Humpy Wheeler on Ray Fox: 'He made a car go fast and last'

   Long before becoming president of Charlotte Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports Inc., H.A. 'Humpy' Wheeler worked in Firestone's racing division, and Ray Fox was one of his most prominent race car testers. In the ensuing years as president of CMS, Wheeler maintained a close relationship with him.
   
   Fox died over the weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla. He was 98.

   "Ray was one of the most accomplished men in the history of American racing right in there with Smokey Yunick, George Bignotti, A.J. Watson, Banjo Matthews and other mechanical geniuses. Ray and Smokey were quite the pair, both being from Daytona Beach and highly competitive with each other. Ray was also a hard nosed guy who liked to win. However, he could turn around and help a young driver find success like he did with David Pearson and Buddy Baker. David's first win came in Ray's car at the 1961 World 600 in Charlotte, a feat Baker later did in a Fox Dodge," Wheeler said. 
 
   "Ray was a true pioneer back in the days when the super speedway era had just begun. People just didn't know what was going to happen on those new big fast tracks that frankly scared more than a few people. His great legacy will be, like city rival Smokey, mastering horsepower in his day. Ray was one of the guys who helped figure out how to make a car go fast and last at the same time. His 1960 win at the Daytona 500 with Jr. Johnson proved that."

   Wheeler is currently chairman of Speedway Benefits, a firm specializing in North America's short tracks and drag strips.

   You can read Fox's obituary here.

Kyle Petty: 'We look at the Hendrick organization as a leader'

   Even before Jimmie Johnson won Sunday's Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway, former NASCAR driver and now TNT analyst offered a prophetic commentary on the Hendrick Motorsports organization and why it would be likely one of its drivers would win the race.
   

   Here was Petty's take on TNT's "Countdown to Green" prerace show: 

   "I think Hendrick has the upper hand from an engine and team perspective. We look at the Hendrick organization as a leader. Nobody ever seems to leave there - guys check in, but they never check out," Petty said.

   "They’ve got the cream of the crop when it comes to crew chiefs, and look at their drivers. They’ve got Kasey Kahne, multiple Daytona 500 winner Dale Jr., Jeff Gordon and 'Mr. Everything' Jimmie Johnson. Why wouldn’t you expect those guys to run up front and win every week?”

   And Hendrick drivers have now won five consecutive races.

 

Kasey Kahne has work to do to remain at Hendrick Motorsports

   Kasey Kahne wants to remain at Hendrick Motorsports beyond his current contract which ends after the 2015 season but he knows he has work to do to make that happen.

   HMS announced this weekend that sponsor Farmer’s Insurance had re-signed through 2017 but did not extend Kahne’s contract at the same time.

   “We still have a year-and-a-half before my deal’s up. We’ve struggled some this year for really no reason. We can’t have that,” Kahne said. 

   “If we can get rid of some of those struggles, I would hope that I would be at Hendrick Motorsports for a long time.”

   Kahne is the only HMS driver without a win this season and is 22^nd in the series standings with just one top-five finish.

   “I like being at HMS. It is just an unbelievable place,” he said. “Getting to work with the three teammates that I get to work with each week is better than anything I’ve ever done in racing as far as guys I’ve been able to work with.”

Ryan Newman had to hitch a ride to get to Michigan on Friday

   Drivers occasionally ride together on each others' private planes to the track each week and Ryan Newman had earlier in the week asked to catch a ride to Michigan International Speedway with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

   When Newman didn't send a reminder on Thursday night that he was coming, Earnhardt forgot about him when he and his group departed Friday morning, leaving Newman stranded at the Statesville, N.C., airport.


   Newman caught a ride with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett on Friday and made it to the track in time for Sprint Cup Series practice.

   During his media availability on Friday, Earnhardt explained the mix-up:

   "On Tuesday, (Newman) asked me if he could take a ride to the race track, which is common for drivers to do. “We were leaving at 8:30 (a.m.). That’s what it said on my calendar. Since Tuesday, we added some media (obligations) ... so my PR guy Mike Hoag moved take-off time to 8 o’clock," Earnhardt said.

   “I didn’t know about it. I didn’t look at my calendar. When I got up this morning, I didn’t look at the clock. I just got in the shower and went downstairs and got in the car, drove to the airport and got in the plane, and I forgot about Ryan. Even if we were taking off at 8:30 and he wasn’t there, I probably would have left him. He should have texted me last night. I think he got a ride. That was unfortunate, for sure. It happens.’’

   Newman said he was lucky to find someone else who hadn’t left for Michigan as yet.

