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Happy New Year!
Syliva, I will try to call later this week!
from Bob S
"I hate to see Kurt Busch win. What a whiner."
— Kevin Harvick, after finishing second to Busch in the spring race at Bristol
Maybe not exactly the same kind of whiner, but sure a competitor who frequently displays his curious brand of "sportsmanship!" Kind of the pot calling the kettle black!!!
Just a thought I've been sitting on. After a recent move to a tiny house, I've been divesting myself of my automotive memorabilia, most of it gained in over a forty year career as an auto writer. I listed many dozens of NASCAR items on eBay, pricing them well below fan truck prices, despite some of them being quite rare. I offered clothing, a few race car models, a whole bunch of vintage press kits, and some unique one-off items. I was surprised by the results.
Ford/Mercury branded stuff - EVERYTHING sold with lively bidding.
Pontiac/Olds/Buick - About 50/50, with even Petty and Gant items not getting bids.
About the same for Chevy items, even with Dale Jr and even some Dale Sr.
kits being ignored.
Dodge guys were the worst. Very little sold, and some of these items were the rarest.
I had a few Toyota truck things, and some pre-race Cup kits - _All_ sold with much action.
Just to emphasize, I was starting bids at less than $10 for limited edition hats and press kits, about half of what I see common items going for at the track. I'll relist these in the run up to Daytona, but I'm wondering.
Cheers and Happy New Year, Bob
from Paula
Hi Nascar Momma,
I saw this online. Thought you might like to read it. Just one comment from me; Is this the new In thing? Models marrying NASCAR drivers? lol
Paula
Story below....
To Glen R....I have heard nothing more on the races. I will pass along anything I do hear!
73 year old Hylton to attempt 07' Daytona 500
In an age when teams sign drivers in their teens, one is looking to buck the trend.
73-year-old James Hylton will enter the 2007 Daytona 500. He has competed in 16 Daytona 500's; with his best finish being a third in 1967.
"I was running a 1965 Dodge that I had purchased from Cotton Owens and was staying on the led lap until I had a tire go down late in the race" states the racing legend "I had little financial backing, I was running with nothing".
Hylton finished behind winner Mario Andretti and second place finisher Fred Lorenzen and collected $10,925 for his efforts.
At an age when most people have retired, Hylton is jumping right back into what has arguably become a young mans sport.
"I have never been able to come to Daytona with a well-financed operation and a first-rate car. I have always wanted to be able to race the 500 and not be limited by budget constraints and even though it has taken over 40 years, I am finally at that position. At my age, the odds against me are astronomical but it's a challenge and I love a good challenge."
Hylton will the drive the number 58 Chevrolet Monte Carlo built and prepared by Richard Childress Racing. A crew chief for the team will be named during January. Hopkins is also constructing a "Car of Tomorrow" for Hylton Motorsports, which will debut in March at Bristol.
When Hylton Motorsports heads to Bristol, Damon Lusk of Kennewick, Washington will take Hylton's place in the seat of the number 58 car and Hylton will become Crew Chief. Lusk has two wins in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition along with along with 10 Top-5 and 23 Top-10 finishes. Lusk has also recorded 17 NASCAR Busch Series starts and six Craftsman Truck series starts. Lusk raced for Hylton Motorsports in 2000 and won his first pole at Springfield while driving for James Hylton.
"We are looking at running 19 Nextel Cup races in 2007 and Damon is a perfect fit for our plans" states Hylton "Over the years Damon has exhibited that he has the ability to step up to Nextel Cup level. Damon had a good run in 2006 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and 2007 will give him a chance to move up to the next level."
and......
James Hylton Enters Daytona 500 in RCR car: in 1966 James Harvey Hylton was named "Rookie of the Year" in NASCAR's Grand National Division [now known as Nextel Cup], starting an amazing career that would span five decades. During his career, Hylton would go on to finish second in NASCAR Grand National points in 1966, and repeat that performance during the 1967 and 1971 seasons. He would also score wins in the 1970 Richmond 400 [Cup], the 1970 NASCAR Grand American Citrus 250 [not sure what series] and the 1972 Talladega 500 [Cup] along with capturing four pole positions in NASCAR Winston / Nextel Cup competition. During his career, Hylton recorded 140 Top-Five finishes and 301 Top-Ten finishes in NASCAR Winston / Nextel Cup and in 2006, he finished 18th in points in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
When asked why he has set his sites on the 2007 Daytona 500, Hylton states "I have never been able to come to Daytona with a well-financed operation and a first-rate car. I have always wanted to be able to race the 500 and not be limited by budget constraints and even though it has taken over 40 years, I am finally at that position. At my age, the odds against me are astronomical but it's a challenge and I love a good challenge."
Long-time friend J.C. Weaver and his upcoming music festival, GrahamFest, will sponsor Hylton. Weaver is owner of Mountain Rock Music, a publishing and recording company.
Hylton will drive the #58 Chevy built and prepared by Richard Childress Racing of Welcome, NC. The car was constructed on a Ronnie Hopkins chassis and is powered by engines from the RCR shop. A crew chief for the team will be named during January. Hopkins is also constructing a "Car of Tomorrow" for Hylton Motorsports, which will debut in March at Bristol. When Hylton Motorsports comes to Bristol, Damon Lusk of Kennewick, WA, will take Hylton's place in the seat of the #58 car and Hylton will become Crew Chief. Lusk has two wins in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition along with along with 10 Top-5 and 23 Top-10 finishes. Lusk has also recorded 17 Busch Series starts and six Craftsman Truck series starts. "We are looking at running 19 Nextel Cup races in 2007 and Damon is a perfect fit for our plans," states Hylton. Hylton has competed in 16 Daytona 500s, with his best finish being a third in 1967.(Hylton Motorsports PR)
By Greg Engle/Cup Scene Daily
Ward Burton's comeback in 2007 got a bit busier Tuesday.
After committing to Morgan-McClure Motorsports late in `06 to run the entire Nextel Cup schedule, Brewco Motorsports announced Tuesday that Ward Burton will drive 20 races for Brewco and Kleenex Racing, beginning with the Daytona 300 on Feb. 17, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway.
Burton's Busch Series career spans nine years and 145 races. Along the way he racked up four wins, with 23 top-five and 49 top-10 finishes.
"I'm excited to be working with Brewco, team owner Clarence Brewer Jr. and crew chief Stewart Cooper," Burton said, "I'm excited to be back in the Busch Series, especially with a stand-alone Busch Series team. I know Clarence is giving us the resources we need to have competitive cars each and every week."
The two-car team will enter its 11th season in 2007. In 2006 the team campaigned with driver David Green in the No. 27 car for 27 races and Casey Atwood for eight events. Their best finish was a seventh place finish at Gateway in July with Green at the wheel.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan announced Tuesday that the team will switch manufacturers in 2007 from Dodge to Chevrolet. In addition the team will change from Orleans Racing to South Point Racing.
"The team is going through a lot of changes and we're trying to get back to winning a championship," said Gaughan. "We really feel like Chevrolet is going to give us the best opportunity to take the South Point Racing team to another level."
Gaughan has campaigned Chevrolets in the past winning two NASCAR championships in Monte Carlos in 2000 and 2001, in the NASCAR Grand National, West Division. Gaughan raced a Chevrolet when he began in the Craftsman Truck Series with his best finish with a Chevy, a third, coming at Mesa Marin Speedway in 2001.
"We're excited," Gaughan said. "We've already been to the wind tunnel three times and our body guy has been working hard on all our trucks to re-body them and fix them up with new Silverado skins. Kevin Kroyer has been working his tail off trying to get us some Chevy engines so we can go test."
Nextel Cup driver and former Busch and Craftsman Truck champion Greg Biffle is engaged to Nicole Lunders.
Biffle, who is from Vancouver, Wash., turned 37 on December 23 and dated Lunders for nine years. She is from Chehalis, Wash. graduated high school in 1994, went to Western Washington University and finished at Washington State University.
Biffle and Lunders created the Greg Biffle Foundation to create awareness and serve as advocates to improve the well-being of animals by engaging the power and passion of the motor sports industry. Go to thegregbifflefoundation.com/ for more information.
