FastCar Newsdesk for week of 1/29/09
Though A.J. Allmendinger’s name has been thrown around as a Gillet Evernham Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports driver for months, he officially had not been signed by the team, until Wednesday. RPM has signed Allmendinger to run at least 10 races in the No. 44 Dodge this season and may run more, pending sponsorship. The team has an option to keep the third year Cup driver with the team in 2010 as well. If RPM obtains sponsorship for the team, it will field Allmendinger and the No. 44 in more races this year and, again pending sponsorship, would like the field the No. 44 in every race next season.
Allmendinger struggled mightily through most of his first two years in the Sprint Cup Series in Red Bull Racing’s No. 84 (now No. 82) team, missing many races and wrecking a bunch of cars, before improving his performances midseason. He was released from the team late in the 2008 season to make room for rookie Scott Speed, prompting then GEM (now RPM) to run him in the No. 10 Dodge (now the No. 44) for five races at the end of the season.
The founder of GEM, Ray Evernham, opened up to the masses about his future plans on Wednesday. In a press release, Evernham says that he will keep contractual agreements to consult Richard Petty Motorsports and remain a minority owner in the revamped team, but will not have a leadership role in the organization. Evernham not only purchased East Lincoln Speedway late in 2008 and will manage it this year, but also has founded Ray Evernham Enterprises, will continue to be on the ESPN broadcast team, plans on opening a museum in Mooresville, NC, will develop young drivers, and hopes to design racecars for select events. According to the press release, Evernham will not be participating in stock car activities in Daytona for the first time since 1984.
Evernham formed Evernham Motorsports after an extremely successful run as Jeff Gordon’s crew chief in the 1990s. The team spearheaded Dodge’s entry to the Sprint Cup Series, beginning in the 2001 season. After a Chase berth with Kasey Kahne in 2006, Evernham sold majority interest in the team to investor George Gillett in mid-2007 and scaled back his role with the team in 2008, after overseeing much of the competition duties for the Nos. 9, 10, and 19 Dodges. Gillett and Richard Petty announced they were merging their teams back in December and eventually became Richard Petty Motorsports.
Gunselman the latest to field Cup team for ’09
Larry Gunselman and brothers Geoff and Todd Bodine are teaming up to run the entire 2009 Sprint Cup season. The No. 64 team currently has six Toyotas in house, purchasing three from the former Bill Davis Racing team and three from Team Red Bull. Gunselman and the Bodines will swap seat time in the No. 64, with 1986 Daytona 500 winner Geoff likely behind the wheel for Daytona Speedweeks. Geoff Bodine has not raced in any of NASCAR’s top three series since 2005, while his brother Todd races full-time in the Camping World Truck Series for Germain Racing, though that team may be in jeopardy, due to sponsorship. Gunselman has raced part-time in NASCAR for years, mainly for start and park teams, which is what this team will be, more than likely. No sponsorship program is in place yet.
Front Row and EGR may team up at Daytona
Last weekend, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing officials said they were close to naming a driver for the No. 41 for Daytona. Though nothing has been announced, there is wide speculation that EGR will team up with Front Row Motorsports to field former DEI driver John Andretti in the No. 41 Chevy (likely with owner’s points from the defunct No. 15 team). Front Row also plans to field Tony Raines separately in the No. 34 car. Last season, Andretti qualified the Front Row No. 34 Chevy for the Daytona 500 last season and in two additional races last season. The team did not attempt anymore races after race number 10 in Richmond in 2008.
Gilliland without a ride, but still under contract with Yates
Yates Racing co-owner Doug Yates says that driver David Gilliland is still under contract with the team, but they do not have a ride to put him in. After acquiring Paul Menard and Menard’s sponsorship and Bobby Labonte and Ask.com sponsorship in the offseason, Gilliland became the odd man out in the operation that had little sponsorship last year. Yates says that they hope to find a ride for Gilliland, who drove the No. 38 to 27th in points last year and scored Yates’ best finish in 2008, a 2nd place run at Infineon Raceway.
Parsons team becomes Prism Motorsports; Blaney will drive most of ’09 for team
Terry Labonte will pilot the No. 66 Window World Toyota during Speedweeks in Daytona for Prism Motorsports. Labonte has a champion’s provisional, because of his most recent championship in 1996. He is 2nd on the list to qualify for the past champion’s spot in the race, behind 2005 champ Tony Stewart, meaning the team has a legitimate shot at making the sport’s biggest race.
