Mike Ford joins Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43 team

    Mike Ford, who won 17 races and made the Chase for the Sprint Cup six times with driver Denny Hamlin, has joined Richard Petty Motorsports and will becomes crew chief for driver Aric Almirola.

   The 42-year-old Morristown, Tenn., native spent the past six seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing as Hamlin’s crew chief. He and Hamlin earned 17 wins, 66 top-five finishes and 108 top-10 finishes. Ford has also worked at Robert Yates Racing and Evernham Motorsports.

   “Mike Ford is an elite crew chief who knows what it takes to be a winner at this level,” said team owner Richard Petty. “We’re fortunate that he was available and that we could reach a deal to bring him over to our place. We’ve taken a lot of big steps at Richard Petty Motorsports in the past year and I think this might be that one piece of the puzzle we were missing.”

   Ford replaces Greg Erwin. Erwin and Almirola have one top-10 finish in the first nine races of the 2012 season.

   “Everyone in the garage respects him and knows what he’s capable of," Almirola said of Ford. "It’s a goal of the No. 43 team to make the Chase this year and I think Mike’s experience and knowledge can help get us there. We’ve got some ground to make up but I think we can do it.”

Hard to believe, but Carl Edwards issue actually quite simple

   As confusing as the issue surrounding Carl Edwards getting black-flagged late in Saturday night's race at Richmond may sound, it's actually very simple.

   When the caution came out on Lap 312, Edwards was the only car not to have made a green-flag pit stop. Thus, there were only three cars on the lead lap at that time - Edwards, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson who had just completed his pit stop on pit road.

   Edwards then pit. There is no way you can be the only car to pit and still be the race leader. Regardless of who told who what, what Fox's TV graphic said, or what the scoring pylon showed, Edwards should have known the moment he went down pit road he was no longer the race leader.

   It really is just as simple as that.

RCR and Turner Nationwide teams in trouble with NASCAR

The NASCAR Nationwide teams of Richard Childress Racing and Turner Motorsports altered the contoured areas surrounding the wheel hubs of their nose pieces, which are provided by manufacturers.

All three RCR teams and all three Turner teams had the upper front bumper covers of their cars confiscated by NASCAR during opening inspection on Thursday at Richmond International Raceway.

Any penalties will be announced next week for the cars driven by Elliott Sadler, Austin Dillon and Kevin Harvick with RCR and James Buescher, Justin Allgaier and Kasey Kahne with Turner.

The nose pieces, or upper front bumper covers, are designed by manufacturers and approved by NASCAR. The Nationwide Series rulebook states "cutting and reshaping of bumper covers will not be permitted."

Series director Joe Balash said the RCR teams had changes made on both sides of the nose piece, while the Turner teams were altered on just one side.

Balash said he wasn't sure why the changes were limited to one manufacturer.

"Sometimes there are different trends in the garage. Sometimes they cross manufacturers and sometimes they don't," Balash said.

Balash said NASCAR's concern with the teams is altering a piece of the car which has to be run "as-is."

A visual inspection of one of the Turner team's nose pieces showed a complete absence of the contoured area around the left wheel hub, compared to a generic manufacturer piece.

 

The rulebook allows NASCAR officials the ability to use bumper covers provided by manufacturers as a guide in determining whether a competitor's bumper cover conforms to specifications.

Sadler contended NASCAR officials confiscated the pieces through a visual inspection, not by measuring by templates. The rulebook, however, allows for such a determination.

Sadler, currently the series points leader, has potentially the most to lose with a sizable NASCAR penalty.

"It's the same car I've run already twice this year and passed post-race tech since we won both races," Sadler said. "We don't really know what is going to happen."

Bristol not "going to be much different," Hamlin says

   Denny Hamlin was among the drivers who thought something should be changed at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, but what track owner Bruton Smith has chosen to do doesn't provide Hamlin much confidence the racing will change.

   A loud contingent of fans have complained changes made to Bristol in 2007 have reduced the bump-and-run style of passing, which was typical of most Bristol races.

