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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Harvick: No. 3 should be retired like famous numbers in other sports: So that begs the question, will a black No. 3 ever be raced in NASCAR’s Cup series again? Or, more importantly, should it? Opinions vary greatly. Kevin Harvick, who replaced Earnhardt at RCR after his death, says the No. 3 should be retired like famous numbers in other sports. Teammate Jeff Burton says the No. 3 should absolutely be raced in the Cup series again - under the right circumstances. “The 3 has a history to it and it has a heritage to it, and that history and heritage is not only linked to Dale Earnhardt but to Richard Childress Racing,” Burton said. “They collectively made the 3 a symbol of success and a commitment to do everything it took to win. … It is such a huge part of our sport, it should only be back in the right situation.” What is the right situation? “I don’t know,” Burton says. “It has to be a special situation. … With Richard Childress involved, the Earnhardt legacy has to be involved, all those things have to come together. If all those things come together, it is not only a good thing to do, it is the right thing to do.” The perfect scenario, of course, is for Earnhardt Jr. to move to Richard Childress Racing and drive a black No. 3. That may or may not be a possibility. If Earnhardt Jr. turns things around at Hendrick Motorsports, he likely will end his career there. (Scene Daily)

Front Row Motorsports and Yates in talks to transfer points: Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody has learned that talks are underway between Yates Racing and Front Row Motorsports to enable a transfer of owner's points that would lock all three Front Row Motorsports Fords into the first five races of the 2010 season. Reliable sources say Front Row Motorsports will assume the owner's points accrued last season by Yates' No. 96 and No. 98 Fords, which finished 31st and 33rd respectively in the final 2009 owner's standings. Talks are reportedly in their preliminary stages, but are progressing rapidly with an eye toward completing the deal by midweek. It is expected that in order for the dagreement to pass muster with NASCAR, Yates Racing owner Doug Yates will have to assume a minority ownership stake in Front Row Motorsports. Front Row's No. 34 car is already a guaranteed starter in the first five races after finishing 35th in owner's points a year ago.(Sirius Speedway)

Advance ticket sells at speedways still trending down: Overall for the year (ending Nov. 30th), ISC’s total revenues were $693 million, down from $787 in 2008. The ISC reported it anticipates revenue this season between $660 million and $680 million. The ISC pointed to “continued adverse economic trends which increasingly contributed to the decrease in attendance related as well as corporate partner revenues for certain of the Company’s events….” The ISC concedes “advance ticket sales are still trending down…and corporate partnership sales, while encouraging, are also expected to decrease.” Hence the announcement that NASCAR is cutting both its track sanctioning fees and its purse and point fund money. (MikeMulhern.net)

Daytona 500 ad sales are strong: An improved television ad sales marketplace is breathing new life into Fox's NASCAR sales this season, as the network has sold 80 percent of the inventory for the Daytona 500 and is expecting a full sellout before the race. Ad sales for the rest of the network's 13-race schedule are pacing 8 to 10 percent ahead of last year's levels. Fox's NASCAR sales push is being helped by a more active marketplace, which is seeing advertising sales slowly rebound across virtually all sports. These early returns represent a big relief for the sport and the network considering that last year's TV ratings were the lowest in a decade. Emblematic of the rebounding economy is the automotive category, which Fox said is tripling its revenue commitment from last year. Fox expects to double the amount of auto sponsors that buy into the regular season. Last year, just two autos - Toyota and Ford - bought regular-season schedules. Both are back this year, as is General Motors. Plus, Fox said GoDaddy, Nationwide and Cialis also have stepped up as new advertisers with significant buys. Unlike other sports, NASCAR team sponsors are not required to purchase a network schedule.(Sports Business Journal)

Monday, February 1, 2010

Window World Cares to sponsor Andretti in Daytona 500: Coming off a successful debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning in last season's Daytona 500, Window World Inc. announced it will return as the primary sponsor of the No. 34 Window World Cares Ford driven by John Andretti in this year's "Great American Race." Window World and Andretti will again team with Front Row Motorsports. The No. 34 Ford will feature Window World's foundation, Window World Cares, and its charitable beneficiary, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.(Breaking Limits PR)

