Von Hall <von@...> wrote:From: "Von Hall" <von@...>
To: <nextelcup@...>
Date: Sat, 14 May 2005 10:45:08 -0500
Subject: Stockcarfans.com (Nextel Cup) Newsletter - Saturday May 14, 2005

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StockCarFans.com (Nextel Cup) Newsletter – Saturday May 14, 2005

Good morning and welcome to Saturday Raceday/night. Well after a lot of
pounding my head against the wall I finally broke down and got a bigger hard
drive and more memory. It's made a world of difference but now I have to get my
PC back in order. I worked the better part of the night on it and it now
appears to be close. Bear with any formatting issues, I'm still working on
that.

Night racing at Richmond tonight. Great night for a race. There is something
about a Saturday night race that is pretty special.

Have a great night.

--Von

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

Pos. Car Driver Make Sponsor Speed Time Behind
1 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 129.964 20.775 Leader
2 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 129.801 20.801 -0.026
3 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet The Home Depot 129.546 20.842 -0.067
4 97 Kurt Busch Ford IRWIN Industrial Tools/Sharpie 129.453 20.857 -0.082
5 38 Elliott Sadler Ford M&M's 129.063 20.920 -0.145
6 21 Ricky Rudd Ford Motorcraft Genuine Parts 128.989 20.932 -0.157
7 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet GM Goodwrench 128.928 20.942 -0.167
8 2 Rusty Wallace Dodge Miller Lite 128.891 20.948 -0.173
9 16 Greg Biffle Ford National Guard 128.866 20.952 -0.177
10 5 Kyle Busch* Chevrolet Kellogg's/Star Wars 128.848 20.955 -0.180
11 99 Carl Edwards Ford Roundup Extended Control 128.792 20.964 -0.189
12 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Cingular Wireless 128.786 20.965 -0.190
13 09 Johnny Sauter Dodge Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts 128.762 20.969 -0.194
14 6 Mark Martin Ford Viagra 128.719 20.976 -0.201
15 19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW 128.602 20.995 -0.220
16 41 Casey Mears Dodge Target 128.455 21.019 -0.244
17 42 Jamie McMurray Dodge Texaco/Havoline 128.449 21.020 -0.245
18 43 Jeff Green Dodge Cheerios/Betty Crocker 128.315 21.042 -0.267
19 07 Dave Blaney Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops/Jack Daniel's 128.272 21.049 -0.274
20 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 128.248 21.053 -0.278
21 77 Travis Kvapil* Dodge Kodak/Jasper Engines 128.090 21.079 -0.304
22 40 Sterling Marlin Dodge Coors Light 128.071 21.082 -0.307
23 15 Michael Waltrip Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts 128.053 21.085 -0.310
24 0 Mike Bliss Chevrolet NetZero Best Buy 128.053 21.085 -0.310
25 01 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet U.S. Army 128.023 21.090 -0.315
26 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DeWalt Power Tools 127.980 21.097 -0.322
27 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser 127.956 21.101 -0.326
28 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 127.944 21.103 -0.328
29 25 Brian Vickers Chevrolet GMAC/ditech.com 127.684 21.146 -0.371
30 4 Mike Wallace Chevrolet Lucas Oil Products 127.684 21.146 -0.371
31 192 Tony Raines Chevrolet Front Row Motorsports 127.551 21.168 -0.393
32 32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevrolet Tide 127.388 21.195 -0.420
33 7 Robby Gordon Chevrolet Jim Beam 127.250 21.218 -0.443
34 22 Scott Wimmer Dodge Caterpillar 127.215 21.224 -0.449
35 88 Dale Jarrett Ford UPS 127.166 21.232 -0.457
36 10 Scott Riggs Chevrolet Arometrics/Valvoline 127.137 21.237 -0.462
37 175 Mike Garvey Dodge Jani-King/Rinaldi Air Conditioning 126.987 21.262
-0.487
38 11 Jason Leffler Chevrolet FedEx Ground 126.796 21.294 -0.519
39 18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Boniva 126.790 21.295 -0.520
40 49 Ken Schrader Dodge Schwan's Home Service 126.594 21.328 -0.553
41 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Georgia-Pacific/Brawny 126.446 21.353 -0.578
42 89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge Victory in Jesus/Red Line Oil 126.274 21.382 -0.607
43 66 Hermie Sadler Ford Peak Fitness 126.003 21.428 -0.653

