Happy Tuesday.

Today In Nascar History

April 28, 1967

Bobby Allison wins his 1st career dirt track race at Savannah Georgia Speedway.  He took home a purse of $1,000.00

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Did You Know

By winning the Southern 500 with a fourteen lap lead, Ned Jarrett holds the record for greatest margin of victory in one race.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Poll

Should DEI remove Steve Park from the #1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo?
 
http://de3fan4.tripod.com/

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Comments from the Peanut Gallery

from Melinda
OH BOY, HERE WE GO AGAIN.

I gotta say it.

California Speedway has its priorities in place for THEM, but not for California.

With our state's $38B deficit, I don't see how the raceway's request for state funds to light up California Speedway for night racing can be justified.

Virtually every very election, the Pol's ask us to vote more bonds (read property tax increases) for education, etc. --and we DO. Then, this year, Governor Gray announced even before the next inaugural, that he is cutting education, but not eliminating the bonds we approved.   Hellooooo???

My solution, I think is win-win.

Why doesn't the city of Long Beach, and NASCAR get together and just add a road course race during the week of (or the week before or after) the Long Beach Grand Prix?  The blocks already or still are up, the stands are up and, the street lights are already in place. LBGP draws in excess of 200,000 fans on raceday; so can NASCAR!!!

Not that far from Fontana.

Just me--

Melinda

from Bob
Busch, who would win his second NASCAR Winston Cup race of 2003 at the California Speedway 500 mile race in Fontana the next afternoon, started and finished ninth in his Midget debut. He was the second quickest driver on the track for much of the race according to AMB electronic scoring. Busch, in seventh place on lap 16, spun to a halt in the third-turn infield when his arm restraints became entangled. He restarted the self-starting Beast/FF and came from the back of the field to pass cars inside and outside to finish ninth.
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An attaboy to Doug Stokes and his promotional acumen. For first time in an open cockpit, Busch acquitted himself proud.

from RD
Love your news letter in spite of the fact I disagree with EVERYTHING you say and stand for:) Like in the Johnny Cash tune Hurt, when I read your opinions I know I still can feel. Boiling blood is better then no blood:) Bogity shmugity.
Rd

Hey RD, I put this in without any comments from me yesterday.  Did you think you were gonna get away with it?  WRONG…..You disagree cuz you know I’m right and you are wrong!  You ferd lubbin jerk!!!!LOL.

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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Bits and Piece

