January 2000 News Archives

(1-31-2000)
Sad News: on Thursday, January 27th George Fedor, of Safety=Kleen, passed away at his winter home in Daytona Beach, Florida. George was 64 years old and is survived by his wife Barbara and two daughters, Maria and Sharon. George was born and raised in Shelton, Connecticut and retired from the Echlin Corporation’s – Raybestos Brake division. Since his retirement in the mid 90’s. George worked with the Stavola Brothers – Raybestos Brakes Winston Cup team and most recently coordinated the Safety-Kleen Motorsports environmental recycling services at all the NASCAR Winston Cup races. Known as “Mr. Safety-Kleen”, George will be missed by the entire Safety-Kleen and NASCAR family. Services for George will be held on Wednesday, February 2nd at the Adzima Funeral Home located at 50 Paradise Green Place in Stratford, CT. (203-375-2200). Church services will be held at the St. Lawrence Church in Huntington, CT. on Thursday, February 3rd. Per the family’s request, donations can be sent to the Huntington Fire Company #3 located in Shelton, CT 06844(Safety-Kleen)(1-31-2000)
#42 Hauler Accident: Team SABCO transporter driver David Walker suffered minor injuries in a traffic accident with a pickup truck on I-40 outside Waverly, Arkansas, early Sunday morning. The pickup truck driver was killed when he crossed the I-40 median and collided with the Team SABCO transporter. Walker was en route to Las Vegas on I-40 westbound when the accident occurred. The tractor and transporter jackknifed and fell down an embankment. Walker suffered only minor cuts and bruises. The tractor sustained irreparable damage but the race car hauler suffered only minor exterior damage(Williams Co)(1-31-2000)
Bodine to run CTS: Billy Ballew Motorsports announced that they have secured the services of Geoffrey Bodine, who drives the #60 Power Team Chevy in CUP, for the season opening Truck Series race at Daytona and that his son Barry Bodine will compete in the following three races(Homestead, Phoenix and Bakersfield) for the team. The Bodines will drive the #15 Linex/Miccosukee Indian Gaming Ford F-150. For more info see the Jayski CTS Silly Season Site(Team PR)(1-31-2000)
Petree BGN UPDATE 2: 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)

(1-30-2000)

#99 Changes: Jeff Burton’s crew chief, Frank Stoddard is giving up his role as an active part of Jeff Burton’s pit crew, relinquishing the duties of front tire changer on the crew in order to focus on the crew-chief role(Gaston Gazette/AP)(1-30-2000)
#41 Sponsor? Rick Mast and his #41 Chevy were at the Roanoke(VA) Civic Center for the Roanoke Express Hockey Game on Saturday, the car had three different ‘sponsor’ decals on it. The car was white and green, had long time associate sponsor Manheim Auctions(parent of AutoTrader) was on the hood, Autotrader.com on the rear quarter panels and Universal Studios on the lower rear quarter panel(Mast Fans BB)(1-30-2000)
Junie close? #90 Ford owner, Junie Donlavey remains optimistic about finding a sponsor for the 2000 season. The Richmond-based owner is close to signing at least a partial sponsorship agreement(Times-Dispatch), hearing that Hill Bros Coffee is close to signing up for half the season(1-30-2000)
RACECARNUTS.COM is an innovative and new project to raise money to fund efforts by nonprofit organizations that help distressed families in Appalachia through the auctioning of actual lug nuts used on race cars. Race Teams will be donating the lug nuts each week from their cars. The lug nut displays will be auctioned on an internet website. The lug nuts displays are 16 x 20 inches in size and mounted in clear plastic cases. A photo will be available shortly of an actual display. So far Andy Petree Racing has agreed to help. For more info see Racecarnuts.com(1-30-2000)
Talladega Testing: Nine CUP, BGN and CTS teams tested at cold Talladega on Wednesday, Jan 26th and Thursday, Jan 27th. No speeds were posted. Testing were Cup drivers ??-Loy Allen, #93-Dave Blaney, #27-Jeff Fuller, #40-Sterling Marlin, #55-Kenny Wallace and #7-Michael Waltrip. #25-Kenny Wallace and #7 Michael Waltrip tested for their BGN teams also. Randy Renfrow and the #41 Farris Concrete Dodge Truck Series team tested Thurday and was hoping to test Friday as well(Talladega Superspeedway Newletter)(1-30-2000)

(1-29-2000)
2nd Eel River car? Rodney Rogers of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns is planning to enter NASCAR next year as an owner. Rogers has aligned himself with Winston Cup crew chief Barry Dodson, who heads the #27 Eel River Racing Pontiac team for driver Jeff Fuller. Contacted Friday at the team’s Mooresville shop, Dodson confirmed his discussions with Rogers and said he hoped the alliance might enable the two of them to add a second car to the existing operation, which is owned by Massachusetts businessman Jack Birmingham, in 2001. However, Dodson and Rogers would likely wholly own the second car. Rogers know Dodson through his late son, Trey(Gaston Gazette)(1-29-2000)
Tyler Jet News: The #10 Tyler Jet Motorsports team has hired former Pennzoil Motorsports PR rep Drew Brown(1-29-2000)

(1-28-2000)
Barkdoll not at Daytona: Looks like Phil Barkdoll, who has driven or owned the #73 Chevy that ran in the Daytona 500 for years will not make an attempt this year. But #91 driver Andy Hillenburg and Barkdoll might hook up for an effort late in the year(NOL)(1-28-2000)
Bill Elliott News: the Bill Elliott-driven McDonald’s Ford Taurus team will be managed by a “communication triangle,” replacing the conventional crew chief role. The trio of Kevin Cram (performance enhancement director), Mike Ford (car chief), and Troy Raker (engineer) will jointly make decisions regarding the setup, chassis, tuning and overall performance of the #94 McDonald’s Ford. The three Drive-Thru Crew members are new to Bill Elliott Racing and were hired since the end of the 1999 season. In his role as performance enhancement director for Bill Elliott Racing, Cram will oversee the production of the #94 Fords and will direct communication – both within the Statesville, N.C. shop and at the race track with Elliott. Cram, 32, joined Bill Elliott Racing from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series where he was the crew chief of Stacy Compton’s Impact Motorsports truck. He also served as the assistant crew chief in 1996 and 1997 of Ron Hornaday, Jr.’s truck, owned by Dale Earnhardt, Inc. As car chief, Ford will oversee the overall construction and performance of the No. 94 Ford. Ford, 29, has been working on the NASCAR circuit for 11 years. Last year, he worked for Robert Yates Racing as the suspension/brake specialist and jackman for Dale Jarrett’s Winston Cup championship team. Raker, 35, will apply his technological expertise as engineer for Bill Elliott Racing. In addition, he will oversee fuel strategies on race day. Raker previously worked with Bud Moore Engineering, Ford Motor Company and most recently Rudd Performance Motorsports. Ernie Elliott, Inc. will continue to provide the powerplants for Bill Elliott Racing. Tony Satanicola, a respected engine builder who spent many years with Cale Yarborough, will work with Ernie Elliott on engine building techniques and will act as the on-site engine tuner for the #94 team(DMF Communications)(1-28-2000)
#98 Done? UPDATE 5 No?: hearing reports that Cale Yarborough’s efforts to sell the #98 team had failed and the team has closed down(1-24-2000) — UPDATE: hearing today is D-Day for something to happen, either a buyer or the team shuts down(1-25-2000) — UPDATE 2: Looks like the team has closed it’s doors from all reports I have heard, no idea what the plans are(1-26-2000) — UPDATE 3: Motorsport legend Cale Yarborough, in business as a car owner since 1987, has shut down his race team, Cale Yarborough Motorsports, apparently unwilling to continue under current conditions. There has been no official announcement, and Yarborough could not be reached for comment(SpeedVision)(1-27-2000) — UPDATE 4: hearing Cale Yarborough says the shutdown of his #98 Winston Cup team is not necessarily permanent, but that he is unwilling to go on until a sponsor or investors make it financially viable to go on — UPDATE 5: from NOL….Contrary to recent reports that he has shut the doors on his race team, Cale Yarborough isn’t ready to give up just yet, a team spokesperson said Friday. “A sale is still in order at this time,” said Marlene Emery, the team’s general manager. The team owner was unavailable Friday but was expected to have some news on the situation Monday. The 1999 sponsor, Universal Studios, failed to re-up after the season(NOL)(1-28-2000)
Remember… Big Daddy’s? Check out this story: Team Owner gets into Bar-B-Que Sauce in a Big Way for the Cahill Racing Page(IRL). What happened with Big Daddy’s just about a year ago? Check the #90 Team News and Links Page(1-28-2000)

(1-27-2000)
Action/Elliott: Action Performance Companies announced that it has signed a licensing and endorsement agreement with former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott, who is celebrating his 25th anniversary of driving in the Winston Cup series. Under the terms of the contract, Action Performance obtains the rights to license and distribute a complete line of licensed merchandise including die-cast collectible cars, apparel items and other memorabilia for Elliott, driver and owner of the #94 McDonald’s Winston Cup Ford through 2000(Yahoo Biz)(1-24-2000)
New CUP team? Hearing that a new CUP team is being started, supposedly will be the #39 R&D Motorports/J-Mac racing team that would run out of the old Tri-Star Motorsports shop. Hut Stricklin is the possible driver. Engine Builder Mark Smith would supply engines and hearing a sponsor for the team is close to signing(1-27-2000)

