Von Hall <von@...> wrote:From: "Von Hall" <von@...>
To: <nextelcup@...>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 06:28:55 -0500
Subject: Stockcarfans.com (Nextel Cup) Newsletter - Tuesday May 10, 2005

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StockCarFans.com (Nextel Cup) Newsletter - Tuesday May 10, 2005

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Still a lot of news so lets get going.

Have a great Tuesday!

--Von

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Courtesy of http://www.racinnews.com/tv.htm

Tuesday, May 10, 2005
1:00AM NASCAR Nation SPEED
2:00AM Inside Nextel Cup SPEED
7:30AM Inside Nextel Cup SPEED
9:00AM NASCAR Nation SPEED
2:00PM Cribs MTVe
3:00PM Inside Nextel Cup SPEED
3:00PM Cribs MTVe
5:00PM Cribs MTVw
5:00PM NASCAR Drivers: 360 FSN
6:00PM Cribs MTVw
7:00PM NASCAR Nation SPEED
10:00PM NASCAR Nation SPEED

Wednesday, May 11 (1924-Tim Flock (1998))
1:00AM NASCAR Nation SPEED
1:00AM NASCAR Drivers: 360 FSN
9:00AM NASCAR Nation SPEED
12:00PM NASCAR Busch Series ~ Darlington Re-air SPEED
5:00PM NASCAR Fast Forward SPEED
7:00PM NASCAR Nation SPEED
10:00PM NASCAR Nation SPEED

Thursday, May 12, 2005
1:00AM NASCAR Nation SPEED
9:00AM NASCAR Nation SPEED
1:00PM NASCAR Drivers: 360 FSN
3:00PM NASCAR Nextel Cup Replay ~ Darlington SPEED
6:00PM Men Behind the Wrenches SPEED
6:30PM NASCAR Past Champions ~ Bill Elliott SPEED
7:00PM NASCAR Nation SPEED
8:00PM American Muscle Car SPEED
9:00PM Michael Waltrip Celebrity Poker Tournament Semi-Final Showdown
SPEED
10:00PM NASCAR Nation SPEED
11:00PM American Muscle Car SPEED

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Courtesy of http://www.jayski.com

# #97 Crew Wins Tyson Crew Championship: Kurt Busch's #97 team won the
National Pit Crew Championship, defeating Jeremy Mayfield's #19 crew in the
final round with a mistake-free stop Monday night. in Mooresville, NC.
Busch's crew, which helped him win the Nextel Cup championship last season,
didn't make a single mistake during the competition and picked up $100,000
for the win. Mayfield's team earned $25,000 for finishing second. Joe
Nemechek's #01-crew was third -- missing out on a spot in the finals because
of a two-second penalty for a loose lug nut in the semifinals. The
competition was a bracket-style tournament that pitted crews against each
other in four rounds. Teams had to change four tires and fill the car with
fuel in a race against the stopwatch. Each tire changer had to push a button
on the wall to stop the clock, and many teams had a team member pick the
changer up and throw him at the wall. Penalties were issued for loose lug
nuts, excessive fuel spillage, or not getting enough gas in the car.
Mayfield's crew went up against Busch's team, which completed its stop in
16.342 seconds. Mayfield's team clocked in at 16.439, but was penalized four
seconds for two loose lug nuts.
An additional $500,000 was up for grabs in a bonus round, open to the top
three finishing teams and one wild card, which was Greg Biffle's #16-crew.
The crews had to complete an error-free stop in 14.437 seconds to earn the
money. Busch's crew came close -- front tire changer Scott Ward did his part
in 14.121 seconds and celebrated by jumping on the hood of his car. But rear
changer Kevin Gillman clocked in at 14.900, just short of the bonus.
The winning crew members were: Mark Full (front tire carrier), Scott Ward
(front tire changer), Scott Radel (jackman), Doug Newell (fueler), Jim
Gaudette (catch can), Kevin Gillman (rear tire changer), Jason Binger (rear
tire carrier) and Wayne DeLoria (coach). The four Cup teams from Hendrick
Motorsports declined to participate [no idea why].
NASCAR and Nextel will also hold a pit crew competition. That event is
scheduled for May 19th at the Charlotte Coliseum, and the Hendrick teams are
participating in that one. Because two competitions is one too many, both
sides have agreed to try to merge it into one event next season. So all eyes
were on this one to see how it would unfold. The temporary bleachers were
filled to capacity -- roughly 4,000 fans -- and several drivers were on hand
to support their crews.(ESPN.com/AP)(5-10-2005)

