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Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend.
Quote of the Month
"Everybody talks about a few bumps in the road,'' Yates said. "Well, I expected that. What kills you are those Waltrips.''
"I helped him get his first 35 wins. He don't have to say that I'm never going to fix it. He can say I suck. He can report the facts. But he can bite my ass when he says I'll never get it fixed.''
-Robert Yates was angered when FOX Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip recently said his Nextel Cup program is beyond repair after losing drivers Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler.
Thank You Larry!!!!
Quote of the Day
"If there's one word I could use, it would be passion. And, don't forget the spaghetti!
-Italian drvier Max Papis on what his countrymen could bring to NASCAR
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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 Darrel
And where does the money go when you buy an "Car with one of the oldest automobile names , Chrysler " ?
My point is now days there really no totally American car with all parts in made in the US.
At one time I was also totally an American named, made, and manufactured car person, until I was looking for a car to buy and I had a certain performance and cost that I wanted. I could have bought a Mustang or Cameo, but the insurance was way more than I could afford. It took me over a year to find the car to replace my Rambler (AMC) American Rouge (290 V8, Four barrel Carburetor, Four Speed transmission, positraction, wide wheels, suspension that allowed it to corner faster then most Cameos and Mustangs at the same price, and looked nice I felt). Lot of small block Mustangs and small block Cameos knew how fast it was. The replacement for it was made in Italy. An Alfa Romeo TI Super four door sedan. Which happens to look a lot like a Rambler (AMC) American Rouge.
Darrel
from Andy
okay..had to throw my 2 cents in...this car issue gets a little mucky for me...doesn't GM or is it Chrysler own Mercedes (German car)? toyota makes its cars in plants in the states where the labor force dollars goes to americans whereas GM cars parts are made in Mexico and Canada...let's not forget that Ford just announced last week another recall involving millions of its vehicles because its parts catch on fire again
from RD
From my point of view Momma, you are dead on with your Car comments. As a retired UAW / Ford employ, I would rather be gang raped by crazed drunken lust filled pirates, then drive a Jap car.
This may be the only time I have ever agreed with you. Don't let it go to your head;->
rd
from Lou
But when it comes to my car, I buy AMERICAN. Regardless of where it is made, the profits stay in my country. I don't sit in judgement on anyone, and would never do so, but these are my feelings, and I have a right to them. After all, this is America, land of the free, and home of the brave.
Hi Momma,
In response to the article about American made products. There are very few American made products sold here in the US today. You may believe they are by the product name, but your watches, tv's and other electronic equipment, most household items, and other things too numerous to mention here. Oh yes, and many of the so called American cars also. I don't know about all of them, but most Fords are made in Canada. This is not something new that has just happened, it has been going on for years. It is just being talked about a lot more now. Many American corporations have been having their product made in other countries for several years because of labor costs and their responsibility to their stockholders (mostly American) to produce a profit. It was just a matter of time until it hit the racing world. One of NASCAR's biggest races was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past week. They ran only Indy type cars there until a few years ago when NASCAR started going their. I don't believe anyone ever complained about foreign cars there and I'm not an Indy 500 historian, but I don't believe an a car has ever won the Indy 500 powered by an American made engine.
I am proud to be an American and yes, I do remember Pearl Harbor (I had just celebrated my 5th birthday 3 days before), but I am not so naive as to believe that we can do without the international trading that takes place today.
Lou Elliott
from Paula
but I will never buy a Jap vehichle.
Hey HM, What about your cell phone? Your computer? Your DVD and your TV. Check to see where they were made. You might want to return them cuz they might have been made in Japan. And I'm not 100% positive but I think some of the 'Jap" vehicle parts are made in the USA. And once Toyota comes to NASCAR it will be have to fit the same specifications as the Chevys, Fords and Dodges.
from my Mom
AMEN to what Nascar Momma said about where the profits from the foreign cars go and I had planned on writing back and saying so before I even got down to momma's comment. Politics aside we have always bought an American vehicle and if it needed repairs, which is very seldom we didn't have to wait for weeks to get the part in. When the almighty profits stay in this country then and only then will we CONSIDER buying a foreign vehicle but until then we will enjoy our American made vehicles.
Mayfield released by Evernham Motorsports
No announcement made on new driver; Elliott running at Glen
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Jeremy Mayfield has been released from Evernham Motorsports, team owner Ray Evernham said Friday at Watkins Glen International.
"He has been terminated, and I honestly don't want to discuss the terms with that," Evernham said.
Mayfield was replaced for this weekend's race by former Cup champion Bill Elliott on Tuesday. When contacted by NASCAR.COM, Mayfield said he knew nothing of the driver change.
Evernham, however, said his team contacted Mayfield Motorsports' agent on Monday and began the discussions.
Now Mayfield is out of the car for good, a move that was speculated last month at Chicagoland when the driver aired concerns about how the owner had not done anything to help his struggling team.
"When the performance is not up to par, it's frustrating on both sides," Evernham said Friday. "The decision was made because of the performance of the car. There was certainly frustration, and we weren't pleased with some of the comments that were made. But in no way was that the reason for the change."
There was no immediate announcement of a full-time driver in the No. 19 Dodge, although it has been speculated that Elliott Sadler will likely move to the car. Whether that will happen before the end of the season is unknown for sure, Evernham said.
"The decision to make a change in the 19 had nothing to do with whether [a driver change] could or could not happen," Evernham said. "It would make the most sense if we could do that, for sure."
Greg Engle | Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
The rebuilding process at Robert Yates Racing continued Wednesday when Petty Enterprises and RYR made a joint announcement that veteran crew chief Todd Parrott would return to the Yates organization beginning Monday.
Parrott left Yates Racing in 2005 after spending nearly a decade with the team. Parrott helped guide Dale Jarrett to several victories and was part of the team's only championship in 1999.
"Todd made a decision to return to Robert Yates Racing where he has enjoyed much success throughout most of his career," said Robbie Loomis, executive vice president of race operations at Petty Enterprises. "It's where he has his roots. If there is anyone that understands what it's like to go back home, it's me."
Since joining Petty Enterprises in late 2005, Parrott, serving as crew chief on the fabled No. 43 Dodge, has helped driver Bobby Labonte score one top-five and four top-10 finishes in 21 races this season.
"That's more than they've scored in the last five years," Parrott said. "That team is motivated; they're focused and have direction. It's definitely getting better. I'm proud of what we did. We did a lot with what we had to work with. If we hadn't had the engine problems -- who knows, we might have won a race."
Greg Steadman, a longtime mechanic at Petty Enterprises, will serve an interim crew chief for Labonte. The team said Steadman and Loomis would work "hand-in-hand."
"Bobby and I talked today, and I think he's a heck of a racecar driver," Parrott said. "He reminds me a lot of DJ when he won the championship. He's good and he's smart. Robbie's smart, and it wouldn't surprise me if they did win a race before the end of the year. I'm pulling for them."
No one from the Yates team was available late Wednesday to comment on the role Parrott will assume at RYR.
Lee Spencer of the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service contributed to this report.
This story was produced by the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service, a free content provider for newspapers.
Finish for 7,843-seat expansion project scheduled for March 31
BY JILL ERWIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
From rubble will spring renewal, and Richmond International Raceway is counting down the days.
Construction has begun on a multimillion-dollar, 7,843-seat expansion project behind the Commonwealth Grandstand in Turn 1 of the three-quarter-mile track. The three-tiered grandstand, which is scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2007, will include a 700-seat club level, 2,246 mezzanine seats and 4,897 seats in the Commonwealth Tower in the new 18-story structure.
"It's going to be very exciting," RIR President Doug Fritz said. "We have some really neat things coming down the road in the next couple of years. It's only going to get bigger and better. It's all about treating the fans right and giving them the best experience we can."
The seating in the expansion will be individual seats with armrests, not the general-admission bleacher seats that make up RIR's current seating.
Letters were sent to current season-ticket holders earlier this week, offering them the chance to upgrade to the new seating. Seats in the tower will be $355 a year for all RIR events, only a $20 increase from the current $335 season-ticket price. Club tickets are $1,750 for the year, including a $250 food credit, and seats in the mezzanine will be $105 for Nextel Cup races, $45 for Busch Series and $35 for the IRL race.
Construction began in late June, and the 18-foot concrete pillars that will support the steel construction currently are being poured. The completion of footings and foundation is scheduled to be finished on Aug. 31.
The tallest point on the new structure will be 180 feet off the ground, making it the tallest building in Henrico County. The highest seating will be 168 feet off the ground.
Work will be ongoing when NASCAR returns to the track Sept. 8-9, but Fritz said there will be no effect aside from dust and dirt.
After that race, 2,911 obstructed-view seats in the lower rows of the Old Dominion and Colonial grandstands will be removed. That will leave a net gain of 4,932 additional seats, giving RIR a total of 112,029 seats. RIR's expansion plan will allow the track to go up to 150,000 seats.
"No question about that," Fritz said. "It's a win-win for everybody. We're just excited about being the premier short track in the country. We've definitely positioned ourselves for the future."
KAHNE AT RIR: Kasey Kahne, whose first career victory came at RIR in May 2005, will offer assistance in the RIR ticket office Wednesday.
Kahne will take orders in person and over the phone for fans wanting to purchase tickets for the Emerson Radio 250 Busch Series race Sept. 8. The ticket will also include that day's pole qualifying for the Sept. 9 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Nextel Cup race. Tickets for the Cup race are sold out.
Kahne will be in the ticket office from 8:30-9:45 a.m. The phone number is (804) 345-RACE.
