PAST NEWS JUNE 1998


    (6-30-98)

  • UPDATE: Hate to bring bad new but an update on the Dover accident: “Second dead from electrical accident at Dover Downs” – A second person has died from the electrical accident which occurred May, 28 at a campground set up for the NASCAR races at Dover Downs. Eugene Everitt Jr., 34, of Shermansdale, Pa., was pronounced dead Friday at Chester-Crozer Burn Center. The accident occurred when electricity arced into a flagpole, which a group of campers were trying to sep up. John T. Pease, 32, of Bloxom, Va., was killed on the night of the accident.(Delaware State News)(6-23-98) – Diane Everitt was released from Crozer Chester Burn Center on June 20. Joseph F. Mensack 41, of Salisbury, Ms. also suffered third degree burns and is still in critical condition at Crozier. Jeffrey S. Picard, of Virginia, had been transferred the night of the fire to St. Agnes Hospital Burn Center in Philadelphia, PA. According to Joann Cuddy, a staff nurse at St. Agnes, Picard was transferred on Monday afternoon to a rehabilitation center in Salisbury, MD in stable condition.(Dover Post)(6-30-98)


  • UPDATE: Speculation continues about the future of the Bob Hancher-Todd Bodine team, which again failed to make the field at Sears Point. The first-year team has made only eight of the 16 races. Several car owners report talking with Bodine during the past 24 hours about driving their cars, including Falk. However, team officials insist that Bodine has not been released.(JournalNow); If Bodine indeed exits this week, look for Loy Allen to drive the car at Daytona.(Richmond News-Dispatch – Skip Wood)(6-29-98) – The #35 Team Tabasco has announced that Loy Allen, Jr will drive the car at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona in a one race deal(#35 engine builder Mark Smith used to own a team that Loy Allen drove for in 1996-97). Reports are that Bodine could return to the team after Daytona, RPM2Nite reports that rumors thru the garage were that it was not Bodines fault but that the team has inferior equipment.(RPM2Nite)(6-30-98)


  • Ward Burton is under contract thru 1999 at Bill Davis Racing and is actively
    working toward a contract extension that would run concurrently with the new
    incoming sponsor to replace MBNA on the #22 Pontiac. Also Amoco is already in place
    with a three-year contract thru 2000 at Bill Davis Racing with BGN driver Dave Blaney, growing their program gradually through his Busch Series acclimation toward a full WC budget in 2000. So Burton won’t be going anywhere.(6-30-98)


  • Getting many questions about whether Bobby Labonte led a lap at Sears Point, my answer: NASCAR Online has the OFFICIAL Results of the Save Mart/Kragen 350k and does not have Bobby Labonte leading a lap. Results that came out right after the race indicate that Labonte had led a lap. All points standing I have seen now have Bobby having 2070 points not the 2075 points he had before, so I can only assume that he did not lead a lap. The WRAL site has two sets of results up and the latest does bot have Labonte leading a lap. Not looking for any speculation or explanations on this.(6-30-98)


  • This is interesting: I hear that Darrell Waltrip and Steve Park may run DEI cars one with the regular paint scheme and the other with a reverse Pennzoil paint scheme. No idea who would be in what, what # the ‘other’ car would be, who would crew the second car or who would pay for it.(6-30-98)(WRONG)


  • INCORRECT: Geoff Smith now says they may be able to keep Ted Musgrave in the #16 Primestar Ford for the remainder of the season. Things are still up in the air with Musgrave and Kevin Lepage. Rumor and speculation lean toward LaPage taking over as driver sometime in July.(6-29-98) – Both Winston Cup Today and NASCAR Today Radio shows report that Musgrave will likely be out of the #16 Primestar Ford by mid-July. Lepage is meeting with Roush officials to map out a testing plan.(6-30-98)

    (6-29-98)

  • UPDATED: I hear that Morgan-McClure is ready to start that two car team for 1999 and that it’s virtually a done deal for Land-Air Transport Corp. Headquaters in Greeneville TN that either Land-Air or Forward-Air, or both, will be the sponsors of a second Morgan McClure team for 1999. If so, other teams looking at or are starting two-car teams for 1999 include: #9 – Melling(planning, see below story); #10 – Rudd Performance Motorsports(possibly); #11 – Team Scandia(possibly); #15 – Moore-Robinson Motorsports(planning); #18 – Joe Gibbs Racing(for sure – Tony Stewart); #21 – Wood Brothers(for sure with Roush); #23 – Travis Carter(possibly); #30 – Bahari Racing(maybe); #33 – Andy Petree(for sure – unknown driver); #41 – Larry Hedrick Racing(maybe); other teams including the #1 – DEI; #22 – Bill Davis Racing and #17 – Tyler Jet Motorsports looking to join the multi-car ranks in 2000. Plus Richard Childress is considering a third team and rumors have Hendrick starting a fourth and Roush?? who knows.(6-29-98)


  • Ted Musgrave confirmed yesterday he’ll be leaving Jack Roush in the next few weeks and he said he doesn’t know where he’ll end up. Musgrave could end up in the #91 LJ Racing Chevy(a virtual swap with Kevin Lepage, expected to get the #16 ride) or possible in a 2nd Bahari Racing (#30 Pontiac) car.(JournalNow), Another possible landing spot for Musgrave could be in the Richard Childress-owned car now driven by Mike Skinner, whose days there may be numbered.(Richmond News-Dispatch – Skip Wood)(6-29-98)


  • Jerry Nadeau was treated and released from a nearby hospital after tests for a possible concussion were negative. Nadeau, who started from the second position, was injured early in the race after losing control of his car and crashing.(Richmond News-Dispatch – Skip Wood)(6-29-98)


  • Buckshot Jones tested at Indy on Tuesday(6-30), Wednesday and Thursday and that the Stavola Brothers is re-organize and building all new cars. I hear there will some sort of press release this week.(6-29-98)


  • Adam Petty won his first American Speed Association race last night at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Mo., and made a cell phone call to his pop, Winston Cup driver Kyle Petty, from victory lane.(Richmond News-Dispatch – Skip Wood)(6-29-98)


  • Per NASCAR Online in part from Sunday’s Notebook: Kyle Petty said he was weighing the possibility of running Adam in some NASCAR events in the fall, since the 22-race ASA schedule ends in September. “I’m tickled to death.” Kyle said. “I told him as bad as I’ve been doing in this thing (the Hot Wheels Pontiac), he was going to have to change my luck or he may get my Winston Cup ride from me. He’s definitely the next one in line for it, I will say that.”(NASCAR Online)(6-29-98)


  • Per RPM2Nite, Rick “Nigel” Mast, driver of the #75 Remington Ford, came down with a case of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning during a flight San Francisco to Atlanta on Monday morning. The aircraft was diverted to Denver where Mast was checked out and released to go later in the day. Mast was interviewed by John Kernan and is fine now.(RPM2Nite) – the Nigel part was a joke by his crew where they had Nigel Mast painted on the car instead of Rick Mast since Mast went to road racing course recently. Nigel comes from the F1 great Nigel Mansell.(6-29-98)


  • Ricky Craven finished ninth at Watkins Glen in the Lysol 200 BGN event and seemed to be happy with how he felt after the race. Look for him to return in the Cup race in New Hampshire, July 12th.(6-29-98)


  • Dale Earnhardt has been selected as the first-quarter nominee for the National Motorsports Press Association Spirit Award. The NMPA/Pocono Spirit Award is designed to recognize sportsmanship, determination, extraordinary performance in the face of adversity, consideration of others and promotion of motorsports.(NASCAR Online)(6-29-98)

    (6-28-98)

  • Results for the Save Mart/Kragen 350k available at: GoRacing,
    Speedworld, NASCAR Online(OFFICIAL RESULTS) and That’s Racin’.(6-28-98)


  • Roush Racing President Geoff Smith confirmed Sunday morning at Sears Point Raceway that driver of the #16 Primestar Ford would more than likely not drive the car through the end of the 1998 season.(NASCAR Online)(6-28-98)

    (6-27-98)

  • Eclipse Management Company of Charlotte (800-432-2244) has published Who Works in NASCAR, a 607-page book listing by name, address, phone number and e-mail address just about everybody who has anything to do with Winston Cup racing. It has 500 pictures, and is the only single source of information about officials, owners, drivers, crew chiefs, sponsors, fan clubs, print and electronic media, web sites and track information. EMC also publishes Who Works in CART and Who Works in Formula One.(Al Pearce Motorsports Column) The book is $39.50 plus $6.00 s/h and 6% sale tax for NC residents. It can be purchased direct from Eclipse Management Company at the above phone #.(6-27-98)


  • Kevin Lepage has signed a 30-day contract with Roush Racing which is basically a letter of intent for 1999 in which he would drive for “either a current Roush team or a Wood Brothers car.” The Roush organization was preparing a statement for release Saturday.(NASCAR Online), that sounds like either someone is getting the boot or the second Wood Brothers car. There may be a change at the #91 sooner as Joe Falk ‘doesn’t want to train a driver for Roush’.(6-27-98)


  • Practice results, Qualifying, Starting Lineups and Happy Hour results available at: GoRacing,
    Speedworld, NASCAR Online and That’s Racin’.(6-27-98)


  • Second round qualifying is over and who would have though Wally Dallenbach would need a provisional to make a road course event and Tommy Kendall missed the race. The #41 team took it’s 11th provisional of the year(in 16 races), but since they are not in the top 25 in owners points they lost an allotted provisional. The #35 Tabasco team missed another race as well as Dave Marcis. For the rest of the provisional starters and the status of each team see Jayski’s Provisional Page. Mark Martin was fastest in 2nd round with a speed of 98.147mph which would have been 4th fastest during 1st round. All teams that didn’t qualify on Friday made a run on Saturday.(6-27-98)


  • Hearing rumors that Todd Bodine will get released from the #35 Tabasco team before Daytona.(6-27-98)


  • Joe Falk, owner of the #91 LJ Racing Chevy has replaced Kevin Lepage with Tommy Kendall for the race at Sears Point. No driver was named for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, but it won’t be Lepage as he has been released from that ride. The #91 will have First Union on as a sponsor this weekend.(GoRacing), Kendall was in the #91 during Saturday’s second practice(had the slowest time), he did much better during Happy Hour. Lake Speed practiced the #9 also for a few laps in the morning practice but was too sore and Butch Gilliland replaced Speed for the rest of the practices on Saturday. Whether Speed will run the race or not will not be decided until Sunday morning.(6-27-98)


  • Rookie Kevin Lepage and car owner Joe Falk might be splitting in the next few days, now that Lepage has signed a contract with Ford’s Jack Roush. Speculation is that Roush might put Lepage in one of his current cars, possibly Ted Musgrave’s, as early as next week at Daytona. Roush declined to discuss the situation in detail, offering only a press release confirming that he had ”secured an option” to
    sign Lepage and that he planned to put Lepage in either one of his five current cars or in a new car owned by the Woods. ”Whatever Jack says,” Len Wood said when asked if his team would have a second car at Daytona.(JournalNow)(6-27-98)


  • Several well placed sources say that Ward Burton may find himself in a third RCR (Richard Childress Racing) entry next year. Ward, who currently drives for Bill Davis, seems to be the hot property when folks look forward to the 1999 season. We know of one team that would like to get a hold of him but that move would be more of a lateral move and not a real career choice for Ward.(GoRacing – Cup Notes.(6-27-98)


  • Lake Speed Update: Speed said doctors found no broken bones from his practice accident but that he had torn right and left rib cartilage and suffered bruises. Speed said he would receive physical therapy from trainers and that he hoped to be in the #9 Cartoon Network Ford in the Saturday morning practice.(NASCAR Online), there is also a story on www.butchgilliland.com.(6-27-98)


  • Lake Speed will not drive the #9 Cartoon Network Ford in the SaveMart/Kragen 350k. Butch Gilliland will drive the car in the race. Speed wants to be 100% for the Pepsi 400 next week. Robert Pressley spun and wacked the tire barrier, the car will be repaired in time for the race.(ESPN2 Happy Hour)(6-27-98)


  • Ricky Craven qualified 6th for the BGN Watkins Glen race. Boris Said won the pole, Ron Fellows and Bobby Hillin qualified up at the top, Kat Teasdale failed to make the race, which would had been her first BGN start.(6-27-98)

    (6-26-98)

  • Hearing there may be big changes at the Jack Roush owned #16 PrimeStar soon, Kevin Lepage could be part of those changes.(6-26-98)


  • Mark Martin is driving with a herniated disk in his back for about the last month. He has trouble getting in and out of the car and trouble walking on Monday/Tuesday after the race. Plans are for Martin to have surgery in the offseason.(ESPN2 Qualifying)(6-26-98)


