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Happy Thursday...one more day to Friday and Talladega Nights!
Today In Nascar History
8/3/1980 Mercury collects its 94th – and final, to date – Winston Cup victory when Neil Bonnett wins at Talladega. Bonnett earned Mercury's 93rd all-time victory in the previous race two weeks earlier at Pocono.
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News gathered from multiple sources, including but not limited to: Jayski.com, Cup Scene Daily, Thatsracin.com, catchfence.com, nascar.com, yahoo!, espn.com and others.
from Vincent
Hi I just wanted to say I really enjoy all your insight into whats going on behind the sceanes in nascar. I have been a faithful reader for quite a while.And I hate to complain.But since you've started using the red print.I can only read bits & pieces as I causes my eyes to hurt.A cpl weeks ago you went back to the old color & It was a real pleasure to be able to read every word,Just wanted to let you know.As there may be others with poor eyesight experiencing this as well......Thanks...Vincent
Vincent, could you let me know what is coming across in red. Is it just a couple of lines or everything? I'll see what I can do, but I need to know the answer before I can fix it! Thanks for your input....anything that can improve my blog, I'm more than willing to try!
from Lou
from Bob S
From Lou In response to Darrel, I wasn't really aware that many drivers had run in the different types of auto racing. I'm glad you enlightened me. I believe that A.J. Foyt is the only driver ever to win both the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500. And AJ also has won the 24 hours of LeMans!
I'm not a big Mario Andretti fan, but he has won both the Indy and Daytona 500s, plus the world F1 Championship, and major races like the Daytona 24 hour and Sebring 12 hour. Although primarilly a sports car driver, Dan Gurney won in Indy cars and Stock cars. And then there's Parnelli Jones and Ken Schrader.
I stand corrected. The info I had said that A.J. Foyt was the only one to win both races. I did some further checking and found that Mario Andretti had also won both races, like Bob S. said. I also am an admirer of Ken Schrader's racing. Someone on SPEED said the other day that if they were racing cars somewhere it was most likely Ken Schrader would be entered in one of them.
Lou Elliott
'The King,' Richard Petty, to be Larry King's guest on CNN
ThatsRacin.com Report
Richard Petty will be a special guest on CNN’s “Larry King Live” Thursday night, Aug. 3.
The program airs from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time.
Petty, the winningest driver in Nextel Cup history, will discuss the upcoming release of “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”
Petty was also recently a voice in the Pixar animated feature “Cars.”
NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt, Jr., will surprise sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge with a new custom Chevrolet Tahoe SS in the SPEED reality series, Payback on Aug. 9 at 10 p.m. ET.
Kelley, who handles much of Earnhardt, Jr.'s personal business dealings, is the oft overlooked hero behind the driver's successful marketing, licensing and promotional machine. Bud Brutsman, producer of Payback, talked about this episode:
"As a NASCAR fan, it was great to see Junior outside his element. I think he had a lot of fun putting this together with us. You can tell how much Kelley means to him and it's really cool to see a brother and sister that close together."
Earnhardt, Jr. drives the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and is firmly planted in the middle of this year's Chase for the Nextel Cup. Despite his busy schedule, the opportunity to give back to his sister was something he truly wanted to do.
"Payback is a way to give back to someone who cuts you a break," said Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
NASCAR's TV ratings? We've got good news and some not-so-good news
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
While NASCAR's television numbers are not as robust as they have been, Charlotte, N.C., is at least in some ways bucking the trends.
For the 2006 races that aired on Fox, for instance, Greensboro remained the No. 1 market with an average rating of 13.7. But that's down 14 percent from a 15.9 in 2004 and down slightly from last year's 14.0
Charlotte was third among the nation's largest markets, behind Greensboro and Greenville, S.C., with a 13.0 average rating this year. That's up from 12.6 in 2004 but down a tick from 13.2 last year.
Fox's ratings are up 15 percent over 2004 in Knoxville, Tenn., but down 18 percent from 2004 and 28 percent from 2005 in Atlanta.
TNT got off to a slow start nationally in the season's second half.
Chicagoland's race got a 4.2 after drawing a 5.7 rating on NBC last year. New Hampshire was down from a 4.5 to a 3.9 on TNT and Pocono dropped from a 4.7 last year to a 4.1 this year.
Alas, it's true.
A NASCAR fan favorite, Benny Parsons, is battling lung cancer.
I was in Lubbock, Texas, of all places, when I first heard the shocking news. My daughter phoned from Mooresville, N.C., to say that she had learned of Benny's affliction via "a friend of a friend."
I didn't believe it.
"Aw, honey," I said, "rumors like this about racing people somehow get started every now and then."
It was no rumor.
Three days after I returned home to Mooresville from West Texas a statement was issued on Benny's behalf confirming his disease and revealing that treatment was beginning immediately.
Benny, a non-smoker since 1978, expressed confidence that he will beat the cancer.
Those of us who have known Benny since he returned to the South to go NASCAR racing 42 years ago are optimistic, too. We're aware that within this friendly, people-loving man beats the heart of a very determined battler.
Otherwise, Benny never would have risen to the heights of his sport in the manner that he did.
Let me relate the inspring story of Benny Parsons...
The oft-told tale that Benny drove a taxi as a young man in Detroit is not true.
What is true is that Benny hitched a ride in the back of a pickup truck in Detroit to go watch a race in that area for the first time. And he wound up driving in the event!
The cab-driver story got started because Benny's father owned a small cab company that he operated out of a service station in Detroit. Benny, who had grown up in his family's native Wilkes County in North Carolina, had gone to Michigan to work there after graduating from Millers Creek High School.
As Benny recalls it, "Late one Friday afternoon some guys I knew came by the station and stopped for gas. They were towing a jalopy of a race car with their pickup truck.
"I said that I would like to go with them to a race sometime, and they told me to hop in the truck and come along right then. My dad let me off early, so I tagged along. I volunteered to drive their race car when the regular driver was a no-show."
Even Benny isn't certain where he finished in the race.
What is certain is that it was the beginning of a racing career that would lead to a NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship and, subsequently, to international popularity as a commentator on motorsports telecasts.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" says Benny.
When Benny's father and mother moved North to find work during the tough times of the 1950s, Benny stayed behind in Wilkes County. He lived with his great grandmother in the remote, sparsely-populated community of Parsonsville, deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
As racing fans know, Wilkes County is rich in NASCAR lore. It was there that a local businessman, Enoch Staley, carved out a race track atop a hill not long after World War II. In 1948, Staley was a key associate in helping Bill France Sr. form the organization that became NASCAR. Staley's North Wilkesboro Speedway became one of the first tracks with NASCAR affiliation.
Wilkes County also produced Junior Johnson. a legendary driver and one of the winningest team owners of all time.
Despite this environment, Benny didn't follow racing much as a teenager. He was more interested in playing baseball and football on the Millers Creek High teams. Benny was so devoted to the sports that when practice ran late, he would walk all the way home--about 10 miles--to his great grandmother's mountainside cottage. She would greet him in the darkness, fretting that he'd not been able to have supper on time.
"I rationalized that someday those long treks home would help me realize my dreams of playing college baseball and football," recalls Benny. "Heck, they might even make my dream of playing for the Detroit Tigers come true.
"But after that first jalopy race I competed in, I wanted to become a driver."
Benny pursued this goal with burning passion, and he became champion of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), the midwestern-based sanctioning body.
In 1964 he returned home to North Carolina to seek similar success in NASCAR.
What developed was a hall-of-fame career that would endure until Benny's retirement in 1998, providing such memories as these:
--His tears after winning the 1973 Winston Cup championship. Benny, driving for an underdog team, needed to finish the season finale at North Carolina Motor Speedway, near his adopted home of Ellerbe, to take the title in a major upset. When a hard crash early in the race essentially destroyed Benny's car, it appeared his hopes for the championship also had been wrecked. However, volunteers from other teams scavenged enough parts from their own wrecked cars to get Benny back in the race. In a car with hardly any sheet metal at all, Benny edged Cale Yarborough for the crown.
--Benny's grin of disbelief after he won the Daytona 500 in 1975. David Pearson appeared to have NASCAR's biggest race in hand that day. As the 500 wound down, Benny trailed well back in second place. Then, Richard Petty, a lap down, came zooming by. Benny latched onto Petty in an aerodyanmic draft and began to cut into Pearson's advantage. Pearson very seldom made a mistake, but with two laps to go he spun coming off the second turn, leaving Benny first to the checkered flag.
--Benny's dramatic duel with Darrell Waltrip in the 1980 World 600 at the track then known as Charlotte Motor Speedway. With darkness falling and heavy rain threatening, they swapped the lead seven times in the final 30 laps. Benny held the front spot for the checkered flag in what many observer's rate the most dramatic finish in the track's great history.
--Benny's look of astonishment after becoming the first NASCAR driver to officially break the 200 mph barrier in time trials when he qualified at 200.176 for the 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
--Benny's jubilation at giving the Jackson Brothers, Leo and Richard, their first superspeedway victory at NASCAR's major level in the 1984 Coca-Cola 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The victory was so appreciated by the team's sponsor, U.S. Tobacco, that company officials treated Benny, the Jacksons and their other two drivers, Harry Gant and Phil Parsons, Benny's younger brother, to a week-long fishing trip to Alaska.