(1-26-2000)
Wind Tunnel Testing: hearing a few CUP teams will be testing at the Langley Full Scale Wind Tunnel, Hampton, VA. The #2 Penske Ford is scheduled to test there on Jan 26-28th(weather permitting I imagine); the #75 Galaxy Motorsports Ford that Wally Dallenbach will drive in 2000 in on Feb 3rd and Bill Elliott’s #94 on Feb 7th. The #41 Larry Hedrick Chevy braved the snow and did test the car in the wind tunnel on the 25th(1-26-2000)
NASCAR Cartoon: NASCAR Racers debuts Feb. 5 on Fox, a program blending all of the elements of today’s hottest form of racing with the most realistic computer animation available. The series premiere of NASCAR RACERS is Saturday, February 5, on Fox Kids Network at 9:30am(NOL)(1-26-2000)
Tyler Jet Sponsor? UPDATE: Johnny Benson mentioned during Wednesdays airing of the WC Today Radio show, that the team is close to signing a sponsor and hopes to be able to announce something in a week or two(WC Today Radio). Speculation still is that the sponsor would be the USPS(with priority or Express Mail featured) and still hearing UPS could be involved(1-20-2000) — UPDATE: hearing the USPS deal fell through(1-26-2000)
T.R.I.X. Racing: TRIX Racing of Toms River, NJ announces plans for the 2000 season. Kevin Ray of Eastaboga, AL, will drive the TRIX #79 Chevy for the ARCA race at Daytona and other selected ARCA events in 2000. Ray, 22, will be driving the same car that Mike Skinner sat on the pole with at Daytona in 1997. Last July Ray qualified 4th and finished a strong 11th at Pocono in the TRIX Chevy. Ray is an instructor for the Richard Petty’s Petty Driving Experience at Lowes Motor Speedway. The team also plans to run five CUP races with a current IRL driver in the seat. So far the Pocono 500 and both New Hampshire races are tenativly scheduled. As soon as sponsorship is secured the team will release the full schedule and driver info. Andy Belmont, who made a few attempts in the car in 1999 will not drive for them in 2000. Sponsorship opportunities are available for TRIX #79 Chevy, please call George Pywowariw at 1-732-968-7881 or e-mail Steve at [email protected](TRIX PR)(1-26-2000)
Kenseth at AMS UPDATE 2: Matt Kenseth will test most of next week at Atlanta. Monday and Tuesday in his #17 Visine BGN Chevy and Wednesday and Thursday in his #17 DeWalt Tools Cup Ford(goRacing)(1-22-2000) — UPDATE: hearing Kenseth will not test at AMS on Monday but on Tuesday thru Thursday(1-23-2000) — UPDATE 2: Matt Kenseth tested the #17 Visine BGN Chevy at AMS on Tuesday and ran a fast lap of 183.600mph. Kenseth will test the #17 DeWalt Tools CUP Ford on Wednesday and Thurday. Joining Kenseth for testing on Wednesday are Richard Childress Racing Busch drivers #21-Mike Dillon and #2-Kevin Harvick for a one day BGN test(AMS Site)(1-26-2000)

(1-25-2000)
#25 Trouble? UPDATE: the Jan 21st issue of Speedway Scene Magazine reports in the Snowballs section: “Oh yes, keep an eye on that 25 car — we’re hearing that all is not so well between sponsor and owner” — UPDATE: There is no truth to the statement reported in Mike Snow’s Speedway Scene column concerning the #25 Michael Holigan Racing team. All parties are working together extremely well and Holigan is very pleased with the testing results of the #25 car(Team Source)(1-25-2000)
#’s 41 and 91? hearing the #41 Larry Hedrick team and the #91 LJ Racing team could be merging or that Hedrick may buy the team. Supposedly former #41 crew chief, Donnie Disharoon would assume crew chief duties on the car(1-25-2000)
Bodines on Oprah: Geoffrey and Brett Bodine were on the Oprah Winfrey show Tuesday(actually a few weeks ago and it aired today), a bit from the story: “It all came to a head on at the biggest race of year. They took their aggressions out on the track, resulting in Geoff crashing his car – costing him the win and hurting him financially. Venting his anger, Geoff mentioned their family problems on television. It was devastating to Brett that Geoff would take this to the public. It was all over the headlines.” See the full story at: Back on Track(1-25-2000)
Crew Chief Club: After two successful years, the Crew Chief Club welcomes four new additions to double its membership. Tommy Baldwin, crew chief on the #22 Caterpillar Pontiac; Jimmy Elledge, crew chief on the #55 Square D Chevrolet; Ryan Pemberton, crew chief on the #77 Jasper Engines Ford; and Greg Zipadelli, crew chief on #20 The Home Depot Pontiac, represent the younger generation of NASCAR Winston Cup Series crew chiefs in the garage area and the future of motorsports. Together with founding members Jimmy Makar(#18), Larry McReynolds(#31), Todd Parrott(#88) and Robin Pemberton(#2), these new members will continue to build on the foundation set forth in the Crew Chief Club principles: performance, reliability, leadership, teamwork and vision(Crew Chief Club Site)(1-25-2000)
Davis and Dodge? UPDATE 5: heard from a few sources that Bill Davis Racing(#22 and #93) will switch from Pontiac to Dodge in 2001?(1-11-2000) — UPDATE: The latest Dodge team buzz has Bill Davis Racing as a candidate. He didn’t “dodge” the question. And has had discussions with Dodge(TNN Media Tour Coverage)(1-15-2000) — UPDATE 3: in what is becoming the second worse kept secret in CUP (just behind Petty going to Dodge rumor), many reports coming in that the Bill Davis Racing team(#22 and #93) will switch for the 2001 season. Supposedly the announcement will come during Speedweeks at Daytona(1-22-2000) — UPDATE 4: Davis said there has not been an announcement, but his team is considering a move when the manufacturer returns to Winston Cup racing(Times-Dispatch)(1-23-2000) — UPDATE: Been hearing from many readers that AutoWeek quotes Bill Davis as saying his Winston Cup team (Ward Burton and Dave Blaney) will switch from Pontiac to Dodge in 2001 to run the Intrepid along with Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises (Kyle and Adam Petty, John Andretti). The story also says speculation is focusing on veteran Bill Elliott and Casey Atwood as Evernham drivers(1-25-2000)
WCW Scheme: Wally Dallenbach will run the WCW(World Championship Wrestling) paint scheme on the #75 Cartoon Network/Red Cell Batteries/Turner Broadcasting Ford for the following races: Las Vegas on March 5th, Atlanta March 12th, The Pepsi 400 at Daytona on July 1st, Bristol on August 26th and Talladega on October 15th(1-25-2000)
Buckshot News: while Buckshot Jones plans to run a Cup race or two in 2000 with his own team, he is looking for an opportunity to join an established multi-car team in 2001. He will run the full 2000 BGN season(Speed Magazine)(1-25-2000)

(1-24-2000)
Elliott Buys Cales Engine Shop: Ernie Elliott, Bill’s brother, has purchased the Cale Yarborough engine shop, which includes the shop, equipment and the people who worked there are now employed by Elliott. Elliott will supply engines to the #94-Bill Elliott, #11-Brett Bodine, #9-Stacy Compton, #15-Derrike Cope teams as well as the #98 team if it stays a float(many sources including the Winston Cup Scene and NSSN print papers)(1-24-2000)
Computers and PPI: #32 Tide Ford owner, Cal Wells, sent his team to Daytona with a half-dozen computers to help record real-time measurements as rookie Scott Pruett tested at Daytona last Thursday and Friday. The data acquisition systems were collecting information such as water and oil temperatures, engine RPM, maximum speed, speed changes, transmission shifts and weather conditions(Speed Magazine)(1-24-2000)

(1-23-2000)

DW and BP sign? On the NASCAR television front, Darrell Waltrip has signed a contract with Fox for 2001 and Benny Parsons has signed a contract with NBC for that season too, according to NASCAR sources. ESPN’s Mike Wells, the network’s star Winston Cup director, is expected to move to NBC(PitNow/Mike Mulhern)(1-23-2000)
Kenseth at AMS UPDATE: Matt Kenseth will test most of next week at Atlanta. Monday and Tuesday in his #17 Visine BGN Chevy and Wednesday and Thursday in his #17 DeWalt Tools Cup Ford(goRacing)(1-22-2000) — UPDATE: hearing Kenseth will not test at AMS on Monday but on Tuesday thru Thursday(1-23-2000)
#98 Sold? UPDATE: Cale Yarborough has another new buyer for his #98 team, Greg Connor(also the crew chief?), who has two business partners. Hut Stricklin tested the car at Daytona. Team Mgr Mark Collins says the team was bought Jan 1st and that they are in the process of getting Universal (Yarborough’s sponsor) to transfer the contract to the new owners. The plan is for Stricklin to drive for the entire 2000 season.(PitNow/Mike Mulhern) — UPDATE: a source with the team tell’s me Greg Connor is in no way part of the new ownership and is the crew chief of the #98 only(1-23-2000)

(1-22-2000)
Rookies: Beginning with the 2001 Winston Cup season, rookies will be able to compete for the rookie of the year title after running up to seven Winston Cup races the previous season. Currently NASCAR allows drivers to run up to five races the previous season and still maintain rookie status. The new rule is laid out in NASCAR’s 2000 rookie candidate application(That’s Racin’). See my ROTY page for the way it is set up at present(1-22-2000)
Hillenburg Hitches: #91 LJ Racing driver Andy Hillenburg’s 1993 truck broke down in South Carolina as he headed to Daytona to test the unsponsored Chevy of owner Joe Falk. Determined to make it to the track, Hillenburg hitched a ride with two vacationers who were returning to Florida(Times-Dispatch) NOL reported he hitched a ride back home on the #91 Hauler(1-22-2000)

