Motorsports FanHouse

Johnny Benson: 2008 Truck Series Champion

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Toyota, Craftsman Truck Series, Bill Davis Racing

Does NASCAR need a 10-race playoff to make a championship race close and exciting?

If you ask the newly-crowned Craftsman Truck Series champion Johnny Benson, he'd probably tell you no.

After all, Benson won the title -- his second career NASCAR championship to follow up his Nationwide Series title in 1995 -- by just a mere seven points over Ron Hornaday Jr.

By comparison, Carl Edwards trails Jimmie Johnson by 141 points in the Sprint Cup Series standings with the season-finale scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the same Homestead-Miami Speedway Benson scored his huge season win at Friday night. What's also notable is that the Sprint Cup Series had a near-total points reset just ten races ago among the Top 12 drivers.

While I won't profess to have followed the 2008 Craftsman Truck Series as close as I could have -- hey, I went to see the character-rich series when they visited O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis back in July -- I've got to say that Benson's win is one of those "feel good" stories of the year.

Not to slight Hornaday by any margin, but Benson is truly one of the good guys in racing and has always been quite approachable for both fans and media.

Benson's championship Friday night happened only because his team decided to keep the No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota on the track during a late caution while Hornaday pitted for four tires. Hornaday was clawing his way back to Benson until a caution near the checkered flag slowed his charge and when the race went to a green-white-checkered finish, he was unable to get around Benson.

Benson's run to his first-career Truck Series championship over the 25-race season saw the Grand Rapids, Mich.-driver score 18 Top-10s and 14 Top-5s with 5 wins and 5 poles.

Interestingly enough, Benson announced earlier this season he won't be returning to Bill Davis Racing in 2009.

Regardless, here's to you Mr. Benson, congratulations on the 2008 Craftsman Truck Series championship.

Johnny Benson: 2008 Truck Series Champion originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Karma Truly Isn't Kyle Busch's Friend

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:03:00 EST

Filed under: Kyle Busch, Craftsman Truck Series

I'd imagine you've seen a thing or two about this story in the past couple of days, but in case you haven't, it's worth reading about.

Essentially, the gist of the of the story is that somebody, somewhere is very happy to rain on Kyle Busch's parade in 2008. You remember Busch, right? That guy who has won eight Sprint Cup races in 2008? Or, more timely, the guy who finds himself just puttering through the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 12th-place, wondering how tables can turn so fast.

Busch, who's scheduled to race in Friday night's Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, got to the Lone Star State track Thursday only to find that his No. 51 Billy Ballew ride had been charred in a fire along the interstate in Shreveport, La.

The fire left only one race truck -- reports are conflicting so we don't know whether or not it the primary or the backup that was salvaged from the fire -- and a pit box usable, and burned up the rest of the equipment. This bad luck for the team and continuation of bad luck for Kyle Busch simply is incredible to me.

Despite all of that -- a truck burning up, a donated transporter to get it to the track, cleaning the water out of the race engine -- Busch was able to make an incredible run in qualifying for the CTS race by putting the No. 51 third on the grid.

I won't admit to being the biggest Kyle Busch fan, but the stack of cards he's been dealt late in the season after the tremendous way he started 2008 doesn't come close to being fair, and for him to take a truck that had literally burned up -- take a look at this picture that shows the decal had been charred -- and put at the front of the field for a major NASCAR race is incredible.

Hopefully, for Kyle Busch fans, this is the turning of tables back towards the the not-so-far-off days of Shrub domination in NASCAR after his horrible luck of late.

Karma Truly Isn't Kyle Busch's Friend originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Add "Miss Cleo" to Driver Talent Requirement

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:39:00 EST

Filed under: Talladega Superspeedway, Craftsman Truck Series, Sprint Cup

In most sports, rules that apply directly to a particular event are known at the very least before said event starts.

In NASCAR, though, only part of those rules in place, and the rest is up to the drivers to figure out based on past knowledge, or more correctly, what NASCAR's future rule will be.

Yes, NASCAR drivers are now expected by the sanctioning body to be as talented as Miss Cleo -- sans the lawsuits and deceptive billing and advertising claims.

Case in point? Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway that Tony Stewart was handed after Regan Smith was disqualified by NASCAR for making a pass that wasn't within the vaguely-stated and otherwise not consistently applied rules.

NASCAR clarified those rules for future use -- Regan Smith no longer has to wonder if he should wreck the leader for a win because that's what NASCAR seemingly wants -- on Monday through a statement from the sport's president, Mike Helton.

"In NASCAR's opinion he was not forced below the yellow line. NASCAR correctly took immediate action to enforce the policy by penalizing the #01 and scoring the #20 as the race winner," Helton said.

"Since the end of the race there has been some confusion as to what is allowable during the last lap at Daytona and Talladega. To be clear, as we go forward, there will be no passing under the yellow line at any time during NASCAR races at Daytona or Talladega, period. This includes any passing below the yellow line near the start/finish line on the final lap."

Well, I'm certainly glad we got that after the finish of Sunday's race, because, you know, knowing the rules might have changed the outcome a bit -- especially after the confusion that even NASCAR's employees had over the rule for the past few months.

