Monday. Qualifying for the July 4 Pepsi 400 has been rescheduled to Thursday, July 2 at 8:15pm Qualifying was originally scheduled for the afternoon of July 3. Just as the race was moved from its traditional Saturday morning start to Saturday night at the request of fans, so has the Bud Pole Qualifying. Also, 1 1/2 hours of `drafting’ practice will be held under the lights July 3. A three-hour practice for the 40th Pepsi 400 will begin at 3 p.m. July 2.(That’s Racin’)(4-13-98)
I hear that Rayovac Batteries will be sponsoring Sterling Marlin for five BGN races starting at Talladega on April 25th. No idea what other races or car#.(4-13-98)
Indianapolis is bidding for the 2000 Republican National Convention. If Indianapolis wins the bid, the political powers may have to ask Tony George to move the Brickyard date (in 2000), as the two events would be at the same time.(StockCarFans)(4-13-98)
Testing News from Richmond: Rick Mast is testing at RIR April 13-15; Bobby Labonte, Ward Burton, Derrike Cope, Todd Bodine, Ernie Irvan and John Andretti –
April 27-29; Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing – May 11-13;
Roush Racing – May 26-28.(NASCAR Online)(4-13-98)
Testing News from Talladega: Sterling Marlin, Kenny Wallace, Gary Bradberry, Ernie Irvan, Dick Trickle, Johnny Benson and Matt Kenseth(#60) tested at Talladega today. Also Mike Dillon and Dave Marcis tested the Dale Earnhardt #3 Chevy. Mark Gibson, Micky Gibbs and David Bonnett also help test Elliott Fords. BGN teams testing was Joe Ruttman(in a Roush car), Mark Martin and Joe Nemechek.(WC Today Radio)(4-13-98)
The #29 Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevy will go back to Talladega Superspeedway for one more test this week before deciding if it will enter the DieHard 500 on April 26.(That’s Racin’)(4-13-98)
Testing at Greenville-Pickens today is Terry Labonte(#5), Darrell Waltrip(#1), and Lake Speed(#9) with more teams are expected this week.(MRM)(4-13-98)
Hank Parker Jr. has left the BGN #78 car, no word on what his plans are or what the #78 team will do.(MRM)(4-13-98)
Brian France has been promoted to senior vice president for NASCAR. The son of NASCAR president Bill France Jr. previously served as the vice president of marketing and communications since 1993. He will continue to oversee all aspects of marketing,
licensing, communications, special projects and business development.(SpeedNet)(4-13-98)

(4-12-98)
The fan sponsored #62 Team Paradigm chevy team says it is very close to announcing both a limited race deal with corporate sponsorship, and the signing of a quality Winston Cup driver. see the Team Paradigm Site for more info on the team.(4-12-98)
On TNN’s Raceday Sunday, Dale Earnhardt, Jr said he may attempt a Winston Cup race later in the 1998 season and possible 5 races in 1999.(4-12-98)
Brad Loney will return in the #45 Hunters Specialties Chevrolet BGN Car for
Talladega. This is Beyond his 5 Race deal with Laughlin Racing. He will also
race the #45 in Atlanta, unless he has a ride outside the #45 car by then. Not sure what the plans for the team are for the remainder of the 1998 BGN season. I hear the team is concentrating on the Hooters Pro Cup and will only drive in a few BGN events.(4-12-98)

(4-11-98)
Robin Miller of SpeedNet answered a question about Robby Gordon taking over for Ricky Craven in the #50 Bud car for a few races: “R Gordon told me last weekend that he would be driving a stock car at the Brickyard (and maybe Fontana).”(SpeedNet)(4-11-98)
NASCAR won’t institute a rule change on shock valves for the April 26 Diehard 500 at Talladega, a Winston Cup team source said Friday. NASCAR first suggested the change in a release before last week’s Texas 500.(That’s Racin’)(4-11-98)
Jeff Green and the Diamond Ridge #29 Chevy team will announce on Monday(4-13) whether they will run at Talladega on April 26th(SpeedNet)(see above story)(4-11-98)
Butch Enders, crew chief of the #33 BGN Chevy will leave the team after the Hickory race, no replacement has been named.(TNN during the race)(4-11-98)
Testing continues throughout the weekend at Talladega with BGN driver Doug Reid joining David Green and Cup regular Gary Bradberry. Bradberry is scheduled to test
