NASCAR BLOG

Kasey Kahne, Nascar driver, is having a trial in Miami for assaulting a track security worker at Homestead-Miami Speedway last month. Archibald Hutchison, the victim, is 62. He is suing Kahne because of injuries he said he received on Nov. 16, when the young NASCAR driver pushed him at an access gate during the Ford 400 race weekend.
Kahne was charged with battery and released.

Team on the Newly Rechristened NASCAR Sprint Cup Circuit Introduces Groundbreaking 36-Race, $4,995 Sponsorships. This is a kind of an Integrated Marketing Campaign launched by Online Components.  According to BAM Racing, sponsorship programs for the team’s 2008 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series entry can now be bought online via eBay and other online auction websites. Such an opportunity has become available for the first time in the history of NASCAR.

New sponsors to secure their program online by December 31, 2007 (which is the pre-season deadline), receive a supplementary high-tech activation package concentrating heavily on the online activation of their sponsorship and provides an integrated marketing campaign for such a high profile sport as NASCAR which boasts 75 million fans.

Some of NASCAR’s most famous drivers will participate in the Darlington Historic Racing Festival on Aug. 30-31, including David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Buddy Baker, Junior Johnson and others. According to track president Chris Browning, the new festival will bring more than 100 vintage race cars, ranging from the 1950s to the 1970s, to NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway

Now, when we speak of NASCAR, the first car that comes to our mind is Toyota Jarett. But what was the car of the past? Was Toyota associated with racing at that time? I’m afraid, no.
It was white and blue No. 88 Ford Thunderbird with that signature broad, flat nose. Also, Chevy. Both of them were great racing cars of their time, which managed to create excitement and aeropush. Now those cars are being sold to racing schools and ARCA teams.

NASCAR has chosen Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) for a prized two-day Cup test to be held in March 3-4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway due to competition and business reasons. The session, open to all teams, is a PIR first. PIR, so convenient for the teams, accumulates a publicity in advance of its April 12 Subway Fresh Fit 500.

When the NASCAR truck race starts in 2009, it will carry a different brand than Craftsman. This name has always been synonymous with the NASCAR race series since its inception more than ten years ago. Sears, Roebuck and Co. that has always been the title sponsor since the racing series started in ‘95, is giving up this role after next year. NASCAR officials have not yet begun looking for a replacement, but they have more than a year to find a new sponsor.

There have been at least two rivalries that existed this past season. Two teammates seem to be the best this year: Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards. We haven’t just seen 1 isolated incident between the two this season, but we saw the situation escalating in the Busch Series race at Kansas, continuing at the Martinsville Nextel Cup race, where Carl Edwards confronted Matt Kenseth while he was being interviewed by SPEED.

The owner of the year in 2007 is undoubtedly Rick Hendrick. It was pretty impressive to put as many cars in the Chase for the Nextel Cup as Hendrick did. Moreover, all 4 of his teams won a race this year. Rick Hendrick captured his 7th Cup championship this season, with multiple drivers adding to the total. Hendrick perseveres with a distinction like no other owner we have in our sport today. His Motorsports took a combined eighteen checkered flags this year.