I THOUGHT that was a post-spring-forward Monday creeping up on me there.
It was hard to get up this morning… but aren’t you glad I did? If not, you wouldn’t be reading this fabulous edition of the Stock Car Gazette.
Congrats to Kyle Busch, JGR, and Toyota for their win yesterday in Atlanta.
More on that inside…
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T H E * S T O C K * C A R * G A Z E T T E
by http://MotorSportsNews.Net
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E d i t o r ‘ s * N o t e s
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I THOUGHT that was a post-spring-forward Monday creeping up on me there. It was hard to get up this morning… but aren’t you glad I did? If not, you wouldn’t be reading this fabulous edition of the Stock Car Gazette.
Congrats (grudgingly) to Kyle Busch, JGR, and Toyota for their win yesterday in Atlanta.
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Stock Car Gazette Columnists Speak Out!
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TV Times – Vegas Ratings Actually Up 12.7 Percent
by: Lou Modestino
Fox’s broadcast of that Sunday’s UAW-Dodge 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earned an overnight Nielsen Media Research rating of 6.2 and a 12 market share, Street & Smith’s Sports Business Daily reports. The rating is 12.7 percent higher than the 5.5 Fox earned overnight for the Las Vegas race in 2007.
MORE: http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1130
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Kenseth Grabs Nationwide Win
by: Thomas Chemris
Matt Kenseth won the Nationwide series Nicorette 300 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
MORE: http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1128
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Track Trash – “Hot”lanta
by: Racing Maniac
All day long, it was a case of Have or Have Not. Of the Oyotas, the JGR’s ‘Have’ it, and the Mikey’s ‘Have Not’. Jr. and Gordo ‘Have’ it, and JJ and Mears ‘Have Not’. Flip, Da Biff and MattyBoy ‘Have’ it, and Ragan and JamieMac ‘Have Not’. Need I say more?
MORE: http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1129
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MotorSportsNews.Net(work) web site features
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Penalty Parade for NASCAR Officials
http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1126
Bonfire! The Move
http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1125
Stock Car Gazette for Saturday, March 8, 2008
http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1127
Stock Car Gazette for Friday, March 7, 2008
http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1124
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N A S C A R * S P R I N T * C U P * S E R I E S
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Stewart blasts Goodyear once again
Tony Stewart once again blasted Goodyear saying that the NASCAR tire supplier fails to make a tire that will hold up under race conditions on high-banked, high downforce tracks like Atlanta Motor Speedway. “After 10 years of being in the Cup Series, you learn to be highly disappointed with everything that Goodyear does,” Stewart said. This isn’t [...]
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/autoracingsport/~3/248107184/
Stewart on Goodyear:’…they should just pull out of this sport’
Dale Earnhardt, Jr also vents his frustration on Goodyear Tony Stewart has made no secret of the fact that he doesn’t like Goodyear’s tires in NASCAR. Stewart, who complained about the Goodyear tires after blowing a right front and hitting the wall hard the previous week in Las Vegas, took out his frustration with the [...]
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/autoracingsport/~3/248589322/
Kyle Busch makes history at Atlanta
Kyle Busch gave Toyota its first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory, driving away from the pack in the waning laps to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch, winning for the first time since last March 25 at Bristol, permanently took the lead with 50 laps to go Sunday when Carl Edwards, trying for [...]
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/autoracingsport/~3/248529929/
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Courtesy of www.Catchfence.com
Atlanta Motor Speedway Pit Notes: Goodyear Satisfied With Atlanta Tire: Despite some complaints from competitors this weekend, Goodyear marketing manager Justin Fantozzi said he was pleased with the tire his company brought for competition in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500. “I was not pleased at our open house test last fall, and that’s why we came back in December,” Fantozzi said. “Now what we have is a right-side tire that’s harder for better durability and a left side that has better grip in it.” Tony Stewart was highly critical of the tire Friday after qualifying, and other drivers echoed his concerns Saturday after practice. “We’re on the edge,” Gordon said. “It’s a handful. We’re all sliding all over the place.” Michael Waltrip (one of the biggest NASCAR politically correct butt kissers in Catchfence’s opinion) agreed that the tire was a handful, but he saw that as a positive. “That’s what racing is all about,” Waltrip said. “Before, whatever you could give that car, it could take. But now a driver can give it more than it can take, and you have to finesse it. So, yeah, you’re sideways and slipping all over the place, but it should make for some fun racing.” While the drivers can’t agree how the new tire will affect competition Sunday, it has obviously slowed the cars dramatically. Jeff Gordon’s pole run Friday was 185.251 mph – more than eight mph slower than last spring’s pole run by Ryan Newman. “This tire makes it harder to get a hold of,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said after qualifying second Friday. “You can’t enter the corner nowhere near as fast as you used to.” Fantozzi said Goodyear is continuously looking for a better tire, and that won’t change now. “We’re never stagnant, we’ve got a whole crew of engineers back at the shop that you never see, analyzing data and working on next year’s tire,” Fantozzi said. “But at the end of the day, we always err for safety.”
Overheard: After hearing Waltrip described Goodyear’s tire as a handful, but good for racing, one familiar face in the garage chuckled, muttering, “You’d expect that kind of response from a Waltrip. It ain’t about racing, it’s about entertaining.”
