March 2000 News Archives

(3-31-2000)
#41 Sponsor? UPDATE 2 Big Daddy’s Responds: have seen in a few published reports that the #41 Hedrick Motorsports team is looking for a sponsor. Been asked: ‘What About Big Daddy’s?’ Rumor has it that financial backing has not be received by the team from Big Daddy’s. That is why Rick Mast was allowed to leave and take the #14 AJ Foyt gig(3-29-2000)
UPDATE: a source tells me this: “(#41 owner) Larry Hedrick accepted 15 million shares of Big Daddy’s stock worth $11,250,000 on a five million dollar deal. This is documented as all stock transactions by the Securities Exchange Commission. Hedrick now has a new deal with New Holland on a primary sponsorship and has requested cash (which was not in the deal) by Friday or the stickers will be pulled. Since Big Daddy’s has a promotion in Texas this weekend with potential buyers of there products, they will accept a return of the stock after the Texas race but will not pay the cash. Big Daddy’s has accepted the fact that a cash deal from New Holland is better for Hedrick than a stock deal. All Big Daddy’s wants is the sponsorship on the car at Texas and their stock returned.” Interesting. Check out Big Daddy’s stock at: freealtime and a story at Big Daddy’s site concerning a lawsuit: Big Daddy’s Files Lawsuit
UPDATE 2: See the story at the Racin’ Network: Big Daddy’s BBQ Responds to the Racefans Concerns, a response from Dan Lloyd, who is the President and CEO of Big Daddy’s BBQ(3-31-2000)
Sad News: Kentucky State Police found the body of popular dirt late model driver Jack Boggs, age 50, in a parked vehicle on Wednesday. State police said he died from multiple gunshot wounds. Police have made an arrest and are holding a 42 year old man at the Carter County Detention Center. Police declined comment on a possible motive, but in a press release indicated Boggs was killed sometime Monday. Thoughts are with family and friends(Speedway Illustrated and story at the Daily Independent)(3-31-2000)
Nadeau Pitches: Jerry Nadeau, driver of the #25 MichaelHoligan.com Chevy, threw out the first pitch Friday night before the Texas Rangers’ exhibition game with the St. Louis Cardinals at The Ballpark in Arlington, TX(Total Sports)(4-1-2000)
Track Record gone: Eleven drivers broke the old track record at Texas for the DirecTV 500: #5-Labonte, #16-Lepage, #32-Pruett, #8-Earnhardt Jr, #88-Jarrett, #1-Park, #27-Fuller, #25-Nadeau, #22-Burton, #6-Martin and #31-Skinner. Three of them are rookies(#’s 32,8,27)(3-31-2000)
Island Oasis out? UPDATE: hearing that Island Oasis is no longer the primary sponsor of the #96 Perry-Huggins Chevy BGN/CUP teams. The BGN team and driver Gus Wasson withdrew from Texas, no word on the part time Greg Sacks Cup ride with the team. Supposedly team employees were told earlier in the week to seek other employment
UPDATE: Osland Oasis has left the team as the primary sponosr but will stay on as an associate, but it’s not enough and the team will skip the next few BGN events until a few associate or a new primary sponsors can be found. Gus Wasson is still the driver. No word on the Cup operation(Winston Cup Scene Magazine)(3-31-2000)
#36 Associate news: ILD Telecommunications, Inc. announced that it is proud to introduce its newest phone card design, featuring the #36 NASCAR Winston Cup Pontiac and driver Kenny Schrader. The cards, which are sold in $5, $10 and $20 denominations feature 3 different images of Schrader and the M&Ms®/Call-N-Carry™ Pontiac(ILD Telecommunications)(3-31-2000)
Lake Speed at TMS: BGN driver Bobby Hillin is getting some help from veteran driver Lake Speed, who joined the team this week as a consultant(Dallas Morning News)(3-31-2000)
Talladega Testing UPDATE 2: hearing Jeff Gordon is testing the #24 Chevy at Talladega today and Wednesday(3-28-2000)
UPDATE: hearing Gordon rans speeds in the 184mph range which would be much slower then last October(3-30-2000)
UPDATE 2: Jeff Gordon wrapped up a rain-shortened two-day test session at Talladega on Wednesday. Gordon’s #24 team spent a majority of the time testing a new Monte Carlo that it will apparently use in the April 16 DieHard 500. The team spent most of their first day taking numerous baseline measurements, and had intended to begin testing their new superspeedway setup. Weather conditions have posed a significant challenge to Gordon’s team, as the start of their second test day was delayed until 1pm due to inclement conditions.(Talladega Superspeedway Site)(3-31-2000)
A Little History: On This Date In Wood Brothers History: The date was April 2, 1967 when Cale Yarborough qualified the Wood Brothers Ford on the pole and went on to win the Atlanta 500. The win marked the 10th superspeedway win for the Wood Brothers and the 1st for Cale Yarborough(Cox Marketing Group-see PR’s)(3-31-2000)

(3-30-2000)
Mike Wallace to Cup? CTS driver and last weeks winner at Bakersfield, Mike Wallace may attempt to run at Charlotte in May with his Ultra Wheels team, only if they test well(RPM2Nite)(3-30-2000)
Bodines Truck: The #15 truck driven by Geoffrey Bodine at Daytona this year won’t go to the museum at Talladega Superspeedway. Instead, Bodine will keep the remains and put them on display at a Bodine family museum planned for the Charlotte, NC, area(Total Sports)(3-30-2000)
#15 takes off: hearing the #15 Fenley-Moore team and Derrike Cope have withdrawn from the DirecTV 500, the team has been removed from the NOL Entry list(3-30-2000)
Cowboy’s Schemes? a month or so ago it was reported here that one or two cars may be painted in a Dallas Cowboy’s(NFL) paint scheme. Have heard or seen nothing on it since. Rumored drivers included #18-Labonte and #2-Wallace. See the past news on it at the Paint Scheme’s Gallery – Current News link(3-30-2000)
#31 and Lowes news: This Friday at the Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Mike Skinner and Lowe’s are announcing the “Racing for Relief” program to raise money for the American Red Cross’ disaster relief efforts and awareness about disaster preparation during April, the beginning of severe storm weather season. As part of “Racing for Relief”: Lowe’s will donate $31 (Mike’s car number) for every lap Skinner completes and $1,031 for every lap he leads during April Winston Cup races. The public can give to their local disaster relief fund by visiting their local Lowe’s store in April or to the national fund by calling 1-800-HELP-NOW.(Insider Racing)(3-30-2000)
Nemechek and Fellows: Road-racing veteran Ron Fellows will race in three NASCAR events at Watkins Glen for Joe Nemechek this season. Fellows, who has driven equipment prepared by Nemechek’s NEMCO Motorsports team in the past, will drive a Nemechek-owned entry in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the 2.45-mile road course June 24, the NASCAR Busch Series event June 25, and the Winston Cup race there Aug. 13. The sponsor will be the same as 1999, Bully Hill Vineyards.(goracing and RPM2Nite) Fellows almost won the Cup race at Watkins Glen last year, finishing 2nd to Jeff Gordon. Fellows did win the CTS event there in 1999(3-30-2000)
Earnhardt to give Tickets: Dale Earnhardt will join Alabama State Troopers in issuing tickets to law-abiding drivers during a Thursday freeway patrol. Earnhardt will not be handing out speeding citations, but rather tickets to the April 16 DieHard 500 NASCAR Winston Cup series race at Talladega Superspeedway. In addition to promoting the upcoming races at Talladega Superspeedway, the freeway ticket giveaway is also designed to help the Alabama State Troopers bring awareness to highway safety. By rewarding responsible drivers, the Troopers hope motorists will see the benefits that come with obeying traffic regulations(Talladega Super Speedway Site)(3-30-2000)

(3-29-2000)
Falk and Bodine return: the #91 LJ Racing team will return to the track at Texas with Todd Bodine driving. It’s their first race since finishing 7th at Atlanta(LJ Racing Site)(3-29-2000)
Bliss has a ride: Mike Bliss will get behind the wheel of the #19 Yellow/Kobalt Mechanics Tools/Pameco Chevy at the mile and a half Texas Motor Speedway for this weekend’s BGN Albertson’s 300 race. It’s a one race deal at present. This weekend’s primary sponsor for the #19 entry is Yellow Freight System, Inc.(Grandstand Communications PR)(3-29-2000)

(3-28-2000)
Jarrett? UPDATE 2: getting asked what happened to Dale Jarrett at Bristol?? Dale Jarrett was running in the top five until the late going when a tire started going down on his #88 Ford(That’s Racin’) on the hood was two hands shaking and with the saying “A Promise Kept” above them, no idea what it was for(3-27-2000)
UPDATE: heard from a few Ford employee’s who were nice enough to explain the hood: Our brand(Ford) is Quality Care at your Service. One of our new slogans and images is the two hands shaking with the slogan: “Quality Care………A Promise Kept.” Thanks. See an excellent image of the hood in the Paint Scheme Gallery(3-28-2000)
Mast to the #14? UPDATE confirmed: the Dick Trickle Fanclub Site is reporting that the #14 team has signed Rick Mast to compete for the remainder of the 2000 season(3-27-2000)
UPDATE: As rumored for a week or two, Rick Mast will go from Larry Hedrick’s #41 Chevy to A.J. Foyt’s #14. Mast will take the wheel of Foyt’s Conseco Pontiac at Texas, presumably for the rest of the season(SpeedVision)(3-28-2000)
Craven to skip Texas UPDATE: hearing Ricky Craven and the #50 Midwest Transit team will skip Texas but return to Martinsville
UPDATE – Crew Chief: The #50 Midwest Transit Chevy team named Greg Connor as their crew chief. Connor has been a crew chief with the Junie Donlavey and Cale Yarborough teams in the past. Driver Ricky Craven and Connor plan to test at Greenville Pickens or Martinsville to get familiar with each other(RPM2Nite)(3-28-2000)
Martinsville Testing: Testing today, Tuesday, March 28, 2000, at Martinsville Speedway for the Goody’s Body Pain 500 on Sunday, April 9. Testing are: #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #17-Matt Kenseth; #10-Johnny Benson; #32-Scott Pruett; #93-Dave Blaney. Earnhardt, Jr., Kenseth, Pruett and Blaney are all rookies in the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit. Of the drivers testing today, only Earnhardt has raced at Martinsville before and that was in the NASCAR Late Model Stock Division. All of those testing Tuesday will be back on Wednesday with the addition of #9-Stacy Compton. See driver quotes at the Martinsville Speedway site. Test Speeds Today At Martinsville Speedway: #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 20.16 seconds, 93.928mph; #17-Matt Kenseth 20.35 seconds, 93.051mph; #32-Scott Pruett 20.35, 93.051mph; #10-Johnny Benson never made a qualifying run but ran 20.40 seconds, 92.823 in race setup and on old tires(3-28-2000)
and the #41? UPDATE: rumor has Ricky Craven returning to the #41 Hedrick Motorsports team, another rumor has Gary Bradberry in the car at Texas(3-27-2000)
UPDATE: The #41, in negotiations with a full-time primary sponsor, will have Gary Bradberry in the car at Texas(SpeedVision) guess Big Daddy’s is leaving?? haven’t heard(3-28-2000)
Trickle to drive for Power Team UPDATE confirmed: Dick Trickle was contacted by Joe Bessey owner of the #60 Power Team to take over the driver’s seat at Texas. The #60 Power Team hopes Dick can help them in their qualifying efforts. They’ve had to use all but one of their remaining provisionals thus far this season. The team has worked well with Ted Musgrave since he took over the driving duties for Geoff Bodine during his recovery, but they continue to struggle each week. They hope that Dick can help them possibly with set-ups and input as he did for the #14 Conseco team(Dick Trickle Fanclub Site) no word on Musgrave’s plans(3-27-2000)
UPDATE: just in from Power Team – Bessey Motorsports has announced that Dick Trickle will substitute for the injured Geoffrey Bodine in the #60 Power Team Chevrolet this weekend. This arrangement is a one-race deal for the DIRECTV 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway. Trickle replaces Ted Musgrave in the #60 car. Musgrave drove for the team on a race-by-race basis for five races. His best finish with the team came in February’s Kmart/Dura Lube 400 at the North Carolina Speedway, where he finished sixteenth. Bodine suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured twelfth vertebrae and broken right wrist, in February’s Daytona 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Daytona International Speedway. He is currently undergoing physical therapy and plans a return to racing in early May. He will attend this weekend’s race at Texas as an advisor to the #60 team and plans to meet with the media at 10:30am on Friday at the Texas Motor Speedway media center(Power Team Site) and see the NOL Column(3-28-2000)