Andretti in the No. 34 during Speedweeks: John Andretti will drive the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford as one of three entries from the newly expanded team in the 2010 Daytona 500. Andretti will also race in the Budweiser Shootout. Andretti's eligible for the season-opening special event due to winning Daytona's 1997 mid-summer Cup race, the Pepsi 400. Travis Kvapil, who's signed to wheel the No. 34 the rest of the season, will drive FRM's No. 37 at Daytona in place of rookie Kevin Conway, who NASCAR wouldn't approve to race on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Robert Richardson Jr. will drive the team's third full-time car, the No. 38. A Nationwide Series regular, Richardson will drive the season's first three restrictor-plate races for FRM. Kvapil will switch to the No. 34 at Fontana the second week of the season; Conway will drive the No. 37; and David Gilliland will step into the No. 38, which he'll drive in the majority of this season's races. Team owner Bob Jenkins said Andretti, who secured the No. 34's locked-in spot in the top 35 to start this season in the 34 races he ran for FRM in 2009, will also do a handful of other races this season in the No. 38.(NASCAR.com)

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Logano wins Toyota All-Star Showdown: Joey Logano got his second NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown trophy and Sergio Pena nearly made a historic debut on the national stage. Logano, 19, held off the 16-year-old Pena and two-time race winner Matt Kobyluck for the victory in the 225-lap race Saturday before a sold-out crowd at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. It was Pena's first career race in NASCAR's top developmental series and it came in the non-points, postseason event, which has earned the moniker the "Daytona 500 of short-track racing." Logano made his mark by winning as a 17-year-old rookie in the 2007 edition; Pena, who only has one year of Late Model racing on his resume, nearly out-did that. Logano wound up leading a race-high 171 laps. Pena led the other 54 and they swapped the lead five times. Following Logano, Pena and Kobyluck across the line was Matt DiBenedetto and Andrew Myers. Eric Holmes, David Mayhew, Eddie MacDonald, Paulie Harraka and Steve Park rounded out the top 10. Reigning NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion Jason Bowles finished 11th while K&N Pro Series East 2009 titlist Ryan Truex was relegated to 26th after a late-race accident.(NASCAR PR)

ESPN2's NASCAR Now returns tomorrow: ESPN2's daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns for its fourth season on Monday, Feb. 1, at 6:00pm/et , to coincide with the beginning of the 2010 NASCAR season. The program includes highlights, opinion, debate, analysis and the latest news from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders. With hosts Nicole Briscoe, Mike Massaro and Allen Bestwick, NASCAR Now originates from ESPN's high definition studios in Bristol, Conn., with reporters and analysts checking in from locations around the country wherever NASCAR news is happening. In addition to reports from races, NASCAR Now reporters also visit race shops and special events. The program regularly airs at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with all weekday programs 30 minutes except for a one-hour Monday roundtable discussion edition with ESPN analysts and reporters. ESPN2 also airs an hour-long edition at 9:00am/et. on the morning of each NASCAR Sprint Cup race, and a weekend wrap-up edition will begin in July. NASCAR Now will originate from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, site of the NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500, with special hour-long programs Feb. 8-14. Massaro will host the first week of episodes beginning Feb. 1, with Briscoe reporting from Daytona starting Feb. 4. The first two weeks of the program will include a focus on the top 10 teams in the sport, looking back at the 2009 season and looking ahead to 2010 with predictions from ESPN analysts. In addition, the first week of the program will feature drivers of the decades, starting on Feb. 1 with drivers from the 1960s. The NASCAR Now team also includes Terry Blount, Tim Brewer, Angelique Chengelis, D.J. Copp, Ricky Craven, and Brad Daugherty. Others are analyst Ray Evernham, Ed Hinton, Randy LaJoie, Ryan McGee, David Newton, and Marty Smith. Shannon Spake, will report for NASCAR Now this season and occasionally host while also reporting for SportsCenter and other ESPN platforms covering NASCAR. NASCAR Now viewers also will see analysis and reports from the NASCAR on ESPN race coverage team including analysts Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree and pit reporters Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch. Live NASCAR racing returns to the ESPN networks for the 2010 season when ESPN2 airs flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series 300-mile from Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 13. NASCAR Countdown airs at 12:00pm/et, with the race's green flag scheduled at 1:34pm/et.(ESPN Media PR)

