August 2006 Archives

In what is being touted as a first for a NASCAR driver, Jimmie Johnson is being featured in a series of Webisodes as a promotion for Levi Strauss. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hendrick Motorsports is featured with Lil JJ in three animated shows at www.LeviStraussSignature.com. The first premiered Aug. 9 and the third is scheduled to debut Sept. 12.

Matt Kenseth has won the past two NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races and won the February race at California Speedway. Coming into Sunday's race at California Speedway, I asked Kenseth what he thought his chances were of winning a third straight Cup race and pulling off a season sweep at California Speedway.
"I'd like to think they're good," Kenseth said.
He won the race at Michigan International Speedway two weeks ago. He followed that with a win at Bristol Motor Speedway. Michigan is a track similar in design to California Speedway. Both are 2-mile, D-shaped ovals.
"We have had good packages for those type of tracks," Kenseth said. "We ran really well the end of spring. We ran real good the first Michigan race (in June)."
In the Cup standings, Kenseth is seven point behind series leader Jimmie Johnson, who is also a winner at California Speedway. But Johnson has been struggling a bit in recent races and Kenseth has been winning.
"The season obviously feels a lot like it did in 2003," Kenseth said comparing this year to the year he won the Cup championship. In 2003, Kenseth won one race as compared to this year, when he's won four. "It's just our cars have been a lot more competitve."

The car David Gilliland will be driving in this weekend's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway is the same one the team took to Michigan International Speedway a few weeks ago. It was the same one that was fifth fastest in practice when the team unloaded and the same one that he crashed and didn't make it to the end of the race.
This will be Gilliland's third Cup race with Robert Yates Racing in the No. 38 Ford and his third race with crew chief with Todd Parrott.
Even though they have yet to finish a Cup race together, Gilliland said he is confident the car they are bringing to California Speedway will be fast and competitive.
"These people that are saying Robert Yates Racing is down, they're this or that. They're none of that," said Gilliland, a driver from Riverside who raced at Irwindale Speedway and other Southern California tracks while on the Southwest and West Series. "We're where we need to be. We're getting closer."
Parrott said he expects Gilliland to make mistakes and he hopes the mistakes will be fewer as the season winds down.
"The first two races have been tough, but that's what we expected coming in here," Parrott said. "We're going to have our good days and we're going to have bad days. I think the biggest thing is his learning curve is going to be sort of steep."

Marco Andretti was going to cut it close on fuel as he was on his way to winning the Grand Prix of Sonoma. His Andretti Green Racing teammate Tony Kanaan ran out with two laps to go. And if not for a late-race caution period, Andretti was going to have the same problem.
Michael Andretti was asked if he at any time got on the radio and gave his son any advice in the final laps of the race.
"I don't talk," Michael Andretti said. "They don't let me have a radio."
Michael Andretti was of course kidding.
But he didn't give Marco any unnecessary advice at the end of the race.
He did however, praise his son after the race.
"He's way ahead of me when I was 19," said Michael Andretti adding that his son, who became the youngest driver to win an IRL race on Sunday, has a unique blend of patience and aggression that every driver needs.
"I wish I had more of that quality."

Micael Andretti was asked when he knew his son Marco had any talent as a race car driver. Marco won the first race of his IRL career Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma and became the youngest driver in the series to win a race.
But Michael said Marco's adeptness with speed started at an early age.
The Andrettis had golf carts to get around their house when Marco was 5 or 6 years old. Marco wasn't big enough to reach the pedals, but he could still drive them with a little help.
Apparently the Andrettis could see the school bus from their house when it came by in the morning to pick kids up. When it came time for Marco to start school, Michael said Marco had different ideas.
When Marco saw the bus coming, he ran for one of the golf carts, jumped in and raced away, yelling, "I'm not going to school."
Michael eventually chased him down.
"He went to school," Michael Andretti said. "It took me a while to catch him though."