* Jan. 8 at 7pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 9 at 7pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 10 at 7pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 11 at 7pm/et - Testing highlight show
* Jan. 12 at 7pm/et - Craftsman Truck Series testing
* Jan. 14 at 6:30pm/et - Craftsman Truck Series testing
* Jan. 15 at 6:30pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 16 at 6:30pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 17 at 6:30pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 18 at 6:30pm/et - Testing highlight show
* Jan. 22 at 7pm/et - Busch Series testing
Beginning Jan. 29, SPEED also will cover NASCAR test sessions from Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR testing coverage will lead into SPEED's 12-day Daytona Speedweeks program schedule, highlighted by LIVE coverage of the Gatorade Duels repeated in Prime Time, the Craftsman Truck Series season opener, the inaugural SPEED Performance Awards, the Bud Shootout Drawing, the ARCA season opener and the return of popular SPEED shows, including NASCAR RaceDay, Trackside, NASCAR Live!, Wind Tunnel, Tradin' Paint, NASCAR Performance, Inside Nextel Cup, NASCAR Victory Lane, The SPEED Report and the debut of the SPEED Road Tour Challenge.(speedtv.com PR)
Stewart wins two at Fort Wayne: USAC "Triple Crown" winner Tony Stewart did what many of the sellout crowd wanted – win Saturday night at the Ft. Wayne Memorial Coliseum. And just like he did in Friday's campaign, he battled from midpack to take the point early. On Saturday, he started ninth, one spot behind where he was Friday, but it took him one less lap to get to the front. He stayed in eighth after the first lap, then picked off four cars on the second and was past Rich Corson – whom he took the lead from Friday – on Lap 7 on the inside of Turn 2 and ran away.(USAC Racing site)
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Model Niki Taylor and NASCAR driver Burney Lamar have tied the knot. The couple married Wednesday before 60 guests at the Grande Colonial Hotel in the La Jolla area of San Diego, Taylor's manager, Lou Taylor, told Us Weekly magazine in a story posted on its Web site Thursday night.
Taylor, 31, and Lamar, 26, met at a charity event in January 2006, according to her Web site.
"I looked at Burney and said to myself, 'This is the guy I'm going to marry,'" Taylor told the magazine.
It was the first marriage for Lamar and the second for Taylor, who has 11-year-old twin boys from her previous marriage to former football player Matt Martinez.
The two divorced in 1996.
Taylor lives in Nashville, Tenn., where she owns a clothing boutique.
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Teresa: Fans Say Make Up With Dale Jr.
Commentary/Josh Stewart /Long Island Press
Did Teresa Earnhardt know the risk she took by questioning Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s commitment in the Dec. 14 Wall Street Journal? If people believed that he still lacked maturity—still worried more about the "Club E" lifestyle than DEI—then she would win in the court of public opinion.
In case she doesn't already know, she lost. Bad!
If the unintended straw poll I collected after my column on the subject—"Dale Jr.'s Wicked Stepmother"—is any indication, she'll be lucky if she's not burned in effigy at each and every NASCAR track in 2007. (To which some might say, "At least she made it to the race in some form." But then again, why should I put one-liners in the fans' mouths when they proved more than capable of going off on their own?)
Here are a few snippets from the responses:
"She is really coming across as a wicked b*tch."
"I personally have felt that Teresa, since Dale [Sr.'s] passing, has had more of an interest in dragging Sr.'s corpse from track to track to make a buck off it."
"If she spent less time planting trees and building monuments to Dale [Sr.], she might concentrate on doing what Dale Sr. wanted, and that's building a championship team with his son at the wheel!"
"[Mrs.] Earnhardt, frankly, is out of her mind."
Not a lot of ambiguity, huh? I received more than 30 e-mail responses, with nearly 90 percent supporting Dale Jr. This wasn't just a case of agreeing with Junior's perspective over Teresa's. As a referendum on her as a leader, this is the equivalent of weapons of mass destruction and disaster preparedness. Most of the respondents don't trust her to cut her own steak.
The unifying theme I received is that if Teresa doesn't straighten up, Junior will soon drive for Richard Childress, DEI will crumble like a coffee cake and she will have ripped her late husband's legacy to shreds.
She has only one way out, but fortunately, it involves only two words: "I'm sorry."
Before Junior gets in a car for preseason testing at Daytona, she needs to come out and publicly apologize.
If this continues to simmer, the press will crowd him after his test laps and ask him not about drafting and restrictor plates, but about why he can't get along with his stepmother. How can he focus under those circumstances?
The long-term effects would be even more detrimental to Teresa. If she doesn't nip this in the bud, she will remain the villain. Dale Jr. will continue to pick up on the fact that fans wouldn't blame him for leaving his father's company due to adverse working conditions.
Eventually, that would make it much easier for him to walk away.
So, the fans do have a voice in this soap opera. Hopefully, they won't have to say much more before Teresa gives in.
As much as she seems to want to play Dale Sr.'s tough-as-nails role, this time surrender is her only chance of survival.
I've Been Thinking
By Amy Hain/Cup Scene Daily
So Dale Earnhardt, Jr. says …."If you made these races anywhere from 250 to 350 miles [as opposed to 500 or 600], you wouldn't have to captivate the attention span over such a long period of time," and "There's a big chunk in the race that's really pointless to be running. You're just making laps; you're not really accomplishing anything. And you could make the races a little shorter, give the fans a little more of a sprint-type feel, a little more urgency throughout the whole telecast."
And sports writer Greg Engle says… "When a race, particularly a long one, becomes an affair that sees only one or two drivers swapping positions only every 50 laps or so, who could blame someone for wanting to turn a channel?" Well there you go…apparently the races are too long and get boring.
I often peruse through a few fan sites to get a feel for what some of the fans are thinking, and I see it there too…mentions of it being time for a NASCAR nap, or channel surfing starts to run rampant during a race.
So I've pretty much figured out that I must just be the weirdo in the bunch, because a race never gets boring to me…no matter how long, how wreck free or how out of character the laps may seem, I pretty much would be a-ok if they would just keep driving. Mostly because I love racing, but also because I know that every second that goes by out there on the track is another opportunity for something to change…and it does.
But in reality, these guys in the cars are the ones we should listen to…they are the ones that have to go around and around for hours on end, passing the same cars 14 times and wondering if they'll be in the right place at the right time when the last lap approaches.
Watching the fellows get out, or almost fall out of their cars after a 600 mile race is enough to make you want to start a petition to get the race shortened. They are beyond exhausted and for what?
If you listen to the radio scanners, you'll hear the crew chiefs casually mention to the driver… "Stay out on this lap, we'll lead one and get us five points". And the driver willingly does so. The points are the "for what". It's all part of the game…a good one mind you…I'm not knocking the game…just wondering if a race has to be like playing a long game of Monopoly or if it can be just as good if played with the speed of Tic Tac Toe. Seems to me there might be a playing field that would allow both the men throwing the dice and the fellows traveling around the board a chance at a good game.
From the fans point of view, I have to admit, even being the addict that I am, I'd definitely cringe a lot more and think more than twice before I'd shell out the high price for those race tickets if the laps were cut down by half. It's one thing to pay out the nose for a seat that you never sit in for hours on end, but to pay that price and barely get sunburned? Not to mention the catastrophic price for the hotel, etc…etc. If the races were shortened would the prices go down? Somehow I doubt it.
We could banter back and forth about this one, but in the end…when you have drivers commenting on what brings in the money as being something they'd like to see change…you have to know it's something that really bugs them.
Race car drivers don't particularly like change…i.e. their first reactions to the chase, the COT, etc…so for them to publicly say things need to change, somebody might want to listen.
What will happen if we ignore their comments about the long races and lengthy season schedules? Who knows…maybe nothing…this, like other things may just go away…but I bet it won't be gone from the minds of the men that do the racing.
It's just been my experience that when one of the main cogs (in this case the most recent, but certainly not the only one) on the wheel of success is fussing…chances are he's not the only one thinking about it and he for sure won't be the last to bring it up.
Think anyone will listen? I am…does that count? No? Well rats, then your guess is as good as mine.
Your![file:///C:/DOCUME~1/smonacel/LOCALS~1/Temp//att8a1c0.gif]()
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
Quote of the Day
"You win some, you lose some and you wreck some."
--Dale Earnhardt Sr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--Dale Earnhardt Sr.
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.
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Comments from the Peanut Galleryfrom Bob S
"I hate to see Kurt Busch win. What a whiner."
— Kevin Harvick, after finishing second to Busch in the spring race at Bristol
Maybe not exactly the same kind of whiner, but sure a competitor who frequently displays his curious brand of "sportsmanship!" Kind of the pot calling the kettle black!!!
Just a thought I've been sitting on. After a recent move to a tiny house, I've been divesting myself of my automotive memorabilia, most of it gained in over a forty year career as an auto writer. I listed many dozens of NASCAR items on eBay, pricing them well below fan truck prices, despite some of them being quite rare. I offered clothing, a few race car models, a whole bunch of vintage press kits, and some unique one-off items. I was surprised by the results.
Ford/Mercury branded stuff - EVERYTHING sold with lively bidding.