# No fine for Busch...this time: #97-Kurt Busch crashed on the first lap of
Saturday's race at Darlington Raceway, forcing him to retreat to the garage
area for repairs. He eventually re-entered the race but later ignored
officials' instructions during a caution period on where he should line up
for a restart. Busch was ordered to pit road to serve a penalty. Busch
responded with offensive language over his in-car radio communications
system, revved his engine when officials ordered him to shut his car off and
threw a water bottle that hit an official standing in his pit area. Roush
Racing President Geoff Smith says Busch was frustrated by the crash, which
left him nursing a damaged, uncompetitive car around a narrow, difficult
track for the rest of the night to gain championship points. Busch has been
involved in a total of seven on-track incidents this season, tied for
third-most in the series this year, according to USA TODAY database
research. Smith says Busch lost his temper after officials assessed a
penalty Smith called "questionable. So he fought it - and lost, of course,"
Smith says. Smith doesn't expect Busch to receive further penalties from
NASCAR this week. "I think he is definitely aware of where he stands today,"
NASCAR vice president of communications Jim Hunter said in an e-mail.
"Without going into any further detail, he certainly knows NASCAR is not
going to tolerate any future temper tantrums. President Mike Helton made our
position very clear." Says Smith: "He's now on notice. So if there's
anything else, there's going to be a penalty associated with it."(USA
Today)(5-10-2005)

# Changes at Speed, NASCAR Nation down to 30 minutes? UPDATE: A shake-up at
the top of Fox's Speed Channel is the latest TV shock for NASCAR, and Fox's
decision to let Jim Liberatore go as head of the cable channel leaves
considerable uncertainty about just what's going on. Liberatore has been
running Speed Channel, based in Charlotte, since Fox bought it four years
ago. He cites "a difference in philosophies" for his departure. According to
one source, Liberatore wanted to diversify Speed Channel again, to include a
good mix of all racing. It has become predominantly NASCAR-oriented. There
are also reports that the Speed Channel 's NASCAR Nation show will soon be
dramatically revamped, in light of generally poor ratings. The show is
likely to be cut from an hour to 30 minutes, and its focus is to change from
hard racing reports to more soft entertainment features.(Winston Salem
Journal)(5-3-2005)
MORE If speed doesn't sell on Speed, then maybe sex will. What else is there
to make of the news from the cable channel that Leeann Tweeden, a one-time
spokesman/lingerie model for Frederick's of Hollywood, a layout model in
Playboy, a Hooters calendar girl, and cover girl for men's magazine FHM,
could be replacing Krista Voda, a veteran sports reporter, on its NASCAR
shows?(Winston Salem Journal)(5-7-2005)
UPDATE: been told that NASCAR Nation will go to a 30 minute [instead of the
current 60 minute] show the last week in June. Krista Voda will be leaving
the show to take a job in Pittsburgh, PA, no replacement yet named and not
sure when she is leaving. The show will concentrate more on the pop culture
and drop the news segment [my favorite part]. The Beyond the Wheel segment
will become its own shown and air on Thursday night.(5-10-2005)

# Chevy Rock and Roll Schemes to be unveiled: Chevrolet will give race fans
a taste of what they will see when they return to Richmond International
Raceway in September for the Crown Royal IROC, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
200, Emerson Radio 250 NASCAR Busch Series and Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series races. As an official partner and longtime race sponsor at
Richmond International Raceway, Chevrolet plans to unveil three Rock & Roll
themed stockcars on Friday afternoon.(RIR Fact Sheet), so far, #8-Dale
Earnhardt Jr. will have 3 Doors Down on his car.(5-10-2005)

# VA Governor, Sadler to promote GED's: Virginia Governor Mark Warner will
visit the track on Thursday, May 12 at 1:00pm/et to announce a partnership
with Virginia Native Elliott Sadler, Richmond International Raceway and the
"Race to GED" program. The program is designed to help Virginia residents
obtain a high school diploma. The track has offered its facility as an
official GED testing site and race tickets for students as an incentive to
complete the program.(RIR Fact Sheet)(5-10-2005)

# Gordon to star in reality show? Scott Woolley, who owns Five Star
Productions in South Florida, recently inked a deal with a new Chicago-based
network, Always Free TV, that's on the slate to launch in the fall. It's a
home shopping channel, but with a twist -- every purchase is accompanied by
a freebie of some shape or size. It's also exploring other types of
production. Earlier this year, Woolley set up a subsidiary, Five Star
Pictures, in Santa Monica, Calif., to drum up independent film shoots for
the new Boca studios. So far, Woolley's formula for success has been to
concentrate on making and marketing half-hour magazine-type shows focusing
on special interest niches, such as business, the environment and health.
The programs are usually sponsored by a corporate client, who buys much of
the national commercial slots. Woolley's latest concept is a reality program
starring NASCAR headliner Jeff Gordon, who will seek out and shape the next
star race car driver.(in part from the Miami Herald), don't know anymore
about this.(5-10-2005)

