NASCAR Current News

NEXT Race/RaceCast: Find Sprint Cup Next race information, including television, practice, qualifying times and more, also radio coverage information.. During the race find RacewayReport.com: RaceCast with running order, notes, and more..

Monday, January 19, 2009

Riggs to drive for Tommy Baldwin Racing: Tommy Baldwin Racing announced today Scott Riggs as the driver of the #36 Toyota for the 2009 NASCAR season. Riggs, formerly with Haas CNC Racing will start his sixth season in Sprint Cup competition. The 2009 season finds the 38-year-old native of Bahama, NC, eager to embark on a new chapter of his racing career, driving for the newly formed TBR team. Tommy Baldwin, who will hold the title of both owner and crew chief, announced the formation of his new race team earlier this month. "I look forward to working with Tommy," Riggs said. "I think we can work together to build something really strong. I feel fortunate to work with someone like Tommy who has so much experience." Riggs, with multiple years of experience at the Cup level and time behind the wheel in NASCAR's COT, brings credibility and marketability to the new team. TBR, located at 604 Performance Road, in Mooresville, NC, plans on competing in the 51st running of the Daytona 500 in February with plans to run a full schedule in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. "Having Scott Riggs on board is a huge stepping stone for Tommy Baldwin Racing," Said Baldwin. "He's a top caliber driver, and I look forward to seeing the success we can have together." No sponsor has been named yet for the #36 Toyota.(TBR/Everest Marketing Group)

Yates/Hall of Fame Racing points transfer: Hall of Fame Racing today the #96 Ask.com Ford Fusion and Bobby Labonte as the manufacturers’ wild card entry into the famed Budweiser Shootout following NASCAR’s rule change on Friday. “The #96 joined the Ford family at the right time,” said Hall of Fame Racing Co-Owner, Tom Garfinkel. “We’re pleased to get Hall of Fame and Ask.com into the Shootout and have an early chance to start working towards solid top-five and top-10 finishes this season. We are pleased to be working with Bobby Labonte and Yates Racing and look forward to seeing this combination of talent come together for the first time in the Shootout.” Labonte and the #96 will also receive Yates Racing points from the #38, piloted by David Gilliland in 2008. The transfer will put the #96 in 27th position going into the Daytona 500 in February. Yates Racing’s #98 Menards Ford Fusion will start the 2009 season in 23rd position after a points transfer from the #28. Paul Menard will drive the machine for the full 2009 season. Travis Kvapil will start the season as a fresh entry in the #28 Yates Racing Ford. Sponsorship opportunities are available; please contact Jon Sands with Yates Racing at 704-720-4621.(Yates Racing PR)

Jacques Villeneuve looking for sponsors: Jacques Villeneuve -- Canada's only Formula One/Indianapolis 500 champion -- brought it home in spades yesterday. The native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., appeared at the Canadian Motorsports Expo at the International Centre and spelled out just how hard it has been for him to attract enough sponsorship dollars to get his newly minted NASCAR career back on track. "It's tough going," he said. "There are still a bunch of (NASCAR) teams that are looking at getting funding for 2009 and I am spending virtually all my time trying to get (a deal) done." (Toronto Sun)

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Triad Racing formerly known as BDR not racing: Marty Gaunt and Mike Held have found that since they bought Triad Racing Development and Bill Davis Racing from Bill Davis, that there is a thriving market for chassis and engines. They also have found that with the current sponsorship market, it probably isn’t the right time to go racing. And in addition, if they’re supplying race teams with chassis and engines, they avoid a conflict of interest if they don’t compete. So for the time being, the new Triad Racing Technologies group will be happy being a supplier and not a racer, even though BDR’s NASCAR Sprint Cup car finished last season 31st in owners points and is locked into the first five Cup races of 2009. “We don’t need to be there [as a race team],” Held said Saturday in a phone interview. “What we feel like is we need to have the best package on the race track, and that is the package of chassis and engines that can win races for our customers.” Of course, if a $15 million sponsor comes along, Held would reconsider. “The one thing we were very sure of is you don’t want to get into a situation, especially in this economic climate, where you put yourself or your employees at risk where you try to do something because your heart says so but the finances dictate otherwise,” Held said. “So where it stands today is we don’t have a sponsor for the Cup program so it doesn’t look like we’re going to put a race car on the track for the Cup series.” (SceneDaily.com)