SMC 500 For WypAll® Wipers, Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (August 6, 2006) – Tony Eury Jr.’s quick thinking in the final stages of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard improved his team’s finish by 22 positions. The crew chief’s gutsy call to leave Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the track during a late-race caution salvaged the Budweiser Chevrolet a sixth-place finish and boosted the team back inside the top-10 point standings. Eury Jr.’s performance earned him the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award.
Things looked bleak for the No. 8 team throughout the event. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s mishandling Chevrolet prevented him from moving beyond the top-20 for the majority of the race. Fortunately, a caution flag waved on lap 143 and the bulk of the lead pack all entered the pits for fresh tires. Despite having 20 laps on his current tires, Eury Jr. decided to forego service on the No. 8 machine and left Earnhardt Jr. on the track. The call moved him from 28th place into second-place for the final restart, with 14 laps remaining. “I had to drive really hard at the end,” said Earnhardt Jr. “(It was) harder than I normally drive.” The worn rubber made it tough, but Earnhardt Jr. took advantage of the newfound track position and fought to finish just outside the top-five.
A panel of voters; including a member of the local media, Robbie Reiser and a WYPALL® Wipers representative; all gave the nod to Eury Jr. as the crew chief that did the best job. “The (No.) 8 team ended up with a decent finish today because of Tony’s call,” said Reiser. “They beat a lot of cars that were better than them today. That’s when you know that the crew chief did a good job – when he outsmarts the competition.”
For winning the Crew Chief of the Race award, WYPALL® Wipers presented Eury Jr. $1,000. At the end of the season, the Nextel Cup crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000 and be crowned the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Year. This was Eury Jr.’s third Crew Chief of the Race award in 2006, which puts him in second-place place of the standings. Robbie Reiser, Mike Ford and Chad Kanus are in third-place, all with two wins. Darian Grubb, Todd Berrier, Doug Richert, Philippe Lopez, Frankie Stoddard, Scott Miller, Alan Gustafson and Roy McCauley are tied for fourth-place, all with one win. Kenny Francis is in the lead with four wins.
Unser brothers arrested for ignoring deputies' orders
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Racing veterans Al Unser Sr. and Bobby Unser were arrested Wednesday after sheriff's deputies said the brothers ignored orders to leave an area where authorities had cornered a carjacking suspect.
The Bernalillo County sheriff's department said the suspect led police on a high-speed chase while shooting at them Wednesday morning. The man eventually crashed into a car on the city's west side and later shot himself.
During the standoff, authorities had cordoned off a road named after the Unser family.
Deputies said Al Unser Sr. started to go through the roadblock to get to his property when he was told to stop. Bobby Unser, who arrived later in a separate vehicle, also refused to leave.
Deputies said Al Unser Sr. started to go through the roadblock to get home when deputies warned him to stop. Bobby Unser, who was in a separate vehicle, also refused to leave.
"They simply told them numerous times to leave the area and they simply refused to do so," said Erin Kinnard Thompson, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department. "We're not talking about a situation where we're trying to catch a shoplifter. This was a serious and dangerous situation."
The two Unsers, who have seven Indianapolis 500 wins between them, were arrested for resisting arrest and obstructing officers. They were booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center and later released.
Bobby Unser said he's concerned that people will think he and his brother are guilty because they were arrested.
"The fact is we didn't do anything wrong, zero wrong," he told Albuquerque television station KOB-TV.
Al Unser Sr. said he tried to drive onto his property near the roadblock and the deputies began to yell at him. He said one deputy continued to yell after he turned around to get back in his car. He claims he was then pulled out of his vehicle and thrown to the ground before being handcuffed.
Thompson said Unser was taken down after he attempted to pull away from a deputy when being handcuffed.
Bobby Unser said he was also yelled at. He didn't know his brother had been arrested until he ran into him at a sheriff's substation.
The Unsers contend authorities used unnecessary force and that their accounts of the incident aren't true.
"Naturally I'm going to get a hold of Sheriff (Darren) White and tell him honestly what happen, not what these crazy idiots that work for him are writing down," Bobby Unser said.
White defended his deputies in a statement released late Wednesday.
"It's not uncommon for officers to be riddled with insults from people we arrest," he said. "It's deplorable when it comes from someone who is considered a respected member of our community. Let's not forget these officers were being shot at."
From Team Press Release
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Mark McFarland has been released by JR Motorsports and will be replaced by Martin Truex Jr. at Watkins Glen, the team announced Thursday.
McFarland had made 21 Busch Series starts in the No. 88 Chevrolet this season, with a best finish of seventh at Talladega, his only top-10. He finished 17th in the series' most recent race, at O'Reilly Raceway Park in suburban Indianapolis.
"Mark was instrumental in getting our Busch program off the ground and he will always have a role in the history of JR Motorsports. But the reality is that as a business we have the responsibility of delivering a level of performance for our sponsors," team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "This change is being made to address that concern."
McFarland made his Busch Series debut in 1998, driving in four races under family ownership. After signing a contract for the 2006 season, the Virginia native finished 20th in the 2005 season finale at Homestead in his first race for JR Motorsports.
Winner of nearly 200 go-kart features, McFarland came up through the Late Model ladder, winning the 2003 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series national championship.
Watkins Glen
As told to David Newton, NASCAR.COM
Nextel Cup rookie Clint Bowyer gambled with two tires instead of four on a late pit stop to finish a career-best fourth in his first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The move stopped a backslide in the points as Bowyer, who started on the outside of the front row beside Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton, moved up two spots to 17th.
Now Bowyer heads to Watkins Glen International for this first Cup race on the road course. In three NASCAR Busch Series road course starts, Bowyer has completed every lap and posted a 12.7 average finish.
In his Nextel Cup road racing debut at Sonoma in June, Bowyer started 28th and finished 16th.
In Jack Daniel's "Around the Track,'' Bowyer addresses each week's venue as well as his philosophies on racing and life in general around NASCAR.
There's been a lot of talk lately about how the rookie driver meetings aren't what they used to be when we had a veteran driver there to lead them, but they're still useful.
When we go to tracks we've never been to with different characteristics it helps to be able to ask about little things such as how to get on the race track and get off in the right places.
There are a lot of safety aspects they go over, such as where to be on the track and going through the garage.
John Darby, NASCAR's series director, leads the meetings now. I don't know if they really need a driver leading them. This rookie class is probably a little different than a lot of rookie classes.
We have quite a bit of experience coming out of the Busch Series on a lot of these tracks. Some of us have even won races on these tracks.
It wouldn't hurt to have a veteran driver, but the main thing is to make sure we don't go out and hurt ourselves because we aren't familiar with the place.
If I need a veteran driver I can go to my teammates, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. They've both been around the block a time or two and know exactly what to do everywhere we go. I pull off them a lot when I get to the track.
Jeff a lot of times will go over my setups after practice and then come to me with suggestions. Jeff's a good guy, a good teammate. He's always looking out for everybody.
That's a big reason why we're all moving forward together at Richard Childress Racing. He has great insight on a lot of things.
He's helped me a lot, like when I'm struggling entering a corner as I was when I first got to Indy. I was arching it out quite a bit too late like you do at a lot of tracks.
But there, if you arch it too much carrying so much speed in, you've missed the corner and you can't get the car pulled back down on the track.
Kevin helps me a lot, too. We work as a team. That's another reason RCR is moving forward.
I got my first trip to the NASCAR hauler for a visit with president Mike Helton last weekend. He called Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and myself in to talk about what happened the week before at Pocono when Tony wrecked me and Carl.
It was like a scene out of Days of Thunder. But I wasn't there because of something I necessarily did wrong. I was there for the meeting and the insight. They just let us know they expected us to behave.
It was like being called to the principal's office in high school.
Our goals have changed since Pocono. The Chase for the Nextel Cup is out of the picture, so now the goal is to be in 11th place and earn a trip to the banquet in New York that way.
Hopefully, we started to turn things around at Indianapolis. Watkins Glen is going to be a battle of wills. It's a road course and I'm not the best at them, but if we can get a good top-15 finish we'll be happy and move on to the rest of the season.
We raced the Busch cars there last year. It's quite a bit faster than your typical road course. I just wasn't comfortable with it.
That's a place I can rely on my teammates for a lot information. They've both run well there and know how to get around the track.
Nine times out of 10 they know exactly what you're talking about and have already figured a way around it. Usually, it's not anything you're doing wrong. It's something they've figured out quicker because of the experience of being there.
You bring your friends to the track always. A teammate usually has your best interest in mind.
A guy that you're racing against for position and you're trying to take bread off of his table, I have a hard time believing he's always going to help you 100 percent even if it's in a rookie meeting.
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By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
Jimmie Johnson's victory celebration continued long after NBC went off the air Sunday at Indianapolis. This Sunday, during the pre-race show for the AMD at The Glen (1 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC), you'll be seeing a lot more of it.
"This experience has been much different. I don't understand exactly all of it yet," Johnson said. "I sat around at the track until probably around 9 or 10 o'clock drinking that wonderful tasting cheap champagne from Victory Lane with my wife and some high school friends -- just sitting outside the bus still in my driving suit sitting on the asphalt leaning up against my bus just enjoying the moment.
"I came home and woke up and hit the road and ran four miles and then organized my garage. I just sat there with the biggest smile on my face -- loving every minute of it -- just proud and ready to go to the next one."
"The next one" in this case, is Watkins Glen, where the Nextel Cup points leader has had a bit of an up-and-down existance. He was 16th in 2002, fourth in 2003, 40th in 2004after an engine failure, and fifth last year.
Johnson leads the series standings by 107 over Matt Kenseth heading into Sunday's action, so a top finish is more of a luxury than a necessity.
That's not to say the No. 48 team is looking past Sunday.
