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Another ‘yota crossed the line first yesterday. Congrats to Denny Hamlin and the #11 team on their Martinsville win.

Check in here for all the latest NASCAR news from the Stock Car Gazette.

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T H E * S T O C K * C A R * G A Z E T T E
by MotorSportsNews.Net

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motorsportsnews.net/you-can-know-for-sure
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The Stock Car Gazette is sponsored by:

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HASCO Collectibles Is Still Clearing Out Dale Jr. Bud Merchandise.
All Jr. Bud Items Are Discounted From 25 To 50 Per Cent Off.
All Drivers Clothing Items Also Are Discounted 40 Per Cent Off.
www.hascodiecastcars.com.

Hasco Collectibles
Div. Hasco Services, LLC
701 Mantooth Ave.
Lufkin, TX 75904
www.hascodiecastcars.com
www.diecastcars.net
hasco@diecastcars.net
866-66-HASCO (866-664-2726)
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E d i t o r ‘ s * N o t e s
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Another ‘yota crossed the line first yesterday. Congrats to Denny Hamlin and the #11 team on their Martinsville win.
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Stock Car Gazette Columnists Speak Out!
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TV Times - “If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix (TV Ratings)!”
by: Lou Modestino

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup television ratings are up, so what should NASCAR do to make sure they continue to rise?

MORE: motorsportsnews.net/archives/1163
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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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IRL “Side-By-Side” commercials leave NASCAR fans screaming
The email began to arrive once the IRL action got underway from the Homestead, FL track. It was not about the good pictures from ESPN or the good action from a series trying to survive. What NASCAR fans had seen, apparently many for the first time, was the TV commercial breaks in the live IRL coverage. [...]
feeds.feedburner.com/~r/autoracingsport/~3/260777469/
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Courtesy of www.Catchfence.com

Virginia Native Wins At Virginia Track… Denny Hamlin Holds Off Jeff Gordon At Martinsville Speedway In Goody’s Cool Orange 500
www.catchfence.com/Speeds/08GOODYS500Results.html
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Courtesy of Stock Car Gazette subscriber Ed B. - thanks!

no legal action by Roush
abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/sports&id=6050628
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Courtesy of Insider Racing News
www.insiderracingnews.com

Hamlin Wins At Martinsville
Although there was a light mist for most of the race at Martinsville Speedway, the rain in the area stayed away and allowed Denny Hamlin to win his first Sprint Cup race at Martinsville and it was the first victory in his home state of Virginia. It was Hamlin’s first win this year, the second for Toyota and Hamlin became the track’s 45th different winner.

Hamlin started the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on the outside of the front row and led the first lap but fell back after contact with Aric Almirola. Hamlin ran in the top five until lap 218 when he was one of only a handful of cars that stopped on the eighth caution period. Hamlin restarted in 19th spot and slowly worked his way to the front of the field again. Hamlin didn’t lead again until lap 427 but never gave up the spot again. Hamlin held off a hard charging Jeff Gordon, who finished second on the day.

Jeff Burton, last race winner at Bristol, finished third and two-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson was fourth. Hamlin’s teammate Tony Stewart was fifth followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top ten. Points leader Kyle Busch lost his advantage when the rear-end gears in his Toyota Camry burned up on lap 283 and relinquished the points lead to Jeff Burton by 39 over his teammate Kevin Harvick. The Sprint Cup Series moves to Texas Motor Speedway next Sunday April 6th, 2008, for the Samsung 500. The race is scheduled to start at 1:30 PM / Eastern Time on Fox.

2008 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Final Results
Race Date March 30, 2008
Martinsville Speedway

