Dale Earnhardt Inc. team owner Teresa Earnhardt appears to be questioning stepson Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s commitment to racing in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

 

The story in Thursday's edition says Earnhardt Jr.'s contract with the team founded by his father, the late Dale Earnhardt, expires after the 2007 season, but Teresa Earnhardt expressed uncertainty about his future.

 

"Right now the ball's in his court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality," the story quotes Teresa Earnhardt as saying.

 

Earnhardt Jr., who drives the team's No. 8 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and finished fifth in the standings this season with one win, "was not available for comment" on the statement, the story.

 

 

 

 

MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – Two of NASCAR’s newest race organizations, the Key Motorsports Craftsman Truck Series team owned by Curtis W. Key, Sr., and JR Motorsports, the Dale Earnhardt, Jr.-owned Busch Series company, have formed a marketing alliance.

 

The new union enables the two companies to include the other organization in its marketing and sponsorship processes. It will give corporations the opportunity to establish their branding and customer-related support and activation activities in two of NASCAR’s three leading touring series and with multiple teams and drivers.

 

JR Motorsports features a team in not only the Busch Series but also several in the NASCAR Late Model Stock Division and one that competes full-time in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, the latter two serving in driver development capacities. Key Motorsports ran its #40 race truck full-time on the NCTS circuit for the very first time in 2006 after running a very limited schedule the previous two seasons while operating out of Chesapeake, VA.

 

Key Motorsports may even be in a position this coming season to field two trucks in selected races as it seeks to establish its own driver development program. The two teams are now based in the same area of Mooresville, thus making the alliance even more workable.

 

The two organizations worked together in a driver development format of sorts late last year when rookie driver Shane Huffman, driver of the JR Motorsports #88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo, was hired to run four races in the NCTS for Key Motorsports.

 

Huffman, who succeeded Mark McFarland as driver of the #88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Busch Series car in late July last season after a storied career on the Hooters Pro Cup circuit, drove the Key Motorsports #40 Chevrolet Silverado in late-season races at Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. The last three outings came in combination race weekends with the Busch Series.

 

Huffman had extensive practice time and some excellent runs in the truck that helped acclimate him to strange race tracks, so much so that the 32-year-old Hickory, NC native qualified in the top five in three of the final four Busch Series races and scored a fifth place finish in Memphis and an eighth in Homestead.

 

“We have worked on trying to put something like this together for some time,” said Key. “Getting Shane to drive our truck, and then seeing how positive the experience ended up being for JR Motorsports and its Busch Series car, helped promote such an alliance. It should help both of us now in our respective sponsorship searches while also enabling us to share marketing ideas and even personnel,” he added. SCR

 

 

 

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla - In an effort to strengthen their program for the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series season, Phillip McGilton (pronounced McJilton) and his SI Performance Motorsports team have elected to participate in the final testing session of the 2006 season from Daytona International Speedway this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

 

McGilton will return to the ARCA RE/MAX Series next season on the heels of a successful limited schedule this year. The team competed in six events posting one top-ten at Kansas Speedway with several solid performances following. The team also prevailed as a strong qualifying team easily earning them a berth to compete in the events.

 

McGilton will utilize this weekend’s testing session in an effort to become more familiar with restrictor plate racing while also learning the characteristics of the 2.5-mile Superspeedway, the first of 23 events on the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series calendar.

 

The team attempted to make their restrictor plate debut in the Food World 250 at Talladega Superspeedway this October. After posting very fast and competitive lap times in a brand new Chevrolet, a mechanical failure in qualifying forced the team to end their weekend early and regroup for this weekend’s activities.

 

“It’s a shame what happened at Talladega, but we’re ready for Daytona,” recalled McGilton. “My team has been working very hard to make our Chevrolet Monte Carlo even stronger than it was at Talladega and I believe we’ll have something that is capable of winning. I’m really excited.”

A huge field of teams and cars is expected for this weekend’s venue, but McGilton sees the test as a chance to get familiar with the draft and learn the track, something he feels will benefit him when the series returns to the Florida track in February.