The Atlanta triumph marked the last time that Benny would go to victory lane before retiring with 21 big-time triumphs.
I have equally warm memories of Benny away from the race tracks.
Not long after he moved to the hamlet of Ellerbe, Benny was elected president of the Parent-Teachers Association at the local elementary school his two sons attended. One day his boys came home very glum. They had become upset on learning that some of their classmates weren't going to receive presents or have anything special to eat on Christmas Day.
Benny checked with teachers and learned that the poverty in the area was much worse than most people realized.
Benny, known for his soft heart, began calling in favors from his many friends in racing. Winter jackets, shoes, gloves and other clothing began flowing in. So did toys, food and Christmas candy.
A big party was scheduled at the school, and the legendary Wood Brothers, Glen and Leonard, even arranged for a chartered bus to bring a church choir down from their hometown of Stuart, Va., to sing the carols.
The eyes of youngsters who never had experienced much of a joyous Christmas popped when Santa Claus started calling their names to receive gifts.
One little fellow of probably 6 or 7 made his way over to where Benny was standing. He had a bright toy truck under one arm and a new, warm jacket under the other. He tugged at the leg of Benny's trousers. "Mr. Benny," he said, "what am I supposed to do with these."
"Take them home, son," Benny replied. "They're yours."
"To keep?!" the amazed kid said, prompting a lump the size of a baseball to develop in Benny's throat.
To benefit the PTA, Benny once even gussied himself up in drag for a "Womanless Wedding Contest" at the school. Judging was "reversed," with the least attractive entrant taking the crown. Benny looked absolutely hideous, and because he didn't win--er, lose--I've always contended that contest was fixed.
After Benny joined ESPN and began winning major awards for his television work, proud relatives and friends began holding cookouts in his honor when he came back home for the fall races at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The dinners were held at the site of his great grandmother's old "homeplace" overlooking the magnificent Parsonsville Valley. Tables sagged to overflowing with fried chicken, barbecue pork, filets of fish caught that very day, home-grown vegetables and enough freshly-baked cakes and pies to fill a bakery.
One autumn the "menu" included a deep-fried dish that looked something like chicken nuggets. When I asked why this food didn't seem to be appearing on a lot of plates, a friend answered in a whisper and I wasn't surprised any more.
But the kids playing tag in the idyllic setting had no reservation about partaking of this particular food, and every time they ran by the table, they'd grab some of the nuggets and pop them into their mouth. Then, some of their moms saw what they were doing and shrieks echoed up the hollow and over the ridges.
What the kids were devouring like M & Ms were "mountain oysters," or sheep testicles.
A blushing Benny apologized profusely, although he'd had no way of knowing that a mischievous cousin had slipped those "oysters" onto the table among the meat balls and mashed 'taters and chocolate chip cookies.
"How embarrassing was it?" I asked Benny later.
"At the time, it felt worse than hitting the wall on the first lap, which I have done," asserted Benny. "But I laugh about it now."
Benny also got a chuckle a day or so after the revelation that he has cancer.
Charlotte sports broadcaster Jim Celania, a cancer survivor, phoned to offer encouragement. Cracked Celania, whom balding Benny had worked alongside on a local TV show, "On the bright side, Benny, you don't have to worry about your hair falling out."
Benny maintains confidence that treatment will lead to his being fully cured.
Considering his record as a battler, that optimism seems well-founded.
Chris Economaki, 85, is a legend in the world of motorsports. Known as the "dean of motorsports journalism," Economaki has worked as everything from track announcer to broadcaster in every from of motorsports. So vast is Economaki's knowledge of automobile racing, Microsoft called upon him for the section on the history of auto racing for its Encarta Encyclopedia.
Q: What is the best racetrack in America?
A: I like Michigan International Speedway, and I'll tell you why. It's wide and highly competitive, and it's apparently distinctive. And I say that for this reason: Roger Penske copied it in California with the exception of one or two degrees here and there and the difference between these two tracks is remarkable.
Q: You have been reporting on racing since you were a teen. You've seen thousands of races. There must be some races you never forget.
A: I was announcing a race in Springfield, Mass., a number of years ago. A car owner with two cars came. The race goes on, and the owner's leading and his hired driver is running second. They take the white flag, and the owner's car quits on the backstretch of the final lap. So his hired driver pulls up behind him and puts his front bumper on his car owner's rear bumper and starts pushing him to the finish line, where they will finish one-two. Except … 50 yards from the finish line, the hired driver backs off and accelerates around his car owner to win. And the car owner protested, if you can believe that! They still ran one-two. And the fair manager asked me - I was running the fair - "Economaki, that was a tremendous show. How much rehearsal did you guys do on that?"
Q: What do you think of the NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow?
A: I know you can't race it on Sunday and sell it on Monday, and I question whether Detroit is going to stick around when that becomes the prevalent machine. I don't see any need for it frankly.
Q: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Who does the best Chris Economaki impression?
A: Tony Stewart, the consummate American driver.
Q: What has been the secret to your success?
A: The secret to my success was I was a nosy bastard. I was curious. I asked questions. I probed. I fished. I did not tell drivers things. I did not make statements.
This story was produced by the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service, a free content provider for newspapers.
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
Benny Parsons returns to behind the microphone this weekend for the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard (1:30 p.m. ET, NBC). This time, however, he does it knowing a great portion of the NASCAR community is pulling for him.
You see, since he announced last week that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer, his phone -- and computer -- have been very busy.
"I think we probably have a few thousand, maybe six or seven thousand people e-mailed get-well wishes plus, the community itself, they have just kept my phone busy ever since the announcement with 'We're thinking of you.'"
The list of well-wishers has included some big names, Parsons said.
"I talked to Bill France Jr. We talked for five minutes and never mentioned racing. We just talked about cancer. Rick Hendrick has been phenomenal, calling me, keeping abreast of what's going on, making sure that I stay positive.
"Everyone has been terrific, there's no doubt at it."
So far, the 1973 Cup champion says his doctor visits have given him reason to stay upbeat.
"The treatments are going well," Parsons said. "I'm not getting ill, no nausea, I feel good, and everything so far is very positive."
So positive, in fact, that Parsons even took a minute during an NBC conference call to joke with play-by-play man Bill Weber about the possibility of Parsons losing his hair as a result of treatment for the disease.
"They told me I might lose my hair, but like I've told you, Bill, hair is very over-rated."
As far as what may happen Sunday at Indianapolis, Parsons said Denny Hamlin is a guy a lot of people will have their eyes on.
"Denny Hamlin is just blowing my mind," Parsons said. "A month ago when I asked who is in the top 10 that may fall out of the top 10, I thought 'Denny Hamlin' because the pressure of trying to make the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup will certainly get in the way, but he is up to the task.
"At Pocono, that performance a couple of weeks ago, he was nothing short of spectacular. And yes, one place that's hard to ease the throttle correctly is in that corner at Pocono. And talking to the crew chiefs there before the race, they said in June that's where Denny Hamlin really, really shined in that 11 car, in that corner where throttle control was so doggone important."
Actor Chris Noth, who many folks know as "Mr. Big" from Sex and the City and is currently starring in the NBC drama Law and Order: Criminal Intent, will guest in Wally's World during Sunday's pre-race show.
Defending Nextel Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and team owner Chip Ganassi are among the guests scheduled for Trackside from Indianapolis (7 p.m. Friday, SPEED). For those going to Indy, the SPEED stage will be inside the racetrack.
ESPN Sportscenter will be at Indianapolis this weekend with full-set coverage anchored by Chris Fowler beginning today. Fowler will be joined by Rusty Wallace and veteran ESPN racing reporter Mike Massaro.
Among the stories planned:
• Tony Stewart's return to his self-named "home track" to defend last year's victory, a race he said he would give up his Nextel Cup championship to win.
• Analysis and interviews with key owners, crew chiefs and drivers, including on-set appearances by Stewart and Jeff Gordon.
• A profile of legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway public address announcer Tom Carnegie, 85, who has been the voice of every Indianapolis 500 (61) and 12 Brickyard 400's.
In this week's edition of "Ask Wally and Benny," Doug Rivers of Marietta, Ga. writes:
What makes one specific car or chassis so good and others, seemingly the same, not so good?
Wally Dallenbach says it depends on several things.
"I don't think it's necessarily that one chassis is better than the other," he said. "I think there are a lot of factors that comes into play.
"Obviously, there will be times when a manufacturer has some kind of advantage because of the body work. The Fords may be better at one racetrack and the Dodges may be better at another racetrack just because the way the rules are at the moment.
"As far as the chassis go, it really comes down to a finding a good combination of what the driver is looking for. Every driver has his own feel. What it comes down to is getting the right combination of all of the adjustments that you can make on a chassis -- such as shocks, springs and sway bars -- and giving the driver all of the little details that he is looking for.
"If you can give the driver what he is looking for, then it looks like that chassis is better than everybody else's...but it really isn't. It's just that driver and race team hit on the combination that works best for that driver."
