Happy Thursday, we're almost there!  

Today In Nascar History

January 8, 1977: Bobby Hamilton Jr. is born on this day in Nashville, Tenn. Hamilton has been most successful in the Nationwide Series, where he has five wins in 244 races. He is winless in 64 Cup races and 30 Truck races. In 2008, Hamilton competed exclusively in the Nationwide Series for the second consecutive year and had two top-10s, including a third at Talladega in April. He finished 15th in the standings.

Number of the Day

We are counting down the days until the 51st running of the 2009 season-opening Daytona 500 on February 15. Each day we are highlighting a number that corresponds to the countdown number:

38: Tony Stewart's margin of victory on Mark Martin in the 2002 Cup standings. It marked the fourth time in Martin's career he finished second in the standings, and it was the second time he was runner-up by fewer than 40 points. In 1990, Martin finished 26 points behind Dale Earnhardt.

38 Days and counting to the Daytona 500

Bits and Pieces

Dodge: smaller budget, less team, high hopes: Although it will have fewer cars on the track and fewer promotional displays in cutting 30 percent of its NASCAR budget, Dodge has not cut back its Sprint Cup research and development for the 2009 season. The automaker hopes that even with fewer cars, it will have better results after a season where it failed to put a car in the Chase For The Sprint Cup. With Chip Ganassi Racing’s merger with Dale Earnhardt Inc. eliminating three Cup teams from where Dodge started in 2008, Dodge has at least one fewer organization to support in 2009. Dodge could end up with only six cars next season if the pending Gillett Evernham Motorsports-Petty Enterprises merger eliminates two more from the manufacturer’s stable, which also included Robby Gordon in 2008. That leaves three cars at Penske Racing [#2,#12,#77] and three or four at the GEM-Petty consolidation [#9,#10?,#19,#43]. “You want to have a portfolio of drivers that can at any given time deliver a top-five or a victory,” said Mike Accavitti, director of the Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep brands. “We feel with the lineup that we have remaining that we can do that. … The seven cars that we have – or eight cars or six cars or whatever it ends up to be – will be sufficient. We can give Dodge customers a good show. We can give NASCAR fans a good show and we can represent the brand well.” Accavitti said that his budget was set and would not get increased by the authorization of the bridge loan for Chrysler. He said it will remain at 30% below 2008, just as it was planned prior to President George W. Bush’s approval of the loan last month. “The entire operation was contingent upon the bridge loans being passed,” he said. “It was a critical element for the viability of our company and we’re very appreciative to have that behind us and be able to move forward."(SceneDaily)

NASCAR drivers on CMT Cribs: MTV Cribs is at it again, but this time its CMT Cribs, indulging in a new array of amazing abodes. We're lounging in more homes of today's hottest celebrities in the country. Packed with the latest in luxury. Get yourself strapped in speed demons because you're about to hit the motorway with a super set of NASCAR homes right here on CMT. Sit tight while we cruise through the homes of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. The episode is scheduled to air Saturday, January 10th at 2:30pm/et. More info at cmt.com.

McCauley to remain #12 crew chief: Penske Racing driver #12-David Stremme confirmed Wednesday that Roy McCauley will remain the team’s crew chief for the upcoming 2009 Sprint Cup season. McCauley has been crew chief of the #12 Penske team since the start of the 2008 season with driver Ryan Newman but wasn’t sure if he wanted to return to the team for this season. Stremme replaces Ryan Newman, who moved to Stewart-Haas Racing. Stremme said the three-car Penske organization has made some internal changes, moving people around between his team, Kurt Busch’s #2 team and Sam Hornish Jr.’s #77 team. Stremme also said Tom German, an engineer from Penske Racing’s IndyCar team, will be part of the NASCAR side of things.(SceneDaily)

Keselowski to run 7 Cup races in 2009: GoDaddy.com extended its partnerships with JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports, which will give the world’s leading registrar of Internet domain names a significant presence in NASCAR’s top two series in 2009. This season, GoDaddy.com will be the primary sponsor for 20 Nationwide Series events with JR Motorsports and seven Sprint Cup Series races with Hendrick Motorsports. The company also will be an associate sponsor of Hendrick’s #5 Sprint Cup Chevys with driver Mark Martin. The pact includes two Nationwide Series races with driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the #5 Chevys of JR Motorsports. Earnhardt is a GoDaddy.com spokesperson. In addition, GoDaddy.com will back the #88 Chevys of JR Motorsports and driver Brad Keselowski in 18 Nationwide Series races. Keselowski, 24, also will attempt a seven-event Sprint Cup schedule in the #25 GoDaddy.com Chevys of Hendrick Motorsports. The Cup effort will be led by veteran crew chief Lance McGrew. Details of the Nationwide and Cup programs, including race dates, will be announced at a later time. GoDaddy.com’s first foray into auto racing came in December 2006 with the Indy Racing League’s Danica Patrick. The company moved into NASCAR last season as a primary sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series (two events), Nationwide Series (six events) and Camping World Truck Series (five events). The extension and expansion of the GoDaddy.com relationship completes the 2009 sponsorship picture for the #88 JR Motorsports Chevys. The company joins Unilever (11 races) and Delphi Corp. (six races) as primary sponsors of championship contender Keselowski in the Nationwide Series.(Hendrick Motorsports PR)