Pos Start Car Driver Make Sponsor Points/Bonus/Laps Status

1 2 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Freight 190/5 500 Running
2 1 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont 175/5 500 Running
3 24 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility 170/5 500 Running
4 10 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 165/5 500 Running
5 9 20 Tony Stewart Toyota The Home Depot 155/0 500 Running
6 22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.** Chevrolet AMP Energy/National Guard 160/10 500 Running
7 39 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet Kellogg’s/CARQUEST 146/0 500 Running
8 5 26 Jamie McMurray Ford IRWIN Industrial Tools 142/0 500 Running
9 27 99 Carl Edwards Ford Claritin 138/0 500 Running
10 12 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T 134/0 500 Running
11 4 6 David Ragan Ford AAA Insurance 130/0 500 Running
12 11 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell/Pennzoil 127/0 500 Running
13 29 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Wrigley’s Big Red 124/0 500 Running
14 33 01 Regan Smith * Chevrolet DEI/Principal Financial Group 121/0 500 Running
15 25 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge McDonald’s 118/0 500 Running
16 35 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Pittsburgh Paints/Menards 115/0 500 Running
17 6 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser 112/0 500 Running
18 14 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Yates Racing 109/0 499 Running
19 13 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 106/0 499 Running
20 19 16 Greg Biffle Ford Jackson Hewitt 103/0 499 Running
21 42 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops/Tracker 100/0 499 Running
22 43 40 Dario Franchitti * Dodge Kennametal 97/0 499 Running
23 40 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull 94/0 497 Running
24 21 38 David Gilliland Ford FreeCreditReport.com 91/0 497 Running
25 32 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios/Betty Crocker 93/5 497 Running
26 34 00 Michael McDowell Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 85/0 497 Running
27 23 96 J.J. Yeley Toyota DLP HDTV 82/0 497 Running
28 26 77 Sam Hornish Jr. * Dodge Mobil 1 79/0 497 Running
29 37 10 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge Charter Comm. 76/0 497 Running
30 28 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT 73/0 496 Running
31 30 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull 70/0 496 Running
32 31 70 Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet Haas Automation 72/5 495 Running
33 20 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 64/0 493 Running
34 17 21 Bill Elliott Ford Little Debbie Nutty Bars 61/0 492 Running
35 16 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS 58/0 483 Running
36 38 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Target 55/0 471 Running
37 7 49 Ken Schrader Toyota Microsoft Small Business 52/0 467 Running
38 8 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M’s 49/0 443 Running
39 15 44 David Reutimann Toyota UPS 51/5 441 Out of Race
40 41 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Charter Comm. 43/0 440 Running
41 36 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 40/0 420 Running
42 3 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet U.S. Army 37/0 379 Out of Race
43 18 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 39/5 374 Out of Race

** Led Most Laps
* Rookies

All Results Unofficial

2008 Top-40 Sprint Cup Points After Goody’s Cool Orange 500
Race Date March 30, 2008
Martinsville Speedway

POS +/- DRIVER POINTS/BEHIND/STARTS/POLES/WINS/TOP 5/TOP 10

1 +3 Jeff Burton 915 6 0 1 3 4
2 +1 Kevin Harvick 876 -39 6 0 0 2 4
3 -1 Greg Biffle 855 -60 6 0 0 3 4
4 +1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 846 -69 6 0 0 3 5
5 -4 Kyle Busch 831 -84 6 1 1 3 3
6 +1 Tony Stewart 811 -104 6 0 0 3 4
7 -1 Kasey Kahne 786 -129 6 0 0 0 4
8 +7 Denny Hamlin 758 -157 6 0 1 1 3
9 +5 Jeff Gordon 749 -166 6 2 0 3 3
10 +3 Jimmie Johnson 746 -169 6 1 0 2 2
11 -3 Ryan Newman 741 -174 6 0 1 1 2
12 -3 Clint Bowyer 740 -175 6 0 0 1 3

Top 12 Drivers In The Running For The Chase For The Championship

13 -1 Martin Truex Jr. 695 -220 6 0 0 0 1
14 +2 Carl Edwards 686 -229 6 0 2 2 3
15 -4 Matt Kenseth 677 -238 6 0 0 1 3
16 -6 Kurt Busch 669 -246 6 0 0 1 1
17 +2 Juan Montoya 633 -282 6 0 0 0 0
18 +3 David Ragan 628 -287 6 0 0 0 1
19 +1 Elliott Sadler 626 -289 6 0 0 0 1
20 -3 Brian Vickers 613 -302 6 0 0 0 1
21 -3 Bobby Labonte 607 -308 6 0 0 0 0
22 — David Gilliland 584 -331 6 0 0 0 1
23 +4 Paul Menard 564 -351 6 0 0 0 0
24 +4 Travis Kvapil 537 -378 6 0 0 0 1
25 -2 Robby Gordon 518 -397 6 0 0 0 1
26 -1 Reed Sorenson 516 -399 6 0 0 1 1
27 +6 Casey Mears 514 -401 6 0 0 0 1
28 -2 David Reutimann 512 -403 6 0 0 0 0
29 -5 Scott Riggs 506 -409 6 0 0 0 0
30 +6 Jamie McMurray 494 -421 6 0 0 0 1
31 — J.J. Yeley 471 -444 6 0 0 0 0
32 -2 Michael Waltrip 460 -455 6 0 0 0 0
33 -1 Jeremy Mayfield 446 -469 6 0 0 0 0
34 +5 Regan Smith* 438 -477 6 0 0 0 0
35 — Sam Hornish Jr.* 438 -477 6 0 0 0 0
36 -7 Mark Martin 421 -494 4 0 0 0 1
37 +1 Dario Franchitti* 416 -499 6 0 0 0 0
38 -1 Dave Blaney 373 -542 6 0 0 0 0
39 -5 Dale Jarrett 367 -548 5 0 0 0 0
40 — Kyle Petty 296 -619 5 0 0 0 0

