The biggest draw to making the Daytona 500 field, besides the allure of racing in NASCAR’s biggest race, is the payday that is assured any team that makes the show. With the consolidation and shut down of several Sprint Cup teams, several spots opened up for new teams to try and run the season schedule. Several teams, like the No. 66 Prism Motorsports team, the Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 36, Travis Kvapil and the No. 28 Yates Racing entry, and Jeremy Mayfield’s No. 41, made the Great American Race and are planning a full schedule. Others were not so lucky, but are still attempting Sunday’s Auto Club Speedway.
Joe Nemechek and his own No. 87 Toyota team came just short of making the show in the Gatorade Duel, but will be found on the West Coast; the team hopes to run the full season. Larry Gunselman’s No. 64 is slated to run the full year and Todd Bodine will attempt the Fontana race, despite the team missing out on the quarter-of-a-million dollar payday the Daytona 500 would have brought. Georgia’s Mike Garvey and his self-owned No. 73 Dodge also are on the California entry list and he plans to run the full year. Mayfield in the No. 41 and Dave Blaney in the No. 66 return to Tinsel Town and plan to continue for the rest of the season. The same holds true for Scott Riggs and the No. 36 team and Travis Kvapil and the No. 28.
One team that has an uncertain schedule is the No. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports team and driver A.J. Allmendinger. Allmendinger’s 3rd place finish in the Daytona 500 helped attract enough sponsorship to the team to run up to 12 scheduled races. That number is up from the eight races the team had originally planned. Richard Petty says that team will attempt the first eight races this season and then proceed from that point; The King also says that he may run the No. 44 out of his pocket if performances like the 500 continue. Travis Kvapil and the No. 28 Yates team also will not run the full year without sponsorship.
Part-time teams that will attempt the California race include the No. 09, which missed the 500 with driver Brad Keselowski, but goes out west with Sterling Marlin. Tony Raines remains in the No. 37 Front Row Motorsports Dodge and his teammate John Andretti is locked into the race in the Window World Chevy, that is technically owned by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. David Starr will drive the Black Jack Racing Dodge, replacing Kelly Bires; that team missed the Daytona 500. David Gilliland makes his 2009 debut in his home state, replacing Mike Wallace in the No. 71 TRG Chevy for the next four races; Wallace narrowly missed the 500 in this entry. These part-time teams, plus Aric Almirola’s No. 8 EGR team are planning to run the first five races and then proceed past that point if they have sponsorship or a locked-in position in the Top 35 in owner’s points. Almirola’s team will not run without a sponsor.
Teams absent from California’s entry list that were present last week in Daytona include the No. 27 of Kirk Schelmerdine, which had planned to run the full season. Derrike Cope’s No. 75 team missed the 500 and will not be on the West Coast. Norm Benning made a Hail Mary to make the Daytona race, but missed by a long shot. Boris Said and James Hylton in the No. 08 and No. 60 rides respectively attempted Daytona, but are not out west. Carl Long missed the 500 and may field a Martinsville entry, but is absent from Auto Club Speedway. Bill Elliott and the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 team are only running 12 races this year and will not return until March’s Atlanta race. Mike Skinner and the R3 Motorsports team also are not running in California.
Fortunately for teams attempting the full schedule this season, Bill Elliott’s No. 21 team was the only team that made the Daytona 500 that is absolutely not running the full year. John Andretti in the No. 34 Chevy likely will not run many races without sponsorship; Window World has signed with the team for four more races.
Petty P.O.’d about his No. 44 being used on the track
Kyle Petty has not held back many words since Petty Enterprises began mulling over not placing him in its racecars. Petty was replaced in the No. 45 early last season by Chad McCumbee and ran very few races late in the year. Petty ended up being the odd driver out at season’s end, with the team planning to run McCumbee full-time in the No. 45, pending sponsorship. Moving the shop from Level Cross, North Carolina and allowing Boston Ventures to buy a majority interest in the team were other moves that irked the third generation driver. After finding himself without a ride, following PE’s merger with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, the team’s use of the retro-looking No. 44 Valvoline paint scheme pushed Petty over the edge.
Petty says that the team never consulted him about using the paint scheme that he sported in his Cup debut. He also says that the Petty name has not been the same, since the team moved from its original shop in Level Cross. His father, Richard, who remains involved with the team, says that his son has been out of the loop in the last year or so and understands why he is upset. He also says that Kyle has been so busy, that he has not seen him at all since Christmas and has only talked to him a few times by phone.
Petty will be busy, especially since he will not be in a racecar. Petty will be in the broadcast booth for TNT for six Sprint Cup races during the summer and plans to run some Grand-Am races.
Daytona 500 ratings down from last year; Nationwide Series ratings big
This year’s Daytona 500 on FOX was down a full ratings point compared to last year’s, likely because of the threat of rain. The 2003 Daytona 500 also was shortened because of rain, but was over a half of a rating point higher than this year’s.
The Nationwide Series numbers on ESPN2 were a different story and actually grew. Saturday’s Camping World 300 at Daytona was the most-viewed for the series on ESPN2, surpassing the previous high set during the same race one year ago. Every Nationwide Series race will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, with the majority of the races being shown on ESPN2.
Townley gets new crew chief in Brad Parrott; Smith leads the No. 29 this week
Experience makes its way to the top of John Wes Townley’s Nationwide Series pit box. Brad Parrott is the new crew chief for the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford this week. Townley, a Watkinsville, Georgia native and Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year contender, finished in the Top 25 and on the lead lap in last Saturday’s Daytona race.
Jeff Burton will be behind the wheel of the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevy this week and Pat Smith, the crew chief of the team for the past few seasons, will lead the crew in place of Dan Deeringhoff, whose wife is expecting a baby soon.
Georgian Matt Hawkins dies due to accidental gun shot
The promising, budding career of Canton, Georgia’s Matt Hawkins came to a tragic end early Saturday morning, when the young driver accidentally shot himself with a pistol that he had received as a gift. According to reports, Hawkins was showing the gun to friends and thought all of the bullets were emptied from the chamber, when the gun went off and killed him. The funeral was Monday.
Hawkins won his first starts in both the ARCA and Pro Cup racing series. He also finished in the Top 3 in the past two Snowball Derby races and had achieved great success in Late Model races throughout the Southeast.
Daytona races bode well for Georgia well
David Ragan started 2009 off strong after stumbling a bit through Speed Weeks. Ragan wrecked in the Bud Shootout and ran up front in his Gatorade Duel race, before sustaining damage in a crash. The No. 6 UPS team rebounded well to finish 6th in the Daytona 500. Saturday’s Nationwide Series race ended in similar fashion for Ragan’s No. 6 Discount Tire team, as Ragan finished 8th.
Reed Sorenson and the No. 43 team had not been particularly strong until Saturday’s Happy Hour practice, where he posted the fastest speed. Sorenson then slowly worked his way toward the front in the Daytona 500, placing the McDonald’s Dodge in 9th place.
Bill Elliott led the first two Daytona practices for the Sprint Cup Series and ran well in his duel race, before experiencing transmission problems. The No. 21 Ford did not run very well in the Daytona 500, but missed the big wreck and finished 23rd.
John Wes Townley finished 21st in the Nationwide Series race, after losing a lap midway through the event.
In the Camping World Truck Series, Tucker’s Shane Sieg was the only Georgia driver in the race and finished 15th, despite getting spun out during one of the Daytona race’s wrecks.
350z for sale
