# Gunselman, Bodine's start new Cup team UPDATE: Journeyman driver Larry Gunselman is the latest to make an attempt at the Cup Series dream in 2009 as the Washington native has formed a team for himself and a pair of veteran brothers, Geoff and Todd Bodine. Gunselman, who won races in the old Winston West Series and its most popular driver award in 1996 before traveling east in 2000 to seek his racing fortunes, is the principal in the team that will field #64 Toyotas. He said Wednesday morning he's backed by a group of investors who are new to the sport and is still seeking primary sponsorship. "Right now we're looking at running for purse money while we try to come up with sponsorship dollars," Gunselman said. "The more sponsor dollars you get, the harder you can run. I tell people all the time, if you don't have money, you've got to race smart, and you can race hard if you do have money." If a team had been able to make all 36 Cup races last season and finish in the least-paying position, it would have won $2,880,640 in purse money. Gunselman has six Camrys -- three each that were purchased from Bill Davis Racing and Red Bull Racing -- and Wednesday he'd just come from the NASCAR R&D Center with his crew chief "for as long as I can keep him," former champion Doug Richert, and the second chassis they'd had certified. Gunselman, who has previous Cup team ownership experience from when he fielded the #98 Mach 1 Motorsports cars in 2004 with Chris Edwards, made 26 of 36 races and finished 39th in the owner standings, said to start the season attempting the races was critical. "There are so many people out of work out there right now that I believe the whole industry is going through a major correction factor -- the whole economy of the United States is going through a correction factor at the moment," Gunselman said. "There's an opportunity for a guy who's willing to go out there and take advantage of an opportunity and find a good group of people who really want to race, and we've got that. I think the current economic conditions are going to weed a lot of people out of our sport that didn't get in it for the right reason to begin with, and the real racers are going to figure out a way to survive and come out of this economic situation still involved in the sport."
While the team wasn't sure who'd be in its car for Speedweeks, when the #64 will attempt to make the Daytona 500 as a "go-or-go-home" car, Gunselman said Todd Bodine would definitely drive at Fontana and Las Vegas, the second and third races on the schedule. Bodine is the 2006 Truck Series champion, who also has 15 wins in the Nationwide Series and 228 Cup starts, with five poles, seven top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. Geoff Bodine, who won the 1986 Daytona 500, 18 Cup races, six in the Nationwide Series and hundreds of Modified races -- but who hasn't made a NASCAR national touring start since 2005, when he made eight starts in the Nationwide Series, may run at Daytona. Gunselman, 48, most recently made spot starts in all of NASCAR's national tours -- including 20 in the '08 Nationwide and Truck series.(NASCAR.com)(1-29-2009)
UPDATE: Geoff Bodine will drive the #64 Toyota entrant in an attempt to qualify for the 51st running of the Daytona 500 for Gunselman Motorsports. Bodine will be making his first Sprint Cup Series attempt since 2004. The 59-year young native of Chemung, NY will be making several attempts trading off with his brother, Todd, for the Gunselman team during the 2009 season. Bodine’s last attempt was for also for Gunselman when he ran Mach 1 Motorsports. “This is a pretty neat opportunity and something I’m looking forward to doing,” Bodine said. “I still feel I have the competitive spirit and ability to get out there and race. I have driven so many types of cars from Cup to Modifieds to Trucks that I’m looking forward to the learning curve here with the new Sprint Cup car. When Larry first approached me about this, I started to get excited about getting behind the wheel again. So, here I am, getting ready for Daytona and seeing what our Toyota Camry can do at Daytona.” In addition to the opportunity to race, Bodine and Gunselman are both hoping to draw attention to the US Bobsled efforts that Bodine has headed up through his annual Bodine Bobsled Challenge held in Lake Placid, NY each January. “To have someone like Geoff in our car is incredible,” Gunselman said. “He and I have been friends for many years and I can’t even begin to thank him enough for signing on with us. I’ve been to every Bobsled Challenge and I’m hoping we can draw awareness to that effort, as well. We’re unsponsored right now, but have some key individuals helping us get the funding we need to compete on a larger basis. To see Geoff in the shop working on the car, in the car and interacting with the guys has been great. He won’t let on, but I think he’s getting more and more excited as time draws near for Daytona.” Interested parties can inquire to