Pontiac/Olds/Buick - About 50/50, with even Petty and Gant items not getting bids.
About the same for Chevy items, even with Dale Jr and even some Dale Sr.
kits being ignored.
Dodge guys were the worst. Very little sold, and some of these items were the rarest.
I had a few Toyota truck things, and some pre-race Cup kits - _All_ sold with much action.
Just to emphasize, I was starting bids at less than $10 for limited edition hats and press kits, about half of what I see common items going for at the track. I'll relist these in the run up to Daytona, but I'm wondering.
Cheers and Happy New Year, Bob
from Paula
Hi Nascar Momma,
I saw this online. Thought you might like to read it. Just one comment from me; Is this the new In thing? Models marrying NASCAR drivers? lol
Paula
Story below....
To Glen R....I have heard nothing more on the races. I will pass along anything I do hear!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bits and Pieces73 year old Hylton to attempt 07' Daytona 500
In an age when teams sign drivers in their teens, one is looking to buck the trend.
73-year-old James Hylton will enter the 2007 Daytona 500. He has competed in 16 Daytona 500's; with his best finish being a third in 1967.
"I was running a 1965 Dodge that I had purchased from Cotton Owens and was staying on the led lap until I had a tire go down late in the race" states the racing legend "I had little financial backing, I was running with nothing".
Hylton finished behind winner Mario Andretti and second place finisher Fred Lorenzen and collected $10,925 for his efforts.
At an age when most people have retired, Hylton is jumping right back into what has arguably become a young mans sport.
"I have never been able to come to Daytona with a well-financed operation and a first-rate car. I have always wanted to be able to race the 500 and not be limited by budget constraints and even though it has taken over 40 years, I am finally at that position. At my age, the odds against me are astronomical but it's a challenge and I love a good challenge."
Hylton will the drive the number 58 Chevrolet Monte Carlo built and prepared by Richard Childress Racing. A crew chief for the team will be named during January. Hopkins is also constructing a "Car of Tomorrow" for Hylton Motorsports, which will debut in March at Bristol.
When Hylton Motorsports heads to Bristol, Damon Lusk of Kennewick, Washington will take Hylton's place in the seat of the number 58 car and Hylton will become Crew Chief. Lusk has two wins in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition along with along with 10 Top-5 and 23 Top-10 finishes. Lusk has also recorded 17 NASCAR Busch Series starts and six Craftsman Truck series starts. Lusk raced for Hylton Motorsports in 2000 and won his first pole at Springfield while driving for James Hylton.
"We are looking at running 19 Nextel Cup races in 2007 and Damon is a perfect fit for our plans" states Hylton "Over the years Damon has exhibited that he has the ability to step up to Nextel Cup level. Damon had a good run in 2006 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and 2007 will give him a chance to move up to the next level."
and......
James Hylton Enters Daytona 500 in RCR car: in 1966 James Harvey Hylton was named "Rookie of the Year" in NASCAR's Grand National Division [now known as Nextel Cup], starting an amazing career that would span five decades. During his career, Hylton would go on to finish second in NASCAR Grand National points in 1966, and repeat that performance during the 1967 and 1971 seasons. He would also score wins in the 1970 Richmond 400 [Cup], the 1970 NASCAR Grand American Citrus 250 [not sure what series] and the 1972 Talladega 500 [Cup] along with capturing four pole positions in NASCAR Winston / Nextel Cup competition. During his career, Hylton recorded 140 Top-Five finishes and 301 Top-Ten finishes in NASCAR Winston / Nextel Cup and in 2006, he finished 18th in points in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
When asked why he has set his sites on the 2007 Daytona 500, Hylton states "I have never been able to come to Daytona with a well-financed operation and a first-rate car. I have always wanted to be able to race the 500 and not be limited by budget constraints and even though it has taken over 40 years, I am finally at that position. At my age, the odds against me are astronomical but it's a challenge and I love a good challenge."
Long-time friend J.C. Weaver and his upcoming music festival, GrahamFest, will sponsor Hylton. Weaver is owner of Mountain Rock Music, a publishing and recording company.
Hylton will drive the #58 Chevy built and prepared by Richard Childress Racing of Welcome, NC. The car was constructed on a Ronnie Hopkins chassis and is powered by engines from the RCR shop. A crew chief for the team will be named during January. Hopkins is also constructing a "Car of Tomorrow" for Hylton Motorsports, which will debut in March at Bristol. When Hylton Motorsports comes to Bristol, Damon Lusk of Kennewick, WA, will take Hylton's place in the seat of the #58 car and Hylton will become Crew Chief. Lusk has two wins in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition along with along with 10 Top-5 and 23 Top-10 finishes. Lusk has also recorded 17 Busch Series starts and six Craftsman Truck series starts. "We are looking at running 19 Nextel Cup races in 2007 and Damon is a perfect fit for our plans," states Hylton. Hylton has competed in 16 Daytona 500s, with his best finish being a third in 1967.(Hylton Motorsports PR)
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Burton adds Busch Ride for 07By Greg Engle/Cup Scene Daily
Ward Burton's comeback in 2007 got a bit busier Tuesday.
After committing to Morgan-McClure Motorsports late in `06 to run the entire Nextel Cup schedule, Brewco Motorsports announced Tuesday that Ward Burton will drive 20 races for Brewco and Kleenex Racing, beginning with the Daytona 300 on Feb. 17, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway.
Burton's Busch Series career spans nine years and 145 races. Along the way he racked up four wins, with 23 top-five and 49 top-10 finishes.
"I'm excited to be working with Brewco, team owner Clarence Brewer Jr. and crew chief Stewart Cooper," Burton said, "I'm excited to be back in the Busch Series, especially with a stand-alone Busch Series team. I know Clarence is giving us the resources we need to have competitive cars each and every week."
The two-car team will enter its 11th season in 2007. In 2006 the team campaigned with driver David Green in the No. 27 car for 27 races and Casey Atwood for eight events. Their best finish was a seventh place finish at Gateway in July with Green at the wheel.
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Dodge Out, Chevrolet In for Gaughan and renamed South Point Racing TeamNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan announced Tuesday that the team will switch manufacturers in 2007 from Dodge to Chevrolet. In addition the team will change from Orleans Racing to South Point Racing.
"The team is going through a lot of changes and we're trying to get back to winning a championship," said Gaughan. "We really feel like Chevrolet is going to give us the best opportunity to take the South Point Racing team to another level."
Gaughan has campaigned Chevrolets in the past winning two NASCAR championships in Monte Carlos in 2000 and 2001, in the NASCAR Grand National, West Division. Gaughan raced a Chevrolet when he began in the Craftsman Truck Series with his best finish with a Chevy, a third, coming at Mesa Marin Speedway in 2001.
"We're excited," Gaughan said. "We've already been to the wind tunnel three times and our body guy has been working hard on all our trucks to re-body them and fix them up with new Silverado skins. Kevin Kroyer has been working his tail off trying to get us some Chevy engines so we can go test."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Biffle gets engaged to longtime girlfriendNextel Cup driver and former Busch and Craftsman Truck champion Greg Biffle is engaged to Nicole Lunders.
Biffle, who is from Vancouver, Wash., turned 37 on December 23 and dated Lunders for nine years. She is from Chehalis, Wash. graduated high school in 1994, went to Western Washington University and finished at Washington State University.
Biffle and Lunders created the Greg Biffle Foundation to create awareness and serve as advocates to improve the well-being of animals by engaging the power and passion of the motor sports industry. Go to thegregbifflefoundation.com/ for more information.