 

“The draft is so huge in these races,” McGilton explained. “I was able to draft a little bit at Talladega but nothing under race conditions. I know that ARCA won’t let us draft right away this weekend, but when they do, we’ll be in the mix. I’ve seen Daytona, but never had the opportunity to compete on it. This weekend it will be another track I can add to my resume, it’s really an exciting feeling.”

 

He continued, “Daytona is a lot different from Talladega. Daytona is not going to be as smooth as Talladega was so the comfort level will be night and day. The track isn’t as long as Talladega, so there’s a whole bunch of small things that make it a completely different track. Luckily, both tracks have the same features that allow us to use the same types of cars and engines.”

 

“We’re looking to shake down our car and see how our lap times level off in both single car runs and in the draft. We’re going to have to make the Daytona race on time, so we’ll concentrate on our qualifying setup a lot this weekend. The tests are meant for trial and error. I’m sure we’re going to be doing a lot of that this weekend, I think when we leave on Sunday we’ll be feeling much better about February.”

 

The Daytona ARCA 200 will serve as the first of a minimum of eight ARCA RE/MAX Series races the SI Performance Motorsports team will run in 2007. The team expects to compete in several different superspeedways while eliminating the short tracks, a change from their 2006 plans.

 

SI Performance and Gould’s Electric will return as the team’s sponsors next season. SCR

 

 

 

 

Mike Bliss has settled his breach-of-contract lawsuit with Haas CNC Racing, Bliss' attorney confirmed Thursday.

 

The case was scheduled to go to trial this week in North Carolina Superior Court in Charlotte.

 

"We amicably resolved the case," Bliss attorney Robert Muckenfuss said.

 

Bliss had signed a three-year contract to drive in Nextel Cup from 2005-2007 and was told in October 2005 that he would be released at the end of the season, according to his complaint. Bliss, who claimed that he had been assured earlier in the season that he would be the driver in 2006, was seeking $1.15 million in salary for the final two years of the deal.

 

The team argued in court documents that it properly invoked a clause in the contract that allowed Bliss to be terminated at the end of any season without the team having to pay the remainder of the deal.

 

The terms of the settlement are confidential, Muckenfuss said.

  

  

 

“This firesuit means a great deal to me because Dale and I had been good friends since early in both of our careers. After he ran his first laps during a test at Texas Motor Speedway before we opened, he came to my office and gave me these items. I wanted to share them with the public, so we have had them on display for the last 10 years. The items were temporarily stored in a secured storage closet while being moved from one display to another when they were stolen. This uniform is such an icon to our sport and Dale’s great accomplishments, similar to one of Elvis’ jump suits. … Detectives from the Fort Worth Police Department told me during our very first meeting that they would find these items. They kept their word through old-fashioned hard work, persistence and intelligence. Chief Ralph Mendoza and the entire Fort Worth Police Department are to be congratulated, particularly Detective Davon Green.  As a citizen, it makes you feel secure to know that such professionals are ensuring our community is safe.” SCR

 

 

 

 

Fort Worth, TX – Fort Worth Police have recovered the vintage racing suit, once worn by Dale Earnhardt Sr., which was stolen last month from Texas Motor Speedway president, Eddie Gossage.

 

Police investigators surmised the theft was committed internally, which was confirmed when the attorney of a part-time TMS employee contacted Fort Worth Police Major Crime unit detectives. The attorney asked to discuss the theft and the return of the racing suit.

 

On Wednesday, investigators met with the attorney and the suit, a helmet and a pair of racing shoes were recovered. Police are preparing a case to be presented to the Denton County District Attorney’s Office to file appropriate charges associated with this theft. 

 

The recovered racing suit will be [was] returned to Mr. Gossage this morning at 10:30 AM at Fort Worth Police Headquarters.

 

We appreciate the public and media’s assistance in the investigation of this case.  You all have played in important role in this partnership and returning this property to its rightful owner. SCR

 

 

 

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Andy Belmont Racing (ABR) planning to make their 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series season the strongest yet heads to the final ARCA RE/MAX Series open test session of the 2006 season this week at Daytona International Speedway with a series of rookie drivers in preparation for the 2007 opener.