(1-21-2000)
Ford Test at DIS UPDATE: DW was the fastest in a drafting session held Friday with a speed of 190.050mph in the #66 Ford,see the speeds at That’s Racin’ — UPDATE: #9-Stacy Compton was the fastest in non drafting testing with a fast lap of 187.911mph on the final day of Ford testing at Daytona. See the speeds at my Testing News Page with links to combined speeds for all testing, single lap, not drafting speeds(1-21-2000)
Marcis/Realtree Renew: Realtree signed up to sponsor Dave Marcis and his #71 Chevy for the 2000 Cup season. Marcis plans to attempt all 34 Cup races(NOL)(1-21-2000)
DW Correction: I stated a while back that Darrell Waltrip would run a special paint scheme at both the Bud Shootout Qualifier and the Daytona 500. Actually DW will run the #66 NASCAR 500/BIG Kmart Ford in the blue, purple and black trim at the Qualifier and the special paint scheme “Flame Car” will be run at the Daytona 500 and the following races during the 2000 season: Las Vegas, Bristol March race, California, Michigan June race, New Hampshire July race, Indianapolis, Darlington September race, Charlotte October race, Phoenix, and Atlanta November race(1-21-2000)
Pruett to run BGN: #32 Tide Cup and #97 McDonald’s BGN Team owner Cal Wells III announced that Scott Pruett will be the substitute driver for the McDonald’s/PPI Motorsports entry at Daytona in the 2000 BGN season opening race. Pruett, whose main ride is with the Cal Wells-owned #32 Tide Ford on the Winston Cup circuit, is substituting for Anthony Lazzaro, a PPI Motorsports teammate and the primary driver of the #97 McDonald’s Ford Taurus. Lazzaro is required to sit out the Daytona opener due to a racing injury and a six-week recovery period that prevented him from meeting NASCAR’s eligibility requirements for rookie entry in a superspeedway race. He is fully recovered from the injury and will make his Busch Series debut, Feb. 26, at Rockingham. Pruett and Lazzaro will both drive the McDonald’s car in the upcoming Busch test session, Jan. 24 and 25 in Daytona(PPI PR)(1-21-2000)
Petty Logo: One of the most familiar logos in motorsports has undergone a change. The familiar Petty Enterprises logo will change as the most successful organization in motorsports begins its second 50 years. Petty Enterprises fields the #43 STP/Cheerios Pontiac and #44 Hot Wheels Racing Pontiac in CUP; the #45 Sprint Chevy in the BGN Series; and the #43 Dodge by Petty in the CTS. “This year at the beginning of our second 50 years, we have brought all four teams – five, if you include Adam’s (Petty) Winston Cup cars for some races this season – under one banner, “said Kyle Petty, who heads day-to-day operations of Petty Enterprises as well as driving the Hot Wheels Racing Pontiac. “Last year the Busch team ran as pe2, and the truck team as Richard Petty Motorsports. Now all of our teams and drivers are part of Petty Enterprises. This new logo incorporates four teams and three NASCAR divisions, and is representative of how Petty Enterprises has grown,” Petty continued. “People can look at our new logo and realize we are more than just one team in one division. Petty Enterprises is an organization with a wealth of talented drivers, crew members and staff. With our new research and development team and our new sponsorship partnerships, we are looking to move to the forefront in our next 50 years as we did in the first 50. This is the kind of logo any of our sponsors and teams can display with pride on their products and in their marketing programs.” The new logo is a striking red and blue design which incorporates the Petty Enterprises name in blue with a red-and-blue swoosh. The modern design will quickly become one of the most recognizable logos in motorsports. To see the logo click here(Williams Comapny)(1-21-2000)
Partnership: RacingDiva, Inc. (www.racingdiva.com) is pleased to announce a new partnership with George deBidart and TSI, Inc. TSI is a sports marketing company owned by George deBidart who owns two BGN teams, the #30 Little Trees Chevy driven by Hermie Sadler and the #48 Gould’s Pump Chevy driven by Mike McLaughlin. RacingDiva, Inc. was founded at the end of 1999 by Sheri Horton and Mona Singleton to represent women’s perspectives on motor sports with an emphasis on NASCAR(1-21-2000)
Magazine News: EMAP purchased Stock Car Racing magazine from General Media in March of 1999. Effective with the August issue, EMAP replaced the familiar Stock Car Racing logo with a larger, all type logo intended to increase newsstand visibility. While people may have seen the new logo, they didn’t recognize the magazine as the same title that’s been around for over 30 years. So beginning with the March 2000 issue, which goes on sale the first week of February, SCR permanently returns the classic Stock Car Racing logo(1-21-2000)

(1-20-2000)
Credentials Firestorm UPDATE 3: Been getting much email on this, don’t know much about it, the jist: “Journalists covering NASCAR are fuming after the sanctioning body for stock car racing included a provision in its credential application that appears to give it sole rights to information and pictures produced by reporters and photographers”, two stories found online so far explain it a bit, from SpeedVision: NASCAR Tries To Put Clamps On Media by Eric Mauk and the Indianapolis Business Journal: Battle erupts over NASCAR credentials by Anthony Schoettle. No idea how this would effect the Internet or NASCAR/Racing websites, too early to tell. I have not seen the exact content of the provision to comment. But my understanding is that NASCAR is taking note of the criticism and looking into the situation — UPDATE: on top of all this SpeedVision is reporting that Tim Sullivan, manager of communications for NASCAR’s Winston Cup series, left the company Tuesday evening. NASCAR officials declined to give reasons for Sullivan’s departure. Sullivan could not be reached for comment Wednesday(SpeedVision)(1-19-2000) — UPDATE 2: John Griffin, NASCAR’s director of communications worldwide, said Wednesday that legitimate, news-gathering media members can expect “business as usual” in covering the sport. Despite new language inserted in annual credential applications (called Hardcards) and other NASCAR license forms, Griffin said actual reporting of news, whether by print, broadcast or Internet, would continue as it always has, without overt interference or censorship. See the full story and ‘the clause’ known as Article 4 at: SpeedVision: NASCAR Tells Media “Fear Not”, plus a story at goRacing(1-20-2000)
Petty Re-news with Pontiac: Dodge may be in Petty Enterprises’ future, but Kyle Petty said that for the upcoming 2000 season, the Randleman, N.C., team will continue to enjoy its relationship with Pontiac. While Petty neve denies talking to Dodge, he says they are a GM team for 2000 and just recently renewed with Pontiac for 2000. He said the future was wide open(seen on the StockCarFans Newsletter from the Kingsport Times-News)(1-20-2000)
PE hanging Dodge Sheet Metal? “(Ray) Evernham might be leading development along with Chrysler engineers, but Petty Enterprises is doing the actual work. While (Lou) Patane says additional teams will be announced around the time of this February’s Daytona race (and drivers after that), sources in Charlotte say the Pettys are reporting to Evernham on the Intrepid’s development and that they’re over there hanging sheetmetal on frames[at Petty Enterprises]”(Autoweek)(1-20-2000)
#98 News UPDATE 2: this weeks Winston Cup Scene reports that is negotiating to sell the #98 team with a group that includes #58 car owner Scott Barbour, NASCAR great Donnie Allison and South Carolina businessman Bill Hammond. Yarborough hopes to have the deal completed by Jan 16th(this Sunday). For the progression of this story see my #98 Team News and Links page — UPDATE: Barbour is not part of the group buying the #98 but is talking with the group about buying the #58 team, which is not defunct but idle, the idea is for the #98 and #58 to be a two car team(1-14-2000) — UPDATE 2: Hut Stricklin will test the #98 Ford at Daytona in the mandatory test session on Thursday and Friday. No announcement or decision has been made about a new buyer or if thr team will attempt the Daytona 500(NOL)(1-20-2000)
No Rules Changes..yet: Winston Cup director Gary Nelson said Thursday NASCAR will hold off making any changes to the Pontiac Grand Prix it has had the chance to see how the car compares in a race to the 2000 versions of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Ford Taurus(That’s Racin’)(1-20-2000)
Ford DIS Testing: #99-Jeff Burton was the fastest with a speed of 187.169mph. #94-Bill Elliott didn’t run Thursday as he has a bad case of the flu and is planning to participate in Friday’s final day of the test(That’s Racin’ Flu story). 21 drivers in 35 cars took times on Thursday. See the speeds and links at my Testing News Page(1-20-2000)
Little E/Kenseth: The new edition of ESPN the Magazine hit the newstands on Jan 20th with a cover story on the friendship and rivalry between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth(Bud PR)(1-20-2000)
Earnhardt, miss the 500? the Ledger from Lakeland, FL reports: “Although he believes his driver “should be OK,” Richard Childress said Tuesday he isn’t absolutely certain Dale Earnhardt will be able to compete in the Daytona 500. And that Childress said Earnhardt is improving and is about 80%(The Ledger). My bet is that DE Sr will run the Daytona 500. And a PitNow story says Earnhardt expects to test at Las Vegas on Feb 1st(1-20-2000)
NASCAR Popularity Down? A pollster, Dr. Richard Luker, says his numbers indicate that auto racing’s interest is in decline with the public. During a speech at the International Sport Summit in New York, Luker, founder of the ESPN-CHILTON Sports Poll, reported a continuing slide for the industry in general. The poll measures the popularity of 12 major sports. Luker said the general decline in sports interest began after the Atlanta Olympics and that, despite the popular opinion that NASCAR is booming, it is not. Luker says their figures showed 36.5% interest in 1998 and 32.1 percent in 1999. George Pyne, VP/marketing for NASCAR, said he had not seen Luker’s data but that his sport is flourishing, wondered about the methodology of Luker’s poll and said NASCAR would be doing its own research this year(Infobeat/AP)(1-20-2000)
Tyler Jet Sponsor? Johnny Benson mentioned during Wednesdays airing of the WC Today Radio show, that the team is close to signing a sponsor and hopes to be able to announce something in a week or two(WC Today Radio). Speculation still is that the sponsor would be the USPS(with priority or Express Mail featured) and still hearing UPS could be involved(1-20-2000)
Goodyear NASCAR Tire: Goodyear announced that its “officially licensed by NASCAR” tire will feature a bright gold NASCAR logo on the sidewall to emphasize their “long and mutually beneficial relationship.” Goodyear’s Eagle #1 NASCAR tire is intended to fortify its exclusive tire supplier agreement with NASCAR. Last August, Goodyear and NASCAR previewed a tire concept with a decidedly subdued black NASCAR logo, but has since decided to make the NASCAR “glow” in bright gold. The tire made its debut at Goodyear’s annual dealer conference. Retailers will begin selling the tire in their stores in the spring. For those who prefer a more understated look, the reverse sidewall features the Goodyear Eagle #1 name and NASCAR logo in a stylish black design. The new Eagle #1 NASCAR street tire supports a 1997 agreement that made Goodyear the exclusive tire supplier for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The tire, to be manufactured at Goodyear’s tire facility in Union City, Tenn., will be available in sizes P205/65R15, P205/55R16, P235/55R16 and P225/60R16. Four additional sizes will be announced later(Goodyear PR) no mention of that Kelly Springfield to BGN rumor(1-20-2000)
Letterman UPDATE: not NASCAR but I thought since he always hosts the Cup Champion on his show and owns a CART team, readers may wish to hear about this: CBS Latenight Talk Show host, David Letterman is recovering comfortably at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City after successful quintuple heart bypass surgery. Letterman, 52, had gone in for a routine angiogram(SpeedVision)(1-15-2000) — UPDATE:David Letterman left the hospital Wednesday, five days after undergoing quintuple bypass surgery. Letterman, 52, was continuing to recuperate at an undisclosed location(SpeedNet)(1-20-2000)
Martin at Daytona: Mark Martin visited the NASCAR garage area today at Daytona International Speedway, just two months after back surgery. Martin plans to get in the #6 Valvoline Ford on Friday to get fitted for his seat, but won’t be officially testing for the team(Racin’ Network)(1-20-2000)
Martin to get checked: Mark Martin, driver of the #6 Valvoline Ford, will be checked out by his Doctor on Thursday and if given clearance, will run a few test laps on Friday at Daytona(WC Today Radio)(1-20-2000)

(1-19-2000)
New Shop: The Jack Roush #16 unsponsored Ford team will be moving into a 60,000-square-foot facility near the entrance of Concord Regional Airport as soon as March. The #97 with driver Chad Little and the #17 with rookie Matt Kenseth moved into adjacent facilities in November(Gaston Gazette)(1-19-2000)