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New Driver for Hendrick Motorsports? Landon Cassill: The Gazette [of Cedar Rapids Iowa] is reporting: Landon Cassill, a 17-year-old senior at Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School, has signed a contract to drive for NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsports, he told The Gazette today [1/2/2007]. Cassill joins a powerhouse race team that includes Nextel Cup champions #48-Jimmie Johnson and #24-Jeff Gordon, as well as #5-Kyle Busch [and #25-Casey Mears]. "I feel really, really honored to be part of this organization," Cassill said. "I'm honored to be in such an elite group." it says to "See more of this story in Wednesday's Gazette."(The Gazette) AND Landon will move to North Carolina in March to begin working full time for Hendrick Motorsports.(kcrg.com), of note: Cassill can't drive in the NASCAR Cup, Busch or Truck series until he is 18 [no idea when] and since Hendrick Motorsports has four team in Nextel Cup [the limit], it won't be a full-time Nextel Cup ride, look for this to be a development program of some sort [ARCA, Trucks, Busch]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speed to air Daytona testing shows; SPEED will begin its NASCAR season with coverage of NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing days on Jan. 8 at 7:00pm/et. The 30-minute highlight shows will feature testing coverage from the Nextel Cup Series, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series sessions at Daytona International Speedway, giving NASCAR fans their first looks at new drivers, new teams and new race cars. NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing shows on SPEED (subject to change; check local listings):* Jan. 8 at 7pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 9 at 7pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 10 at 7pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 11 at 7pm/et - Testing highlight show
* Jan. 12 at 7pm/et - Craftsman Truck Series testing
* Jan. 14 at 6:30pm/et - Craftsman Truck Series testing
* Jan. 15 at 6:30pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 16 at 6:30pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 17 at 6:30pm/et - Nextel Cup Series testing
* Jan. 18 at 6:30pm/et - Testing highlight show
* Jan. 22 at 7pm/et - Busch Series testing
Beginning Jan. 29, SPEED also will cover NASCAR test sessions from Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR testing coverage will lead into SPEED's 12-day Daytona Speedweeks program schedule, highlighted by LIVE coverage of the Gatorade Duels repeated in Prime Time, the Craftsman Truck Series season opener, the inaugural SPEED Performance Awards, the Bud Shootout Drawing, the ARCA season opener and the return of popular SPEED shows, including NASCAR RaceDay, Trackside, NASCAR Live!, Wind Tunnel, Tradin' Paint, NASCAR Performance, Inside Nextel Cup, NASCAR Victory Lane, The SPEED Report and the debut of the SPEED Road Tour Challenge.(speedtv.com PR)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart not testing at Daytona: #20-Tony Stewart and #7-Robby Gordon don't plan to attend the preseason Nextel Cup testing session scheduled to begin Monday [Jan 8th] at Daytona International Speedway. Stewart did not test at the track in 2005 and 2006 and once again will skip the session with approval from his team. Daytona testing typically means more for crews to get the cars set up right than it does for the drivers. Veteran racer Mike McLaughlin will test the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy for Stewart. Gordon is competing in the Dakar Rally, which runs Jan. 6-21 through seven countries in Europe and Africa. Gordon, who has made the switch from Chevy to Ford, likely will be replaced by P.J. Jones for the test session.(SceneDaily.com)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stewart tests winter driving skills: Year after year, vehicles slip and slide out of control as winter conditions wreak havoc, often rendering even the most experienced drivers helpless — but some of the rules drivers have been taught for years have changed. #20-Tony Stewart tested his winter driving skills in upstate New York at a charity event for his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli. He practiced several tips that experts say can help drivers stay safe when they find themselves behind the wheel in bad weather. (see more at ABCnews.com)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Kahne races down under: After two nights of thrilling the crowd at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway in Australia, Kasey Kahne's ability to stay inconspicuous may have come to an end. He finished fourth Monday in the second of two Kasey Kahne International Sprintcars/Coca-Cola Track Championship races at the .28-mile dirt oval in Grenville, a victim of a poor qualifying run that left him with a 14th-place starting position. Kahne was only 20th fastest of the 59 entries during time trials, but won his heat race and steadily worked his way through the field during the A-main feature to finish behind red-hot North Dakota native Donny Schatz, Joey Saldana in one of Kahne's team cars and Australian Peter Murphy, now a resident of Fresno, Calif. Steve Kinser also raced.(more at NASCAR.com)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stewart/Kahne entered in Chili Bowl: Nextel Cup drivers Tony Stewart [who flipped and was injured last year], Kasey Kahne and J.J. Yeley are entered in the 21st Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, Tulsa, OK, held January 9-13, 2007. .A.J. Foyt is the grand marshall of the event, other NASCAR drivers [current/former] include: Billy Boat, Aaron Fike, Cory Kruseman, A.J. Foyt IV, A.J. Fike, P.J. Jones, Jason Leffler, Bobby East and Justin Allgaier.
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Elliott & RJ Racing to attempt Daytona races: looks like the #37 R.J. Racing team and driver Bill Elliott will attempt the races at Daytona in February 2007, the Budweiser Shootout, Duel 150's and Daytona 500. The team is looking for sponsorship for the race and the 2007 season.(rjracing.us) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Model Niki Taylor Marries NASCAR DriverSAN DIEGO (AP) - Model Niki Taylor and NASCAR driver Burney Lamar have tied the knot. The couple married Wednesday before 60 guests at the Grande Colonial Hotel in the La Jolla area of San Diego, Taylor's manager, Lou Taylor, told Us Weekly magazine in a story posted on its Web site Thursday night.
Taylor, 31, and Lamar, 26, met at a charity event in January 2006, according to her Web site.
"I looked at Burney and said to myself, 'This is the guy I'm going to marry,'" Taylor told the magazine.
It was the first marriage for Lamar and the second for Taylor, who has 11-year-old twin boys from her previous marriage to former football player Matt Martinez.
The two divorced in 1996.
Taylor lives in Nashville, Tenn., where she owns a clothing boutique.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Car of Tomorrow shaping up as pretty nice ride
By David Newton/ESPN.com
CONCORD, N.C. -- Did you know NASCAR will pay for the rear wings used on the new Car of Tomorrow, then distribute them at the track and collect them after each race?
Did you know the COT, which is two inches taller and four inches wider than the current car, will fit inside the current haulers?
Did you know the inspection process at the track should be faster with the COT because of nine radio frequency IDs that will be installed on each chassis, allowing inspectors to verify its legitimacy electronically instead of manually?
Did you know the restrictor plate as we know it at Daytona and Talladega likely will become obsolete with the design of the COT engine package?
Did you know the COT looks more like the car on the street than the one currently on the track because the angles of the windows and headlights aren't nearly as severe?
If you listened to a lot of crew chiefs and drivers over the past few months, you probably didn't.
So many rumors have been started about the COT that Mike Fisher, the new managing director of NASCAR's Research and Development Center, came up with a name for them.
"Urban legends," he said on a recent tour of the inspection process.
For example, one team official complained that the COT really won't save money as NASCAR promised because parts such as the wing cost substantially more.
He left out that the $4,000 part, minus the end plates, would be issued at the track so teams won't have the opportunity to tamper with it. The only cost to teams will be for wings they use in testing.
Others have said they will have to buy new haulers because the cars won't fit in the old ones. Fisher thought that was strange since every COT brought to tracks for testing arrived in current haulers.
"They told me when I took this job I needed to have a thick skin and not take all these criticisms personally," he said. "I'm starting to see why."
Fisher and Brett Bodine, who has logged more miles in the COT than anybody, said most of the complaints have subsided. They said most people have a better appreciation for the car and all the work that has gone into it after watching it go through inspection.
"One of the best compliments I've heard came from a top-10 team owner that said it takes half the time to build the COT," said Bodine, dispelling another rumor.
Just over a hundred chassis have been inspected at the Concord shop, with almost half passing. A record 14 consecutive chassis passed inspection earlier this week. That's a far cry from initial tests when five out of six were turned away, most for minor problems such as sheet metal being too thin.
"Nobody was wild out," Fisher said.
Pre-certifying the chassis and fitting them with the radio frequency IDs will save time at the track, where in the past all chassis inspections took place.
That makes for a busier than normal holiday season, but Bodine doesn't mind.
"What we do here is way more technical than anything we did at the track," he said.
The chassis can be pre-certified because, as was the intent, they can't be altered as in the past to help create aerodynamic advantages.
This had some crew chiefs up in arms because they won't be allowed to push the so-called "gray areas" that sometimes led to victories and sometimes led to penalties. On the other hand, this also will save them time.
"We've eliminated the time-consuming element of it, let's say," Fisher said diplomatically.
But there are parts of the COT that can be modified. Teams can adjust the angle of the spoiler from zero to 16 degrees to control downforce. They also can choose to have flat wing side panels or curved ones, mixing and matching them in any way they want.
The front-end splitter also is adjustable from four to six inches wide.
"We want them to be able to tune the thing," Bodine said.
Bodine is so excited with how the new car drives and the ultimate cost-saving features that he wishes he were a team owner again.
He said most of the complaints from drivers have come from those who had little to no time behind the wheel. He predicts most will love the car in time because the wing will create less aero push and allow for more passing.
He's so confident that he predicts a track qualifying record may fall when the COT debuts in the first of 16 races in the 2007 season at Bristol in late March.
He's also excited about the possibilities at Talladega and Daytona, where restrictor plates are used to limit horsepower and keep speeds around 190 mph.
"We'll still have plates, but the holes will be substantially larger, probably around an inch," Bodine said. "The engine package probably will fall very similar to what you would run at Michigan."
But the bottom line, from the driver's seat that is closer to the center of the car to the energy-reducing foam that lies between the sheet metal and cage around the doors, is that the car is safer than anything that's been on the track.