* Rookies

Truex Focused On Performance Over Contract
Martin Truex Jr. says that he’s not worried about contract talks with his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team yet. He’s too busy focusing on improving his performance. Ironically, while Truex is higher in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings this season than he was a year ago, he says that he was performing better overall then. He just struggled to turn top runs into top finishes. This season, he’s 12th in the standings after the first five races, while he was 25th at this point in 2007. “I feel a little bit off,” he said Friday at Martinsville Speedway. “Last year we started off slow in the finishes. We had a lot of tough luck, but we were running really good. … We were really fast straight off the grid last year. This year, we don’t quite have that speed to run in the top five yet. So that’s been a little frustrating.” These days, just five races into the season, his thoughts are on racing, not negotiations of the contract that ends this season.

Roush Talks About Stolen Part
Jack Roush, owner of five Ford race teams, says that an undisclosed Toyota team stole a front sway bar from his team at Dover International Speedway last year and he still hasn’t revealed all the answers to the questios, but he did talk to the press today at Martinsville Speedway in a makeshift interview session. Roush says “I find myself in the eye of the storm. Unlike the last time I was here, I’m not mad today. I’m not gonna answer any question that all of you might have that would take me past the point of giving you information that I think is appropriate given the other considerations that are going on behind the scenes right now. My apologies to one or more of you that approached me as I entered the garage area this morning before I had a chance to see what in fact had happened in the news. I don’t hang on the web for any inflammatory comment than anybody might make that could aggravate me or be relevant or irrelevant to facts that are developing.

“I will take some questions. I’ll tell you in advance that if they expand the information I’m prepared to give you, the facts that I’m going to relate, I’ll just refrain from giving you an answer on that. But I do want to fill in any holes in the story or the information I’m inclined to unravel for you. It’s no surprise or no mystery that I was really upset at Atlanta when I found myself confronted with the fact – I actually woke up to news that morning with Lee White’s comments in USA Today that there was a strong insinuation that either I was stupid or I was complicit in the thing that had happened with the oil dry sump tank lid at Las Vegas, and the fact was that I didn’t know what it was worth. We hadn’t anticipated that being an issue and for somebody to have explored in that area and have prior carnal knowledge of what that was worth, and prepared to maybe use it or not use it depending on what they thought the risk was, was really making me crazy at the time….
…Full Interview - insiderracingnews.com/PR/2008/032808.html

UPDATE..Michael Waltrip Says His Team Took Part
Michael Waltrip confirmed Friday afternoon that it was his team that Jack Roush was alluding to when saying a Toyota team had stolen a sway bar from Roush Fenway Racing at Dover last September. “It was a mistake,” Waltrip said. “Look at the back of these toolboxes. There are sway bars, there’s jack handles, and it wound up in our possession. We called them and said, ‘We want to give this back.’ ”
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Courtesy of Jayski
www.jayski.com

Hamlin wins at Martinsville: #11-Denny Hamlin won the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway for his 1st win of 2008, 4th of his career, becoming the 45th driver to win a race at Martinsville. #24-Gordon was 2nd, followed by #31-Burton, #48-Johnson, #20-Stewart, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #50Mears, #26-McMurray [back in the top-35 of owners pts], #99-Edwards [who ran out of fuel on the last lap while running 5th] and #07-Bowyer. The points leader going into the race, #18-Kyle Busch had trouble, spent some time in the garage and finished 38th, falling to 5th in drivers points. #31-Burton takes over the points lead by 39 over #29-Harvick. There were 20 lead changes among 8 drivers and 18 cautions for 89 laps.

