NASCAR News June 1 - June 8 2006

The News Below

• Vickers seeks release from Hendrick, Mears likely to replace him

• Two day testing wraps-up in Infineon:

• Stewart to attempt full weekend at Pocono

• Gordon and Smith inducted into Wall of Fame

• MB and DEI Partnership possible, buyout unlikely

• Kvapil records Soap Opera taping

• NASCAR Fourth among Cable Nielson ratings

• Burton's #1 Crew wins Drive-Thru Challenge

• Auction raises 36K for Ard

• Chef Batali honorary starter of Pocono

• Road improvements planned for MIS

• Pocono Traffic alerts

• Cheech to Grand Marshall Dodge/Save Mart 350

• Team Red Bull Announces B. Elliott driver, and three races in '06

• Scientology and NASCAR?

• Chicagoland Speedway reap economic success

• Frye: DEI/MB2 rumors just speculation

• Knaus Wins WYPALL® Wipers Race Award

• Kenseth upends McMurray's Win

• Frye: '07 Marlin's last full season

• Sorenson should be OK for 400 miles

• T. Stewart to race in Racing Against Cancer

• DEI rumormill

• Ky. Busch regrets incident

• Earnhardt, Jr. doesn't like sponsor limitations

• Rudd unsure about full-time return

• Gilmore says GM needs to centralize engine program

• Germain Racing makes it official, another Toyota team

• Rusty Wallace adds the Kia brand to dealership family

• Petty doesn't agree with father's opinion

• Jason Jarrett to spot for Dad Dale

• Edwards in truck race tonight

• Delaware traffic expected to be heavy for race weekend

• Fellows to race #32 PPI Tide ride at Sonoma, Kvapil in #78

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June 8, 2006:

• Vickers seeks release from Hendrick, Mears likely to replace him: Brian Vickers asked for and received permission from Hendrick Motorsports to look for a new ride, and Casey Mears was in line to replace him Thursday after informing car owner Chip Ganassi he won't be returning next year. Mears' decision comes after weeks of his steadfast claims that he wanted to extend his contract with Ganassi and was not interested in talking to other teams. Ganassi hired Mears in 2003 and stuck with him despite several mediocre seasons. "I wish him well," Ganassi said. "I obviously take a lot of pleasure in the fact that I brought Casey a long way, and hopefully his next step will be as fruitful for him as his last step was."  Ganassi said he'll begin his search immediately for a driver for his No. 42 Dodge. But the talent pool is thin, even with Vickers now in it. He's likely headed to either Robert Yates Racing's top seat in the No. 88 Ford, or to one of the Toyota seats for its inaugural 2007 season. "Brian came to us recently and expressed his desire to explore opportunities outside our organization," Hendrick spokesman Jesse Essex said Thursday. "Although he is under contract, we have given him permission to do so." (Sporting News)

• Two day testing wraps-up in Infineon: Four NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers completed a two-day test session on Wednesday at Infineon Raceway in advance of the upcoming Dodge/Save Mart 350 weekend, June 23-25. Carl Edwards (No. 99 Home Depot Ford), Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet), Reed Sorenson (No. 41 Target Dodge) and Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet) traversed the twisting 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in a variety of stock cars. Edwards toured the circuit over the two-day test in his Busch Series car, clocking a top time of 1 minute, 17.60 seconds. Edwards received coaching during the test from road-race specialist Boris Said, who will also compete in the Dodge/Save Mart 350 in his No. 60 No Fear Ford. (Infineon Raceway PR) No speeds were released.

June 7, 2006:

• Stewart to attempt full weekend at Pocono: Tony Stewart plans to allow Ricky Rudd to enjoy a family vacation this weekend. Despite a fractured right shoulder blade, Stewart said Wednesday he plans to do all of the practicing, qualifying and racing in the No. 20 Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway. Stewart ran just 38 laps last week at Dover before Rudd stepped in as a relief driver. Rudd, after getting a pit-road speeding penalty on a green-flag stop, finished 25th. Stewart said he has a new version of the ButlerBuilt seat he's been running that he thinks will help him at the 2.5-mile triangular track. "We think it's a better design," Stewart said of the seat, which is slightly wider in the shoulder area than the seat he was using. "It was time to put something new in there. Brian Butler and his staff did an awesome job of accommodating me and getting a seat pumped out in a short amount of time so we would have it for Pocono." Stewart said the team would make a decision later this week whether to have a relief driver standing by for this weekend. (ThatsRacin.com)

