Motorsports FanHouse http://motorsports.fanhouse.com Motorsports FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Motorsports FanHouse http://motorsports.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/FanHouse Warmup: AAA 400 @ Doverhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/27/fanhouse-warmup-aaa-400-dover/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/27/fanhouse-warmup-aaa-400-dover/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/27/fanhouse-warmup-aaa-400-dover/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The Essentials
Race: AAA 400
Where: Dover Int'l Speedway
Time: Sunday 2 p.m./EDT
TV/Radio: ESPN, Motor Racing Network
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mid-70s, Partly Cloudy, 40% rain
Distance: 400 laps (400 miles)
Pole Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2008 Winner: Greg Biffle

The Storylines

If you've caught any coverage of Sprint Cup practice or qualifying this weekend from Dover, the chance you didn't hear a driver complain about the new Goodyear tire compound was razor thin.

The tire supplier tested at the mile-long concrete track in August and brought back a compound that is supposed to have more grip like a tire for Charlotte or Las Vegas. The right-side tires also feature compound elements learned from Indianapolis that Goodyear hopes will allow the rubber to adhere to the racing groove better.

Several teams were taken by surprise by the change this weekend and have noticed a tremendous difference in the tire's handling characteristics from the May race at Dover -- leaving many to ponder and criticize Goodyear's changes.

Denny Hamlin, qualified 13th for Sunday's race, was the most vocal of opponents on Friday in the garage area.

"There was a tire test here and, from what I hear, they didn't bring back the tire that everyone liked," Hamlin said. "They won't listen to us drivers, so I don't know why we even tire test these race tracks anymore.

"They'll take a lot of data from this tire or they'll piece together this tire and that tire and make a tire that no one has run on and it ends up being terrible."

Greg Biffle wasn't as critical of the process, but felt the changes were unnecessary.

"This tire is really proposing a lot of trouble for us, and we're just super-loose and having troubles getting a hold of the race track," said Biffle. "They should've left the tire alone. There was nothing wrong with the old one."

Of course, there were other drivers who felt that the complaining wasn't needed and that the tire would be fine. Kurt Busch's feelings about the tire were positive, feeling that the drivers just need to do their jobs.

"It's not driving very easy, but we're fast," said Busch, who paced the second practice session. "I think what the car is telling me is that this new tire is asking for the drivers to get up on the wheel and drive hard."

And Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann was quite gung-ho about the grip level of the tire -- something Goodyear probably liked to hear.

"I think Goodyear has got a very good tire," said Reutimann. "It seems like it has a lot of grip and a lot of good drive. The tire has a little more stagger and a couple of subtle things."

Hamlin's irritation didn't stop with the tires after getting booted late out of Saturday's Nationwide race at Dover.

Brad Keselowski made a move underneath Hamlin on lap 189 of the 200 lap event in turn two. Hamlin, who admitted his spotter told him that the No. 88 was down low, tried to cut down to stop Keselowski off the corner. Contact ensued and Hamlin spun lazily across the track before clipping the nose of his car against the inside wall.

Hamlin would pull directly to the garage and finish 27th while Keselowski finished third. The controversy didn't stop there, though.

When the 25-year-old Keselowski pulled into the pits after the race, 29-year-old Hamlin greeted him at his car and exchanged a few words with him. Later, Hamlin said he wanted to offer Keselowski "guidance".

The pair exchanged a shoves with Keselowski's PR rep handling Hamlin for the driver from Michigan.

Don't worry, we've got the Youtube of the whole discussion -- and a little bit of background from a tangle between these two at Charlotte last season -- right here.




 Elliott Sadler, fresh off his 8th-place finish last week, suffered the same problem that his Richard Petty Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne had a week ago during qualifying for Sunday's race.

Sadler's No. 19 broke a crankshaft his R6 Dodge engine -- the same ill that knocked Kasey Kahne out of the race at New Hampshire last week. Unlike Kahne, though, Sadler will be biting the bullet on Sunday with the same model of engine because of problems with motor mounts.

Kahne is planning to race the R5 engine -- an older, but more reliable generation of the Dodge motor -- for the rest of the season. Sadler, meanwhile, will have to put a new R6 in for Sunday because the motor mounts on his car at Dover don't align with the R5, and the chassis work to make it fit is too much to handle away from the shop.

Rain is a possibility today at Dover, but the chances seem to be tapering off as the day moves on.

The National Weather Service has the threat of isolated showers at 40 percent through 3pm local time today and otherwise partly cloudy.

Here's to hoping we can get a full race in.

The Prediction

Greg Biffle has scored 108 more points in the last 10 races at Dover than Jimmie Johnson to lead all active drivers in that category. However, Johnson does have four wins at the track compared to Biffle's two.

Johnson is the most recent winner at Dover, but Biffle won last season's fall race at the one-mile concrete oval.

Those two seem like obvious favorites at the fast track in Delaware, but there's just one more stat you should know. Carl Edwards has the best average finish of them all -- he's normally 7th -- and has failed to complete just 5 laps in his career at the track.

Who's your favorite today? Me, I'll take Jimmie Johnson.

FanHouse Warmup: AAA 400 @ Dover originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Geoffrey MillerSun, 27 Sep 2009 11:18:00 EST FanHouse Warmup: Richmondhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/12/fanhouse-warmup-chevy-rock-and-roll-400/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/12/fanhouse-warmup-chevy-rock-and-roll-400/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/12/fanhouse-warmup-chevy-rock-and-roll-400/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Essentials
Race: Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Where: Richmond Int'l Raceway
Time: Saturday night 7:30pm/EDT
TV/Radio: ESPN, Motor Racing Network
Twitter: Updates @ FanHouseRacing
Forecast: Mid-60s, Partly Cloudy
Distance: 400 laps (300 miles)
Pole Winner: Mark Martin
2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

The Storylines

25 races and 9,706 miles of racing in 2009 boils down to a 400-lap shootout Saturday night that will make the season for the 12 guys who secure a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. And for the guys that don't, well, just consider it to be the wrong end of a make-or-break scenario.

Four drivers have clinched an entry prior to the green flag, while 8 spots and 11 eligible drivers will steal the show Saturday night in Richmond. A scramble it will be.


Pressure? What Pressure? Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon is one of those four drivers that have nothing but a race win to battle for on Saturday night thanks to scoring enough points to earn a stranglehold of a guarantee on a Chase spot.