BUSCH MOVES UP WITH WIN
Kurt Busch has moved into fourth place in the Winston Cup championship after driving Roush Racing's No. 97 Ford to victory in Sunday's Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. With his second victory of the year and the sixth of his 88-race career, Busch moved ahead of Jimmie Johnson and is now 168 points behind his first-place teammate, Matt Kenseth. Kenseth has 1,473 points after 10 races to lead Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1,421) and Jeff Gordon (1,321). Roush Racing owner Jack Roush says that it's too early in the season to talk about a championship, even though he has two of the top four drivers in the standings. He says the two will be free to race each other all season: "Matt will race hard, and Kurt will race hard, and there are no rules, except it’s understood that they should not unnecessarily take one another out. Racing for the win is fair game. Whatever happens, happens."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ RACE RATINGS TRAIL '02
Fox is going to need a boost from small markets if its ratings for Sunday's broadcast of the Auto Club 500 Winston Cup race at California Speedway are going to match last year's figures.  Today's Sports Business Daily says Nielsen Media Research's overnight figures from the nation's largest markets show the race drew a 4.9 rating and an 11 share. While the ratings trail only Sunday's NBA playoff game between the Lakers and Timberwolves (5.3/12) among weekend telecasts of sporting events, they fall well short of the 5.9/13 that Fox drew in 2002 for the California race. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ MCDONALD'S STUDIES NASCAR TITLE DEAL
Executives of the McDonald's restaurant chain say they are in talks with NASCAR about replacing Winston as title sponsor of the Winston Cup Series, but some weekend reports cast doubts on the possibility. "Are we interested? Sure. If it makes sense for us, we'll absolutely look at it," McDonald's sports marketing director, John Lewicki, told Bloomberg News, which says the Winston sponsorship is worth $40 million to $60 million a year. In the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal, Mike Mulhern writes that it is "highly unlikely [McDonald's] could persuade its 3,000 or so franchises to ante up the $80 million or more" that NASCAR and TV partners Fox, NBC and Turner would want. The Indianapolis Star, meanwhile, reports that Coca-Cola, Visa, Anheuser-Busch and Gillette have also shown interest in the title rights. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ANDRETTI'S STRONG RUN PAYS OFF FOR KIDS
John Andretti drove Petty Enterprises' No. 43 Dodge to an eighth-place finish in Sunday's Auto Club 500 at California Speedway that will pay off big for Southern California literacy programs. Because he completed all 250 laps on his way to his first top-10 finish of the year, his primary sponsor, Cheerios, will join with First Book to present 10,750 new books to area children. The breakfast cereal maker had pledged to donate 43 books for every lap he completed. The books will be distributed through Boys and Girls Club of Fontana, Sivaland Head Start and The Agape House, also both in Fontana, and LA’s BEST, an after-school program serving children in the city of Los Angeles. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ BUSCH TEAM REPLACES CREW CHIEF
Brewco Motorsports has announced that crew chief Terry Shirley will become team manager and named Sandy Jones to replace him on the No. 27 Pontiac driven by rookie Chase Montgomery. "This is something we've been looking at for a while," Brewco President Todd Wilkerson said. "As the sport has progressed, there has been an increasing need for an experienced team manager, especially when running a multicar operation." Jones, who has nine Busch Series victories to his credit, including five with current Winston Cup driver Elliott Sadler, has most recently run the Dodge test program in the Craftsman Truck Series. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Roush Lets It Slip That Biffle and Busch Don't Like Each Other Very Much: Car owner Jack Roush let it slip Sunday that his drivers Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle are not the best of friends. Said Roush: "When push comes to shove, I don't think they like one another very much." Roush has another potential problem -- two potential Winston Cup championship contenders in Matt Kenseth and Busch, both top five in points. "Matt will race hard and Kurt will race hard and there are no rules, except it's understood that they should not unnecessarily take one another out," Roush said. "Racing for the win is fair game. Whatever happens happens." - Daytona Beach News-Journal ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 6 will do RIR Busch-Cup double: Six drivers have entered both races this weekend at Richmond International Raceway, about the number that entered last spring's Busch Series Hardee's 250 and Winston Cup Pontiac 400. They are Kevin Harvick, Tony Raines, Hermie Sadler, Joe Nemechek, Todd Bodine and Michael Waltrip. The entry list for Friday night's Busch race also includes these notables: Morgan Shepherd, Jason Rudd (Ricky's nephew and a former Langley/Southampton star), Mike Wallace, Martin Truex Jr. (in his first ride for Dale Earnhardt Inc.) and Richmond-area native Kevin Grubb, plus Jay, Tim and Johnny Sauter. As usual, the list includes some drivers familiar only to hard-core fans: David Stremme, Justin Ashburn, Regan Smith, Joey Clanton, Chris Bingham, Jason Schuler, Caleb Holman, Troy Cline and Kenny Hendrick. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ NFL Draft Coverage Leaves NASCAR In The Dust: The next time you're tempted to think racing is bigger than pro football, consider this: Last weekend's NFL draft garnered more national radio, TV and print media attention than any five races combined. - The Daily Press ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Dale Jr, Rolling Stone Magazine and the Icons of America: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is among a distinguished list of guest commentators in a special edition of Rolling Stone Magazine available now. The May 15, 2003 issue of Rolling Stone marks the 35th anniversary of the magazine, and includes a series of essays about a variety of American icons. Dale Jr. offers his personal insights about why the Corvette is a true American classic. He joins a list of special commentaries by Jay Leno, Cameron Crowe, Bob Costas and a host of other experts on topics as diverse as the American Flag, Elvis Presley, the Fender Stratocaster and uh... Homer Simpson. - Budweiser Racing PR ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Richmond Int'l Raceway Notes Of Interest: This season marks the 50th anniversary of Richmond International Raceway hosting NASCAR Winston Cup Series events. Fans can vote on the best race in track history by visiting www.rir.com. The best race, as voted on by the fans, will be announced during pre-race ceremonies. Fans will not want to miss the special ceremony to honor some of the past greats who helped shape the history of the track. Scheduled to be on hand are Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Ned Jarrett, Junior Johnson, Buddy Baker, Dave Marcis, Junie Donlavey, Bill Dennis, Sonny Hutchins and former track owner Paul Sawyer. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Stewart Looking To Match Richard Petty In Spring Race Wins At RIR: Since the track was reconfigured to its present ¾ mile layout in 1988, no driver has successfully defended his title more than once. Tony Stewart has won back-to-back Pontiac Excitement 400 races and can become only the second driver in track history next to Richard Petty to win three straight spring races. Petty reeled off seven straight wins at the track from the fall of 1970 to the fall of 1973, including three consecutive spring wins and four straight fall wins. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ RIR President Doug Fritz To Present Rusty Wallace With Commemorative Plaque For 600th Straight Cup Start: Rusty Wallace, who has the most wins (six) since the track was reconfigured, will make his 600th straight NASCAR Winston Cup Series start in the Pontiac Excitement 400. Richmond International Raceway president Doug Fritz will present Wallace with a commemorative plaque during pre-race ceremonies. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Andretti family feud?: When Andretti/Green Racing announced that NASCAR Winston Cup driver Robby Gordon was its choice to replace injured Dario Franchitti, it was disappointing news to John Andretti. Andretti, who left open-wheel racing in 1994, was hoping to be behind the wheel of the No.27 Dallara/Honda on May 25th when the green flag dropped to start the 87th Indianapolis 500. The Petty Enterprises driver has seven previous "500" starts at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a best finish of seventh in 1991. John Andretti, who is the son of Aldo Andretti (Mario's twin brother) and cousin of team owner/driver Michael Andretti, thought he had the inside track. "I don't really have much to say," a clearly frustrated John Andretti said. ...Though Gordon has had better results at Indy, the decision may have been business related. Andretti/Green Racing's sponsor Motorola supplies cell phones for Gordon's primary Winston Cup sponsor Cingular. "I'm sure that's what Michael would tell you if you talked to him," said John Andretti. - The Sports Network ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Brewco Motorsports Challenges Teams to Support Cancer Research: Brewco Motorsports will show their support of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine during the Charter Pipeline 250 at Gateway International Raceway on May 10th. Brewco has agreed to donate $1.00 per mile completed to the Siteman Cancer Center. In addition to the donation, the No. 27 TrimSpa Pontiac will carry the decals of the St. Louis based research center. The Siteman Cancer Center houses all outpatient cancer services, including physicians practice areas, an infusion center, radiation therapy, clinical research, clinical trials, and the Health and Cancer Information Center. Multi-specialty oncology teams follow all patients from evaluation to treatment to long-term care and monitoring. The Siteman Cancer Center brings scientists, teachers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals together to treat not only the disease, but to care for the entire patient and their families. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
John Andretti earned Petty Enterprises' first top-10 of the year. Credit: Autostock

