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Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Cuts may be made in GM's motorsports program: Nothing at GM is off-limits-including its high-profile NASCAR program - company executives warned as the automaker went public Tuesday in Detroit with its latest round of cost-cutting measures. With the auto industry in North America taking a beating, GM racing director Mark Kent said that every level of motorsports that GM supports-from the giant stock-car racing series NASCAR to the grassroots Sports Car Club of America-is being evaluated. GM also competes in the NHRA, USAC midgets/sprints and the American Le Mans Series. "Racing is not exempt (from cuts)," Kent said last week. "We are looking at ways to be even more efficient ... looking to see if they are genuinely positioned for a positive return on investment." Kent's words were reinforced by GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, who announced Tuesday that the automaker will reduce salaried jobs, executive salaries and truck production, among other cutbacks, in an effort to salvage the company's sinking fortunes. "While we are committed to maintain adequate resources to support launch products and brand advertising, we will implement significant reductions in promotional and event budgets, motorsports activities and back-office expenses," said Wagoner in comments to employees. (The Olympian)
Toyota reviewing its motorsports budget: At Toyota -- where Kyle Busch is running rings around his NASCAR Sprint Cup rivals -- its national motorsports manager said his company is "currently reviewing plans we had in place for the entire 2008 season." "Everybody's budgets are being reviewed," Les Unger said. "At track, on-site expos... we're looking at it all. We stand firm, however, in honoring all agreements. Relative to other sports, NASCAR is still the place to be, but with the increase in gas prices, the drop in the housing market and layoffs, we all have to take a very close look at our budgets." (Detroit Free Press)
JTP to field Cup car next year; Brad Daugherty part-owner: Nationwide Series racer Marcos Ambrose will become a full-time Sprint Cup driver next season, thanks to a new partnership former NBA player Brad Daugherty has with JTG Racing. Daugherty, now a NASCAR analyst for ESPN, has become a part-owner of JTG Racing. The team will be renamed JTG Daugherty Racing. It will continue to field two Nationwide Series entries, but add a full-time Sprint Cup entry next year with Ambrose at the wheel. "I have a tremendous passion for racing," Daugherty said Tuesday. "This gives me another avenue to be involved in the sport. It's a big stake to do this at he Cup level, and I hope it opens doors in the sport for other minorities and women." Little Debbie snack cakes will sponsor the car, which will use No. 47. (ESPN.com)
Hitachi Power tools to sponsor RYR #28 six races: Yates Racing announced that Hitachi Power Tools, a world-wide leader in professional grade power tools and accessories, will sponsor the #28 with driver Travis Kvapil for a total of six races in the remaining Sprint Cup Series schedule. The primary sponsorship will debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27th and the race will mark the first time Hitachi Power Tools has been a primary sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series. (Yates Racing PR) The remaining five races of the primary sponsorship will include the Sprint Cup Series events at: Pocono, Richmond, Dover, Charlotte, and Atlanta.
