News reports are saying that Kobalt Tools will be taking over as new series sponsor for the NASCAR Truck Series starting in 2009. Craftman Tools has been the series sponsor since the NASCAR Truck series started back in 1995, but will not renew their contact after this year.
Nascar has also been talking to NAPA Auto Parts and Stanley Tools as title sponsors but Kobalt seems to be the front runner, with a reported cost to title series rights to be in the mid to high seven figure range. This will include advertising commitments on Speed channel, the home of the Truck Series TV broadcast.
Kobalt Tools has ties to NASCAR with Jimmie Johnson and Lowes sponsorship. The deal could also give Kobalt Tools the title of "Official Tools of NASCAR" and with Lowes being the "Official Home Improvement Store of NASCAR" which is currently held by The Home Depot, who's deal also runs out at the end of the year
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
New Sponsor For NASCAR Truck Series
Monday, July 14, 2008
RYAN NEWMAN LEAVING PENSKE
Penske Racing announced that driver of the #12 Alltel Dodge, Ryan Newman will not be returning to the team after the 2008 season.
"We want to thank Ryan for his hard work and contributions to Penske Racing over the past nine years" said owner Roger Penske "We wish Ryan all the best for the future and we'll continue to focus out efforts on making the Chase with Ryan and the Alltel Dodge team this season"
No announcement has been made for a replacement in the #12 Alltel Dodge, but according to Penske Racing a driver will be named soon.
Rumors around the garage area are saying that Newman will be in a 2nd car at the newly formed Stewart/Hass Racing team. ESPN is reporting that the deal between Stewart and Newman is already done and an announcement will be made at Indianapolis in 2 weeks.
Newman has said there are 3 serious options, and that one is part ownership of a team.
It was no secret the Newman has been unhappy with the performance of his team as of late. He said the team has made some improvements, but not enough to challenge for a championship.
Kyle Busch Completes Weekend Sweep With LifeLock.com 400 Victory
JOLIET, ILL. (July 12, 2008)NASCAR MEDIA.COM
Kyle Busch is hoping his good-luck streak continues.
Other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are hoping some of his good fortune rubs off on them.
After Busch led a race-high 165 laps in Saturday night's LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, defending series champion Jimmie Johnson took the lead for the first time with 17 laps to go. Busch figured Johnson was heading to Victory Lane, especially after Johnson drove away on a restart.
But David Gilliland's blown engine brought out another caution with just five laps remaining. And Busch took advantage of a slow restart, laying on Johnson's bumper and zipping past the two-time champion down the backstretch with just two laps left.
He continued his incredible Cinderella season, winning in NASCAR's top division for the seventh time this season for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Many in the garage area would say that's what's known as making your own luck, or the most of an opportunity, something Busch has certainly done this year.
He also has won five times in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and twice in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He led more laps than anyone in his latest effort and his only snafu of the balmy night occurred when he drove through the grassy part of the tri-oval and got his No. 18 M&M's Toyota stuck in the mud.
His crew gladly pushed him out and Busch seemed incredulous that he got by Johnson at the end.
"I don't know how I did that," he said. "I sort of gave up on myself when I lost the lead but those guys over there (his jubilant pit crew) didn't give up."
Trailing Busch and Johnson at the finish were Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Martin Truex, Jr., and Ryan Newman.
Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon was 11th after 267 laps. Neither Gordon nor Dale Earnhardt, Jr., were factors in the race. Earnhardt finished 16th, just ahead of Mark Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya.
Carl Edwards, who appeared to have a solid shot at winning, came to the pits on Lap 237 thinking he had a flat tire. It turned out his splitter on the front of his No. 99 Office Depot Ford broke and was hitting the track. He was never a factor afterwards, finishing 32nd, a lap behind the leaders.
There were nine caution periods during the race, several for debris. One of the debris cautions occurred on Lap 237 when Paul Menard ran into the rear end of Jason Leffler's car, knocking the rear valance off Leffler's car and into the middle of the track.
The race started after a spectacular flyover by four F-14's and a driver's meeting at which “The King”, Richard Petty, was recognized for his 50 years in the sport. The popular Petty, holder of many NASCAR records including most victories (200) and seven series championships, received a rousing standing ovation from his peers when introduced.
Things didn't start nearly as well for J. J. Yeley. His car was held until after the green flag waved due to a pre-race weight rule infraction.
