| Top | Blog | Sport |

FastCar Newsdesk for New Hampshire Motor Speedway, week of 6/25/09

A partnership with Nationwide Series Toyota team Braun Racing begins this weekend (with Elliott Sadler in the No. 10) for Richard Petty Motorsports and rumors are rampant about the future manufacturer of that team. Reports surfaced this week that RPM is considering putting marquee driver Kasey Kahne in a No. 9 Sprint Cup Series Toyota in the next month and a half, but those sources say that change likely will not happen midseason.

Kasey Kahne was last year’s pole and race winner. He would battle back after a pit road miscue, leaving with loose lugs. Other drivers stayed out while he took fuel and tires. He was able to easily outrun the gamblers Brian Vickers and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the win.

Kahne is not the only strong one here as far as the numbers go; you will even be surprised who is on the list! Read on, as we examine who’s hot at Pocono and who is on a current hot streak.

FastCar Newsdesk for Talladega Superspeedway, week of 04/23/09

Let the games begin. As rumors about the status of drivers like Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. made minor waves a couple of weeks ago, talk of crew chiefs’ jobs became more than that this week. Wednesday, Richard Childress Racing announced that the entire crews of the No. 29 and driver Kevin Harvick and No. 07 and driver Casey Mears will switch, with the changes taking effect next week at Richmond International Raceway.

FastCar Newsdesk for Las Vegas Motor Speedway, for week of 2/26/09
A sagging economy and a trip to Vegas keep money fresh in the minds of many on the NASCAR circuit. A flurry of teams around the Sprint Cup garage lack full sponsorship for the 2009 season, including Richard Petty Motorsports. Driver Reed Sorenson and the famed No. 43 team have sponsorship for the majority of races this year and have come closer to having a sponsor in each race, with the addition of Super 8 Motels as a primary sponsor for an undisclosed schedule of races this season. Super 8 may also sponsor the No. 44 of A.J. Allmendinger in some races; that team is not scheduled to run each race, unless sponsorship arises. Harrah’s colors will be on that entry this week in Las Vegas.

The Stock Car Gazette for Thursday, 2/19/2009 was unfortunately too large to be posted here on our website.

After an outstanding week of racing, the 500 has many favorites to win.

The clear-cut favorites are just about anyone from Hendrick, Roush, Joe Gibbs or RCR. But even within those camps, I think some drivers will fare better than others. Jimmie Johnson still has an excellent chance to win, but Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon are the two drivers that seem to have something to prove on Sunday. Both were exceptionally stout on Thursday and Martin’s last lap move over on Denny Hamlin made me sit up and take notice.

(photo courtesy of Icon Sports Media)

Dale Jr. is a fan favorite, but I still don’t see him winning his second 500 this year.

Good morning… I suppose it’s time to start the every-day editions of the Stock Car Gazette up again… after all, Daytona is this Sunday. But I must confess I enjoyed the three-a-week schedule for a while, not unlike some drivers who enjoy the Truck schedule as compared to a Sprint Cup one.

Hopefully we didn’t kill anyone’s inbox yesterday with that monster Gazette edition. It was so big that the website software would not allow me to add it as one entry; I had to split it up into two.

And here’s more for your Tuesday …. enjoy, and tell your friends about us. Enjoy.

____________________________________________________________

Something exploded down in Daytona, and the NASCAR and ARCA news is just flying out everywhere, particularly about the draws of starting position for the Bud Shootout.

We tried to pick up the best parts and send it right to you in today’s edition of the Stock Car Gazette.

Enjoy.

____________________________________________________________

T H E * S T O C K * C A R * G A Z E T T E
by MotorSportsNews.Net

I started this list last week here on the MotorSportsNews[dot]Net(work) and thought I would finish it.

Click HERE to check out the original article and let me know your thoughts there as well.

Here is my take on some of the other NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers to watch in 2009.

FastCar Newsdesk for NASCAR Media Tour 2009, 1/23/09
Now in its third decade, few are surprised by the sheer volume of announcements made public during the circus that is the NASCAR Media Tour. A pool of reporters makes the rounds to teams’ race shops and other NASCAR points of interest in the Charlotte area during this time of January every year. Most teams seize this moment to activate their 2009 brands, by debuting paint schemes, announcing final driver lineups and sponsorship additions, and to clear up any other unknowns that existed during the offseason. Given the current state of sponsorship and economic flux, some of this week’s announcements left more questions than answers.

Grandly understated, there have been a lot of changes in the NASCAR world over the last few months, particularly in the Sprint Cup Series.

So, you might have some concern or confusion about the Sprint Cup cars you’ll see at Daytona, and who’s in them.

We’re here to help you out.

We thought we’d put together a little chart of who’s who and who’s where for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series… thanks, applause is not necessary. This chart is of the full time teams we know of, and is subject to change.

Car
#

Driver

Make

Sponsor

Owner/Team

Crew Chief

Ganassi and DEI merger official

Though technically a partnership and not a merger, Ganassi and Dale Earnhardt Incorporated officials have announced that their teams will field cars together for the 2009 season.

The new entity will be called Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and will field the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy with Martin Truex Jr., the No. 8 with Aric Almirola, the No. 42 and driver Juan Pablo Montoya, and the No. 41 Chevy with Target and a driver to be named. This means that the Nos. 15 and 01 teams will no longer exist, leaving Reagan Smith out of a ride. Smith, along with A.J. Allmendinger and Scott Riggs are candidates for the No. 41.

The empire Dale Earnhardt built to promote his family racing genes and continue the legacy of his racing prowess has now become watered down to become Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

While rumors have been swirling around both teams for weeks, I am still stunned to see the once powerful DEI merge with anyone.

While DEI and Ganassi have obviously both been struggling as of late, you would have thought DEI was the stronger player with Martin Truex, Jr. still in the fold. But with Mark Martin leaving in 2009 and Aric Almirola as the only other driver in the DEI stable, 20009 had to be looking pretty grim. In fact, DEI has been looking pretty grim ever since Dale Jr. left to join Hendrick.

Let’s take a look at Homestead under the microscope. This edition will include stats, past winners, hot streak driver (last 5 races) similar track stats (speedway) like who’s hot, manufacturer leaders, records, and much more! No matter if you are a Fantasy League player or just want to know the ins and outs at Homestead, you can get a full dose right here. You won’t leave the table wanting more!

Jimmie Johnson is sitting in the driver seat but Carl Edwards is not giving up without a fight. He has now won 8 races this season, tying Kyle Busch for the most so far. Carl is coming into this race with a ton of momentum with 2 consecutive Chase wins. He also placed 4th at Phoenix in the spring race, but Johnson has the edge statistically speaking. There are some more drivers that fair well here, read more as I break it all down. You don’t want to miss these last couple races. With fuel strategy, wrecks and penalties, the Chase is not over! How far will Carl push it this week?