# NASCAR Promoting races using NYC radio: NASCAR is promoting the Nextel
All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway and two Nextel Cup races at
Pocono Raceway on three New York City radio stations, Street & Smith's
SportsBusiness Journal reports. WFAN will give listeners the chance to win
tickets to a Yankees-Mets baseball game and an all-expense-paid trip to the
May 20 all-star race. The Journal says it is the first time NASCAR has used
a New York-area station to promote a race in Charlotte. WAXQ will promote a
contest offering 20 listeners a bus trip and VIP treatment to the June 12
Pocono race, while WPLJ will offer fans a deal with Bergen Mall to take
their dads to the track's July 24 race.(NASCAR Scene Daily
Newsletter)(5-9-2005)

# Rusty making Monday NYC TV Stops UPDATE Danza flips: #2-Rusty Wallace is
scheduled to appear on two nationally broadcasted television shows on Monday
(May 9) during a day's visit to New York City. The first stop on Wallace's
agenda will be on FOX-TV's "Fox & Friends" which airs at 7:00am/et. This
offbeat morning show features Anchors E.D. Hill, Steve Doocy and Brian
Kilmeade. As their promotional materials boast, they take a look at the
day's news, sports and weather from a different perspective. It is an
interactive show where you can call in to voice your opinion or have your
e-mail read.
Wallace is then scheduled to be a special guest on "The Tony Danza Show."
Hosted by Danza, one of America's most recognized and likeable television
personalities, the show is a one-hour talk show with guests that include
actors, athletes, newsmakers and real people with interesting stories to
tell. Monday's guests on "The Tony Danza Show" will also include actor David
Hyde Pierce, who is appearing in the smash Broadway hit "Spamalot." "The
Tony Danza Show" airs locally on Charlotte's WCNC-TV at 4:00pm/et. Consult
your local listings for stations and broadcast times in your area. Wallace
will also visit the "ESPN Zone" where he is to be interviewed by ESPN's "The
Pulse" and by ESPN News.(Tom Roberts PR)(5-7-2005)
UPDATE: Tony Danza got quite a scare when he and NASCAR star Rusty Wallace
were racing go-karts during the taping of a segment for the nationally
syndicated "The Tony Danza Show." Danza was leading as they entered the
final lap Monday morning on West 66th Street, the show said. After Wallace
gave Danza's vehicle a little "bump and run," the 54-year-old talk-show host
lost control of his go-kart, which flipped over. "Although slightly worse
for wear, Danza escaped with no injuries," the show said in a statement.
Wallace, who rushed to Danza's side after the crash, said, "I thought I
killed ya," to which Danza responded, "Yeah ... just before you retire, 'I
killed Tony Danza.'"
"I know you're tough, but that [was] ridiculous, man!" Wallace was quoted as
saying. The "DayTony 500" segment aired on Monday's
show.(ESPN.com/AP)(5-9-2005)

# NASCAR Softball back TUESDAY: Twenty One NASCAR Teams will compete in Bob
Hubner's Totally Racin' Softball League in 2005 presented by Race City
Resumes.com & Race City Marketing.com. Opening night is Tuesday, May 10th at
6:30pm. More info on PAGE 2 of the News.(5-4/9-2005)

# GWC factoid: There have now been six green-white-checkered [GWC] finishes
in NASCAR [Nextel Cup] history, and only twice has the leader lost the lead
on those final two laps. And both times, #16-Greg Biffle has been the driver
to steal the win. In addition to Saturday's win (#12-Ryan Newman led heading
into the green-white-checkered), Biffle won the final race of last year when
#20-Tony Stewart had fuel problems at Homestead.(Rocky Mount
Telegram)(5-9-2005)

# Darlington TV Ratings: Fox's broadcast of Saturday night's Dodge Charger
500 from Darlington Raceway earned a 4.7 overnight rating and a 9 market
share from Nielsen Media Research, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily
reports. NASCAR has not raced on Mother's Day weekend in recent years, so
the figures can't be compared to the same weekend last year. The 4.7 rating
for a race run during the usually weak Saturday night period is down 9.6%
from the 5.2 Fox drew with last year's March 21 Darlington race, which was
run on a Sunday afternoon. But the figure is up 4.4% from the 4.5 overnight
figures for this year's Phoenix race, which was also run on a Saturday
night.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(5-9-2005)

# Leffler testing at Kentucky Today and Tues: #11-Jason Leffler is scheduled
to test the Joe Gibbs Racing Fed-Ex Chevy's at Kentucky Speedway Monday, May
9th and Tues, May 10th. Fans can watch from the Turn 3 Fan Center at no
charge. Schedule subject to change daily. Test times vary.(Kentucky
Speedway)(5-9-2005)