This space is usually reserved for NASCAR, but this weekend I am in California wine country for the Indy Racing League and the Grand Prix of Sonoma. Here are some highlights from qualifying at the home of the carousel and cabernet sauvignon.
Marco Andretti, the son of Michael Andretti and grandson of Mario Andretti, barely missed winnig the first pole of his IRL career on Saturday at Infineon Raceway. There was a unique way of qualifying for the race. The top six drivers in the opening round of qualifying were sent back on the track for a 10-minute qualifying period to battle for the pole. Andretti, the top qualifier in the opening round, had the top time of the top six for a while, but Scott Dixon came on late and won the pole.
Andretti was asked after qualifying if his dad or granddad gave him any advice or pointers before qualifying.
"They would have been on the pole," Andretti said.

NASCAR announced the Nextel Cup Series schedule for the 2007 season on Thursday with California Speedway getting two dates again.
The first visit will be Feb. 25, the second race of the year and the weekend following the Daytona 500.
The second visit is Sept. 2, the Labor Day race and the 25th race of the year.
The Chase for the Championship starts two races after the second California Speedway race.
There were no changes to the race sites from the 2006 season. The Chase races will be the same as this year. There are a few changes to the order of the events, such as the Brickyard 400 on July 29 followed by the Pocono Raceway event the first week in August.
Here is the schedule:
Feb 10 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona – Daytona International Speedway*
Feb 18 Daytona International Speedway
Feb 25 California Speedway
Mar 11 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Mar 18 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Mar 25 Bristol Motor Speedway
Apr 1 Martinsville Speedway
Apr 15 Texas Motor Speedway
Apr 21 Phoenix International Raceway
Apr 29 Talladega Superspeedway
May 5 Richmond International Raceway
May 12 Darlington Raceway
May 19 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge – Lowe’s Motor Speedway*
May 27 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Jun 3 Dover International Speedway
Jun 10 Pocono Raceway
Jun 17 Michigan International Speedway
Jun 24 Infineon Raceway
Jul 1 New Hampshire International Speedway
Jul 7 Daytona International Speedway
Jul 15 Chicagoland Speedway
Jul 29 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug 5 Pocono Raceway
Aug 12 Watkins Glen International
Aug 19 Michigan International Speedway
Aug 25 Bristol Motor Speedway
Sep 2 California Speedway
Sep 8 Richmond International Raceway
Sep 16 New Hampshire International Speedway
Sep 23 Dover International Speedway
Sep 30 Kansas Speedway
Oct 7 Talladega Superspeedway
Oct 13 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Oct 21 Martinsville Speedway
Oct 28 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Nov 4 Texas Motor Speedway
Nov 11 Phoenix International Raceway
Nov 18 Homestead-Miami Speedway

The car Matt Kenseth drove to win Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway was the same car he raced at the first California Speedway event in February. Kenseth won that race too. And it will be the same car he brings out to Fontana in a couple weeks for the Labor Day Sony HD 500.
The car's been good to Kenseth so far this season and if he can get another winning run out of it, he might just catch NASCAR Nextel Cup Series points leader Jimmie Johnson before the Chase for the Championship starts.
"It's always exciting to win," said Kenseth, one of five drivers for Roush Racing. "It's really competitive. We've been in position to win a lot of times this year. It was cool to get back and hang on to win this time."
Roush Racing has had its share of success at California Speedway. In addition to Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch have won races for Roush Racing at Fontana. Also, the Michigan race could be a sign of things to come for Kenseth. The Michigan and Fontana tracks are very similar, both 2-mile, D-shaped ovals.
"It makes you feel confident," Kenseth said. "The tracks are very similar and you usually run the same car at those tracks. It definitely gives you some extra confidence going there. You still have to work. You still have to have everything go right and not have any problems."

Two of the 14 drivers who participated in the Car of Tomorrow test at Michigan International Speedway on Monday said there were few surprises. One said he expects the new cars will eventually draft better than the current cars.
Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch were among the 14 drivers involved in the test session. Drivers from the new Toytota teams, testing the new Camrys that enter the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series next year, were also involved in the session.
Michael Waltrip, Dave Blaney and Bill Elliott tested their new Toyotas for their respective teams.
Two of the significant changes to the design of the Car of Tomorrow are the rear spoiler, which has been replaced by a wing, and the front of the car has an air dam, or a splitter, that catches air.