On to this weekend's busy schedule:
Nextel Cup Series: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• 2.5-mile oval
• 9-degree banking in corners
• No banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 3,330 feet
• Length of backstretch: 3,300 feet
Race length: 160 laps/400 miles
TV schedule: (All times ET)
• Practice: 3:30 p.m. Fri. SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 4:30 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Trackside: 7 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Bud Pole Qualifying: 10 a.m. Sat. TNT
• NASCAR Live: 3 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• Final practice: 3:30 p.m. Sat.., SPEED
• NASCAR Raceday: Noon Sun., SPEED
• Pre-race: 1:30 p.m. Sun., NBC
• Race: 2:30 p.m. Sun., NBC
One year ago, Tony Stewart accomplished a dream, snagging his first Indianapolis Motor Speedway victory.
The most recent checkered flag went to Denny Hamlin, who dominated two weeks ago at Pocono to complete a season sweep at the Pennsylvania triangle.
Keep an eye on Jeff Gordon and Stewart. Their ongoing battle is not only with each other but with recent history. In the previous two years the Chase for the Nextel Cup has been held, no drivers who have been either ninth or 10th at this point in the season have gone on to qualify for the Chase.
Busch Series: Kroger 200
Track: O'Reilly Raceway Park
• .686-mile oval
• 7.5-degree banking in turns
• 2-degree banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 699 feet
• Length of backstretch: 2,203 feet
Race length: 200 laps/137.2 miles
TV schedule: (All times ET)
• Qualifying: 6 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• Race: 9 p.m. Sat., TNT
One year ago, Martin Truex Jr. held off Clint Bowyer on a final two-lap shootout to win the rain-interrupted race. It was his sixth NASCAR Busch Series victory of the season.
The most recent checkered flag went to Carl Edwards, who passed Denny Hamlin with eight laps to go Saturday night at Gateway International Raceway and the Missouri native went on to post his fourth Busch Series victory of the season.
Keep an eye on Jason Keller. When he takes the green flag Saturday, Keller will become only the second driver in series history to make 400 starts.
"This is a long time coming for the 400th start," Keller said. "It's really special. It's coming at a good racetrack for me.
"My first win and my only career win with my family-owned team came [at ORP]. It's a great race track. It's a place where I typically run well and I'm going there with high expectations of running well this weekend."
Craftsman Truck Series: Power Stroke Diesel 200
Track: O'Reilly Raceway Park
• .686-mile oval
• 7.5-degree banking in turns
• 2-degree banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 699 feet
• Length of backstretch: 2,203 feet
Race length: 200 laps/137.2 miles
TV schedule (All times ET)
• Qualifying: 5:30 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Race: 8 p.m. Fri., SPEED
One year ago, Dennis Setzer earned his fourth Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season and his 16th overall -- in dominating fashion
The most recent checkered flag went to Jack Sprague, who got around rookie Erik Darnell with eight laps to go to win the O'Reilly 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park after starting from the pole. .
Keep an eye on qualifying. There have been 11 races at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis and none of the 11 winners have started worse than fifth.
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1995 Brickyard 400
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
Intimidator won at Indianapolis when very few were watching
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
In a race that played out like a chess match instead of full-contact karate, Dale Earnhardt won the rain-delayed 1995 Brickyard 400 in front of several hundred thousand fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- while a national television audience watched their local news.
Because rain from what was left of Hurricane Erin caused a four-hour delay, ABC's broadcast went off the air more than a hour before the race finally got under way, causing the network's affliates to endure the wrath of hundreds of angry race fans who didn't see Earnhardt's victory.
The race was shown via tape-delay on ESPN the next afternoon.
Those hardy fans who dodged the raindrops and hung around until the sun shone saw a fast race with one caution, a race which required patience and strategy.
Drivers, who sat around all day waiting for their chance to get on the track, were on their best behavior. Thirty-eight of the 41 starters were running at the end, including 19 still on the lead lap.
Polesitter Jeff Gordon, who had won the inaugural event the previous year, led the first 24 laps before Bill Elliott took command. Earnhardt, who started 16th, steadily worked his way into the top 10.
Elliott would go on to lead almost a third of the race, while Gordon fought handling conditions for the rest of the day, finishing a distant sixth. However, brake problems ended Elliott's chance at contention, leaving Rusty Wallace in front and Earnhardt in fourth.
When the field began pitting for the final time under green, Earnhardt's stop was the best, allowing him to grab the lead for good on Lap 133. He would not be seriously challenged the rest of the way, winning by 0.37 seconds. The victory was worth $565,600 to Earnhardt, which more than doubled his previous one-race winnings.
"I still haven't won the Daytona 500, but this is next to it, so we'll take it," Earnhardt said. "This was a brand-new car, and this car and crew are hard to beat when they're right."
Wallace still felt he had the car to beat. However, when Jeff Burton spun directly in front of him with 27 laps to go, Wallace was fortunate just to get by without damaging his car.
"I didn't know which way he was going to go," Wallace said of Burton. "I almost had to stop. He went top to bottom to top to bottom. By then, Dale had a good jump and I had some lapped cars to deal with, and that didn't help.
"And when I caught back up with him, the front downforce was real bad. Not much I could do but follow him at that point."
The Fords of Dale Jarrett, Elliott and Mark Martin rounded out the top five.
Rick Mast was eighth, one of his two top-10 finishes at the Brickyard. Morgan Shepherd finished 10th for the second consecutive year. In four Indianapolis starts, he's never been worse than 15th.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NASCAR ON TV THIS
WEEK
Practice: Nextel Cup Series Allstate 400 Friday, Aug. 4 3:30 p.m. Speed
Craftsman Truck Series Power Stroke Diesel 200 Friday, Aug. 4 8:30 p.m. Speed
Qualifying: Nextel Cup Series Allstate 400 Saturday, Aug. 5 10 a.m. TNT
Practice: Nextel Cup Series Allstate 400 Saturday, Aug. 5 3:30 p.m. Speed
Qualifying: Busch Series Kroger 200 Saturday, Aug. 5 6 p.m. Speed
Busch Series Kroger 200 Saturday, Aug. 5 9 p.m. TNT
Nextel Cup Series Allstate 400 Sunday, Aug. 6 2 p.m. NBC
All time Eastern. Times and station subject to change.
Your
Momma
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants wins't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
This list is authored by:
Sandra Monacelli
221 W. 57th Street 18B
Loveland, CO 80538
970/663-6967
8/3/1980 Mercury collects its 94th – and final, to date – Winston Cup victory when Neil Bonnett wins at Talladega. Bonnett earned Mercury's 93rd all-time victory in the previous race two weeks earlier at Pocono.
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Quote of the
Month
"That smoke is not from the tires, it's from Tony's helmet."
-- Wally Dallenbach on the cloud of smoke surrounding race leader Tony Stewart's car following his crash on Lap 91.
Quote of the Day
"The secret to my success was I was a nosy bastard. I was curious. I asked questions. I probed. I fished. I did not tell drivers things. I did not make statements."
-Chris Economaki
"That smoke is not from the tires, it's from Tony's helmet."
-- Wally Dallenbach on the cloud of smoke surrounding race leader Tony Stewart's car following his crash on Lap 91.
Quote of the Day
"The secret to my success was I was a nosy bastard. I was curious. I asked questions. I probed. I fished. I did not tell drivers things. I did not make statements."
-Chris Economaki
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Comments from the Peanut Galleryfrom Vincent
Hi I just wanted to say I really enjoy all your insight into whats going on behind the sceanes in nascar. I have been a faithful reader for quite a while.And I hate to complain.But since you've started using the red print.I can only read bits & pieces as I causes my eyes to hurt.A cpl weeks ago you went back to the old color & It was a real pleasure to be able to read every word,Just wanted to let you know.As there may be others with poor eyesight experiencing this as well......Thanks...Vincent
Vincent, could you let me know what is coming across in red. Is it just a couple of lines or everything? I'll see what I can do, but I need to know the answer before I can fix it! Thanks for your input....anything that can improve my blog, I'm more than willing to try!
from Lou
from Bob S
From Lou In response to Darrel, I wasn't really aware that many drivers had run in the different types of auto racing. I'm glad you enlightened me. I believe that A.J. Foyt is the only driver ever to win both the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500. And AJ also has won the 24 hours of LeMans!
I'm not a big Mario Andretti fan, but he has won both the Indy and Daytona 500s, plus the world F1 Championship, and major races like the Daytona 24 hour and Sebring 12 hour. Although primarilly a sports car driver, Dan Gurney won in Indy cars and Stock cars. And then there's Parnelli Jones and Ken Schrader.
I stand corrected. The info I had said that A.J. Foyt was the only one to win both races. I did some further checking and found that Mario Andretti had also won both races, like Bob S. said. I also am an admirer of Ken Schrader's racing. Someone on SPEED said the other day that if they were racing cars somewhere it was most likely Ken Schrader would be entered in one of them.
Lou Elliott
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Bits and Pieces'The King,' Richard Petty, to be Larry King's guest on CNN
ThatsRacin.com Report
Richard Petty will be a special guest on CNN’s “Larry King Live” Thursday night, Aug. 3.
The program airs from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern time.
Petty, the winningest driver in Nextel Cup history, will discuss the upcoming release of “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”
Petty was also recently a voice in the Pixar animated feature “Cars.”
