Happy Monday all. Countdown to Daytona 13 Comments from the Peanut Gallery From Smilin Jack Momma, did I read correctly that Jerry Punch will be working in the pits this year instead of in the booth? If so, my prayers have been answered!!! He has a fair understanding of the situation, but his presentation is, to me, an aggravation. I would much prefer to see Allan Bestwick in the booth. Smilin' Jack. You sure did Jack…Punch is out of the booth. Marty Reid will be taking over for him in the booth. Too bad espn didn't go a step further and put Bestwick in…I too enjoy Alan when he is in the booth. Oh well, maybe next year! Bits and Pieces NASCAR Baby Boom Continues: Montoya Becoming Father for Third Time By Greg Engle CupScene.com Editor, NASCAR Examiner
Add Juan Pablo Montoya to the list of expectant fathers who race in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. Montoya announced on his Twitter page Saturday that he has his wife Connie are expecting their third child. "By the way the wife is pregnant with our third child!!! Very happy about it!!!!" The 34 year old Colombian born former Formula One star and currently driver at Earnhardt-Ganassi racing said the baby is due in July. The former Connie Freydell met her future husband while asking for his autograph in Miami. Both were involved with others when they met, but reconnected five months later and were married in 2002. The newest addition will have a brother and sister already in place with Sebastian, 5, and Paulina, 3.
The Montoya's join several other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series couples that are expecting in 2010. Carl Edwards and his wife Kate are expecting their first child in February, Elliott Sadler and wife Amanda are expecting their first in March and four time champion Jimmie Johnson and wife Chandra will welcome their first child in July as well. NASCAR schedules Talladega test for March, spoilers may be in place by Bristol By Greg Engle CupScene.com Editor, NASCAR Examiner
NASCAR has scheduled a one-day test at Talladega Superspeedway to test the new spoiler configuration. The test, scheduled for March 16, will be open to all teams and could allow for enough data that NASCAR could have the wings on the back of their next generation racecars replaced with the old style spoilers by the two short track races preceding the test on the schedule at Bristol and the following week at Martinsville. After testing the new configuration as part of a Goodyear tire test at Texas several weeks ago, there were some indications that NASCAR may elect to replace the wings with the spoilers sooner rather than later. When it was first announced that the Cup series would make the change, NASCAR scheduled a test at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the month of May. But Talladega Superspeedway president Rick Humphrey confirmed to the web site Alabama Live, that the test would take place in March. He added that the test might include the larger restrictor plates that NASCAR has mandated for use at Daytona and Talladega this year. It's thought that if the March tests at Talladega show no problems, the spoilers would be in place for the two short tracks but more importantly, the teams would get a feel for them during the following weeks as the series would visit progressively longer tracks. After Martinsville, comes the one mile track at Phoenix followed by the 1.5 mile Texas Speedway and finally the 2.77 mile Talladega Superspeedway on April 25th. Andretti in #34 at Daytona: John Andretti will drive the #34 Front Row Motorsports Ford as one of three entries from the newly expanded team in the 2010 Daytona 500. Andretti will also race in the Budweiser Shootout. Andretti's eligible for the season-opening special event due to winning Daytona's 1997 mid-summer Cup race, the Pepsi 400. Travis Kvapil, who's signed to wheel the #34 the rest of the season, will drive FRM's #37 at Daytona in place of rookie Kevin Conway, who NASCAR wouldn't approve to race on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Robert Richardson Jr. will drive the team's third full-time car, the #38. A Nationwide Series regular, Richardson will drive the season's first three restrictor-plate races for FRM. Kvapil will switch to the #34 at Fontana the second week of the season; Conway will drive the #37; and David Gilliland will step into the #38, which he'll drive in the majority of this season's races. Team owner Bob Jenkins said Andretti, who secured the #34's locked-in spot in the top 35 to start this season in the 34 races he ran for FRM in 2009, will also do a handful of other races this season in the #38.(NASCAR.com), hearing that Window World will sponsor Andretti and the #34 Ford in Daytona, at the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500. Window World sponsored Andretti in five races in 2009 on the #34 and in the Indy 500. Most NASCAR drivers don't fare well in Rolex 24: Full-time NASCAR drivers were shut out from the winner's circle and even podium finishes Sunday at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The 24-hour race was won by the Porsche of Action Express Racing driven by Joao Barbosa, Terry Borcheller, Mike Rockenfeller and Ryan Dalziel. They finished 50 seconds ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing's car driven by Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas as well as Germain Racing part-time Cup driver Max Papis and IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson. Ganassi's other car co-driven by his Cup drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray as well as his IndyCar Series drivers Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon blew an engine while leading less than nine hours into the event at Daytona. About half the field did not finish the race, including four-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson as his Bob Stallings Racing car had an oil pump issue and retired with about four hours remaining. Richard Petty Motorsports had two drivers in the field. AJ Allmendinger drove for Michael Shank Racing and was in third when his engine blew less than two hours prior to the finish and the team had to settle for seventh. Paul Menard drove for Spirit of Daytona Racing, which retired before the halfway point and wound up 32nd. Roush Fenway Racing Nationwide Series driver Colin Braun had the best day of the NASCAR contingent as he was part of the fourth-place Krohn Racing team. TRG Motorsports' Bobby Labonte drove one of the team cars and was leading before running out of fuel and having to be towed back to the pits with about five hours remaining. Other mechanical issues plagued the team, which finished 16th overall, ninth in the Grand Touring class. Part-time Cup driver Boris Said was part of a Turner Motorsport team that finished 15th overall, eighth in the GT class. (Scene Daily) Busch wins at Speedfest: Kyle Busch is making Lanier National Speedway his home away from home. The NASCAR Sprint Cup star won for the second straight year at Speedfest on Sunday, running away with the checkered flag in the Super Late Model Division. In other races, Greg Simpson won the Pro Late Model Division, while Brad Springer won the Modified race, which had been pushed from its originally scheduled spot on Saturday. The cold, wet weather, which forced race officials to postpone all of Saturday's events, made for a busy day at the track Sunday. (Gainsville Times) 2nd Baldwin team UPDATE: per Tommy Baldwin Racing's facebook page, looks like the team will run a 2nd team at Auto Club Speedway in February