Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Speed to televise NASCAR Sprint Cup banquet live: Speed Channel will
now broadcast the Sprint Cup Series' annual awards banquet after
NASCAR officials asked for it to be moved off an ESPN network, series
officials confirmed on Tuesday. ESPN was not going to be able to air
the event, scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 4 at the Wynn Las
Vegas, live. "Either partner would have done a great job with the
Awards Ceremony but Speed could schedule it as a live broadcast and
ultimately that was most important to our fans and so we asked for the
switch," said NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston. Speed will televise the
broadcast live from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. Eastern. It will re-air at 1
p.m. Eastern on Dec. 5 and at 1 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 6. "There
continues to be a great deal of buzz about how things are going to be
different,” said Speed President Hunter Nickell. “So, when the
opportunity came for Speed to be the television home for the event, it
was an easy ‘yes’ from us." (ThatsRacin.com)
http://www.racewayreport.com/tv/news.html

Bruton Smith building a motorsports complex in Qatar? Future NASCAR
exhibition race in Middle East? Did you see or hear the news reports
over the weekend that Bruton Smith is negotiating to build a three-
track racing megaplex in the tiny Middle East country of Qatar? The
news kind of seemed to float under the radar a bit, when it should
have been accorded much greater significance and importance. The
racing complex Smith and Speedway Motorsports are negotiating to build
would likely include a small bullring style oval (possibly for dirt –
or would that be sand – racing), a road course and, of course, a
NASCAR-style oval. NASCAR chairman Brian France said a couple of years
ago that he believed international expansion was definitely on the
sanctioning body’s radar screen, but he never gave a timetable. But if
Smith signs on the dotted line and actually begins construction in the
near future, we could potentially see perhaps a NASCAR exhibition race
at the very least in Qatar by maybe 2012. (More at
AutoRacingDaily.com)
http://www.racewayreport.com/track/news.html

RPM shuts down engine shop; more layoffs expected Tuesday: The NASCAR
workforce shrunk by 47 people on Monday as Richard Petty Motorsports
took the first steps toward shutting down its engine department in
Concord, NC. RPM is making reductions in its staff with the impending
merger with Yates Racing. Additional cuts are expected in the car shop
in Statesville, N.C. on Tuesday. Sources said on Sunday that the three
remaining teams expected to join forces with Yates will retain 17
crewmen per team. But given the move to Ford   which started at
Talladega with Elliott Sadler on Oct. 30th and continued this past
weekend with AJ Allmendinger at Texas, there's no need to continue
building new Dodge cars or engines. The engine department will
continue to employ 14 employees through the end of the season to
assist in the organization for the final two races. Roush Yates
Engines will supply powerplants for the team in 2010.(FOXSports.com)
http://www.racewayreport.com/rpm

Hamlin worried his voice isn't being heard: Denny Hamlin contends his
voice is not being heard by NASCAR. Hamlin was among those not pleased
that officials enforced stricter guidelines on aggressive driving at
Talladega. When told that NASCAR's recent follow-up meetings to its
town hall sessions included a couple of veteran drivers among the
smaller groups, Hamlin said he'd like to be included in future
sessions. He also wondered if his voice would matter. "I don't know
why they don't (include) all drivers, to be honest with you," Hamlin
said. "Why they didn't ask my opinion, I don't know. Over the last few
years I've earned my place in this sport, and I deserve my voice to be
heard just as much as anyone. For them to just pick the guys that have
been in the sport over 10 years, maybe pick the guys that are going to
be here the next 15." (The Virginian-Pilot)
http://www.racewayreport.com/dennyhamlin

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