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Countdown to Daytona

Quote's of the Week

"Please beat me to death if I ever own a Nextel Cup team. But I might consider a truck deal."
-- Mark Martin

``I won't predict a three-peat. I never thought we'd get our first championship.''
-- Team owner Jack Roush, on predicting a three-peat after Kenseth (2003) and Busch (2004) won titles for Roush Racing.

"Sometimes the grass looks greener on the other side. But when you get over there, it's harder to chew."
Eddie Wood speaking on why the Wood Brothers have never switched from Fords

I want Brendan's job. Wait – I've already got it."
-Steve Park when asked what he thought the ideal job in Las Vegas would be. Park is driving for the Truck Series team Brendan Gaughan was with before Gaughan
went to Nextel Cup last season

Barrett gets a sponsor for Daytona Cup and Busch races:  First Trust Portfolios, L.P., a Chicagoland firm specializing in Asset Management, Financial Advisory and Defined Portfolio supervision, will be primary sponsor for Stanton Barrett's #92 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series car in the season-opening Daytona 500. Master Spas will serve as associate sponsor. The car is fielded by Front Row Motorsports, owned by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins. For Barrett's NASCAR Busch Series car, the #36 Chevrolet fielded by DCT Motorsports, will have primary sponsorship divided between Master Spas and First Trust Portfolios.(Williams Company PR)

Checkers® Rally's® Extends Motor Sports Relationship - Double Drive-Thru Chain Renews Indy 500®, Brickyard 400® Sponsorships: Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHKR), the nation's largest double drive-thru chain, today announced that it has extended its category-exclusive sponsorship of the Indianapolis 500® and NASCAR's® Brickyard 400® with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) through the 2009 race season. ...Through its IMS sponsorship over the past two years, Checkers®/Rally's® has offered consumers Brickyard 400 branded combo meals, collectible cups and exciting national sweepstakes. The Company integrated the sponsorship into motorsports-themed training and incentive programs for its employees and franchisees. Checkers/Rally's also leveraged its IMS relationship to raise more than $100,000 for Cure Autism Now. In addition, the Company hosted its 2004 Annual Convention in Indianapolis during Brickyard 400 week, offering more than 500 of Checkers/Rally's franchisees, employees and vendor partners a week of convention and racing excitement.

PRN Staffers Sweep 1st Honors during NMPA Awards Banquet: Members of the Performance Racing Network [PRN] broadcast team swept first-place honors in the three radio categories during the recent National Motorsports Press Association awards banquet.
Kent Bernhardt, production coordinator for the radio network, earned first-place in the Long Feature category for a story chronicling the life of veteran NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Morgan Shepherd. Bernhardt also earned third-place in the Spot News category and was named co-winner of the prestigious Barney Hall Award, presented annually by the NMPA to the top award winner in the radio category.
Mark Garrow, host of PRN's daily racing news show "Garage Pass" and co-anchor of the network's race broadcasts, took home the first-place trophy in the Spot News category for his reporting of the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash. This was the 30th NMPA award Garrow has earned during his distinguished broadcasting career.
Veteran PRN announcer Steve Richards completed the sweep, earning first-place in the Spot Feature category for a report focusing on the triumph and tragedy of Jimmie Johnson's 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season.
"These awards exemplify the dedication to excellence to which the entire PRN staff subscribes," said Doug Rice, vice president and general manager of PRN. "I'm extremely proud of their accomplishments." PRN broadcasts 10 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races, eight NASCAR Busch Series events and produces "Fast Talk with Benny Parsons," "The Pit Reporters," "PRN's Sunday Drive" and "zMAX Racing Country." The network's first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race broadcast of the year will be the March 13 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.(LMS PR)

Some testing notes from Las Vegas:   Racecars testing at Las Vegas are not equipped with timing transponders, however it's clear to many which cars are the quickest. Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch are the top cars according to garage insiders. During Tuesday's lunch break Kahne said, "Las Vegas is a good track to test at because it changes and you need to figure out what your car does. We're way different than the 19 (Mayfield) and the 48 (Johnson) is probably the dominate car here that I've seen so far...maybe the 19 is up there...but...the 48 is defiantly better that we are. My car feels good...I tested this package at Atlanta and it was a really loose package but here it feels real good...we'll see how it feels at California the next two days."(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)

