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Monday, May 18, 2009

Kyle Busch wins at Iowa Speedway: Kyle Busch accomplished on Sunday what previous visiting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers could not do – win the NASCAR Camping World Series East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway. While Kevin Harvick had to settle for second place in 2007 and Kasey Kahne came away as the runner-up in 2008, Busch took the first-place trophy in the Long John Silver’s 200. Busch, fresh from competing in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte Saturday night, made the most of a Sunday morning practice session at Iowa to fine tune the set up of his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He went on to capture the Coors Light Pole Award and dominate the race – leading 168 of the 200 laps. With Sunday's victory, Busch locked up a secure starting spot in the postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. While Busch was heading to victory, defending race winner Brian Ickler and David Mayhew waged a fierce door-to-door battle in the closing laps. Ickler prevailed to take second place, with Mayhew finishing a close third. Jeffrey Earnhardt passed Paulie Harraka in the closing laps to grab fourth. Rounding out the top 10 were Brett Moffitt, Brett Thompson, Jesus Hernandez, Jason Bowles and Johnny Borneman. (NASCAR Local)

Changes to COT coming? NASCAR apparently is willing to make some changes to the Car of Tomorrow. Some teams were told changes might be coming in the next couple weeks to make passing easier - without the benefit of special 10-lap, winner-take-all rules. (Florida Times-Union)

Rick Hendrick to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show: Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group, will make an appearance on the Tuesday, May 19 edition of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." The episode is entitled "Heroes in Hard Times." "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is produced in Chicago by Harpo Productions Inc. and syndicated to 214 domestic stations by CBS Television Distribution Group and to 143 countries by CBS Paramount International Television. It has been the No. 1-rated talk show for 22 consecutive seasons. Visit www.oprah.com for local listings.(HMS PR )

Dale Jr: Don't take drugs: Tony Stewart said he has the number of Black's NASCAR liaison and calls every time he needs to take a medication, just to be safe. "The safest way to make sure you're not getting in trouble is go to NASCAR and say, 'Hey, this is what I'm fighting,' " Stewart said. "We can call him and check and make sure the thing we're thinking about taking is OK." Dale Earnhardt Jr. said the easiest way to avoid the long arm of NASCAR's substance abuse policy is, well, don't take any sort of drugs. "Don't take drugs," he said. "It's stupid to do anyways. Regardless, if you drive race cars or not, it's a dumb idea. Don't be ignorant." (Daytona Beach News-Journal)

Kyle Busch, Steve Addington complement each other: A balanced view - Kyle Busch discussed his relationship with crew chief Steve Addington, who had never won a Sprint Cup race before being paired with Busch in 2008. "He's got a lot of good ideas, a lot of strengths, a couple weaknesses," said Busch of Addington. "Same as me. I've got a lot of strengths, a couple weaknesses. We're trying to make those weaknesses a little better, though, and trying to make it to where we don't have those. "Steve (Addington) is a good crew chief for me because we seem to work well with each other. I can yell at him as much as I want, and he can yell at me as much as he wants, and we have an understanding that, at the end of the day, we respect each other and what we're doing out there." (Gaston Gazette)

Drivers keep drug testing doc busy: Dr. David Black, the guy who runs the lab used by NASCAR to screen drug samples, has been busy this week taking calls from competitors who wonder if taking a couple of aspirin could make the alarms and whistles go off. "I made my call to Dr. Black this week," Mark Martin said. "I'm sure there are a number of others as well." "I asked him about anti-inflammatory. They weren't even testing for that is what he said. Well, he didn't say that specifically. He said 'I don't think they're even testing for that.' " (Daytona Beach News-Journal)

