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Week of 3/5/06
Hometown brothers do battle Vegas style
Brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch will hope for a home track advantage this weekend in Las Vegas. Last year you might remember younger brother Kyle finished 2nd, and Kurt took home 3rd place for a little sibling rivalry. March 10, 2006
Who's hot going into this weekend?
Well Jimmie Johnson has a pretty good start, he won the Daytona 500, and was second at California, and he won this race last year...not bad.
Casey Mears is second in points with two top 10 finishes so far.
Clint Bowyer is the top rookie with two top 15's March 10, 2006
TRACK STATS | LAS VEGAS
Distance: 1.5-mile oval
Banking up to: 12º
Frontstretch: 2,275 ft.
Backstretch: 1,572 ft.
Miles/laps: 400 miles, 267 laps
Last years poll sitter: Ryan Newman
Last years winner: Jimmie Johnson
Up for grabs: $6.2 million March 10, 2006
Dale Jr. has webcast - Thursday
Dale Earnhardt Jr. hopes to improve his record at Las Vegas this weekend. The past two years his #8 Chevy has finished 37th and 35th.
Be sure to check out Dale Jr.'s live webcast tonight at 11pm eastern, at http://www.budweiser.com March 8, 2006
Bristol resurface project put on hold
Bristol Motor Speedway has decided not to resurface their racetrack until next year. Originally it was planned to be done between the spring race and the night race in August. Reason is the same contractor on the project is also working on Las Vegas and Lowes Motor Speedway and wanted to focus those for this year. March 8, 2006
TV Schedule - Las Vegas
ON TV
Nextel Cup Series Qualifying @ 6:40pm Friday on Speed
Busch Series Qualifying @ 4:30pm Saturday on Speed
Busch Series Racing @ 6:30pm Saturday on FX
Next Cup Series Racing from Las Vegas @ 1pm on Fox
All times are Eastern March 8, 2006
Jeff Gordon hosts Poker Tournament
Jeff Gordon is hosting a Poker Party at Caesars Palace Thursday night, and it's all for charity. Some of his 'poker' buddies include Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, World Series of Poker Champion Chris Moneymaker, and some other pros. It's a $1000 buy in and winner also grabs a seat in the World Series of Poker. March 7, 2006
Rookies take on the skillet
Thursday in Las Vegas rookie drivers like Brent Sherman, Mark McFarland, Burney Lamar and Tracy Hines will compete in a cooking challenge at the ESPN Zone so if you're headed to the race check 'em out between 2-4pm...NASCAR drivers in aprons, should be fun. March 7, 2006
Buschwhackers O'Plenty in Vegas
The Busch Series entry list is again a who's who of the Cup Series, like Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray and others. Whether you agree or disagree with Cup guys running in Busch, the list continues to grow each week. March 7, 2006
POINT STANDINGS | CUP SERIES
..heading into Las Vegas this weekend
10 Elliott Sadler
9 Brian Vickers
8 Clint Bowyer
7 Ryan Newman
6 Mark Martin
5 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4 Kasey Kahne +8
3 Matt Kenseth +12
2 Casey Mears -39
1 Jimmie Johnson March 7, 2006
Charlotte gets Hall of Fame
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 6, 2006) – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) today announced that it has selected Charlotte, N.C., to be the home of its Hall of Fame. The NASCAR Hall of Fame, which will be a state of the art facility capturing the spirit of the sport, will honor the NASCAR icons and create an enduring tribute to the drivers, crew members, team owners and others that have impacted the sport in the past, present and yet to come.
“To NASCAR fans everywhere, it is my distinct honor to announce that NASCAR has selected Charlotte, N.C., to be the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.
“The winners in this process are the 75 million NASCAR fans nationwide, who will have a Hall of Fame to call their own. The City of Charlotte will welcome fans from around the country and even the world to the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” said France.
Charlotte’s proposal best achieves NASCAR’s overriding goal to have one of the premier hall of fames in the world of sports and entertainment. The region’s rich racing history and heritage along with the strength of the city’s overall financial structure for the Hall, represents the best fit for NASCAR, the industry and the fan-base.
The Hall is expected to include exhibit space, a Great Hall, a Hall of Honor, interactive entertainment restaurants, retail outlets, and a state-of-the-art media center for the industry.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame will be a special place that brings NASCAR’s history to life and preserves that history in the appropriate environments. The new facility will allow longtime fans to have the opportunity to relive NASCAR’s greatest moments and for new fans to learn about them.
“Our goal has been – and continues to be – to create one of the “crown jewels” of Charlotte and the very best Hall of Fame-themed entertainment experience in the world,” said Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. “This Hall of Fame will expand the dynamic and growing sport of NASCAR racing in a dynamic and growing city. It’s a victory not only for the entire region, but for NASCAR fans across the country and internationally. We look forward to welcoming all fans for a unique and entertaining experience.”
