Team Marines: Hank Parker’s #53 Team Marines car will carry the colors of the Showboat Hotel, Casino & Bowling Center and KTNV TV-13 in the BGN race at Las Vegas(Team Marines PR)(2-28-2000)
Petree BGN UPDATE 3: on TNN’s Raceday, CUP owner(#33 and #55), Andy Petree said his BGN team(#15) would run Derrick Gilchrist in up to 20 BGN races and CTS Champ, Jack Sprague in up to 10 races. Petree is close to announcing a sponsor for the team(1-17-2000) — UPDATE: Sprague is scheduled to race the car at: Daytona, Las Vegas, Texas, California, Talladega, Milwaukee, Nazareth, Dover Downs, Lowe’s and Phoenix. Gilchrist will run at Atlanta, California, New Hampshire, Nazareth, Pikes Peak, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Michigan, Richmond, Rockingham and Phoenix. The drivers will have two different sponsors and will run two cars/teams at California, Nazareth and Phoenix(NOL) Looks like (1-29-2000) — UPDATE 2: hearing Gilchrist’s sponsor will be Just Born Candies/Hot Tamales(1-31-2000) — UPDATE 3: #15 BGN owner Andy Petree announced he’d signed Derrick Gilchrist to a 10-race BGN deal for 2000 with candy maker Just Born. The car run the company’s Hot Tamales brand with Zours and Mike & Ike as an associates(SpeedVision)(2-27-2000)
Spencer News: Jimmy Spencer has decided not to run in the BGN race at Las Vegas next week. Still recovering from two broken ribs he suffered in a crash last week in the Daytona 500, Spencer has put off his 2000 BGN debut until the Texas 300 at Fort Worth on April 1. He has opted not to have a relief driver for the CUP Rockingham race(Times-Dispatch)(2-27-2000)
New Site: the Busch Series Ladies Association has launched www.buschladies.com, a website aimed at keeping fans and members of the organization updated on the events of the Ladies Association and the NASCAR Busch Series(Stock Car Fans Newsletter)(2-26-2000)
Hendrick/GMAC: GMAC, a longtime member of the Hendrick Motorsports family of sponsors, today announced its primary sponsorship of the #24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven by Ricky Hendrick in the BGN. The newly signed agreement, which calls for Hendrick – son of HMS founder and CEO Rick Hendrick – to compete in 15 BGN races, extends a long and successful relationship between GMAC and Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick also will compete in five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (CTS) races this season. NASCAR SpeedParks, Pepsi and Quaker State also have been inked as associate sponsors for Ricky Hendrick’s #24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo this season(Stock Car Fans Newsletter)(2-26-2000)
Markham Returns: Hot Rod Magazine will be sponsoring Curtis Markham in four BGN races in 2000 with Joe Gibbs Racing in car #29, will run later in the season(2-24-2000)
Eleven at the Rock UPDATE: Eleven full time Cup drivers will make an attempt to make the race at the BGN Rockingham race this weekend, has Johnny Benson listed in a #92 Chevy, not sure what team it is but Jimmie Johnson is also in a #92 Chevy. See the BGN entry list at NOL(2-23-2000) — UPDATE: Benson is entered for the #91 and that will roll through tech Friday morning. If there is no rain in the forecast it will be loaded back on the Herzog Motorsports truck. If there is rain then Benson will practice and if rain is washes out qualifying, then Benson will start the race and give way to regular Alltel(#92) driver Jimmie Johnson. Why? the BGN race is the Sponosred by Alltel as is the team, so it is important they get a car in the race. Benson has a past champ prov he can use if needed(sources)(2-24-2000)
Kirby and Brewco: Williams TravelCenters Inc. has signed with Brewco Motorsports to run a ten-race schedule in the BGN with driver Andy Kirby. The first race for the newly formed team will be the Music City 320 at Nashville Speedway USA on Saturday, April 8, 2000. Williams is an energy and communications company with approximately $25 billion in assets and nearly 23,000 employees. Williams has operations in each of the 50 United States and in several other countries. Williams’ energy operations are split between energy services and pipeline operations. The Nashville-based retail petroleum marketing unit of Williams operates as Williams TravelCenters Inc., which is in the process of establishing a nationwide network of TravelCenters along and near the interstate highway system, and MAPCO Express Inc., which operates the company’s 233 convenience stores. The