# Richert Wins Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race Award, takes the lead:
When the caution flag waved with five laps to go in the Dodge Charger 500,
every crew chief was left with a few split seconds to decide what course of
action to take for the ensuing shoot out. In the end, Doug Richert, crew
chief of the #16 National Guard/Travel Lodge Ford, proved to have the
superior game plan. He sacrificed Greg Biffle's second-place position in the
running order to take four fresh tires for the remaining green flag laps.
Biffle used his fresh rubber to blitz past the three cars ahead of him on
the restart, cruising all the way to Victory Lane. Richert's strategy
brought him his third Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award. Earlier
this season at Bristol Motor Speedway, Richert let a probable win slip away
by not pitting for tires after a late-race caution. Just the opposite
happened today when the leader, #12-Ryan Newman, elected to stay on the
track during the last caution period and watched Biffle and company all dive
down pit lane. "Taking four tires for the last green flag seemed like a no
brainer, even with only a few laps left," said Richert following the race.
"I know exactly what the 12 car was feeling like when we all ducked in
behind him. It's just like what happened to us at Bristol, but it was
definitely the right thing for us to do. The other right thing was our crew
performed how we should all night. We were the first car off pit road that
took four tires and that was as critical as anything."
The panel of voters; including John Clayton of the Spartanburg
Herald-Journal, a Wypall Wipers representative and Tony Eury Sr.; all
thought Richert deserved top honors for executing a winning strategy. With
his third Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award, Richert moves into
first place of the Crew Chief Challenge standings. Robbie Loomis is in
second place with two wins. Scott Miller, Bob Osborne, Alan Gustafson and
Pete Rondeau are tied for third place, each with one win. At the end of the
season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. Fan
can also vote for their choice at wypall.com.(SMC 500)(5-9-2005)

# Toyota: No Busch Series plans? Since the day that Toyota came on the
NASCAR scene in the truck series, speculation has continually bubbled about
when the Japanese automaker will invade the Cup and Busch ranks. The
speculation picked up in recent days with stories citing NASCAR sources as
saying that Toyota is working on a car to race in the Busch Series next
season and that Toyota has joined Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford in discussion
with NASCAR over the development of its "Car of Tomorrow" and "Engine of the
Future" for the Cup Series on down.
Those stories were accompanied at Talladega last weekend by word through the
garage area that Johnny Benson, who drives for Toyota in the truck series,
has tested a Toyota stock car with a Solara body at his short track in
Michigan. Patrick Wall, manager of Toyota Racing Development in High Point,
confirmed that Toyota has participated in the discussions about the "Car of
Tomorrow" and "Engine of the Future" which could bring as early as 2007
significant changes from the cars and engines used now. But, he said,
Toyota's plans hinge on the timetable for implementation of the rules
changes and that the only series Toyota will race in next year is the truck
series. "We currently race trucks and we are looking at racing cars," Wall
said. "We are doing an investigation into the best path for Toyota to get
into car racing, and we are waiting on NASCAR to give us the timetable for
the 'Car of Tomorrow' and 'Engine of the Future' before we determine what
the best plan for us will be."
Wall said he expects NASCAR to announced the timetable for the future car
and engine by the end of this month. The "Car of Tomorrow" is expected to
incorporate more safety features, including a bigger greenhouse (area from
windows on up). The "Engine of the Future" is expected to provide a common
engine platform for all manufacturers. "It takes such a financial commitment
to develop cars and engines that we want to see what direction NASCAR is
going," Wall said. He denied that Toyota is developing a car to race in the
Busch Series next year. "We are not working on any Busch cars," he said. He
said that it did not make sense financially to develop a car now if the
rules are to change significantly in the near future. "When you look at the
cost involved, it takes a couple of years to get a payback on that
investment," Wall said. He also denied that Benson or any one else has
tested a Toyota stock car. "I can assure you that there has not been a
Toyota-bodied stock car or a stock car with a Toyota engine [maybe a Ford or
Chevy engine?] on a track anywhere on the planet since we raced in the
NASCAR Dash Series with Robert Huffman in 2003," Wall said.(High Point
Enterprise), see all of the past news and rumors on my Toyota Past News
page.(5-9-2005)

----------------------------------
Courtesy of http://www.nascar.com

Conversation: Marlin
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Sterling Marlin is one of the most unique personalities
in NASCAR. The two-time Daytona 500 champion and king of the one-liners is
having a resurgent year in the Coors Light Dodge, but has said he doesn't
anticipate a return to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2006. So what will he be
doing? Last Friday at Darlington, Marlin took a moment following Bud Pole
Qualifying to address his status in the rumor mill and discuess his beloved
Tennessee Volunteers with NASCAR.COM's Marty Smith. Q: Let's get right to
the important stuff, Sterling. Your Tennessee Vols are ranked third in an
SI.com preseason poll I was reading. That's three positions higher than my
(Virginia Tech) Hokies. That's crap, man. Yeah (laughing). I got to talking
to them up there; I think they look pretty good. Defense looks good. Got a
couple quarterbacks coming back. New quarterback's coming in and got a great
running back from last year. So they impressed me last year with what they
had, starting the season with a true freshman quarterback. So hopefully they
stay right up there and go to one of the big bowls and win it all again. Q:
What's more impressive, Neyland Stadium or Bristol Motor Speedway? Well, for
football fans Neyland Stadium and Bristol for the race fans. There's a lot
of both in both. It's a little weird that you've got to big arenas like
that, that close together in the eastern part of Tennessee that hold that
many people.
http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/features/conversation/05/09/smarlin_darlingt
on/index.html