info@larrygunselman.com regarding unique sponsorship opportunities available.(Packman PR)(1-31-2009)
# NASCAR: Drivers pass preseason drug tests: NASCAR does not anticipate suspending any drivers who took their preseason drug tests last week in North Carolina, sanctioning body spokesman Ramsey Poston said. “We are proud of how the process worked so far,” Poston said in a statement. “All drivers, crew members and officials will have passed the substance-abuse test going into the season.” Drivers in NASCAR’s three national series must pass a drug test during the preseason, and most drivers took their test last week at the NASCAR Research and Development Center. This is the first season that NASCAR is requiring its drivers to pass a preseason drug test. Its previous policy allowed NASCAR to test at any time for reasonable suspicion – which is still the policy today – but did not require the passing of a preseason test. Teams had to submit crew rosters and list those who had passed a drug test in order to have them licensed to work on the cars. “We will continue to randomly test throughout the season,” Poston said, “and our reasonable suspicion remains in place, making NASCAR’s substance abuse policy one of the most comprehensive in sports.”(SceneDaily)(1-31-2009)
# Ride of Their Lives out on DVD soon: NASCAR is presented like never before when NASCAR: The Ride of Their Lives debuts on DVD February 10, 2009 from CMT Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment for the SRP of $24.99. Featuring footage that sets viewers right in the midst of the action, The Ride of Their Lives is a moving, adrenaline-filled journey chronicling a true American dream -- this is the story of the men who built NASCAR. The DVD also includes over 60 minutes of extended scenes with NASCAR greats and their first-hand account on the history of the sport. Narrated by Academy-Award winner Kevin Costner, the history of NASCAR is presented through passionate, exclusive first-person accounts from the people who lived it. Compelling stories of loss and redemption follow the evolution of racers from the moonshiners of the 1950s to the media darlings of the 21st Century, making this a must-own DVD for NASCAR fans and beyond. The Ride of Their Lives contains striking archival footage chronicling the sport's first 60 years to a half-century of Daytona 500 races, and also documents the remarkable changes in the competition, the technology, the sport's ever-growing fanbase and the rock-star racers themselves, exploring why it's the biggest spectator sport in America. This DVD includes all-new interviews with famed NASCAR personalities Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, as well as the final interview with Bill France, Jr., former NASCAR President (1972-2000) and son of NASCAR Founder Bill France. More info at cmt.com.(1-31-2009)
# Goody’s Headache Powders Receives Joe Littlejohn Award: Longtime sponsor of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) and motorsports racing, Goody’s Headache Powders was the recipient of the 2008 NMPA Joe Littlejohn Award presented annually at the NMPA Convention Awards Dinner. Goody’s has sponsored the annual NMPA luncheon for over 25 years, including this year’s event held prior to the awards dinner. The Joe Littlejohn Award is presented each year to a person or persons, or an organization, in recognition for outstanding service to the NMPA as is determined by the president of the NMPA. It is named after the former track owner from Spartanburg, S.C. Littlejohn is credited with two career NASCAR starts, but raced extensively before the formation of NASCAR. Goody’s entered NASCAR in 1977 and currently holds the record as the longest non-automotive sponsor in the sport.(PR)(1-31-2009)
# Demolition begins at Birmingham International Raceway: The wrecking ball from Brasfield and Gorrie took a few swings -- mostly for the gathered crowd of city officials and others -- but the massive concrete structure that makes up the grandtsands at Birmingham International Raceway wasn't about to yield easily. When demolition of one of the oldest race tracks in America is complete, the new $55 million Fair Park project will include a natatorium with an Olympic-sized pool and an indoor track arena that will allow state high schools to once again hold indoor track competition. Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford took the controls of the crane briefly but didn't make much of a dent in the structure.(Alabama Live)(1-31-2009)
News from January 30, 2009