   Smith announced earlier this week he was going to grind the track to remove the top racing groove and eliminate the progressive banking. Hamlin has advocated paving the now concrete track or at least having Goodyear bring a softer tire which wears more.

   "I don't know how a whole lot about it, because I wasn't in construction but for a little bit of time when I was younger, but there's rebar in there, so you can't grind but so much, so I don't know -- I don't think it's going to be much different to be honest with you," Hamlin said. "What we had -- if anything maybe the grinding will cause for grip and people are going to run up high anyways, so who knows what's going to happen. You want to fix it and make it a tough track? You need to pave it.

   "Concrete is not the answer as far as that is concerned. They're in a box. They have to -- they're trying to do everything they can. I understand that, because the fans want a change. You commend them for trying, but I think that they're time limited on what
adjustments they can really make to that track. As far as repavings, none of us drivers like to see it.

   "I talked with a couple guys who ran the Pocono test and they weren't overly excited about it after running it, so it's one of those things -- the tracks have to do it or we're going to have a four-hour delay in the middle of it because we have a pothole in the middle of the
track. It's just a tough box that our cars are running so fast that they have to limit our speed with the tires, so that's what makes it tough to race on."

Have NASCAR drivers had enough of "havin' at it"?

   Have NASCAR drivers had enough of “Boys, have at it”?

   In the hours after Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, there was a lot of discussion among NASCAR fans and media members about the fact that 900 miles of racing had been completed in back-to-back weekends without a single wreck.

   There were lots of reasons offered, such as the high winds at Texas and Kansas; hard tires; aerodynamic issues; and so on. Many have been stated before. One – proffered by driver Brad Keselowski – was new.

   On Twitter, Keselowski noted that drivers may be less inclined to put themselves in position to accidently run into someone because those drivers now have a “free pass” at intentional retaliation.

   At first it sounds iffy. If a driver accidently gets into another one, why would that driver then want to intentionally wreck him back?

   For one, whether an action on the track is intentional or not is in the eye of the beholder. Just because the driver who commits the act didn’t intend it to happen doesn’t mean the driver who was hit has to believe that.

   And Keselowski is right. The “boys, have at it” mantra gives drivers an open invitation to settle things among themselves.

   Has the ability and willingness of drivers to take retaliatory action now dissuaded others to not put themselves in position for it to happen in the first place?

   Think about this. If only one on-track incident has been avoided in the first eight races of the season because of that reason, the entire premise of “loosening the reigns” of NASCAR’s regulatory powers has been lost.

   Instead of “opening things up,” an even larger clamp will have been placed on the participants.

   That’s certainly not what anyone intended.  

Drive-in movie night at Charlotte Motor Speedway

   Charlotte Motor Speedway will kick off a month of racing in May with "One Hot Fan Night," a free event featuring appearances by NASCAR celebrities and a showing of the historic 1992 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on the world’s largest HDTV.

   On Tuesday, May 1, the speedway will open the infield at 5:30 p.m. to fans for a drive-in-movie style night of entertainment. Scheduled to appear are Matt Kenseth, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner, NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton and NASCAR on Fox broadcasters Larry McReynolds and Mike Joy. The NASCAR personalities will participate in a fan forum at 7 p.m. before the showing of the 1992 All-Star Race known as “One Hot Night” at approximately 7:30 p.m.

   CMS made motorsports history in 1992 when the All-Star Race became the first modern superspeedway race run under the lights in prime-time. The race produced one of NASCAR’s most memorable moments when Dale Earnhardt spun out of the lead on the last lap and Davey Allison crashed past Kyle Petty at the finish line to take the victory.

   “We want to celebrate that historic race with the fans and some of the men who took part in it,” speedway president Marcus Smith said. “And I’m looking forward to hearing what Matt has to say about the upcoming May races. As a past winner of both the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600, he’s got a great perspective on what it takes to win at Charlotte.”

   Fans can take advantage of special offers on May race tickets in the speedway ticket office or by calling (800) 455-FANS.

