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BRISTOL (August 27, 2007) – The 24th stop of the 2007 season at Bristol Motor Speedway once again had the stars of the Nextel Cup Series experiencing several indigestion-causing incidents, from faulty ignition boxes to shifters that wouldn’t shift. Each weekend, PRN lead anchor Doug Rice picks the Top 10 TUMS Moments from that week’s racing activities. For the 24th week of the Nextel Cup season, top TUMS honors go to:
10. ESPN loses it’s live satellite feed for the last 3 laps of the Busch Race on Friday night. In case you missed it, Kasey Kahne won the Food City 250.
9. Ignition problems kept John Andretti from taking the green flag at the start of the race. John finally rejoined the race some 20 laps down to the field.
8. Bristol race fans were in shock that the first 126 laps of the Sharpie 500 were caution free, with not even a debris caution.
7. Denny Hamlin spun in Turn Four as a result of motor problems. He winds up spending the night in the garage. This was Hamlin’s first DNF in 53 races and he wound up 43rd for the night.
6. After winning the Sharpie 500 for the last two years, Matt Kenseth was involved in a crash on lap 452, and his remote chance of third win at BMS disappeared.
5. Rookie Aric Almirola, with a little help from Jimmie Johnson, was sent spinning on lap 226. AJ Allmendinger was caught up in the aftermath.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a strong run and battled in the top 5 all night but his 5th place run only allowed him to gain scant 5 points on Kurt Busch.
3. David Ragan struggled with the shifter on his race car and wound up spinning out 3 times in 50 laps. Does Tums make a tablet for dizziness?
2. Ricky Rudd and Jimmie Johnson are involved in a crash on lap 452, both cars sustained heavy damage.
1. The NEXTEL Cup race to the Chase seems to be over two weeks before Richmond. Barring something totally unforeseen, it appears the top 12 are all but locked in the Chase. This takes a lot of drama away from the always exciting race at Richmond.
Guilherme March moves closer to #1 in the PBR World Championship Race
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CHIHUAHUA, Mexico (August 26, 2007) – The Chihuahua Challenge, part of the Professional Bull Riders’ (PBR) Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler (BFTS), lived up to last year’s event-the 2006 Built Ford Tough Series Event of the Year-with exhilarating rides and harrowing wrecks. Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) was the only athlete to ride all four bulls over the weekend scoring 345.5 points. Marchi collected $53,254 for his efforts to add to his $1,038,445 in PBR career earnings.
“It’s great to win this event,” said Marchi of his victory. “It was a very good show. Since the Built Ford Tough Series doesn’t travel out of the United States often, the fans hadn’t seen the sport as much and had a really great time.” The event in Chihuahua, Mexico is the only Built Ford Tough Series event to be held outside the United States in 2007, although the PBR opened international offices in Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Mexico in 2006.
Marchi entered the Built Ford Tough Championship Round as the number one cowboy with 258.25 points on three bulls. Marchi was matched up against Gnash owned by Rafter 7R Bucking Bulls in the final round and was one of only two men to make a qualified ride in the Championship Round with a score of 87.25 points. Harve Stewart (Stephenville, Texas) was Marchi’s closest competitor entering the Championship Round but ultimately bucked off of Diamond S/ExclusiveGenetics.com’s Smash Hit. Stewart finished the event in third place.
Dustin Hall (Springfield, Mo.) was the only other cowboy to make the required eight second whistle in the Championship Round against Bearcat Bell owned by Jim Owens Bucking Bulls. His score of 85.5 points was enough to boost him to second overall in the event with a final point total of 258 points.
Marchi earned his first event win of the 2007 season and the fifth of his outstanding career on the Built Ford Tough Series. For two consecutive years, he has been the number two cowboy in the world and is hungry to claim his first ever PBR World Championship title.
“I attribute my win to my physical and mental health,” stated Marchi. “I’ve been training a lot this summer to stay healthy and injury free. The support of my family and God have also been important to my success. I’m going to keep my focus on claiming the (PBR) World Championship title this year.”
Perhaps the biggest shock of the Chihuahua Challenge was the first round injury to Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.) who dislocated his left shoulder (free arm) and was unable to compete for the duration of the event. The 2005 PBR World Champion and current points leader will undergo x-rays on Monday to determine the extent of the injury and his status for the rest of the season.