with Johnny Sauter driving the #35 Tommy Baldwin Chevy UPDATE: Sauter is scheduled to run at least three races: Auto Club in Feb., Martinsville in March and Phoenix in April. Logano wins Toyota All-Star Showdown: Joey Logano got his second NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown trophy and Sergio Pena nearly made a historic debut on the national stage. Logano, 19, held off the 16-year-old Pena and two-time race winner Matt Kobyluck for the victory in the 225-lap race Saturday before a sold-out crowd at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. It was Pena's first career race in NASCAR's top developmental series and it came in the non-points, postseason event, which has earned the moniker the "Daytona 500 of short-track racing." Logano made his mark by winning as a 17-year-old rookie in the 2007 edition; Pena, who only has one year of Late Model racing on his resume, nearly out-did that. Logano wound up leading a race-high 171 laps. Pena led the other 54 and they swapped the lead five times. Following Logano, Pena and Kobyluck across the line was Matt DiBenedetto and Andrew Myers. Eric Holmes, David Mayhew, Eddie MacDonald, Paulie Harraka and Steve Park rounded out the top 10. Reigning NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion Jason Bowles finished 11th while K&N Pro Series East 2009 titlist Ryan Truex was relegated to 26th after a late-race accident. (NASCAR) Toyota recall won't affect NASCAR: The head of Toyota's racing effort says the company's massive recall announced this month and subsequent losses won't affect the manufacturer's NASCAR teams. "Our program is pretty well set," Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development, said Friday. "Our program involves technical support more so than writing checks. TRD is very good at managing our budgets. ... I honestly don't think there will be any impact on the motorsports program. But we, like everybody, have to be smart and keep our programs where they're success-oriented that reward winning, that reward good results and not just be out there for fun." On Jan. 21, Toyota recalled 2.3 million U.S. cars and trucks and halted production of eight models this week following reports of an accelerator pedal defect. Shares of Toyota stock have fallen 17 percent since the recall, according to a report on Bloomberg.com. And one industry insider familiar with inner workings of the manufacturer said Toyota was losing $500 million for every week assembly lines remain idle.(Fox Sports) NASCAR has new commissioner for appeals: An interest new point in the new rulebooks is that John Middlebrook, the noted General Motors executive and long-time racing aficionado, is now the 'court of last resort' for anyone appealing any NASCAR penalties. That role has been held by Bunkie Knudsen and Charles Strang in recent years. But the title has changed -- Middlebrook's role will be as 'national stock car racing chief appellate officer.'(MikeMulhern.net) Said to run first five races of 2010: UPDATE: Boris Said is committed to running the first five races in 2010 and will announce his sponsorship for the Daytona 500 on Saturday. Said, who is driving the #94 Turner Motorsports BMW in the Grand-Am Rolex 24 at Daytona this weekend, will pilot the #26 Ford for Bill Jenkins' Latitude 43 Motorsports team this season. Frankie Stoddard, who Said referred to as his "partner" in the venture, will be the crew chief. Roush Fenway Racing will provide the cars and engines. Said, 47, said the team is still looking for sponsorship for the remaining races to fill out the schedule. "If we have to start and park we will," Said said. "We're going to run the first five races that's for sure."(Fox Sports) UPDATE: There are a lot of things that stand between Said having not only a successful Speedweeks, but also succeeding in the 35 races that follow it. The first hurdle Latitude 43 crossed was getting sponsorship that'll allow it to race in the Daytona 500, which is on the verge of being announced. "I just signed it [Thursday] and in the agreement they asked me not to announce anything, because they want to announce it," Said said. "There will be two cars with the same sponsor on it at Daytona. The other car they're sponsoring at Daytona, he called me up and offered it to me, so I said, 'Do you want to drive the car?' "And he said, 'No, no -- you're going to drive the car and I'm going to drive the other car.' So that was another thing with a really good friend and I'm really excited about it. I think it's going to be [big] -- they're going to bring a lot of people down and have a big hospitality suite so hopefully we can put up a good effort for 'em." But after Daytona, the team needs additional sponsorship to be able to race. Team owner Bill Jenkins, Said and Stoddard are among the group scrambling after it, but it's not all they need. Stoddard is preparing the cars with three other employees and admitted Friday they didn't know who'd pit the car in the 500.(NASCAR.com) #08 team looking for sponsor to run Labonte: The #08 Carter-Simo team is hoping to find sponsorship to field an entry for Terry Labonte to run the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 6th.(Carter-Simo) Pena Makes A Splash At NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown: Sergio Pena highlighted an action-packed day in Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Friday as he captured the pole for Saturday's NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. In his first competition in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series race car, the 16-year-old Pena captured the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Light for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown with a fast lap of 18.390 seconds (97.879 mph) during qualifying Friday evening. Pena, a member of the Drive for Diversity initiative, earned his way into the event by competing in a qualifying race among his three teammates at Revolution Racing in similarly prepared cars from one of Toyota Speedway's entry divisions on Thursday evening. A run-away win in that run-off allowed Pena a shot at competing on Friday. Pena's pole run bested that of 2007 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown winner and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano. Logano qualified second at 18.421 (97.715). The second row for Saturday night's 225-lap NASCAR K&N Pro Series race will consist of Greg Pursley (18.475 seconds/97.429 mph) and Eric Holmes (18.498/97.308). Sean Caisse was the fifth-fastest qualifier (18.520/97.192). Friday night's action at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale concluded with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series last-chance "Open" race to determine the final six starting positions for Saturday's feature. Michael Self came away victorious while Justin Philpott earned the final slot. The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown is scheduled to run Saturday [Tonight], Jan. 30th and can be seen on SPEED at 10:00pm/et.