Overheard II: After being asked how to improve the current tire, Robby Gordon quipped: “Call Toyo. T-O-Y-O. It’s a company in Japan. Or Firestone.” – Atlanta Motor Speedway, Press Release
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Courtesy of Stock Car Gazette subscriber Ed B. – thanks!
Blount: Stewart, Earnhardt lead assault on Goodyear
http://snipurl.com/21e5d-gazete
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Courtesy of Google Alerts
Change to top series’ name might be coming
Winston-Salem Journal – Winston-Salem,NC,USA
And before that for 33 years it was called the Winston Cup. Wall Street has been alive with speculation about a takeover of Sprint Nextel. …
http://snipurl.com/21e53-gazete
Cheating in NASCAR? We call it innovation
CBSSports.com – USA
By Gregg Doyel Correct me if I’m wrong, but the entire purpose of a NASCAR crew chief is to try to make his car run faster than everyone else’s car. …
http://www.sportsline.com/columns/story/10698173
Kyle Busch Gives Toyota Its First Nascar Sprint Cup Victory
Bloomberg – USA
By Gene Laverty March 9 (Bloomberg) — Kyle Busch won Nascar’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, giving Toyota its first official victory in …
http://snipurl.com/21e5b-gazete
Toyota scores a NASCAR 1-2
Kyle Busch scored Toyota’s first NASCAR Cup victory at the weekend in Atlanta. It was the first victory for a foreign car manufacturer since 1954, when Al Keller won a race at Linden Airport, New Jersey, at the wheel of a British-built …
http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns20113.html
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Courtesy of Insider Racing News
http://www.insiderracingnews.com
Kyle Busch Wins Atlanta Cup Race For Gibbs-Toyota
CIA Stock Photo
Busch Earns First Victory For Toyota
Kyle Busch won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday to give Toyota it first victory in the Sprint Cup Series. It was the first time since 1954 that a foreign name-plate manufacturer had won in the premiere series. “It means a lot to be able to go out and win any race anytime, but especially here at Atlanta, said Busch This place has been such a struggle for me. I haven’t had a top 10 finish here. I remember the years of watching Bobby Labonte race around this place, kicking everybody’s butt. Sort of reminded me a little bit about it today to be able to race like that, run like that, bring that 18 car back up front, run here the way it used to and the way it should.”
Tony Stewart ran second in the race to give Toyota a one-two finish but it was a battle all the way. Stewart blasted the Goodyear tires after the race. “That was the most pathetic racing tire that I’ve ever been on in my professional career,” Stewart commented. “They exited out of Formula One. They exited out of IRL. They exited out of CART. They exited out of World Outlaws, and there is a reason for that. Goodyear can’t build a tire that is worth a crap. If I were Goodyear, I would be really embarrassed about this weekend and what they brought here.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the first 60 laps and then the Busch-Toyota dominance started showing up. But with 85 laps to go, Carl Edwards drove his way into the lead and it looked like no one else had anything for the Roush Fenway Ford. Edwards was going for three straight victories and you wouldn’t have found anyone at the track that would have bet otherwise. Then bad luck struck Edwards’ car, it started smoking badly with 50 laps to go. His day was done with a broken transmission. The focus shifted back to the No. 18 car of Busch, he took the lead and won handily, pulling away. Busch led a race-high 173 of 325 laps in his No. 18 Snickers Camry.
“You know, those cars were pretty tough to drive,” said Busch. “But overall we had a pretty good car in practice yesterday where we felt okay about it today. And then the track seemed to warm up just a little bit, and that gave us a little less grip for today. But overall we just kept working on it, kept trying to make it better.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. held on for third spot and Greg Biffle was fourth. Jeff Gordon brought his Dupont Chevrolet home in fifth place followed by Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers and Jeff Burton to round out the top ten. The Sprint Cup Series moves to Bristol Motor Speedway next Sunday March 16th, 2008, for the Food City 500. The race is scheduled to start at 1:30 PM / Eastern Time on Fox.
