Personnel changes made to Kasey Kahne's Sprint Cup team

   Team press release

   In preparation for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and revised rules that affect race car development and on-track testing, Hendrick Motorsports has named Kenny Francis to the new position of vehicle technical director and Keith Rodden as crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS team of driver Kasey Kahne. The roles take effect immediately.

   Francis, 44, will oversee organization-wide car design and development with day-to-day management of Hendrick Motorsports’ chassis, body, research and development, on-track testing, vehicle engineering and simulation programs. Reporting to general manager Doug Duchardt, he will serve as the primary liaison between Hendrick Motorsports’ crew chiefs and its vehicle group. 

   Rodden will return to Hendrick Motorsports where he worked alongside Francis in 2012 and 2013 while the lead engineer for Kahne and the No. 5 team. For 2014, he was named crew chief for the No. 1 team at Chip Ganassi Racing where he won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, earned two pole positions and helped driver Jamie McMurray set a career-best season in laps led.

   “This is a great opportunity for both guys, and it will strengthen our overall organization,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “With the new rules for next year, it’s more important than ever to have a strong vehicle development program. Unifying those efforts for the first time under Kenny’s guidance will be critical to our success. It plays to his experience as a leader, innovative engineer and race-winning crew chief. He’s just tailor-made for it."

   A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Francis holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Florida. Known as one of the most innovative minds in the NASCAR garage, he worked as a team director, engineer and fabricator before posting 17 wins as a Sprint Cup crew chief. Francis has led Kahne’s efforts since the final race of 2005, earning 16 race wins and five Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berths. The pair joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.

   “When it was clear there was a need for this role, I was very intrigued and felt it would be a great challenge,” Francis said. “It encompasses areas I’m passionate about, and I know we can make a difference for our teams, especially with the new rules for next year. There are a lot of reasons why it feels right at this point in my career, and I’m looking forward to contributing in a new way.” 

   Rodden, 33, has enjoyed a long relationship with Kahne, having worked with the driver as a team engineer from 2004 until 2013. After graduating from North Carolina State University with a degree in mechanical engineering, his motor sports career began in 2003 with owner Andy Petree. Rodden in 2004 joined Evernham Motorsports to support Kahne’s NASCAR XFINITY Series effort before moving in 2006 to the No. 9 Sprint Cup team, which began an eight-year stint under the tutelage of Francis. 

   “Opportunities like this don’t come around often,” said Rodden, who grew up in Denver, North Carolina. “The people at Hendrick Motorsports are like my family, especially in the 5/24 shop. I expect we’ll have great chemistry right off the bat, which should make for a smooth transition. I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running with the No. 5 team and everyone who supports us. There’s no better resource than Kenny, so I hope he’s ready for some late-night phone calls.” 

   Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2012, Kahne, 34, has earned at least one victory each season while securing three consecutive Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berths. The Enumclaw, Washington, native has 17 career wins in NASCAR’s top division, including five in three full seasons with the No. 5 team. 

   “I’m so grateful to Kenny and happy for him and his family,” Kahne said. “He’s one of my biggest supporters and best friends, and I’m excited about his new role. It’s going to give all four Hendrick Motorsports teams the best possible opportunity to win races and compete for championships."

Jamie McMurray's crew chief returning to Hendrick Motorsports

   Keith Rodden, who just completed his first season as crew chief for Sprint Cup driver Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, is leaving the organization,  The Observer and ThatsRacin.com have learned.

   Matt McCall, who most recently served as race engineer on Ryan Newman's Cup team at Richard Childress racing, will take over for Rodden, the Ganassi organization announced on Tuesday.

   Rodden is expected to return to Hendrick Motorsports, sources said.

   McCall is also a former driver who has competed in the NASCAR Nationwide and Truck series and the ARCA series. The Denver, N.C., native graduated from UNC Charlotte with a major in mechanical engineering. The 33-year-old McCall is also passionate about fitness and holds a third-degree black belt in karate. 