Andretti takes step forward with top-10
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive

FONTANA, Calif. -- Seldom has an eighth-place finish loomed as large for a NASCAR Winston Cup competitor as John Andretti's did Sunday at California Speedway.

But after his first top-10 in 30 races and only his second in two seasons, Andretti said he was happy to move ahead, even if only by inches.

In the process, he moved up two spots in the points, to 32nd.

"Racing hasn't been a lot of fun for awhile, but this was a lot of fun," the driver of the No. 43 Dodge said. "Even though I was eighth, it feels better than an eighth-place finish.

"It's more than just this year -- it's been a lot longer than that (since his last top-10) and I'm just ecstatic. Everybody just raced us clean today and that helped a lot.

"I had a crew chief last year that said baby steps was what it was going to take to get ahead and I believe that's what it's going to take."

Andretti had raced in the top 10 for 214 of the race's first 240 laps, but had fallen out of the top 10 with less than 10 laps to go. Then, with little over a lap to go, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin crashed on the frontstretch.

Andretti hustled from 11th to eighth. In nine previous starts this year he had only three finishes in the top 20, with a best of 14th.

"My spotter did a real good job telling me where the crashed cars were at the end and I didn't lift," Andretti said. "It was real disappointing (just before that) because we had run in the top 10 all day and now we were going to finish out of the top 10 (and) that would have been a bad result.