(3-27-2000)
Petty Debut: Adam Petty is scheduled to make his Winston Cup debut at Texas this coming weekend in the #45 Sprint Chevy. Petty tested there a few weeks ago. See story at the TMS site: Adam Petty Bids for First Winston Cup Race in Texas. See an image of the car on the Paint Scheme Gallery(3-27-2000)
Six Different UPDATE: Rusty Wallace was the sixth different winner in the first six races in 2000. The last time that happened was 1991(News and Observer) and it’s only the fifth time it has happened in the history of NASCAR
UPDATE: The most different winners to start off a season in the modern era is 7 in 1991 (Ernie Irvan, Dale Earnhardt, Kyle Petty, Ken Schrader, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip) That also happened in 1964(Ned Jarrett, Fireball Roberts, Wendell Scott, Richard Petty, Dan Gurney, Junior Johnson, Bobby Isaac.)(thanks Matt)(3-27-2000)
Wallace Money: another question being asked, why did Rusty Wallace only win $50 more then 2nd place Johnny Benson? from the Florida Times-Union: Rusty Wallace’s take for winning yesterday’s race was $87,585. Johnny Benson, who finished second, made $87,535. Wallace doesn’t carry a sticker promoting NASCAR’s “official” spray paint, so that cost him $4,300 in bonus money. Not carrying the Gatorade sticker cost him another $10,000. Benson won several bonuses, including one from Gatorade and one for making the best move of the race. Those bonuses added up to $21,800(3-27-2000)
Smithsonian and NASCAR: Richard Petty’s stock car has been in the Smithsonian for years, but now NASCAR is getting serious about its history. NASCAR has reached an agreement with the Atlanta History Center and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History to create a 6,000-foot traveling exhibit called Speed and Spirit: NASCAR in America. It will visit the Smithsonian as well as sites in Atlanta and other cities. Plans are being sketched out, and the exhibit will debut in Atlanta sometime in 2002(Business Journal of Charlotte)(3-27-2000)
Talladega Rules UPDATE: NASCAR Saturday amended its rules revision for Talladega next month, informing teams that it would allow them to use frame bumpers on the front ends of their cars. Even smart crew chiefs seemed puzzled as to what this means. See Ben Blakes story at SpeedVision for the explanation: Blake’s Bristol Notebook: Saturday(3-26-2000)
UPDATE: The bumpers are small rubber pieces attached to the frame, which cushion body-frame contact when the car body drops closer to the ground(That’s Racin’), to see an image of a ‘bumper’, see the story at Speedway Illustrated(3-27-2000)
Foyt Driver: SpeedVision reports that Dick Trickle apparently will drive AJ Foyt’s #14 Conseco Pontiac at Texas. The team is looking at candidates for the ride. Looks like Mike Bliss, who started the year in the Foyt cars, will not return. Meanwhile, talk bubbled that Bliss could end up in the #27 Eel River Racing Viagra Pontiac if rookie Jeff Fuller’s fortunes do not improve. Bliss and team manager Barry Dodson worked well together in CTS and Bliss drove the car late in 1999 and was to be their 2000 driver when he opted for the Foyt ride before Ell River found a sponsor AND Trickle may get called upon again at Texas next weekend should the team not sign a full-time replacement for Bliss this week. But an announcement is expected by the middle of the week and veteran Rick Mast(#41) is considered the top candidate(That’s Racin’)(3-27-2000)
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America/Martin Update: Mark Martin’s on-track performance in the #6 Valvoline Ford, combined with contributions from Valvoline and NASCAR fans, has brought the current total raised for Big Brothers Big Sisters since 1999 to $276,683. Valvoline is donating $5,000 for every Winston Cup race Martin wins, $2,500 for each pole, $1,000 for a top-five finish, and $20 per lap Martin leads in this “Caring Hands” program(Valvoline Newsletter)(3-27-2000)
#50 for Rusty: #2-Rusty Wallace wins at Bristol for the 2nd spring race in a row and hos 50th career Winston Cup win, tying him with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson for 8th on the all time list and putting him one in front of Jeff Gordon. Lee Petty is next in line with 55. For results of the Food City 500 see NASCAR Online, That’s Racin’ or the Racin’ Network(3-26-2000)
UPDATE: the win also extends Wallace’s streak of having a win in each of the last 15 seasons(3-27-2000)
Parker and Eel River Crew CORRECTION: In an agreement that is designed to help both racing teams, five pit-crew members from the #27 Eel River Racing Team help on Saturday pit stops in the Busch Series for the #53 Team Marines Busch Series car driven by Hank Parker, Jr. Eel River Racing crew chief Barry Dodson assisted the #53 team last year, and he was willing to offer them assistance this year with some pit crew members on race weekends when the Busch Series competes at the same track on the same weekend as the Winston Cup Series. In addition, Dodson continues to work as a consultant for the #53 team on Saturdays, aiding them with pit strategy and giving advice on chassis adjustments. Dodson lends the #53 team two tire changers, two tire carriers and the jack man for the Busch races(Keystone Marketing)(3-24-2000)
CORRECTION: The #27 Eel River Racing pit crew (Jeff Fuller/Viagra on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series) performs the over-the-wall race day duties on Hank Parker Jr.’s #53 Rick Rathbun’s Team Marines Racing NASCAR Busch Series Chevrolet. Eel River Racing crew chief Barry Dodson is a close friend of the Parker family. Veteran crew chief Dave McCarty and general manager/spotter Freddie Query “call the shots” on raceday chassis setups and strategy. More on the BGN Site(3-27-2000)

(3-26-2000)

Gordon Streak continues: Jeff Gordon has gone 11 races without a Top-Five finish. This is the longest that Gordon has gone without a Top-Five in his 229-race NASCAR Winston Cup Series career. But in the last two races the team has shown much improvement and has three top 10’s in a row and led the most laps at Bristol(3-26-2000)
2nd best: #10-Johnny Benson finished 2nd, a career best and his first top five in 64 races at Texas, almost two years ago when he finished 5th. It is also the best finish for Tyler Jet Motorsport and owner Tim Beverley(3-26-2000)

(3-25-2000)
Greed and Notes: Greed seems to be a theme on the Winston Cup tour this spring. According to one top official, NASCAR is considering assessing a 10-percent fee on major tour car sponsors that aren’t already an “official whatever-it-is” of NASCAR. See this an notes on Fox owner buying GM Motors? Templates? Dodge/Ford? Spencer’s oil at PitNow(3-25-2000)
#14 Rumors UPDATE 2 #41 close?: hearing Rick Mast, driver of the #41 Chevy could be AJ Foyt’s next driver if he can get out of his contract with #41 owner Larry Hedrick(3-24-2000)
UPDATE: Rick Mast is the leading candidate to take over the driving duties for the #14 Pontiac’s owned by A.J. Foyt, The Charlotte Observer has learned. Mast, who currently drives the #41 Chevrolets owned by Larry Hedrick, is expected to meet with Foyt following this weekend’s Food City 500. Should Mast move to Foyt’s team, a new driver would have to be found for Hedrick’s team or it may close its doors(That’s Racin’) close up? first I had heard that part of it
UPDATE 2: Mast is tight with Hedrick pending a solid sponsor opportunity. Bliss may get another chance at Texas or Trickle may drive again(SpeedVision)(3-25-2000)
#75 Crew Chief switch CORRECTION: Wayne Orme will not be the crew chief on Wally Dallenbach’s #75 Ford this weekend. Orme is still part of car owner Darwin Oordt’s team, but the team will go with a crew chief-by-committee this weekend(Similar to the #94 team setup). Engineer Walter Giles and consultant Alex Astor will work with Dallenbach at Bristol(The State)
CORRECTION: Have been informed that Alex Astor is not a consultant with the team(3-25-2000)
Common Engines? word spread Friday that NASCAR intends eventually to make all manufacturers run an Chevy/GM SB2-pattern engine, although this was not confirmed by NASCAR. Dodge, rumor has it, has been instructed to follow the GM configuration, and Ford supposedly would be told to do the same at its next revision(see more at SpeedVision)(3-25-2000)
Common Templates: most sources indicate that Common Templates will be a reality in CUP for the 2001 season and some announcement will be happening in the next few weeks(3-25-2000)
AJ’s First: Did you know? until Friday, #14 team owner, AJ Foyt had never been on the grounds of Bristol Motor Speedway(Gaston Gazette)(3-25-2000)
Earnhardt Jr: Dale Earnhardt Jr. failed to qualify in the top 10 for the first time this season. He was the only who had done it thru five races, he qualified 12th at Bristol(3-25-2000)
Tire Problems? Goodyear is raising a lot of eyebrows in the NASCAR garage, as well as the ire of more than a few drivers, with some of its new tires this season. One driver reported that none of the drivers like the tire being used at Bristol(PitNow)(3-25-2000)
No Switch: A week ago, the Darlington garage area was full of talk that Jimmy Spencer, No. 26, would switch car numbers with teammate Darrell Waltrip, #66, so that Waltrip could be eligible for more of the provisional starting positions he has needed to make the field in four of the season’s first five races. It never was an issue, Spencer insisted Friday(Gaston Gazette)(3-25-2000)

(3-24-2000)
Bodine Update: From the Watkins Glen chat with Geoffrey Bodine: The pins came out of his wrist on Thursday. Bodine is working with his personal trainer to get back into shape. He plans to be at next week’s race at Texas as a spectator and advisor to the team, and to return to racing at California. He also hopes to return to driving at a testing session at Richmond the week before that California race(Watkins Glen Site, thanks Matt)(3-24-2000)
Hearn to NASCAR? Richie Hearn had planned on competing in Sunday’s CART season opener at Homestead. Instead, Hearn will be a spectator when the green flag drops on the 2000 CART season — only he won’t be at Homestead. Hearn, who lost his ride Friday with longtime team owner John Della Penna, said he likely would spend Sunday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway watching the Food City 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race. Hearn is not sure what he wants to do yet and is looking at different venues to race(Las Vegas Sun)(3-24-2000)
Foyt Comments: A.J. Foyt would put Arlington’s David Starr in his #14 Conseco Pontiac next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway if he could but Foyt hasn’t decided who will drive for him at TMS, and he believes Winston Cup drivers should be handicapped when they compete in BGN races, along with comments on Greg Ray and Mark Martin(full story at the Dallas Morning News)(3-24-2000)
Hammond fined: NASCAR announced that they have penalized 397 John Deere/Roush Racing crew chief Jeff Hammond was fined $7,500 for rules violations discovered in inspection prior to last Sunday’s Mall.com 400 at Darlington Raceway. In the standard pre-race inspection, NASCAR Winston Cup Director Gary Nelson said inspectors discovered 14 pounds of lead that was improperly positioned in the driver’s compartment of the #97 Ford(NASCAR Online-NOL) also SpeedVision talks about the drivers water bottle(3-24-2000)
Templates, another UPDATE: Speedway Illustrated was told by reliable sources this afternoon that Cup teams are expecting to get common templates from NASCAR in the next three to five weeks. They also expect that the new template configuration will be raced at Talladega for the October 15, 2000 race to be sure the teams have time to bring refined cars to the 2001 Daytona 500. Reportedly the templates will be based on the Taurus as it has the best overall aerodynamic properties. Using the Taurus will make it easier to get all the other teams to accept the common template(see full story at Speedway Illustrated)(3-24-2000)