   "This organization is one that everyone in the garage has taken notice of in 2014 and I am just looking forward to the opportunity to make them even better," McCall said. "We have a group of very talented people building and driving the race cars here and I can’t wait to get started.”   

Statement from Budweiser on Kevin Harvick's first Sprint Cup championship

  

   Anheuser-Busch statement regarding Kevin Harvick's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship:

   "Budweiser has a rich history in NASCAR and we’re proud to see Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team bring home the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kevin has been an amazing ambassador for Budweiser—both on and off the track—and it’s truly impressive to see what he and the team have accomplished in their first season together."

   -Lucas Herscovici, VP, consumer connections

   Anheuser-Busch

Rodney Childers worried he worked his team so hard they would quit

   As Kevin Harvick crossed the finish line last Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, a Motor Racing Network reporter - like the network normally does after a race - went to speak with the crew chief, Rodney Childers.

   As Childers began to talk about win, he began to break down and was overcome with emotion and couldn't continue. This week, Childers was asked what he was thinking about at the time that got him so emotional, if he didn't mind sharing. 

   Here is Childers' explanation of what was going through his mind when Harvick won last weekend's race:

   "You know, there's thousands of things that run through your mind at that moment, and basically how you got to where you're at, how many people helped you get there, how many people on this race team at Stewart‑Haas and how many people in the engine shop at Hendrick Motorsports and how many people in that chassis shop put their heart and soul into this stuff every single day and just work countless hours. The guys on this race team and what we went through at the beginning of the year to get it going, there's not too many people that would have went through that, and I really expected people to work a couple months and realize how bad it was and turn around and walk out the door," Childers said.

   "Really nobody ever gave up, and just thinking about all that and how far we've come and how important of a race it is, and for me personally I've wanted to be part of something like that for a long time. I've wanted to race for a championship, and I've never really had that opportunity. You know, to be able to do that was just something that was exciting to me, and the more I thought about it, the worse I got. 

   "You know, it's emotional for everybody, and it's important to everybody. You know, like Kevin said at lunch today, we were actually talking about this same subject, and he says, you can't blame somebody for caring, and really when you see somebody in that situation, they're in that situation because they really care and they give 100 percent. These guys give up a lot. They're away from their families, away from their kids, and it's hard on everybody.  We're all thankful when something like that goes the right way."

Nielsen issues correction for fall Talladega race TV rating

   A poor TV rating for the Oct. 19 Sprint Cup race at Talladega, Ala., turned a lot of heads this season, particularly since it was a “transfer race” in the new Chase format, where several drivers needed to win in order to advance to the next round of the Chase.

   The original final rating issued by Nielsen Media Research, the leader is measuring what people watch, listen to and buy, was a 2.7, which was 13 percent lower than the previous season’s rating (3.1). 

   Nielsen issued a correction this week, citing a "minor crediting error.". The company notified ESPN and NASCAR this week the rating for the race was actually a 3.0, which was roughly 3 percent down from the previous season. 

   “We’re glad they fixed the mistake,” said NASCAR’s chief communications officer, Brett Jewkes. 

   On Friday, NASCAR Chairman Brian France was asked about the TV ratings for the season and made mention of the Talladega correction. 

   "It will still take a fair amount of time, in my view, to fully have this format (understood), and the important moments like Talladega being an example, although those ratings weren't quite as off as originally reported but almost flat."

Member of Congress demands Kurt Busch be suspended; SHR response

U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) has sent a letter to NASCAR president Mike Helton as well as Busch’s Stewart-Haas Racing owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas demanding Kurt Busch be suspended from Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in addition to any future NASCAR events until the matter of domestic abuse charges against him is settled. 