  • Stock Car Racing Magazine hears (first reported on 6-12-98) that Jack Roush is offering his drivers, most anyway (see below) the opportunity to buy into Roush Racing as an equity partner. With the signing of Kevin Lepage we also hear that one of Roush’s current drivers could be on the way out. The most likely candidates are Ted Musgrave and Chad Little with most suspecting Musgrave. If one of these guys hasn’t been offered a deal they might be needing a different colored driving suit before long. The other possibility we are hearing is that Roush is just going to put together a “super team” with enough cars to essentially run a race themselves. He already has five Winston Cup teams, is supplying everything for the Wood Brothers who also are to bring out a second team, has direct ties to Matt Kenseth and Kevin Lepage and at least one other driver that claims will announce shortly.(StockCarRacing Mag)(6-26-98)


  • Qualifying was pretty interesting. With the exception of Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett, the top ten was pretty much a bunch of surprises and a nice change. How about Jerry Nadeau, outside pole! No driver has ever won from further back then 13th at Sears Point.(6-26-98)


  • After 1st round qualifying these seven drivers who didn’t make the top 25 are at least guaranteed to make the Save Mart/Kragen 350 thru a provisional: #6-Mark Martin(4th in owners points); #5-Terry Labonte(5); #2-Rusty Wallace(6); #23-Jimmy Spencer(9); #33-Kenny Schrader(11) #94-Bill Elliott(12) and #36-Ernie Irvan(15). For provisional/owner point standings see Jayski’s Provisional Page.(6-26-98)


  • Lake Speed was taken to a local hospital for x-rays and all proved negative, he is very sore and Speed is still questionable for the race Sunday. Speed crashed very hard during practice.(ESPN2 Qualifying)(6-26-98)


  • Lake Speed crashed hard in practice and Butch Gilliland will attempt to qualify the backup #9 Cartoon Network Ford. Gilliland had no practice laps befire his qualifying attempt. No idea if Speed will run the race if Gilliland makes the race. Tom Hubert is attempting to get the Kurt Roehrig #19 Ford in the field and was 14th fastest in practice. Tony Raines has attempted to make a few races in 1998 with this team(which is his truck team also). It is only a one-race deal for Sears Point. Hubert made the race in 1997 in the #78 car. Kenny Wallaces rearend broke right after he finished qualifying. Other western drivers making an attempt at Sears Point include: Rich Ware-#70 and Chris Raudman-#58(failed to make an attempt), neither were very fast in practice.(ESPN2 Qualifying)(6-26-98)

    (6-25-98)

  • LJ Racing Press Release from Joe Falk, President – Joe Falk and Kevin Lepage had a handshake agreement to run the *98 season. Without a permanent sponsor on the hood of the #91 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, it hasn*t always been easy, but car owner Joe Falk was determined to honor his commitment to Kevin, crew chief Doug Richert and the team.

    Kevin has informed me this week that regardless of the amount or type of sponsorship we obtain, he will not stay with L J Racing for the *99 season, and that he will be leaving as soon as Roush Racing is ready for him.

    At this time, we are continuing our search for a primary sponsor. One of the recurring concerns from potential sponsors is the fact that Kevin is a rookie in Winston Cup.

    With the success L J Racing has had this year, other drivers have expressed an interest to be in the seat of the #91 Monte Carlo. I feel there are several good candidates who can drive the car competitively and allow us to continue the successful season we have started. We may find sponsorship easier to come by with a more experienced driver.

    All of us at L J Racing remain committed to being a competitive Winston Cup team, and I am optimistic that a corporate sponsor will see the marketing opportunity that L J Racing has to offer. See the LJ Racing website.(6-25-98), confirms those rumors.


  • Some interesting Manufacturer notes from Speedworld:

    A Ford has led 2.592 of the 4,850 laps raced this season (53.5 percent). Chevrolet has led 1.878 laps (38.7 percent) while Pontiac has led 380 laps (7.8 percent). All three manufacturers have posted at least one victory this season. Ford has seven victories while Chevrolet has six and Pontiac has two victories in 1998. A Ford has claimed 49 of the 75 top-five finishing positions this season (65 percent). A Chevrolet has scored 21 top fives (28 percent) and a Pontiac has just five (7 percent).(Speedworld)(6-25-98)


  • I hear Buckshot Jones may run a few more selected races with the #8 Stavola Bros Chevy team that do not conflict with BGN or his own Cup team. Aquafresh may even help out. Expect a PR soon.(6-25-98)


  • Just heard from Cummins: There is no truth to rumors that Cummins Engine Company is leaving the racing scene anytime in the near future. All our programs, including
    Winston Cup are under long term contracts and any future changes in race series, drivers, or teams would not be made until those contracts expire.(6-25-98)


  • Rumors about Hendrick Motorsports starting a fourth team could involve their current Craftsman truck driver Jack Sprague in a Pontiac, now officially designated as an R&D piece. Earlier this year SCR spotted Sprague testing the Pontiac at Charlotte Motor Speedway accompanied by a full compliment of Hendrick crew members, Hendrick aerodynamicist Gary Eaker and John Hendrick.(Stock Car Racing Magazine Site)(6-25-98)


  • Tim Beverly, owner of Tyler Jet Motorsports was on RPM2Nite and said that DW will run the #17 at the Brickyard 400 and will test the car there beforehand and that DW will drive the #17 car the rest of this year, 1999 and beyond if DW chooses to do so. He has signed one associate sponsor and is in serious talks with two more for the primary sponsorship, the team will run the #17 truck at Milwaukee with Toby Porter behind the wheel, Of course Ron Hornaday will drive the #17 NAPA Chevy at Sears Point in a one race deal.(RPM2Nite)(6-25-98)


  • Ron Fellows will drive the #96 Caterpillar Chevy in the Cup race at Watkins Glen in August.(WC Today Radio)(6-25-98)

    (6-24-98)

  • Here’s a really off-the-wall rumor that we suspect will stay a rumor, but…. Wally Dallenbach is rumored to be in line for a ride with Richard Childress next year. That’s easy to believe as Childress and Dallenbach are close friends already. While common speculation is that Wally will drive a third car, others are saying he will drive the #3 car in 1999. The chances of this being wild speculation are rather high but remember that Earnhardt has already built facilities large enough to field a
    half dozen cars if he wanted to, would undoubtedly be able to find a sponsor and has been passed a few times this year by the #1 car out of his own shops. I guess stranger things have happened.(Stock Car Racing Magazine Site/News.(6-24-98)


  • Charlotte sources are telling GoRacing that Kevin Lepage has signed on as a driver for Roush Racing. No details were available at the time of this writing but as GoRacing reported from Pocono there may be a couple of choices as to where Lepage may end up within the organization. Likely pending available seats within Roush’s reach include either the #16 Primestar Ford or the #21 CITGO Ford. While no time table has been set as to when Lepage would start with Roush we wouldn’t be surprised that it could happen soon.(GoRacing – Lepage Inks Deal With Roush)(6-24-98)


  • UPDATE:…hearing that Michael Waltrip could be out of the #21 ride, maybe as early as this weekend. As yet there is no indication who the replacement would be, if it happens.(Stock Car Racing Magazine Site.(6-24-98) – Waltrip went to Sears Point and ripped off a heck of a lap.(6-27-98)


  • From Victory Lane Online: In an interesting story in the Virginian Pilot by Bob Zeller (sorry, they didn’t post it on their website), Darrell Waltrip’s recent success in the #1 Pennziol car has him rethinking his plan to retire after next year. DW had planned to hold his farewell tour in 1999, and was not even sure he would last that long. He was asked if he was sure he wants next year to be his last year, and if not, don’t promote the idea if he is not sure. His reply was “I can tell you right now, I’m not sure…” DW will return to the #17 car that he sold to Tim Beverly. Beverly has hired former Hendricks crew
    chief Phil Hammer, which could help the #17 car become more competitive than it was before DW sold it. Ron Hornaday will drive the #17 car this week in Sonoma. See the story at Victory Lane Online.(6-24-98)


  • Jack Spague will drive thw #40 Channellock Chevy at Watkins Glen this Sunday.(RPM2Nite)(6-24-98)


  • Ricky Craven says it is not set in stone that he will not drive at Daytona in the Pepsi 400 yet.(WC Today Radio)(6-24-98)


  • It was announced today that Matt Hutter has been released for the #36 Stanley Tools Pontiac BGN ride and David Green will take over for the remainder of the 1998 season.(6-24-98)


  • …hearing that changes are in the future for the Craftsman Truck series, probably for the 1999 season. Look for a shorter season and a serious modification if not outright elimination of the halfway break. We also hear the schedule could be altered
    to bring the trucks in as a companion event at two Winston Cup races.(Stock Car Racing Magazine Site.(6-24-98)


  • The current issue of Sports Illustrated has an article by Ed Hinton, “It’s the Pits – Dale Earnhardt axed crew chief questions the Intimidator’s focus.” A few snips from the S.I. article, “Dale Earnhardt’s aloofness from his teammates and preoccupation with his business interests have contributed to his downfall as a racer,” according to Larry McReynold’s. McReynold’s says in the article, “Talentwise Dale’s still there, but the competition certainly has caught up with him, and I question his total focus.”(StockCarFans – Nancy)(6-24-98)


  • From Al Pearce’s Motorsports column in the Hampton Roads (VA) Daily Press, 6-23-98: “He refuses to discuss it, but it’s become common knowledge that Jeff Gordon didn’t really sleep through a crucial Winston Cup practice session last month at Charlotte. Instead, Gordon and his stepfather, John Bickford, were outside the track looking for people selling “Fans Against Gordon” t-shirts and anti-Gordon “fan club” memberships. At the precise moment teammate Terry Labonte was dinging Gordon’s car on
    a shakedown lap, Gordon and Bickford were trying to get through traffic and back into the garage.”(StockCarFans)(It’s a shame fans can’t use their time in a more positive endeavor)(6-24-98)


  • Ernie Irvan will throw out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants-Oakland A’s Major League baseball game in San Francisco on Thursday, June 25th.(Philadelphia Daily News)(6-24-98)

    (6-23-98)

  • Cummins Diesel has been around racing of virtually all forms since the early Indianapolis days but rumors are spreading fast that they will end that association after the 1998 season. Expect an announcement at the Brickyard 400 regarding Cummin’s
    leaving all forms of motorsports to pursue other marketing venues.(Stock Car Racing Magazine Site.(6-23-98)


  • Here is what I hear about the Bud Moore/David Robinson Motorsports #15/#20 team: The Bud Moore/David Robinson Rescue Ford team is busy building cars but will not be ready for the Pepsi 400. The decision was an especially tough one for Robinson, a native of nearby Deland, FL, as he was specially looking forward to racing at his “home” track and can’t wait to get the team on the track. The team’s delay freed up driver Morgan Shepherd for Daytona to drive in the #96 Cat car.(6-23-98)


  • Here’s an interesting unconfirmed rumor: One of our subscribers(StockCarFans) indicates that Wally Dallenbach will be driving a 3rd Richard Childress car full time in the 1999 season. This is unconfirmed at present.(StockCarFans Newsletter)(6-23-98)


  • Another rumor I hear is Joe Nemechek taking over in the Bud car in 1999 and Hendrick may go to a four car team, rumor once again has Jack Sprague in a Pontiac ???(6-23-98)


  • Testing at Daytona today with Morgan Shepherd in the #31 Lowes Chevy, Mike Dillon in the #3, Billy Standridge and Bobby Hillin in the #47 Fans Can Race Ford, Hut Stricklin in the #55 Oakwood Homes chevy and Dan Pardus and Jimmy Kitchens in the #07 Midwest Trucking Chevy. No speeds.(NASCAR Today Radio)(6-23-98)


  • According to MRN, there will be no substitution for Kenny Schrader. Kenny is ready to race, and will do so without missing a beat.(StockCarFans – Nancy)(6-24-98)


  • Steve Park tested at Greenville Pickens(SC) today and says everything felt great and he didn’t miss a beat. Doctors have cleared him to drive, but he probably will not race until New Hampshire if the team can do two cars. If not, Indy is still the plan.(RPM2Nite)(6-23-98)


  • Gary Bradberry will be testing at Talladega this week in the #78 Pilot Ford. On Thursday, Adam Petty will test an ARCA car there.(WC Today)(6-23-98)


  • Dave Rezendes will drive for the injured Jimmy Foster this coming weekend at Watkins Glen in the Dr Pepper #50. Jimmy Foster’s recovery with his leg is coming along, but with all the shifting Jimmy would have to do, it could aggravate his leg. The official Washington Erving Motorsports Webpage is up and running at: www.WashingtonErving.com.(StockCarFans Newsletter – Gerry)(6-23-98)


