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Did You Know
The most races Dale Earnhardt won in a single season was 11, which happened in 1987. He won his third o of seven championships that year.
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Should WC Drivers in the top 10 in points be allowed to race in the
Busch Series?
http://de3fan4.tripod.com/
from today jokes
Someone Slap Me!!!!!! Wake Me Up.....I didn't see Dale Jr. or
Tony Stewart Picture At The Top Of Today’s Issue....What Happened....
Today's Jokes
Guess I’ll have to remedy that…..read on!
from ms_shari
He actually meant "CHokes
EVery Year"........
from Jeff24
RE: Tom B's Comment
Did you know that in NASCAR Ford stands for:
Found On
Racetrack Dead,
Form Of
Rebuilt Dodge or spelled
backwards: Driver Returned
On Foot. Now Chevy stands
for: CHampions EVery
Year.
Jeff24 Darby, Pa Loyal Chevy Fan!
LOL….good one Jeff
from arrallen
To mama and Jeff24
Having owned several Fords in my life time I can tell you for a fact
that FORD stands for Fix Or Rebuild Daily.
from Bob S
Feedback for Jeff Alan's excellent comments:
• John Andretti is helping promote safe, teenage driving. He says “An automobile can be looked at as a weapon if it's not used right.” Good stuff, John.
Back in his full time Indy driver days, a non-racing radio announcer accompanied me to Nazareth, and while there asked me to introduce him to a top level driver for a safety promo. I approached John, and edited versions of his gracious off-the-cuff hints to young drivers ran on WTOP in DC for years after.
• If anyone knows of four, large corporations with millions of extra advertising dollars to spend, please give them the phone number of Jack Roush.
Not sure why you want four, but someone is missing a bet in not getting their name on Carl Edwards' truck real quick. The kid is instant quick, and remarkably savvy. It's an embarrassment to see such an appealing up and comer stand in Victory Circle with no one to thank. Could it be that Speed TV has too paltry a viewership to make it appealing to sponsors?
As an aside, note how successful Roush has been with home grown Kurt Busch, Kenseth and Biffle, and how mediocre his results were with very competent but journeyman drivers like LePage, Benson, Little and others?
• My only reservation is that Jack Roush once suggested that NASCAR run the V-6 engine in Winston-Cup as a solution. The way I see it, we'd save an awful lot of money, and equipment, if they would just take those restrictor plates and melt them down.
I don't understand why folks are so opposed to V6s. Unrestricted throttle response would improve racing, spread out fields, and align racing with the real world. Maybe not as macho, but there was the same gripe when folks went from horse racing at county fairs to gas buggies. Really!
What I'm not ready for is 3500' of iron testing fragile chain link fencing. A car in the stands would really put NASCAR on the front pages. Non restricted V8s would mean 220 mph racing, and some real abuses of the laws of physics.
• Do you know that, in Europe, a Baby Formula-1 team that runs two cars has one car sponsored by a tobacco company, and the other car by a smoking cessation product?
I'm not sure what you are referring to as a "Baby Formula 1" team, but I believe Williams/BMW has a smoke ending minor sponsor, but no tobacco money in their paint jobs. Formula 1 prohibits different paint jobs or split sponsorships. BAR tried to paint their cars differently for different products, and then tried to do half the car for one brand, and half for the other, but was refused. Stupid, as it is near impossible to tell team cars apart as a result.
• H.B. Bailey died yesterday.
Good bye Herring Burl. I hope you and your family knows that there is a special place in our collective hearts for you, D.K.Ulrich, J.D.McDuffie, Dave Marcis and those hundreds of independents who did and still try to soldier on. Your triumphs are fewer, lesser in stature, but no less sweet. Striving is the bedrock of our sport, and you have the appreciation of all real fans.
Cheers, Bob
from Melinda
To Buddy about the cat fight..My next response was "Darrell Waltrip,
who is alive and well, and funny as hell, was the one who said 190 is fast
enough. And your guy is still dead" But that didn't make it
into the cat fight.
Darrell may still be alive, and I like the guy, but he's not even in the same league as Dale Earnhardt, let alone be compared to him.
JIMMIE JOHNSON TO BE HONORED
California Speedway says Jimmie Johnson will be enshrined in the track's
Walk of Fame at 10 a.m. next Friday in a ceremony that will be open to
the public. The honor comes one year after Johnson, a native of El Cajon,
Calif., scored his first Winston Cup victory in just his 13th career start
as he drove Hendrick Motorsports' No. 48 Chevrolet to the win at the track.
