NASCAR BLOG

29 year old Dan Lowery has won the “Your name Here” competition being sponsored by Crown Royal to pick a new name for the 2008 sprint Cup race to hold on may 3rd, 2008 at the International Raceway in Richmond. The race would now be called the “Crown Royal Presents The Dan Lowery 400”. Dan from New Waterford in Ohio was part of the new name unveiling ceremony and was part of several helicopters that flew over the Vegas Strip to a desert mosaic covering about 10,000 sq. foot. The Mosaic featured Dan Lowery’s name as part of the official identity and logo of the race which would take place at the Richmond Raceway.

There were over 10,000 entries submitted and applicants had to write their fondest Crown Royal memories when the drink was enjoyed responsibly. Lowery’s entry submission came out tops and now his name will be incorporated in all the race logos and associated merchandise. It would also be recognized and accepted by NASCAR and all associated media. He would also be part of the activities before the race and would be on hand to hand over the trophy to the winning driver on Victory Lane. He would be received and entertained during race weekend as a VIP guest along with a companion of his choice. This is the second year that Crown royal is sponsoring the Richmond race and it says it would sponsor the event next year, 2009 and hold another naming contest to give another adult fan a chance to contest to give another adult fan a chance to affix his name on the race.

Ashley Cooper, a 27 year old driver from Ulladulla in the state of New South Wales lost his life due to injuries caused by a crash in the Clipsal 500 race. Ashley’s V8 supercar hit the concrete barrier at the exit of a corner, while moving at a speed of 120 mph. The accident caused severe head injuries and brain swelling. On the spot he was attended to by a senior medical officer of the Clipsal 500 and was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital by an ambulance. Ashley was in coma condition and was kept on the life supporting system till his death.
The crash occurred on the 11th lap of the final series of the race and Cooper had the collision at the 8th turn. The first hit was at the driver’s side and the car went across the track to hit the opposite wall with its rear end. This is the second fatal accident that stuck, Australia’s premier auto racing competition within two years time. New Zealand driver Mark Porter died following an accident in October 2006 in the Bathurst 1000 race. Wayne Cattach, chief executive of V8 supercars said that, the preliminary look of the footage points to the fact that Cooper’s car, while entering the corner has clipped the guard rail.

Several drivers were penalized after NASCAR found them guilty of violating some NASCAR rules. Among these drivers were: Dale Earnhardt Jr, Cale Gale, Kertus Davis, David Gilliland, Johnny Sauter, David Stremme and Todd Bodine. Bodine is known to be winner of the truck series. One of the major penalties that were issued was to Robby Gordon and his team. Gordon placed 8th during the Daytona International Speedway. Gordon and his team were found guilty after the inspection on the first day of Daytona 500. His Dodge had a front bumper cover which was considered an illegal addition by NASCAR. This discrepancy caused Gordon and his tem 100 points plus a $100,000 penalty off his chief of crew.

Other drivers were also penalized with points and a couple of thousand of dollars. Among these is Earnhardt who was penalized for 50 points with this chief of crew also penalized with $25, 000. The drivers such as Earnhardt were also banned for the upcoming six races. There were also other cars fined for having an aerodynamically modified oil tank, another illegal addition for NASCAR. Each of the chiefs of crew that were found guilty of these illegal additions was fined for $15,000. The teams as well as the drivers were not only penalized but just like the others, they were prohibited from participating in the upcoming six races of the nationwide event.

NASCAR issues penalty for 10 teams including that of Robby Gordon who finished in the 8th position at the Daytona International Speedway, after they were found guilty of doing discrepancy in the vehicles which are against the rules of NASCAR. The decision has most affected Gordon, as he lost 100 points and the chief of his crew is fined $100,000 and suspended from the coming six races. The loss of hundred points made him to come down to the 40th position now. Gordon had a front bumper cover for his Dodge, which is an unapproved addition according to the latest NASCAR rules. The violation was noticed at the first day inspection of Daytona500.

The other drives who were penalized include Dale Earnhardt Jr, Cale Gale, Kertus Davis, David Gilliland, Johnny Sauter, David Stremme and Todd Bodine the winner of the truck series. Earnhardt was docked 50 points as his car was caught with an illegal spoiler during the checking. His crew chief was fined $25,000 and got suspension for the next 6 races. The inspectors of NASCAR has found that the car Nos 0,1,14,64 and 77 was using an aerodynamically modified oil tank which is un authorized and fined the crew chiefs for $15,000 and suspended them from nationwide series for the next 6 events.

Earnhardt hopes to dominate the Budweiser Shootout in Daytona by using a new Chevrolet to get the job done. The car, built by Hendrick Motorsports, is the guinea pig for the new series of cars. He was looking for a really good car and a really good team. He thinks he has found both at Hendrick, which he joined after leaving his father’s company last year.To get back on top, he will need a good car and to start winning again. At present, he hasn’t won in the last sixty two races. He is in the shootout because of winning a 2003 race. There was a drop off in the way the cars and teams performed at DEI and that was part of the reason he decided to leave. He is in a much better place now he says.