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Mayfield denies taking illegal drugs: Suspended NASCAR driver/owner Jeremy Mayfield denied Saturday he had used illegal drugs to cause a positive drug test taken May 1 and vowed he would not go through drug rehabilitation. Mayfield also stated NASCAR hasn't even sent him a paper copy of the test indicating which substance yielded the positive result. Having watched the Sprint Showdown at Lowe's Motor Speedway from an infield hospitality area, Mayfield spoke with a handful of reporters for about 10 minutes at the track. In response to France's comments Friday, Mayfield said, "That's what he indicates (about my test), but they've indicated something different every day of the week. I've heard the same story y'all have heard. I really don't want to say a whole lot. "All I can say is look at me, I'm alive. I'm well. I'm the same guy I was Thursday night before Richmond, Friday night at Richmond, Saturday night at Richmond. I ran the race, and I'm the same guy today as I've always been. My credibility should speak for something." (SportingNews)

Harvick wins Shell-Pennzoil burnout challenge: Shell-Pennzoil’s own Kevin Harvick emerged victorious in the second annual Pennzoil Victory Challenge held on the front stretch of Lowe’s Motor Speedway prior to Saturday’s All-Star events. Harvick claimed the $10,000 prize which will be donated to his charity of choice, the Victory Junction Gang Camp. A competition that pits some of NASCAR’s top drivers against one another, the Pennzoil Victory Challenge was created to showcase each driver’s best celebratory skills. This year's format allowed the drivers a longer freestyle demonstration without a specific course to run. Each driver took their turn in identically prepared Jeff Gordon Racing School stock cars and had 30 seconds to complete their respective runs. An all-star line-up that included Shell-Pennzoil driver Kevin Harvick, defending Pennzoil Victory Challenge champion Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon and former Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip, the Pennzoil Victory Challenge proved once again to be exciting and a fan favorite. A new facet to the 2009 Challenge included a panel of celebrity judges featuring 16-time World Wrestling Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair, NFL All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss, SPEED's own Jimmy Spencer, NASCAR spokesperson Kevin Costner plus Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry of the award-winning country music group - Montgomery Gentry. Harvick was the second driver to take to the course and earned 58 out of a total of 60 possible points claiming this year’s trophy. Kasey Kahne claimed the second position with Clint Bowyer coming in third. Four-time champion Jeff Gordon finished fourth with last year’s winner Gregg Biffle rounding out the top-five. Kyle Busch and Darrell Waltrip were both disqualified after Waltrip went off course and Busch knocked down the Pennzoil pillars along the course, much to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd.(Pennzoil PR)

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Brian France remains optimistic about manufacturers future in NASCAR: While GM considers bankruptcy, Chrysler is already in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and could face restrictions on the money spent on in marketing. Of the 53 cars entered in Saturday's All-Star race and preliminary Sprint Showdown, 29 carried either GM's Chevrolet or Chrysler's Dodge brand. "They are current with all of their obligations with our sport," France said. "They're still going to be a company that needs to sell cars and trucks. We're still the best place in the country to do that from a sponsorship standpoint and the related benefits that you receive. And obviously those companies are going to have to make some tough choices." (AP)

Martin Truex undecided on future plans: Martin Truex Jr. said Friday a decision on his future with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing will be made “sooner rather than later.’’ But Truex isn’t revealing the options he is weighing. Truex is in the final year of his contract with the team, which came together this year following a merger between his former team, Dale Earnhardt Inc., and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. It has been a difficult transition at times and Truex, who made the playoff Chase in 2007, is 19th in points through the first 11 races this year. Teams take a break from the regular schedule this week for the All-Star Race on Saturday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “To be honest, I think we started the season probably a little farther behind than I thought we were gonna be with all that went on through the winter,’’ Truex said on Friday after signing autographs at Dale Earnhardt Inc. fan day. “The Ganassi bunch has really helped us a lot with our cars. We've gotten all of our cars on the same page as far as chassis and what we're running. Ever since we've done that, it's just been real easy for us. It was really just a bunch of hardware. We pretty much welded their front clip on there and we went to running fast. So that's been pretty neat.’’ (Charlotte NASCAR Examiner)

