FastCar Newsdesk for Chase Race Seven: Atlanta Motor Speedway, week of 10/24/08
Headlines and speculation regarding the merger and sometimes consolidation of race teams have permeated many NASCAR conversations and stories this season.
In the last week or two, rumors regarding a merger between Petty Enterprises and Dale Earnhardt Inc. seemed close to being fact. Now, there is talk that Ganassi Racing (which fields Dodges) and Petty enterprises may be in negotiations about merging.
The latest rumor has Ganassi sponsor Target moving over to sponsor Bobby Labonte in the No. 43 (which currently has no sponsor for next season), Juan Pablo Montoya remaining in the No. 42 Dodge, Chad McCumbee or another driver driving the No. 44 (which would be the same team as the current Petty No. 45), and Kyle Petty running a partial season in a fourth team, the No. 45, with Wells Fargo as the primary sponsor. Petty Enterprises’ Robbie Loomis says there have been talks and that the team’s current commitment is to stay with Dodge. He has not said which teams the legendary NASCAR operation has discussed merging with.
Another hot merger rumor has Gillett Evernham Motorsports in discussions with Bill Davis Racing about buying out the No. 22 Cup team and making it GEM’s fourth team, as well as switching GEM’s three current teams to Toyotas. No talks have publicly been confirmed by team officials from BDR or GEM, but Ray Evernham, who still holds a minority share in the team, said last week that he knows George Gillett is talking to whomever he can to make his team better. When asked about it Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, No. 9 GEM driver Kasey Kahne says that he has heard nothing from Gillett about the merger and is solely focused on racing whichever make of car he is given to race.
Goodyear bringing different tire to AMS than in March
The March race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was a mess in many drivers and fans opinions and Goodyear looks to correct that problem this October race. After holding two tire tests this summer with Kyle Busch, Travis Kvapil, and Scott Riggs, those drivers, other drivers, and Goodyear think the tire combination is better this time at AMS. According to Goodyear, drivers will run the same left-side tire as they did in the March race, but the right side tire will be softer, creating more grip. The tire pit window, Goodyear says, is every 50-54 laps.
NASCAR official Lawson dies; memorial service held at AMS
NASCAR official Steve Lawson, 51, was found dead in his hotel room prior to Sunday’s Martinsville race. The cause of death has not been announced. At around 9 a.m. on Friday, NASCAR officials and others in the sport gathered for a routine meeting and dedicated part of the meeting as a memorial for the popular official. Lawson was with the sport for more than a decade, mostly doing safety inspections. A moment of silence in his honor was held prior to the Martinsville race.
Camping World to Sponsor Truck Series
NASCAR’s search for a title sponsor for the Truck Series is over. NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France and Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis announced that Camping World will sponsor NASCAR’s third-tier series for seven years, beginning in 2009. Camping World will continue to sponsor Ron Hornaday’s No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevy in the Truck series in addition to the title sponsorship. Lemonis also says that Camping World will continue sponsorship programs it has with the Sprint and Nationwide Series, including some track partnerships. Lemonis did not mention whether or not they will continue partial sponsorship of Robby Gordon’s No. 7 Sprint Cup team.
Though no figures regarding the price tag of Camping World’s sponsorship were announced, some speculate the annual price tag to be around $5 million. France says that more than the amount of money a sponsor was willing to pay was taken into concern, when finding a sponsor for the series. France and Lemonis both believe that the large amount of camping needs for fans at racetracks makes for a great partnership between NASCAR and Camping World.
With the economy ailing, Lemonis answered questions regarding the state of his business and how that could impact Camping World’s continued sponsorship in NASCAR. While RV sales for the industry are down more than 50%, according to some figures, Lemonis says Camping World is not following the same trend.
“Our numbers on the motorhome side are down just barely double-digits on the motorhome side. That I think speaks volumes to what we’ve been able to accomplish on the market share side. Our business on a whole is down about 9%.” Lemonis went on to say that Camping World’s decrease in sales is only a fifth of the market standard and that motorhome sales are only a small part of the company’s products.