(3-23-2000)
Sponsor Site: RotoZip Tool Corporation, co-sponsor of the #75 Ford and driver Wally Dallenbach has just started a new Racing Section at www.rotozip.com (3-23-2000)
Co-op: Melling Racing has an engineering co-op program with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Josh Wilson, a Junior from Nashville, TN, is the first student to enter the program. This weekend marks the first time Josh will go to a race with the Melling team in his home state. Josh will be available to answer questions about his experience on Saturday at the track(Melling PR)(3-23-2000)
Polaris diecast: Racing Champions Corporation® has recently added the Polaris license to its extensive line of branded die-cast recreational vehicles. As one of the industry’s largest die-cast manufacturers, Racing Champions Ertl has created a variety of Polaris replicas including snowmobiles, watercraft and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) for adventure seekers of all ages to enjoy. The Polaris product line includes a wide range of replicas including ATVs, snowmobiles and watercraft. Polaris is a major associated sponsor for recent Cup winner Ward Burton on his #22 Caterpillar Pontiac and a primary sponsor on Burton’s BGN car(Racing Champions)(3-23-2000)

(3-22-2000)
Paint Schemes UPDATE 2: hearing that Mark Martin will run a “New Life” schemes and Terry Labonte a “Fruit Loops” schemes, have not heard where, but Labonte has run schemes before at Michigan Speedway, near the headquarters of Kelloggs. No idea what “New Life” represents. Also hearing that Jeff Gordon will run a Pokemon scheme in the Winston
UPDATE: correction, the Martin scheme will be “MaxLife” for a new Valvoline motor oil for cars with 75,000+ miles. Supposedly Martin will run the scheme for six races. The car will have the normal scheme but the rear will be read instead of blue and have “MaxLife” instead of “Valvoline” on the 1/4 panels(3-22-2000)
UPDATE 2 Martin: Mark Martin will bring a new car with a new paint scheme to Bristol. Martin will race JR-82, a new addition to the Roush stable. The car will be painted in the colors of MaxLife, a new Valvoline motor oil. The MaxLife paint scheme will also be featured at Texas and Martinsville in April, at Richmond in May, and at both the Coca-Cola 600 and The Winston in May(J-Mar Express Newsletter). ALSO Martin will run the “Eagle One” paint scheme at the April Talladega race, at California and Michigan in June. A “Stars and Stripes” scheme will be run at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona and the “Zerex” scheme will run in October’s Talladega race(3-22-2000)
Templates? Dodge? UPDATE 2 delay: hearing NASCAR has told Ray Evernham to stop building his Dodge prototype until they finalize a common template supposedly based on Ford(3-18-2000)
UPDATE: Winston Cup series director Gary Nelson attempted to dispel growing talk in the garage area Sunday that NASCAR was close to issuing common templates for each manufacturer. NASCAR officials have been re-examining the issue of common templates since the 2000 season started to help produce cars that are as equal as possible aerodynamically on the race tracks. Despite Nelson’s comments, several team officials said Sunday they expected some version of the common template idea to gain NASCAR approval in the near future. One reason for the growing concern Sunday was a rumor which made its way on the Internet that Ray Evernham’s new Dodge operation was told to put its car-building plans on hold until NASCAR’s common templates were issued. Evernham denied that claim(..full story at: That’s Racin’)(3-19-2000)
UPDATE 2 Dodge Delay: Dodge has put on hold its first car tests, planned for the end of this month at Homestead, FL, while awaiting a decision from NASCAR on the so-called “common template” intended to standardize certain body lines of all the participating makes(full story at SpeedVision)(3-22-2000)
No Cope at Bristol: the #15 Fenley-Moore Motorsports team and driver Derrike Cope will not be at Bristol this weekend. Cope rumored to be under consideration for the #14 AJ Foyt opening after Bristol, has notasked for his release from the team(3-22-2000)
Crew Changes: The #25 MichaelHoligan.com team has two new crew members for driver Jerry Nadeau. Raymond “Rizzo” Schepler takes over as Parts Mgr in the shop and for Bristol only Jeff McKinney will be the front tire carrier(not changer) as Ray Holm Jr., is no longer with the team(Cotter Group)(3-22-2000)

(3-21-2000)
#50 News UPDATE 2: hearing more crewmen have left the team and interim crew chief Bob Hayden will leave after the race at Darlington(3-16-2000)
UPDATE: hearing chassis builder, Ray Kilgore, has returned to Midwest Transit Racing to head up their chassis program. Kilgore previously worked with Gary Dehart’s TURNKEY PERFORMANCE who supplied Morgan McClure with chassis during the 1999 season. No more news on the crew chief situation or Craven’s. Haven’t heard but am assuming the team will be at Bristol
UPDATE: The #50 team and Ricky Craven will be at Bristol and Texas the next two weeks(#50 Team)(3-21-2000)
More Winston UPDATE: Winston Cup Radio(PRN) reports that with Wards Burton’s win at Darlington, Geoffrey Bodine and Sterling Marlin have been knocked out of the all-star race, The Winston and will need to race their way into it
UPDATE: I have confirmed that both Marline and Bodine have been knocked out of The Winston and needs to win a race before the Winston or race in during the Open segments(3-21-2000)
Baird to Cup: 1999 ARCA Champ Bill Baird is running a part time ARCA schedule and plans to attempt four Winston Cup races in 2000. Both Pocono races and the Brickyard 400 are planned along with an un-named race. The team is looking for a sponsor for it’s ARCA and Cup operation(Bill Baird Site(3-21-2000)
Wear Your Helmet: At Dalrington on Sunday, Dennis “Moose” Cabe, gasman for the #77 Ford Taurus and driver Robert Pressley, had just finished putting gas in the car and was working on a wedge adjustment when Pressley began leaving the pit box. Cabe was dragged into the neighboring pit box of Dave Blaney. Cabe escaped without any injuries. One reason? He had all of his protective gear on, including a helmet. “My helmet hit the ground on the right side,” Cabe said. “I always wear all of my protective gear and that’s why.”(Speed Magazine/Andrew Booth)(3-21-2000)
Tuesday Testing at Martinsville: Test Speeds for on Tuesday, March 21 at Martinsville Speedway during test for Goody’s Body Pain 500 on Sunday, April 9. #2-Rusty Wallace 95.013mph; #25-Jerry Nadeau 94.870; #12-Jeremy Mayfield 93.281. Mayfield did not work on qualifying setup. He worked solely on race setup. Wallace and Nadeau each ran qualifying setups. Track record is 95.275mph set by #20-Tony Stewart last year(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-21-2000)

(3-20-2000)
DW to switch to #26? UPDATE 2: TNN’s Raceday is reporting that next week at Bristol, Darrell Waltrip and teammate Jimmy Spencer may switch cars so Waltrip can take advantage of the provisionals the #26 has. The #26 is also 25th in owners points and if it stays there the team would not be charged a provisional…should be interesting if it happens(3-19-2000)
DW UPDATE: #66 Darrell Waltrip abruptly parked his car on Lap 132 at Darlington on Sunday. He had been in the garage earlier, and the team had made adjustments on the car. This time, he climbed out and went in his hauler to change. Waltrip said he couldn’t go fast enough to stay out of the other drivers way. Waltrip has used four champion provisionals in five races this season and cannot use another until Martinsville. That means he has to qualify at Bristol and Texas, or go home. There is talk that Carter might put Waltrip in the #26 (his teammate) next week at Bristol (moving Spencer to 66) so that DW can use the 26’s provisional if necessary. Team members would not confirm that, saying they’d know more early this week(SpeedVision)(3-20-2000)
UPDATE 2: Owner Travis Carter grimaced when asked if driver Darrell Waltrip, out of provisionals, would switch cars with teammate Jimmy Spencer for Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Reports had surfaced that Carter would have his drivers trade cars because Spencer has enough points to make the race. Will it happen? Not likely. “Every man’s got to stand on his own two feet,” Carter said(Times-Dispatch)(3-20-2000)
UP and DOWN: #4-Bobby Hamilton advanced the most positions in the Mall-com 400 at Darlington moving up 26 postions from 33rd to 7th, followed by #5-Terry Labonte (+23), #99-Jeff Burton (+22), and #97-Chad Little(+22). Who fell back the most? #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. fell back 30 spots(from 10th to 40th)), followed by #27-Jeff Fuller (-22) and #42-Kenny Irwin (-20). See more stats like this at Rumblings by Henry Dubert on Catchfence(3-20-2000)
Hendrick Comments: Rick Hendrick, owner of the Chevrolets of Jeff Gordon, Jerry Nadeau and Terry Labonte, said Sunday if NASCAR plans to make more rules changes – including a move to common templates – it should give teams plenty of time to prepare. See full story at That’s Racin’(3-20-2000)
#36 Jackman: Eric Wilson of Hickory, NC, served as the new jackman with Ken Schrader’s #36 M&M’s Pontiaic Sunday. Wilson is serving as a race-to-race replacement for Michael Cooper, who sprained his right ankle during a pit stop accident last weekend at Atlanta(That’s Racin’)(3-20-2000)
Donlavey ARCA UPDATE: #90 team owner Junie Donlavey plans to field an ARCA team for a limited schedule. Jason Hedleski, who works with Donlavey, plans to drive the car which will all be built in the same shop(Times-Dispatch)(3-19-2000)
UPDATE: Been told that Donlavey will not run any ARCA races as they want to concentrate on getting the CUP team running well and making races(3-20-2000)

(3-19-2000)