"I love road-course racing," he said. "I love The Glen and think it's a great track for our cars. I'm really going to be working on myself this weekend. I have a very similar set-up to Jeff's. I had a little bit different car and set-up in Sonoma and it really didn't work out for us. So this week it's in my hands.
"I've just really got to understand what I'm doing and how to road course race a little bit better so I can eventually get a win."
In the meantime, Johnson is still enjoying the moment.
"I'm so proud of what we've accomplished and the fact that we were able to come back and really beat something that's beaten us," Johnson said. "So the emotions that go with that have been a whole different set of emotions than the victory at the Daytona 500 or the excitement from winning at Las Vegas or Talladega.
"It's such a gratifying moment to come back and beat something that's beaten us so many times. So I'm just enjoying the moment and smiling deep down inside."
Actress Kristin Chenoweth, who's perhaps best known as Annabeth Schott in The West Wing, will guest in Wally's World during Sunday's pre-race show.
Matt Kenseth, Boris Said and Max Papis are among the guests scheduled for Trackside from Watkins Glen (7 p.m. Friday, SPEED). For those going to The Glen, the show will be taped at 4:30 p.m. ET on the SPEED stage outside of Turn 10.
In this week's edition of "Ask Wally and Benny," Melanie in Bowling Green, Ky. writes:
During the end of the Atlanta race, I noticed a digital sign above the flagman with 1878 registered. Were those minutes of the race, number of cars passing the finish line, or number of Bud Lights consumed in the stands? Joking aside, a bunch of us would like to know.
Benny Parsons takes this one.
"That number is for the scorers," he said. "NASCAR, today, uses electronic scoring. Each car has a transponder and as they pass the start/finish line, it registers as a transponder unique to that car. As each car crosses, they know who it is and therefore it keeps up with the scoring and where that car is running in relationship to the other 42 cars, but they have a manual backup.
"They have 43 people in a scorer's box/scorer's stand and they score the cars. Each time the cars go by, when that race starts, that number theoretically would be at four zeroes and it clicks every second. In Atlanta, it takes about 30 seconds for each car to run a lap, so when a car goes by the first time, the scorer writes down 0030; the next time 0060, and they do that for the number of laps for 500 miles at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But those numbers are positioned there for the scorers."
On to this weekend's busy schedule:
Nextel Cup Series: AMD at The Glen
Track: Watkins Glen International
• 2.45-mile road course
Race length: 90 laps/220 miles
TV schedule: (All times ET)
• NASCAR Live: 2, 6 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Bud Pole Qualifying: 3 p.m. Fri. TNT
• Trackside: 7 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Final practice: 10 a.m. Sat.., SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 1:30 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• NASCAR Raceday: 11 a.m. Sun., SPEED
• Pre-race: 1 p.m. Sun., NBC
• Race: 1:30 p.m. Sun., NBC
One year ago, the only time Tony Stewart wasn't leading the Sirius at the Glen was when he had to stop for tires and fuel. Otherwise, the Nextel Cup points leader dominated and captured his fifth win of the season.
The most recent checkered flag went to Jimmie Johnson, who overcame a tire problem and past disappointments to get his first Brickyard victory.
Keep an eye on Boris Said. Said, who finished third last season at the Glen and ninth earlier this year at Infineon Raceway, will be joined by another road-course specialist -- Ron Fellows (No. 32 Tide Chevrolet), who will attempt to qualify for Sunday's race.
Busch Series: Zippo 200
Track: Watkins Glen International
• 2.45-mile road course
Race length: 82 laps/200.9 miles
TV schedule: (All times ET)
• Qualifying: 11 a.m. Sat., SPEED
• Race: 2 p.m. Sat., NBC
One year ago, Ryan Newman got one of six Busch Series victories he achieved in 2005.
The most recent checkered flag went to Kevin Harvick, who expanded his huge Busch Series points lead with another victory at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
Keep an eye on Paul Menard, Menard, whose sixth-place ranking in the standings makes him the highest-rated Busch Series regular, finished eighth in this event one year ago. But he had been on the 2.45-mile course in advance of the series' 2005 return to Watkins Glen International following a three-year hiatus.
He made his Nextel Cup Series debut at the track in 2003 -- driving for Andy Petree, qualifying 43rd, but finishing a respectable 29th.
Craftsman Truck Series: Toyota Tundra 200
Track: Nashville Superspeedway
• 1.333-mile concrete oval
• 14-degree banking in turns
• 9-degree banking on frontstretch
• 6-degree banking on backstretch
• Length of frontstretch: 2,494 feet
• Length of backstretch: 2,203 feet
Race distance: 150 laps/200 miles
TV schedule (All times ET)
• Race: 5 p.m. Sat., SPEED
One year ago, David Reutimann scored his first career Craftsman Truck Series victory.
The most recent checkered flag went to Rick Crawford, who held off defending race winner Dennis Setzer and restart master Ron Hornaday in the final four laps to win the Power Stroke Diesel 200 on Friday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park. It was Crawford's first Truck Series victory since last September.
Keep an eye on Crawford. He's gone from 14th in the standings to third on the strength of his win at Indianapolis.
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Qualifying: Nextel Cup Series AMD at the Glen Friday, Aug. 11 3 p.m. Speed
Final practice: Nextel Cup Series AMD at the Glen Saturday, Aug. 12 10 a.m. Speed
Qualifying: Busch Series Zippo 200 Saturday, Aug. 12 11 a.m. Speed
Busch Series Zippo 200 Saturday, Aug. 12 2 p.m. NBC
Craftsman Truck Series Toyota Tundra 200 Saturday, Aug. 12 5 p.m. Speed
Nextel Cup Series AMD at the Glen Sunday, Aug. 13 1 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
"Everybody talks about a few bumps in the road,'' Yates said. "Well, I expected that. What kills you are those Waltrips.''
"I helped him get his first 35 wins. He don't have to say that I'm never going to fix it. He can say I suck. He can report the facts. But he can bite my ass when he says I'll never get it fixed.''
-Robert Yates was angered when FOX Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip recently said his Nextel Cup program is beyond repair after losing drivers Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler.
Thank You Larry!!!!
Quote of the Day
"If there's one word I could use, it would be passion. And, don't forget the spaghetti!
-Italian drvier Max Papis on what his countrymen could bring to NASCAR
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Comments from the Peanut Galleryfrom Darrel
And where does the money go when you buy an "Car with one of the oldest automobile names , Chrysler " ?
My point is now days there really no totally American car with all parts in made in the US.
At one time I was also totally an American named, made, and manufactured car person, until I was looking for a car to buy and I had a certain performance and cost that I wanted. I could have bought a Mustang or Cameo, but the insurance was way more than I could afford. It took me over a year to find the car to replace my Rambler (AMC) American Rouge (290 V8, Four barrel Carburetor, Four Speed transmission, positraction, wide wheels, suspension that allowed it to corner faster then most Cameos and Mustangs at the same price, and looked nice I felt). Lot of small block Mustangs and small block Cameos knew how fast it was. The replacement for it was made in Italy. An Alfa Romeo TI Super four door sedan. Which happens to look a lot like a Rambler (AMC) American Rouge.
Darrel
from Andy
okay..had to throw my 2 cents in...this car issue gets a little mucky for me...doesn't GM or is it Chrysler own Mercedes (German car)? toyota makes its cars in plants in the states where the labor force dollars goes to americans whereas GM cars parts are made in Mexico and Canada...let's not forget that Ford just announced last week another recall involving millions of its vehicles because its parts catch on fire again
from RD
From my point of view Momma, you are dead on with your Car comments. As a retired UAW / Ford employ, I would rather be gang raped by crazed drunken lust filled pirates, then drive a Jap car.
This may be the only time I have ever agreed with you. Don't let it go to your head;->
rd
from Lou
But when it comes to my car, I buy AMERICAN. Regardless of where it is made, the profits stay in my country. I don't sit in judgement on anyone, and would never do so, but these are my feelings, and I have a right to them. After all, this is America, land of the free, and home of the brave.
Hi Momma,
In response to the article about American made products. There are very few American made products sold here in the US today. You may believe they are by the product name, but your watches, tv's and other electronic equipment, most household items, and other things too numerous to mention here. Oh yes, and many of the so called American cars also. I don't know about all of them, but most Fords are made in Canada. This is not something new that has just happened, it has been going on for years. It is just being talked about a lot more now. Many American corporations have been having their product made in other countries for several years because of labor costs and their responsibility to their stockholders (mostly American) to produce a profit. It was just a matter of time until it hit the racing world. One of NASCAR's biggest races was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this past week. They ran only Indy type cars there until a few years ago when NASCAR started going their. I don't believe anyone ever complained about foreign cars there and I'm not an Indy 500 historian, but I don't believe an a car has ever won the Indy 500 powered by an American made engine.
I am proud to be an American and yes, I do remember Pearl Harbor (I had just celebrated my 5th birthday 3 days before), but I am not so naive as to believe that we can do without the international trading that takes place today.
Lou Elliott
from Paula
but I will never buy a Jap vehichle.
Hey HM, What about your cell phone? Your computer? Your DVD and your TV. Check to see where they were made. You might want to return them cuz they might have been made in Japan. And I'm not 100% positive but I think some of the 'Jap" vehicle parts are made in the USA. And once Toyota comes to NASCAR it will be have to fit the same specifications as the Chevys, Fords and Dodges.
from my Mom
AMEN to what Nascar Momma said about where the profits from the foreign cars go and I had planned on writing back and saying so before I even got down to momma's comment. Politics aside we have always bought an American vehicle and if it needed repairs, which is very seldom we didn't have to wait for weeks to get the part in. When the almighty profits stay in this country then and only then will we CONSIDER buying a foreign vehicle but until then we will enjoy our American made vehicles.
