Sad news comes from Richmond, Virginia this week as former NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kevin Grubb was found dead in a hotel room Wednesday morning.
Reports state that Grubb, 31, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, though no official report has been released. Suspended twice by NASCAR for substance abuse violations, the second time being a lifetime ban, Grubb, a native of Richmond suburb Mechanicsville, last drove a NASCAR race in 2006.
Grubb’s plight in NASCAR has been one of promise and severe disappointment. Breaking into the Camping World Truck Series in 1996 at just 18 years old, Grubb made two starts in his self-owned No. 55 Virginia Is For Lovers entry and followed that up with another duo of starts in the same truck in 1997. That same year, Grubb made several Nationwide Series starts in a self-owned No. 82 car.
1998 was a breakout year for the then youngster. Grubb piloted his own Nationwide Series car, this time with the No. 52, to his only career pole, two Top 5s, and five total Top 10s. This landed the up and coming star a ride with Brewco Motorsports and the No. 37 Timber Wolf car the next year.
Grubb failed to qualify for four races in 1999, but managed to score a Top 5 and five Top 10s, en route to a 17th place points finish. Grubb managed similar numbers the next two seasons with the team, before moving to Rick Goodwin’s No. 54 team with limited success in 2002 Dave Carroll’s No. 26 team in 2003. He was set to move to Rensi Motorsports in 2004, but his first violation of NASCAR’s drug policy and subsequent suspension nixed that.
Grubb returned to NASCAR Nationwide Series competition for several races in 2006 in the No. 56 Mac Hill Motorsports Chevy and even scored a Top 10 at Gateway. Grubb also ran a few Truck Series races for Billy Ballew Motorsports’ No. 15 team in that same span. Grubb’s second NASCAR drug banishment came after he refused to take a drug test following a wreck in the Fall Nationwide Series Richmond race. Grubb claimed that he was concussed after the wreck and had no idea he even turned down the test. NASCAR rules indicate that refusing to take a test is the same as testing positive and the governing body indefinitely suspended the troubled driver. Not much has been heard of Grubb since and there has been no talk of NASCAR lifting the suspension for him.
No arrangements for Kevin Grubb have been announced.
Several NASCAR drivers have had substance suspensions in the last few years. Shane Hmiel was suspended for NASCAR competition twice, the second time indefinitely and was making a comeback in lower racing series, before failing another test and receiving a lifetime ban. Other drivers that have had substance issues include Tyler Walker and also Aaron Fike, whose arrest in 2007 and later admission of driving while under the influence of heroin in 2008 sparked a sport-wide debate over NASCAR drug testing rules.
Grubb’s death has caused some to question NASCAR’s efforts of following up on troubled drivers that have been banished from the sport.
Before the start of the 2009 season, NASCAR announced that it was mandating all traveling members of teams to submit to drug testing and that it would also conduct random tests throughout the season. Several crew members have been suspended due to drug violations since this new policy went into effect, including Richard Grey of Cardinal Motorsports’ No. 77 team this week.
Martin returning full time to No. 5 in 2010, where will Keselowski end up?
Mark Martin answered one Silly Season question this week, but created another, as the veteran driver announced that he will remain in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevy for a full-time schedule nest season. Martin’s original agreement with HMS, signed last summer, stated that he would race full-time this season and run part-time in 2010, splitting time with another driver.
That driver was thought to be Brad Keselowski, though Keselowski’s desire to run full-time in Sprint Cup in 2010 was set ablaze by his upset win two weeks ago at Talladega.
With Martin taking the No. 5 for at least one more year and Keselowski, a JR Motorsports-Hendrick affiliated Nationwide Series driver, wanting to run full-time next season, where will he end up? Keselowski cannot drive a fifth Hendrick Motorsports entry, since there is a four team limit per organization (though Keselowski is allowed to run a fifth Hendrick car as a developing rookie this season). Keselowski could drive for Hendrick-affiliated Stewart Hass Racing, if that operation is able to find the sponsorship and tools to start a third team, but SHR could be a destination of soon-to-be free agent Martin Truex Jr., who also considered partnering with SHR before signing an extension with DEI, now Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.
Other Sprint Cup rides that could be available for Keselowski include a JR Motorsports Cup team effort, a fourth Joe Gibbs Racing team (these are both contingent upon whether these teams decide to expand), the No. 07 team at Richard Childress Racing (if the team decides to release under-performing Casey Mears), and possibly others.
Carpentier makes state-side NASCAR return with SK Motorsports
The No. 07 SK Motorsports Nationwide Series team has signed Canadian Patrick Carperntier to drive for the team for Friday’s Darlington race. The deal is for a single race, but could be for more later on. Carpentier, who raced most of the 2008 Sprint Cup season in the No. 10 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge, has been a free agent since being released from the team last October. Carpentier is an open wheel racing convert to stock cars and is also scheduled to run the Montreal Nationwide Series race in Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 99 Toyota later this year.
Danica Patrick may be mulling move to NASCAR
Indy Racing League star driver Danica Patrick may be considering a move to stock cars. In the final year of her contract with Andretti Green Racing, Patrick said this week that the visibility and the marketability of NASCAR make the sport alluring for her. Some racing insiders believe that Patrick, who last considered this move before she was a free agent after the 2006 season, is using this speculation to leverage a new Indy Car deal. In 2006, Jack Roush went as far as to offer Patrick a ride, if she wanted to make the jump. Considering the lack of success other open wheel converts have achieved in the sport, Patrick likely would have to run some lower series for a while, before moving to Sprint Cup. As of now, these reports are pure speculation and no know offers have floated Patrick’s way.
Smith and Furniture Row trying to finalize 2010 deal
2008 Rookie of the Year Regan Smith and Furniture Row Racing are close to agreeing on a deal to keep their partnership intact for the 2010 season. Smith is running part-time in the No. 78 this season, because of a lack of sponsorship. Furniture Row attempted every race on the Sprint Cup schedule in 2006, 2007, and 2008, before deciding to scale back its commitment this season. Smith ran part-time for DEI in 2007 and full-time in 2008, before the team lost funding and had to shut down his team. Smith and Furniture Row have qualified for each race they have attempted this season.
Junior Johnson’s son wins first race run
Robert Johnson, son of NASCAR legend Junior Johnson, won his first race ever, driving to Victory Lane at Caraway Speedway in North Carolina. He was scheduled to make his debut several weeks ago, but this race was his first.
Georgia drivers middle of the run in Richmond; Butler has new crew chief
Reed Sorenson was never a factor in last Saturday’s Sprint Cup Series race in Richmond, but he kept the No. 43 out of trouble and finished 20th. That finish elevated Sorenson to 22nd in points. Kyle Busch won the race.
David Ragan ran as high as 9th in the event, before slipping back to a finish of 23rd. He remains 26th in Sprint Cup points.
In the Nationwide Series, John Wes Townley failed to qualify for his first race of the season, making a bad season worse.
Ken Butler III did not the Nationwide Series Richmond race for R3 Motorsports, but that team has a new crew chief. Walter Giles assumes the helm of the No. 23 Chevy, after working partially for Tommy Baldwin Racing’s struggling Sprint Cup Series operation. Giles had been rumored to be the crew chief of the No. 13 ThorSport Camping World Truck Series team this season, but he left the team before the season began.
You can hear Doug on Captain Herb Emory’s The Allan Vigil Ford Lincoln Mercury 120 on News/Talk 750 WSB in Atlanta and on wsbradio.com Saturday’s from 2-4 p.m.