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Robby Gordon to race a Dodge in Bud Shootout: Sirius Speedway spoke to NASCAR representative Ramsey Poston today, and he confirmed that Robby Gordon is approved to run the Budweiser Shootout in a Dodge, before converting to Toyota for the remainder of Speedweek 2009. Gordon ran Dodges last season, but will campaign a Toyota in 2009. Both manufacturers have apparently signed-off on the arrangement. (The Motorsports Soapbox)

Coons Covers Friday Chili Bowl Qualifying Field

Friday, January 16, 2009

Bud Shootout format revised: NASCAR announced Friday a revision to the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona format that provides each manufacturer with a ‘wild card’ entry, increasing the size of the field from 24 to 28 cars, highlighting the manufacturers’ involvement in NASCAR, and featuring more drivers for fans to support. The 31st annual season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway will be held on Saturday night, Feb. 7. As was announced last August, the lineup will consist of the top six teams from each manufacturer, based on the final 2008 car owner points. Eligibility is based on owners competing in this event with the same manufacturer as 2008. The new wrinkle calls for each manufacturer to be able to enter a seventh car, or “wild card” entry, based on the following criteria:
• Any owner outside of the top six in year end 2008 owners’ points whose driver is a past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion that attempted to qualify for all of the 2008 events (only one position will be filled per manufacturer and will be based on the most recent past champion per manufacturer).
• If an owner/manufacturer does not have a past champion driver, the next highest eligible owner outside the top six in year end 2008 owners’ points from each manufacturer will be eligible to compete in the event.
As previously announced, the race distance will be increased from 70 laps to 75 (187.5 miles) on the 2.5-mile tri-oval. The race will have two segments of 25 and 50 laps. Both green- and yellow-flag laps will count. Between segments, there will be a 10-minute pit stop at which time teams will pit and may elect to change tires, add fuel and make normal chassis adjustments. Crews will be permitted to work on cars and will be allowed to perform functions they would do on a normal pit stop in a regular NASCAR Sprint Cup event. All work must be performed on pit road or in the garage. Changing of springs, shock absorbers or rear-ends will not be permitted. Starting positions will again be determined by a blind draw, at the annual Budweiser Shootout Draw Party on Thursday night, Feb. 5, on the SPEED stage in the Midway, outside Turn 4. As of today, cars eligible to compete in the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona would be as follows (using 2008 car numbers):
Chevrolet: 48, 29, 07, 31, 24, 88;
Dodge: 9, 12, 2, 43, 19 , 7; wildcard #10
Toyota: 11, 20, 18, 83, 44, 55
Ford: 99, 16, 17, 6, 26, 28
[the #28 and #38 may be switching numbers with #98-Menard and #96-Labonte](NASCAR PR)

Siegel leaves DEI; to head NASCAR Drive for Diversity: NASCAR hit a ringing double on Wednesday, making a deal that puts Max Siegel in charge of managing the Drive for Diversity program. In hiring Siegel, stock-car racing's leadership took a big step toward bringing a level of credibility to its diversity initiative. But as much as I thnk of Siegel, I will tell you right now that his name and his efforts alone can not turn the hire into the home run that NASCAR needs in this important at bat. Siegel left Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he was president of global operations, to go back to Baker & Daniels, an Indianapolis legal firm where he'd worked from 1992 through 1994. That firm, with Siegel leading the effort, will take over management of the Drive for Diversity program. (ThatsRacin.com)

Waltrip: Reutimann to run full schedule: Michael Waltrip Racing owner Michael Waltrip says the #00 Toyota team for driver David Reutimann will run the full Sprint Cup season this year despite not having full sponsorship. Waltrip said on a national conference call with reporters on Wednesday that Reutimann will be sponsored by Aaron's for "half a season" as the company steps up to the Cup series for the first time after many years as a Waltrip sponsor in what is now known as the Nationwide Series. Waltrip said the first race Reutimann would be without sponsorship would be the Feb. 22 event at Auto Club Speedway in California. (Crash.net)