  • #43 Crew Chief Robbie Loomis has been the heart of Petty Enterprises’ return
    to prominence over the past few years, and sources close to Loomis say that he might be leaving Petty’s Level Cross operation at the end of the season. “Right now I have all intentions of staying,” Loomis says. “But it’s a tough business, and it’s always growing and changing. But right now I plan to stay.”(JournalNow)(6-23-98)


  • I hear from a reader that was at the race where Tony Stewart was arrested(see stories below) says that Stewart basically was defending himself. Per WC Today radio, all charges have been dropped.(6-23-98)


  • Update on the Tony Stewart story from Tom Hintz at the Stock Car Racing Magazine website: Tony Stewart’s parents have to be wondering just what their hyper talented son has gotten into. first he has a string of IRL engines litter the countryside with broken parts (littering), then his crew gets into an altercation with Dale Earnhardt Jr. & company (fighting) and now he has been reportedly arrested for disorderly conduct at a short track near Vermillion, Ohio. Before you jump to conclusions that Stewart attacked the next guy that bumped him, read on. Stewart was reportedly involved in a crash during a race and one of the other principles took exception figuring Stewart was at least partially at fault and had to be restrained as he went towards Stewart’s car. I’ve been around short track racing for thirty plus years and can’t remember many crashes in which somebody wasn’t erroneously accused of being the culprit and not having been at the scene of this crash, am not going to decide who was in the wrong, if anyone was. The gist of the situation is that one of the involved
    drivers claimed Stewart tried to run him down on the track after the crash and went to a police officer to press charges. Not having seen the incident the police had two options, arrest no one or everyone. The angered driver took the latter and he and
    Stewart were reportedly taken into custody until they each paid $75 in bail.(Stock Car Racing Magazine Site.(6-23-98)


  • I hear Matt Hutter has been replaced with David Green in the #36 Stanley Tools BGN Pontiac, not sure if this is for Watkins Glen or longer.(6-23-98)


  • This week’s NASCAR match race at the Winn-Dixie Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway Tuesday will pit Steve Grissom against Robert Pressley in convertible Winston Cup cars.(SpeedNet)(6-23-98)


  • As announced on NASCAR Online 6-12 but further explained in detail by a reader: The #46 First Union chevrolet will be sporting a new paint job when it comes to Daytona on the July 4th weekend. Major League Baseball’s new expansion team, the Tampa Bay Devilrays will be the major, one-time sponsor, for the car at the first ever night time running of the PEPSI 400 in Daytona. I attended the DevilRays -vs- Marlins game on Monday June 22nd and the car is on display at the entrance to the field. The car has an all-black base color to it, with the DevilRays logo on the hood and roof. The team colors are carried all over the car in “wavy stripes” along the sides and rear. And check this out: The Tampa Bay Devilrays will have “NASCAR night” at Tropicana Field, in St. Pete, Florida on June 23 as they play the Florida Marlins at 7:05pm/et. All fans attending the game will receive a 1:64 diecast of the #46 with the special paint job. Mike expects to have images of the car up after the game.(DaytonaMikes NASCAR Center)(6-23-98)

    (6-22-98)

  • Veteran Dave Marcis, who failed to make a race for the 10th time in 15 1998 events, said last week at a test session for the IROC cars at Indy that he’s not retiring from the Cup series as long as Marcis has a primary sponsor, RealTree Camouflage, and his fans believe in him, he’ll stay in the game, he said.(NASCAR Online)(6-22-98)


  • Speaking of the #98, I continue to hear Greg Sacks will probably not drive the rest of 1998 and Rich Bickle will be in the car for the rest of the season.(6-22-98)


  • As reported here last week it has been officially announced that Robby Gordon will drive the #96 Cat cat at Sears Point.(many sources), see a story at TNN – www.country.com.(6-22-98)


  • I really appreciate when readers point me to a story I would have never found(not message board or chat room stuff but real stories) – Check out this one, that I have not found elsewhere: At Vermillion County Speedway, Sunday night fans got a treat as Indy Racing League star Tony Stewart was racing in the Northern All-Star Late Model series race. But Stewarts night ended prematurely when he and another driver were
    arrested for disorderly conduct following their race. In the night main event Roger S. Poczek of Griffith Indiana (I think it was Shawn Toczek spelling error in paper)
    locked up with Stewart of Columbus. Check out the rest of the story at IRL STAR STEWART ARRESTED AT V.(from the Commerical News, Danville Ill newspaper via ChasinRacin Dirt Late Model Fan 4M, thanks Jim for the heads up)(6-22-98)
  • Pocono had never yielded a first time winner until Sunday. Other tracks who have never given up a first time winner are Watkins Glen, Sears Point, Loudon, Indy, California, and Las Vegas. Daytona has yielded the most with 13, followed by
    Martinsville with 11.(thanks Kyle)(6-22-98)


  • From the JournalNow Sadler under consideration for two Winston Cup rides: Elliott Sadler, the 22-year-old Busch tour star whose Winston Cup future has been the subject of concern, has been approached by members of at least two Cup teams. One team is a Ford operation — though not Jack Roush’s — that has asked about his plans for 1999. Sadler is under contract with Gary Bechtel through the end of this season, which muddies the legal waters for anyone wanting to make him an offer. But sources close to Sadler say he is willing to listen to any offers that do come his way. Two weeks ago, Sadler was being linked to Ford’s Robert Yates’ team. This week, Sadler is being linked to Chevy’s Rick
    Hendrick, whose men may be putting together a Pontiac deal for Sadler. According to one source close to the situation, Tabasco could be the sponsor of a future Sadler team.(JournalNow)(6-22-98)


  • During the red flag at Pocono on Sunday, NASCAR officials tried to keep Andy Petree from loading Schrader’s badly damaged car on the hauler, insisting no one could touch a car during a red flag. An irate Petree ordered his crew to load the car anyway.(JournalNow)(6-22-98)


  • Hut Stricklin may be called upon to relieve Kenny Schrader at Sears Point.(JournalNow), RPM2Nite says Schrader plans to go the distance on Sunday.(6-22-98)

    (6-21-98)

  • It was mentioned during the Pocono 500 broadcast on TNN that Ricky Craven will not return for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona but at the Jiffy Lube 300 in New Hampshire. The team felt the Daytona setup on the car would be too rough on Craven for his first race back.(TNN)(6-21-98)


  • I hear that a Toronto Star article by Mark Zwolinksi the following was reported on June 16th: “Ron Fellows, who has been sucessful in NASCAR’s Truck Division, and is
    readying for an upcoming Busch Series race, has interest from at least three teams to make the step up to Winston Cup. “I hope to have a deal this week”, Fellows said.
    A deal is in the works with Buz McCall, Fellows’ former team owner in the Trans Am series, who campaigns the Caterpillar-backed Winston Cup team with David Green as driver. But McCall recently dissmissed Green and replaced him on a temporary basis with Hut Stricklin. McCall then contacted Fellows to run his Winston Cup car at Watkins Glen, N.Y., for the Aug. 9 Bud at the Glen race.”(thanks Birdman)(6-21-98)


  • Congratulations to Jeremy Mayfield on his first Winston Cup victory at Pocono! Results of the race and points standings can be found at Speedworld, GoRacing, who really breaks down the points in a different fashion and NASCAR Online .(6-21-98)


  • It was mentioned during TNN’s RaceDay that Wadell Wilson will become the new
    team manager(actually Vice President of Racing Operations) for Mattei Motorsports on Monday. He has been a race consultant on the #46 SABCO car in recent weeks.(6-21-98)


  • UPDATE: Winston Cup Scene reports that Sterling Marlin will be in the non-alcholic Coors Chevy at Pocono this weekend.(6-20-98) – The #40 car was not a special paint scheme at Pocono, this is the 2nd time it has been rumored to run, the other was at Charlotte in the 600 and it didn’t run, not sure when/if it’ll run.(6-21-98)

    (6-20-98)

  • UPDATE 2: Former downhill skier Kat Teasdale plans to make her BGN debut at Watkins Glen in a Chevrolet and run in four other BGN races at Milwaukee, IRP, Darlington and the fall Dover race with plans to run for Rookie of the Year in 1999. Shawna Robinson is also eyeing a comeback in the BGN series for 1999, see an excellent story about Teasdale and women drivers on NASCAR Online at Teasdale sets sights on NASCAR by Winston Cup Scene writer Deb Williams.(NASCAR Online)(5-26-98) – see a story and an image of the #54 Chevy which will be sponsored by IGA Supermarkets and The Fleming Co at Kathryn “Kat” Teasdale.(5-27-98) – Kat Teasdale tested at Watkins Glen on Thursday in the #54 Chevy, no speeds, but she crashed the car, no idea on how bad the car was damaged.(WC Today Radio)(6-19-98) – Kat is fine and most of the damage to the car was cosmetic and she will attempt to make the Watkins Glen race.(6-20-98)


  • Heard some rumors that Steve Park would drive the #59 car in the Watkins Glen race on June 28th. NOT TRUE. Park will be there to provide TV commentary and plans are to test at Greenville-Pickens in SC in the new few weeks with an eye on the Louden or Brickyard 400 for his Cup return.(6-20-98)


  • Morgan Shepherd revealed at Pocono that he is close to announcing a 3yr sponsorship deal for his own race team. Supposed to start in 1999, possibly a few in 1998. Shepherd confirmed he would race a number of times for the Moore Robinson
    Motorsports team later this season, although those outings had yet to be determined.(NASCAR Online)(6-20-98)


  • Looks like Tim Steele is healed up pretty well from his injuries at Atlanta last November. He was able to pull off a victory at Pocono today. See the results of the race at The Official ARCA Racing Site.(6-20-98)


  • Butch Mock denies reports that he has sold his team to Jack Roush.(JournalNow)(6-20-98)


  • Happy Hour Results are up at: GoRacing, Speedworld and NASCAR Online. By the way, check out Speedworld’s special paint scheme for the Pocono weekend, ‘painted’ up in the same colors as Tim Richmonds #25 Folgers Chevy.(see Tim Richmond story and links below)(6-20-98)


  • Second Round qualifying is completed. Jeff Green was the fastest at 166.463mph(would have been 10th on Friday). Buckshot Jones(#00) and Dave Marcis(#71) missed the race. To see who used provisionals go to Jayski’s Provisional Page for News, Provisional and Owner Points standing.(6-20-98)


  • Results of the second round and 2nd round qualifying can be found at GoRacing.(6-20-98)


  • Steve Park will be making an appearance with his #1 Pennzoil Chevy near The Ocean Place Hilton on Ocean Blvd. in Long Branch, NJ. on 6/21. I don’t know the exact time but I would imagine it would be before one since he will probably fly to Pocono to watch the race. This is part of an annual car show held every year on the boardwalk. The show is from 8:30am to 4:30pm and is off the Long Branch exit(105) on the Garden State Parkway which leaves you on Rte. 36. This takes you directly to the boardwalk.(Sue via StockCarFans Newsletter)(6-20-98)


  • UPDATE: Newsgroup News: The USENET-newsgroups, a system of discussion groups in which individual articles are posted. There are a group of people(NASCAR fans of course) trying to get a moderated companion group going for the unmoderated r.a.s.n.(rec.autos.sport.nascar) usenet group. To find out more info on this proposal and what you can do see REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION (RFD). I read r.a.s.n. daily. If you are unfamiliar with newsgroups(USENET) see news.newusers.questions.(6-1-98) – An update on the status of rec.autos.sports.nascar.moderated: The 2nd Request for Discussion (RFD) for the proposed moderated news group “rec.autos.sport.nascar.moderated;” to include revisions and changes, was posted to the following groups: news.announce.newgroups, news.groups, rec.autos.sport.nascar, rec.autos.sport.f1, rec.autos.sport.indy, rec.autos.sport.misc, rec.autos.sport.tech, and rec.autos.sport.info. Also, the revised proposed charter may be found at: http://www.flash.net/~etroll/rasnm.txt. The 2nd Request For Discussion (RFD) is taking place in news.groups.(6-15-98) The 3rd request is under way can see it at the link above – RFD.(6-20-98)

    (6-19-98)

  • MBNA has decided not to renew its sponsorship with the #22 Bill Davis team and driver Ward Burton. MBNA will still be a race sponsor, but it is unclear what else they may do.(JournalNow)(6-19-98)