David Reutimann also started the race on a down note when Leffler squeezed him into the wall after just a few laps.
The younger Busch took over like one of the F-14's, racing away to a comfortable lead in the early stages. He was the class of the field when NASCAR waved a mandatory caution on Lap 35 lap to allow the teams an opportunity to check tire wear. Rain on Thursday and Friday night had turned the race track green, leaving no rubber on it.
When racing resumed on Lap 40, Busch took up where he left off, but Edwards stayed with him. Edwards badgered Busch for several laps before passing him at Lap 45.
Denny Hamlin's No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota shut off at Lap 48, prompting a second caution, which helped Burton, who had dropped way back in the field after missing his pit stall on the first caution.
After pit stops, Gordon took the lead by not pitting. He was trailed by Biffle, Vickers, Newman and Busch.
Hamlin came back on the track after a trip to the garage where his crew switched ignition panels. The trip cost him four laps.
Biffle passed Gordon for the lead on Lap 58 and the top 10 included Vickers in third, then Busch, Stewart, Edwards, Kenseth, Johnson, Truex, Jr., and Harvick.
By 100 laps, Stewart had taken the lead and Truex was threatening to do so.
The third caution of the race waved on Lap 111 when Michael Waltrip fell victim to a miscue out of turn four by Patrick Carpentier, whose car slid into the wall right in front of Waltrip. When Waltrip backed off, Burton nipped him in the rear, sending him on a spin through the grassy infield.
Busch worked his way back to the front by Lap 20 while Kenseth fell back in the field with a flat tire and unscheduled pit stop.
Stewart was second with young David Ragan third. The two Red Bull Racing Toyotas with Allmendinger and Vickers were next in line.
At the halfway point of 130 laps, Edwards was sixth, Harvick seventh and Martin eighth. Johnson and Biffle rounded out the top 10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., was running back in 19th position and did not appear to be a factor at this point in the race.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
OLD SCHOOL RACING SERIES STILL GOING ON STRONG
The Old School Racing Series is still going on after some delays from sponsorships deals; the series will indeed make the first start at Music City Motorplex on July 18th 2009. The event called “The Old School – Racing Reunion.com Shootout” will be the inaugural start for the new series.
OSR, in conjunction with RacersReunion.com, will bring the July 18th
event live to the web with the veteran racing analyst Randy Pemberton
in the broadcast booth with many special guest that will bring the
fans racing stories that may never be heard again. Fans not attending
the event will be able to view it live in it’s entirety at
www.RacersReunion.com.
Some of the greatest drivers of all time have been slated to compete
in this long anticipated inaugural event. Harry Gant, Sterling
Marlin, Geoff Bodine, Dave Marcis, Jack Ingram, Larry Pollard,
Charlie Glotzbach, Joe Ruttman, Tommy Houston, Mike Alexander, and
Randy LaJoie will treat racing fans to a night of racing they’ll
never forget.
Drivers will be available for autographs between qualifying and race
time. Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm and the green flag
drops for the Shootout at 8:30 pm. One of the must see events during
the live broadcast will be a round table discussion with four of
these racing legends. It will be hosted by Randy Pemberton and is
sure to bring out some great stories from these “old school” drivers.
“It’s great to finally give the fans something they’ve wanted to
see,” said OSR Managing Partner Gene Weaver. “These guys are my
hero’s and putting these legends back on the track is not just a
thrill for the fans, but also to everyone involved in the Old School
Racing Series. We’re excited about this opportunity to bring this
inaugural event to the fans along with RacersReunion.com and our
sponsors.”
This special event will also serve as the national launch of the
“Suitcase Jake Commemorative Fund” established to raise money for
Jake Elder, one of motor racings true living legends. The “Jake Elder
Crew Chief of the Race Award,” sponsored by Darrell Waltrip, will go
to the winning car’s crew chief. In addition, OSR will offer, for
sale at the track and on their website (www.osrct.com), a “Suit Case
Jake” commemorative coin. All proceeds from the sale of the coin
will go to assist Jake.
“One of our goals at Old School Racing is to establish the Retired
Racers Foundation to help support retired racers that may need some
extra help,” said OSR Managing Partner Gene Weaver. “Pioneers of
racing, like Jake Elder, did not get the huge paychecks that these
guys get today, yet they paved the way and we want to try to pay them
back for everything they have done for this sport. Helping “old
school” racers is a lofty goal, but one that is long overdue.”