Elliott to run three Busch races? for Rusty? and Gaughan?  been told that Bill Elliott will race three Busch Series races for Rusty Wallace Inc., including Nashville Superspeedway, Pikes Peak and Milwaukee.(1-28-2005)
AND Rusty Wallace said on Tuesday that he has some unresolved slots on his Busch Series roster this year, and he hopes Brendan Gaughan can fill the gaps. Gaughan was Wallace's teammate at Penske Racing last year. Wallace, who fielded Busch cars under the Rusty Wallace Inc. banner in 2004, says he is trying to add Gaughan to a long list of drivers of the #64, including Jamie McMurray, Jeremy Mayfield and himself. "I've got some races I've got to get filled in yet and I plan on calling Brendan and ask him to do it. I've got that much confidence in him," Wallace said.(NASCAR.com)

Las Vegas Testing - Day 2 - no speeds: Kurt and Kyle Busch have won races all over the United States, but the Las Vegas natives have one major void in their trophy case - a trophy from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. While the two have won many times at the speedway's Bullring, the big prize would be a win in the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. "We raced here last year together in our first Cup start ever for Kyle in Vegas," said Kurt Busch, the reigning Nextel Cup Series champion. "It was reminiscent of what we used to do at the Bullring for so many years. It's a good time. I know that this time around we can be more competitive. I know that Kyle is going to have more experience under his belt and there is a chance for us to run side by side for position. That's something that we're always looking forward to and we know that there are 41 other competitors out there so we can't get too wrapped up in it but yet it is fun because it's Vegas." Kurt and Kyle were among 43 NASCAR Nextel Cup teams and eight NASCAR Busch Series teams who participated in Tuesday's Preseason Thunder Las Vegas.
"Yeah it's definitely going to be great," said Kyle, who will compete for rookie of the year honors in the Kellogg's Chevrolet. "I mean obviously coming out here to race in Las Vegas again; I mean we've grown up here. Just over there at the Bullring but now to race on the big speedway. It's only my fourth start on a big track so it's going to be a lot of fun. Just trying to basically get the feel for the cars for myself and gain the experience that I need to in order to get the comfort level up to run up front. If there is just a slight chance that I can keep up with the 97 car, then that would be great." Kurt has had moderate success at LVMS recording just one top-10 finish in four Nextel Cup starts. Kyle completed only 11 laps in last year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, but had strong runs in the Sam's Town 300 Busch race as well as a Craftsman Truck Series event in 2001. Despite the comforts of home that Las Vegas brings, there is pressure to perform for the hometown fans as well. "I have noticed we've been out here every year testing," Kurt said. "Every year we come out to Vegas to kick off right after Daytona. It's a great place to come and test, to get things back into motion and that always gets me pumped up for Vegas. It is a race that I put a bit more emphasis on. This is an equivalent race to me such as the Daytona 500 or the Brickyard 400. I rank it in my top five races that I want to win throughout my career. But this is large. What our dad helped us do in our early stages of our careers, to understand race cars from the ground up whether it was setting them up or knowing how to buy specific parts. It's just the management that our dad taught us about race cars and the fun that we're going to be able to have."
The Nextel Cup teams completed their two-day test Tuesday, while 20 Busch Series teams are expected to arrive for Wednesday and Thursday. The only incidents in Tuesday's test was a spin late in the session by #17-Matt Kenseth, a blown engine in the morning session by #07-Dave Blaney and slight contact with the wall by Busch Series driver #38-Tyler Walker.(LVMS.com)(2-2-2005)
AND John Andretti brought about an early end to Monday's test session when he spun and hit the wall in Turn 3 with approximately 10 minutes remaining. Andretti, who is driving the #14 Ford for ppc Racing, was not injured in the incident. NASCAR did not bring its timing equipment to Las Vegas, so no official times or speeds were available Monday.(Las Vegas Sun)

Richmond goes for Hall of Fame:  The Richmond area has entered the race to become the site of a NASCAR Hall of Fame that could generate an unprecedented amount of fan foot traffic for an athletic shrine. Joining Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Daytona Beach, Fla.; and Kansas City, Kan., in the bidding, the Henrico County Economic Development Authority is spearheading a proposal to be submitted by May 31. The organization will have support from the state, the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Merchants Association of Greater Richmond, Greater Richmond Partnership and Richmond International Raceway, which will hold a news conference this afternoon to discuss the project. NASCAR, which announced intentions last month to start its first sanctioned Hall of Fame, could choose a location by the end of the year. RIR President Doug Fritz has offered his track as a location for the Hall. Fritz said the Richmond area would qualify as a prime contender because of its location -- within 500 miles of 50 percent of the U.S. population -- and stock-car history. RIR has been playing host to NASCAR's premier circuit at the Fairgrounds since 1953, making it the second-oldest stop on the Nextel Cup Series.(Richmond Times-Dispatch)

So far, Gordon, Johnson pleased with new tire
Hendrick duo hope quicker-wearing tire will lead to better racing
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM


LAS VEGAS -- Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are welcoming a new Goodyear tire compound that they hope leads to increased wear in 2005.