Watkins Glen to offer fans $20 gas card: With gas prices apparently having an increasing impact on NASCAR crowds, Watkins Glen and NASCAR sponsor Sunoco will give fans $20 gas cards for next month's Sprint Cup tour race. (Journal Now)
Kevin Hamlin named Wypall Crew Chief of the Race at Chicago: Kevin Hamlin, crew chief of the #83 Red Bull Toyota driven by Brian Vickers, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Saturday night's LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. The Hamlin-led team gambled on pit strategy all night as Vickers' battled a lose race car. It paid off as the field cycled through green flag stops and the No. 83 team caught a break when the caution came out for debris on lap 143 to put them back on the same pit cycle as every one else. Short pitting and staying out have been calls that Kevin Hamlin has pretty much mastered over the past few weeks to keep Vickers in the top 20 in the Sprint Cup Series standings. The No. 83 team was consistently one of the top cars on the track all night, leading the pack for two laps and eventually finishing in the 6th position. The 2008 Wypall Wipers Crew Chief Challenge is a season-long contest that will determine the best crew chiefs in the Sprint Cup garage. Following each race, a panel will vote to determine which crew chief demonstrated the most outstanding strategy and leadership during the race. It isn't necessarily the crew chief that goes to Victory Lane, but the crew chief that makes the biggest difference for his team. Representatives from Wypall Wipers, together with FOX/SPEED television analyst Jeff Hammond, and three of NASCAR's top crew chiefs who represent Wypall, including Todd Berrier of Richard Childress Racing's #29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevy team, Bob Osborne of Roush Fenway Racing's #99 Office Depot Ford team, and Kenny Francis of Gillett Evernham Motorsports' #9 Budweiser Dodge team, make up the panel of judges. In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly top wins will be honored as the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at the season finale in Homestead. The Wypall Wipers Crew Chief Challenge will continue throughout the remainder of the 2008 season and spotlight the men behind the machines. For more information, log onto www.Wypall.com.(Wypall PR)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
NASCAR Technical Director Steve Peterson passes away: NASCAR Technical Director Steve Peterson, 58, was found deceased today at his home from what appears to be natural causes. Steve began his NASCAR career in January, 1995 and led many of NASCAR’s safety initiatives including development and installation of SAFER Barriers, management and approval of head and neck restraints and improved seat belts, and coordination of the safety features in NASCAR’s new car. “Steve’s accomplishments to increase driver safety will continue to be a benefit to every NASCAR driver that gets behind the wheel for generations to come,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Steve’s family and friends; he will certainly be missed throughout the NASCAR community.” Funeral arrangements will be announced later. (NASCAR PR)
Possible drivers in Penske #12; Truex or Stremme: Penske has offered no hints as to who might replace Ryan Newman. Martin Truex Jr.’s name has been mentioned, but Truex’s current contract with DEI is still the subject of legal debate, and it is unclear if DEI will indeed force Truex to return for another season or give him his release. Truex has been pushing quietly to become a free agent. David Stremme, who drove for fellow Dodge owner Chip Ganassi until being released at the end of last season, has been a Penske test driver this season, and Stremme could also be under consideration.(Winston-Salem Journal)
Monday, July 14, 2008
Kyle Busch and Kenseth at Iowa Speeedway: NASCAR fans have a big star coming to Newton this week. Twenty-three-year-old Kyle Busch raced to his seventh win of the season Saturday night in Chicago, and he'll be at the Iowa Speedway to test drive on Thursday. The event is free and open to the public. Matt Kenseth will do the same, Saturday. Both drivers will compete at Newton on Sunday in the Rasmussen Group Twin 75's ASA Super Late Models race. Tickets range from $20 to $40 dollars. The first race starts at 6:00 p.m. (WHO-tv)
Penske Racing opts not to re-sign Newman: Penske Racing has decided it will not re-sign Ryan Newman, who has been with the team since 2000. "It's what is best for him and best for us," a Penske Racing spokesman said. "We're going to focus on getting him in the Chase and then move on." There has been considerable speculation that Newman will join fellow Hoosier Tony Stewart at the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing team next season. Sources have told ESPN.com that a deal is close to being completed and could be announced in two weeks at Indianapolis. (ESPN.com)
Joe Gibbs plans to keep ownership inside Gibbs family: Joe Gibbs says he's not about to join the trend of offering ownership in his race team in order to retain drivers. Tony Stewart received 50% ownership in making the jump from Joe Gibbs Racing to Stewart Haas Racing. Drivers Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards (who re-signed with Roush Fenway Racing) and Ryan Newman (entertaining offers for 2009) say they've received offers that include a share of team ownership. But JGR is a family operation, and Gibbs, the family patriarch, says he plans to keep it that way. "We have eight grandchildren," Gibbs said. "I'm not worried about (sons) J.D. or Coy. But (the business) is going to be for the grandkids if I have anything to say about it. "We don't have any other business, (so) this has to go for us. Being a family business — we like that for a number of reasons. We don't have to take a vote, we can do whatever we want if it makes sense. We can move fast, and we can get what we want — anything we can afford." (USAToday.com)
NASCAR plans grounded at Chicago's Midway airport: Several planes carrying NASCAR team members were grounded Saturday night at Midway Airport in Chicago when construction work on a runway prevented planes from leaving until early Sunday morning, airport officials confirmed. Among the planes affected were those carrying team members from Penske Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Hall of Fame Racing, among others. Passengers were stranded at the airport overnight with the first flights out not available until 7 a.m. Eastern Sunday. (ThatsRacin)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
#96 Hall of Fame Racing cleared of any wrongdoing: NASCAR held J.J. Yeley’s No. 96 car in the garage as the rest of the field fired the engines and then issued a one-lap penalty at the start of the race, due to what officials said was an unapproved part.