Langenstein recipient of 2008 Papa Joe Hendrick Award of Excellence

Brad Keselowski to attempt seven races: Brad Keselowski will kick off his 2009 Sprint Cup Series schedule by attempting to qualify for the March 1 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports this week finalized the Shelby 427 and six other Sprint Cup events for the 24-year-old driver. It was announced Jan. 7 that Keselowski, a native of Rochester Hills, Mich., will attempt a seven-race Sprint Cup schedule this season for Hendrick Motorsports in the #25 GoDaddy.com Chevys. The effort will be led by veteran crew chief Lance McGrew. "It's exciting to have everything finalized and ready to go for 2009," said Keselowski, who also will compete full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports. "We're going to some tracks where I'm pretty confident, and we're going to some places where I really need the additional seat time. I'm especially excited about going to Michigan. The track isn't far from Rochester Hills, and it's going to be really cool to race in front of all my family and friends. All the tracks we're going to are great, but that one will definitely be a highlight for me. .(HM PR)

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Chili Bowl: Hines advances to Saturday's feature

Toyota to cutback motorsports budget: The president of Toyota Racing Development said Wednesday he expects budget cuts in its NASCAR program as the Japanese automaker feels the effects of the global economic crisis. Typically immune from the declining sales that have rocked Detroit's Big Three automakers, Toyota recently said it anticipates its first yearly operating loss in 70 years for the fiscal year ending March 2009. The losses will have a ripple effect on Toyota's racing program, TRD president Lee White predicted. "There is probably not anything on this earth here that Toyota is involved with now that is not under some level of review regarding budget expenditure," White said in a national conference call. "That includes everything that we do, everything that TRD does and everything we do around motorsports. There is a review of everything. Certainly if contracts have expired, it's very likely that contracts have not been renewed, or if they are being renewed, they are certainly being renegotiated." (ESPN.com)

Gilliand looking for sponsorship? David Gilliland appears to be the odd man out at Yates Racing, where the team says it will field three cars following its new partnership agreement with Hall of Fame Racing. Along with Paul Menard’s No. 98 and Bobby Labonte’s No. 96, Travis Kvapil’s No. 28 team is expected to remain while Gilliland and the No. 38 appear to be out. "I just heard of the thing today, from the Internet, so that’s what I assume,” Gilliland said Wednesday afternoon. “I haven’t actually had a sit-down with them, but I’m still under contract with them through 2009. So we’re just going to have to work through it, and hopefully, we can get something else going.” Gilliland said he’s sorting through the contract and seeing what he’s able to do and what the next step could be, but he understands that the current economic climate makes it tough. (SceneDaily.com)

Sadler looking for missing passport: His job secure, #19-Elliott Sadler can now turn his attention to his impending nuptials: He's marrying Amanda Prince on Saturday and has major passport issues to resolve before the couple leave for their honeymoon in St. Lucia on Sunday. Sadler learned his passport had been reported stolen and red-flagged when he recently applied for a new one, and he's been racing to take care of it. "The questions you're giving me are pretty easy compared to the questions my wife will give me Sunday if I have to tell her we can't go on the honeymoon," Sadler joked to reporters. "I guess I'm a threat to national security."(ESPN.com)

ServiceMaster Vlean named official sponsor of NASCAR caution periods

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Chili Bowl: Swindell wins Chili Bowl qualifier

No. 28 looking for funding: The No. 96 is likely to take the owner points from Yates' No. 38 team, with which David Gilliland drove in 2008 for much of the season without a full-time sponsor. Sources also said that Yates’ No. 28 car, currently driven last season by Travis Kvapil, currently does not have the necessary funding to run the entire 2009 season. (Charlotte Observer)

Report: Labonte in No. 96; Ask.com to sponsor: Former Sprint Cup champion Bobby Labonte will drive the No. 96 car for Yates Racing. Hall of Fame Racing announced earlier in the day that it has aligned itself with Yates Racing to run the 96 for the entire Sprint Cup season. Labonte, who had been in discussions with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing for the No. 8 car, will be the driver as part of a three-car operation. His car will be sponsored by Ask.com for the first 18 races of the season, starting with the Daytona 500, with an option to buy more as the year goes on. Ask also signed on as "the official search engine of NASCAR," in two separate deals that bring new money into NASCAR at a time most of the industry is scouring the crumbling economic market for funding. (ESPN.com)