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Earnhardt Jr to "Payback" his sisterNASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt, Jr., will surprise sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge with a new custom Chevrolet Tahoe SS in the SPEED reality series, Payback on Aug. 9 at 10 p.m. ET.
Kelley, who handles much of Earnhardt, Jr.'s personal business dealings, is the oft overlooked hero behind the driver's successful marketing, licensing and promotional machine. Bud Brutsman, producer of Payback, talked about this episode:
"As a NASCAR fan, it was great to see Junior outside his element. I think he had a lot of fun putting this together with us. You can tell how much Kelley means to him and it's really cool to see a brother and sister that close together."
Earnhardt, Jr. drives the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and is firmly planted in the middle of this year's Chase for the Nextel Cup. Despite his busy schedule, the opportunity to give back to his sister was something he truly wanted to do.
"Payback is a way to give back to someone who cuts you a break," said Earnhardt, Jr., driver of the No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
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Raines gets a ride in F-16 Fighter: Former Indiana resident Raines, driver of the #96 DLP HDTV Chevy for Hall
of Fame Racing got the ride of his life Aug. 1 courtesy of the 181st Fighter Wing based in Terre Haute, Ind. Col. Chris "Bert" Colbert gave Raines an orientation flight, and the two spent a little more than an hour flying over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Aug. 6, and parts of Indiana and Illinois. "That was awesome," Raines said. "I can't believe I got to do that. It was just absolutely incredible. We took off, and we were at the Speedway in about eight to 10 minutes. We flew right down the main stretch. I just can't even describe the feeling and the adrenaline. The rolls, the loops, the G-forces; it was incredible. It's something I've always wanted to do, and it was everything I thought it would be." Raines spent the morning in Terre Haute getting a flight physical and then learning about the F-16D in which he would fly. He was given instruction about entering and exiting the aircraft, how to handle g-forces and emergency
procedures. If Raines didn't have enough excitement in his day, after the flight he headed to Interstate 70 to make the 73-mile journey to Indianapolis to throw the first pitch at the Indianapolis Indians/Toledo Mud Hens Triple-A baseball game at Victory Field. Raines, who pitched in high school at LaPorte, Ind., threw a fastball, a little low and outside.(True Speed Communication PR) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wally takes Mr Big out for a drive: Sunday on the "Bank of America Countdown to Green" pre-race show, Mr. Big gets a taste of life in the fast lane - "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" star Chris Noth, former star of "Sex & the City," goes for a ride with Dallenbach around the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway in "Wally's World."(NBC PR)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 'King' on Larry King Thursday, Mikey and Dale Jr also: Richard Petty will be a special guest on CNN's "Larry King Live" Thursday night, August 3. The program airs from 9:00-10:00pp/et. Petty, the winningest driver in Nextel Cup history, will discuss the upcoming release of "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" Petty was also recently a voice in the Pixar animated feature "Cars"(PR)(8-2-2006) AND: Michael Waltrip will appear on CNN’s Larry King Live Thursday night at 9:00pm/et. He and drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Richard Petty will square off in a verbal spar with the stars of Talladega Nights, Will Farrell and John C. Reilly.(MWR PR) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
While NASCAR's television numbers are not as robust as they have been, Charlotte, N.C., is at least in some ways bucking the trends.
For the 2006 races that aired on Fox, for instance, Greensboro remained the No. 1 market with an average rating of 13.7. But that's down 14 percent from a 15.9 in 2004 and down slightly from last year's 14.0
Charlotte was third among the nation's largest markets, behind Greensboro and Greenville, S.C., with a 13.0 average rating this year. That's up from 12.6 in 2004 but down a tick from 13.2 last year.
Fox's ratings are up 15 percent over 2004 in Knoxville, Tenn., but down 18 percent from 2004 and 28 percent from 2005 in Atlanta.
TNT got off to a slow start nationally in the season's second half.
Chicagoland's race got a 4.2 after drawing a 5.7 rating on NBC last year. New Hampshire was down from a 4.5 to a 3.9 on TNT and Pocono dropped from a 4.7 last year to a 4.1 this year.
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NASCAR SpeedPark Vaughn Mills To Host Kevin Harvick: Kevin Harvick, driver for GM Goodwrench Chevrolet and official NASCAR SpeedPark spokesman, will visit NASCAR SpeedPark Vaughan Mills on Thursday, August 10 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. During his appearance at NASCAR SpeedPark Vaughan Mills, Harvick will personally meet and greet all participating guests as well as sign autographs and race on the SpeedPark’s tracks. “As one of NASCAR SpeedPark’s official spokesmen and one of the industry’s top drivers, we are honoured to host Kevin Harvick at our park,” said Domenic Buttiglieri, general manager for NASCAR SpeedPark Vaughan Mills. “By hosting industry’s most popular drivers, such as Kevin Harvick, we are offering our guests the chance to meet one of their idols while enjoying our park’s many exciting tracks and entertainment options. We look forward to a very successful
event.” All guests interested in participating in the Kevin Harvick meet and greet event must have a wristband. The wristbands will be distributed on a first come first serve basis beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 10. Available free of charge, only a limited number of wristbands will be offered. NASCAR SpeedPark will also have a limited number of wristbands available as part of a gift with purchase promotion. Guests who wish to spend $75 or more in the NASCAR SpeedPark retail store on August 10 will receive a wristband while supplies last. For additional information call (905) 669-7370 or log onto NASCARSpeedPark.com. - Brandon Advertising~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Papis to Pilot a Chevrolet in NASCAR Debut at Watkins Glen: After scoring podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, racing his Corvette to victory in the American Le Mans Series and capturing GT
class wins for Cadillac in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Series, Max Papis will soon have something new to add to his GM racing portfolio as the European sports car ace prepares to make his NASCAR debut at Watkins Glen.
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#51 Team ceases operations, sponsorship to Petty's UPDATE: been told that the #51 Competitive Edge Motorsports team has ceased operations and have confirmed that Marathon Petroleum Company will become major associate sponsor with Petty Enterprises with the #45 Dodge of Kyle Petty being most involved in the sponsorship as an associate sponsor at most races and primary sponsor of the #45 for a few races with the #43 Dodge of Bobby Labonte featuring the Marathon Petroleum Company logo at some races.(8-1-2006) UPDATE: Marathon Petroleum Company announced that the
company's sponsorship in the Nextel Cup series is being moved to a new race team. The new sponsorship will begin with the Allstate 400 race at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. “Marathon is proud to move our sponsorship to the #45 Petty Enterprises team, with driver Kyle Petty,” said Mary Ellen Peters, senior vice president, Marketing. “The team is owned by Richard Petty, the man known as the ‘King of NASCAR.' We believe this move provides a continued presence for Marathon in all of the remaining races this season.” In addition to the Brickyard sponsorship, the #45 car will carry the Marathon Brand as the primary sponsor for four races: Michigan, Bristol, Richmond, and Atlanta. Marathon also will be an associate sponsor on the car for this season's remaining races. “We're grateful that Competitive Edge Motorsports is allowing Marathon Oil to transfer their sponsorship,” said Kyle Petty, driver of the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge. “We are looking forward to developing a strong
partnership with Marathon , starting this weekend at one of the biggest events of the season.”(Petty Racing PR)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morgan-McClure Motorsports and Lucas Oil Join Forces for Indy: Morgan-McClure President Larry McClure announced that the #4 Chevy that Scott Wimmer drives will be sporting the familiar red Lucas decal on the hood for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard this weekend. "We have a good relationship with all the folks at Lucas Oil and are proud to have the opportunity to represent them as a primary sponsor in this one-race deal for Indy. Lucas has been an associate sponsor this year and we continue to use and promote their products through our race team. We are proud to have them back on the car in Forrest Lucas's home state." Lucas Oil joins additional sponsors Aero Exhaust, Race Face, Kodak, Wide Open Performance Energy Drink, Coyote Ugly Saloons, Players
Extreme Spirits and Tuff Country for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. Lucas Oil served as the primary sponsor for the Morgan-McClure # 4 Chevy in 2005 and has long been involved in the American racing industry through multiple vehicle sponsorships and racing event promotions, at all levels.(Morgan-McClure Motorsports PR)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HANS Device Featured at 5th World Congress of Biomechanics: HANS Performance Products, known for the internationally award winning head and neck restraint, the HANS Device, was featured today at the 5th World Congress of Biomechanics in Munich, Germany. Hubert Gramling, a Safety Consultant to the FIA Institute for Motorsports Safety, presented an update on HANS Device performance, that he co-authored with Bob Hubbard, to congress members from around the world. Hubbard a Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University, along
with well-known racer Jim Downing, developed the HANS Device. As an engineer for Mercedes, Hubert worked with Bob in the 1990's to help adapt the HANS Device for formula car cockpits. When asked to comment, Dr. Hubbard said: "We are pleased to have Hubert speak on behalf of HANS Performance Products. Hubert has assisted us with many ideas and knows the HANS Device extremely well." The 5th World Congress of Biomechanics is being hosted by The Institute of Biotechnik e.V., the Technical University of Munich and Munich University of Applied Sciences. It brings together biomechanical experts to review experimental and applied technologies in all areas of biomechanics. More than 2,000 participants from the top industrial nations such as Asia, India, Central and South America and countries in Eastern Europe are expected to attend. Details and information about the 5th World Congress of Biomechanics are available on their website wcb2006.org. Details and information about HANS
Performance Products are available on the company's website hansdevice.com.(PR)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Higgins' Scuffs
Battlin' BennyAlas, it's true.