The first example? Sunday's driver's meeting led by race director David Hoots:

"This is your warning. If you race below the yellow line and in the judgment of NASCAR you advance your position, you will be black flagged. If, in NASCAR's judgment you force someone below the yellow line in an effort to stop him from passing you, you may be black flagged," said Hoots.

Apparently NASCAR doesn't see Tony Stewart cutting down across Smith's nose, making contact with No. 01, and sending him below the yellow line to avoid collision as "forcing someone below the yellow line".

Still not convinced NASCAR got caught in its folly? Let's look back to a 2007 Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona in which Johnny Benson made a pass for second place on the last lap under the yellow line -- and it stood.

Benson wasn't penalized because "if you can see the checkered flag on the last lap, anything goes," according to NASCAR spokesman Owen Kearns.

"Anything goes" is apparently synonymous with "you can't pass under the yellow line" in NASCAR's vocab.

Shame on Regan Smith for not knowing the rules, eh?

Somebody owes that 24-year-old a trophy and the recognition for winning a race.

Add "Miss Cleo" to Driver Talent Requirement originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Truck Series Fist Slingin' Earns Penalties

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:56:00 EST

Filed under: NASCAR Fights, Craftsman Truck Series

I didn't get a chance to watch last weekend's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but I certainly heard about the melee that took place after the race on pit road.

If you missed it, the tiff was a result of David Starr making contact with both Germain Racing Toyotas -- Todd Bodine and David Reutimann -- during the race. Tempers flared when Starr pulled to pit road after the event and both Germain pit crews surrounded his truck.

Bodine's crew chief Mike Hillman Sr. was apparently the ring leader of the whole brouhaha, and pulled Starr from his own truck which, naturally, got Starr -- a Texan -- pretty riled up. Starr started swinging (he appeared to connect on at least three shots) and everyone started scuffling. (Watch the video further down this post!)

In other words, it was an ending to a race that the Truck Series -- that's been somewhat struggling in 2008 due to a variety of reasons -- needed to gain some more exposure.

Unfortunately for the teams involved, it meant NASCAR penalties on Wednesday.

The biggest was a one-race suspension given to three crew members, including crew chief Hillman. A few other ticky-tacky monetary fines were handed out as well as probation for all three teams.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- the site of the Truck Series' next race on Saturday night -- wasn't lost on the action and decided to turn this rumble into a promo opportunity for the track by inviting the teams involved to "settle the score" with a tug-o-war in the infield prior to the race this weekend.

A little lame? Perhaps. But who knows, it might just turn into a tug-o-war gone bad and we'll end up with another controversey that spills on to the infield grass. It may be a little less than classy, but hey, hockey can do it, right?

Now for the video:

Truck Series Fist Slingin' Earns Penalties originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hornaday's Steroid Use Not Really An Issue

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:37:00 EST

Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Pit Crews, Craftsman Truck Series

ESPN put out a story Thursday afternoon about Craftsman Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday Jr. admission to steroid use a few years ago and it effectively made the rounds across the entire network -- from SportsCenter, the bottom line ticker, and the web site.

In the article, though, it specifically acknowledges a few of things including:

1) Hornaday used the steroids to attempt to get healthy after doctor's couldn't diagnose the illness that caused him to lose 38 pounds in less than a year;
2) Hornaday used the steroids -- testosterone, specifically -- with a prescription (though the clinic is under federal investigation;
3) After using them for a while, Hornaday didn't notice a difference and stopped taking them and was later diagnosed with a hyperactive thyroid.

As of now, though, Hornaday claims to have been off the supplement for quite a while and it's tough not believe the guy because of how open he was to the questions from the ESPN reporter, including showing NASCAR medical forms, prescription records, and the actual substance he used that he has left over.

And frankly, I just don't see it as a big deal.

NASCAR -- who added steroids to their banned substance list recently -- plans to talk to Hornaday about the issue this weekend at New Hampshire just for some background information on the matter, but I doubt they are going to do anything except make sure Hornaday still isn't using them and request that he's a little more open on the matter.

I do, though, agree with NASCAR's stance on making steroids a banned substance -- but not just to fall in to line with the rest of the sports world.

To the best of my uneducated medical knowledge (In other words, take my steroids assumption with a grain of salt, and maybe even some lime. Mmm, lime.), steroids wouldn't seem to have a great advantage for your run of the mill NASCAR driver other than increased stamina over the length of a race.

On pit road, though, you could bet that the jackmen and tire changers could gain a clear advantage because their manuevers are quick, physical bursts similar to a football or baseball player.

Should steroids be allowed in NASCAR? No. Should Ron Hornaday face criticism (or, have ESPN broadcast his name for a whole day with steroids across their networks) for using them to not only treat a medical condition but also when they were legal in the sport?

Definitely not.

Hornaday's Steroid Use Not Really An Issue originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Slipping Health of the Truck Series

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:47:00 EST

Filed under: Dodge, NASCAR Sponsors, Craftsman Truck Series

Hidden beneath the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and even under the Nationwide Series, sits NASCAR's third-most prestigious national racing series -- the Craftsman Truck Series.