Tommy Baldwin Announces New Sprint Cup Team UPDATE Blaney?: Tommy Baldwin, a five-time Sprint Cup and former Daytona 500 winning crew chief announced the formation of a new Sprint Cup Series race team under the existing Tommy Baldwin Racing banner. The team, located at 604 Performance Road, in Mooresville, NC, is aggressively preparing its Toyota race cars with plans to compete in the 51st running of The Daytona 500 in February. The team plans to compete full-time in the Sprint Cup series. Baldwin is excited about his new program, "With tough economic times upon us, the timing for starting this team is right. Our overhead is low and we have a great group of talented mechanics and specialists to choose from. We can offer sponsors the chance to get into Sprint Cup racing at a fraction of the costs, without compromising on-track performance, due to our low overhead," Baldwin said. Baldwin is no stranger to team ownership as he formed a successful Nationwide program which was responsible for bringing Unilever into the sport. Baldwin, a 12 year Sprint Cup veteran, later sold the team to what is now known as Gillette-Evernham Motorsports.
It was during his ownership of the Nationwide team that Baldwin began a business relationship with Joey Arrington, of Arrington Manufacturing, Inc., located in Martinsville, Va. Baldwin will secure his Sprint Cup engines in 2009 from Arrington Manufacturing who works closely with Toyota. "We are honored to be working with Tommy again, this time on his Cup efforts. He has always been great to work with and we are looking forward to a successful year," said Arrington.
"We will do everything we can to support NASCAR and its fans," Baldwin said. "We are thankful for the opportunity NASCAR offers as we are able to prepare our own car to compete in one of the nation's top sporting events. That's what makes NASCAR so different from the other major sports. It's still attainable to be an owner, if you are willing to put the work in and I'm no stranger to hard work," Baldwin added.(Everest Marketing PR), no driver, car# or sponsor was mentioned in the PR.
UPDATE: hearing that Dave Blaney will be the driver for Baldwin's team.

NO news on the GEM-Petty merger UPDATE: The expected Petty Enterprises-Gillett Evernham Motorsports merger likely won’t be announced Monday, and the Petty Enterprises shop was fairly quiet. There were only about 15 cars parked in the Petty parking lot Monday morning. Sources have indicated that the team has laid off most of its employees. It is expected that the two teams will merge, with Petty’s famed #43 car joining the GEM stable. With the #43 car guaranteed a spot in the first five races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and GEM’s #10 not guaranteed a position [but could move up with 2-3 others teams dropping out due to the Ganassi-DEI merger and BDR sell], the #43 could be driven by Reed Sorenson, who has already signed to drive for GEM. GEM also could face a lawsuit over its driver stable. Elliott Sadler, who reportedly has been dropped in favor of AJ Allmendinger, has filed a notice with North Carolina Superior Court in Statesville, N.C., that claims that GEM breached its contract with Sadler. GEM spokesman Drew Brown said Monday the company has no comment on the legal filing and that no announcements were planned for today [Monday].(SceneDaily) UPDATE: Petty Enterprises cars were in the wind tunnel just a week before the organization’s officials told employees they would be laid off and that the team shop was shutting down, according to crew chief Stewart Cooper. Cooper, who was crew chief for the organization’s #45 Sprint Cup car for much of last season, said he wasn’t bitter with the way things ended at Petty. He said virtually all of the remaining 38 employees were laid off, with only Petty Enterprises Executive Vice President Robbie Loomis and a couple of others remaining. The organization is expected to merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, with an announcement expected as early as this week. “As of [early] last week we were working as if we were going to Daytona. … I really feel like it’s nobody’s fault,” Cooper said Tuesday night. “It’s just the way the dice fell this time. [Those of us laid off] will have to work through it and move on.” Cooper said he didn’t expect himself nor many of the former Petty employees to get hired by the new team, which is expected to work out of the Gillett Evernham shop in Statesville, N.C. “I left [my status] up to Robbie Loomis,” Cooper said. “I didn’t have any major conversations with Robbie about it. I really don’t think they’re going to take too many people up there. They had a full staff anyway [at GEM]."(SceneDaily)

Life In The Turn Lane

David Poole/thatsracin.com

The JR Motorsports team picked up some sponsorship in the Nationwide Series on Wednesday when GoDaddy.com expanded its involvement.

