Crew member indefinitely suspended by NASCAR; loses job

   John Smeltzer, an employee of Hendrick Motorsports who worked most recently as the engine tuner for JR Motorsports' No. 7 team, was indefinitely suspended on Tuesday from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s Substance Abuse Policy.

    The violation occurred on Oct. 4.

    Hendrick Motorsports released the following statement:

    "Our organization respects and fully supports NASCAR’s policies with regard to banned substances. The individual in question is no longer employed by the company."

Tony Stewart undergoes third surgery on injured leg

 

 

    Team press release:
 

   KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Oct. 7, 2013) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart underwent a third surgery on his right leg early on Monday, Oct. 7 to examine and close a wound on his shin stemming from the broken tibia and fibula he sustained in a sprint car crash Aug. 5 at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

 

   Stewart will remain hospitalized for observation.

 

   The surgery served as a proactive measure and team officials do not expect it to impact Stewart’s return to the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet in 2014. 

 

   Stewart’s first surgery on Aug. 6 in Iowa served as a preliminary procedure to stabilize and clean the Grade 2 injury. The second surgery on Aug. 8, by a specialist in North Carolina, involved inserting a metal rod inside the tibia, pressing it to its anatomic position.

I thought they said Smoke wasn't in the Kansas race

  
   From the 'just when you thought you'd seen it all' department: During Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, a caution had to be displayed in the second half of the race when smoke started enveloping the Turn 1 area of the track.

   It turns out a small fire had started in the mulch and shrubs near the fencing. It was quickly extinguished but added to the frustration of day already marred with 14 other cautions.

War of words: Brad Keselowski vs. Kyle Busch

   Motor Racing Network asked Brad Keselowski to talk about his incident with Kyle Busch in Saturday's Nationwide race. Here was his response:

   "I got wrecked by a dirty driver, there is no other way to put it. I have raced him really cool over the last year to be respectful to him and repair our relationship. I’ve watched him wreck my Trucks that cost them from winning races, he put me in fence at Chicago in the Truck race, in the Nationwide race, he’s pulling this crap. It’s not going to last, I can tell you that. I feel bad for the guys next to me who are going to have to fix his (stuff). That’s going to be part of racing. They’re going to have to deal with it.” 


   ESPN talked with Kyle Busch after Saturday's race. He was his take on the Lap 188 incident, which sent Keselowski into the wall:

   "It was hard racing. There were a lot of moments where we got ourselves a little crowded. The contact that ultimately ended it, I just got real tight coming off (Turn) 4 - underneath him, behind him and everything else. I couldn't stay in the gas to get a run on him. I got to his quarter and side-drafted him down the straightaway and I got too tight. We got a little too close there one time and didn't give myself enough room and then had the last restart." 

   Asked if he thought the issue would spill over to Sunday's Sprint Cup race, Busch added: 

   “Well, Brad Keselowski dumped me at Watkins Glen (last year) and I let he and Jimmie (Johnson) battle it out and I had the opportunity a few times to wreck him in the Chase, but I was the bigger man. If he wants to take it over to the other side of the garage area, then whatever. You know what? I’ve got ... I've got more class than that.”

NASCAR TV rights to remain as-is in 2014

   Statement from Steve Herbst, NASCAR Vice President of Broadcasting and Production:

   "Despite speculation over the last month that NASCAR's new television agreement could be pushed up to the start of the 2014 season, NASCAR has informed out broadcast partners today that Fox, Turner and ESPN will finish the current term as originally planned. While we humbled by the desire of NBC and Fox to start 12 months early, we now consider this matter closed and look forward to finishing our current agreement in 2014 with our great partners at Fox, Turner and ESPN."

Who is NASCAR's best 'better half' on the track?

   The better halves of some of NASCAR’s couples will showcase their skills at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the third consecutive season.

   The wives and girlfriends of several NASCAR drivers will compete in the “Better Half Dash,” a 25-lap race in U.S. Legend Cars International Bandoleros around the frontstretch quarter-mile track on Oct. 10 prior to Sprint Cup Series qualifying.

   The race will take place prior to Sprint Cup Series qualifying that night. The winning driver will receive $10,000 to be paid to different charities.

   Some of the drivers include Lyn-z Pastrana, wife of NASCAR driver Travis Pastrana; Jessica Park, wife of NASCAR driver Steve Park; Amy Gordon, wife of NASCAR crew chief Todd Gordon; and Wendy Venturini, motorsports analyst for Fox Sports 1.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/09/28/4350195/your-guide-to-todays-aaa-400by.html#storylink=cpy

Does NASCAR have a Republican kind of problem?

   John Dick of CivicScience Inc. - a resaerch company that polls millions of consumers each week - believes NASCAR's problems go much deeper than simple economics - but rather to a problem with its demographics:

   In July, author Gregg Gethard wrote an insightful column for The Classical about the precipitous decline of fan interest in NASCAR. Gethard attributed a drop in race attendance to the "Great Recession," which hit NASCAR's middle-class fans harder than most. With less disposal income, these gear-heads are less likely to gas up their RV, take a few days off work, and shell out cash for infield tickets. 

   But is that the full story?

   The consumer data our company collects suggest a deeper and more systemic problem for NASCAR, one that can't be simply blamed on economic cycles. If you look closer, you find an uncanny similarity between NASCAR's eroding fan base and the deteriorating foundation of another, mostly-white, male-dominated establishment -- the Republican Party.

   You can read the rest of his analysis here.