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Bits and PiecesMayfield released by Evernham Motorsports
No announcement made on new driver; Elliott running at Glen
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Jeremy Mayfield has been released from Evernham Motorsports, team owner Ray Evernham said Friday at Watkins Glen International.
"He has been terminated, and I honestly don't want to discuss the terms with that," Evernham said.
Mayfield was replaced for this weekend's race by former Cup champion Bill Elliott on Tuesday. When contacted by NASCAR.COM, Mayfield said he knew nothing of the driver change.
Evernham, however, said his team contacted Mayfield Motorsports' agent on Monday and began the discussions.
Now Mayfield is out of the car for good, a move that was speculated last month at Chicagoland when the driver aired concerns about how the owner had not done anything to help his struggling team.
"When the performance is not up to par, it's frustrating on both sides," Evernham said Friday. "The decision was made because of the performance of the car. There was certainly frustration, and we weren't pleased with some of the comments that were made. But in no way was that the reason for the change."
There was no immediate announcement of a full-time driver in the No. 19 Dodge, although it has been speculated that Elliott Sadler will likely move to the car. Whether that will happen before the end of the season is unknown for sure, Evernham said.
"The decision to make a change in the 19 had nothing to do with whether [a driver change] could or could not happen," Evernham said. "It would make the most sense if we could do that, for sure."
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Parrott returns to Yates RacingGreg Engle | Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
The rebuilding process at Robert Yates Racing continued Wednesday when Petty Enterprises and RYR made a joint announcement that veteran crew chief Todd Parrott would return to the Yates organization beginning Monday.
Parrott left Yates Racing in 2005 after spending nearly a decade with the team. Parrott helped guide Dale Jarrett to several victories and was part of the team's only championship in 1999.
"Todd made a decision to return to Robert Yates Racing where he has enjoyed much success throughout most of his career," said Robbie Loomis, executive vice president of race operations at Petty Enterprises. "It's where he has his roots. If there is anyone that understands what it's like to go back home, it's me."
Since joining Petty Enterprises in late 2005, Parrott, serving as crew chief on the fabled No. 43 Dodge, has helped driver Bobby Labonte score one top-five and four top-10 finishes in 21 races this season.
"That's more than they've scored in the last five years," Parrott said. "That team is motivated; they're focused and have direction. It's definitely getting better. I'm proud of what we did. We did a lot with what we had to work with. If we hadn't had the engine problems -- who knows, we might have won a race."
Greg Steadman, a longtime mechanic at Petty Enterprises, will serve an interim crew chief for Labonte. The team said Steadman and Loomis would work "hand-in-hand."
"Bobby and I talked today, and I think he's a heck of a racecar driver," Parrott said. "He reminds me a lot of DJ when he won the championship. He's good and he's smart. Robbie's smart, and it wouldn't surprise me if they did win a race before the end of the year. I'm pulling for them."
No one from the Yates team was available late Wednesday to comment on the role Parrott will assume at RYR.
Lee Spencer of the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service contributed to this report.
This story was produced by the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service, a free content provider for newspapers.
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RIR building grander standFinish for 7,843-seat expansion project scheduled for March 31
BY JILL ERWIN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
From rubble will spring renewal, and Richmond International Raceway is counting down the days.
Construction has begun on a multimillion-dollar, 7,843-seat expansion project behind the Commonwealth Grandstand in Turn 1 of the three-quarter-mile track. The three-tiered grandstand, which is scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2007, will include a 700-seat club level, 2,246 mezzanine seats and 4,897 seats in the Commonwealth Tower in the new 18-story structure.
"It's going to be very exciting," RIR President Doug Fritz said. "We have some really neat things coming down the road in the next couple of years. It's only going to get bigger and better. It's all about treating the fans right and giving them the best experience we can."
The seating in the expansion will be individual seats with armrests, not the general-admission bleacher seats that make up RIR's current seating.
Letters were sent to current season-ticket holders earlier this week, offering them the chance to upgrade to the new seating. Seats in the tower will be $355 a year for all RIR events, only a $20 increase from the current $335 season-ticket price. Club tickets are $1,750 for the year, including a $250 food credit, and seats in the mezzanine will be $105 for Nextel Cup races, $45 for Busch Series and $35 for the IRL race.
Construction began in late June, and the 18-foot concrete pillars that will support the steel construction currently are being poured. The completion of footings and foundation is scheduled to be finished on Aug. 31.
The tallest point on the new structure will be 180 feet off the ground, making it the tallest building in Henrico County. The highest seating will be 168 feet off the ground.
Work will be ongoing when NASCAR returns to the track Sept. 8-9, but Fritz said there will be no effect aside from dust and dirt.
After that race, 2,911 obstructed-view seats in the lower rows of the Old Dominion and Colonial grandstands will be removed. That will leave a net gain of 4,932 additional seats, giving RIR a total of 112,029 seats. RIR's expansion plan will allow the track to go up to 150,000 seats.
"No question about that," Fritz said. "It's a win-win for everybody. We're just excited about being the premier short track in the country. We've definitely positioned ourselves for the future."
KAHNE AT RIR: Kasey Kahne, whose first career victory came at RIR in May 2005, will offer assistance in the RIR ticket office Wednesday.
Kahne will take orders in person and over the phone for fans wanting to purchase tickets for the Emerson Radio 250 Busch Series race Sept. 8. The ticket will also include that day's pole qualifying for the Sept. 9 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Nextel Cup race. Tickets for the Cup race are sold out.
Kahne will be in the ticket office from 8:30-9:45 a.m. The phone number is (804) 345-RACE.
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Eury Jr. Collects Third WypAll® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race AwardSMC 500 For WypAll® Wipers, Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (August 6, 2006) – Tony Eury Jr.’s quick thinking in the final stages of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard improved his team’s finish by 22 positions. The crew chief’s gutsy call to leave Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the track during a late-race caution salvaged the Budweiser Chevrolet a sixth-place finish and boosted the team back inside the top-10 point standings. Eury Jr.’s performance earned him the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award.
Things looked bleak for the No. 8 team throughout the event. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s mishandling Chevrolet prevented him from moving beyond the top-20 for the majority of the race. Fortunately, a caution flag waved on lap 143 and the bulk of the lead pack all entered the pits for fresh tires. Despite having 20 laps on his current tires, Eury Jr. decided to forego service on the No. 8 machine and left Earnhardt Jr. on the track. The call moved him from 28th place into second-place for the final restart, with 14 laps remaining. “I had to drive really hard at the end,” said Earnhardt Jr. “(It was) harder than I normally drive.” The worn rubber made it tough, but Earnhardt Jr. took advantage of the newfound track position and fought to finish just outside the top-five.
A panel of voters; including a member of the local media, Robbie Reiser and a WYPALL® Wipers representative; all gave the nod to Eury Jr. as the crew chief that did the best job. “The (No.) 8 team ended up with a decent finish today because of Tony’s call,” said Reiser. “They beat a lot of cars that were better than them today. That’s when you know that the crew chief did a good job – when he outsmarts the competition.”
For winning the Crew Chief of the Race award, WYPALL® Wipers presented Eury Jr. $1,000. At the end of the season, the Nextel Cup crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000 and be crowned the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Year. This was Eury Jr.’s third Crew Chief of the Race award in 2006, which puts him in second-place place of the standings. Robbie Reiser, Mike Ford and Chad Kanus are in third-place, all with two wins. Darian Grubb, Todd Berrier, Doug Richert, Philippe Lopez, Frankie Stoddard, Scott Miller, Alan Gustafson and Roy McCauley are tied for fourth-place, all with one win. Kenny Francis is in the lead with four wins.
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Jamie McMurray and Robby Gordon Complete Goodyear Tire Test at Atlanta Motor Speedway: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers Jamie McMurray and Robby Gordon tested tires today at Atlanta Motor Speedway, finishing a two-day test for Goodyear. After a slow start to yesterday’s session, McMurray, driving the same unnumbered car he drove yesterday, laid down the fast lap today with a circuit of 177.69 mph (31.20 seconds). Robby Gordon drove his yellow No. 7 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a lap of 176.22 mph (31.46 seconds). With the new testing rules NASCAR has imposed this year, drivers covet the opportunity to gain extra time on the track. “Every year we get more competitive,” Gordon said. “We collect our own data in-house and with NASCAR restricting the tests this year, we get the same number as everyone else. That has leveled the playing field a lot.” - Atlanta Motor Speedway Press Release ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fellows back in the #32: Ron Fellows is back in the #32 Tide Ride for PPI Motorsports at Watkins Glen International. Car owner Cal Wells agreed to sign the road course specialist to drive for PPIM at the two Cup road course events shortly after last year’s Watkins Glen race concluded. [Regular driver Travis Kvapil will sit out the race this week] Last season, Fellows drove the Tide Ride for PPI Motorsports in both road course events. He started 43rd and finished 8th at Infineon Raceway (the best result of the year for PPI). And at Watkins Glen International, he started 37th (lined up on owner points due to rain) and finished 25th after a mechanical issue ended the driver’s top-10 run The AMD at the Glen marks Fellows 15th NASCAR Nextel Cup race of his career. He will be attempting to start in his ninth NASCAR Nextel Cup race at the 2.45-mile road course.(PPI Motorsports site)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Racing veterans Al Unser Sr. and Bobby Unser were arrested Wednesday after sheriff's deputies said the brothers ignored orders to leave an area where authorities had cornered a carjacking suspect.
The Bernalillo County sheriff's department said the suspect led police on a high-speed chase while shooting at them Wednesday morning. The man eventually crashed into a car on the city's west side and later shot himself.
During the standoff, authorities had cordoned off a road named after the Unser family.