A NASCAR fan favorite, Benny Parsons, is battling lung cancer.
I was in Lubbock, Texas, of all places, when I first heard the shocking news. My daughter phoned from Mooresville, N.C., to say that she had learned of Benny's affliction via "a friend of a friend."
I didn't believe it.
"Aw, honey," I said, "rumors like this about racing people somehow get started every now and then."
It was no rumor.
Three days after I returned home to Mooresville from West Texas a statement was issued on Benny's behalf confirming his disease and revealing that treatment was beginning immediately.
Benny, a non-smoker since 1978, expressed confidence that he will beat the cancer.
Those of us who have known Benny since he returned to the South to go NASCAR racing 42 years ago are optimistic, too. We're aware that within this friendly, people-loving man beats the heart of a very determined battler.
Otherwise, Benny never would have risen to the heights of his sport in the manner that he did.
Let me relate the inspring story of Benny Parsons...
The oft-told tale that Benny drove a taxi as a young man in Detroit is not true.
What is true is that Benny hitched a ride in the back of a pickup truck in Detroit to go watch a race in that area for the first time. And he wound up driving in the event!
The cab-driver story got started because Benny's father owned a small cab company that he operated out of a service station in Detroit. Benny, who had grown up in his family's native Wilkes County in North Carolina, had gone to Michigan to work there after graduating from Millers Creek High School.
As Benny recalls it, "Late one Friday afternoon some guys I knew came by the station and stopped for gas. They were towing a jalopy of a race car with their pickup truck.
"I said that I would like to go with them to a race sometime, and they told me to hop in the truck and come along right then. My dad let me off early, so I tagged along. I volunteered to drive their race car when the regular driver was a no-show."
Even Benny isn't certain where he finished in the race.
What is certain is that it was the beginning of a racing career that would lead to a NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship and, subsequently, to international popularity as a commentator on motorsports telecasts.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" says Benny.
When Benny's father and mother moved North to find work during the tough times of the 1950s, Benny stayed behind in Wilkes County. He lived with his great grandmother in the remote, sparsely-populated community of Parsonsville, deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
As racing fans know, Wilkes County is rich in NASCAR lore. It was there that a local businessman, Enoch Staley, carved out a race track atop a hill not long after World War II. In 1948, Staley was a key associate in helping Bill France Sr. form the organization that became NASCAR. Staley's North Wilkesboro Speedway became one of the first tracks with NASCAR affiliation.
Wilkes County also produced Junior Johnson. a legendary driver and one of the winningest team owners of all time.
Despite this environment, Benny didn't follow racing much as a teenager. He was more interested in playing baseball and football on the Millers Creek High teams. Benny was so devoted to the sports that when practice ran late, he would walk all the way home--about 10 miles--to his great grandmother's mountainside cottage. She would greet him in the darkness, fretting that he'd not been able to have supper on time.
"I rationalized that someday those long treks home would help me realize my dreams of playing college baseball and football," recalls Benny. "Heck, they might even make my dream of playing for the Detroit Tigers come true.
"But after that first jalopy race I competed in, I wanted to become a driver."
Benny pursued this goal with burning passion, and he became champion of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), the midwestern-based sanctioning body.
In 1964 he returned home to North Carolina to seek similar success in NASCAR.
What developed was a hall-of-fame career that would endure until Benny's retirement in 1998, providing such memories as these:
--His tears after winning the 1973 Winston Cup championship. Benny, driving for an underdog team, needed to finish the season finale at North Carolina Motor Speedway, near his adopted home of Ellerbe, to take the title in a major upset. When a hard crash early in the race essentially destroyed Benny's car, it appeared his hopes for the championship also had been wrecked. However, volunteers from other teams scavenged enough parts from their own wrecked cars to get Benny back in the race. In a car with hardly any sheet metal at all, Benny edged Cale Yarborough for the crown.
--Benny's grin of disbelief after he won the Daytona 500 in 1975. David Pearson appeared to have NASCAR's biggest race in hand that day. As the 500 wound down, Benny trailed well back in second place. Then, Richard Petty, a lap down, came zooming by. Benny latched onto Petty in an aerodyanmic draft and began to cut into Pearson's advantage. Pearson very seldom made a mistake, but with two laps to go he spun coming off the second turn, leaving Benny first to the checkered flag.
--Benny's dramatic duel with Darrell Waltrip in the 1980 World 600 at the track then known as Charlotte Motor Speedway. With darkness falling and heavy rain threatening, they swapped the lead seven times in the final 30 laps. Benny held the front spot for the checkered flag in what many observer's rate the most dramatic finish in the track's great history.
--Benny's look of astonishment after becoming the first NASCAR driver to officially break the 200 mph barrier in time trials when he qualified at 200.176 for the 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
--Benny's jubilation at giving the Jackson Brothers, Leo and Richard, their first superspeedway victory at NASCAR's major level in the 1984 Coca-Cola 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The victory was so appreciated by the team's sponsor, U.S. Tobacco, that company officials treated Benny, the Jacksons and their other two drivers, Harry Gant and Phil Parsons, Benny's younger brother, to a week-long fishing trip to Alaska.
The Atlanta triumph marked the last time that Benny would go to victory lane before retiring with 21 big-time triumphs.
I have equally warm memories of Benny away from the race tracks.
Not long after he moved to the hamlet of Ellerbe, Benny was elected president of the Parent-Teachers Association at the local elementary school his two sons attended. One day his boys came home very glum. They had become upset on learning that some of their classmates weren't going to receive presents or have anything special to eat on Christmas Day.
Benny checked with teachers and learned that the poverty in the area was much worse than most people realized.
Benny, known for his soft heart, began calling in favors from his many friends in racing. Winter jackets, shoes, gloves and other clothing began flowing in. So did toys, food and Christmas candy.
A big party was scheduled at the school, and the legendary Wood Brothers, Glen and Leonard, even arranged for a chartered bus to bring a church choir down from their hometown of Stuart, Va., to sing the carols.
The eyes of youngsters who never had experienced much of a joyous Christmas popped when Santa Claus started calling their names to receive gifts.
One little fellow of probably 6 or 7 made his way over to where Benny was standing. He had a bright toy truck under one arm and a new, warm jacket under the other. He tugged at the leg of Benny's trousers. "Mr. Benny," he said, "what am I supposed to do with these."
"Take them home, son," Benny replied. "They're yours."
"To keep?!" the amazed kid said, prompting a lump the size of a baseball to develop in Benny's throat.
To benefit the PTA, Benny once even gussied himself up in drag for a "Womanless Wedding Contest" at the school. Judging was "reversed," with the least attractive entrant taking the crown. Benny looked absolutely hideous, and because he didn't win--er, lose--I've always contended that contest was fixed.
After Benny joined ESPN and began winning major awards for his television work, proud relatives and friends began holding cookouts in his honor when he came back home for the fall races at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The dinners were held at the site of his great grandmother's old "homeplace" overlooking the magnificent Parsonsville Valley. Tables sagged to overflowing with fried chicken, barbecue pork, filets of fish caught that very day, home-grown vegetables and enough freshly-baked cakes and pies to fill a bakery.
One autumn the "menu" included a deep-fried dish that looked something like chicken nuggets. When I asked why this food didn't seem to be appearing on a lot of plates, a friend answered in a whisper and I wasn't surprised any more.
But the kids playing tag in the idyllic setting had no reservation about partaking of this particular food, and every time they ran by the table, they'd grab some of the nuggets and pop them into their mouth. Then, some of their moms saw what they were doing and shrieks echoed up the hollow and over the ridges.
What the kids were devouring like M & Ms were "mountain oysters," or sheep testicles.
A blushing Benny apologized profusely, although he'd had no way of knowing that a mischievous cousin had slipped those "oysters" onto the table among the meat balls and mashed 'taters and chocolate chip cookies.
"How embarrassing was it?" I asked Benny later.
"At the time, it felt worse than hitting the wall on the first lap, which I have done," asserted Benny. "But I laugh about it now."
Benny also got a chuckle a day or so after the revelation that he has cancer.
Charlotte sports broadcaster Jim Celania, a cancer survivor, phoned to offer encouragement. Cracked Celania, whom balding Benny had worked alongside on a local TV show, "On the bright side, Benny, you don't have to worry about your hair falling out."
Benny maintains confidence that treatment will lead to his being fully cured.
Considering his record as a battler, that optimism seems well-founded.
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NASCAR 101: Are drivers superstitious?
Matt Crossman
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Yes, lots of them. The strangest one is that no NASCAR driver will eat peanuts at the track.
Buz McKim, coordinator of NASCAR's history database, traces the superstition to a race in 1937 race in Nashville. One of the drivers had a beef with the race promoter. He was so upset that he hatched a devious scheme to get the first five qualifiers to drop out of the race. His ingenious plan was to sprinkle peanut shells on their cars. Why peanut shells would cause a driver to withdraw from a race has been lost to history. Or maybe there was a pre-existing curse involving shells.