Did not Qualify
44 37 Kevin Lepage Dodge R&J Racing 125.980 21.432 -0.657
45 34 Jeff Fuller Chevrolet Mach One Inc. 125.628 21.492 -0.717
46 27 Kirk Shelmerdine Ford D.A.R.E 121.087 22.298 -1.523
47 200 Carl Long Chevrolet Buyer's Choice Auto Warranties - - -


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

Saturday, May 14, 2005
2:30AM NASCAR Beyond the Wheel SPEED
3:00AM NASCAR Fast Forward SPEED
5:00AM NASCAR Drivers: 360 FSN
9:00AM American Muscle Car SPEED
11:00AM Trackside SPEED
12:00PM NASCAR Live! Richmond Live! SPEED
1:00PM WoO! World of Outlaws OUTCH
2:00PM Raceline FOXNET
2:30PM Raceline KGEB
3:00PM WoO! World of Outlaws SPEED
4:00PM NASCAR Performance SPEED
5:30PM NASCAR This Morning Richmond - Special Edition Live! SPEED
6:00PM NASCAR Drivers 360 FX
7:00PM SPEED News SPEED
7:00PM NASCAR Nextel Cup Pre-Race, Richmond Live! FX
7:30PM NASCAR Nextel Cup Chevy American Revolution 400, Richmond Live! FX
8:00PM INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION: (DW) SPEED
9:00PM USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series SPEED
11:00PM NASCAR Victory Lane ~ Richmond SPEED
11:00PM NASCAR Drivers 360 FX

Sunday, May 15 (1980-Shane Hmiel, 1958-Randy Baker)
12:00AM SpeedFreaks SPEED
1:00AM SPEED News SPEED
1:30AM NASCAR Performance SPEED
2:00AM INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION SPEED
8:00AM SPEED News SPEED
8:30AM NASCAR Performance SPEED
11:30AM NASCAR Beyond the Wheel SPEED
2:00PM NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ~ Mansfield Live! SPEED
4:30PM NASCAR Grand National ~ Busch North Series Live! HDNET
4:30PM Infield Hot Pass SPEED
7:00PM NASCAR Speed News SPEED
7:30PM SPEED News SPEED
8:00PM NASCAR Victory Lane ~ Richmond SPEED
9:00PM Wind Tunnel w/ Dave Despain Live! SPEED
9:00PM Wind Tunnel w/ Dave Despain ~ Chip Ganassi SPEED

Monday, May 16, 2005
1:00AM NASCAR Speed News SPEED
1:30AM SPEED News SPEED
2:00AM NASCAR Victory Lane ~ Richmond SPEED
3:00AM Wind Tunnel w/ Dave Despain ~ Chip Ganassi SPEED
8:00AM NASCAR Speed News SPEED
8:30AM SPEED News SPEED
9:00AM NASCAR Victory Lane ~ Richmond SPEED
10:00AM NASCAR Speed News SPEED
10:30AM SPEED News SPEED
12:00PM NASCAR Speed News SPEED
12:30PM NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ~ Mansfield Re-air SPEED
3:00PM Wind Tunnel w/ Dave Despain ~ Chip Ganassi SPEED
6:00PM NASCAR Victory Lane ~ Richmond SPEED
7:00PM NASCAR Nation SPEED
8:00PM Inside Nextel Cup SPEED
9:30PM NBS 24/7 SPEED
10:00PM NASCAR Nation SPEED
11:00PM Inside Nextel Cup SPEED

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

Cup Race-Preview Press Releases: many Nextel Cup team/driver pre-race press
release links (and Marketing and Sponsorship links) at the Press Release Page,
links posted on 5-14-2005: Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield, Brian
Vickers;
and posted on 5-13-2005: Greg Biffle, Dave Blaney, Mike Bliss, Jeff Burton, Kurt
Busch, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Robby Gordon, Jeff Green, Bobby
Hamilton Jr., Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, Matt Kenseth, Travis Kvapil, Bobby
Labonte, Jason Leffler, Kevin Lepage, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears,
Joe Nemechek, Ryan Newman, Kyle Petty, Scott Riggs, Ricky Rudd, Elliott Sadler,
Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Michael Waltrip, Scott Wimmer on the
Press Release Page.