Sunday, while as many as a dozen teams are expected at Talladega Monday to begin a
three-day test.(SpeedNet)(4-11-98)

(4-10-98)
Rich Bickle will not drive the #17 Tyler Jet Motorsports Chevy at Martinsville, but will sub for Greg Sacks in the #98 as Sacks will take the week off to recover from his injuries from the Texas 500 wreck(4-10-98)
The #91 LJ Racing Chevy team has a new associate sponsor, Race Style Sportswear comes aboard. (LJ Racing Website)(4-10-98)
The team Chris Trickle drove for before his shooting won the opening event over this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Nineteen-year-old Las Vegas driver Kurt Busch scored the biggest victory of his career Saturday night, taking a dramatic half-second victory over Steve Portenga of Sparks, Nev. in the Star Nursery 100 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series stock car race at the 3/8-mile paved oval of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The team dedicated the win in Chris’ name.(LVMS and Karen)(4-10-98)
Mary Fendrich Hulman, chairman emeritus of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, died at 6:29 a.m. this morning at her home in Indianapolis. She was 93. Funeral arrangements are pending.(GoRacing), my thoughts and prayers are with the Hullman-George families.(4-10-98)
#98 driver, Greg Sacks, injured in the Texas 500 was released from Parkland Memorial Hospital on Thursday afternoon but has decided to remain in Texas for further consultations with medical specialists. Doctors anticipated a complete recovery, when he will return to driving will be determined by the doctors and Sacks. No decision has been made about Martinsville yet.(NASCAR Online)(4-10-98)
Kevin Cywinski will be sponsored by Excite Search Engine in Saturday’s BGN race at Hickory NC. Excite joins Lycos(www.lycos.com) and Yahoo(www.yahoo.com) as search websites sponsoring BGN teams.(KARNAC Motor Sports Web Services)(4-10-98)
Ricky Craven underwent successful reconstructive knee surgery Wednesday on his right knee and was released Thursday morning and is recuperating at his home in Concord, NC.(NASCAR Online)(4-10-98)
Donnie Richeson, former crew chief for the #11 Breet Bodine Paychex Ford Team Scandia has been named the crew chief for the #30 Slim Jim BGN Chevy and driver Mike Cope.(RPM2Nite)(4-10-98)
“Stock-car teams are still awaiting word from NASCAR about proposed new rules for Talladega. Some car owners and crew chiefs are against the proposed limits on springs and shocks for the April 26 race in Alabama.”(JournalNow)(4-10-98)
Tommy Houston’s son Andy Houston, a regular in the Truck Series, will sub for injured Jimmy Foster at the BGN race in Hickory in the #50 Dr. Pepper Ford. Hickory has received 47 entries for 31 starting positions in Saturday’s race.(That’s Racin’)(4-10-98)

(4-9-98)
Morgan Shepherd will drive the #31 Lowes Chevy at Martinsville in place of injured regular Mike Skinner.(NASCAR Online)(4-9-98)
New ‘consultant’ for the Diamond Ridge Team, #29-Cup and #’s 29 & 66-BGN, Jimmy Johnson has already helped the Diamond Ridge Cup team secure sponsorship for the rest of 1998 and expects to sign the deal next Monday.(MRN-Marty), sorry folks no idea who it may be(4-9-98)
Jimmy Johnson also spent last weekend at Homestead finalizing a sponsor deal for the Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR Craftsman truck series team.(MRN-Marty), once again no idea who.(4-9-98)
There was published report(AP) this week that Ricky Rudd was interested in selling his team. Well Rudd says not so fast. “What I said was, I see the writing on the wall. It seems as thought to be competitive these days you have to be in a multi-car team or have an owner that has millions of dollars to spend, I don’t. You either have to start a second team or sell your team. We’re looking at both but I wouldn’t mind doing another team.”(MRN-Marty/http://www.mrnnet.com/marty.htm)(4-9-98)