Anyhoo, those five drivers all wrecked, and one of them, Howdy Cox, died. Thus was born sports' strangest and most widely held superstition.
Walnuts, pecans, cashews? Fine, fine and fine - so far, at least - as is everything else in the nut family. And please don't write to say a peanut is a legume.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Matt Crossman
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Yes, lots of them. The strangest one is that no NASCAR driver will eat peanuts at the track.
Buz McKim, coordinator of NASCAR's history database, traces the superstition to a race in 1937 race in Nashville. One of the drivers had a beef with the race promoter. He was so upset that he hatched a devious scheme to get the first five qualifiers to drop out of the race. His ingenious plan was to sprinkle peanut shells on their cars. Why peanut shells would cause a driver to withdraw from a race has been lost to history. Or maybe there was a pre-existing curse involving shells.
Anyhoo, those five drivers all wrecked, and one of them, Howdy Cox, died. Thus was born sports' strangest and most widely held superstition.
Walnuts, pecans, cashews? Fine, fine and fine - so far, at least - as is everything else in the nut family. And please don't write to say a peanut is a legume.
The Brickyard 400 is eclipsing the Daytona 500
Chris Russell | Sporting News
The 'Super Bowl' of NASCAR is played out in mid-February, when it is usually comfortable outside in Florida, something you can't say from about March 1 through the end of October.
However, in a very 2006 way of thinking, I believe that the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard this Sunday in Indianapolis is at the very minimum a thousand times more important than the Daytona 500.
Sure, I know what longtime NASCAR fans are going to say. "You have no idea what you're talking about," "you can't mess with tradition," and "it's the birthplace of stock car racing" will all be among the cries.
It is not only much more important than the Daytona 500 because of the impact it has on the season. I would argue that because of this track's own history, and it's meaning to open-wheel racing, and now to NASCAR and one of the series biggest superstars, Tony Stewart, NASCAR certainly has competition for the title of biggest spectacle.
Maybe I'm making a six-of-one-half-dozen-of-the-other type argument here, but I guess I'm trying to establish that this Sunday's race is the must-see showcase of the summer. No offense to Lowe's Motor Speedway on Memorial Day with the Coca Cola 600, which was awesome or the second Daytona race on 4th of July weekend, or any other race weekend.
Indianapolis is not only going to be fun viewing, it also has obvious importance. NASCAR's Nextel Cup series comes off their last bye weekend of the year, and it's only six races away from the beginning of the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
You might argue that the Brickyard can't possibly be more important that Saturday, September 9 at Richmond -- the final war to get into NASCAR's playoff format. I can see that point, but that's like saying that Week 17 is the most important week in the NFL season.
Sometimes it is, but most times it is not, as a lot of teams have already clinched a playoff spot or seed, and getting in a limited dance is more important than where and who you're shaking your booty with. I would almost guarantee that what happens this Sunday will have more of an impact on the final Chase contenders than Richmond will, even though that is the cutoff. The same could be said for Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, or California on Labor Day weekend.
If you look at the Nextel Cup standings heading into Sunday, Tony Stewart, who won at Indy last year, has only a 15-point lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the final Chase spot. Stewart, however, is only 38 points behind seventh-place Kasey Kahne. Greg Biffle is 44 points behind Stewart, and barring a major shakeup, is probably the only other contender on the outside looking in who has a chance. Of course, that doesn't Kurt Busch who ran a strong second at Pocono, got married last week, and will be bringing his No. 2 ride back to Bristol shortly, where he won earlier this year.
What if Earnhardt has another last-spot finish, or if he is able to conquer some of his Indy demons with a trip to Victory Lane? Can you imagine what that will do to the standings?
Daytona is great for a lot of reasons. It's the opening of the Nextel Cup season, its history and prestige are tough to contend with, but the bottom line is winning or finishing strong there does not guarantee you anything. Remember, Jeff Gordon won last year and didn't even make the Chase. Ryan Newman finished third in this years "Great American Race" and is currently 18th in the Nextel Cup standings. Casey Mears finished second and Elliott Sadler was fourth, but Mears probably will not make the playoffs, Sadler has no shot -- and both are changing teams after the season.
When Kurt Busch won his 2004 Championship, he finished in 16th at the Daytona 500. Not bad, but not great. He finished 10th at the Brickyard that year. Stewart last year won at the Brickyard, and finished seventh at Daytona.
One more for you, Michael Waltrip was looking great after his second Daytona 500 win in 2003, but he imploded in the final third of the season and has never been a big time factor since.
We'll get you revved up for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard this Saturday morning on SNR Inside Track from 9-10 AM ET, on Sporting News Radio and XM 143. Of course, we'll discuss this issue and get you set for the stretch run of the 2006 Nextel Cup season.
I just hope that the traditionalists and even the new blood of NASCAR realize just how important Sunday's race is, and that it is, for all intents and purposes, bigger and better than the Daytona 500.
Chris Russell | Sporting News
The 'Super Bowl' of NASCAR is played out in mid-February, when it is usually comfortable outside in Florida, something you can't say from about March 1 through the end of October.
However, in a very 2006 way of thinking, I believe that the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard this Sunday in Indianapolis is at the very minimum a thousand times more important than the Daytona 500.
Sure, I know what longtime NASCAR fans are going to say. "You have no idea what you're talking about," "you can't mess with tradition," and "it's the birthplace of stock car racing" will all be among the cries.
It is not only much more important than the Daytona 500 because of the impact it has on the season. I would argue that because of this track's own history, and it's meaning to open-wheel racing, and now to NASCAR and one of the series biggest superstars, Tony Stewart, NASCAR certainly has competition for the title of biggest spectacle.
Maybe I'm making a six-of-one-half-dozen-of-the-other type argument here, but I guess I'm trying to establish that this Sunday's race is the must-see showcase of the summer. No offense to Lowe's Motor Speedway on Memorial Day with the Coca Cola 600, which was awesome or the second Daytona race on 4th of July weekend, or any other race weekend.
Indianapolis is not only going to be fun viewing, it also has obvious importance. NASCAR's Nextel Cup series comes off their last bye weekend of the year, and it's only six races away from the beginning of the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
You might argue that the Brickyard can't possibly be more important that Saturday, September 9 at Richmond -- the final war to get into NASCAR's playoff format. I can see that point, but that's like saying that Week 17 is the most important week in the NFL season.
Sometimes it is, but most times it is not, as a lot of teams have already clinched a playoff spot or seed, and getting in a limited dance is more important than where and who you're shaking your booty with. I would almost guarantee that what happens this Sunday will have more of an impact on the final Chase contenders than Richmond will, even though that is the cutoff. The same could be said for Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, or California on Labor Day weekend.
If you look at the Nextel Cup standings heading into Sunday, Tony Stewart, who won at Indy last year, has only a 15-point lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the final Chase spot. Stewart, however, is only 38 points behind seventh-place Kasey Kahne. Greg Biffle is 44 points behind Stewart, and barring a major shakeup, is probably the only other contender on the outside looking in who has a chance. Of course, that doesn't Kurt Busch who ran a strong second at Pocono, got married last week, and will be bringing his No. 2 ride back to Bristol shortly, where he won earlier this year.
What if Earnhardt has another last-spot finish, or if he is able to conquer some of his Indy demons with a trip to Victory Lane? Can you imagine what that will do to the standings?
Daytona is great for a lot of reasons. It's the opening of the Nextel Cup season, its history and prestige are tough to contend with, but the bottom line is winning or finishing strong there does not guarantee you anything. Remember, Jeff Gordon won last year and didn't even make the Chase. Ryan Newman finished third in this years "Great American Race" and is currently 18th in the Nextel Cup standings. Casey Mears finished second and Elliott Sadler was fourth, but Mears probably will not make the playoffs, Sadler has no shot -- and both are changing teams after the season.
When Kurt Busch won his 2004 Championship, he finished in 16th at the Daytona 500. Not bad, but not great. He finished 10th at the Brickyard that year. Stewart last year won at the Brickyard, and finished seventh at Daytona.
One more for you, Michael Waltrip was looking great after his second Daytona 500 win in 2003, but he imploded in the final third of the season and has never been a big time factor since.
We'll get you revved up for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard this Saturday morning on SNR Inside Track from 9-10 AM ET, on Sporting News Radio and XM 143. Of course, we'll discuss this issue and get you set for the stretch run of the 2006 Nextel Cup season.
I just hope that the traditionalists and even the new blood of NASCAR realize just how important Sunday's race is, and that it is, for all intents and purposes, bigger and better than the Daytona 500.
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Five questions with Chris Economaki
Greg Engle
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Greg Engle
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Chris Economaki, 85, is a legend in the world of motorsports. Known as the "dean of motorsports journalism," Economaki has worked as everything from track announcer to broadcaster in every from of motorsports. So vast is Economaki's knowledge of automobile racing, Microsoft called upon him for the section on the history of auto racing for its Encarta Encyclopedia.
Q: What is the best racetrack in America?
A: I like Michigan International Speedway, and I'll tell you why. It's wide and highly competitive, and it's apparently distinctive. And I say that for this reason: Roger Penske copied it in California with the exception of one or two degrees here and there and the difference between these two tracks is remarkable.
