Mike Helton not worried about the future of NASCAR
Gilbert Sam, Jr.
http://www.racewayreport.com
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Kulwicki, Squier part of �10 class to be inducted in MHOF: Racing
luminaries Dale Armstrong, Joie Chitwood, Alan Kulwicki, Jeremy
McGrath, Ken Squier, Jerry Titus and Rich Vogler will be inducted into
the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America when the organization stages
its annual induction ceremony on Aug. 25, 2010 at The Fillmore
Detroit. "The Motorsports Hall of Fame Class of 2010 features champion
drivers who doubled as an innovative crew chief, a showman and stunt
man, a race team owner and a magazine editor. Joining them are an all-
time win leader in sprint cars and midgets, a ground breaking
broadcaster and a legendary Supercross rider whose nickname was …
Showtime. Their exploits on and around the race tracks of America make
them true hall of famers," said Ron Watson, president of the Hall of
Fame. (NASCAR.com)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/misc.html
Bristol Motor Speedway President takes leave of absence: Bristol Motor
Speedway president Jeff Byrd has taken a leave of absence from the
Tennessee track because of an undisclosed illness, track officials
announced Tuesday. Byrd, a former journalist who later worked for the
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in promotions before joining the speedway,
won’t be involved in Food City 500 weekend activities this month as he
undergoes tests and treatment. “I fully intend to be back on the job
as soon as the doctors say it is OK,” Byrd said in a statement
released by the track. “I appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers
and will miss being at the track for the Food City 500 weekend. I have
said for years I have the best team in motorsports, and things are in
good hands.” (Speedtv.com)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/bristol.html
Burton: rear spoilers going to make a difference: RCR Enterprises
driver Jeff Burton is taking a cautiously optimistic view of the
spoiler�s return to Sprint Cup racing. Time will tell how well it
works with the COT in future NASCAR events. �You can�t gauge where you
stand right now for what�s coming,� Burton said. �Anybody that tells
you that spoilers aren�t going to make any difference, they don�t know
what they�re talking about. It�s going to make a difference. I�m not
telling you that I know what difference it�s going to make, but I know
it�s going to make a difference. �All of us at RCR (Richard Childress
Racing) understand there�s a big picture and we understand that it�s a
long year. I would love to tell you how great we are and what we�re
doing well. I know there�s a lot of things we aren�t going to do well
throughout the year that we�re going to have to work on. I know the
immediate challenge is the spoiler thing. We have to find a way to be
good when the spoiler comes. Every team in the garage is fighting
that.� (Lexington Dispatch)
http://www.racewayreport.com/drivers/news/jeff_burton.html
Gossage returns to Texas Motor Speedway: Eddie Gossage is back on
track, so to speak, after an 18-month bout with cancer. NASCAR
president Mike Helton, a longtime friend and sometime adversary of
Gossage, made a speaking appearance here Monday. He began by telling
the TMS president, �just how proud I am that you beat your cancer.�
Gossage really does have friends in high places. �I�ve been blessed,�
said Gossage, who doesn�t wear his religion on his sleeve but does
start out each day seated at his desk, behind a closed door, reading
from his Bible. He was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2008. For
a long time, he kept it private. He went four months without telling
anyone except for his wife, Melinda, and his boss, Bruton Smith. �The
only fear is the shadow that chases you the rest of your life,�
Gossage admitted Monday. �I go to the doctor quarterly for checkups.
They take blood. They do tests. But you never know if you�ve won.�
(Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/texas.html
Texas Motor Speedway grabs seven-figure sponsorship deal with AAA
TEXAS: Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage announced that AAA
Texas will sponsor the track�s fall Sprint Cup race through 2014, and
that Firestone has jumped on board as the title sponsor for the June
IndyCar Series race through 2011. �It�s one of those deals where you
realize we�re quite successful in our industry and we�re in an
important market in our sport. We�re really a strong place,� Gossage
said Monday at TMS� annual media day. The seven-figure deals mean the
track won�t have to search for sponsors for any of its three race
weekends until at least 2012. (Dallas Morning News)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/texas.html
Helton not worried about the future of NASCAR: Despite all the outside
speculation about difficulties with money, fans and television ratings
in NASCAR, the organization’s president sees plenty of promise in the
future. “I feel good about our future, because we have such a good
infrastructure,” NASCAR President Mike Helton said Monday at Texas
Motor Speedway media day. “And I’m not talking about NASCAR as a
company. I’m talking about NASCAR as an industry, a lifestyle, a
conglomerate of racetracks and car owners and personalities that give
NASCAR the ability to survive (economic) challenges like we’re all
going through right now. “Everybody’s got them — every industry, every
sport, every business, every family has to re-look at things. I feel
good about our future, because I think we’ve got all the right
ingredients to come out on the other side.”(The Oklahoman)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/nascar.html
Earnhardt, Jr. donates $1 million to Victory Junction: Victory
Junction kicked off their "Keeping the Dream Alive" campaign today by
announcing that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join the elite list of Victory
Junction Founders, as he commits to donate $1 million to build and
maintain The Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre at the Randleman, N.C.