And it's not as "butt ugly," judging from the Chevrolet Impala on display at the R&D Center, as some have said.
"This is not our first attempt," Bodine said. "We did a tremendous amount of testing. I can't imagine what NASCAR has put into this. To see it where it is today, I'm really proud."
David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com
By David Newton/ESPN.com
CONCORD, N.C. -- Did you know NASCAR will pay for the rear wings used on the new Car of Tomorrow, then distribute them at the track and collect them after each race?
Did you know the COT, which is two inches taller and four inches wider than the current car, will fit inside the current haulers?
Did you know the inspection process at the track should be faster with the COT because of nine radio frequency IDs that will be installed on each chassis, allowing inspectors to verify its legitimacy electronically instead of manually?
Did you know the restrictor plate as we know it at Daytona and Talladega likely will become obsolete with the design of the COT engine package?
Did you know the COT looks more like the car on the street than the one currently on the track because the angles of the windows and headlights aren't nearly as severe?
If you listened to a lot of crew chiefs and drivers over the past few months, you probably didn't.
So many rumors have been started about the COT that Mike Fisher, the new managing director of NASCAR's Research and Development Center, came up with a name for them.
"Urban legends," he said on a recent tour of the inspection process.
For example, one team official complained that the COT really won't save money as NASCAR promised because parts such as the wing cost substantially more.
He left out that the $4,000 part, minus the end plates, would be issued at the track so teams won't have the opportunity to tamper with it. The only cost to teams will be for wings they use in testing.
Others have said they will have to buy new haulers because the cars won't fit in the old ones. Fisher thought that was strange since every COT brought to tracks for testing arrived in current haulers.
"They told me when I took this job I needed to have a thick skin and not take all these criticisms personally," he said. "I'm starting to see why."
Fisher and Brett Bodine, who has logged more miles in the COT than anybody, said most of the complaints have subsided. They said most people have a better appreciation for the car and all the work that has gone into it after watching it go through inspection.
"One of the best compliments I've heard came from a top-10 team owner that said it takes half the time to build the COT," said Bodine, dispelling another rumor.
Just over a hundred chassis have been inspected at the Concord shop, with almost half passing. A record 14 consecutive chassis passed inspection earlier this week. That's a far cry from initial tests when five out of six were turned away, most for minor problems such as sheet metal being too thin.
"Nobody was wild out," Fisher said.
Pre-certifying the chassis and fitting them with the radio frequency IDs will save time at the track, where in the past all chassis inspections took place.
That makes for a busier than normal holiday season, but Bodine doesn't mind.
"What we do here is way more technical than anything we did at the track," he said.
The chassis can be pre-certified because, as was the intent, they can't be altered as in the past to help create aerodynamic advantages.
This had some crew chiefs up in arms because they won't be allowed to push the so-called "gray areas" that sometimes led to victories and sometimes led to penalties. On the other hand, this also will save them time.
"We've eliminated the time-consuming element of it, let's say," Fisher said diplomatically.
But there are parts of the COT that can be modified. Teams can adjust the angle of the spoiler from zero to 16 degrees to control downforce. They also can choose to have flat wing side panels or curved ones, mixing and matching them in any way they want.
The front-end splitter also is adjustable from four to six inches wide.
"We want them to be able to tune the thing," Bodine said.
Bodine is so excited with how the new car drives and the ultimate cost-saving features that he wishes he were a team owner again.
He said most of the complaints from drivers have come from those who had little to no time behind the wheel. He predicts most will love the car in time because the wing will create less aero push and allow for more passing.
He's so confident that he predicts a track qualifying record may fall when the COT debuts in the first of 16 races in the 2007 season at Bristol in late March.
He's also excited about the possibilities at Talladega and Daytona, where restrictor plates are used to limit horsepower and keep speeds around 190 mph.
"We'll still have plates, but the holes will be substantially larger, probably around an inch," Bodine said. "The engine package probably will fall very similar to what you would run at Michigan."
But the bottom line, from the driver's seat that is closer to the center of the car to the energy-reducing foam that lies between the sheet metal and cage around the doors, is that the car is safer than anything that's been on the track.
And it's not as "butt ugly," judging from the Chevrolet Impala on display at the R&D Center, as some have said.
"This is not our first attempt," Bodine said. "We did a tremendous amount of testing. I can't imagine what NASCAR has put into this. To see it where it is today, I'm really proud."
David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com
2007 resolutions
We can make 'em ... but who'll break 'em in NASCAR?
Lewis Franck/SI
Most people love making resolutions, even if they don't always keep them. Here are some NASCAR resolutions for 2007 to consider:
Jimmie Johnson: Buy a golf cart without a roof. The 2006 Nextel Cup Champion pocketed close to $16 million this season, yet he evidently can't afford a golf cart with safety features. In December he was "horsing around," sprawled on the roof of his golf cart when he was thrown to the ground, resulting in a broken left wrist.
Tony Stewart: New Chase Rules. After failing to make the Nextel Cup Chase, the two-time champ went on a tear, winning three races and finishing in the top-four on two other occasions. In the post-race interview in Kansas, Stewart said he'd like to see two races every weekend in the Chase: A 200-miler for those outside and followed by another 200-miler for those in the playoffs. Smoke added that he'd go on top of his motor home, crack open a beer and watch his colleagues duke it out.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Shorter races, shorter season. NASCAR's most popular driver, when quizzed about the decrease in TV ratings, offered a solution: Cut the race distance. "If you made these races anywhere from 250 to 350 miles [as opposed to 500 or 600], you wouldn't have to captivate the attention span over such a long period of time," Earnhardt explained. "There's a big chunk in the race that's really pointless to be running. You're just making laps; you're not really accomplishing anything. And you could make the races a little shorter, give the fans a little more of a sprint-type feel, a little more urgency throughout the whole telecast."
Car of Tomorrow: A little love. Never before has there been such a consensus in the NASCAR garage than the hatred directed at the COT. Stewart dubbed it the "flying brick." Even the diplomatic four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon had complaints about it. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice-president of competition, said that once everybody starts racing the car, which was designed from the ground up to enhance driver safety and make the cars more racy, the chorus of complaints should lessen if not completely disappear.
Penske Racing South: A turnaround year like Richard Childress Racing had in 2006. Racing today is very much a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately sport. Just one year ago, many pundits and fans had written off RCR as dead-in-the-water. But Kevin Harvick, who renewed his deal with Childress, and Jeff Burton each made strong challenges in the Chase. The Penske South team, having made some changes for 2007, now must get Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch back in the hunt.
Yates/Ricky Rudd: Likewise, find some competitive fire. Robert Yates Racing has Daytona 500 wins and a Cup Championship to its credit, but in recent years the team has been off the mark. Rudd, coming off a "hiatus," should bring good karma.
Allstate Insurance Company: Make more funny Kasey Kahne commercials. These ads are some of the most entertaining bits on television -- and on the Internet, where they can be seen around the world. Sure, most NASCAR fans have seen these ads hundreds of times, but perhaps the ads can help entice new fans to watch Cup events.
OK, so my resolution? I'm going to become a NASCAR driver because that's the quickest way to meet and marry a supermodel.
Yes, it's no surprise that Gordon and Johnson have married models. But Burney Lamar? The 26-year-old burst on the scene with a second place at the season-opening Busch race at Daytona. The rest of the year was not-so-spectacular -- he had an average start of 18.7, average finish of 22.6, six crashes and a total of three top-10 finishes in 29 starts.
Yet in December he married Niki Taylor, who has appeared on over 400 magazine covers.
Evidently, I need to dig out that old driver's uniform and start practicing.
Lewis Franck/SI
Most people love making resolutions, even if they don't always keep them. Here are some NASCAR resolutions for 2007 to consider:
Jimmie Johnson: Buy a golf cart without a roof. The 2006 Nextel Cup Champion pocketed close to $16 million this season, yet he evidently can't afford a golf cart with safety features. In December he was "horsing around," sprawled on the roof of his golf cart when he was thrown to the ground, resulting in a broken left wrist.
Tony Stewart: New Chase Rules. After failing to make the Nextel Cup Chase, the two-time champ went on a tear, winning three races and finishing in the top-four on two other occasions. In the post-race interview in Kansas, Stewart said he'd like to see two races every weekend in the Chase: A 200-miler for those outside and followed by another 200-miler for those in the playoffs. Smoke added that he'd go on top of his motor home, crack open a beer and watch his colleagues duke it out.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Shorter races, shorter season. NASCAR's most popular driver, when quizzed about the decrease in TV ratings, offered a solution: Cut the race distance. "If you made these races anywhere from 250 to 350 miles [as opposed to 500 or 600], you wouldn't have to captivate the attention span over such a long period of time," Earnhardt explained. "There's a big chunk in the race that's really pointless to be running. You're just making laps; you're not really accomplishing anything. And you could make the races a little shorter, give the fans a little more of a sprint-type feel, a little more urgency throughout the whole telecast."
