NASCAR News (2/15) Petty fined by Dodge, Daytona 500 Grand Marshall named and more.
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Petty fined $45,000 in 2004 by Dodge: Dodge fined {Kyle] Petty $45,000
when the veteran relieved Harvick in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol in
August 2004. Harvick complained that he had lost feeling in his left
arm and Petty, a Dodge driver, took over for Harvick in the RCR
Chevrolet. Petty, whose car was already out of the race, did not have
permission from Dodge to drive the Chevy, and Dodge promptly fined him
for breaching their contract. Dodge didn't announce the fine, but it
was revealed in depositions released during their recently completed
trial involving Bill Davis Racing. "Initially it was a shock just
because that's just a given in the sport - if a driver is down,
everybody rallies and tries to help him out," Petty said Feb. 11.
"Kevin was sick; Kevin felt bad, so I drove the car. When I got a phone
call and a legal letter that said I owed them $45,000, that was a
little bit of a shock. But at the same time, they were exactly right. I
have a contract to drive for Dodge." Dodge Motorsports Director of
Operations John Fernandez said Feb. 10 that he believed Petty's
violation of their contract was inadvertent but that the manufacturer
must protect the sanctity of its contracts. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
http://www.gnextinc.com/nascar/news/petty.html
NBC Actor James Caan Named Grand Marshal For Daytona 500: Actor James
Caan, star of the NBC hit drama "Las Vegas," has been named Grand
Marshal for the prestigious 48th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 19
(NBC 1:30 p.m. ET pre-race coverage) at historic Daytona International
Speedway. Caan, who garnered an Academy Award nomination for his role
as Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather" and an Emmy nomination for his
performance as football star Brian Piccolo in "Brian's Song,"
will give the starting command "Gentlemen, start your engines" in
the premier motorsports event in the world. Caan, who also starred in
popular films such as "Misery" and "Honeymoon in Vegas," will
also ride in one of the Daytona 500 pace cars ahead of the 43-car
field. In Las Vegas, which will be moving to Friday nights on NBC at 9
p.m. beginning March 3, Caan stars as Ed Deline, the head of a
surveillance team of a casino. On Monday, Feb 6, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Series Driver Jimmie Johnson had a major guest starring role on the
show, playing himself. "We're proud to have James Caan serve as
Grand Marshal and deliver the starting command for the Daytona 500 in
front of thousands of race fans and millions more watching on
television," Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig
said. "Attracting an accomplished actor such as James Caan continues
the tradition of high-profile actors, athletes and politicians that
have kicked off the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season." Caan received a
Best Actor Award from the Sebastian Film festival for his performance
in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rain People," as well as the Actor
of the Year honor from the National Associate of Theater Owners for
"The Gambler." Actor Matthew McConaughey delivered the starting
command for the 2005 Daytona 500 and President George W. Bush and
Academy Award-winning actor Ben Affleck served as the Co-Grand Marshals
for the 2004 with Bush giving the starting command. Past Daytona 500
Grand Marshals also include actor John Travolta, Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas, NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw, Jim
Kelly and Dan Marino. Tickets for Speedweeks 2006 events are available
online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling
1-800-PITSHOP. (DIS PR)
http://www.gnextinc.com/nascar/news/daytona.html
Sundance Vacations sponsor Cope & McGlynn Racing: McGlynn Racing
announced today that Sundance Vacations will co-sponsor the Derrike
Cope driven NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge for the Daytona 500 on February
19th. Sundance Vacations will be featured on the car and on the team
uniforms. Sundance Vacations will also be featured as a Primary sponsor
for three races this season, the first at Dover (June 4), Pocono (June
11) as well as the race at Chicagoland Speedway (July9). Sundance
Vacations is a wholesale travel company headquartered in Wilkes Barre,
Pennsylvania that operates offices nationwide. "We experienced
exceptional results from our limited team sponsorship last year,"
explains company President, John Dowd. "We are looking forward to even
better results from a full season sponsorship of the Derrike Cope
Dodge. We believe in sports and event marketing. We are involved with a
variety of venues including a sponsorship at the Wachovia Center which
includes the 76ers and the Flyers but a NASCAR Nextel Cup sponsorship
is really the pinnacle. "You don't get that kind of exposure from any
other sport," continued John. The company has always had an impressive
growth rate since its inception in 1991. Partnering with the McGlynn
NASCAR Nextel Cup team last year helped contribute to a 60% growth in
sales. "With our product clients can vacation in great resort
destinations for a fraction of the retail price. It's a simple
wholesale business model. We buy in bulk and pass the savings on to our
customers," explains Mr. Dowd. Sundance Vacations is negotiating with
the team and former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope to outline the
details for a full season sponsorship. When the agreement is finalized,
Sundance will join My Guardian 911 as co-sponsor for the season.
Further details will be released when available. "I'm thrilled to have
Sundance Vacations back with us in 2006, " said Ray McGlynn, owner of
McGlynn Racing. "We've enjoyed a great relationship with John Dowd and
his group at Sundance Vacations since they came on with us last year
and we look forward to making 2006 even brighter. (McGlynn Racing PR)
http://www.gnextinc.com/nascar/news/sponsorship.html
Also, Find....
Ferrell to serve as spokesperson of NASCAR Day 2006:
http://www.gnextinc.com/news/0102141.ferrellnascarday06.html
Betters like Dale Jr. in Daytona 500 odds:
http://www.gnextinc.com/nascar/drivers/news/earnhardtjr.html
Preseason Top 15: Checkout GNEXTINC.com's Gilbert's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
preseason top 15, including a former Champion's surge back to the top.
http://www.gnextinc.com/news/0101241.preseasontop15.html
Find More Past NASCAR News at
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