Here is the text of the letter and a response from SHR:



Mike Helton
President, NASCAR
1801 West International Speed Boulevard
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114

Tony Stewart and Gene Haas
Co-owners, Stewart-Haas Racing
6001 Haas Way,
Kannapolis, NC 28081

Dear Mr. Helton, Mr. Stewart, and Mr. Haas:

Each year, domestic violence causes more injuries to women than auto accidents, rapes, and muggings combined. On average, 24 Americans each minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner. High-profile news stories have shown that major sports leagues like the National Football League (NFL) have stood by or failed to adequately respond when these violent crimes are committed by their players. Unfortunately, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing’s (NASCAR) and Stewart-Haas Racing’s response to Patricia Driscoll’s allegations of domestic violence against Kurt Busch seem to indicate that NASCAR’s responses to these crimes are also off track.

The charges are horrifying. Court documents allege Mr. Busch verbally and physically abused Ms. Driscoll in his motorhome at Dover International Speedway, smashing her head against a wall three times. Dover police are investigating the incident, and press statements from NASCAR chief communications officer Brett Jewkes indicate NASCAR is also conducting its own investigation.  But despite the severity of the criminal allegations against Mr. Busch, I am disappointed to see that NASCAR and Stewart-Haas Racing have not taken any action.

Your response to these serious allegations has been totally inadequate. Your decision to let Mr. Busch continue to drive is inconsistent with previous disciplinary actions taken for lesser offenses, and it sends a clear signal to drivers that owners do not take these violent actions seriously. As you are aware, this is not the first time that Mr. Busch’s anger management issues have been brought to NASCAR’s attention. He and Mr. Penske agreed to end his relationship with Penske Racing after Mr. Busch profanely yelled at an ESPN reporter in 2011. It’s not even the first time that Mr. Busch has demonstrated problems at Dover: he was suspended after threatening a reporter there in June 2012.

How is it that NASCAR can take actions when a reporter is threatened, and not when a woman is physically assaulted? It seems unconscionable that a threat would be treated more gravely than an assault. It calls into question the enforcement policies exercised by NASCAR and whether your code of conduct has a double standard. You only punish misconduct caught on camera. Unfortunately NASCAR was equally passive when Sprint Cup driver Travis Kvapil was accused of pulling his wife by her hair into a bedroom and striking her head when she tried to pull away. Neither NASCAR nor BK Racing stopped Mr. Kvapil from driving, though they did remove the domestic violence awareness ribbon from his car.

NASCAR and Stewart-Haas Racing should not wait until the investigation is complete to act. I urge you to suspend Mr. Busch from this weekend’s Championship and adopt a policy going forward in all domestic violence cases to suspend drivers until criminal proceedings end or there is a clear lack of evidence. Please also provide my office with an update on your investigation, including information about who is conducting the investigation, and a history of sanctions levied by NASCAR and racing teams for domestic violence incidents brought to your attention over the last five years.

Sincerely,

Jackie Speier
Member of Congress


 

The following is a statement from Stewart-Haas Racing executive vice president Joe Custer regarding Kurt Busch.

“The allegation made against Kurt Busch is one Stewart-Haas Racing and its partners take very seriously. We have spoken to Kurt in depth regarding this matter and he has vehemently denied that it happened and assures us there is no truth to it whatsoever. We are monitoring this situation closely and will let the authorities continue with their thorough investigation. At this point in time we are taking Kurt at his word and his status with the team is unchanged.”

Brian France to Gordon/Keselowski fans: 'That's racing'

   In an interview on Wednesday on SiriusXM Satellite Radio's NASCAR Channel, NASCAR Chairman Brian France was asked what he would say to angry fans who don't like the fact either Jeff Gordon or Brad Keselowski - both of whom had among the most wins this season - didn't advance in the Chase to compete for the championship in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

   Here was France's response:

   "In any format that we could ever devise, even if you had to win to compete for the championship, that's auto racing, that happens. Talk to Rusty Wallace. Talk to Bill Elliott. Talk to all the past competitors in NASCAR who had a stellar season but they weren't the best on any given day. In this format you have to be the best all the way through. There is no format that we're going to devise that weights it so much that if you win so many races you're somehow automatically going to be the champion. You've got to do it all the way through. This is the best balance in auto racing, no question about it."