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Texas
A couple changes, #26-McMurray and #01-Smith move into the Top-35 and #77-Hornish nad #44-Reuitimann are now out and must qualify by speed at Texas.
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race at Texas as the owners points change after each race.
31) #26-McMurray/Roush Racing 494 +59
32) #96-Yeley/Hall of Fame Racing 468 +33
33) #55-Waltrip/Waltrip Racing 460 +25
34) #70-Mayfield/Haas CNC Racing 441 +6
35) #01-Smith/Dale Earnhardt Inc 438, 3 points ahead of 36th
these teams/ drivers must qualify by speed:
36) #77-Hornish/Penske Racing 435, 3 points out of 35th
37) #44-Reutimann/Waltrip Racing 418 -20
38) #40-Franchitti/Ganassi Racing 416 -22
39) #22-Blaney/Bill Davis 373 -65
40) #45-Petty/Petty Racing 327 -111
For the owner points standings, see my Drivers/Owners Points Standings page.(3-30-2008)
www.jayski.com/stats/2008/points/6mar2008points.htm#OWN

Martinsville Speedway Fast Facts:
.. Denny Hamlin won the Goody’s Cool Orange 500, his fourth victory in 85 Sprint Cup Series races.
.. This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in 2008.
.. This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in six races at Martinsville – including second in October 2006 and third in this race in 2007.
.. Jeff Gordon (second) posted his 25th top-10 finish in 31 races at Martinsville. Gordon has been running at the finish in all of his Martinsville races and has finished on the lead lap 24 times.
.. Jeff Burton (third) posted his 14th top-10 finish in 28 races at Martinsville.
.. Regan Smith (14th) was the highest finishing rookie.
.. Jeff Burton took the lead in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, leading Kevin Harvick by 39 points.(NASCAR Statistics)(3-30-2008)

Jayski to chat on ESPN.com on Monday, March 31st at 1:00pm/et, send questions to ESPN.com Chat. Will choose the best and smartest NASCAR related questions
proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=19943

Since it first was reported by Yahoo! Sports earlier this month, additional details have emerged on what could be a ground-breaking deal for Petty to enter into a partnership that will secure his family-owned business’ future in NASCAR. Sources close to both parties have told Yahoo! Sports that Petty is in the final stages of negotiations with a group called Medallion Financial, based in New York City. Although hesitant to acknowledge details of the pending negotiations at this time, The King himself has acknowledged he’s confident a deal with a new partner could be finalized within the next 90 days. Negotiations have been taking place for months between Petty and New York financial entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, the president of Medallion Financial. Although Medallion Financial specializes in niche financing, its primary business comes from the financing of taxicab medallions, which is where it gets its name. The company also provides business loans. Murstein’s plan calls for Petty Enterprises to be established as a public company, which would sell shares of stock and seek to grow the Petty brand. That’s not the current model for ownership in NASCAR. Teams generally are privately owned, although some are structured to integrate with one or more of the team owners’ businesses. Going public also means the team will be opening its books to public scrutiny, thus revealing the wherewithal of a NASCAR Sprint Cup team.(Yahoo Sports)(3-31-2008)

Thomas to Red Bull? Brandon Thomas, who recently was replaced by Steve Boyer as crew chief for #96-J.J. Yeley at Hall of Fame Racing, is apparently bound for Red Bull Racing, though his exact duties remain to be seen.(SPEEDtv)(3-31-2008)

Sad News - Max Helton: Max Helton, who 20 years ago helped begin a Christian ministry in the NASCAR garage that grew into the Motor Racing Outreach organization, died Sunday afternoon at his home in Huntersville, N.C. Mr. Helton was diagnosed with brain cancer in August. He is survived by his wife, Jean, along with four daughters and nine grandchildren. Funeral arrangements had not been finalized Sunday night. Mr. Helton was working at a church in Glendora, Calif., in 1988 when he met Darrell and Stevie Waltrip at a race in Riverside, Calif. Helton told the Waltrips that he felt he was being called to lead a racing ministry. The Waltrips, along with Lake Speed and Bobby Hillin Jr. and their wives, were looking for a spiritual leader for a Bible study group they had formed. Within a year, Mr. Helton had moved his family to North Carolina to begin MRO, which conducts chapel services at the track each weekend and also provides counseling and support services to people in racing. Helton led Bible study and counseling sessions at dozens of NASCAR drivers’ homes and race team shops before leaving the organization in 2002. Since then, Mr. Helton had formed World-Span, an organization to serve the spiritual needs of racing series around the world. Before his illness, Mr. Helton traveled extensively, helping spread his message of “personal evangelism” and teaching others to serve as spiritual leaders and teachers. “A lot of lives and a lot of things have changed in our sport because of Max.Helton,” Darrell Waltrip said.(Charlotte Observer)(3-31-2008) www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/12553.html

