Tickets for 2007 Brickyard
400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) will go on sale Monday December 4, 2006. Fans who purchase two tickets for the July 29, 2007 race before December 25,
2006 will have a chance to take a lap around the famous Brickyard track. SCR
Busch Series Raybestos
Rookie of the Year Danny O'Quinn confirmed this week that he has been given permission to talk with other teams about driving
for them next season.
O'Quinn won the rookie
award for Roush Racing, but Roush officials haven't been able to put a sponsorship arrangement together for O'Quinn for next
season, and Tuesday, Roush Racing President Geoff Smith told O'Quinn he was free to look around.
"They're trying to put
something together for me over there, but they don't know if anything will come about," O'Quinn said. "It kind of depends
on sponsorship stuff. I'm available to talk to other people at this point, while they're still in progress of looking for
me. I'm just trying to keep my options open."
Not many rides are still
available at this point in the season, however, especially for a driver who doesn't have a sponsor in hand such as O'Quinn.
Brewco Motorsports, a Ford team like Roush, has an open seat in selected non-Nextel Cup companion races, but the team needs
a sponsor for those events.
O'Quinn said he had yet
to start talking with other teams, and Roush Racing remains his preference.
"They've definitely been
good to me," O'Quinn said. "I'd definitely like to stay over here. You know how this business works. It's sponsor-driven.
Everybody's got to do what they can to keep sponsors and get them. I understand they've got to have sponsors to run the team."
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The doors are still open
at PPI Motorsports, but the downsizing continues as owner Cal Wells laid off six employees on Wednesday and now has a staff
of nine at his Hickory,
N.C. shop.
The total will remain
there for the time being but will be reduced to four by January unless a sponsor comes through to keep the No. 32 Nextel Cup
team on the track in 2007.
Wells signed a contract
with a company based in California's Silicon Valley back in June but said the company, which he wouldn't name, has changed
its business philosophy and isn't ready to invest in motorsports at this time. Wells found that was tough to take after spending
more than two years working with the company.
NASCAR worked with Wells
to attract the sponsor, and Wells is grateful for that help, saying NASCAR can't be blamed for the company's decision.
"We all checked them
out - we did, NASCAR did - and we felt very good about it," Wells said Thursday. "We actually felt the type and style of sponsorship
it was was going to be huge for NASCAR, huge for the tracks. We've taken them to [International Speedway Corp.] and [Speedway
Motorsports Inc.] to negotiate track deals and put an immense amount of time in it.
"But at the end of the
day, they just haven't done what they said they were going to do. When that happens [it's tough]. I just don't have the depth
to keep spending the money [without sponsorship]. So I had to stop."
Wells said he's been
able to place many of his employees with other teams, including Michael Waltrip Racing, saying, "very few of them" are on
the unemployment line.
While the owner plans
to register the No. 32 with NASCAR for 2007, it will take something out of the blue to field a team next season. At the moment,
he's talking with people interested in buying all of the team's equipment and inventory.
"There are a couple of
folks that are looking at running a limited program [in '07], and we're just perfect," he said. "They could come in and start
a new lease - our lease is up on the building, but the owners [really want] to have somebody in here. We're trying to work
a deal where we can just hand the keys [to the shop] to somebody and lease back some office space."
Wells said he's "pricing
it to sell" and will see what happens. The employees on hand are inventorying the equipment and preparing it to be shown to
additional parties.
"It's horribly painful,"
Well said of the process.
Wells will keep four
employees through January before deciding on the next step. And he hopes the sponsor eventually steps up to the plate.
"I'm really excited about
this sponsor, too, I'm really excited," he said. "I hope someday it all works. But we've been carrying them now for a couple
of months, and we just can't keep doing it. ... We're liquidating equipment and selling stuff off. But I'm not closing down.
