News 98-01-10

NASCARFans E-Mail Newsletter

Jayski's news collection:

Here's pictures of the new #11 Paychex Ford, to be driven by Bret Bodine:

http://www.paychex.com/paychex/finance/bodine.html

I hear the #12 Larry Lockamy Chevy will run at the Brickyard.

The Carolina Shoe Co. BGN team with driver Mark McFarland will be #82 Chevy and the car will be shown at Winchester Speedway Racecar Show at Apple Blossom Mall on 1/24-25. The team plans to run 5 BGN races in 1998 at Nashville, Nazareth, Richmond (June race), Indianapolis Raceway Park, and Milwaulkee.

Kelloggs USA will offer in 1998 two limited-edition collectors cereal boxes featuring stock car champions. Boxes of Corn Flakes will honor 1996 Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte and 1949 NASCAR champion Red Byron. Also, Frosted Mini-Wheats boxes will honor 1997 Winston Cup champ Jeff Gordon. The boxes will be available nationwide.

I hear the Toby Porter Truck deal with the Ozzie Smith group has fallen through. Toby will run the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series and 5 Craftsman Truck Series races with Terminal Trucking Motorsports(RacinRadar)

I hear that aerodynamic wind tunnel testing confirmed that the Taurus has as much as 75 pounds more downforce than the Tbird, and 25 pounds more than the Monte Carlo.

Looks like I was incorrect about the Washington-Erving Ford being #12, I hear now that it will be #32. I hear the shop the team and Rich Bickle is in is Bickle / Smith Motorsports new building that Bickle built with his partner. The shop was supposed to house Bickles short track cars, cars for a 10 race Busch schedule, and trucks for a 5 race deal.

UPDATE: John Andretti will be driving the #50 Budweiser Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports in the Bud Shootout at Daytona. Andretti's present car owner, Richard Petty gave him permission since Andretti is qualified for the race, via winning a pole with Cale Yarborough in the #98, and I am sure NASCAR wanted the "Bud" car in the "Bud Shootout" and with Craven not earning a pole or being a second-round fastest qualifier, this arrangement was worked out(1-6-97), officially announced on the Charlotte Observer site.

"A female motorist sneaked onto the track at Michigan International Speedway Tuesday for a fast lap. The 45-year old woman drove past the guard shack and onto the track about noon, Lenawee County sheriff's deputies said. She drove a lap at a speed of 100 mph before a worker's truck blocked her way and stopped her, deputies said. The woman told deputies she drove on the track for thrills and to see how fast her car could go. She was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaulation. No charges have been filed."(Toledo Blade - thanks Frank)

Thanks, Jay.

===== Former NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Bobby Allison will be honored this month as the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame's second inductee, and fans can follow his progress on Allison's own World Wide Web site (http://www.bobbyallison.com).

The 1998 Induction Ceremony will take place on Jan. 17, in the Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center, with cocktails beginning at 6 p.m. followed by dinner. Presenting on behalf of the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame will be Mr. Don Miller of Penske Racing South. Dr. Jerry Punch of ESPN will be master of ceremonies. Seating is reserved for the semi-formal event and tickets are required. (NASCAR Online) ===== Danny "Chocolate" Myers has his own web site at:

http://www.gasmanchoc.com

He is getting ready to introduce his own line of clothing, "Choc Wear", to be available at the NASCAR Thunder stores. (NASCAR Online) ===== Tucson Raceway Park will hold a fund raiser on Saturday evening for injured NASCAR driver Chris Trickle in conjunction with this weekend's NASCAR Winter Heat No. 5 -- the Winter Heat 200 NASCAR Winston West Series season opener.

The event, which will feature a raffle of numerous autographed items -- including pieces from Darrell Waltrip, Sterling Marlin and Jeff Gordon -- as well as memorabilia from Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt and other motorsports items, will take place from 6 - 9 p.m. at "the original" Famous Sam's, located at the corner of 29th and Swan in Tucson.

All proceeds from the event will go directly to the Trickle family for the continuing medical care of Chris Trickle. The up-and-coming NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour driver and the nephew of NASCAR Winston Cup driver Dick Trickle, has needed intensive medical care since he was injured in a shooting near his Las Vegas home.

Among the celebrities expected to attend the event are the ESPN2 broadcast team of former NASCAR Winston Cup champion Benny Parsons, who has promised to "sell the shirt off his back;" Bob Jenkins; and Bill Weber; as well as NASCAR drivers Ron Hornaday the 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion; Sean "Surfer Dude" Monroe; Sean Woodside; Carl Trimmer and John Sewell, among others.

The drivers have offered to autograph any NASCAR Winter Heat shirts purchased at the event on Chris Trickle's behalf.

Among other pieces of memorabilia available for bid will be a unique NASCAR leather jacket with the NASCAR 50th Anniversary logo, a Steve Park NASCAR Winston Cup driver's suit, Hornaday memorabilia, and more. (NASCAR Online) ===== Jan. 10, 1971 -- The "modern era'' of NASCAR Winston Cup racing opens as Ray Elder wins the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. (NASCAR Online) ===== Here's an article written by Skip Wood of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Had your fill of football? Already tired of basketball? Itching to get down in the pits and get a little greasy? Then let's do it.