   “That was probably as close as I’ve ever come to missing a practice,” he said.

Dale Junior is having the time of his life. Here's why

   In the many interviews Dale Earnhardt Jr. did immediately following his Sprint Cup Series victory last Sunday at Pocono, he repeatedly made mention that he was having "the time of his life" right now and believed the crew members on his team felt the same way.

   Earnhardt has won a pair of championships in what is now the Nationwide Series, won a pair of Daytona 500s and has enjoyed a fair share of success in Victory Lane, so what is so special in 2014 that leads him to say that?

   Certainly it can't all be about winning his second race of the season, and it isn't. I asked Earnhardt after the win Sunday, what all goes into him making that statement. Here is his complete answer:

   "When I go to the garage or when I go to the shop and visit with (my crew guys) and talk to them, my car chief, Jason Burdette, brings his son over to my property to run around our little go‑kart track, and Steve (Letarte) and I have a great relationship off the race track. I let his son into our clan, in Clash of Clans a couple months ago. That's been a thrill for Tyler.But we had to clean up the language a little bit, but he's having fun," Earnhardt said.

   "We do a lot of normal things together, and there's a real appreciation for each other individually as people. There's a great ‑‑ we're real fortunate because there's not a guy in that group that's hard to be around. We're all easy going, and everybody really gets along. We set aside our flaws and really enjoy the relationship and working together, and we've done that for a couple years now. But now that we're having success, it makes it a lot more fun. But the fact that we can get along when things weren't the best, I mean, that team had just ‑‑ Jeff (Gordon) and that team split up and we all knew what kind of talent he is, and so the way they wrapped their arm around me and put me under their wing and made me feel comfortable and made me confident and made me feel worthy of the opportunity to work with them was great. They've been just genuine, genuine people, Burdette and Kevin Meander and all the guys are just so genuine. They're real. Their feelings and relationships are real.

   "I'm enjoying that. I said it out there in victory lane. Winning races is great, but it's nothing unless you enjoy who you're doing it with, and when you can do something great and it's with people you enjoy being around, man, it really adds to it, so this is why it's so special right now."

Longtime and popular NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey dies at age 90

    Longtime NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey, who fielded cars for dozens of NASCAR stars at some point in their respective careers, died Monday, according to family friends. He was 90. 

   A member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Donlavey fielded his No. 90 cars for scores of drivers including Joe Weatherly, Tiny Lund, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Dick Brooks, Bobby Isaac, Fred Lorenzen, David Pearson, Johnny Rutherford, Harry Gant, Buddy Baker, Charlie Glotzbach, Ken Schrader, Jody Ridley, Bill Dennis and Ricky Rudd.

   “Life has really been fast, I can tell you, but it’s been pleasant,” said Donlavey following the International Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  “I didn’t regret a minute of it even though we ran against heavy-backed teams.  We still had fun!”

   Donlavey began fielding his team in 1950. He drove for his team at first, but soon gave way to other drivers. He earned a reputation as working well with young drivers over his tenure. Donlavey  was a Navy veteran and son after his stint in the Navy started his own auto repair business which fostered into his interest in racing. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007. 

   Funeral plans are incomplete as of Monday morning.

   Donlavey was a Spirit of Ford Award Winner for his contributions to motorsports and fielded Ford vehicles from 1961 until his retirement in 2004.

   

   “All of us at Ford Motor Company mourn the passing of Junie Donlavey and we send our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. Junie was a true gentleman whose legacy won't be measured in wins on the track," said Edsel Ford, member of the Board of Directors at Ford Motor Co.  

   "His legacy will be the hundreds of drivers and crew members who he helped that went on to great careers.  All of us will miss his friendly smile and engaging stories in the garage.”

Greg Biffle to remain with Roush Fenway Racing

   NASCAR veteran Greg Biffle and his primary sponsor, 3M, will remain with Roush Fenway Racing, multiple sources have confirmed to the Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com.

   An official announcement of contract extensions for Biffle and the sponsor with RFR could come as soon as this coming week, sources said.

   A team spokesman said the organization would continue its policy of not commenting on drivers' contract status until an official announcement was made.

   Biffle, 44, has spent virtually his entire NASCAR career with team owner Jack Roush and won championships in the Truck and Nationwide series. He has 19 Cup series wins in 415 starts and has finished as high as second in the series standings (2005).

   With Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. remaining and the addition of driver Trevor Bayne to its Cup lineup in 2015, Roush will need to expand to a four-car operation to field a team for driver Carl Edwards, whose contract is also up at the end of the season.