Latest on Ward Burton: Though he hasn't completed a lap of Cup racing this
season, Ward Burton is still on the minds of many NASCAR observers. Burton, 43,
of South Boston, started at least nine Cup races every season from 1994-2004. He
has been without a ride this season. When will he return? Only he knows for
sure, but his brother, Jeff Burton, who is also a Cup driver, has his own ideas.
"He's gotten caught up in the youth movement," said Jeff Burton, who was
referring the glut of under-30 drivers on the circuit. "I'd like to see him
drive a truck or a Busch car because he's a great driver and he's still got a
lot left in him." Ward finished 32nd in the points standings last year driving
the #0 Chevrolet for the Gene Haas-owned racing team. His best points finish
came in 1999 when he was ninth. He is working full-time to promote hiswildlife
foundation this year.(Daily Press)(5-14-2005)


Next Pit Crew Event on May 19th, there will be a 2nd Pit Crew Competition, this
time in Charlotte called the NASCAR NEXTEL Pit Crew Challenge:
When: Thursday, May 19th, 7:00pm/et
Where: Charlotte Coliseum
How Much: $10 (Kids Under 12 Free)
See top NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series pit crew members compete for over $200,000 in
prizes in seven head-to-head events, including: Front and Rear Tire Changer,
Front and Rear Tire Carrier, 40-yard Push, Gas Man, Jack Man.(5-11-2005)
UPDATE - Tickets going fast: Tickets are going fast for the inaugural NASCAR
NEXTEL Pit Crew Challenge on Thursday, May 19! The event will begin at 7:00pm/et
on Thursday the 19th with special parking lot activities including driving
simulators and souvenir haulers starting at 4:30pm/et. Tickets for the event are
available for $10; children under 12 will be admitted free. Tickets for the
NASCAR NEXTEL Pit Crew Challenge can be purchased through Ticketmaster, at
Lowe's Motor Speedway website www.lowesmotorspeedway.com, at each stop of the
NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge Trophy Tour or by calling (800) 455-FANS. There
is free parking for all fans.
For the rules and format of the event, see my Pit Crew News page.(5-14-2005)


Eleven Drivers Penalized UPDATE: Eleven drivers were penalized for being late
for inspection at Darlignton Raceway last week. Ten teams/drivers will be held
for 15 minutes before they can practice today at Richmond: #5-Busch, #7-Gordon,
#8-Earnhardt Jr., #10-Riggs, #15-Waltrip, #17-Kenseth, # 41-Mears, #42-McMurray,
#48-Johnson and #99-Edwards. #24-Gordon has to sit on pit road for 30 minutes.
The drivers and cars need to sit on pit road, can't go out to practice or work
on the car.(Speed Channel's Happy Hour practice coverage).(5-13-2005)
UPDATE: NASCAR held at least a dozen cars on pit lane before practice yesterday,
penalizing the teams for being late to the prerace inspection line at Darlington
Raceway last week. Jeff Gordon served the worst punishment, missing 26 minutes
of practice. Jimmie Johnson, Scott Riggs, Carl Edwards, Michael Waltrip, Casey
Mears, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch, Robby
Gordon and Tony Stewart also were held and missed between 10-15 minutes of the
session. "With all the weather that we had at Darlington, the schedule was
shortened," Jeff Gordon said. "With all the changes that we had to make in
practice, we lost a lot of time and we paid the price big time for it. I
understand what NASCAR's doing. They need to keep the inspection line on time,
but I think when you've got 11 or 12 cars, and top teams, that are late to the
inspection line, there's obviously a problem there beyond just the teams lagging
behind."(Richmond Times Dispatch)(5-14-2005)

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

Mears: No desire to return to open-wheel
Other than possible Indy start, Mears says he's in NASCAR to stay
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM

RICHMOND, Va. -- Casey Mears' last name alone gets him a lot of questions during
the month of May. As preparations continue for the Indy 500, Mears says his
perspective on open-wheel racing has changed dramatically." "I think there's a
lot of guys living in the dark when they say that open-wheel racing is the best
racing in the world," Mears said. "And I was one of those guys until I had an
opportunity to come over this direction and see how big NASCAR is and how much
fun the racing is." Mears said his Indy racing bias even continued after he had
started running NASCAR. "It's funny because the first couple of years I raced
stock cars I really had a big desire to go back to open-wheel racing and run.
"Now, the longer I'm here and the more I learn about this sport and the more fun
I have, I don't really have a desire to go back to open-wheel at all, other than
to run the 500." Mears' stock car career is progressing rather well. Although he
sits 25th in points heading into this weekend's action at Richmond, he and his
team have shown flashes of brilliance, most notably a fourth-place run at Texas
last month and a seventh-place effort at Las Vegas in March. But there have also
been problems. A crash at Bristol took him out with just 20 laps in put him
43rd. A wreck at Darlington last week put him 39th. "We've had strong
performances. We just haven't done it on a consistent level," Mears said. "And
that's what we need to do right now is get more consistency. "There's times you
get caught up in crashes or just have some sort of problems that are just out of
your control that puts you in 30th or 40th and it really kills you in the
points, so we just need to get more consistency." Mears' history at Richmond is
a bit shaky. In four starts, he has yet to finish better than 28th. He'll start
16th on Saturday night.
http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/05/13/cmears_indy/index.html

