Insider Racing
 
Andretti Comments On Gordon Decision
John Andretti flipped idly through a newspaper, not really wanting to talk about his cousin Michael's decision to appoint Robby Gordon as substitute driver in Andretti Green's No. 27 cars for this year's Indianapolis 500. The dark overcast was apparent, and John clearly was disappointed at being denied what he called "the best chance anybody's going to have" at winning this year's 500-Mile Race. Andretti, son of Aldo Andretti (Mario's twin brother) and cousin of team owner/driver Michael Andretti, who will retire from driving after the 400, expressed off-the-record bitterness toward his cousin's choice. "I'll be there that Wednesday, and I'll qualify the car, because [Gordon] will be in the hospital by then," John Andretti said. "I don't really have much to say," he added. "You guys only come around here when there's something like this to talk about." Andretti said he had talked with Michael about the matter. Word is that sponsor considerations (A/G sponsor Motorola is a supplier of cel phones to Gordon/RCR sponsor Cingular). "You think that's it?" John Andretti said. Asked again whether the sponsorship situations had dictated the final decision, Andretti said, "I'm sure that's what Michael would tell you if you talked to him. Let's leave it at that."(Speed Channel)(4-27-03)

Busch Finishes Ninth In Midget Race
Kurt Busch had never before driven a midget open wheel race car but last night he tried his hand at it at Irwindale Speedway, a local short track in Souther California. Busch had worked his way up to fourth spot before spinning his car. He then worked his way back to a respectable ninth place at the conclussion of the race.(4-27-03)

Second California Date Will Bring Lights
Fontana may add lights: The San Bernardino County Planning Commission has approved California Speedway's request for amendments to its conditional-use permit that make it possible for the speedway to install lights for night racing. Earlier this year, when NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. announced that the sanctioning body was considering a schedule realignment by moving a race from one track to another, he said there also was a likelihood that more races would be run at night to accommodate television. France cited the tracks at Rockingham, N.C., and Darlington, S.C., among those that were in danger of losing a date. California Speedway is considered a favorite to get a second race should realignment be implemented for the 2004 season, and the request to allow lights was made with a second race in mind. Speedway president Bill Miller said it would cost about $6.5 million and take seven or eight months to complete the installation. He also said it is unlikely lights will be added without a second race date.(Press Enterprise)(4-27-03)

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Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site

Billy Ray Cyrus Pays Tribute to Earnhardt UPDATE tonight: Billy Ray Cyrus will pay tribute to the late race car driver Dale Earnhardt in an upcoming episode of "Doc." He said Earnhardt, who was killed in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 two years ago, was king in his house. Cyrus said his stepfather was such a fan of the Intimidator that he requested in his will to be buried in his Dale Earnhardt T-shirt, something the family honored. The Earnhardt tribute episode, which Cyrus called "emotional" to make, will air in May. He hopes a lot of people who loved Earnhardt tune into the show because it was "an honest effort at paying tribute to the man." "Doc" is on PAX.(Yahoo/AP)(2-28-2003)
UPDATE: the show, titled "the checkered flag" airs tonight, April 27th at 8:00pm/et/pt [re-air 9:00pm on May 7th], on PAX, the description: Clint helps stock-car racer Scotty Redfield stay physically healthy to compete, but wonders if he can help him regain his spirit to drive. Everyone worries that Dr. Crane will veto expanding the clinic into the vacant offices next door - but when he decides he loves the idea, it's time to worry even more." More info at the PAX site.(4-27-2003)

Tragic News - Crash at auto track kills spectators: Two sprint cars crashed during an auto race Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway, sending one hurtling into the stands and the other into the track's infield, where two bystanders were struck and killed, authorities said. The driver of the car that flipped into the stands suffered minor injuries, said Jeff Delahunty, a spokesman for the Riverside County Fire Department. The two people killed in the infield were identified as Paul Bagley, 74, of Hesperia, and his wife, Helen, 72. "`It is just a terrible accident,'' said Riverside County sheriff's Deputy Dennis Gutierrez. The Perris Auto Speedway, which features dirt track racing, is about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.(Guardian Unlimited/AP and Press Enterprise/AP)(4-27-2003)