(NASCAR) NASCAR cutting race purses to all three series: UPDATE: NASCAR is cutting by about 10 percent the race winnings it will award teams in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series this season, officials confirmed on Friday. The reduction is part of cost-cutting measures that will alleviate some of the financial burdens on tracks that have suffered during a tough economic environment that has forced them to cut ticket prices with declining attendance. "Last year we launched an industry-wide effort to help the sport manage budgets in this economy," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Friday. "NASCAR did the right thing to work with the tracks to reduce their costs in order to manage the economic realities. In return, the tracks have done a great job reducing ticket prices and enhancing the fan experience. Likewise, we worked with the teams to contain costs such as elimination of testing and other steps. This is consistent with how virtually every sport and business has adjusted to the economy over the past year." Bruton Smith, the chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns nine tracks that host Cup, Nationwide and Truck events, applauded NASCAR for making the cut. He doesn't believe drivers will particularly like it, "but they understand."(ESPN.com) UPDATE: NASCAR has worked to reduce its own costs, two sources within the company have told the Observer and ThatsRacin.com. The salaries of some supervisors have been cut, along with the budgets of some departments, the sources said. Travel spending to get NASCAR officials and haulers to and from races was also cut, the newspaper and its racing site were told. Asked specifically about such moves, NASCAR's Poston offered this statement: "Last week, the NASCAR executive team met with the media to publicly discuss the business of the sport and relevant topics related to our business," he said. "At that time, NASCAR provided relevant updates about the business and announced personnel updates. If there is anything else of importance to the industry or our fans, it will also be announced."(Charlotte Observer) Motorsports Authentics bogs down ISC's 2009 finances: International Speedway Corp. saw its net income drop 95 percent from $134.6 million in 2008 to $6.8 million in 2009, with its 50 percent stake in merchandise company Motorsports Authentics costing $77.6 million on its 2009 balance sheet, according to its year-end financial report issued Thursday. The losses for Motorsports Authentics, owned 50-50 by ISC and track-operating rival Speedway Motorsports Inc., include an ISC write-down of its half of the worth of the company by $69.3 million and operating losses for 2009 of $8.3 million. ISC also announced that it believes Motorsports Authentics' value of goodwill and intangible assets is zero as the company has not been able to pay guarantees under its current license agreements. ISC President John Sanders said he did expect a resolution to the Motorsports Authentics issues in the next three to six months. The merchandise company - which licenses the merchandise, has it purchased and also does at-track sales - is looking at streamlining operations. Bankruptcy is still an option, according to ISC's news release. Admissions revenue dropped 17.2 percent from $236.1 million to $195.5 million. Saunders said that ISC sold slightly below 80 percent of its seating capacity for Sprint Cup events, compared with 90-95 percent in previous years. The weighted average ticket price was down 3 percent.(Scene Daily) Johnson gets a street named after him: Move over, Dr. Johnson. A more famous Johnson is about to pass you by. A quarter-mile stretch of Johnson Avenue in El Cajon, California - a street named for an East County pioneer - will soon be re-christened in honor of stock car champion and El Cajon native Jimmie Johnson. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to rename part of the two-mile street Jimmie Johnson Way. What won't change: the 40-mph speed limit on the thoroughfare by Westfield Parkway Plaza. Racing fan Linda Valdez of La Mesa reminded the council that Johnson has been honored as Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year and NASCAR Driver of the Decade. "The only thing missing was an honor from his hometown, El Cajon," she said. Officials are hoping for a dedication ceremony in October with Johnson, the only driver to win four straight NASCAR championships.(San Diego Union Tribune) Furniture Row, RCR expected to finalize alliance: UPDATE 2: #78-Furniture Row Racing will put the finishing touches on its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing this week. A meeting is scheduled on Friday between principles of the two companies in hopes to strengthened the single car operation at FRR and in essence create a satellite fourth car for RCR. "While the team may look the same on the outside, eternally we're much stronger," said Joe Garone, general manager of Furniture Row Racing. "One of the assets with the alliance with Richard Childress is our ability to be secure in the top 35."During the last quarter, we decided we needed to run the full season. Around May or June, we realized how much it hurt us not to run the full season. We can race on the Furniture Row sponsorship, but it wouldn't allow us to expand to a second car. Our primary goal is to have the #78 team run at 100 percent efficiency." FRR will continue its partnership with Kevin Harvick Inc., with the pit crew. FRR contracts the over-the-wall crew who work at KHI full-time and pit Harvick's Nationwide Series cars.(Fox Sports) UPDATE: On the surface it looks basically the same. But behind the scenes it's a whole new look for the Furniture Row Racing team, which made significant personnel moves during the offseason as it readies to return to a full 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in 2010. The team's driver (Regan Smith), car number (78) and car manufacturer (Chevy) remain the same for the new campaign, which kicks off Sunday Feb. 14 with NASCAR's traditional season opener -- the Daytona 500. But when you get beyond the driver, car make and car number, the Denver-based Furniture Row team is quite different than it has been in recent years. For starters, more than 20 new employees were hired during the offseason, increasing the team's growing staff to more than 60. Along with the new hires, Furniture Row Racing went even a step further to enhance its program by forming a technical and engineering alliance with Richard Childress Racing. "Being a single-car team against the mega, multicar teams has put us at a huge disadvantage over the years," said Garone. "Now that we have formed an alliance with RCR, we will have the ability to be secured in the top 35 and keep a better pace with the other multicar teams. RCR has always been a leader and a winner, and we are proud to be affiliated with Richard Childress and his outstanding organization."(Furniture Row Racing PR) UPDATE 2: Furniture Row General Manager Joe Garone told Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody that as part of the team's new technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, Childress is now an owner of FRR. Garone said the details of the technical alliance are not fully ironed out, but will give the team a major boost in engineering. He confirmed that the team will not utilize Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines, choosing instead to continue their relationship with Hendrick Engines. The Woods Of Virginia – Part 8: A.J.'s Revenge By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com The Wood Brothers Racing Team has been one of the backbones of NASCAR since the sport was founded. The Woods, from Stuart, Va., have been racing continuously in the division now known as Sprint Cup since 1953 and have 96 wins to their credit. In a RacinToday exclusive series, Eddie Wood, one of the second-generation members of the team, discusses what he considers the top 10 wins in Wood Brothers history. The wins aren't ranked in any particular order. This week's entry recalls the team's