 

Andy Lally, Joey McCarthy, Ted Olswfski, Mark Swan, John Graham and Bill Catania will all take their first laps around the 2.5-mile Superspeedway in a scheduled three-day test at DIS this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

 

Lally, heads to the “World Center of Racing” on the heels of a successful and promising stock car test in an ABR entry at Lowes Motor Speedway. Lally was the 2006 Rolex Grand Am Champion. 

 

"I am really excited to drive at Daytona. I had such a good time at Charlotte and am really looking forward to being with Andy Belmont and the team again,” explained Lally, a native of Georgia. "The last time I drove here on the oval was in 2001 with the Goody’s Dash Series; I had a great time then and am looking forward to this opportunity."

 

McCarthy may be a stranger to Daytona International Speedway, but he is not a stranger to racing. McCarthy, a well-known competitor and winner in the NASCAR Busch East Series is now working full time for ABR.

 

“I just want to thank Andy (Belmont) for giving me this opportunity to work hands on with his guys and giving me this opportunity to test in Daytona, everyone of these guys in the shop work 110 percent every week and I am glad to be able to showcase their hard work on the track,” said McCarthy.

 

Ted Olswfski, a rookie competitor in the ARCA RE/MAX Series will take his first laps in a car prepared by Andy Belmont Racing. Olswfski is a native of Pennington, New Jersey. He made one ARCA RE/MAX Series start this season at Pocono Raceway finishing 26th after starting 30th.

 

“I feel positive about the upcoming test at Daytona. It enables me to get away from work, feel some warmer temperatures, and spend some time with my family. I can’t also forget that I am going to get some practice in and drive at one of the most notorious race tracks on the ARCA circuit,” explained Olswfski.

 

Mark Swan, a newcomer to Motorsports in 2001 has been vigorously participating in driving schools in preparation for his new endeavor into the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Swan, a native of Georgia is a veteran in the SCAA Series, while also hoisting experience in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series at Lanier Speedway in 2003.

 

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to test at Daytona with ABR,” noted Swan. “Since I began racing in 2001 I have always had the long range goal of competing in ARCA and this test will be my first step. Andy has a proven record of mentoring drivers and my goal is to gather as much information as possible and draw from his years of experience as I turn my first laps in an ARCA RE/MAX series car.”

 

24-Hours of Le Mans Veteran John Graham will wheel away from his road course experience and steer towards a new gig in stock cars. Graham will arrive at the test this week sporting podium finishes at Sebring, Petit LeMans, Portland, Sonoma, Adelaide and Mosport.

 

"This is definitely a great opportunity for me. I have raced at Daytona many times in the past but only on the road circuit so being able to finally run the NASCAR circuit will be a great challenge” commented Graham.

 

Bill Catania attempted to make his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut at Toledo Speedway this September. While the rookie didn’t have quite enough to make the show, he is hoping to utilize this week’s test as a supplement to prepare for a strong 2007 limited season. Catania, 30 has also been spending time in North Carolina at Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track High Performance Driving School preparing for his journey around Daytona.

 

“I am very excited about driving at Daytona,” said Catania. “I was talking with Andy (Belmont) over the weekend and he feels that this is the best his equipment has looked heading to the test – that is exciting. My goal is to get as much experience as possible running a plate motor and of course getting familiar with the track. The time spent at Lowe’s Motor Speedway this year has been invaluable in preparation for the Daytona test. I have come to Daytona almost every year since 1990. It’s a special place for me personally, and like many racers that have spent any amount of time Saturday night racing, some dream of driving at Daytona. I’m glad my dream is coming true.”

 

“ABR has a big weekend ahead,” said owner and driver Andy Belmont. “My guys have been working a lot of hours, countless amounts of hours preparing three cars for this weekend’s test. I have a talented group of drivers going to Daytona with me and I’m looking forward to seeing our cars near the front.”