Though next season it's currently in position to take on simply the name of "NASCAR Truck Series" as the Craftsman, the corporate sponsor sits the series began in 1995, will depart. No new sponsor has been found.

Combine that with other factors influencing NASCAR's Double-A league, and the outlook is less than rosy.

Just last Saturday in Richmond, word spread through the garage area that Dodge would be dropping its factory support money of the entire series -- though it only affects one team, Bobby Hamilton Racing. As a result, the team suspended operations of its No. 4 truck and will focus solely on the No. 18 for the rest of 2008.

Dodge's support has been dwindling in recent years, but pulling out entirely truly signifies that the manufacturer feels it can't compete and that it is simply losing money on the attempt to sell more pick-up trucks via NASCAR truck racing.

Dodge, though, isn't the only manufacturer in the series (others are Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota) that have experienced problems selling the gas-guzzling pick-up truck class since fuel prices skyrocketed. And because of that, you can imagine that the rest of the manufacturers are going to look very hard at their spending in the series and if it even is worth it in terms of selling more trucks to the American economy.

Simply, the lack of series of sponsorship is probably very well tied in to the fact that the manufacturers are uneasy and wavering about the series, thanks mainly to lack of demand for brand-new pick-up trucks.

It doesn't look pretty, but here's to hoping that the Truck Series can maintain relevance to the manufactuers that support it because from a fan perspective, the quality of the product is often very high.

The Slipping Health of the Truck Series originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR to Finally Step Up Drug Testing

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:13:00 EST

Filed under: Craftsman Truck Series, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup

If nothing else from NASCAR's Labor Day weekend trip to Auto Club Speedway in southern California is a positive, at least the sanctioning body is taking steps to make the sport safer in the coming weeks.

NASCAR CEO Brian France announced Sunday at the track that NASCAR will be unveiling a new drug testing policy in the coming weeks that will likely take effect when the 2009 season begins at Daytona in February.

NASCAR officials have approached several teams in recent weeks, using them as sounding boards on ideas for the new policy. A form of random testing is expected, members of several team sources have confirmed.

"We're going to expand the scope of the policy," NASCAR's Brian France said. "That's where we are today. We have a very good policy," he said.

"We will be looking at broadening testing, even though we have a lot of latitude today. We're going to broaden it. The circumstances around all of sports have changed in the past three, four or five years. We need to be mindful of that."

That stance is a long way from the one NASCAR originally took earlier this season when former driver Aaron Fike admitted that he used heroin on race days.

Fike -- who was arrested in June 2007 after getting caught with the drug outside the King's Island amusement park in Ohio -- admitted to his use during an ESPN the Magazine interview.

NASCAR's original response was that its drug testing program of testing drivers and team members who show signs of using drugs was sufficient enough -- despite the fact that it never once suspected Fike. Naturally, NASCAR took quite a bit of flack from the incident, but didn't make any major changes.

While the changes they appear to be making for 2009 are more than a little delayed -- driver Kevin Harvick already has instituted a random testing policy among the race teams he owns -- the changes are at least coming.

NASCAR to Finally Step Up Drug Testing originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Changes Mostly Good on '09 Schedules

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:02:00 EST

Filed under: Craftsman Truck Series, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup

Got reservations for 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Bristol, Atlanta, California, or Talladega? Better get on the phone with your travel agent.

NASCAR unveiled the 2009 schedules for all three series' -- Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Craftsman Truck Series -- Tuesday afternoon with a few a changes here and there that mostly seem to be very good.

There weren't any new tracks added to the schedule Sprint Cup for 2009 and Auto Club Speedway isn't scheduled for demolition (there's always next year!) but date changes and schedule location swaps were the name of the game. Chronologically the changes were:

- Bristol: The spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway has long tried to dodge rain and even snow in its March location on the schedule, and it got a little bit of relief by being pushed back one week from 2008 to March 22 in 2009.

- Atlanta: The next change on the schedule will see Atlanta Motor Speedway move to Labor Day weekend for a Sunday night race at the 1.5-mile track. If nothing else, it means NASCAR will race on Labor Day some 2,100 miles closer to where it should be that weekend. Ahem, Darlington.

- Auto Club (California): NASCAR will still race twice in Fontana in 2009, but the dates will easier to stomach because they are further apart. California takes the spot of Talladega in the Chase at spot No. 4 on October 11th.

- Talladega: The Sprint Cup weekend at Talladega Superspeedway will remain in the Chase, but will put teams in contention for the championship on pins and needles as it comes to spot No. 7 in the Chase on Nov. 1 in 2009. The restrictor plate event is nothing short of the biggest wild-card in the 10-race stretch.

Overall, they seem like some pretty good changes to the schedule despite not giving NASCAR fans any new tracks to watch racing at in 2009 like the Nationwide Series and the Craftsman Truck Series did.

For the Nationwide Series, the biggest change involves the previously-announced removal of the road course at Mexico City, and in it's place Iowa Speedway was inserted on the schedule. Iowa is nearly-brand new speedway that is a 7/8ths of a mile long and is patterned to be a bigger, faster version of Richmond International Raceway.

