Stewart hires Grubb to lead No. 14 team
Tony Stewart’s crew chief for 2009 will be Hendrick Motorsports engineer Darian Grubb. A Friday morning press conference at Richmond International Raceway confirmed what had been widely speculated the past few weeks. Stewart Hass Racing is a satellite team for Hendrick Motorsports, so the company’s willingness to allow Grubb to join Stewart’s revamped operation makes sense.
Grubb turned lots of heads back in 2006, when, while filling-in for a suspended Chad Knaus, he led driver Jimmie Johnson to the Daytona 500 and one of the best starts to a season in NASCAR history. In 2007, Gubb took the reigns of the No. 25 Hendrick team and led Casey Mears to his first career win and a solid points finish. Grubb returned to an engineering role with the team, after Mears was moved to the No. 5 Hendrick team and Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined HMS, with his crew chief cousin Tony Eury Jr.
Stewart has yet to announce the crew chief and sponsor for Ryan Newman’s No. 39 team. Current Hass CNC Competiton Director Matt Borland is believed to be the leading candidate to sit atop Newman’s pit box, because he led Newman and the No. 12 Penske team to all but one of Newman’s 13 career wins.
Stewart also has reportedly offered a contract to Team Red Bull’s Jay Fyre, to come join his team. Frye has been credited with turning the Nos. 83 and 84 around this year.
Stremme named driver of No. 12; Alltel appears to remain
Another piece of the Silly Season puzzle panned out earlier this week, as Penske Racing named 31 year-old David Stremme as the replacement for Ryan Newman in the No. 12 Dodge. Also mentioned prominently and often in the mid-week press release is sponsor Alltel, which means the company is likely to remain as a sponsor of the car.
Questions about Alltel’s presence on the No. 12 Dodge have arisen in recent weeks, because Verizon Wireless is attempting to buy them. If that happens and Alltel’s brand goes away, then the Verizon would not be allowed to sponsor any NASCAR Cup team, because of Sprint’s title sponsorship of the series.
Stremme has been rumored to be a part of Penske’s plans for much of the year, because he is a test driver for the team. The Indiana native also has had a successful season driving for former Penske star Rusty Wallace in the Nationwide Series.
Stremme’s first foray into the Sprint Cup Series came in 2006, when Chip Ganassi hired him to drive the No. 40 Coor’s Light Dodge. After 2007, Stremme had achieved little success and Ganassi Racing replaced him with reigning Indy Racing League Champion Dario Franchitti. Sponsorship for the No. 40 team, though, never materialized and the team shut down midseason.
Brad Keselowski was also rumored to be a candidate for the vacant seat in the No. 12 car. He says that he visited the Penske Racing shop, but was never extended an offer. Keselowski currently drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Nationwide Series, where he sits 2nd in the points, behind Clint Bowyer.
Franchitti Cup career cut short, heads back to IRL
Dario Franchitti’s foray into NASCAR racing is officially over, as he and Chip Ganassi officials announced this week that he will drive one of Ganassi’s IRL entries in 2009.
Franchitti’s defection from stock cars, as mentioned before, is because Ganassi officials could not find a sponsor for Sprint Cup team, prompting its closure. Even without another sure competitive ride to take for much of the year, Franchitti reportedly turned down a Ganassi offer to drive his No. 41 Target Dodge that Reed Sorenson is vacating.
With potential brimming, Franchitti’s season began with lackluster results and an injury in the Nationwide Series race at Talladega kept him out of racecars for several weeks, further stunting his adjustment to stock cars. Just weeks after his return, his Cup team was closed and all he had was mid-level ride with Ganassi in the Nationwide Series.
Target will not only sponsors Ganassi’s IRL entries, including the one Franchitti will occupy, but also will reportedly pony up the money for both of Ganassi’s Cup entries, too. Texaco is leaving as primary sponsor of Juan Montoya’s No. 42 Dodge, so may fill the money void on that machine.