Templates? Dodge? UPDATE: hearing NASCAR has told Ray Evernham to stop building his Dodge prototype until they finalize a common template supposedly based on Ford(3-18-2000)
UPDATE: Winston Cup series director Gary Nelson attempted to dispel growing talk in the garage area Sunday that NASCAR was close to issuing common templates for each manufacturer. NASCAR officials have been re-examining the issue of common templates since the 2000 season started to help produce cars that are as equal as possible aerodynamically on the race tracks. Despite Nelson’s comments, several team officials said Sunday they expected some version of the common template idea to gain NASCAR approval in the near future. One reason for the growing concern Sunday was a rumor which made its way on the Internet that Ray Evernham’s new Dodge operation was told to put its car-building plans on hold until NASCAR’s common templates were issued. Evernham denied that claim(..full story at: That’s Racin’)(3-19-2000)
Don’t forget Geoffrey UPDATE 2 The Winston: Geoffrey Bodine is back in The Winston. Bodine was added to the field Wednesday when NASCAR discovered that he had been mistakenly left off the list of eligible drivers. According to the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Media Guide, Sterling Marlin is eligible for The Winston at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 20 for his victory at Talladega in 1996. But Geoffrey Bodine won a Winston Cup race (at Watkins Glen in August of that year) after Marlin and should have been listed as a participant. What happened? since Bodine won The Winston on 1994, he received a five-year exemption(meaning he was automatically in the Winston from 95-99). That ended last year, and he was mistakenly not put back in the previous winner’s list. Mike Allison, business manager for Bessey Motorsports, who Bodine drives for. said Bodine should be recovered from his injuries sustained in the Daytona CTS wreck in time for The Winston(Total Sports)(3-16-2000)
UPDATE: However, both Bodine and Sterling Marlin are “on the bubble,” so to speak – should a driver not in the Winston already win a races held before The Winston, then both drivers would be knocked out of the field and forced to compete in the Winston Open to have a shot at running in the feature event(goracing)(3-18-2000)
UPDATE 2: Ward Burton winning the race at Darlington gets him in The 2000 Winston but supposedly knocks out Marlin and Geoffrey Bodine of the All-Star race(see above story link), BUT I think they are still in as the rules state: If 20 drivers are not eligible, winners from previous seasons still active on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series become eligible for The Winston. All active drivers during that season become eligible, even if the field exceeds 20 competitors. With Burton that is 19 drivers, so I think Bodine and Marlin are in unless another driver not already in wins a race(3-19-2000)
Bodine Returns UPDATE: hearing Geoffrey Bodine will make his first appearance at a track this weekend at Darlington since he was injured in the Daytona CTS wreck(3-15-2000)
UPDATE: During the Mall.com 400 on ESPN, Dr Jerry Punch mentioned that Bodine was not at the track and reported that Bodine was making great progress in getting better and the hope is that Bodine can return to the #60 car in early May(ESPN)(3-19-2000)
#15, no sponsor UPDATE 2: hearing that Everything-commerce.com has decided not to continue it’s sponsorship of the #15 Fenley-Moore Motorsports team and driver Derrike Cope. The team will be at Darlington but it’s schedule after that is unknown(3-17-2000)
UPDATE: A two-race sponsorship with an Internet company looked as if it would be extended for the entire season. Things were finally looking up for the #15 team. But, the sponsor, Everything-Commerce.com, backed out. Its board of executives decided the 4-month-old company was just too young to spend millions promoting itself on a race team. Without financial help, Winston Cup rookie owners Randy and Robert Fenley are now staring at the reality of a limited schedule–perhaps very limited. They ARCA operation for driver Damon Lusk have been suspended indefinitely. Another possible sponsorship is in the works which the owners feel good about and hopes to happen in a few days. Owner Randy Fenley said a new sponsorship deal could be signed early next week and that ”hopefully, the car will be all painted up at Bristol.” But would cut back on the schedule if not sponsored(GoUpstate)(3-18-2000)
UPDATE 2: The #15 Fenley/Moore Motorsports team and driver Derrike Cope failed to qualify for a race for the first time this season, and the timing certainly won’t help secure a much-needed sponsor. If financial help is not found early this week, the team will not go to the next race at Bristol(GoUpstate)(3-19-2000)
Cup Stat UPDATE: #18-Bobby Labonte leads all Cup drivers having finished in the top 10 in the past 14 races and is also the only driver to have finished on the lead lap in each of the past 14 races(That’s Racin’)(3-18-2000)
UPDATE: this streak ended at Darlington when Labonte finished a lap down(3-19-2000)

(3-18-2000)
Cope? Foyt? UPDATE Mast?: hearing Derrike Cope, presently in the unsponsored #15 Fenley-Moore Ford may move on to the #14 Conseco Pontiac owned by AJ Foyt, if he can get out of his deal with the #15(3-17-2000)
UPDATE: Ted Musgrave is likely to move into the #14 Pontiac owned by A.J. Foyt within the next few weeks. When Musgrave takes over the Foyt ride, Todd Bodine is likely to drive the #60 until his older brother returns(Gaston Gazette) AND Rick Mast, who drives the #41 Chevy for Larry Hedrick, has been approached about replacing Mike Bliss with A.J. Foyt’s #14 team. Mast isn’t commenting on the situation(Times-Dispatch)(3-18-2000)
Lowes Tire Test: #5-Terry Labonte and #12-Jeremy Mayfield tested more than 15 Goodyeat tire combinations Tuesday and Wednesday night at the 1.5-mile Lowes Motor Speedway. Labonte was unofficially the fastest during the test, posting a speed of 181.818mph and Mayfield ran laps in the 181.208mph range in race trim. The two drivers ran a combined 500 laps and 750 miles of testing(LMS)(3-18-2000)
Little E’s Problem UPDATE 2: got this from quite a few readers – “….on the scanner today(at Atlanta on Sunday), was listening to the #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr team and it was relayed that the speed sensors that were put on the car to relay telemetry for TV somehow cut or rubbed a hole in the brake line that caused Earnhardt’s problem”(3-13-2000)
UPDATE: … Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s day ended early when a television(not a camera, but telemetry for Mph, RPM etc) sensor cut a brake line(PitNow)(3-14-2000)
UPDATE 2: Dale Earnhardt Jr. confirmed that a wheel sensor placed on his car last week by ABC came off and sheared his brake line early in the race, causing him to hit the wall. Dale Earnhardt, owner of his son’s car, said at Atlanta he wasn’t going to let TV put that kind of sensor on the car again(Total Sports)(3-18-2000)

(3-17-2000)
Restrictor Plates UPDATE: NASCAR officials are considering using a slightly smaller restrictor plate at Talladega in April’s race. Teams currently run a plate with four holes 29/32nds of an inch in diameter; the possible new plate holes would be 7/8 -inch. That would cut about 15 horsepower from the 400-horsepower plate motors, or about half a second (2 mph) in speed(PitNow)(3-13-2000)
UPDATE: NASCAR announced chassis and engine changes for the next restrictor-plate race, the DieHard 500 at Talladega on April 16. The shock rules used in Daytona is a little different, teams must continue to run the specified springs and shocks on the rear ends of their cars but will be allowed to use what they want on the front. And the holes in the manifold restrictor plates will be reduced from 29/32in to 7/8in, as they were four or five years ago(SpeedVision)(3-17-2000)
No Sauter: In a story/interview on the TNN site, Ray Evernham says he has not talked to BGN driver Jay Sauter about his 2nd Dodge CUP ride(3-17-2000)
Chevy Nose UPDATE: hearing that not all teams used the full additional two inches on the nose of the Monte Carlo allowed by NASCAR, as they found it made the car lose. Which ones? the #3 and #31 along with the #8 and #1, all ran strong and up front(3-15-2000)
UPDATE: When NASCAR changed the rules for the Chevy, crew chiefs were allowed to lengthen the front valence “up to two inches.” That meant there was a lot of area to play around with and some crews guessed better than others how it would affect them at Atlanta. The guys who took the full two inches on the valence found their cars were loose and were sliding around the track. Those with less on the front had more control of their cars, which included: Dale Earnhardt, #3; Mike Skinner, #31; Steve Park, #1; Dale Earnhardt Jr., #8. All led at some point during the race, and the senior Earnhardt took the trophy(Racing Milestones)(3-17-2000)
Hendrick and Cicci-Weliver Alliance: Hendrick Motorsports announced a new partnership with Cicci-Welliver Racing(BGN teams #’s 34,36,66) designed to enhance the performance of both organization’s BGN teams. As part of the exclusive agreement, the two organizations will share aerodynamic, chassis and certain technical information as well as participate together in in-house testing sessions and those held at outside facilities. They may also join forces to test during a limited number of Winston Cup races using Cicci-Welliver drivers. Hendrick Motorsports will provide Cicci-Welliver access to chassis and engine dyno testing facilities, key personnel and wind tunnel results throughout the season(David Green Site)(3-17-2000)
Fans Team: “FansTeam.com™” has announced its intention to sponsor a Cup car during the second half of the 2000 season beginning with the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. FansTeam.com™ is an internet based fan club specifically designed for NASCAR® team sponsorship and is the creation of America’s Team Motorsports based in Richmond, VA. FansTeam.com™ has arranged to sponsor the #48 car owned and operated by TriStar Motorsports located in Huntersville, NC. TriStar has contracted Stanton Barrett to drive the FansTeam.com™ car for the 2000 season. Mark Smith is the President of TriStar. Barrett and TriStar began the 2000 season at the Daytona 500 in February and had an abbreviated schedule slated for the 2000 season. For more info see their site www.fansteam.com (3-17-2000)
Dodge BGN? UPDATE: hearing there will be a Dodge BGN team but not until 2002. Hearing the #1 Phoenix team, who has built a Dodge could be one team of that Brewco Motorpsorts could be one team(3-15-2000)
UPDATE: Ray Evernham and Lou Pantane from Dodge met with Caey Atwood, Atwoods BGN team owenr Clarance Brewer and Atwood’s Father. Sources indicate that Evernham will put a yound driver in a Dodge BGN team with Brewco Motorsports in the season 2001(Winston Cup Scene Magazine)(3-17-2000)
Greg Ray to NASCAR IRL Champ, Greg Ray, is being mentioned concerning Ray Evernham’s Dodge start-up team(2nd team) next season. Bill Elliott already will drive one of Evernham’s Dodges and Casey Atwood a likely choice to fill the other, Ray has had talks with the Dodge folks and admitted he’s highly intrigued by the Winston Cup circuit. See full story by Skip Wood at the Tennessean(3-17-2000)
Exide Safe: the withdrawal of Exide as the sponsor of the #99 Roush Racing CTS(truck) team after the 2000 season will not affect the #99 Roush Racing CUP team whose contract with Exide runs thru 2001 and negotiations are underway to extend that deal(Winston Cup Scene Magazine)(3-17-2000)

(3-16-2000)
Kodak Re-ups: The #4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports team and primary sponsor Kodak have extended their sponsorship agreement through 2005. The #4 Kodak Chevy is driven by Bobby Hamilton who is signed with the team thru 2001(SpeedVision)(3-16-2000)
Hillenburg at Indy? UPDATE: I hear ARCA and part time Cup driver Andy Hillenburg will attempt to make the Indy 500. Hillenburg and Bill Simpson of Simpson safety equipment have teamed up and have purchased two Dallara IRL cars from John Menard. Hillenburg also runs the Fast Track Racing School(3-15-2000)
UPDATE: Hillenburg actually passed his Indy Racing Northern Light Series orientation three years ago, and ran some laps in Ron Hemelgarn’s car last season at Texas Motor Speedway. Hillenburg has purchased a couple of 1999 Dallara chassis and is finalizing plans to go racing at the Brickyard(SpeedVision)(3-16-2000)
Wind Tunnel UPDATE: According to Doug Duchardt, GM Racing NASCAR Group Manager, Chevrolet might have won Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup race in Atlanta but didn’t come out ahead of Ford in Monday’s wind tunnel test. NASCAR took Mark Martin’s Taurus, Mike Skinner’s Monte Carlo and Bobby Labonte’s Grand Prix to the wind tunnel for aerodynamic tests following Sunday’s race(TachZone)(3-15-2000)
UPDATE: a few more stories out there on this – Ford, which finished third at Atlanta, had the best wind-tunnel numbers in NASCAR’s post-race testing at Lockheed in Marietta, GA.(PitNow) AND Wind Tunnel Says Ford Still Best(Speedway Illustrated)(3-16-2000)