"I'm keeping PPI as a
business. I'm going to enter my number for next year. And I'm working on some other things that I can hopefully partner up
or do something. I've still got some other deals out there cooking." SCR
MINNEAPOLIS – NASCAR
fans across the nation logged on to www.mostpopulardriver.com and with the click of a mouse, voted Dale Earnhardt, Jr. the most popular
driver in 2006. Earnhardt, Jr. was presented with the NASCAR NMPA Chex® Most Popular Driver award today at the NASCAR
Myers Brothers Award Luncheon in New York City.
After receiving the award
today, this marks the fourth consecutive year the North Carolina native has
won the prestigious award. After his selection in 2005, Earnhardt, Jr. joined drivers Bill Elliott and Richard Petty
as the only drivers to win four-straight.
"I want to thank General
Mills, Chex and the National Motorsports Press Association for this award,” said Dale Earnhardt, Jr. “It's a great honor,
because it's the only award in our sport voted on by the fans. I share this award with my fans, because it is as much
theirs as it is mine. I've always been grateful for their loyalty and support. Words can't say how much I appreciate
it."
Throughout the race season,
race fans logged on to www.mostpopulardriver.com and voted for their favorite driver. A total of 2,835,277 votes were
cast this year, with Earnhardt, Jr. receiving 1,172,195 votes.
“General Mills has been
sponsoring this award since 2002 and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has been the fan favorite,” said Becky O’Grady, vice president of
marketing for Chex® cereal. “NASCAR fans are second to none, pledging their allegiance to their favorite driver with
vigor each and every Sunday. As the only award determined by the fans, the NASCAR NMPA Chex® Most Popular Driver award speaks
volumes about the millions of passionate NASCAR fans and their dedication.”
Jeff Gordon finished second
in the voting, followed by Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Michael Waltrip, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, 2006 NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and Elliott Sadler.
More than 40 Nextel Cup Series
drivers were eligible in 2006 for the esteemed NASCAR NMPA Chex® Most Popular Driver Award, which is administered by the National
Motorsports Press Association (NMPA). It has been awarded annually since 1956 and is one of the oldest awards in racing.
SCR
Robby Gordon could run the
2007 Indianapolis
500 in May. Gordon says he has been offered rides. Gordon like the new level playing filed in the series and believes that
the 2007 Indy 500 could be one o the most competitive ever.
Gordon has raced in both the
Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in the past but says no final decision will be made until after the first six Nextel
Cup races of the 2007 season. SCR
NBC's broadcast of the Nov.
19 Ford 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 4.7
and a 9 market share, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports.
The
rating is 20.3 percent lower than the 5.9/11 NBC earned in 2005 and 24.2 percent lower than the 6.2/13 the network earned
in 2004, the first year of the Chase For The Nextel Cup format.
As Juan Pablo Montoya
prepares for his first full season of NASCAR Nextel Cup competition, his team is assessing the handful of races he ran this
year for Chip Ganassi Racing and making plans for a busy January.
Montoya, the former Formula
One driver and 2000 Indianapolis
500 winner, plans to spend most of the offseason in his native Colombia,
but he will return in January to begin what the team deems an "aggressive test schedule" in preparation for the 2007 Cup season.
This year, he completed
a seven-race schedule that included ARCA, Busch and Nextel Cup races, Montoya completed 96 percent of the total laps (1.391
of 1,454) with an average qualifying position of 13th. He led a total of 24 laps.
"I think the thing that is easy to forget is that Juan Pablo is a driver with no prior experience in these cars," team
owner Chip Ganassi said. "To accomplish what he's been able to accomplish in just seven races really speaks volumes about
both his ability as a race-car driver and the passion he has for making this effort and this team a success."
Richmond, VA - The construction
of Richmond International Raceway's Commonwealth Grandstand—a three-tiered, 18-story grandstand addition—reached a new milestone
today, as the final beam of the framework was installed at the top of the tower's elevator shaft. The occasion was marked
with a celebration known in the construction world as a "Topping Out" ceremony. Richmond International Raceway staff,
representatives from Henrico County, construction crew members and media members all signed the final beam before it was hoisted
more than 180 feet atop the grandstand.