Drivers nervous about NASCAR's drug policy: A few days after NASCAR suspended Jeremy Mayfield indefinitely for failing a drug test, Mark Martin called Dr. David Black, who administers NASCAR's drug-testing policy. He wanted to make sure anti-inflammatory medication wouldn't get him a similar suspension. He was nervous. "When you pick up the paper and you see 'zero tolerance,' . . . What does that mean?" Martin said. "If you're taking something as prescribed, what does zero tolerance mean? It's our careers, man. . . . People have allergies, people have whatevers, injuries and stuff. I'm sure that's all fine. Dr. Black says that's all fine, but it's still pretty scary." NASCAR's drug-testing policy is the strictest and broadest in American professional sports. There is no drivers union to negotiate terms of a drug-testing policy or intercede on an accused driver or crew member's behalf. Suspensions are indefinite and not appealable. There is also no complete list of banned substances for drivers; NASCAR can test for anything it wants. (LA Times)

Lowe's Motor Speedway to honor David Poole: On Thursday, Lowe Motor Speedway will dedicate the deadline room in its infield media center in honor of David Poole, the Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com writer who died April 28. In addition to his work with the newspaper and its racing site, Poole was an author of numerous books about racing and the sport's personalities. He was a respected authority on stock car racing and his opinions were often sought by others in the media and officials of more than one racing brand. A frequent guest commentator on TV and radio, Poole also co-anchored a popular XM-Sirius program. His wife, Katy, is scheduled to be on hand to receive a special donation to one of the writer and broadcaster's favorite charities.(ThatsRacin.com)

No. 8 close to signing a sponsor? Aric Almirola hasn't given up on returning to the Sprint Cup series this season. The driver of Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing's No. 8 car lost his ride seven races into the season due to lack of sponsorship. He said on Friday that recent talks with sponsors have gone well and that there are discussions about a deal for the second half of the season. "Now it's about getting them to sign the deal," Almirola said. Almirola said losing the ride has been challenging for him, that he's spending a lot of time playing video games and doing yard work waiting for something to break. "I just want to race," he said. "I'll race Nationwide, Cup, whatever. I don't do this because it's a job. I do it because I love it."(ESPN Insider)

Richard Petty Motorsports' CEO resigns: Tom Reddin has resigned as chief executive officer at Richard Petty Motorsports, multiple team sources told ESPN.com on Friday. Foster Gillet, son of team owner George Gillet, will oversee day-to-day operations, effective immediately, team sources confirmed. Reddin joined RPM just prior to the start of the 2008 season, overseeing the organization's four Sprint Cup Series teams. The team's management had come under fire of late in the wake of poor performance and the residual frustration from its driving corps. Reddin wasn't immediately available for comment. Reddin came to RPM from LendingTree, where he was also CEO.(ESPN.com)

Hendrick Motorsports pilots cleared in crash: Hendrick Motorsports pilots Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison were not willfully and recklessly negligent in the October 2004 crash near Martinsville, Va., that killed 10 people, a federal jury has decided in U.S. District Court in Winston-Salem, N.C. The decision, filed May 5 and entered into the court docket Thursday, ended the first phase of the trials surrounding the crash, which killed four members of the Hendrick family, two Hendrick employees, two others and both pilots. The verdict, which followed a 10-day trial, ended the first of two trials associated with the crash. The second phase will be a bench trial, which will begin July 7. The jury trial centered around a claim from widow Dianne Dorton, wife of HMS engine builder Randy Dorton, on whether the pilots’ estates could be held liable for the actions of the pilots. The jury decided that the actions of the pilots did not meet the negligence requirements for their estates to be held liable. The bench trial will cover five cases involving widows Dorton; Linda Turner, wife of HMS general manager Jeff Turner; and Tracy Lathram, wife of Tony Stewart pilot Scott Lathram, a passenger on the plane; HMS Holdings, parent company of Hendrick Motorsports; and the United States.(SceneDaily)