  • Team Fans Can Race and driver/owner Billy Standridge will test next Tuesday and Wednesday(June 23/24) at Daytona International Speedway. The #47 team will take “The Rocket” which is the T-Bird used in the Daytona
    500, DieHard 500, and the Talladega fall race in 1997. Billy will also take a Taurus for testing and use the driving help of Bobby Hillin Jr. as the second driver. Hopefully Bobby and Billy will find some good speed while testing. For more info or to join go to the Team Fans Can Race Website.(6-19-98)


  • NBC is not going to go after NASCAR races to replace the NFL. It is understood
    they(NASCAR?) want 20 million a race, and NBC doesn’t want to put that much money
    into it.(StockCarFans Newsletter), not really sure what this means as each track handles the rights fees as far as I know.(6-19-98)


  • Blaise Alexander won’t be trying to qualify for the 400 at daytona on July 4th. After he tested there, they decided they couldn’t get the Bud Moore car up to speed to make a solid qualifying try, so, they’re going to keep him back until the July race at Pocono. Right now, that’s Alexander’s scheduled WC debut. He’s at Pocono this weekend, (also in a Bud Moore thunderbird) running the ARCA race(as reported here). Rescue, his Busch series sponsor, is also on the ARCA car, along with Nunet, an Internet provider from Bethlehem, Pa.(StockCarFans Newsletter) JAYSKI Note: It has been reported that Morgan Shepherd will attempt to make the Pepsi 400 in the Moore-Robinson Rescue Taurus.(6-19-98)


  • The Winston Cup car of Jimmy Kite, who was 11th as an Indy 500 rookie in May, tested his Team Scandia Ford at Indy on Wednesday. It marked the first time in Speedway history that cars from three different race series were tested on the same day.(IROC, IRL-Jack Miller and Kite). Andy Evans, owner of Scandia Racing, shut down his IRL operation shortly after the 500 because of a lack of sponsorship. Instead, he said the team would concentrate on stock car racing and prepare a car for Kite’s debut in the Brickyard 400.(That’s Racin’)(6-19-98)


  • Plans are for Tim Steele to run some races in the #15 Moore-Robinson Ford in late 1998 and run a full slate of Cup races in 1999 in the #15 with Blaise Alexander running the second Moore-Robinson Motorsports Ford with the #20.(RPM2Nite)(6-19-98)


  • Good News: Ricky Craven was on RPM2Nite and told John Kernan that the test at Watkins Glen went excellent and he felt no ill effects of his illness. He even ran a lap that would have put him 7th on the grid in last years event. Right now, plans are for Craven to run next week at the BGN Glen race and hopefully be back in the #50 Bud Chevy at Daytona or Louden.(RPM2NIte)(6-19-98)


  • Starting to hear rumors that Dave Marcis will make some sort of announcement at Daytona.(farewell tour in 1999?)(6-19-98)


  • If Richard Childress can get his present two car operation back in top contention, he may start a third team for 1999.(WC Scene)(6-19-98)


  • Pocono 1st Round Qualifying and Practice results are available at GoRacing and Speedworld.(6-19-98)


  • Cars that failed to make the top 25 in qualifying who are guaranteed to make the Pocono 500 thru 2nd round qualifying or a provisional are: #99(8th in owners points); #23(9); #36(14); #21(15); #26(16); #11(19) and #10(24). Check Jayski’s Provisional Page for Provisional and Owner Points standing.(6-19-98)


  • Sources within Roush have indicated that there will be a shakeup or two at the shop at the end of the current season. The most likely target for elimination is Ted Musgrave. The sponsors “like” Ted but in this game of ‘what have you done lately’ the performance chart doesn’t show a lot of positive ink.(GoRacing Notes)(6-19-98)


  • The writing maybe on the wall for Michael Waltrip if he doesn’t get the CITGO Ford finishing better soon. We(GoRacing) first caught a hint of tension at Martinsville when Eddy mentioned that if he and Michael didn’t start communicating a little better that there would have to be a change. The performances since that time haven’t shown a lot of improvement and with Roush now involved that ‘what have you done for me lately’ saying could come into play sooner rather than later.(GoRacing Notes)(6-19-98)


  • Continuing on with that ‘what have you done for me lately’ line of thought —- Busch star Matt Kenseth will undoubtedly find himself behind the wheel of a second Wood Brothers car. No word on who will sponsor the effort —- but we’ve been told to take this one to the bank.(GoRacing Notes)(6-19-98)


  • The #8 Stavola Bros. Chevy was at Greenville-Pickens Speedway today testing with BGN driver Shame Hall driving.(MRM)(6-19-98)


  • UPDATE: 3-time ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series champion Tim Steele has filed an entry for the Mountain Dew 400k at Pocono in hopes of making his return to racing since the Coopersville, MI driver suffered injuries in November of 1997 at Atlanta.(Official ARCA Racing Site)(thanks Lynne)(6-18-98) – Steele went out and qualified the car on the outside pole for the race and Friday it was discovered he had a kidney stone. He went back to the hotel and rest with the hopes of running the race on Saturday.(RPM2Nite)(6-19-98)


  • Today is NASCAR’s 50th birthday(of a race anyhow). Thirty-three drivers kicked up a little dust over off of Wilkinson Boulevard on June 19, 1949. Actually, they kicked up lot of dust. The Charlotte Speedway was a ring of dirt, and 33 heavy automobiles — many just off a showroom floor — sent up a cloud of dust. A lot of dust settled quickly on the spectators who’d come to see what a man from Florida named Bill France called the Strictly Stock division of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.(In part from David Poole’s article Today marks Winston Cup’s birthday from That’s Racin’)(6-19-98)

    (6-18-98)

  • Ron Fellows is driving the #87 BellSouth Mobility Chevy owned and driven by Joe Nemechek at Watkins Glen next Sunday, June 28th as Nemechek will be in Sonoma, CA at Sears Point for the Cup race.(NASCAR Online)(6-18-98)


  • UPDATE: Steve Park may return to action as soon as the Pepsi 400 in Daytona or the New Hampshire race if Doctors approve, see the NASCAR Online story at: Park’s recovery is ahead of schedule.(6-12-98) – from what I hear is that the team would field two cars, no idea of a car# or if Pennzoil would be on both cars, not looking to speculate.(6-18-98)


  • Don’t look for this alliance(Wood Bros-Roush) to affect Michael Waltrip or Citgo in any way, you can expect both to be around in 1999. As far as the other team is concerned Matt Kenseth is still the name that keeps getting mentioned as the driver and don’t be surprised if his entire NASCAR Busch Series team moves up next year to serve as the second Wood Brothers team.(Marty-MRN)(6-18-98)


  • Car owner Bill Davis said MBNA has indicated they will not be the primary sponsor of the #22 car next year, although they will continue with some NASCAR programs. Davis does not expect to have any problems finding another sponsor.(Victory Lane Online from Virginian Pilot which is online but could not find the story.(6-18-98)


  • From That’s Racin’: Two of the biggest companies in the merchandising side of the
    racing business made major deals in the past week. Racing Champions, headquartered in Glen Ellyn, Ill., has completed its acquisition of the Mooresville-based Wheels Sports Group, Inc. The deal adds to Racing Champions’ distribution capabilities for its lines of NASCAR-related diecast vehicle replicas and other souvenirs. Action Performance Companies Inc., meanwhile, has obtained exclusive rights to market, sell and distribute NASCAR-licensed products through the NASCAR Online site on the Internet.(That’s Racin’)(6-18-98)

    (6-17-98)

  • Confirmed: Robby Gordon will drive the #96 Caterpillar Chevy at Sears Point in Sonoma on June 28th. Other races are also a possibility.(6-16/17-98)


  • Was forwarded this link: Journal Star/PJStar Com from a reader(thanks Brian) in which their motorsports writer, Jane Miller, has some good info, including Robby Gordon driving the #96 Caterpillar Chevy in the Brickyard 400 at Indy.(JournalStar)(6-17-98)


  • NASCAR driver Ward Burton’s No. 22 MBNA Pontiac will display the Nittany Lion logo of Penn State University this weekend for the Pocono 500 Winston Cup race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond. MBNA America Bank, N.A., is the world’s largest independent credit card lender with the endorsement of thousands of membership organizations, including NASCAR and the Penn State Alumni Association. MBNA, the leader in sports-related credit card marketing, is endorsed by 46 NASCAR drivers and NASCAR, Inc.(CDT Online – thanks Jackie)(6-17-98)


  • Buckshot Jones will attempt to make the Pocono 500 in his family owned #00 Aquafresh Pontiac this weekend.(NASCAR Online)(6-16-98) – Also see the story at www.country.com – TNN.(6-17-98)


  • Jeff Green tested the #46 First Union SABCO Chevy at Hickory(Tenn) today in prep for the Pocono 500 this weekend.(WC Today Radio)(6-17-98)


  • Diamond Ridge Motorsports has signed a one race deal with 1996 Busch Grand National North Series Rookie of the Year Brad Leighton. Leighton will drive a Diamond Ridge car at the Oxford 250 on July 5th. The car will be fielded by a Diamond Ridge crew with a sponsor to be named. For more details see North East Racing Wedsite.(6-17-98)


  • NASCAR officials announced today they have levied a penalty of $5,000 against BGN driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., $2,500 against Earnhardt’s crew chief Tony Eury, Sr. and a $1,000 against Bryant Frazier, crew chief for Tony Stewart. In addition to the penalties, all three have been placed on probation for 90 days. The fines are the result of an off-track incident following Sunday’s Lycos.com 250 at Pikes Peak
    International Raceway, an altercation in the garage area.(GoRacing)(6-17-98)


  • Robert Pressley-#77 Jasper Ford and Ricky Rudd-#10 Tide Ford tested at Watkins Glen today, no speeds. BGN teams testing included Matt Hutter, Mike Cope, JD Gibbs and Jason Jarrett.(WC Today Radio)(6-17-98)


  • Ricky Craven will test at Watkins Glen on Thursday, June 18th in preparation of running the BGN race there on June 28th.(WC Today Radio)(6-17-98)


  • UPDATE: I hear that on Thursday, June 18, Jeff Green will be testing a Diamond Ridge owned WC car at Nazareth, PA.(not sure why there, not looking to speculate)(6-16-98) – I hear this test has been postponed because they are working on the track. The track was pretty broken up from the fuel spillage from Randy LaJoie’s accident on lap 5 of the BGN 200. I also heard that Diamond Ridge had no intention of testing there with Jeff Green or anyone else.(6-17-98)


  • UPDATE: I hear Mark Martin, #6 Valvoline Ford and Jeff Burton, #99 Exide Ford are testing at Watkins Glen this week.(6-15-98) – Martin and Burton will test there today(Wednesday) and Thursday along with BGN drivers Mike McLaughlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Hutter and Randy LaJoie. The track is open to fans who wish to watch.(NASCAR Online)(6-17-98)

    (6-16-98)

  • See a transcript from Dale Earnhardt’s speech at the National Press Club on June 16th at: The National Press Club Siteor at Dale Earnhardt Q&A.(6-16-98)


  • On June 23-24, several teams, including Richard Childress Racing, Andy Petree Racing, Standridge Racing(#47 Fans Can Race Ford-Billy Standridge) and Midwest Transit Racing(#07-Danny Pardus) will hold a two-day test at Daytona.(NASCAR Online)(6-16-98)


  • Speedworld has Goodyear Tire Notes for the Pocono 500.(6-16-98)


  • Pocono 500 Fact Sheet.(GoRacing)(6-16-98)


  • From a few readers(condensed and combined) – Caught Dale Earnhardt’s speech at the National Press Club today in Washington on the C-Span2 video site. The whole speech
    and question and answer period that followed will be broadcast at a later date. It was a very relaxed press conference and Earnhardt was in classic form and put on a show for them! He was hilarious and controversial, as usual. Earnhardt fielded questions from the audience about everything from baseball to road rage. Bill France, Jr. and Richard Childress were also in attendance. C-Span’s phone# (202)628-2205 for information as to the date and time of the rebroadcast. Want to listen or see the speech on the web? Here is the link: C-Span or see the transcript at The National Press Club Site, very interesting stuff, good question about Chrysler. Also That’s Racin’ has the transcript at Dale Earnhardt Q&A.(6-16-98)


  • Traction control is back in the news in the garage. At least one Winston Cup race this season was won by a car using the banned technology, according to NASCAR sources.
    The system, which works well on short tracks and road courses, keeps drivers from
    spinning their rear wheels coming off the corners.(JournalNow –
    notes    )(6-16-98)


  • Hut Stricklin will test the Andy Petree owned #55 Chevy at Daytona from 9am-5pm/et on Wednesday, June 17th.(NASCAR Online)(6-16-98)


  • NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway, the full-motion interactive driving experience, will open its second location at Woodfield Mall, near Chicago, with seven-time NASCAR
    Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt and Michael Waltrip on June 23. The auto racing entertainment center features 12 fully-equipped, nearly full size NASCAR Winston Cup cars, in which fans can experience the thrill and competition of NASCAR racing. State-of-the-art car simulators at: the NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway seat both a driver and an in-car crew member. A responsive motion platform, 3-D displays, realistic controls and multi-channel audio system recreate the live excitement and competition of
    NASCAR racing.(Speedworld)(6-16-98)


  • Ricky Craven has been cleared to return to his Busch car for testing and racing at the Watkins Glen race. He will begin testing at the track on June 17, weather permitting. After the Busch race on June 28, he will return to his doctor for re-evaluation. If all is well at that time he should receive final clearance to return to the #50 Budweiser team for either the July 4th Daytona race or the following race at New Hampshire.(North East Racing Site)(6-16-98)


  • Tuesday several NASCAR Winston Cup teams will test at Road Atlanta Motor Sports Center. It started with Cale Yarborough(with Rich Bickle) booking the test session, to test for the upcoming Sears Point Save Mart 250 in two weeks. Other teams piggybacked on that and soon you have ten teams testing including #’s 50-Wally Dallenbach, 36-Ernie Irvan, 88-Dale Jarrett, 44-Kyle Petty, 9-Lake Speed and 2-Rusty Wallace with the
    possibility, the track says, of #3-Dale Earnhardt and #24-Jeff Gordon.(RacingPR Snoop), also #96-Robby Gordon tested at the track today(RPM2Nite), I doubt Earnhardt was there since he was in Washington, DC.(6-16-98)


  • Engine man Peter Guild has long considered becoming a Winston Cup car owner, and he is now ready to make the jump. According to sources close to Guild, he is the partner Travis Carter has lined up for Carter’s proposed second team. No word on the driver or sponsor.(JournalNow – notes)(6-16-98)


  • Morgan Shepherd’s first qualifying run in the #8 car did not go too well due to
    handling problems. The motor was strong enough, but the setup on the suspension didn’t cut it, they needed an improvement, so they looked at some teams that did have the right setup. They found what they were looking for in the #91 car, which had qualified an astonishing fifth. In a deal arranged between Morgan Shepherd and the #91 LJ Racing team, a few parts were borrowed. When Shepherd went out to try again at second round qualifying, the #8 car was fitted with the same springs and shock absorbers that were used by Kevin Lepage on the #91 car during their qualifying run the day before. Shepherd posted a blistering qualifying run, even beating Ward Burton’s speed from the day before.(Victory Lane Online)(6-16-98)


  • Jimmy Spencer said Monday that he did not throw roll-bar padding out the window of his Ford in an attempt to force NASCAR to throw a caution flag in Sunday’s Miller Lite 400 at Michigan Speedway.(That’s Racin’)(6-16-98)

    (6-15-98)

  • I was on Chocolate Myers(Dale Earnhardt’s gasman) and Caron Myers Racing Radio show tonight(6-15), it’s called ‘Choc Talk’. It’s very entertaining and I had fun. The show is on Monday nights at 7pm/et on 1440 WLAN(Lexington, NC). For more info, check Chocolates own website at: www.gasmanchoc.com.(6-15-98)


  • The Moore Robinson Motorsports team(Formerly Bud Moore Engineering), will run at least 8-10 races with Morgan Shepherd behind the wheel of the #15 Rescue Ford Taurus. Blasie Alexander will drive a Moore Robinson Motorsports Thunderbird at the ARCA event this weekend with plans for him to run the Pepsi 400 in a second MRM entry and possibly at Pocono in July or at Michigan in August.(NASCAR Online), Alexanders car will be #20.(6-15-98)


  • Hut Stricklin will drive the #96 Caterpillar/Siemens Chevrolet at Pocono in
    the Pocono 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race Sun., June 21, 1998.(American Equipment Racing)(6-15-98)


  • After reviewing all the video tape from the Miller Lite 400, NASCAR decided the evidence was inconclusive on who may have thrown out the padding which caused the first caution, and no fines will be levied against any driver/team.(RPM2Nite)(6-15-98)


  • We are hearing rumors that Mark Martin will become an equity partner with Jack Roush in up to three Winston Cup teams in 1999. Speculation is that Martin will become majority owner of his and Jeff Burton’s current teams as well as a third with Matt Kenseth as driver. Though Martin is currently on pace to have the best season of his career he is apparently looking to the future and working to establish himself for when his days behind the wheel are over.(StockCarRacing Magazines Website-www.stockcarracing.com)(6-15-98)


  • On 6-13 a charity auction was held at Grissom Motors in Gadsden AL (Steve’s family’s business) to benefit Alec Bell. Alec is a three year old from Sylvainia Alabama who has cerebral palsy and needs special treatment that costs thousands of dollars. Some of the items that were donated were t-shirts caps and pictures from Drivers such as Dale Earnhart, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, Derrike Cope, Ernie Ervan, Tery Labonte, Steve Park, and of course Steve Grissom, just to name a few. Some of the more interesting items were a pair of Gargoyle sunglasses and the shop towel that they were wrapped up in that bear the burn marks from the #3 car that they were in during the wreck and fire at Talledega this April. According to the childs mother, Dale Earnhart Inc. played a big part in getting all of the items for the auction.(thanks Bigsam)(6-15-98)


  • Elliott Sadler would be one of the more hotly pursued drivers for a Cup deal should he be freed from his Busch Series sponsor obligations. He competed in his first career Cup race this season and has plans to compete in four more, although his Charlotte Cup sponsor, OP, now has departed. Among the teams who have sent out feelers: the Stavolas’, Buz McCall’s, and Larry Hedrick’s. Still, most observers believe Sadler would be wise to wait until next season before making the jump.(Times-Dispatch/Skip Wood)(6-15-98)


  • Now that Richmond, Va.- based Circuit City has withdrawn its sponsorship of the car owned by the Stavola brothers, the team probably will be idle — at least concerning its on-track activity — for the next several races while it regroups, searches for a permanent driver and builds cars. Its projected return will be an attempt to make the field for the Aug. 1 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.(Times-Dispatch/Skip Wood)(6-15-98)


  • Frankie Stoddard, crew chief for Jeff Burton, injured his right elbow during a pit stop Sunday. He was trying to pull the spring rubber out of the right front of the car as Burton was trying to leave and hit his elbow hard against the bumper.(That’s Racin’ Notes – Jim Utter)(6-15-98)


  • Ford drivers Rich Bickle and Lake Speed will be the first to run on the reconfigured Road Atlanta course Tuesday in preparation for the SaveMart 350 in Sonoma, Calif., on June 28. Cale Yarborough, owner of the #98 Ford, organized the session, which will mark the unveiling of Road Atlanta’s new design.(That’s Racin’ note)(6-15-98)

    (6-14-98)

  • Yet another partnership has been formed in the Winston Cup ranks and this time it involves Roush Racing and The Wood Brothers Racing Team. The arrangement, termed a “strategic racing alliance,” calls for Roush Racing to provide marketing, management and engine manufacturing services to the Wood Brothers operation for “a period of years.” The basis of the relationship calls for technological information sharing but both parties stressed that the partnership does not involve any acquisition of ownership interest on the part of either team or its principals.(Lori Vizza – GoRacing)(6-14-98)


  • The Wood brothers, 13th in the standings in their third year with Michael Waltrip, say they’re excited about a second team next season, presumably with rookie Matt Kenseth.(JournalNow)(6-14-98)


  • GM will be dropping its Camaro and Firebird lines, because of weak sales. That, GM sources indicate, means that Chrysler-Mercedes might get the IROC series next season with its Dodge Avenger if it wants that four-race package.(JournalNow)(6-14-98)


  • It’s official: Circuit City is gone from the #8 Stovola Bros Chevy. Circuit City has no plans to go to any other team until 1999 if at all. They will remain the official electronics store of NASCAR and work with Daytona USA. No word on any sponsorship possibilites with for the #8 car, they will scale down to 12 races of the 19 left in the 1998 season.(NASCAR Online)(6-14-98)


  • It does not look like Buckshot Jones will leave or merge his family owned team for the Stavola Bros #8 Unsponsored chevy.(6-14-98)


  • Saw this on SpeedNet: Tainted race is won by Mark Martin, Roll bar pad allegedly tossed onto the track costs Gordon big lead.(SpeedNet)(6-14-98)


  • Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt got together during Happy Hour practice when Wallace slid sideways, getting into Earnhardt with the #3 hitting the wall. Earhardt’s #3 Chevy was damaged enough that he had to go to a backup car and will have to start 43rd(instead of 25th). Wallaces #2 Ford was repairable and he will start 3rd in the Miller Lite 400. Earnhardt was upset with Wallace and had words with him in the garage area, (one comment was “I ain’t the 24 car — I’ll hit you back.”) Wallace took the blame for the wreck saying he got loose(comment “I’d like to apologize to him and all his race fans.”).(many sources), see a story at GoRacing.(6-14-98)


  • Ward Burton and the #22 MBNA Bill Davis Team used an old reliable 18 degree head motor to win the pole, no the new SB2.(GoRacing)(6-14-98)


  • Happy Hour speeds can be found at GoRacing – Practice Results, Speedworld or/and NASCAR Online.(6-14-98)


  • Dave Marcis, the all-time Michigan Speedway leader in Winston Cup starts (55), laps completed (8,776), and miles completed (17,552), will watch from the sidelines this weekend. “It’s very disappointing to me,” said Marcis, who has now missed two races in a row at Michigan. “We brought a brand new car here and never fixed it so I could drive it. I guess there are some problems that come with having a new car. I hate it when I let the fans and sponsors down like that.”(GoRacing)(6-14-98)


  • According to Bob Latford of the Inside Line Newsletter, Morgan Shepherd became only the 11th driver in the last 30 Cup seasons to post the fastest time of all qualifiers. The last time it occurred was June 22, 1997, at California Speedway, where Greg Sacks accomplished the feat.(NASCAR Online)(6-14-98)

    (6-13-98)

  • Tyler Jet Motorsports is ramping up to return to the Winston Cup circuit. They announced today that Ron Hornaday will pilot the famed #17 at the Save Mart/Kragen 350 at Sears Point Raceway on June 28. Phil Hammer, formerly a chassis specialist with Jeff Gordon’s team was named crew chief for Tyler Jet Motorsports. Chris Hetreed and
    Jim Plyler have been added to their engineering staff bringing the number of personnel to 37 from a low of 22. More additions are anticipated. They have also added a high tech system for digitizing chassis and other equipment as well as purchasing new chassis to meet their goal of having 13 complete cars ready by August 1.(Stock Car Racing Magazine/Tom Hintz)(6-13-98)


  • The Wood brothers(#21 Citgo Ford), based in Stuart, Va., plan to start a second team next season with the help of powerful Roush Racing. That’s the word from Roush President Geoff Smith, who plans to announce the arrangement early next week. Roush Racing, which already supplies the engines for the car driven by Michael Waltrip, also will aid the Woods in obtaining a second sponsor and plans to assist the venerable NASCAR team with its marketing campaigns for both cars. Waltrip is 13th in points after finishing 18th last season.(Times-Dispatch/Skip Wood)(6-13-98)


  • Got this from a reader and thought it was interesting and decided to share it:

    “A large group of devoted fans, tried everything in their power to have Tim Richmond honored at this week’s race at Pocono, the 11th anniversary of Tim’s emotional comeback win at Pocono. For whatever reason NASCAR, the networks, and Dr. Mattioli, the track owner, have refused to honor Tim in any way, and officially he will be ignored, just as his memory has been all these years. The heck with them! We, his fans, and those entrusted with keeping Tim’s legacy alive. If you’re going to the race, please bring a Tim Richmond #25 banner with you. If you have old caps or T shirts wear them. If you are staying nearby, hang out banners and signs along the roadway. Even if you aren’t the world greatest Tim Richmond fan, please add his name, and the #25 to whatever banner you prepare. If you’re a Gordon fan, you should know Tim is the driver who allowed Rick to place his trust in an unproven young driver. Jeff wouldn’t have made the grade had it not been for Tim. One suggested sign: TNN with Tim Richmond’s NASCAR’s Nightmare , Still in Our Hearts along the letters. If you can’t be at the race, please keep Tim Richmond in your thoughts and prayers this weekend. Tim is gone, but not forgotten. As long as the fans recall one of this sports greatest drivers, no amount of ignorance on the part of the sanctioning body can ever banish his memory.”(In part from the Speedworld Message Board), for information on Tim Richmond check out this website: Tim Richmond Tribute.(6-15-98) – Also Speedworld has a great two part story about Tim Richmond on the front page written by my bud Matt McLaughlin and another by Liz Clarke.(6-16-98)