GEM suing Robby Gordon Motorsports
Just before the Daytona 500 this season, Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Robby Gordon announced a technological and marketing partnership. This has not been the marriage that two parties have dreamed of and now, GEM is suing RGM. GEM claims that Gordon has violated terms of the contract they agreed on, which states that he was supposed to sell his one-car team to them for $23.5 million. In turn, Gordon would have a four-year driving agreement with the team that would pay him $3 million per year, plus 45 percent of race winnings and a spot on the team’s board of directors. Gillett Evernham would gain all of Gordon’s property and equipment.
When the partnership was announced, Gillett said that he had not bought Gordon’s team and also that he was planning to add a fourth car to his stable and wanted Gordon to add a team or two to his. The deal that GEM says is in place, was reportedly awaiting an audit when the RGM partnership was announced.
Gordon claims that the statements GEM is making about having ownership in his team are untrue, but refuses any more comment, outside of the impending court proceedings.
Probation dropped against Logano and Stewart
The National Stock Car Racing Commission announced this week that it is accepting an appeal from Joe Gibbs Racing, to repeal the probation levied against drivers Joey Logano and Tony Stewart.
NASCAR placed the two drivers on probation as part of a package of severe penalties it gave the No. 18 and No. 20 JGR teams, after officials discovered that the teams’ crews had placed magnet spacers under the throttles of the cars, to limit the amount of horsepower that would show up on a post-race dyno test done by NASCAR.
The penalties occurred after the Nationwide Series race in Michigan.
JGR decided not to appeal the other penalties against the teams, which included suspensions and losses of owner’s points, but did decide to appeal not only the probation against the two drivers, but the loss of 150 driver’s points. The NSRC did not drop the driver’s points penalties.
Nationwide Series to begin tests on new cars
Testing and the phasing-in of the Sprint Cup Series’ Car of Tomorrow was extensive, expensive, and time-consuming. These are factors that NASCAR wants to alleviate for the Nationwide Series, especially for struggling owners with small budgets.
The Nationwide Series will debut its new car at Richmond on Monday and Tuesday, as each manufacturer will be allowed to bring two teams to the track to test. A rainout date is also set for Wednesday and may be needed, if Tropical Storm Hanna rains out the Sprint Cup Series race.
Some Nationwide Series owners including Todd Braun and Dale Earnhardt Jr., have said that if NASCAR implements a new car for the series, then they might try and race in the Sprint Cup Series, because the expense of implementation would be too high.
Ragan and UPS? Partnership likely
David Ragan has forgotten the meaning of the team “sophomore slump”. The Unadilla, Georgia driver is just points from making the Chase for the Cup in his 2nd year, after struggling in his rookie Sprint Cup Series campaign.
One question that has plagued his No. 6 Roush Fenway team for much of the season has been the sponsor that will fund the car next season. AAA announced its departure from the sport months ago.
Reports have surfaced that link Atlanta company UPS and Ragan’s team. When asked about the potential pairing, Ragan seemed keen to the idea, saying that he likes the idea of pairing with a major company from his home state. He also said that he know team president Geoff Smith has been in negotiations with the company and that they hope to announce something in a few weeks.
UPS has been a sponsor with Michael Waltirp Racing and the No. 44 Toyota the last two seasons and announced it was leaving the team earlier this season.
NASCAR agrees to buy Grand-Am Series
Add the six series under Grand-Am to the list of series under the NASCAR umbrella. NASCAR Holdings announced that they have agreed to purchase the several Grand-Am series, including the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Grand-Am will run independently of NASCAR, but the two bodies will combine resources for public relations, marketing, and other functions.
Chase scenarios make Saturday night tense for drivers; Hanna may factor
Five drivers inside the Top 12 in the points technically are not locked in the Chase for the Cup. Three of them, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Tony Stewart, are virtually locked-in after Saturday’s Richmond race, having to finish 24th, 26th, and 36th, respectively, to make it.
Three other drivers are not in as comfortable a position. Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer are barely inside the Top 12. Hamlin, who led almost all of the Spring race at the track, has to finish just 21st or better in front of his home crowd, without leading a lap. Bowyer is only 16 points ahead of David Ragan and 48 points ahead of Kasey Kahne. Bowyer won the Spring Richmond race and Kahne has won at the track before. Ragan scored his best career finish at this race last year, placing 3rd.