 

When asked about the inexperience of his drivers, Belmont didn’t seem fazed.

 

“There are going to be a lot of rookies at the test this weekend,” he said. “I’m going to coach them in every possible way I can and hope they will use their talent and head on the track. I wouldn’t let them climb in the car if I didn’t feel they were capable of doing the job.”

 

Belmont, who also recently announced the purchase of ARCA’s No. 62 program, will announce his 2007 Daytona lineup following the Holidays. SCR

 

 

 

 

South Boston, Va., native and driver of the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet Jeff Burton is returning to his hometown for a special event to celebrate Cingular’s network expansion in Virginia and to help give back to aspiring young drivers in the local community.  Cingular has expanded its wireless coverage in western Virginia, including the addition of eight new cell towers in the South Boston/Danville area, and Burton will be on site to commemorate the event with an official dedication ceremony at South Boston Speedway, where he first honed is driving skills.

 

To mark this momentous occasion, Cingular is officially dedicating its Tuck Air cell tower – just outside South Boston Speedway – in honor of the 18-time Cup Series winner and 2006 Chase for the Cup participant.  The dedication will be highlighted by a TEAM Cingular flag-raising on the new cell tower.  Cingular will also make a scholarship donation to the Halifax County Public Schools Motorsports Academy to help facilitate motorsports opportunities for “future Jeff Burtons” in the area.

 

During the ceremony Burton will share his experiences with kids participating in the Motorsports Academy and present a scholarship check on behalf of Cingular. SCR

  

   

 

 

 

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Next year Food City celebrates its 15th anniversary of sponsoring the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway and to mark the occasion, some lucky fan – and a bunch of his or her friends – will be having a spring fling like no other during the March event.

 

Food City and Bristol Motor Speedway are teaming up to give one person the chance to have a party to remember at the Food City 500 for a group of 15 with its “15 Years – 15 Winners” promotion. That’s right. The winner gets to invite 14 of his nearest and dearest friends and/or family members to the Food City 500 on March 25.

 

To enter the contest, simply visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com and click on the 15 Years – 15 Winners banner. Complete the information and then answer the trivia question. A new trivia question will appear each week leading up to the Food City 500. Each week a winner will be randomly selected and he or she will receive a Food City and Bristol Motor Speedway Prize Pack. That person also qualifies for the Grand Prize of 15 grandstand tickets to the Food City 500. And that’s not all. Those lucky 15 will also receive Food City 500 Hospitality Chalet Passes good for admission on March 25.

 

The 15 Years – 15 Winners giveaway is open to legal United States residents 21 years of age or older. The first weekly winner will be selected Dec. 18 and the final winner will be named March 19.

 

The March race weekend at BMS kicks off with Qualifying Day on March 23, followed by the Sharpie MINI 300 Busch Series race on Saturday, March 24 and the Food City 500 on Sunday, March 25. SCR

  

 

 

 

With the college bowl season just around the corner, Richmond International Raceway president and Virginia Tech graduate Doug Fritz has made a friendly wager with Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark.  The Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on December 30 will feature Fritz’s beloved Hokies taking on the Georgia Bulldogs at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

 

So what are they wagering?  The winner will receive famous foods from the loser’s respective state as payment. If Virginia Tech wins, Fritz will receive a basket of Georgia peaches and Georgia pecans from Clark. But if Georgia wins, Clark will get a Virginia ham and peanuts from Fritz.

 

“As a native of Keysville, I’d rather pull for Virginia Tech,” Clark said. “But I like Virginia ham and peanuts so much, I hope Georgia wins.” 

 

“I’m going to the game, so I’ll expect immediate payment of my basket of peaches and pecans after Virginia Tech stomps Georgia,” said Fritz. “The food will be perfect for the 8-hour drive back to Richmond.” SCR

  

 

 

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - On Wednesday, Jeff Gordon announced that wife Ingrid Vandebosch is pregnant.

 

“We’re obviously very excited,” Gordon said in a statement that appeared on

www.jeffgordon.com. “Christmas came early for us this year.