scheduled races after Nashville for the #39 Williams TravelCenters Monte Carlo in 2000 are Talladega (April 15), New Hampshire (May 13), Dover (June 3), Gateway (July 29), Indianapolis (August 4), Bristol (August 25), Darlington (September 2), Rockingham (October 21), and Memphis (October 29). The race team will operate from the Central City, Kentucky-based Brewco Motorsports shop. Brewco Motorsports currently fields two NASCAR Busch Series teams, the #27 Castrol GTX Chevrolet driven by Casey Atwood and the #37 Timber Wolf Chevrolet driven by Kevin Grubb. With the addition of the #39 Williams TravelCenters Chevrolet and Andy Kirby, Brewco Motorsports continues to strengthen their position in the BGN(Brewco PR)(2-24-2000)
Fines: Four BGN crew chiefs were fined by NASCAR for rules violations at Daytona. #97 crew chief, Pat Smith and #8 crew chief, Nicholas Short were both fined $15,000 each for rules violations/illegal parts. #53 crew chief, Dave McCarty; #3 crew chief, Gere Kennon, were both fined $5,000 for rules violations/illegal parts. For more info see the story at NASCAR Online(NOL/RPM2Nite)(2-23-2000)
AMS Test: Two BGN teams tested at Atlanta on Tuesday: #36-Tim Fedawa 182.608mph and #55-Michael Ritch at 180.058mph(SpeedVision)(2-22-2000)
Hendrick to attempt the Rock: the #24 Hendrick-Gordon Motorsports team will test at Rockingham for two days with Ricky Hendrick driving and then attempt to make the Rockingham race. GMAC, not DuPont will be the sponsor of the #24 Chevy(2-21-2000)
Tribute to Landry: One of the dash decals in Mike Skinner’s Busch Series car was the star of the Dallas Cowboys. It was a tribute to former Cowboys coach Tom Landry, who died recently. The car’s owner, David Ridling, was a close friend of Landry and his father Ray(Times-Union)(2-20-2000)
Team Marines(revised): Hank Parker Jr.’s Rick Rathbun’s Team Marines Racing BGN Chevrolet Monte Carlo(#53) will display a “Get Well J.R.” decal on its c-pillar in today’s race. J.R. Schmidtke is a Texan and former Marine who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Schmidtke served in the Marine Corps with best friend Rick Rathbun and both are helicopter pilots. Parker’s Chevrolet will also carry the colors of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263. The U.S. Marine Corps unit is stationed in Jacksonville, N.C., and is leaving today for a six-month deployment in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the USS Wasp. Rick Rathbun’s Team Marines Racing is playing host to 33 U.S. Marine Corps recruiters, including Maj. Gen. Garry Parks — one of the highest-ranking Marines in the Corps — who oversees the Recruiting Command in Quantico, VA. The Marines are on hand to experience NASCAR racing firsthand and how it can enhance the recruitment process(Team Marines PR)(2-19-2000)
New CTS Team: Bobby Norfleet, an African-American driver from Augusta, GA, has scheduled a news conference at Daytona International Speedway today to reveal his plans to join the Craftsman Truck Series. Norfleet, 41, hopes to make his debut in the Dodge California 250 on March 26. He plans to drive the #34 Chevy in five to seven truck races and is contemplating making a few appearances in the Busch Grand National Series, according to his agent, John Christmas of Decatur. Norfleet’s team will be unique in that it will be sponsored almost exclusively by African-American businesses. When Norfleet cranks his truck for the first time, it will give the series two minority teams. California Speedway in October, plans to run the full truck schedule this year. He starts his #12- Hot Wheels Dodge from the 30th position in today’s 250-mile race(AJC)(2-8-2000)
Nemechek not illegal: Joe Nemechek’s BGN pole run at Daytona was “disallowed” when in post-qualifying inspection the corner weights were not in the limits NASCAR has set. The speculation was that Nemechek’s team had an illegal part(s) that caused the weight distribution to change on the car. John Darby, BGN Director said, “There was not an illegal part on the #87 car that caused the time to be disallowed.” According to him, Nemechek’s crew had an innovative part on the car that failed, and this is what pushed them over the legal weight distribution limits at the four corner-weights. The team was right on the legal edge pre-race, but the part failure pushed them over into the illegal area(TNN)(2-18-2000)
#99: Glenn Allen Jr plans to run ten races in the #99 Chevy, no sponsor yet. If the team get a sponsor it may go the whole season(ESPN2’s Practice Coverage)(2-16-2000)