2008 Kobalt Tools 500 Final Results
Race Date March 9, 2008
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Pos Start Car Driver Make Sponsor Points/Bonus/Laps Status
1 6 18 Kyle Busch ** Toyota Snickers 195/10 325 Running
2 32 20 Tony Stewart Toyota Home Depot 170/0 325 Running
3 2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet AMP Energy/National Guard 170/5 325 Running
4 13 16 Greg Biffle Ford Jackson Hewitt 165/5 325 Running
5 1 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 160/5 325 Running
6 7 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet DIRECTV 155/5 325 Running
7 8 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell/Pennzoil 146/0 325 Running
8 38 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT 142/0 325 Running
9 35 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 143/5 325 Running
10 15 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 134/0 325 Running
11 29 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 130/0 325 Running
12 5 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios/Betty Crocker 132/5 325 Running
13 11 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools 124/0 325 Running
14 12 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 121/0 324 Running
15 22 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Ground 118/0 324 Running
16 19 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Wrigley’s Big Red 115/0 324 Running
17 39 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet Kellogg’s/CARQUEST 112/0 324 Running
18 28 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 109/0 324 Running
19 20 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Energizer/Menards 106/0 324 Running
20 30 00 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 103/0 323 Running
21 3 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops/Tracker 100/0 323 Running
22 10 8 Mark Martin Chevrolet U.S. Army 97/0 323 Running
23 14 6 David Ragan Ford AAA 94/0 323 Running
24 26 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Valvoline/Jim Beam 91/0 323 Running
25 33 77 Sam Hornish Jr. * Dodge Penske Truck Rental 88/0 323 Running
26 9 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 90/5 322 Running
27 42 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Zaxby’s 82/0 322 Running
28 43 44 Dale Jarrett Toyota UPS 79/0 322 Running
29 34 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull 76/0 322 Running
30 31 38 David Gilliland Ford FreeCreditReport.com 73/0 321 Running
31 23 40 Dario Franchitti * Dodge Fastenal 70/0 321 Running
32 16 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 67/0 321 Running
33 27 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 64/0 321 Running
34 25 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 61/0 321 Running
35 37 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 58/0 320 Running
36 41 01 Regan Smith * Chevrolet DEI/Principal Financial 55/0 320 Running
37 17 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row Racing 52/0 320 Running
38 21 10 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge Cintas 49/0 320 Running
39 36 70 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation 46/0 318 Running
40 24 26 Jamie McMurray Ford IRWIN Industrial Tools 43/0 317 Running
41 40 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Paralyzed Veterans 40/0 313 Running
42 4 99 Carl Edwards Ford Aflac 42/5 274 Out of Race
43 18 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge Best Buy/Garmin 34/0 257 Out of Race
** Led Most Laps
* Rookies
All Results Unofficial
2008 Top-40 Sprint Cup Points After Kobalt Tools 500
Race Date March 9, 2008
Atlanta Motor Speedway
POS +/- DRIVER POINTS/BEHIND/STARTS POLES/WINS TOP 5/TOP 10
1 — Kyle Busch 665 4 1 1 3 3
2 +3 Greg Biffle 592 -73 4 0 0 2 3
3 +1 Kevin Harvick 574 -91 4 0 0 1 3
4 -2 Ryan Newman 571 -94 4 0 1 1 2
5 +1 Jeff Burton 555 -110 4 0 0 1 2
6 -3 Kasey Kahne 534 -131 4 0 0 0 3
7 +3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 531 -134 4 0 0 2 3
8 +3 Tony Stewart 525 -140 4 0 0 2 3
9 +4 Brian Vickers 491 -174 4 0 0 0 1
10 +2 Kurt Busch 478 -187 4 0 0 1 1
11 -3 Martin Truex Jr. 471 -194 4 0 0 0 1
12 +4 Matt Kenseth 470 -195 4 0 0 1 2
Top 12 Drivers In The Running For The Chase For The Championship
13 +1 Jimmie Johnson 467 -198 4 1 0 1 1
14 +1 Bobby Labonte 462 -203 4 0 0 0 0
15 +8 Jeff Gordon 444 -221 4 1 0 2 2
16 +8 Clint Bowyer 436 -229 4 0 0 0 1
17 -10 Carl Edwards 433 -232 4 0 2 2 2
18 -1 Mark Martin 421 -244 4 0 0 0 1
19 +1 Denny Hamlin 413 -252 4 0 0 0 1
20 -11 Elliott Sadler 402 -263 4 0 0 0 1
21 -2 David Ragan 398 -267 4 0 0 0 1
22 +3 Juan Montoya 391 -274 4 0 0 0 0
23 -2 Robby Gordon 384 -281 4 0 0 0 1
24 -6 Reed Sorenson 382 -283 4 0 0 1 1
25 +1 Paul Menard 382 -283 4 0 0 0 0
26 +3 Scott Riggs 369 -296 4 0 0 0 0
27 -5 David Gilliland 358 -307 4 0 0 0 0
28 +3 David Reutimann 358 -307 4 0 0 0 0
29 -1 Travis Kvapil 352 -313 4 0 0 0 1
30 +5 Casey Mears 331 -334 4 0 0 0 0
31 -4 Jamie McMurray 318 -347 4 0 0 0 0
32 +1 Dale Jarrett 309 -356 4 0 0 0 0
33 -1 J.J. Yeley 304 -361 4 0 0 0 0
34 -4 Jeremy Mayfield 301 -364 4 0 0 0 0
35 -1 Michael Waltrip 294 -371 4 0 0 0 0
36 +2 Sam Hornish Jr.* 280 -385 4 0 0 0 0
37 -1 Dave Blaney 279 -386 4 0 0 0 0
38 -1 Dario Franchitti* 270 -395 4 0 0 0 0
39 — Regan Smith* 238 -427 4 0 0 0 0
40 — Kyle Petty 217 -448 4 0 0 0 0
* Rookies
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Courtesy of Jayski
http://www.jayski.com
Kyle Busch wins at Atlanta, Toyota’s first win: #18-Kyle Busch won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his 1st win of 2008, 5th career win and first ever for Toyota in Sprint Cup [40th race]. It is the first time a foreign manufacturer has won a Cup race since Al Keller won in a Jaguar on June 13, 1954 in Linden Airport [NJ]. Busch also won the Truck Series race at Atlanta on Friday and leads the Cup and Truck Series points standings. Busch is now the youngest driver to win a Cup race at Atlanta [Jeff Gordon had been the youngest at 23 years, 7 months, 8 days old], Busch is 22 years old, 10 months and 8 days old [approx]. #20-Stewart was 2nd [and not happy with the tires at all] followed by #88-Earnhardt Jr., #16-Biffle, #24-Gordon, #07-Bowyer, #29-Harvick, #17-Kenseth, #83-Vickers and #31-Burton. Last weeks winner, #99-Edwards was leading the race late when his engine gave out on lap 275 and he finished 42nd. There were 8 cautions for 35 laps and there were 26 lead changes among 9 drivers.