Official -- Hall of Fame Racing & Ask.com Team/NASCAR Sponsorship

Loomis named director of racing operations at GEM-Petty: Robbie Loomis will serve as the executive director of racing operations for the team that will emerge from the merger of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings, and Kevin Buskirk and Sammy Johns will join existing GEM crew chiefs Kenny Francis and Mike Shiplett atop the pit boxes. All four crew chiefs will report to former Petty executive Loomis, according to GEM Director of Competition Mark McArdle. McArdle believes the planned merger and the realigned staff will help his team. Just having Richard Petty and longtime wrenchman Dale Inman at the team’s test last Friday in Rockingham, N.C., at the old North Carolina Motor Speedway was a plus, McArdle said. Loomis, who reports to McArdle, will oversee the race teams, pit crews, team management and team transport, and he ran the Rockingham test. (More at SceneDaily.com)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Chili Bowl: Kuhn wins Tuesday's Chili Bowl qualifier

Penske thinks NASCAR will follow IRL on engines: Roger Penske said Monday the use of smaller race engines might not be just for the IndyCar Series, which expects to announce its powerplant plans later this month. "I think you'll see that migrate even into NASCAR because that's where we are today," Penske said in a Bloomberg radio interview from the Detroit Auto Show. Both racing divisions currently use eight-cylinder engines, but economic and environmental concerns are at the root of possible changes, particularly in the passenger car industry. (Indy Star)

Truex looking for sponsorship? Martin Truex Jr. will continue to drive the No. 1 car. However, his primary sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, has greatly reduced its role with the team and the organization is searching for sponsorship for upwards of 15 or more races for the No. 1. (ThatsRacin.com)

Hall of Fame Racing/Yates form partnership: Hall of Fame Racing and Yates Racing, are forging a relationship that is expected to include sponsorship from Ask.com, one of the few companies with new money to spend in the sport. (Sports Business Journal)

Monday, January 12, 2009

Labonte in the No. 8? Almirola part-time? Bobby Labonte in the No. 8, Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 41, Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 1 and Aric Almirola in a part-time role. That is the scenario officials at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing are discussing, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com. Almirola was slated to drive the No. 8 vacated by Mark Martin this season, but the company was having trouble finding sponsorship for the untested driver. (ESPN.com)

NASCAR drug testing deadline nears: NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck teams have one more week to file an initial list of crew members who have passed a drug test and are eligible for a NASCAR license. NASCAR issued a memo to teams last month, setting a Jan. 16 deadline for crew members, which includes all over-the-wall pit crew members, the crew chief, car chief, pit crew support, including team members that are responsible for tires, fuel, and pit crew operation, as well as spotters and race day support, including engineers, engine tuners, shock specialists, chassis specialists and tire specialists, to have the test results. All tests must be conducted by a laboratory certified by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Teams do not need to submit the names of crewmen who don’t pass. NASCAR plans to oversee the testing of drivers itself, beginning the week of Jan. 20, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Thursday. According to NASCAR policy, any driver who fails a test will be indefinitely suspended.(SceneDaily.com)

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Siegel leaving DEI? A NASCAR team source told ESPN's Kelly Naqi that Dale Earnhardt Inc. president of global operations Max Siegel is close to leaving the team. Siegel said he's talking to DEI chief executive officer Teresa Earnhardt about his future plans with the team, which was part of a merger and has been renamed Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. When contacted, Siegel said, "This has been a great opportunity and I have always been committed to doing what's in the best interests of the sport and the company. I am currently in discussions with Teresa about how I can have the most positive impact on the future of DEI."(ESPN.com)

Evernham not done with NASCAR: Ray Evernham, a former NASCAR team owner. He has retired from the day-to-day operations of the team, retaining only a small minority interest "I'm not burned out," said Evernham, who will have a small ownership stake in the new Petty team. "I'm not done with NASCAR. There is still plenty left for me to do. I'm just not sure what it is." (ESPN.com)

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Report: Buskirk named Sadler Crew Chief: The Gillett group is looking to re-establish Elliott Sadler's winning ways by enlisting the help of his former crew chief, Kevin Buskirk. Although Buskirk, 55, is not a household name, as a team engineer he led Sadler to his last two wins at Robert Yates Racing in 2004 — the only season the driver qualified for the Chase. Buskirk's diligence and leadership earned him employee of the year honors at RYR that season. In fall of 2005, he became interim crew chief for Sadler after Yates moved Todd Parrott to the #88 Ford. Buskirk moved to Richard Childress Racing in March of 2006 to work with Kevin Harvick and crew chief Todd Berrier. After making the commute to Welcome, N.C. — about an hour north of Charlotte — for several months, Buskirk returned to RYR. Most recently, Buskirk was hired by Dale Earnhardt Inc. to oversee the test team after Tony Eury Sr. left for JRMotorsports. Buskirk is expected to start with the team on Monday.(FOXSports.com)