He's done it rather quietly, though, and he couldn't be happier with how that's worked in favor of his team heading into the 10-race scramble that follows Richmond.

"There's enough pressure from inside your team and on your own shoulders that you don't want anything adding to that," said Gordon on Friday when asked about if the reduced outside pressure to make and win the Chase is a good thing. "I'm just happy going into it. I've been on both sides of it. As close and as tight and competitive as this series is right now with these cars, I'd prefer to have that. If we had the dominate car that was just going to go wax everybody then I'm fine having the bulls-eye on my back, but that's not the case these days."

The newest expecting father in the Sprint Cup garage wasn't exactly having a good day on Friday while trying to get his No. 19 Dodge tuned up for practice and qualifying.

"We just have a demon in the car right now with our brakes," said Elliott Sadler. "We're not sure what's going to tell you the truth. We've been fighting them all day long and can't get it resolved. It's frustrating. At a track where brakes are most important, we're having brake issues."

Sadler will start 34th on Saturday night, and announced earlier in the week that he and his wife were expecting their first child in March. Kudos, sir.

If Kevin Harvick's confidence means anything for Saturday night, the Bakersfield, Calif., driver just might be stringing together two of his best weekends of 2009 together after Saturday night's race.

Harvick took second place last week at Atlanta for his best finish of what has been a struggle of a 2009 season for the No. 29 group, and from all accounts in both his quotes and Twitter posts, Richmond should be decent as well.

"We're breaking in a brand new car this weekend, and we were pretty good in race trim in practice today," said Harvick after qualifying 19th.

Earlier, he posted to his Twitter account that both his Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series cars were good (he finished 2nd in Nationwide on Friday) and it "should be a fun weekend."

Just two weeks ago, Harvick and team owner Richard Childress confirmed they'd still be working together in 2010 and perhaps that bode of confidence to the team has lit a fire for an end-of-season positive swing.

Carl Edwards, broken foot and all, won the Nationwide Series race at Richmond on Friday.

Strangely, it's not the foot that's been hurting him the most.

"My foot is good," said Edwards. "It's better than my arm pits from these crutches."

Juan Pablo Montoya, currently 8th in points and looking to earn his first ever entry in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, led the pack Friday afternoon in the second and final practice for Saturday night's race. He'll line up 14th on the grid, though.

Montoya's qualifying run put him sixth on the grid of the 11 drivers in contention for a Chase spot. Knowing that, here's how each of those drivers can make a run into the Chase at the end of the 400-lapper -- courtesy of NASCAR statistical services:

#99-Carl Edwards is currently 105 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, he will clinch if he finishes:
-- 24th or better
-- 25th and leads at least one lap or
-- 27th and leads most laps.

#9-Kasey Kahne is currently 96 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, he will clinch if he finishes:
-- 21st or better
-- 23rd and leads at least one lap or
-- 24th and leads most laps.

#2-Kurt Busch is currently 95 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, he will clinch if he finishes:
-- 20th or better
-- 22nd and leads at least one lap or
-- 24th and leads most laps.

#42-Juan Pablo Montoya is currently 88 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, he will clinch if he finishes:
-- 18th or better
-- 20th and leads at least one lap or
-- 21st and leads the most laps.

#39-Ryan Newman is currently 81 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, he will clinch if he finishes:
-- 16th or better
-- 17th and leads at least one lap or
-- 19th and leads the most laps.

#5-Mark Martin is currently 69 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, he will clinch if he finishes:
-- 12th or better
-- 14th and leads at least one lap or
-- 15th and leads the most laps.

#16-Greg Biffle is currently 68 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, he will clinch if he finishes:
-- 11th or better
-- 13th and leads at least one lap or
-- 15th and leads the most laps.

#17-Matt Kenseth is currently 20 points ahead of 13th place. Regardless of any other driver's finish, he will clinch if he finishes:
-- Second and leads at least one lap.
-- Third and leads the most laps.

#83-Brian Vickers currently sits 13th, 17 points ahead of #18-Kyle Busch. He would need to gain 21 points on Kenseth and stay ahead of Busch to clinch a Chase spot. Busch, 37 points behind 12th, needs to gain 17 points on Vickers and 37 points on Kenseth to clinch.

#00-David Reutimann, 132 points behind Kenseth, has an outside shot at clinching. He would have to gain 133 points on Kenseth. A maximum of 161 points can be made up in a given race.

The Storylines


Geoffrey Miller: Kyle Busch

FanHouse Warmup: Richmond originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Carl EdwardsElliott SadlerFanHouse warmupJeff GordonKevin HarvickGeoffrey MillerSat, 12 Sep 2009 11:44:00 EST Blame NASCAR's Scheduling, Not Weather, for Daytona Finishhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/17/blame-nascars-scheduling-not-the-weather-for-daytona-finish/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/17/blame-nascars-scheduling-not-the-weather-for-daytona-finish/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/17/blame-nascars-scheduling-not-the-weather-for-daytona-finish/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

A friend from Denver -- a new NASCAR fan -- called up the morning after the Daytona 500 disappointed and feeling like he got short-changed.

He said stopping the race 48 laps short felt like watching an NFL game being played in bad weather with the referees just deciding whoever was ahead in the third quarter got the win.

As I explained to him -- and as Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth has unfortunately felt obligated to explain on every talk show appearance he's made since earning his first 500 trophy -- everyone knows the game and Kenseth's team simply played it best.

Every crew chief had the same access to the weather reports and knew rain was on the way. And since the race was well beyond the 101 laps (halfway plus a lap) needed to make it official, it was time to mash the pedal.

And that's exactly what Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Elliott Sadler and the rest of the top-finishing drivers did. It's called strategy.

NASCAR's problem is getting that message out to new fans or those casual observers that tune in to the biggest races such as the Daytona 500, but don't follow the sport regularly.

Could NASCAR have waited out the rain shower and re-started the race?

As one reporter cynically noted, a couple of FOX's biggest hit shows, "The Family Guy" and "The Simpsons" were on deck anyway. And we know modern day NASCAR is all about what works best for network TV. Clearly, a rain delay didn't.

But maybe the point isn't how the race ended, but when races begin.

NASCAR should have the flexibility to start these races sooner. When bad weather is approaching, speed up driver introductions, run fewer pace laps and nix part of the pre-race entertainment or commercial time-outs. Ninety percent of the fans are there by driver intros and TV could shorten its pre-race show.