ESPN.com Chat: on Monday, March 10th at 1:00pm/et, Jayski’s Mark Garrow is scheduled to chat at 1:00pm/et, go to ESPN.com Chat and Ray Evernham follows Garrow at ESPN.com Chat, 1:30pm/et. http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=19658
Vickers clinches top 35….after next race: With #83-Brian Vickers team being 211 points ahead of the team 36th in Owners Points, #77-Hornish Jr., he could fail to qualify for the race at Bristol this coming weekend and still be locked in the top-35 and guaranteed a spot at Martinsville Speedway on March 30th. #2-Kurt Busch is also locked in after race 5 [Bristol] but is guaranteed to make the race at Bristol by having a past champions provisional to use. Other teams that were not locked into the Top-25 for the first fivee races but are curretnly in the top-35 are: #00-Reutimann [27th], #44-Jarrett [Reutimann takes over after Bristol, 32nd] and #55-Micheal Waltrip [33rd only 23 points out of 36th]. Five teams that started the 2008 season locked in the top-35 but are now sitting outside the current Top-35 are: #77-Hornish Jr. [switched owners pts with the #2 and is 18 pts out of 35th], #22-Blaney, #40-Franchitti, #01-Smith and #45-Petty [81 points out in 40th]. See my Drivers/Owners Points after Atlanta page for the standings.(3-10-2008) http://www.jayski.com/stats/2008/points/4ams2008points.htm
Petty could be out of top 35, is points swap with #43 possible? #45-Kyle Petty is optimistic that even though he is 40th in owners points that he could get back into the top 35. He believes his Petty Enterprise Dodge has been better than a year ago and mechanical gremlins have hurt the finishes as he sits 81 points out of the key 35th-place spot. “We had three bad races but I am more encouraged where we’re at than I was last year. and that is no joke,” Petty said Friday. “Our car has driven good at all three races.” With the top 35 reverting to this year’s owners points following Bristol next week to determine the guaranteed spots in the lineup week to week, Petty does have another option to get back into the top 35 – he could swap owners points with teammate #43-Bobby Labonte. Labonte, as the 2000 Cup champion, would have access to a past champions provisional, if needed. Labonte, who is 14th in owners points, would still keep his driver points [with #44-Dale Jarrett retiring and #2-Kurt Busch 10th in owners points, Labonte would be guaranteed to make the races unless he used up his 6 past champion provisionals]. “It’s something we’ve thought about, but we haven’t talked about it [with everyone],” Petty Enterprises Executive Vice President Robbie Loomis said Sunday. Petty said the decision would be made by Loomis: “I haven’t thought about it because I’m not worried about it,” Petty said. The top-35 situation also could impact who eventually replaces Petty when he steps out of the car for six races to be in the booth for TNT’s Cup telecasts. The team used Chad McCumbee for one race and John Andretti for the others last year and it likely will be at least another month before those plans are settled. “We’re kind of waiting on this point deal to shake out,” Loomis said. “We have had a lot of drivers contact us about doing it. … I’m really, really big on McCumbee.(SceneDaily)(3-10-2008)
Jayski on radio: Jayski is scheduled to do a short interview on Sirius Speedway, Sirius NASCAR Radio Ch. 128 on Monday, March 10th around 5:40pm/et http://www.sirius.com/nascar
Bill Elliott’s son wins title: Twelve-year-old Chase Elliott, son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott, won his first major racing title Saturday by clinching the Young Guns division of Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Winter Flurry. The Winter Flurry is a six-race competition for eight divisions of Legends, Bandolero and Roadsters. Other champions crowned Saturday were Bubba Harry (Roadsters), Kyle Plott (Bandits), Trey Maughan (Outlaws), Rawlin West (Chargers), Justin Swilling (Semi-Pro), Jeff Haynie (Masters) and Billy Fulson (Pro). Elliott’s crew chief is his father Bill, who said he was just “tickled to death that nothing fell off the car” during the race. But he shouldn’t start looking for a full-time gig in that arena, according to his son. “He climbed out and said, ‘It’s junk,’” Bill Elliott said. “I guess he must have got that from me. But he’s doing a good job. Right now, it’s just been a good way to spend time with him. I didn’t get to spend too much time with my other kids, and I regret that.” Chase Elliott, from Ballground, Ga., also sees these early races as a stepping stone for his future. “It was fun,” Chase Elliott said. “We’re just working hard, having a good time. We’re moving in to a Legends car this summer and just want to keep moving up. I guess my goal is to get to Cup one day.” His mother, Cindy, is bracing herself for that. “I tried to deter him when he was younger; I gave him golf lessons, tried to get him involved in baseball,” Cindy Elliott said, laughing. “But ever since he’s been old enough to talk, he’s wanted to be a race car driver. And he’s doing a great job, having a lot of fun. I’m so proud of him.”(AMS Pit Notes)(3-10-2008)
Another NASCAR themed movie? Gary Ross has made a deal with Universal Pictures to develop and direct an untitled drama set against the world of NASCAR racing. Script is being written by Terence Winter, the “Sopranos” exec producer who most recently adapted “The Wolf of Wall Street” for Martin Scorsese at Warner Bros. NASCAR has agreed to cooperate, so Ross will be able to use the circuit’s tracks and footage of actual races and drivers, as well as shoot scenes during races. Pic will be produced by Ross, Scott Stuber, Mary Parent and Jimmy Miller in a co-production between their Larger Than Life, Stuber/Parent and Mosaic Media Group banners. Miller, who developed relationships with NASCAR when he secured the circuit’s cooperation on “Talladega Nights,” was instrumental in bringing NASCAR into the fold. The NASCAR drama will focus on an up-and-coming driver who scratches his way into the circuit and develops a mentor/rival relationship with the driver he grew up idolizing. The dynamic is made more complex because the vet racer’s son drives for his father’s team.(Variety)(3-10-2008)
Did Not Finish Streak and stats: #29-Harvick has been running at the finish in 48 consecutive races, the longest current streak, next up is #07-Bowyer at 41 consecutive races.(3-9-2008)
Atlanta Motor Speedway Goodyear Tire Comment: Following the Kobalt Tools 500, Ed Clark, president and general manger for Atlanta Motor Speedway, spoke with Stu Grant, General Manager Global Racing Tires for Goodyear. “Following my conversation with Stu Grant, I have pledged to make our track available to Goodyear to come to AMS on an as needed basis to get the proper compound they need before the October 26 Pep Boys Auto 500,” said Clark. “We will do everything possible from our end to help make sure that we have the best tire compound available when the Sprint Cup teams return this fall.”