Winless streaks for 2011 Chase drivers

Winless streaks among 2011 Chase drivers

Driver, races without a win

Dale Earnhardt Jr., 136

Carl Edwards, 40

Kyle Busch, 20

Jeff Gordon, 18

Kevin Harvick, 17

Kurt Busch, 14

Jimmie Johnson, 13

Matt Kenseth, 6

Denny Hamlin, 5

Brad Keselowski, 3

Tony Stewart, 2

Ryan Newman, 1

Are there any secrets in Dale Junior's family tree?

   What secrets lie in the Earnhardt family tree?
  
   Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been spending time over the last six months trying to find out. And they may not be secrets, but perhaps just things he and his closest relatives may not have been aware of.

   Earnhardt was one of 12 drivers to make a visit last week to the White House, honoring drivers who made last season's Chase. He said he had a new appreciation for some of the old artwork in the White House in light of time he's spent researching his family tree.

   "I didn’t really appreciate how old some of the artwork and stuff is in that house until I did some work on my family tree this last six months and I’ve started to understand what 200 years really means or what 150 years truly means in the grand scope of things," he said.
  
   Asked if he has discovered anything new or interesting about his family tree so far, Earnhardt said:

   "We don’t have time today to talk about how much fun I’ve had with working on my family tree. I was fortunate enough to find someone in the field of genealogy that helped me out and I’m trying to put together some kind of a well-organized document to sort of be able to show to family members and what have you and just keep so Kelley’s (Earnhardt, his sister) kids and if I have any one day, they won’t have to do the work.

   "I had one interesting experience. Ralph’s (Earnhardt) father, I didn’t know who he was and never really cared who he was, never thought about who he was or what his family would be like. Never thought past Ralph all these years and I started getting into his father and Ralph’s grandfather and I found their burial plots and so me and my grandmother Martha and my sister and my mom Brenda and my girlfriend rode up there one day, just in Kannapolis or Concord and visited their burial plots and a lot of relatives that were born in like 1809 and 1822 and stuff like that. 

   "It’s really cool to stand there over somebody that is responsible for you being there and that was pretty neat. I had done that before and I had people tell me to work on my family tree before, but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Once I got into it and started realizing the importance of it so it’s been a lot of fun.”

NASCAR visitors at the AutoFair

   This weekend's Food Lion Auto Fair at Charlotte Motor Speedway will have a NASCAR touch.

   NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison will be on hand Saturday. He’ll be signing autographs from 2 to 3 p.m. alongside a Buick he once drove on in the Cup series. The Buick will be part of a display paying tribute to one of America’s oldest auto manufacturers.

   Additionally, Chocolate Myers, a longtime member of the Richard Childress pit crew for the late Dale Earnhardt and current curator of Childress’ museum, will be on hand. He will sign autographs from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday next to the RCR display at the AutoFair, which will include two iconic No. 3 Chevrolets driven in the Cup series by Earnhardt.

   The AutoFair runs Thursday through Sunday. Single-day adult tickets are $10. Kids 13 and under get in free. For more information, visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Is it possible Kurt Busch may not run full Cup season?

   In an interview Sunday night on "Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain," Sprint Cup Series team owner James Finch said "there's a question" whether he will be able to run the full Cup season with driver Kurt Busch.

   Asked by Despain if there was a question whether his team could do all the races, Finch answered:

   “Well, we’re trying. There’s a question. We’re off and running and trying. We’re talking to some people and going from there. We’re headed to Kansas this weekend and hopefully get in the top 10 there and then come back to Talladega and have a really good run. We’re optimistic about it. Kurt has put a lot of effort in it. It’s kind of like a small team getting a big-time quarterback," Finch said.

   "Last night (at Texas), it was 480 miles before we got a lap down. The pit crew did a real good job with all the green-flag stops. We’re just trying to catch up with Kurt. Kurt’s got the speed. We’re trying to get the crew chief up. We’re trying to get the pit crew up to be able to handle what Kurt can do. Hopefully, we’re getting there.”