ESPNEWS to air NASCAR Media Day from Daytona: ESPNEWS will surround NASCAR Media Day at Daytona International Speedway with a special multi-hour program featuring exclusive interviews with NASCAR's top drivers along with analysis of the upcoming season. The program airs Thursday, Feb. 4, at 12:30pm/et. NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Kyle Busch and NASCAR rookie Danica Patrick are among the drivers scheduled to appear from Daytona on the program, along with Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Martin and many more. NASCAR Now co-hosts Mike Massaro and Nicole Briscoe will host the program and conduct the interviews, with Briscoe on the scene in Daytona and Massaro in ESPN's studios. In addition, ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven will weigh-in via satellite. Reports from NASCAR Media Day also will appear on SportsCenter, ESPN.com and other ESPN platforms.(ESPN PR)

Busch repeats at Lanier National Speedway to win Speedfest: Kyle Busch is making Lanier National Speedway his home away from home. The NASCAR Sprint Cup star won for the second straight year at Speedfest on Sunday, running away with the checkered flag in the Super Late Model Division. In other races, Greg Simpson won the Pro Late Model Division, while Brad Springer won the Modified race, which had been pushed from its originally scheduled spot on Saturday. The cold, wet weather, which forced race officials to postpone all of Saturday's events, made for a busy day at the track Sunday.(Gainsville Times)

Saturday, January 30, 2010

NASCAR to lower purses in all three series: Officials at several tracks hosting NASCAR events confirmed Friday that the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based company has reduced race purses for the 2010 season. The move benefits tracks, which pay purse and sanctioning fees for the races they host in NASCAR's top-three series, Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Trucks. "This is a step in the right direction as all entities in our sport work to adjust expenses," said Marcus Smith, president and chief operating officer of Speedway Motorsports Inc. SMI owns several tracks, including Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, as well as racing facilities the Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Francisco markets. "Our priorities need to remain on the continued enhancement of our facilities and fan experiences, and to provide the best racing in the world," said Smith, the son of SMI founder Bruton Smith. While lower purses are expected to help track companies cut their costs, they also will reduce teams' earnings from the races they run. "Last year we launched an industrywide effort to help the sport manage budgets in this economy," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said in a prepared statement. "NASCAR did the right thing to work with the tracks to reduce their costs in order to manage the economic realities. "In return, the tracks have done a great job reducing ticket prices and enhancing the fan experience. Likewise, we worked with the teams to contain costs, such as elimination of testing and other steps." (ThatsRacin.com)

Carter-Simo's No. 08 car still looking for sponsors: The No. 08 Carter-Simo team is hoping to find sponsorship to field an entry for Terry Labonte to run the Budweiser Shootout ay Daytona International Speedway on February 6th.(Carter-Simo)