Martin says goodbye to Darlington with top-five
By Ron Lemasters Jr., Special to NASCAR.COM
DARLINGTON, S.C. -- After 39 starts, a Southern 500 victory, 15 top-five and
24 top-10 finishes, Mark Martin said goodbye to Darlington Raceway with a
fourth-place finish. In typical Martin fashion, however, he shrugged it off.
"It was OK," he said. "It was all right. No big deal." Maybe not to Martin,
but it was a big deal for those who follow the sport now and will follow it
in the future. Martin had tremendous success at the old 1.366-mile,
egg-shaped oval since the first time he laid wheels on it in 1982. As a
freckle-faced kid from Arkansas, he set the NASCAR world on its collective
ear by qualifying 20th and finishing seventh in his first start there in the
spring of 1982. He had a chance to add one more victory to his total on
Saturday night in his South Carolina swan song, but a spin with two laps
remaining cost him one spot and tons of momentum for the
green-white-checkered finish. "If I hadn't spun out there, we would have run
third," Martin said after changing clothes in his transporter. "We were
lucky to get back to fourth." Martin, who was running fifth at the time,
said he just got a little impatient. "I got a little greedy and tried to
make a pass too quick," Martin said. "I stepped on that big motor and it was
like stepping on a cat's tail. It went right around. It worked out OK. I was
gonna pass them both [Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne] and get third, but I
couldn't waste any time.
http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/05/09/mmartin_darlington/index
.html

Sunoco Pit Move: Darlington
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
Pit Story of the Race For the third time this year, a car stayed out on old
tires when the caution flew late in the race. Those cars are now 0-for-3,
with Ryan Newman becoming the latest victim. It's pretty easy to draw and
quarter Ryan Newman and Matt Borland for their decision to stay out for the
final two-lap shootout, but like Casey Mears (Texas) and Greg Biffle
(Bristol), they were gambling that more cars would stay out. It didn't
happen. The only other car to stay out was Ken Schrader, and Biffle easily
passed both cars on the way to the victory. "That's the way it works
sometimes. Sometimes you're the dealer and sometimes you're not," said
Newman, who got just his second top-five of the year. "We were sitting in
the wrong position. The lapped cars were there. We were just too late to
come down. "We figured some of the guys would stay out with a three-lap
dash. You'd think the guys running 20th and 21st on the tail end of the lead
lap would stay out and try to get a top-10, but they weren't bright enough
to do that, so they suckered us into finishing fifth." Biffle's car was so
good that he knew he could make the passes needed to win the race, even with
just two to go. "There was no question in my mind we were coming for tires
no matter what because for three laps you can pass probably 10 cars if 10
cars stayed out," Biffle said.
http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/features/pitmove/05/09/rnewman_darlington/in
dex.html

Waltrip, Green feud all night at Darlington
Kentucky natives called to NASCAR hauler after on-track fracas
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
DARLINGTON, S.C. -- An ongoing on-track feud between Michael Waltrip and
Jeff Green that started at Martinsville Speedway last month continued
Saturday night at Darlington Raceway, prompting NASCAR to summon both
veterans to the hauler for a post-race discussion. Eight laps into the Dodge
Charger 500, the Owensboro, Ky., natives were racing one another down the
backstretch and got together, sending Waltrip into the Turn 3 wall. "I just
got up on the outside of him and he decided he needed to turn right, and I
had a foot on him and tried to get on the brakes and he turned himself into
the fence," Green said. Waltrip went to the garage for repairs to the front
end of the No. 15 Chevrolet and returned to the track seeking payback. On
Lap 207, he exercised it, bumping Green exiting Turn 4, then hitting him
twice more before spinning him out on the frontstretch. "It's pretty
obvious," Green said. "He tries to wreck me all the way down the back
straightaway and I'm fast enough not to let him. "Then finally he gets a run
on me there and wrecks me, and I guess (NASCAR) didn't do anything to him.
http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/05/08/mwaltrip_jgreen/index.ht
ml

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Courtesy of http://www.thatsracin.com/