But after the race, NASCAR met with Hall of Fame racing co-owner Tom Garfinkel and apparently cleared the team of any wrongdoing. “NASCAR had reason to believe we were doing something we shouldn’t have been doing – and we weren’t doing it,” Garfinkel said. “But they had sufficient reason to believe that because of some mistakes in procedure that we made.” Yeley said that each week, his team uses a drink system that requires crew members to put a cold water bag into the car before the race. If they put it in early, it gets too hot and isn’t drinkable. But NASCAR apparently felt something was amiss, and ran the car through inspection both with and without the water bag to address weight concerns. Officials apparently suspected that the #96 team had gone to the old trick of putting lead in the water bag to make extra weight. After the race, Pemberton said the team had “served our penalties. We’re done with them,” he said. “We’re comfortable with that team and we feel like they weren’t trying to pull the wool over our eyes.”(SceneDaily.com)
New testing policy calls for 24 test per organization: NASCAR handed teams a draft of a new testing policy Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway. The sanctioning body will take more input from teams before finalizing it. The proposal gives each organization 24 test days at tracks where the Sprint Cup teams compete, with a maximum of two cars per test. All of the team’s drivers can test, but no driver can test for a team for which he does not drive. New teams would get test days depending on how much they race. There is typically a week blackout period before a race and a blackout period from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15. The Daytona tests will remain and not be included. There is no rookie provision. “We’re probably in the 80 percent [for sure] bracket right now in that sheet – with a couple of things fine-tuned maybe,” NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said. (SceneDaily.com)
Newman has options outside Penske Racing: Sources have told ESPN.com that deal to join the Indiana natives is close to done and could be announced in two weeks at Indianapolis. Newman said he has three serious options outside of Penske and that ownership is part of at least one of the options. He also said re-signing with Penske is an option. Asked if ownership could be an option at Stewart-Haas, where Stewart was given 50 percent of the company, Newman said, "I won't answer that." Newman said last month he would not re-sign with Penske unless the performance of his team improved significantly. He said the team has made some strides to improve, but not enough to convince him it is ready to challenge for a championship. (ESPN.com)
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Obama campaign passes on NASCAR sponsorship: NASCAR's BAM Racing team has presented Barack Obama's presidential campaign with a potential sponsorship deal in the Sprint Cup series later this year, but it doesn't look like an Obama car will be burning rubber on the track anytime soon. BAM team spokesman Rhett Vandiver told The Associated Press on Friday that the team made a sponsorship proposal to the Democratic presidential hopeful's campaign, and has made similar proposals to the campaign of Republican John McCain and at least one third-party candidate. Late Friday, the Obama campaign said there would be no sponsorship. "The Obama campaign will not be sponsoring a car in the Sprint Cup series, though we will continue to look for ways to reach out to voters and convey Senator Obama's message of change." said Bill Burton, an Obama campaign spokesman. (AP/Google)
Gibbs preferred not to release Stewart: Joe and J.D. Gibbs made clear Saturday allowing driver Tony Stewart to exit his contract a year early to pursue ownership in Haas CNC Racing was not their preferred option. “First of all, we didn’t let him go. Tony came to us and said he wanted to leave,” said team owner Joe Gibbs. “We had a contract through next year and we talked about that and our initial reaction was we’d race through next year (together). “I think the more we talked it over with ourselves, Tony and Home Depot – Home Depot didn’t have any part of this decision, they didn’t have a choice – we just reached a conclusion that it would probably be best under these set of circumstances to allow Tony to pursue another option.” (ThatsRacin)
Friday, July 11, 2008
