Tony Stewart slams people who use Twitter
Gilbert Sam, Jr.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tony Stewart slams people who use Twitter: You won�t see Dale
Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson or Tony Stewart providing
tweets - what a message 140 characters or less on Twitter is called -
anytime soon. �I actually have enough productive stuff to do with my
life other than sit there and tell everybody what I�m doing every
minute of every day,� Stewart said. Earnhardt, too, is no fan of
social networking. �I use social networking through our partnerships,
but I never really enjoyed doing it on a personal level,� he said.
(Virginian-Pilot)
http://www.racewayreport.com/tonystewart
Keselowski: I�m not going to change: In the aftermath of his latest
dust-up with Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski has been widely criticized
for a consistent pattern of overly aggressive driving tactics, but the
Penske Racing NASCAR driver said in an interview on Sunday that he
doesn�t plan to change his approach. �It�s not possible to get a Cup
ride right now without being aggressive, and without having some
swagger in your step,� Keselowski told the Associated Press. �Does
that make you a jerk? To some people, yes. To some people, no. It
depends on where you�re coming from. �If you look at the sport right
now, there are no new drivers coming in. So whatever I�m doing is
working, and it�s gotten me to where I�m at.� (Racer)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/penske.html
Bristol Motor Speedway tickets not sold out: A ticket to a Sprint Cup
event at Bristol Motor Speedway once represented an elusive dream for
NASCAR fans. Thanks in large part to all the fighting, feuding and
wrecking at the unique concrete oval, fans longed for the opportunity
to witness the BMS spectacle in person. Bristol was a must-see
destination, but for the second straight year tickets are available
for the spring race at BMS. Actually, many tickets remain for Sunday�s
Food City 500. Track officials point to the troubled national economy,
particularly in the corporate sector, for the downturn in interest. Of
course, it�s not easy to sell 160,000 seats in any environment. To
many NASCAR diehards, the problem goes deeper. The reputation of BMS
was built around mayhem and heroism. In a sport where everything -
including the drivers and cars - has been increasingly generic,
Bristol represents a refreshing change of pace. When the track was
widened in 2007 as part of a long-awaited resurfacing project, the
number of wrecks started to decrease dramatically. Instead of bashing
their way past slower cars, drivers now have the option of choosing
multiple grooves to execute passes. Like it or not, fans love wrecks
and they savor the arguments that follow. (Bristol Herald)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/bristol.html
Stremme replaces Said in No. 26 at Bristol: Vermont-based Latitude 43
Motorsports will see its first-ever driver change as the NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series hits Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. David Stremme, a
veteran of 108 NSCS starts, will take over for Boris Said at the
controls of the No. 26 Ford for Latitude 43 at the Food City 500. The
Food City 500 is the fifth race of the season, and Jenkins sits 37th
in owner points, just 24 points out of 35th place; after Bristol, all
cars outside the top-35 will have to qualify on speed during time
trials without the benefit of a provisional. South Bend, Ind., native
Stremme, an accomplished short track racer, has been tabbed to drive
the car at the treacherous Bristol half-mile. The change, says
Jenkins, was Said's idea. "Boris came to me last week and said he
thought we needed a different driver for Bristol," Jenkins told
Vermont Motorsports Magazine. "Boris is as big a part of this team as
anyone, and I can't thank him enough for his willingness to help the
whole program. We need to put all of our chips on the table at
Bristol, and we need to come out of there strong and inside the
top-35. Boris thought putting Stremme in the car was the right move,
and I stand behind his decision." Stremme has been idle in NASCAR's
three national series since being released from Penske Racing's no. 12
NSCS Dodge last November. Said has a best finish of 25th in the season-
opening Daytona 500. In 39 career Sprint Cup starts, Said has only
raced once at a track shorter than 1.5 miles in length, at Loudon,
N.H., in 2007.(Vermont Motorsports Magazine)
http://www.racewayreport.com/driver/news/david_stremme.html
CMS to open Cup testing to fans: Fans will have the opportunity to see
their favorite drivers in action at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the
first time in 2010 during Sprint Cup Series testing March 23-24. The
test will be held for the new spoiler that will soon replace the rear
wing on the current Sprint Cup Series car. Ticket holders to any 2010
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway including
the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 22, the Coca-Cola 600 on May 30
and the NASCAR Banking 500 on Oct. 16, will be granted special access
to watch testing from the infield. The VIP seating area located behind
pit road near Victory Circle will be open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on
Tuesday and 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Ticket holders will
also have the opportunity to take part in a question and answer forum
with available drivers; meet Miss Sprint Cup during an autograph
session in Victory Circle; and take their picture with the Charlotte
Motor Speedway show car. Concessions and souvenirs will be available
in the infield.(CMS PR
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/testing.html
Drivers who intentionally wreck each-other could face legal action: If
NASCAR drivers are going to retaliate against their fellow
competitors, they might get more than three weeks probation because of
it. They could find themselves in trouble with the law. Drivers should
be aware that if they intentionally wreck another driver and someone
is injured, they could face criminal penalties, according to Winston-
Salem, N.C., attorney John Morrow, whose firm has represented Richard
Childress Racing. Whether the charges would stick and whether those
injured could successfully bring civil claims against the driver is a
matter of debate, according to lawyers and educators who follow sports
law. While race fans and fellow drivers might be hesitant to file
lawsuits against a driver, a local prosecutor in the spotlight would
face outside pressures and influences on whether to charge a race-car
driver. William Bray, a Charlotte attorney who has taught sports law
classes at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, said if
Keselowski had been injured and tried to sue Edwards, the Roush Fenway
Racing driver would need to be found to be reckless and not just
simply negligent. By competing in NASCAR, a driver consents to a level
of contact, much like a boxer in the ring, Bray said. Bray said a
driver would be more susceptible to a lawsuit for intentional contact
if the driver was coming out of the pits and directly T-boned another
driver rather than a push or nudge on the track that leads to injury
or death.(Scene Daily)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/misc.html
NASCAR conducts spoiler test today at Talladega: NASCAR will use
restrictor plates with larger holes than they have used in the past at
Talladega Superspeedway Tuesday as its Sprint Cup teams test the new
spoiler that is expected to replace the rear wing in a few weeks. The
test will not only help teams figure out setups for the new spoiler
but help NASCAR evaluate which restrictor plate to use with the new
configuration. The test Tuesday is the first open test for Sprint Cup
teams with the spoiler, and they likely will start with a restrictor
plate with holes of 1-1/32 inches (66/64ths) - 7/64ths of an inch more
than the plates used last October and 3/64ths larger than the plate
used for this year's Daytona 500. The spoiler is expected to replace
the wing starting with the March 28 race at Martinsville Speedway,
although NASCAR has not announced a firm start date yet. The spoiler
will definitely be in use, however, for the April 25 race at
Talladega. Most teams are expected to attend the test. But not all
teams are going as Richard Petty Motorsports is only sending Paul
Menard and Roush Fenway Racing is only sending Matt Kenseth and David
Ragan. Teams will fabricate their own spoilers for the test, but
NASCAR will end up issuing teams the spoilers for the races.
