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DuPont staying with Jeff Gordon and No. 24

DuPont, Hendrick Motorsports and Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, today announced that the current longest-running sponsor/driver/team combination in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will continue through the 2010 racing season. At that point, the sponsorship will have been in existence for 18 years.  "DuPont has a long tradition of excellence in the automotive world, and we're proud to be a part of it," Gordon said. "The fact that we're now in our 16th year together speaks volumes about the success of this partnership."

DuPont launched its NASCAR involvement in 1992, when it decided to sponsor Gordon, then a rookie 21-year-old driver from California, who had just been hired by Rick Hendrick, founder and CEO of Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon, now 36, is a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.  (From HendrickMotorsports.com)

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Haas-CNC Racing penalized for LMS violations

NASCAR handed down its most severe penalties yet on its new car Wednesday, when the crew chiefs and car chiefs for Scott Riggs and Johnny Sauter were suspended six races apiece for tampering with the rear wings on their Chevrolets last weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Additionally, crew chiefs Bootie Barker and Dave Skog were fined $100,000 each. Derick Jennings and Thomas Harris, the car chiefs, were not fined but their suspensions are unprecedented. All four must sit out until the July 12 race in Chicago, and are on probation through the end of the year.

Riggs and Sauter were each docked 150 driver points, penalties that severely hurt the struggling teams. The cars are both fielded by Haas-CNC Motorsports, which was docked 150 owner points for each Chevrolet. Haas general manager Joe Custer is listed as the owner for Riggs' No. 66, and Margaret Haas is listed as the owner of Sauter's No. 77. The points deduction is the second largest in NASCAR history, only behind the 151 points Jeremy Mayfield and his team were docked for using an illegal fuel additive at Talladega in 2000.  (From SportsIllustrated.com)

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LVMS sees increase in out-of-town visitors for NASCAR Weekend

NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas has become one of the most popular destination events in motorsports, and figures released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority support that claim.

For the second consecutive year, the number of out-of-town visitors for the annual event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway increased. According to the LVCVA, 116,775 non-local residents attended the event. That reflects a 2-percent increase over the 2007 mark of 114,450 and represents 70 percent of the total estimated event attendance of 165,450. The 2008 event was held Feb. 29-March 2, a week earlier than previous years.

According to the LVCVA survey, the event generated $189,762,900 for the local economy - $10 million more than the five-year average. The NASCAR Weekend has created more than $1.2 billion in economic impact since Speedway Motorsports acquired LVMS in December, 1998.

Another encouraging sign for the local economy was an increase in the average number of nights stayed by the out-of-town guests. The 2008 average was 4.0 room nights, an 8.1-percent increase from the 3.7 room nights in 2007, according to the survey.

The event weekend is estimated to have drawn more than 330,000 people through the gates at the speedway. The events included the UAW-Dodge 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup event, the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Friday's qualifying day and two nights of USAC racing on the dirt track.  (From LVMS.com)

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Microsoft to sponsor No. 00 at Dover

Microsoft is continuing on its commitment to connect its Small Business Specialist Community with the more than 21 million small and home-based businesses in the U.S. by announcing an additional NASCAR sponsorship opportunity with Michael Waltrip Racing.  To kick off this exciting new opportunity, the Michael Waltrip Racing #00 car will feature a full car Microsoft Small Business and SBSC primary sponsorship design for the June 1st race at Dover International Speedway.  Fans will also have the opportunity to meet Michael McDowell, driver of the Michael Waltrip Racing #00 car, during a Meet & Greet and autograph session at the Microsoft Across America Mobile Event Experience Truck on Sunday before the Sprint Cup race.

