Nascar Headlines

Danica Patrick to make NASCAR debut at Daytona

Danica PatrickDanica Patrick will make her NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevy this Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, JR Motorsports general manager Kelley Earnhardt announced. Patrick, Earnhardt, and team officials convened Sunday following the ARCA event at Daytona, in which Patrick raced to a sixth-place finish in her stock-car debut.

The decision for Patrick to compete in the Daytona Nationwide Series event is supported by sponsor GoDaddy.com and JRM co-owners Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Eury Jr., and Rick Hendrick.

“To be the one driving that Go Daddy car at Daytona means a lot to me,” Patrick said. “Racing in the Nationwide Series race was my goal during this entire two-month preparation process, but we wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do. The ARCA race was a blast, and I’m not ready for my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet. I want more racing.”

Patrick’s entry in the Drive4COPD 300 puts her in a JR Motorsports tandem with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will drive the #88 Hellmann’s Chevy. Patrick will continue her Nationwide Series schedule on Feb. 20 at Auto Club Speedway and Feb. 27 at Las Vegas. Patrick is guaranteed starting positions in all three races based off JRM’s acquisition of points from CJM Racing’s #11 team, which finished 15th in the 2009 Nationwide Series owners point standings. GoDaddy.com will be the primary sponsor for 11 of Patrick’s 13 Nationwide Series races in 2010. She started 12th in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 and finished sixth, including a late rally from 23rd position all the way to the front pack in just under 20 laps.

Danica Patrick to make NASCAR debut at Daytona

Harvick repeats as Budweiser Shootout winner

Kevin Harvick overcame a bout with the flu and a wrecked race car to earn his second consecutive victory in the exhibition Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night.

Too ill to travel to Daytona International Speedway for the opening of Speedweeks, Harvick turned his Chevrolet over to Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer for the first practice of the season. But Bowyer was caught in an early accident that destroyed the No. 29 and forced the team to pull out its backup.

More at washingtonpost.com

Harvick repeats as Budweiser Shootout winner

Hamlin tags Martin, causes 7 car wreck in Bud Shootout practice

Denny HamlinThe first official day of NASCAR practice also produced the first official wreck of the season.

Near the end of Thursday’s first Budweiser Shootout practice session, Denny Hamlin hit Mark Martin’s car from behind. Seven cars became involved in the wreck and several others scattered into the infield grass.

“Yeah, it’s aggressive bump-drafting,” said Greg Biffle, who was involved in the wreck.

“That’s what we were looking for, aggressive bump-drafting. Trust me, we’re not finished.”

SceneDaily.com

Hamlin tags Martin, causes 7 car wreck in Bud Shootout practice

Lynda Petty diagnosed with CNS Lymphoma

Richard PettyRichard Petty’s wife, Lynda, has been diagnosed with CNS (Central Nervous System) Lymphoma. Mrs. Petty will be treated at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University Medical Center. “We are thankful for the medical team at Duke. My wife Lynda is in good hands,” Richard Petty said Thursday in a team statement. “The doctors and our family are very optimistic that the treatment for this cancer will be successful.” The Petty family appreciates the support from family, friends, and fans as well as the continued respect for their privacy during this time.

Lynda Petty diagnosed with CNS Lymphoma

Front Row Motorsports Announces Partnership with Doug Yates

Solidifying an ownership alliance with Doug Yates and Yates Racing, Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins announces a name change to the organization. With the addition of Yates, the team will now officially be titled Front Row Motorsports with Yates Racing. Doug Yates will be the listed owner of the #37 and #38 Ford Fusions, with Bob Jenkins remaining the listed owner of the #34 Ford Fusion. The team will remain headquartered in Statesville, N.C. The alliance secures all three entries into the top 35 in owner points heading into the opening weekend of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. It also reunites Yates with his former drivers David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil.

“There has been a lot of movement this past off-season inside the sport,” said Yates. “The opportunity came up with Bob (Jenkins) and to continue in the ownership role. I didn’t have to think long about making this decision. Bob is really putting together a strong team this season and has done so over the past few seasons. He’s been smart and making all the right moves as an owner. He’s capitalized on the changes in the sports landscape and has built a solid team with great factory support and drivers. That’s what excited me about making this move. I had already learned a lot about Bob and the Front Row team over the past two months with their involvement with Ford Racing and leasing engines from Roush/Yates Engines. They are a fast-improving team and this move allows me to carry on the Yates Racing legacy created by my father over 20 years ago.”