Friday, May 15, 2009

Lowe's fall race changed to "NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America" because of federal bailout? Now known as the Bank of America 500, the Oct. 17 Sprint Cup at Lowe's Motor Speedway will have a new name this fall: the "NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America." Bank officials say the change will highlight an affinity banking program started in 2007 in which customers can get cards and checks printed with a NASCAR driver's image, as well as earn "RacePoints" to redeem for merchandise, race tickets or special events. The switch comes as banks and other corporations receiving federal bailout money have faced more scrutiny for spending on big events. After Northern Trust Corp. was slammed for its sponsorship and spending at the Northern Trust Open in California, Wells Fargo in February removed the Wachovia name from the professional golf tournament held every spring in Charlotte. The bank declined to attach its own name, instead calling it the Quail Hollow Championship. Bank of America officials say renaming the October race isn't an attempt to downplay the bank's name, noting that it and the bank's red and blue logo are included in the new name. (Charlotte Observer)

NASCAR driver dreams of tweeting after All-Star victory: If he becomes the latest first-time visitor to victory lane in the Sprint Showdown at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Max Papis will celebrate with social networking. The Twitter nut has told wife Tatiana to keep his cellphone handy so if he makes the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race by winning its preliminary qualifier, Papis immediately can send a tweet via text message. The ebullient Italian likely will need more than 140 characters, though, to convey the mood. "I might need 100 tweets if I win," Papis says. "Maybe I will crash the server. I hope I can." Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin and Martin Truex Jr. are among those who won the Showdown before winning a Sprint Cup points race. Papis is hoping for a breakthrough Saturday to confirm the progress he's made during a 20-race schedule this season with Germain Racing. His No. 13 Toyota has qualified in all four of its attempts with the team. "I feel like I'm showing I have some speed," Papis, 39, says. "I don't have experience. Every lap is like taking a test at university." (USA Today)

Burton's No. 31 crew wins Pit Road Challenge: Avoiding mistakes on pit road has been a key to victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition this season. The same can be said of the fifth NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge, which the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team of driver Jeff Burton won in record fashion Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. Burton's over-the-wall crew of gas man Curt Bowman, catch-can man Andrew Childers, front-tire changer Daniel Blizzard, front-tire carrier Jon Wallace, rear-tire changer Terry Spalding, rear-tire carrier Chris Martin and jackman Adam North completed their respective skills and the 40-yard car push in 22.115 seconds, an event record, to defeat the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge team of driver Reed Sorenson in the finals. "I'm really proud of them," said Burton, who attended the event in support of his crew and his wife Kim, who steered the car during the push. "They put so much effort into the pit stops, and they take this very seriously. They truly are athletes, and they work very hard at it." (SportingNews)

Individual Champions
Front-Tire Changer – Dennis Terry, #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet (14.855 seconds)
Front-Tire Carrier – Shannon Keys, #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet (14.855 seconds)
Rear-Tire Changer – Jake Seminara, #18 M&M’s Toyota (14.900 seconds)
Rear-Tire Carrier – Kenny Barber, #18 M&M’s Toyota (14.900 seconds)
Gas Man – Preston Cordell, #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet (10.072 seconds)
Catch-Can Man – Eric Hoyle, #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet (10.072 seconds)
Jack Man – Jeff Kerr, #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet (5.666 seconds)

Vickers afraid of taking regular medication due to NASCAR policy: Brian Vickers admits he's scared to take any type of regular medication or even vitamins for fear of having a positive test. "If I want to take a multi-vitamin for daily health and drink a protein shake after I've worked out, I don't want to be scared to do that," he said. "I don't want to be afraid to take Tylenol when I have a headache because I have no idea what they consider drug abuse." (Virginian-Pilot)