With only six regular season tour stops to go, McBride maintains his number one position but possibly opened the door for his closest competitor, J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) to take over the lead. The 2006 Daisy Rookie of the Year has been McBride’s biggest threat all season and is hungry for his first PBR World Championship. Mauney now trails McBride by a mere 1,380.75 points.
Non-stop PBR action resumes on September 7-9 with the Reno Classic in Reno, Nev. With only six events remaining before the PBR’s 2007 Built Ford Tough World Finals presented by Wrangler, fans don’t want to miss even one second of the heart-pounding action. VERSUS will air the Reno Classic on Sunday, September 9 at 7 p.m. EDT.
INJURY REPORT:
Brendon Clark (Morpeth, NSW, Australia)-Clark re-injured his thumb and is questionable to compete in Reno.
Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.)-McBride sustained a dislocated left shoulder (free arm). X-rays are scheduled for Monday to determine the extent of his injury.
Sean Willingham (Summerville, Ga.)-Willingham suffered a pulled left groin and is probable to compete in Reno.
BEHIND THE CHUTES:
Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s “Ride with the Best” Bonus:
As the winner of the Tulsa, Okla., BFTS event, Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil) was eligible for the Enterprise Rent-A-Car “Ride with the Best” bonus money in Chihuahua. Moraes was successful in round one against Davis/Wilson’s Say I Won’t claiming the $5,000 bonus and successful in round two against Hebert Bucking Bulls’ Hang Em High to claim the $5,000 bonus. Moraes was unsuccessful in the third round against Tino Martinez’s Buckwheat thus the stock contractor earned the bonus money. As the Chihuahua Challenge event winner Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) will be eligible for the bonus at the Reno Classic held on September 7-9.
Ford Truck Moment of Truth Bonus:
Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) led the event going into the Built Ford Tough Championship Round and claimed the Chihuahua Challenge event title; therefore claiming the $15,000 Ford Truck Moment of Truth bonus. The bonus will return to $5,000 for the Reno Classic. The bonus grows by $5,000 each week if it is not claimed. Once claimed, it returns to $5,000.
Ford Super Duty Challenge:
As the Chihuahua Challenge event winner Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) has qualified for a chance to compete at the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals, against all other 2007 Built Ford Tough Series event winners, for $50,000 toward the purchase of a 2007 Ford Super Duty Truck. The Ford Super Duty Challenge contestant who finishes the highest in the event aggregate during the 2007 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals will win the Ford Super Duty Challenge.
Bully Dog Short Go Top Qualifier:
Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) was awarded $2,500 for being the bull rider with the highest cumulative score (i.e. highest in the event average) going into the Built Ford Tough Championship Round and for properly displaying the Top Qualifier Patch.
Salem NationaLease Bull of the Event:
Boyd/Floyd/Paradise Farms’ Lost in Paradise was the high marked bull of the event with a score of 45.75 points, and was awarded $1,250 as a part of Salem NationaLease’s exciting bonus program. The program awards $1,250 to the top bull of the event as determined by the PBR judges’ bull scores.
Cabela’s World’s Foremost Ride:
Guilherme March (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) recorded the highest marked ride of the event when he topped Diamond S Bucking Bulls’ Red Carpet for 89 points during the third round of the Chihuahua Challenge. In doing so, he earned a $1,000 bonus.
The rider who achieves the highest score at each BFTS regular season event during the 2007 BFTS regular season excluding the PBR World Finals receives a bonus of $1,000 for the event. The PBR athlete who achieves the highest marked qualifying ride during the entire 2007 BFTS regular season, excluding the PBR World Finals event will receive $25,000, while second and third place finishers will be awarded $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. The bull rider that achieves the highest marked ride through the course of the entire 2007 PBR BFTS World Finals will earn an additional $10,000.
Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.) took the lead for the Cabela’s World’s Foremost Ride bonus of $25,000 with his 93.25 point performance in Tulsa.
AlphaTrade National Champion Standings:
A new bonus program offered by AlphaTrade will present the 2007 Built Ford Tough Series regular season champion, defined by PBR rules to be the rider with the highest BFTS points total at the end of the regular season, with $50,000 and the opportunity to win up to $200,000. The winner will be determined and announced at the Rocky Boots Invitational this year in Columbus, Ohio in October. At present, Justin McBride has a lock on the top. However, North Carolina’s J.B. Mauney is trailing McBride by a mere 1,380.75 BFTS points.