UPDATE: Mike Skinner suffered a broken right scapula (shoulder) and a head wound that required stitches in his accident at Texas. No idea how this will effect his future racing plans for the next race at Martinsville in two weeks.(NASCAR Online)(4-6-98) – Skinner in addition to the broken shoulder also has possible ligament damage in his right knee and will undergo tests to determine the extent of the injury. Mike Dillon tested the #31 Lowes Chevy at Greenville-Pickens Speedway on Tuesday.(4-7-98) – I hear it was Morgan Shepherd testing a primered #31 Lowes Chevy at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, not Dillon(4-8-98)
Mike Mclaughlin was actually testing for Jeff Gordon at Talladega yesterday(Wed)(That’s Racin’)(4-9-98)
Sterling Marlin, Wally Dallenbach and David Green tested at Greenville-Pickens Speedway(SC) today in Cup cars. Hank Parker Jr. was in the #78 BGN car.(MRM)(4-9-98)
Rusty Wallace is testing the #2 Miller Lite Ford at the California Speedway this week(MRN Net)(4-9-98)
If Jeff Purvis is still too hurt to drive the #4 Lance Snacks Chevy at the Hickory BGN Race this weekend, look for Dennis Setzer to step in.(4-9-98)
Greg Sacks, who suffered from stretched nerves in his neck after a crash during the Texas 500, was released from the hospital and expects to drive the #98 Cale Yarborough-owned Ford at Martinsville.(That’s Racin’)(4-9-98)(nope)

(4-8-98)
BGN driver, Matt Kenseth will race a Roush Racing-prepared Ford Taurus in the DieHard 500 April 26 at Talladega, team owner Jack Roush announced Wednesday. Kenseth joins Cup regulars Mark Martin(#6), Ted Musgrave(#16), Johnny Benson(#26), Chad Little(#97) and Jeff Burton(#99) as Roush drivers at Talladega. Roush is seeking a one-race sponsor for Kenseth.(That’s racin’). The car will be #60.(NASCAR Online)(4-8-98)
When questioned about rumors that Greg Sacks and crew chief Mike Hillman were “on their way out,” Cale Yarborough was adamant in his response. “Greg and Mike are a part of Cale Yarborough Motorsports,” Yarborough said. “Sure, we hoped to be a little higher in the point standings, but things take time. We have a lot of new people on the team. It’s going to take time to get it all together, and I’m happy with the progress I’ve seen. Mike has done a real good job for us. When Greg is ready to get back in the driver’s seat, we’ll be waiting for him.”(NASCAR Online), this puts to rest those rumors I posted last week about Sacks and Hillman being ‘on the hot seat’.(4-8-98)
Greg Sacks is still in the hospital recovering from his accident at Texas. Results of a CAT scan and numerous MRI’s have all come back negative. Sacks had complained of numbness and weakness in his left arm. Sacks stretched the nerves in the brachial plexus, the nerve center for the arm located behind the collar bone. Commonly referred to as a “stinger,” this type of injury is common among professional
football players. Symptoms can include weakness, numbness or a tingling sensation in the arm. Sacks will remain at Parkland Memorial Hospital as doctors continue to monitor his progress. Car owner Cale Yarborough will make a decision on who will drive the Thorn Apple Valley #98 Ford at Martinsville pending a final consultation
with Sacks’ doctors.(NASCAR Online)(4-8-98)
Morgan Shepherd(#31), Sterling Marlin(#40) and Joe Nemechek(#42) tested Wednesday at Greenville-Pickens Speedway(SC). Five more teams are expected to be there on Thursday including Michael Waltrip(#21).(Radar)(4-8-98)
Testing also continued at Martinsville with Bobby Labonte, Ernie Irvan, Chad Little, Dale Jarrett, Todd Bodine, Brett Bodine and Jerry Nadeau testing at the track. Bodine also had a teacher pick out an honor student which he gave a two-lap ride his in Paychex Ford. Labonte also signed autographs for students. Testing continued at Talladega with Ricky Rudd, Steve Grissom, Dan Pardus(#07), Jeff Green(#29-in prep for the teams return), Hut Stricklin, Jimmy Spencer(#12 BGN) and Mike McLaughlin(#24 Cup).(NASCAR Online)(4-8-98)
Hermie Sadler driver of the #29 BGN DeWalt Tools Chevy who was hurt in the BGN race at Texas has a dislocated fibula(leg bone). Sadler is expected to race in Hickory this weekend.(Greensboro News & Record)(4-8-98)

(4-7-98)