Deputies said Al Unser Sr. started to go through the roadblock to get to his property when he was told to stop. Bobby Unser, who arrived later in a separate vehicle, also refused to leave.
Deputies said Al Unser Sr. started to go through the roadblock to get home when deputies warned him to stop. Bobby Unser, who was in a separate vehicle, also refused to leave.
"They simply told them numerous times to leave the area and they simply refused to do so," said Erin Kinnard Thompson, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department. "We're not talking about a situation where we're trying to catch a shoplifter. This was a serious and dangerous situation."
The two Unsers, who have seven Indianapolis 500 wins between them, were arrested for resisting arrest and obstructing officers. They were booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center and later released.
Bobby Unser said he's concerned that people will think he and his brother are guilty because they were arrested.
"The fact is we didn't do anything wrong, zero wrong," he told Albuquerque television station KOB-TV.
Al Unser Sr. said he tried to drive onto his property near the roadblock and the deputies began to yell at him. He said one deputy continued to yell after he turned around to get back in his car. He claims he was then pulled out of his vehicle and thrown to the ground before being handcuffed.
Thompson said Unser was taken down after he attempted to pull away from a deputy when being handcuffed.
Bobby Unser said he was also yelled at. He didn't know his brother had been arrested until he ran into him at a sheriff's substation.
The Unsers contend authorities used unnecessary force and that their accounts of the incident aren't true.
"Naturally I'm going to get a hold of Sheriff (Darren) White and tell him honestly what happen, not what these crazy idiots that work for him are writing down," Bobby Unser said.
White defended his deputies in a statement released late Wednesday.
"It's not uncommon for officers to be riddled with insults from people we arrest," he said. "It's deplorable when it comes from someone who is considered a respected member of our community. Let's not forget these officers were being shot at."
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McFarland released as driver of No. 88 carFrom Team Press Release
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Mark McFarland has been released by JR Motorsports and will be replaced by Martin Truex Jr. at Watkins Glen, the team announced Thursday.
McFarland had made 21 Busch Series starts in the No. 88 Chevrolet this season, with a best finish of seventh at Talladega, his only top-10. He finished 17th in the series' most recent race, at O'Reilly Raceway Park in suburban Indianapolis.
"Mark was instrumental in getting our Busch program off the ground and he will always have a role in the history of JR Motorsports. But the reality is that as a business we have the responsibility of delivering a level of performance for our sponsors," team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "This change is being made to address that concern."
McFarland made his Busch Series debut in 1998, driving in four races under family ownership. After signing a contract for the 2006 season, the Virginia native finished 20th in the 2005 season finale at Homestead in his first race for JR Motorsports.
Winner of nearly 200 go-kart features, McFarland came up through the Late Model ladder, winning the 2003 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series national championship.
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Indy TV ratings drop 11.3 percent
NBC's broadcast of last Sunday's Allstate 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 5.5 and a 13 market share, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports.
While the rating is a substantial increase over the 4.8/11 the race drew overnight in the nation's largest markets, it's 11.3 percent lower than the 6.2/15 the race drew in 2005.
NBC's broadcast of last Sunday's Allstate 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 5.5 and a 13 market share, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports.
While the rating is a substantial increase over the 4.8/11 the race drew overnight in the nation's largest markets, it's 11.3 percent lower than the 6.2/15 the race drew in 2005.
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Driver, 12, ready to sign deal with Roush Racing
Team wants to place Darrell Wallace Jr. into development program
JOE HABINA
Special Correspondent
Almost any aspiring race-car driver would dream of signing a contract with one of NASCAR's elite teams.
So, when a Roush Racing representative approached Darrell Wallace Jr. of Concord at Lowe's Motor Speedway about joining its team of drivers, the Summer Shootout Series Legends Car driver said, he was "in awe."
What may be just as awe-inspiring is Darrell's age. He's 12.
Young Darrell is on the verge of signing a contract with Roush's fledgling driver development program. Roush Racing fields some of NASCAR Nextel Cup's top drivers, such as Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards.
It means Darrell will get the kind of support, with professional advice and equipment, that could propel a young driver to the upper echelons of racing.
In only his third year of competitive driving, Darrell has the checkered flag of success in his sights.
Since the first time took the wheel of a go-kart, he has progressed quickly up the levels of racing competition.
Darrell caught the racing bug when he and his father attended a go-kart race in which a family friend was participating. Darrell Wallace Sr. had to ask his son only once whether he would like to try racing a go-kart of his own.
Darrell raced go-karts for about a year and a half, then graduated to a Bandolero, a miniature stock-car look-alike. In his first Bandolero race in March 2004, he finished in the top 10. Darrell placed fourth in his second race.
Racing all over the Southeast, Darrell won 38 of the 45 races he entered in two years time, his father said. In 2005, Darrell won five of 10 races in the Summer Shootout Series' Bandits division.
In the national points standings recorded by INEX, the international sanctioning body of Bandolero-style cars and others, Darrell placed second.
This year, he advanced to a Legends Car, a style that resembles cars from the 1940s, or more currently, a PT Cruiser.
The particular car Darrell drives has a nice pedigree. It once was driven by Nextel Cup up-and-comer Reed Sorenson. Most recently, it was owned by NASCAR legend Mark Martin, who sponsored the ride for his nephew.
Darrell continues to race all over the Southeast and has won 10 races this year. In the Summer Shootout Series pro division, he has finished in the top five in four of his first eight races, including two that he won but was disqualified after postrace inspections.
His fortunes in racing came quickly enough to trump his next favorite sport, basketball. Their schedules conflicted, and racing easily took precedence.
His father said he's an A/B-honor-roll student at Northwest Cabarrus Middle School. Darrell, entering eighth grade this fall.
Last month, a representative of 600 Racing, the Harrisburg manufacturer that produces Bandoleros and Legends Cars, introduced Roush representative Sam Belnavis to the younger Wallace.
Belnavis said he first culled Darrell's name from a list of young talented drivers from around the country, compiled with the help of Lowe's Motor Speedway President and General Manager H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler.
As Roush's chief diversity officer, Belnavis said, he is interested in placing Darrell in the driver development program's "Young Stunnerz" component that targets drivers who are Hispanic, African American or female. Darrell's mother is African American, and his father is Caucasian.
Roush's driver-development program recruits drivers ages 12 to 17.
The program currently has three drivers, not including Darrell.
Darrell will spend one more year in a Legends Car. Then, at age 14, he will advance to a late-model stock car, Belnavis said.
Team wants to place Darrell Wallace Jr. into development program
JOE HABINA
Special Correspondent
Almost any aspiring race-car driver would dream of signing a contract with one of NASCAR's elite teams.
So, when a Roush Racing representative approached Darrell Wallace Jr. of Concord at Lowe's Motor Speedway about joining its team of drivers, the Summer Shootout Series Legends Car driver said, he was "in awe."
What may be just as awe-inspiring is Darrell's age. He's 12.
Young Darrell is on the verge of signing a contract with Roush's fledgling driver development program. Roush Racing fields some of NASCAR Nextel Cup's top drivers, such as Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards.
It means Darrell will get the kind of support, with professional advice and equipment, that could propel a young driver to the upper echelons of racing.
In only his third year of competitive driving, Darrell has the checkered flag of success in his sights.
Since the first time took the wheel of a go-kart, he has progressed quickly up the levels of racing competition.
Darrell caught the racing bug when he and his father attended a go-kart race in which a family friend was participating. Darrell Wallace Sr. had to ask his son only once whether he would like to try racing a go-kart of his own.
Darrell raced go-karts for about a year and a half, then graduated to a Bandolero, a miniature stock-car look-alike. In his first Bandolero race in March 2004, he finished in the top 10. Darrell placed fourth in his second race.
Racing all over the Southeast, Darrell won 38 of the 45 races he entered in two years time, his father said. In 2005, Darrell won five of 10 races in the Summer Shootout Series' Bandits division.
In the national points standings recorded by INEX, the international sanctioning body of Bandolero-style cars and others, Darrell placed second.
This year, he advanced to a Legends Car, a style that resembles cars from the 1940s, or more currently, a PT Cruiser.
The particular car Darrell drives has a nice pedigree. It once was driven by Nextel Cup up-and-comer Reed Sorenson. Most recently, it was owned by NASCAR legend Mark Martin, who sponsored the ride for his nephew.
Darrell continues to race all over the Southeast and has won 10 races this year. In the Summer Shootout Series pro division, he has finished in the top five in four of his first eight races, including two that he won but was disqualified after postrace inspections.
His fortunes in racing came quickly enough to trump his next favorite sport, basketball. Their schedules conflicted, and racing easily took precedence.
His father said he's an A/B-honor-roll student at Northwest Cabarrus Middle School. Darrell, entering eighth grade this fall.
Last month, a representative of 600 Racing, the Harrisburg manufacturer that produces Bandoleros and Legends Cars, introduced Roush representative Sam Belnavis to the younger Wallace.
Belnavis said he first culled Darrell's name from a list of young talented drivers from around the country, compiled with the help of Lowe's Motor Speedway President and General Manager H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler.
As Roush's chief diversity officer, Belnavis said, he is interested in placing Darrell in the driver development program's "Young Stunnerz" component that targets drivers who are Hispanic, African American or female. Darrell's mother is African American, and his father is Caucasian.
Roush's driver-development program recruits drivers ages 12 to 17.
The program currently has three drivers, not including Darrell.
Darrell will spend one more year in a Legends Car. Then, at age 14, he will advance to a late-model stock car, Belnavis said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Burton Gives Childress Title Shot Boost
By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- If Richard Childress can put two cars in the Chase for the championship, he's convinced one will win the Nextel Cup title.