GoDaddy.com will be the primary sponsor on 20 Nationwide Series races for JR Motorsports and seven Sprint Cup races with Hendrick Motorsports. It also will be an associate sponsor on Mark Martin’s No. 5 Sprint Cup Chevrolets.

GoDaddy.com will sponsor Earnhardt Jr. in two Nationwide Series races in the No. 5 Chevrolets. It will be on Brad Keselowski’s No. 88 Chevrolets for 18 Nationwide races and seven Sprint Cup races in the No. 25 Chevrolet. Lance McGrew will be crew chief for that Cup effort.

Keselowski’s Nationwide car now has sponsorship for the full season. Unilever is on the car for 11 races and Delphi Corp is on for six.

* * *

Darrell Waltrip and Dierks Bentley are among the latest additions to the lineup for the Sprint Sound & Speed festival this weekend in Nashville.

The event begins Friday at the Sommet Center with a concert featuring Montgomery Gentry, Rodney Atkins and Julianne Hough. Saturday includes an entire day of autograph sessions, live auctions and show-car and sponsor displays at the Municipal Auditorium in downtown Nashville.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Petty, Michael Waltrip, Ray Evernham and David Stremme will be joined by Waltrip, Ernie Irvan, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Brad Keselowski, Burney Lamar, Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli, Brian Frisselle and Doug Herbert. Bentley is part of the list of country music celebrities now scheduled to attend.

Tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.com or at www.soundandspeed.org. Proceeds go to Victory Junction Gang Camp and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

* * *

Briefly: Darlington and Talladega have announced ticket price reductions for upcoming events. Darlington has lowered prices to $35 for nearly 9,000 seats for the Southern 500 in May. Talladega has cut prices on 20,000 tickets in the Gadsden and Lincoln grandstands to $40 for the AMP Energy 500 on April 26. … General Motors has renewed its sponsorship of Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500 on a year-by-year basis but at a significantly reduced rate, the Detroit News reports. … Scenedaily.com reports that Dover has torn down its inside wall on the frontstretch and replace it with one that includes SAFER barriers. The track will also slightly widen its pit road and add a 43rd stall to it. In the past the 42nd and 43rd cars in the starting lineup had to share a pit stall because there were only 42 spots on pit lane. … Another National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel team announced it was shutting down Wednesday as David Powers Motorsports and Caterpillar announced they had agreed to end Caterpillar’s sponsorship of the team for driver Rod Fuller. Team owner David Powers said he is selling the Top Fuel and show car program assets. “During these difficult times, I need to focus on homebuilding,” Powers said. “During my 26 years in the homebuilding industry, these are the most challenging times I’ve been through.” Fuller finished sixth in the 2008 standings.

Tony Stewart: Person of the year

By Jay Pfeifer

It’s official: Tony Stewart — yes, that Tony Stewart — is the NASCAR Illustrated Person of the Year.

Stay with us.

We’re not saying Stewart is Mother Teresa. He’s no saint — he’ll tell you that himself. His fans know it. His competitors know it. We know it.

But, when he chooses to heed the angel on his shoulder, Stewart has proven that he can be NASCAR’s most powerful force for good.

The numbers don’t lie. And his benefactors don’t care if he’s surly.

The Tony Stewart Foundation has given nearly $4 million since it was founded in 2003. Posting huge growth in giving over the past three years, the TSF is just hitting its stride. In 2006, his foundation gave a total of just over $300,000. A year later, they delivered $972,000 in grants — an increase of nearly 300 percent. In June of this year, Stewart surpassed that number at a single event, presenting the Victory Junction Gang Camp with a $1 million check. The foundation is on track to give an estimated $1.4 million by the end of 2008.

But Stewart is our Person of the Year for more than his sizable donations. Sure, he is one of NASCAR’s leading philanthropists, but he gives in many other ways as well — sharing his energy, his reputation, himself; things more dear than money. 

At the track, Stewart will always be a wild card. Remember, this is the guy who, two weeks after announcing the formation of Stewart-Haas Racing, scuffled with a USAC official on pit road.

But away from the track, fans and competitors would hardly recognize him.

A notorious but sometimes misguided animal lover (he has owned both a pet tiger and monkey, which have since been entrusted to rescue facilities), Stewart was approached by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources last year. Would he be interested in raising a dozen or so baby deer that had been abandoned by their mothers?

“Of course, we said yes immediately,” Stewart says.

Now, for the past two summers, Stewart has looked forward to coming home so he can bottle-feed his wobbly, knock-kneed fawns.