UPDATE: Joe Nemechek’s jackman, Scott Glasscox, was injured during the last pit stop when he was struck by Rusty Wallace’s Miller Lite Ford. He was diagnosed with a possible right wrist and left foot fracture. No further word on his condition is currently available.(GoRacing)(4-6-98) – Glasscox, luckily only had a sprained wrist and got an apology from Penske South Racing(WC Today Radio)(4-7-98)
Testing at Martinsville continued with the following drivers testing: Jerry Nadeau(#13); Ernie Irvan(#36); Todd Bodine(#35); Dale Jarrett(#88); Jeff Green(#30); Bobby Labonte(#18) and Chad Little(#97). No speeds given.(RPM2Nite)(4-7-98)
Steve Grissom(#41) and Ricky Rudd(#10) tested at Talladega on Tuesday. Andy Hillenburg also tested one of Rudd’s cars(WC Today Radio)(4-7-98)
UPDATE: Greg Sacks, another driver injured at Texas, will stay in the hospital in Texas another day for additional tests. So far all tests have come back negative, but Sacks does have a concussion.(RPM2Nite)(4-6-98) – RPM2Nite said he will stay an additional night for a few more tests, but so far all he has is a Stinger which is a stretching of a nerve in the shoulder and neck, a common NFL injury. Sacks told his team that he plans to be in the #98 Ford at Martinsville.(4-7-98)
The #82 Carolina Shoe Chevy BGN car of Mark McFarland tested at Richmond, Va. on April 3rd. McFarland ran 4 tenths of a second off the pole speed from the spring BGN race last year. The team also has test dates for Loudon, NH the 20-22 of April and I.R.P. the 6-9 July.(4-7-98)

(4-6-98)
Texas Motor Speedway announced today a reconstruction of the racing surface following Sunday’s Texas 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race. Bruton Smith said that it was obvious the changes made after the inaugural race were not adequate. Plans are to make it similar to Charlotte since it is the same size and configuration as Charlotte. Smith said the turns would be modified to make entrance and exits compatible for the big NASCAR Winston Cup cars. They will repave with a much smoother and tighter asphalt mix that will drain quickly and install a more complete drainage system to solve the seepage problem. Smith said he estimated the new revamping at $1 to $2 million. Completion date on the revamping will be decided upon soon. They expect to fix the seeping problem in the next few weeks. The next racing at Texas is the NASCAR Craftsman Truck/Pep Boys Indy Racing League weekend June 5-6. Smith said he will confer with a team of engineers and asphalt specialists, as well as NASCAR officials, drivers and crew chiefs to determine the exact changes to be made.(4-6-98)
Junie Donlavey, the owner of the #90 Helig Meyers Ford driven by Dick Trickle, might be on hand at the Winston Cup circuit’s next stop: Martinsville, Va. Donlavey underwent heart surgery last month to replace a leaky heart valve. His recovery is going well, according to team manager Jeff Kirk, who added Donlavey has tentative plans to visit the Martinsville track during the Goody’s 500 weekend, April 17-19.(Times-Dispatch)(4-6-98)
I hear NASCAR is considering a major rules change with the shock absorbers that will be a big factor at Daytona and Talladega. Because of the restrictor plates, and the spoiler angle rules, a lot of teams have been using shocks with zero rebound. (What this means is that they compress easily when they hit a bump, but do not spring back.) As most of us have noticed that during qualifying at Daytona and Talladega, the Cup cars seem to be dragging their tail ends almost on the track. This effectively lowers the spoiler angle, and makes the car go faster though it is extremely hard to drive, because the slightest bump can send the car all over the track. I also saw a JournalNow story(about Chad Little) that NASCAR may ask the teams to bring the shocks they plan to run at Talladega(4/26) to Martinsville(4/19) so they can be tested on a shock dyno which is a machine that bounces the shock through the limits of it’s travel and plots how it responds on a CRT. Most teams have one on their hauler.(4-6-98)