 

“This is a very special gift for us – one that we’re both looking forward to. The due date is early July, and Ingrid and I can’t wait to be parents.

 

“We’ve known for a little while, but we couldn’t wait any longer to share the good news with our friends and fans.” SCR

 

 

 

 

Ward Burton has signed to drive for Morgan-McClure Motorsports in 2007. State Water heaters will be the teams sponsor. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

 

 

 

 

Numerous teams are scheduled to test at the Kentucky Speedway this week. Today ML Motorsports and driver of the No. 70 Busch Series Chevrolet Justin Diercks are scheduled to test. Thursday, Jamie McMurray will be test at the track. To close out the week Evernham Motorsports drivers Elliott Sadler and Scott Riggs will test at the track.

 

Testing will resume next Monday December 18th with Riggs and his other Evernham Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne. Dave Blaney and Brandon Whitt will test Wednesday and Whitt will have a second day of testing Thursday December 21^st. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

 

 

 

 

 

STATESVILLE, N.C. - If you’ve always wanted to be Kasey Kahne’s right hand person, you only have one more week to make your dream come true. Dodge Motorsports is offering the opportunity to one lucky fan to be Kahne’s assistant at the 2007 Dodge Charger 400 race at Darlington Raceway, but registration closes on December 16. To date, more than 14,500 fans have signed up for the contest.

 

To register, fans visit www.kaseykahnedreamjob.com to complete a questionnaire to show why they would be the best candidate to be Kahne’s assistant. A panel of judges will select 50 contestants that will partake in a 15 minute phone interview. The judges will select the top 15 contestants and these quarterfinalists will submit a two minute video to Dodge. Dodge will select the top nine which will be posted to www.KaseyKahneDreamJob.com for fan voting.

 

The three contestants with the most votes will be flown to Las Vegas for in-person interviews with the judging panel during the UAW/DaimlerChrysler 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 9-11, 2007. Airfare, lodging, race tickets and rental cars will be provided to the finalists as well as $500 spending money for the weekend. The grand prize winner will be announced on March 26.

 

The grand prize winner will spend four days at the Evernham Motorsports headquarters in Statesville, N.C. and work with the Marketing Department scheduling Kahne’s at-track activities for the Dodge Charger 400 at Darlington Raceway. They also will work with the marketing and public relations team to get Kahne to all the appearances, media interviews, on-track and NASCAR-mandated responsibilities on his schedule for that weekend.

 

Additional awards for the grand prize winner include:

One year supply of vitaminwater

Kasey Kahne Tool Chest filled with Stanley Tools

Dell Notebook Laptop Computer

37” Dell TV with LCD Technology

BlackBerry from Sprint

$300 Trackside Trailer shopping spree from Checkered Flag

Kasey Kahne 1:24 scale diecast car set plus a Kasey Kahne hat and t-shirt from Motorsports Authentics

Dodge Interlocking Floor Tiles from On The Edge

Multiple Dodge or Kasey Kahne licensed accessories from Motorhead

For more information, visit www.dodgemotorsportsmedia.com. SCR

 

 

 

 

Stamps.com has announced it is launching a line of NASCAR-licensed postage featuring NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.

 

Three designs for each are currently available. The collection was created with licensing from NASCAR, Hendrick Gordon Licensing and Dale Earnhardt Inc.

 

To order stamps, visit photostamps.com and select the preferred design. Stamps.com photostamps are only available online.

  

   

 

 

WELCOME, N.C. - BB&T Corporation (NYSE: BBT) and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) have reached a two-year agreement for the full-service financial institution to sponsor RCR’s No. 2 Chevrolet Monte Carlos and driver Clint Bowyer in the NASCAR Busch Series and become the Official Bank of Richard Childress Racing.

 

Bowyer is scheduled to compete in 17 races each in the 2007 and 2008 NASCAR Busch Series seasons beginning with the February 17 Daytona 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

 

“As a Winston-Salem native and someone who’s had a banking relationship with BB&T for some time now, I’m thrilled BB&T decided to get into racing – and to do it with us,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “This is a special partnership that will pair Clint Bowyer, one of our sport’s exciting young talents, with BB&T, one of the nation’s top financial services providers. BB&T’s reputation for home-town, personal service is something our fans will certainly respect and appreciate.”