(3-15-2000)
Qualifying Changes? According to garage-area gossip, NASCAR is considering widespread changes in the qualifying system and allocation of provisional starting spots. One change that would make time trials more interesting for fans would be an end to the process in which drivers are allowed to “stand” on first-round speeds. One possible change would be to strike out first-round speeds entirely for those who do not secure one of the 25 spots available in the first round. Such a move would force every driver to requalify in the final round. Driver Dave Marcis has been calling for such a change for years, pointing out the unfairness of having to qualify in the second round under weather conditions that sometime make improvement virtually impossible(Gaston Gazette)(3-15-2000)
No Cale Return: Cale Yarborough, who closed his (#98)team’s shop before the season when a sponsor couldn’t be found, says it’s doubtful he’ll return as a car owner unless someting big comes along. No asle prospects at this time(Roanoke Times)(3-15-2000)
#17 Spotter: After substituting as Matt Kenseth’s Winston Cup spotter in Atlanta, Mike Calinoff (racecomm) has accepted the position as full-time spotter for the Roush/Mark Martin DeWalt team effective at Darlington. Calinoff amicably resigned from Midwest Transit Racing with driver Ricky Craven. He will continue to spot for Craven’s limited Busch Series schedule(3-15-2000)
The Military Cars UPDATE 2: For the first time, all five branches of the Armed Forces came together to target NASCAR fans in support of their recruiting efforts, through a special program with a Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium theme. Action Performance Companies Inc, Jay Howard Events Inc., five NASCAR Winston Cup drivers and their respective sponsors developed the program, which features race cars spectacularly painted with military service branch themes. The cars were unveiled today at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, during a pre-race entertainment extravaganza including a skydiving exhibition by the U.S. Army Silver Wings Parachute Team, musical performances by the Band of the Air Force Reserve and fly-by aircraft demonstrations. Gen.(ret.) Colin Powell, Grand Marshal of the race, was among high-ranking military VIPs who gathered at the start/finish line to shake the hands of drivers Mike Skinner, Bobby Hamilton, Ricky Rudd, Dale Jarrett and Jerry Nadeau, as each brought their military-themed cars on-track for the very first time. All five Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium cars will make their race debuts on Memorial Day weekend at the Coca-Cola 600. #31-Mike Skinner will drive the Army scheme, #4-Bobby Hamilton the Navy, #28-Ricky Rudd the Marines, #88-Dale Jarrett the Air Force, and #25-Jerry Nadeau the Coast Guard(Business Wire)(3-12-2000)
UPDATE: see some diecast images at Racing Angels. also of note: while military cars were run in the 1991 Daytona 500, it was a tribute by NASCAR for Desert Storm and out troops, not a recruiting effort by the services(3-14-2000)
UPDATE 2: Racing Angels also sent me a few images of the real cars from the announcement at Atlanta on Sunday. Also an image from the new and quite improved Ricky Rudd site of the #28 and some other good images of the cars. See the images in the Paint Scheme Gallery and a story and some nice images at TachZone(3-15-2000)
UPDATE 3: Found a picture of the 1991 Armed Forces cars ran in the Daytona 500, check it out at my Paint Scheme Gallery(3-15-2000)

(3-14-2000)
Little E’s Problem UPDATE: got this from quite a few readers – “….on the scanner today(at Atlanta on Sunday), was listening to the #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr team and it was relayed that the speed sensors that were put on the car to relay telemetry for TV somehow cut or rubbed a hole in the brake line that caused Earnhardt’s problem”(3-13-2000)
UPDATE: … Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s day ended early when a television(not a camera, but telemetry for Mph, RPM etc) sensor cut a brake line(PitNow)(3-14-2000)
Stewart OK: Tony Stewart, who hit the wall hard and then was hit again on the track, was released from the Atlanta Infield car center just after the race, he has a slight concussion(many sources)(3-14-2000)
Wheaties returns…UPDATE 2: hearing John Andretti will run a Wheaties paint scheme at The Winston with the #43 Pontiac. Wheaties is of course made by General Mills, a primary sponsor for the team(3-4-2000)
UPDATE On Tuesday, March 14th, Wheaties will unveil a series of limited-edition packages commemorating the careers of four NASCAR legends: Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons. Wheaties also will unveil the #43 Wheaties Pontiac that John Andretti will race in The Winston. The unveiling will be held at the Charlotte Coliseum at 10am/et on Tuesday, March 14(NOL)(3-10-2000)
UPDATE 2: General Mills announced a series of limited-edition packages commemorating the careers of Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons, four champions of NASCAR. Each package features a photograph of the driver at a significant event in his career. Richard Petty and his driver, John Andretti, unveiled the special Wheaties paint job to be carried by the #43 Petty Enterprises Pontiac at this year’s The Winston on May 20(SpeedVision and Williams Company) See an image of the car at the Petty Racing Page(3-14-2000)
Announcement The Winston UPDATE 2: NOL has this in the Friday notes section: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Lowe’s Motor Speedway, along with the defending champion of The Winston, Terry Labonte, will make a major announcement regarding the Winston during the weekly Cup Series teleconference Tuesday(March 14th) at 11am/et on NASCAR Online(NOL)(3-10-2000)
UPDATE: here are some details from Jim Utter of That’s Racin’: R.J. Reynolds Co. will increase the purse of The Winston to in excess of $2 million. RJR officials are expected to announce the purse increase as well as some “cosmetic” changes to the format of The Winston. Among the changes to the race format will be an alternation to the “inversion” format used following the first 30-lap segment. Right now a maximum of 12 and a minimum of three cars are inverted prior to the start of the second 30-lap segment. At the end of the second segment, pit road will be opened, but the pace car will remain on the track and teams will have the option to pit, or stay on the track to maintain track position(That’s Racin’)(3-11-2000)
UPDATE 2: RJR/Winston upped the minimum purse of the Winston to $2million with $500,000 going to the winner of the final 10-lap segment. The race will also see the format changed slightly for the 16th running of the event. The Winston itself will remain two 30-lap dashes, followed by a 10-lap sprint with the $500K going to the winner of that segment. In the past the field has been inverted, using different methods, between the 30-lap segments. This year, the organizers have decided that either the first 12 drivers will be inverted – or none will be. The decision will be made on race night, in front of the fans, but just what process will be used to determine whether or not to invert the field has not been decided yet. Also new this year is the addition of a second qualifying race for those that do not earn automatic entry to the Winston. The Winston Open qualifying race will be shortened from 50 to 30 laps, with only the winner moving on to the feature race. The rest of the field from the open will then contest a 16-lap No Bull Sprint, with the winner of that race also moving on to the all-star race. Qualifying will also be altered this year in the name of pit-road safety. Instead of a mid-run pit stop the cars will start from pit road, roll into the box where the team will conduct a four-tire change, and then the driver will run three qualifying laps. A pair of Friday night 25-lap races will determine the starting positions for the Winston Open(SpeedVision) To see who is eligible for The Winson and the Winston Open, see my The Winston page(3-14-2000)
#91 News: Todd Bodine had a strong run and another top ten finish at Atlanta in the #91 LJ Racing Chevy. The 7th place finish was the second career top ten for owner Joe Falk, the last one being at Atlanta in 1998 with Bodine also driving. Unless the team attracts some sponsorship, the team will skip the next few races. Their next planned event (without sponsorship) will be Texas, with Bodine driving duties. Supposedly, owner Falk honored an agreement to carry KMC Telecom Sunday after failing to make the Daytona 500(Victory Lane Online)(3-14-2000)
Morgan Back: Morgan Shepherd will drive the #19 Kobalt Tools Chevy in the BGN race at Darlington for Team Yellow. Why no Skinners? Mike Skinner had “minor corrective eye surgery” Monday and will drive in the CUP race(NOL)(3-14-2000)
NASCAR Racers: The ratings for NASCAR Racers, the animated series that debuted Feb. 5 on Fox Kids Network (Fox Kids), are off to a roaring start and ranks as the highest-rated launch for a Fox Kids animated program since September 1997. Throughout February, NASCAR Racers placed in the Top 10 for Saturday morning broadcast children’s programming, averaging a 4.7 rating/17 share with Kids 6-11 and a 7.5 rating/24 share with Boys 6-11 for the “sweeps” period (Feb. 3 – March 1).(RaceWire)(3-14-2000)
Bristol Testing: #32 Scott Pruett, rookie of the year candidate in the Cup series tested at Bristol on Monday and will again on Tuesday(Bristol Herald Courier) AND #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #99-Jeff Burton, #2-Rusty Wallace, #32-Scott Pruett and BGN drivers, #97-Anthony Lazzaro and #18-Jason Leffler are testing at the speedway (Bristol Motor Speedway Site)(3-14-2000)

(3-13-2000)
Martin Auction: Mark Martin and Valvoline have announced the Valvoline Online Racing Auction will be hosted by www.eBay.com for three weeks, from April 28-May 20. Combining resources from Martin, Valvoline, Roush Racing and others, fans will have the opportunity to bid on a large selection of racing memorabilia ranging from autographed photos to travel packages. Some items, including the chance to be an honorary Martin pit crew member and dinner with five-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Joe Amato, can be previewed now at the Valvoline.com web site. Auction proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s school-based mentoring program, which aims to develop a strong mentor-child relationship within the school context(Valvoline PR)(3-13-2000)
Restrictor Plates: NASCAR officials are considering using a slightly smaller restrictor plate at Talladega in April’s race. Teams currently run a plate with four holes 29/32nds of an inch in diameter; the possible new plate holes would be 7/8 -inch. That would cut about 15 horsepower from the 400-horsepower plate motors, or about half a second (2 mph) in speed(PitNow)(3-13-2000)

(3-12-2000)

Martin: #6-Mark Martin is the only driver to lead all four CUP races in 2000, in fact Martin has led the last eight CUP races dating back to last year at Rockingham(3-12-2000)
#36 Jackman UPDATE: #36 jackman, Michael Cooper’s foot was run over by an unknown car and was taken to a local hospital, Pete Wright handled the jack duties the rest of the race for the #36
UPDATE: Michael Cooper, jackman for the No. 36 M&M’s Pontiac Grand Prix, was taken to Spalding Regional Hospital for x-rays after being struck in the left leg by another car in an early race pit stop. Pete Wright replaced Cooper for the remainder of the day at that position. Cooper was diagnosed with a sprained left ankle, was released from the hospital and returned to the team’s pit area before the end of the race. His status for next week’s race at Darlington is unknown at this time(Pontiac Notes)(3-12-2000)
Wind Tunnel: NASCAR will take some cars to the Wind Tunnel on Monday, so far #31-Mike Skinner Chevy has been set aside as one of those cars(PRN Radio) also taken were the #18=Bobby Labonte Pontiac and the #6-Mark Martin Ford(NOL)(3-12-2000)
Cracker Barrel 500 notes: some things heard/seen on the ABC broadcast and the PRN radio broadcast of the race at Atlanta. There was a pit fire in the #60 Power Team pit, gasman Joe Ward fell and the gascan caught fire, which erupted behind the #60 Chevy. The #4 Kodak Chevy of Bobby Hamilton took off when he saw the fire, but his catch can was still attached and caught fire when he drove thru the fire. Hamilton had to bring the car back in to the pits and have the fire extinguished. Ward was bumped and bruised but ok, he inhaled some of the extinguisher fumes; #17-Matt Kenseth led a Winston Cup lap for the first time in his career(ABC TV/PRN Radio)(3-12-2000)
DJ’s DNF: When #88-Dale Jarrett went out early at Atlanta with an engine problem, it was his first DNF(did not finish) since the 1999 Daytona 500, a stretch of 36 races(3-12-2000)
Earnhardts CORRECTION: Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. with their respective eighth- and 10th-place finishes last weekend at Las Vegas, became the first father and son to post top-10 finishes in the same race since Bobby and Davey Allison finished in the top-10 at Dover in June 1988(That’s Racin’)(3-11-2000) CORRECTION: actually a few readers pointed out that the Earnhardt’s did this last September at Richmond, with Earnhardt finishing 6th and ‘Little E’ finishing 10th(3-12-2000)

(3-11-2000)
Atwood/Dodge: #27 BGN driver Casey Atwood’s father, Terry, said he is “confident” that the loose ends will soon be secured and that his son will land one of the most coveted driving jobs in NASCAR with Ray Evernham and Dodge in 2001. Atwood is under contact to drive in the Busch Series for Brewco Motorsports, and also has a contract with his sponsor, Castrol. Atwood has to negotiate his way out of both contracts(Tennessean)(3-11-2000)
Virginia Lottery: Rick Mast said he’s one of seven Virginia drivers who will be featured on a new lottery game expected to debut this spring. The other Cup and BGN drivers are Jeff and Ward Burton, Elliott and Hermie Sadler and Kevin and Wayne Grubb(Roanoke Times)(3-12-2000)
#21 Crew: When the #21 CITGO Ford begins Sunday’s CUP race, the pit crew will be different for the first time in the 2000 season. The Wood Brothers have opted to add rear tire carrier Dewayne Colbard, and rear tire changer Chris Hladik. Eddie Wood, the last of the Winston Cup car owners to go over pit wall on race day, has decided not to continue with going over wall during pit stops and says it is time for a change. Len Wood, also co-owner of the CITGO Ford, says the change is being made in an effort to have faster pit stops; an area where the Wood Brothers are notorious for performing well. The Wood Brothers Racing Team has been tempted to switch to the “indexing” method during the first three weeks of the season and they believe this week is the team’s chance to shine. The indexing method allows the tire changers to only remove and tighten the lug nuts. The removal and placing of the tire will fall on a the jackman and the tire carriers. The Wood Brothers are often credited with creating the first organized pit stop. Since its inception, the rules, technology, and organization of the stop have progressed, but the Wood Brothers expectations consist of being the best on pit road(Cox Marketing Group)(3-11-2000)
Stewart and F-1 at Indy? Tony Stewart said he would be interested in driving in the Formula One race at Indianapolis this year(Sept 2000) if anyone were willing to give him a tryout(PitNow)(3-11-2000)