triumph in 1972 Daytona 500. — This race was a case of the Woods and their driver A.J. Foyt taking care of some unfinished business from the '71 Daytona 500. In the '71 race, Foyt, driving the Wood's No. 21, a Mercury Cyclone fastback car, led six times for 36 laps. But just as he was about to make his next-to-last pit stop, with 40 laps to go, the speedy Mercury sputtered just as it went down the front straightaway. "It was too late for A.J. to wheel it onto pit road," Glen Wood recalled. "He had to coast all the way around the track. It seemed like it took him forever." But he did make it back, and the Woods gassed him up and sent him on his way. "He passed the leader and got back in the same lap, and we knew that if there was a caution, he could make up the distance and have a chance to race for the win," Wood said. The Woods thought they were getting the break they needed when Dave Marcis blew an engine on the backstretch with 17 laps to go, but for some reason, the caution never flew. Wood said he heard later that there was disagreement in the control booth between the Bill Frances – Junior and Senior. Still, Foyt finished third behind Richard Petty and his teammate Buddy Baker, and when he pulled into the garage, the press was there wanting to know how he felt about the Woods, known for the their mastery of all things involving pit stops, letting him run out of fuel. "A.J. told them that was between him and the crew and that he had no problem," Wood said. "Naturally he was hurt and upset, but he took it very well. He's a racer and he understood." Wood pointed out that it could have been much worse if they'd stopped a lap earlier then run out on the final lap of the race. For the 1972 race, the Woods switched to a 1971 Mercury Montego, a body style that proved to be much more stable than the fastback '69, and more maneuverable in the draft. Eddie Wood was a student at Danville Community College that February, and for reasons he can't recall, he was driving the Country Squire station wagon that served as the team's crew transport vehicle. He left Danville for Stuart to pick up the crew and encountered an especially heavy snowstorm. "I didn't have enough sense to put on tire chains, so I was several hours late getting there," he said. "But I picked up the guys at the shop and we got to Daytona early Thursday morning." Young Eddie's delayed trip from Danville to Stuart turned out to be the team's only hiccup of Speedweeks. Foyt battled the Wood's greatest Daytona challenger, Richard Petty, for the first 80 laps, swapping the lead 11 times before Petty dropped out with engine problems. Foyt led from Lap 81 all the way to 200 and set a then-record race pace of 161.550 miles per hour. In a race known for its close finishes, it was a runaway, as second-place Charlie Glotzbach was almost two laps down at the finish. The win was significant for many reasons. It gave Foyt a Daytona 500 win to go alongside his three Indy 500s at that point as well as his triumph in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And it was the Woods' third Daytona 500 victory, the first two coming with Tiny Lund in 1963 and Cale Yarborough in 1968. The winning car went on to deliver numerous other victories for the Woods, some with Foyt behind the wheel and even more with David Pearson. That same car, in its original state, was brought out of the Darlington museum two years ago, tuned up by Leonard Wood and driven by David Pearson during an exhibition at Darlington Raceway. It now is headed to a new home – the soon-to-open NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. Glen Wood said his team's days with Foyt were some of its best. Although some in the sport told them beforehand that Foyt was difficult to deal with, that wasn't the case for them. "People said we'd never get along with him," Wood said. "But we had absolutely no problem with him. "Of course we had a good car and good crew and were running good and winning races." Part time still works for Wood team By Steve Waid - ThatsRacin.com Contributor When Glen and Leonard Wood began their NASCAR odyssey in 1953 with two races in which Glen drove, it's unlikely they had any idea their fledgling team would remain intact for 57 years. But it has. And it has gained more than its share of glory. Throughout the 1960s and '70s, the Woods had one of the most successful stock car racing teams in history. With drivers such as Marvin Panch, Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison, A.J. Foyt and David Pearson, the Wood name became synonymous with victory and innovation. The team never bothered to compete for a championship. Instead it ran only the superspeedways with a few exceptions. It was acknowledged as the best on the big tracks. For example, Pearson won 11 of 18 races in 1973, seven of 19 in 1974 and 10 of 22 in 1976. But time seemed to pass by the Woods. Even with the onslaught of multicar organizations that eventually became the new NASCAR powerhouses, the team chose to field a single car out of its shops in the hamlet of Stuart, Va. With Kyle Petty aboard, the Woods ran the full schedule for the first time in 1985. From that year through 2007, the last season in which they competed on the full schedule, they earned only five victories and didn't get a whiff at the championship. The Woods, under the guidance of Glen's sons Eddie and Len, made changes – perhaps not so much to excel but to survive. The team was relocated to Harrisburg, N.C. It has a technical relationship with Roush Yates engine enterprise. It has been, for two years now, what it once was – a small, one-car entity that competes on a limited schedule and mainly on the superspeedways. It will be so again in 2010. The Woods have announced that their team will compete in 13 Cup races with Bill Elliott, who has been the driver since 2007. Eddie Wood has explained that competing on a limited schedule has its advantages. The team has the ability to make the most of the revenue it has. It has more time to test and prepare for races, which gives it a better opportunity to put the best possible product on the track. He added that the team would like to return to full-time competition in 2011 if proper funding can be found. There is the argument that even with a limited schedule and more time for preparation, the Woods haven't accomplished much. The team has had only one top-five finish in three seasons, a third-place earned by Marcos Ambrose at Watkins Glen in 2008. It's been said that the team remains only a shadow of what it had once been. That may be, for now, but here's another way to look at Wood Brothers Racing. The team has been in existence for nearly six decades, almost from the dawn of NASCAR. It remains a family owned, one-car entity. It has never been part of a merger that put others in positions of authority, a sale to another party, an auction or bankruptcy. It has a most impressive heritage and legacy. It has been part of some of the most dramatic, thrilling races in NASCAR history, all of which have been duly recorded and will never be forgotten. It is a pillar of NASCAR's past, of what it meant to be successful in an era when it was simply team against team and not multicar corporation against multicar corporation. Today there's not another organization in NASCAR that can match all of that. Not one. Should RCR's black No. 3 return to NASCAR's Cup series? By Jeff Owens/scenedaily.com When Austin Dillon hits the track at Daytona in the Camping World Truck Series, he will be wheeling a black No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing.