This opportunity follows on Microsoft’s earlier NASCAR sponsorship with BAM racing. Eric Ligman, Microsoft’s Senior Manager of U.S. Small Business Community Engagement, comments: “When we announced the first sponsorship, the feedback from partners and others was incredible.  It was an unfortunate set of circumstances that BAM Racing encountered when their primary sponsor backed out for the first half of the season. We hope to see BAM Racing back on the track and running competitively when their primary sponsorship kicks back in.  Through this expansion of our NASCAR sponsorship with Michael Waltrip Racing, participating Partners will be able to tap into the exciting NASCAR opportunity and all of the associated benefits included with it, in addition to being assured  of having on track SBSC brand awareness throughout the entire 2008 NASCAR season.  Michael Waltrip is considered to be an icon in the NASCAR world by many and his role as a brand ambassador is well known.  Through this sponsorship, participating partners will be able to be associated with the Michael Waltrip brand as a sponsor and use this to help promote and grow their own company’s brand awareness.” (From MichaelWaltrip.com)

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Three race-day swap in 2009?

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that there will likely be a three-way swap between tracks and race-days in the 2009 Sprint Cup schedule; although, nothing has been finalized and sanctioned by NASCAR.  Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway), Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway are all involved in the rumor.  Here is the proposed breakdown:

• Atlanta would take the Labor Day weekend race from Auto Club (and run it on Saturday night)
• Auto Club would take Talladega's existing October race date (first weekend in October), which would give Auto Club a race in The Chase
• Talladega would take Atlanta's race later in October (fourth week in October), which would also be in the Chase, but would allow some time between the Atlanta race since they compete for the same fans

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Kentucky Speedway purchased by SMI

May 22, 2008 // Speedway Motorsports, Inc. has agreed to purchase Kentucky Speedway from Kentucky Speedway, LLC. The agreement was announced today by O. Bruton Smith, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2008.  Kentucky Speedway, which opened in 2000, hosts one NASCAR Nationwide Series event, one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, one IndyCar Series event and other racing events each year. The speedway is located in Sparta, Ky., approximately one-half hour south of Cincinnati, Ohio. The speedway is easily accessible via modern highways.  Located on approximately 820 acres, Kentucky Speedway features a 1.5-mile tri-oval speedway, with chair-back grandstand seating for 66,089 spectators, 50 luxury suites with seats for approximately 2,000, 100 private RV spaces, 200 reserved camping spaces and 1,000 unreserved camping spaces. Kentucky Speedway regularly hosts near capacity crowds for its Nationwide Series events.  (From SpeedwayMotorsports.com)

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Aflac becomes primary sponsor of Carl Edwards

Aflac Incorporated today announced its signing of a full–season multi–year primary sponsorship of Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Ford Fusion. Additionally, Aflac continues its relationship as the official supplemental insurance company for Roush Fenway Racing and Carl Edwards.  "We look forward to our expanded relationship with Carl Edwards and the world-class team at Roush Fenway Racing," said Paul S. Amos II, president, Aflac; COO, U.S. Operations. "Our sponsorship has helped put Aflac in front of businesses of every size and consumers throughout the United States. We are confident that increasing our involvement with this great motorsports leader will only continue to help our business grow."  (From AflacRacing.com)

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Montoya gets a new crew chief…again

Juan Pablo Montoya will have his third crew chief in a month when Brian Pattie takes over the No. 42 Dodge for this week's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.  Pattie replaces Jimmy Elledge, who was put in charge of the car four races ago in a crew shakeup at Chip Ganassi Racing. Elledge initially swapped places with Donnie Wingo, who guided Montoya's transition from Formula One to NASCAR but was moved to Reed Sorenson's crew in the swap. Montoya is 16th in points with one top-10 finish this season, a second last month at Talladega Superspeedway in Elledge's first race leading the crew. He then finished 32nd in Richmond, 23rd in Darlington and was 14th in Saturday night's All-Star race. Pattie, a crew chief on Ganassi's Nationwide Series teams, moves to Montoya's pit box for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.  (From USAToday.com)

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Lumber Liquidators to sponsor Kvapil in Coke 600

Lumber Liquidators, the largest specialty retailer of hardwood flooring in the United States, announced today that it will sponsor Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 28 Yates Racing Ford at the 2008 Coca-Cola 600. The May 25th race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will mark the first primary sponsorship for Lumber Liquidators in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series in 2008.  "NASCAR fans are great supporters and customers of Lumber Liquidators, and we are always interested in opportunities with the Sprint Cup Series that support our successful history in the Craftsman Truck Series," said Tom Sullivan, founder and CEO of Lumber Liquidators. "Travis Kvapil is a great driver and Yates Racing is a formidable team with a championship in its past-we look forward to running up front at the Coca-Cola 600."  (From TeamYatesRacing.com)