Biffle to BGN UPDATE: Roush is planning to bring Craftsman Truck Series runner-up Greg Biffle into the Busch Grand National series in 2001. Roush doesn’t plan to leave the series when Biffle moves up to the Busch cars. Biffle dominated the series this year before a costly penalty for an unapproved part dealt his title hopes a serious blow(Times-Dispatch)(11-7-1999) — UPDATE: During ESPN2’s CUP. BGN and CTS practice coverage, Ray Dunlap mentioned that Greg Biffle will move up to the BGN series in 2001(not 2000) with a Jack Roush team(2-15-2000)
Gibbs driver to do double duty: Not Tony Stewart this year but Jason Leffler, Joe Gibbs rookie BGN driver, is making plans to drive in the Indianapolis 500. Leffler will drive car owner Joe Gibbs’ #18 Pontiac in the CarQuest Auto Parts 300 BGN race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 27, then hop a jet to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the next day. Leffler is talking to Indy team owner Fred Treadway about the one-off Indy 500 effort. Tony Stewart did the double on the same day last year, but has opted this year to focus exclusively on his Winston Cup program(goRacing)(2-15-2000)
Notes from practice: The #27 Castrol Chevy with driver Casey Atwood has Pep Boys on the rear 1/4 panels of the car. The #59 Chevy driven by Phil Parsons will use RCR engines in 2000(as the team did when Childress’ son in law drove the car). Matt Huuter will drive a 2nd BGN car for #1 owner James Finch at Daytona and Talladega in the #51 Chevy(ESPN2 Practice Coverage)(2-15-2000)
not BGN but: Zach Brewer, who was hospitalized overnight after getting in a wreck during Saturday’s NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series race, was released from Halifax Medical Center Sunday afternoon. Brewer was kept overnight for observation and treatment for pain and bruising after he was caught up in a multi-car wreck on the opening laps of Saturday’s Discount Auto Parts 200(goRacing)(2-14-2000)
ARCA Crewmen Shot: Police are looking for a man who shot two Tennessee Speedweeks visitors Thursday night during an attempted robbery at an International Speedway Boulevard hotel. Glenn Prost and Robert Garvin both were listed in satisfactory condition Friday afternoon at Halifax Medical Center, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Prost was discharged later in the afternoon. The men are voluntary crew members for ARCA driver Chad Chaffin(Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-11-2000)
Atwood, Dodge? No? UPDATE 2: TNN’s Raceday reported today that Casey Atwood, driver of the #27 Castrol Oil Chevy in the BGN, would probably NOT be a driver for the Ray Evernham Dodge team as rumored the last few months, but it was reported that it is looking like Bill Elliott will be the driver for one of Evernhams two Dodge cars(TNN Raceday)(1-30-2000) — UPDATE: now hearing the ‘rookie’ driver for Evernham may be Jay Sauter(2-3-2000) — UPDATE 2: The Tennessean is reporting that Evernham has a clause in his severance agreement from Hendrick Motorsports that he cannot contact Casey Atwood. “It is unclear why Hendrick singled out Atwood. A spokesman for Hendrick Motorsports yesterday said the team owner could not comment on the matter because of a confidentiality clause in the agreement he and Evernham signed.” See the story: Hendrick may hinder Atwood(2-10-1999)
#21 Clarification – Dodge: When you look at the #21 RCR / Rockwell Automation Chevrolet Monte Carlo, you might have to ask yourself, why is the word “DODGE” on a car manufactured by Chevrolet? Can two car manufacturers be working together on the same car? The answers to these questions do warrant explanation. The DODGEÒ logo that appears on the #21 Chevy, driven by Mike Dillon in the NASCAR BUSCH Series, belongs to a company much older than the automobile that will reenter NASCAR in 2001. Not to be confused with Dodge, the car manufacturer, the DODGE brand on the #21 Chevrolet has been a leading supplier of mechanical power transmission products for more than 120 years. “Questions have always come up,” states Ryan Kurek, Motorsports Manager for Rockwell Automation. “When someone sees ‘DODGE’ on the car, Mike’s uniform, or on the transporter, they automatically assume it has something to do with an automobile.” Started by Wallace H. Dodge in 1878, DODGE Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1880, almost thirty-five years before the first Dodge vehicle rolled off the assembly line. One year later, Dodge was issued his first of hundreds of patents for power transmission products that he would create to revolutionize the industry. In 1914, DODGE Sales & Engineering was formed to help sell and distribute DODGE products across the country. In 1967, DODGE merged with Reliance ElectricÒ, a global leader in industrial and engineered motors. Rockwell International acquired DODGE and Reliance Electric in 1995 to exist under the Rockwell Automation umbrella(Rockwell Racing PR)(2-10-2000)