Construction of the Commonwealth
Grandstand at Richmond International Raceway is on schedule to be finished in time for the 2007 season. Once construction
is complete, the new grandstand addition will feature three new levels, including a state-of-the-art 16,000-square foot Club
Level. Nearly 5,000 seats will be added (approximately 7,800 seats in the new grandstand minus approximately 3,000 lower
row seats which are being removed in turns three and four) to bring Richmond International Raceway's total capacity to 112,029.
"Today's ceremony marks
another benchmark in the completion of the new Commonwealth Grandstand at Richmond International Raceway," said track president
Doug Fritz. "We are looking forward to the 2007 season and the debut of the 180-foot grandstand, which features a state-of-the-art
Club Level and some of the best seats the track has to offer. We are now one step closer to finishing off what will
be an amazing addition to Richmond International Raceway."
Now that the final beam
is in place, construction crews will begin work on framing in the grandstand and working on the interior. All seats
in the Commonwealth Grandstand addition will include seatbacks and cup holders. The highest seat will be twice as high
as the current highest seat at Richmond International Raceway.
The Club Level includes access
to the indoor, air-conditioned lounge; multiple buffets and fully-stocked bars; outdoor, reserved stadium seating with in-seat
service; reserved parking; private elevator and restroom access; a pre-race pit pass; a souvenir event program and a limited
edition appreciation gift. For more information on the Club Level, please call 804-228-7636 or e-mail
rirsales@rir.com. SCR
Steve Wallace, winner
of the 2004 Snowball Derby, is bringing a part of the past to this year’s race. The son of retired NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace
will drive for Ritchie Wauters and have a special sponsor - Southland Fire & Equipment Company. The Baton Rouge, La-company
sponsored Rusty during 1980s when he raced in the Snowball Derby.
“I have been looking forward
to the Snow Ball Derby all year,” said Wallace. “To me, it’s (the Snow Ball Derby) one of the greatest races of all time.
You are competing with the best-of-the-best short-track racers – it’s an awesome experience.”
This year’s start will
mark Wallace’s fourth derby start. Last year, he finished second to Pensacola's
Eddie Mercer.
The 39th Annual Snowball Derby is scheduled for Saturday, December 3 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola,
Fla. For more information, please visit www.SnowballDerby.com. SCR
Matt Borland, Ryan Newman's
longtime crew chief, is staying at Penske Racing South for the 2007 season, team president Don Miller said Monday, although
no title or job description has been finalized.
One of Borland's first
jobs will likely be helping to determine who will replace him as crew chief for Newman and the No. 12 Dodge team.
Borland, who received
permission to skip the year's final two races, will likely direct the competition department of the organization, which fields
Cup cars for Newman and Kurt Busch. Penske's two teams made the Chase For The Nextel Cup in 2005, but neither team was in
the hunt for a berth this past season.
Newman had just two top-five
finishes and finished 18th in points this season. Busch, the 2004 Cup champion, won one race but finished 16th in points.
Miller said Monday that Borland
met with owner Roger Penske following the season finale.
"He told Roger that under no circumstances does he want to leave, because Roger gave him the option," Miller said.
Daniel Becker the 19 year old
front right tire changer for the Fast Track Racing team who was killed in an auto accident November 21, 2006 will
be laid to rest Friday in Junction City, KS.
Becker and his mother both
perished in the auto accident outside of Charlotte, NC.
Calling hours for Becker and
his mother will be from 1:00-8:00PM on Thursday, November 30 at the Penwell-Gabel
Funeral Home, 203 N. Washington, Junction City,
KS66441. SCR
NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian
France said the NASCAR is looking to expand to Europe and the Far East (China).
"We're sizing it up," Brian France, NASCAR’s chairman and chief executive, said in an interview with the Financial Times.
"We have a couple of people who are looking at that carefully."
According to France
the big issue is how to bring current participants (Track Operators, sponsors) overseas with NASCAR.
NASCAR also would not send
its drivers from the U.S.A. overseas; instead it would be
more of a development area. SCR
2006 StockCar Review.