   Busch moved to Finch's team in the offseason after parting ways with Penske Racing. Busch has said repeatedly he has a "handshake deal" with Finch for the season but no signed contract.

   Finch said he and Busch were still in their "honeymoon" period but admits it's been a rough start to the season.

   "We had a rough start in Daytona. We crashed four cars. Then we crashed again in Las Vegas. We’ve had a pretty tough time, but all in all, Kurt is doing his part. He’s probably the hardest driver I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of drivers. I’ve had multiple drivers," Finch said.

   "Everybody says, ‘How is Kurt doing?’ I say, ‘Kurt is doing fine. I’m not doing so well. I’ve wrecked a lot of cars and hadn’t been able to secure some sponsorship yet that we desperately need. Other than that, Kurt is doing a great job and I thought he did a good job last night (at Texas).”


  

The Rock is filling up for NASCAR's return

   Rockingham Speedway owner Andy Hillenburg said Saturday that the speedway's inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is approaching a sellout.

   The backstretch grandstands were removed after Bruton Smith bought the track in 2007, leaving approximately 31,000 seats, which cover the area from the exit of Turn 4, through the frontstretch and into Turns 1 and 2.

   "Two weeks ago I would have told you there was no chance that we could sell out for NASCAR's return," Hillenburg said. "We were doing well two weeks ago but we are doing even better today.

   "Sitting here 24 hours before the race, I'm going to say we have a 30 to 40 percent chance of selling out. I already expect a crowd of over 25,000-plus. We are definitely going to rock the house, whether it be 25,000 or 31,000. I'm very excited."

   Already this week, NASCAR's return has brought out big crowds for a parade of the NASCAR haulers on Thursday night and an autograph signing and "Thunderfest" festival on Friday night.

   "From the hauler parade, we had 'Welcome back NASCAR' signs, I bet I saw over a 100 of them. It was phenomenal," Hillenburg said. "It's all anyone has been talking about - NASCAR's return.

   "If I bumped into a pin, I'd probably bust."


  

  
  

The 25 nominees for NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2013

25 nominees for NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2013
*-new nominee

-Buck Baker, first driver to win consecutive NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series championships (1956-57)

-Red Byron, first NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, in 1949

-Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series

-Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion

-H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway

-Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

-*Ray Fox, former NASCAR owner, engine builder and official

-*Anne B. France, first secretary and treasurer of NASCAR, wife of founder Bill France Sr.

-Rick Hendrick, 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series

-Jack Ingram, two-time NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series champion

-Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

-Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600

-Cotton Owens, driver-owner, won 1966 owner championship with David Pearson

-Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner

-Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

-Les Richter, former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway

-Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series races, including the 1962 Daytona 500

-T. Wayne Robertson, helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Senior VP

-*Ralph Seagraves, former president of R.J. Reynolds who introduced corporate sponsorship to NASCAR’s premiere series

-*Wendell Scott, first African-American to win a NASCAR premier series event

-Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, 1951, ’53

-Curtis Turner, early personality, called the "Babe Ruth of stock car racing"

-*Rusty Wallace, 1989 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, 55 wins, 36 poles

-Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

-Leonard Wood, part-owner and former crew chief for Wood Brothers, revolutionized pit stops

Who else gets nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame?

   NASCAR releases the list of 25 people nominated for the 2013 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame today. Most of the list is familiar - beginning with 20 of the 25 who did not get in last year. Only five new names will added today.

   Here are the nominees who did not make the 2012 Class:
   -Buck Baker,first driver to win consecutive NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series championships (1956-57)
   -Red Byron, first NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, in 1949
   -Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
   -Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion
   -H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway
   -Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion
   -Rick Hendrick, 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
   -Jack Ingram, two-time NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series champion
   -Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion
   -Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600
   -Cotton Owens, driver-owner, won 1966 owner championship with David Pearson
   -Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner
   -Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion
   -Les Richter, former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway
   -Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series races, including the 1962 Daytona 500
   -T. Wayne Robertson, helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Senior VP
   -Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, 1951, ’53
   -Curtis Turner, early personality, called the “Babe Ruth of stock car racing”
   -Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion
   -Leonard Wood, part-owner and former crew chief for Wood Brothers, revolutionized pit stops