Kahne sweeps Busch, Cup poles at Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Kasey Kahne won his third pole position in as many tries
Friday and became the first driver in Richmond International Raceway history to
sweep the top spot for Busch and Nextel Cup races. Kahne, who edged Ryan Newman
for the pole last week at Darlington, S.C., did it again just a few hours after
also winning the top starting spot for Friday night's Funai 250 Busch Series
race at the track. Newman, driving a backup car after crashing in practice
earlier in the day, did nothing but enhance his reputation as the top qualifier
in stock car racing with a lap at 129.801 mph, just off Kahne's 129.964 mph. In
the first 11 races this year, Newman has won three poles, started second three
times and from inside the top 10 in every other race. Kahne, meantime, earned
his sixth career pole position in 47 Nextel Cup races, and became the first
driver in NASCAR to accomplish the pole sweep since Mark Martin at Rockingham,
N.C., in Oct. 1999. "I was worried about Ryan Newman," Kahne said. "I knew he
was in a backup car, but I knew he was going to be fast." Newman said drifting
onto the part of the track littered with chunks of rubber caused the practice
crash. But we've got a good backup," Newman said.
http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/05/13/bc.car.nascar.ap/index.html

Sadler ecstatic after breaking Richmond jinx
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
RICHMOND, Va. -- Elliott Sadler, the self-proclaimed "worst qualifier in the
world" at Richmond and Martinsville, bucked the trend Friday night at Richmond
International Raceway. Sadler, who had never qualified better than 14th in 12
previous Richmond starts and qualified 30th or worse seven times, placed the No.
38 Ford in the top five for the Chevy American Revolution 400. "I've never
qualified (well) here, at all, so to come here and qualify in the top five, I'm
just ecstatic about that," Sadler said. "I just can't wait for tomorrow night. I
think our car is going to be good on long runs." Choosing to practice race setup
rather than waste time on qualifying runs, Sadler would up 39th on the speed
chart during the weekend's lone practice. He said that proved to be an
advantage.
http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/05/13/esadler_richmond/index.html

Sadler upset, but plans no retaliation for bump
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
RICHMOND, Va. -- The Cinderella finish was all set up. Elliott Sadler, in his
home state, was leading in the final laps with a chance to get his first win at
Richmond -- a track he says he's no good at -- in Friday night's Funai 250.
After the final caution period on Lap 247, Sadler discovered that he had a tire
going down on his No. 90 Ford. Turns out, that would be the least of his
problems. On the race's final lap, Sadler and race winner Carl Edwards made
hard, sustained contact in Turn 2 and Edwards passed Sadler for the lead and the
victory. How Edwards made that pass was a subject of considerable debate
between the two following the race. Edwards said Sadler's problems were of his
own doing. "He washed up in the middle of the corner," Edwards said. "I got
underneath him and in my eyes, he crowded me really hard. "We bumped and the
bumping continued off the corner. I sure was not trying to wreck him. I thought
I could pass him without touching him. "If I had it to do over again, I would do
anything different." Sadler's view was quite a bit different. "All I told Carl
was that I would not race him like that," Sadler said. "That's the only thing I
said. "There's no point in going over there and acting stupid. I told I never
have (raced him like that) and that I've always tried to give him breaks, but
now that I know you're going to race me like that, I kind of know how much
leniency I have with him.
http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/05/13/esadler_RIR/index.html

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

Driver plays a bigger role at Richmond, Rudd says
By DAVID POOLE
Ricky Rudd is one of several Virginia natives who'll be driving in Saturday
night's Chevy 400 at Richmond International Raceway, and like many of his peers
in the sport, this is a track where he feels he can make a difference. "Any
place you have to lift the throttle and use brakes, the driver's skill plays
more of a factor," said Rudd, who will start sixth in the No. 21 Ford. "At
Daytona and Talladega you keep your foot on the floorboard and you don't use the
brakes. There is not a whole lot the driver can do to make it a better run. It
is more about luck, being in the right place or the wrong place. "But at
Richmond or Charlotte, anywhere you go that you've got to drive the track and
you cannot run wide open - that's when the adjustments the crew make determines
whether or not you are going to be a good car or a bad car."