Dale Jr. not interested in buying DEI: Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he's no longer interested in buying his father's race team should Teresa Earnhardt ever want to sell it. Reports this week stated that Teresa Earnhardt might be looking to add an investor or sell Dale Earnhardt Inc. A DEI official denied those reports, stating the team was not for sale. Earnhardt Jr. tried to get at least majority interest in the team last year before leaving to join Hendrick Motorsports. Not anymore. "I don't mean this in a bad way, but I would not have any interest in purchasing it," Earnhardt Jr. said Thursday night at Chicagoland Speedway. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Sprint to celebrate Richard Petty's 50th anniversary in NASCAR: Sprint will celebrate Richard Petty Day Saturday, July 12 in honor of Petty’s 50th anniversary in NASCAR at the Sprint Experience at Chicagoland Speedway. Other Sprint activities commemorating the anniversary include limited edition Charley 1 Horse hats, executive participation and a unique photo opportunity with 43 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Petty will be at the Sprint Experience, Sprint’s 10,000 square-foot fan destination, for a question-and-answer session at 4:30 p.m. July 12. Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Labonte will visit with fans at 3 p.m. Television personality Larry McReynolds will moderate both sessions. While at the Sprint Experience, fans can sign a car hood, which will be presented to The King at his afternoon appearance. In addition, one fan will receive an autographed Richard Petty Charley 1 Horse hat courtesy of Sprint. Special video about Petty will play throughout the day at the display. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is among a few special guests who will have the rare opportunity for a ride in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car around Chicagoland Speedway with Petty, who has not driven a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car since Nov. 15, 1992 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASCAR and Sprint also will coordinate a special photo opportunity at the pre-race stage at 6:25 p.m. The 43 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers starting the LifeLock.com 400 will wear Petty’s signature Charley 1 Horse hats as a salute to the legend. Petty’s NASCAR debut took place in 1958 at Columbia Speedway in South Carolina. (Sprint PR)
Reutimann likely to return to MWR in 2009: David Reutimann disputed a report he was leaving Michael Waltrip Racing after the season to drive the #45 car at Petty Enterprises. Reutimann acknowledged MWR has an option on him for next season. "I feel like I will be back," he said. "I'm just trying to keep from getting my head kicked in every week." Petty Enterprise officials said there have been no discussions with Reutimann about replacing Kyle Petty.(ESPN.com)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Stewart to partner with Haas Racing in 2009; driver/owner at Stewart Haas Racing: Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has set his NASCAR future, and it’s as an owner and driver with Stewart-Haas Racing beginning in 2009. Stewart-Haas Racing is the new partnership between Stewart and Haas CNC Racing, with the revamped entity slated to run two cars full-time in the Sprint Cup Series. “This is an incredible opportunity that allows me to race competitively in NASCAR’s top division while carving out a place in this sport long after my driving career is over,” Stewart said. “I’ve won races and I’ve won championships and I know I could’ve continued to do that at Joe Gibbs Racing, but to attempt to do those things as a car owner is something that really appeals to me. There’s a whole new sense of appreciation and satisfaction that comes with success when you’re both a driver and an owner.” (PR)
Richard Childress responds to Jack Daniel's media reports: The following is a statement from Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing, regarding recent unsubstantiated reports in the media about Jack Daniel’s leaving RCR after the 2008 season. “Jack Daniel’s and Richard Childress Racing have a contract through the 2009 season. Any reports in the media to the contrary are simply not accurate.” (RCR PR)
Reutimann to the #45 Petty car? Look for David Reutimann to be announced soon as the replacement for Kyle Petty in the #45 car, something the Petty folks would rather we not know about just yet. (Yahoo! Sports)
Truex, DEI team to granted appeal: Dale Earnhardt Inc. is appealing at least the suspensions of #1 team crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and car chief Gary Putnam. Manion and Putnam were working in the garage at Chicagoland Speedway today, and suspended personnel are not allowed at the track unless their penalty is being appealed. DEI Vice President John Story confirmed Thursday afternoon that the team will appeal. The appeal will be heard July 21. “We’ve been granted an opportunity for appeal and anything we have to say about the appeal will be done during the hearing we’ve been granted,” said Story, who would not elaborate on the scope and basis for the appeal.(SceneDaily.com)