Car of Tomorrow: A little love. Never before has there been such a consensus in the NASCAR garage than the hatred directed at the COT. Stewart dubbed it the "flying brick." Even the diplomatic four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon had complaints about it. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice-president of competition, said that once everybody starts racing the car, which was designed from the ground up to enhance driver safety and make the cars more racy, the chorus of complaints should lessen if not completely disappear.
Penske Racing South: A turnaround year like Richard Childress Racing had in 2006. Racing today is very much a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately sport. Just one year ago, many pundits and fans had written off RCR as dead-in-the-water. But Kevin Harvick, who renewed his deal with Childress, and Jeff Burton each made strong challenges in the Chase. The Penske South team, having made some changes for 2007, now must get Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch back in the hunt.
Yates/Ricky Rudd: Likewise, find some competitive fire. Robert Yates Racing has Daytona 500 wins and a Cup Championship to its credit, but in recent years the team has been off the mark. Rudd, coming off a "hiatus," should bring good karma.
Allstate Insurance Company: Make more funny Kasey Kahne commercials. These ads are some of the most entertaining bits on television -- and on the Internet, where they can be seen around the world. Sure, most NASCAR fans have seen these ads hundreds of times, but perhaps the ads can help entice new fans to watch Cup events.
OK, so my resolution? I'm going to become a NASCAR driver because that's the quickest way to meet and marry a supermodel.
Yes, it's no surprise that Gordon and Johnson have married models. But Burney Lamar? The 26-year-old burst on the scene with a second place at the season-opening Busch race at Daytona. The rest of the year was not-so-spectacular -- he had an average start of 18.7, average finish of 22.6, six crashes and a total of three top-10 finishes in 29 starts.
Yet in December he married Niki Taylor, who has appeared on over 400 magazine covers.
Evidently, I need to dig out that old driver's uniform and start practicing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Year's NASCAR resolutions
By Bob Margolis, Yahoo! Sports
It's that time again – time for those New Year's resolutions that somehow find themselves dismissed by the time the green flag flies for the Daytona 500.
With that in mind, sometimes it's best to have someone else do your resolutions for you. That way, you can't feel guilty when you've failed to keep your word.
Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
Therefore, I offer the following resolutions for the motorsports world:
NASCAR race officials: To not throw a caution for debris unless the object in question is visible and recognizable by the naked eye from a distance of a ¼-mile. The only exception is if Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs to make a pit stop, then the caution flag can be displayed immediately and without question.
Carl Edwards: To do more backflips and challenge Kasey Kahne for the title of "Sexiest driver in NASCAR."
Boris Said: Win one of the marquee events on NASCAR's Nextel Cup schedule so that every sponsor who has said no to his team will humbly support him for a full season.
Kurt Busch: To forget everything he's learned from Roger Penske and revert back to the nasty Kurt Busch we all remember – just for a day – so we all can truly appreciate the genuine transformation the 2004 champion has undergone.
International Speedway Corporation: To stop wasting their stockholders' money as well as everyone's time and energy and give that pipe dream of having a track in the New York City area a rest. The Big Apple is a stick-and-ball town and no amount of money or desire will change that – ever.
Team Red Bull: To do better in NASCAR than their Formula One counterparts have done around the world – which shouldn't be that difficult.
Juan Pablo Montoya: To win races, win the Nextel Cup and win over the hearts of the millions of NASCAR fans with his talent and his drive to win at all cost. The fans eventually will take to wearing the Columbian flag on their t-shirts, too.
Nearly every non-SMI track NASCAR visits: To update their facilities and provide the kind of amenities the fans deserve. If you need direction, give Eddie Gossage or Tony George a call.
NASCAR: To keep doing what they're doing. Despite the constant barrage of criticism, compared to every other racing series in the world, NASCAR does it better.
ABC/ESPN: To win back every casual and hardcore NASCAR fan that NBC turned away from the sport with its appalling disregard for them.
Busch Series: To find a new title sponsor that will appreciate the value of this series – especially when NASCAR changes to muscle cars in 2009.
Robert Yates: To be satisfied with the idea that winning races isn't what's important, but just being able to compete in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series is.
NASCAR (again): To shorten all 500 mile races to 400 miles, except for those run on restrictor plate tracks. It would be the single greatest change the sanctioning body could undertake to make stock car racing more acceptable to the masses.
Hendrick Motorsports: To spread the wealth and make the 25 team as good as the 24, 48 and 5 teams.
Tony George and Kevin Kalkhoven: To give American open wheel racing fans, sponsors and drivers what they so desperately want and deserve: a single series. Stop listening to your respective team owners and do what is right. Your failure to resolve this issue will be your legacy forever, despite whatever else you do in this life. Stop this madness – now.
National Hot Rod Association: To gain the broader fan following and sponsor support it so richly deserves. Try watching a Top Fuel dragster fly down the ¼-mile at over 330 mph – in person – and then try not to fall in love with drag racing. Note to all NHRA participants: Bruton Smith buying the NHRA could be a nightmare. Be careful what you wish for.
Tony Stewart: To accept the leadership role in the garage which others have placed upon you.
International Race of Champions: To find a dedicated, long-term title sponsor who will keep the road course on the schedule and add a race at Stewart's Eldora dirt track. They won't need additional grandstands for the race at Eldora, as this series primarily is made for TV, anyway.
NASCAR (once more): To employ a full-time, traveling medical unit.
Craftsman Truck Series: To gain the respect it deserves. And to add a road course race to the schedule in '08.
Michael Schumacher: To accept someone's invitation to race, at least once, in NASCAR.
Toyota: To be good, but not that good.
Ricky Rudd and Ward Burton: To get it out of their systems before they get hurt.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: To win the Nextel Cup title just once for DEI before taking his name and his talents to RCR.
Ryan Newman: To show the world that 2006 was a bad dream and that he's capable of being a Nextel Cup champion.
Bobby Labonte: To win not one, not two, but three races in the 43 Dodge in 2007. It will happen.
Grand Am Series/American Le Mans Series: To have continued success with their two very distinct formulas for sports car racing in North America. The purists will continue to support the ALMS with its factory-supported and unique race cars. Meanwhile, race fans who enjoy fender-bumping racing action will support Grand Am.
Speed Channel: To find a way to regain the audience that over the past two years couldn't change the channel fast enough.
And finally…
Race fans across the country: To continue to support racing at all levels, not just at the top. Visit your local short track; that's where racing is at its best.
Veteran motorsports writer Bob Margolis is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR reporter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~By Bob Margolis, Yahoo! Sports
It's that time again – time for those New Year's resolutions that somehow find themselves dismissed by the time the green flag flies for the Daytona 500.
With that in mind, sometimes it's best to have someone else do your resolutions for you. That way, you can't feel guilty when you've failed to keep your word.
Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
Therefore, I offer the following resolutions for the motorsports world:
NASCAR race officials: To not throw a caution for debris unless the object in question is visible and recognizable by the naked eye from a distance of a ¼-mile. The only exception is if Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs to make a pit stop, then the caution flag can be displayed immediately and without question.
Carl Edwards: To do more backflips and challenge Kasey Kahne for the title of "Sexiest driver in NASCAR."
Boris Said: Win one of the marquee events on NASCAR's Nextel Cup schedule so that every sponsor who has said no to his team will humbly support him for a full season.
Kurt Busch: To forget everything he's learned from Roger Penske and revert back to the nasty Kurt Busch we all remember – just for a day – so we all can truly appreciate the genuine transformation the 2004 champion has undergone.
International Speedway Corporation: To stop wasting their stockholders' money as well as everyone's time and energy and give that pipe dream of having a track in the New York City area a rest. The Big Apple is a stick-and-ball town and no amount of money or desire will change that – ever.
Team Red Bull: To do better in NASCAR than their Formula One counterparts have done around the world – which shouldn't be that difficult.
Juan Pablo Montoya: To win races, win the Nextel Cup and win over the hearts of the millions of NASCAR fans with his talent and his drive to win at all cost. The fans eventually will take to wearing the Columbian flag on their t-shirts, too.
Nearly every non-SMI track NASCAR visits: To update their facilities and provide the kind of amenities the fans deserve. If you need direction, give Eddie Gossage or Tony George a call.
NASCAR: To keep doing what they're doing. Despite the constant barrage of criticism, compared to every other racing series in the world, NASCAR does it better.