Kahne goes 2-for-2 in qualifying
By DAVID POOLE
RICHMOND, Va. - Imagine how lucky Kasey Kahne felt on Friday the 13th after
winning two poles in two tries at Richmond International Raceway.
Unfortunately, imagination was pretty much all there was after Kahne's lap at
129.964 mph held up against Ryan Newman's late bid to unseat him for the top
spot for Saturday night's Chevy 400 Nextel Cup event. The latest nonsensical
race weekend schedule from NASCAR featured a 2½-hour midday gap of inactivity
followed by Busch qualifying, Cup qualifying and then, almost immediately, the
Busch race itself. So by the time Newman ran 129.801 mph in his backup Dodge
after crashing his primary car in practice earlier in the day, Kahne was on his
way to Busch driver introductions before he even had time to thank the boys in
the shop for the fast lap in his Cup car. "I was worried about Ryan Newman,"
Kahne allegedly told a Dodge public relations representative at some point
during his busy afternoon. "I knew he was in a backup car, but I knew he was
going to be fast." Kahne was not only on a one-day hot streak for qualifying.
Friday's pole was his second straight in Nextel Cup qualifying, backing up the
one he'd won last week at Darlington. Newman was second on that day, too. Kahne
needed a provisional starting spot to make the field when he ran his first Cup
race here last May, and started 11th in the fall race. He'll no doubt be hoping
that his result Saturday night is more like his third-place finish a week ago at
Darlington than what happened here last year, when he finished 28th and 24th.
Newman, meanwhile, continued his own remarkable record of qualifying
performances. Bouncing back from the earlier crash, he came back from a
relatively slow first lap on his qualifying run to nearly reverse last weekend's
front-row starting positions. "That's all it had on the first lap," said Newman,
who was 40th after that circuit. "I was sliding around on cold tires. But it
(the second lap) was good. I knew we had a shot at the pole. ...But second is a
good place to start. Maybe we can stay out of the first crash and have a chance
to lead some laps."
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/sports/motorsports/nascar/series/nextel
_cup/11642526.htm

Drivers lose practice time for inspection delays at Darlington
By JIM UTTER
RICHMOND, Va. -- About a dozen Nextel Cup teams had their practice time limited
Friday because they were late to get through pre-race inspection last weekend at
Darlington, S.C. NASCAR has implemented the rule many times, but it has been
some time since so many violators were flagged in one weekend.
"I understand what NASCAR's doing," said Jeff Gordon, who served the longest
penalty, 26 minutes. "They need to keep the inspection line on time and make
sure people are going out for qualifying when they're supposed to. "But I think
when you’ve got 11 or 12 cars, and top teams, that are late to the inspection
line, there's obviously a problem there beyond just the teams lagging behind."
The rest of those penalized anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes of lost practice
time: Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Michael Waltrip, Casey Mears, Matt Kenseth,
Scott Riggs, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch, Robby Gordon and
Tony Stewart.
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/sports/motorsports/nascar/series/nextel
_cup/11641988.htm

Biffle likely returning to Roush
By JIM UTTER
RICHMOND, Va. – Despite interest from other Nextel Cup organizations, Greg
Biffle said there is "very little doubt" he will remain with Roush Racing for
the long haul. "I sent over some stuff to them this week and hopefully I'll hear
back from them next week, it's been an on-going thing," Biffle said. "But from
our most recent conversation, there is no reason to believe it will not be
signed, sealed and delivered within three weeks. "I'd be very surprised if they
would come back and say, 'Sorry Greg, we can't do this. It's been a good seven
years.' " Biffle, who is tied with Jeff Gordon with the most wins this season
(three apiece), has won NASCAR Craftsman Truck and Busch series titles with
Roush. He said it's been difficult working through a contract negotiation while
enjoying his most productive season yet in Cup. "You got the guys with the big
checkbooks calling you trying to bid. It's hard to block that stuff out of your
mind and think about the No. 16 car," Biffle said. "It's inviting for someone to
want to pay you a dump-truck full of money to come there and win races, or build
a team. I'm flattered by that. "But we have the best team I've had since I've
been in Cup. We have the best cars. Everything is better. We're hitting on
things that are working, obviously, so why change?"
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/sports/motorsports/nascar/series/nextel
_cup/11641967.htm