NASCAR to return to Australia? Marcus Marshall, a driver in Australia’s V8 Supercar Series, said Saturday that countryman Marcus Ambrose’s success in NASCAR has boosted the sport’s popularity in the country, and sparked rumors that a dormant 1½-mile track might get active again. The track hasn’t been used for about eight years, he said. “It was pretty popular and now there are rumors at the moment of it opening up again, so that kind of fits with NASCAR maybe looking to be more international and Australia as a place to maybe take a round of one of their affiliated championships.” Queensland, Australia, is already a destination of the Indy Racing League.(ESPN.com/AP)(3-31-2008)

RFR working on driver contracts: Greg Biffle’s contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing is nearly complete, and the team is working on extensions for David Ragan and Carl Edwards. Using Biffle’s words from earlier in the week, Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith said that the contract with Biffle is 90% along. He said the fact that Biffle is running second in points has not accelerated the deal. “We wanted to get it done over the winter,” Smith said Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. “We like to get them done so they don’t become a distraction of the team in terms of the race season.” The contracts for Edwards and Ragan, as well as those with the companies sponsoring [AAA announced they would leave at the end of 2008] their cars, end after the season is over. Smith indicated that the team would like to sign the sponsor and driver at the same time. He said the team also is working with a sponsor to finalize the Biffle deal. “For us, there’s a money equation that has to be met,” Smith said. “The sponsor has to pay [a certain amount] in order for us to pay the driver and so forth. We close all of that out at the same time.” Smith doesn’t anticipate having trouble finding sponsorship for Edwards. His organization currently is looking for sponsorship for the two Yates Racing cars. “It’s pretty early,” Smith said about the sponsor search. “Carl Edwards, even in this down economy, he’s the hottest property in the garage. We’ve got all the sponsorship we can handle for him. David, and Travis [Kvapil] and David Gilliland, they’re all in the mix. We’re hoping the economic climate improves here shortly and typically May and June are big months for significant prospects to come forward for us. We’re about to find out if that’s true.”(SceneDaily)(3-31-2008)

Did Not Finish Streak and stats: #29-Harvick has been running at the finish in 50 consecutive races, the longest current streak, next up is #07-Bowyer at 43 consecutive races.(3-30-2008)
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Courtesy of NASCAR

Waltrip had Roush part, refutes notion it was stolen
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Like others in the NASCAR garage, Michael Waltrip is making light of Jack Roush’s allegation that his team may have maliciously stolen a proprietary part — a sway bar — from Roush-Fenway Racing last season. MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Like others in the NASCAR garage, Michael Waltrip is making light of Jack Roush’s allegation that his team may have maliciously stolen a proprietary part — a sway bar — from Roush-Fenway Racing last season. Furthermore, Waltrip said if anyone had any more questions to go ask Jeff Gordon, the Hendrick Motorsports driver who contends the incident, now referred to as “Partgate,” has been blown out of proportion. “Our spokesperson on this subject is Jeff Gordon, so if y’all have anything to ask go ask Jeff. I don’t think I could’ve said it near as well as he did,” Waltrip said.
www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/03/29/mwaltrip.responds.partgate.jroush/index.html
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Courtesy of That’s Racin’
www.thatsracin.com

No place like home
Late pit strategy earns Virginia native Hamlin score first hometown Cup win
MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Crew chief Mike Ford said that when things aren’t going particularly well for his race team, driver Denny Hamlin sometimes makes it seem like “the world is painted dark.
www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/12520.html

Race Rewind | Martinsville is just a hard place to get around
Martinsville is just tough. When a team, even a good team, is running bad here it often looks like they just have no idea what they’re doing.
www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/12552.html

Cancer claims life of Max Helton, whose work led to founding of MRO
www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/12553.html

Hendrick teams still winless, but all 4 get top 10s
www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/12536.html

Childress teammates 1-2 in points
www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/12551.html
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P R E S S * R E L E A S E S
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This Week on RaceTalkRadio.com

Chicago, IL (March 30, 2008) - - Each week Race Talk Radio (RaceTalkRadio.com) brings race fans the entire world of racing from NASCAR to the Dirt Tracks! Our guest lineup is jam packed for the week ahead.