• Gordon  and Smith inducted into Wall of Fame: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Jeff Gordon and Speedway Motorsports Chairman and CEO O. Bruton Smith will share center stage during the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup weekend as both will be inducted into Infineon Raceway's Wall of Fame. Gordon and Smith will join NASCAR drivers Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin, who were the first inductees when construction of the Wall of Fame was announced at the 2005 Dodge/Save Mart 350 weekend. Other inductees include Warren Johnson from the NHRA, and Miguel Duhamel and Rich Oliver from the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). The ceremony will take place on Friday, June 23, at 11:20 a.m. (Pacific) in the Wine Country Winner's Circle, which is adjacent to the main grandstand in the paddock. Race fans are invited to the ceremony honoring both men. The Wall of Fame is located behind the main grandstand and will be open to the public during race weekend. (Infineon Raceway PR)

• MB and DEI Partnership possible, buyout unlikely: MB2 Motorsports general manager Jay Frye said his two-car team is in discussions about forming a partnership with Dale Earnhardt Inc. The teams might share the burden of building cars next year when NASCAR begins phasing in the "Car of Tomorrow" while still keeping the current model for more than half the races. "There's lots of things going on, and the sport is changing in many ways," Frye said. "So how can we become more efficient? That's really how our conversation started with them. It's just ideas on how to make things more efficient for both companies. Maybe we build the Car of Tomorrow cars, or maybe combine forces, or maybe there might be nothing." Frye said DEI buying MB2 was unlikely but also said anything was possible. (USA Today)

• Kvapil records Soap Opera taping: Emmy Award winner Kim Zimmer and the CBS soap Guiding Light hit the track this week with NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Travis Kvapil and his Tide Racing Team. The show taped on location for two days in Hickory, N.C., at the Hickory Motor Speedway and the PPI Motorsports team race shop. The story line revolves around Zimmer's character, Reva Shayne Lewis, and her battle with breast cancer. Thanks to encouragement from her doctor, Colin McCabe, played by Paul Fitzgerald, and Kvapil, Lewis gets the chance to take the wheel of the No. 32 Chevrolet in an attempt to prove her diagnosis will not stop her from living out her dreams. Zimmer and several of her cast mates first met the Tide team last September at Richmond International Raceway. That raised the idea of working the team into a story line. (WCNC)

• NASCAR Fourth among Nielson Cable ratings: FX’s Sunday afternoon presentation of its weekly NASCAR Nextel Cup race, which took fourth place on the week with 5.99 million viewers, and Comedy Central’s Blue Collar Comedy movie, which drew 5.31 million viewers Sunday night. (MediaWeek)

June 6, 2006:

• Burton's #1 Crew wins Drive-Thru Challenge: Jeff Burton’s pit crew took home the $10,500 first-place check for winning the Checkers®/Rally’s® Double Drive-Thru Challenge in Sunday’s Neighborhood Excellence 400 at Dover International Speedway. The No. 31 crew, which assisted its veteran driver to a fourth-place finish in the 400-lap, 400-mile Nextel Cup race, spent the least amount of time on pit road -- 395.590 seconds. “The Team Cingular pit crew has done a tremendous job all season and that performance continued this past weekend in Dover,” said Burton. “Not only do they have great pit stops, they are very consistent so we can always rely on them. I’m very proud of the entire team and the over-the-wall crew has been a big part of our success so far this season.” Burton’s over-the-wall crew includes: Josh Yost (jackman), Kevin Nervegna (front-tire carrier), Joe Zielinski (front-tire changer), Jason Fowler (rear-tire carrier), Aaron Smith (rear-tire changer), Larry Hartle (gasman), Rich Burgess (catch can) and Wes Adams (windshield). The pit crew coordinator is Corrine Mauldin. The No. 31 team became the eighth pit crew of the season to win the weekly Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge. A bonus of $105,000 will be presented to the team with the most wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule. (- DMF Communications PR)