“There has been so much that has happened for us in the past two months,” said Jenkins. “But, having Doug come on board is a big piece of our puzzle coming together heading into this season. He brings such a family tradition of winning and a lot of confidence to everyone here. His relationships with Ford Racing, Roush/Yates Engines, David and Travis immediately make us a stronger team.”

Front Row Motorsports Announces Partnership with Doug Yates

Toyota says recall won’t affect NASCAR

Kyle Busch - ToyotaThe head of Toyota’s racing effort says the company’s massive recall announced this month and subsequent losses won’t affect the manufacturer’s NASCAR teams. “Our program is pretty well set,” Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development, said Friday. “Our program involves technical support more so than writing checks. TRD is very good at managing our budgets. … I honestly don’t think there will be any impact on the motorsports program. But we, like everybody, have to be smart and keep our programs where they’re success-oriented that reward winning, that reward good results and not just be out there for fun.”

On Jan. 21, Toyota recalled 2.3 million U.S. cars and trucks and halted production of eight models this week following reports of an accelerator pedal defect. Shares of Toyota stock have fallen 17 percent since the recall, according to a report on Bloomberg.com. And one industry insider familiar with inner workings of the manufacturer said Toyota was losing $500 million for every week assembly lines remain idle.

Fox Sports

Toyota says recall won’t affect NASCAR

Are Toyota’s days in NASCAR numbered?

ToyotaToyota dropped out of Formula One racing because of the world-wide recession.

Because of the disaster that’s struck the Japanese company in recent days, the question must be asked: how long will Toyota continue to pour millions into North America motorsport?

The manufacturer is heavily involved in NASCAR (all three series – the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World truck series), the NHRA and USAC sprints and midgets, among other series.

Drivers of their cars include Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann, among many others. (I was shocked when I went to the Toyota Racing website and counted up all the drivers – 40, to be exact, and they’re all big names.)

Anyway, it’s costing Toyota serious money to support all those teams and drivers, not to mention doling out the promotional dollars for the races the company headlines (the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Indy car race, for instance).

With the economic hammering Toyota’s taking, something’s gotta give somewhere.

I expect the company will find a way to hang on in Sprint Cup and maybe – maybe – the trucks. But everything else will likely be in danger of getting the chop.

wheels.ca

Are Toyota’s days in NASCAR numbered?

NASCAR to make internal budget cuts

NASCARNASCAR has worked to reduce its own costs, two sources within the company have told the Observer and ThatsRacin.com. The salaries of some supervisors have been cut, along with the budgets of some departments, the sources said. Travel spending to get NASCAR officials and haulers to and from races was also cut, the newspaper and its racing site were told. Asked specifically about such moves, NASCAR’s Poston offered this statement:

“Last week, the NASCAR executive team met with the media to publicly discuss the business of the sport and relevant topics related to our business,” he said. “At that time, NASCAR provided relevant updates about the business and announced personnel updates. If there is anything else of importance to the industry or our fans, it will also be announced.”

Charlotte Observer

NASCAR to make internal budget cuts

Motorsports Authentics bogs down ISC’s 2009 finances

motorsports authenticsInternational Speedway Corp. saw its net income drop 95 percent from $134.6 million in 2008 to $6.8 million in 2009, with its 50 percent stake in merchandise company Motorsports Authentics costing $77.6 million on its 2009 balance sheet, according to its year-end financial report issued Thursday. The losses for Motorsports Authentics, owned 50-50 by ISC and track-operating rival Speedway Motorsports Inc., include an ISC write-down of its half of the worth of the company by $69.3 million and operating losses for 2009 of $8.3 million. ISC also announced that it believes Motorsports Authentics’ value of goodwill and intangible assets is zero as the company has not been able to pay guarantees under its current license agreements.

