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♦ FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2007
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achievement! ■
Tough to beat
In a practice session prior to
the NASCAR All-Star Challenge, a
list of speeds alleged that Matt
Kenseth's Ford had taken 6.169
seconds to lap Lowe’s Motor
Speedway. The average speed
was listed as 875.344 mph,
which would have established a
land-speed record.
Imagine how fast Kenseth
could have gone in the Black
Rock Desert of Nevada, where
Andy Green had averaged
763.035 mph in ThrustSSC on
Oct. 15,1997.
Marky man
Mark Martin, during his final
(we think) full season, became
the first automobile racer to
have his own rap anthem. It was
called "Start Your Engines” and
performed, thank goodness, not
by Martin but by Budda Early. A
few of the words:
Start your engines
Pat the gas
Clear out your camshaft
Victory lane the mission
This is car number six in the pole
position
Failed mosh
The racing at the Nextel All-
Star Challenge was treacherous,
but the worst crash of the
evening might have occurred dur
ing driver introductions.
Along with each driver, the
crew members were given some
face time on TV. Apparently, the
hams in Ryan Newman's crew
saw it as an opportunity to show
(featured entertainers) the Red
Hot Chili Peppers they were rock
ers, too, and dressed in wigs and
costumes for the event.
One crew member, however,
took his role a little too serious
ly. He attempted a "stage dive”
into the crowd. Unfortunately, the
crowd wasn't ready to catch him
as he leaped into the air. The
man came crashing down to the
earth unimpeded. He wasn't
hurt, except for his pride.
Luckily, it wasn’t
a carburetor
A HANS Device is worth
about SI,OOO. but throwing one
costs a lot more.
Kyle Busch, the temperamen
tal 2005 Raybestos Rookie of
the Year, threw one of the safety
devices at a driver he blamed for
a Coca-Cola 600 crash. The
tantrum cost Busch a $50,000
fine and resulted in a deduction
of 25 points for Busch and own
er Rick Hendrick.
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Trivia time
Questions
1. What is Richard Petty's mid
dle name?
2. What is Jeff Gordon's middle
name?
3. What is Scott Riggs' home
town?
4. Who was the last NASCAR
driver to have “run moonshine”
during his youth?
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■ “We have been selling cars
in the United States for 50 years
and racing here for 25. We’ve
been successful not because
we've spent money but because
we've spent money wisely.”
Lee White, vice president. Toyota
Racing Development
■ “I think they're the ugliest
cars I've ever seen. I don't even
want to get in it. I’ll wait until
they make us next year." rook
ie Reed Sorenson, on the Car of
Tomorrow.
■ “There was a rookie out
there who was a dart without
feathers.” Tony Stewart, refer
ring to David Ragan at Mar
tinsville.
■ “Let's clear this up once
and for all. Denny (Hamlin) plays
video games for the same rea
son I played video games when I
was 18 or 20 years old. He's a
kid.” Tony Stewart
■ “I don’t know much about
NASCAR except that they go fast,
it's really loud and chicks dig it.
How bad can that be?”
Cheech Marin (of Cheech and
Chong fame), grand marshal at
Infineon Raceway.
► If you have a question or a comment, write: NASCAR This Week, c/o The Gaston Gazette, PO. Box 1538, Gastonia, NC 28053
Earnhardt’s squabble with stepmother worth watching
■ The latest entry in the
“story of the year” category
for 2007 is the potential fric
tion between Dale Earnhardt
Jr. and his owner, Teresa Earn
hardt. Junior’s contract is up at
the end of 2007, and it looks
like his stepmother wants to
play hardball.
■ It’s going to be interesting
to see what the full effect of
Toyota’s entry is. Some resent
the entry of a Japanese manu
facturer. On the other hand,
Toyota employs many Ameri
can workers and is obviously
What Really Mattered
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Photos by John Clark/NASCAR This Week
Kasey Kahne’s victory in the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte was one of his series-leading six wins of the year.
Johnson’s first title among highlights of exciting 2006 season
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
It was yet another memorable sea
son in NASCAR. Here’s our take on the
most significant developments of 2006:
Johnson finally wins a title. Since be
coming a regular in NASCAR’s top se
ries in 2002, Jimmie Johnson has never
finished worse than fifth in the points
standings, but he never managed to ac
tually win the championship until 2006,
when he won five races and took the
championship by 56 points over Matt
Kenseth, himself a former champion
The historically significant rookie.
When the season began, Denny Hamlin
wasn’t even considered the favorite for
the Raybestos Rookie of the Year
Award. He turned it into a runaway and
became the first newcomer to make the
Chase in its three years of existence.
He finished third in the Chase, trailing
Johnson by only 68 points.
The newest superstar. Most ob
servers knew that Kasey Kahne had
rare gifts, but his first two seasons in
Cup were mostly frustrating. In 2006,
Kahne found the consistency that had
eluded him, won more races (six) than
Darlington’s best are ones who like the track
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
A Darlington Raceway re
lease noted that successful
drivers at the 1.366-mile, egg
shaped track tend to be those
who enjoy racing on the nar
row, difficult layout.
