Jay Robinson Hires Radio Host: Jay Robinson Racing has announced that Britt Pope has joined the team as Public Relations Director. With an extensive background in broadcasting, Pope will continue as WIXE Radio’s Sports Director and co-host of Jay Robinson Racing’s very own radio show, “Inside the Pit”, heard on 1190 WIXE every Monday afternoon at 4 P.M.(Jay Robinson PR)(3-31-2006)
Parrott Joins Ganassi: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced today veteran NASCAR crew chief Brad Parrott has joined the organization. Parrott will serve as the crew chief for the remaining seven NASCAR Busch Series races scheduled for driver Casey Mears.(CGRFS PR)(3-31-2006)
Busch Teams to Test at Richmond: UPDATE 4: NASCAR Busch Series testing for the May 5, 2006 Circuit City 250 Presented by FUNAI at Richmond International Raceway will take place Tuesday, March 28 – Thursday, March 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Drivers currently scheduled to participate: March 28-29: #00 Johnny Sauter, #01 Jay Sauter, #06 Todd Kluever, #1 Jason Keller, #2 Clint Bowyer, #5 Kyle Busch, #8 Martin Truex, Jr., #9 Kasey Kahne, #10 John Andretti, #11 Paul Menard, #16 Greg Biffle, #17 Matt Kenseth, #18 J.J. Yeley, #20 Denny Hamlin, #22 Kenny Wallace, #29 Jeff Burton, #31 Steve Park, #32 Jason Leffler, #39 Ryan Newman, #50 Danny O’Quinn, #56 Chris Cook, #60 Carl Edwards, #90 Elliott Sadler, #270 Justin Diercks. March 29-30: #25 Ashton Lewis, Jr., #27 David Green, #35 Regan Smith, #38 A.J. Foyt IV, #43 Aaron Fike, #47 Jon Wood, #59 Stacy Compton, #64 Steve Wallace, #66 Scott Wimmer, #184 David Gilliland.(RIR PR)(3-22-2006) UPDATE: The third test session of the season for the NASCAR Busch Series is a first for Richmond International Raceway where the 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. schedule Tuesday through Thursday allows for testing under the lights at the three-quarters of a mile track. Richmond is one of four tracks – and the only short track – that NASCAR Busch Series teams can utilize for tests this season. Daytona International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway have already held tests. Lowe’s Motor Speedway will host the series May 8 – 10. Forty-one drivers are scheduled to participate in the three-day session where teams select two of the three available days to test.(NASCAR PR)(3-27-2006) UPDATE 2: More than two dozen NASCAR Busch Series drivers tested at Richmond International Raceway today in preparation for the Circuit City 250 Presented by FUNAI on Friday, May 5. Topping the speed charts was #2-Clint Bowyer, who posted a best lap of 125.406 mph. He was followed by #9-Kasey Kahne, #60-Carl Edwards, #18-J.J. Yeley and #39-Ryan Newman in the top-five. Newman was followed by #32-Jason Leffler, #00-Johnny Sauter, #5-Kyle Busch, #29-Jeff Burton and #50-Danny O’Quinn to round out the top-10.(RIR PR)(3-28-2006) UPDATE 3: Day two of NASCAR Busch Series testing at Richmond International Raceway ended with #29-Jeff Burton topping the speed charts with a best lap of 127.011 mph which he recorded in the afternoon. More than 40 cars tested today in preparation for the Circuit City 250 Presented by FUNAI on May 5. This week’s test session at Richmond International Raceway is one of just four test sessions for the NASCAR Busch series teams, and the only short-track test in 2006. Teams had the unique opportunity to test “under the lights” or the first time [Tuesday and Wednesday] nights, with the final day and night of testing wrapping up Thursday. The remainder of the top five were #39-Ryan Newman, #20-Denny Hamlin, #00-Johnny Sauter, and #5-Kyle Busch.(RIR PR)(3-29-2006) UPDATE 4: During the afternoon session, #88-Mark McFarland ran the fastest lap in the final day of Busch testing at Richmond. His speed was 126.511 mph. He was followed by #41-Reed Sorenson, #36-Tim Sauter, #27-David Green, and #84-David Gilliland. See complete afternoon speeds at RIR.com.(3-30-2006)