“The hard part is not getting attached to them,” he says. “It’s a big stress reliever for me to go home and see 16 deer in a pen and I’m their surrogate mom. They rely on me for nourishment, safety and security.”

Unfortunately, come autumn, Stewart had to let them go. Well, he didn’t release them — some neighbors who live on his land and help take care of his property set them free.

“The Saturday of the California race, they opened the gates,” he says. “I didn’t want to be there because that’s a heartbreaking day.”
However, since the livin’ is easy on Stewart’s land, many of the deer don’t wander too far.

So Stewart, currently crashing in the basement of a neighbor’s house while his house has some work done, continues to delight in his ersatz menagerie.

“It’s a walk-out basement and we have lights that shine out and at night, you see deer eating and raccoons,” he says. “And then, when you wake up in the morning, they’re back. It’s a pretty peaceful way to wake up.”

Although it’s a relatively minor example of his largesse, Stewart’s attachment to those deer encapsulates how he approaches giving. If he sees someone (or something) in need, he’ll do whatever it takes.

“That’s a feeling you don’t get from winning races,” he says. “How can you not be passionate about it?”

Right now, he’s never been more capable of helping.

A year and a half ago, Stewart and his mother, Pam Boas, who was managing the foundation, hired its first full-time employee, signing Joni Thompson as executive director. Adding Thompson is an encouraging sign of the foundation’s waxing legitimacy. Stewart had a problem every business should have: too much work.

“You know, someday I want 20 people working full-time; I want it to be that big,” Stewart says. “You hope that it gets that way.”
Boas and Thompson now manage the foundation day-to-day without involving the ever-busy Stewart. And that’s how he likes it.

“The hard part is going through the process, making sure every request is legit,” Stewart says. “And just knowing that they’re doing that is so important — whether I talk to them once a month or once every three months.”

Boas and Thompson do more than just handle busy work. They play a vital role as a buffer between Stewart and the organizations soliciting his assistance.

This past summer, Susie Jean, the executive director of Vest ’N PDP, a nonprofit that buys bullet- and stab-proof jackets for police dogs, reached out to the Tony Stewart Foundation for some help.

Her request meshed almost perfectly with one of the foundation’s goals of protecting animals. So, Boas and Thompson presented it to Stewart.

“They know that’s an automatic yes,” he says. “They almost don’t have to call and ask permission for that one.”

With Stewart’s immediate blessing, the foundation gave Jean over $27,000. The money bought 40 vests, outfitting dogs in five states.
But Boas and Thompson were taking a risk by involving Stewart — and not because they were afraid he would say no. Sometimes, Stewart’s enthusiasm gets the best of him.

“Now they’re almost scared because I’m so excited about it,” Stewart says. “That police dogs idea has put a lot of ideas in my head. I’ve been asking a lot of questions about other dogs in other areas.

“You never feel like you’ve done enough. You know you’ve made a difference and helped a lot of people but still, you know more needs to be done. So, I start wondering what do I do about the rest of it. What more can I do?”

Stewart seems to ask that question a lot, not always waiting for the foundation to provide an answer. That’s why it’s so difficult to assign a value to Stewart’s eclectic charitable activities.

This summer, as his hometown of Columbus, Ind., slipped beneath once-in-a-century floodwaters, Stewart simply transferred his share of the winnings from a fifth-place finish at Michigan — a little more than $35,000 — to the American Red Cross.

Even when Stewart’s not giving money, he’s raising it. By lending his time, his likeness or his equipment, Stewart uses his notoriety to attract donors, often giving other foundations and charitable organizations a lift. Even if it still puzzles him that people line up to see him.

“I’m amazed when I go to a Home Depot store and find out that the people that are first in line showed up at 9:00 the night before and have been there for 15-16 hours by the time I get there. I wouldn’t have stood in line,” Stewart says. “I don’t know anybody that I’d stand in line for. There’s no one that I feel that strongly about. But that’s when you get a sense of what you mean to people.”

No matter how abashed he may be, no one can argue that Stewart can draw a crowd.

In August, he hosted the “Smoke Show” at Texas Motor Speedway. Twenty-nine patrons so wanted to spend time with “Smoke” that they paid between $6,000 and $8,250 each to spend the day racing with their favorite driver.

Simply by showing up, Stewart raised $217,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter — a single-day record for the organization.

But of course, that’s an easy day for Stewart. His crowning fund-raising achievement, The Prelude to the Dream, takes a little more work.

Stewart managed to lure more than a dozen of racing’s biggest stars to western Ohio for a Tuesday night race during the dog days of the NASCAR season.

He also persuaded the Fox NASCAR TV crew to cover the race, treating it just like a Sunday Cup race.