Daytona, Auto Club Speedways slash ticket prices: Daytona International Speedway and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana are among several NASCAR tracks planning selected ticket price cuts or other promotions in the face of the poor economy. Daytona International, home of the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 15, said Friday it slashed the price of "a limited number" of seats -- to $55 each from $99 -- in its 58,000-seat grandstands along the 2.5-mile track's back straightaway. Auto Club Speedway, which hosts the following Cup race Feb. 22, cut prices in the first five rows of its main grandstands to $35 a seat from $55. (LA Times)

R3 Motorsports plans several Cup attempts: R3 Motorsports owner Robert Richardson Sr. said his team has entered the Daytona 500 and could compete in a handful of other Sprint Cup races in the 2009 season. R3 plans to compete full time in the Nationwide Series this year with drivers Robert Richardson Jr. and Ken Butler III, with sponsorship from Mahindra Tractors and Aaron’s rentals. Richardson Sr. said his son as been approved for Cup tracks 2 miles and less in length, and the team has five Cup cars purchased from Dale Earnhardt Inc. “We’re expecting the Cup fields to be short as well this year, so in addition to our Nationwide car fleet, we’ve got five ... cars sitting there ready to go,” Richardson Sr. said. The team will watch car counts in Cup races throughout the year, and if the fields are small enough, R3 will enter. Richardson Sr. said the team is talking to two veteran drivers about competing in the Daytona 500.(Scene Daily)

Friday, January 9, 2009

Sadler back in No. 19 GEM car: Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) announced that Elliott Sadler will drive the #19 Dodge in the 2009 Sprint Cup season.
Tom Reddin, GEM CEO: "We are a family. Sometimes in a family you have differences. We have resolved all differences. We are moving on and excited about heading to Daytona."
Elliott Sadler: "I want to drive. I'm a racer and that's what I do. We are all on the same page now and I think you will see that show on the track."(GEM PR)

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Petty & Gillett Evernham Motorsports reach agreement in principle to merge: Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) and Petty Holdings announced an agreement in principle to form a new NASCAR Sprint Cup team co-owned by Richard Petty, Petty Holdings, owned by majority shareholder Boston Ventures, and Gillett Evernham Motorsports. The team will field four Dodge entries in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Details of the transaction are expected once the deal is closed. Petty and GEM officials anticipate a final agreement by the end of January. (Gillett Evernham PR)

Marc Davis plans several Cup attempts: Marc Davis will try to qualify for six Nationwide races in a row, beginning just after Daytona, this winter. He'll run two Toyotas his father has acquired. Then later this year they plan to enter a handful of Cup races. (ESPN.com)

McClure apologizes for actions in tax fraud case: Morgan-McClure Motorsports co-founder Larry McClure, who will plead guilty to tax fraud Jan. 15, apologized for his actions Thursday afternoon. In a written statement issued through his attorney, McClure said he accepts responsibility for his actions. According to the indictment, McClure did not report $325,000 of income obtained for the use of race cars in the Automobile Racing Club of America series. “I accept full responsibility for my actions in failing to report the said income while president of Morgan-McClure Motorsports,” McClure said in the statement. “I want to apologize to my wife, family, friends and business partners for any anguish or grief that this has caused them. “All of our business operations will continue, and we remain very grateful for the members of the community that have supported our business over the years. With the support of my family, friends, church and my deep beliefs in Jesus Christ, we are going to move forward in this matter.” (SceneDaily.com)

McCauley to remain #12 crew chief: Penske Racing driver #12-David Stremme confirmed Wednesday that Roy McCauley will remain the team’s crew chief for the upcoming 2009 Sprint Cup season. McCauley has been crew chief of the #12 Penske team since the start of the 2008 season with driver Ryan Newman but wasn’t sure if he wanted to return to the team for this season. Stremme replaces Ryan Newman, who moved to Stewart-Haas Racing. Stremme said the three-car Penske organization has made some internal changes, moving people around between his team, Kurt Busch’s #2 team and Sam Hornish Jr.’s #77 team. Stremme also said Tom German, an engineer from Penske Racing’s IndyCar team, will be part of the NASCAR side of things.(SceneDaily)