ABC/ESPN: To win back every casual and hardcore NASCAR fan that NBC turned away from the sport with its appalling disregard for them.
Busch Series: To find a new title sponsor that will appreciate the value of this series – especially when NASCAR changes to muscle cars in 2009.
Robert Yates: To be satisfied with the idea that winning races isn't what's important, but just being able to compete in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series is.
NASCAR (again): To shorten all 500 mile races to 400 miles, except for those run on restrictor plate tracks. It would be the single greatest change the sanctioning body could undertake to make stock car racing more acceptable to the masses.
Hendrick Motorsports: To spread the wealth and make the 25 team as good as the 24, 48 and 5 teams.
Tony George and Kevin Kalkhoven: To give American open wheel racing fans, sponsors and drivers what they so desperately want and deserve: a single series. Stop listening to your respective team owners and do what is right. Your failure to resolve this issue will be your legacy forever, despite whatever else you do in this life. Stop this madness – now.
National Hot Rod Association: To gain the broader fan following and sponsor support it so richly deserves. Try watching a Top Fuel dragster fly down the ¼-mile at over 330 mph – in person – and then try not to fall in love with drag racing. Note to all NHRA participants: Bruton Smith buying the NHRA could be a nightmare. Be careful what you wish for.
Tony Stewart: To accept the leadership role in the garage which others have placed upon you.
International Race of Champions: To find a dedicated, long-term title sponsor who will keep the road course on the schedule and add a race at Stewart's Eldora dirt track. They won't need additional grandstands for the race at Eldora, as this series primarily is made for TV, anyway.
NASCAR (once more): To employ a full-time, traveling medical unit.
Craftsman Truck Series: To gain the respect it deserves. And to add a road course race to the schedule in '08.
Michael Schumacher: To accept someone's invitation to race, at least once, in NASCAR.
Toyota: To be good, but not that good.
Ricky Rudd and Ward Burton: To get it out of their systems before they get hurt.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: To win the Nextel Cup title just once for DEI before taking his name and his talents to RCR.
Ryan Newman: To show the world that 2006 was a bad dream and that he's capable of being a Nextel Cup champion.
Bobby Labonte: To win not one, not two, but three races in the 43 Dodge in 2007. It will happen.
Grand Am Series/American Le Mans Series: To have continued success with their two very distinct formulas for sports car racing in North America. The purists will continue to support the ALMS with its factory-supported and unique race cars. Meanwhile, race fans who enjoy fender-bumping racing action will support Grand Am.
Speed Channel: To find a way to regain the audience that over the past two years couldn't change the channel fast enough.
And finally…
Race fans across the country: To continue to support racing at all levels, not just at the top. Visit your local short track; that's where racing is at its best.
Veteran motorsports writer Bob Margolis is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR reporter.
Teresa Earnhardt's criticism could break up DEI, Inc.
By Marty Snider/Special to NBCSports.com
"Right now the ball's in his court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality."
With those words about Dale Earnhardt Jr., Teresa Earnhardt launched an unnecessary controversy.
As the owner of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Teresa Earnhardt is entitled to say what she wants about any of her employees -- and that includes the one who also happens to be the most popular figure in NASCAR. Is her statement correct? To some extent, perhaps. Was it the right decision to say it publicly? Probably not.
Let's start with the quote itself. Sounds to me that the DEI boss lady was taking a page from her late husband's playbook The quote sounds exactly like something Dale Earnhardt, Sr. would have said to his son -- most likely in a personal setting and guaranteed never to The Wall Street Journal, Mrs. Earnhardt's chosen outlet.
From Junior's perspective, it would be considered a critical piece of knowledge out of the mouth of a seven-time Nextel Cup champion. Coming from an owner who you've had battles with over the years, however, it doesn't quite go down so smoothly -- especially considering the manner in which it was delivered.
This is one of those times where if you're Mrs. Earnhardt you have to ask yourself, "What am I going to gain by saying this?" Truly, there are only two outcomes. One possibility is that Junior will wake up one day and say, "Teresa is right. I need to straighten up my life," but what are the chances of that?
The more likely scenario is that the outcome would only serve to separate the two camps. JR Motorsports and DEI are headed into contract negotiations early next year, with Junior's current contract wrapping up at the end of the coming 2007 season.
The move to separate the two entities has been underway for quite some time in fact. Dale, Jr has moved many of his closest advisors out of DEI and over to JR Motorsports while building his own Busch Series operation. Meanwhile, DEI is on their fourth general manager in Teresa Earnhardt's tenure.
Perhaps it makes Mrs. Earnhardt angry that her stepson has already partly left the family company by starting his own race team. Perhaps it makes Mrs. Earnhardt angry that her step son has already partly left the family company by starting his own race team. Perhaps it was a sign to her that Junior doesn't believe in the very product that he drives every Sunday as much as she would like for him to when Junior chose to use RCR engines for his race team and not the in-house engine brand. Whatever the case, in the most recent contract negotiations it was clear that talks did not go as smoothly as planned with some of the issues being deliberated publicly in the media. It appears as though this year's negotiations are unfortunately headed in the same direction.
Was Teresa Earnhardt correct with her statement about her stepson? In some ways, yes. It's tough for a 32-year-old not to enjoy the national spotlight. But all superstars have to go to work at some point -- they can't all be Paris Hilton.
Is Dale, Jr.'s social life a distraction to his work-life? I don't think so.
Over the years, Junior has been maturing despite being in the national spotlight. Does Junior still like to have fun? Sure, what-32 year-old millionaire doesn't? Does he enjoy the perks of his "superstardom?" Sure, what 32-year-old millionaire doesn't? Is he out of control with it? Certainly not.
If Teresa Earnhardt needs an example of how good she has it, there are plenty available -- Tank Johnson of the NFL's Chicago Bears, Ron Artest of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, the entire roster of the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sports a halo and wings compared to these cats.
Over the last two years, especially this past year, Dale, Jr. has made dramatic strides as a leader. There were many terrific examples this year like Texas in November when Junior was sick, hit the wall, and didn't have the best handling race car. Yet, he still came back to finish in the top ten.
On that day, Junior led by example. Other days, he has led by words, cheering on his team or pit crew.
In all of those examples, Junior decided to be a "race car driver" and not a public personality. But, Mrs. Earnhardt was not present at any of those races to see the leader her stepson has become. Come to think of it, I only remember Mrs. Earnhardt attending a handful of races this year -- certainly less than any other owner in the sport, even less than Joe Gibbs who has another job coaching some NFL team or something like that.
So how can an owner who rarely attends races, but still wants total control of her business, accuse one of her employees of not being focused enough to do his job when she is hardly ever there to witness the afore mentioned lack of focus for herself? That's the one point I can't get past.
It may just be a matter of perception, but it seems that the prevailing wisdom from DEI, or at least from Teresa Earnhardt, is that she feels like Junior needs DEI more than DEI needs Junior. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Most every sponsor DEI has is there because they all want a piece of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Believe me when I tell you this: if Dale, Jr. leaves DEI, most of the sponsors go out the door with him, as will many of the key people at DEI. It would be a shame for such blind arrogance on Teresa Earnhardt's part to ruin a championship worthy race team.
By Marty Snider/Special to NBCSports.com
"Right now the ball's in his court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality."
With those words about Dale Earnhardt Jr., Teresa Earnhardt launched an unnecessary controversy.
As the owner of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Teresa Earnhardt is entitled to say what she wants about any of her employees -- and that includes the one who also happens to be the most popular figure in NASCAR. Is her statement correct? To some extent, perhaps. Was it the right decision to say it publicly? Probably not.
Let's start with the quote itself. Sounds to me that the DEI boss lady was taking a page from her late husband's playbook The quote sounds exactly like something Dale Earnhardt, Sr. would have said to his son -- most likely in a personal setting and guaranteed never to The Wall Street Journal, Mrs. Earnhardt's chosen outlet.
From Junior's perspective, it would be considered a critical piece of knowledge out of the mouth of a seven-time Nextel Cup champion. Coming from an owner who you've had battles with over the years, however, it doesn't quite go down so smoothly -- especially considering the manner in which it was delivered.
This is one of those times where if you're Mrs. Earnhardt you have to ask yourself, "What am I going to gain by saying this?" Truly, there are only two outcomes. One possibility is that Junior will wake up one day and say, "Teresa is right. I need to straighten up my life," but what are the chances of that?
The more likely scenario is that the outcome would only serve to separate the two camps. JR Motorsports and DEI are headed into contract negotiations early next year, with Junior's current contract wrapping up at the end of the coming 2007 season.