No. 97 crew takes top honors
Nextel's own competition slated for next week
By DAVID POOLE
MOORESVILLE - The champions did it again Monday night. The crew for reigning
Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch's No. 97 Fords took the championship in the
National Pit Crew Championship, knocking out a penalty-free 16.342-second
stop in the final to beat the crew from Jeremy Mayfield's No. 19 Dodges. The
No. 97 crew helped their driver survive all manner of peril to win last
year's Chase for the Nextel Cup. And when the time came for them to shine on
their own, they grabbed it to win $100,000 to share. Roush Racing teams had
made a habit of winning the pit crew contest sponsored by Unocal in the late
years of its run at North Carolina Speedway, and the No. 97 crew renewed
that tradition at the Pit Instruction Training facility in Mooresville. This
was actually the first of two pit crew contests that will be held before the
Nextel All-Star Challenge race at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 21, and
that's a significant part of the story. The National Pit Crew Championship
was announced last October in Charlotte, and details of the format and prize
structure were announced in late March. A few days later, however, at a
press conference in uptown Charlotte attended by many people wearing very
nice suits, NASCAR and Nextel announced their own event called the NASCAR
Nextel Pit Crew Challenge for May 19 at the Charlotte Coliseum. That second
event was announced as "the only event of its kind officially sanctioned by
NASCAR." In that usage, as is almost always the case when NASCAR is
involved, "sanctioned by" means "profiting."
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/11609828.htm

Why go nuts when you're already 60 laps down?
By DAVID POOLE and JIM UTTER
Wrapping up Saturday night's Darlington race ...
On the Nextel-evator
UP ARROW for GREG BIFFLE
He's now won four times in the past 11 Cup races, going back to last year's
finale.
DOWN ARROW for KURT BUSCH
Don't go ballistic over a penalty call when you're already 60 laps down.
What's the point of that?
DOWN ARROW for CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
A Dodge Charger surely was "destined" to win the Dodge Charger 500, right?
Yeah, tell that to Ryan Newman.
Observations
# When NASCAR instituted the green-white-checkered finish rule in the Nextel
Cup Series, critics said there would be situations that point out exactly
how competitively unfair that rule is. That happened Saturday.
Ryan Newman and his team got the No. 12 Dodge in front and were on their way
to a victory. But an incident Newman had nothing to do with or no control
over changed everything. Mark Martin spun and a caution came out.
Newman went from being virtually a sure winner to having virtually no chance
to win since the cars behind him do the opposite of what the leader did on
pit strategy.
If you're going to be a fan of the green-white-checkered rule, you have to
be willing to accept things like that are going to happen - no matter how
bad it stinks for the guy in Newman's position.
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/sports/motorsports/nascar/series/ne
xtel_cup/11597296.htm

Defending champion's word choice spurs NASCAR action, warning
By JIM UTTER
DARLINGTON, S.C. - NASCAR officials apparently have grown tired of reigning
Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch's propensity to bad-mouth series officials
over the radio. He did so again Saturday night after he was parked for two
laps late in the Dodge 500 at Darlington Raceway after failing to follow an
official's directive. While arguing the call on pit road - which was to stop
on the backstretch after he passed the race leader under caution - Busch
bad-mouthed officials over his radio, then revved his engine and tossed a
water bottle at an official. After the display, NASCAR ordered Busch to cut
off his engine and held him for a "cooling off" period. He was allowed to
return to the track, but told to report to the NASCAR hauler after the race.
In the meeting, Busch was given what will amount to his "final warning"
regarding his language directed at series officials, sources confirmed.
Busch may yet face some additional formal penalty next week, NASCAR
officials said. Asked for a comment after his meeting with NASCAR officials,
Busch didn't offer much. "What a great race," he said. "You guys see that
race? It was great." The race had already gone badly for Busch before the
late-race run-in with NASCAR. He wrecked exiting Turn 3 on Lap 2 and spent
the first part of the race in the garage undergoing repairs. He eventually
finished 37th and dropped two spots in points to fourth. He trails leader
Jimmie Johnson by 229 points. Busch has had other run-ins with NASCAR
regarding his choice of language. During the July 2002 race at Daytona
Beach, Fla., Busch received a three-lap penalty for "unsportsmanlike conduct
over the radio."
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/sports/motorsports/nascar/series/ne
xtel_cup/11593224.htm

Winner quickly takes the air out of 'tire magic' issue
By DAVID POOLE
After making the kind of innocent comment that could have set off wild
speculation, Greg Biffle cleared things up quickly following his victory in
the Dodge 500 at Darlington Saturday night. What he said was this: "I don't
want to give away all of our secrets ... but we had some magic on the tires
for that last two laps." Magic? ON the tires? Remember the great "tire
soaking" debate sparked by Biffle's team owner, Jack Roush, back when Ray
Evernham was Jeff Gordon's crew chief? No, no, Biffle hurriedly clarified.
"Air pressure," he said, "we just bring the air pressure up a little bit."
With the green-white-checkered finish to Saturday's race being very much
like a two-lap qualifying run on new tires, Biffle said crew chief Doug
Richert added a couple of pounds of air into the tires he put on the No. 16
to make the car go quicker immediately instead of allowing room for the
pressure to build up over the course of a longer run. "It's just air,"
Richert said. Ironically, back when "Tiregate" was raging between Roush and
Evernham, there was an infamous exchange between the two in which Evernham
said, "It's just air, Jack, just air."
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/sports/motorsports/nascar/series/ne
xtel_cup/11597272.htm