The track features variable banking in the corners and, if I remember correctly, the backstretch is raised to allow the fans on the frontstretch to see the action on the back. Without a doubt, it should put on a great Nationwide Series show.

For the Craftsman Truck Series, the biggest change was the addition of an event at Chicagoland Speedway on August 28th in coordination with the IndyCar Series event at the track. To me, the truck series doesn't need more races like the 1.5-miler at Chicagoland brings and instead should be racing on a few more short tracks instead.

Changes Mostly Good on '09 Schedules originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brickyard Bloggin': It's Race Weekend in Indy!

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:26:00 EST

Filed under: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Craftsman Truck Series, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup

First, we need something to cause every race fan to get chills of excitement:

The boys (and girls) are back in (my) town. And man, isn't that music on the video just awesome?

Yep, racing has returned to Indianapolis in the form of stock car racing for the 15th-straight year as the Sprint Cup Series lights up the engines Friday afternoon for the first practice session teams will be given to get prepared for Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

The "big cars" will be running at the "big track", the historic and venerable Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while just a hop, skip and a jump to the west towards the Indiana corn fields both the Nationwide Series (Saturday night) and the Craftsman Truck Series (Friday night) will compete at the half-mile O'Reilly Raceway Park oval.

And for the second NASCAR weekend in a row, I'll be on hand to cover all of the festivities from both tracks -- taking it all in and trying to spell it all out for you from the two tracks I know the most about, thanks to their nearby location to my home base.

Hopefully, I'll be able to miss significant traffic tie-ups as I head back and forth from each track, but in the mean time, here's some things to look forward to this weekend at NASCAR invades Indianapolis:

- Tony Stewart Press Conference 11a.m./ET: Hopefully Tony will be announcing his car number and sponsors for 2009. I'll be in the media room for this, so if you have a question you think Tony needs to answer, feel free to leave a comment below.
- Chevy Day at the Brickyard: Select Chevrolet drivers will participate in a number of fan-related promos, including taking laps around the track in the pace car and R/C car races. There's bound to be something interesting there.
- Advantage Not Toyota?: After winning 14 or 21 races in 2008 Nationwide Series competition, NASCAR changed their engine package this week. We'll see if that holds Kyle Busch down. (Doubt it)
- Many, many more exciting things: Face it folks, I'm writing this at 3 a.m. because I'm so excited about this weekend that I couldn't sleep. That doesn't mean I'm thinking clearly though.

Welcome to the Brickyard, ladies and gents!

Brickyard Bloggin': It's Race Weekend in Indy! originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Add Ron Hornaday to Kyle Busch's Enemies

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:15:00 EST

Filed under: NASCAR Fights, Craftsman Truck Series, Kyle Busch

Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick owns the Craftsman Truck Series truck raced by Ron Hornaday.

Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway, they were both on the same page in doing one thing: hating on Kyle Busch.

Busch drove into the left-rear of Hornaday in turn one on the final lap of the 200-lap CTS event won by Erik Darnell, knocking the CTS point leader into a spin and out of a top-10 finish. That set both driver and owner off, as they chased Busch through the garage area and had a heated discussion. Harvick and Busch later talked to the media:

"He just drove into me because he got mad because I took us four wide and passed him cleanly," Hornaday said. "Halfway through the race, he showed me he was upset because he lifted the back of the truck up. If he is going to race that way, that is pretty chicken. He doesn't deserve to be a racer.

"He has a lot of talent, but that is just flat stupid. ... I don't knock any other driver, but I will tell you what, that kid has just about done wore me out. I don't know if I have to give up this championship to teach him a lesson. I hope I don't hurt him because, if Joe Gibbs lets him do this, I am ashamed for them."

Busch, who got started on another weekend tripleheader with a seventh-place finish, said the bump wasn't payback for an incident this year in Charlotte.

"I just got into him. Sorry about that," Busch said before Saturday night's Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway. "But remarks from Harvick and Hornaday are what they're going to be, they're big mouths anyway and so we'll take it and get on with it and hopefully beat them out for this championship."

Yes, consider them both fully initiated as members of the Kyle Busch enemy list.

At what point does Harvick either do the deed himself or hire Hornaday to race in the Sprint Cup Series with the intent of knocking Busch out of the race?

Maybe, just maybe, Busch having some precious points taken away in the championship chase because of a wreck -- just like he did to Hornaday -- could open his eyes just enough to see that other people are racing for wins and championships, too.

Add Ron Hornaday to Kyle Busch's Enemies originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Darnell Wins Thrilling Truck Race

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:28:00 EST

Filed under: Roush Fenway Racing, NASCAR Videos, Craftsman Truck Series

Erik Darnell won Saturday afternoon's Craftsman Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway -- but by less than a bumper.

Michigan-native Johnny Benson got a run on the inside of Darnell coming to the checkered flag, but Darnell was able to drive back by Benson at the line to grab the win by 1/1000 of a second. NASCAR officials couldn't immediately declare a winner, but after checking the photo finish camera, Darnell was declared the victor.

It was Darnell's second career win.

The final restart with four laps to go left just enough time for things to get really interesting throughout the field. Not only did Darnell and Benson come across the checkers side-by-side, but the battle for third place between Scott Speed, Todd Bodine and Brendon Gaughn. Speed took the spot.