Johnson, now 27, went on to finish fifth in the Winston Cup championship,
and he will go into next weekend's Auto Club 500 at the Fontana track in
fourth place in this year's standings.
Kentucky Speedway says rain Thursday washed out a second day of testing for 10 Winston Cup teams, according to a report on JayskiThatsRacin.com. Drivers who had been scheduled to test included Ricky Craven, Jimmy Spencer, Mike Skinner, Kyle Petty, Johnny Benson and Bill Elliott. The track says Craven and Spencer are scheduled to return for a Winston Cup autograph session before the track's May 9-10 ARCA Re/Max Series event, along with Larry Foyt, Sterling Marlin, Jeremy Mayfield and Jamie McMurray.
Veteran sports-car and open-wheel competitor Max Papis tested Evernham Motorsports' No. 91 research and development Dodge this week at Kentucky Speedway, according to his Web site. "It was a very good experience being in a Winston Cup car; it is different than anything I have driven in the past," said Papis, who became the first Italian ever to drive a Winston Cup car, according to a RacingOne account. Papis' Web site says he did about 82 laps with a best time of 31.1 seconds around the 1.5-mile track, about .5 second off the 30.6 posted by Evernham's Bill Elliott in the team's No. 9 Dodge.
Some North Carolina lawmakers want the state to offer official stock car license plates complete with car numbers, logos and signatures of drivers, according to today's Charlotte Observer. The story says Rep. Wayne Goodwin, who has proposed the tags in past years, now has nearly every Charlotte area lawmaker behind the proposal. A NASCAR plate would represent the first time a for-profit company would make money off the sales. According to the story, at least five other states offer the tags. Lawmakers backing the proposal are recommending charging $30 for the plates on top of regular license fees, matching the highest of any N.C. plate.
Also... No Model Switch For Ford?: Despite published reports, Ford will not switch models for Winston Cup competition in 2004. That's the sensible decision, given that Ford will unveil a new Taurus for the showroom at the end of this season. Ford engineers already have tested a new Taurus in the wind tunnel. Ford will submit that model to NASCAR for approval this summer. - Tne Sporting News
Also...Yokohama Named Official Tire Of Infineon Raceway: Almost a year after selling the 10-year naming rights to German semi-conductor manufacturer Infineon for $35 million, Sears Point has made Yokohama the official tire, replacing Goodyear, in a multiyear deal. A track executive said Goodyear had been more defensive in its financial support, while Yokohama plans to be more aggressive and become a more proactive partner with the track in "some community projects." The Japanese tire manufacturer produces about 75 percent of the tires it sells in the U.S. at a plant in Virginia. – The Oakland Tribune
Domino's Pizza announced a cross promotional deal with NASCAR during Speedweeks 2003 at Daytona International Speedway, when Michael Waltrip was introduced as a product spokesman for the company.
A Domino's television spot that recently began airing called into question
Waltrip's family makeup, as it featured a mock-up of his Dale Earnhardt
Incorporated NAPA Chevrolet pit crew
"servicing" the family after Mikey brought home some Domino's pizza.
Waltrip carried the boxes into the house and the crew set the table and served pizza and Coca-Cola to the driver, wife Buffy and daughters Caitlin, 13, and Margaret, 5.
But the ad's punch line came when Caitlin verbally nudged her father to alert him that the crew had failed to air jack her "little brother" up to table level.
Just who was that kid?
"He was as cute as a button, that little fellow," Waltrip said by way of clarification. "But he doesn't belong to us."
Waltrip said the travel and hubbub surrounding his career as a Busch Series team owner/driver, a Winston Cup driver, television personality and a product spokesman can make a man jaded. Still, the experience of doing the commercial with his whole family was an eye-opener for him.
"You haven't lived until you make a trip like that, out to California with two little girls for the first time," Waltrip said. "We get kind of used to what we have to do, but I was amazed at their excitement and knowledge.
"And kids identify with pizza anyways, so I don't think there's a better partner for us."
Commentary by LARRY WOODY
Staff Writer
Three years ago when Nashville driver Casey Atwood was the hottest young racing prospect in NASCAR, he had two mind-boggling opportunities.
Rick Hendrick, who fields the cars Jeff Gordon has driven to four Winston
Cup championships,
wanted Atwood to drive for him.
Ray Evernham, Gordon's former crew chief who left Hendrick to form his own team, also wanted Atwood. Atwood, frankly, was not sure he was ready for such a giant step into either Winston Cup team, but Evernham was especially persistent.
Evernham promised Atwood that he if signed with him he would be under no pressure to perform. Evernham pointed out that his was a new team, while Hendrick's was an established, high-profile operation that would cast Atwood in an immediate spotlight.