For instance, Jeff Burton has
won twice at Darlington and
put together 13 top-10 finishes
in 24 races.
“I’ve been coming to Darling
ton since I was a kid, and it’s re
ally a special place for me,”
said Burton. “Darlington stands
out from the rest in a lot of
ways. It’s an icon of our sport,
and it’s a privilege to compete
here. It’s like a homecoming,
especially with the new Moth
er’s Day weekend date, and the
racing here is some of the best
of the entire season.”
The Dodge Avenger 500 is
scheduled for Saturday night,
May 12. Greg Biffle will at
tempt to win for the third year
in a row.
■
»BURNING ISSUES
immensely popular among
American consumers. In other
words, is„the total effect a plus
or a minus? That remains to be
seen.
■ With the Car of Tomorrow
and the continuing trend of
making the cars more and
more alike will there really
be much difference between a
Ford, a Chevy, a Dodge and a
Toyota? The manufacturers
will certainly want you to be-
HE SPOT «fWj-
anyone else and made the Chase for
the first time.
Almost a double. Kevin Harvick had
won the Busch Series championship
once before, in 2001. Competing full
time in both Busch and Cup, Harvick
made the Chase for the first time and
won the Busch title by the widest mar
gin, 824 points, in history.
Comeback of the year. Richard Chil
dress, who won six championships as
Dale Earnhardt’s owner, put two of his
three teams in the Chase and ended a
worrisome decline. Harvick wound up
fourth, and Jeff Burton finished sev
enth. The third driver, Clint Bowyer,
had a solid rookie season.
Speaking of Comebacks. Burton, 39,
ended a skid more dramatic than his
car owner’s had been. At the end of the
2001 season, Burton had won 17 Cup
races. Who knew he wouldn’t win an
other until Sept. 24, 2006? The lone vic
tory was, however, the least impres
sive aspect of his resurgence. Burton
accumulated 20 top-10 finishes and
seven top-fives.
Notably absent. No one who had ever
won the Chase made it in 2006. Kurt
Busch, the 2004 Nextel Cup champion,
[^yTS^NO»BOIiT&- t
Addition to the family —■
Ryan Newman’s crew chief,
Mike Nelson, and Nelson’s wife,
Kim, welcomed a baby girl to
the family on Friday, Dec. 22.
Claire Margaret Nelson arrived
three weeks early at 5 pounds,
6 ounces, but team officials re
ported that mother and baby
are doing fine. Claire joins big
brother Carter, who is 2.
■
Switch to Hendrick The
Army National Guard has
joined GMAC to sponsor the
No. 25 Chevrolet of new driver
Casey Mears at Hendrick Mo
torsports.
“We take an enormous
amount of pride in welcoming
the men and women of the Na
tional Guard and continuing
our relationship with GMAC,”
said owner Rick Hendrick.
The National Guard previ
ously sponsored Greg Biffle at
Roush Racing.
“NASCAR continues to be a
vital component of our recruit-
LOCAL
lieve there is.
■ The same kind of plus-and
minus question must be an
swered in regard to newcomer
Juan Pablo Montoya. Will his
presence bring throngs of His
panic fans to the tracks? In
part, it undoubtedly depends
on how he does.
■ In 2006, the top three driv
ers from the previous year
Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle and
Carl Edwards all failed to
make the Chase. Will they be
back?
■ And what if history re
ing and retention programs,”
said Col. Mike Jones of the Na
tional Guard, “and we believe
this new relationship will fur
ther enhance our involvement
in the sport.”
■
Channel debut Sirius
Satellite Radio, which has ac
quired NASCAR rights, de
buted its around-the-clock
channel (No. 128) on Jan. 1.
Rival XM previously held the
rights to live NASCAR broad
casts. Sirius will carry every
Nextel Cup, Busch Series and
Craftsman Truck Series race.
Regular talk shows will be
hosted by two-time champion
Tony Stewart, Charlotte Ob
server reporter/columnist
David Poole and broadcasters
Marty Snider, Matt Yocum and
John Kernan.
■
Truck TV - Speed TV will
continue as home of the Crafts
man Truck Series for at least
the next eight seasons. The ca-
peats itself? Will Jimmie John
son, Matt Kenseth and Denny
Hamlin make the 2007 Chase?
■ Chevy drivers won 23 of
the 36 races in 2006. What hap
pens next? Do they continue to
dominate, and if not, who
emerges as competition? Toy
ota? Dodge? Ford?
■ Drivers with road-racing
backgrounds have not histori
cally adapted well to stock-car
racing, at least not on ovals.
What happens if Montoya suc
ceeds? Will it open the door for
others?
wound up a lowly 16 th in the points
standings. The 2005 champ. Tony Stew
art, was unable to defend his title. Nor
did the drivers who had finished second
and third behind Stewart, Greg Biffle
and Carl Edwards, manage to make it.