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
JGR statement on Stewart's departure: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and Tony Stewart have agreed to part ways upon the conclusion of the 2008 season. The two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will finish the 2008 Sprint Cup season with JGR behind the wheel of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota. Stewart will also compete for JGR in the two NASCAR Nationwide Series races still remaining on his original, nine-race Nationwide Series schedule – July 11 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., and Aug. 16 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Stewart will pilot the No. 20 Old Spice Toyota in those two events. “We’ve had a lot of success with Tony in our 12 years here at Joe Gibbs Racing,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. “While this moment is bittersweet, we’re parting on good terms and we know that each of us has benefited greatly from the other. “We grew to two teams in the Sprint Cup Series with Tony and The Home Depot in 1999, and two championships and 32 wins followed. While our time together is coming to an end, we know there’s still a lot of racing left this season and we plan to make the most of it. On behalf of everyone at JGR, we’re proud of everything we’ve accomplished together with Tony and we wish him the best in pursuing his dream of NASCAR team ownership.” (JGR PR)
Stewart to make major announcement at Chicagoland: Tony Stewart To Make Official Announcement On His Future After Joe Gibbs Racing On Thursday, July 10th @ 2:30P.M.(EST) From Chicagoland Speedway. (PR)
Frank Bifulco, Chief Marketing Officer of The Home Depot Regarding Tony Stewart’s departure from JGR at the end of the 2008 season: “The Home Depot has had a remarkable relationship with Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing since our sponsorship commenced back in 1998. With two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships and 32 race wins, Tony is a true competitor and an excellent ambassador for our company. Details regarding our future plans will be announced at a later date.” (PR)
Logano in the #20 in 2009? Joey Logano acknowledged on Wednesday that he is a candidate to replace Tony Stewart in the #20 Sprint Cup car at Joe Gibbs Racing next season. "It has been brought up a few times," Logano said as he arrived at JGR for a morning workout. Logano wasn't shocked to hear that Stewart will be released from his final year at JGR next season to pursue other opportunities. Stewart was scheduled to tell his team on Wednesday that this will be his last season, then announce on Thursday in Chicago that he has bought into Haas CNC Racing and will drive for that team with another driver -- Ryan Newman, according to sources, is all but a done deal -- next year. Stewart will unveil his new car with Office Depot as the primary sponsor at a news conference in Indianapolis in two weeks, sources said. Logano, 18, said he will focus the rest of this season on his Nationwide Series ride and hope to get into a few Cup races before the end of the year to prepare him for next season.(ESPN.com)
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
NASCAR annnounces #1 car penalities: NASCAR has issued penalties, fines and suspensions to the car #1 team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rules infractions found last week at Daytona International Speedway. The car driven by Martin Truex Jr., was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3.8A (roof of the car does not conform to the specifications) of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rule book. As a result, Truex Jr. and car owner Teresa Earnhardt have been penalized 150 championship driver and 150 championship owner points, respectively. Both the crew chief, Kevin Manion, and the car chief, Gary Putnam, have been suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, suspended from NASCAR until Aug. 27 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Additionally, Manion has been fined $100,000. The infractions were discovered July 3 during opening day inspection.(NASCAR PR)
DEI not for sale: DEI president Max Siegel on Tuesday refuted an Internet report that company owner Teresa Earnhardt had commissioned investment banking firm Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. to locate a buyer or financial investment partner. "We have not engaged Bear, Stearns or Goldman Sachs or anyone else," Siegel said. "We are contacted all the time by outside firms about getting involved in the sport. "We are not for sale right now. Nothing is imminent." (ESPN.com)