• Auction raises 36K for Ard: As part of the 25th anniversary of the NASCAR Busch Series, Richmond International Raceway joined with NASCAR President Mike Helton, former champions, series greats, current drivers, teams and fans for an auction to benefit former NASCAR Busch Series champion Sam Ard during the May 2006 NASCAR weekend. The two-day auction raised more than $36,000 to help assist Sam and Jo Ard with medical expenses. Born in 1939, Sam Ard is one of the most successful drivers in the NASCAR Busch Series history. In just a three-year, 92-race career, Ard won 22 races and back-to-back championships.  Ard, who is now retired and lives in Asheboro, North Carolina, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last May, while his wife, Jo was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that could cause her to become blind. (RIR PR)

• Chef Batali honorary starter of Pocono: Who's the biggest racing fan? It's Iron Chef host Mario Batali and he has a new cookbook, "Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style." He'll be signing books this weekend at Pocono Raceway and dropping the flag on the race Sunday. Details in Pocono Life on Wednesday. (PR)

• Road improvements planned for MIS: Roads around Michigan International Speedway will get more than $18 million in improvements over the next three years. The projects are designed to ease traffic around the Brooklyn area speedway, which hosts two NASCAR races and an IndyCar race each summer. Hundreds of thousands of fans attend the events, often moving slowly in traffic for hours getting to the track or heading home. Some of the construction will be accelerated from previously planned schedules. (WWMT)

• Pocono Traffic alerts: Folks who signed up for our text-message traffic alerts were some of the first to know about the road closing. To subscribe, go to: www.poconorecord.com/textalerts (Visit Pocono Record)

• Cheech to Grand Marshall Dodge/Save Mart 350: Cheech Marin has been named Grand Marshal of the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series weekend at Infineon Raceway, June 23-25. Marin, best known as one-half of the counter-culture, no-holds barred duo of Cheech and Chong, will be honored throughout the weekend, most notably at the Raceway Builders Grand Marshal’s Banquet on Friday night at beautiful Cline Cellars in Sonoma. “This is a big honor for me and I’m looking forward to coming out to Sonoma,” said Marin, a native of Los Angeles. “I’ve always loved the Bay Area, and NASCAR is truly growing into one of the biggest sports in the country. It’s a great way to spend the weekend.” Most recently, Marin supplied the voice of Ramone in the Disney/PIXAR animated feature film “CARS,” which will be formally released this weekend. He probably owes the resurgence of his career to his scene-stealing role in the movie “Tin Cup,” where he played Kevin Costner’s caddy. The performance led to his role in the long-time CBS hit crime series “Nash Bridges,” where he teamed with co-star Don Johnson. Though best known for his comedy and acting, Marin is also a director, writer, musician, art collector and humanitarian. When Hollywood is not monopolizing his time, Marin is busy promoting CHICANO, his vision of Chicano art and expression as brought to life in a museum exhibition. CHICANO, which features Marin’s own personal Chicano art collection, first opened in 2001 and has toured the United States, including the Smithsonian (www.chicano.com). (Infineon Raceway PR)

June 5, 2006:

• Team Red Bull Announces B. Elliott driver, and three races in '06: Originally scheduled to debut in 2007, Team Red Bull today announces a short schedule of three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races it plans to enter in the fall of 2006 with veteran driver Bill Elliott, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, behind the wheel. “The organization and its competitive spirit are what attracted me to Team Red Bull,” says Elliott, who won the NASCAR Winston Cup driver’s title in 1988. “My job is simple . put the car in the show, drive it toward the front, and provide valuable input so that Team Red Bull is fully prepared by the Daytona 500. It’s really a great role at this stage of my racing career.” Leading the preparation of the non-Toyota equipped car are two recent race staff additions, Competition Director Elton Sawyer, a stock car racing veteran, and Technical Director John Probst, one of the racing industry’s top vehicle dynamics engineers. Sawyer and Probst join Gaunt and another appointee, Guenther Steiner, who came over to Team Red Bull from the Red Bull Racing F1 operation in a technical advisor role, as the team’s racing leadership operating out of the race shop in Mooresville, NC. The 60,000 sq. ft. facility recently underwent a Red Bull make-over since the energy drink company acquired the property from Penske Racing South prior to the team’s January 24 announcement by Toyota. Gaunt says the driver agreement with Elliott spans over three NEXTEL Cup races this fall – Charlotte, NC (Oct. 14), Atlanta, GA (Oct. 29), and Ft. Worth, TX (Nov. 5). Starting with the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season, Team Red Bull will field two, full-time Toyota Camry entries. Rumors notwithstanding, more “official” information on the new team—including 2007 drivers and crew chiefs—will be made available later this year. (Red Bull Racing PR)