 

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T Corporation and its subsidiaries offer full-service commercial and retail banking and additional financial services such as investments, retail brokerage, corporate finance, payment services, international banking, leasing and trust. BB&T operates more than 1,450 financial centers in the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Indiana and Washington, D.C. With $118.5 billion in assets, BB&T Corp. is the nation’s 11th largest financial holding company. Visit www.BBT.com for more information about the company.

 

“This is a unique opportunity for BB&T to extend our brand and generate new business,” said BB&T Chief Marketing Officer Steve Wiggs. “We have a significant commitment in the automotive arena through our auto finance groups, BB&T Sales Finance, Regional Acceptance and Lendmark Financial. In addition, our BB&T Capital Markets division is the only full service U.S. investment bank with equity research and investment banking teams dedicated exclusively to the automotive aftermarket industry.

 

“This sponsorship expands our banking and investments brand awareness in a new and exciting way throughout the Southeast and across the nation. We’re proud to align ourselves with Richard Childress, a premier team owner with a winning tradition and significant momentum going into the 2007 racing season. On behalf all BB&T employees, I can’t wait to see Clint drive the No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet to Victory Lane.”

 

Bowyer has three victories, 28 top-five and 46 top-10 finishes in 87 NASCAR Busch Series starts. He finished second in 2005 and third in 2006 in the championship point standings in his first two full seasons in NASCAR’s junior division. The Emporia, Kan., native is also the fulltime driver of RCR’s No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet team in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and earned four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes during his 2006 rookie campaign. 

 

“It’s really a privilege to be able to drive for an industry leader like BB&T. After running a full-time schedule in Busch and Cup last year, I was looking to trim my Busch Series schedule back a little bit and that fit perfectly with BB&T’s plans. We’ve picked out some races that make sense for everyone so there’s really no doubt in my mind that it won’t be long before we roll the BB&T Chevy Monte Carlo into the Winner’s Circle.” SCR

 

 

 

 

Toyota Motorsports has signed a three-year agreement to join Ford and Dodge as participating manufacturers in the ARCA RE/MAX Series contingency program offering cash bonuses of $3,750 per-race to Camry teams, and a $5,000 bonus to the champion if he or she is competing in a Camry. SCR

 

 

 

 

Travis Kvapil and his wife Jen welcomed a new son to the family December 10, 2006. The family welcomed Caden Wade to the family at 7:51 a.m. Caden weighed in at 7 lbs 5 ounces and was 19.75 inches long. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

 

 

 

 

COVINGTON KY – SPEED, the worldwide leader in motorsports television coverage, has announced coverage of 14 ARCA RE/MAX Series races in 2007, each scheduled for live or same-day delayed broadcast to a national television audience.

 

"SPEED Channel and ARCA have a strong relationship dating back to 1997," said Rick Miner, SPEED Sr. VP of Production & Network Operations/Executive Producer. "The ARCA RE/MAX Series provides great racing with wonderful storylines, already scoring some of the best motorsports ratings on the network. With 14 races in 2007, most of which are live, we believe the fans will support this series like never before. We expect this to be a classic 'win-win' for ARCA and SPEED."

 

2007 broadcast coverage of the ARCA RE/MAX Series will begin on Saturday afternoon, February 10 at Daytona Int’l Speedway, with live, flag to flag coverage of the 44th annual Daytona ARCA 200 season opener.

 

In addition to Daytona, events scheduled for coverage in ’07 include both at Toledo Speedway on May 20 and October 14 and both at Pocono Raceway on June 9 and August 4. Kansas Speedway on April 27, Iowa Speedway on June 2, Michigan Int’l Speedway on June 15, Kentucky Speedway on July 13, Nashville Superspeedway on August 11, the Milwaukee Mile on August 26, Gateway Int’l Raceway on August 31, Chicagoland Speedway on September 8 and Talladega Superspeedway on October 5 will complete the coverage.   