Victory Junction Gang Camp breaks ground in Kansas: Victory Junction celebrated its ceremonial ground breaking on Wednesday, with over 500 guests in attendance, at their new location in Kansas City, Kansas. The year-round, medical camp for children with chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses will be located on a 71-acre campus at 8205 Riverview Road, Kansas City, Kansas. Today's "Feel the Magic" celebration ceremony included Victory Junction campers, Victory Junction Founders, Kyle and Pattie Petty, Victory Junction President, Mike Lepore, President and CEO of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, The Reverend Franklin Graham and Kansas City Mayor, Joe Reardon. The camp will operate solely on the donations from corporations, organizations and individuals, allowing campers to attend at no cost to their families. The second Victory Junction – Midwest facility is expected to open in some capacity in 2011. Also in attendance and led by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty, were more than 200 motorcycle riders participating in the 15th Anniversary Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America. Included in the group were retired NFL player Herschel Walker, PGA Golfer Davis Love III, NASCAR Drivers Matt Kenseth and Steve Park, Former NASCAR Driver Harry Gant and the Reverend Franklin Graham. The group stopped on their 3,500-mile cross-country trek to celebrate this special day. Petty’s Charity Ride has been the camp’s largest donor, and has contributed more than $12 million to children’s charities since its inception in 1995. "Our new Victory Junction – Midwest location will help us expand our reach to change the lives of deserving children," said Kyle Petty. "It’s through the help of our riders, local Dream Teams, Chick-fil-A and our numerous sponsors that this second camp is possible." For more info about Victory Junction, see www.victoryjunction.org

HBO's Entourage films at Auto Club Speedway: The HBO hit comedy series Entourage recently made a two-day stop at Southern California’s premier motorsports facility – Auto Club Speedway. Auto Club Speedway got a taste of international flair on track as cast members Kevin Connolly (Eric), Adrian Grenier (Vince), Kevin Dillon (Drama), Jerry Ferrara (Turtle), shot an episode which included the new Ferrari California – the latest edition to the new generation of Ferraris. The episode is scheduled to air in July.(Auto Club Speedway)

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Drivers want list of ban substances: Ryan Newman wants to know what drug Jeremy Mayfield has been indefinitely suspended for and a list of all drugs that he could be tested for in the future. So do Brian Vickers and Kurt Busch. "I think everyone wants a list right now,'" Newman said Thursday night before the Pit Crew Challenge at Time Warner Cable Arena. Newman said he plans to discuss the situation with NASCAR. He believes there are enough drivers that want a list of drugs that are being tested for that they can present unified front and force the governing body to provide it moving forward. (ESPN.com)

Former Kentucky Speedway owner wont drop lawsuit: One of the former owners of Kentucky Motor Speedway says he won’t be forced into dropping an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR by new track owner Bruton Smith. Richard Duchossios said Thursday he’s not sure why Smith has decided to go public with claims that the former owners have a “moral obligation” to race fans in Kentucky to drop the four-year-old lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. “I’m not going to be bullied,” Duchossios said. Duchossios refuted Smith’s claim that he and Farmer are the lone holdouts. “All five of the partners feel exactly as I (do), to single out two, I don’t know why he did that,” Duchossios said. “For him to say we have a moral obligation to the state of Kentucky … that’s wrong. If anyone had a moral obligation, it was NASCAR that wouldn’t let the people of Kentucky have it under our ownership.” (AP/Yahoo! Sports)

Jimmie Johnson doesn't have time to tweet: Jimmie Johnson, on social networking on the Internet: "I'm not going to open myself up to that stuff, and I don't have the time for it. I'm already a slave to my BlackBerry. The last thing I need to be doing is worrying about Twittering people." (Philadelphia Daily News)

Report: Jeff Gordon's wife wants him to retire from auto racing: The wife of NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon is begging him to quit racing - because she's terrified back spasms he's been suffering will lead to a horrifying crash. Jeff and his beautiful wife Ingrid Vandebosch are locked in heated arguments about the speed racer's future, say sources close to the couple. "Ingrid is beside herself with fear that Jeff will be gravely injured should one of these back spasms occur while he's behind the wheel and he loses control," said an insider. "She feels he's been lucky until now and wants him to get out from behind the wheel for good while he's in one piece. "Her fear is he's tempting fate and wants him to retire at the end of this racing season."(National Enquirer)