(3-10-2000)
Evernham Announcement — It’s Official: Ray Evernham is ready to announce at least one of his drivers this week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. And he’s preparing for a major media event at Homestead in three weeks, putting his first NASCAR prototype Dodge on the track(PitNow)(3-5-2000)
UPDATE: Ray Evernham is scheduled to announce his first driver, expected to be Bill Elliott, for his Dodge racing team at a news conference Friday March 10th at 9:35am/et at the Atlanta Motor Speedway(That’s Racin’)(3-6/10-2000)
UPDATE 2: Ray Evernham named 1988 Winston Cup Champion Bill Elliott to drive for one of his two Dodge Intrepid teams in 2001, but get this, he will be in the familiar car #9. The driver for the second Evernham Motorsports entry, car #19, will be announced at a later date. Also moving to Evernham Motorsports with Elliott will be key members of his current leadership at Elliott Racing, most notably general manager Eddie D’Hondt and car chief Mike Ford(NOL) no word on what number Melling Racing will switch to in 2001 and the #9 by the way: It’s the same number Elliott drove to the NASCAR Winston Cup title while driving for Melling Racing from 1982 to 1991 and in which he got 34 of his 40 race wins, the other 6 were when Elliott drove the #11 for Junior Johnson from 92-94. Also from That’s Racin’ – As part of Elliott’s move to the Dodge organization, he will become a part owner in the #9 team and Evernham will purchase Elliott’s current team and all its assets(that means Owners Points and Provisionals for 2001, if needed, plus the Past Champ Provisional. Also hear Bill Elliott speak about the Dodge move at the Bill Elliott Racing Site(3-10-2000)
Writer Ill: Gary Long, leading motorsports writer for the Miami Herald is recovering at home after undergoing a multiple heart by-pass operation this past week(Winston Cup Scene) get well Gary(3-10-2000)
Tyler Jet Plans: Tyler Jet Motorsports owner Tim Beverley has said he’d like to start a second team — but not until at least the 2001 season. The team wants to stay focused on Johnny Benson(News and Observer)(3-10-2000)
Melling to Dodge? UPDATE from goracing/Bill Kiser: Melling Racing owner Mark Melling, who current runs the #9 number, gave it up to Bill Elliott and the Evernham Dodge team. There was a price to be paid for securing the number, however – according to sources, Melling Racing will also become a part of the Dodge Motorsports program in 2001, bringing along current driver Stacy Compton. So that is 8 Dodge teams/cars(3-10-2000)
UPDATE BUT…..: a story by Lee Spencer indicats that Melling is considering Dodge but probably will not go in that direction, see the full story at: Harry Melling on Son’s Mind(3-11-2000)

(3-9-2000)
NASCAR and the Military UPDATE 3: at Atlanta Motor Speedway(AMS) on Sunday, March 12, 2000 from 11:15am – 12:00noon/et, there will be a Press announcement at thew AMS Start/Finish Line. For the first time, all five branches of the Armed Forces will come together to support recruitment efforts across all Armed Services through a special program developed by Action Performance Companies Inc., Jay Howard Events Inc., NASCAR drivers and their respective sponsors. Military-themed race cars will be unveiled as part of a pre-race entertainment extravaganza with a special Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium theme. The drivers/sponsors: #31-Mike Skinner and Lowes; #4-Bobby Hamilton and Kodak; #28-Ricky Rudd and Texaco; #88-Dale Jarrett and Ford Quality Care Service/Ford Credit; #25-Jerry Nadeau and Michael Holigan. General Colin Powell the Grand Marshall of the race, “Humpy” Wheeler of Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Fred Wagenhals of Action will head up the announcemet(Business Wire) I hear these cars will run at Lowes in the Coca-Cola 600, probably the press announcement rumor for the #4 car below(3-6-2000)
UPDATE: hearing the #88 is going to be Air Force and the car is to be light blue blended into a darker blue at the bottom. The #28 is rumored to be The Marines one with the car to be dark blue(DieHard Yates Fans RYR News Page)(3-7-2000)
UPDATE 2: The #4 Kodak Chevy will represent the US Navy(3-8-2000)
UPDATE 3: hearing that the #25 Jerry Nadeau car will represent the Coast Guard, so that would leave the #31 Lowes Chevy for the Army(3-9-2000)
Earnhardt/Gordon on Forbes: Forbes Magazine (3-20-00) issue has listed Dale Earnhardt on its Power 100 list of the top 100 most powerful celebrities and athletes. For its second annual ranking of 100 highly paid celebrities, FORBES quantifies stardom by adding up a year’s worth of earnings, media glare and, of course, Internet attention. Earnhardt ranked 36th on the FORBES Power list with an estimated 26.5 million in earnings, 29,754 web hits, 11,537 press clippings. He is ranked 39th on the money ranking. Earnhardt has made the POWER list in both years of its existences(Champion PR), see the list at the Forbes site 31-40. Something I overlooked was that Jeff Gordon is also on the list, ranked 47th on the FORBES Power list with an estimated 17.0 million in earnings, 29,364 web hits, 13,649 press clippings. He is ranked 54th on the money ranking, see that list at Forbes site 41-50(3-9-2000)
Kenseth Spotter: Mike Calinoff, of RaceComm, who spots for regularly for Ricky Craven and the #50 team will serve as #17-Matt Kenseth’s spotter for Sunday’s CUP race in Atlanta.Craven’s Midwest Transit team has decided to skip the Atlanta race in order to prepare for Darlington(3-9-2000)

(3-8-2000)
Chevy Rules: see images and an explanation of the new Chevy Nose rule at the Speedway Illustrated site(3-8-2000)
Bodine Back? UPDATE: hearing Geoffrey Bodine will be at Atlanta as an advisor to the #60 Power Team and driver Ted Musgrave, if so great news!(3-7-2000) — UPDATE: Bodine will not return to the track at Atlanta, but plans are now for him to be at Darlington as an advisor and to be with the team. Bodine visited the shop for the first time since the CTS accident, on Tuesday(NOL). And in part from a few readers: Geoffrey Bodine flew into Russellville AR and signed autographs for about an hour last Saturday at the Grand Opening of an AT&T Suncom retail store. Bodine was struggling to sign autographs due to his cast and was in apparent pain, but was gracious and signed everything put in front of him for about an hour(3-8-2000)
Darlington Testing speeds for Wednesday. #20-Stewart 169.572mph; #27-Fuller 168.815; #32-Pruett 166.698(ESPN2’s RPM2Nite)(3-8-2000)
Spencer Plane Incident: After the Winston Cup race in Las Vegas, car owner Jimmy and Pat Spencer, along with their son Jimmy Jr. and other family members and friends departed Las Vegas in their private plane to fly home in North Carolina. About two hours into the flight, the windshield on the co-pilot side shattered, or “spider-webbed”. The pilot was forced to take emergency action to drop from 30,000 ft. to an altitude that would maintain safe cabin pressurization for the passengers, if the windshield were to fail. The pilot had 30 seconds to make that happen, and he did. They were forced to make an emergency landing in New Mexico and Spencer and family are fine(Spencer.net)(3-8-2000)
Darlington Test UPDATE: The following drivers/teams will test at Darlington on Tuesday, March 7th: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #9-Stacy Compton, #20-Tony Stewart, #18-Bobby Labonte, #1-Steve Park and #32-Scott Pruett and BGN drivers #18-Jason Leffler, #96-Gus Wasson, #90-Mike Stefanik and #46-Ashton Lewis Jr(Times-Dispatch)(3-6-2000) — UPDATE: A few speeds from the testing, fastest was #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr at 168.410mph as was #20-Tony Stewart. No other CUP speeds posted. Not close to the record of 173.797mph by Ward Burton in 1996, after repaving was done(Tennessean/AP)(3-8-2000)
Bristol Testing UPDATE: Jimmy Spencer and Bobby Hamilton are testing at Bristol today in prep for the Food City 500(BMS)(3-7-2000) — UPDATE: Hamilton ran a lap at 15.06 seconds on Tuesday, which is a speed of 127.410mph, quite a bit faster then Rusty Wallace’s track record of 125.142mph(SpeedVision)(3-8-2000)
#4 News UPDATE 3: hearing there will be some sort of announcement from the Morgan-McClure team on Saturday, March 4th, nothing on a 2nd team, otherwise not sure, guesses would be an assoc sponsor or a crew change(3-3-2000) —UPDATE: I hear the announcement has been moved to Monday(Morgan-McClure Site)(3-4-2000) — UPDATE 2: rumor has it that it’ll be about a paint scheme for the Coca-Cola 600 in May(3-6-2000) — UPDATE 3: The #4 Kodak MAX Film Monte Carlo will feature a Navy aircraft carrier on the hood. Also, a picture of a Navy professional will be dominant on the rear quarter panel of the car at the Coca Cola 600 with four other cars(see above story)(Morgan-McClure Site)(3-8-2000)
#21 Paint: In recognition of the Wood Brothers accomplishments in racing over the past 50 years, five different historical paint schemes, representing five different decades, will appear throughout the season. The first will debut this weekend on the CITGO Ford at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The paint scheme in Atlanta will flash back to 1993 when the Wood Brothers received their most recent win, which came with former driver Morgan Shepherd(Cox Marketing), see the image of the car at Jayski’s Paint Scheme Gallery(3-8-2000)
Tidbits: CUP Points leader Bobby Labonte has won four of the last seven Cup races at Atlanta. … Labonte, Jarrett and Mark Martin are the only drivers to record top-10 finishes in each of the season’s first three races(Roanoke Times)(3-8-2000)
Penske Summit: Rusty Wallace has called a summit meeting Tuesday morning between representatives of Penske Racing and Penske-Kranefuss Racing to formulate a common chassis(Speed Magazine)(3-8-2000)
Benning News: #84-Norm Benning will run the full ARCA season and possibly 3-4 Cup races with SoBe as the sponsor. The next planned CUP race is the Winston Open(Winston Cup Scene)(3-8-2000)
Poles: For the third consecutive year and for the sixth time in the last ten years there have been three different Bud Pole winners and three different race winners after three events(NOL)(3-8-2000)