Mayor McCrory credits the regional effort and broad-based support from the business community, elected officials, the hospitality and tourism industry and NASCAR fans who supported this effort. Mayor McCrory specifically cited the strong leadership from his fellow “Crew Chiefs,” including Cathy Bessant of Bank of America; Luther Cochrane of BEK Building Group, as well as John Tate of Wachovia and Tim Newman of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.
The Hall of Fame, which will be located in Charlotte’s Center City will be developed, designed, and operated by the City of Charlotte and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. The total cost of the Hall of Fame is estimated at $107.5 million. This will primarily be funded by a new two percent hotel/motel tax and contributions from the State of North Carolina and the private sector.
The Hall of Fame, which will be open no later than spring of 2010, has been designed and concept by world renowned architecture firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. The firm has designed iconic buildings in cities worldwide, including the Javits Convention Center in New York City, the expanded Louvre in Paris, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Charlotte is the hub of the NASCAR industry. Currently 82 percent of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams, 72 percent of NASCAR Busch Series teams and 55 percent of NASCAR Craftsman Truck teams are based in the Charlotte region. The industry’s current annual statewide economic impact is estimated to be $5 billion. March 6, 2006
TESTING | KENTUCKY
MB2 Motorsports is at the track this week with Sterling Marlin running his #14 through the paces. Sterling will have a new sponsor on the hood this weekend in Las Vegas, look for Wiley X Eyewear. Also Matt McCall running a Robert Yates Racing research and development car. March 6, 2006
Busch Series Point Standings
10 Jason Keller
9 Jon Wood
8 Carl Edwards
7 Jason Leffler
6 Burney Lamar
5 Clint Bowyer
4 Jamie McMurray
3 Denny Hamlin
2 J.J. Yeley
1 Kevin Harvick leads by 14 points March 6, 2006
Full Race Recap - Mexico City
MEXICO CITY (March 5, 2005) – Denny Hamlin won Sunday’s Telcel-Motorola 200 NASCAR Busch Series race, at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. It was his first NASCAR Busch Series victory in his 39th series start.
Road racing specialist and Busch Pole winner Boris Said led the first 26 laps, before yielding the lead to Hamlin on a pit stop under caution with 54 laps remaining. When the race restarted, Hamlin battled at the front of the pack with Kevin Harvick, the 2001 NASCAR Busch Series champion and eventual third-place finisher in the Telcel-Motorola 200.
Behind Hamlin and Harvick, JJ Yeley, Kyle Busch and Reed Sorenson filled the top five positions on the eight-turn, 2.518-mile course, while international stars Marc Goossens (Belgium) and Paul Tracy (Canada) closed in.
Another caution period slowed the field just before the halfway point of the race and Busch temporarily took the lead when the race was restarted on lap 39. Busch gave up the lead four laps later, as he and the rest of the race leaders soon began to peel off the course to make their final scheduled pit stops for tires and fuel.
Another brief caution period began just as the leaders completed their pit stops. When racing resumed with 27 laps remaining, Busch and Hamlin restarted in the fourth and fifth positions behind Mexico’s Michel Jourdain and Raybestos Rookie of the Year contenders Todd Kluever and Danny O’Quinn Jr.
Jourdain and Busch spun out as they negotiated through the eighth turn on the restart, bringing out another caution period and placing Hamlin, Kluever, Harvick and Said in a close race at the front of the field.
Said soon worked his way around Kluever and Harvick to take over the second position, and continued to challenge Hamlin for the lead in between three more caution periods over the final 20 laps. After the final restart with two laps remaining, Hamlin kept his distance over Said and built a lead of nearly 1.5 seconds before crossing the finish line for the victory. March 5, 2006
Hamlin holds off Boris for first win
10 Jamie McMurray
9 Marc Goossens from Belgium
8 Carl Edwards
7 Kyle Busch
6 Johnny Sauter
5 Paul Mendard
4 J.J. Yeley
3 Kevin Harvick
2 poll sitter Boris Said
VICTORY LANE
He led 40 laps, half the race, and picks up his first career Busch Series win, the 20 car of Denny Hamlin
OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY
-Michael Waltrip's 'Dream Machine' found the tire barrier, he was left with a mangled race car
-Reed Sorenson blew his engine, finished 36th
-Kevin Harvick was black flagged for jumping a restart, but then after further review, NASCAR reversed the call and put him back in line, he keeps the points lead.
-Carlos Contrreras was the highest finishing driver from Mexico, Adrian Fernandez had a strong car, but was involved in a wreck with Jamie McMurray. Adrian finished 12th.
March 5, 2006
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