Toyota, sources said, has approached the Gibbs team with a proposal to leave Chevrolet, which would give it No. 20-Tony Stewart, No. 11-Denny Hamlin and No. 18-J.J. Yeley. Gibbs’ management doesn’t appear to be that interested, but the offer hasn’t been rejected, according to team sources. Penske could be looking at a merger with Michael Waltrip’s struggling Toyota operation. And there is speculation that Robert and Doug Yates [No. 38, No. 88] may be willing to listen to Toyota offers, even though they have long-standing ties with Ford.
Bobby Hamilton Racing officials announced that Mike Bliss will drive the team’s No. 4 Dodge in 11 of the remaining 18 Craftsman Truck Series races.
Casey Mears gambled his way to his first Nextel Cup win, stretching his fuel to the finish line in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night. It put a Mears back in Victory Lane on the biggest day in racing for the first time since 1991, and the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rick Mears was overwhelmed by the moment. Struggling through his first season at elite Hendrick Motorsports, Mears ran strong all night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, but only took the lead when others ducked onto pit road for a splash of gas.
The No. 25 team – considered the weakest of Hendrick’s four-team fleet – pushed its Chevrolet to the finish, finally running out of gas moments after Mears took his first checkered flag. It was Hendrick’s fifth straight win and the ninth in the past 10 Nextel Cup races, but came from the unlikeliest driver.
NASCAR has lifted David Hyder’s indefinite suspension and he’ll return to work next week as crew chief for Jeremy Mayfield. Team owner Bill Davis said he had no apprehension about hiring Hyder, who was thrown out of the garage when an illegal additive was found in Michael Waltrip’s car during Daytona 500 preparations. Hyder, also fined $100,000, parted ways with Waltrip in late April. Davis said he’d been trying to bring Hyder into his organization for several years, but never had the right opening for him. Now he’s hoping Hyder can pump some energy into Mayfield’s struggling team. Mayfield heads into Sunday night’s race 47th in the standings, and Davis is desperately trying to turn that team around.
If Dale Earnhardt Jr. ends up at Joe Gibbs Racing, team officials are adamant it won’t be with sponsor Budweiser. Bobby Ginn and Ginn Racing, however, have no problem with a beer sponsorship and is still hotly pursuing NASCAR’s most coveted free agent. And with Ginn being in the entertainment and resort business already, Ginn Racing might be the best fit for Budweiser. Richard Childress had nothing to say on the subject Saturday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Ryan Newman’s name has surfaced prominently in early Silly Season rumors, most notably in connection with a possible move to Joe Gibbs Racing. But Penske Racing officials have said Newman is under contract through the end of the 2008 season, and the driver said Saturday that neither he nor the team are distracted by the Silly Season rumors.
J.J. Yeley was told last week by J.D. Gibbs that he controls his own destiny, team officials said. Yeley, who is in the final year of his contract as driver of the No. 18 JGR Chevrolet, needs to improve his results if he wants to keep that ride next season, according to a JGR spokesman. But if he does that, he’ll be back.
Dover International Speedway announced that the June 3 Nextel Cup Series race will be named the “Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa.” Autism Speaks is an organization dedicated to increasing understanding and knowledge of autism spectrum disorders; to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism; and to advocating for the needs of affected families. “Thanks to Visa’s commitment, this event marks the first time a NASCAR Nextel Cup event entitlement has been dedicated to a not-for-profit organization,” said Mark Rossi, vice president of sales and marketing for Dover Motorsports Inc. “Millions of fans watching the race on FOX around the country, along with our loyal fan base here at the track in Dover, will be exposed to the ‘Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa’ messaging. The end result will be increased awareness, and additional funds, to assist the many important initiatives of Autism Speaks.”
Continue reading Dover Names June Nextel Cup Race To Support Autism
Haas CNC Racing has hired Matt Borland as its competition director, overseeing the cars of Jeff Green and Johnny Sauter. Borland, who won 12 races as Ryan Newman’s crew chief at Penske Racing, was released last month by Waltrip’s struggling Toyota team, where he had served as Dale Jarrett’s crew chief. The Michigan native turned down an offer to become Waltrip’s competition director, and was also pursued by Evernham Motorsports.
“The first thing was I had to decide in my own mind was, am I done with crew chiefing for good? Is it time to step away from that?” he said Thursday. “I decided that it was, and then I looked at some different opportunities that were different from crew chiefing, yet would still be involved in racing. This was the best for me and my family.”
Borland’s background in engineering, which helped Newman win a series-best eight races in 2003, fit in with a Haas CNC team that’s building its own rolling road wind tunnel. Haas CNC general manager Joe Custer was on the telephone to Borland soon after his divorce from Waltrip’s team was complete. The new position will satisfy Borland’s desire to spend less time on the road, a factor that played into his split with Penske after last year. Right now, he has no plans to return to a crew chief’s role.
Pat Tryson, crew chief for Greg Biffle, has left Roush Fenway Racing, the team announced Wednesday. Team engineering manager Chris Andrews, a former crew chief, will take Tryson’s place in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. After this weekend, Greg Erwin will become the crew chief.