NASCAR, Flash in the Pan? who is this guy? David D'Alessandro, the chairman and CEO of John Hancock life insurance, isn't one of the corporate leaders who has jumped aboard the NASCAR bandwagon. In a conversation with the Boston Globe about his company's choices for sponsorship money, D'Alessandro said NASCAR wasn't in his final three. "It's a growing sport, but I think it's a flash in the pan," he said. "It's a pure consumer product. It has 1,000 sponsorship symbols, so there's no distinction. The fatter your driver is, the more symbols he can have on his jumpsuit." D'Alessandro isn't high on golf, tennis, pro football or pro basketball, either. His top three? The Olympics, major league baseball and the Boston Marathon.(Press Enterprise)(4-27-2003)

Reality Show back on? Word in the garage is that the FX cable network will begin filming for its NASCAR reality series -- which will feature Kevin Harvick and Kenny Wallace -- next week. Rusty Wallace and Jamie McMurray were originally considered for the series, which has been planned for some time.(NASCAR.com's Buzz), see past news on the reality show on my TV/Media News page.(4-27-2003)

Biffle Injured: #16-Greg Biffle is driving with a cast on his left arm after he sprained his wrist Tuesday when he slipped and fell out of his motorhome on Tuesday. "It doesn't hinder me to drive or anything," he said. "I'll be good by Richmond [next week]."(Roanoke Times)(4-27-2003)

Portenga beats Schrader; Herta debuts: Steve Portenga passed Winston Cup veteran Ken Schrader with eight of 100 laps remaining at California Speedway and held on for his first Winston West series victory. Portenga won by 2.429 seconds over Schrader to win Saturday's Pontiac Grand Prix 200. Kevin Richards was third. Portenga remains the only driver in the series with three top-five finishes in as many starts this season.(ThatsRacin.com) Former CART driver Brian Herta drove in the race, his first stock car race, starting 16th and finishing 5th.(4-27-2003)

Auto Club 500 Notes
· GM Saturday Quotes · Dodge Saturday Quotes · Ford Saturday Quotes · Practice 2 · Raybestos Rookie · Jack Sprague · Kyle Petty · Ken Schrader · John Andretti · Jeff Green · Jerry Nadeau · Jeremy Mayfield · Bill Elliott · Jimmy Spencer · Ward Burton · Dale Earnhardt Jr. · Jeff Gordon · Jimmie Johnson · Kevin Harvick · Tony Stewart · Elliott Sadler · Bobby Labonte · Dale Jarrett · Ricky Rudd · Kenny Wallace · Dave Blaney

Kenseth Wins in California
Matt Kenseth, the Winston Cup points leader, won the Busch Grand National event at California Speedway, giving Winston Cup regulars victories in eight of the nine Busch races this season. Kenseth pulled away from Michael Waltrip after a restart with seven laps remaining to win by 0.882 seconds in the 1-800-PIT-SHOP.COM 300 to capture his 13th career BGN win. Kenseth led for a total of 47 of the race’s 150 laps, while Kevin Harvick led the most laps on the day, staying out front for 59 circuits. Shane Hmiel and Stacy Compton were the only Busch regulars to lead at least one lap. Waltrip came home second and pole-sitter Kevin Harvick finished third, giving the Cup guys a sweep of the top three spots. Kasey Kahne finished fourth as the highest-finishing series regular and points-leader Todd Bodine finished fifth.

McDonald's Recognizes NASCAR Pit Crews in New Series of TV Commercials
McDonald's will launch its newly-created NASCAR advertising campaign during Sunday's FOX telecast of the Auto Club 500 Winston Cup race. The new series of commercials is an enhancement to the inaugural McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fueled by POWERade.