Ironically, NASCAR may have to deal with this again this week in Southern California, which is getting deluged with rain.

The late starting times are one of the worst moves NASCAR has made in recent years. For decades, fans could count on a 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon start -- and the consistency was vital in building the fan base and audience.
But like the Daytona 500, this week's race in Fontana, Calif. is a 3 p.m. local start -- 6 p.m. EST. Only two of the 36 races will begin before 2 p.m. -- 10 will be night races.

NASCAR won't be changing its schedule any time soon, so in the meantime, don't begrudge Kenseth his Daytona win.

There may be a lot more decided this way.

Blame NASCAR's Scheduling, Not Weather, for Daytona Finish originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>a.j.allmendingerclintbowyerelliottsadlerkevinharvickmattkensethHolly CainTue, 17 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST Sunday Notes and Quotes: Daytonahttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/15/sunday-notes-and-quotes-daytona/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/15/sunday-notes-and-quotes-daytona/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/15/sunday-notes-and-quotes-daytona/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Here's a few rumblings and bumblings from a soggy evening at Daytona:

Are television viewers more important than full races? I think its a very valid question to wonder why NASCAR is so willing to push the snooze button later and later on Sunday afternoons with the start times of its Sprint Cup Series races.

It was just eight years ago that the Daytona 500 started at 12:30pm local time, while Sunday, it started after 3:40pm local time. The reason? Television ratings and commercial advertising rates go up the later in the day thanks to West Coast viewers and the "prime time" effect kicking in on the East Coast.

Sunday, the late start time produced one good thing: racing under the lights. But it also produced a shortened race that could have been avoided by just starting the race an hour earlier. It did rain Sunday morning at Daytona, but the track was ready to roll by 2 p.m. local time.

I know that its not a perfect system, but when it comes to finishing races or catching viewers -- NASCAR ought to think about what made this sport: competition.
Elliott Sadler was bitterly disappointed with himself following the race despite earning a 5th-place finish.

"You know, it's tough. It's hard to swallow," said Sadler. "But I'm proud of my guys. New team. New pit stops. They all worked out great tonight. To look in their faces when the rain was coming down when I got out of the car, man, that was hard, because I felt like I let them down."

The 5th-place finish for Sadler wasn't as bad as it could have been Sunday night. Just over a month ago, he had been removed from his ride before later being reinstated.
Joey Logano's weekend ended pretty appropriately for the troubles he had throughout Speedweeks. The 18-year-old lost it coming off turn four on lap 79 and pounded the inside wall head-on before spinning into the infield grass.

Logano had never been to Daytona in a race car, and it showed. He made contact with the wall several times throughout his time here and even had Kyle Busch get in the car on Friday to try and make it handle better and run faster. Sunday, he lost the lead draft early in the event.
Jamie McMurray's strong run ended with a multi-car crash that took out what was probably the strongest Roush Fenway Ford for the early part of the race. McMurray never led, but was a constant figure in the Top-10 before getting tangled in the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-Brian Vickers mess on lap 125.

"I was getting run into from the abck and I'm hitting the guy in front of me, and it looked like someone got spun around in the right," said McMurray. "I drove really well and we had some awesome horsepower this weekend from Yates and all those guys.

"Sometimes, it's just not your day."
FanHouse in Daytona officially comes to a close Sunday night, and its sure been a fun ride. It's been an incredible four days hanging around the grounds of NASCAR's most-famous track and to feel the energy that this race brings and the passion that the competitors put in to winning it makes this race second-to-none.

I hope you've enjoyed our coverage this weekend and we'll certainly look forward to bringing plenty of NASCAR news, notes and opinions as the 2009 season gets started and for the rest of the year. Holly and I will be both be at-track for a number of races in 2009, and we hope you'll be along for the ride.

Next week? Stop by for plenty of analysis of the news from Auto Club Speedway.

See you then.

Sunday Notes and Quotes: Daytona originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>DaytonaDaytona500ElliottSadlerFanHouseinDaytonaJamieMcMurrayJoeyLoganoGeoffrey MillerSun, 15 Feb 2009 22:09:00 EST Menard, Sadler Start Up Front in Shootouthttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/06/menard-sadler-start-up-front-in-shootout/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/06/menard-sadler-start-up-front-in-shootout/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/06/menard-sadler-start-up-front-in-shootout/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Paul Menard's new season with a new team is starting out on a refreshingly good note.

Menard, who left the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing team following 2008 to drive the No. 98 Ford at Yates Racing, drew the pole for Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona during a made-for-TV draw "party" Thursday night just outside of the speedway.

The lineup -- one that is set completely at random for the 28 eligible drivers -- has left some drivers that don't fall into "favorites" category sitting at the front while others, including last-place starter and former Shootout winner Jeff Gordon, will have plenty of traffic to negotiate at the green flag.

After an interesting month of January for Elliott Sadler that saw him nearly fired and then re-hired, the driver of the No. 19 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge will start alongside Menard with teammate Reed Sorenson third.

Scott Speed rolls off in his first ever Sprint Cup restrictor-plate race from the fourth. Speed, the former F1-turned-stock car driver, is eligible for the race thanks to the owner points earned by the No. 84 car driven mostly by A.J. Allmendinger in 2008. NASCAR changed the Shootout eligibility requirements to include the top six teams from each manufacturer in addition to a wild-card from each make.

Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch will round out the grid's Top-10 at the green flag Saturday night.

The 75-lap race -- up five laps from the race a year ago won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- is scheduled to take the green flag just after 8:10 p.m./EDT Saturday night on FOX.

Menard, Sadler Start Up Front in Shootout originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>BudweiserShootoutDaytonaEarnhardtGanassiRacingJeffGordonPaulMenardReedSorensonScottSpeedYatesRacingGeoffrey MillerFri, 06 Feb 2009 13:42:00 EST Allmendinger, Petty Sign 9-Race Dealhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/29/allmendinger-petty-sign-deal/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/29/allmendinger-petty-sign-deal/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/29/allmendinger-petty-sign-deal/#commentsFiled under: , ,

A.J Allmendinger, after an interesting month of rumors, finally has nailed down a ride for a portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

The former open-wheel driver with five Champ Car wins to his credit and two seasons of Sprint Cup racing with Team Red Bull that ended in 2008 signed with Richard Petty Motorsports Wednesday for up to two years.