(3-7-2000)
Rusty Scheme REPOST UPDATE a Harley again: from the goRacing Rusty Wallace chat transcript: Q) Is there a small chance in heck that you will be back in a black car in the future? A) I loved the black car…but there’s not a chance. I’ve been trying to get a black car out of the Miller Brewing company…but I’m sticking with The Blue and White Miller Lite Car. We’re announcing a new paint scheme on March 6th(goRacing)(2-24/3-6-2000) — UPDATE: Announced in Daytona during Bikeweek(which is a wild time by the way), Wallace will run a Miller Lite/Harley Davidson paint scheme in three Saturday night CUP races. The #2 Ford will debut in the Pepsi 400, then will appear in the Aug. 26 goracing.com 500 at Bristol and the Sept. 9 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond. See the full story and an image(do not send it to me) at NASCAR Online(3-7-2000)
#50 Withdraws? UPDATE: hearing the #50 Midwest Transit team and driver Ricky Craven have withdrawn from the Atlanta race this weekend — UPDATE: Yep, just saw it on the Midwest Transit Racing website: Midwest Transit Racing to Skip Atlanta, Focus on Darlington, mainly because of the rules changes and the feeling they could not get ready in time(3-7-2000)
Chevy Nose UPDATE: Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc., are working together to develop a new nose piece for the Chevy to give it more downforce and offset Ford’s advantage. The nosepiece will be put on a downforce car and taken to the General Motors wind tunnel in Michigan on Wednesday. A nosepiece will be put on a superspeedway car and taken to the same wind tunnel a week later. So, any rules change probably wouldn’t happen until Darlington at the earliest(Roanoke Times)(3-6-2000) — UPDATE Chevy Help: NASCAR is allowing a two-inch extension in the front air dam for the Monte Carlos, effective this weekend at Atlanta(SpeedVision) and a story at That’s Racin’(3-7-2000)
Economaki Better: Chris Economaki, the dean of American motorsport journalists, was hospitalized in New Jersey on Feb. 25 after a couple of weeks of feeling under the weather. The editor and publisher emeritus of National Speed Sport News was released Sunday and his is enroute to his home in North Carolina. His daughter Corinne Economaki, NSSN publisher, says that he’d become run-down and underwent a bracket of tests during his hospitalization(SpeedVision) Get Well Chris(3-7-2000)
Martinsville Testing: The test schedule for the Goody’s Body Pain 500 has changed. Matt Kenseth was going to test on March 14-15, but will be coming on March 20,21. Goodyear moved their test to Tuesday and Wednesday of this week(Mar 8-9). There probably will be additional teams here each day except for the Goodyear tire test. March 7-8 Goodyear test with #18-Bobby Labonte. March 20 #24-Jeff Gordon, #25-Jerry Nadeau, #21-Elliott Sadler and #17-Matt Kenseth. March 21 #24-Jeff Gordon, #25-Jerry Nadeau, #21-Elliott Sadler, #2-Rusty Wallace and #17-Matt Kenseth. March 22 #2-Rusty Wallace March 28-29 #8-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.(Martinsville Speedway PR)(3-7-2000)

(3-6-2000)
Gordon Streak: Jeff Gordon has gone eight races without a top-five finish. That’s the longest streak of his 226-race Winston Cup career(News and Observer)(3-6-2000)
Hammerin’ Hank to NASCAR? Hank Aaron, who is a senior vice president with baseballs Atlanta Braves, is actively seeking to own a CUP team for the 2001 season. Aaron has teamed with Atlanta-based Adair Greene Marketing Communications in detailed discussions with various Winston Cup teams, beginning several months ago. The Hall of Famer is showing the same patience in exploring the ownership venture that he displayed at the plate during his legendary baseball career. “We are being meticulous and persistent in our search,” Aaron said. “This is like being a NASCAR driver and his crew. You never let up on the track, and you never overlook any aspect in setting up a car for a race. That’s a quality that has helped draw me to the sport and to this business venture — taking something that runs great, and faithfully striving to make it perform even better.” See the one day story at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Michael Carvell(AJC) and (goRacing)(3-6-2000)
Sauter to Cup? UPDATE: Jay Sauter has signed a multi-year agreement with Curb-Agajanian Motorsports to drive the #43 Quality Farm & Country Chevrolet in the BGN series for the 2000 season. Current driver Shane Hall was given notice of his release last month and is himself very close to signing a 2000 contract. Co-owner Cary Agajanian is hopeful of lining up a five-race sponsorship deal to test the Winston Cup waters with Sauter late next season(Racer Magazine-now SpeedVision)(11-2-1999) — UPDATE: from this weeks Winston Cup Scene: Jay Sauter and Curb-Agajanian Motorsports may run five Cup events later this season, in preparation for a possible full tilme Cup effort in 2001. The team’s present sponsor, Quality Farm and County, could be a co-primary sponsor on the car. A project by the country music group Sawyer Brown could be relleased at a concert in conjunction with Sauter’s Cup debut(Winston Cup Scene) unless Evernham snaps up Sauter for his other Cup driver(3-6-2000)
Wind Tunnel UPDATE 2: For the third time this season, NASCAR is expected to take at least three cars to the wind tunnel after the Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 12 to determine whether any rule changes are needed to equalize the competition. NASCAR will take the top Ford, Chevrolet and Pontiac at Atlanta to the Lockheed wind tunnel. And no rule changes, if there are any, are expected for at least another two weeks(Darlington?)(Fox Sports) — UPDATE: TNN’s Raceday reports that NASCAR will NOT take the cars to the wind tunnel after Vegas(3-5-2000) — UPDATE 2: NASCAR officials are expected to take more cars to the wind tunnel after next week’s race at Atlanta. NASCAR officials have taken cars to the wind tunnel after Daytona and Rockingham. No cars were taken after Sunday’s race because of the distance from the Marietta, GA, wind tunnel(Roanoke Times)(3-6-2000)
Mark’s Son: Mark Martin‘s son, Matt, finished second in his first Junior Honda race in Florida on Friday night(Times-Dispatch)(3-6-2000)
Fenley-Moore/Cope News UPDATE: #15-Derrike Cope announced during the 2nd rain delay that the Fenley-Moore tean has sercured a two race sponsorship deal with Everything Commerce.com for Las Vegas and Atlanta. The company has the option after Atlanta to sign on for the full season(ABC Coverage)(3-5-2000) — UPDATE: Everything-Commerce.com, Inc. announced it has formed a new partnership with Fenley Moore Motorsports, specifically to sponsor driver Derrike Cope in car #15. The deal calls for Everything-Commerce.com to sponsor Derrike Cope in the Las Vegas Cars Direct.com 400 race and the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 race in Atlanta to be held on March 12. Additionally, Derrike Cope will be paid a bonus of $25,000 if he finishes in the top 15. With roots as deep as the first NASCAR race, Fenley Moore Motorsports brings knowledge and experience to the track that can only be equaled by a few select teams. Since 1948 Bud Moore has continued a winning streak that makes him the fifth most successful owner in NASCAR history. In August 1999, Robert and Sue Fenley along with brother Randy Fenley purchased Bud Moore Engineering and retained many of Bud’s original team members. Everything-Commerce.com, creators of the new “Kelly” e-Commerce business model, have developed a standardized system that maximizes the power of the Internet, introducing tremendous efficiencies and creating a more informed, convenient, practical and an efficient place to transact commerce on a global basis, addressing business-to-business, business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer applications. The model utilizes and rewards the existing supply chain to distribute and supply any product in any market, within any industry and deliver it to almost any customer, anywhere. Everything-Commerce.com is headquartered in San Ramon, CA(Business Wire)(3-6-2000)
Musgrave team? Hearing Ted Musgrave, currently subbing for Geoffrey Bodine in the #60 Power Team Chevy, had a deal with a current one team owner to be a two car team. But the owner pulled out leaving Musgrave with a sponsor but no team/cars. Hearing Musgrave has a team to go with the sponsors and was hoping to run 25 races or so with the team. But when Bodine got hurt, he decided to help out the #60 team until Bodine is better, then will run the new team. Sorry, that is all I know, no sponsor name and not sure if it’s Musgrave’s team or another owners team AND also hearing Musgrave may test for Ray Evernham’s Dodge team(3-6-2000)
Evernham UPDATE: Ray Evernham is ready to announce at least one of his drivers this week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. And he’s preparing for a major media event at Homestead in three weeks, putting his first NASCAR prototype Dodge on the track(PitNow)(3-5-2000) — UPDATE: Ray Evernham is scheduled to announce his first driver, expected to be Bill Elliott, for his Dodge racing team at a news conference Friday at 9:35am/et at the Atlanta Motor Speedway(That’s Racin’)(3-6-2000)
Caring Hands: Following an extremely successful inaugural season for the “Caring Hands” program, which raised more than $200,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), The Valvoline Company and NASCAR superstar Mark Martin announced today that they are once again teaming up with the country’s premier mentoring program in order to raise $1 million and recruit new volunteer mentors throughout the 2000 NASCAR season. The “Caring Hands” program continues to be the most ambitious cause-related endeavor undertaken by Valvoline in its 134-year history. Valvoline, along with BBBSA and Speedway Children’s Charities representatives were on hand to unveil several cause-related marketing initiatives for the 2000 season including: the schedule of trackside events (below), a new Valvoline-sponsored “Caring Hands” Award, a new public service announcement and a sneak preview of plans for online auction hosted by eBay this spring(Business Wire)(3-6-2000)
Hills Bros: Hills Bros Coffee supported rookie of the year contender Stacy Compton and the #9 Melling Racing team in Sunday’s race at Las Vegas as an associate after their driver Ed Berrier missed the race in the #90 Ford, it was a one race deal(TachZone)(3-6-2000)
Toyota? The PitNow site reports – NASCAR has been wooing Toyota to take a bigger role in stock-car racing, and the next move could be for Toyota to join NASCAR’s Truck tour. Toyota officials would like to become involved in the Winston Cup tour, according to sources. If they do, it would likely be with the Lexus(PitNow/Mike Mulhern) note: Toyota has attempted the Dash Series(3-6-2000)

(3-5-2000)

500th: with #99-Jeff Burton’s win at Las Vegas, Ford claimed it’s 500th victory in the Winston Cup series(3-5-2000)
Double Win: Jeff Burton became the first driver since Mark Martin in October 1995 at Charlotte to win both the BGN and CUP races at the same track(ESPN)(3-5-2000)
Pontiac: Jeff Chew, marketing manager for General Motors’ stock-car racing program, said Pontiac won’t be recruiting teams to convert to Pontiac next year, but that doesn’t mean some teams won’t do that. Instead, Chew said Pontiac will concentrate on working more closely with the teams remaining on the roster(That’s Racin’)(3-5-2000)
Happy Hour Troubles: the #3-Dale Earnhardt and #31-Mike Skinner cars had ignition box problems early in Happy Hour practice, ironically both at the same time in the session. Both got repaired and were out on the track later in practice(ESPN2 Coverage)(3-5-2000)
Baywatch and the #26 BGN team UPDATE 2: the television show “Baywatch” has signed on to sponsor Bobby Hamilton Jr.’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the Busch Series. Actor David Hasselhoff(thought he quit the show?), star of “Baywatch,” is expected to be at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday to watch Hamilton(Las Vegas Sun)(3-3-2000) — UPDATE and a rumor: Actor David Hasselhoff, who previously was involved as a part owner and sponsor of open-wheel cars, said Saturday his Baywatch Restaurants and Night Clubs signed a three-year agreement to sponsor the Busch Series car of Bobby Hamilton Jr.(SpeedNet/AP) — am hearing this is a deal in which would bring the #26 Allcar/Hamilton team to Cup in 2001. This sponsorship was rumored heree in the past to be going to the #2-Rusty Wallace team as an assoicate or to a possible new Wayne Burdette Cup team as Burdette is looking to get back into Cup after the failed attempt to buy Cale Yarborough’s Cup team a year ago(3-5-2000)