Tire Talk – Drivers Point Fingers at Goodyear for Poor Tire Selection Drivers were still not happy with their Goodyear Eagles after climbing from their Sprint Cup cars following the Kobalt Tools 500, perhaps none were more unhappy than two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. “That was the most pathetic racing tire that I’ve ever been on in my professional career,” Stewart said. “They (Goodyear) exited out of Formula One. They exited out of IRL. They exited out of World of Outlaws and there is a reason for that. Goodyear can’t build a tire that is worth a crap. If I were Goodyear, I would be really embarrassed about what they brought here. I guarantee you Hoosier of Firestone or somebody can come in and do a lot better job than what they are doing right now.”
Goodyear marketing manager Justin Fantozzi said Goodyear officials were not disappointed with their selection for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500. “We are tremendously proud of the wear rates we saw here,” Fantozzi said. “We have a defined development for this particular tire that started in August with a test here in Atlanta.” When asked if there are changes in store for the tire Goodyear will bring back when the Cup Series returns to AMS in October, Fantozzi said they have a defined process that is followed. “We’ll do the same thing we do after every race. We have post race data now, so we will go back to Akron, Ohio and sit down with engineers and see where that leaves us for the October race. Driver comments are part of the data set we use when selecting tires, so we will gather input there as well.”
Georgia Power NASCAR Sprint Cup Pole winner Jeff Gordon didn’t have rave reviews about Goodyear’s tire selection either. “I felt like I was going to crash every single lap,” Jeff Gordon said about his run. “I’m exhausted right now. I feel like I’ve run a thousand miles here. That was the hardest day I have ever had at Atlanta, especially for a top-five finish. This car, this tire, at this track was just terrible.”(AMS Pit Notes)(3-9-2008)
Petty finds investor? Yahoo! Sports has learned through two independent sources that Richard Petty [#43, #45] will soon announce that he has struck a deal with a major investor that should keep the Petty name in the sport it has been so instrumental in building. While it’s obviously good to keep the Petty name alive in NASCAR, it also signals the beginning of the end of an era.(Yahoo!Sports)(3-9-2008)
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=bm-pettysale030808
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Courtesy of Gazette subscriber Kent D. – Thanks!
Taking Vegas by the handcuff-y thing-y
By Dorothy Nobis
He stood there, talking to his crew chief, close enough that I could have reached out and touched him, if they’d only have let me.
A pane of glass was all that separated me from the man of my NASCAR dreams; the window and possibly the three-deep crowd that surrounded me. He turned, though, and I’m sure our eyes met. His, soft and brown, mine a tad blood-shot and blue (the wind made ‘em blood shot, just to clarify). I really think Elliott Sadler was ready to know me and to love me if I hadn’t screamed in excitement and clawed the three women who were in front of me while I tried to break the glass.
It was sad, really. Elliott took one look at me, my face scrunched up against the window and my nose bloodied from the wrath of the women I flung to the ground, and called security. It was not what I had envisioned for my first meeting with Elliott Sadler. I had planned something more like champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries; not the plastic handcuff-y things and the stale beer they dumped on me to “control” me.
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_8498668?source=most_emailed
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Kyle Busch and Toyota score the win at Atlanta
Got a points race? Here’s a guy who can probably lead it the early season
HAMPTON, Ga. – Kyle Busch hit the wall and knocked the rear end of his Toyota out of kilter during the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
http://www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/11984.html
Stewart, Junior blister Goodyear in remarks after tiresome Sunday
HAMPTON, Ga. – Toyota got its first Sprint Cup victory Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but much of the postrace talk was about another company – official NASCAR tire supplier Goodyear.
http://www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/12023.html
Services scheduled for Kitty Allison
http://www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/11939.html
Sunday action at Atlanta
Lots of shots from Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday.
http://www.thatsracin.com/239/gallery/12016.html
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N A S C A R * N A T I O N W I D E * S E R I E S
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Courtesy of Jayski
http://www.jayski.com
Kenseth Wins at Atlanta: #17-Matt Kenseth won the Nicortte 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday. He took the lead from Jeff Burton with 10 laps to go and survived a green white checker finish, holding off Kevin Harvick. #29-Harvick finished second, #29-Jeff Burton third, #60-Carl Edwards fourth, and #21-Bobby Labonte fifth. The rest of the top ten: #88-Brad Keselowski, #22-Mike Bliss, #9-Kasey Kahne, #38-Jason Leffler, and #99-David Reutimann. #20-Kyle Busch dominated most of the race, leading 153 laps before cutting down a tire late and finishing 24th. The race was slowed by 8 cautions for 30 laps and there were 12 leaders with 22 lead changes.