The contract, at the moment, has afforded Allmendinger -- ousted by Team Red Bull towards the end of the 2008 season in favor of the unproven, yet talented Scott Speed -- nine races at the start of 2009 including next weekend's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

From there, Allmendinger will attempt to race the next eight races in the No. 44 RPM Dodge, including the season-opening Daytona 500. The team's main goal is for A.J. to race the entire season for the now-four car operation at RPM, but as of yet, sponsorship to do so hasn't materialized.

Allmendinger's contract also includes an option for the 2010 season with RPM.

Richard Petty, who merged his Petty Enterprises team with fellow Dodge competitor Gillett-Evernham Racing just weeks ago, had some good words to say about Allmendinger's work with the team so far in 2009.

From the team's press release:
"AJ has a ton of potential," said team owner Richard Petty. "I went testing with him a few weeks ago. When he climbed out of the car I think he went to everyone working on the car asking them questions and wanting to know what was going on. That's the kind of thing you want out of your driver. He's a young guy and I think we can help him and he can help us."
If you'll remember, Allmendinger just a month ago appeared to have lined up a full-time ride with the same Sprint Cup Series team after they had apparently booted a recently-extended Elliott Sadler from his No. 19 car. Over the course of the next week, Sadler's legal team filed notices of a potential lawsuit as some sponsors apparently backed away from the team after the unexpected move.

Sadler was later reinstated to the race car after Petty and GEM merged in a surprising turn of events. Now, Allmendinger and Sadler will have a chance to be teammates for 2009.

Allmendinger, Petty Sign 9-Race Deal originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AJAllmendingerBudweiserShootoutDaytonaDaytona500DodgeElliottSadlerRichardPettyMotorsportsScottSpeedSprintCupGeoffrey MillerThu, 29 Jan 2009 09:53:00 EST Welcome to NASCAR's Silliest Seasonhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/14/welcome-to-nascars-silliest-season/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/14/welcome-to-nascars-silliest-season/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/14/welcome-to-nascars-silliest-season/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Did you really think the NASCAR world could keep quiet during this offseason?

First, we had Elliott Sadler being canned from his then Gillett-Evernham Motorsports ride just months after signing a multi-year contract extension. A.J. Allmendinger, they said, was taking over the ride.

Then, Richard Petty and the oh-so-struggling Petty Enterprises worked out a merger with GEM, a fellow Dodge team to create a still unnamed four-car team that includes the famed No. 43. Somehow, such a merger was a positive move for Sadler, as he was reinstated to the ride he had originally been taken out of.

Perhaps the newly-formed team didn't want to deal with a near-certain lawsuit Sadler was going to throw their way?

With Sadler back in, the Petty merger complete, Allmendinger signed up to run a handful of races based on sponsorship for the team, the NASCAR world appeared to slow.

Slow, at least, until the former Petty Enterprises driver (effective December, that is) Bobby Labonte was seen popping up in and around Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing -- propelling rumors that he'd be taking over the No. 8 car based on bringing a solid sponsorship package with him.

(Note: Been under a rock the last few months? Here's some info about that whole DEI not being DEI anymore deal.)

So, it seemed, Labonte was to be in at the No. 8, according to the Coke website, Super 8 hotels was on-board.
Aric Almirola, slated originally to drive No. 8, was now thrown to the backburner without sponsorship for a fourth car at EGR.

But, as they say, not so fast.

Tuesday, rumors bubbled up that Labonte had signed a contract with Yates Racing after the team merged with Hall of Fame Racing. Wednesday, such rumors were confirmed with a press release indicating Labonte will now drive the No. 96 Ford sponsored by Ask.com

Over at ThatsRacin, indications were that Labonte had a lunch meeting scheduled with EGR, but called just before to say that he had signed with Yates/Hall of Fame -- meaning Almirola was back in the No. 8.

Looking back at all of this, can you imagine how crazy preseason Daytona testing (it would have finished Wednesday) would have been with this driver carousel?

Welcome to NASCAR's Silliest Season originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AJAllmendingerBobbyLabonteEarnhardtGanassiRacingElliottSadlerGillettEvernhamMotorsportsPettyEnterprisesRichardPettyGeoffrey MillerWed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST GEM-Petty Merger Brings Elliott Sadler Backhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/09/gem-petty-merger-brings-elliott-sadler-back/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/09/gem-petty-merger-brings-elliott-sadler-back/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/09/gem-petty-merger-brings-elliott-sadler-back/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

I suppose you could chalk this up as one of those deals that just makes you want to go "hmmm."

Not only did one of NASCAR's most-storied organizations lose much of its independent identity thanks to a merger cued from financial necessity, but a driver thought to be on axe from the other merged team is back in the fold.

In other words, just another day in the always unpredictable world of NASCAR.

Petty Enterprises, owned by NASCAR's "King" Richard Petty, joined forces with a fellow Dodge racing team, Gillett Evernham Racing, thanks to a lack of sponsorship that saw the team's premier driver walk out the door just weeks ago. On the verge of shutting down its operations, the merger breathes a new hint of life back into the famed operation.

On the Gillett side of things, the biggest story of late has been the reported hiring of NASCAR young gun A.J. Allmendinger to fill the ride of Elliott Sadler -- despite the fact that Sadler had signed a new, multi-year deal with the team last season.

Now, the team has confirmed, the "family" has made up from some in-fighting and Sadler will once again take the controls of the No. 19 for the full 2009 season with Allmendinger signed up to run at least eight races in the fourth car of the operation.

What's all this mean for on-track activiity, you ask?

Well, for now, the plan is for Sadler to keep the No. 19, Kasey Kahne returns in his No. 9 Budweiser Dodge, Reed Sorenson will pilot Petty's No. 43 car and for Allmendinger to drive an unannounced car.

Chad McCumbee, a young driver in waiting at Petty, had hoped to pick up a Sprint Cup ride in 2009, but as of now, those plans are on hold.

The AP's Jenna Fryer mentioned that the team could take the moniker of "Richard Petty Motorsports" in an effort to promote the 7-time champion's connection in addition to creating one of the coolest acronym a team could have -- "RPM".

So, at the end of the day (today at least), the No. 43 is still around, Richard Petty still has a reason to hang out in the NASCAR garage area, Elliott Sadler got his job back and a bit of sponsorship luck will see A.J. Allmendinger in a decent car for 2009.