ISC President John Sanders said he did expect a resolution to the Motorsports Authentics issues in the next three to six months. The merchandise company – which licenses the merchandise, has it purchased and also does at-track sales – is looking at streamlining operations. Bankruptcy is still an option, according to ISC’s news release. Admissions revenue dropped 17.2 percent from $236.1 million to $195.5 million. Saunders said that ISC sold slightly below 80 percent of its seating capacity for Sprint Cup events, compared with 90-95 percent in previous years. The weighted average ticket price was down 3 percent.

SceneDaily.com

Motorsports Authentics bogs down ISC’s 2009 finances

Furinture Row, RCR expected to finalize alliance

Richard ChildressFurniture Row Racing will put the finishing touches on its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing this week. A meeting is scheduled on Friday between principles of the two companies in hopes to strengthened the single car operation at FRR and in essence create a satellite fourth car for RCR.

“While the team may look the same on the outside, eternally we’re much stronger,” said Joe Garone, general manager of Furniture Row Racing. “One of the assets with the alliance with Richard Childress is our ability to be secure in the top 35. “During the last quarter, we decided we needed to run the full season. Around May or June, we realized how much it hurt us not to run the full season. We can race on the Furniture Row sponsorship, but it wouldn’t allow us to expand to a second car. Our primary goal is to have the #78 team run at 100 percent efficiency.”

FRR will continue its partnership with Kevin Harvick Inc., with the pit crew. FRR contracts the over-the-wall crew who work at KHI full-time and pit Harvick’s Nationwide Series cars.

Fox Sports

Furinture Row, RCR expected to finalize alliance

Johnson suffers bruises in wreck at Rolex 24 practice

Jimmie JohnsonDefending, four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson crashed and suffered some bruising Thursday in opening practice for this weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway. Johnson crashed in the left-hand kink area of Daytona’s 3.56-mile road course driving the #99 Bob Stallings Chevy Riley Daytona Prototype.

“A GT car was very wide to the left and JJ assumed the GT saw him and was making way for the faster car,” team owner Bob Stallings said. “As it turns out, the GT probably did not see JJ and closed off on him. “Jimmie had to lift and get on the brake and as soon as he pointed the nose of the car down, the car turned on him and he backed it into the wall pretty hard. All the damage is on the back end of the car.”

Stallings said Johnson was traveling an estimated 185 mph when he tried to avoid colliding with the slower GT sedan. Johnson’s car spun around and crashed backwards into an infield wall which “twisted the rear end chassis.” The #99 entry has been withdrawn from the race. Stallings has sent for the team’s backup Daytona Prototype in Dallas. The other car should be at the Speedway by Friday. Team spokesman Adam Saal said Johnson “was reportedly OK, a little bit bruised, but he’ll be fine.” Saal said Johnson was taken to the Speedway infield care center, evaluated, treated and released.

Fox Sports

Johnson suffers bruises in wreck at Rolex 24 practice

SPEED sets Daytona Speedweeks Schedule

DaytonaSPEED will open its 2010 Daytona Speedweeks coverage Feb. 4 with live coverage of Budweiser Shootout practice, the Budweiser Shootout Selection Show and the Fourth Annual SPEED Performance Awards. On Feb. 6, SPEED will bring race fans live and exclusive coverage of Danica Patrick’s stock car debut, as the popular open wheel racer makes her first ARCA Racing Series start for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports race team.

To enhance television coverage of Patrick’s effort, SPEEDtv.com, will offer exclusive in-car and ISO streaming videos, along with pit-to-car radio communication between Danica and her team. The Gatorade Duel at Daytona takes center stage Feb. 11, beginning with a special edition of NASCAR RaceDay Built by The Home Depot at 1 p.m. ET, followed by live race coverage at 2 p.m. ET. Krista Voda and Jeff Hammond will host. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series opens its season Feb. 12 with Krista Voda hosting NCWTS Setup at 7:30 p.m., followed by race coverage at 8 p.m. ET. Rick Allen, Darrell Waltrip and Phil Parsons will call the race for SPEED, with Ray Dunlap and Adam Alexander in the pits.

SPEED sets Daytona Speedweeks Schedule

Seven Cup drivers on America’s 100 Most Powerful Athletes list

Sprint CupWhat is power? In athletics it is usually thought of as bulging muscles and dominating performance. But in sports today, power has a different meaning, as well: the earning potential of athletes, owners, agents, communities, and brands, ranging from breakfast cereal to beer.