Goodyear to Produce Different Tires for Busch Series?: Goodyear officials are considering making a different tire for each of NASCAR’s national series when they run at the same track, and that’s welcome news to Busch Series competitors who hope to differentiate that division from Nextel Cup. “We’re fast approaching that point,” Goodyear’s Rick Campbell said March 19. “We may see the trucks on a different tire than the Busch cards, and the Busch cars on a different tire than the Cup cars.”(NASCAR Scene)(3-30-2006)
Steve Wallace Full Time in 2007: Steve Wallace said March 24 he’ll run the full Busch Series season in 2007 for Rusty Wallace Inc. Wallace is due to enter 15 Busch races and seven ARCA events this year. “My future is to run two years in Busch, and [dad is] trying to negotiate a [Cup] program right now.”(NASCAR Scene)(3-30-2006)
Hylton Leaves Fitz-Bradshaw: UPDATE: Butch Hylton has resigned his position as crew chief for the #12 Dodge effective immediately to seek other opportunities in racing. (BKB2 PR)(3-26-2006) UPDATE: John Frattura has replaced Butch Hylton as the crew chief on the #12 Dodge Charger for FitzBradshaw Racing. Frattura was the car chief on the #14 Dodge Charger last year for David Stremme and held the same position for the first six races of the 2006 season.(Fitz-Bradshaw PR)(3-27-2006)
Bristol Penalties Announced: NASCAR announced today that fines have been issued to two Busch Series teams, as a result of rule violations this past weekend at Bristol. Stewart Cooper, crew chief for the #27 Ford driven by David Green, has been fined $2,000 for violating Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment that do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20A-12.1A(8) (unapproved jacking bolts, hollow bolts) of the NASCAR rule book. The violation was discovered during pre-qualifying inspection. Ronnie Griffin, crew chief for the #23 Chevrolet driven by Chris Wimmer, has been fined $1,000 for violating Sections 12-4-A; 12-4-Q and 20A-12.1A(8). The violation was discovered during pre-qualifying inspection.(NASCAR PR)(3-28-2006)
Circuit City Sponsoring Richmond Race: Richmond International Raceway officials say the track’s May 5 Busch Series race will be called the the Circuit City 250 under terms of an agreement with the Richmond-based retail chain.(NASCAR Scene)(3-28-2006)
Kyle Busch considering cutting back Busch Series starts? #5-Kyle Busch says he may reconsider his plans to run both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series. Busch has run well in the Cup series, currently sitting eighth in points, but his other effort has been less stellar. He’s 18th in the standings in the Busch Series entering today’s race [he ended up winning the Busch Series race at Bristol]. Asked if there had been any discussion of cutting back his Busch schedule, the driver said it hasn’t been talked about yet – but that such a change would not surprise him.(SceneDaily.com)(3-26-2006)
Phoenix Racing to Enter Gale in Nashville ARCA Race: Phoenix Racing has announced that they will be entering Cale Gale in the April 15th ARCA race at Nashville. In an effort to build for the future, owner James Finch is ready to give Gale a chance. Gale went to work for Phoenix Racing in the fall of 2005 as their shock specialist/developmental driver and now looks forward to this opportunity. Miccosukee Resort and Gaming will be the primary sponsor.(Phoenix Racing PR)(3-25-2006)
Steve Wallace Gets Sponsors for ARCA Runs: RWI Racing has announced the addition of the Hantz Group and Nu South Lemonade, a subsidiary of United Beverage Group, LLC to their roster of sponsors. Nu South Lemonade and Hantz Group will don Steve Wallace’s #61 entry in the ARCA/REMAX Series in 2006. Wallace is slated to run seven ARCA/REMAX races this season, including Nashville (April 15), Kentucky (May 13), Michigan (June 16 and August 10), Gateway (July 28), Talladega (October 6) and Iowa (October 15).(RWI PR)(3-25-2006)
Compton Starts Late Model Teams: Stacy Compton will field a pair of NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Late Model Stock Cars this year. The cars will compete weekly at separate Virginia NASCAR tracks where Compton established his own NASCAR career more than a decade ago. Steven Berry, 17 of Huddleston, Va., and Adam Barker, 19, of Altavista, Va., both applied for their 2006 NASCAR licenses on March 21. Compton’s team, officially known as Turn One Racing LLC, is being guided by General Manager Herb Bailey, who worked with Compton in Late Model Stock Cars, as well as Steve Dalton who will crew chief Barker’s car.(NASCAR PR)(3-24-2006)