Friday, January 29, 2010

NASCAR list ban substances: NASCAR has an extensive list of banned substances in its 2010 rule book, which also states that the list is "non-exhaustive." The drug-testing policy is now part of the NASCAR rule book, while before it was a document signed by the driver, who acknowledged understanding the policy, when getting a NASCAR license. The rule states that competitors and officials are prohibited from using, possessing, purchasing, selling or participating in the distribution of any illegal drug, regardless of the amount. Illegal possession and distribution of prescription or over-the-counter medication is also prohibited. The rule book lists banned drugs that might not fall under that category. It also notes that derivatives of the prohibited drugs are not allowed and that the list is not exhaustive. Among the drugs listed:
o Stimulants, such as amphetamine, methamphetamine, Ecstasy (MDMA), Eve (MDEA) and Phentermine.
o Narcotic analgesics, such as hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, heroin, codeine and hydrocodone.
o Ephedrine, such as pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine if used in a manner inconsistent with the instructions provided by the drug manufacturer or in a manner or amount that risks the health, safety or impairs a driver.
o Benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam (Ativan), oxazapam (Serax), temazepam (Restoril), Alpha-hydroxyalprazolam (Xanax) and Nordiazepam (Valium).
o Barbituates, such as amobarbital (Amytal) and secobarbital (Seconal).
o Performance enhancing drugs, such as Human Growth Hormone (hGH), as well as anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), including testosterone.
o Muscle relaxers, such as carisoprodol (Soma), meprobamate (Miltown, Meprospan).
o Sleep aids, such as zolpidem (Ambien)
o Beta blockers, such as alpernolol and carteolol.
o Alcohol: A competitor is prohibited from consuming any alcohol 12 hours prior to or during on-track activity. A driver is considered unfit if the blood-alcohol level is above 20 milligrams per 100 milliliters (0.02 percent).
o Dietary supplements with a warning advising non-use if the purchaser is subject to a drug-testing program even though available without a prescription.
o Masking agents designed to avoid detection, including Aromatase inhibitors that may be used to biologically manipulate the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio, and/or using epitestosterone to artificially alter the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio.(Scene Daily)

ISC reports major losses due to Motorsports Authentics: International Speedway Corp. saw its net income drop 95 percent from $134.6 million in 2008 to $6.8 million in 2009, with its 50 percent stake in merchandise company Motorsports Authentics costing $77.6 million on its 2009 balance sheet, according to its year-end financial report issued Thursday. The losses for Motorsports Authentics, owned 50-50 by ISC and track-operating rival Speedway Motorsports Inc., include an ISC write-down of its half of the worth of the company by $69.3 million and operating losses for 2009 of $8.3 million. ISC also announced that it believes Motorsports Authentics' value of goodwill and intangible assets is zero as the company has not been able to pay guarantees under its current license agreements. ISC President John Sanders said he did expect a resolution to the Motorsports Authentics issues in the next three to six months. The merchandise company - which licenses the merchandise, has it purchased and also does at-track sales - is looking at streamlining operations. Bankruptcy is still an option, according to ISC's news release. Admissions revenue dropped 17.2 percent from $236.1 million to $195.5 million. Saunders said that ISC sold slightly below 80 percent of its seating capacity for Sprint Cup events, compared with 90-95 percent in previous years. The weighted average ticket price was down 3 percent.(Scene Daily)

Said to run first five races in 2010: Boris Said is committed to running the first five races in 2010 and will announce his sponsorship for the Daytona 500 on Saturday. Said, who is driving the No. 94 Turner Motorsports BMW in the Grand-Am Rolex 24 at Daytona this weekend, will pilot the No. 26 Ford for Bill Jenkins' Latitude 43 Motorsports team this season. Frankie Stoddard, who Said referred to as his "partner" in the venture, will be the crew chief. Roush Fenway Racing will provide the cars and engines. Said, 47, said the team is still looking for sponsorship for the remaining races to fill out the schedule. "If we have to start and park we will," Said said. "We're going to run the first five races that's for sure."(Fox Sports)