“We’re thrilled to be able to participate in this event with OSR,”
said Jeff Gilder, of the RacersReunion Network. “Our goal is to bring
recognition to the roots of stock car racing and to keep these
legends of the sport in front of their fans. This is a perfect fit
for us.”
Tickets for the event start at just $15.00 and can be purchased
online at www.ticketmaster.com. And the three hour-live broadcast can
be seen for FREE at www.RacersReunion.com.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
ITS OFFICAL STEWART/HASS RACING in 2009
ESPN.com is reporting that #20 Cup driver Tony Stewart has been granted a release from the final year of his contact at Joe Gibbs Racing. It is reported that Stewart will make an announcement on Wednesday about his leaving Joe Gibbs Racing.
On Thursday at Chicagoland Speedway it is believed he will make a formal announcement on his move to HASS/CNC Racing, and that he will be a co-owner and driver, with the team being renamed to Stewart/Hass Racing in 2009.
ESPN reports that Stewart's deal will make him the highest paid driver ever in NASCAR. Is is thought that Tony Stewart will carry the #14, which was made famous in Indy Car by Stewart's hero AJ Foyt, the number is currently available in the Sprint Cup Series, but the number change is not confirmed yet.
Stewart will have a 50% stake in the organization, but what his out of pocket investment is was not reported
No sponsors have been announced yet, but talk is that Office Depot is involved. Driver Ryan Newman is said to be the lead candidate to drive Stewart Haas' second car, but no confirmation has been made yet.
The new Stewart Haas team will continue to receive chassis and engines from Hendrick Motorsports. No word yet on the fate of current HASS/CNC drivers, Scott Riggs and Johnny Sauter, they are ranked 36th and 44th in the NASCAR Cup Owner Standings.
Tony Stewart will be able to use his Champion Provisional for the first 5 races of 2009 if the current team standings do not improve to above the 35th place in Owner standings.
UPDATE: A formal announcement is expected on Thursday. Fans can watch the news conference live on NASCAR.COM at 2:30 p.m. ET
UP TO SPEED
Some news to get you up to speed this week:
The NASCAR Sprint Cup team of Martin Truex Jr was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3.8A (roof of the car does not conform to the specifications) of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rule book.
As a result, Truex Jr. and car owner Teresa Earnhardt have been penalized 150 championship driver and 150 championship owner points, respectively. Both the crew chief, Kevin Manion, and the car chief, Gary Putnam, have been suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, suspended from NASCAR until Aug. 27 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Additionally, Manion has been fined $100,000.
The infractions were discovered July 3 during opening day inspection.
JR Motorsports will be looking for a sponsor for Brad Keselowski next season after being informed that the Navy will not return as a sponsor for the Nationwide Series team. "We were informed last week that our sponsorship with the U.S. Navy will not renew at the end of the year,” team spokesman Mike Davis said Tuesday. “It's been an exceptional partnership since 2005, and we look forward to a strong finish to the season.”
Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway is reporting that Teresa Earnhardt has enlisted the services of Bear, Stearns and Company [actally there is no more Bear Stearns as JP Morgan acquired them] to find a buyer -- or at least a major financial investor -- for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Bear Stearns is an investment bank, securities trading and brokerage firm based in New York City, and has been charged with finding a buyer for the entire operation. Barring that, Earnhardt is said to be interested in selling at least a minority interest in the team. DEI president Max Siegel on Tuesday refuted the Internet report that company owner Teresa Earnhardt had commissioned investment banking firm Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. to locate a buyer or financial investment partner. "We have not engaged Bear, Stearns or Goldman Sachs or anyone else," Siegel said. "We are contacted all the time by outside firms about getting involved in the sport. We are not for sale right now. Nothing is imminent. Are we constantly weighing that as an option? Does that make sense? Quite frankly, we don't know," Siegel said. "Every team is looking for a way to bring in appropriate resources. Every single one. We haven't engaged anybody. People obviously approach us -- they're approaching everybody. We're looking to be around for a long time in future. We're feeling pretty damn good about where we're going, competition-wise." Siegel was forced to approach his driving corps with assurance that the team is currently not for sale. "I have assured them it's not true," Siegel said. But reports also say that Siegel himself my have an interest in bying DEI.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Race Recap: Kyle Busch Takes Sixth Win In Daytona Thriller
From NASCARMEDIA.com
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. -- Fireworks started the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola Saturday night. Fireworks ended the race as well, both on and off the track.