Not a bad day if you're a NASCAR fan.

GEM-Petty Merger Brings Elliott Sadler Back originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AJAllmendingerElliottSadlerGillettEvernhamMotorsportsKaseyKahneReedSorensonRichardPettyRichardPettyMotorsportsSprintCupGeoffrey MillerFri, 09 Jan 2009 16:30:00 EST Unhappy Sadler Readies Contract Breach Suithttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/03/unhappy-sadler-readies-contract-breach-suit/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/03/unhappy-sadler-readies-contract-breach-suit/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/01/03/unhappy-sadler-readies-contract-breach-suit/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I bet this isn't what A.J. Allmendinger signed up for with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports contacted him about driving for the Sprint Cup team in 2009.

Allmendinger, along with GEM, majority owner George Gillett and Ray Evernham Enterprises were named earlier this week in Iredell County (N.C.) as defendents by an attorney representing Elliott Sadler in a possible suit alleging breach of contract, according to David Poole of The Charlotte Observer.

Sadler, as we were surprised about earlier in the week, appears to be on the outs from GEM's No. 19 Dodge in favor of Allmendinger in 2009 -- despite signing a contract extension this past spring with the team through 2010.

Poole noted in the article that "Sadler plans to seek injunctive relief, declaratory relief/specific performance, consequential and punitive damages as a resultof Defendants anticipatory and actual breach of Plantiff's Driving Services Agreement [...]."

All of the legal lingo could more appropriately described as Sadler being extremely irritated and desiring to grab all of the money from GEM he can because of the loss of external revenue (personal contracts, etc.) he stands to lose by not driving in the Sprint Cup Series full time in 2009.

I'd say Sadler stands a pretty good chance to settle for a vast amount of money because there's absolutely no reason for anyone to believe he wasn't able fulfill the his end of the contract. Additionally, it shows just how ridiculous the world of NASCAR contracts have gotten.

In other words, a contract that a driver has with a team should be a guarantee, but instead, it's just a worthless piece of paper in terms of jobs but a very valuable one for a driver who gets canned from his ride because it serves as a method of retribution.

Regardless, the Allmendinger for Sadler move seems complete, and I'm still quite surprised.

Unhappy Sadler Readies Contract Breach Suit originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AJAllmendingerElliottSadlerGilletteEvernhamMotorsportsRayEvernhamGeoffrey MillerSat, 03 Jan 2009 16:48:00 EST Reports Say NASCAR's Elliott Sadler Shuffled from GEM in Favor of A.J. Allmendingerhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/28/reports-say-nascars-elliott-sadler-shuffled-from-gem-in-favor-o/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/28/reports-say-nascars-elliott-sadler-shuffled-from-gem-in-favor-o/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/28/reports-say-nascars-elliott-sadler-shuffled-from-gem-in-favor-o/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We knew that Gillett-Evernham Motorsports wasn't so full of Evernham anymore, and we also knew that the Dodge Sprint Cup team was looking to sign recently-dropped Red Bull Racing driverA.J. Allmendinger despite lacking a sponsorship.

Well, reports say that all of that is coming true, but with one incredible twist:

Elliott Sader, who has driven the No. 19 for two years and is under contract for more, is being replaced by Allmendinger.

Say whaaa?

The NASCAR Scene and ESPN are both reporting this matter "according to sources close to the team" and Allmendinger's business managar Tara Ragan has confirmed he is in the final negotiations of signing a contract with the team.

There's no specific confirmation, however, that Allmendinger will replace Sadler. Regardless, such a move -- or a rumor of such a move -- is highly surprising.

Sadler has a contract with the team through 2010 and has become a solid face of the Best Buy sponsorship in NASCAR. His name hasn't been anywhere the rumor mill of losing a ride for 2009, though his season standing of 24th in 2008 doesn't exactly state a great case for him to avoid the driver circus.

Allmendinger was dropped from Red Bull Racing after showing marked improvement throughout the course of his second NASCAR season in lieu of the arrival of Scott Speed to the team. He certainly has the talent the perform in NASCAR and I've made several pleas for this driver to stay around the sport.

Still, this rumor was a big shocker for me, and I don't know if I agree with booting Sadler from No. 19 car. What about you? Would this be a legitimate driver change?

Reports Say NASCAR's Elliott Sadler Shuffled from GEM in Favor of A.J. Allmendinger originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AJAllmendingerElliottSadlerGillettEvernhamMotorsportsSprintCupGeoffrey MillerSun, 28 Dec 2008 10:57:00 EST '08 Rear-View Mirror: Elliott Sadlerhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/09/08-rear-view-mirror-elliott-sadler/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/09/08-rear-view-mirror-elliott-sadler/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/09/08-rear-view-mirror-elliott-sadler/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.

Driver: Elliott Sadler
Team: No. 19 Gillette-Evernham Dodge
'08 Final Standing: 24th (-3324)
Best Race: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (4th-place)
Worst Race: Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta (43rd-place)

Season in a box: Sadler's 2008 campaign started with a bang thanks to a 6th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500. From there, however, things didn't pan out as Sadler would have expected.

It wasn't until the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May -- a span of nearly three and a half months -- until Sadler found the Top-10 again. The very next week, though, his luck reverted back after getting spun in this huge crash at Dover, forcing the No. 19 to a 42nd-place finish.

Sadler -- who possesses three career wins in the Sprint Cup Series -- managed just eight total Top-10s in 2008 to, unfortunately, match the number of finishes 35th or worse. For a stretch in the season, it seemed that nearly every week featured a wreck involving the No. 19 and that on-track activity left Sadler with an average 2008 finish of 24th -- a number that nearly mirrors his average career finish.

Through the crystal windshield: I can't really say I'll be expecting much of Sadler or the Gillette-Evernham operation in 2009. The team is rumored to be looking at a merger with one car from Petty Enterprises in the offseason, though the GEM case is different than the Chip Ganassi Racing/Dale Earnhardt Inc. merger in that team majority owner George Gillette has a solid portfolio and the team has secured most of its 2009 sponsorship.

Sadler will easily pull off a Top-5 finish here and there, but I don't see the lovable Virginian taking middle-tier equipment and winning races or making the Chase for the Sprint Cup like his teammate Kasey Kahne could.