Q: You have been reporting on racing since you were a teen. You've seen thousands of races. There must be some races you never forget.
A: I was announcing a race in Springfield, Mass., a number of years ago. A car owner with two cars came. The race goes on, and the owner's leading and his hired driver is running second. They take the white flag, and the owner's car quits on the backstretch of the final lap. So his hired driver pulls up behind him and puts his front bumper on his car owner's rear bumper and starts pushing him to the finish line, where they will finish one-two. Except … 50 yards from the finish line, the hired driver backs off and accelerates around his car owner to win. And the car owner protested, if you can believe that! They still ran one-two. And the fair manager asked me - I was running the fair - "Economaki, that was a tremendous show. How much rehearsal did you guys do on that?"
Q: What do you think of the NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow?
A: I know you can't race it on Sunday and sell it on Monday, and I question whether Detroit is going to stick around when that becomes the prevalent machine. I don't see any need for it frankly.
Q: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Who does the best Chris Economaki impression?
A: Tony Stewart, the consummate American driver.
Q: What has been the secret to your success?
A: The secret to my success was I was a nosy bastard. I was curious. I asked questions. I probed. I fished. I did not tell drivers things. I did not make statements.
This story was produced by the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service, a free content provider for newspapers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the Numbers
Indy
Viewer's Guide
IndyIndy
Evernham drivers trying to follow brick road of champions
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
The rollercoaster has a chance to turn upward for Evernham Motorsports drivers this weekend at Indianapolis.
For Jeremy Mayfield, Indy couldn't come at a better time. Mayfield, a guy who has made the last two Chases, is still searching for his first top-10 finish of 2006.
But Mayfield finished fourth at Indy last year and never fell below 11th place the entire race.
For Kasey Kahne, the 2.5-mile quad-oval is circled on the calendar, too. Since winning at Michigan, Kahne has finished 20th or better just once.
But Kahne was second last year at the Brickyard and led 39 laps. In his only other start there he finished fourth.
For Scott Riggs, he's only got two starts at the track with finishes of 37th and 35th. But this will be his first time there in a Ray Evernham-owned car. And they've done quite well.
Mayfield was the fastest driver early in a run (first 25 percent of laps since a pit stop) last year with an average speed of 176.745 mph; Kahne was second. Kahne was the fastest driver late in a run (last 25 percent of laps since a pit stop) with an average speed of 176.219 mph; Mayfield was third. Kahne was the fastest driver in all four turns last year; Mayfield was second-fastest in each turn.
The worst position Evernham cars ran last year at Indy was 18th.
What you didn't know
3.875 -- Average running position for Jeremy Mayfield last year at Indianapolis, the best among full-time drivers. Teammate Kasey Kahne was directly behind him with a 4.044 average running position.
Driver Rating: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
130.4 -- Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge. Kahne recorded 11 of the fastest 25 laps, including the fastest at 180.340 mph on Lap 131.
NASCAR's driver rating combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15s, average lead-lap running position, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps and lead-lap finish. Statistics based on current and past year at track. Maximum rating: 150 points.
Numerology
Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (1:30 p.m. ET, NBC) will be the 13th race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With the racetrack more famously known for open-wheel racing, there have been nine drivers who have raced in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, including current regulars Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
The rollercoaster has a chance to turn upward for Evernham Motorsports drivers this weekend at Indianapolis.
For Jeremy Mayfield, Indy couldn't come at a better time. Mayfield, a guy who has made the last two Chases, is still searching for his first top-10 finish of 2006.
But Mayfield finished fourth at Indy last year and never fell below 11th place the entire race.
For Kasey Kahne, the 2.5-mile quad-oval is circled on the calendar, too. Since winning at Michigan, Kahne has finished 20th or better just once.
But Kahne was second last year at the Brickyard and led 39 laps. In his only other start there he finished fourth.
For Scott Riggs, he's only got two starts at the track with finishes of 37th and 35th. But this will be his first time there in a Ray Evernham-owned car. And they've done quite well.
Mayfield was the fastest driver early in a run (first 25 percent of laps since a pit stop) last year with an average speed of 176.745 mph; Kahne was second. Kahne was the fastest driver late in a run (last 25 percent of laps since a pit stop) with an average speed of 176.219 mph; Mayfield was third. Kahne was the fastest driver in all four turns last year; Mayfield was second-fastest in each turn.
The worst position Evernham cars ran last year at Indy was 18th.
What you didn't know
3.875 -- Average running position for Jeremy Mayfield last year at Indianapolis, the best among full-time drivers. Teammate Kasey Kahne was directly behind him with a 4.044 average running position.
Driver Rating: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
130.4 -- Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge. Kahne recorded 11 of the fastest 25 laps, including the fastest at 180.340 mph on Lap 131.
NASCAR's driver rating combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15s, average lead-lap running position, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps and lead-lap finish. Statistics based on current and past year at track. Maximum rating: 150 points.
Numerology
Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (1:30 p.m. ET, NBC) will be the 13th race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With the racetrack more famously known for open-wheel racing, there have been nine drivers who have raced in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, including current regulars Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon.
- 2 -- Indianapolis victories for Dale Jarrett, the only driver other than Jeff Gordon to have multiple wins at the track. Jarrett is expected to make his 400th consecutive start Sunday at the Brickyard.
- 2 -- Drivers who ran all 160 laps in the top 15 last year at Indy: Jeremy Mayfield (fourth) and Kyle Busch (10th).
- 3 -- Drivers who led more than 35 laps last year at Indianapolis: Tony Stewart (44), Kasey Kahne (39), Elliott Sadler (39).
- 4 -- Drivers ranked in the top six have finished every race this season: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin.
- 5 -- Times Tony Stewart was passed under green-flag conditions last year at Indianapolis.
- 5 -- Consecutive top-10 finishes for Jeff Gordon at Indianapolis, the longest current streak.
- 5.0 -- Average start for Ryan Newman in five races at Indianapolis, although he has not started from the pole position. He has only one top-10 finish.
- 6 -- Drivers with more than one start who have an average finish inside the top-10 at Indy: Kasey Kahne (3.0), Tony Stewart (8.4), Jeff Gordon (8.8), Kevin Harvick (8.8), Jamie McMurray (9.0) and Bill Elliott (9.1).
- 6.25 -- Average number of cautions at Indianapolis. The last two years have been the only races that have produced more than 10 cautions.
- 8 -- Drivers who had an average running position inside the top 10 last year at Indy. Only Elliott Sadler (32nd) failed to finish in the top 10.
- 10 -- Top-10 finishes for Jeff Gordon in 12 races at Indianapolis. He crashed and finished 37th in 1996 and was 33rd, two laps down, in 2000. He has four victories at the track and has failed to lead a lap there only three times.
- 10.0 -- Average starting position for Indianapolis winners. Only Kevin Harvick (2003) has won from the pole, while seven of the 12 races have been won from a top-10 starting spot.
- 11 -- Drivers who have started all 12 races at Indianapolis. They have combined for nine of the 12 victories. All but Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace will be starting their 13th Indianapolis race.
- 15.17 -- Average number of lead changes at Indianapolis.
- 25.2 -- Average finish for Jimmie Johnson in four starts at Indianapolis. He has one top-10 finish, his first start at the track in 2002.
- 29.43 -- Percent of passes made on the frontstretch last year at Indianapolis, the most popular place to pass. Turn 3 saw the fewest number of passes at just 8.40 percent.
- 71 -- Laps led by Elliott Sadler at Indianapolis, the most among drivers who have not won at the track. Sadler led all of his laps there in the last two years.
- 82 -- Points separate seventh-place Kasey Kahne and 12th-place Greg Biffle. The 82 points are the difference between finishing first and 22nd, not counting bonus points.
- 433 -- Laps Jeff Gordon has led at Indianapolis, more than any other driver. Dale Jarrett is second with 186.
- 1,464 -- Points scored in the last 10 races by Jeff Burton, more than any other driver. He is currently third in the standings.
- 1999 -- Last year a Ford won at Indianapolis. Ford has three victories at the track, while Chevrolet has won seven races. Dodge and Pontiac each have one win.
Viewer's Guide
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
Benny Parsons returns to behind the microphone this weekend for the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard (1:30 p.m. ET, NBC). This time, however, he does it knowing a great portion of the NASCAR community is pulling for him.
You see, since he announced last week that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer, his phone -- and computer -- have been very busy.
"I think we probably have a few thousand, maybe six or seven thousand people e-mailed get-well wishes plus, the community itself, they have just kept my phone busy ever since the announcement with 'We're thinking of you.'"
The list of well-wishers has included some big names, Parsons said.
"I talked to Bill France Jr. We talked for five minutes and never mentioned racing. We just talked about cancer. Rick Hendrick has been phenomenal, calling me, keeping abreast of what's going on, making sure that I stay positive.
"Everyone has been terrific, there's no doubt at it."
So far, the 1973 Cup champion says his doctor visits have given him reason to stay upbeat.
"The treatments are going well," Parsons said. "I'm not getting ill, no nausea, I feel good, and everything so far is very positive."
So positive, in fact, that Parsons even took a minute during an NBC conference call to joke with play-by-play man Bill Weber about the possibility of Parsons losing his hair as a result of treatment for the disease.