Here is what I hear happened in the lap 2 crash at the Texas 500: 1) Two cars in front of the #78 Pilot Ford driven by Gary Bradberry(not sure who) collided, and he and everyone else began backing off. 2) David Green in the #96 Cat Chevy can’t check up quick enough and hits Bradberry in the rear which gets Bradberry sideways. 3) Bradberry dives low to save the car, and then the wreck happens behind him. Apparently this sequence of events was clearly visible from pit lane, and Richard Broome(crew chief for the #78) corroborated this story in a radio interview(PRN?). It was very hard to tell from the camera angles we saw on TV(4-6-98)
Richard Childress wants his #31 Lowes Chevy driver, Mike Skinner to sit out the Martinsville race and heal as he has been hurt recently at Atlanta and on Sunday at Texas. Morgan Shepherd may drive the car at Martinsville(RPM2Nite)(4-6-98)
Jeff Green tested the #30 Gumout Pontiac at Martinsville on Monday(4-6) and will also test there Tuesday in preparation for the Goody’s Headache Powders 500 on April 19th. He will sub for Derrike Cope who is injured from a qualifying accident in Texas(RPM2Nite)(4-6-98)
Greg Sacks has been admitted to the intensive care unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas following an accident on lap 136. He is listed in fair condition and complaining of numbness and weakness in his left arm. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI and further tests.(GoRacing)(4-6-98)
Five years after 1992 Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki died in a plane crash, Kulwicki’s former crew chief Paul Andrews (who now is Jeremy Mayfield’s crew chief) endured another tragedy. Andrews’ 28-year-old brother, Rick, was lost at sea on Tuesday off the coast of Los Angeles. The search was called off on Wednesday, five years to the day of Kulwicki’s death.(Orlando Sentinel via That’s Racin)(4-6-98)

(4-5-98)
Robert Yates, owner of the #28 and #88 Cup cars was not be at the race track in Texas Sunday as he recently had surgery to have cysts removed from his right wrist and foot. No more details at this time(TNN’s Inside NASCAR)(4-5-98)
Chuck Rider, owner of the #30 Gumout Pontiac, has decided to keep Derrike Cope out of the next race, on 4/19 at Martinsville. Rider said he plans to ask Jeff Green to drive the car at Martinsville. Diamond Ridge Motorsports will not enter Green’s #29 Chevrolet at Martinsville, so Green would be available as a substitute driver. Had Rider’s team earned a provisional this week, Green would have driven the car at Texas.(That’s Racin’)(4-5-98)
The owners of the Washington-Erving Motorsports team, Joe Washington and Julius Erving were at TMS Saturday to watch their BGN #50 Dr. Pepper Ford team race and to take part in a promotion involving local Boy and Girl Scouts which has a show car program with the Boy Scouts. What it does not have yet is a Winston Cup team. Sponsorship seems to be the made problem. Erving said a couple of deals came close and efforts to find a sponsor continue. The team still wants to get a Winston Cup car on the track by the end of the season. Erving said Rich Bickle, who had signed a letter of intent to drive for the team, still would be considered a candidate for that job despite the fact Bickle has expressed his displeasure with the long delay.(That’s Racin’)(4-5-98)
Greg Sacks was taken to the hospital after the nasty accident at Texas. He was alert. They are taking x-ray’s and he will spend the night for observation. Mike Skinner was taken to the hospital with a possible broken right shoulder(4-5-98)
The stat I had up earlier about the Hendrick teams being in the top 10 in every race since Sears Point in 1993 was incorrect as as recently as Atlanta in 11/97 that did not happen as the #24 was 17th as the highest finishing Hendrick car, sorry about that(4-5-98)
Also I hear that NASCAR says that if they did not think the track was safe they would not be there. The track will be looked at, they want to put on a good show
for the fans in the area but they will be monitoring drivers today about conditions. Also said that the track will be looked at after this weekend, something is going to have to be done and that NASCAR wants a track that is dry, safe and does not have potholes.(4-5-98)