Next up: Travis Kvapil

'08 Rear-View Mirror: Elliott Sadler originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Allstate400DodgeElliottSadlerGilletteEvernhamrearviewmirrorGeoffrey MillerTue, 09 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST 10 from '08: 'Monster Mile' Starts Carnage Early at Doverhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/02/10-from-08-monster-mile-starts-carnage-early/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/02/10-from-08-monster-mile-starts-carnage-early/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/02/10-from-08-monster-mile-starts-carnage-early/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

With NASCAR's awards banquet on Friday, Dec. 5 (stop by for the live blog!), here's a look at 10 from '08 -- 10 of the NASCAR season's best moments.

With 43 cars on track, it's not too often that TV cameras catch a wreck live for the audience at home, but June's Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway was a little different.

FOX Sports was riding along with Elliott Sadler in his No. 19 Dodge on the in-car camera when the car suddenly broke loose and slapped the outside Turn 2 wall. What we saw next was also atypical of crashes at Dover.

Instead of following the general rule that Dover is a "self-cleaning" race track that forces crashed cars to the bottom of the race track because of the banked corners and straightaways, Sadler's car opted to slide precariously into the middle of the track and into what is best described as a blind spot for race cars traveling at speed.

And so, as the video below shows, Tony Stewart slammed into Sadler, followed by Denny Hamlin, Scott Riggs, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Bobby Labonte to leave the track virtually blocked and multiple pre-race favorites done for the day after just 19 laps of the 400-lap race.

FOX's Darrell Waltrip said "The 15 done a whale of a job," of getting through the wreck, and he surely did. The No. 15 is Paul Menard in the bright yellow car and as you can watch below, he comes out of Turn 2, sees the track blocked, cuts left around a slowing Earnhardt Jr. to slightly brush the wall with the rear of his car and keeps going around the wreck.

From my point of view, this whole crash started thanks to Sadler coming down across the nose of David Gilliland's No. 38 -- a common mistake at that point on track at DIS because the view of the spotters is somewhat limited.

NASCAR's summer king Kyle Busch wound up winning the 400-miler after just four more cautions, none even remotely close to the melee that took place off turn 2. Now, enjoy the clip:

10 from '08: 'Monster Mile' Starts Carnage Early at Dover originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>10from08BobbyLabonteDaleEarnhardtJrDavidGillilandDennyHamlinDoverInternationalSpeedwayElliottSadlerKevinHarvickScottRiggsSprintCupTonyStewartGeoffrey MillerTue, 02 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST LFL: Kyle Busch, Labonte & Sadler Go Pinkhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/10/11/lfl-kyle-busch-labonte-and-sadler-go-pink/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/10/11/lfl-kyle-busch-labonte-and-sadler-go-pink/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/10/11/lfl-kyle-busch-labonte-and-sadler-go-pink/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

FanHouse's Geoffrey Miller is at the track in Concord, N.C. for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 in full fan mode. He's hoping to avoid Kevin Harvick's motor coach driver from his location in the Ford Grandstand, Section I.

It's no outlandish statement to say that Kyle Busch could use a change in his Chase for the Sprint Cup fortunes.

He'll try to change it by painting his No. 18 Toyota pink for Saturday night's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- and its for a great cause.

Busch, as well as Bobby Labonte's No. 43 and Elliott Sadler's No. 19 will sport pink paint schemes in the Bank of America 500 in support of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grassroots breast cancer awareness group -- and I've got to say, the paint jobs look pretty good.

The cars will be sporting the new look thanks to the initiative from each team's respective sponsors making an effort to help promote awareness of breast cancer, and NASCAR having 40 percent of its fan base in women -- according to the press release -- is certainly a great place to do so.

Stanley Tools, M&M's, and General Mills are all also making contributions to the Komen foundation with Stanley pitching in $100,000, M&M's making a minimum donation of $650,000 and General Mills has already tossed $2 million into the cause in 2008.
All of the companies are also having products with a pink theme to them -- though I can't really see someone using a pink Stanley hammer. Of course, I say that in the same mindset thinking that Kyle Busch would have never driven a pink car, but this weekend has proven me wrong.

NASCAR fans can even jump into the action with a $5 donation made from a cell phone by sending the word KOMEN to 90999.

If nothing else, do it for Kyle and his pink car.

LFL: Kyle Busch, Labonte & Sadler Go Pink originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>BankofAmerica500BobbyLabonteChasefortheSprintCupElliottSadlerKyleBuschLiveFromLowesLowesMotorSpeedwayPettyEnterprisesSprintCupToyotaGeoffrey MillerSat, 11 Oct 2008 14:49:00 EST Montoya DQ'ed, Gives Johnson Kansas Polehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/09/26/johnson-on-kansas-pole-after-montoya-dqed/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/09/26/johnson-on-kansas-pole-after-montoya-dqed/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/09/26/johnson-on-kansas-pole-after-montoya-dqed/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Juan Pablo Montoya: "Hey, did you see that lap, man? Yep, first Sprint Cup pole! Uh-huh! Wait, what did you say? They disqualified me? What the #%^&?!?!"

While the above quote is not actually attributable to JPM, you can bet he wasn't happy to be starting 42nd on Sunday at Kansas Speedway after posting Friday's qualifying session fastest time.

Montoya dropped a lap Friday afternoon at Kansas City, Kan.-track of 172.150mph to put him at the top of the grid for the first time in his Sprint Cup career, celebrated his pole with the obligatory photo shoot, and talked to the media about how exciting it was for his No. 42 team:
"It's huge. There's times where it's getting darker and cooling down and you run at the end and all of a sudden you pick up a half a second and you're up there. But we were in the middle of the pack and the track didn't really change that much. We were genuinely fast," said Montoya.
But now, he's starting in the back thanks to a technical violation during the post-qualifying inspection process that revealed his two rear shocks had pressure levels higher than allowed by NASCAR.

NASCAR instituted rules on the shock assemblies a few years ago mainly in the name of safety after teams started running the suspension devices near their explosion breaking point to help the car handle. Essentially, its just not safe for slender metal tubes to be filled with gas at a near breaking point, so NASCAR stepped in.

The main benefactor from Montoya's issue? Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson, or more concisely, the guy who always seems to be there to take advantage of any situation.

Johnson will start out front for Sunday's race with the rest of the Top-5 now including Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler and Martin Truex Jr.