• Scientology and NASCAR? Don’t be surprised if Tom Cruise becomes a NASCAR fan. Scientology is getting into the wildly popular race sport. “Dianetics,” the book written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, is sponsoring a racing team — dubbed “Ignite Your Potential” — that will tour the NASCAR circuit. A Dianetics Racing Web site is being set up for fans. Driver Kenton Gray credits Hubbard’s work with making him a good driver. “It’s markedly improved my focus and my consistency,” he said in an announcement from Hubbard’s publisher. “Through ‘Dianetics’ I’ve handled stress and increased my performance and ability to compete—both on the track and in life.” “Scientology makes a point of recruiting celebrities as a part of it’s marketing appeal,” says a source. “If this is another marketing appeal — reaching out to the NASCAR crowd — it’s brilliant.” “We’re not out selling a product,” Grant Cardone, the CEO of Freedom Motorsports, the company behind the car, told The Scoop. (MSNBC The Scoop Jeannette Walls)

• Chicagoland Speedway reap economic success: Every year since 2001, for one weekend in July, the Chicagoland Motor Speedway in Joliet has become the center of the NASCAR universe. And the Joliet area reaps the economic benefits not only in tax revenues but also with restaurants, hotels and other service establishments filled to the overflowing. NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) has become a U.S. sports staple on summer weekends. Spectators and fans come from miles away, some traveling across several time zones, to watch the big-name racers who have become iconic to their hard-core fan base. Some compare NASCAR entering a town to the likes of a Grateful Dead concert. NASCAR aficionados are not by means an army sporting tie-dyed T-shirts, psychedelic paraphernalia, and the masses preaching 60s ideals, but travel in the same spirit as a culture of dedicated followers willing to put the miles on their own vehicles to watch their favorite NASCAR circuit stars. Instead of preaching “peace and love” they are crowing about “Jr’s” (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) last race. Instead of wearing tie-dye they are wearing t-shirts and hats supporting their drivers. It is a culture unto itself, and once a year Joliet is its capital, ready to capitalize on the event. “Life changes here during the four days leading up to and during the race,” said James Haller, community development director for Joliet. “It really is something to behold.” The $130 million track is a 1.5 mile oval-shaped course and sits on approximately 930 acres of land. It was originally scheduled to be built in Plano, but when the plans fell through a group of Joliet-area businessmen put the wheels in motion and had the track built next to the Route 66 Raceway, which is primarily used for drag racing. (Full story at Business Ledger)

• Frye: DEI/MB2 rumors just speculation: Jay Frye, the general manager and part-owner of the MB2 team, said that much of the speculation about a DEI-MB2 merger is just that, speculation. "Everyone's got this four-team program idea, but we're like two and they're like two.... so how do we both do things more efficiently together," Frye said. "That's how this all got started. Our buildings are four minutes apart. So we're trying to work together on this car of tomorrow. It's not about engines; it's about car-building. Everything beyond that is purely speculation." (Salem-Journal)

• Knaus Wins WYPALL® Wipers Race Award: Apparently it takes a lot more than bad starting position, a mishandling race car and an accident on the track to keep Chad Knaus and his No. 48 Lowe’s team down. No matter how bad the odds seemed stacked against them, Knaus never lets his crew quit, as we all saw in Sunday’s Neighborhood Excellence 400. Knaus gave a textbook display of how to turn a dismal day into a top-ten finish, and earned the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award for his efforts. Few would have thought that Jimmy Johnson stood a chance of finishing in the top-20 at the beginning of this weekend’s race. Johnson started in the 42nd position and wasn’t gaining any positions in the early stages of the event. His car was way to loose and he ended up losing one lap to the leaders as a result. To make matters worse, he suffered damage to the rear end of his machine after getting spun out from behind by the No. 40 car. Just when it seemed like it was the end of the road for the No. 48 team, Knaus called for a round of adjustments that dialed in the Lowe’s Chevy. Johnson not only got his lap back, but drove his way to a sixth-place finish. “It wasn’t me today; it was Jimmy (Johnson) and the crew” said Knaus after the race. “When their chips are down, they bow up and that’s what I love about my guys. I couldn’t have done this without my support staff. They’re awesome.” A panel of voters; including Stan Creekmore of Circle Track Plus, Tony Eury Sr. and a WYPALL® Wipers representative; all agreed that Knaus deserved Crew Chief of the Race honors. “Chad (Knaus) never quits,” said Eury Sr. “Whatever can wrong, he seems to have a plan for it. His car was running terrible today, but he listened to his driver and came up with a plan to fix it and finished just outside the top-five. When you have a bad day and still end up with a top-10, the crew chief has done an awesome job.” (SMC 500 PR)