"We just took back what was rightfully ours."

Petty Enterprises' brain trust agreed. Kyle Petty was caught up in an accident and finished 28th in his No. 45 Dodge, but he was upbeat after the race.

"The 43 had a great day," Petty said. "As much as they've struggled all year long, Gary and those guys did a really good job and John drove a great race. He kept the car out of trouble and that's what you had to do here today.

"He passed people and he run up front and he run competitively all day so it was good for the Cheerios Dodge. We (45 team) just haven't hit our stride yet. We've struggled all year long -- we're just dropping the ball, here."

Richard Petty was also pleased with Andretti's strong run Sunday.

"All year long they've been beating and a bashing and he got by on the beating and bashing today," Richard Petty said as he left the garage area. "We had a pretty good deal. He run in the first eight or 10 all day long and basically wound up about where he was running.

"It was nothing we were doing different, we just had a better day than we've been doing."

Though elated with the day's outcome, Andretti realized that Sunday's performance was just one step in the right direction.

“One decent race is not going to get us back to the front," Andretti said. "But it's certainly a step in the right direction, which we haven't seen in a long time.

"When things are going well you can't explain it and when things are going bad, you can't explain it, either."

By completing all 250 laps Sunday, Andretti facilitated 10,750 new books being donated by First Book and Cheerios to children in the greater Los Angeles area.

Through the Cheerios "Spoonfuls of Stories" program, 43 books were donated for every lap Andretti completed Sunday to children participating in the Boys and Girls Club of Fontana, Sivaland Head Start and The Agape House, also in Fontana; and in LA's BEST, an after-school program serving children in the city of Los Angeles.

"Obviously, our goal was to win the race and run as well as we could but we're happy that our race team and Petty Enterprises could play a role in this great program," Andretti said. "We know these books will go to great use, and will hopefully encourage the enjoyment of reading for a lot of children."

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Credit: Autostock

Park determined in face of scrutiny, speculation
By Ryan Smithson, Turner Sports Interactive

FONTANA, Calif. -- He took on the track. After he won the Bud Pole, he took on the media.

Steve Park fired back at his critics on Friday, vowing that he is about "to win races" and that the media will "look like a fool when it's all said and done."

Park, 27th in Winston Cup standings but arguably first when it comes to rumors, has been the subject of endless job security speculation for nearly a year.

Park is in his sixth season driving the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet, but his contract -- and the contract of his sponsor -- is up at the end of the season. Naturally, that has fueled speculation that his job is on the line.

"Pieces of paper are just that," said Ty Norris, Executive Vice President of DEI. "If we give him what he needs, and he puts in the dedication he puts into this race team, despite all the things that have been said, written or shown up on websites, that is all that matters."

The rumors have gotten so thick that Park and Norris met earlier this month to discuss the situation.

Norris told Park not to dwell on anything he read -- just drive the car.

"We are not going to concern ourselves with it," Norris told Park.

Park blistered California Speedway on Friday -- winning the Bud Pole despite qualifying in the late stages, when the sun peeked out onto the two-mile surface.

Park says Friday's Bud Pole is just the beginning. The rumors may not stop, but Park says he won't pay attention to them.

Actually, he'll do just the opposite.

“When I am in Victory Lane, winning races, everyone that has had a bad thing to say about this race team is going to bite their tongue," Park said.

"I am going to put it in their face, and show it to them that not only were they wrong, but -- I mean -- if they expect Steve Park to be polite to them, and honor their wishes now that things are going good, that is not going to happen."

Park, severely injured in a Busch accident at Darlington in 2001, has gotten off to a slow start this season, in which both his teammates -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip -- have won.

DEI restructured Park's team after the 2002 season, adding Tony Gibson as crew chief and bringing in a slew of new crew members.

Park says it will pay off -- and soon.

"No matter what people say, our main goal is to win races. (The media's) confidence has wavered. My confidence hasn't wavered. Our team hasn't wavered.

"Nothing hurts me. I have been through a lot in the last year and a half, and nothing hurts me. I am telling to you right now: I am fixing to win races."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Well, that's all for today.  Until the next time, I remain,

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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