Then, for the cherry on the top, HBO broadcasts the race on pay-per-view, securing a nationwide audience and a nice, fat revenue stream.

In the process, Stewart has created a de facto all-star race that has raised over $1.5 million in just two years (and not coincidentally, introduced late model dirt track racing and Stewart’s Eldora Speedway to NASCAR’s fan base).

“I really give Tony a lot of credit for growing the event the way he has and growing it year to year,” Jimmie Johnson said, after the 2008 Prelude. “The fact it’s live on television is amazing. The event really gives back to the dirt community, on top of all the amazing things it does for the Victory Junction Gang Camp.”

This kind of initiative is what distinguishes Stewart. Most drivers are content to put on a golf tournament and call it a day. Why go to all the trouble?

“First, I’m terrible at golf. It’s not me,” Stewart says. “Bringing NASCAR drivers to the dirt track and having fans in Ohio see them drive cars they’re not familiar with on a surface they’re not familiar with is incredible. That’s something that we’ve been able to do that’s raised more money than we ever would have with a golf tournament.”

Well, that’s half the answer. Stewart won this year’s race at Eldora, but even if he’d finished last, he would have been happy just to present that big check.

“To make these donations and know that you’re going to make a difference,” Stewart says. “You can’t buy that feeling. You can tell what kind of difference you’re going to make by their reaction.”

He got quite a reaction from his seven-figure donation.

“Kyle Petty kissed me at Eldora,” Stewart says. “I have never seen Kyle kiss a guy in my life. But he did, and that showed just how appreciative he was of what we accomplished that night. That’s the payoff for me. That’s the first sense that you get for how people will feel.”

That million-dollar check was Stewart’s idea — the race may not actually generate a million dollars. Pay-per-view revenue takes months to hit the books, so six months later, the foundation still isn’t sure just how much will come in.

But neither Petty nor the camp has anything to worry about. Stewart wanted to give a million bucks and he’ll make sure it happens. He’ll personally cover any shortfall, if necessary.

Now, looking ahead to 2009, Stewart is already knee-deep in making Stewart-Haas Racing a worthy namesake. With his hands more than full at his cavernous Kannapolis, N.C., shop, he will have to leave even more of his giving to the staff at the foundation.

In mid-September, Stewart was already logging full days there, trying to keep his head above water (the normally free-wheeling driver was even carrying a binder, trying to capture all the to-dos and thoughts that crossed his mind).

He’s hoping to ingrain his way of giving into the new team’s character — and it sounds like sponsors want to help.

“It’s been discussed but I don’t know what we have decided. A potential sponsor asked about the foundation,” he says. “It won’t be mandatory but a majority of our sponsors will become involved and support it.”

Despite all the questions that await him in 2009, Stewart will, at least, be able to count on one thing:

He’ll be doing good off the track even if he isn’t running good on it.

Top-30 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers

Jamie McMurray, 16^th

Jared Turner/scenedaily.com

Despite failing to win a race as he did in 2007, Jamie McMurray showed marked improvement over the course of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. He got off to a terrible start but finished the year on a tear.

Despite the late run, McMurray, 32, was one of only two Roush Fenway Racing drivers not to qualify for NASCAR’s Chase For The Sprint Cup (David Ragan was the other) and finished lower than his four Roush Fenway teammates in the standings.

A nice $206,850 payday in the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway helped McMurray collect $4.7 million in purses for the season.
 
During the offseason, SceneDaily is taking a look at the top 30 in 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup driver points. Here’s how McMurray’s season unfolded:

By the numbers: McMurray’s 2008 statistics included four top-fives, 11 top-10s and a 16th-place points finish. He eclipsed his 2007 results in each category and collected his best points finish since 2005 at Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray recorded just two DNFs – both in the first half of the season.
 
Season highlights: McMurray saved his best for the last part of the 2008 season, notching five finishes of seventh or better in his last six starts. McMurray recorded eight of his 11 top-10s in the second half of the season and all of his top-fives after the season’s midway point. The Joplin, Mo., native finished the campaign with three consecutive third-place outings. McMurray posted a solid sixth-place finish in one of the season’s biggest races, the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
Key setbacks: McMurray started off the season with five finishes of 22nd or worse, falling all the way to 36th in the series standings. His only top-10 in the first 12 races was an eighth at Martinsville in March. McMurray’s average starting and finishing position for the year were an identical 20.1.

Newsworthy moment: McMurray made news when it was revealed that crew chief Larry Carter would leave the team and be replaced next season by Donnie Wingo, who will reunite with McMurray after three seasons together at Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray also made news when he proposed to longtime girlfriend Christy Futrell late in the season.
 