Here's what's going on at The Rock

NASCAR Returns to the Rock

WHEN: April 12-15

WHERE: Rockingham Speedway, 2152 N US HWY 1, Rockingham, NC 28379

SCHEDULE:

Thursday, April 12

• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Hauler Parade – Harrington Square, Downtown Rockingham (6 pm)

Friday, April 13

• 2012 THUNDERFEST – Harrington Square, Downtown Rockingham (11 am-10 pm)
• Free Kids zone with racing-themed inflatables and Laser Tag
• Live music featuring Mother Reign and Jim Quick & Coastline
• Autograph session with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers

Saturday, April 14

• Gates open (9 am)
• UARA Late Model Race (2 pm)
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Qualifying (3:35 pm)
• Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals Race (4:45 pm)
• Little Texas Concert – Rockingham Speedway (8 pm)
• FREE with the purchase of tickets to track events on Saturday or Sunday

Sunday, April 15:

• • Gates open (8:30 am)
  • Open track walk (11 am)
    • Drivers on-track to sign autographs in front of their trucks
  • Camping World Truck Series Race (1 p.m.)

TICKETS: Call 855-NC ROCKS

Trevor Bayne will sit out Nationwide race at Texas

   Trevor Bayne, who is currently fourth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series points standings, and earned his first series victory last fall at Texas Motor Speedway, will miss Friday night's race at Texas due to lack of sponsorship.

   Bayne was not listed on the original Entry form for this week's race and on Tuesday Roush Fenway Racing officials confirmed he is not running the event.

   The missed race could all but end his quest at a series title this season. There was no immediate comment from RFR or Bayne.

   Bayne had been hoping to run the full season in Nationwide and compete for the series championship. He had one top-five and three top-10 finishes in the first five races of the 2012 season.

   Bayne is scheduled to drive the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series race at Texas.

Who's ready to race with Denny?

   Twelve NASCAR stars, past and present, will run the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model division race at Richmond International Raceway on Thursday, April 26.

   Joining the best local Late Model Stock Car drivers for the race are: Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Michael Waltrip, Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, Jason White, Timothy Peters, Chase Elliott, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Curtis Markham.

   This season marks the second year the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown will run at Richmond. The event features 12 NASCAR drivers and celebrities battling on the ¾-mile track with some of the best local Late Model Stock Car drivers.

   Proceeds from the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown benefit the Denny Hamlin Foundation, which raises funds for individuals and families suffering from cystic fibrosis. The foundation supports organizations like The Children’s Hospital of Richmond, St. Jude’s Hospital and Victory Junction.

   Call (866) 455-7223 to purchase tickets for the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown.

Why Allmendinger would not wreck Newman to earn the NASCAR win

   With two laps remaining in Sunday's Goody's 500, A.J. Allmendinger - who had yet to earn a Top 10 finish this season - sat alongside Ryan Newman, each with a chance at the Sprint Cup Series victory.

   Newman had won 15 times previously. Allmendinger was still looking for his first series win. The two races virtually side-by-side the first lap, then Newman pulled ahead on the final lap and earned the win.

   Allmendinger was asked after the race what he thought about in that situation and why he opted not to wreck Newman to win the race.

   His reply: "First time I've ever had a chance to win a Sprint Cup race, so I was going to do everything I could. Why didn't I wreck him? He actually got a good drive off Turn 2. I would have had to wreck both of us to get into him in Turn 3 to get him.
  
   "I don't want to win like that. That's not the way I want to win a race. He did everything clean on the restart. He could have drove me off the race track, and if he would have done that then it's kind of like, OK, it's game on. But he gave me all the chances that I could to go beat him. We came off the white side‑by‑side and he rolled through Turns 1 and 2 really good, and that was it. 

   "You race people how they race you. And if he would have just drove into the corner, left side of me and got me out of the way, then I would have probably run into him. He didn't do that and he didn't deserve to get wrecked."