Watch below starting from the restart with four laps to go as the closest finish in Truck history unfolds:

Video: Darnell Wins Thrilling Truck Race originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speed a Winner; Biffle on the Pole

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 31 May 2008 00:50:00 EST

Filed under: Greg Biffle, Craftsman Truck Series, Sprint Cup

Greg Biffle may have won the pole for Sunday's Best Buy 400 at Dover International Speedway, but the biggest story of the day was a guy named Speed.

But before we talk about NASCAR's newest winner, Biffle captured the top spot after running a lap of 155.219mph with Kurt Busch second and Kyle Busch third. Read more about that here...

Scott Speed -- the former Formula One driver -- won his first career NASCAR race Friday afternoon at Dover in the Craftsman Truck Series race. Speed, who raced in some inferior equipment while driving as the lone American in F1, has made his way across the pond to expand his career.

Friday, though, it seemed as if Speed had doing the NASCAR gig for a long time as his team used some strategy to secure his first win in six starts. That strategy? A two-tire stop to Ron Hornaday's four-tire stop that gave Speed track position and finally a win over Sprague and Hornaday.

Following the race, Speed was more than elated to be in victory lane and seemed to truly think about how lucky he was to be having so much fun. Speed is still under contract with Red Bull from his F1 days, and you've got to believe he'll be offered a Sprint Cup test sometime in the near future, given teammate A.J. Allmendingers's rough season in the No. 84.

Plus, how can you not hire a guy named "Speed" to drive a race car?

Speed a Winner; Biffle on the Pole originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 31 May 2008 00:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Randy Moss Hops Into the NASCAR Game

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:53:00 EST

Filed under: Patriots, NFL Gossip, Craftsman Truck Series

And for this week's off the wall story that doesn't involve Roger Clemens: Randy Moss is getting into the NASCAR business.

Yes, the New England Patriots wide receiver wants to be NASCAR team owner, initially with the Craftsman Truck Series.

Inspired by the efforts of NFL players who have preceded him into the motorsports arena, New England Patriots All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss announced plans Tuesday to field a Moss Motorsports team in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series. [...]

"There are a lot of NASCAR fans in the locker room," Moss said in a statement released Tuesday. "We've seen a lot of football players get involved - guys like Dan Marino and Troy Aikman, to name a couple. I think it's a good fit and gives some of the companies I am already working with an additional outlet. It's a smart move on the marketing side of things, but on the personal side of things, I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

Moss cites Marino and Aikman as NASCAR owners, but Marino is no longer in the NASCAR business after a very unsuccessful attempt and Aikman has since sold his interest in the No. 96 DLP Toyota to an ownership group that also heads the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The statement that Moss released said that they have already put the ball in motion to find sponsorship and a manufacturer to drive for, and hopes to create a team that up-and-coming drivers can utilize.

Latest NASCAR Photos

RICHMOND, VA - MAY 02: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #20 Z-Lines Designs Toyota, burns out after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway on May 2, 2008 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images

RICHMOND, VA - MAY 02: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #33 Rheem Chevrolet, races during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway on May 2, 2008 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Getty Images

RICHMOND, VA - MAY 02: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #20 Z-Lines Designs Toyota, pits during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway on May 2, 2008 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images

RICHMOND, VA - MAY 02: Carl Edwards, driver of the #60 Save-a-Lot Ford, races during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway on May 2, 2008 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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RICHMOND, VA - MAY 02: Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Lipton Dodge, leads the feild at the start of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway on May 2, 2008 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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RICHMOND, VA - MAY 02: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #20 Z-Lines Designs Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway on May 2, 2008 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images

It's apparently not Moss' first foray into the racing business, either:

The interest in racing isn't new to Moss, a 1998 first-round draft pick out of Marshall. He sponsors a local dirt track program in his native West Virginia and serves as a goodwill ambassador for the Urban Youth Racing School headquartered in Philadelphia.

I certainly can't knock a guy who wants to get into the racing business, especially not just to promote himself. I think he's making a smart move by trying his luck first in the Truck series, as it doesn't require near the investment a Sprint Cup does, and the chances of actually making races are much higher.

Randy Moss Hops Into the NASCAR Game originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 01 May 2008 16:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aaron Fike's Heroin Admission Should Force NASCAR to Change Drug Policies

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: NASCAR Police Blotter, Craftsman Truck Series

In case you missed it, suspended Craftsman Truck Series driver Aaron Fike dropped a compelling interview on the pages of ESPN the Magazine this week talking about his heroin bust dating back to last summer.

For a quick refresher, Fike, who had just finished 5th at Nashville in a race, was caught outside Kings Island amusement park near Cincinnati, Oh. last summer with his bride-to-be with heroin and drug-related items. He was later suspended indefinitely from NASCAR competition.

In his interview, Fike talked at some length about his growing habit, then dropped this bombshell on the racing world:

"It was pretty obvious what we were doing," Fike admitted. "So when they tapped on the window I tried to get the hell out of there. Now I know that being arrested saved both of our lives."

