Kahne and companion crash in Texas
Kasey Kahne was unhurt Thursday, after crashing a car he was driving into the frontstretch wall at Texas Motor Speedway. Officials say that the Enumclaw, Washington native was using the car for a private corporate event. A passenger in the vehicle was also uninjured. There is no word on how or why the crash happened.
Red Bull cans Allmendinger for 2009
Weeks of waiting and speculation for former Champ Car driver A.J. Allmendinger reached their climax Wedmesday, when Team Red Bull officials announced that A.J. Allmendinger would not be the pilot of the No. 84 Toyota next season.
During the Sprint Cup test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mike Skinner drove the No. 84, while Scott Speed, the favorite to replace Allmendinger, tested the No. 82, a third car for the team. Allmendinger’s absence from the test fueled rumors that he would not drive for the team at Kansas or for the rest of the season. The entry list, however, states otherwise, and Red Bull Racing Team’s VP of Competition Jay Frye says they hope to finalize the plan for final seven races of the season soon.
Allmendinger’s stint in the Sprint Cup Series has been a work in progress. His new No. 84 team had no owner’s points heading into 2007, meaning the team had to qualify for races on time. The team missed seven of the first nine races of 2007 and 19 of 36 races overall, with no Top 10 finishes and only three had finishes on the lead lap. Since the team was well outside the Top 35 in owner’s points going into 2008, Allmendinger’s team had to qualify for the beginning races of the season and missed the first three. After that, Mike Skinner relieved the young driver for several races and since then, the team’s performance has drastically improved enough to place them into the Top 35.
Speed is a former Formula 1 driver for Red Bull and has been fast in whatever stock car he has raced, since starting to drive them late last year. Speed currently leads the ARCA points, with several wins, and has won a Craftsman Truck Series race. Red Bull officials have wanted to put him in a Sprint Cup car for most of the year.
Allmendinger says that he wants to remain in stock cars and he is hotly rumored to be the next driver for the No. 41 Target Dodge that Reed Sorenson is vacating after this year.
Gordon, Speed, Hamlin, and Biffle among fastest at Lowe’s testing
Following four test sessions held at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Tuesday and Wednesday, Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 Dupont team ran the fastest lap Wednesday night, posting a speed of 187.233 mph. The fastest Toyota of the test was Scott Speed’s No. 82, which was 2nd fastest overall. The rest of the Top 5 drivers in the test’s overall speeds also ran on Wednesday night; they were Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Elliott Sadler. Carl Edwards was 6th fastest, followed by Greg Biffle, winner of the last two races, who was 7th. Biffle’s team was consistently fast throughout the test, being first or 2nd fastest in the first three sessions.
Jeremy Mayfield replaced Reed Sorenson in the No. 41 Chip Ganassi Dodge during the tests, since Sorenson is leaving the team next year. Team officials say that they expect Sorenson in the car the rest of the season.
Kansas Speedway soon to add casino hotel; wants 2nd Cup date
Earlier this week, Kansas Speedway received permission to have a casino built on its property. Officials not have their sights set on adding a Sprint Cup race date by 2011. There is no word on who might lose a Cup date to accommodate this, if Kansas will get a 2nd date, or if the season will be expanded.
Mike Wallace to race for RCR at Talladega
Richard Childress Racing and Mike Wallace each have great records on restrictor plate race tracks, so the two’s teaming up for the coming Talladega race only makes sense. Wallace will drive the No. 33 Realtree Driven to the Outdoors Chevy in the race, but will have to qualify the car on time, because the No. 33 is not in the Top 35 in owner’s points. Clint Bowyer is moving over to the No. 33 next season, from the RCR No. 07, with sponsor Cheerios. Next year will be the first time that RCR runs four full-time teams.
Hillin Jr. driving for MacDonald in No. 81 in N’wide series
Former Cup driver Bobby Hillin Jr. will drive for MacDonald Motorsports’ No. 81 Dodge this weekend in Kansas. He last raced in the Cup Series in 2000, running only once that year. He also ran 14 Nationwide Series races the same year, which also was the last time he ran in the series. Hillin has two career Nationwide wins, the last one being in 1989, and won at Talladega in 1986, for his only Cup win.
Musgrave and Harris Truck team part ways
Ted Musgrave has had a less-than-stellar year in the Truck Series in 2008, with only six Top 10s and no wins. He and the No. 59 Harris Trucking team parted way before last Saturday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Stacy Compton, whose No. 4 Truck team recently shut down, ran in the No. 59 Saturday, but wrecked and finished far back in the pack.
Musgrave, the 2005 NCTS champion, may run full-time in the No. 81, for Randy Moss Motorsports next year.
Stuntman Barrett may run IRL next year
The Indianapolis Star reports that Nationwide Series driver Stanton Barrett is going to run full-time in the Indy Racing League in 2009. He reportedly will drive for Greg Beck’s team in the IRL. Barrett’s own Nationwide Series team may run part-time next season.
Georgia boys do not shine at Dover
With chances at a title now gone, David Ragan’s No. 6 AAA team has struggled. After finishing 28th at New Hampshire, the Unadilla driver placed 19th in the race, one lap down, by the checkered flag. Ragan’s teammate Greg Biffle won the race and two other Roush Fenway teammates, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards, finished 2nd and 3rd. Ragan is just 35 points behind Kasey Kahne, for 13th place in the points.
Ragan finished solidly in the Nationwide Series race at Dover, crossing the finish line in 10th place. He still sits 5th in the driver’s points.
Reed Sorenson finished 30th at Dover, five laps off the pace; he sits 30th in the points.
Bill Elliot sat out of the Dover race, but is set to attempt the Kansas race this weekend for the Wood Brothers.
Tune in to the Bellamy Strickland 120, with Captain Herb and myself, for the latest updates live from Kansas, on News/Talk 750 WSB and wsbradio.com, this Saturday, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Download podcasts of the show on CaptainHerb.net.
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