Richardson Racing Products will be making the spoilers and they should
be ready for the March 23-24 test at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darby
said. In addition to replacing the wing with the spoiler, the rear
quarter panel of the cars will be extended by four inches from the
front edge, leaving only seven inches instead of 11 between the ground
and the front edge of the rear quarter panel.(Scene Daily)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/testing.html
Bristol Motor Speedway officials hope Edwards-Keselowski rivalry will
spark ticket sales: NASCAR officials and fans cringed last week as the
simmering rivalry between NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Carl Edwards and
Brad Keselowski culminated with a spectacular accident at Atlanta
Motor Speedway. Many pundits have since criticized Edwards for his
headline-grabbing act of retribution, but the controversy has breathed
life into a sport suffering from lackluster television ratings, empty
seats and lukewarm sponsorship. Naturally, the advertising campaign
for the March 21 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway has played
off the Edwards-Keselowksi feud. And according to BMS Vice President
of Public Affairs Kevin Triplett, the promotional ploy is working.
�Tickets sales have picked up,� Triplett said. (Bristol Herald)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/bristol.html
Cindric: �NASCAR isn�t going to give us back the points we lost�: Team
Penske President Tim Cindric had this reaction in his exclusive column
for RACER.com: �I�ve been asked many times what I think about NASCAR�s
decision to simply put Carl Edwards on probation after intentionally
wrecking Brad,� Cindric related. �My view is, NASCAR isn�t going to
give us back the points we lost, they aren�t going to repair our
racecar, they can�t replace the sense of accomplishment that our team
members lost that day, so it really doesn�t matter to me what they
decide to do to Carl as long as it is in the best interest of the
sport. NASCAR declared earlier this year that they think that letting
the drivers sort it out on the track is the best way, so I guess the
fans and the sponsors will decide if they are right.� (Racer)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/penske.html
Seventh-grader looks to bring awareness to Type 1 juvenile diabetes
through NASCAR design contest: Josh Sweat would like to see a cure for
juvenile diabetes fast, so it makes sense he would take his message to
the side of a NASCAR racecar. Only thing is � he needs your help to
get it done. The 12-year-old seventh-grader at E.V. Cain Middle School
is hoping enough people will click on his design of a NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series racecar highlighting the need for a cure of Type 1 juvenile
diabetes. Sponsored by Toyota Racing, the Sponsafy Your Ride Contest
invites people from all over the country to design their own racecar
skin and pick the Toyota Racing driver�s car they want to have it on.
Fans can then vote on their favorite design. The top 10 vote-getters
in the country will then be voted on again, and then judged by Toyota
Racing officials for the top award, having their design put on a car
at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, May 22 in Charlotte, N.C. �It�s
very exciting. Being somebody out of a small town would be incredible
(to win),� Josh said. �You stand in the pits and stand next to the car
you designed and you get interviewed on national TV to talk about why
you designed what you did.� (Auburn Journal)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/misc.html
Ford rolling out 2011 Ford Mustang NASCAR pace car: Ford Motor Co. is
rolling out a second 2011 Ford Mustang NASCAR pace car, this one
powered by a V-6 engine. The Detroit automaker unveiled its new 2011
Mustang GT with a 412-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8 at Daytona
International Speedway, where it served as the pace car for the
Daytona 500. Next week at Bristol Motor Speedway will see Ford�s new
2011 Mustang 3.7-liter V-6 serve as the pace car for the March 21 Food
City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup event. The new Mustang engine produces a
best-in-class 31 highway mpg and 305 horsepower V-6, nearly as much
power as the V-8 2010 Mustang GT produced. �This is a Mustang that
delivers the power and fuel efficiency customers want,� said Fritz
Wilke, Mustang Brand Manager. �To get 305 horsepower and 31 miles per
gallon has never been done before in a production vehicle, in fact
this new Mustang could do (an) entire 500-mile race on one tank of
gas.� (Speed TV)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/ford.html
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