(1-18-2000)
Vegas Testing: Seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt will return to the driver’s seat for the first time since December back surgery by heading a list of 36 drivers from the CUP and BGN series who have scheduled testing times Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Eighteen Cup teams are scheduled to test and 18 BGN Series teams are scheduled to test. Each team will test for two of the three days. The following teams are scheduled to test for the CarsDirect.com 400: Earnhardt(#3), Terry Labonte(#5), Stacy Compton(#9), Jeremy Mayfield(#12), Robby Gordon(#13), Derrike Cope(#15), Matt Kenseth(#17), Jeff Gordon(#24), Jeff Fuller(#27), Ricky Carven(#50), Wally Dallenbach Jr.(#75), Chad Little(#97), Bobby Hamilton(#4), Michael Waltrip(#7), Dale Earnhardt Jr.(#8), Scott Pruett(#32), Sterling Marlin(#40), Kenny Irwin(#42) and Robert Pressley(#77). BGN drivers scheduled to test are Kevin Harvick(#2), Mike Dillon(#21), Casey Atwood(#27), Kevin Grubb(#37), Jay Sauter(#43), Gus Wasson(#96), Jason Jarrett(#11), Bobby Hillin Jr.(#8), Jason Leffler(#18), Mike McLaughlin(#48), David Green(#34), Tim Fedewa(#36), Hermie Sadler(#30), Todd Bodine(#66), Anthony Lazzaro(#97) and two cars from SABCO Racing, which has not announced drivers. The testing will be open to the public for a $5 donation to Speedway Children’s Charities(LVMS PR)(1-18-2000)
Pardus Returns: hearing that Dan Pardus is planning to attempt four Cup races in 2000 starting with the Daytona 500 with Jim & Judie Motorsports, Pardus Racing and D&M Motorsports. Pardus will be driving the #65 Chevy and will test today. The team is looking for a sponsor(Dan Pardus Site)Pardus ran the #50 Chevy part time in 1998 and started full time in 1999 until Ricky Craven took over(1-18-2000)
GM Testing Speeds Day 2: #40-Sterling Marlin the fastest at 187.153mph. Winston Cup Today reported that the only incident at testing was in the garage area when #96-Greg Sacks and #71-Dave Marcis got together but no magor damage occurred and no one was hurt. Thirty drivers took times in 52 cars. Also the speeds were broken down into drafting sessions and regular runs, #24-Jeff Gordon at 190.933mph, see the speeds at 2000 Testing News/Speeds Page(1-18-2000)
Sad News: Ed Dykes, a popular and well-respected electronic journalist whose FastNews Network covered the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series for NHRA Online, Summit’s Drag Race Central, and other web sites, passed away on Monday. Dykes, 45, of Marietta, Ga., was at the controls of and the only person aboard his private plane when it crashed in a mountainous area of Hawkins County, Tenn. Dykes was en route from Louisville, Ky., to visit his parents in Kingsport, Tenn., when his plane crashed on Clinch Mountain, about 10 miles northeast of Rogersville, near midnight. A search began Monday morning and the wreckage was discovered around noon(NHRA Online and SpeedVision)(1-18-2000)
Hedrick/Mast Sponsor? UPDATE: Looks like the rumor of Universal Studio’s and/or Exxon sponsoring the #41 Chevy will not happen. Owner Larry Hedrick had talked to Universal Studios and Exxon but said that those companies no longer are involved. Hedrick was to meet with potential sponsors last week, but I have heard nothing. SpeedVision also reports that Hedrick actually signed Mast during the Atlanta weekend in November and that any announcement was put off until certain issues were resolved between Mast and his previous employer, Cale Yarborough Motorsports(SpeedVision) So the #41 Paint Scheme in my Paint Scheme Gallery looks like it’ll never see the track. Also hearing Mast may become part owner of the team and have heard from a few readers that Mast was introduced at the Winston Preview as the driver of the ‘#41 Universal Studios Chevrolet Monte Carlo'(1-17-2000) — UPDATE: Rick Mast said on today’s Winston Cup Today Radio show that the team is close to signing(99.9% sure) and hopes to make an announcement in a week or so. The show said speculation is that Universal Studios will be the sponsor(1-18-2000)
McDonald’s Being Sued: The former management company of NASCAR driver Bill Elliott is suing Elliott’s multi-million-dollar racing sponsor, McDonald’s Corp. Advantage Management Inc. (AMI) is suing Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s in U.S. District Court. Nashville-based AMI is alleging breach of contract regarding its administration of a joint licensing agreement between Elliott’s racing team and the fast-food chain(Nashville Business Journal)(1-18-2000)
New Tire in BGN? am hearing that Goodyear, who is NASCAR’s official tire of the Cup and BGN Series, wants to switch the BGN brand from Goodyear to Kelly Springfield(who they own)(1-18-2000)

(1-17-2000)
Speed: hearing Lake Speed is back from an extended vacation and is looking for a CUP ride. Speed last drove the #9 Cartoon Network Ford in 1998(1-17-2000)
Jarrett Wins: Dale Jarrett was named Driver of the Year by the National Motorsports Press Association. The presentation of the Richard Petty Award marked the second time in three years that Jarrett received the award. Jarrett first received the trophy in 1997, even though he was the runner-up in the Cup points to Jeff Gordon(Fayetteville Observer)(1-17-2000)
Sacks Returns: Greg Sacks was at DIS last week for the General Motors testing session, driving the #96 Chevy for Petty-Huggins Motorsports. He’ll return to DIS again Monday and Tuesday for another GM testing session. With sponsor Island Oasis, Sacks and the team will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 and at least three other races. If more financial resources can be secured, owner Beau Petty would like to run more races(Speed Magazine)(1-17-2000)

(1-16-2000)

New Radio Show: The Performance Racing Network will launch it’s second weekly syndicated show on Wednesday February 23, when The Pit Reporters airs for the first time. The Pit Reporters is a unique forum that will bring together the nation’s top motorsports media for an hour-long roundtable discussion on the racing issues of the day. Brett McMillan, veteran motorsports broadcaster and sports reporter for WBT Radio in Charlotte will host The Pit Reporters. “This is a great opportunity to break new ground in motorsports broadcasting,” says McMillan. Along with McMillan, scheduled panel members include; David Poole, Charlotte Observer; Monte Dutton, Gaston Gazette; Chris Economaki, National Speed Sport News; Mark Garrow, Winston Cup Today; Ralph Sheheen, CBS; and Deb Williams, NASCAR Winston Cup Scene. Several other major motorsports media members will also participate each week. Race fans will also have the opportunity to play a key role in The Pit Reporters, by calling in and sounding off using a toll free “vent” line, at 1-800-270-2439. The most original, insightful, and funny fan commentary each week will be included on the show. Eager race fans can hear The Pit Reporters live each Wednesday on the Internet at 4 p.m. EST at www.gospeedway.com. The program will air in syndication on PRN stations beginning Wednesday night of each week. Fans can check the PRN website for a complete list of stations airing The Pit Reporters. In 2000, PRN will also broadcast eight NASCAR Winston Cup races, six NASCAR Busch Series events, six Pennzoil World of Outlaws races, and Fast Talk with Benny Parsons on Monday nights(PRN PR)(1-16-2000)
Goodyear Testing: Goodyear will conduct tire tests at five more tracks in the 2000 season as it continues to introduce tires. Tests will be at Martinsville in March, Rockingham and Pocono in April, Dover in May and Indianapolis in June(Roanoke Times)(1-16-2000)
Craven News: Ricky Craven is apparently set to run a full Winston Cup season in the #50 MidWest Transit chevy for owner Hal Hicks, despite not having a primary sponsor other than Hicks’ MidWest Transit outfit. The Performance Plus PR agency is currently out hunting down potential sponsors for the #50 team, and Craven says the team will carry on even if a sponsor does not step up(SpeedVision)(1-16-2000)
Richard Petty to Race? UPDATE 3: goracing.com has learned that seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Richard Petty will return to competition next month – behind the wheel of a Dodge at Daytona, behind the wheel of a factory-backed Dodge Viper. Petty will team with son Kyle and grandson Adam in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on February 5-6goracing.com(1-12-2000) — UPDATE: I am hearing that there will not be a Petty-driven car in the 24 Hours of Daytona?(1-13-2000) maybe it’s best if I do not report on the 24 hours at Daytona stuff. — UPDATE 2: another story at SpeedVision(1-14-2000) — UPDATE: Contrary to Internet reports, seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Richard Petty will not team up with his son Kyle and grandson Adam to compete in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on Feb. 5-6.(Speed Magazine)(1-16-2000)
Hendrick Back: Team owner Rick Hendrick is back at work at Hendrick Motorsport(#’s 5,24,25). He told the media that he has been off chemotherapy for six weeks now and that his cancer is in full remission and feels great(goRacing)(1-16-2000)
Wood Bros to NC UPDATE: The legendary Wood Brothers, who run the #21 Ford for Elliott Sadler in Cup, have established a satellite shop in the Mooresville, N.C. Crew chief Mike Beam said the #21 team would build chassis and hang bodies at a new plant in the Mooresville area. The Woods, who have raced out of Stuart, VA., have resisted the trend that a Cup team must reside in the Charlotte area to be sucessful. The new shop could give the team access to cutting-edge personnel and the latest technology. The new shop, which is up and running with four employees, will build chassis with basic sheet metal in the Mooresville shop. The cars will then be sent to Stuart for engines and final prep. The team will continue to receive all its engines from Jack Roush, with whom the Woods have established a strong cooperative relationship. The Woods also have retained top chassis builder Steve Levitt to do exclusive work for them at the Mooresville plant(condensed from SpeedVision/Ben Blake)(1-14-2000) — UPDATE: The Wood Brothers will mark their 50th year in racing with five historic paint schemes on the No. 21 Ford driven by Elliott Sadler(Speed Magazine)(1-16-2000)

(1-15-2000)
Martin BGN: Last fall, Mark Martin announced that the 2000 season would be his final year running a limited schedule in the BGN. Martin will wrap up his Busch career with a 14-race schedule this season. Winn-Dixie, Martin’s primary sponsor since 1993, decided to commemorate Martin’s final year in the Busch Series with a new paint scheme for 2000. It captures the greatest moments in Martin’s Busch career all on one Ford Taurus. The scheme can be seen on Jayski’s Paint Scheme Gallery. Martin is the winningest driver in BGN history with 40 victories. He broke Jack Ingram’s record of 31 wins at North Carolina Speedway in October 1997. In 187 starts, Martin has 40 wins, 81 top-five and 109 top-10 finishes. He has also claimed 23 poles. His career earnings total $2,345,255. Martin’s best year in the Busch Series came in 1993 when he won seven races of the 14 he entered. Martins 200 BGN schedule: Rockingham(2-26 and 10-21), Las Vegas(3-4), Atlanta(3-11), Darlington(3-18 and 9-2), Texas(4-1), Richmond(5-5 and 9-8), Charlotte/Lowes(5-27 and 10-7), Dover(6-3), Michigan(8-19), and Homestead on 11-11(Mark Martin’s J-Mar Express)(1-15-2000)
Davis and Dodge? UPDATE: heard from a few sources that Bill Davis Racing(#22 and #93) will switch from Pontiac to Dodge in 2001?(1-11-2000) — UPDATE: The latest Dodge team buzz has Bill Davis Racing as a candidate. He didn’t “dodge” the question. And has had discussions with Dodge(TNN Media Tour Coverage)(1-15-2000)
Roush Dodge? Jack Roush, owner of the #’s 6,16,17,97,99 Fords, will not rule out a move to Dodge in the future. Roush has met with representative of the new Dodge entry scheduled for next season and said he is impressed. Roush said he is committed to Ford this season, but has no contract after that(Tennessean)(1-15-2000)
Penske South News: In addition to primary backers Miller Lite and Mobil 1, four associate sponsors announced increased support on Friday. Mead Coated Papers, which has been with Penske South for the past four years, has re-signed for another four years, and Snap-on Tools, a fixture at Penske Racing for the past 18 years, signed a three-year deal with both Stock car teams. Mazak, one of the prime machine-tool manufacturers in the United States, has signed a three-year deal with both teams. Also it was announced that both teams will field Fords for the next three years as the teams re-signed with Ford Motor Company(TNN Media Tour Coverage)(1-15-2000)