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Insider Racing

Speed Mail: How About A NASCAR Rodeo? By Joe "Bumpstop" Foster
Connie's California NASCAR Notebook By Connie Felix
I Was Just Wonderin’..NASCAR’s New Demograpic - Bubble Gum Girls? By Carol Einarsson

Gordon Bristles At Stewart Comment
Last year Tony Stewart made the comment that beacuse of the constant changes in chassis and aerodynamics, it would be much more difficult to just jump back into an Indy Car and go racing at Indianapolis than it had been in the past. When this was relayed to Robby Gordon on Friday, Gordon took exception to the comment. "Tony says all kinds of things that I don't quite understand, to be honest with you," said Gordon, who noted he turned the fastest lap in his first practice at Indy last year. "He (Tony) said that he didn't want to let his guys on his team down, but I think he runs Midget and Sprint cars, so what happens if he gets hurt doing that? You can't believe everything that guy says. I don't want to get in no beef with Tony, but it actually makes me mad because it puts more pressure on me for the naysayers."(4-26-03)

Garage Rumors
Shawn Parker could become Dale Jarrett's new crew chief, according to sources close to the Robert Yates team. And crew chief Greg Zipadelli says that there is nothing to the rumors that his own boss, General Manager Jimmy Makar, might move on to join the Yates team to work with Jarrett. Parker is a chassis specialist for the Elliott Sadler-Raymond Fox half of the Yates team. Parker was once a key member of the Jack Roush operation before moving on.(Journal Now)(4-26-03)

Enough Is Enough..Says Park
Steve Park has read and heard the rumors about how he's supposedly in danger of losing his job as driver of the No. 1 Chevrolets at Dale Earnhardt Inc. On Friday at California Speedway, he drove like he believes them. Park ran a lap at 186.838 mph to earn the pole for Sunday's Auto Club 500 at the 2-mile track, his first pole since November 2000 and the first since he was injured in a crash in a Busch series race at Darlington in September of the following year. "Hopefully, this will quiet some critics a little bit," said Park, whose lap bumped Bill Elliott's Dodge to the outside of Row 1 for the Winston Cup season's 10th race. "We're fixing to start winning races." Park, who now has three poles to go along with two career Cup victories, turned defiant as he said he remains confident that he can get the job done with his team. "All the hogwash I have to read that the press puts out there, I have broad shoulders," said Park, whose best 2003 finish has been a 10th at Las Vegas. "Dish it out because I can take it all. "When I am in victory lane winning races, everybody who's had bad things to say about this race team is going to bite their tongues. I don't race to finish 20th, I race to win.(That's Racin')(4-26-03)

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Saw this in The Stock Car Gazette by the MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

"Fly-Spy" on the #15 Car at Daytona USA (another "The Fly" adventure by Mick Charles)
Did you happen to catch this story at Jayski's?

Spies at Daytona USA?
After Michael Waltrip won his second Daytona 500 in February, his #15 NAPA Chevy was rolled into Daytona USA for public display -- or easy pickings? There are whispers out there that several Winston Cup teams, bound and determined find the strength of DEI's restrictor-plate fleet, sent people to photograph and measure Waltrip's sitting duck car.

After I read that story, I said to myself, "Self, I bet YOU could get in there and get some measurements of that car, couldn't you?"

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RacingJunky.com

1-800-PitShop.Com 300 - Qualifying Notes by Valerie Gamsky
Parity's Peril in Winston Cup by William Flanders
Nascar Tracks and 2nd Race Dates by Kimberely Crigger

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Joe sent these in!  Thanks Joe!

Racetrack project accelerates despite some drag BY GABRIEL H. GLUCK
Developer proceeding with plans to build a speedway in Linden

For New Jersey racing fans, it would be an incredible Christmas gift -- a NASCAR racetrack right in their back yard.

But for developer Morton Salkind to build his dream racetrack

Proposal puts new spin on old attraction BY ROBERT E. MISSECK
Some NJ area racing history here. Interesting article
If developer Morton Salkind is successful in negotiating the local and state bureaucracy, the proposed Liberty Speedway at Linden would be built on a 140-acre site formerly occupied by GAF, adjacent to the Arthur Kill in the Tremley Point section of the city.

