Kirk Shelmerdine News

StockCarFans.Com – Ramblings – Atlanta:

StockCarFans.Com – Ramblings – Atlanta:

March 14, 2004
#12-Ryan Newman hasn't got any let up in him.....and I don't guess we should have expected any, huh? Newman grabbed his second Bud pole of the season for Sunday's Golden Corral 500 [Friday] at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and (as is often the case) it wasn't even close.

Atlanta Qualifying Notes:

Atlanta Qualifying Notes:

March 13, 2004
* Ryan Newman won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Pole for the Golden Corral 500, lapping Atlanta Motor Speedway in 28.640 seconds at 193.575 mph. Geoffrey Bodine holds the track-qualifying record of 28.074 seconds, 197.478 mph, set Nov. 15, 1997. * This is Newman's 20th

Qualifying Notes:

Qualifying Notes:

March 6, 2004
Kasey Kahne won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Pole for the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400, lapping Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 30.874 seconds at 174.904 mph. He broke Bobby Labonte;s track-qualifying record of 31.211 seconds, 173.016 mph, set Feb. 28, 2003. Fifteen drivers posted

Spoiler Rules Change for the 2002 cars:

Spoiler Rules Change for the 2002 cars:

March 6, 2004
NASCAR handed out new rear-spoiler rules yesterday, cutting the rear spoiler on 2002 models, effectively killing those cars, beginning with next week's Atlanta race. The only driver using a 2002 model here is #72-Kirk Shelmerdine [Ford]. NASCAR officials apparently

NASCAR Pushing Older Drivers out or to Part-time?

NASCAR Pushing Older Drivers out or to Part-time?

March 2, 2004
As long as the sponsors and team owners were satisfied with the driver's performance, he could race as long as he wanted [in the past]. But that's about to change. And the pressure to kick the aging cans of veteran drivers isn't coming so much from the owners or sponsors

More on the Field Fillers:

More on the Field Fillers:

February 24, 2004
#80-Andy Hillenburg, who failed to qualify Junie Donlavey's #90-car at Daytona (although he made a little money in the 125), made the field in Stan Hover's long-shot car here and did best among the irregulars, finishing 34th. You might also consider #14-Larry Foyt (

More on Field Fillers:

More on Field Fillers:

February 23, 2004
NASCAR’s John Darby declared here that there was no contractual provision requiring Nextel Cup fields to sport a full 43-car allottment at each event, but the governing body is obviously mounting a major effort to get enough cars to each track to fulfill such

Droppin’ out early….ya think? UPDATE:

Droppin’ out early….ya think? UPDATE:

February 22, 2004
#09-Joe Ruttman, #80-Andy Hillenburg, #46-Carl Long and #72-Kirk Shelmerdine aren't here [Rockignham] to race. They're here to make sure there were 43 cars to line up for the start. If they go out early because of a "vibration," it'll be their pagers vibrating to tell

Long earns his ‘purse’. loses his only Cup car:

Long earns his ‘purse’. loses his only Cup car:

February 22, 2004
The most spectacular wreck of the race involved #46-Carl Long, one of the four "field-fillers" in the event, who walked away unhurt after flipping his car almost six times down the backstretch. Long was bumped from behind by #01-Joe Nemechek on lap 263 and the contact

Daytona Penalties Doled Out:

Daytona Penalties Doled Out:

February 21, 2004
Crew chief Jimmy Fennig was fined $20,000 by NASCAR for weights improperly attached to a bar reinforcing the rear bumper on the #97 Ford entered for driver Kurt Busch for the Daytona 500. The fine against Fennig was the highest announced Saturday by NASCAR officials

StockCarFans.Com – Ramblings – Rockingham:

StockCarFans.Com – Ramblings – Rockingham:

February 21, 2004
It was Ryan Newman's day today....and once again it wasn't in much doubt. #12-Newman was faster than Jamie McMurray in his Alltel Dodge at North Carolina Speedway this afternoon...by a whopping .165 seconds. He sped around this 1 mile oval in 23.398 sec (156.475 mph

Stock Car Fans Ramblings – Twin 125’s:

Stock Car Fans Ramblings – Twin 125’s:

February 13, 2004
We had the running of the Gatorade Twin 125's at Daytona International Speedway, and if Jr's car was awful Thursday it's gonna be a long day for 42 other drivers on Sunday. Greg Biffle grabbed his first career-pole Sunday, and he'll lead 'em to the green as the first

#19 / #97 may be fined:

#19 / #97 may be fined:

February 11, 2004
Jeremy Mayfield's #19 team and Kurt Busch's #97 team are likely to be penalized further for infractions found by Nextel Cup officials, series director John Darby said. The rear deck lid on Mayfield's car failed to fit the template. Busch's car had a rear bumper support

Shelmerdine trying to make the Daytona 500:

Shelmerdine trying to make the Daytona 500:

February 10, 2004
Kirk Shelmerdine, a four-time NASCAR champion crew chief and Dale Earnhardt's ace-in-the-hole for so many Sundays, is back behind the wheel trying again to make his first-ever Daytona 500 as a driver. It has been more than 10 years since Shelmerdine suddenly retired

45 cars show, NASCAR trying to add to the list?

45 cars show, NASCAR trying to add to the list?

February 7, 2004
Next Thursday's Twin 125-mile qualifiers will be superfluous this SpeedWeeks since only 45 teams arrived for the 43-car Daytona 500 field. NASCAR officials are reported to be scrambling to add cars to the 125s.(Winston Salem Journal)(2-7-2004) 45 cars entered: the