Teresa Earnhardt to sell DEI to Max Siegel? One year after Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s failed purchase of his late fathers company, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the company appears to be on the market again. However this time, the buyer is not a family member. Max Siegel, President of Global Operations at DEI is currently in negotiations with major investors to buy Teresa Earnhardt out of DEI, a source close to the negotiations said Monday. Sources said Siegel would not just be buying a portion of DEI or a controlling interest, rather, he would be buying the entire company. Sources said, Teresa has agreed to walk away from the company entirely for the right price. That price is supposedly somewhere between $115-$130 million dollars. With one exception...Teresa would retain the rights to all "Dale Earnhardt' and 'Intimidator' rights and merchandise sales. Siegel would only be buying the DEI race teams, and real estate including all race shops and the DEI headquarters in Mooresville, NC. Sources said Siegel is very serious about the purchase and appears to have investors salivating over the opportunity to own the legendary team. (Captain Thunder)
UPS to Clint Bowyer: Sirius Speedway has learned that UPS will move from Michael Waltrip Racing’s #44 Toyota to the quarterpanels of Clint Bowyer’s #07 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in 2009, leaving Jack Daniels in search of a new driver. That driver will be Ryan Newman, who is set to sign-on with Stewart at Haas CNC.(Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's to sponsor #8 or #01? DEI is also working diligently to lock up sponsors for next season. Rumors have been swirling that they may lose their U.S. Army sponsorship on Martin’s #8 car, a car that will be driven by rookie Aric Almirola next year, to Red Bull and Scott Speed. If that happens, DEI hopes to be ready with another sponsor to step in. That sponsor may be the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s. Sources said early Sunday that Max Siegel, President of Global Operations for DEI, had met throughout the weekend in Daytona Beach, FL with representatives from the Hard Rock about possible sponsorship opportunities with DEI. They could replace the U.S. Army should they bail and head to Red Bull, or they could end up on the #01 of Regan Smith. (Captain Thunder)
Jimmie Johnson to speak at the National Press Club in D.C.: #48-Jimmie Johnson will be speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, July 8. The reigning Sprint Cup Series Champion will discuss his life experiences as a leading NASCAR driver and influential philanthropist. (Lowe's Racing PR)
Monday, July 7, 2008
Teresa Earnhardt looking to sell Dale Earnhardt, Inc.? Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway is reporting today that Teresa Earnhardt has enlisted the services of Bear, Stearns and Company to find a buyer -- or at least a major financial investor -- for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Bear Stearns is an investment bank, securities trading and brokerage firm based in New York City, and has been charged with finding a buyer for the entire operation. Barring that, Earnhardt is said to be interested in selling at least a minority interest in the team. DEI President of Global Operations Max Siegel declined to comment on the story when contacted earlier today. (The Motorsports Soapbox)
Newman to Haas/CNC Racing in 2009? Tony Stewart is expected to announce a 2009 move to Haas-CNC Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in three weeks. Reliable sources tell Sirius Speedway that Stewart will also announce sponsorship from Office Depot and Old Spice as part of a new, multi-year package with Haas CNC, and that Penske Racing’s Ryan Newman will join him as a teammate, with sponsorship from Jack Daniels. (The Motorsports Soapbox)
GEM names Chief Finanical Officer: Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced the promotion of Gregory D. Park to chief financial officer of the NASCAR team. "Greg has been a key contributor to the development of our team as well as a leader in the financial management, analysis and control of our business" said Tom Reddin, chief executive officer of Gillett Evernham Motorsports. I am very proud of the business team that we have assembled here. Having worked with Greg over the past few months, I know that he will be a strong chief financial officer, and that his management skills will be a great asset to the organization." Park joined GEM in 2005 as the team's director of systems and financial reporting. Prior to that, Park served as chief financial officer at MB2 and MBV Motorsports. He was also the corporate controller and director of systems and reporting for Action Performance Companies Inc. Park is a certified public accountant holding master's and bachelor's degrees from the University of Utah.(GEM PR)