June 4 2006:

• Kenseth upends McMurray's Win: Matt Kenseth caught Roush Racing teammate Jamie McMurray with three laps left and pulled away to win Sunday at Dover International Speedway. McMurray seemed poised to win for the second time in his Nextel Cup career after taking the lead with 98 laps left in the Neighborhood Excellence 400. He held the lead for the next 95 laps, but Kenseth's No. 17 Ford started nipping at McMurray with about 30 laps left in the caution-marred race. With three laps to go, Kenseth passed McMurray after the leader was slowed a bit by Michael Waltrip' lapped car. With one lap to go, Kenseth pulled away for his second win of the season and 12th of his career. (ABC News - Race Cast -Results - Points)

• Frye: '07 Marlin's last full season: MB2 Motorsports general manager and CEO Jay Frye said Sunday his Nextel Cup driver and sponsorship lineup for next year will remain the same, but that he expects the 2007 season to be Sterling Marlin’s last as a full-time Cup driver. “We have Sterling one more year and then he’s going to retire,” Frye said. “We want to give him a good farewell.” Marlin, who will turn 50 next June, joined MB2 this season after five years with Chip Ganassi Racing. His first full-time Cup season was in 1983. (ThatsRacin)

• Sorenson should be OK for 400 miles:  Reed Sorenson likely will not have a driver on standby for the Neighborhood Excellence 400 today at Dover International Speedway. Sorenson had his Nextel Cup teammate Casey Mears on standby Saturday during the Busch Series race because Sorenson has a sore right side, believed to be caused by a strained muscle. Sorenson never got out of the car during the 200-lap race and should be able to go the entire distance today, a team spokesperson said. The team is unsure when Sorenson hurt himself, and Sorenson went to see if he had a cracked rib earlier in the week. The doctors told him it was not broken. (NASCAR Scene Daily)

• T. Stewart to race in Racing Against Cancer: Jon Blanchette helped start Racing Against Cancer as a small charity to honor the memory of his wife, Jodi, who died in 1994. But Racing Against Cancer last week signed a driver that might make it much more than a small charity. ony Stewart, NASCAR's reigning Nextel Cup champion and one of the most popular drivers in the series, has agreed to drive in the New England 100, a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at the New Hampshire International Speedway in July. "It's off the chart. It gives us notoriety and credibility we normally wouldn't have had," Blanchette, 49, of Sterling said. "I don't think you can get a bigger name." Blanchette said his wife asked something positive come from her death and he came up with the idea in 1996 of forming Racing Against Cancer and getting Foxwoods Resort Casino, where Blanchette works as a pit manager, to match the winnings of friend and driver Scott Gregory of Old Saybrook. The charity has raised more than $450,000 for cancer research and support organizations so far, from matched winnings, fund-raisers, merchandise sales and donations from other area drivers. (Norwich Bulletin) Racing Against Cancer Website

June 3, 2006:

• DEI rumormill: There's more speculation that Teresa Earnhardt is planning to buy MB2 Motorsports, with drivers Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin, in addition to the ongoing speculation that she may be planning to sell DEI to John Menard, a home-improvements czar who has long been involved in racing. Marlin, who drives for the Jay Frye-run MB2 Chevy operation, said he has heard the sale talk, but that he doesn't know what's going on. Ryan Pemberton, the crew chief for Nemechek, said he has talked with Frye about it, but he's not sure, either, what might be going on behind the scenes. Earnhardt doesn't grant interviews, and Frye isn't due here until today. So yesterday it was up to Richie Gilmore, the general manager at DEI, to try to explain the situation. "We're not selling out," Gilmore said. "Our plans right now are to go to a three-car operation next year with Paul Menard (John's son). John is a great sponsor for us, and we do a lot with Menard's, engines, and he's at our company a lot, and I guess people speculate when they see him around." (Salem-Journal)