Mayfield's positive test not for steroids: A person familiar with the test results told The Associated Press on Thursday that Mayfield's positive test was not for a performance-enhancing drug. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because NASCAR won't reveal what banned substance was found in the random test, which ultimately resulted in Mayfield's indefinite suspension. (SuperSport)

Newman describes Hendrick cars as unofficial teammates: Ryan Newman, who drives the No. 39 SHR Chevrolet, feels a kinship to the guys behind the wheel at Hendrick Motorsports. "I personally feel, I'm pretty sure Tony personally feels, that they're unofficial teammates," Newman said. "I mean, even to an extent you could consider them official teammates." Why? Because according to Newman, Hendrick Motorsports provides 66 percent of the Stewart-Haas Racing package. "The bulk of the package with our race car that we take to the racetrack is built at Hendrick Motorsports," Newman said. "I feel Jeff (Gordon), Jimmie (Johnson) and Mark (Martin) and Junior (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) are great drivers, I consider them teammates in the essence I don't want to put myself in jeopardy to put them in jeopardy." When Johnson was asked the same question -- do you think of Newman and Stewart as teammates? -- he had a different answer. "I haven't yet," he said. "I haven't. I don't know if that will change. I don't know if I want to think of them as teammates because some of the toughest decisions to make on track is when you're around a teammate." (Daytona Beach News-Journal)

Kenseth likes All-star race's pit rules: Matt Kenseth on having one mandatory stop in the first segment and then optional after that: "I like the optional stuff. I kind of like a pit stop with an option of what to do for the last 10 laps. During that break everybody is gonna put four tires on and all that, but I think it mixes up the pack a little more when some people have two and some have none and some have four. That kind of gives you a better chance to pass, but it'll always be exciting." (SpeedTV.com)

Bowyer careful to make sure not to anger drivers: "I'd love to win a million bucks. It's an awesome opportunity. It's a unique race, one where there's no consequences if you wreck. No harm, no foul. You have to be careful because we're back at Charlotte the next week for the Coca-Cola 600, so the last thing you want to do is have someone angry at you and carry it over into a points race." Clint Bowyer, on his approach to Saturday night's All-Star Race in which in the winner gets $1 million. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Daytona 500 tickets to go on sale May 16: Tickets for the 52nd annual Daytona 500 will go on sale this Saturday at 9:00am/et. Prior to Saturday, May 16, only renewals and deposits for seat assignments for the 52nd annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race were taken by the ticket office at Daytona International Speedway. Tickets for the Daytona 500 will start at $55 and for the first time since 1982, there have been no ticket price increases for any seat locations for the prestigious race that will kick off the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season on Sunday, Feb. 14. Race fans that purchase Daytona 500 tickets on Saturday, May 16 will be eligible for a special one-day offer where they can take advantage of Daytona’s monthly payment plan. With the plan, they will be able to get tickets to the Daytona 500 for as low as $10 per month. Ticket information for the 2010 Daytona 500, 2009 Coke Zero 400 and other races can be found at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.(DIS PR)

David Starr to attempt Cup race in No. 06: Camping World Truck Series driver David Starr will be driving the No. 06 Boys will be Boys Racing Dodge Charger the next two weekends at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Sprint Showdown and Coca Cola 600. Team owner Theresa Boys has announced Starr will attempt to qualify for the Sprint Showdown this All Star weekend and for the Coca Cola 600 next weekend. Boys will be Boys Racing is currently seeking sponsorship for these two events and for the remainder of the season.(Boys will be Boys Racing PR)