Rusty Wallace leads all active Cup drivers at Richmond
Rusty Wallace leads all active Nextel Cup drivers at Richmond International
Raceway with six victories, the last of which came in March 1997.
That last win was part of a string of 14 consecutive top-10 finishes by Wallace
on the 0.75-mile Richmond track. Wallace, who has three top 10s in his last four
starts at Richmond, also leads all active drivers with 21 top fives, 29 top 10s
and 3,023 laps led.

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

Rudd Ponders Retirement
Ricky Rudd will decide by this summer whether this will be his final season of
Nextel Cup competition, The Roanoke (Va.) Times reports. Rudd, who has 23 series
victories in a career that started in 1975, said that if he doesn't run well
this year, "then you probably won't see me the next year." The 48-year-old
Virginia native, who now drives Wood Brothers Racing's No. 21 Ford, also said he
won't run a partial Cup schedule or compete in the Craftsman Truck Series when
he does retire. Rudd said the only race he would like to compete in after
leaving the Cup circuit would the 24-hour LeMans sports car race in
France.(Scene Plus)

Kahne On Nextel Cup Pole
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne won the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series pole at Richmond International
Raceway on Friday with a lap of 20.775 seconds around the 3/4-mile track for a
speed of 129.964 mph. It wasn't a track record, that is held by Brian Vickers,
20.772 seconds, 129.983 mph, set May 14, 2004. This is Kahne’s sixth career pole
in 47 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races. His most recent pole was last week at
Darlington. This is Kahne’s first top-10 start in three NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
race at Richmond. Kahne, who also won the Busch pole, became the first driver to
sweep weekend poles at Richmond. The last driver to sweep both poles in a
weekend was Mark Martin at Rockingham in October 1999. There has been a
different pole winner in each of the past 11 races at Richmond.

Ryan Newman will start on the outside pole for Saturday's Chevy American
Revolution 400. Newman has started from a top-10 starting position in each race
this season, the only driver to do so. He has also started from the top-10 in
six of his seven races at Richmond, including four times from the front row.
This is the fifth pole for Dodge in 2005. Chevrolet has four poles and Ford has
two. This was the first time this season that no drivers relied on guaranteed
starting positions to make the race. The furthermost back in the field that a
Richmond race winner has started on the 3/4-mile configuration was 25th by Matt
Kenseth in the 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400. Four drivers failed to qualify
for the Chevy American Revolution 400: Kevin Lepage, Jeff Fuller, Kirk
Shelmerdine and Carl Long.

Newman Quickest But Wrecks In First Practice
Ryan Newman was fastest in the first practice session at Richmond on Friday but
the team was forced to pull out the backup car after Newman smacked the wall
with about 40 minutes left to go. The ALLTEL team got Newman back on track with
about six minutes to go. Carl Long also wrecked his primary car and did not get
back on track with a backup car. Listed below are the top-ten times and speeds.


Pos Car Driver Make Sponsor Speed Time Behind

1 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 129.045 20.923
2 97 Kurt Busch Ford IRWIN/Sharpie 128.523 21.008 -0.085
3 21 Ricky Rudd Ford Motorcraft 128.011 21.092 -0.169
4 31 Jeff Burton Chev Cingular Wireless 127.714 21.141 -0.218
5 77 Travis Kvapil Dodge Kodak/Jasper Engines 127.593 21.161 -0.238
6 10 Scott Riggs Chev Arometrics/Valvoline 127.545 21.169 -0.246
7 20 Tony Stewart Chev The Home Depot 127.449 21.185 -0.262
8 6 Mark Martin Ford Viagra 127.419 21.190 -0.267
9 41 Casey Mears Dodge Target 127.401 21.193 -0.270
10 18 Bobby Labonte Chev Boniva 127.353 21.201 -0.278

For full practice results... (Insider Racing News)
Chris Long Talks About Speed Channel Changes
Chris Long, who hasn't even finished moving his family from Los Angeles to
Charlotte, already is creating a buzz in NASCAR TV land, making changes -- small
and large -- to some of SPEED Channel's most popular programs. Well known in the
NASCAR community, the 35-year-old New York native is on a mission, confident in
his aggressive approach, having worked on major events like the Super Bowl,
World Series and multiple Daytona 500s. Here are a few answers from a sit-down
interview with Long:

SPEED: You're not wasting any time implementing changes to the current crop of
shows, most notably NASCAR Nation, a program just launched by SPEED in February.
Can you run through some of the changes and what viewers can look for with
future episodes of the show?