He placed 18th out of 23 in the first practice. The Toyotas really took over the top spots. Then a fight broke out between Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch and they wound up ramming each others cars. It was actually the second accident of the season. The first occurred when Clint Bowyer tried to push Ryan Newman out of the way to pass him. Newman went spinning and all the other drivers, a total of eight, had their cars smashed in the process. Eleven out of the twenty three were damaged and had to be rushed back to the garage. After all that, Earnhardt said he wasn’t going out anymore and get his car messed up before the race.

The 17 year long wait for Todd Bodine is over and he tasted victory at last in the truck race in Daytona. Bodine has made almost 34 tries at the famous Daytona international speedway to reach the victory lane. He won the Chevy Silverado 250 craftsman truck series by holding of Johnny Benson and Kyle Busch. Todd Bodine used a Toyota and his average speed was 127.551 mph. The race lasted for 1 hour, 57 minutes and 36 seconds and Todd’s victory margin is .077 seconds. For the first time in the history of Daytona Craftsman Series the trucks were using 17.75 gallon fuel cells instead of the usual 22 gallon cells.

The race was stopped for 17 minutes, 23 seconds due to an accident that caused the elimination of Skinner from the race and damage to many vehicles. Ron Hornaday, The defending truck series champion had to take his No. 33 Chevrolet for repair because of mechanical problems. Busch bagged the second position followed by Benson and David Starr. It was a moment of great pride for Toyota as their drivers reached the top four positions in the Chevy Silverado 250.

NASCAR proved they were serious when they put Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch on a 6-race probation because of bad behavior.  The two have been known to exchange harsh words and eventually a punch in the face, as some report say, so NASCAR officials acted on the situation — and right when Daytona 500 is coming up.  Stewart and Busch’s conflict started when they wrecked into each other during practice and had a confrontation that reached the NASCAR officials’ trailer.

NASCAR officials said that what happened during practice was a racing accident, but what the drivers did after that was a different thing.  They also stressed that “probation” means a lot more this time than it used to.  NASCAR has not really given a harsh punishment for a driver before because of bad behavior, but this year will be different.  It certainly is, as the season comes to a start with two star drivers on probation.

Stewart and Pemberton will still be able to race, but they need to allow each other some room when on the track.  According to a NASCAR official, this doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to seriously race.  They just need to avoid intentionally crashing into each other when in tight situations.

Busch is pretty confident that Toyota will be seen in the victory lane in this year’s NASCAR 2008 season as Joe Gibbs Racing has shifted from Chevrolet to Toyota for the upcoming season. All the racing drivers on these Toyotas, be it Busch or Tony Stewart or Denny, have proven their mettle on the NASCAR race tracks previously and Busch feels that this is a great opportunity for the Toyotas to make a mark on the NASCAR circuit. The drafting practice sessions for the Joe Gibbs racing team are showing good results and Busch feels that the car is better equipped to handle greater speeds this season.  The technicians and the mechanics are also toiling very hard to put the Toyota cars in better racing shape and the inputs given by the race drivers are also adhered to while making the final adjustments on the car. The entire Gibbs racing team is pumped up for the big occasion and is eagerly waiting for the moment to roll their cars on the NASCAR tracks. The Joe Gibbs Racing team fans as well as the Toyota car fans are also hoping that Busch’s predictions come true and there is a rumor in the NASCAR circuit that the Joe Gibbs racing means business this time round.

The legal notice is issued for the NASCAR fans on the restriction on smoking on the Bristol Motor Speedway. On 3th February Kevin Triplett the Bristol Motor Speedway’s vice president of public affairs has said that from this year there will be no smoking on the speedway because there were many complaints filed against smoking while many people also don’t have any dilemma against this rule. Earlier in October the Tennessee rule was prohibiting smoking in most public facilities which includes sports arenas as well. But now this follow up rule is made to determine the areas where smokers are not allowed to smoke are terraces, restrooms and seating area; while smoking is allowed in concourses. There will be “No Smoking” on the prohibited areas. Management will not hire smoking police but, the smokers will be ask to extinguish at the spot, when spot smoking. The world should be smoke free now as it is harmful and hazardous for health, government is liable and now when it is taking step, the responsible citizens should obey and let other breathe in smoke free air. Smoking and drinking is the only thing which people do on the tracks; but after this rule there will be some restrictions.

Cale Yarborough is the only driver to have won three consecutive championships in NASCAR’s series. But this year, Jimmie Johnson shows promise to finally match this record. Johnson certainly has the skill and ability. He is also provided with the equipment through Hendrick Motorsports. The challenge for him now is for his performance to be consistent or to exceed what he has shown for the last five years. To win, it is important to keep consistent finishes.

Johnson may also have some tight competition in the race. There are at least ten other drivers who could have matched Yarborough’s record with three consecutive wins in the championship. Six of them actually came close to making this a reality.

Two drivers, Herb Thomas and Buck Baker, could have held this record in as early as the first decade of NASCAR. Their chances were destroyed, however, by Tim Flock and Lee Petty. Thomas had won the 1951 and 1953 championships, finishing only second to Flock in 1952. Baker became champion in 1956 and 1957, and also finished second to Flock in 1955.

With many contenders for matching Yarborough’s record, all eyes will be on Jimmie Johnson this year to see if he will be the first one to do it.