Robertson to Drive for MacDonald in Bristol: An agreement reached between Jerry Robertson and MacDonald Motorsports will see Robertson driving in the Busch race on March 25th at Bristol. This one-race deal puts the Arvada, CO competitor behind the wheel of the #72 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with sponsorship from Furniture Row’s Denver Mattress Company.(Jerry Robertson Racing PR)(3-23-2006)
BHR2 Changes Name, Plans Busch Races Later This Year: BHR2 will now be known as Curry Racing as Ray Montgomery has joined forces with Julius Curry, who played three games for the Detriot Lions in 2003. The team plans to field entries in the Craftsman Truck Series on a part-time basis for Chase Montgomery with plans to run Busch Series events later in the season.(NASCAR Scene)(3-23-2006)
Waltrip to Field Toyota in Busch in 2007: Michael Waltrip confirmed March 17 that Michael Waltrip Racing will field at least one full-time Toyota team in the Busch Series in 2007. “I’m not going to drive them all, but I’m going to have a team or two [in every race],” Waltrip said. Aaron’s will remain as the sponsor.(NASCAR Scene)(3-23-2006)
Milwaukee Mile Installs SAFER Barriers: The Milwaukee Mile has taken another step in the direction of recent safety and facility improvements, with the installation of the SAFER Barrier System, an energy-dissipating system that has been fastened to the speedway’s existing concrete wall.(Milwaukee Mile PR)(3-22-2006)
Barr-Nunn to Sponsor O’Quinn at Bristol: Danny O’Quinn Jr.’s #50 Roush Racing Busch Series entry will have Barr-Nunn Transportation Inc., as a primary sponsor for this weekend’s Sharpie Mini 300. Barr-Nunn will run its first of two races as primary sponsor in the weekend’s event.(Roush Racing PR)(3-22-06)
Norris Fined for Unapproved Jacking Bolt: NASCAR announced today that Chad Norris, crew chief of the #17 Ford driven by Matt Kenseth, has been penalized due to rules violations at Atlanta. Norris was fined $5,000 for violating Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used that do not conform to NASCAR rules: 20A – 12.1A(7): unapproved front jacking bolt, excessive taper) of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Rule Book. The infraction was discovered during post-race inspection on March 18.(NASCAR Media)(3-22-2006)
SunCom to Sponsor MacHill & Lepage at Bristol: SunCom Wireless, an award-winning wireless carrier that has operated in the Southeastern United States since 1999, will be the Primary Sponsor for the Mac Hill Motorsports #56 BGN car driven by Kevin Lepage at Bristol.(MacHill PR)(3-21-2006)
Blue Ox to be Primary Sponsor for Johnny Sauter at Bristol: Blue Ox, the manufacturer of the most reliable towing products in the industry has teamed up with the world’s fastest half-mile and in 2006, Blue Ox’s presence on race weekend will be bigger than ever. During Saturday’s Busch Series Race, Blue Ox will be the primary sponsor for Haas CNC Racing’s #00 Chevrolet driven by Johnny Sauter. On Sunday, Blue Ox will climb on board the rear deck lid as an associate sponsor of Haas CNC Racing’s #66 Chevrolet with driver Jeff Green.(Blue Ox PR)(3-21-2006)
McCall to Make Busch Series Debut at Bristol: When Matt McCall signed on to become part of the Robert Yates Racing development program in 2005, he knew that he would eventually make his NASCAR Busch Series debut. He just did not expect it to be Bristol Motor Speedway. McCall, driver the #90 CitiFinancial Ford, has one previous start at the .533-mile short track, last season in the UARA late-model series.(citifinancial PR)(3-21-2006)
Waltrip to Drive University of Texas Longhorns Scheme at Texas Race: Aaron Rents, Inc. today announced that Michael Waltrip will commemorate the University of Texas’ football team’s National Championship victory by decorating the #99 Aaron’s Dream Machine in a special UT paint scheme during the upcoming NASCAR Busch Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.(Aarons PR)(3-21-2006) NOTE: See a image of the car on my Paint Schemes Page