Either one of them.
Kevin Harvick no longer is the one-man show at RCR, a team on a comeback after several sluggish seasons. With it has come the emergence of rookie Clint Bowyer and the resurgence of veteran Jeff Burton.
"If we get in the Chase, we will win a championship," Childress said. "Jeff or Kevin can do it. If they're in, they'll be serious championship contenders."
It's been a long time since anyone called Burton a contender. But now that he's enjoying his best season in years, Burton finally might win the title he was predicted to get so many years ago.
He was a star back in 2000, when he won four races and finished third in the final standings behind champion Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt. Burton opened the next season as a championship favorite, but instead of taking the next step forward in his career, he went backward.
The 2001 season was overshadowed by Earnhardt's death, and Burton was one of the leading voices for improved safety measures. Although he scored two wins and finished 10th in the standings, many believed he was consumed by his safety agendas and suffered on the track for it.
The next three years were a steady decline for Burton, who seemed to be in neutral while his Roush Racing teammates were reeling off wins and championships. Frustrated and unable to turn it around, Burton got out of the No. 99 Ford late in the 2004 season.
It didn't help that Carl Edwards climbed in and took off - winning four times and finishing third in his first full season in the No. 99 - while Burton was stuck in RCR's slow rebuild.
But now that Childress finally has things back on track, so does Burton.
"I didn't go join Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to wrap up my career - I went to Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to restart my career," Burton said. "A lot of athletes, late in their careers they make a move, and that's the end of it.
"That wasn't my intention. My intention was to get it stepped back up."
He's done so with a vengeance. Burton is currently third in the standings, needing nothing short of a total collapse to keep him out of the Chase. He sat on the pole last Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, giving him three poles this year after winning just two others in the previous 12 seasons.
And although he has yet to score a Nextel Cup win this season - his last victory was in 2001 - Burton has won twice in the Busch Series this year to prove he still knows the way.
Putting it all back together was simple, once Burton figured out what the problem was: He needed to get in a car that he could drive.
"I believe that at this level, Bobby Labonte hasn't forgotten how to drive," Burton said. "You give him a car that will go around the racetrack fast, and he'll go around the racetrack fast in it. I believe the same thing about myself. I believe the same thing about Mark Martin and the same thing about Kasey Kahne and many others.
"The reality of it is, a driver can't put it up on his shoulders anymore. He can certainly have an impact. But the equipment is so important. It's so important."
But there were times when Burton needed a little help getting his spirits up. He'd head into his personal trophy room to reminisce about the days of winning, glancing at the 37 trophies from his trips to Cup and Busch victory lanes.
It was all the proof he needed that he would someday be back.
"I will tell you that even though we were not running well, I never lost confidence in my ability to drive," Burton said. "Because I've seen it happen to everybody. I saw Dale Earnhardt get where he couldn't run well. I watch enough sports and I've paid enough attention to the things around me to know that not everything is always going to go your way.
"And when it doesn't, you've got to go to work and try to make it better."
Now that it's better, Burton finds himself with his first real chance to win a title in six years. Although he's currently 375 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, the field will be reset in five weeks and Burton will begin the Chase with a clean slate and a solid chance to get it done.
If he does, he'll have a cheering section at Roush made up of his former teammates.
"If we couldn't win it, I'd love to see him win it," said Matt Kenseth, currently second in the points. "He's been running great all year, and it's cool to see him back in that form again."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- If Richard Childress can put two cars in the Chase for the championship, he's convinced one will win the Nextel Cup title.
Either one of them.
Kevin Harvick no longer is the one-man show at RCR, a team on a comeback after several sluggish seasons. With it has come the emergence of rookie Clint Bowyer and the resurgence of veteran Jeff Burton.
"If we get in the Chase, we will win a championship," Childress said. "Jeff or Kevin can do it. If they're in, they'll be serious championship contenders."
It's been a long time since anyone called Burton a contender. But now that he's enjoying his best season in years, Burton finally might win the title he was predicted to get so many years ago.
He was a star back in 2000, when he won four races and finished third in the final standings behind champion Bobby Labonte and Dale Earnhardt. Burton opened the next season as a championship favorite, but instead of taking the next step forward in his career, he went backward.
The 2001 season was overshadowed by Earnhardt's death, and Burton was one of the leading voices for improved safety measures. Although he scored two wins and finished 10th in the standings, many believed he was consumed by his safety agendas and suffered on the track for it.
The next three years were a steady decline for Burton, who seemed to be in neutral while his Roush Racing teammates were reeling off wins and championships. Frustrated and unable to turn it around, Burton got out of the No. 99 Ford late in the 2004 season.
It didn't help that Carl Edwards climbed in and took off - winning four times and finishing third in his first full season in the No. 99 - while Burton was stuck in RCR's slow rebuild.
But now that Childress finally has things back on track, so does Burton.
"I didn't go join Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to wrap up my career - I went to Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to restart my career," Burton said. "A lot of athletes, late in their careers they make a move, and that's the end of it.
"That wasn't my intention. My intention was to get it stepped back up."
He's done so with a vengeance. Burton is currently third in the standings, needing nothing short of a total collapse to keep him out of the Chase. He sat on the pole last Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, giving him three poles this year after winning just two others in the previous 12 seasons.
And although he has yet to score a Nextel Cup win this season - his last victory was in 2001 - Burton has won twice in the Busch Series this year to prove he still knows the way.
Putting it all back together was simple, once Burton figured out what the problem was: He needed to get in a car that he could drive.
"I believe that at this level, Bobby Labonte hasn't forgotten how to drive," Burton said. "You give him a car that will go around the racetrack fast, and he'll go around the racetrack fast in it. I believe the same thing about myself. I believe the same thing about Mark Martin and the same thing about Kasey Kahne and many others.
"The reality of it is, a driver can't put it up on his shoulders anymore. He can certainly have an impact. But the equipment is so important. It's so important."
But there were times when Burton needed a little help getting his spirits up. He'd head into his personal trophy room to reminisce about the days of winning, glancing at the 37 trophies from his trips to Cup and Busch victory lanes.
It was all the proof he needed that he would someday be back.
"I will tell you that even though we were not running well, I never lost confidence in my ability to drive," Burton said. "Because I've seen it happen to everybody. I saw Dale Earnhardt get where he couldn't run well. I watch enough sports and I've paid enough attention to the things around me to know that not everything is always going to go your way.
"And when it doesn't, you've got to go to work and try to make it better."
Now that it's better, Burton finds himself with his first real chance to win a title in six years. Although he's currently 375 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, the field will be reset in five weeks and Burton will begin the Chase with a clean slate and a solid chance to get it done.
If he does, he'll have a cheering section at Roush made up of his former teammates.
"If we couldn't win it, I'd love to see him win it," said Matt Kenseth, currently second in the points. "He's been running great all year, and it's cool to see him back in that form again."
Kiss my bricks
Few know how Indianapolis tradition actually started
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
Each year, as the Nextel Cup Series' tank-like machines prepare to infiltrate the sinewy confines of the most fabled fortress in open-wheel racing, a common fantasy wafts through the minds of every driver, owner and crew chief:
Kiss the bricks.
It's the ultimate Frank the Tank moment: It tastes so good when it hits your lips. And though just a decade old, it is one of NASCAR's most cherished traditions.
Gather the entire Brickyard 400 championship team, align each individual side-by-side along the row of bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway start/finish line, turn the hat around backwards, crouch down on the front straightaway and smooch 'til your lips are raw. (Or in the case of the most recent brick-sucker, Jimmie Johnson, rubbery.)
Everyone knows the drill and its significance.
But few, it seems, know its origin.
It was 1996, and Todd Parrott had just directed the No. 88 Robert Yates Racing team to victory in third annual Brickyard 400. Standing there alongside driver Dale Jarrett, pinching himself to ensure the moment was indeed real, an idea hit him.
He turned to Jarrett and said, 'Hey, rally the troops and come on. I have an idea.'
"We went for the ceremonial ride in the pace car around track, and when we got back to Victory Lane I looked down at those bricks and said, 'Hey, lets get the guys together, we're gonna do something really cool.'
"So we went out there, turned our hats around backwards and got down on our knees and gave her a big ol' kiss. It was sweet, man."
As a child, Parrott watched many an open-wheel legend sip milk in Victory Lane at the Indianapolis 500, and considered it the most genuine of traditions. Who knew he'd go on to create his own?
"That makes me feel special -- it's good to give something back to the sport," Parrott said with a tinge of facetiousness.
Then his voice inflection shifts to a more serious tone.
"Everybody goes there thinking 'I wanna kiss the bricks,'" Parrott said. "That's the signature. When you get to kiss the bricks, that means you've succeeded, you've really done something [special]."
Jarrett takes pride in starting a meaningful tradition, as well.
"Something we got started and a great tradition now, it looks like. It's cool," he said last year. "It's kind of a NASCAR spin on how much we appreciate the opportunity to race here -- for the victors to be able to go to the start/finish line and have their little ceremony right there.
"It's kind of fun to know that we were a part of getting that started."
Photos of that moment hang in Parrott's home. Winning that race was a landmark moment in his career, a noteworthy bullet point in a family legacy built on, and engrained in, auto racing.
Talk about leaving your mark...
It's not often a man's euphoric split-second decision creates an institution.
The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Few know how Indianapolis tradition actually started
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
Each year, as the Nextel Cup Series' tank-like machines prepare to infiltrate the sinewy confines of the most fabled fortress in open-wheel racing, a common fantasy wafts through the minds of every driver, owner and crew chief:
Kiss the bricks.
It's the ultimate Frank the Tank moment: It tastes so good when it hits your lips. And though just a decade old, it is one of NASCAR's most cherished traditions.