Grand Marshal/Starter: NAPA Auto Parts announced that Daytona Beach NAPA store owner Tom Stoner has been named Honorary starter and NFL Hall Of Fame fullback, Larry Czonka, named Grand Marshall for the NAPA AUTO PARTS 300- NASCAR Busch series event at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday February 19, 2000(Champion PR)(2-10-2000)
Team Yellow News: Yellow Freight, Pameco and Emerald Performance Group welcome Kobalt Mechanics Tools as a new team sponsor of the #19 Chevy to be driven by Mike and Jamie Skinner. Each will compete in approximately half the events. Check out the schedule for each driver and sponsor at Team Yellow 2000 Schedule(Team Yellow PR)(2-9-2000)
Lepage and the BGN: Kevin Lepage will run a limited(8 races) BGN schedule with Red Man as his sponsor of the #71 Ford with engines from Roush. Part owner and crew chief will be Steve Plattenberger. The team is called Matrix Motorsports. Lepage will run at: Rockingham(2/26); Atlanta(3/11); Texas(4/1); Richmond(5/6 and 9/10); Charlotte/Lowes(5/27 and 10/7) and Homestead(11/11)(NOL)(2-9-2000)
Smith Crew Chief: Matt Hummel of Northumberland, PA has officially been appointed Crew Chief for driver Skip Smith and Smith Brothers Motorsports’ #67 NASCAR Busch Series and #28 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series programs for the 2000 race season. The 27-year-old Pennsylvania native has assumed his position and will lead the team at Daytona, carrying sponsorship from Shop-Vac® Corporation in both the ARCA and BGN events. Hummel, who had served as car chief for the team, replaces former crew chief Terry Hess(Skip Smith Site PR)(2-9-2000)
Darlington Sponsor: The Busch GN race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, previously called the Diamond Hill Plywood 200, will be sponsored by a wireless phone company and called the SunCom 200(Speed Magazine)(2-9-2000)
Atlanta Testing: Kenny Wallace was the fastest during testing at Atlanta on Monday, Feb 7th. Wallace had a speed of 183.576mph in the #25, 2nd was #92-Jimmie Johnson 182.970; 3rd was #37-Kevin Grubb 182.368; 4th #63-Mark Green 181.770; 5th #83-Wayne Grubb 181.770; and #61-Hut Stricklin 181.176(SpeedVision)(2-9-2000)
Burton’s Sponsor UPDATE: All indications are that Jeff Burton’s BGN team will be sponsored by Northern Light and possibly Hardee’s at Richmond. The #9 Ford was painted up in Northern Light colors at the BGN preview last week (image in the Paint Scheme Gallery) and I hear the official announcement will be made on ESPN2’s RPM2Nite sometime soon(1-22-2000) — UPDATE: Northern Light signed on over the weekend as the primary sponsor on the #9 Ford Taurus of Jeff Burton for his 14-race Busch Grand National schedule for Roush Racing. Northern Light already has created a special Jeff Burton web page www.NorthernLight.com/jeffburton that will keep fans up to date with the team’s progress throughout the year.(SpeedVision)(2-8-2000)
Smith and Shop-Vac: Following their partnership in last year’s October ARCA event at Talladega, Shop-Vac® Corporation will kick-off the new racing millennium as primary sponsor for Smith Brothers Motorsports and driver Skip Smith at Daytona. The race season kick-off includes both the Pro2Call 200 ARCA race, and the NAPA Auto Parts 300 BGN events-presenting “Double Duty in Daytona”. Smith Brothers’ partnership with Shop-Vac first began at the Winn-Dixie 300 ARCA event at Talladega on October 16, 1999. Piloted by Skip Smith, the #28 Shop-Vac Chevy ran in the top-five all day long until a multi-car crash took out 7 of the top-10 competitors with only seven laps remaining-dashing the team’s bid for a victory. After qualifying 6th for the event, Smith was credited with a 19th-place finish, as the race ended under caution. Smith Brothers recently attended open test sessions at Daytona for both the ARCA and the BGN, achieving favorable results and gaining the necessary data to improve performance during qualifying and the races. Skip Smith, a retired Pennsylvania State Police Officer turned stock-car driver, will race the #28 Shop-Vac® Chevrolet in the ARCA race and for the BGN race, Smith will pilot the #67 Shop-Vac® Chevy(Skip Smith PR)(2-8-2000)