LONG: NASCAR Nation's original premise was to be an entertainment lifestyle
show. It developed into something more like the show it replaced, Totally
NASCAR, and that's not what SPEED wanted to do. NASCAR Nation should be NASCAR's
version of Access Hollywood or Entertainment Tonight. All I am doing is putting
it back on that path. I am going to bring in new talent, a personality with an
entertainment background and a working knowledge of motor sports. This show is
trying to throw out a bigger net, not just catching the interest of NASCAR fans,
but to the larger television audience that just might be curious about the lives
race car drivers live away from the track or those who simply enjoy the world of
entertainment.

SPEED: Any specific changes to the NASCAR Nation format you are ready to
announce?

LONG: It will drop from an hour to a half hour beginning June 27 because it will
no longer have a news element. The show's hosts will change. Krista Voda made
the decision before I arrived to move to Pittsburgh and continue her career with
Fox Sports Net in that area. Ralph Sheheen will return to Speed News. New hires
are pending. I am still looking at tapes. The show's graphics and set will
change. I'm looking for more of a nighttime feel.

To read more... (Speed TV)
Petty Featured On Sports Center Tonight
A feature story on Petty Enterprises and including interviews with Richard and
Kyle Petty is scheduled to run on ESPN Sports Center tonight at 6 p.m. Eastern.
The piece was taped earlier this year at Petty Enterprises.

Health Problems For Joe Gibbs?
Joe Gibbs Racing owner Joe Gibbs was hospitalized for a heart procedure to open
a clogged artery last month, The Washington Post reports. Gibbs, who is 64 and
who coaches the Washington Redskins football team, said doctors placed a small,
spring-like wire tube known as a stent in the artery at a Washington hospital in
mid-April. Gibbs said he remained overnight but returned to work the next day
and was back to his regular workout routine, which includes a 45-minute run,
within several days. "I understand the public interest, but it has no effect on
my work, or my tenure with the Redskins," he said. "I considered it a private
matter." (Scene Plus)

Wheeler Will Predict Winner Of All-Star Challenge
On Monday, May 16, 1:30 p.m., H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general
manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, will reveal his prediction of who will win the
May 21 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge. Wheeler, who has correctly picked nine
of the last 16 All-Star race winners, will announce the annual pick in his usual
fun, analytical fashion.

Ticket Sales Off For Coca-Cola 600
At a time when Charlotte is trying to woo a NASCAR Hall of Fame, ticket sales
for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway aren't keeping pace. The track
has sold just over 100,000 seats for the May 29 race, speedway President Humpy
Wheeler told the Observer on Wednesday. That's a "few thousand" behind last
year's sales at this time, he said, declining to be more specific. The track is
one of the largest in racing, with about 170,000 seats. The 600 is traditionally
on Memorial Day weekend, capping off almost two weeks of racing. Wheeler
attributed the drop to high gas prices, the economy and bad memories of a
rain-shortened race two years ago. Officials are expected to update ticket sales
sometime this week. The track in Concord had an off year in 2004, too, with a 10
percent drop in overall sales throughout the year. The loss was offset some,
though, by corporate sales and sponsorships.
To read more...(That's Racin')

Michigan Drops Out Of HOF Race
Michigan officials say they won't submit a pitch for the NASCAR Hall of Fame,
narrowing the field to Daytona Beach and four competitors. The Michigan Economic
Development Corp. was spearheading the effort to put the hall of fame in the
Detroit area, but its vice president, Michael Shore, said Wednesday it has
decided not to submit a proposal. "We really aren't pursuing it," he said. "The
governor gave us the green light to explore it. But when we reviewed the
financial commitment it would take to make one of these really work -- and given
the state's economic situation -- we were talking a lot of money and a long-term
commitment." Michigan's move leaves five cities in the race: Daytona Beach;
Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Kansas City, Kan.; and Richmond, Va. Talladega, Ala.
pulled out of the competition in March.(Speed News)



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