Gather the entire Brickyard 400 championship team, align each individual side-by-side along the row of bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway start/finish line, turn the hat around backwards, crouch down on the front straightaway and smooch 'til your lips are raw. (Or in the case of the most recent brick-sucker, Jimmie Johnson, rubbery.)
Everyone knows the drill and its significance.
But few, it seems, know its origin.
It was 1996, and Todd Parrott had just directed the No. 88 Robert Yates Racing team to victory in third annual Brickyard 400. Standing there alongside driver Dale Jarrett, pinching himself to ensure the moment was indeed real, an idea hit him.
He turned to Jarrett and said, 'Hey, rally the troops and come on. I have an idea.'
"We went for the ceremonial ride in the pace car around track, and when we got back to Victory Lane I looked down at those bricks and said, 'Hey, lets get the guys together, we're gonna do something really cool.'
"So we went out there, turned our hats around backwards and got down on our knees and gave her a big ol' kiss. It was sweet, man."
As a child, Parrott watched many an open-wheel legend sip milk in Victory Lane at the Indianapolis 500, and considered it the most genuine of traditions. Who knew he'd go on to create his own?
"That makes me feel special -- it's good to give something back to the sport," Parrott said with a tinge of facetiousness.
Then his voice inflection shifts to a more serious tone.
"Everybody goes there thinking 'I wanna kiss the bricks,'" Parrott said. "That's the signature. When you get to kiss the bricks, that means you've succeeded, you've really done something [special]."
Jarrett takes pride in starting a meaningful tradition, as well.
"Something we got started and a great tradition now, it looks like. It's cool," he said last year. "It's kind of a NASCAR spin on how much we appreciate the opportunity to race here -- for the victors to be able to go to the start/finish line and have their little ceremony right there.
"It's kind of fun to know that we were a part of getting that started."
Photos of that moment hang in Parrott's home. Winning that race was a landmark moment in his career, a noteworthy bullet point in a family legacy built on, and engrained in, auto racing.
Talk about leaving your mark...
It's not often a man's euphoric split-second decision creates an institution.
The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.
Around the Track
Watkins Glen
As told to David Newton, NASCAR.COM
Nextel Cup rookie Clint Bowyer gambled with two tires instead of four on a late pit stop to finish a career-best fourth in his first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The move stopped a backslide in the points as Bowyer, who started on the outside of the front row beside Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton, moved up two spots to 17th.
Now Bowyer heads to Watkins Glen International for this first Cup race on the road course. In three NASCAR Busch Series road course starts, Bowyer has completed every lap and posted a 12.7 average finish.
In his Nextel Cup road racing debut at Sonoma in June, Bowyer started 28th and finished 16th.
In Jack Daniel's "Around the Track,'' Bowyer addresses each week's venue as well as his philosophies on racing and life in general around NASCAR.
There's been a lot of talk lately about how the rookie driver meetings aren't what they used to be when we had a veteran driver there to lead them, but they're still useful.
When we go to tracks we've never been to with different characteristics it helps to be able to ask about little things such as how to get on the race track and get off in the right places.
There are a lot of safety aspects they go over, such as where to be on the track and going through the garage.
John Darby, NASCAR's series director, leads the meetings now. I don't know if they really need a driver leading them. This rookie class is probably a little different than a lot of rookie classes.
We have quite a bit of experience coming out of the Busch Series on a lot of these tracks. Some of us have even won races on these tracks.
It wouldn't hurt to have a veteran driver, but the main thing is to make sure we don't go out and hurt ourselves because we aren't familiar with the place.
If I need a veteran driver I can go to my teammates, Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. They've both been around the block a time or two and know exactly what to do everywhere we go. I pull off them a lot when I get to the track.
Jeff a lot of times will go over my setups after practice and then come to me with suggestions. Jeff's a good guy, a good teammate. He's always looking out for everybody.
That's a big reason why we're all moving forward together at Richard Childress Racing. He has great insight on a lot of things.
He's helped me a lot, like when I'm struggling entering a corner as I was when I first got to Indy. I was arching it out quite a bit too late like you do at a lot of tracks.
But there, if you arch it too much carrying so much speed in, you've missed the corner and you can't get the car pulled back down on the track.
Kevin helps me a lot, too. We work as a team. That's another reason RCR is moving forward.
I got my first trip to the NASCAR hauler for a visit with president Mike Helton last weekend. He called Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and myself in to talk about what happened the week before at Pocono when Tony wrecked me and Carl.
It was like a scene out of Days of Thunder. But I wasn't there because of something I necessarily did wrong. I was there for the meeting and the insight. They just let us know they expected us to behave.
It was like being called to the principal's office in high school.
Our goals have changed since Pocono. The Chase for the Nextel Cup is out of the picture, so now the goal is to be in 11th place and earn a trip to the banquet in New York that way.
Hopefully, we started to turn things around at Indianapolis. Watkins Glen is going to be a battle of wills. It's a road course and I'm not the best at them, but if we can get a good top-15 finish we'll be happy and move on to the rest of the season.
We raced the Busch cars there last year. It's quite a bit faster than your typical road course. I just wasn't comfortable with it.
That's a place I can rely on my teammates for a lot information. They've both run well there and know how to get around the track.
Nine times out of 10 they know exactly what you're talking about and have already figured a way around it. Usually, it's not anything you're doing wrong. It's something they've figured out quicker because of the experience of being there.
You bring your friends to the track always. A teammate usually has your best interest in mind.
A guy that you're racing against for position and you're trying to take bread off of his table, I have a hard time believing he's always going to help you 100 percent even if it's in a rookie meeting.
By the Numbers
WGI
WGI
Three drivers have right to be named No. 1 at Watkins Glen
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
Jeff Gordon has the victories: His nine road-course wins are more than any driver in history, and four of them came at Watkins Glen.
Tony Stewart has the streak: He has three of the past four Glen trophies sitting at home and has not finished below 11th at the New York track since 2001.
But Mark Martin carries the weight.
In 18 races at The Glen, Martin has 16 top-10 finishes, more than doubling Jeff Gordon's seven. Twelve of those were top-fives.
His first race there was in 1988, just the second year he ran a full Cup schedule. He was 28th that day, four laps down. He then rolled off 12 top-10s in a row -- including three consecutive victories from 1993-1995 -- at the road course before finishing 15th in 2001. Since then, he's had four more top-10s.
Martin's average finish at the track is 6.2, plus he's led more laps (204) than any other driver. But it's been a while since No. 6 was No. 1 at Watkins Glen.
What you didn't know
5 -- Laps led by Mark Martin at Watkins Glen since his last victory there in 1995. Martin led three laps and finished second in 1998, and then led two laps with a runner-up finish again in 2000.
Driver Rating: AMD at The Glen
150.0 -- Tony Stewart, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet. Stewart recorded a perfect driver rating after dominating last year's Watkins Glen race. He led 90.2 percent of the laps (83 of 92) and had to make just eight green-flag passes the entire race to stay up front.
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 AMD at The Glen (1 p.m. ET, NBC) will be the 24th race held at the 2.450-mile, 11-turn road course. The Cup Series has visited the track each year since 1986. Before that, there were three NASCAR races run there: 1957, won by Buck Baker; 1964, won by Billy Wade; and 1965, won by Marvin Panch.
Most recently, it's been a Chevrolet that has gone to Victory Lane. Chevys have won eight of the last nine races at Watkins Glen, while the only winner during that span to not drive a Bowtie was Tony Stewart (2002), in a Pontiac.
The last driver eligible: Jeff Green, 1,279 points out of the lead and 767 points behind 10th place.
The first driver out: Joe Nemechek, 1,302 points out of the lead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
Jeff Gordon has the victories: His nine road-course wins are more than any driver in history, and four of them came at Watkins Glen.
Tony Stewart has the streak: He has three of the past four Glen trophies sitting at home and has not finished below 11th at the New York track since 2001.
But Mark Martin carries the weight.
In 18 races at The Glen, Martin has 16 top-10 finishes, more than doubling Jeff Gordon's seven. Twelve of those were top-fives.
His first race there was in 1988, just the second year he ran a full Cup schedule. He was 28th that day, four laps down. He then rolled off 12 top-10s in a row -- including three consecutive victories from 1993-1995 -- at the road course before finishing 15th in 2001. Since then, he's had four more top-10s.
Martin's average finish at the track is 6.2, plus he's led more laps (204) than any other driver. But it's been a while since No. 6 was No. 1 at Watkins Glen.
What you didn't know
5 -- Laps led by Mark Martin at Watkins Glen since his last victory there in 1995. Martin led three laps and finished second in 1998, and then led two laps with a runner-up finish again in 2000.
Driver Rating: AMD at The Glen
150.0 -- Tony Stewart, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet. Stewart recorded a perfect driver rating after dominating last year's Watkins Glen race. He led 90.2 percent of the laps (83 of 92) and had to make just eight green-flag passes the entire race to stay up front.
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 AMD at The Glen (1 p.m. ET, NBC) will be the 24th race held at the 2.450-mile, 11-turn road course. The Cup Series has visited the track each year since 1986. Before that, there were three NASCAR races run there: 1957, won by Buck Baker; 1964, won by Billy Wade; and 1965, won by Marvin Panch.
Most recently, it's been a Chevrolet that has gone to Victory Lane. Chevys have won eight of the last nine races at Watkins Glen, while the only winner during that span to not drive a Bowtie was Tony Stewart (2002), in a Pontiac.
- 0 -- DNFs for Jeremy Mayfield in 10 races at Watkins Glen. He is one of just two drivers with more than 10 starts and no DNFs (Mark Martin, 18). Mayfield, whose average finish is 17.9, is not entered in Sunday's race.