(1-14-2000)
Musgrave Ride? UPDATE: it’s being reported on the Ted Musgrave site that Ted Musgrave will be racing in 2000 expect to hear the announcement soon, no idea if it’s Cup or what series(1-8-2000) — UPDATE:hearing a sponsor is signed(no idea) and Musgrave will drive a Ford for an unknown owner(at this point)(1-14-2000)
Not NASCAR but..: Injured Indy Racing League driver Sam Schmidt continues to suffer from the injuries that occurred when his car hit the outside wall during a practice session at Walt Disney World Speedway one week ago. Unfortunately, the prognosis is not good. Team owners says Schmidts injuries are comparable to actor Christopher Reeves and Schmidt is a quadriplegic. Cards and letters can be sent to Schmidt at: Sam Schmidt, c/o Ruthie Culbertson, Treadway Racing, 6017 W. 71st St., Indianapolis, IN 46278. Donations to either CARA Charities, IRL Ministries or Speedway Children’s Charities in Schmidt’s name are encouraged in lieu of flowers and gifts. Donations should be sent to the above address(goRacing)(1-14-2000)
Stewart Staying(again) OFFICIAL: For the umpteenth time, Tony Stewart said speculation on his future with Joe Gibbs Racing greatly exaggerates the situation. Negotiations with Gibbs for a new contract have led to rumors that Stewart will move to another team, specifically Ray Evernham’s developing Dodge operation. In fact, said Stewart, his current contract obligates him to at least two more years with Gibbs, and he has agreed to extend that deal for three more years. Stewart also said the Gibbs operation will continue its relationship with Pontiac(Gaston Gazette)(1-9-2000) — UPDATE: Tony Stewart has signed a contract extension that would carry him into the 2004 season with Joe Gibbs Racing. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed (SpeedVision)(1-14-2000)
DW’s Crew Chief: Darrel Waltrip, who will be in his second season driving for Haas-Carter Motorsports in the #66 Route 66/Big Kmart Ford, is working with crew chief Larry Carter, nephew of team co-owner and longtime crew chief Travis Carter(AP/SpeedNet)(1-14-2000)
#98 News UPDATE: this weeks Winston Cup Scene reports that is negotiating to sell the #98 team with a group that includes #58 car owner Scott Barbour, NASCAR great Donnie Allison and South Carolina businessman Bill Hammond. Yarborough hopes to have the deal completed by Jan 16th(this Sunday). For the progression of this story see my #98 Team News and Links page — UPDATE: Barbour is not part of the group buying the #98 but is talking with the group about buying the #58 team, which is not defunct but idle, the idea is for the #98 and #58 to be a two car team(1-14-2000)
Yum: M&Ms announced that it is now the official chocolate of NASCAR(SpeedFX)(1-14-2000)
Sauter to test the #3: Jim Sauter(Jay’s Dad) will test the #3 Chevy next week at Daytona when the teams that will race the new 2000 Monte Carlos test(That’s Racin’)(1-14-2000)
Insurance and Speedways UPDATE: Nationwide Insurance will sponsor a safety program at tracks owned by Speedway Motorsports. The company will make a $1,000 donation to Speedway Children’s Charities in the name of a driver who most notably demonstrates safety during a race. It will provide fan assistance during races and a booth so pictures of children can be taken to assist in identification in case they become lost(St Peterburg Times)(1-12-2000) — UPDATE: Some more info on the Nationswide sponsorship at the six Speedway Motorsports tracks. It includes: 1.) Sponsorship of the safety vehicles used at those six tracks (including new uniforms for the personnel), 2.) Nationwide Fan Assistance patrol, (10 golf carts at each track to help with medical transports, and serve as roving information booths answering questions, giving directions, etc.), 3.) “Safe Driving Move of the Race”, (reminiscent of the Raybestos break of the race) and finally 4.) the child registration booth already mentioned. This is tied into the Nat’l Center for Missing and Exploited children. Nationwide will also have a hospitality tent at each track and a program to give away 50 tickets per race by the Nationwide State Management team for each home state for the track(1-14-2000)

(1-13-2000)
#41/Mast OFFICIAL UPDATE: Look for the #41 Hedrick/Rick Mast announcement within the next few days….that he will be driving the #41 Chevy with Philippe Lopez as the crew chief. Exxon is still the rumored sponsor and hearing BTI communications may be an associate of some sort — UPDATE: Rick Mast is now officially the driver of the Larry Hedrick-owned #41 Chevys for the 2000 Winston Cup season. His move from the #98 to Hedrick’s team has long been a foregone conclusion, but the official announcement came Wednesday. Philippe Lopez has also been hired as the team’s crew chief. Garth Finley, who worked with Mast on the #98 cars, has also been named director of technology for Hedrick’s team. No sponsor has been announced for the #41 Chevy(That’s Racin’)(1-12-2000) — UPDATE: The Hedrick team didn’t release the name of the sponsor for the upcoming season, but Mast did say Tuesday that Universal Studios will be involved somehow(News-Gazette one day link)(1-13-2000)
#23(26) Sponsor UPDATE 3: still hearing Kmart will be the new sponsor along with an associate sponsorship from Rayovac(11-30-1999) — UPDATE: and still hearing the car number will change to a number ending in 6, like 26. 56, 76 etc(12-1-1999) — UPDATE 2 Duel Kmart: during an interview on TNN’s Raceday, Darrell Waltrip said he and teammate Jimmy Spencer would be sponsored by Kmart. It has been rumored for months, first time heard someone from the team say it. Looks like Spencer will change from #23 to #26 also(1-9-2000) — UPDATE 3 OFFICIAL: Kmart officials confirmed Wednesday what many had suspected for months, that Kmart and its Route 66 brand will sponsor both Travis Carter Fords, those of Jimmy Spencer(#26) and Darrell Waltrip(#66), for the 2000 season. Both are going to be Kmart/Route 66 cars, with the identification reversed(DW Rt 66/Kmart, Spencer Kmart/Rt 66)(SpeedVision) The number change to 26 was not confirmed but all testing reports listed Spencer in the #26 which was used by Roush in 1999 with the now defunct Cheerios team(1-13-2000)
No Indy for Robby: Former CART driver Robby Gordon is entrenched in Winston Cup racing these days, and he said he will not race in the Indianapolis 500 in May. He said his sponsors want his full attention on the 34-race CUP schedule(Detroit News)(1-13-2000)
#4 Crew Chief: Robert Larkins has been named the crew chief of the #4 Morgan-McClure Kodak Chevy for driver Bobby Hamilton(Bristol News) no news or updates on the long rumored 2nd team(1-13-2000)

(1-12-2000)
No More Mustache for DJ and IMAGE: see the story at Clean-shaven Jarrett returns to defend crown from That’s Racin’. Check out the image at: GoCarolina’s(1-12-2000)
Sadler Bros News: The #95 Sadler Bros team will be announcing David Keith as their new driver. Keith will run in ten ARCA races and five Cup race in 2000. The planned Cup races are The Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta, The DirectTv 500 at Texas, The Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes, The Brickyard 400 at Indy, and the Pepsi 400 at Michigan. The team will run Ford Taurus’ in 2000 and the crewchief will be Billy Poindexter. The team plans to test soon at Talladega and is looking for a sponsor, the can be reached by fax (615)256-4925(1-12-2000)
Melling Sponsor: Conwood Company, L.P., makers of Levi Garrett and Kodiak smokeless tobacco products, announced today that their Kodiak and Cougar brands would co-sponsor the #9 Melling Racing Fords and 2000 “Rookie of the Year” candidate Stacy Compton. Joining Melling Racing as an associate sponsor in 2000 is Duckhead Footwear and Duckhead Apparel. The two companies are brand new to the sport, but not to the footwear and apparel industries(Melling PR)(1-12-2000)
Shocks UPDATE: NASCAR will issue a uniform shock absorber to all Cup teams for the season-opening Daytona 500. The new shocks, which will stop teams from desperately trying to lower their cars to the ground in an effort to cut down on wind resistance, likely will be used in both qualifying and the race. They will make rides less violent for drivers and cut costs for teams, who won’t have to spend time and money developing various shock packages. They also will reduce speeds, which were starting to push the 200-mph barrier in qualifying, even with horsepower-reducing restrictor plates on the carburetors(News and Observer)(1-10-2000) — UPDATE: NASCAR has added a new addition to its requirements for Winston Cup cars at the series’ fastest tracks at Daytona and Talladega. NASCAR will issue a uniform shock absorber to all Cup teams for the season-opening Daytona 500. The new shocks will prevent teams from their attempts to lower their cars to the ground in an effort to cut down on wind resistance. The new shocks will likely be used in both qualifying and the race(That’s Racin’)(1-12-2000)
DW’s plane: A pilot escaped safely from a private plane after it came into Piedmont Triad International Airport early Tuesday morning with its landing gear only halfway down. The pilot, whose name was not available Tuesday, was not injured. He was the only passenger in the turbo-prop plane, owned by Winston Cup driver Darrell Waltrip. The pilot was returning the plane from a paint shop in South Carolina. The pilot is not DW’s pilot, he was returning the plane. When they got the news about the plane on Tuesday, Waltrip and his family were just glad no one had been injured. Also, the family had more sobering concerns this week, he said. They were planning funeral arrangements for Waltrip’s 76-year-old father, Leroy Waltrip, who died Monday(News and Record)(1-12-2000)
France News: Mike Helton, senior vice president and chief operating officer of NASCAR, said his boss, Bill France, is battling cancer aggressively. Although Helton said the 66-year-old France and his family still decline to say the type of cancer the sanctioning body’s longtime president is fighting, he is aggressively treating the disease(SpeedNet/AP)(1-12-2000)
Ford’s Turn UPDATE: Ford tests at Daytona today and Thursday….but poof, only one team is there and possible two on Thursday. Only two drivers are scheduled to be there – #90 Ed Berrier and #85 Carl Long. Carl Long reported today, but as of this afternoon had been on the track only a couple of times. So looks like no speeds will be posted today. Hear there will be more Ford teams there on Thursday. DIS does expect around 30 CTS teams on Friday and Saturday, including Jack Sprague, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Joe Ruttman(Racin’ Network Newsletter) — UPDATE: Only one Ford team showed up at Daytona today, the #85 Mansion Motorsports 1999 Ford. Owner Thee Dixon made a rare visit to the track to watch his team. Driver Carl Long’s best speed of the day was 177.124mph in a 1999 Roush Taurus. The team will also test during the truck session(1-12-2000)
Evernham and Trucks: Ray Evernham has ruled out running a Dodge in any Winston Cup races in 2000, even if the car is approved by late summer. Crew members, however, may work together in a few Truck series events, where Dodge already competes, later in the season to get a head start on working together in 2001(That’s Racin’) and Evernham said his team likely will get on-track experience this year by entering some NASCAR CTS events(AP/ESPN)(1-12-2000)