Harvick Takes the Lead in Driver Points: Kevin Harvick is now in the Nationwide points lead, by 25 over Carl Edwards. David Ragan is in third, Kyle Busch fourth, and Clint Bowyer fifth.
NASCAR Race Number 4
Unofficial Race Results for the Nicorette “300″ – Saturday, March 8, 2008
Atlanta Motor Speedway – Hampton, GA – 1.54 Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 198 Laps – 304.92 Miles – Purse: $1,151,315
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Total Award Status Times Laps
1 10 17 Matt Kenseth Arby’s Ford 198 190 5 $56,000 Running 2 14
2 6 33 Kevin Harvick Camping World Chevy 198 175 5 $37,175 Running 4 5
3 1 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevy 198 170 5 $28,850 Running 4 13
4 3 60 Carl Edwards Scotts Miracle-Gro Ford 198 165 5 $24,025 Running 1 1
5 27 21 Bobby Labonte Chevy 198 155 $21,400 Running
6 17 88 Brad Keselowski NAVY Chevy 198 150 $26,218 Running
7 11 22 Mike Bliss Supercuts Dodge 198 146 $25,628 Running
8 8 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 198 147 5 $30,088 Running 1 1
9 7 9 Kasey Kahne Hellmann’s Dodge 198 138 $18,025 Running
10 5 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 198 134 $25,318 Running
11 20 59 Marcos Ambrose Kingsford with Hickory Ford 198 130 $23,818 Running
12 26 47 Kelly Bires Clorox Ford 198 127 $23,043 Running
13 13 16 Jamie McMurray citifinancial Ford 198 124 $16,575 Running
14 31 11 Jason Keller America’s Incredible Pizza Chevy 198 121 $21,693 Running
15 9 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr National Guard Chevy 198 118 $15,400 Running
16 12 6 David Ragan Discount Tire Ford 198 120 5 $15,275 Running 1 3
17 19 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Toyota 197 112 $21,768 Running
18 29 66 Steve Wallace Atreus Homes & Communities 197 109 $21,268 Running
19 4 2 Clint Bowyer BB&T Chevy 197 111 5 $14,725 Running 1 1
20 15 77 Cale Gale # Rheem Chevy 197 103 $21,893 Running
21 23 37 Greg Biffle Cub Cadet Ford 197 100 $14,750 Running
22 16 32 Brian Vickers ABF U-Pack Moving Toyota 197 97 $20,943 Running
23 14 25 Bobby Hamilton Jr Curly’s BBQ Ford 197 99 5 $21,268 Running 1 1
24 2 20 Kyle Busch Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota 197 101 10 $14,325 Running 5 153
25 32 36 Kenny Wallace Shark Energy Drink Dodge 197 93 5 $23,318 Running 1 3
26 25 1 Johnny Sauter Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 197 90 5 $14,225 Running 1 3
27 33 61 Kevin Lepage Ford 196 82 $14,175 Running
28 24 40 Dario Franchitti # Fastenal Dodge 193 79 $20,593 Running
29 18 41 Bryan Clauson # Polaroid Dodge 187 76 $21,543 Accident
30 28 64 David Stremme Atreus Homes & Communities 186 73 $14,250 Running
31 36 28 Brian Keselowski # Chevy 185 70 $20,613 Running
32 21 4 Robert Richardson Jr Phantom Chevy 185 67 $20,353 Running
33 30 24 Eric McClure Hefty Brand Chevy 178 64 $20,318 Accident
34 34 81 D.J. Kennington Mahindra Tractors/MC2 Energy Drink 177 61 $20,283 Running
35 22 27 Brad Coleman Cottonelle/Kroger Ford 168 58 $20,253 Running
36 37 05 Brett Rowe CertainTeed/31W Insulation Chevy 134 55 $20,218 Accident
37 38 52 Derrike Cope Chevy 41 52 $20,183 Rearend
38 40 90 Johnny Chapman MSRP Motorsports Chevy 27 49 $13,660 Electrical
39 41 91 Larry Gunselman MSRP Motorsports Chevy 23 46 $13,610 Transmission
40 42 84 Mike Harmon M150 Energy Drink/DAB Constructors 22 43 $13,550 Vibration
41 39 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Racing Dodge 18 40 $19,958 Handling
42 35 01 Kertus Davis RACEGIRL Chevy 10 37 $19,913 Accident
43 43 0 Dwayne Leik Lori Morgan, LLC Chevy 7 34 $19,839 Handling
Points Report
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Nicorette 300
UNOFFICIAL Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Saturday, 3/8/2008 @ 1:54 PM Pacific UNOFFICIAL
Pos Driver BPts Points Ldr
1. Kevin Harvick 10 605 0
2. Carl Edwards 10 580 -25
3. Kyle Busch 30 531 -74
4. David Ragan 15 529 -76
5. Clint Bowyer 10 507 -98
6. David Reutimann 0 503 -102
7. Tony Stewart 20 472 -133
8. Mike Bliss 5 472 -133
9. Mike Wallace 5 469 -136
10. Kelly Bires 0 445 -160
11. Brad Keselowski 5 431 -174
12. Jason Leffler 5 429 -176
13. Bobby Hamilton Jr 5 426 -179
14. Dario Franchitti # 0 423 -182
15. Greg Biffle 0 416 -189
16. Jeff Burton 15 413 -192
17. Jason Keller 0 406 -199
18. Johnny Sauter 5 404 -201
19. Brad Coleman 0 387 -218
20. Dale Earnhardt Jr 5 384 -221
21. David Stremme 0 377 -228
22. Steve Wallace 0 352 -253
23. Marcos Ambrose 0 352 -253
24. Matt Kenseth 5 345 -260
25. Bobby Labonte 5 339 -266
26. Robert Richardson Jr 5 336 -269
27. Kenny Wallace 5 326 -279