NASCAR Looking at Changes to Busch Cars?: According to a manufacturer source, NASCAR officials have floated one solution to the apparent [Cup drivers in the Busch Series] problem to the series’ manufacturers. It involves changing the cars that race in the series from the current models being run in the Nextel Cup Series to smaller, sportier ones. If the two series ran cars that differed more from each other, it would greatly limit what Cup drivers and teams could learn in the Busch Series and apply to the next day’s Cup race, thus making racing Busch a less attractive proposition. A change back to smaller cars could have Chevrolet fielding the new retro Camaro (scheduled for 2009) and Dodge running its new Challenger (scheduled for 2008). Pontiac could return to NASCAR to run its new, smaller GTO, Ford would field its highly-successful redesigned retro Mustang, and Toyota could run a Celica or its future replacement. Initial reaction among the manufacturers has been very positive. Any changes would be instituted well after the new Car of Tomorrow is fully integrated into the Nextel Cup Series, which currently is scheduled to happen in 2009.(Yahoo! Sports)(3-19-2006)
Kertus Davis and MacDonald Motorsports Team Up for Atlanta: Kertus Davis and the #0 RaceGirl Chevrolet will team up with MacDonald Motorsports for the Nicorette 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. MacDonald Motorsports will be bringing some much-needed help, as well as sponsor GunBroker.com to the team.(Davis PR)(3-17-2006)
RCR Announcement UPDATE 2: Richard Childress Racing and #31 driver Jeff Burton have scheduled a press conference Friday, March 17 at Atlanta Motor Speedway to announce a new partnership for the 2006 season.(RCR PR)(3-15-2006) UPDATE: Holiday Inn is expected to join a growing list of Atlanta companies that sponsor cars and drivers in NASCAR. Richard Childress Racing and driver Jeff Burton will be backed by Holiday Inn in as many as 10 Busch Series races this season, according to team officials. The team has scheduled a press conference today at Atlanta Motor Speedway to reveal details of its new sponsorship.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(3-17-2006) UPDATE 2: Richard Childress Racing announced the addition of Holiday Inn as sponsor of the #29 Busch Series car driven by Jeff Burton for a 10-race deal this season beginning with Richmond in May. Included on the 10-race schedule are Richmond (twice), Lowe’s, Dover, Chicago, Indianapolis, Michigan, Bristol, Kansas and Texas.(Atlanta Speedway PR)(3-17-2006)
Scott Lynch to Drive for Cicci at Atlanta: Frank Cicci Racing with Jim Kelly is pleased to announce that former NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series Champion Scott Lynch will pilot the #34 Chevy in the NASCAR Busch Nicorette 300 at Atlanta.(Lynch PR)(3-16-2006)
Several Busch Teams Face Qualifying Peril: The top 30 in owner points will lock in teams with this season’s standings after Atlanta, and it looks as if there will be an established team outside the cutoff point. David Green is tied for 30th among those eligible for locked-in spots with the #58 Glynn Motorsports entry, most recently driven by Kevin Conway (with a possible sale to investor Joe Carver in the works). Stacy Compton in the ST Motorsports #59 entry is 18 behind them, while Joel Kauffman, in the No. 12 FitzBradshaw Racing car, is 36 points behind. Anthony Foyt is 51 points back in the #38 Akins Motorsports car and the #34 Cicci-Kelly Racing entry is 54 points away from the cut.(NASCAR Scene)(3-16-2006)
Kahne to Drive at Memphis: Today, Memphis Motorsports Park officials announced that Kasey Kahne will run the second leg of the ‘Sam’s Town Challenge’ – the Sam’s Town 250 – in Memphis on Oct. 28. Kahne traditionally only runs Busch Series races during “companion” events, but is making an exception to his schedule for Memphis. By virtue of his Vegas victory, Kahne has the inside track on the ‘Sam’s Town Challenge’ and the $20,000 awarded to the cumulative points leader in the combined Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas in March and the Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis. (Memphis Motorsports Park PR)(3-16-2006)