The kind made famous by the late Dale Earnhardt.
Check that. It was not just famous, it was legendary; it was iconic. And if there is a word that means greater than legendary or greater than iconic, it was that, too.
Though Dillon will be driving a NASCAR truck instead of a Cup car, it is the color scheme and the combination that bears such significance.
Earnhardt drove a black No. 3 Chevy for most of his career. He made the look the most menacing, most mysterious, most intriguing combination in racing.
It was his car, and the way he drove it, that made him "The Intimidator" and "The Man in Black."
Childress still owns the rights to the number, and has used it from time to time since Earnhardt's death in 2001.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced a No. 3 Nationwide Series car for RCR in 2002. And Dillon, Childress' grandson, has used the No. 3 since he started racing, including in a handful of truck races last year.
Now the black No. 3 will be on the track every week as Dillon plans to run the full truck series schedule this season.
Though seeing the No. 3 on the side of a black truck is different than seeing it on a black car, the scheme still brings back vivid memories, especially for long-time Earnhardt fans.
So that begs the question, will a black No. 3 ever be raced in NASCAR's Cup series again?
Or, more importantly, should it?
Opinions vary greatly.
Kevin Harvick, who replaced Earnhardt at RCR after his death, says the No. 3 should be retired like famous numbers in other sports.
Teammate Jeff Burton says the No. 3 should absolutely be raced in the Cup series again – under the right circumstances.
"The 3 has a history to it and it has a heritage to it, and that history and heritage is not only linked to Dale Earnhardt but to Richard Childress Racing," Burton said. "They collectively made the 3 a symbol of success and a commitment to do everything it took to win. … It is such a huge part of our sport, it should only be back in the right situation."
What is the right situation?
"I don't know," Burton says. "It has to be a special situation. … With Richard Childress involved, the Earnhardt legacy has to be involved, all those things have to come together. If all those things come together, it is not only a good thing to do, it is the right thing to do."
The perfect scenario, of course, is for Earnhardt Jr. to move to Richard Childress Racing and drive a black No. 3.
That may or may not be a possibility. If Earnhardt Jr. turns things around at Hendrick Motorsports, he likely will end his career there.
If he doesn't? Who knows?
Childress says he has no plans to ever bring the black No. 3 back to the Cup series, but also adds, "You never say never. You never know what we may do."
He agrees that it would have to be the perfect situation, something with an Earnhardt involved.
"If an Earnhardt comes along some day, a grandson or a great grandson or whatever, you never know," he says.
But should it come back?
Some fans would love to see a black No. 3 race in the Cup series again, allowing them to relive the memories of Earnhardt's heroics.
Others hope it never returns, fearing that it would tarnish his legacy or just be too painful.
If you're a die-hard Earnhardt fan, where do you stand?
Personally, I'd love to see it come back. It would be good for the sport, giving long-time fans another chance to remember a legend, and newer fans the chance to learn about the Earnhardt mystique and one of NASCAR's greatest eras.
The black No. 3 was a symbol of excellence and an iconic image.
That still has a place in the sport. Keselowski keeps fighting for success By Greer Smith, High Point Enterprise, N.C. Jan. 29--By his own admission, Brad Keselowski says if you go to the right sources, you wouldn't be surprised that he got into feuds with Denny Hamlin and others last year even though he was a rookie on the Cup circuit. "It depends if you talk to my middle school principal or not," Keselowski said. Remember that baby-face guy who didn't back down in school. That's Keselowski, a Michigan native who will turn 26 two days before making his first start in the Daytona 500. "I was always a fighter," Keselowski said. "I was involved in some scuffles." Last year, after scoring an unexpected first victory at Talladega driving for James Finch and being boosted by success on the Nationwide circuit, Keselowski got into enough scuffles that he was called in the office of NASCAR headmaster Brian France to be scolded about overaggressive driving. The meeting came during the fall Cup weekend at Phoenix, after he wrecked Hamlin as part of ongoing on-track disagreements. Hamlin carried out a promise to wreck Keselowski the following week at Homestead, noting that Keselowski had ruffled the feathers of several drivers. "There's always been a part of me when I get in a competitive mood, I don't take any crap," Keselowski said. "I've got a pretty good attitude when I get out of the car. But when I'm in it, I get a little mean sometimes. That's what's fun to me. That's why I love racing, because it has the ability to pull that out of me." What it pulls out is a streak that sounds a little bit like Dale Earnhardt. "There's amusement to it," Keselowski said. "I enjoy the fun of pulling up behind somebody and he looks in the mirror and says, 'Oh, not him.' But, I don't enjoy the media part of it." Keselowski claims that he has always been that way since he won the first time he sat in a race car. Some of the swagger went away while he drove for an underfunded NASCAR Truck Series team fielded by his father Ron, a former ARCA racer, and then for a Nationwide Series team that folded in 2007. "I got into a period where the money ran out," the younger Keselowski said. "I was winning, but the money ran out. So, where do you go from there? I took underfunded rides that didn't have a shot at winning. It took that enthusiasm or confidence away for about three or four years. That changed me as a person." The confidence returned after Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave him a trial in the Nationwide Series. Keselowski stuck with JR Motorsports and won twice in 2008. He was so impressive that Earnhardt's partner in the Nationwide team, Rick Hendrick, gave Keselowski a shot in some Cup races last season -- some of them through Finch's team. In addition to the Talladega victory, Keselowski also posted four Nationwide wins. He also showed that he would not back off for older drivers, an eye-catching change of character from the days he drove non-competitive cars and didn't make waves. "When I started winning again, I almost returned to myself," he said. "I don't think I've changed. I got my confidence back and some swagger in my step." This year, he'll get to use the swagger for Roger Penske in both the Cup and Nationwide series. Keselowski