-----------------------------------
Courtesy of http://insiderracingnews.com/

Wallace and Danza Tangle On TV
Rusty Wallace
Tony Danza got quite a scare when he and NASCAR star Rusty Wallace were
racing go-karts Monday morning for a segment on the nationally syndicated
talk show "The Tony Danza Show." Danza was leading Miller as they entered
the final lap on West 66th Street when Wallace gave Danza's vehicle a little
"bump and run," the show said. Danza lost control of his go-kart, which
flipped over. Danza, 54, wasn't injured. Wallace, who rushed to Danza's side
after the crash, said, "I thought I killed ya," to which Danza responded,
"Yeah ... just before you retire, `I killed Tony Danza.'" "I know you're
tough, but that (was) ridiculous, man!" Wallace was quoted as saying. The
"DayTony 500" segment, which was taped, aired on Monday's show.(SF Gate)

Toyota Not Yet Ready
Since the day that Toyota came on the NASCAR scene in the truck series,
speculation has continually bubbled about when the Japanese automaker will
invade the Cup and Busch ranks. The speculation picked up in recent days
with stories citing NASCAR sources as saying that Toyota is working on a car
to race in the Busch Series next season and that Toyota has joined
Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford in discussion with NASCAR over the development of
its "Car of Tomorrow" and "Engine of the Future" for the Cup Series on down.
Those stories were accompanied at Talladega by word through the garage area
that Johnny Benson, who drives for Toyota in the truck series, has tested a
Toyota stock car with a Solara body at his short track in Michigan. Patrick
Wall, manager of Toyota Racing Development in High Point, confirmed that
Toyota has participated in the discussions about the "Car of Tomorrow" and
"Engine of the Future" which could bring as early as 2007 significant
changes from the cars and engines used now. But, he said, Toyota's plans
hinge on the timetable for implementation of the rules changes and that the
only series Toyota will race in next year is the truck series.

"We currently race trucks and we are looking at racing cars," Wall said. "We
are doing an investigation into the best path for Toyota to get into car
racing, and we are waiting on NASCAR to give us the timetable for the 'Car
of Tomorrow' and 'Engine of the Future' before we determine what the best
plan for us will be." Wall said he expects NASCAR to announced the timetable
for the future car and engine by the end of this month. The "Car of
Tomorrow" is expected to incorporate more safety features, including a
bigger greenhouse (area from windows on up). The "Engine of the Future" is
expected to provide a common engine platform for all manufacturers. "It
takes such a financial commitment to develop cars and engines that we want
to see what direction NASCAR is going," Wall said. He denied that Toyota is
developing a car to race in the Busch Series next year. "We are not working
on any Busch cars," he said. He said that it did not make sense financially
to develop a car now if the rules are to change significantly in the near
future. "When you look at the cost involved, it takes a couple of years to
get a payback on that investment," Wall said. He also denied that Benson or
any one else has tested a Toyota stock car. "I can assure you that there has
not been a Toyota-bodied stock car or a stock car with a Toyota engine on a
track anywhere on the planet since we raced in the NASCAR Dash Series with
Robert Huffman in 2003," Wall said.(HPE)

Cheers and Jeers...Darlington Fights Back
By Carol Einarsson
CHEERS to FOX showing the wreck-fest from last week, with a voice talking
about "whoever was responsible" and then showing JJ's picture. What's that
they say about a picture being worth a thousand words?
CHEERS to Darlington tickets on sale for 2006. I think that's more than mere
optimism. I bet they know something that NASCAR hasn't yet told us.
CHEERS to Jimmie bringing his mom to the race. Nobody can call a guy names
in front of his Mom. I wonder if they even dared to boo him with his mom on
his arm. Shame on them if they did.
JEERS to JJ putting on the fake face saying he's not upset after Jeff Gordon
already told the media that Jimmie was very upset about all the things being
said about him.
CHEERS to the idea of Rusty winning his first Darlington race.
CHEERS to jumping off the wall and removing your hat for the prayer.
JEERS to something in a Pastor's throat at the worst time possible. With all
the free sponsor water at the track, nobody could get him a bottle?
CHEERS to the best Mother's Day gift NASCAR can give us, a Saturday night
race at Darlington!!
CHEERS to a guy trying to sing the anthem to his limits. I bet it sounded
better to him than it did to us.
CHEERS to whomever had the idea to have all the drivers' moms at the race
and to command the start.
CHEERS to Scott Joy, and a proud papa in the booth. Happy Birthday, Scott -
good job!
JEERS to seeing where so much of the trash on the track comes from. And in
20 laps when we have a caution for a wad of black tape on the track, we'll
know where it came from.
CHEERS to Pattie Petty waving a green flag like she knows it ought to be
waved!
CHEERS to nighttime excitement from the get-go. I'm thinking that Bristol
night race might have real competition now that we've got lights at
Darlington. And I can already tell that on lap one.
http://insiderracingnews.com/CJ/051005.html