Hitachi to Sponsor Busch this Weekend: The #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is sporting a special paint design for this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sponsored by Hitachi Power Tools and Lowe’s, the car features a distinctive green and black color scheme, similar to the “inspired” design elements featured on the Hitachi Power Tools product line. See an image on my Busch Series Paint Schemes Page. (GMR Marketing)(3-16-2006)
Busch Series to Race in Canada?: With a second race in Mexico City behind the NASCAR Busch Series, the teams can expect to cross the border again next year – possibly two different borders. Canada remains on the NASCAR radar as the next international venue for the circuit, possibly as early at next year.(NASCAR Scene)(3-16-2006)
Braun Racing Switches Engine Supplier: Braun Racing has switched to Pro Motors for the remainder of the year.(Braun Racing PR)(3-15-2006)
Newman Gets Busch Crew Chief: Penske Racing South has hired a new Busch Series crew chief for Ryan Newman. Matt Gimbel worked with Penske crew chiefs Roy McCauley and Matt Borland at PacWest Racing (in CART) and most recently worked as an engineer in the aircraft industry. Gimbel, who also has worked at Chip Ganassi Racing, will start with the team at Atlanta this weekend.(NASCAR Scene Daily)(3-14-2006)
Darrell Waltrip to Drive Dream Machine at Martinsville: Aaron Rents, Inc. today announced that for the first time ever, Darrell Waltrip will take the wheel from younger brother Michael Waltrip to race the #99 Aaron’s Dream Machine at the upcoming NASCAR Busch Series race at Martinsville Speedway on the evening of July 22, 2006.(Aaron’s PR)(3-15-2006)
Dixie Stampede to Sponsor Bowyer:Richard Childress Racing officials say Dixie Stampede will be an associate sponsor of RCR’s #2 Chevrolet driven by Clint Bowyer in NASCAR’s Busch Series. The company will also serve as an official partner of RCR.(NASCAR Scene Daily)(3-14-2006)
Las Vegas Penalty Announced: NASCAR announced today that Eddie Buffington, crew chief of the #14 Dodge driven by Tracy Hines in the NASCAR Busch Series, has been penalized due to rules violations at Las Vegas. Buffington was fined $2,500 for violating Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4-CC (unapproved rear end gear ratio) of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Rule Book. The infraction was discovered during opening day inspection on March 10.(NASCAR PR)(3-14-2006)
Jason White to Drive for New Team: UPDATE Virginia businessmen Dwayne Gaulding, and Barry Tudor announced today the formation of Ashton Gray Racing, a professional based NASCAR Busch Series team set to debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2006. The team has selected NASCAR driver Jason White to pilot their Dodge Intrepids in a minimum of ten NBS (NASCAR Busch Series) events this season. The team’s car number, motor program and sponsors will be announced at a later date. In addition to Atlanta, the team plans to run at Nashville, Kentucky, Michigan, Kansas and Chicago to name a few. (Ashton Gray PR)(1-31-2006) UPDATE: Ashton Gray Racing was supposed to debut this weekend in the Nicorette 300 at Atlanta, but team officials have elected to skip this weekend’s event to focus their efforts toward the NBS event at Nashville on April 15th.(Ashton Gray PR)(3-14-2006)
Justin Labonte to Drive Limited Schedule in Dodge Weekly Series: Justin Labonte will enter the season opener event at Caraway Speedway on Saturday, March 18. Although Labonte is not competing in an attempt to capture the track championship, he will be contending in various events throughout the region. His efforts at the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series will be backed by his grandfather Bob Labonte who will serve as crew chief. Justin Labonte is also searching for a full-time Busch Series ride for the 2007 season.(JustinLabonte.com)(3-13-2006)