Official NASCAR testing has been underway at Daytona International Speedway this week, and that follows a stretch last month during which Ford teams were allowed to test the Thunderbird-replacing Taurus in special sessions at Charlotte and Talladega.

And what of the Taurus? Reactions have been mixed. Some teams see potential; others see disaster. Most teams have been testing the Thunderbird, as well, and are quick to point out that the on-the-way-out model remains faster.

So when the Daytona 500 is contested Feb. 15, don't be surprised if Thunderbirds still have a presence. Although Ford's circuit car is officially the Taurus, the teams don't necessarily have to run it, per NASCAR rules.

But Junie Donlavey, who owns the Richmond-based Ford driven by Dick Trickle, believes there has been too much fuss about which model is better. The Taurus, he predicted, will be just fine.

"They're already within a few tenths of a second of being as good as the T-bird right now," Donlavey said yesterday after returning from Daytona, where the third of three days of Ford testing was scrubbed by rain. "I'm saying right now they'll be as fast if not faster when we line up to race the first race."

Donlavey added that Ford is strongly urging teams to ditch the T-bird, and you know teams that resist won't be getting a lot of help from the manufacturer.

Among the nine Ford drivers who tested at Daytona this week, Lexington-area resident Rick Mast was strongest. He drove the Taurus to a session-best 47.993 seconds (187.527 mph) Tuesday and followed with a 47.961 the next day that was second only to Robert Pressley's T-bird time of 47.947.

After the second day, Mast said adjustments made to the car following the Talladega sessions worked nicely. But he also remained convinced that Chevrolet, which again will field a Monte Carlo, will have an inherent advantage this season at least early.

Even so, at least as far as the Daytona 500 goes, Donlavey points out with a devilish chuckle that the T-bird sure didn't get it done against Chevrolet a year ago in the season opener.

"Didn't they run 1-2-3?" Donlavey said of Chevrolet's and Hendrick Motorsports' order of Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven. "I say let's see if we can do better with the Taurus this year."

Labonte was king of the 13 Winston Cup drivers this past weekend at Daytona. His average speed over the three days was 188.419 mph, followed by Kenny Schrader at 188.182.

Testing at Daytona will continue the next two weeks. General Motors cars Chevrolet and Pontiac will hit the track Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The following week, Ford will test during the same days.

"That's when we'll really get a better read on things," Donlavey said. "That's when you'll see all the heavy hitters." ===== The entry list for the Chevy Trucks Challenge, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event scheduled Sunday, Jan. 18 at Walt Disney World Speedway, looks more like a Who's Who of the racing community. The driver roster, which is at 63 and expected to climb even higher during race week, features a wide array of talent from all forms of racing. A quick glance shows five former NASCAR champions, and four full-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers joining the fray for the $538,000 event. "It's a phenomenal entry list," said Dennis Huth, NASCAR's vice president of administration. "We're looking at a record number of entries." The inaugural Chevy Trucks Challenge attracted 61 drivers to WDWS, which is located near the entrance to the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. This quantity and quality were expected since 55 teams tested a total of 67 trucks in mid-December at the unique one-mile, three-turn course.

Among the drivers who have filed entries include NCTS champions Mike Skinner ('95), Ron Hornaday ('96) and Jack Sprague ('97), plus former NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division champs Chuck Bown and Joe Nemechek.

NASCAR Winston Cup regulars are also showing a strong interest. Included in that group are Brett Bodine, Bobby Hamilton, Nemechek and Skinner. Skinner earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1997. "For NASCAR Winston Cup drivers, it's a good chance to get back into shape in preparation for their opener in Daytona next month," said Huth.

Other entrants of interest include Tommy Archer, a longtime international road-racer; Tony Raines, from the ASA ranks; Bob Keselowski, a former ARCA standout who won his first NCTS event at Richmond, Va.; Ricky Johnson, who got his racing start on motorcycles; and Dominic Dobson, a veteran open wheel racer. "Dobson's commitment to run in the 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series shows how this series has become a real melting pot of racing," said Huth. "We're getting drivers from different series; the top competitors in those series, I might add."

Not only is the NCTS drawing the top drivers, but it has the attention of top race teams and owners. Some of the team owners are household names such as Dale Earnhardt, Jack Roush, Richard Childress, Kenny Schrader and PacWest. "That list goes on and on," said Huth. "It helps show that the series is viable and come of age. It shows that we're committed to putting the best product on the race track."

Huth said NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers look forward to the Chevy Trucks Challenge, not only because of the fierce competition, but because of the hosting facility. "The surroundings, the ambiance of Walt Disney World, adds to the desire of making this race," said Huth.

Tickets for the Chevy Trucks Challenge at Walt Disney World Speedway are available at Ticketmaster by calling 407/839-3900 (Orlando) or 813/287-8844 (Tampa).

(RacingPR Website) ===== As promised:

T minus 9 days and counting 'til the Craftsman Chevy Trucks Challenge T minus 30 days and counting 'til the Winston Cup Bud Shootout T minus 34 days and counting 'til the Gatorade Twin 125 Qualifiers T minus 36 days and counting 'til the Busch Series NAPA Auto Parts 300 T minus 37 days and counting 'til the Winston Cup Daytona 500 =====

Mike Irwin (mailto:Mike@NASCARFans.Com) NASCARFans _______________________________________

NASCAR Fans Website http://www.NASCARFans.com _______________________________________