"They told me I might lose my hair, but like I've told you, Bill, hair is very over-rated."
As far as what may happen Sunday at Indianapolis, Parsons said Denny Hamlin is a guy a lot of people will have their eyes on.
"Denny Hamlin is just blowing my mind," Parsons said. "A month ago when I asked who is in the top 10 that may fall out of the top 10, I thought 'Denny Hamlin' because the pressure of trying to make the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup will certainly get in the way, but he is up to the task.
"At Pocono, that performance a couple of weeks ago, he was nothing short of spectacular. And yes, one place that's hard to ease the throttle correctly is in that corner at Pocono. And talking to the crew chiefs there before the race, they said in June that's where Denny Hamlin really, really shined in that 11 car, in that corner where throttle control was so doggone important."
Actor Chris Noth, who many folks know as "Mr. Big" from Sex and the City and is currently starring in the NBC drama Law and Order: Criminal Intent, will guest in Wally's World during Sunday's pre-race show.
Defending Nextel Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and team owner Chip Ganassi are among the guests scheduled for Trackside from Indianapolis (7 p.m. Friday, SPEED). For those going to Indy, the SPEED stage will be inside the racetrack.
ESPN Sportscenter will be at Indianapolis this weekend with full-set coverage anchored by Chris Fowler beginning today. Fowler will be joined by Rusty Wallace and veteran ESPN racing reporter Mike Massaro.
Among the stories planned:
• Tony Stewart's return to his self-named "home track" to defend last year's victory, a race he said he would give up his Nextel Cup championship to win.
• Analysis and interviews with key owners, crew chiefs and drivers, including on-set appearances by Stewart and Jeff Gordon.
• A profile of legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway public address announcer Tom Carnegie, 85, who has been the voice of every Indianapolis 500 (61) and 12 Brickyard 400's.
In this week's edition of "Ask Wally and Benny," Doug Rivers of Marietta, Ga. writes:
What makes one specific car or chassis so good and others, seemingly the same, not so good?
Wally Dallenbach says it depends on several things.
"I don't think it's necessarily that one chassis is better than the other," he said. "I think there are a lot of factors that comes into play.
"Obviously, there will be times when a manufacturer has some kind of advantage because of the body work. The Fords may be better at one racetrack and the Dodges may be better at another racetrack just because the way the rules are at the moment.
"As far as the chassis go, it really comes down to a finding a good combination of what the driver is looking for. Every driver has his own feel. What it comes down to is getting the right combination of all of the adjustments that you can make on a chassis -- such as shocks, springs and sway bars -- and giving the driver all of the little details that he is looking for.
"If you can give the driver what he is looking for, then it looks like that chassis is better than everybody else's...but it really isn't. It's just that driver and race team hit on the combination that works best for that driver."
On to this weekend's busy schedule:
Nextel Cup Series: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• 2.5-mile oval
• 9-degree banking in corners
• No banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 3,330 feet
• Length of backstretch: 3,300 feet
Race length: 160 laps/400 miles
TV schedule: (All times ET)
• Practice: 3:30 p.m. Fri. SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 4:30 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Trackside: 7 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Bud Pole Qualifying: 10 a.m. Sat. TNT
• NASCAR Live: 3 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• Final practice: 3:30 p.m. Sat.., SPEED
• NASCAR Raceday: Noon Sun., SPEED
• Pre-race: 1:30 p.m. Sun., NBC
• Race: 2:30 p.m. Sun., NBC
One year ago, Tony Stewart accomplished a dream, snagging his first Indianapolis Motor Speedway victory.
The most recent checkered flag went to Denny Hamlin, who dominated two weeks ago at Pocono to complete a season sweep at the Pennsylvania triangle.
Keep an eye on Jeff Gordon and Stewart. Their ongoing battle is not only with each other but with recent history. In the previous two years the Chase for the Nextel Cup has been held, no drivers who have been either ninth or 10th at this point in the season have gone on to qualify for the Chase.
Busch Series: Kroger 200
Track: O'Reilly Raceway Park
• .686-mile oval
• 7.5-degree banking in turns
• 2-degree banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 699 feet
• Length of backstretch: 2,203 feet
Race length: 200 laps/137.2 miles
TV schedule: (All times ET)
• Qualifying: 6 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• Race: 9 p.m. Sat., TNT
One year ago, Martin Truex Jr. held off Clint Bowyer on a final two-lap shootout to win the rain-interrupted race. It was his sixth NASCAR Busch Series victory of the season.
The most recent checkered flag went to Carl Edwards, who passed Denny Hamlin with eight laps to go Saturday night at Gateway International Raceway and the Missouri native went on to post his fourth Busch Series victory of the season.
Keep an eye on Jason Keller. When he takes the green flag Saturday, Keller will become only the second driver in series history to make 400 starts.
"This is a long time coming for the 400th start," Keller said. "It's really special. It's coming at a good racetrack for me.
"My first win and my only career win with my family-owned team came [at ORP]. It's a great race track. It's a place where I typically run well and I'm going there with high expectations of running well this weekend."
Craftsman Truck Series: Power Stroke Diesel 200
Track: O'Reilly Raceway Park
• .686-mile oval
• 7.5-degree banking in turns
• 2-degree banking on straights
• Length of frontstretch: 699 feet
• Length of backstretch: 2,203 feet
Race length: 200 laps/137.2 miles
TV schedule (All times ET)
• Qualifying: 5:30 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Race: 8 p.m. Fri., SPEED
One year ago, Dennis Setzer earned his fourth Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season and his 16th overall -- in dominating fashion
The most recent checkered flag went to Jack Sprague, who got around rookie Erik Darnell with eight laps to go to win the O'Reilly 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park after starting from the pole. .
Keep an eye on qualifying. There have been 11 races at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis and none of the 11 winners have started worse than fifth.
"I don't have near as much common sense as he had, and he banked on that just about all day, every day, of his life."
- Dale Earnhardt Jr., comparing himself to his father.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enduring Performance
1995 Brickyard 400
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
Intimidator won at Indianapolis when very few were watching
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
In a race that played out like a chess match instead of full-contact karate, Dale Earnhardt won the rain-delayed 1995 Brickyard 400 in front of several hundred thousand fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- while a national television audience watched their local news.
Because rain from what was left of Hurricane Erin caused a four-hour delay, ABC's broadcast went off the air more than a hour before the race finally got under way, causing the network's affliates to endure the wrath of hundreds of angry race fans who didn't see Earnhardt's victory.
The race was shown via tape-delay on ESPN the next afternoon.
Those hardy fans who dodged the raindrops and hung around until the sun shone saw a fast race with one caution, a race which required patience and strategy.
Drivers, who sat around all day waiting for their chance to get on the track, were on their best behavior. Thirty-eight of the 41 starters were running at the end, including 19 still on the lead lap.
Polesitter Jeff Gordon, who had won the inaugural event the previous year, led the first 24 laps before Bill Elliott took command. Earnhardt, who started 16th, steadily worked his way into the top 10.
Elliott would go on to lead almost a third of the race, while Gordon fought handling conditions for the rest of the day, finishing a distant sixth. However, brake problems ended Elliott's chance at contention, leaving Rusty Wallace in front and Earnhardt in fourth.
When the field began pitting for the final time under green, Earnhardt's stop was the best, allowing him to grab the lead for good on Lap 133. He would not be seriously challenged the rest of the way, winning by 0.37 seconds. The victory was worth $565,600 to Earnhardt, which more than doubled his previous one-race winnings.
"I still haven't won the Daytona 500, but this is next to it, so we'll take it," Earnhardt said. "This was a brand-new car, and this car and crew are hard to beat when they're right."
Wallace still felt he had the car to beat. However, when Jeff Burton spun directly in front of him with 27 laps to go, Wallace was fortunate just to get by without damaging his car.
"I didn't know which way he was going to go," Wallace said of Burton. "I almost had to stop. He went top to bottom to top to bottom. By then, Dale had a good jump and I had some lapped cars to deal with, and that didn't help.
"And when I caught back up with him, the front downforce was real bad. Not much I could do but follow him at that point."
The Fords of Dale Jarrett, Elliott and Mark Martin rounded out the top five.
Rick Mast was eighth, one of his two top-10 finishes at the Brickyard. Morgan Shepherd finished 10th for the second consecutive year. In four Indianapolis starts, he's never been worse than 15th.
Practice: Nextel Cup Series Allstate 400 Friday, Aug. 4 3:30 p.m. Speed
Craftsman Truck Series Power Stroke Diesel 200 Friday, Aug. 4 8:30 p.m. Speed
Qualifying: Nextel Cup Series Allstate 400 Saturday, Aug. 5 10 a.m. TNT
Practice: Nextel Cup Series Allstate 400 Saturday, Aug. 5 3:30 p.m. Speed
Qualifying: Busch Series Kroger 200 Saturday, Aug. 5 6 p.m. Speed
Busch Series Kroger 200 Saturday, Aug. 5 9 p.m. TNT
Nextel Cup Series Allstate 400 Sunday, Aug. 6 2 p.m. NBC
All time Eastern. Times and station subject to change.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain,Your
MommaLife should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants wins't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt Sr.
-Dale Earnhardt Sr.
This list is authored by:
Sandra Monacelli
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