decided to jump over to Penske as the replacement for David Stremme when it became apparent that Hendrick wouldn't have an opening in one of his Cup cars for at least a couple of years. Keselowski's penchant for not backing down from controversy seems to clash with Penske's conservative, business-like approach. "What I've seen from the company is that they are OK with it as long as you are not a jerk about it," Keselowski said. "And, I don't feel that I am, even though that's not to say I haven't had verbal diarrhea once in a while. "You have to have a level of confidence to feel that you belong here and can do this job. ... I feel with confidence, I can do anything in a car. The sky is the limit and I'm not going to change that." David Ragan knows he's on the hot seat at Roush Fenway Racing, but he's confident he can handle it By Bob Pockrass/scenedaily.com David Ragan doesn't intend to be on the hot seat for much of the 2010 Sprint Cup season. But he knows the reality of the situation when a driver enters his fourth year at Roush Fenway Racing, is coming off a disappointing year and entering the final year of his contract. After finishing 13th in the standings in 2008, Ragan stumbled to 27th in 2009. Another year like that and Ragan might not be back in the No. 6 UPS car in 2011? Ragan knows questions about his performance and his future are being asked and will become more frequent if he doesn't get off to a strong start this season. He's trying not to think about it but isn't naive to his situation. "If we have some bad races and we're struggling where we were a year ago, I'll have some tough questions to answer," Ragan says. "But I try not to think about those side of things. If that happens, I'll be ready to handle it. I'll be able to take the heat however the heat comes. "But as a racer, a competitor, as someone who knows how to win, we feel positive we can get the job done. You just go out there and do your job." It seems that Ragan is taking a mature approach to the season despite being just 24 years old. Maybe getting ripped by Tony Stewart early in his career makes handling the heat a little easier. Maybe having a great season in his second full year of Cup racing gives him confidence that people still believe in him. But having a new crew chief in veteran Donnie Wingo and being part of a Roush Fenway organization that believes it has made strides during the off-season is what makes Ragan comfortable and looking forward to 2010. "I wouldn't say I'm nervous," Ragan says. "I would be nervous if things didn't change from last year. We made changes based on things that didn't go right or things that went well and tried to improve that. If we were going into this year with the same gut feeling as I had toward the middle or end of last year, absolutely I would be scared. "But our No. 6 team had a face lift, has a new crew chief, a new engineer. Not only on our 6 team, but Roush Fenway as a whole. Everybody is encouraged." Ragan said he needs to win a race. He has made 110 career Cup starts highlighted by three finishes of third. Last year, he won two Nationwide Series races. Winning races is his primary goal, more so than making the Chase or a specific points position. "I'm not a championship-caliber racer right now – I don't know how to race for a championship because I haven't been quite there in the Chase," Ragan said. "But I know how to win races, and we can win races." Ragan's biggest problem last year was the handling of his car. Ragan and crew chief Jimmy Fennig and the engineers couldn't get on the same page, Ragan said, making him feel like he couldn't drive the car as hard as he could without wrecking. Ragan also says he is to blame as much as anyone for those struggles. "As I driver, I cannot sit here and say I blame it on the car because I'm part of that equation," Ragan said. "I am the one that on Sunday morning, when they push the car on to pit road, there's nobody else except me and the good Lord driving that car. I don't have a passenger. I can't switch drivers halfway during the race. "I don't have anybody else to look at other than me." But when Ragan looks in the mirror, he sees a driver who believes in himself. "I have got the confidence that I had when I first strapped in a Bandolero car in 1997, that if I can go out and drive the hardest that I can and I'm driving a good race car, I can be as good as anybody on the track," Ragan said. "Part of that equation is myself, the crew chief, the engine department. It's such a big pool. "But I take full responsibility for that car not driving well or things happening because I am part of that puzzle. If I can take that responsibility, work hard on it every day, … if everyone does their jobs from the tire changer to the driver to the engineer to the engine tuner, we can be a championship-caliber team just like anybody in the garage. But first of all, I have to take care of my own red wagon and that's what I plan on doing." Through all the changes, Elliott still a racer at heart By Jared Turner, Special to NASCAR.COM
"The Rock" was still hosting Cup races, the Chase was nonexistent and the Car of Tomorrow was merely a project in the making when Bill Elliott last rolled into Victory Lane. So much has changed since Elliott's most recent triumph -- at North Carolina's Rockingham Speedway on Nov. 9, 2003 -- that it could seem like an eternity ago. Now 54 years old and set to continue his part-time role with the Wood Brothers Racing outfit in 2010, the 1988 Cup Series champion is considered to be in the twilight of his career. Just don't tell Elliott that. In a perfect world, Elliott, a native of Dawsonville, Ga., believes he could still hang with the big boys. Could he win races and contend for a title in, say, the No. 48 car of four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson? "Absolutely," Elliott said with only a little hesitation. "I think if you had the equipment I think you could put it together. It may take you a little bit of time. It may not be just being plugged into a car. It may be the point of getting the right crew chief or a few of the right people around you to understand where you're going." Elliott unabashedly said he's as physically and mentally capable of wheeling a 3,500-pound stock car as he was two-plus decades ago, when he earned the moniker, "Awesome Bill," and solidified a place as one of the best drivers in the sport's history. Elliott remained mostly competitive up through 2003, when he went to Victory Lane in the penultimate Cup race at Rockingham. That also was his final full season before going to a partial schedule in '04. Elliott, who continues to race because "I just love the sport," rides dirt bikes and goes to the gym in an effort to stay in top condition. "I think age is just a number," said