In recent years, the tire that Goodyear has brought to the track has been extremely durable, leading to many gas-and-go stops late in the race.
 
In 2001, Elliott Sadler won at Bristol after running the final third of a 500-lap race on one set of tires. In 2003, Ryan Newman ran 106 laps on the final set to win at Dover.

Goodyear's new tire this year is designed for increased wear, which will put even more emphasis on pit crews.

"You're going to have to be on you're A-game to communicate and get the car right," said Johnson, who tested the new tire at Atlanta earlier this month. "Every track is at least three or four years old now, and I see tire wear being more of an issue."

Gordon doesn't have the early head start that Johnson does with the new tire, but he liked how it drove on Monday during Day 1 of testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"The grip level seems to be pretty good," said Gordon. "I am interested to see how much it is going to drop off when we make a lot of laps."

Gordon, as a four-time champion, is a master of tire management, and he wants to new tire to help him return to his dominant days of the late 1990s.

"I think it will make for better racing and it allows our team to perform better as well," Gordon said. "That is where we are at our best -- when we have to get the car handling well."

Johnson says the new, shorter spoiler will also play a role in tire wear, as the cars are expected to shift more in the corner and lean on the tire.

"You have that movement, and its just peeling rubber off the tire," Johnson said. "It is going to make handling more of a premium."

A set of four Goodyears costs around $1,600 for teams, so the new compound will cost the teams more money.

"It's not the fix for tire budgets, but it brings better racing," Johnson said. "More side-by-side racing."

Notebook: Kurt Busch hoping to repair image
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM


LAS VEGAS -- A lot of great drivers ruffled feathers during their first few years at NASCAR's top level, and Kurt Busch was no exception.

Busch regrets his run-ins with Jimmy Spencer, which seemingly generated as much press as his Nextel Cup title did.

Busch, still only 26 years old, says he hopes he can change his image the way Darrell Waltrip did in the 1980s.

Waltrip was famous for his boasts when he entered the sport, which led to a lot of fan antagonism, but Waltrip later went on to win a pair of Most Popular Driver awards.

Busch says he is trying to follow the same path.

"It takes time for things to change and for people's perceptions to widen," Busch said. "I am definitely an easy-going guy that is well-misunderstood.

"It's almost like a fresh start but it will take time for things to change."
 
Busch joked that he will try to not to repeat past mistakes.

"I used to go and pick on the roughest guy in each of the series," Busch said. "I probably don't need to do that."

Fennig: Two more years

A trio of over-40 drivers have set their retirement dates, and one top crew chief said on Tuesday that he is looking to do the same.

Jimmy Fennig, 51, says that he is looking to retire as a crew chief after 2006. The longtime Roush employee has enjoyed a brilliant career, including a Daytona 500 win in 1988 and the title with Kurt Busch in 2004.

"Probably a couple more years and that will be it for me," Fennig said.

Fennig, 51, cited the exhausting 36-race schedule -- plus testing and non-official events -- as the reason for wanting to slow down.

"I would like to be home once in awhile," Fennig said. "Being away from home all these years, you got to sit back and say, 'Time to cut back.'"

Fennig says winning the Nextel Cup championship is playing no part in his plans, but Busch says one thing is missing from Fennig's accomplishments -- a Brickyard 400 win.

"This year and next year might be Jimmy's last couple of years," Busch said. "He now has a championship. He's looking for the Brickyard 400 this year."

Rusty looking at Gaughan for a few races
 
Rusty Wallace said on Tuesday that he has some unresolved slots on his Busch Series roster this year, and he hopes Brendan Gaughan can fill the gaps.

Gaughan was Wallace's teammate at Penske Racing last year.

Wallace, who fielded Busch cars under the Rusty Wallace Inc. banner in 2004, says he is trying to add Gaughan to a long list of drivers of the No. 64, including Jamie McMurray, Jeremy Mayfield and himself.

"I've got some races I've got to get filled in yet and I plan on calling Brendan and ask him to do it. I've got that much confidence in him," Wallace said.

Preview: Tony Stewart
More wins, better consistency Stewart's goals
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
 

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- By Tony Stewart standards, it was a quiet off-season.

He didn't get married like Jimmie Johnson. He didn't make the media rounds as champion like Kurt Busch. He didn't announce his retirement Like Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin.

He bought his very own dirt track (Eldora Speedway) last year, but that is about the only thing different for 2005.

Tony Stewart enters 2005 as a 33-year-old, which is pretty much middle-aged in this young-gun driven world. He's been with Greg Zipadelli for every one of his seven seasons at NASCAR's top level, and Stewart says he hopes Zipadelli will be his crew chief for a long time.

"I have no problem retiring with him as my crew chief," Stewart said. "I will say that until the day I die."