France went on to make some points about NASCAR thinking about making some moves to decrease expenses in the Truck Series. Though he did not specify, he did say that some of the rules discussed, due to the state of economy, would be more drastic than they have been in the past. One thing France did say is that he plans for the numbers of entries in the fields for each of the top three series to remain at the same number.
Vickers No. 83 team penalized for tampering with car weight
NASCAR has handed out another invitation to the penalty party in a big way, announcing large punishments for the No. 83 Team Red Bull team and driver Brian Vickers. Following an 11th place finish and random selection for post-race inspection, officials noticed problems with the weight of the Toyota and the thickness of the sheet metal on the body. This prompted NASCAR to confiscate the car and take it back to its Research and Development Center, where the suspicions were confirmed.
As a result of the infractions, NASCAR penalized the team 150 owner’s points and Vickers 150 driver’s points. The driver’s points penalty drops Vickers from 15th in points to 17th. .In addition, crew chief Kevin Hamlin and car chief Craig Smokstad received indefinite suspensions; Hamlin was hit with a $100,000 fine. Red Bull general manager and VP Jay Frye says that Red Bull R&D manager Randy Cox will be the No. 83 interim crew chief at Atlanta this weekend.
The last time NASCAR suspended crew chiefs indefinitely was in the Nationwide Series, when crew chiefs Dave Rogers and Jason Ratcliff got penalties for tampering with a NASCAR engine dyno test on the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 and No. 20 Toyotas.
Ford drops Truck support, but re-ups with Roush; Zaxby’s to Nationwide Series
Add Ford Motor Company to the list of ailing American automakers that are scaling back their NASCAR sponsorship. Just weeks after Dodge announced it was pulling its manufacturer support from the Craftsman Truck Series, Ford is doing the same and the effect could be detrimental to some teams. Jack Roush, in response to the development, says that he only has one full-funded truck for next season and that Colin Braun would be the driver. He also says that Erik Darnell is likely going to run a partial Nationwide Series schedule next season.
This leaves the No. 09 truck’s existence in question, since Zaxby’s has announced that it is moving its entire sponsorship to the Nationwide Series with RAB Racing and driver John West Townley. Townley has raced several times for Roush Fenway in the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford this year, splitting time with Travis Kvapil and Bobby East. Townley’s father co-founded Zaxby’s restaurants.
Better news made its way to Roush this week, though, as Ford and Roush Fenway Racing announced a multi-year continuance of partnership. This means that Ford will continue to back RFR’s five Cup teams and its Nationwide teams.
Georgia drivers in heavy attendance for weekend races
David Ragan, Bill Elliott, and Reed Sorenson have run essentially full seasons in the Sprint Cup Series, this year, with Elliott skipping some races. At AMS this weekend, each driver will race or attempt to qualify at their home track.
In the Nationwide Series, no less than four drivers will attempt to make the race at Memphis Motorsports Park. Chase Miller will pilot the No. 9 GEM Dodge, John Wes Townley will drive the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford for RAB Racing, David Ragan’s full season in the No. 6 Discount Tire Ford continues, and Conyers’ Ron Young will attempt the race in his self-owned No. 71 Chevy. Young’s last race in the Nationwide Series was last year at Memphis.
Last week at Martinsville’s Cup race, Ragan wound up 13th, after running in the Top 10 for a good portion of the race, before getting spun out. Ragan and the No. 6 AAA team remain 13th in the driver’s standings.
Elliott had one of his best runs of the season, placing the No. 21 Air Force Ford in 16th.
Sorenson was running close to the Top 15 for much of the race, before wrecking and finishing 35th.
Tune-in to the Bellamy Strickland 120 for live, extended race coverage from Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hear Captain Herb and Doug Turnbull live Saturday from 11-12:30 p.m. and Sunday from 9-10:30 a.m. and 12-2 p.m. on News/Talk 750 WSB and on wsbradio.com. Podcasts of the show are available on captainherb.net.