  • Is this related to the above story?: Chevy’s Kevin LePage is about to jump to Ford, according to sources close to the situation. Which Ford team owner? Insiders say
    Jack Roush. Roush is also in the news on other fronts: Sources close to Roush
    say he and Geoffrey Smith, his attorney and right-hand NASCAR business manager, are close to landing two more major sponsors for 1999, two of the biggest sponsors in the Winston Cup garage.(JournalNow/Mike Mulhern)(6-13-98)


  • Rick Mast’s #75 Remington Ford had the Camouflage paint scheme this weekend at Michigan.(NASCAR Online notebook)(6-14-98)


  • And…Ward Burton is one of the most focused, most intense drivers on the
    NASCAR tour, and he’s also one of the most hotly sought-after. Rivals of car owner Bill Davis, men such as Richard Childress, Andy Petree and Buzz McCall, have shown a interest in snaring him if the option comes up. With MBNA’s lucrative sponsorship up for renewal in the next few weeks, and with some rivals, such as Jack Roush, according to sources, making a bid for MBNA’s financing, Burton and Davis have been even more focused and intense than usual the past few weeks.(in from the JournalNow)(6-13-98)


  • Jim Long, the crew chief for Mickey and Billy Stavola, said Buckshot Jones may be in his team’s Chevy at Pocono next week. But sources close to Jones say that the deal with the Stavolas is dead, that Jones has decided to turn down the offer and will instead concentrate on his own fledging Winston Cup team, which is to run at Pocono.(JournalNow)(6-13-98)


  • 2nd round qualifying is over and Morgan Shepherd blistered the field in 2nd round qualifying and cut a lap of 182.927mph which would have sat him on the pole in 1st round…by a wide margin. Jerry Nadeau also cut off a great lap. Todd Bodine missed the race again. The #41 car took it’s 9th provisional of the 1998 season. See the Jayski’s Provisional Page for provisional status and owners points. For results of 2nd round qualfying see GoRacing.(6-13-98)


  • Car owner Buz McCall(#96 Caterpillar) confirmed yesterday that David Green has been ousted as driver. Hut Stricklin has been recruited to steer the car this
    weekend, and possibly longer. Green said he has no immediate opportunities for employment but that he already has put out feelers with several teams. McCall is the first to acknowledge that Stricklin’s performance this weekend is something of an audition.(Times-Dispatch)(6-13-98)


  • Fastest five cars in Saturday morning practice…..#8-Morgan Shepherd; #33-Ken Schrader; #36-Ernie Irvan; #6-Mark Martin; #30-Derrike Cope. Todd Bodine looks to be in jeapardy of making the race, was 45th fastest(time for a new motor program).(6-13-98)

    (6-12-98)

  • UPDATE: Story in this weeks Winston Cup Scene updates the injuries that occurred in an electrical accident at a Dover campground on May 28th, a few days before the MBNA 400. The four injured all remain in the hospital as of June 8th. Eugene and Diane Hewitt and Joseph Mensack are in Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, PA. Jeff Pickard is in St. Agnes Medical Center in Philadelphia. Mensack and Eugene Hewitt are in critical condition with burns over 80% of their bodies and are on a ventilator for inhalation injuries. Diane Hewitt is in stable condition with burns on 20% of her body. Pickard is in stable condition with bilateral entry wounds of both feet from the electrical shock. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this accident and to the family of John Pease who was killed in the accident. I paraphrased this story in part from the Winston Cup Scene(a must for any Cup fan)(6-12-98)


  • Bobby Hillin has secured primary sponsorship for his #8 Bobby Hillin Racing BGN Team. Clean Shower Motorsports, Inc., in conjunction with the WinSport Co., have announced that Clean Shower will be Hillin’s sponsor for the rest of this season and for 1999, The team will be know as the “Clean Shower Mac Attack”.(NASCAR Online)(6-12-98)


  • Getting all kinds of email from folks who are reading rumors on the www.pettyracing.com Message Board that Hot Wheels will leave the #44 PE2 team and Kyle Petty at the end of the seaon and that the car will be orange in 1999. No source of mine could confirm either rumor and I have heard nothing elsewhere. My understanding is that Petty is on the second year of a 2-year deal, no idea what is up here.(6-12-98)


  • Per his NASCAR Online chat, Hermie Sadler plans to run 5 Cup races in 1999 and go full-time in 2000, looks like with Diamond Ridge.(NASCAR Online)(6-12-98)


  • Dick Trickle, Dave Marcis and Jim Sauter, test drivers for the International Race of Champions(IROC), will be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next week for more tests of the Pontiac Firebirds that will race there on July 31.(SpeedNet)(6-12-98)


  • Dale Earnhardt Inc. said Friday it has reached an agreement that calls for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to drive for the company for five years, with an option for an additional five. Financial details of the contract were not released, but it calls for Earnhardt Jr. to finish the 1998 season on the Grand National circuit and to stay with the series next year as well. DEI also is to put the younger Earnhardt in a Winston Cup car for several races in 1999, and the company will decide which circuit he competes on in the 2000 season and beyond.(Speedworld)(6-12-98)


  • Kevin Cywinski will be the new driver for Brevak Motorsports, which runs the #31
    Concor Ford. Cywinski will start at Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend, for the Loadhandler 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday night June 20th.(RacingPR)(6-12-98)


  • UPDATE: I hear Buckshot Jones and the Stavola Bros will announce a merger on Thursday, June 11th.(6-8-98) – I now hear the merger may not go through and that Circuit City will leave after the Michiagn race (no idea of their plans) and that Buckshot will still drive for his family owned team in the #00 Aquafresh Pontiac, but may still drive a few races for the #8 Stavola Bros Chevy team.(6-11-98) – no announcement Thursday, have heard nothing on what is going on with the team or Buckshot.(6-12-98)


  • Goodyear Tire Notes for the Miller Lite 400.(RacingPR)(6-12-98)


  • 1st round qualifying results for the Miller Lite 400 can be found at GoRacing, Speedworld and NASCAR Online.(6-12-98)

    (6-11-98)

  • Jimmy Spencer will have Craftsman Truck series regular Boris Said drive the #12 Zippo Chevy car for the BGN Watkins Glen race on June 28th as Spencer will be in Sonoma for the Cup race.(Spencer Fans Page)(6-11-98)


  • Ron Hornaday is going to drive the Tyler Jet Motorsports #17 Chevy at at Sears Point in a one race deal with NAPA as the sponsor.(RPM2Nite)(6-11-98)


  • Ricky Craven will be going to his doctor on Thursday, June 11, hoping to receive the final clearance to return to the drivers seat. Everything has gone well with his therapy and he believes he will be given full clearance to resume his racing career. He was forced out of competition earlier this year due to post-concussion syndrome.
    If everything goes as expected on Thursday, Ricky will be cleared to drive and will return to the track next week. He is planning to test his Busch car, the #2 New Holland Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International Speedway on June 17 & 18. Then if all goes well at this test, he plans to race in the June 28 Busch Grand National race at Watkins Glen. He would then resume his driving duties with the #50 Budweiser Winston Cup team in Daytona, at the Pepsi 400 on July 4th. See the rest of the story as well as some contests and send Andy Santerre questions for an online Q&A at North East Racing.(6-11-98)


  • John Andretti crashed the #43 STP Pontiac in practice and had to go to a backup car for qualifying.(GoRacing)(6-11-98)


  • Jimmy Kitchens has signed a one race deal with Washington-Erving Motorsports. His future with WEM will depend on his performance at Pikes Peak. This deal was put together by a long
    time friend and ARCA owner/driver: Doc Watson.(Racenet)(6-11-98)


  • Craftsman Truck driver, Tony Raines, will make his third attempt(Texas and California) to qualify for a Cup race at Michigan in the #19 Yellow Frieght Ford.(NASCAR Online)(6-11-98)


  • Per Larry Woody in 6-10’s “The Tennessean”, 17 year old Casey Atwood from Nashville tested an Elliott-owned Taurus at Daytona on Monday night and Tuesday. “The Daytona test sessions fueled speculation Elliott might field a third car for Atwood for some of the season’s remaining races.”(Chase)(6-11-98)


  • Curtis Markham will drive thw #64 Schneider Trucking BGN Chevy for Dick Trickle at Pikes Peak in the Lycos Com 250(NASCAR Online), by the way the track has an official home page at www.ppir.com.(6-11-98)


  • Kenny Irwin in the #28 Texaco Ford posted the fastest speed on the third and final
    night of NASCAR Winston Cup testing Wednesday at Daytona in preparation for the inaugural nighttime running of the Pepsi 400 on July 4. Irwin was clocked at 46.950 seconds, for an average speed of 191.693 mph. The drivers rounding out the top-five included Mark Martin (190.034 mph), Michael Waltrip (189.673 mph), Rusty Wallace (189.593) and Sterling Marlin (188.996 mph).(JTT, from DaytonaUSA via StockCarFans)(6-11-98)


  • Bill France Jr. will deliver the Keynote address at this year’s Silver Anniversary 25th Associated Press Sports Editors National Convention June 24 in Richmond, Va.(SpeedNet)(6-11-98)


  • Tony Roper has been named the full-time driver of the #55 Ice House Ford Truck; Dave Rezendes subs for Mike Bliss in the #2 Ford next week.(SpeedNet)(6-11-98)

    (6-10-98)

  • Some high profile(sports figures) people are looking at becoming part of Standridge Racing – Fans Can Race(FCR) #47 Ford. It is very exciting that the #47 team can get some backing and show what they got. More details soon. For info on the team goto Jayski’s FAQ Page or the FCR website.(6-10-98)


  • Rich Bickle may be in the 98 car a little longer than expected. Greg Sacks had an MRI done the week after Charlotte and has yet to call the team with the results. The team is concerned that the results were not good because if they were good he would have called. The time table is short considering Greg is supposed to be back in the car at Daytona which is now only four weeks away. “We’re just taking it as it comes,” said team owner Cale Yarborough. “Rich is a good race car driver and we had a great test at Michigan last week and we’re looking forward to going there.” In fact the team worked every day last week…testing at not only Michigan but also Greenville-Pickens Speedway before Richmond.(MRN-Marty-www.mrnnet.com)(6-10-98)


  • I hear this weekend(Michigan) will be the last race for Circuit City on the #8 Chevy.(6-10-98)

  • Is Ricky Rudd getting a second team or not? “It’s 50/50 right now,” said Rudd. “We’ve set an internal deadline of July 31st. That’s the latest I think we could do a second team the right way. If we can get a sponsor by then we could put a team together and at least get it on the track by October to run a few select races.” Rudd says though, he hasn’t ruled out any situation. “If we can maybe buy into an existing team that would make things move a lot quicker and that’s a possibility too. Both options are under consideration.” In the past Rudd has stated that if he doesn’t get a second sponsor to start a multi-car operation he will be forced to sell his team.(MRN-Marty-www.mrnnet.com)(6-10-98)


  • American Equipment Racing announced today they have replaced David Green as their driver, effective immediately. Howard “Buz” McCall, owner of the No. 96 Caterpillar-sponsored Winston Cup team made the announcement this afternoon. “We are very happy to hear that David has had a good checkup with his doctor on Monday (June 8) and received notice that his shoulder was not broken,” said McCall. “We were very concerned for his well-being last Saturday night at Richmond and felt that his sitting out the race was the best course of action.” McCall was referring to the broken shoulder Green sustained in a crash in Bristol, Tenn., on Aug. 23, 1997, which was thought to be re-injured when he crashed during the MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover, Del., on May 31. “Our performance over the past two seasons failed to meet our
    expectations,” continued McCall. “A change was in the best interest of both parties. David Green has done a commendable job in making the transition from the NASCAR Busch Grand National ranks to the Winston Cup Series, and we thank him for his effort. David is a good driver with good skills. We wish him the best.” Birmingham, Ala., native Hut Stricklin has been named to drive McCall’s Caterpillar Chevrolet in Sunday’s Miller 400 at Michigan Speedway on Sun., June 14.(Press Release)(6-10-98)


  • Speeds for the 2nd night of Daytona testing can be found at SpeedNet.(6-10-98)


  • According to WNDB-AM Radio in Daytona Beach, one of those testing the lights at Daytona International Speedway is Buddy Baker. Buddy said “he is testing to help him in his position as a broadcaster. Baker feels by testing the lights it will him an overall look at the track, conditions, etc. under the lights, and allow him to pass that along to the fans when he is broadcasting from the booth. Baker thinks it is
    important to have hands on experience with this all new venture to give the fans that up close and personal information when the Pepsi 400 comes around in July. WNDB, nor Baker mentioned his testing speeds.(StockCarFans – Nancy)(6-10-98)