Only seven days earlier Fike had posted a career-best fifth-place finish in the O'Reilly 200 at the .75-mile Memphis Motorsports Park. The run boosted the rookie of the year favorite to eighth in the NCTS championship standings. He said he used heroin earlier that day.

Yes, that's right. Fike had heroin in his system while racing in a NASCAR-sanctioned event.

Say all you want about the driver, but he's the one changing his life and helping others after making a mistake that ultimately has ruined his racing career for the time being.

But what has NASCAR done? Changed their policies? Learned a lesson?

Not even close.
NASCAR's current drug policy in itself is worthy of a congressional hearing like the rest of the sports world in the United States is getting. The current method of deterring drugs in the sport could be coined as the "Good 'Ol Boy" method.

The system is simple. If someone thinks you're under the influence or if NASCAR thinks you are, they'll test you. Otherwise, you've got nothing to worry about.

That covers all members of a race team from the driver to the guys on pit road.

Random testing simply doesn't cross the vocabulary of the sanctioning body.

You would think that of all the sports, racing would be one those that you would like to see a more stringent testing policy. As Michael McDowell showed, even driving without any influences can be plenty dangerous.

Fike was only caught because he was nabbed by police. There's no telling in how long he could have continued racing with his addiction only getting worse.

NASCAR really needs to step up to the plate here and make some swift changes. Define some banned substances (this wouldn't have to go as deep as the HGH and steriod thing) and get a program started with random testing.

Surely, if Ryan Newman can draw a penalty for his car being too high at Texas, drivers that actually are can be penalized as well.

Aaron Fike's Heroin Admission Should Force NASCAR to Change Drug Policies originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota Win Shows NASCAR's Ugly Side

Geoffrey Miller — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR Fans, Craftsman Truck Series, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series

The seas had quieted and the new day had dawned. The thunder was off in the distance and clear skies were seemingly prevailing.

Then, Kyle Busch won Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500.

Nope, Busch himself didn't cause problems and neither did his actions on track. It wasn't something he said or did, but rather, something he drove.

Busch won with the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota -- a shot that rang loud and clear over the heads of the purest of NASCAR fans. Or purists, would you say?

Just check some of the comments here at the FanHouse to understand what I'm talking about.

This one wants NASCAR boycotted, this one says that NASCAR is hurting the "integrity" of the sport, and this one says NASCAR should sell their tickets to the "japs and koreans".

And all of these, mind you, came in the first fifteen comments to the post about Kyle Busch's Atlanta Motor Speedway win.
The haters of Toyota, the manufacturer that started competing with Ford, Chevy, and Dodge in Sprint Cup in 2007, were back and in full force. Seemingly they had hid in the darkness like those creepy computer-generated people in I Am Legend and then all pounced at once on the scent of Kyle Busch's win.

According to these so-called NASCAR fans (I say so-called because I don't know how well I want to associate with people who discriminate on the basis of nationality, much less anything), Toyota is signaling the doom of all things red, white, and blue. NASCAR, they say, has always been about the "good-ol boys" who drive nothing but Detroit power because this sport is solely for Americans to enjoy, not anyone else.

In America, apparently, we don't share the wealth.

These "fans" draw comparisons to Pearl Harbor in their reasoning as to why a Toyota Camry shouldn't compete in NASCAR because somehow, someway, an act of war 66 years ago that killed 2,500 American people can be directly connected with driving race cars around a track at fast speeds.

I suppose I don't see the connection between men and women giving their lives for this country and drivers today racing for entertainment. They aren't exactly on the same level importance, if you ask me.

It's irrelevant too, they say, that Japan and United States are two of each other's closest allies today.

Or they say that Toyota is just a mirror-image of everything that's wrong with corporate America because jobs and manufacturing are being shipped off to other countries. The dynamic of what let this country happen -- opportunity -- is a bad one to support for others.

American NASCAR drivers -- Busch, Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip, Brian Vickers, Johnny Benson, etc. -- then take the brunt of this anger. And yes, these teams are made up American pit crew members, sponsors, owners, and more. All because of what?

NASCAR allowing a top-selling car company in the United States to "go fast" like Ricky Bobby says.

This list of top-selling cars for January 2008 in America reads by make like this: Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet, Chevrolet, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford.

But yet Toyota racing in this country is a horrible thing for too many vocal fans.

Isn't that kind of the point of NASCAR? To race "stock" cars? Or to coin the old adage, "to race Sunday and sell Monday"?

Sure, today's NASCAR machines hardly resemble anything you'll see on the street, but one thing is still clear.

Manufacturers get into NASCAR to sell their pieces primarily in America. If no one in the States bought a Toyota, it wouldn't make sense to race them here. That's just bad marketing.

Stop buying Toyota, and you won't see Toyota.

That won't happen though considering how poorly things seem to be run in Detroit for the "Big Three" combined with the top quality cars from foreign manufacturers being sold in head-to-head competition.

Don't forget either that places across the American heartland like Marysville, Oh., Greensburg, Ind., Georgetown, Ken., Huntsville, Ala., and plenty of others all employ Americans building Hondas, Toyotas, and so much more. You can bet, too, that there are plenty of restaurants, housing, automotive shops, retailers, etc. that all make a living by operating in a town where these plants are operating.

