Week of 7/10/05
Waltrip out of the #15 after 2005
DEI and Michael Waltrip are parting ways after this season, leaving the #15 Napa Chevy open right now. Martin Truex Jr. is already slated to run the #1 Bass Pro Shops DEI car next year, so we'll wait and see who fills the seat.
Michael Waltrip - "I feel really good about the decision. I'm real thankful for NAPA and my other sponsors that have fielded this team for me. And I'm so happy about getting with Tony Jr. this year because of the way I performed and the job that we've been able to do. I've got a lot of options for 2006. I thought I would drive this car for the rest of my career. I knew if that was the case that I'd be winning races and doing all the things I'm supposed to do. It's sad to say that I'm not going to be at DEI any more, but I'm really proud of winning some races for the team that Dale (Earnhardt) picked me to drive for.
"There are some things in the works. I'm sure by making this announcement today will probably complicate that a little bit more before it comes clear. I'm just looking forward to getting into the best situation possible." July 15, 2005
Vote for Harvick's 2006 #29 paint scheme
Starting Friday 7/15 you will be able to vote online to choose the paint scheme for Kevin Harvick's #29 machine for the 2006 season.
NASCAR and GM Goodwrench fans will be able to log onto http://www.goodwrench.com between July 15 and the end of August, to vote between two paint schemes - the current “Flame” design and the “20th Anniversary” design run in this year’s Daytona 500.
The “Flame” design first made an appearance on the No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo in 2003. It has been part of two wins (Brickyard 400 and Food City 500) with Kevin Harvick behind the wheel. The “20th Anniversary” layout combines several classic looks, from the Dale Earnhardt era to current. The front is from Harvick’s first No. 29 Chevy that ran at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 2001 and the back is representative of the black GM Goodwrench No. 3.
The winning scheme will be announced in October.
Direct Link: http://www.gmgoodwrench.com/gmgoodwrenchjsp/racing/vote.jsp July 14, 2005
Who's hot heading into New Hampshire?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn't made this list this year, but he has back to back Top 5's with a win.
Tony Stewart has 4 top 5's in a row with two wins
Rusty Wallace has finished 12th or better in the last 7 races. July 14, 2005
Ford to use Fusion in 2006
Ford is moving from the Taurus to the all new Fusion starting in 2006. The new production model car will hit the dealers this fall and has a drastically different look from the Taurus. The Fusion will make it's NASCAR debut at the Daytona 500.
View the Fusion
http://www.finallapradio.com/images/2005/fusion_2006.jpg
Here's what drivers had to say...
Some of Ford's NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers were recently in Dearborn to test drive the new Ford Fusion production car.
"As a dealer and a driver, I'm excited," said Mark Martin. "I think it's going to be really strong for us."
"I think it's a new car that is going to energize sales ... I think this is just what we're been looking for to increase sales," said Dale Jarrett, driver and Ford dealer.
"The Fusion is awesome," said Carl Edwards. "It's easy to drive. It's a fun car."
"I think the Fusion is going to be a hit," said Elliott Sadler. "I can't believe they have that much room for big guys like myself (6-foot-3) in a car that looks that small. I think they [Ford] did a great job."
"It's really comfortable ... there's a lot of room inside," said Matt Kenseth. "It's got a lot of pick-up and can really go." July 14, 2005
Stacker2 stops sponsorship
Kenny Wallace found out recently that Stacker 2 will no longer sponsor his #22 car in the Busch Series. PPC racing is now looking for a new sponsor to fill the sponsor gap. Kenny currently sits 5th in Busch Series points, and is having a good season so far. July 13, 2005
Kentucky sues NASCAR / ISC
Kentucky Speedway is suing NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation saying the companies are illegally restricting the awarding of Nextel Cup races. Basically the track wants a Cup race, and NASCAR has yet to give it one. Kentucky does host Busch and Truck races...we'll see how that plays out. July 13, 2005
TESTING | INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Before the rains came, Scott Riggs circled the track the fastest in his #10 machine. Scott clocked in at 181.244mph, Ken Schrader was second. July 13, 2005
Weekend TV Schedule - New Hampshire
ON TV
NEXTEL CUP FINAL PRACTICE @ 8pm Friday on Speed
BUSCH SERIES QUALIFYING @ 10am Satrurday on Speed
NEXTEL CUP QUALIFYING @ 1:30pm Saturday on TNT
BUSCH SERIES RACING @ 3pm Saturday on TNT
NEXTEL CUP RACING FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE @ 1:30pm Sunday on TNT
All times are eastern July 13, 2005
NASCAR begins to visit cities
NASCAR has announced the dates it plans to visit the cities of potential Hall of Fame candidates. August 9th NASCAR will visit Daytona Beach, August 16th in Atlanta, August 17th in Charlotte, August 18th in Kansas City, and August 23 in Richmond. At each visit they will meet with local organizing officials. July 12, 2005
POINT STANDINGS | BUSCH & TRUCK SERIES
BUSCH SERIES
5 Kenny Wallace
4 Carl Edwards
3 Reed Sorenson
2 Clint Bowyer
1 Martin Truex Jr. leads by 72
TRUCK SERIES
5 Ricky Craven
4 Ron Hornaday
3 Bobby Hamilton
2 Ted Musgrave
1 Dennis Setzer is on top by 83 July 12, 2005
Nemechek renews contract
Joe Nemechek has inked a multi-year contract extension, and will continue to drive the #01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. Joe said it took less than a half hour to review and sign the new deal. We'll talk with Joe later in the week right here. July 11, 2005
TESTING | INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
To give you an idea just how important the race is next month...at the track this week are at least 23 drivers checking their setups. Included are Robby Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Bobby Labonte, Casey Mears, Elliott Sadler and many more. July 11, 2005
POINT STANDINGS | CUP SERIES
10 Kurt Busch
9 Jeremy Mayfield cracks the top 10
8 Jamie McMurray
7 Ryan Newman
6 Mark Martin
5 Elliott Sadler
4 Rusty Wallace
3 Tony Stewart
2 Greg Biffle
1 Jimmie Johnson is up by 108
Dale Earnhardt Jr. moves up 3 spots to 13th with his win
Jeff Gordon drops 2 spots to 15th with his 33rd place finish July 11, 2005
RACE RECAP | CHICAGOLAND
10 Mark Martin
9 Casey Mears
8 Kurt Busch
7 Ricky Rudd
6 Jeremy Mayfield
5 Tony Stewart came from last place
4 Brian Vickers
3 Jimmie Johnson came back from a tire going down
2 Matt Kenseth led the most laps at 176
VICTORY LANE
1 His last win came at Phoenix last year, it's his 16th career win, and he drives the red #8 Chevrolet...you know who I'm talking about Dale Earnhardt Jr.
OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY
-Carl Edwards blew a tire early and wrecked his 99 hard
-Elliott Sadler had tire issues with his Ford as well
-Kasey Kahne had a tough time getting up to speed after a restart, and the 42 of Jamie McMurray ran the 9 into the wall
-Michael Waltrip felt a tire going flat, but waited too long to make a pit stop rearranged his #15 car
-Jeff Gordon fought a bad handling racecar all day, only to get wrecked by Mike Bliss in the 0 car. Gordon's misery continues with a 33rd place run July 10, 2005
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