  • Condensed from NASCAR LIVE with Eli Gold on MRN from 6/9/1998: Mike Helton, NASCAR V.P. of Competition was a guest on NASCAR LIVE with Eli Gold Tuesday night. Helton responded to questions regarding the controversy surrounding NASCAR’s decision to red flag the race at Richmond on Saturday night. According to Helton: “It isn’t a change in policy. We’ve had them before. Saturday night allowed us to help the effort to have a green flag finish. The drivers, control tower, and NASCAR officials’ felt as if there was a problem in turn 2 based on the number of incidents there with 30 to go. Also, the driver’s were reporting and complaining that there was oil and grease on the track. The red flag let us see what was wrong in turn 2, and address the oil problem. With 6 to go it was either finish under caution or red flag the race.” Eli then asked Mike if there will come a time where NASCAR extends the
    number of laps of a race in order to have a green flag finish? Helton responded, “No. We are not changing our philosophy. We prefer and maintain to run the advertised distance of a race.”(StockCarFans)(6-10-98)


  • Racing a car he had never driven on a track he’d never seen, Jeremy Mayfield still upheld the honor of Winston Cup drivers Tuesday night. Mayfield passed Grand National series star Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the first night of CMS’ weekly Summer Shootout Series. Mayfield and Earnhardt faced each other in convertible stock cars and raced
    on the speedway’s 1/4-mile flat infield oval track. Neither driver had any
    experience on the track or in the cars.(remember when Randy LaJoie tested these cars last fall). See the story at That’s Racin’.(6-10-98)

    (6-9-98)

  • NASCAR has reviewed the Pontiac Excitement 400 in Richmond and decided no fines would be levied.(WC Today Radio)(6-9-98)


  • The Unofficial Gary Bradberry Fan Site has now become The Official Gary Bradberry Fan Site. New writers on the site include Gary, and his wife Karen. Every month Gary will answer fan questions and Karen will provide up-to-date news and information. The new address is www.surf.to/bradberry.(6-9-98)


  • Jimmy Kitchens will be in the driver’s seat this weekend for the Washington Erving Motosports #50 Dr Pepper. Jimmy Foster still out until he is cleared to race from his Doctor. Jimmy Kitchens is a former Busch and Arca driver.(StockCarFans – Gerry)(6-9-98)


  • Mike Skinner was the fastest in the first test under the lights at Daytona, see comments and a few times at Teams Try out the Lights at Daytona – GoRacing. Some very interesting comments too.(6-9-98)


  • Complete testing results for the first test session can be found at SpeedNet – NASCAR hits Daytona to test at night.(6-9-98)


  • Testing at DIS: Twelve teams are currently at Daytona International Speedway, testing the lighting system that is now 100% complete. Here are a few facts and figures about the lighting system: 1416 fixtures on 191 poles ranging to 110 ft. in height on the outside of DIS. 419 Mirtram fixtures inside the track. More than 150 miles of wire, 800 tons of concrete, and 2600 sq. ft. of mirrors were used in the lighting project. Lighting Daytona International Speedway is equivalent to lighting a residential street from Daytona Beach, FL to the Iowa Headquarters of Musco Lighting, the company which developed the system for DIS. There will be as much light on the track as would be generated by the highbeam headlights of 87,000 cars. It will require 2.5 million watts of power per hour to operated the system. This becomes the world’s largest outdoor lighting project. Some of the driver’s here in Daytona to test this lighting project are: Geoff Bodine, Rusty Wallace, Mike Skinner, Mark Martin, Bill Elliott. Prior to sundown, Rusty was clocked as having the fastest speeds.(StockCarFans – Nancy)(6-9-98)


  • The Wallace – Gordon incident. While in the garage area of DIS, discussion came up about what happened between Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace at Richmond. The overall consensus of the teams is that neither Jeff or Rusty was at fault. It was just short track racing. And, many said that they had been tradin’ paint, rubbin’ fenders, etc.
    and it boils down to one simple phrase, “It was just one of them deals.” Even Ray Evernham doesn’t think Rusty did it on purpose. His opinion, it was short track racing, and when you race that tight and hard, anything can happen.(StockCarFans – Nancy)(6-9-98)


  • David Green said he got a clean bill of health in an extensive Sunday medical exam in Charlotte and was okayed to race.(JournalNow), not sure what this means as far as being in the #96 car this weekend.(6-9-98)


  • Interesting: Billy Stavola badly wants young Buckshot Jones to be his driver. Problem is, Jones, who filled in the past two weekends in Stavola’s #8 car, already has a five-race Cup commitment. His dad, Bill Jones, is the owner of the car, and Aqua-Fresh already has been signed as the sponsor. But the elder Jones said yesterday Stavola is open to a creative arrangement — especially because Circuit City is on the fence about its continued association. “Billy wants us to consider letting Buckshot try to do 12 more races, and they’re willing to work out a deal with us to put Aqua-Fresh on the race car if something could be worked out,” Jones said. “We’ve even given some thought to changing the number on the car [from 8 to 00], with them still crewing the car. I told them I’d call them back either Wednesday or Thursday of this week and see if we can work something out that helps both of us.” see more from Skip Wood at Times-Dispatch.(6-9-98)


  • I hear that on Al Winter’s “The Nashville Minute” radio show that country artists Brooks & Dunn are going to start a NASCAR team.(no idea if it’s BGN, Truck or Cup)(6-9-98)


  • UPDATE: I hear Kevin Grubb will driveg the #8 Barbasol Ford (yes a Elton Sawyer team 2nd Car) this weekend at the BGN Pike’s Peak race. He also drove the car at Nazareth before a brake problem sidelined him after only 2 laps.(6-8-98) – Kevin Grubb has decided against driving the #8 and will drive a car out of the Grubb Family garage instead at pikes Peak and the Grubb’s hope to have two Link-Belt Chevrolets in the field for the event.(6-9-98)


  • David Green, driver of the No. 96 Chevrolet, has been fired effective
    immediately, a team source said Tuesday. Hut Stricklin, will drive the car at Michigan. See the rest of the story at That’s Racin’.(6-9-98)


  • Todd Bodine and Jeff Ward(Team Tabasco IRL driver) are also in Daytona for the testing under the lights in the #35 Tabasco Pontiac.(6-9-98)


  • The apparent rift between David Green and the #96 American Equipment Racing Team looks to be getting deeper. goracing has learned that Hut Stricklin is being fitted for a Caterpillar drivers suit and will take over the wheel of the #96 Chevrolet in this weekend’s Miller Lite 400 to be run at Michigan Speedway. See the rest of the story at GoRacing.(6-9-98)


  • Michael Waltrip joined the other Cup drivers at Daytona for the under-the-lights testing.(WC Today Radio)(6-9-98)

    (6-8-98)

  • Morgan Shepherd will run the #8 Circuit City Chevy at Michigan as Buckshot Jones will be at Pikes Peak for the BGN race.(6-8-98)


  • Winston Cup driver Johnny Benson, along with Jeff Burton and Ted Musgrave, will meet Friday at Michigan Speedway with the third grade class from Dudley Elementary School from Grand Rapids, Mich., to sign autographs. Benson grew up in Grand Rapids and looks forward to being in his home area.(6-8-98)(That’s Racin’)


  • UPDATE: The #3 and #31 will switch crew chiefs with Larry McReynolds crew chiefing the #31 Lowes chevy with Mike Skinner driving and Kevin Hamlin crew chiefing the #3 GM Goodwrench Chevy driven by Dale Earnhardt. Happened at 8am this morning. See a story on www.country.com at Earnhardt Getting a New Crew Chief?. Also being reported on NASCAR Online now. The move reunites Earnhardt with his former co-crew chiefs Bobby Hutchens and David Smith who ran the #3 car in 1996. Hutchens and Smith will both report directly to Hamlin at the track.(www.GoRacing.com)(6-8-98)


  • Hearing rumors that Heilig Meyers won’t return to the #90 Ford in 1999.(6-8-98)


  • I hear the reason Buckshot Jones ran so slow in 2nd round qualifying was the #8 Circuit City Chevy had a broken rocker arm.(6-8-98)


  • Virginia native Stacy Compton will attempt to qualify for the fall Goody’s 500 Winston Cup event at Martinsville Speedway. Compton, who has qualified for a Winston Cup race at Martinsville in 1996, is going to be sporting sponsorship from RC Cola and perhaps Moon-Pie snack cakes.(www.GoRacing.com), #86?(6-8-98)
  • I hear executives at Circuit City are livid with such announcements pertaining to loss of sponsorship with the Stavola Bros. While Circuit City is concerned with past
    performance, but realize changes are being made and progress is being made.(6-8-98)


  • The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Sunday that Circuit City may be ready to pull
    it’s sponsorship from Stavola’s #8 car. Circuit City sports marketing manager Frank Burchfield clearly indicated they had a “superb relationship with Stavola, but he also
    pointed to the bottom line”. See the story on Victory Lane Online and at Times-Dispatch RIR Notes.(6-8-98)


  • Andy Petree Racing will have Oakwood Homes, Ken Schrader’s BGN sponsor, as primary sponsor of the #55 Chevy Cup car to be driven by Hut Stricklin at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona.(TNN’s Inside NASCAR)(6-8-98)


  • I hear they may be a major shakeup in the crew of the #3 Goodwrench Service Plus RCR team this week.(6-8-98)


  • Wally Dallenbach, Jr will run the second Texas IRL race in September for the Panther team sponsored by Pennzoil team in a second car.(TNN’s Raceday), more news on this Tuesday as Wally will be on RPM2Nite then.(6-8-98)


  • Among teams testing at Daytona include: Rusty Wallce in the #2 Miller Lite Ford with Buddy Baker helping out; Hut Stricklin in the #96 Caterpillar Chevy, David Green is getting checked out for his broken shoulder; Dennis Setzer testing the #94/89 Elliott Fords; Rich Bickle in the #98 Thorn Apple Valley Ford(for Greg Sacks in case he cannot make it); Loy Allen testing the #28 Texaco Ford tonight and Tuesday, Irwin will test Wednesday; Mark Martin, #6 Valvoline Ford(it will have a special paint scheme for the Pepsi 400); Blaise Alexander and Morgan Shepherd in the #15 Rescue Ford owned by Bud Moore/Robinson; Mike Skinner in the #31 Lowes Chevy; .(RPM2Nite)(6-8-98)


  • May have something brewing in the #96 Caterpillar camp. Anything I have read states that David Green was totally surprised that he was taken out of the car at Richmond because of his broken shoulder with Kevin Lepage taking over for the race. I hear Ron Fellows may test the car this week.(6-8-98)

    (6-6-98)

  • As rumored here in the past Travis Carter, owner of the #23 Winston Ford is looking to start a 2nd team and is seeking additional sponsorship and interviewing drivers for the 2nd team.(NASCAR Online)(6-6-98)


  • Exide Corporation has renewed their sponsorship contract with Roush Racing and driver Jeff Burton(#99 Ford) through the year 2001.(GoRacing)(6-6-98)


  • Check out the Goodyear Tire Notes for Richmond from RacingPR.(6-6-98)


  • Per Bob Jenkins on the ESPN broadcast of the Pontiac Excitement 400, Kevin Lepage does not get any rookie points for driving the #96 car because he didn’t qualify the car.(ESPN)(6-6-98)


  • Some surprising and good runs at Texas in the truck race include Toby Porter in the return of the #17 Tyler Jet Motorsports truck(crashed late in the race) and Andy Houston. The track seems to be much more driver friendly now, all drivers interviewed were very happy with the changes made.(6-6-98)


  • Randy LaJoie is making his last start in the #50 Bud Chevy as Ricky Craven’s sub. Wally Dallenbach takes over at Michigan, Pocono and Sears Point(watch out there). Craven plans to be back in the car for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona.(That’s Racin’)(6-6-98)


  • If Hut Stricklin finds a full-time ride with a different team before the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, Wally Dallenbach will drive the #55 Andy Petree owned 2nd team there.(TNN-Inside NASCAR)(6-6-98)


  • Welcome Back! Richmond’s Junie Donlavey(74yr-old owner of the #90 car) walked into the Winston Cup garage area at Richmond for the first time since undergoing open-heart surgery nearly three months ago. He also reaffirmed that he has no intentions to sell the team he’s owned since 1949, that it will remain in Richmond and won’t be moved to the Charlotte, N.C., area.(Times-Dispatch)(6-6-98)