(1-11-2000)
Dodge Announcement…Exclusive UPDATEs: sent in by J.J. Harddrive.com, exclusively for this site. J.J. who is at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit reports the ‘Winston Cup Dodge Announcement’: With a roar of V-8 power, Dodge “officially” unveiled its Winston Cup Intrepids this morning at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Two #19 Evernham Motorsports cars appeared in their overall red race livery, with sponsorship from Dodge, the Dodge dealers, and the UAW. Team owner Ray Evernham confirms that this is the way the cars will race; there will be no additional sponsors. Once NASCAR approval is received (which they expect early- to mid-summer), Evernham Motorsports will build 28 cars for its two teams. Contrary to rumor, Petty Enterprises was not announced as a Dodge team for 2001. In an exclusive Jayski.com interview, Evernham said that he hopes to make a driver announcement shortly, but the decision’s made and waiting for issues to be resolved with the driver’s current contracts. “The guy that we do announce, he is the first and only guy that I’ve talked to.” He expects to run one veteran and one younger driver, although not necessarily a rookie. The two Evernham teams will be set up the same way, with the younger driver’s team largely populated by younger crewmen, so they can learn from the more experienced crew, as his #24 crew did with other Hendrick operations. His ideal driver for the #19 car? “25-year-old Richard Petty.” Evernham expects the first Intrepids to be on track by late March or early April. His effort is open-book; all subsequent Dodge teams will have access to all of Evernham’s data when building and setting up their cars. “In fact, we’re putting some equipment in place to help the other teams build their own cars.” His new shop is structurally complete, but not yet ready for move-in. The two cars on show: one a short-track, one superspeedway, are built on old Hopkins and Laughlin chassis, respectively. Both were built by Evernham, the superspeedway car expressly for the Detroit unveiling. While he has six Hopkins chassis in house, Evernham intends to build his own chassis (he even called it a “Dodge” chassis.) A scale model has been in the wind tunnel. The first wind tunnel test will take place before the end of the month. He expects to retain the large Dodge crosshair grille, which was largely open on the show cars. “We might not be able to do that at Bristol, but it doesn’t matter because it would get knocked off anyway. But I believe that most places we go, the car can race in this configuration.” Lou Patane, head of DaimlerChrysler Motorsports, told Jayski.com that announcements on more Dodge teams can be expected within 3-4 weeks. He won’t comment on Petty Enterprises or, indeed, any specific team. Dodge will not provide a formal support program for Late Model or other local series, but he expects that once NASCAR approves the Intrepid body and engine for Winston Cup, a number of local teams will switch to Dodge. Thanks J.J. — UPDATE: the Detroit News has a story up: Dodge to return to NASCAR racing, doesn’t say much, but the DaimlerChrysler has a great section and even an image of the car at: It’s Here: All-New Dodge Intrepid R/T Winston Cup Race Car Make Its Debut at North American International Auto Show with a slew of stories linked there. Also from Carpoint: Dodge Goes NASCAR Racing with many images(1-11-2000)
Point Fund Increased: RJR/Winston has doubled the points fund to $10 million, with the 2000 Winston Cup Champ guaranteed $3 million and the runner-up $1,050,000. RJR announced the doubling of the points fund amount in the final press conference of the first day of the UAW-GM Motorsports Media Tour, making the Winston Cup series the first motorsports circuit ever to offer a $10m points fund(SpeedVision)(1-11-2000)
BACE News UPDATE PJ Signs and CUP: BACE Motorsports owner named crew chief’s for his two BGN teams. Alan Russell will crew chief the #33 with driver Tony Raines moving to that car from the #74 and Billy Nacewicz will be the crew chief of the #74 with an un-named driver(NOL)(1-10-2000) — UPDATE: PJ Jones will drive the #74 BACE Motorsports BGN Chevy in 2000. The team is still looking for a sponsor. Also the team plans to start Jones in up to five Cup events and move up full time in 2001(NOL)(1-11-2000)
CAT car: I hear Ward Burton will have a special #22 Caterpillar Paint Scheme for the Bud Shootout, and it will be all white with one yellow stripe running the length of the car right under the doors. The paint scheme is being run to thank the Caterpillar dealer network(1-11-2000)
Snap-On News: I hear Snap-On Tools announced at their annual kick-off that they will be associate sponsors for Rusty Wallace, Jeremy Mayfield, Mike Skinner, Bill Elliot, and current teams of Dale Earnhardt Sr & Jr and Steve Park(1-11-2000)
Sad News: Darrell and Michael Waltrip’s father, Leroy Waltrip, passed away this morning after a lengthy illness. Memorial services are being planned for the Mooresville, NC area and also one in Waltrip’s hometown of Owensboro, KY. Specific arrangements are not yet available. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following: Motor Racing Outreach(MRO), In memory of Leroy Waltrip, 5555 Concord Parkway South, Smith Tower, Ste. 405 Harrisburg, NC 28075. Condolences to the Waltrip family(1-10-2000) — more info at the TNN Motorsports site: Leroy Waltrip Dies After Lengthy Illness (1-11-2000)
Crew News: The newly-created Chase Racing All-Star team, will recognize the top crewmembers in 12 different positions in Cup racing. Action Performance, under its Chase Authentics brand and its Crew Chief Club, along with The Motorsports Decision Group. Twelve crew positions will be recognized: gas man, jack man, front/rear tire changer, front/rear tire carrier, catch can man, engine specialist, crew chief, driver, mechanic and fabricator. For the first year, the program recognizes the Cup circuit, although it may be expanded to include the BGN and CTS Series in future seasons. The all-star berths will be voted on by a panel consisting of two media members (Steve Waid and Benny Parsons), two track promoters, two legendary drivers, two Chase Racing sponsors (Action’s Fred Wagenhals and Goodyear’s Carole Swartz), one fan (named through a retail promotion) and one Internet-tabulated vote(SpeedVision)(1-11-2000)
Pennzoil Problems? Pennzoil, sponsor of both the #1 Chevy driven by Steve Park in CUP and title sponsor of the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Sprint car series, terminated all of its motorsports employees on Monday, just 40 days before the start of the NASCAR racing season. The announcement comes the day before the annual Lowe’s Motor Speedway Media Tour in Charlotte, NC, which highlights the coming NASCAR season. Exactly what Pennzoil’s purge means is open to debate, but TNN reports that car and series sponsorships will not be affected this season. These include the WoO, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Steve Kinser (sponsored by Quaker State, which is part of the Pennzoil corporate umbrella) and Pennzoil Panther Racing of the IRL(TNN Motorsports Site)(1-11-2000)
Sacks at Daytona UPDATE: former Winston Cup driver(and winner) Greg Sacks returns to Daytona next month for the NAPA 300 BGN race. He will be driving a second Chevy fielded by Petty-Huggins Motorsports. Petty-Huggins Motorsports also fields the Island Oasis Chevrolet of rookie driver Gus Wasson on the BGN. The #96 and Wasson plan to run the full season and the team hopes to make a few Cup starts in 2000. The team made a few Cup attempts in 1999 in the #84 Chevy. Putting everything he owned on the line, Beau Petty spent 1996 assembling a NASCAR Busch Grand National team and made a few Busch runs in 1997. Intent on making his dream a success, he spent 1998 searching for a viable sponsor. In partnership with Heritage Consumer Products, Petty’s team ran a Winston Cup car at qualifying for the 1999 Daytona 500. With driver Stanton Barrett, the team missed qualifying by less than a tenth of a second in the 125-mile qualifying race, even with a car that had been damaged and repaired after practice earlier in the week. Desiring to run a full schedule in a NASCAR-sanctioned series, Petty acquired business partner, Wayne Huggins, and secured a new primary sponsor – Island Oasis for the NASCAR Busch Grand National program. With the inclusion of Island Oasis, Petty constructed a first-rate Busch Grand National team. Pursuing a new, fresh face to drive the #96 Island Oasis Chevy, he recognized the talents of USAC 1996 Rookie of the Year Wasson. The newly-assembled team made five BGN runs in 1999, including the season-closer at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, where they ran strong and ran all day(Williams Co)(1-6-2000) — UPDATE: Sacks is testing the #96 Chevy at Chevy, Monday and Tuesday(Jan 10-11th)(1-11-2000)
Dodge News…Today: Dodge will hold their long-awaited Winston Cup press conference at the North American International Auto Show in DETROIT 7:00am on Tuesday, January 11, 2000. According to a source at DC, they had originally planned to use this conference to announce Dodge’s Winston Cup program, but due to intense media scrutiny, they decided to let the cat out of the bag back in October. This doesn’t mean Dodge won’t have anything interesting for Tuesday’s press conference – the Buzz is that they’ll use the event to unveil the first Winston Cup Intrepid race car. The biggest news, though, will be the announcement of Dodge’s second factory team. Petty Enterprises is the leading contender. If Petty does indeed get the second Dodge Team, his drivers will most likely be Kyle Petty, John Andretti, and Adam Petty. Hearing that Ray Evernham will have a special announcement about his Dodge team. The Buzz is that he’ll reveal who will be driving his two Intrepids in 2001. No word who the rookie will be, but there’s been much speculation about the identity of the veteran driver. The latest Buzz is that it will be former Winston Cup champion Bill Elliot. The scenario has Elliot, who currently owns his own team, selling out to Ed Rensi (owner of the #25 Dura Lube Busch Team) after his contract with McDonald’s expires at the end of the 2000 season(Car and Truck Buzz) NOTE: been told by Elliott sources that he will not be the driver, is not selling his team after the 2000 season, so we’ll see. The only rookie I have heard mentioned is Casey Atwood, but he is signed with Brewco through 2001. Also for info on the Auto show see: Auto.com or WXYZcars(1-10-2000) — UPDATE: I hear Ray Evernham WILL NOT announce either of his 2001 drivers at the Dodge announcement — UPDATE 2: and he did not(1-11-2000)
Petty to Dodge UPDATE 3: hearing that Petty Enterprises has decided to switch to the Dodge Intrepid for the 2001 Winston Cup season(12-21-1999) — UPDATE: from Racer Magazine site – The announcement won’t be made until after the first of the year, but Petty Enterprises has signed a deal with Chrysler that would make the entire Petty Winston Cup stable part of the Mopar group for 2001. Chrysler will likely make the formal announcement at the unveiling of the 2001 NASCAR Dodge Intrepid at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, probably on Jan. 11. The team will continue to use Pontiacs for the Cup teams in 2000(Racer Magazine)(12-22-1999) — UPDATE 2: It is possible that a driver announcement for Ray Evernham’s Dodge team could also be announced on 1-11-2000. Evernham expects to have running developmental Intrepids by May, likely powered by higher-compression versions of the Craftsman truck engine, pending development and NASCAR approval of an all-new Winston Cup V-8. Reportedly Pontiac fought to keep the Pettys, but has managed to keep the Joe Gibbs team with drivers Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart in Pontiacs(SpeedVision)(12-23-1999) — UPDATE 3: no announcement at the Dodge Winston Cup announcment, not sure when it will be made(1-11-2000)