Most of the NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers will be leaving Michigan and heading to Bristol Motor Speedway for the next race. But a handful are staying behind at Michigan International Speedway to test the Car of Tomorrow.
NASCAR's next generation of stock car will be on the track for four hours on Monday. Twelve Cup drivers, including Sunday's Michigan winner Matt Kenseth, will get the opportunity to test the new race cars.
The test session runs for a three-hour period, noon to 3 p.m. Central time, and another one-hour period starting at 4 p.m.
Some drivers who have already seen the Car of Tomorrow haven't said many nice things about it. One driver even said he wouldn't get in one until he had to, next year.
We'll hear soon enough what the likes of Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman have to say about the new cars.
Joe Nemechek, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip, David Stremme, Scott Riggs, J.J. Yeley and Jeff Green are also scheduled to test the Car of Tomorrow.

The reviews keep coming in from drivers who have tested at the newly paved and rebanked Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The latest test involved four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers, one from each engine manufacturer, earlier this week.
Todd Bodine from Toyota, Brendan Gaughan from Dodge, Dennis Setzer from Chevrolet and Rick Crawford from Ford were testing tires for Goodyear Monday and Tuesday in preparation for the Sept. 23 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

As expected, only later than most anticipated, David Gilliland will be in the No. 38 car for Robert Yates Racing for Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan International Raceway.
That means Elliott Sadler is finally officially in the No. 19 car for Evernham Motorsports and Jeremy Mayfield is out in the cold, waiting for a seat to open up on another team.
Gilliland, a driver from Riverside, got his start in stock cars working on his dad's race car when they raced on the Winston West Series.
Gilliland spent a good portion of his racing career at Irwindale Speedway, racing late models and Tour cars and winning the Toyota All-Star Showdown a couple years ago.
Gilliland looks like he will be in the California Speedway Cup race, but it also looks like he will not be eligible for rookie honors in 2007. If he races the remaining 14 Cup races, he will lose his rookie status for next year.

JR Motorsports, the NASCAR team owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., is making another driver change for the next two Busch Series races.
Robby Gordon, who has his own team in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, will drive for JR Motorsports in the races at Michigan International Speedway and California Speedway, Earnhardt Jr. said Monday.
Martin Truex was in the No. 88 car for JR Motorsports for the Busch Series race at Watkins Glen in New York on Saturday. He started the race 11th and finished sixth.
Mark McFarland was released from JR Motorsports before the Watkins Glen race. McFarland had one top-10 finish in 21 races this year for JR Motorsports.
“We’re looking to improve our performance in the Busch Series, so we’ve been making changes to get to where we need to be,� said Earnhardt Jr. “Martin was a big help last week and we’re going to continue our due diligence with Robby Gordon this weekend in Michigan. He brings a ton of experience and will be able to relay some good feedback on our cars. Robby’s got more on his resume than any driver in the series, he’s raced in everything from the Indianapolis 500 to the Baja 1000, and I appreciate the fact that he’s willing to help JR Motorsports out.�
Gordon has one previous Busch Series start at each track and finished 12th in both races.

The word around Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night was that David Gilliland was going to be announced as driver of the No. 38 car for Robert Yates Racing on Monday.
ESPN confirmed the report, saying that Gilliland would be in the No. 38 car for this weekend's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
Elliott Sadler, the current driver of the No. 38 car, was expected to move over to the No. 19 at Evernham Motorsports. Bill Elliott drove the No. 19 car at Watkins Glen in New York on Sunday. Jeremy Mayfield, the former driver of the No. 19 car, is fighting to keep his seat, and may take his case to court.
In any event, some of the 5,000 in attendance at Irwindale Speedway were pleased to hear that Gilliland, who started his NASCAR career racing late models and Tour cars at Irwindale Speedway, was moving up to the Nextel Cup Series.
Of course this story has a big "to be continued" attached to it. A lot of other drivers need to switch positions before Gilliland can get in the No. 38 for the Michigan race. But it looks like he will be in the No. 38 car before the Labor Day race at California Speedway.
That would give his Irwindale Speedway faithful a chance to see their hometown hero in action on the Cup scene.