  • Buckshot Jones’ two-race Cup deal in the car owned by Bill Stavola ends tonight, and the replacement apparently hasn’t been chosen. “We really haven’t made a decision yet,” Stavola said yesterday, adding the team, sponsored by Richmond-based Circuit City, is looking at three or four candidates. Asked whether he’s determined to find a driver to remain in the seat for the season’s remainder, Stavola was noncommittal.(Times-Dispatch)(6-6-98)


  • Hendrick Motorsports may have a wind tunnel built in Charlotte, that’s the word from team president John Hendrick, who adds that if it does happen, it will be available for use by all Winston Cup teams. See the story at Wind Tunnel For All.(That’s Racin’ via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(6-6-98)


  • “Buckshot Jones’ ninth-place(Jayski note: it was eighth not ninth) finish at Dover may be a springboard to a full-time ride on the Winston Cup tour. Billy Jones, his father, and car owner Mickey Stavola said last night they expect to come to terms on an agreement, possibly by Thursday, that would put Buckshot in Stavola’s Chevrolets for 12 more races this season and possibly for 1999 and 2000, too.” Jones would not be able to race at Michigan as he will be at Pikes Peak for the BGN race.(JournalNow)(6-6-98)


  • Sterling Marlin nipped the rear end of Earnhardt’s car early in yesterday’s first practice, but damage was minimal to both cars. Not as fortunate, however, was Earnhardt’s Childress Racing teammate, Mike Skinner. He crashed in practice and switched to a backup car for qualifying.(Times-Dispatch)(6-6-98)


  • Some other interesting notes at The Times-Dispatch.(6-6-98)


  • William Baumgardner Jr., owner of two-time defending Busch Grand National champion Randy LaJoie’s team, was released from Charlotte Medical Center on Friday after a four-day stay. Baumgardner was admitted Monday night with a high fever caused by complications following a heart catheterization several weeks ago. Ironically, it was an allergic reaction to medication designed to prevent an infection that caused his white blood cell count to fall rather than rise. He’s now taking antibiotics to help fight off the infection.(SpeedNet)(6-6-98)


  • 2nd round qualifying is over and Mike Skinner was the second round fastest with a speed of 122.956mph. Skinner was the only one of the seven drivers that made the attempt in 2nd round to make the grid on speed. All but Skinner and Kevin Lepage were slower than their 1st round speeds. Geoff Bodine and Bobby Hamilton stayed with the 1st round speeds and used provs. Skinner knocked Earnhardt from 36th to 37th, so he will take a provisional. To see who used the provisionals and who missed the race goto Jayski’s Provisional Page. See practice results from early Saturday afternoon at GoRacing – Practice #1 Saturday.(6-6-98)


  • Kevin Lepage will drive the #96 Caterpillar Chevy in place of David Green who has a broken shoulder from his Dover wreck last Sunday. This means Lepage will be able to keep pace in the Rookie of the Year race. Lepage failed to make the race in the #91 LJ Racing Chevy #91.(NASCAR Online)(6-6-98)

    (6-5-98)

  • UPDATE: The #78 Pilot Travel Centers Ford team has a new rear tire changer, Scott Radel and a new jackman, Rick Reling.(sorry Scott, had the last name wrong)(6-5-98)


  • Phil Hammer has been named crew chief at Tyler Jet Motorsports, team owner Tim Beverley announced Friday. Hammer, 41, will join the team on Monday, June 8th.
    Prior to joining Tyler Jet Motorsports, Hammer spent the previous four seasons (1994 – 1997) with Hendrick Motorsports. He served two years as chassis specialist for the #24 car of Jeff Gordon, then was named crew chief for Ken Schrader’s #25 machine. During the 1997 campaign, Hammer was involved in research and development for the Hendrick team.(6-5-98)


  • Heard that NASCAR is pulling back from the idea of common templates for the Winston Cup division in part because of strenuous arguments from Ford, Chevy and Pontiac factory types. We hope to have more on this soon.(StockCarRacing Mag/Tom Hintz)(6-5-98)


  • Heard that Dale Earnhardt Inc. is quietly shopping crew chiefs for a second Winston Cup team, probably for the 1999 season. Rumors about a second team keep getting denied publicly but very well placed people all but guarantee it will happen.(StockCarRacing Mag/Tom Hintz)(6-5-98)


  • Stanton Barrett and Kerry Earnhardt may run some races in the #40 Channellock BGN Chevy when the Cup and BGN schedules conflict not allowing Kevin Lepage to drive the car.(ESPN2 during the BGN race)(6-5-98)


  • Geoff Bodine is running the black paint scheme in the #7 Philips Ford and Buckshot Jones us running a reverse paint scheme on the #8 Circuit City Chevy(meaning red where the white was and white where the red usually is)(6-5-98) – but we won’t see it as Jones failed to make the race.(6-6-98)


  • After qualifying, teams that ran 26th or worse that are guaranteed to make the Pontiac Excitement 400 are #23-Jimmy Spencer(10th in owner points); #21-Michael Waltrip(12); #3-Dale Earnhardt(13); #4-Bobby Hamilton(15); #43-John Andretti(21); #41-Steve Grissom(25); and #1-Darrell Waltrip(champ prov). Teams on the bubble would be #30, #31, #8, #91 who are deep in the owner points and ran very slow. For info on the provisionals and the owners points see Jayski’s Provisional Page.(6-5-98)


  • 45 cars will attempt to make the Pontiac Excitement 400, that means two will go home.(6-5-98)

    (6-4-98)

  • Dale Earnhardt will be speaking at the National Press Club on June 16 during one of their lunches. If you’re not familiar with the NPC, they hold luncheons at which they invite speakers to address the members of the club. Then the speaker is asked questions from the members of the press at the lunch. The luncheons are broadcast on C-SPAN and on National Public Radio.(http://www.press.org)(thanks Glen and Julia)(6-4-98)


  • I hear things are still undecided for a driver for the #8 Circuit City Chevy
    but…there could be a merger in the works with Buckshot’s team.(6-4-98)


  • The #78 Pilot Travel Centers Ford team will skip Richmond and Sonoma.(6-4-98)


  • International Speedway Corp(Daytona, Darlington, Talladega, Watkins Glen and Phoenix) announced on June 1, their plans to issue 4 million shares of stock. See the story at Yahoo.(Thanks Jerry)(6-4-98)


  • In a story dated 5/31 at The Journal Now website, Kyle Petty indicated a possible change of his race shop from Charlotte to Level Cross. Check out the article at The JournalNow.(The Petty Page)(6-4-98)

    (6-3-98)

  • NASCAR Magazine contributor and respected freelance motorsports writer Willie Patrick passed away over the Memorial Day weekend. I didn’t know much about him, but I saw on iRace in Sparky’s Letter’s they have a link to his homepage, where you can read some of his articles, so I thought I’d post the link: Willie Patrick Homepage, shame I didn’t catch this before he passed away.(6-3-98)


  • All stories I have read about Buckshot Jones indicate he will be in the #8 Circuit City Chevy thru Richmond, run the Jones Family owned #00 Aquafresh Pontiac in five races and run for the BGN Championship this year then go full time Cup in the #00 in 1999. We’ll see.(6-3-98)


  • Heard a rumor that the American Equipment Racing, Caterpillar #96 Winston Cup Team
    was putting Hut Stricklin in the car for the Richmond Cup race. Not true — David will drive the car in Richmond.(6-3-98) – wrong


  • Hut Stricklin is still working out his contract issues with the Stavola Bros and says he has many things in the works and expects to have a ride by Michigan or Pocono.(WC Today Radio)(6-3-98)


  • Jeff Green tested the #46 First Union Chevy at Greenville-Pickens today.(MRM)(6-3-98)


  • Jim Long, crew chief of the #8 Circuit City Chevy, hopes to get Buckshot Jones to stay with the team as the driver for the rest of the 1998 season and in 1999.(WC Today Radio)(6-3-98)


  • Lyndon Amick was testing his Team Amick/SCANA #35 BGN Chevrolet(yes a chevy) at Greenville-Pickens Speedway today.(MRM)(6-3-98)


  • Only two(2) drivers participated in the Goodyear tests Tuesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They were: Jeremy Mayfield, #12 Mobil One Ford, top lap of 169.492mph and Bobby Labonte, #18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac with a top lap of 167.835mph.(6-3-98)

    (6-2-98)

  • Truck driver Rick Crawford may run Winston Cup later in 1998 or in 1999 as a teammate to Geoff Bodine at Mattei Motorsports.(NASCAR Online)(6-2-98)


  • From Marty of MRN: “I had a chance to corner Buzz McCall this weekend and talk to him about the future of his race team. Buzz vehemently denies that there will be any changes in the driver seat this year. “We will not make a change. I don’t want to change drivers in mid-season. I doesn’t do any good,” McCall said. “This is a two-way street keep in mind. Martinsville and Charlotte (both DNF’s) were both let downs on the teams’ part. We’ve both got to hold up our end of the bargain. You can’t blame what has happened to this race team solely on David. Now, with all of that said we
    are 40 races into a three-year deal and it’s time for everybody to step up and show what we can do. It’s time for David to show that he belongs here and it’s time for the team to show that we belong here.” See a Dover Report from Marty at MRNNet.(6-2-98)


  • I hear Toby Porter and the Tyler Jet Motorsports team tested at Charlotte Motor Speedway Monday in preparation for the Pronto Auto Parts 400k June 5th.(MRM)(6-2-98)


  • David Green and the Buz Mccall owned #96 Caterpillar Chevy team are at Greenville
    Pickens for a two day test(Monday and Tuesday).(MRM)(6-2-98)

    (6-1-98)

  • From Tom of the Stock Car Racing Magazine Site: “Received a fax from Kent Johnson, Director of Media Relations for Tyler Jet Motorsports, new owners of the #17 Winston Cup team formerly owned by Darrell Waltrip, responding to our rumor report on 5-27-98. Johnson writes, “Waltrip is under contact with Tyler Jet Motorsports for the final 14 Winston Cup
    events of 1998 (beginning at the Brickyard 400 ON August 1), as well as the duration of 1999. Any rumor of his (DW) going to Dale Earnhardt Inc. is just that…rumor.”(Stock Car Racing)(6-1-98)


  • Morgan Shepherd has been released from the #46 First Union SABCO Chevy team. Rumors have Jeff Green taking the wheel at Richmond. No word on what Shepherd will do. Green will also drive the #50 Dr Pepper Ford in the BGN race.(WC Today Radio)(6-1-98)


  • Hut Stricklin will be in the #55 Andy Petree Chevy for the Pepsi 400 in a one race deal. The team has no sponsor yet, but Petree hopes to land one for the race.(RPM2Nite)(6-1-98)


  • Mike Hill, Team Manager of Larry Hedrick Motorsports denies any shakeup is in the works with the team and that the team plans on working on their qualifying package.(NASCAR Today Radio)(6-1-98)


  • Dennis Setzer will drive the Rahal/Gloy – #55 IceHouse Ford truck this coming weekend at Texas & there may be a possibility of it turning into a full time ride.(6-1-98)


  • Testing News: #00-Buckshot Jones(not the #8); #97-Chad Little; #91-Kevin Lepage; #28-Kenny Irwin and Hut Stricklin and #22-Ward Burton tested at Pocono today and will test on Tuesday. Two days of tire testing is taking place at Indianapolis with #18-Bobby Labonte and #12-Jeremy Mayfield.(WC Today Radio)(6-1-98)


  • Mike Mulhern of the JournalNow reports: Chevrolet’s new Monte Carlo might not be OK’d for Winston Cup competition until the year 2000, Richard Childress said yesterday, and he isn’t happy about it. NASCAR’s push toward more common templates is apparently at the root of the possible delay, but it’s unclear whether GM officials want to delay release of the car or whether NASCAR officials are dragging their feet on template issues.(JournalNow)(6-1-98)


  • “Todd Bodine failed again to make the field. Nevertheless, Tabasco officials said that they are generally pleased with their NASCAR marketing and promotions operations, and have sales figures to prove its impact — even though their car has failed to make nearly half the Winston Cup tour races this season. When Bodine shows up in a green Tabasco car, sales of green sauce go up, and when he shows up in a red car, sales of red sauce go up. On the technical side of the team, members of the crew are reported at odds with each other, with ”too much Indy-car mentality” at work, according to sources. How long Bodine might put up with the problems is becoming an issue.”(JournalNow)(6-1-98)


  • Jeff Green, might drive for either Billy Stavola #8 Circuit City Chevy or Felix
    Sabates’ First Union-sponsored #46 team in the next few weeks, according to sources close to the situation.(JournalNow)(6-1-98)


  • There may be a major shakeup is brewing in the #41 Kodiak Team, Larry Hedrick was not at the track(Dover) yesterday for comment.(JournalNow)(6-1-98)