(1-10-2000)
Yarborough Team UPDATE 4: expect to hear some news regarding the sale of the #98 team early this coming week(1-2-2000) — UPDATE: hearing Hut Stricklin will be the driver, not sure what happens to his #61 BGN deal(1-3-2000) — UPDATE: nothing official yet but am hearing that former #58 owner, Scott Balbour is involved somehow as is Donnie Allison, which would be interesting if Yarborough sticks around, remember 1979 and ‘the fight’?(1-5-2000) — UPDATE 3: have not heard much on this but understand Universal Studios will stay onboard as a sponsor with the team looking for additional sponsorship(1-7-2000) — UPDATE 4:Yarborough is still trying to sell his #98 CUP team, but not to Floridian Tony Misuraca. That deal, which was to have been completed in December, fell through when Misuraca failed to come up with the funding and Yarborough is working with somebody else and hopes something will be done soon. Yarborough said last week that the sale involved (former #58) Cup team owner Scott Barbour, former driver Donnie Allison and current driver Hut Stricklin, but that was not the party with whom he was dealing. The possible new owner is Bill Hammond from Greenville but who plans to put Stricklin in the car(if the deal works out). According to Yarborough, Universal Studios, which sponsored the team last season, will be back. Yarborough said that, as of last Friday, nothing was final(condensed from a story at The State/Jim McLaurin)(1-10-2000)
The 2000 season starts: Test sessions for the Daytona 500 begin Monday at DIS with a two-day session for General Motors(Chevrolet and Pontiac) Winston Cup teams. #14-Mike Bliss, #31-Mike Skinner, #50-Ricky Craven, #36-Ken Schrader, #42-Kenny Irwin, #33-Joe Nemechek and #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., are among those drivers scheduled to participate today and Tuesday. A section of the Oldfield Grandstand will be open free to the public with access through Daytona USA(Speed Magazine)(1-10-2000)
Exide Trouble? UPDATE 2: saw this on TNN’s Motorsports site and getting many questions on how it’ll effect Jeff Burton and the #99: Exide Pulling Top Fuel Program?: According to sources, Exide Batteries has apparently pulled out as sponsor of the Top Fuel team owned by Tony Schumacher’s father Don for 2000. The elder Schumacher reportedly will not field his championship-winning team without a major sponsor, leaving his title-winning son without a ride to defend it(TNN) I have not heard any problems with Exide and Roush for either the CUP or CTS deal. The CUP team even has a new Paint Scheme for 2000, but then again, so did Schumacher — UPDATE: a source tells me that the Schumachers are looking into the legalities of Exide leaving but that the move by Exide should not effect the CUP or CTS sponsorships(1-8-2000) — UPDATE 2:Exide restructured its motorsports sponsorship after suffering third-quarter financial losses, which reportedly caused them to get out of drag racing. Exide is staying with Jack Roush’s NASCAR Winston Cup and Craftsman Truck teams – both of which get more television exposure than the National Hot Rod Association – despite the fact that Schumacher is the NHRA defending champion, while Roush’s truck is driven by a series rookie(Kurt Busch)(SpeedVision)(1-10-2000)

(1-9-2000)

Stewart Staying(again): For the umpteenth time, Tony Stewart said speculation on his future with Joe Gibbs Racing greatly exaggerates the situation. Negotiations with Gibbs for a new contract have led to rumors that Stewart will move to another team, specifically Ray Evernham’s developing Dodge operation. In fact, said Stewart, his current contract obligates him to at least two more years with Gibbs, and he has agreed to extend that deal for three more years. Stewart also said the Gibbs operation will continue its relationship with Pontiac(Gaston Gazette)(1-9-2000)
Tyler Jet sponsor UPDATE2: hearing the #10(was #45) Tyler Jet Motorsports team will be sponsored by a delivery service of some sort: UPS or the USPS(United States Postal Service)(12-19-1999) — UPDATE:am hearing it may be UPS but not the USPS(12-20-1999) — UPDATE 2: It was reported on TNN’s Raceday that the #10 Tyler Jet Motorsports team is close to signing the US Postal Service as their primary sponsor with Priority/Express Mail being featured(TNN’s Raceday)(1-9-2000)
Earnhardt Signs Stolen: Saw this in the Saturday Press of Atlantic City and thought it was interesting: Father-and-son racing legends Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are held in such high esteem in Randolph County that signs along a road bearing their name disappear with maddening regularity. The funny part is that Earnhardt Road in this Randolph County hamlet isn’t named for the racing Earnhardts, but for a local builder, Lawrence Earnhardt, who still lives on Earnhardt Road. The green and white signs along Earnhardt Road are the most frequently stolen road signs in the county. It is estimated that in 10 years, about 25 signs have been taken. It is estimated that it costs $100 to replace each sign, including labor. If sign-swipers also take the post, costs can run up to $150(also found it online at Total Sports)(1-9-2000)
Duel Kmart: during an interview on TNN’s Raceday, Darrell Waltrip said he and teammate Jimmy Spencer would be sponsored by Kmart. It has been rumored for months, first time heard someone from the team say it. Looks like Spencer will change from #23 to #26 also(1-9-2000)

(1-8-2000)
NASCAR Radio: was made aware of this story by www.race2win.net and found the PR: XM Satellite Radio and NASCAR), the #1 spectator sport in America, announced a strategic alliance to create the nation’s first 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, all-NASCAR radio channel exclusively for XM RadioTM, making NASCAR the first sports property to announce a satellite radio partnership. The exclusive agreement also includes a strategic marketing relationship giving XM Radio an extensive sales/merchandising presence at each NASCAR event. The announcement was made by Hugh Panero, President and CEO of XM Satellite Radio Inc., and Brian France, Senior Vice President for NASCAR, at the outset of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada(XM Radio PR)(1-8-2000)

(1-7-2000)
Wood Bros and 50th: To begin the celebration of the Wood Brothers “50 Years in Racing”, the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Media Tour will visit Stuart, VA on Thursday, January 13, 2000. The program will begin at 12:45pm/et. The program will begin with Master of Ceremonies Barney Hall. After explaining the purpose of the Wood Brothers “50 Years in Racing”, Hall will have an open panel discussion with ten special guests including: Elliott Sadler – Current Wood Brothers Driver; David Pearson – Past Wood Brothers Driver; Glen Wood – Founder of Wood Brothers Racing – 1st Generation; Leonard Wood – Past Wood Brothers Crew Chief – 1st Generation; Eddie Wood – Team Owner – 2nd Generation; Len Wood – Team Owner – 2nd Generation; Mike Beam – Current Wood Brothers Crew Chief; Randy Tolsma – CITGO Craftsman Truck Series Driver; Nigel Hook – CITGO Offshore Racing Driver; Jon Wood – Hooters Pro Cup Driver – 3rd Generation. Each special guest will be introduced and interviewed by Hall. After the panel discussions have concluded, the panel will be open to questions from the audience. Following the panel discussion, the program will continue with: Unveiling of the Year 2000 CITGO Ford Taurus, One-on-One Interviews with all Special Guests, Displaying of the Five Historical Paint Schemes Which Will Appear Throughout the 2000 Season, Touring of the Old Wood Brothers Race Shop and Touring of the Current Wood Brothers Museum(Cox Marketing Group)(1-7-2000)
Green in the Shootout UPDATE: JKR Motorsports and David Green have joined forces to compete in the Bud Shootout, February 13, 2000 at the Daytona. Green qualified for the Bud Shootout by winning the Bud Pole Award for the Pennzoil 400 at Homestead last season while driving the #45 Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac. Johnny Benson has since signed to drive for Tyler Jet in the renumbered #10 unsponsored Pontiac while Green has signed with Cicci Welliver Racing to drive the #34 AFG Chevy in the BGN series. JKR Motorsports owners, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Bob Kersee and Kurt Roehrig, are excited about this inaugural effort with David Green. Green has run in the CTS for Roehrig in the past, sitting on the pile at IRP in 1996. Joyner-Kersee Racing continues its sponsorship efforts seeking support for a ten to twelve race Winston Cup program in 2000 in preparation for a full season of competition in 2001(David Green Site) no idea if Green will run other Cup races with the team or not but Green’s quote in the story is: “I look forward to being part of JKR’s efforts in 2000 and beyond”, so the possibility seems to be there. For who is eligible and the rules, see my Bud Shootout page(1-6-2000) — UPDATE: Green will run a Chevy for Joyner Kersee Roehrig Motorsports in the Bud Shootout but Kurt Roehrig said JKR Motorsports would run Pontiac Grand Prixes at non-restrictor plate races in the NASCAR 2000 season. He said the team hoped to unveil its car number and sponsor for the Bud Shootout by next week(NOL)(1-7-2000)
Speedy Recovery? On Thursday’s Winston Cup Today radio show, Mark Martin told host Mark Garrow that he could be back in car for the second Ford test at Daytona and may not have to wait until Speedweeks. Will go to the doctor again the Jan 20th and could be back in car by Jan 21st(1-7-2000)
Diversity: Former NFL star Joe Washington, co-owner of the #50 Dr Pepper BGN team with basketball hall-of-famer Julius Erving, will work in an advisory role with NASCAR on the sanctioning body’s diversity initiatives. Washington will be part of a 2000 effort that will include the creation of a diversity council that will hold its first meeting in the spring, the development of internship programs at NASCAR’s Daytona Beach, Charlotte and New York City offices and with teams, sponsors and tracks and the implementation of a diversity training program(That’s Racin’)(1-7-2000)
#90 at Daytona: Junie Donlavey has secured sponsorship money from Hills Brothers and Nestle to participate in January testing at Daytona and to participate in the Daytona 500 – Ed Barrier will be the driver. A decision will be made following the 500 as to further sponsorship and further races. If no further sponsorship agreement is made after the Daytona 500, Donlavey will likely sell the team, which would have been sold last year had a buyer been found who was willing to keep the team in Richmond, VA as opposed to moving it to the Charlotte, NC area. This is Donlavey’s 51st year in NASCAR(Stockcarfans Newsletter)(1-7-2000)
Tri-Star Back? hearing Tri-Star Motorsports will return as the #51 Ford using equipment from the defunct #58 SBIII team. Hut Stricklin was the rumored driver but it looks like he’ll be in the #98 if that sale goes through. Tri-Star Motorsports, owned by engine builder Mark Smith, ran the #19 Ford with Loy Allen and other drivers a few seasons ago(1-7-2000)
Stewart Award: Tony Stewart, driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Home Depot Pontiac will be given the Al Holbert Memorial/Eastern Motorsports Press Association Driver of the Year Award at the EMPA’s annual conference January 8th(SpeedVision)(1-7-2000)
Triple Digits for BGN? UPDATE 3(and final?): For the first time since the early days of NASCAR, three-digit number will be assigned to some Busch Series teams this year, as over 145 entries have been received for the NAPA 300 Busch Series race at Daytona in February(SpeedFX via TNN’s Inside NASCAR)(1-3-2000) — UPDATE: On Sunday’s TNN’s Inside NASCAR, Randy Pemberton said that from what he understands, NASCAR has had to award triple digit numbers at Daytona for the BGN race and that there would probably be over 100 entries for the BGN race — UPDATE 2: a source tells me that the BGN teams have not even recieved the entry blanks to send in to Daytona for the race yet, so….(1-4-2000) — UPDATE 3: My understanding is that entries for the Daytona BGN race are “around 70.” The 145 number is incorrect and BGN team owners have been issued triple-digit numbers for years. The reason is every BGN team, no matter how many races they run or qualify for, is required to have a separate identification number. For instance, if you total every BGN team that attempted a race in 1999, including Cup drivers, it is over 100. This is seen in the BGN and CUP OWNERS points standings quite often(1-7-2000)