Tom Lorenz and Ted Smokstad, BGN drivers involved in crashes on Friday, were both listed in good condition at Parkland Hospital on Saturday. Lorenz has a concussion; Smokstad has a broken shoulder.(That’s Racin’)(4-5-98)

(4-4-98)
Check out some great images from Texas courtey of Suger Free Racing and Diabetes Home Care at Texas 500 Photo Gallery. Shots include the special #5, #2, #47, some of the wrecked cars and many drivers.(4-4-98)
There was only one round of qualifying for the Texas 500 because of the postponement of round one qualifying on Friday. See Jayski’s Provisional Status Page for who missed the race and who had to take provisionals. starting lineups can be found at NASCAR Online, Speedworld, GoRacing or That’s Racin’.(see my Auto Racing Links Page for the links)(4-4-98)
Testing begins Monday at Talladega and many teams will attend at different sessions through the month of April, see the story at NASCAR online: Talladega testing begins this week.(NASCAR Online)(4-4-98)
Jimmy Makar, Larry McReynolds, Todd Parrott and Robin Pemberton(Pemberton was abset due to team obligations) held a joint news conference to announce the formation of the Crew Chief Club. A release said the group “is designed to shine the spotlight on the hardest working men in NASCAR.” The club’s goal “is to provide fans with an insider’s look behind shop walls and into the confines of NASCAR’s garage area.” The group can be accessed on the World Wide Web at Crew Chief’s Club. They also will be marketing items with their own nifty logo that features a man wearing sunglasses and a headset in the middle of an inverted triangle.(That’s Racin’)(4-4-98)
The cars were impounded overnight and the teams could do nothing to them as NASCAR adopted a rain delay plan(PRN Radio), which in the rule book says: ‘In the event of rain or unforeseen circumstances … you get only one try at first-round qualifying,'(4-4-98)
Injured BGN drivers include Hank Parker, Jr who was listed in good condition but was to be kept overnight because he suffered a concussion. BGN driver Ted Smokstad had a fractured right scapula, but track officials could provide no hospital condition report. Derrike Cope reinjured his two broken ribs. Lake Speed was not seriously injured.(JournalNow)(4-4-98)
Derrike Cope will not drive at all this weekend after his accident in qualifying on Friday, he reinjured his ribs he hurt at Atlanta. Todd Bodine(wrong, Morgan Shepherd drove it) will drive Cope’s #92 BGN car and Jeff Green will drive the #30 Gumout Pontiac if the car makes it in the race under a provisional(he did not make the race)(PRN Radio)(4-4-98)
NASCAR officials cancelled Saturday afternoon’s Winston Cup Happy Hour practice after an inspection following the Busch event revealed water seeping through the track in turns one and four(GoRacing), but there was some practice before the BGN race, see the results at Go Racing.(4-4-98)

(4-3-98)
I am hearing from some sources close to the action at Texas Motor Speedway that besides the seepage in the turn one area there is also water seepage in the turn three and four areas and that track conditions are just TERRIBLE. There is a bump near turn four that is causing the cars to bottom out. There are a lot of torn up cars and upset drivers in Texas right now(4-3-98)
UPDATE on Cup Qualifying Per RPM2Nite: Qualifying has been postponed until Saturday at 10:15am/et, the 9 drivers who have qualified so far will have their times stand(including Speed and Cope) with Dale Jarrett on the provisional pole. There will be no second round qualifying. NASCAR is treating it as a rain delay. Rusty Wallace is scheduled to be the first driver out. The events that led up to the postponement: Derrike Cope crashed first, then Steve Grissom ran his qualifying and slipped but was able to finish lap, and then Lake Speed crashed between one and two and NASCAR stopped qualifying to check out the problem. No word yet on Cope’s condition. PRN Radio will resume it’s coverage on qualifying at 10:15am/et.(4-3-98)