Partly because of that, Atwood agreed to sign with Evernham instead of Hendrick. The decision would come back to haunt him.
After two seasons Evernham last year cut Atwood loose and now he is floundering. He has no ride and no immediate prospects.
''I'm still looking, but right now there's just nothing available,'' Atwood said last week during a visit to Nashville Superspeedway. ''I won't give up. I'm confident that eventually I'll be back in racing.''
While Evernham abandoned Atwood after less than two full seasons, Hendrick continues to show his flair for finding and developing young talent.
He was the first to spot the potential in Gordon, who has grown into arguably the best driver in NASCAR. Hendrick also signed Jimmie Johnson, who had a sensational rookie season last year. Hendrick put Brian Vickers in a Busch car and the 19-year-old driver has been turning heads ever since.
Hendrick's latest find is Kyle Busch, a 17-year-old driver who won last
Friday's ARCA race at the Superspeedway. Busch is the kid brother of Kurt
Busch, the young Winston Cup sensation.
How good is Kyle?
''I don't know that I've seen anybody with more talent, including Jeff Gordon, at this stage of his life,'' Hendrick said. ''I could swear he's 26 and not 17.''
Busch credited the tremendous backing of Hendrick Motorsports for his rapid development and promising future. Vickers said the same thing: ''There's not a better organization in racing than this one.''
What if Atwood has opted to race for Hendrick instead of Evernham? How different would things have turned out? Could Hendrick have done for Atwood what he has done for other young drivers such as Gordon, Johnson, Vickers and Busch?
Had Atwood signed with Hendrick would he be better off today?
One thing's for certain: he couldn't be any worse.
Angry young man?: Speaking of Kurt Busch, the headstrong racer who has had a knack for getting under the skin of fellow drivers may be settling down.
That's NASCAR's point of view, but a lot of his drivers don't seem to be on board despite Busch's hot start this season.
Said Kevin Harvick, who called Busch ''Rubberhead'' after they were involved in a pair of incidents at Daytona:
''He's doing well, and you can't argue with that. But as far as getting along with people … you can't [tick] them all off. At some point it's going to come back and haunt you. It's going to be hard to walk out of your motor home and into the garage and not be able to talk to anybody. I think that's kind of where he's at right now.''
Said Jimmy Spencer, who had beefs with Busch twice last season: ''The drivers I talk to [say] he's cocky, he doesn't respect them. He's got a lot of things he needs to address himself personally. … You can win races and contend for the championship and not have that attitude he has.''
By the Numbers: First Quarter 2003
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR Winston Cup racing is all about statistics, and numerology.
In the first quarter of the 36-race season plenty of facts and figures
have come to the fore.
0 -- The number of top-10 finishes by Dale Jarrett in his last seven races.
.52 -- The number of unfinished miles this season by Winston Cup point leader Matt Kenseth, tops in the series.
1 -- The number of top-10 finishes this season by Ricky Rudd, the only driver in the top-20 in the standings with a single top-10 finish.
3 -- The number of victories in the last 13 Winston Cup events at Martinsville by Jeff Gordon, Winston Cup's most recent winner, in the Virginia 500.
4 -- The number of consecutive races in which John Andretti has used a provisional starting position.
4 -- The number of charged provisionals used in the first nine races by the No. 4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports team. This means driver Mike Skinner has only one provisional available until after the team attempts to qualify for the 16th race of the season, at Infineon Raceway.
7 -- The number of consecutive top-10
finishes by Winston Cup point leader Matt Kenseth in
the season's first nine races. Kenseth broke the string with a 22nd place
finish at Martinsville.
7 -- The number of races in the first quarter of the season led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, tops in the series.
8 -- Dale Jarrett's streak of consecutive top-10 finishes that was snapped when he finished 20th at Martinsville.
8 -- The number of races teams must attempt to qualify for, before getting an additional provisional starting spot. Each team starts the season with four provisionals.
9 -- The number of different winners in the first nine Winston Cup races this season, including Michael Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Ricky Craven, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
22 -- The number of times Dale Earnhardt Jr. has led races in the first quarter of the season, best in the series.
26 -- The position in the Winston
Cup standings for Johnny Benson, the only driver in the
top-30 in the standings that has not posted a top-10 finish in 2003.
33 -- The number of consecutive races in which Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been running at the finish, the longest active streak.
34.44 -- The average starting position in the first nine races of the season by Tony Raines, the highest average start of any driver that has competed in every race this season.