(1-6-2000)
Madden and Summerall??? this would be interesting, ‘BOOM, BAP’ when a wreck occurs…..from the USA Today – Fox Sports head David Hill called (Pat) Summerall(NFL announcer with partner John Madden) about the pair working Fox’s NASCAR coverage. Summerall last saw the Daytona 500, then run on beaches, as a high schooler, but he’s ready “if somebody says so. And there could be an order.”(USA Today)(1-6-2000)
Rusty News UPDATE: hearing #2 Miller Lite driver Rusty Wallace cracked his shoulder blade in a ski accident. Buddy Baker will be testing the #2 car next week(12th and 13th) at Talladega, unsure who will test the car at Daytona on Jan 20th-21st — UPDATE: Wallace said he won’t be at the Talladega test due to previously scheduled sessions he must take in Arizona to maintain his private pilot’s license, not due to a broken shoulder he suffered in a snow skiing accident last month. Baker will test at Taladega, Wallace will test at Daytona(NOL)(1-6-2000)
#91 News: The #91 LJ Racing Chevrolet will be testing in Daytona for both manufacturer testing sessions this month. Andy Hillenburg will be driving both a 1999 model Chevy Monte Carlo and testing a 2000 year Monte Carlo. The team will determine which is performing better, and return to the second test session to tweak that car. Owner Joe Falk has said the team will prepare for the season, but will not be able to participate in the full season unless a primary sponsor is found. The team has several 2000 Monte Carlo’s ready and is prepared for a full season, funding permitting. Also, the team has a number of limited edition, 1:24 die casts of the Invinca-Shield car that Dick Trickle drove at several tracks, including Indianapolis. The cars, along with t-shirts and hats are available for $20 each at the shop in Mooresville, or, if you are in the Tidewater area of Virginia at Little Joes Autos, or Nathans Deli, right across the street see the link at the LJ Racing site(1-6-2000)
Talladega Testing: Ten NASCAR Winston Cup and BGN teams began a two-day test session at Talladega Superspeedway in preparation for the upcoming racing season. Three Cup and seven BGN teams were on the track at Talladega Wednesday for the first day of two day testing. Mike Dillon tested the #3 Chevy, Jeff Fuller ran the #27 Viagra Pontiac and Steve Park was in the #1 Pennzoil Chevy for the Cup teams. Cup drivers Terry Labonte, Joe Nemechek and Kenny Wallace tested their BGN cars as did BGN regulars #10-Jeff Green, #2-Kevin Harvick, #1-Randy LaJoie and #59-Phil Parsons(Talladega PR)(1-6-2000)

(1-5-2000)
Testing? hearing that the #2 & #12 cars are involved in some testing at the Ford Proving Grounds outside of Lake Havasu City in Yucca, AZ. The shakedowns are on the 2000 Taurus on the highspeed track with Shawna Robinson & Buddy Baker doing the driving and Robin Pemberton overseeing the test(1-5-2000)
Earnhardt Surgery: Dale Earnhardt’s back surgery apparently was not as serious as Mark Martin’s and Associates say Earnhardt is up and about and was on his way to the BGN banquet in Hollywood as of Wednesday morning. See full story at:(SpeedVision)(1-5-2000)
Action/goRacing: The expected withdrawal of the initial public offering(IPO) for the Goracing.com, Inc., subsidiary of Action Performance Companies, Inc. was executed Tuesday. The formal request to the Securities and Exchange Commission simply said that the company had decided “not to proceed with the offering at this time.”(SpeedVision)(1-5-2000)

(1-4-2000)
#16 sponsor UPDATE: Hearing rumors that the TV Guide will not return to the #16 Roush Ford and driver Kevin Lepage. The car will supposedly go to Daytona all white, unless another deal can be found UPDATE:TV Guide will not return as primary sponsor for the No. 16 Fords driven by Kevin Lepage for the 2000 Winston Cup season, but team owner Jack Roush says the team will compete even if it starts the season without a sponsor(That’s Racin’)(also, yes there is a sponsor banner on the Roush page, it’s been there for months)(1-4-2000)
Gordon’s BGN Team news: Jeff Gordon will be competing in the #24 Pepsi Chevy at Las Vegas (March 4), Texas (April 1), Charlotte (May 27), Michigan(August 19) and Homestead-Miami (November 11). Ricky Hendrick will race in 15 Busch Series races as well as 5 Busch North events in the 2000 season. No sponsorship has been announced. Jeff Gordon and BGN teammate Ricky Hendrick now are working from a new 15,000 sq-ft shop in the Denver Industrial Park. The #24 BGN team was previously housed in the former Gordon-Evernham Motorsports shop in Concord; that facility will become the primary engine shop for Evernham’s new Dodge Motorsports Winston Cup effort. The #24 BGN team currently is busy building cars and staffing up for an expanded racing schedule in 2000. They competed in 10 races last year and are planning a 20-race schedule in 2000. The shop is located just off of U.S. Route 16 in the Denver Industrial Park, and fans and visitors are encouraged to stop by and take a tour. Six team members are currently working at the shop with plans to hire two more in the near future.(Tina’s Jeff Gordon Newsletter and That’s Racin’)(1-4-2000)
Fenley-Moore hires Lusk: Fenley/Moore Motorsports has hired Southwest Tour driver Damon Lusk to a five year deal. The plan is for Lusk to run in 16 of the 20 ARCA events in 2000 and a few BGN events then run a full BGN season in 2001 and eventually take over the Winston Cup ride from Cope who played a part in hand-picking his successor. Former NASCAR driver James Hylton will serve as general manager of the newly created Fenley/Hylton Motorsports, a division that will be owned by the Fenleys and run by Hylton. Hylton competed in the ARCA series himself last year at age 63 and had two top-10 finishes and has two Winston Cup wins to his credit(full story at GoUpstate)(1-4-2000)

(1-3-2000)
#13 Crew Chief: Team Gordon announced three key elements to their 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup program. Fred Graves, previously technical director of Hendrick Motorsports, will lead as crew chief; Doug Louth, former Ford Racing & Vehicle Dynamics engineer, anchors the engineering department; and Peter Guild(was Pro Motors), in a newly-created partnership with Team Gordon, will build engines exclusively for the #13 Team Gordon Ford(Team Gordon PR)(1-3-2000)
Testing: Team Gordon #13 Ford and driver Robby Gordon will do a shakedown test Tuesday 4th at Lakeland, FL.(Team Gordon)(1-3-2000)
Mark Martin News: Mark Martin received good news from his doctor last week. After nearly six weeks of laying flat on his back for 22 hours a day, Martin’s fusion surgery has healed and he is ready to resume many of his daily activities. During a follow-up exam last Thursday, the latest x-rays showed the bone in Martin’s back was completely fused together. Martin will still have Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle testing his #6 Valvoline/Cummins Taurus in Daytona and Talladega this month. Martin will attend the Daytona test, but does not plan on getting in the car at this time. He will be able to sign autographs at the Winston Preview in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Jan. 15.(JMar Express Newsletter)(1-3-2000)
Petty Donation: Seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Richard Petty and No. 44 Hot Wheels Pontiac driver Kyle Petty donated $10,000 to the Boggy Creek Gang at the camp’s annual holiday party. The money represents proceeds from the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Daytona USA. For 90 days, every lap driven at the attraction produced 50 cents for the Boggy Creek Gang and the Betty Jane France Speediatrics Center at Halifax Medical Center(Orlando Business Journal)(1-3-2000)
Racer of the Year on TNN’s Raceday for 1999 is Dale Jarrett as chosen by the viewers(1-3-2000)

(1-2-2000)

Testing: hearing that Scott Pruett in the #32 Tide Ford and Anthony Lazarro in the BGN #97 McDonalds Ford will be testing at Lakeland, FL on Monday Jan 3rd and Tuesday Jan 4th(1-2-2000)

(1-1-2000)
Racer Mag Note: Racer Magazine site has joined forces with SpeedVision and is pretty much up and running, nice new snazzy site(1-1-2000)