Elliott, his hair bearing little evidence of gray. "I don't feel no different than I did in my 30s. For me now, I don't see it any differently. I mean, I go to the race track, it's the same mechanics as it's always been. "You just understand more at this age. You know of the things you fight, some of the things you've got to look forward to, some of the things you don't look forward to but it's still a part of the sport." While Elliott has been in "semiretirement" for more than half a decade, he isn't ready to completely walk away from the life that has afforded him 44 wins -- including two Daytona 500 trophies -- and more than $44 million in earnings. Asserting that he hasn't "thought retirement yet," Elliott wants to make the most of his time with the Wood Brothers despite being handicapped by a dearth of funding. Plans call for Elliott to attempt 12 points races for the second consecutive year. Elliott joined the Wood Brothers to drive the in the iconic No. 21 Ford in 2007 with a 20-race slate. "They're just such a good group of guys and so much fun to drive for," Elliott said. "When you walk in the shop or walk in the track and the race track, everybody's smiling and having a good time." Elliott pieced together a solid 2009, considering his team's limited budget and frequent issues on pit road. He posted five finishes inside the top 20 and qualified in the top 10 five times Those aren't the kind of numbers enjoyed last season by Mark Martin, who at age 50 came out of semiretirement to win five races and finish runner-up in the standings for Hendrick Motorsports. But Elliott also doesn't mind pushing the limits. Perhaps that's why he just grins when discussing his dirt-biking escapades. "I fall off of them every now and then, break some ribs every now and then," he said, laughing. Elliott is no less eager to strap in his Cup ride on Sundays. "He's still a racer," team co-owner Len Wood said, noting how Elliott often scorned his crew last season after slow pit stops. "He likes doing this. And he's not ready to quit yet." The Wood Brothers hope to return to full-time competition as early as 2011, sponsorship permitting. Elliott could be along for the ride. "I think it would help me and I think it would them, but to do it for the next five years, I don't think that's in the cards," he said. "But to do it for a year or two might work." Elliott still imagines how it would feel to win again, too. "I'd probably do cartwheels like the commercial with Mark Martin trying to do what Carl Edwards does," he said, referring to Edwards' trademark victory back flip. "That'd be something to see, I'm sure." Tom Higgins Scuffs Cope rewarded as Earnhardt is denied in 1990 EDITOR'S NOTE: In the run-up to the 2010 Daytona 500, Tom Higgins reflects on key races from each decade. This installment, the fourth of a five-part series, is about the 1990 race, won by Derrike Cope.
"Even after 20 years, I can close my eyes and still feel the sun shining warmly on my face in Victory Lane," Derrike Cope said recently.
Even after 20 years, I still hardly can believe the sight that unfolded on Feb. 18, 1990, at Daytona International Speedway for millions of eyes to see.
With only a mile to go in the Daytona 500, leader Dale Earnhardt, who had dominated NASCAR's most important race, suddenly, stunningly slowed.
Cope, running a close second on the 200th lap at the storied 2.5-mile Florida track, swept by Earnhardt's faltering car and took first place. The journeyman driver then held off former Cup champions Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott by mere feet in a dash to the checkered flag.
A crowd estimated at 150,000 and a national television audience watched in shock.
Ricky Rudd followed in fourth place and then, limping to the line in fifth, came Earnhardt.
Cope widely was rated the biggest surprise winner of a major event in all of motorsports history.
Derrike, 31 at the time, indirectly conceded to that during the Victory Lane proceedings.
"I absolutely can't believe it," he said in the celebratory moments immediately after his first Cup triumph. "Not in my wildest dreams ... This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
"Dale had dominated all race long and there was no way I was going to pass him. As the last lap began I was trying just to beat Terry and Bill for second place.
"Then, Dale had a tire suddenly go down and he slowed up. A bunch of stuff was coming from under his car. The tire was shredding. He did a heck of a job holding onto the car."
While roaring down the backstretch, Earnhardt had run over a sharp piece of bell housing that had fallen off a lapped car.
"I hit some debris right in front of the chicken-bone grandstands," said Earnhardt, referring to the cheaper seats. "I heard a piece of it hit the bottom of the car and then hit the right-rear, and the tire popped.
"You can't see all that stuff on the track in time to miss it. I was just sitting there in complete control. None of them could have got by me."
Earnhardt, driving a Chevrolet Lumina fielded by Richard Childress Racing, had led 155 laps, 146 more than anyone else. He once rolled to a whopping advantage of 30 seconds, leading the Motor Racing Network anchor Eli Gold to say, "Dale is in another area code."
Indeed, Earnhardt looked to be home free to win the Daytona 500 for the first time in a career that by then had produced 39 victories and three Cup championships.
However, on the 193rd lap, a rival's spin forced a yellow flag. All the front-runners pitted except Cope and Bobby Hillin. Earnhardt stopped and took on four tires.
When the restart came on Lap 196, the running order was Cope, Hillin, Earnhardt, Labonte and Elliott.
Earnhardt immediately powered back into the lead. Cope, also driving a Chevrolet, was able to hang onto Earnhardt's bumper in the draft, staying in position should there be a miracle for him or a disaster for Dale.
There was: That metal shard that punctured the tire on Earnhardt's famous, black No. 3 Chevrolet.
"Dale moved up about a half lane," continued Cope. "I figured that him slowing so suddenly was going to cause a big chain-reaction pile-up in the third turn. I was waiting for someone to hit me.
"When that didn't happen, I just turned that baby of mine left and said, 'Please stick!' "
Cope's No. 10 Chevy owned by Bob Whitcomb held traction.
But his crew, led by colorful veteran Buddy Parrott, didn't know that. They couldn't see Turn 3 from pit road.
"I've been in racing a long time and I thought I had developed an ear for crowd reactions," said Parrott. "When I heard the screams and saw the fans jumping around, I hung my head.
"I said to myself, 'Well, I guess we wrecked.' Then I saw that red-and-white car of ours coming down the track, and before I knew it the boys on our team were pounding on me in excitement."