Dave Blaney then will pilot the No. 66 for the rest of the season. Prism Motorsports, formerly MSRP, has formed a technical alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing, and also plans to field two teams in the Nationwide Series.
Kyle Busch cashes in at Lanier Speedway
Kyle Busch’s first race of 2009 took place in Braselton, Georgia. SpeedFest 2009 took place last Saturday and Sunday at Lanier National Speedway, with Busch taking the 200-lap Championship Racing Association (CRA) Super Late Model feature victory Sunday afternoon. Bill Elliott development driver Casey Roderick dominated the first half of the event, before losing the lead, due to an inversion, and then succumbing to mechanical failures. Other notables in the event included 5th place finisher Michael Pope (driving for Bob Dillner), former Nationwide Series regular Jeff Fultz (7th place), Nationwide Series driver John Wes Townley (13th), and Camping World Truck Series driver Shane Sieg (29th). Townley and Fultz finished 5th and 6th respectively in the GAS Pro Late Model 100-lap feature race earlier that day.
Kobyluck capitalizes on Logano penalty to win in Toyota All-Star Showdown
NASCAR regulars ruffled some feathers at Irwindale, California last weekend during the Toyota All-Star Showdown. 2007 Truck Series champ Ron Hornaday made an aggressive move early in the race, taking out several cars, including his own. 2009 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year candidate Joey Logano ran up front for much of the event, before getting bumped out of the way by Trevor Bayne. Logano pushed hard to regain his position several laps later, driving under Bayne, pushing up the track, and moving Bayne into the wall, as he streaked across the finish line out front. Logano was stripped of the victory by NASCAR and relegated to a 40th place finish. 2008 Camping World East Series champ Matt Kobyluck finished just behind Logano and was handed the victory. Kobyluck also won the race in 2006. Logano won the Showdown and the Camping World East Series title in 2007.
Randy Moss Motorsports to switch to Toyota
Randy Moss Motorsports announced earlier this week that it is switching from Chevy to Toyota. The team likely is planning to field trucks for either Taylor Malsam or Mike Skinner, both of whom lost rides after Bill Davis Racing sold out to Triad Racing Technologies and they decided not to field Truck Series teams.
Five over the wall now for Truck Series pit stops
In an effort to save teams money, multiple sources are stating that NASCAR is going to mandate that teams only allow five crewmen over the wall for each pit stop. Teams will not be allowed to take on tires and fuel in the same pit stop.
Starr out at Red Horse Racing, starts anew with HT Motorsports
David Starr and sponsor Zachry Holdings, Inc. are moving from Red Horse Racing to HT Motorsports and the No. 24 Toyota team. There is no word on if anyone will replace Starr on the No. 11 Red Horse Racing team, or if the team plans to run without sponsorship. Starr raced for HT Motorsports in 2006. Terry Cook plans to run in the No. 25 Toyota for the team, but no sponsorship is in place. The owners points from the No. 59 HT Toyota from 2008 will go to Starr’s No. 24 team.
Setzer, McCumbee, White and others have set part-time Truck deals
Dennis Setzer has a deal in place with the No. 8 MRD truck team for around 12 races. Carl Long will field a No. 46 entry for the veteran driver for the March Martinsville race. Setzer won that race in the BHR No. 18 Dodge last season.
Gunbroker.com officials plan to form a two-truck team that will run the full 2009 season. Jason White is the planned driver for one of those teams.
Chad McCumbee reunites with SS Green Light Racing and the No. 07 Chevy for at least 12 races in 2009, beginning with the season’s first race in Daytona. He last raced for that team in 2007. McCumbee was supposed to run the No. 45 for Petty Enterprises this year, but a sponsorship void caused those plans to evaporate.
Ragan helping Shriners Hospitals for Children
Unadilla, Georgia native David Ragan is using his influence as a NASCAR driver to help raise funds for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. From March 1st to April 30th, customers at Jett Convenience Stores can add a donation to charity onto their purchases. Ragan raced in the Shriners Ice Bowl several weeks ago at Lanier National Speedway, sporting a Shriners paint scheme on the No. 6 Ford.
Download the FastCar Podcast from CaptainHerb.net. The Bellamy Strickland 120 resumes February 7th (the day of the Bud Shootout), from 2-4:30 p.m., on News/Talk 750 WSB and online at wsbradio.com.
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better get a few more cars if geoffery bodine is involved