Monday night NASCAR driver Brad Coleman stops by to talk about his season and the ‘Lap 100 Stretch” at Texas Motor Speedway. Two exciting young racers Patrick Sheltra and Gabi DiCarlo visit with the ARCA Thunder crew on Tuesday night.

Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen cap off the week with the winner from Texas Motor Speedway LIVE on “Couch Potato Corner!”

Sit down, strap in, and get ready to sound off all week on RaceTalkRadio.com!

RaceTalkRadio.com is now streaming 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This Weeks Highlights Brought to You by RockinghamSpeedway.com:

Monday: NASCAR driver Brad Coleman on “Doin’ Donuts”

Tuesday: ARCA Drivers Patrick Sheltra and Gabi DiCarlo plus a Birthday Surprise

Wednesday: NASCAR news, views, and nonsense on “Quick Change”

Thursday: Lori Munro takes you for a ride on “Cargo Light Review”

Friday: Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards Podcasts

Sunday: LIVE post race audio from Texas Motor Speedway and more!

Check out all the exciting shows at www.racetalkradio.com!
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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
www.jayski.com

The one-time thought of running the full Nationwide Series schedule is quickly fading [for Kyle Busch]. “Probably for now, I’m going to decide to back out of adding more races,” Busch said Friday at Martinsville Speedway. “We haven’t done any of that yet. The thought is still to go to Mexico, but I’m trying to get out of that if I can now.”(SceneDaily.com)(3-28-2008)

Mike Bliss to the #1? UPDATE 2: Mike Bliss [currently driving the #22 for Fitz Motorsports] has emerged as the front-runner in a three-driver race to take over the Nationwide Series driving duties for Spartanburg-based Phoenix Racing, sources say. According to the sources, the team is expected to make a decision within the next day or two. If Bliss is chosen, his first race would be April 5 at Texas Motor Speedway. Sterling Marlin, who drove the team’s Nationwide Series Chevy last weekend at Nashville, will continue to drive a limited Cup schedule for Phoenix Racing.(Spartanburg Herald Journal)(3-26-2008)
UPDATE: Mike Bliss has left Fitz Motorsports for Phoenix Racing, a Fitz spokesperson has confirmed. To fill the void at Fitz, Robby Gordon has agreed to drive the #22 Supercuts entry in at least the next two Nationwide events, at Texas and Phoenix. Gordon is unavailable for the April 20 Mexico 200 Nationwide event because he’ll be competing in the rescheduled Dakar Rally. It’s a curious move for Bliss, who ranks fifth in the Nationwide Series after six events, 120 points out of the lead. In contrast, Phoenix Racing struggled to 17th in the standings through five races with Johnny Sauter in the seat before releasing him. He was replaced by Sterling Marlin for the most recent Nationwide event at Nashville. When asked why Bliss would make the move, the spokesperson said, “It’s always about the bottom line,” later adding, “Everyone was looking out for themselves and their families.” But she added there was no ill will between Bliss and his now-former team.(Long Island Press)(3-28-2008)
UPDATE 2: Effective immediately, Fitz Motorsports will move forward with plans to utilize an array of Sprint Cup veterans throughout the remainder of the 2008 season in its Supercuts-sponsored #22 Dodge. The first driver tapped for the ride is owner and driver of the Sprint Cup Series #7 Dodge, Robby Gordon. Beginning with the upcoming races at Texas and Phoenix , Gordon will drive the #22 Supercuts Dodge, with a variety of Dodge drivers scheduled to round out the season.(Fitz Motorsports PR)(3-28-2008)
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Courtesy of The Hot Lap
www.TheHotLap.com

Sammy Hagar “can’t drive 55,” but that’ll be no problem on Friday, April 11 at Phoenix International Raceway. Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber has announced that the American rock legend will serve as the honorary PIR pace car driver before the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, set to begin at 6:45 p.m. on April 11. Hagar will also act as an honorary race official before the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ Sprint Cup Series race, set to run under PIR’s bright lights at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 12. As an honorary race official, Hagar will be a part of pre-race activities and will join Sperber on the pre-race stage to greet the 43 Sprint Cup Series drivers as they are introduced prior to the green flag. Hagar’s day will conclude atop the start/finish line, as he will wave the checkered flag over the 2008 SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ race winner after 312 laps of thrilling Sprint Cup Series racing. (PIR)