Sunday, July 6, 2008
RYR found sponsorship? Expand to a third team? Doug Yates, who has been worried that he might not make it to year two as a NASCAR team owner, is doing better now, according to Roush, a fellow Ford team owner, who said sponsorship is coming through for Yates -- not only enough sponsorship to keep Yates' two teams going but to allow Yates to expand to a three-car operation. No word on who the third driver might be. (Winston Salem-Journal)
More layoffs expected at Ganassi Racing? With 71 employees already in the unemployment line, Chip Ganassi Racing is looking to cut another 30 jobs from its stock-car operations, several current employees said Saturday. The team shut down the No. 40 Dodge earlier this week after it wasn't able to find a sponsor for driver Dario Franchitti. With that came layoffs, some of them surprising. Several team sources confirmed that department heads often weren't included in the decision-making process. Some employees who were laid off had been with SABCO Racing long before Ganassi bought the team from Felix Sabates in 2001. While the No. 40 Dodge was missing from Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, most of that team still had a job. The cuts last week affected the Nos. 41 and 42 teams more than the 40. Most of the mechanics from Reed Sorenson's and Juan Pablo Montoya's team received their pink slips, replaced by members of the defunct team. (The Florida Times-Union)
No sponsor announced for #8 DEI car: What DEI didn’t announce was a sponsor for Almirola, but DEI President Max Siegel indicated that the team has solidified those plans. Currently, the U.S. Army sponsors that car but it has not announced whether it would remain with DEI next year as it goes through its annual bidding process. “We’re fine,” Siegel said. “We’ll make the announcements of who it is over time.” Siegel said the team is still looking for sponsorship for the #01 car of Smith to be able to keep that car on the track and he said there was nothing new to report on Truex’s status for next year. .(SceneDaily)
Ragan to return to Roush Fenway in 2009: Roush Fenway Racing officials confirmed Sunday that David Ragan will be back behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford next season. Sponsor negotiations to replace AAA on the No. 6 are awaiting the completion of Stewart’s deal, though team sources confirmed that Office Depot will not be back at Roush Fenway Racing next season. (SPEEDtv)
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Brian France discusses the lawsuit against NASCAR: NASCAR has nearly completed its investigation of the allegations made by former Nationwide Series inspector Mauricia Grant in a $225 million discrimination lawsuit, CEO Brian France said in his annual midseason question-and-answer session Friday. Grant, who is black, is alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination in a lawsuit filed last month. She discussed her accusations in detail on ESPN this week. France reiterated that NASCAR will vigorously defend itself in court, but he didn't discuss any specifics of the case. "My own experience with lawsuits over many years is, by the time the facts ultimately catch up to the actual lawsuit, they're usually a whole lot different than the claims that are made on the front end when you're after a lot of money," France said.(Tampa Tribune)
Nationwide series team JTG plans to go Cup Racing? JTG Racing owner Tad Geschickter said Friday he hopes to move Marcos Ambrose to the Sprint Cup Series next season, in addition to having Nationwide and truck series teams in 2009. The Australian Ambrose, in his second season in NASCAR’s No. 2 series, made his Cup debut at Infineon Raceway last month for Wood Brothers Racing. Ambrose is slated to drive four Cup races later this year under the JTG banner. JTG currently fields two cars in the Nationwide Series, for Ambrose and Kelly Bires. Geschickter said Bires would stay in the Nationwide Series in 2009, with Coleman Pressley to drive for the team in the truck series. The team currently fields Fords but Geschickter said the manufacturer the team will be affiliated with next year is open.(SceneDaily.com)
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"You have to work through it and I'm just wondering, you know, if we're working in the right direction, because I don't feel we are. I don't feel like we're getting better. We've got to go faster." #24 Jeff Gordon said, who is 6th in Sprint Cup standings..
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