In his words: “We ended our season on such a high note that I can’t wait to get back to Daytona. We have a few changes we are going to make to the No. 26 team during the offseason, but I totally expect that we will be able to start the 2009 season just as strong as we finished 2008.”

Sporting News’ 60 Most Beautiful People

No. 38, DeLana Harvick

Rebecca Rudolph/scenedaily.com

In 60 years of NASCAR racing, the sport has been filled with colorful characters. This year, Sporting News decided to craft a list of the sport's 60 Most Beautiful People.

The selections were made as a result of nominations sent in by readers and NASCAR fans to the Sporting News' publications and Web sites.

The list was finalized and published in a special edition, which is now available on newsstands and at the online store at streetandsmiths.com. SceneDaily is running the list, with one person from the top 60 to be featured each day.

Today's installment features No. 38, DeLana Harvick.

What if DeLana Harvick, wife and business partner of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick, never set foot on a race track?

She says she would be a high school English teacher. But that was never her likely career path. She seemed destined to make an impression on racing.

DeLana's NASCAR involvement began at birth, or just before it.

"My mother went into labor while my dad was racing at a local short track in North Carolina," Harvick remembers. "He sent her on to the hospital and raced in the feature, which he won, and made it to the hospital just in time. Three weeks later, I was at a race track, and have been all my life."

When Harvick, standing radiantly in her firesuit, says "racing 24/7," she means it.

"We aren't at the track, we are usually at our race shop, Kevin Harvick Inc.," she says. "We don't do vacations or have hobbies."

Driver Review

Tony Raines

Kim DeHaven · Frontstretch.com

2008 Rides: No. 70 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet (10 Races)
No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet (1 Race)
No. 08 E & M Motorsports Dodge (2 DNQs)

2008 Primary Sponsors: Haas Automation, Hunt Brothers Pizza, iQ Drive (No. 70)
doorstopnation.com (No. 34)
No Sponsor (No. 08)

2008 Owners: Gene Haas (No. 70), Bob Jenkins (No. 34), John Carter (No. 08)

2008 Crew Chiefs: Dave Skog (No. 70), Scott Eggleston (No. 34), Mark Tutor (No. 08)

Stats: 11 Races, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 0 Top 10s, 10 DNQs, 47th in points.
Best Finish: 17th (Bristol – August).

High Point: After starting the Sharpie 500 in the 20th position, Raines kept the No. 70 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet clean despite the beating and banging that Bristol is known for to bring home a 17th place finish — his best of the season and the second best run of the year for the Haas CNC team he drove for.

Low Point: A Top 10 starting spot in the AMP Energy 500 left the No. 70 iQ Drive Chevrolet team hopeful for a good finish, but it was not to be. In typical Talladega fashion, the “Big One” took them out of contention, leaving Raines to limp the car around the track for 50 laps to bring home a 34th place finish.

Summary: Released from his full-time ride at Hall of Fame Racing after 2007, Raines spent much of 2008 as a Sprint Cup fill-in — and one can only describe his season as dismal. Racking up ten —count ‘em, 10 — DNQs with three different teams is not what we expect from a driver of Raines’ caliber. Known for doing a lot with a little, Raines only managed three finishes inside the Top 25 and had three DNFs in the 11 races he did make.

2009 Outlook: With no ride prospects on the horizon, Raines has not ruled out a return to the Nationwide or Camping World Truck Series. He has stayed active in the offseason consulting for ARCA driver J.R. Fitzpatrick and TRG Motorsports.

Quote Of The Year: “I’m open for anything, but I will say I’ve stayed on [the Cup] side of the garage looking more than I have on the other side. We’ll just see. You know, it’s a small community. When there’s an opportunity, they tend to know who’s available as drivers. It’s funny — they’re good at finding you when they need you.” Tony Raines on his driving future

2006 Frontstretch.com Grade: C.
2007 Grade: D-.
2008 Grade: D.

Driver Review

David Reutimann

Phil Allaway · Frontstretch.com

2008 Ride(s): No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota (first five events)
No. 44 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota (final 31 events)

2008 Primary Sponsor(s): Aaron’s (No. 00), UPS (No. 44)

2008 Owner(s): Michael Waltrip / Johnny Harris / Robert Kauffman (both cars)

2008 Crew Chief: Ryan Pemberton (both cars)

Stats: 36 Races, 0 Wins, 0 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 1 Pole, 22nd in points.
Best Finish: Ninth – twice (Fontana and Richmond – Sept.)
Average Finish: 23.3.

High Point: For Reutimann, the best race of his season was the hurricane-delayed Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway in September. The sophomore driver got up front via pit strategy, but held his own and remained in the lead while holding off a challenge by Tony Stewart. The No. 44 eventually faded to a ninth place finish late, but Reutimann led a race (and career) high 104 laps before coming up short.