 

“The 2007 broadcast schedule will provide fans of the ARCA RE/MAX Series a great opportunity to view the series from a variety of first-class venues,” said Mark Gundrum, ARCA VP of Marketing & Communications. “From the short-tracks of Toledo Speedway, to state of the art facilities like Kentucky, Nashville and Chicagoland, right up to the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega, fans will get a unique look at the diversity in this series. Having 14 events scheduled for live or same-day delayed broadcast is quite a statement, especially in the current television environment.” SCR

 

 

 

 

COVINGTON KY - It’s a long way from Frank Kimmel’s small-town southern Indiana roots to the top of the ARCA RE/MAX Series record books, but the veteran driver has become a familiar fixture on stage at ARCA’s National Championship Awards Banquet. The Clarksville, Indiana native was formally honored Saturday night for his record-shattering eighth national championship at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Kentucky during the 54th annual ARCA RE/MAX Series national championship awards ceremony. 

 

In all, Kimmel walked off with the lion’s share of a record $900,000 in year-end cash and product awards. While the most substantial portion came from RE/MAX, presented by VP of RE/MAX Int’l Randy Morse, Kimmel received checks and products from Lincoln Electric, Holley, Cookies BBQ Sauce, Casite, Sunoco, SK Hand Tool, Hoosier Racing Tires and Ford.

 

“This has been one of the most special nights of my life,” said Kimmel. “Everyone in my family is here tonight except for my oldest brother Tom.” Kimmel’s “family” on his big night, which also included a sea of volunteers, filled 10 tables of 10. “I’d just like to thank Larry Clement (car owner); he always gives us what we need to do the job, and my brother Bill (crew chief). A lot of people don’t realize that he gave up a professional driving career to be my crew chief. I really want to thank Shane Upchurch and Brian Horstman. Those two kids won the championship for us. They were in the shop every night till 10, 11 o’clock, and sometimes later than that. No job was two big for them; they’re just great kids. I’ve got to say that I think the highlight of my night was watching the Jack Bowsher tribute. As special as our night is, this night was even more about him, and rightfully so.”

 

Bowsher, who passed away this past April, was posthumously recognized as the Guest of Honor. The audience, approaching 600, was treated to big screen tribute to the life and career of the man who touched so many in the ARCA world over the course of a racing career that lasted nearly 60 years. The audience responded with a standing ovation.

 

ARCA Matriarch/Co-Founder Mildred Marcum, who will celebrate her 93rd birthday on January 6th, was among those in attendance. The evening also included a 2006 year-in-review video along with video tributes for drivers who finished in the top-20 in final 2006 ARCA RE/MAX Series points. Car owners one through 10 were also recognized.

 

ARCA President Ron Drager presented Kimmel with a framed collection of photos celebrating his eight national titles. But perhaps it was Kimmel’s brother and crew chief Bill Kimmel who received the biggest surprise of the night: Keys to a brand new, fully-loaded Ford F-150 Lariat pickup truck. Ford Racing Aerodynamics engineer Bernie Marcus formally presented the keys to the truck.

 

“I know no one is going to believe me but I actually don’t know what to say,” said Kimmel. “You know, I’m waiting for the punch line or something to let me know that this is all a joke. I’m getting ready to turn 50 years old and I have never had a new vehicle my whole life, so this means a lot to me. I’m humbled.”

 

Bobby Gerhart received accolades for his second-place points finish and was joined on stage by his brother Billy Gerhart, who serves as his car owner and crew chief. Billy Venturini and his car owner and mother Cathy Venturini received honors for finishing a career-best third in points, while Ryan Howard and car owner Mark Gibson were formally honored for their fourth-place points finish. Fifth-place points finisher Blake Bjorklund earned the 2006 Rookie of the Year award and the Bill France Triple Crown. The Country Joe Racing driver was accompanied on stage by his car owner Kevin Cywinski.