Johnson: Drivers are getting more aggressive: Defending series champion Jimmie Johnson said the racing has become more aggressive lately. "If you look at the races that we've had from Talladega to Richmond to Darlington, they're all tough races where there's a lot of side-by-side action, and it's easy to raise tempers and have situations develop that upset you, " he said. "Track position ... is everything. You have to fight so hard. You can't just give up positions any more because you'll never get them back. Everybody is fighting extremely hard to keep their spot. Guys trying to pass have to fight that much harder to get by and frustration starts to come up. " (Roanoke Times)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

NASCAR looking into television ratings dip: A double-digit decline in ratings for NASCAR on Fox has officials researching why the audience is shrinking and what, if anything, can be done to reverse the trend. Through the season's first 10 races, Nielsen ratings on Fox are down 11.5 percent and viewership is down 10.8 percent from 2008 numbers, which don't include a 2008 rainout. Ratings for each of the last seven Sprint Cup races going into last week's event at Darlington were down by double digits. Fox's average rating for the season was a 5.4 with 8.9 million viewers prior to Sunday's race at Darlington, compared with averages of 6.1 and 10 million for 2008. "As you look at the current snapshot, it's been a challenging year," said Paul Brooks, president of NASCAR Media Group. "That being said, we're still the No. 1 sport on television six of the last nine weeks. Our position in the sports and entertainment landscape is strong. The biggest impact is with our TV partners and their commercial sales. We're mindful of that. The flip side is that we hear great things, that it's not a NASCAR issue. It's a broader economy and advertising issue." Marketers in the sport have expressed some concern, not just over the drop, but how steeply the ratings have dropped. But for many sponsors like UPS, NASCAR's official express delivery company, advertising is just one component of a multipronged program. (Sports Busines Journal)

Hendrick returns after illness: Rick Hendrick was stricken with a sinus infection that spread to both his chest and ears, keeping him away from the track another three races. He needed tubes inserted in both ears to fight the infection. "They say the tubes are for kids, so I guess I'm a 59-year-old kid with ear infections," he said Tuesday. "I've got a weak immune system, and this infection just jumped on me. I was a sick puppy there for about three weeks. But I am much better, feeling more like myself." Hendrick's immune system was weakened by a long, but successful, fight with leukemia 12 years ago. "If I am not careful, I get knocked on my butt," said Hendrick, who spent more than four hours with employees Tuesday passing out the championship rings from Johnson's third title. (AP/ESPN.com)

Dodge, Chevy to face large motorsports cutbacks? Much has been made of the extent to which Chrysler and General Motors' financial problems might impact their NASCAR participation. With Chrysler filing for bankruptcy, and General Motors expected to follow suit within the next 10 days, there is cause for concern. Dodge executives have said all the right things regarding the company's participation in NASCAR -- that, despite the bankruptcy, no changes were planned. Now, there is evidence that it may be beyond their control. According to Automotive News, Chrysler wanted to spend $134 million in advertising over the nine weeks it is expected to be in bankruptcy, but the U.S. Treasury's auto industry task force gave it half that. If the government is willing to cut Chrysler's marketing allocation in half -- and that's half of what Chrysler was asking for, not half of what it is used to spending -- then it may be a tough sell to convince the feds that taxpayer dollars should go towards supporting Dodge, which has won just one race this year, Kurt Busch's victory at Atlanta. (Orlando Sentinel)

Sprint All-Star Fan Votes Top-10: Sprint announced the names of the top 10 drivers leading the Sprint Fan Vote, a voting competition driven by fans awarding one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team a position in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday, May 16. The top 10 drivers in the Sprint Fan Vote as of May 12 (in alphabetical order) are AJ Allmendinger, Bill Elliott, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Ragan, David Reutimann, Elliott Sadler, Martin Truex Jr. and Michael Waltrip. The top eight in the standings are separated by less than 20,000 votes and the top two are separated by less than 4,000 votes. Votes placed on Sprint phones count double, which could cut the margin in half. The Sprint Fan Vote closes at 7:30pm/et on May 16.(SPEEDtv)