This was just part of a hot streak that the UPS team got on during the second half of the season, as the Richmond run completed Reutimann’s first ever set of back-to-back Top 10s. Just one week earlier, he’d finished ninth during the Labor Day Weekend race at Fontana, shipping out the best ever finish for the UPS Toyota in two years under the MWR banner.

Low Point: As well as the season ended for Reutimann, the first couple of weeks replacing Dale Jarrett in the No. 44 went horribly for the sophomore driver. A relatively solid run at Martinsville was ruined by a broken rear end late in the race, dropping him to a 39th place finish in his first race representing UPS. That result ruined the relatively steady first five races of the season that Jarrett drove and dropped the No. 44 out of the Top 35, forcing Reutimann to qualify on speed at Texas. In that race, Reutimann blew an engine and finished 41st, dropping his car even further to a season-low 38th in the owner points standings — 38 points out of 35th. Luckily, a strong 18th place in the Subway Fresh Fit 500K at Phoenix moved the No. 44 back into a “locked in” qualifying spot — and that’s where he would stay for the rest of the season.

Summary: David Reutimann knew coming into 2008 that he was going to have to adjust to higher expectations after Bristol in March, as he would be replacing veteran Jarrett behind the wheel of the big-money sponsor UPS Toyota. At least Michael Waltrip Racing made the transition easier on the sophomore driver by allowing crew chief Ryan Pemberton and Co. to make the move to the No. 44 with Reutimann — but to start the season, they’d all be working on the No. 00.

Just qualifying for the first five races of the season in that car was an improvement over 2007 for Reutimann, where he failed to qualify for two of the first five races, crashed out of two more, and finished 40th in the other. These early season runs did their job and set that car up well, giving rookie Michael McDowell a buffer to keep the No. 00 in the Top 35 well into the season.

After recovering from the immediate bad luck streak following a move to the No. 44 at Martinsville, Reutimann came into his own as a solid midfield runner that could take advantage of the errors of others to put him higher up in the running order. This resulted in a slow rise in points throughout the season, peaking at 22nd during the last couple of weeks in the year.

Team Ranking: First among the MWR teams and drivers.

Off-Track News: There were rumors in July that Reutimann would leave MWR for Petty Enterprises’ No. 45 as a replacement for Kyle Petty in 2009. Reutimann coolly disputed the talk, saying, “I feel like I’ll be back [at MWR]. I’m just trying to keep from getting my head kicked in every week.” Considering Petty’s imminent merger, it’s good neither party kicked each other to the curb.

2009 Outlook: For 2009, the pairing of David Reutimann and Ryan Pemberton has been broken up, as Pemberton left the team right after the season ended to go work for Team Red Bull. Rodney Childers, former crew chief for the No. 19 GEM Dodge and recently deposed driver Elliott Sadler, will take over the crew chief duties as of Daytona in February.

In addition, UPS left the team at the end of the season to become the new primary sponsor of the No. 6 Ford driven by David Ragan. As a result, Michael Waltrip Racing does not have full sponsorship for the car, now re-numbered No. 00, for the 2009 Cup campaign. Aaron’s has signed on to sponsor the team for 18 races (half of the season), but beyond that, the future is murky for the 38-year-old Reutimann. Some other sponsors have been rumored for the team, including Dow Chemicals and Champion Mortgage (which was on the No. 00 (now No. 47) last season), but nothing official has been signed. That means Reutimann will likely need to tear up the circuit in the first part of the year in order to get his name out there for potential sponsors.

Chemistry between Reutimann, Childers, and spotters will be crucial for the team to be successful enough to gain additional backing. Under these circumstances, the pressure is on during the driver’s third full season on the circuit. If Reutimann can continue his form from the end of last year, it will greatly help his cause to stay in the car long-term. However, if there’s any sort of serious regression, it could be a very long season — or less than a full one for Reutimann.

Prediction: The ban on testing for 2009 means that squads will likely start this season similarly to how they finished 2008. As a result, it is likely that the team will hold station in the 20-25 range for at least the beginning of the year; however, it remains unclear how sponsorship issues will work out. If the economy improves towards midseason, that could be the key more than any other in its search for sponsors to keep Reutimann in the car.

2006 Frontstretch.com Grade: N/A.
2007 Grade: B-.
2008 Grade: B.

Remembering Dale – The “Other Side” of Dale

JimMcCoy/bumpdrafts.com

There’s really an evolution in Dale Earnhardt’s development of the “Intimidator” persona. In the early days, he charged hard on the track for survival. “It pays more to win” is what he once told a reporter after the “Pass In The Grass” at the ‘87 Winston. In Earnhardt’s way of thinking, not winning meant not paying the bills and taking care of his obligations.