To determine who the 100 most powerful athletes are on and off the field, Bloomberg BusinessWeek teamed with CSE, an integrated sports and entertainment company that connects brands with fans, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek columnist Rick Horrow, to create the 2010 version of the Power 100.

Unlike previous Power 100s, this year’s ranking would focus only on the athletes-not the owners, the agents, the commissioners, or the coaches. On-field metrics included athletes who scored the best on the field (or the rink, the greens, or the court) over a two-year period. The more popular the sport, the more weight those achievements garnered.

Drivers on the list: Jimmie Johnson, 21st; Jeff Gordon, 28th; Mark Martin, 41st; Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 45th; Tony Stewart, 48th; Carl Edwards, 67th; and Kyle Busch, 70th. Danica Patrick also made the list at 88th.

Business Week

Seven Cup drivers on America’s 100 Most Powerful Athletes list

Dale Earnhardt and others honored by North Carolina Motorsports Association

Dale EarnhardtDale Earnhardt was honored with the Achievement in Motorsports Tribute Award Monday night at the 4th Annual North Carolina Motorsports Industry Awards hosted by the North Carolina Motorsports Association (NCMA). For the first time all seven of Dale Earnhardt’s former crew chiefs gathered on stage for a fireside chat moderated by long time Earnhardt gas man and Sirius NASCAR radio show host Danny “Chocolate” Myers.

The crew chiefs, Bobby Hutchens, David Smith, Larry McReynolds, Kevin Hamlin, Andy Petree, Doug Richert and Kirk Shelmerdine, talked about the mischievous sense of humor that Dale had and his “never give up” attitude. Legendary NASCAR artist Sam Bass dedicated a one-of-a-kind creation designed specifically for the event. All Crew Chiefs and Richard Childress autographed the artwork, which will be auctioned off in support of the NCMA and the Dale Earnhardt Foundation.

In addition, 9 companies were awarded for outstanding contributions to the motorsports industry. The companies awarded were: NASCAR, BSCI Energy Impact Systems, Victory Junction Gang Camp, Mel’s Custom Products, Hoosier Asphalt Oval South, NASCAR Technical Institute, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Safety-Kleen Systems, and JKS Motorsports.Awards are initiated by a nomination process from NCMA membership with the winners determined by the NCMA Board of Directors.

[North Carolina Motorsports Association]

Dale Earnhardt and others honored by North Carolina Motorsports Association

Four more drivers added to Bristol Legends race

BMSBristol Motor Speedway officials announced the addition of four more drivers to the lineup for the March 20 running of the Scotts EZ Seed Showdown. Dave Marcis, a veteran of 883 Cup Series races, and Tommy Houston, a mainstay of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will make their debuts in the exciting event which was a huge fan favorite a year ago. Jimmy Hensley, the Virginia Gentleman, also will make his first start in the race, while Phil Parsons returns after competing last season. The fans also will enjoy seeing Marcis’ trademark wingtips once more.

“I’ll be wearing them,” he said proudly. “I wore a pair when I ran my last cup race in Daytona in February 2002 and I’ll have a pair on in Bristol.” Cale Yarborough, Charlie Glotzbach, Jack Ingram and L.D. Ottinger were announced in August as the first 2010 Scotts EZ Seed Showdown competitors. The final four drivers will be announced at a later date.

[BMS]

Four more drivers added to Bristol Legends race

ESPN2’s NASCAR Now Returns Feb. 1

NASCAR NowESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns for its fourth season on Monday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. ET, to coincide with the beginning of the 2010 NASCAR season. The program includes highlights, opinion, debate, analysis and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders. With hosts Nicole Briscoe, Mike Massaro and Allen Bestwick, NASCAR Now originates from ESPN’s high definition studios in Bristol, Conn., with reporters and analysts checking in from locations around the country wherever NASCAR news is happening.