28. Brian Vickers 10 322 -283
29. Eric McClure 0 301 -304
30. Kevin Lepage 0 288 -317
31. Bryan Clauson # 0 287 -318
32. D.J. Kennington 0 286 -319
33. Jamie McMurray 5 279 -326
34. Brett Rowe 0 213 -392
35. Kertus Davis 0 213 -392
36. Kasey Kahne 5 201 -404
37. Mark Martin 10 195 -410
38. Brad Baker 0 183 -422
39. Stanton Barrett 0 179 -426
40. John Borneman 0 179 -426
41. Derrike Cope 0 174 -431
42. Cale Gale # 0 172 -433
43. Brian Keselowski # 0 171 -434
44. Denny Hamlin 5 147 -458
45. Patrick Carpentier 0 142 -463
46. Morgan Shepherd 5 140 -465
47. Martin Truex, Jr 5 135 -470
48. Stephen Leicht 0 134 -471
49. Larry Gunselman 0 132 -473
50. Dwayne Leik 0 123 -482
51. Scott Wimmer 0 109 -496
52. Mike Harmon 0 86 -519
53. Michael McDowell 0 82 -523
54. Elliott Sadler 0 82 -523
55. Kirk Shelmerdine 5 78 -527
56. Willie Allen 0 76 -529
57. Todd Bodine 0 52 -553
58. Johnny Chapman 0 49 -556
59. Mark Green 0 40 -565
60. Scott Lynch 0 40 -565
61. Steve Grissom 0 34 -571
62. Kyle Krisiloff 0 34 -571
63. David Gilliland 0 18 -587
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Courtesy of The Hot Lap
http://www.TheHotLap.com
AMS – Nicorette 300 – Kelly Bires driving the #47 Clorox Ford also came away from Atlanta with a great 12 place finish right behind Marcos Ambros. Kelly Bires started 26th on the grid and powered through the field with a fantastic run. Up 3 spots today Kelly now holds 10th place in the driver point standings. SO far this season Kelly placed impressively with 12th in Daytona after starting 31st, fell back a bit with a 30th place at California, back up to 15th at Las Vegas and again moving up today in Atlanta. Kelly was quoted as saying “My guys on pit road did a great job all day, especially recovering from our first stop. Scott [Zipadelli] saved us a great set of tires to put on the car there at the end and this Clorox car was really moving. All in all, it was a pretty fun day out here. I heard that, unofficially, we’re in the top-10 in points now and that’s really special. But it really just makes me want even more for this program. I can’t wait for next week at Bristol.” See the full press release in the Press Release section. (TheHotLap) (03-08-08)
AMS – Nicorette 300 – After some disapointing finishes early in the season – Marcos Ambros has finally bounced back to a great 11th place finish today in the #59 Kingsford Hickory Charcoal Ford. The Australia born driver began the season with a 39th at Daytona followed by 22nd at California and 28th at Las Vegas. He is up a very welcome 6 spots into 22nd in the driver standings and hopefully on his way to some more great runs like today. Marcos ended last season with some pretty impressive finishes with a 10th in the season ending Ford 300 at Homestead as well as 15th in Arizona and 4th in Memphis. (TheHotLap) (03-08-08)
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C R A F T S M A N * T R U C K * S E R I E S
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Courtesy of Jayski
http://www.jayski.com
Ron Hornaday WIX Filters Lap Leader in American Commercial Lines 200: #33-Ron Hornaday Jr. led six times for 81 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in tonight’s American Commercial Lines 200. He claimed the award for the first time this season and has led at least one lap in all three races this season. Bodine leads the WIX Filters Lap Leader standings by one race (2-1) over Hornaday Jr.(WIX PR)(3-8-2008)
New crew chief for McCumbee: During the SPEED/tv pre-race report, Ray Dunlap reported that #8-Chad McCumbee driving the MRD Motorsports Chevy had a new crew chief, Randy Dean. McCumbee qualifed second for the American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta.(3-7-2008)
TRG teams rally for fallen tire guy: Both the #7-Andy Lally & #71-Donny Lia TRG Motorsports Chevys’ will carry a special decal in Atlanta in honor of 22-year-old Scott Nisbet, Tire Specialist on the #71 Chevrolet, who suffered cardiac related problems while at California Speedway on February 21st. The Michigan native underwent open-heart surgery last week and is recovering well.(TRG Motorsports PR)(3-7-2008)
#29 team shut down? Hearing that the #29 Dodge truck team owned by Jim Lynch with driver, Scott Lynch has shut down. Original plans were for this team to run the entire season. [Note: #29 Dodge has withdrawn from AMS].(3-7-2008)
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Courtesy of TruckSeries.Com
http://www.truckseries.com
Going Through Life With a Yellow Stripe
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a NASCAR rookie?