Is that not American?

All of this moaning and groaning about Toyota does make me wonder, though. Where were all of these haters during 2004 when a Toyota Tundra started racing the Craftsman Truck Series?

And what happened to them when Toyota struggled so mightily nearly all of last season?

I've got your answer: they were non-existent. These "fans" favorite drivers weren't getting beat in NASCAR's top series by a new manufacturer, so they didn't care who was in the field. Now, after getting their tails practically whipped at Daytona and Busch's win on Sunday at Atlanta, the haters are back in force using the only crutch they can muster against Toyota -- nationality.

Don't get me wrong, I can see that Toyota's entrance into Sprint Cup could have some drawbacks for competition if NASCAR isn't careful on the allowances they give to the manufacturer. And if NASCAR allows the deep-pocketed company to undermine all of the other teams by buying out the best talent, that's a problem, too.

But those aren't problems because of who Toyota is or where they're from.

It's a problem with NASCAR's management of one its competitors, nothing else.

Problems like this are exactly what keep NASCAR from fully entering the mainstream, I'd believe. NASCAR is truly national these days, but what happens when a corporation sees the treatment that Toyota receives as a new competitor?

Does that make NASCAR appealing? Would sponsors with no NASCAR experience want to face that kind of negative music about a team that simply wants to go fast and sell cars? Fat chance.

I'll knowingly admit that I'm as big of a fan of Darlington, Rockingham and Lowe's Motor Speedway as you'll meet, and I deeply understand the roots that NASCAR came from. And I'll gladly say they are just as important as the future directions that the sport wants to grow in.

But roots are just that, they are the basis of growth for anything, and if a sport can't build on them in a positive fashion without tearing down the new growth, there's no use in having them at all.

(Note: To anyone who made it this far, I applaud you. If you couldn't tell, I feel pretty strongly about this one. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the FanHouse. Got an idea, tip, or comment? Drop it in the comment box below!)

Toyota Win Shows NASCAR's Ugly Side originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR CEO France Makes Rare TV Visit

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:11:00 EST

Filed under: Craftsman Truck Series, Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

NASCAR CEO Brian France made a rare media appearance on ESPN2's pre-race coverage prior to Saturday afternoon's Camping World 300 for the Nationwide Series.

He had some interesting things to say in the brief interview, and tried to echo many of his comments from the pre-season media tour about limiting change in NASCAR for 2008 and trying to go "back to basics" -- the three word description of nearly everything NASCAR is doing for this season.

Rusty Wallace, Brad Daughtery, Dale Jarrett, and Allen Bestwick shared the set and asked France a few questions. Here's some of his answers:

On whether or not the next-generation car will be used in the Nationwide Series in 2009

Brian France: "I'm not sure. This is the right time for limited change on anything we're going to do. We've got a good rules package in the Nationwide Series."

On the identity of the Nationwide Series

BF: "My view, it's much like college football is to the NFL. The longer you stay, the more prepared you are. You're better prepared when you move to the Sprint Cup."

On looking at limited participation of Sprint Cup drivers in the Nationwide Series

BF: "We wanted to wait to have a new series sponsor to do that together. Whether that's looking at an all-star race, whatever it may be to give the series it's proper identity. It is the No. 2 series in the country and so whatever we do, we dont want to screw that up. And the second big thing is, change in '08 is going to be limited. We'll look at it as time goes on, but we're pretty pleased with where we are."

"It's unique. I think the young drivers like the experience that they get and the confidence they get. Say, look at a David Gililland a few years ago at Kentucky who can say 'I beat some of the best in the country today.' I think we don't want to lose that."

On Nationwide's (series sponsor) plans to grow the series

BF: "They're going to do a number of things. What we really liked was that they don't have a lot of sports properties other than their big golf involvement. What they have they want to treat very special. They're going to be a really good partner. [...] They want to come in and be very humble. They know this is a very popular series that has a lot of race fans, and they're taking their time and doing everything the right way."

NASCAR CEO France Makes Rare TV Visit originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bodine Survives Wild Craftsman Truck Race

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:11:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Craftsman Truck Series, Kyle Busch

Check out all of the NASCAR Fanhouse Daytona Speedweeks Coverage.
On Sunday, stop by for the live blog of the 50th Daytona 500 at 3:00pm/ET.

In a race that saw at least 12 of the 36 trucks entered in Friday night's Chevy Silverado 250 wrecked in the first 25 laps, Todd Bodine managed to dodge everything and win his first career race at Daytona International Speedway.

Bodine, driving the No. 30 Germain Racing Toyota, held off Kyle Busch and Johnny Benson for the win.

Busch nearly didn't finish after a big wreck on lap 19 took out several pre-race favorites, including Mike Skinner and Ted Musgrave. Watch below as P.J. Jones, the first driver to ever win a Craftsman Truck Series race in 1996, erupts in a fireball amid the carnage on the backstretch.

Jones was treated and released from the infield care center.

A majority of drivers interviewed blamed Kyle Busch for driving erratically too early in the race and causing the wreck.