But in 2005, his other surroundings at Joe Gibbs Racing have changed dramatically.

The team will have three cars for the first time in its 13-year history. Their once-roomy facility is now crowded due to the addition of a third car for Jason Leffler, but the team should rebound from a lackluster 2004.

"I'm satisfied with what we're doing with the addition of the third team," said Stewart. "Hopefully we'll get the results we're looking for. Then again, we're going to have to have some luck on our side."

Stewart should also benefit from the new rules changes, especially the spoiler reduction, which will loosen up the cars. Stewart didn't test at Daytona -- he's never been fond of restrictor-plate racing anyway.

Instead, he spent time testing at Texas to get a handle on the new Goodyear tire, and at Kentucky to get started on the new spoiler.

Stewart should also be one of the drivers who will get a lot of benefit out of cars being impounded after qualifying.

"That was a really good idea," Stewart said.

Zipadelli has been sick during much of the off-season but has still been at work every day overseeing the new changes, so Stewart's team is certainly among the most prepared for the season.

"We have got to get him healthy again," Stewart said.

Stewart's consistency wasn't bad in 2004, but Stewart could never reel of more than three top-10s in a row. The result was a fine sixth-place season, but his two wins were a career low.

"I'm looking forward to being a little more consistent," said Stewart.

A lot of the problems stemmed from a lack of momentum entered the Chase for the Nextel Cup. In the very first event, Stewart crashed at Loudon after Robby Gordon got into Greg Biffle.

Stewart stays he hopes to just hang around with the leaders this year and then get hot once the Chase rolls around.

"My thought on the points system is that it's the same for everybody, so I don't have a problem with it," Stewart said. "We know we have to be consistent and stay in the top-five."

Rusty finds letting go easier said than done
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM


LAS VEGAS -- In the midst of what he thought was a pretty successful test session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Rusty Wallace said that if he had it to do over, he would have delayed his decision to retire from Nextel Cup racing.

"Looking back right now, maybe I would have gone another year before I did it." Wallace said.
 
Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR champion, said when he announced his "Last Call" tour in August, he wasn't aware that Mark Martin would announce that 2005 would be his last season or that Terry Labonte would scale his 2005 Cup schedule to 10 races.

"I did it because I wanted to be the only guy doing it and I wanted to do a really good tour, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm sticking with my decision right now. I did tell people I'm not going to race anything."

But, Wallace said nothing is forever.

"I kinda opened the door back up where if I wanted to run a couple of races I could," Wallace said. "I don't plan on it, but I do plan on running the 2006 24 Hours of Daytona. I've never done that before, and I want to do that before I'm all said and done and be able to say I've done that one.

"I know I'm doing that one. Anything after that, I don't know."

The 2005 season appears to be starting well for Wallace. He was all smiles Tuesday after a day and a half of running the new spoiler modifications and new tire compound mandated by NASCAR for the coming season.

"I've got to tell you right off the truck we ran really good. We made some changes and looked at both cars and they're both fast. I left about half an hour early yesterday.

"The car was flying. I went out there and felt very confident. I didn't see anybody run any quicker than us. I went out there this morning and made a couple of changes, and it really flew this morning."

While Wallace was someone who lobbied for the changes, he's not ready to take credit just yet.
 
"We've got to get in the race and see what happens," Wallace said. "I remember last year in the first five races everyone was screaming about how hard the tires were and the competition wasn't good.

"The whole goal right now is when you put four tires on, the tires start to wear and the cars start sliding around and the only way you can do that is to soften up these tires a little bit."

Still, Wallace contends that no matter what happens this season, he won't be returning full time to the Nextel Cup Series.

"I don't like running 36 races. I hate running 36 races," Wallace said. "I don't like being away from home that much. I don't like just constantly doing that, and I've got a lot of cool things going on right now.

"My car dealerships in East Tennessee, my son Stephen coming up racing. I've got involvement in Team Penske. Right now, I feel like I've got my life in order."

Wallace also says it may be time for sponsor Miller Brewing Company to someone who fits the company demographic.

"I didn't get any pressure from the Miller Brewing Company," Wallace said. "But I kept getting all these vibes from the distributors. 'We want a guy that wants to hang out with us until 2 o'clock in the morning and drink some beer.'

"I'm not that guy. At 11 o'clock I'm dead asleep right now."

Wallace said he could run some test laps for Penske next season, or maybe helping his son with his budding career. Whatever the case, it seems he isn't closing the door on much.

"I told myself, 'self, get halfway through the year and see where you're at and see if you're still comfortable with your decision.'"

Well, that's all for today.  Until the next time, I remain,
YourMomma
"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

"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt 

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Sandra Monacelli
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