http://www.truckseries.com/cgi-script/NCTS_08/articles/000003/000334.htm
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N A S C A R * C A N A D I A N * T I R E * S E R I E S
http://localracing.nascar.com/news/6
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DJ KENNINGTON ALREADY BUSY AND GETTING READY FOR THE NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES 2008 SEASON
March 7, 2008. With a chill in the air and still plenty of snow on the ground, preparations for DJ Kennington and the Castrol Dodge racing team are heating up for the 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire season. Better than two months …
http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=281674
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C O L U M N S / C O M M E N T A R I E S
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Insider Racing News
http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/KR/030908.html
How Dumb Does Jack Roush Think We Are?
by Kim Roberson
Insider Racing News
http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RF/031008.html
Wild Child Wins Toyota’s First Race
by Ron Felix
Insider Racing News
http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/AB/031008.html
A New Frame Of Mind Toward NASCAR
by Andrew Brookman
Whispers From Heaven
Thanks, Sweetie!
by Carol Einarsson
I have occasion to spend quite a bit of time on the phone, and if there is one thing that has always put me on edge, it’s those women that call me “Sweetheart” or “Honey”, as a term of endearment.
http://www.racejournalonline.com/index.cfm?Pagename=column&id=433
ESPNEWS Suddenly A Player In NASCAR On TV
http://snipurl.com/21e6a-gazete
“RaceDay” Continues To Offer Something For Everyone
http://snipurl.com/21e6d-gazete
“NASCAR Now” Makes Amends
http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2008/03/nascar-now-makes-amends.html
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T V * L I S T I N G S
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Courtesy of Race Fan TV
http://snipurl.com/llya-stockc
MONDAY, MARCH 10
2:00A-3:00 SPEED SPEED Report, R
3:00A-3:30 SPEED My Classic Car, Vintage Grand Prix, Watkins Glen, NY, Sept/08
4:00A-5:00 SPEED NASCAR Victory Lane, Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway, SDD, R
8:00A-9:00 SPEED NASCAR Victory Lane, Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway, SDD, R
9:00A-10:00 SPEED Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain, R
11:00A-12:00 ESPN-CL 2004 Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd, MN, Aug 15/04
12:00n-3:00 SPEED NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200, Atlanta Motor
Speedway, Hampton, GA, Mar 7/08, HD, R
4:00P-5:00 espn2 NASCAR Now, Allen Bestwick, HD, L
8:00P-9:00 SPEED This Week in NASCAR, N
TUESDAY, MARCH 11
12:00m-1:00A SPEED This Week in NASCAR, R
2:30A-3:30 espn2 NASCAR Now, HD
3:00A-4:00 SPEED AMA Monster Energy Supercross LITES Series. RCA Dome, Indianapolis, IN, Mar 1/08,
HD, R
4:00A-5:00 SPEED CHAMPIONSHIP OFF ROAD RACING: Rounds 13 & 14 of the Pro Lite class from Las
Vegas International Off Road Raceway, Primm, Nevada, R
8:00A-9:00 SPEED This Week in NASCAR, R
11:00A-12:00 ESPN-CL 2004 O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals, Memphis, TN, Aug 22/04
12:00n-2:00P SPEED AMA Supercross by Honda, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, FL, Mar 7/08, R
2:00P-3:00 SPEED FIM 250 World Championship CommercialBank Grand Prix of Qatar, Losail
International Racetrack in Doha, Qatar, Mar 9/08, N
3:00P-3:30 SPEED My Classic Car, Vintage Grand Prix, Watkins Glen, NY, Sept/08
6:00P-6:30 espn2 NASCAR Now, Ryan Burr, HD, L
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12
12:00m-12:30A espn2 NASCAR Now, HD
2:00A-4:00 SPEED AMA Supercross by Honda, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, FL, Mar 7/08, R
4:00A-5:00 SPEED FIM 250 World Championship CommercialBank Grand Prix of Qatar, Losail International
Racetrack in Doha, Qatar, Mar 9/08, R
11:00A-12:00 ESPN-CL 2004 NHRA MAC Tools U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis, IN, Sept 5/04
12:00n-3:00P SPEED AMA Formula Xtreme Motorcycles, Daytona 200, Daytona International Speedway,
Daytona, FL, Mar 8/08, R
6:00P-6:30 espn2 NASCAR Now, HD, L
Race Fan TV does not list all the programming offered by SPEED; for complete listings go to their website, http://www.speedtv.com/schedule/
DISC-HDT = Discovery HD Theatre
ESPN-CL = ESPN Classic, US
HDNet = High Definition Network available on DirecTV (Channel 79) and DISH, etc.
Outdoor = Outdoor Channel (US)
VS = Versus (formerly known as OLN, Outdoor Life Network)
Always CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS!
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