• Ky. Busch regrets incident: Kyle Busch on Coca-Cola 600 incident "It is a tough situation to go through," he said. "We had a car that was capable of winning. It's tough to hold that emotion back and keep that frustration under control, and there is a point of no return. "...You try to learn from others' experiences, but you never know the severity of it until you do it yourself. I hate that it happened and I am just going to go on with what did happen because that is the only way to do it." (Charlotte Observer)

• Earnhardt, Jr. doesn't like sponsor limitations: There's a reason Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't run more races outside the Nextel Cup Series.  "I got a deal where I can only run X amount [outside Cup] a month,'' Earnhardt said as he prepared for Sunday's Cup race at Dover International Speedway. "They want the consistency for the fans seeing me in a red car. "They really don't want to see me in a Taco Bell or KFC car. Bud would rather have me in a red Bud Car. That's why I don't really get the opportunity to run more than I want.'' Earnhardt said the clause was in his contract before he suffered severe burns in 2004 while driving a Corvette in a road race at Sonoma, Calif. "That's the Bud side of it, which is understandable,'' said Earnhardt, whose performance suffered for several races while the burns healed. "I'd like to drive my own Busch cars, but I don't know if that's possible through your commitments to DEI. You get yourself in a couple of spider webs and it's hard to get out of 'em.'' (NASCAR.com)

• Rudd unsure about full-time return: Shortly before stepping into a Nextel Cup car for the first time since last November, veteran driver Ricky Rudd says he won't decide until late this season whether he wants to return to the sport next year, although he appears to be leaning against it. Rudd, who is filling in for the injured Tony Stewart in practice and qualifying for the Neighborhood Excellence 400 at Dover International Speedway, told reporters today that he's in no hurry to make a decision.   By the time he's ready to make that decision, possibly in September or October, Rudd says teams should have already locked up a driver and be getting prepared for 2007."Right now, if you ask me am I going to come back and run a 100 percent schedule or will I be back next year, I don't think so," Rudd said. "I'm enjoying retirement right now, I'm enjoying my time off. Seems like the more time I have off, the more I'm enjoying it." (More at  NASCAR Scene Daily)

• Gilmore says GM needs to centralize engine program: Richie Gilmore, the general manager at Dale Earnhardt Inc., said that General Motors' racing executives may have to change the way they do business in order to compete against Toyota next season on the Nextel Cup tour. Toyota, a newcomer to the Nextel Cup, will be centralizing many of its key operations. Gilmore said that Chevrolet may have to do likewise, or at least make some major changes in the way that it approaches the sport. Gilmore said that Chevrolet's four independent engine-building operations may have to unify. "I really think that's something GM will have to do," Gilmore said. "We (Chevy teams) all work closely on engines, but it needs to go up another step (in centralization). We each spend a lot of money on engines, dynos and people. We have 78 people (building engines), and Hendrick has 120. (Salem-Journal)

June 2, 2006:

• Germain Racing makes it official, another Toyota team: Germain Racing announced today that it will be part of NASCAR'S Car of Tomorrow program by running a partial Nextel Cup schedule in 2007 with a Toyota Camry and driver Todd Bodine. Germain Racing currently fields two Toyota Tundra teams in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driven by series points-leader Todd Bodine and Ted Musgrave, who is second in the points standings. The team has been very successful in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which has influenced Germain Racing's decision to expand its racing program into the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. As with their truck program, the Germain Racing team will lease its engines from TRD , U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development). "We're extremely excited to be joining the Nextel Cup Series and running in select races next year," said Bob Germain. "The fact that it's a completely new program will level the playing field a little and allow us to be more competitive. Plus with the limited schedule, we can continue to focus on truck racing as we expand our team to the next level." Germain Racing's driver, Todd Bodine who is currently leading the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver points will drive the Germain Racing Toyota Camry in 2007. Bodine will drive the partial NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule as well as continue to complete a full season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next year. "I look forward to running our Tundra again next year as well as help Germain Racing build a new NASCAR Nextel Cup program," said Todd Bodine. Heading up the Germain Racing NASCAR Nextel Cup program will be GM, Mike Hillman, Sr. Hillman will oversee both the Craftsman Truck Series program and its Nextel Cup program for Germain Racing.  Germain Racing has obtained some associate sponsorship for its NASCAR Nextel Cup program but is still actively seeking a primary sponsor. (Germain Racing PR)