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Schrader to drive RCR No. 33 in Coke 600

Veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ken Schrader will attempt to qualify Richard Childress Racing’s No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet for the May 24 Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.  Camping World’s blue and gold paint scheme will adorn the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala SS. Camping World offers over 8,000 quality products geared towards the RVing community, through 65 nationwide SuperCenters, a well-established catalog call center and an award-winning Web site. Camping World is the industry leader in RV accessories and services. In addition to RVs, Camping World provides its customers with high-quality products and services to help enhance their life on the road. (From RCRRacing.com)

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No. 40 out of All-Star race

With driver Dario Franchitti still on the mend, the unsponsored No. 40 Chip Ganassi Racing team will withdraw from the NASCAR Sprint Showdown non-points event, which is scheduled for Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a Chip Ganassi spokesman confirmed.  With the car not having sponsorship for the all-star event and with Franchitti still nursing the injury, the decision was made to withdraw. Franchitti will be re-evaluated to see if he can drive in the Coca-Cola 600 next week.  The team will have sponsorship from Nintendo's newest video game, "Wii Fit," along with Target, at Charlotte. It also cannot afford to miss the race or it would be in danger of not making future events where qualifying is rained out. The team currently is 38th in owner points. (From SportingNews.com)

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Nintendo Wii to sponsor Indy 500 and Coke 600 cars for Chip Ganassi

May 14, 2008 // Chip Ganassi Racing Teams announced today it has partnered with Nintendo and its long-time sponsor Target, to have Nintendo’s newest video game, Wii Fit, as the sponsor of 1,100 miles of auto racing on Sunday, May 25. Nintendo and Wii Fit become the primary sponsors on Alex Lloyd’s No. 16 Dallara Honda in the Indianapolis 500 and later in the day along with Target on the team’s No. 40 Dodge in the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C.  By sponsoring the Wii Fit 1,100, Nintendo follows Target as one of the only sponsors that will have cars competing in both races as Target has Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon starting one-two in the Indy 500 and Reed Sorenson competing in his third Coke 600   The 500 mile Indianapolis 500 is the longest race on the IndyCar Series schedule while the 600 mile Coca-Cola 600 is the same in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. (From ChipGanassiRacing.com)

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Greg Biffle moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing?

Here is an interesting article from ESPN.com discussing the possible fit between Joe Gibbs Racing and Greg Biffle (if, and when, Tony Stewart) leaves.

JGR has developmental driver Joey Logano in the wings, but he's not ready for a Cup ride and is likely better suited for an expansion to four teams in 2010. Biffle would be the perfect bridge and could help the team transition into its post-Stewart days.

His departure could also help solve the car-count problem for Roush, who must get down to four teams by the end of the 2009 season. Edwards re-upped, Jamie McMurray has a long-term deal, Matt Kenseth doesn't appear to be going anywhere and second-year driver David Ragan is an emerging star who cracked the top 12 after his fifth-place run at Darlington. (From ESPN.com)

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Labonte and McCumbee to drive No. 45 Dodge while Petty is on TV

Petty Enterprises announces its driver lineup for the No. 45 Marathon/Wells Fargo/PVA Dodge for the races beginning with the June 1 event at the Dover International Speedway through the July 12 event at the Chicagoland Speedway.  Kyle Petty is scheduled to step away from the car at Dover to attend his daughter’s wedding.  Petty will also return to the broadcasting booth to cover the NASCAR Sprint Cup events that will air on TNT Sports, which begin with the June 8 event at the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.  Petty made his TNT Sports broadcasting debut in 2007 to rave reviews and accolades. Petty will return when the series makes its annual mid-summer trek to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Chad McCumbee will bookend Petty’s hiatus by getting behind the wheel of the No. 45 Dodge at Dover and Chicagoland.  He previously filled in for Petty at Pocono and the Michigan International Speedway in 2007 and at the Texas Motor Speedway last month.  McCumbee’s best finish for Petty Enterprises came at Pocono when he came home 25th.  The Chicagoland race will be his debut on the 1.5-mile oval.