42 -- The number of races in which sophomore driver Jimmie Johnson has remained in the top-10 in the Winston Cup standings, the longest such streak among active drivers. Johnson moved into the top-10 after the fourth race of his rookie 2002 season, at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
51 -- Matt Kenseth's lead in the Winston Cup standings over Dale Earnhardt Jr., the closest the margin has been in the last five races.
71 -- The number of races since
Rusty Wallace last won, or since Wallace won on April 29,
2001. Ironically, that was at California Speedway, the next stop on the
Winston Cup Series.
139 -- The number of points Jeff Gordon -- Winston Cup's most recent winner -- is out of first place in the Winston Cup standings.
604 -- The number of laps led by Jeff Gordon of the 2,909 raced so far in 2003, or 21 percent, the most of all drivers.
605.74 -- The number of miles led this season by Dale Earnhardt Jr., tops in the series.
100,000 -- The value of the NASCAR Winston Cup Leader bonus at California Speedway. It is available to the driver that wins the Auto Club 500 if he is also the Winston Cup point leader after the race.
JUNIOR HIGH
Serious approach giving Earnhardt upward mobility
BY NATE RYAN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Fresh off another championship-caliber performance in what is becoming a breakthrough season, NASCAR's reigning rock star wasn't in the mood to party.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. conducted a subdued postrace interview after his runner-up finish at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago, prompting questions of why the often carefree and hip star seemed so nonchalant after staging a stirring, side-by-side slamfest with Jeff Gordon.
"Am I giving you the Mark Martin?" Earnhardt joked, referring to the Winston Cup Series' most well-known pessimist.
But the mood suddenly turned serious again when the son of a seven-time titlist was asked what he needed to smile.
"The championship," he answered plainly.
Strictly business since the preseason about his goal to claim NASCAR's top prize, Earnhardt appears ready to mount a charge at assuming command of the points race. With a quarter of the grueling 36-race schedule completed, Earnhardt has moved to second in the standings, his loftiest perch through four full seasons in Winston Cup. He trails leader Matt Kenseth by 51 points with the circuit headed to California Speedway after the Easter break.
Despite a disappointing points finish of 11th in 2002, Earnhardt already ranks as the sport's most popular driver. He draws legions of adoring fans and lucrative endorsement deals.
He now could augment his seemingly limitless marketability with stock car racing's biggest crown.
"Last year, we fell a little bit and got stale," said crew chief Tony Eury, who revamped the pit crew on the No. 8 Chevrolet. "We regrouped over the winter with some new people and a new attitude toward racing. The championship is our main goal, and we'll be on it till we get it."
Mindful he was ranked fifth in the points heading into last year's race at California Speedway, Earnhardt has tempered his optimism. A wreck last season at Fontana, Calif., left Earnhardt with a concussion and triggered a three-month tailspin.
"This is a long season and a lot can happen," he said. "We were in this same situation last year."
But even Earnhardt admits the circumstances have changed. The 28-year-old
is more focused
on maintaining a positive approach and a big-picture outlook.
"I'm real dedicated to trying to gain points this year," Earnhardt said. "Last year, we just kind of raced one week after the other. We've got to keep trying to keep working hard. We can't get really lackadaisical or too confident."
His Dale Earnhardt Inc. team hasn't revealed many shortcomings through nine races. Always well regarded for possessing a special prowess at the restrictor-plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, the DEI cars of Earnhardt and Michael Waltrip are measuring up on ovals of any length in 2003.
The team's restrictor-plate dominance hasn't faded, as evidenced by Earnhardt's win at Talladega and near-sweep of Speedweeks. But Earnhardt also has notched top-fives on Talladega's 2.66-mile superspeedway, the 1.5-mile ovals of Texas, Atlanta and Las Vegas and the 0.526-mile layout at Martinsville.
Sunday's Virginia 500 at Martinsville proved another prime example of Earnhardt's versatility. He led a race-high 195 laps and was poised for his first short-track victory since Richmond in May 2000 until a Lap 444 collision with Ricky Craven knocked him out of the top five.
In a rally for third place, Earnhardt's effort took Gordon, the race winner, by surprise. The four-time champion has traded the lead with Earnhardt five times in the past two races.
"This year, they seem to really have their act together," Gordon said. "They're definitely running good at a lot of different tracks. In the past they've had some weaknesses, but I think the team has matured. I think 'Junior' has matured."
The heir apparent to a NASCAR legend certainly concedes his demeanor has changed.
"There is a lot of drive and determination amongst all of us," Earnhardt said. "You don't want to be accused of not ever wanting it enough.
"I don't know why this year is different, but it's time to buckle down."
Contact Nate Ryan at (804) 649-6851 or nryan@...
Your
Momma
"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 won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
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