camp for children with serious illnesses. On March 27, 2010, during
The Dale Jr. Foundation Physical Disabilities Weekend at Victory
Junction, Earnhardt Jr. will join the Victory Junction family as a
Founder and will break ground on a one-of-a-kind project, The Dale Jr.
Corral and Amphitheatre. Eighty-eight members of The JR Nation Crew,
The Official Fan Club of Earnhardt Jr., will be randomly selected to
be special guests for this private ground breaking ceremony. To become
a part of the FREE JR Nation Crew fan club and be eligible to attend,
go to www.dalejr.com/jrnation. "There are many reasons why we wanted
to get involved with Victory Junction and build this amphitheatre, and
it starts with the tremendous impact the camp has on these kids. It's
incredible how one week changes lives," said Earnhardt Jr. "Just as
important to me is my friendship with Kyle and Pattie Petty, and the
memory of my buddy, Adam Petty. Adam and I met each other at an early
age, and from that point on our lives and careers were virtually
parallel. He was as genuine as they get and a great friend. If I can
play a small part in helping Kyle and Pattie keep his dream alive, it
doesn't require a second thought." This unique, interactive &
accessible outdoor amphitheatre will provide campers, the opportunity
to sing a song, act in a play, tell a joke, play an instrument, watch
a movie or even get their face pictured on an old, western "Wanted"
poster along with the infamous outlaw, "Junior." For more information
about Victory Junction visit www.victoryjunction.org.(Victory Junction/
Dale Jr. Foundation)
http://www.racewayreport.com/dalejr
Dale Earnhardt Inc. Sued Over $3.25 Million GM Claim: Dale Earnhardt
Inc., founded by the late seven-time Nascar champion, was sued by a
financial firm that accuses it of reneging on a deal to sell the firm
a $3.25 million claim in General Motors Corp.�s bankruptcy. The
Seaport Group LLC, based in New York, sued Feb. 25 in federal court in
New York. The company wants the court to force Dale Earnhardt Inc. to
deliver the claim or to award money damages. �After DEI signed a
binding contract to sell its claim to Seaport, the value of the claim
increased dramatically, and DEI refused to honor the deal,� Seaport
Group wrote in its complaint. (Business Week)
http://www.racewayreport.com/egr
Helton: Spoilers likely to return by Martinsville: NASCAR president
Mike Helton says the series is on track to remove the wings from the
cars very soon. While Helton didn't provide a specific date, he said
Monday that NASCAR is hoping "within the next two or three races" it
will be time to put more traditional spoilers back on the cars. That
timeline coincides with the March 28 race at Martinsville that most
teams have expected to be the spoiler debut. Speaking at Texas Motor
Speedway's media day Monday, Helton said he expects NASCAR to have "a
race or two" already with the spoiler by time the series is at the 1½-
mile Texas track April 18. There are two races before the series goes
to Martinsville, then Texas is the second race after that.(Associated
Press)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/tech.html
Jeff Gordon likely racing another 5-years: As his family expands, so
does the timeline on Jeff Gordon's Sprint Cup career. Once planning to
retire from NASCAR at 40, he now wants to drive several more seasons
with Hendrick Motorsports so his children can appreciate the success
of the sport's sixth all-time winningest driver (82 victories). Gordon
has a 2-year-old daughter, Ella Sofia, and his wife, Ingrid, is due
with their second child in August. "I've always said I don't want to
race for the money," said Gordon, who turns 39 on Aug. 4. "I really
want my family to be able to be a part of it in a way that they can
see and experience and be proud of what I've done." Gordon has a
lifetime contract to drive the #24 Chevy for Hendrick, which is
working to extend a deal with his primary sponsor, DuPont, beyond the
2010 season. "You go through life and find you really care about what
you do and how important it is," he said. "You think about what life
would be like without it. I'm enjoying what I do." John Bickford,
Gordon's stepfather who oversees the four-time champion's business
affairs as general manager of Jeff Gordon Inc., told USA TODAY the
four-time champion is five to six years away from retiring.(USA Today)
http://www.racewayreport.com/jeffgordon
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