Shark Energy Drink response to statement by David Tomasello“As stated before, Shark Energy Drink will continue to work with Fitz Motorsports in an effort to pursue distribution outlets for our product,” said Shark Energy President, Moe Boukadida, “NASCAR racing, and particularly the Nationwide Series with Fitz Motorsports is a terrific marketing platform for us. As a distribution-based program, sales is the key to its success. With more product now available in the U.S. our distribution efforts will be enhanced and allow us the financial latitude to achieve our marketing goals with Fitz Motorsports. The comments recently expressed by a prior company official in no way reflect our position. We will continue to work collectively to bring Shark Energy Drink to the NASCAR fan.”(Shark Energy) (03-28-08)
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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
www.jayski.com

Hornaday to run Nationwide race at Texas: Ron Hornaday, who drives for Kevin and DeLana Harvick, has found a late-career rejuvenation after signing with the team-owning couple in 2005. It propelled him to a Truck series championship last year, but he’ll be at Texas Motor Speedway this week to race in the Nationwide Series O’Reilly 300. Yet another benefit of driving for Harvick. Hornaday is scheduled to start five Nationwide races this year, and the O’Reilly 300 marks the first of the season. He is also scheduled to race in Mexico on April 20. While the Truck series remains his main focus, getting in a Nationwide car is something he calls the “perks” of driving for KHI. And Hornaday shares his boss’ philosophy about the Saturday races. “He has nothing to do on Saturday and that’s why he does it and I said, ‘Hey boss, remember me? I am kind of bored too,’” Hornaday said.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(3-30-2008)
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Setzer puts Hamilton team back in victory lane
MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Dennis Setzer took the Bobby Hamilton Racing team to victory lane Saturday, it’s first win since 2005. It was the Craftsman Truck Series team’s first win since losing Hamilton to cancer in 2007. Setzer won the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway in a green-white-checkered restart. The team, now known as Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia and based out of Martinsville, hasn’t won since Hamilton’s championship season.
snipurl.com/231i8-gazete
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Courtesy of TruckSeries.Com
www.truckseries.com

Setzer Slams Martinsville Field
03-29-2008 | Tom Jensen, TruckSeries.com
Setzer Slams Martinsville Field Dennis Setzer survived a green-white-checker finish to claim victory in the Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. By putting his Duck Head Footwear/Aquadock Dodge Ram into victory lane, Setzer gave Dodge its first NCTS victory since 2005. Finishing behind Setzer were Matt Crafton in the Menards/Ideal Door Chevrolet Silverado, Rick Crawford in the Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford, Ken Schrader in the Federated Auto Parts Toyota and Erik Darnell In the Northern Tool + Equipment Ford. Setzer prevailed in a single-file restart. Not so happy was Mike Skinner, who was in third place when Busch dumped him on Lap 248. But it wasn’t Busch’s fault, as Skinner ran out of gas. But on the green-white-checkered, Busch dumped Johnny Benson going for second place, knocking both trucks out. It was that kind of race.
www.truckseries.com/cgi-script/NCTS_08/articles/000004/000445.htm

Setzer Grabs Emotional Martinsville Victory
www.truckseries.com/cgi-script/NCTS_08/articles/000004/000456.htm
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A R C A (Automobile Racing Club of America)
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Courtesy of ARCA
www.arcaracing.com

Aiming for Allgaier at Salem
SALEM IN (3-29/30-08) - For the moment, Justin Allgaier is second in ARCA RE/MAX Series points headed to Salem Speedway for the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts Sunday afternoon, April 13th.
[Read More] - www.arcaracing.com/news.cfm?contentid=6280

ARCA’s McDowell Meets Martinsville for Cup Debut
MARTINSVILLE VA (3-28-08) - Michael McDowell is a product of the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Like many aspiring, young drivers, McDowell utilized the ARCA RE/MAX Series as a springboard into the highest levels of NASCAR.

McDowell obviously impressed many when he earned Rookie of the Year honors and finished second to Frank Kimmel in national championship points in 2007. Through it all, McDowell chalked up four wins in 2007, led more laps (822 in 15 races) than anyone and won an incredible nine SIM Factory Pole Awards. With numbers like that, it’s hard not to turn heads.
[Read More] - www.arcaracing.com/news.cfm?contentid=6277
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U S A R (United Speed Alliance Racing)
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Courtesy of USAR
usarprocup.com

Michael Ritch Wins BFGoodrichTires.com 250
By Paul Warner
Sunday, March 30, 2008 1:43:00 PM

Cecil, Ga.-Michael Ritch took the lead from Trevor Bayne on Lap 141 and held off a slew of contenders to win the BFGoodrichTires.com 250 presented by K&N Filters at South Georgia Motorsports Park on Saturday, March 29.

