Thursday, November 12, 2009

Rick Hendrick says teams' NASCAR success is "humbling": People power
is more important than horsepower. Rick Hendrick believes that. The 60-
year-old multi-millionaire business executive's Chevrolet team has
become the NASCAR Sprint Cup series' gold standard. Hendrick is
virtually assured of a ninth Cup championship - and possibly an
historic fourth in a row with Jimmie Johnson. Most of Hendrick's 6,000
employees - over 500 on his race teams - swear there's no better boss.
When Kyle Busch was released to Joe Gibbs Racing two years ago, crew
chief Alan Gustafson dismissed reports he might follow. "I'd rather
sweep floors for Rick Hendrick than be a crew chief for someone else,"
he said. Hendrick, who answered questions from The Republic by e-mail
because he was traveling internationally, calls that "humbling." "I
take so much pride in watching these guys like Alan and Steve
(Letarte, Gordon's crew chief), who have come up through the
organization, from literally sweeping floors in the shop to being crew
chiefs. I think it goes back to putting the right people in place and
then providing them with opportunities to be successful and show what
they're capable of doing . . . I can't tell you how gratifying that
is." (Arizona Republic) http://www.racewayreport.com/hendrick

Richard Petty Raceway to open on Friday: NASCAR's all-time wins leader
Richard Petty and Phoenix International Raceway have teamed up to open
Richard Petty Raceway, a 1/16-mile go-kart track on the Midway that is
the first such permanent karting facility located within a major
NASCAR venue. Petty and Sprint Cup Series driver A.J. Allmendinger
will appear at the grand opening of the track, scheduled for 2:00pm on
Friday, November 13.(PIR) http://www.racewayreport.com/rpm

Jeff Gordon: Cup drivers run Nationwide races for extra money: Jeff
Gordon asked why Cup drivers run Nationwide races: "Listen, the bottom-
line, you want to know why those guys are running Nationwide races?
For money. They're wanting extra money. The sponsors are there
supporting the car owners to run the series. Those guys are able to
make extra money. That's why they run it. Of course, somebody like
Kyle, you know, has the opportunity to go win a championship, or Carl,
then, hey, why not do that, too? But the Cup drivers that are over
there, that's why they're doing it."(Examiner.com)http://
www.racewayreport.com/jeffgordon

Furniture Row test at Pikes Peak: To prepare for another strong
Phoenix performance in Sunday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at
Phoenix International Raceway, the Denver, Colo-based Furniture Row
No. 78 Chevy team of Regan Smith conducted a test session earlier in
the week at the one-mile Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain,
Colo. "We had another good test session at Pikes Peak," added Smith.
"The last time we raced in Phoenix we also tested at Pikes Peak and it
was a huge benefit. We're looking for similar results this weekend. We
really want to close out the season on a positive note with solid
results in Phoenix and at the season finale in Homestead (Nov. 22)."
Running a part-time 20-race Sprint Cup schedule in 2009, the Furniture
Row team is gearing up to run a full 36-race slate in 2010. "There's a
lot of buzz at our Denver race shop right now," offered Smith. "Both
the team roster and the shop size are expanding. We all have an upbeat
feeling heading into next season. Running all 36 races is going to
make us a better team. It's been fun and we're even going to have more
fun."(FRR)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/testing.html

Johnson confident as he returns to Phoenix: Although Jimmie Johnson's
lead in the standings has been cut from 184 to 73, Johnson remains in
good shape to clinch his fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup
championship as he heads to Phoenix International Raceway for Sunday's
312-mile, 500-kilometer race. And this is one of Johnson's best tracks
— he has three wins, seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10s in 12
starts there. Johnson has finished in the top five in the last six
Phoenix races, including three straight victories from November 2007
through a sweep in 2008. Johnson also has eight straight finishes of
seventh or better there; one of those was a fourth-place finish in
April. "I would say that, looking at the schedule, the best track
remaining for us would be PIR," Johnson said. (USA Today)
http://www.racewayreport.com/jimmiejohnson

Mark Martin praises Johnson's work ethic: Martin praised his teammate,
Johnson, and his work ethic. "I was one of those like many others from
the outside looking in, looking at Jimmie Johnson making it look easy
thinking he was a lucky guy that drove for a great race team," Martin
said. "I'm taking that back now. I've seen different and (am) one of
the guys that is standing up saying, 'Hey, he's not getting enough
credit.' " (USA Today)
http://www.racewayreport.com/markmartin

Rain-X returns as primary sponsor on No. 1 at Phoenix: Earnhardt
Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Shell Lubricants announced that
the Rain-X brand will make its second appearance as the primary
sponsor on the No. 1 Chevy of Martin Truex Jr. for the Nov. 15 NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR).
Rain-X made it's NASCAR debut as the primary sponsor for Truex and the
No. 1 team for the NSCS race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept.
20. The No. 1 Chevy bright yellow and blue design draws inspiration
from the yellow and blue color scheme that has become synonymous with
the Rain-X® brand. Race fans should be sure to look for the Rain-X
logo on the hood of the No. 1 Chevy along with the giant "beaded" rain
drops running off the windshield and down the sides of the front
quarter-panels. More info about Rain-X at www.rainx.com (EGR PR)
http://www.racewayreport.com/martintruexjr

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