For the remaining five races, Petty will turn the reins of the No. 45 Dodge over to a familiar friend and competitor.  Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Terry Labonte, will become a teammate to his younger brother, 2000 series champion Bobby, for only the second time in their Sprint Cup careers.  The Labontes are the only brothers to both win the series championship and have combined to win 43 Sprint Cup races. (From PettyEnterprises.com)

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Bank of America unveils new NASCAR ad

May 12, 2008 // Bank of America, the Official Bank of NASCAR, will rev up the excitement surrounding the 2008 racing season with the debut of the company's first-ever NASCAR-themed television commercial, which celebrates the passion fans have for their favorite drivers and promotes the bank's popular My Expression NASCAR Banking program.

The 30 second spot is titled "Who's Your Driver?" and features footage of a number of top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers whose likenesses are available on NASCAR Banking check cards and credit cards. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya and Martin Truex Jr., are featured in the new ad and are among the most popular selling drivers featured in the bank's NASCAR Banking products.

In addition to actual racing footage, the ad features fans demonstrating their passion for their favorite drivers at the racetrack and in their homes. One particular sequence captures a family of NASCAR fans with differing driver loyalties with a living room equally divided with one side supporting Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the other Jeff Gordon.

The new TV ad will begin airing this week in Charlotte, with plans to run in Atlanta and Dallas in conjunction with upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. The ad will be complemented by print, radio, online and point-of-sale advertising, and is scheduled to air nationally on the Speed Channel and ESPN/ABC starting in July, running throughout the end of the racing season.

Visit http://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/index.php?s=press_kit&item=100 to view Bank of America's new NASCAR-themed television commercial. (From BankOfAmerica.com)

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Marlin in for Franchitti at Darlington

Chip Ganassi Racing officials have confirmed that Sterling Marlin will replace the injured Dario Franchitti in next weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington. Marlin tested the No. 40 Ganassi Dodge this week at Lowe's Motor Speedway, where teams ran in preparation for the All-Star weekend and the Coca-Cola 600, but thus far the series veteran has only been confirmed for next Saturday's Cup race.  The 50-year-old will attempt to qualify at a track where he has been on pole twice in the past, and claimed two Cup victories in 1995 and 2002, the latter driving for Ganassi.  Franchitti's status continues to be evaluated on a weekly basis according to team officials. The Scot had a carbon fiber brace fitted last week but he will complete just two weeks out of the car next Saturday, following his crash in a Nationwide Series race at Talladega.

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UPS to sign with Edwards and Roush Racing?

Carl Edwards could be the next NASCAR star to drive "the Big, Brown Truck."  Edwards, who announced Friday he had signed a three-year contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing, appears set to join with sponsor UPS beginning next season, The Charlotte Observer has learned.  UPS is close to a deal to pair with Edwards on Roush's No. 99 Ford, although the company is still talking with other potential teams, sources confirmed.  (From OttawaCitizen.com)

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Bobby Labonte may stay at Petty

Bobby Labonte has agreed to a contract extension, according to a report by The Associated Press, citing an unidentified source. The report also stated that portions of the deal, including sponsorship, are still being completed.

Robbie Loomis, team executive for Petty Enterprises, wouldn't confirm or deny the report Saturday at Richmond. Loomis did say: "I'm 100 percent confident Bobby Labonte is going to be with us, moving forward.'' (From HamptonRoads.com)

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Edwards signs three year deal to stay with Roush

Carl Edwards is staying at Roush Fenway Racing, signing a multi-year contract to drive the No. 99 Ford. "I signed my contract [Thursday], so I'm staying with Roush," Edwards said just after exiting his car at practice on Friday at Richmond International Raceway. "I looked at everything and I talked to everybody and, for me, the No. 1 thing is looking into the future and saying, 'Where can I win the most races and have the most success?'" Team owner Jack Roush said the deal was a three-year contract. "What we had hoped for was more than that, but what my understanding was the last time I knew what was on the table was that it was a three-year deal," Roush said. "A guy would be crazy to leave Roush Fenway Racing and go somewhere else," said teammate Jamie McMurray, who didn't know about Edwards' contract status until Friday afternoon when a reporter brought it up. "I'm sure there were offers everywhere and probably very appealing. But I can't imagine a guy like that wanting to leave when you're having the success that you are."  (From RoushRacing.com)