# EGR close to naming driver for 4th car UPDATE 4.5 #34 and a sponsor, Mayfield to use #41: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing will field a fourth entry -- the #41 Chevy -- in the Daytona 500 and expects to decide on a driver Monday [Jan 26th], team president Steve Lauletta said Saturday before the start of the Rolex 24 Grand-Am race at Daytona. Lauletta said the choice had been narrowed to two drivers but declined to name them, though he did indicate that veteran Sterling Marlin was not among the finalists. "We're hoping by Monday," Lauletta said of the decision process. "We came close to making a final decision [Friday]. We need to work over the weekend and Monday, but it'll be pretty quick. Same thing with one of the sponsor deals we have done for Aric -- next week."(NASCAR.com / Sporting News)(1-25-2008)
UPDATE: John Andretti is expected to drive the fourth Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevy at Daytona. A technical alliance is in the works that would partner Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins and Andretti with EGR for Daytona and beyond, The car's number and sponsor should be announced later this week. Andretti, 45, who won the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in 1997 driving for Cale Yarborough, has raced for Jenkins the last two seasons but would not comment on the current negotiations. Andretti admitted that after four seasons, Jenkins has wanted to expand his involvement in racing but wasn't entirely sure to what extent. "We're good friends and we work together on a lot of things," Andretti said of Jenkins. "(The future of the team) all depends on what Bob can do because sponsorship right now is limited." In 2009, Andrett's plans will not be limited to NASCAR. "The Indy 500 is not going to go off my radar screen," Andretti said. "I can't imagine not doing the Indy 500. I've had so much fun at Indy the last two years."(FOXSports)(1-27-2009)
UPDATE 2: hearing that the 4th team will use the #15 and the owners points from the #15 DEI team and be affiliated with Front Row Motorsports and supposedly the #34 Front Row Motorsports team will run with Tony Raines driving.(1-28-2009)
UPDATE 3: John Andretti will drive the #34 Window World Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevy in the Daytona 500 on February 15th. Andretti will have a technical alliance that partners Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins and Andretti with EGR for Daytona and beyond, Ganassi sources confirmed on Friday. Window World [which was also announced as Terry Labonte's sponsor on the #66 Toyota], based in North Wilkesboro, N.C., is a residential replacement window company with more than 200 distributors nationwide.(FoxSports)
UPDATE 4: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's fourth car in the Daytona 500, the #34 Chevy, will actually involve a partnership with owner Bob Jenkins' Front Row Motorsports and one of its drivers, John Andretti. An EGR spokesman said the collaborative effort would be only for the Daytona 500, and that the car would be a guaranteed starter via points accrued in 2008 by one of EGR's cars that won't compete this season. Those include the #01 and #15 that were fielded last season by Dale Earnhardt Inc. and the #41 fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. The #41 has been registered to Jeremy Mayfield in 2009 for his Mayfield Racing Enterprises, but the points didn't go with the number, according to a Mayfield spokesperson. EGR this season will field full-season efforts for the #1, #8 and #42 Chevrolets. During Speedweeks, EGR's Steve Lane [was the #40 crew chief for Ganassi in 2008] will be the crew chief for the #34 and EGR crewmen will be among those tending the car. During the past five seasons, Jenkins and his son, Brad have fielded between one and three car numbers each year in the Cup Series, including the #34 and #37 cars the past two seasons. In that time the Front Row teams have made 52 races, but have never been guaranteed starters, except in the case of a rainout.(NASCAR.com)
UPDATE 4.5: The team will be guaranteed a spot in the Daytona 500 because it will have top-35 owners points from last year, although it was unclear whose points it will have. Whether the alliance will continue beyond the Daytona 500 is still to be determined. "We believe this is the beginning of a long-term partnership that will provide a technical platform for our team," Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins said. "After being in last year’s Daytona 500 with John Andretti, I realized that with the right alliance and adequate resources, we could put ourselves in a position to have a front-running car." Front Row Motorsports also announced that it plans to run the entire Nationwide Series with driver Tony Raines behind the wheel.(SceneDaily)(1-30-2009)