Tropical Storm Hanna may have a huge factor in determining when the race will run. Hanna’s predicted arrival in the Richmond area directly coincides with Saturday night’s race. With the possibility of rain lasting for a couple of days, there is a real chance that race could not happen until Monday or Tuesday. NASCAR’s policy is to hold a race on the next possible day. As of now, NASCAR and Richmond International Raceway’s weekend events are still to be held as scheduled.
There are some rumors that if the race is pushed back too far, NASCAR will run the Richmond race after Homestead, after Thanksgiving. The last time such a radical move was made was back in 2001, when NASCAR postponed the New Hampshire race that was scheduled for the week of September 11th. If this happens, then New Hampshire would be the final race before the Chase and the actual Chase would begin at Dover International Speedway and end in Richmond.
Bono and McDowell back in place
Kevin “Bono” Manion will return to his post as Martin Truex Jr.’s crew chief this week, after receiving a six week suspension following the July Daytona race. The No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy was found to not fit the templates at the track, resulting in Bono’s suspension and Martin Truex Jr.’s virtual elimination from Chase contention.
Michael McDowell took a three-race break from the No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota, so Mike Skinner could hop in the driver’s seat and evaluate the team’s performance. Though the team did not finish very well in the Michigan, Bristol, California races, it hopes to step up its performance with the young McDowell back in the seat, so it can attract a sponsor and run next season. Skinner ran several races for A.J. Allmendinger in the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota earlier this season and that team’s performance has improved dramatically.
Lots of Truck news…
Bobby Hamilton Racing has shut down its No. 4 team. Driver Stacy Compton, a part-owner of the team, now has no ride at Gateway. The No. 4 team won the Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2004, with the late Bobby Hamilton at the wheel.
Another championship team is also shutting down. The No. 16 X-press Motorsports team is closing shop, so Brian Scott, a rookie driver who is still adjusting, is joining forces with Bill Davis Racing. Mike Bliss won the 2002 NCTS championship with the No. 16 team.
Donny Lia, who won a Truck Series race earlier this season, has been released as driver of the No. 71 TRG Chevy. Andy Lally, who ran nine races earlier this season in the No. 7, as a teammate to Lia, is running at Gateway.
Black driver Marc Davis, 18, makes his Truck Series debut at Gateway, in the No. 81 Randy Moss Motorsports Chevy. Chrissy Wallace, daughter of Mike Wallace, also plans to run the race.
Austin Dillon will debut in Nationwide Series in Richmond
Austin Dillon, grandson of Richard Childress, will not have to qualify for the NNS race in Richmond, because Larry Gunselman and the No. 0 car withdrew, ensuring all 43 cars will make the field. Rain cancelled qualifying, so Dillon will start back in the pack, in 31st. He will run the No. 21 Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma Chevy. Dillon, who currently runs in the NASCAR Camping World East Series, is the son of former Childress driver Mike Dillon, who raced in the No. 21 in the Nationwide Series earlier this decade.
Cup races now on ABC
The alphabet soup of networks covering the Sprint Cup Series changes again, as ABC will begin to air ESPN’s coverage from Richmond, until the end of the season. This will put all of the sport’s playoff races on network TV for the remainder of the season. Saturday night’s coverage begins at 7 p.m., with a green flag expected around 8:30. Check out my TV column every Tuesday, on Frontstretch.com, for in-depth analysis of this and other NASCAR TV coverage.
Georgia boys not flashy in Hollywood
David Ragan’s Chase hopes remained alive with a solid Top 15 run in Fontana on Sunday night. He is just 17 points behind 12th place in the points Clint Bowyer.
Reed Sorenson’s finally California race in the No. 41 car yielded a 27th place finish. Despite that, the Peachtree City driver moves up to 29th in the points. Jimmie Johnson won the race.
In the Nationwide Series, Ragan still sits 6th in the points. He finished 9th in the California race. Kyle Busch won the race and is not running for the championship. Canton’s Chase Miller finished 23rd in the No. 9 Ragu Dodge, for GEM.
Tune-in to the Bellamy Strickland 120 this Saturday, with Captain Herb Emory and myself, from 12-12:30, on News/Talk 750 WSB in Atlanta or on wsbradio.com