- 1 -- Top-10 finish at Watkins Glen among Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch, the drivers ranked 11th, 12th and 13th in the standings.
- 1 -- Victory for Kyle Petty at Watkins Glen (1992), although his average finish there is 23.7. He has finished better than 20th just once in the past six races at the track.
- 1.511 -- Average running position for Tony Stewart at Watkins Glen last year. His lowest running position in the race was 13th.
- 2 -- Drivers who ran the entire race last year inside the top 15: Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson.
- 5 -- Top-10 finishes for Robby Gordon in seven starts at Watkins Glen, and he has led laps in his last six races there. His average finish at the road course is 10.0.
- 5.56 -- Average starting position for winners at Watkins Glen. Eight races have been won from the pole, most recently last year by Tony Stewart. The worst starting position for a winner is 18th when Steve Park won in 2000 driving for DEI.
- 5.8 -- Average finish for road-racing specialist Scott Pruett in four starts at Watkins Glen, the best among drivers with more than two starts. He is entered this weekend to drive the No. 40 Chip Ganassi Dodge in place of rookie David Stremme.
- 7 -- Races in the last nine at Watkins Glen have been won by Jeff Gordon (four) or Tony Stewart (three).
- 8 -- Races in the last 10 that the Watkins Glen winner also led the most laps.
- 15 -- Top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen among Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr., the three drivers ranked eighth, ninth and 10th in the standings.
- 20 -- Starts at Watkins Glen for Michael Waltrip, the most among full-time drivers. He is the only driver to start every race at the track since NASCAR returned on an annual basis in 1986.
- 25.7 -- Average finish for Kasey Kahne in the past six races. He has led one lap during that span, which began the race following his Michigan victory.
- 33.92 -- Percent of passes made in Turn 1 last year at Watkins Glen, the most popular place to pass. The third straightaway saw the fewest passes last year at 2.67 percent.
- 39 -- Times Tony Stewart recorded the fastest lap in last year's race, or 42.4 percent. Boris Said had the second-most with nine.
- 54 -- Laps led by Jeff Burton at Watkins Glen, the most among full-time drivers who have not won at the track. Burton's average finish there is 20.6.
- 100 -- Points separate sixth-place Mark Martin and 10th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the standings.
- 161.188 -- Average speed, in miles per hour, for Boris Said last year through the backstretch at Watkins Glen, the fastest part of the racetrack.
- 163 -- Laps led by Tony Stewart in the last three races at Watkins Glen out of a possible 272 laps. He led 83 of 92 laps in last year's race. Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon and Jimmie Johnson led the next highest with two each.
The last driver eligible: Jeff Green, 1,279 points out of the lead and 767 points behind 10th place.
The first driver out: Joe Nemechek, 1,302 points out of the lead.
Viewer's Guide
The GlenBy Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
Jimmie Johnson's victory celebration continued long after NBC went off the air Sunday at Indianapolis. This Sunday, during the pre-race show for the AMD at The Glen (1 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC), you'll be seeing a lot more of it.
"This experience has been much different. I don't understand exactly all of it yet," Johnson said. "I sat around at the track until probably around 9 or 10 o'clock drinking that wonderful tasting cheap champagne from Victory Lane with my wife and some high school friends -- just sitting outside the bus still in my driving suit sitting on the asphalt leaning up against my bus just enjoying the moment.
"I came home and woke up and hit the road and ran four miles and then organized my garage. I just sat there with the biggest smile on my face -- loving every minute of it -- just proud and ready to go to the next one."
"The next one" in this case, is Watkins Glen, where the Nextel Cup points leader has had a bit of an up-and-down existance. He was 16th in 2002, fourth in 2003, 40th in 2004after an engine failure, and fifth last year.
Johnson leads the series standings by 107 over Matt Kenseth heading into Sunday's action, so a top finish is more of a luxury than a necessity.
That's not to say the No. 48 team is looking past Sunday.
"I love road-course racing," he said. "I love The Glen and think it's a great track for our cars. I'm really going to be working on myself this weekend. I have a very similar set-up to Jeff's. I had a little bit different car and set-up in Sonoma and it really didn't work out for us. So this week it's in my hands.
"I've just really got to understand what I'm doing and how to road course race a little bit better so I can eventually get a win."
In the meantime, Johnson is still enjoying the moment.
"I'm so proud of what we've accomplished and the fact that we were able to come back and really beat something that's beaten us," Johnson said. "So the emotions that go with that have been a whole different set of emotions than the victory at the Daytona 500 or the excitement from winning at Las Vegas or Talladega.
"It's such a gratifying moment to come back and beat something that's beaten us so many times. So I'm just enjoying the moment and smiling deep down inside."
Actress Kristin Chenoweth, who's perhaps best known as Annabeth Schott in The West Wing, will guest in Wally's World during Sunday's pre-race show.
Matt Kenseth, Boris Said and Max Papis are among the guests scheduled for Trackside from Watkins Glen (7 p.m. Friday, SPEED). For those going to The Glen, the show will be taped at 4:30 p.m. ET on the SPEED stage outside of Turn 10.
In this week's edition of "Ask Wally and Benny," Melanie in Bowling Green, Ky. writes:
During the end of the Atlanta race, I noticed a digital sign above the flagman with 1878 registered. Were those minutes of the race, number of cars passing the finish line, or number of Bud Lights consumed in the stands? Joking aside, a bunch of us would like to know.
Benny Parsons takes this one.
"That number is for the scorers," he said. "NASCAR, today, uses electronic scoring. Each car has a transponder and as they pass the start/finish line, it registers as a transponder unique to that car. As each car crosses, they know who it is and therefore it keeps up with the scoring and where that car is running in relationship to the other 42 cars, but they have a manual backup.
"They have 43 people in a scorer's box/scorer's stand and they score the cars. Each time the cars go by, when that race starts, that number theoretically would be at four zeroes and it clicks every second. In Atlanta, it takes about 30 seconds for each car to run a lap, so when a car goes by the first time, the scorer writes down 0030; the next time 0060, and they do that for the number of laps for 500 miles at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But those numbers are positioned there for the scorers."
On to this weekend's busy schedule:
Nextel Cup Series: AMD at The Glen
Track: Watkins Glen International
• 2.45-mile road course
Race length: 90 laps/220 miles
TV schedule: (All times ET)
• NASCAR Live: 2, 6 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Bud Pole Qualifying: 3 p.m. Fri. TNT
• Trackside: 7 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Final practice: 10 a.m. Sat.., SPEED
• NASCAR Live: 1:30 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• NASCAR Raceday: 11 a.m. Sun., SPEED
• Pre-race: 1 p.m. Sun., NBC
• Race: 1:30 p.m. Sun., NBC
One year ago, the only time Tony Stewart wasn't leading the Sirius at the Glen was when he had to stop for tires and fuel. Otherwise, the Nextel Cup points leader dominated and captured his fifth win of the season.
The most recent checkered flag went to Jimmie Johnson, who overcame a tire problem and past disappointments to get his first Brickyard victory.
Keep an eye on Boris Said. Said, who finished third last season at the Glen and ninth earlier this year at Infineon Raceway, will be joined by another road-course specialist -- Ron Fellows (No. 32 Tide Chevrolet), who will attempt to qualify for Sunday's race.
Busch Series: Zippo 200
Track: Watkins Glen International
• 2.45-mile road course
Race length: 82 laps/200.9 miles
TV schedule: (All times ET)
• Qualifying: 11 a.m. Sat., SPEED
• Race: 2 p.m. Sat., NBC
One year ago, Ryan Newman got one of six Busch Series victories he achieved in 2005.
The most recent checkered flag went to Kevin Harvick, who expanded his huge Busch Series points lead with another victory at O'Reilly Raceway Park.
Keep an eye on Paul Menard, Menard, whose sixth-place ranking in the standings makes him the highest-rated Busch Series regular, finished eighth in this event one year ago. But he had been on the 2.45-mile course in advance of the series' 2005 return to Watkins Glen International following a three-year hiatus.
He made his Nextel Cup Series debut at the track in 2003 -- driving for Andy Petree, qualifying 43rd, but finishing a respectable 29th.
Craftsman Truck Series: Toyota Tundra 200
Track: Nashville Superspeedway
• 1.333-mile concrete oval
• 14-degree banking in turns
• 9-degree banking on frontstretch
• 6-degree banking on backstretch
• Length of frontstretch: 2,494 feet
• Length of backstretch: 2,203 feet
Race distance: 150 laps/200 miles
TV schedule (All times ET)
• Race: 5 p.m. Sat., SPEED
One year ago, David Reutimann scored his first career Craftsman Truck Series victory.
The most recent checkered flag went to Rick Crawford, who held off defending race winner Dennis Setzer and restart master Ron Hornaday in the final four laps to win the Power Stroke Diesel 200 on Friday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park. It was Crawford's first Truck Series victory since last September.
Keep an eye on Crawford. He's gone from 14th in the standings to third on the strength of his win at Indianapolis.
"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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NASCAR ON TV THIS WEEK Qualifying: Nextel Cup Series AMD at the Glen Friday, Aug. 11 3 p.m. Speed
Final practice: Nextel Cup Series AMD at the Glen Saturday, Aug. 12 10 a.m. Speed
Qualifying: Busch Series Zippo 200 Saturday, Aug. 12 11 a.m. Speed
Busch Series Zippo 200 Saturday, Aug. 12 2 p.m. NBC
Craftsman Truck Series Toyota Tundra 200 Saturday, Aug. 12 5 p.m. Speed
Nextel Cup Series AMD at the Glen Sunday, Aug. 13 1 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
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
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt Sr.
This list is authored by:
Sandra Monacelli
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