Kertus Davis Owner For a Day Program: UPDATE: #0-Kertus Davis and Johnny Davis Motorsports are now offering business owners a chance to realize that dream with their new Owner For a Day Program. Kertus is one of the few independent drivers who is holding out from race to race trying to realize his dream of driving for an established team. Packages are available on a single-race basis and are a perfect and affordable way for your business to build its brand exposure using NASCAR as an advertising medium. For more information about Owner For a Day Program go to www.kertusdavis.com.(3-7-2006) UPDATE: Taking advantage of the new Owner For a Day Program, Johnny Davis Motorsports and Shaug Construction announce their partnership for this weekend’s Sam’s Town 300. The sponsorship comes just in time to help driver Kertus Davis make an attempt at his team’s third race of the 2006 season. Shaug Construction is a Denair, California based company serving the food processing industry. They have been in the sanitary pipe welding and fabricating business for 15 years.(Davis PR)(3-9-2006)
Clark to Make Busch Debut in Vegas: Spencer Clark of Las Vegas is prepared for his NASCAR Busch Series debut in his #65 Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air sponsored Ford at the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas this weekend. Growing up in Las Vegas, the 19-year-old spent many hours at the 3/8-mile paved Bullring at LVMS in Super Late Models and Legends Cars.(Clark PR)(3-8-2006)
Dehart Parts Ways with Foyt Racing: Former NASCAR Busch Series Director Brian DeHart who has been General Manager for Foyt Racing since 2005 has parted ways with the team due to a lack of financial backing. DeHart is currently pursuing other opportunities.(3-7-2006)
Busch Series Expect to Return to Mexico in 2007: The return of the NASCAR Busch Series to Mexico City for the 2007 season is virtually a certainty, according to the race promoter. Federico Alaman Gonzalez, the director of sports events for race promoter OCESA, said Saturday that he expects to see the Busch Series back next season at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. He said while the sanctioning agreement remains a one-year deal that must be negotiated annually, his company and NASCAR have a long-term contract to promote NASCAR events and a NASCAR-sanctioned stock-car series in Mexico. (NASCAR Scene)(3-6-2006)
FBR Looked for Driver to Fill in for Ailing Kauffman: FitzBradshaw Racing spent Sunday morning looking for a relief driver for rookie Joel Kauffman, who was feeling nauseous hours prior to the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. FBR had inquired about several drivers, but NASCAR told team owner Armando Fitz that any relief driver would have had to run in the race last year and have experience on the course. Even Mark Green, who has 211 career starts including four road course races in the series, was not allowed to be the relief driver. The plan about 90 minutes before the race was for Kauffman to at least start the team’s No. 12 Dodge. Kauffman had two bags of intravenous fluids Sunday morning. (NASCAR Scene)(3-6-2006)
Harvick Skips Post-Race Press Confrerence: #21-Kevin Harvick was absent from the post-race press conference (he finished third). We were told he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) attend because of security issues and that he had a plane to catch. Both race winner Hamlin and second-place finisher Boris Said had no problems making it to the media center. It is customary for the Busch Series points leader (currently Harvick) to attend these media events.(Yahoo! Sports)(3-6-2006)
Armor All to Sponsor Jon Wood in 10 races: Armor All will be the primary sponsor on the #47 Busch Series car for the following 10 races this year: March 18 at Atlanta, April 29 at Talladega, May 5 at Richmond, May 27 at Charlotte, June 24 at Milwaukee, June 30 at Daytona, August 5 at Indianapolis, August 25 at Bristol, September 30 at Kansas, October 13 at Charlotte. Check out the Paint Scheme page for an image of the car.(3-4-2006)