• Rusty Wallace adds the Kia brand to dealership family: Although Rusty Wallace’s legendary NASCAR driving career may be over, he is far from retired. Rusty’s latest business venture has seen he and longtime business partner Ray Huffaker add a sixth automotive dealership to their collection. Rusty Wallace Kia, formerly known as Harry Lane Kia, is now open for business in Alcoa, TN, just five minutes south of Knoxville. “We’ve been looking at Kia for quite some time now. Ray and I have talked to many Kia dealers, all of whom say that Kia has been a very good partner for them,” noted Wallace, “With Kia just announcing plans to build their first ever U.S. manufacturing plant and the all-new Kia Sedona earning a five-star crash rating from the U.S. Government, Ray and I felt that the time was right to make a move.” Rusty Wallace Kia joins five other automotive dealerships throughout Eastern Tennessee in comprising the Rusty Wallace Family of Dealerships. Among those dealerships are Rusty Wallace Toyota and Rusty Wallace Honda. Wallace sees a strong parallel between Kia and those two brands. (RWI Racing)

• Petty doesn't agree with father's opinion:  Kyle Petty made it clear he doesn't agree with his father's opinion on women in racing. Last week, Richard Petty said women don't belong in the sport. Kyle tried to explain his father's view. "First, you have to understand that my dad was born in the South in 1937," Kyle said on Fox radio. "And people almost 70 don't see the world like people 25 or 35. They don't always understand things have changed, and the change is for the better." (Dallas Morning News)

• Jason Jarrett to spot for Dad Dale: Jason Jarrett, son of Nextel Cup driver Dale Jarrett, will take over spotting duties for his father beginning this weekend at Dover. Eddie D’Hondt served as Jarrett’s sponsor this season, but was relieved of his general manager duties at Robert Yates Racing recently. Last weekend, Rick Cordell took over the position, but Jarrett and he had communication problems. (ThatsRacin)

• Edwards in truck race tonight: Carl Edwards will be back where it all started for him — in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Roush Racing announced it is putting him back into a truck for tonight’s race at Dover (Del.) Raceway. “This is awesome to get back and race in the truck series again,” Edwards said. “I’ve been bugging Jack (Roush) for months to let me run a race or two. I’m glad he finally caved in and let me do this deal.” Edwards, who has six wins in 57 truck starts, will try to make his third start at Dover. (Kansas City Star)

• Delaware traffic expected to be heavy for race weekend: The Delaware Department of Transportation is strongly advising motorists travelling in the Dover area this Sunday to use alternate routes. On Sunday, NASCAR returns to the Dover International Speedway with the Nextel Cup Neighborhood Excellence 400. Heavy traffic and significant delays are expected along major roadways, DelDOT says. DelDOT says the roadways that should see the most volume include Del. 1, US 13, US 113 and Del. 8. (News-Journal)

• Fellows to race #32 PPI Tide ride at Sonoma, Kvapil in #78: PPI Motorsports (PPIM) announced today that road course expert Ron Fellows will once again drive the #32 Tide/Downy Chevy in the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 25. As for the team’s full-time driver Travis Kvapil, he will take over the reigns of the #78 Furniture Row Chevy for Kenny Wallace who has a Busch Series commitment. Both drivers will be racing identically prepared chassis built by Pratt and Miller Engineering and Fabrication … the same company responsible for the highly successful Corvette Racing program and its domination of the American Le Mans Series for which Fellows is a driver. So far, Kvapil and Fellows have participated in three days of testing at Virginia International Raceway (May 16, 30 & 31) with another test scheduled with Kvapil going solo since Fellows is in France participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans festivities and race. (PPI Motorsports)

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