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Tony Stewart to run Carolina 500 at Rockingham

Tony Stewart is scheduled to wave the green flag for the Carolina 500 ARCA race at Rockingham Speedway on Sunday at noon. That gives the NASCAR star maybe 12 hours or so to get a little rest and cover nearly 270 miles to Rockingham, N.C., after he leaves Richmond International Raceway tomorrow night -- if that race ends on time. Stewart will be among the favorites in tomorrow night's NASCAR Sprint Cup event at RIR. Like Stewart, Ken Schrader will be hoping there are no delays at RIR. He is entered to race at Richmond and Rockingham. (From InRich.com)

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Martinsville Speedway to get upgrades

Fans and competitors will be the beneficiaries of more than $2 million in improvements set for Martinsville Speedway before the October 19th running of the TUMS QuikPack 500.

Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell announced the projects Thursday afternoon. He said work will begin on them in the next few weeks and will be completed by the fall event.

The centerpiece of the track enhancements will be a new, state of the art scoreboard. Campbell also announced that pit road would be resurfaced, the fourth-turn pit gate will be reconfigured to include SAFER barrier technology and portable chair seats surrounding the track will be replace with individual stadium seats.

”This is a huge step forward for Martinsville Speedway. These are all areas that needed to be addressed and we’ve been able to do them at one time,” said Campbell. “I think everyone is going to be impressed by the scoreboard. It’s pretty amazing. And I think we’re making improvements that will make everyone’s weekend here more enjoyable.” (From WhoWon.com)

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Kansas City or bust

Click here for slideshow.

My wife and I went to Kansas City last weekend for some truck and IndyCar racing at Kansas Speedway (been to a ton of NASCAR races, but have never been to a truck or IRL race).  We did it mostly because it seemed to be the only time we would ever have a chance (or interest) to go to KC.  Other than KC Masterpiece, George Brett and meat, I didn't really equate many things with the city.  However, upon our return, let me say this: we were both totally blown away by how SWEET KC is!  I was expecting some dinky old cow town, flat as a board, with nothing to do but tip over some cows and watch racing...but was I wrong!

The first thing we noticed driving in from the airport was that it was very hilly and green.  We stayed downtown (on the 23rd floor) and had an awesome view of the whole place.  Lush, green, rolling hills as far as the eye could see. Another thing that quickly struck us was how much character the city had.  Downtown is made up of old, new, colorful, unique buildings that puts Denver's downtown to shame.  And, at night, several of the buildings light up in different colors.

In exploring the area, we checked out an area called Country Club Plaza (the oldest shopping district in the country).  It is a great area full of high-end shops and restaurants in a European style.  We ate dinner at Baja 600, a great mexican restaurant right on the river.

As expected, the food was good virtually everywhere we went.  From McCoy's Public House in Westport, to the Drum Room downtown, to breakfast at Succotash at the City Market, we were never disappointed.

However, the highlight of the trip was without question, the National WWI Museum.  It was the most incredible museum experience I have ever had.  They ran a video at the beginning that helped set the stage in the world pre-war.  I didn't realize the tensions were so high and certainly didn't realize that the dominos fell so quickly due to all countries having stuck deals for helping each other (Ferdinand was shot, a month later Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, a week later the world is at war).  There were a TON of perfectly preserved artifacts, interactive exhibits and everything else you can think of.  And to think...we almost didn't go in...we had to be slightly convinced by the ticket lady to buy tickets.  If you go to KC, this has to be your first stop.  However, don't try to squeeze it in before lunch, it takes all day!!

I am already looking for reasons to go back.  I think the end of September is a perfect time to (re)visit Kansas City!

In the next post I guess I will talk about Kansas Speedway, the whole reason we went to KC.

-mike

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