Failing to score a spot in Sunday's field were Johnny Sauter and Michael McDowell.

Montoya DQ'ed, Gives Johnson Kansas Pole originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>ChipGanassiRacingDodgeHendrickMotorsportsJuanPabloMontoyaKansasSpeedwaySprintCupGeoffrey MillerFri, 26 Sep 2008 19:37:00 EST Musings From a Chicagoland Weekendhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/07/13/musings-from-a-chicagoland-weekend/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/07/13/musings-from-a-chicagoland-weekend/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/07/13/musings-from-a-chicagoland-weekend/#commentsFiled under: , ,



After spending three days in the Chicagoland Speedway, here's some of the best moments (and isn't that picture gorgeous?):
  • - Elliott Sadler Must Be a Journey Fan: After a visit to the media center Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway, Elliott Sadler was walking back to his vehicle when I walked past him. And as we passed each other, Elliott was singing out loud, along with the track public address system to Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)". Needless to say, it's a memory I won't soon forget.
  • - Biffle and Stewart Make Nice: The two drivers weren't exactly mad at each other when they got out of their respective race cars on pit road following the event, but to make sure there wasn't hostile feelings, Greg Biffle walked over to Tony Stewart to apologize for "crowding him" during a late restart. Stewart wasn't mad at all and smiled it off, reassuring Greg he completely understood what had happened.


  • - Denny Hamlin Could Have Beat Kyle Busch: When Denny Hamlin stalled on the backstretch thanks to an electrical problem on lap 49, you could hear the disappointment in his voice. And after watching him on-track, I know why. Denny wound up with a 40th-place finish thanks to a very, very low attrition rate during the race. His team got the car repaired in less than 5 laps and when he got back going the No. 11 was a rocket.
  • - Kurt Busch's Engine Ruins His Night: Kurt Busch was another one of those "woulda, shoulda, coulda" drivers on Saturday night. Busch got a lap down early, but on an early restart, he was running lap times as fast as the leaders as he battled to stay on the lead lap when the caution flag flew. Eventually, it did, and Busch made his was through the field until he dropped a cylinder. Busch blamed the engine woe on him running the car too hard early in the event. He finished 28th.
  • - Rough Night for Yates: It wasn't a good night for Yates Racing. Travis Kvapil blew a tire and David Gilliland dropped an engine to bring out the final caution. They finished 41st and 42nd, respectively. Ouch.
  • - A.J. Allmendinger Pleased: After finishing 13th, A.J. Allmendinger was downright giddy on pit road after the race. It was his second Top-15 finish of the year, and apparently racing with his new crew chief Jimmy Elledge made his event that much better.
  • - Gordon a Proud Papa: Jeff Gordon was welcomed by his wife and daughter Ella on pit road prior to the start of Saturday night's race, and the thing that caught me the most about the whole situation was how all three of them seemingly were in their own world for a few minutes. You could have easily changed the background and it would have fit perfectly for Gordon to be helping his little girl learn to walk in the living room of his him. It was a cool sight.
  • - Best Flyover Ever? Saturday night's flyover made Gavin DeGraw's horrible national anthem a little better. I'm not sure what model of jets they were, but I would likely have ducked if I was standing on the room of the press box because they were so low.
  • - Quick Exit of the Hauler Parade: No less than 30 minutes following the checkered flag, many Sprint Cup team haulers were already pulling out of Chicagoland Speedway's infield. To me, that's a remarkable turn around consider the amount of gear and equipment the teams have out during the race weekend. Efficiency at its best, for sure.

Musings From a Chicagoland Weekend originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AJAllmendingerChicagoChicagolandSpeedwayDennyHamlinElliottSadlerFanHouseinChicagoJeffGordonKurtBuschKyleBuschLifeLock400SprintCupGeoffrey MillerSun, 13 Jul 2008 12:58:00 EST Lap 19 Carnage Takes Several Contendershttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/06/01/lap-19-carnage-takes-several-contenders/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/06/01/lap-19-carnage-takes-several-contenders/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/06/01/lap-19-carnage-takes-several-contenders/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Because a wreck like this in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series must be revisited, we'll start with the video:



The whole mess started when, as you saw, Elliott Sadler dropped down coming off turn 2 across the nose of David Gilliland in the No. 38. Sadler spun into the wall and stopped sideways across the track in Sunday's Best Buy 400 at Dover.

Tony Stewart couldn't slow down quick enough and slammed into Sadler's front-end. Both cars then blocked the entire race track as Denny Hamlin slid into the mess with Scott Riggs, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte and others getting a piece of the mess.

Hamlin and Sadler both retired from the race after the accident, Dale Earnhardt Jr. came back on track ten laps down, and Tony Stewart returned to run another 183 laps in the event.

The wreck likely was multiplied by the fact that drivers did expect the carnage to sweep to the bottom of the track as it usually does at Dover. Instead, the track remained blocked and drivers coming off turn 2 just simply couldn't see down the straightaway until it was too late.

Harvick, Hamlin, Stewart, and Earnhardt Jr. all dropped in the Top-10 of the Sprint Cup point standings due to the accident, which did cause a 15-minute red flag. The rest of the race, impressively enough, had just four more cautions with few wrecks.

Lap 19 Carnage Takes Several Contenders originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>BestBuy400DaleEarnhardtJrDennyHamlinDoverInternationalRacewayDoverInternationalSpeedwaySprintCupTonyStewartGeoffrey MillerSun, 01 Jun 2008 18:45:00 EST NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: Atlantahttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/13/nascar-crash-video-of-the-week-atlanta/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/13/nascar-crash-video-of-the-week-atlanta/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/13/nascar-crash-video-of-the-week-atlanta/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Last week's Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway sure didn't draw many cautions or wrecks.

Kyle Busch managed his first win with new team Joe Gibbs Racing as well as a first in the Sprint Cup Series for Toyota. Elliott Sadler, though, didn't have quite as an impressive of day, but he still won the "video of the week".

Watch below at Sadler spins off turn 2 and across the "gopher cam" embedded in the track at 1:01.



The spin for Sadler was his third of the day, and from the sounds of it on his radio chatter, he was more than ready to get out of an evil car despite not making hard contact with the wall.