In addition to reports from races, NASCAR Now reporters also visit race shops and special events. The program regularly airs at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with all weekday programs 30 minutes except for a one-hour Monday roundtable discussion edition with ESPN analysts and reporters. ESPN2 also airs an hour-long edition at 9 a.m. on the morning of each NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and a weekend wrap-up edition will begin in July. NASCAR Now will originate from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., site of the NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500, with special hour-long programs Feb. 8-14.

Massaro will host the first week of episodes beginning Feb. 1, with Briscoe reporting from Daytona starting Feb. 4. The first two weeks of the program will include a focus on the top 10 teams in the sport, looking back at the 2009 season and looking ahead to 2010 with predictions from ESPN analysts. In addition, the first week of the program will feature drivers of the decades, starting on Feb. 1 with drivers from the 1960s. The NASCAR Now team also includes Terry Blount, Tim Brewer, Angelique Chengelis, D.J. Copp, Ricky Craven, and Brad Daugherty. Others are analyst Ray Evernham, Ed Hinton, Randy LaJoie, Ryan McGee, David Newton, and Marty Smith. Shannon Spake, will report for NASCAR Now this season and occasionally host while also reporting for SportsCenter and other ESPN platforms covering NASCAR.

NASCAR Now viewers also will see analysis and reports from the NASCAR on ESPN race coverage team including analysts Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree and pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. Live NASCAR racing returns to the ESPN networks for the 2010 season when ESPN2 airs flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series 300-mile from Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 13. NASCAR Countdown airs at noon ET, with the race’s green flag at 1:34 p.m.

[ESPN]

ESPN2’s NASCAR Now Returns Feb. 1

Montoya and McMurray test at Disney

Juan MontoyaJamie McMurray flew to Orlando, Fla., Tuesday morning for a two-day test at Walt Disney World Speedway with his new teammate, Juan Montoya. It was the first stock car test of the new year for both men and Montoya’s first time in a Cup car since last fall’s Homestead finale. From Orlando, the pair will head east to Daytona Beach, Fla., where on-track action for the Rolex 24 At Daytona Grand-Am Rolex Series season opener begins Thursday. McMurray, who last raced in the Rolex in 2005, when he was part of a Ganassi Racing team that finished fourth, is part of a four-man ensemble with Montoya, 2009 IndyCar Series champ Dario Franchitti and former IndyCar champ Scott Dixon.

nascar.com

Montoya and McMurray test at Disney

NASCAR cutting race purses to all three series

NASCARNASCAR is cutting by about 10 percent the race winnings it will award teams in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series this season, officials confirmed on Friday. The reduction is part of cost-cutting measures that will alleviate some of the financial burdens on tracks that have suffered during a tough economic environment that has forced them to cut ticket prices with declining attendance.

“Last year we launched an industry-wide effort to help the sport manage budgets in this economy,” NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Friday. “NASCAR did the right thing to work with the tracks to reduce their costs in order to manage the economic realities. In return, the tracks have done a great job reducing ticket prices and enhancing the fan experience. Likewise, we worked with the teams to contain costs such as elimination of testing and other steps. This is consistent with how virtually every sport and business has adjusted to the economy over the past year.” Bruton Smith, the chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns nine tracks that host Cup, Nationwide and Truck events, applauded NASCAR for making the cut. He doesn’t believe drivers will particularly like it, “but they understand.”

[ESPN]

NASCAR cutting race purses to all three series

NASCAR talks to teams about Talladega tire test

talladegaNASCAR officials met with team principals on Tuesday to discuss upcoming initiative for the new season. One subject discussed was the possibility of a one-day test at Talladega before the Charlotte open test on March 23-24. Sprint Cup Series director John Darby confirmed that NASCAR is looking for a date. The one-day session at the superspeedway will help determine which restrictor plate will be used at the track and will allow teams to use spoilers instead of a rear wing.

Other topics on the table included moving the fuel hole forward on the cars to accommodate the spoiler and shrinking the number of Goodyear test participants to three teams per test once again. Roush Fenway Racing crashed the three-car testing policy in Darlington in 2007 during the Car of Tomorrow rollout, prompting Goodyear to change their rules and invite representatives from each manufacturer. Now with Penske Racing providing the only Dodges in the garage, the sentiment from the competition is that the team’s camp would have an unfair advantage.

Fox Sports

NASCAR talks to teams about Talladega tire test