NASCAR to Use Road Qualiyfing Rules in Mexico: UPDATE: NASCAR will experiment with a new qualifying format for road courses when the Busch Series cars go out in groups Saturday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The exact number of groups, the number of cars per group and the time allotted for each group is still to be determined, Busch Series Director Joe Balash said today. Each car will have its best lap used as its qualifying time. There could be four or more cars for each group, and the length of the session likely will be somewhere from five to 10 minutes, Balash said. The cars will be spread out at the start of their qualifying session.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(3-2-2006)
For complete qualifying procedures announced by NASCAR, check out the Mexico City Race Page.(3-3-2006)
Edwards’ Crew Chief Missing Mexcio Race: Carl Edwards will have his Nextel Cup crew chief Bob Osborne calling the shots for him in the Telcel-Motorola 200 Busch Series race this weekend because immigration issues kept crew chief Pierre Kuttel at home. “P.K. is a Canadian-born citizen, and he had to get his passport from Canada,” Edwards said Friday before practice at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.(NASCAR Scene Daily)(3-3-2006)
Hornaday Helping Lamar in Mexico City: After racing two straight weekends on the NASCAR Truck Series, circuit teams will have the benefit of a weekend off. That’s not the case for two-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday. Instead of relaxing at home, the driver of the #33 KHI Chevrolet will travel south of the border. Hornaday is traveling to the Busch Series event in Mexico City, Mexico on his off weekend to help Rookie of the Year contender Burney Lamar.(KHI PR)(3-2-2006)
Jourdain Thrown from Horse; Will Race Sunday: Michel Jourdain Jr. suffered a strained thigh muscle after being thrown from a horse Tuesday during a newspaper photo shoot. He said today that he doesn’t expect to miss any practices or the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 Sunday.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(3-2-2006)
Christine Marie Motorsports Joins MacHill Motorsports: Christine Marie Motorsports, Inc. (CMM) will launch its 2006 NASCAR Busch Series campaign at the Telcel-Motorola 200 in Mexico City on March 5 with new partners, Mac Hill Motorsports (Mac Hill) and Curb Agajanian Performance Group (CAPG). The Mac Hill #56 entry will be sponsored in the race by l’Alsace À Paris, a premier Mexico City restaurant, which is part of Grupo Presedente, a worldwide group manager of fine hotels and restaurants. Chris Cook will pilot a Dodge Charger built and prepared by Mac Hill and CAPG for a limited schedule in the 2006 Busch Series season. (MacHill Motorsports PR)(3-2-2006)
ppc Partners with Drive for Diversity Program in Mexico: Hispanic driver, Michel Jourdain Jr. may not have a long history with the seven men and women that will go over the wall in Sunday’s NASCAR Busch Series race in Mexico City, Mexico. The team he drives for, ppc Racing, has partnered with NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity® (D4D) program to pit the #15 Roshfrans Ford Fusion on Sunday, March 5th at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. This is the first time ppc Racing has partnered with the program.(ppc PR)(3-2-2006)
Eduardo Goeters to Drive for Jay Robinson at Mexico: Last-minute participation by Eduardo Goeters in Sunday’s Telcel-Motorola 200 was confirmed as he will drive the #49 of Jay Robinson Racing, substituting for Rafael Martinez. With this announcement, the three Goeters brothers of Jorge, Patrick, and Eduardo will now all participate in the event. (Mexico200.com via BGNRacing.com)(3-2-2006)
Fitz and Contreras Create new NASCAR Desafio Corona Series Team: Busch Series team owner Armando Fitz has joined forces with NASCAR’s first Hispanic driver, Carlos Contreras, to establish a new NASCAR Mexico team – FitzContreras Racing. The team will run all 14 races in the 2006 Desafio Corona schedule beginning with the 1st scheduled race in Guadalajara Mexico on March 26.(FBR PR)(3-2-2006)