In later years, as he experienced success, there’s little question The Intimidator learned the value of psychological warfare. Darrell Waltrip got inside opponents heads by running his mouth and making them mad. Dale Earnhardt employed mind games by scaring the other guys half to death. There was a part of him messing with you, there was also a track record he had for backing it up- as evidenced by his slew of rivalries.

Keeping this in mind- the man really didn’t seem to have a mean-spirited bone in his body. Even some of the rough hewn racers fiercest rivals were also his closest friends. Not only do Rusty Wallace and Waltrip consider “Ol’ Ironhead” a friend, we also learn from Tom Gillispie’s book Angel In Black that Earnhardt also entertained Kenny Schrader’s family and he was a more than willing mentor to up and coming drivers like Steve Park and Jeff Gordon. Earnhardt confessed that keeping consistent friends inside NASCAR was difficult given the nature of the competition. Friendships often had to take a back seat, and yet somehow, he had a way of letting a driver know if he liked or respected him.

In the movie Dale, Steve Byrnes may have said it best: Dale Earnhardt had two personalities, and one of them was an 8-year-old. Byrnes recounts spooking camera men and being a bit gruff with reporters just to see how they’d react. From his recollection and other accounts, you get the sense that Dale knew he had the media over a barrel, and let’s just say he could play that in his favor. In reality, if the “Man In Black” trusted you, you had a friend for life. You got the feeling he knew you had a job to do, just as long as you understand he had one too.

The 7-time champion was a softy when it came to kids. ESPN announcer Jerry Punch recalls that Earnhardt wanted to stay out of the public eye while recovering from neck surgery- prior to the 2000 season. A terminally ill child had as his one wish to meet the NASCAR legend. Arrangements were made to bring the boy to him to make the dream come true. Then there’s the story of the “lucky penny” given to Earnhardt before he won the 1998 Daytona 500 from an 8-year-old girl in a wheelchair. His schedule was full, but if somehow his appearance would benefit children, he was sure to be there.

On the subject of children, there was not a more proud father. The arrival of his youngest daughter Taylor came at a later point in his life when he was a little more settled and he was able to get the good start with her he could not with his older kids from his first two marriages. There was no doubt that Taylor was “Daddy’s baby.” At the other end of the spectrum- Earnhardt’s bond with his oldest son Kerry really didn’t take root until the 3rd generation Earnhardt racer was in his teens. It would seem that whatever Dale didn’t offer early in life, he worked hard to somehow make up for later in life.

Dale’s middle children- Dale Jr. and Kelley- came from his second marriage. As he achieved NASCAR success- the two came to live with their dad. Living inside the world of NASCAR, interviews reveal an understanding by Junior and Kelley of the demands on their father’s time. Though it was in somewhat short supply, all sides made the most of every moment. In interviews shortly before his death, Earnhardt spoke with pride and satisfaction of all four of his children.

I remember well comments made by a former boss of mine whose first husband coached aspiring young figure skaters who dreamt of Olympic gold. She said what struck her was how these young athletes were so driven and given to the pursuit of excellence in their sports, that they knew little else- including other outside activities and relationships.

No doubt- Dale Earnhardt’s single-minded drive to just make it to NASCAR cost him his first two marriages. Little is known about the circumstances, but anyone who’s had to put long hours in on a demanding job knows how this can potentially ruin a relationship.

A part of the magic, the glue that held Earnhardt’s 19-year marriage to Teresa together was Dale’s inclusion of Teresa in his world. The daughter of racer Hal Houston, the 3rd wife of the NASCAR legend understood the demands of the sport on his time. The fact she that she, in a sense became a business partner, gave them more time together. She may not have had a clue about tuning an engine, but she was relied upon by her husband to dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s”. A great deal of Earnhardt’s money came from merchandising, and Teresa handled that end of things quite well. Fans may have strong opinions about how Dale Jr’s situation got handled and you know, folks are entitled to their opinion. Still, the truth cannot be argued that Dale Earnhardt had a great fondness for his wife, and she for him. He considered himself a lucky man and who am I to argue. 

We may not be talking any real racing here, but I think to get the complete picture of one of NASCAR’s greatest, one needs to examine this side of the man. For me, this reshaped my view of a man, whose on-track methods I did not always agree with.

Knowing what I know now, I better understand what drove some of his thought processes, and I have grown to respect and appreciate the fondness his biggest fans had for him. Dale Earnhardt may have been rough around the edges, but behind the rawhide exterior beat a heart of gold.

Time and space don’t permit me to get into all the stories of Earnhardt’s love and generosity. I’d just encourage race fans to take the time as I have to learn who the real Dale Earnhardt was.

It will open your eyes. It did mine.

NASCAR ON TV THIS WEEK