"Digger", as the Fox Sports crew has named the "gopher cam", definitely got a workout from Sadler's spin. The camera truly is embedded into the track surface and only sits a quarter-inch above the track level meaning that drivers won't feel running over them.

The camera is high-def, has its own microphone, and simply plugs in and out of hole for use at each of Fox's race tracks. There's plenty of other details that I won't get into, either.

So what if I'm kind of a techy nerd? I think the camera is cool.

NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: Atlanta originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AtlantaMotorSpeedwayBristolMotorSpeedwayGilletteEvernhamMotorsportsNASCARonFOXSprintCupGeoffrey MillerThu, 13 Mar 2008 00:30:00 EST Busch, Yeley Pace Drafting Sessionshttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/01/09/busch-yeley-pace-drafting-sessions/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/01/09/busch-yeley-pace-drafting-sessions/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/01/09/busch-yeley-pace-drafting-sessions/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The other J.J. took command of Daytona preseason testing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Tuesday afternoon.

Instead of reading Jimmie Johnson's name at the top of the speed chart for the fourth-straight session, J.J. Yeley bolted to the top in the first drafting session of Preseason Thunder. The drafting session in which Yeley's No. 96 Toyota was the fastest was the first time NASCAR allowed cars to get into race mode and actually see how their cars handled with other cars on track.

Wednesday morning, Kyle Busch in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota took over the top spot in another drafting session at 187.786mph. Johnson fell to the 5th-place ranking on the grid.

Teams originally started out in packs of about three cars and eventually moved up to around 7 or 8 cars in a pack.

Tire issues also started to take some effect on Tuesday with Reed Sorenson spinning his No. 41 Ganassi Dodge after a tire let go. Casey Mears also scrubbed the wall with a similar issue.

NASCAR and Goodyear have taken the stance that the blistering of right-side tires is normal for testing, and that teams should figure out the issue on their own. Go figure.

Elliott Sadler, however, agreed:
"I think this is a normal issue in winter testing until we get some rubber down on the race track," he told reporters. "By the time we have the 24-hour race and stuff like that, there will be plenty of rubber down, we'll slide around a little bit more and tire problems will take care of themselves."
Sadler is correct with the amount of rubber that will be put on the race track. On tap before the Daytona 500 include the Rolex 24 Sports Car race, an ARCA race, the Budweiser Shootout, plenty of Cup, Nationwide, and Truck Series practice, the Nationwide Series race, the Craftsman Truck Series race, and the Gatorade Duels.

That should be plenty of track time to get the track worked in well.

Busch, Yeley Pace Drafting Sessions originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Daytona500DaytonaTestingGoodyearNASCARTestingGeoffrey MillerWed, 09 Jan 2008 13:29:00 EST NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:<br>Elliott Sader, No. 19 Gillette-Evernham Dodgehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2007/12/10/nascar-fanhouse-yir-elliott-sadler/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2007/12/10/nascar-fanhouse-yir-elliott-sadler/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2007/12/10/nascar-fanhouse-yir-elliott-sadler/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day until the end of 2007 as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season.

Driver: Elliott Sadler -- Emporia, Virgina
Team: No. 19 Dodge Dealers Dodge, Gillette-Evernham Motorsports
Points: 25th (-3583)
2006: 22nd
Key Stats: 2 Top-10s, 4 DNF's
Back in 2008?: Yes, same team

Elliott Sadler's 2007 campaign was a direct showing of the struggle that car owner Ray Evernham's teams had all year.

Sadler's year started well in 2007 after posting a sixth-place finish in the crazy finish of the Daytona 500, but it would be down hill for the rest of the season. Following Daytona in February, Sadler's No. 19 was penalized 25 points for a violation. He wouldn't find the Top-10 again until the LifeLock 400 at Kansas in October.

In between those high points, Sadler frankly struggled the entire way. A late-summer slump saw the No. 19 finish 28th or worse five races in a row. That's a long way removed from his two win, Chase-making season with Robert Yates Racing in 2004.
"It's been a long season for everyone and not the kind of season we expected when we went to Daytona in February. We have work to do this winter. We just have to put this year behind us and get to work on 2008. "
As for 2008, Sadler picked up a new primary sponsor for his No. 19 Dodge in Best Buy. It will be the first complete year under the Gillette-Evernham Motorsports banner for Sadler after Evernham signed a deal with Canadian investor George Gillette, which will hopefully allow the team to spend more money on R & D for all three teams.

Look for 2008 to definitely improve for GEM veterans Sadler and Kasey Kahne after two dismal years in a row.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Elliott Sader, No. 19 Gillette-Evernham Dodge originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>20072008Elliott SadlerElliottSadlerGeorge GilletteGeorgeGilletteNASCAR FanHouse Year in ReviewNascarFanhouseYearInReviewRay EvernhamRayEvernhamTop25Driversyear in reviewYearInReviewGeoffrey MillerMon, 10 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST Elliott Sadler Electronics Sponsor's Best Buyhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2007/11/10/elliott-sadler-electronics-sponsors-best-buy/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2007/11/10/elliott-sadler-electronics-sponsors-best-buy/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2007/11/10/elliott-sadler-electronics-sponsors-best-buy/#commentsFiled under: , ,


I think Best Buy is about to get a lot more out of their sponsorship of NASCAR than they've been used to with the CNC Haas Racing #66 Chevy driven by Jeff Green. North America's #1 consumer electronics retailer has taken their business to Gillett Evernham Motorsports to sponsor Elliott Sadler for 15 Sprint Cup races in 2008.

Sadler is certainly considered to be one of the most likeable, personable characters on the NASCAR circuit. Now his face will be all over Best Buy promoting products he loves. Their marketing department must be in heaven. So is he:
"Best Buy is a brand I've believed in and supported for years, so to represent them is honestly a dream come true. I love all kinds of music and movies, and I've always been a 'gadget guy.' My house, car, boat and even my motor home are all tricked out with stereos, speakers, gaming systems, GPS, flat screens, DVD players, you name it. The employees at the Mooresville (N.C.) Best Buy store already know me by name, but they'll be seeing even more of me now."
I imagine Best Buy will be seeing even more brand loyalty from NASCAR fans. Especially if this video is any indication of the kind of entertaining commercials the Best Buy Sadler sponsorship has in store for us.

Elliott Sadler Electronics Sponsor's Best Buy originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>tallglassofmilkSat, 10 Nov 2007 14:48:00 EST