Furniture Row announces technical alliance deal with RCR: On the surface it looks basically the same. But behind the scenes it's a whole new look for the Furniture Row Racing team, which made significant personnel moves during the offseason as it readies to return to a full 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in 2010. The team's driver (Regan Smith), car number (78) and car manufacturer (Chevy) remain the same for the new campaign, which kicks off Sunday Feb. 14 with NASCAR's traditional season opener -- the Daytona 500. But when you get beyond the driver, car make and car number, the Denver-based Furniture Row team is quite different than it has been in recent years. For starters, more than 20 new employees were hired during the offseason, increasing the team's growing staff to more than 60. Along with the new hires, Furniture Row Racing went even a step further to enhance its program by forming a technical and engineering alliance with Richard Childress Racing. "Being a single-car team against the mega, multicar teams has put us at a huge disadvantage over the years," said Garone. "Now that we have formed an alliance with RCR, we will have the ability to be secured in the top 35 and keep a better pace with the other multicar teams. RCR has always been a leader and a winner, and we are proud to be affiliated with Richard Childress and his outstanding organization."(Furniture Row Racing PR)

NASCAR plans test spoiler at Talladega in March: NASCAR has tentatively added a third test of the spoiler on the Sprint Cup Series car, this one set for the sport's biggest track. Plans are to test the vehicle March 16 at Talladega Superspeedway, according to a series spokesman. That test would be in addition to a two-day open session scheduled for March 23-24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and would be to specifically examine the spoiler's performance on a restrictor-plate track. Four drivers also tested cars outfitted with the spoiler at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this month. (NASCAR.com)

NASCAR announces pit road changes: NASCAR had some media folks over at its R&D Center to go over the pit road rules for this season. A few things that were interesting&
# A change this season is that NASCAR is going to enforce speeding on pit road more. Remember when a wrecked car would come to pit road, the crew would furiously make repairs and the car would fire down pit road faster than the speed limit to stay on the lead lap? Speeding penalty was no big deal because it only put the driver at the rear of the field. He still got to stay on the lead lap. New this year is that speeding is speeding. NASCAR will not allow such action again. What that means is that crews will have to complete their work sooner knowing they can't speed on pit road to stay on the lead lap.
# As in the past, teams are allowed a 4.99 mph allowance before being penalized for speeding on pit road.
# Another change this year is if a car is entering pit road or just entered pit road when the caution comes out (thus closing pit road), the driver can go down pit road (without stopping in his stall) while maintaining pit road speed and NASCAR will put the driver back in his spot when he entered pit road. There have been times guys entered pit road just as it closed because of a caution and never had a chance to react and all but had their day (or a good part of it) ruined with losing a lap. 
# You know how there are times when a NASCAR official in the pits will kick a tire back toward the pit wall and other times they don't? Here is what NASCAR tells its officials on those situations: If you (the official) don't have to move out of the way to knock the tire back, that is fine. If an official has to move out of position to do so, then let it go. The reasoning to allow officials to even knock the tire back is a safety issue. If an official can do so without getting out of position, then it prevents the tire from getting hit by a car and knocked back into that official or others on pit road. 
# NASCAR penalizes drivers for running over air hoses, yet there are cases when a driver won't be penalized for doing so. Think of it this way: On a four-tire pit stop where the front tire changer comes over to the left side, the air hose might not flip over completley away from the car. If the car runs over a small portion (small the key) then NASCAR more than likely will let it go.(Hampton Roads)

Sabates apologizes for comments: The fans have spoken; and so has Felix Sabates. The part-owner of NASCAR’s Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, who outraged many race fans and Michigan residents this week for suggesting Michigan International Speedway be cut from NASCAR’s Sprint Cup schedule because of the state’s economy, has issued an apology. “In an attempt at humor I made some comments about the city of Detroit and the people of Michigan that were in poor taste and that I sincerely apologize for,” Sabates said. “I have worked directly or indirectly with the auto industry for over 40 years as both an auto dealer and a NASCAR owner and it was never my intention to put down the auto industry, its workers, the city of Detroit or the state of Michigan. I have such respect for all of them. Speedway President Roger Curtis accepted the apology Friday, calling Sabates’ original comments, made at last week’s NASCAR media tour in Charlotte, N.C., a rally cry from the speedway’s loyal fan base who continually support the racetrack through tough economic times.(MIS PR)