Kurt Busch and Brendan Gaughan were the first two NASCAR drivers to test the new asphalt and added banking at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this week. They both turned laps in some Richard Petty Driving Experience cars.
Busch predicted the new track will produce siginificantly faster qualifying laps.
“When we qualify here, it’ll be beyond the track record," Busch said. "It’s hard to tell right now exactly how fast it will be, but I think it will be five-to-10 miles per hour quicker. And what that means for a lap time is probably two or three seconds. It’s that much quicker. And what teams are going to have to do to adjust to all this newness is going to be incredible. I can’t wait for the test session we have here in January."

Crew chief Todd Parrott is going back to Robert Yates Racing.
Parrott won the NASCAR Winston Cup championship with Dale Jarrett in 1999. Parrott has been the crew chief for Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Dodge at Petty Enterprises this year.
Greg Steadman will take over as crew chief on an interim basis on the No. 43 Dodge.
With Parrott as crew chief, Labonte had four top-10 and one top-five finish in 21 races.
“Todd has been a vital part in getting Petty Enterprises and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker back to competitive form,� said Robbie Loomis, Executive Vice President of Race Operations at Petty Enterprises. “Todd made a decision to return to Robert Yates Racing where he has enjoyed much success throughout most of his career. It’s where he has his roots. If there is anyone that understands what it’s like to ‘go back home’ it’s me.
“I have been in those shoes before. I’m sure it was a tough decision for Todd to make. I have a ton of respect for him. I am extremely grateful for what he has done for Petty Enterprises this season. We’re looking to move forward with Bobby, and we are confident that Greg will do the job for us.�

NEWS RELEASE
JR Motorsports has announced that Mark McFarland has been relieved of his driving duties of the No. 88 NAVY Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet. Two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. will pilot the No. 88 at Watkins Glen International this weekend.

“Mark was instrumental in getting our Busch program off the ground and he will always have a role in the history of JR Motorsports. But the reality is that as a business we have the responsibility of delivering a level of performance for our sponsors,� said team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. “This change is being made to address that concern.�

There are a lot of rumors out there in regard to the tire situation at Irwindale Speedway. The feared switch from Goodyears to Hoosiers in the NASCAR Super Trucks division has several drivers upset. One wanted to know the answer to a question about where the tires are produced.
I was able to have a few of my questions answered, through e-mail, to shed some light on the tire shortage at Irwindale Speedway.
Justin Fantozzi, who is a sale and marketing manager at the Akron, Ohio, Goodyear plant, answered some of those questions.
Here is what he had to say:
Q: Is there a tire shortage?
A: Yes, we are experiencing a tire shortage in certain areas.

Irwindale Speedway has a tire shortage. Apparently it's not alone. Almost every short track in the country is having the same problem supplying tires to its drivers. Actually, the problem is Goodyear's, which hasn't been able to supply tracks like Irwindale Speedway with enough tires for drivers. The problem started when the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams complained about the quality of their tires and Goodyear decided to start replacing them. It caused a trickle down effect and now divisions like the NASCAR Super Trucks at Irwindale Speedway had to switch to Hoosiers for Saturday night's race. Not many drivers were happy about the switch. In fact, all but one of the Super Truck drivers I talked to had anything positive to say about the Hoosiers. And even the one chose his words carefully. The next batch of drivers who could be forced to switch tires is the NASCAR Late Model guys. Not many of them are happy about having to make the switch either. However, track officials have the assurance of Goodyear that there will be enough tires for the Late Model drivers to finish the season. That apparently hasn't stopped some teams from stockpiling tires though.