# Logano Slated To Be Youngest Driver To Start A Daytona 500: When Joey Logano climbs into the #20 Home Depot Toyota for the 51st running of the “Great American Race,” on Sunday, Feb. 15, he will make history as the youngest driver to start a Daytona 500. If Logano, who will be 18 years, 8 months and 22 days old on the date of this year’s Daytona 500, can get the #20 Home Depot Toyota and his Joe Gibbs Racing team into Gatorade Victory Lane in his first Daytona 500 start, he will surpass Jeff Gordon as the youngest driver to win “The Great American Race.” Gordon won his first Daytona 500 back in 1997 at the age of 25. Before Logano suits up for the 51st annual Daytona 500, he will first compete in a rare “Daytona double” on Saturday, Feb. 7 when he races in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA/REMAX Series season opener and the Budweiser Shootout All-Star race. In addition, Logano will participate in Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger on Sunday, Feb. 8, the Gatorade Duel At Daytona on Thursday, Feb. 12 and the Camping World 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener on Saturday, Feb. 14.(DIS PR)(1-30-2009)
# Yates Names Business Development Team: Yates Racing announced Jon Sands as Vice-President and Mark Gendle as Director of Business Development for the three-tiered Sprint Cup Series entry to include the #98, #28 and #96 Hall of Fame Ford. The duo will also support the #98 Nationwide Series entry with Paul Menard. Sands joined Roush Fenway Racing in 2001 after excelling in numerous areas of motorsports marketing. Sands experience ranges from Phoenix's Firebird International Raceway, New York-based Cohn & Wolfe where he oversaw Pennzoil Sprint Cup Series program, and Coors Brewing Company's Cup Series endeavors. At Roush Fenway Racing, his responsibilities included securing primary sponsorships as well as developing specialized, integrated marketing communication programs that make such sponsorship programs profitable to the client. Gendle joined Roush Fenway's marketing team after a four-year tenure with Raycom Sports. At Raycom, Gendle developed sales and marketing strategies for regional television coverage of both basketball and football in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference. His motorsports experience began at Elevation Motorsports where he worked with clients like General Mill, UPS and Masterfoods USA.(Yates Racing PR)(1-30-2009)
# Newman questions timeline of drug testing: Ryan Newman supports NASCAR's new drug-testing policy for 2009 but says he was surprised that the sanctioning body so clearly defined a designated time frame for the tests. "I might be opening up a can of worms when I say this, but why would you announce you're going to have a drug-testing time?" Newman said during the Stewart-Haas Racing portion of the Sprint Media Tour hosted by Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I mean the whole idea of announcing it kind of takes away from the people that know how to cheat the system. Obviously, I know there's probably going to be some follow-ups with certain people ... but it just seems to me that you're only eliminating the really, really naïve people in the first testing or in the first screening like this." The sanctioning body issued a memo to teams in December, requiring they submit drug-testing results from all crew members, spotters and race-day support personnel, including engineers, engine tuners, shock specialists, chassis specialists and tire specialists, by Jan. 16. NASCAR was to oversee drug testing for all drivers beginning the week of Jan. 20.