“We’ve always been pretty horrible here,” said Ritch, who started 12th. “But, man, when the green flag dropped that thing took off. We already had a game plan [to pit early]; we stuck to it, but we really didn’t need to pit early because the car was so good.”

Ritch, driver of the No. 28s Support Our Troops Ford, pitted on Lap 6 to make his mandatory tire stop. But the defending Greased Lightning Southern Division champion didn’t wait for everyone else to pit to start his charge back to the front.

Ritch knifed his way back to the front and caught Bayne for the lead just after the halfway mark. The two waged a fierce battle for the lead before Ritch eventually inched past.

“I was kind of sitting back there taking it easy,” said Ritch. “But my spotter told me [Wade Day] was coming, so I had to go.”

Read more - usarprocup.com/view_article.asp?id=2633

See the Race Results
usarprocup.com/Event/2008-03-29/2008-03-29-RaceResults.asp
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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
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/BB/032908.html
Scott Wimmer Is A Winner
by Brenda Benedict

Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/KR/033008.html
Why Is Jack Roush Complaining Now?
by Kim Roberson

Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RF/033108.html
Hamlin Wins One For Virginia
by Ron Felix

Long Island Press
Do Analysts Give Their Take, Or Are They On The Take?
by Josh Stewart
snipurl.com/231il-gazete

Monday Morning Quarterback
dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2008/03/monday-morning-quarterback.html

NASCAR on Fox “Loses It” On The Last Lap
dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2008/03/nascar-on-fox-loses-it-on-last-lap.html

IRL “Side-by-Side” Commercials Leave NASCAR Fans Screaming
dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2008/03/irl-side-by-side-leaves-nascar-fans.html

“Digger” Dominates Craftsman Truck Series Race On Fox
dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2008/03/digger-dominates-craftsman-truck-race.html
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T V * L I S T I N G S
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Courtesy of Race Fan TV
snipurl.com/llya-stockc

MONDAY, MARCH 31

2:00A-3:00 SPEED SPEED Report, R
4:00A-5:00 SPEED NASCAR Victory Lane, Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Martinsville Speedway, Mar 30/08, R
8:00A-9:00 SPEED NASCAR Victory Lane, Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Martinsville Speedway, Mar 30/08, R
9:00A-10:00 SPEED Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain, R
10:00A-12:00n ESPN-CL NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series ELIMINATIONS, OReilly Spring Nationals, Houston
Raceway Park Baytown, TX, Mar 30/08, R-espn2
12:00n-2:30P SPEED NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 250, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, VA,
Mar 29/08, HD, R-FOX
4:00P-5:00 VS USAR Hooters Pro Cup Sears Auto Centre 200, USA International Speedway, Lakeland,
FL, Mar 15/08
6:00P-7:00 espn2 NASCAR Now, Allen Bestwick, HD, L
8:00P-9:00 SPEED This Week in NASCAR, N
10:00P-11:00 SPEED Barrett-Jackson 2008 - The Auctions, Scottsdale Highlights

TUESDAY, APRIL 1

12:00m-1:00A SPEED This Week in NASCAR, R
1:00A-2:00 espn2 NASCAR Now, HD
2:00A-3:00 SPEED Barrett-Jackson 2008 - The Auctions, Scottsdale Highlights, R
3:00A-4:00 SPEED Star Mazda Series, Sebring Intl. Raceway, Sebring, FL, Mar 14/08, R
4:00A-5:00 SPEED National Arenacross Series, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI, Jan 6/08, R
8:00A-9:00 SPEED This Week in NASCAR, R
11:00A-12:00 ESPN-CL 2005 O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, Heartland Park, Topeka, KS, May 29/05
12:00n-1:00P SPEED FIM 250 World Championship Gran Premio bwin.com de España, Circuito de Jerez,
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, Mar 30/08, R
1:00P-2:00 SPEED FIM MotoGP World Championship, Gran Premio bwin.com de España, Circuito de Jerez,
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, Mar 30/08, R
2:00P-3:00 SPEED National Arenacross Series, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI, Jan 6/08, R
6:00P-6:30 espn2 NASCAR Now, Nicole Manske, HD, L

Race Fan TV does not list all the programming offered by SPEED; for complete listings go to their website, 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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