Back Where They Belonged.
NASCAR Nation had been sorely disap
pointed in 2005 when neither of its fa
vorites, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff
Gordon, qualified for the Chase. Both
came storming back, finishing fifth and
sixth, respectively, in the standings.
The Tiger Still Roared. Stewart cer
tainly responded well to adversity. Left
out of the Chase by an agonizing 16
points, Stewart roared back to win
three of the final 10 races. Stewart’s
ll ,h -place margin over 12 th -place Ed
wards, 299 points, was more than twice
as wide as the entire margin separat
ing the 10 drivers in front of him.
Uncommon Templates. NASCAR offi
cials have wanted the competing makes
more and more alike, all in the name of
the proverbial “level playing field.” Yet
Chevrolet drivers combined to win 23
of the 36 races and seven of the 10 slots
in the Chase. The manufacturer points
race was no contest.
ble/satellite channel is now
available in nearly 70 million
U.S. households and has added
more than 10 million homes
since adding trucks coverage
in 2003.
More than 56,000 votes were
cast for the inaugural Speed
Performance Awards in nine
fan-vote categories. The re
sults, gathered over four
weeks of video voting on
SPEEDtv.com, will be unveiled
as part of a one-hour television
special to debut Feb. 8 at 9
p.m.. In addition, a panel of 13
broadcasters, journalists, for
mer drivers and motorsports
producers will select the inau
gural Speed Performer of the
Year, with the winner being
presented with the Mario An
dretti Trophy, a 100-pound
bronze sculpture by artist Elie
Hazak.
■
From Busch to Trucks For
the fourth consecutive year,
Tim Sauter and Lester Building
Systems LLC will be teamed,
but this time the sponsorship
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
■ Many fans are discontent
ed with all the recent changes,
and the new season will bring
many more. Will they bring in
more new fans than older ones
who lose interest? That’s
where NASCAR’s money is. It
will be interesting to watch.
■ If Roger Penske’s two driv
ers, Kurt Busch and Ryan
Newman, fail to make the
Chase again, drastic changes
will occur in that organization.
That could involve drivers,
manufacturers or both. Stay
tuned.
History of Texas
Speedway revealed
“Texas Motor Speedway: 10
Years Strong" (SSO), published by
the speedway, celebrates the history
of the 1.5-mile track near Fort Worth
that opened in 1997. Though the
self-proclaimed title "Great American
Speedway" may be a bit pretentious,
this book is chock-full of breathtak
ing photographs and tributes au
thored by a wide range of celebrities,
most of them drivers who’ve found
success at the track. Nothing sums
up the book's tone more than the
mock-up photo that shows seven
Texas Stadiums stuffed into the
track's infield. To order a copy, go to
www.texasmotorspeedway.com.
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► Who’s hot Hendrick Motor
sports, which added the National
Guard to its stable of sponsors.
► Who's not Roush Racing, from
whom the National Guard was lured
away.
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NASCAR This Week welcomes let
ters to the editor, but please be
aware that we have room for only a
few each week. We'll do our best to
select the best, but individual replies
are impossible due to the bulk of
mail received. Please do not send
stamped and self-addressed en
velopes with your letters, which
should be addressed to:
NASCAR This Week
The Gaston Gazette
PO. Box 1538
Gastonia, NC 28053
Explaining how the
prize money works
l hope that someone would tell
me how the prize money (was) deter
mined in the last race at Home
stead-Miami Speedway. I am going to
name two race drivers. First, Kurt
Busch started 36th. finished last
(43rd). ran nine laps in the race, led
no laps and won $100,506. Second,
Scott Riggs started second, finished
seventh, ran all 268 laps, led one
lap and won $91,100. ...
Bruce Barton
Roxboro, N.C.
This is a matter we have an
swered many times through the
years. NASCAR rewards drivers for
previous performances with plans
that add money based on whether or
not drivers qualify for certain plans,
the so-called Winners' Circle being
the most notable.
and driver from the Busch Se
ries to Craftsman Truck Series.
Sauter will pilot Green Light
Racing’s No. 07 Chevrolet, with
Sauter paired with Chad Mc-
Cumbee.
For the fourth consecutive
year, Tim Sauter and Lester
Building Systems LLC are to
gether, for all 25 races in the
2007 NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series. Lester Buildings
will be the primary sponsor of
Green Light Racing’s #O7
Chevy Silverado and Sauter
will be a teammate to sopho
more Chad McCumbee, who
will pilot the #OB Silverado with
support from The GPS
Store/Garmin.
“After a taste of the Busch
Series, we spent a lot of time
on this decision,” said Lester’s
Tom Borgman. “While every
decision has its own set of nu
ances, we just felt that it was
better to compete full-time in
the Craftsman Truck Series,
with a team that has been com
petitive and will continue to
become more so than settle
for a partial schedule in the
Busch Series.”