----------------------------------
Courtesy of http://www.catchfence.com/index1.html

Daytona Makes Its Loyal Fans Pony Up Dough: ...fans are getting hit hard in
NASCAR...The latest example comes from the big track across the state, where
another large swath of loyal Daytona 500 ticket buyers got some bad news
this spring. If you want to keep your seats in the high-demand Weatherly or
Roberts tower, the renewal form said, ante up because now you have to also
buy tickets to the Busch race. And oh, by the way, your money for next
February's races was due by April 29. John Alessi of Tampa read his renewal
letter and his heart sank. The 42-year-old controller for Bryn-Alan Studios
has been going to the 500 since 1983. He landed tickets in Weatherly a few
years ago after trying for many years. Suddenly, the price for his four
prized seats went from $175 each to $300 each. His choice: Cough up the
extra dough or take the speedway's offer to sell him tickets to a less
desirable section. ``I'm not talking bad about NASCAR, but NASCAR has always
been fan-friendly - the drivers, the organization,'' Alessi said. ``And when
they put this thing out, this wasn't fan-friendly.'' Money-Grubbing:
Gradually, Daytona has converted all seats in the Nextel, Earnhardt and
Petty Towers - the speedway's best outdoor seats - to four-day seats (the
500 and the three days of racing leading up to it). Fans who were lucky
enough to have 500-only seats in the Nextel Tower up until last year saw the
cost of those seats go from $225 to $825 per ticket. Somebody with four
Nextel Tower tickets for the 500 at $900 now pays about $3,300 for four race
days. Seems Coldhearted: ...NFL fans are accustomed to having to buy season
tickets. NASCAR fans in new markets accepted the concept going in. But
Daytona fans are getting hit with an abrupt change that feels like getting a
double electric bill in the middle of the summer. It comes across as
coldhearted, unloyal and greedy. - The Tampa Tribune

Busch's team wins Pit Crew Championship: Kurt Busch's team won the National
Pit Crew Championship, defeating Jeremy Mayfield's crew in the final round
with a mistake-free stop Monday night. Busch's crew, which helped him win
the Nextel Cup championship last season, didn't make a single mistake during
the competition and picked up $100,000 for the win. Mayfield's team earned
$25,000 for finishing second. Joe Nemechek's crew was third - missing out on
a spot in the finals because of a two-second penalty for a loose lug nut in
the semifinals. - AP/FOXSports

Rusty Wallace Uses Bump-And-Run Move On Talk-Show Host; Wallace Causes Tony
Danza To Flip Over: Tony Danza got quite a scare when he and NASCAR star
Rusty Wallace were racing go-karts during the taping of a segment for the
nationally syndicated "The Tony Danza Show." Danza was leading as they
entered the final lap Monday morning on West 66th Street, the show said.
After Wallace gave Danza's vehicle a little "bump and run," the 54-year-old
talk-show host lost control of his go-kart, which flipped over. "Although
slightly worse for wear, Danza escaped with no injuries," the show said in a
statement. Wallace, who rushed to Danza's side after the crash, said, "I
thought I killed ya," to which Danza responded, "Yeah ... just before you
retire, 'I killed Tony Danza."' "I know you're tough, but that (was)
ridiculous, man!" Wallace was quoted as saying. The "DayTony 500" segment
aired on Monday's show. - AP/FOXSports

Four Fresh Tires Take Biffle to Victory Lane in Darlington - Richert Assumes
Lead in WYPALLR Wipers Crew Chief Challenge: When the caution flag waved
with five laps to go in the Dodge Charger 500, every crew chief was left
with a few split seconds to decide what course of action to take for the
ensuing shoot out. In the end, Doug Richert, crew chief of the #16 National
Guard Ford, proved to have the superior game plan. He sacrificed Greg
Biffle's second-place position in the running order to take four fresh tires
for the remaining green flag laps. Biffle used his fresh rubber to blitz
past the three cars ahead of him on the restart, cruising all the way to
Victory Lane. Richert's strategy brought him his third WYPALLR Wipers Crew
Chief of the Race award. ...With his third WYPALLR Wipers Crew Chief of the
Race award, Richert moves into first place of the Crew Chief Challenge
standings. Robbie Loomis is in second place with two wins. Scott Miller, Bob
Osborne, Alan Gustafson and Pete Rondeau are tied for third place, each with
one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins
will receive $20,000. - More

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