In a wild and wooly finish so typical of races at Daytona International Speedway, Kyle Busch won by a whisker over hard-charging Carl Edwards with a chain-reaction accident behind them sending up a cloud of smoke that covered the track.
The race ended in a green, white, checkered finish after a spectacular night of racing that more resembled a Saturday night short track event where rubbing fenders and banging bumpers is a rule rather than exception. The bumping continued on a restart when Edwards tapped Gordon, who was second at the time, in the rear and sent him spinning off the track.
The untimely collision sent Gordon from second to 31st in the race rundown.
Following Busch and Edwards across the finish line were Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, David Ragan, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Brian Vickers, Mark Martin and Travis Kvapil.
Kasey Kahne was 11th after racing with the leaders most of the night before a sideswipe with another driver cut a tire and forced him to make an unscheduled pit stop.
Former Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish, Jr., was next after another impressive run. Hornish kept his Dodge in contention throughout the 160-lap event before being caught up in the late race melee that scattered car parts all over the track. Michael Waltrip, Dave Blaney, Paul Menard and several other drivers were a part of the domino-type accident at the end. So was J. J. Yeley, who kept the Home Depot Toyota in contention after relief driving for Tony Stewart, who was under the weather and had to climb out of his car shortly before the halfway point.
Denny Hamlin, winner of Friday night's NASCAR Nationwide race, ran with the fastest cars before a shunt with this year's Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman ended his chances. Newman's night wound up a nightmare. He was involved in three accidents, the last one crippling his already-damaged machine.
Hamlin wound up 30th with Newman 36th.
It was Busch's sixth win of the season and he managed to do it after almost spinning out himself. A mishap earlier in the race put him way back in the pack but he made it back to the front by the end. He heads to Chicago still leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup points chase by a comfortable margin.
After a spectacular pre-race show with typical Fourth of July fireworks and the rollout of an enormous American flag, Menard led the 43-car from the pole in his DEI Chevrolet. Fan favorite Earnhardt quickly moved into second place with Johnny Sauter third.
At Lap 10, Menard still led but all eyes were on the No. 20 of Tony Stewart, who spent several hours in the care center prior to the race trying to figure out why he felt a little out of sorts. Stewart moved from 17th starting position to seventh. Sauter fell off the pace since he used a qualifying setup to make the race as did sports car ace Boris Said, who went from seventh starting position to 41st after 20 laps.
Earnhardt passed Menard for the lead on Lap 20, just before A. J. Allmendinger blew a right front tire after starting the race on a qualifying setup.
After a pit stop that included the entire field, Kyle Busch came out first, trailed by Menard, Smith, Blaney, Ragan, Kvapil, Kenseth, Vickers, Kevin Harvick and Stewart on the 24th lap.
It didn't take long for NASCAR's best drivers to produce some fireworks of their own. With Kyle Busch still leading, guys swapped positions behind him every lap. At times, the first 20 cars were running so close together, a matter of inches separated them on all sides. Earnhardt streaked to the front on the 36th lap with Busch second, Blaney third and Stewart once again storming towards the front in third place. The top 10 included Martin, Vickers, Kahne, Gordon, Kenseth and Kvapil.
Ryan Newman got a little help from Jamie McMurray exiting turn two and spun off the corner bringing out a caution on the 43rd lap.
Fortunately, Newman's Dodge made no contact with the walls and continued the race.
When racing resumed, it was Busch and Earnhardt up front with Stewart, Martin and Gordon right behind. Menard had fallen well back in the pack. By Lap 55, Earnhardt was back up front again with Martin and Gordon in tow.
Greg Biffle and Juan Pablo Montoya got together on the 70th lap coming out of turn four to bring out another caution.
Stewart, too sick to continue, was replaced by Yeley. The driver switch shoved Yeley back to 39th but he remained on the lead lap. Johnson had the lead when the race resumed and before you could blink an eye, teammate Gordon got a shove from Earnhardt and took the lead.
Point leader Busch almost lost control just a lap past the halfway point and swerved all over the track before regaining control of his Toyota. He dropped from a top five spot to 37th.