While listening to Winston Cup Qualifying on PRN thru RealAudio found out that Texas Motor Speedway has water seeping through the turn one surface in many spots. NASCAR and TMS officials as well as Cup drivers and crews were out to the section of the track to survey the damage and the situation. The PRN announcers said they never remember seeing anything like it with a gaggle of people out on the track.(4-3-98)
Morning practice on Friday had Joe Nemechek fastest at 185.039mph. Results up at NASCAR online. Jerry Nadeau was practicing Friday and will attempt to qualify the #13 Ford. Afternoon practice had Ward Burton fastest. TMS ate two more Cup cars Friday when Kenny Wallace, Billy Standridge and Terry Labonte wreaked their primary cars. Wallace had to go to a backup, looks like Labonte will be able to fix the car, unsure about Billy.(NASCAR Online)(4-3-98)

(4-2-98)
Another item from the LTN Radio show: Rich Bickle will drive the #17 TJ Motorsports Chevy(former DW owned team) in the Cup race at Martinsville on 4/19(LTNRadio)(4-2-98) Nope, he may drive the #98
Former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, Gary DeHart served as a consultant for the #4 Kodak Max Chevy Morgan-McClure team at Texas this weekend(NASCAR Today Radio)(4-2-98)
I hear Greg Sacks and crew chief Mike Hillman are on the hot seat at Cale Yarborough Motorsports in the #98 Thorn Apple Valley Ford(LTNRadio)(4-2-98)
Practice on Thursday had Jeremy Mayfield fastest at 184.312mph, see the practice results on NASCAR Online. Jerry Nadeau hit the wall hard in the #13 First Plus Ford during the first practice and was transported to the hospital for x-ray’s. The Elliott-Marino got the back-up car out and Bobby Hillin replaced Nadeau in the #13 for Thursday’s second practice. Nadeau is expected to be back in the car for Friday’s
qualifying. Ernie Irvan and Kenny Irwin, Jr both brushed the wall in morning practice but their crews were able to repair the cars for the second practice and both were fast.(NASCAR Today Radio)(4-2-98)

(4-1-98)
Two days after Diamond Ridge Motorsports announced that they were withdrawing from the Texas 500 in order to regroup, DRM announced the first step in their reorganization program when they named former Hendrick Motorsports czar Jimmy Johnson as general manager.(GoRacing)(4-1-98)
Texas GM Eddie Gossage has printed ‘Shut Up and Race’ T-shirts to sell to everyone at the Texas 500. I guess that all of the talk surrounding the driver’s opinions of the track has gotten on his nerves. As you have already heard, the drivers are not looking forward to racing at Texas due to their opinions that the track is a one groove race track and that the race will either be uneventful or accident filled.(Go200mph)(4-1-98)
“Wally Dallenbach will be back in the pilot’s seat for Sunday’s race. That seat
will probably be a little warm due to Shephard’s decent run last week in the #46 First Union Chevy. He made the field last week and finished 24th, something that Dallenbach has not been unable to do.”(Go200mph.com)(4-1-98)
Jim Long former crew chief for Ricky Rudd and the #10 Tide Ford team has been officially named crew chief on the Stavola Brothers #8 Circuit City Chevrolet team(NASCAR Online)(4-1-98)
The first intern to work in a pit crew for a NASCAR team will report to work for Geoff Bodine for the Texas 500. Lincoln Technical Institute student Doug Merriman will work with Bodine’s team for the entire week leading up to the April 5 race at Texas Motor Speedway in Dallas. Lincoln Tech is a sponsor of the Bodine team, and will place eight automotive interns in his pit crew during the NASCAR season. Merriman attends Lincoln Technical Institute in Grand Prairie, Texas.(Prnewswire)(4-1-98)
Barry Bodine, son of Cup driver Geoff Bodine will drive the #63 Prime Performance
Motorsports Chevy owned by Jim and Holly Clark starting at Homestead this coming weekend. Steve May will be the crew chief.(NASCAR Online), I hear the truck will be the #7 Geoff Bodine Racing Chevrolet. Geoff is leasing the team of Prime Performance Motorsports, Inc. owned by Jim and Holly Clark for this one race, basically for the provisional. It is Jim and Holly’s team, but for the purpose of getting the provisional. The sponsor will be Damron Auto Parts.(4-1-98)