What say you?
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Bodine Survives Wild Craftsman Truck Race originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It Must Be Christmas: SPEED Dedicating 100 Hours of TV Time to Daytona Speedweeks

Geoffrey Miller — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:49:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Fans, NASCAR Media Watch, Craftsman Truck Series, Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series

SPEED Channel has done it again.

NASCAR fans will definitely not get a chance to ease back into their addiction in 2008 when Daytona hits. Why, you ask?

Well, for starters, SPEED will dedicate 100 hours of television directly to Speedweeks at Daytona. Yeah, that's like, well, a lot.

The best part? Those 100 hours will come to homes in high-definition for the first time. SPEED is going to an HD lineup in 2008, and hopefully your cable/satellite operator will get the hook up.

In 2007, the fact that SPEED wasn't in HD was a contentious one for the NASCAR fans who didn't get both the Gatorade Duel @ Daytona and the All-Star Race in high-def, despite the rest of the season on the networks being in the crisp format.

Now there's no need to worry.

Some highlights of SPEED's coverage throughout Speedweeks at Daytona include the first Budweiser Shootout practice on Friday, Feb. 8 (4:30pm/ET), the ARCA Re/Max Series 200 from Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 9, the Gatorade Duel @ Daytona on Thursday, Feb. 14, the Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night, Feb. 15, and final practice for the Sprint Cup Series' Daytona 500 on Saturday Feb. 16.

For a complete schedule of SPEED's 100 hours and some information on new shows that NASCAR fans will get in 2008, visit the SPEED website.

It Must Be Christmas: SPEED Dedicating 100 Hours of TV Time to Daytona Speedweeks originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualifying Format, Testing Get Tweaks

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:49:00 EST

Filed under: Craftsman Truck Series, Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series

The first stop of the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour in Charlotte, N.C. didn't have a whole lot of buzz surrounding it, and if you ask some people, that was a very good thing.

That first stop? A stop by NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Concord for the sanctioning body to announce a few changes for the coming season. The past has seen the Top-35 rule and the Chase points system announced at this event.

This year, though, we didn't get a huge, Earth-shattering announcement.

Instead, NASCAR fans got one of those decisions that is, well, smart. In 2008, teams in all three of NASCAR's top divisions within the top-35 of owner point standings will still be guaranteed a start in the next race, but those teams that aren't in that range will all qualify together at the end of each qualifying session. From the NASCAR Scene:

"NASCAR officials have announced changes to the qualifying procedures in all three of their national series, putting the teams outside of the locked-in group on a more level playing field.

The teams not locked into the starting field in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series will all qualify as a group at the end of their respective qualifying sessions under the new rules."

The impact of this will be felt immediately during Daytona Speedweeks in February. Teams used to draw a qualifying order, so a go-or-go-home car might qualify first during the heat of the day, while another go-or-go-home entry could qualify last when the sun is going down.

That temperature change can significantly affect speeds.

For teams, though, that may have a shot at a pole-winning car at Indianapolis for example, the rule may be a disadvantage. A few years ago, the schedule there went to a qualifying session starting at 10am with the final car hitting the track much after the 1pm hour.

The temperature change there tends to favor teams that go out early -- unless its cloudy. Indianapolis, though, is never cloudy in July. In essence, these Top-35 teams would be either given a big-time advantage of going for the pole or a big-time disadvantage.

More Tires for Testing, Fines Head to Foundation

In other announcements from this afternoon's media tour at the NASCAR R&D center include NASCAR deciding to allow teams to test with a specific allotment of tires at unofficial team tests held at non-sanctioned race tracks.

The Sprint Cup Series will be 200 sets per year, the Nationwide Series gets 160, and the Craftsman Truck Series 120.

Also, NASCAR announced that ~~Tony Stewart's money~~ all fines will go to the NASCAR Foundation beginning in 2008. And they've been waiting to make those fines head to a charitable place for how long?

The media tour winds through nearly every part of the NASCAR world until wrapping on Thursday. SPEED will have nightly coverage.

Qualifying Format, Testing Get Tweaks originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Craftsman Truck Series Ends Daytona Testing

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:09:00 EST

Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Craftsman Truck Series

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wrapped up their Daytona testing on a shortened note Sunday in Florida.

Rain early Sunday morning and then later in the afternoon left the teams with just over two hours of track time on the final day of the three-day preseason session.

A rookie, Justin Marks, paced the final session in a Germain Racing entry. Marks replaced long-time veteran Ted Musgrave in the Germain ride after the team didn't pick up his contract.

Last season, Marks ran four races and finished a best of 8th.

Also on top of the cumulative speed chart at Daytona for the NCTS were Ron Hornaday's (pictured) Kevin Harvick Inc. entry, Chad McCumbee, Terry Cook, and Marks' Germain teammate Todd Bodine.

Erik Darnell paced the non-drafting sessions in his No. 99 Roush-Fenway Ford with a lap of 178.547mph. In comparison, Jimmie Johnson paced single-lap speeds last week during Sprint Cup testing with a lap over 184 mph.

The NCTS starts it season on Feb. 15 at Daytona on the Friday night before the Daytona 500. This season, the NCTS is ending its title sponsorship with Craftsman over the 25-race schedule.

Craftsman Truck Series Ends Daytona Testing originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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