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Negotiations under way to find replacement for Winston
Negotiations are under way with several companies as possible successors to Winston as title sponsor of NASCAR’s top series.

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Gordon to Do 'The Double' for 3rd Time By MIKE HARRIS
Robby Gordon will do "The Double" for the third time, driving in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25.

Parity is not good thing - ED HINTON
Nine Winston Cup races this season. Nine different winners.

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McSwain brings fun, harder edge to 18 team
Cher and the crowd at the outrageous diva's concert last week in Charlotte were a bit much for a boy from the mountains, Michael McSwain conceded.  

NOTES: California may receive another race
A second Winston Cup tour 500-mile race in California is all but a certainty for next season, according a 2004 Winston Cup tour schedule currently under consideration.

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Notebook:
Park hopes pole portends better times

Big Mac Cup?
A spokesman for McDonald's acknowledged Saturday that the world's largest fast food chain has met with NASCAR to discuss the possibility of replacing Winston as the sponsor of its top stock car series.

No repeat
Going into Sunday's race, no driver has more than one victory in the first nine races.

Spark plugs
Four of six Winston Cup winners here have won after starting in the top five. Jeremy Mayfield started 24th in 2000 and went on to win. Rusty Wallace won from 19th in 2001.
Chevrolet and Ford have each won three times at the California track. Bobby Labonte finished second in a Pontiac in 2000, and Bill Elliott fourth in a Dodge in 2002 for the best performances by those makes.

Marlin trying to avoid obstacles on way back to contention  
Sterling Marlin keeps running up against obstacles as he tries to put himself into contention for the Winston Cup championship.

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The new youth movement By MARK A. PEINADO
Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmy Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman are all considered the young and up and coming drivers of NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. All five have won multiple times and are consistent contenders every time they go out onto the track.

Well, the youth movement isn't confined to just the Winston Cup Series. There has been an onslaught of young, new drivers converging on NASCAR's second-tier series, the Busch Grand National Division.

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Race cars seized in fraud case By Karen Abbott
Federal agents have seized eight NASCAR race cars allegedly bought with proceeds from the same securities fraud for which agents earlier seized historic Redstone Castle in Colorado's Crystal River Valley.

The cars were at Smitty's Motor Sports, 5850 E. 58th Ave., in Commerce City. The business is owned by Norman Schmidt, who, along with others, allegedly operated a $20 million investment scam, according to court documents. No criminal charges have been filed.

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Kenseth holds off Waltrip for Busch win
Matt Kenseth held off a challenge by Michael Waltrip on a restart with seven laps to go Saturday and went on to win the Californiaspeedway.com 300 Busch Series race.

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One-car team getting help By Tim Haddock
The one-car team is a dying breed in NASCAR Winston Cup. Only two one-car teams are in the top 20 in the Winston Cup standings as the series heads to California Speedway in Fontana for the Auto Club 500 on Sunday.

Cal Wells' No. 32 Ford, with Ricky Craven in the driver's seat, is the highest among the one-car teams at ninth in the championship.

The Wood Brothers' No. 21 Ford is the next highest, at 19th

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Friday's the day that tells it all about NASCAR By MARK WHICKER
The extent of the motor-sports stranglehold on this country cannot be measured on Sunday.

No, Friday is the day to witness the Great Obsession.

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Insider Racing
Auto racing isn't a matter of life or death, it's more important than that...

LOGO Design Contest
Insider Racing News will be giving away three copies of the new, soon to be released "Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul" book and we need your help. We have the books and you have the image maker." Insider Racing News is proud to announce a contest where readers can enter to win by designing a logo for our weekly column, CHEERS and JEERS by Carol Einarsson. For more details..(Logo Contest)     Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul conveys inspirational stories of courage, speed and overcoming adversity. Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul was released to the public on April 24, 2003