(Scene Daily)(1-30-2009)
# Wypall Wipers announces 2009 Crew Chief Lineup: Three of the most respected and successful crew chiefs in the history of NASCAR have been named to the 2009 WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief lineup. The all-star line-up of Bob Osborne, Todd Berrier and Jeff Hammond, who have a total of 63 career Sprint Cup Series victories between them, continues the tradition of top-notch crew chiefs who call WYPALL Wipers their wiper of choice. This year's WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief program, which began in 2004, launches in Daytona on Feb. 15. Osborne is in his second year as a spokesperson for WYPALL Wipers. He is coming off a banner 2008 season after leading the # 99 Roush-Fenway Ford Racing team and driver Carl Edwards to a runner-up finish in the Sprint Cup Series Chase. Berrier, also in his second year as a spokesperson for WYPALL Wipers, helped guide the #29 Richard Childress Racing Chevy team to a fourth-place finish in last year's title chase with driver Kevin Harvick. The team had seven top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. He has four career victories with Harvick, including a checkered flag in the 2007 "Great American Race," the Daytona 500. While Hammond no longer calls the shots from high atop a pit box, he still oversees each racetrack from a television booth, analyzing the action for FOX Sports and SPEED Channel. His credentials include 43 wins and two championships as Darrell Waltrip's crew chief, in addition to being a team member on four other championship teams. He, too, is a part of the WYPALL Wipers team for the second year. The crew chief trio, along with representatives from WYPALL Wipers, will serve as the panel for the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge, a season-long contest that will determine the best crew chiefs in the Sprint Cup garage. Following each Cup race, each member will vote to determine which crew chief demonstrated the most outstanding strategy and ingenuity during the race. It isn't necessarily the crew chief who goes to Victory Lane, but the crew chief who made the biggest difference to his team. The weekly winning crew chief will receive a $1,000 check as well as signage to announce the win on their pit box at the following week's event. The crew chief with the most weekly wins will be honored as the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at the season finale in Homestead, Fla. Former yearly winners include Tony Eury, Sr. (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), Robbie Reiser (Matt Kenseth), Doug Richert (Greg Biffle) Mike Ford (Denny Hamlin) and Chad Knaus (Jimmie Johnson).(Wypall PR)(1-30-2009)
# Dover Motorsports sells Memphis Motorsports Park: Dover Motorsports announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Memphis Motorsports Park to Gulf Coast Entertainment, L.L.C. Under the terms of the agreement, Dover Motorsports will sell all of the stock of its subsidiary Memphis International Motorsports Corporation, the owner of Memphis Motorsports Park, to Gulf Coast Entertainment for $10 million in cash. Gulf Coast Entertainment is the owner of a newly proposed multi-use entertainment complex in Mobile, AL which is projected to be operational in 2011. As additional consideration for the purchase, Dover Motorsports will receive a two percent non-dilutable interest in Gulf Coast Entertainment and will have an agreement to provide motorsports management services to Alabama Motorsports Park [A Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speedway] when the facilities become operational. Closing is expected to take place on or about April 30, 2009 and is subject to financing and customary closing conditions. Memphis Motorsports Park does not contemplate any schedule changes in 2009 and will continue to host events in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. It will continue operations under the ownership of Gulf Coast Entertainment, but will operate under a management agreement with Dover Motorsports. In connection with securing NASCAR's approval of the transaction, Dover Motorsports is expected to guarantee the obligations of Memphis Motorsports Park under its sanction agreements with NASCAR for the 2009 season.(Dover Motorsports PR)(1-30-2009)
# Potential Milwaukee Mile investors say no: Dominic and Frank Giuffre, brothers and former racing promoters, say they are going to take a pass on making a bid to take over racing at the Milwaukee Mile. Dominic Giuffre said he and his brother met with Wisconsin State Fair officials, but didn't like what they were hearing. "The feeling we were getting is that they wanted to have the same kind of deal they have with the present promoter," Dominic Giuffre said. Milwaukee Mile Holdings, the current promoter, have told fair officials they will exercise their option to get out of racing in December 2010. Milwaukee Mile Holdings had paid $700,000 last year in licensing fees, but was limited by the number of days it had access to the racetrack. "I don't think any group will make a bid," Dominic Giuffre said. Craig Barkelar, the fair's chief financial officer, has said there are two other entities interested in taking over racing. He declined to identify either.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(1-30-2009)