Parrott laughed.
"I've always wanted to go out on top, so I want to announce my retirement. ... Nah, I'm going to stick around to enjoy this. It's truly quite a deal."
While the Whitcomb team rejoiced, Earnhardt and his crew coped in the garage area with deep disappointment.
"We outrun 'em all day," said Earnhardt, who had remained in his car for a bit to compose himself. "They didn't beat us. They lucked into it.
"But give Derrike credit. He ran a good race. He was sitting there poised to win if something happened. I can't believe it did happen, but you never take anything for granted in racing. I never thought I had it in the bag. At the end, I was just counting off the corners ..."
He never got to count the last two, at least not as the leader.
"What a heart-breaker," said Childress. "We've come close in this race the last few years and had something happen to deny us right near the finish. But this one really stings.
"I'm sure all of us are going to be sick a couple times tonight."
Childress revealed that the culprit – the piece of metal that cut the tire – had been retrieved and given to him.
"Waddell Wilson (Rudd's crew chief) found the thing," said Childress. "It had bounced up off the track and stuck in the radiator of Ricky's car."
Cope also was to receive a piece of the broken bell housing a bit later. He had run over the debris, too, cutting a tire in three places so deeply it likely wouldn't have held together another lap.
During the victor's interview in the press box, Cope remained humbled.
"I know you folks are stunned," he said. "I'm stunned.
"I'm not exactly a big name in this sport. I'll admit before anyone that I have a long way to go. I need a lot more experience."
The fabulous feat by such a long shot drew attention far beyond the realm of NASCAR followers.
Telegrams poured in from all over, including one from Joao Pereira Bastos, then Portugal's ambassador to the United States. Cope has some Portuguese-Cherokee ancestry through his mother, the late Delores Marie Azevado Cope.
Said the ambassador's wire: "I salute the Portuguese in you and claim part of your success on behalf of the country of your ancestors. Portugal was once second to none on the high seas. I am glad that it is now winning on the race track."
No NASCAR driver ever has been honored similarly.
"It's overwhelming," Cope said at the time. "I'm extremely thankful."
But for a knee injury Cope sustained, Portugal might have been praising him for playing pro baseball instead of driving a race car.
As a catcher at Whitman College in 1978 in Washington state, where he grew up, Cope was considered a top prospect.
"My dream of signing a contract was lost when I blew out my left knee in a collision at home plate," said Cope.
Derrike then turned to motorsports. He made his first Cup start at California's old Riverside Raceway road course in 1982. He made a brief run for rookie of the year in '87.
He secured a regular ride in '88, but listed only 48 big-time starts prior to going to Daytona in 1990. He had a single top five finish and 12 more in the top 10.
He'd started the Daytona 500 just twice previously. This caused whispers that his win was a "fluke."
Cope quieted that on June 3, 1990, when he impressively made up a lost lap to triumph again, mounting a charge to take the Budweiser 500 at demanding Dover Downs.
Cope appeared to be on his way. But the victory in Delaware proved to be his last in the series.
Rides became scarce and sponsorship hard to gain in ensuing years.
But through the intervening two decades Cope has persevered to continue a motorsports career, competing in each of NASCAR's three major series.
For this year, Cope and Dale Clemons formed Stratus Racing. The team expects to field Nationwide Series and Truck series entries. Cope plans to drive.
Cope also will run a limited ARCA Series schedule. When he isn't entered, the team plans to enter some ARCA events with his nieces, Amber and Angela Cope driving.
The Earnhardt story has become legendary. He continued as a championship contender and winner well into the 1990s. But victory in the Daytona 500 eluded him despite repeated strong runs.
Finally, in 1998, after 20 years of trying, Earnhardt dramatically captured the Daytona trophy that he wanted more than any other.
Just three years later Earnhardt, a winner of 76 races and a record-tying seven championships, lost his life in a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500.
At the time of the crash, Earnhardt was running third behind Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Both drivers were in Chevrolets owned and fielded by Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Many fans rank Earnhardt's stirring triumph in 1998 as the great race's most memorable, a standing it could keep for a long time.
And Cope's conquest in the Daytona 500 two decades ago? It is just as likely to continues as the race's biggest upset.
Cope, a gentlemanly, gracious driver, undoubtedly will feel the Florida sun of Feb. 18, 1990, warm on his face forever.
Jamie McMurray can defy doubters with success at EGR Kris Johnson/scenedaily.com Jamie McMurray seemed genuinely excited during the Charlotte Motor Speedway media tour on Thursday about the prospect of having just one teammate in Juan Pablo Montoya at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Conventional thinking in NASCAR dictates that bigger is better, especially when it comes to the number of teams in your organization. For McMurray, that clearly wasn't the case at Roush Fenway Racing. He languished there, failing to meet lofty expectations while finishing no better than 16th in points in any of the past four seasons. Whether McMurray can enjoy the type of success he formerly had with Chip Ganassi – he was on the cusp of making what was then a 10-driver Chase between 2003-05 with points finishes of 13th, 11th and 12th, respectively – remains to be seen at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Being paired with Montoya, whom McMurray said dumped him at Bristol last year and triggered a brief spat between the two, could potentially be a benefit given the No. 42 team's success last season. But the Sprint Cup car's new spoiler – and how all teams adjust to it, not just those at EGR – could derail the progress made by Montoya last year. There won't be as much information to draw from, obviously, with a two-car outfit compared to what McMurray had at Roush Fenway Racing. He is more than OK with that, based on his words Thursday, and seemed happy to be moving away from the information overload that occasionally resulted from having so many different voices in play. At 33, this would appear to be McMurray's last best chance to realize the potential so many – including Jack Roush – saw in him back in 2006 when he was lured away from Ganassi. If he can do it with one teammate at EGR, it would strike a certain blow to the bigger-is-better philosophy.
Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain,
Your Nascar Momma Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." -Dale Earnhardt - 1998 | 
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