The move to separate the two entities has been underway for quite some time in fact. Dale, Jr has moved many of his closest advisors out of DEI and over to JR Motorsports while building his own Busch Series operation. Meanwhile, DEI is on their fourth general manager in Teresa Earnhardt's tenure.
Perhaps it makes Mrs. Earnhardt angry that her stepson has already partly left the family company by starting his own race team. Perhaps it makes Mrs. Earnhardt angry that her step son has already partly left the family company by starting his own race team. Perhaps it was a sign to her that Junior doesn't believe in the very product that he drives every Sunday as much as she would like for him to when Junior chose to use RCR engines for his race team and not the in-house engine brand. Whatever the case, in the most recent contract negotiations it was clear that talks did not go as smoothly as planned with some of the issues being deliberated publicly in the media. It appears as though this year's negotiations are unfortunately headed in the same direction.
Was Teresa Earnhardt correct with her statement about her stepson? In some ways, yes. It's tough for a 32-year-old not to enjoy the national spotlight. But all superstars have to go to work at some point -- they can't all be Paris Hilton.
Is Dale, Jr.'s social life a distraction to his work-life? I don't think so.
Over the years, Junior has been maturing despite being in the national spotlight. Does Junior still like to have fun? Sure, what-32 year-old millionaire doesn't? Does he enjoy the perks of his "superstardom?" Sure, what 32-year-old millionaire doesn't? Is he out of control with it? Certainly not.
If Teresa Earnhardt needs an example of how good she has it, there are plenty available -- Tank Johnson of the NFL's Chicago Bears, Ron Artest of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, the entire roster of the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sports a halo and wings compared to these cats.
Over the last two years, especially this past year, Dale, Jr. has made dramatic strides as a leader. There were many terrific examples this year like Texas in November when Junior was sick, hit the wall, and didn't have the best handling race car. Yet, he still came back to finish in the top ten.
On that day, Junior led by example. Other days, he has led by words, cheering on his team or pit crew.
In all of those examples, Junior decided to be a "race car driver" and not a public personality. But, Mrs. Earnhardt was not present at any of those races to see the leader her stepson has become. Come to think of it, I only remember Mrs. Earnhardt attending a handful of races this year -- certainly less than any other owner in the sport, even less than Joe Gibbs who has another job coaching some NFL team or something like that.
So how can an owner who rarely attends races, but still wants total control of her business, accuse one of her employees of not being focused enough to do his job when she is hardly ever there to witness the afore mentioned lack of focus for herself? That's the one point I can't get past.
It may just be a matter of perception, but it seems that the prevailing wisdom from DEI, or at least from Teresa Earnhardt, is that she feels like Junior needs DEI more than DEI needs Junior. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Most every sponsor DEI has is there because they all want a piece of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Believe me when I tell you this: if Dale, Jr. leaves DEI, most of the sponsors go out the door with him, as will many of the key people at DEI. It would be a shame for such blind arrogance on Teresa Earnhardt's part to ruin a championship worthy race team.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary/Josh Stewart /Long Island Press
Did Teresa Earnhardt know the risk she took by questioning Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s commitment in the Dec. 14 Wall Street Journal? If people believed that he still lacked maturity—still worried more about the "Club E" lifestyle than DEI—then she would win in the court of public opinion.
In case she doesn't already know, she lost. Bad!
If the unintended straw poll I collected after my column on the subject—"Dale Jr.'s Wicked Stepmother"—is any indication, she'll be lucky if she's not burned in effigy at each and every NASCAR track in 2007. (To which some might say, "At least she made it to the race in some form." But then again, why should I put one-liners in the fans' mouths when they proved more than capable of going off on their own?)
Here are a few snippets from the responses:
"She is really coming across as a wicked b*tch."
"I personally have felt that Teresa, since Dale [Sr.'s] passing, has had more of an interest in dragging Sr.'s corpse from track to track to make a buck off it."
"If she spent less time planting trees and building monuments to Dale [Sr.], she might concentrate on doing what Dale Sr. wanted, and that's building a championship team with his son at the wheel!"
"[Mrs.] Earnhardt, frankly, is out of her mind."
Not a lot of ambiguity, huh? I received more than 30 e-mail responses, with nearly 90 percent supporting Dale Jr. This wasn't just a case of agreeing with Junior's perspective over Teresa's. As a referendum on her as a leader, this is the equivalent of weapons of mass destruction and disaster preparedness. Most of the respondents don't trust her to cut her own steak.
The unifying theme I received is that if Teresa doesn't straighten up, Junior will soon drive for Richard Childress, DEI will crumble like a coffee cake and she will have ripped her late husband's legacy to shreds.
She has only one way out, but fortunately, it involves only two words: "I'm sorry."
Before Junior gets in a car for preseason testing at Daytona, she needs to come out and publicly apologize.
If this continues to simmer, the press will crowd him after his test laps and ask him not about drafting and restrictor plates, but about why he can't get along with his stepmother. How can he focus under those circumstances?
The long-term effects would be even more detrimental to Teresa. If she doesn't nip this in the bud, she will remain the villain. Dale Jr. will continue to pick up on the fact that fans wouldn't blame him for leaving his father's company due to adverse working conditions.
Eventually, that would make it much easier for him to walk away.
So, the fans do have a voice in this soap opera. Hopefully, they won't have to say much more before Teresa gives in.
As much as she seems to want to play Dale Sr.'s tough-as-nails role, this time surrender is her only chance of survival.
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THE VIEW FROM FANVILLE
I've Been Thinking
By Amy Hain/Cup Scene Daily
So Dale Earnhardt, Jr. says …."If you made these races anywhere from 250 to 350 miles [as opposed to 500 or 600], you wouldn't have to captivate the attention span over such a long period of time," and "There's a big chunk in the race that's really pointless to be running. You're just making laps; you're not really accomplishing anything. And you could make the races a little shorter, give the fans a little more of a sprint-type feel, a little more urgency throughout the whole telecast."
And sports writer Greg Engle says… "When a race, particularly a long one, becomes an affair that sees only one or two drivers swapping positions only every 50 laps or so, who could blame someone for wanting to turn a channel?" Well there you go…apparently the races are too long and get boring.
I often peruse through a few fan sites to get a feel for what some of the fans are thinking, and I see it there too…mentions of it being time for a NASCAR nap, or channel surfing starts to run rampant during a race.
So I've pretty much figured out that I must just be the weirdo in the bunch, because a race never gets boring to me…no matter how long, how wreck free or how out of character the laps may seem, I pretty much would be a-ok if they would just keep driving. Mostly because I love racing, but also because I know that every second that goes by out there on the track is another opportunity for something to change…and it does.
But in reality, these guys in the cars are the ones we should listen to…they are the ones that have to go around and around for hours on end, passing the same cars 14 times and wondering if they'll be in the right place at the right time when the last lap approaches.
Watching the fellows get out, or almost fall out of their cars after a 600 mile race is enough to make you want to start a petition to get the race shortened. They are beyond exhausted and for what?
If you listen to the radio scanners, you'll hear the crew chiefs casually mention to the driver… "Stay out on this lap, we'll lead one and get us five points". And the driver willingly does so. The points are the "for what". It's all part of the game…a good one mind you…I'm not knocking the game…just wondering if a race has to be like playing a long game of Monopoly or if it can be just as good if played with the speed of Tic Tac Toe. Seems to me there might be a playing field that would allow both the men throwing the dice and the fellows traveling around the board a chance at a good game.
From the fans point of view, I have to admit, even being the addict that I am, I'd definitely cringe a lot more and think more than twice before I'd shell out the high price for those race tickets if the laps were cut down by half. It's one thing to pay out the nose for a seat that you never sit in for hours on end, but to pay that price and barely get sunburned? Not to mention the catastrophic price for the hotel, etc…etc. If the races were shortened would the prices go down? Somehow I doubt it.
We could banter back and forth about this one, but in the end…when you have drivers commenting on what brings in the money as being something they'd like to see change…you have to know it's something that really bugs them.
Race car drivers don't particularly like change…i.e. their first reactions to the chase, the COT, etc…so for them to publicly say things need to change, somebody might want to listen.
What will happen if we ignore their comments about the long races and lengthy season schedules? Who knows…maybe nothing…this, like other things may just go away…but I bet it won't be gone from the minds of the men that do the racing.
It's just been my experience that when one of the main cogs (in this case the most recent, but certainly not the only one) on the wheel of success is fussing…chances are he's not the only one thinking about it and he for sure won't be the last to bring it up.
Think anyone will listen? I am…does that count? No? Well rats, then your guess is as good as mine.
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"Championships have always driven me to win races. That 3 car pulling into the track would cause people to look around and wonder what we were doing, to see how to beat us."
-Dale Earnhardt
-Dale Earnhardt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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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