New #34 Assoc: Sika Corporation, a global supplier of innovative solutions for bonding, sealing and acoustic control, has signed an agreement with Cicci-Welliver Racing for the 2000 BGN as an associate sponsor on David Green’s #34 AFG Chevy. This association marks the company’s first full venture in motorsports(David Green Site)(2-7-2000)
Amick to run 4 races UPDATE: Lyndon Amick plans to drive in no fewer than four different racing series at Daytona during Speedweeks. Amick’s motorsports marathon will find him competing in the Motorola Cup Series (MCS), the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), in addition to the BGN event. Amick will kick off his racing odyssey by strapping into a family-owned Dodge Viper to tackle the road course at Daytona International Speedway, competing in the new Super Grand Sport Series of the three-hour Motorola Cup endurance event on February 4. In his very first road race competition, Amick will share seat time with his good friend and fellow NBS regular Hank Parker, Jr. Next on the itinerary will be practice and qualifying for the February 13th ARCA Pro2Call 200. In his series debut, Amick will pilot the #99 entry owned and prepared by Ken Schrader Racing, with sponsorship from Penda. Ken Schrader Racing is also the home of Amick’s NCTS ride, the #52 Penda Chevy Silverado that he will race for the first time in the February 18th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 250. Then Amick will run the #35 Powertel Chevy in the BGN event on Feb 19th. Amick also plans to drive in a number of other ARCA, NCTS and MCS races, in addition to competing in the full 32-race BGN season(Amick PR)(2-2-2000) — UPDATE: Hank Parker Jr and Lyndon Amick finished 47th in the #53 SGS Team Amick Motorsports Dodge Viper, completing 49 laps and not finish the race after the car’s transmission broke. They started 2nd(SpeedVision)(2-6-2000)
Atlanta Testing: Buckshot Jones and Jay Sauter tested their BGN rides at Atlanta on Friday. Jones ran 184.186mph in the #00 Cheez-it Pontiac and Sauter was at 177.124mph in the #43 Chevy. Testing continues at the track on Monday and Tuesday with Kevin Grubb testing his #37 Brewco Chevy(NOL)(2-5-2000)
Engine Shop Fire: Noted engine builder Keith Roberts, owner of Roberts Racing Engines in Mooresville, NC suffered a devastating fire that destroyed his shop Thursday. Local firefighters were called to the shop about 11:30pm and declared the fire under control about 1:00am. Fortunately there appear to have been no injuries in the blaze. Roberts Racing Engines is a major supplier of engines to various racing series including NASCAR’s Busch series and drivers including Jeff Burton, Jeff Fuller, Jeremy Mayfield and several others. Roberts plans to rebuild the facility immediately(Speed Illustrated Magazine)(2-5-2000)
Old Chevy’s? Several BGN teams do not plan to take the 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to Daytona for the season opener. After a round of preseason tests, many teams didn’t have enough data to make the new model faster than the old one(Times-Dispatch)(2-4-2000)
Fedawa #200: Tim Fedewa mark his 200th career start at Daytona in his #36 Stanley Tools Chevy(Racin’ Network)(2-3-2000)
Kenny Schrader Sponsor: Ken Schrader, driver of the #36 M&M’s Pontiac, will drive eleven races out of his Concord, N.C., based Ken Schrader Racing shop with backing from Federated Auto Parts. Schrader’s 11-race schedule in 2000 consists of two Southwest Tour races, five Truck races, two Winston West races and two ARCA events all across the country. His schedule: Southwest Tour at Phoenix(2/6); CTS at Martinsville(4/8); Winston West at Las Vegas(4/21); Winston West at California(4/29); ARCA at Anderson, IN(5/14); CTS at NHIS(7/8); CTS at Richmond(9/7); ARCA at Salem, IN(9/10); CTS at Dover(9/22); CTS at California(10/28) and Southwest Tour at Phoenix(11/3)(IMG Motorsports PR)(2-2-2000)
Waltrip’s BGN Schedule: Michael Waltrip will return to NASCAR’s Busch Series for 2000 with BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages in the #7 Chevy. Waltrip will compete at eleven BGN events including: Daytona, Las Vegas, Bristol, Texas, California, Lowe’s Motor Speedway(both), Dover, Michigan, Richmond, and Phoenix(Cox Marketing)(2-1-2000)