(3-4-2000)
Wheaties returns… hearing John Andretti will run a Wheaties paint scheme at The Winston with the #43 Pontiac. Wheaties is of course made by General Mills, a primary sponsor for the team(3-4-2000)
Bodine Out and About: Geoffrey Bodine, injured and shaken in a crash at the Daytona Truck race two weeks ago, will be allowed out of therapeutic confinement this weekend and plans to try to make some personal and sponsor appearances(SpeedVison) One is at the SunCom Store in Russellville, AR from 12 to 2pm.(3-4-2000)
Top 10’s: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. and #28-Ricky Rudd are the only drivers who have qualified in the top 10 for all three CUP races in 2000. On top of that Ricky Rudd has quailified on the front row for three straight races with the pole at Vegas and 2nd at Daytona and the Rock(3-4-2000)
Rudd’s Crew: Ricky Rudd ‘s pit crew had a few recent changes. Front tire changer Darren Wolfe missed last week’s race at Rockingham because he cut tendons in his hand at the team’s shop before that race. He’ll be out several races. Raymond Fox, who was the rear tire changer, has moved to changing the front tires. Bryan Robertson, who works in the shop, also will change front tires. The new group struggled a bit last week but Rudd still finished sixth(Roanoke Times)(3-4-2000)
Sat AM Practice wreck: During practice, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, tangled on the track, causing slight damage to both cars. Earnhardt’s car had some damage to the nose. Gordon scratched the wall. Both cars were to be repaired(SpeedVision)(3-4-2000)
Provisional Streaks CORRECTION: after further review, I found some errors in my calcualtions. Prior to the 1998 season, four plus a champs provisional was used, plus some of the smaller tracks like Bristol, Martinsville and North Wilksboro only started 36-40 cars. So lets redo the math here: in 1999 only three drivers did not use a provisional start. #24-Jeff Gordon, #43-John Andretti and #88-Dale Jarrett. Andretti will use his first at Las Vegas since Rockingham in Oct 1997, a streak of 71 races (2 in 1997, 33 in 1998, 34 in 1999 and 2 in 2000). Jeff Gordon has not used a provisional since Talladega in May 1994, so he has a streak of 186 straight races without using a provisional(Not 71 as mentioned before, he started 37th at Atlanta in Nov 1997 but that was when there where only 5 provisionals in a 43 car field). Dale Jarrett has a similar streak going. Jarrett’s last provisional was taken in the 1994 season at the spring Bristol race, but he failed to make the 1994 Fall North Wilkesboro race with the #18 Joe Gibbs Chevy, so he has a streak of 187 races, but not straight, Jarrett’s streak since making all the races stands at 168. I think, I have it right this time. The #88 Robert Yates Racing team has never taken a provisional in the 136 races it has competed(3 including Ernie Irvan in 1995), my apologies for the errors(3-4-2000)
Champion Provisional Questions: Why did DW get the Past Champion Provisional and not Bill Elliott? As explained on my Provisional Status page, after 2nd round is finished, NASCAR places 37-42 by owners points, then from the drivers left not in the race, if a past champion is still not in the race, the most recent is awarded the 43rd and final provisional. If no past champion is left the 43rd spot goes to the next driver/team in the owners points standings(as seen on the Provisional Status Page)(3-4-2000)
Wind Tunnel Info: Confused about Monday’s wind-tunnel results? — in light of Sunday’s Rockingham finish — so are most crew chiefs and NASCAR officials here. Dale Jarrett finished a lap down in fifth in a Ford, but his Taurus won the wind-tunnel testing. Bobby Labonte’s Pontiac lost in the wind tunnel after winning on the track at the Rock. And Dale Earnhardt’s Chevy finished runner-up in both competitions. Jarrett’s #88 Ford was 80 drag-horsepower better than Earnhardt’s #3 Chevy in the wind tunnel. But that was with wind blowing 200mph. At 145 mph — the average around Rockingham — it would be 35 drag-horsepower, out of about 1,000. See full story at PitNow by Mike Mulhern(3-4-2000)
Did Ya Know? that Dave Marcis has a little known distinction amongst the present CUP drivers? He is the only current driver remaining to have run a NASCAR Winston Cup (Grand National) dirt track race. See full story at Stooge’s NASCAR Site(3-4-2000)
Evernham Press Conference UPDATE: Evernham Motorsports and Action Performance Companies will hold a special press conference for an announcement on Friday, March 3, 2000 1:15 – 1:30pm/pt at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Media Center(Ray Evernham Fan Page)(2-29-2000) — UPDATE: Action Performance announced that it has signed a strategic, long-term licensing agreement with one of the most renowned crew chief/team owners in the history of motorsports — Ray Evernham, president and chief executive officer of Evernham Motorsports, LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, Action Performance obtains the rights to market, promote, distribute and sell licensed merchandise for Evernham and the Evernham/Dodge Motorsports team, cars and drivers, through the end of 2005(Yahoo Biz)(3-3-2000)

(3-3-2000)
Get Healthy: The Pfizer “Tune-Up For Life” mobile health screening unit will be parked on the LVMS midway this weekend and will offer race fans a variety of health screenings. The 50-foot mobile unit is staffed by health-care professionals and will include screenings on a variety of medical conditions such as hypertension, prostate disease, erectile dysfunction and high body fat. Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, has signed Winston Cup drivers Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte to encourage fans to be diagnosed and treated for common medical conditions. Viagra also sponsors Jeff Fuller’s #27 CUP Pontiac(Las Vegas Sun)(3-3-2000)
Wood Brothers Fact: On March 5, 1972, A.J. Foyt climbed into the Wood Brothers Ford and drove it to Victory Lane in Ontario, CA at the 2.5 mile speedway. Foyt and the Wood Brothers sat on the pole and took home a purse of $25,595. The win at Ontario in 1972 marked the 39th victory in the Wood Brothers Racing career, their 25th superspeedway win, and the fourth and final win with Foyt as their driver. ALSO: The Wood Brothers exceeded the $15,000,000 mark in career earnings this past weekend at Rockingham(Cox Marketing PR)(3-3-2000)
Rear Windows? UPDATE: not sure why, but have heard that the NASCAR inspectors made all three Hendrick cars change the rear window’s at Rockingham(3-2-2000) — UPDATE: hear the problems were minor but the template would not fit correctly, so the windows has to be swapped out, no fines or anything like that(3-3/4-2000)
Park’s Colors: Steve Park’s #1 Pennzoil Chevy will have a different look at Vegas, the car has a ‘Mission To Mars’ movie paint scheme on it, orange and black. This one-time paint job celebrates Pennzoil Synthetic motor oil’s Hollywood debut in Touchstone Pictures’ new film “Mission To Mars,” which is scheduled for nationwide release on March 10. Pennzoil Synthetic motor oil with Pennzane is featured in the film, which depicts a manned space mission to Mars. See an image of the car at NASCAR Online(3-3-2000)
Music City and Petty: The Richard Petty Driving School will make a visit to Nashville Speedway later this season, but officials said dates have not been finalized(Tennessean)(3-3-2000)
#16 has a sponsor UPDATE 4: Officials at Roush Racing issued a media advisory Sunday morning at NCS announcing a press conference for Thursday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The subject of the press conference, according to the advisory, is to introduce “a new multi-year primary sponsor for Kevin Lepage and the #16 team.” While Lepage nor officials of the Roush Racing operation would reveal the new sponsor, sources told goracing.com that the press conference would name Northern Light Technology as the team’s primary sponsor for at least the next two years. Northern Light also sponsors the #9 Roush BGN Ford with driver Jeff Burton(goRacing) also have an image of the car sent in by a reader, see the Paint Schemes Gallery for the image(2-27-2000) — UPDATE: hmm..a source tells me the sponsor is not Northern Light and the car will be purple, Yahoo? Harrah’s? — UPDATE: now hearing it’ll be an Internet site but something to do with Investing(2-28-2000) — UPDATE 3: New online service provider (OSP) and family website FamilyClick.com(TM) partners with Roush Racing to enter NASCAR racing this weekend at the Carsdirect.com 400 in Las Vegas. Kevin Lepage will drive the new FamilyClick.com #16 Ford Taurus for the 2000 Winston Cup series. As part of the partnership, Roush Racing will become an equity investor in FamilyClick.com, and FamilyClick will become the official Internet service of Roush Racing. For more info on FamilyClick.com check there site: www.FamilyClick.com. (Business Wire/Newstream) see an image of the car in my Paint Schemes Gallery, it is purple and white, but not an investment site(3-2-2000) — UPDATE 4: also of note – this is a multi-year deal to have FamilyClick.com serve as the primary sponsor on the #16. What is FamilyClick.com? It is a family-oriented website and Internet browser focusing on education and entertainment, and allows families to filter out offensive websites(3-3-2000)

(3-2-2000)
#43 News: Albertson’s and NASCAR driver John Andretti announced that Petty Enterprises’ #43 STP/Cheerios Pontiac will carry the Albertson’s logo for the DIRECTV 500 Cup race April 2, at Texas Motor Speedway. Andretti and Albertson’s representatives unveiled the STP/Albertson’s #43 Pontiac and announced the Albertson’s $100,000 Sweepstakes(Albertson’s/IMG PR)(3-2-2000)
Wind Tunnel Info UPDATE: ESPN2’s RPM2Nite reported tonight that it has been heard that Ford had the best numbers at Monday’s Wind Tunnel tests, with Chevy edging out the Pontiacs. The cars that went were the #18 Pontiac of Bobby Labonte, the #3 Chevy of Dale Earnhardt and the #88 of Dale Jarrett(RPM2Nite)(3-1-2000) also see the story by Lee Spencer: Advantage… Ford???(3-2-2000)
#91 News: Todd Bodine will be driving for the #91 LJ Racing team at Atlanta and Texas. Bodine recently tested at Atlanta. Andy Hillenburg is scheduled drive the car at Talladega in April. Sponsorship is still needed for the LJ Racing team. KMC Telecom who sponsored the team at Daytona may be back in a one race deal or as an associate(many sources including Catchfence, Victory Lane and others)(3-2-2000)
Sad News UPDATE 2: USAR Hooters ProCup: Crewman Killed in Garage-Area Explosion(goracing), also anyone you wishing to donate or help out, am hearing that the ProCup wives are starting a collection for Abblett’s family. Email at: [email protected](2-29-2000) — UPDATE Invetigation: Officials are still investigating the cause of the explosion, which fatally injured 22-year-old Christopher Abblett, just hours before the track’s scheduled USAR Hooters ProCup Series race. More on this tragic story at goRacing(3-1-2000) — UPDATE 2: Info on funeral arrangements can be found at the USAR Site(3-2-2000)

(3-1-2000)
AMS Testing UPDATE 2 Testing Page: haven’t found much information on this yet, but at least two Cup teams tested at Atlanta on Monday, #66-Darrell Waltrip and #91-Todd Bodine(2-29-2000) — UPDATE:RPM2Nite reported speeds: #9-Stacy Compton 189.383mph; #66-Darrell Waltrip 185.175 and #91-Todd Bodine at 184.175. Also hear #32-Scott Pruett tested there on Monday, no speeds reported. Bodine will run the #91 at Atlanta — UPDATE 2: The Atlanta Motor Speedway site just started a real nice section, cover all the testing done there so far in 2000, including this week, see it at the AMS Testing Page, wish all track site had that(3-1-2000)
Chevy Nose: Speedway Illustrated has learned that the design of a new Monte Carlo nosepiece, a joint effort of several GM teams including Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, is nearing completion. Though specifics are not being released before the design is submitted to NASCAR for approval, Speedway Illustarted was told that the proposed nosepieces would not be visibly much different from those on the cars right now. The changes needed to increase downforce sufficiently to “balance” the Monte Carlo are actually quite small. No date has been set for submission to NASCAR or when to expect their determination(Speedway Illustrated Mag Site)(3-1-2000)
Radio: Performance Racing Network(PRN) has launched a new radio program, “The Pit Reporters,” and announced Wrenchead.com as the show’s presenting sponsor. The “Pit Reporters,” which premiered Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m. (EST) on the World Wide Web at gospeedway.com. was later rebroadcast to nearly 100 radio stations throughout the country(PR)(3-1-2000)
The Rock TV Ratings: word has it that the Dura-Lube/Kmart 400, held Sunday at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, saw its cable ratings, on The Nashville Network, decline by 16 percent over 1999. The race, which was an exciting one, drew a 5.2 rating as opposed to a 6.2 a year earlier. It was seen in 3.9 million homes(Gaston Gazette) also see the story at SpeedVision(3-1-2000)