 

Others honored on-stage included sixth place points finisher Todd Bowsher and his mother Julie Bowsher, Ryan Foster and his car owner Frank Kimmel (seventh), Jason Hedlesky and his car owners Bill Wells and Nevie Richardson (eighth), Brett Rowe (ninth) and Justin Allgaier and his father and car owner Mike Allgaier (tenth).

 

Later in the evening, ARCA president Ron Drager presented Julie Bowsher (widow of Jack Bowsher), with the Marcum Award to recognize her long-time commitment to the ARCA organization. She received a standing ovation for the accolades.

 

In recognizing ARCA’s commitment to high education, Bob Loga Scholarship recipients included Holly Kimmel and Jennifer Spriggs. Other scholarship recipients, compliments of series sponsor University of Northwestern Ohio, included Brandon Herb, Joshua Timmerman, David Wolf, Josh McKee and Andrew Kreutzjans.

 

ARCA Vice President of Competition Joe Wells presented the manufacturer award to Dodge. Denise Berecz, Dodge Motorsports Program Manager, accepted the award on behalf of the company, which earned seven victories in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition in 2006.

 

The ARCA Spirit Award was presented to Steve Motsinger for his long-time support and commitment to sponsoring ARCA RE/MAX Series race events at Salem Speedway via Eddie Gilstrap Motors. Motsinger, whose company has sponsored race events at Salem for the past ten consecutive seasons, was instrumental in solidifying further sponsorship support for the biannual race from the Kentuckiana Ford dealers.

 

A number of ARCA RE/MAX Series host racetracks had a presence at the banquet. Included were Roy Mott (promoter of Toledo Speedway), Kevin Gregory (Corporate Partnerships Executive at Michigan Int’l Speedway), Mary Morris (Director of Events at Daytona Int’l Speedway), Jim Tretow (Vice President of Media and Communications for the Milwaukee Mile), Lisa Battles (Public Relations Manager for Talladega Superspeedway), Dan Stuart (Director of Sales for Kentucky Speedway), Andy Vertrees (Chief Operating Officer of Iowa Speedway), Stann Tate (PR Director of Kansas Speedway), and Beverly and Owen Thompson and Richard and Robin Deaton from Salem Speedway.

 

Herb Adcox presented the HG Adcox Sportsman of the Year award to Brad Smith, who finished 14th in driver points in 2006.

 

Barb Determan, from the Board of Directors for the National Pork Board, presented the 2006 Pork Pole Award to Steve Wallace, who led the way with four Pork Poles during the 2006 race season.

 

Additional awards were presented at a press conference earlier in the day. The next scheduled event for the ARCA RE/MAX Series is a three-day Daytona International Speedway test session December 16-18, in preparation for the February 10th, 2007 Daytona ARCA 200. SCR

  

 

 

 

LOS ANGELES, CA – SportsBlast, a producer of innovative online entertainment founded by Nancy “voice-of-Bart-Simpson” Cartwright, and NASCAR development driver Kenton Gray announced today a strategic marketing alliance set to launch immediately.  This cross-promotional alliance, the first of its kind, brings together a campaign package featuring traditional on-track promotions and mainstream marketing as well as dynamic on-line placements in the racing show, The Kellys.  This exposure greatly exceeds the penetration and measurability of other sponsorship programs.

 

Developed and produced in association with Turner Sports Interactive, The Kellys is the first animated series to take fans behind-the-scenes and into the heart of a stock car racing family.  The all-new season of The Kellys will feature new content with a topical flair and will debut on www.teamkellyracing.com and NASCAR.COM in conjunction with Daytona Speed Weeks in February 2007.

 

“Team Kelly is always looking for ways to dust the competition.  For the first time NASCAR sponsors can have their brands appear both at the track and in our show,” said Emmy-winning voice-actor, Nancy Cartwright.  “The alliance with FMG gives sponsors the best of both worlds.  They get to see their brand doing 190 in the real world on Saturday or Sunday and then in our animated series, racing on-line long after the checkered flag has dropped.  Who else can do that?!”

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