Chihuahua Challenge Results:
ROUND ONE: 1) Dustin Hall (Springfield, Mo.) 87.25 points on Tino Martinez’s Border Patrol, $7,000; 2) Austin Meier (Kinta, Okla.) 86.75 points on Rafter 7 Bucking Bulls’ Blaze, $5,000; 3) Brendon Clark (Morpeth, NSW, Australia) 85.5 points on Boyd/Floyd/Paradise Farms’ Hillstreet; $3,000; 4) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) 84.5 points on Sid Evans’ Fear Factor, $2,000; 5) Greg Potter (Queensland, Australia) 84.25 points on Diamond S Bucking Bulls’ Stray Cat, $1,200.
ROUND TWO: 1) Travis Briscoe (Edgewood, N.M.) 88 points on Boyd/Floyd/Paradise Farms’ Hornet, $2,730 ; 2/3) Luke Snyder (Raymore, Mo.) 87 points on Hebert Bucking Bulls’ Abracadabra, $1,560; 2/3) Harve Stewart (Stephenville, Texas) 87 points on Hebert Bucking Bulls’ Start Me Up, $1,560 ; 4) J.W. Hart (Overbrook, Okla.) 86.5 points on Bad Company Rodeo Co. Inc.’s Born to Boogie, $780; 5) Tater Porter (Kenansville, Fla.) 86.25 points on Hebert Bucking Bulls’ Thrillville, $468.
ROUND THREE: 1) Guilherme March (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) 89 points on Diamond S Bucking Bulls’ Red Carpet, $2,730; 2/3) J.W. Hart (Overbrook, Okla.) 88 points on Tino Martinez’s El Patron, $1,560; 2/3) Mike Lee (Decatur, Texas) 88 points on Boyd/Floyd/Paradise Farms’ Missfire, $1,560; 4) Matt Bohon (Cole Camp, Mo.) 87.5 points on Performance Livestock/Gene Owen’s Sugar Ray, $780.
BUILT FORD TOUGH CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND: 1) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) 87.25 points on Rafter 7R Bucking Bulls’ Gnash, $2,730; 2) Dustin Hall (Springfield, Mo.) 85.5 points on Jim Owens Bucking Bulls’ Bearcat Bell, $1,950.
OVERALL EVENT: 1) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) 345.5 points, $53,254; 2) Dustin Hall (Springfield, Mo.) 258 points, $23,510; 3) Harve Stewart (Stephenville, Texas) 253.25 points, $10,450; 4) J.W. Hart (Overbrook, Okla.) 174.5 points, $7,740; 5) Travis Briscoe (Edgewood, N.M.) 173 points, $7,080,
BUILT FORD TOUGH WORLD STANDINGS: 1) Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.) 10,026.75 points, 2) J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) 8,646 points; 3) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil) 6,757.75 points; 4) Sean Willingham (Summerville, Ga.) 5,920 points; 5) Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil) 5,373.75 points; 6) Brian Canter (Randleman, N.C.) 5,055.75 points; 7) Wiley Petersen (Fort Hall, Idaho) 4,763 points; 8 ) Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil) 4,706.5 points; 9) Paulo Crimber (Olimpia, Sao Paulo, Brazil) 4,625.25 points; 10) Matt Bohon (Cole Camp, Mo.) 4,602 points.
Bristol, TN 08/25/2007
Article by Jeff Kluss/SIT
Well on Friday it hit 102 degrees and on the infield it had to be 120. This writer has never been anywhere that it was that hot and humid to boot, but the new track surface was the coolest ever. Rusty Wallace explained to me the new track surface as being concave starting at 24 degrees and progressing to 28 degrees. He actually ran a string from the top of the track to the bottom and at the center it was a ten inch stretch to the surface of the track. Rusty said that he knew there would be at least two grooves if not three, and between practices and the races it proved out to be three grooves.
Bruton Smith and the folks at SMI (Speedway Motorsports Inc.) did a great job on the new surface and Bristol actually got better than great. The drivers and teams all approved with only a couple of exceptions. The first 126 laps of the race didn’t even provide a caution which for Bristol is nothing short of incredible. There are other tracks that have “progressive” surfaces (Miami Homested in partcular), but none have a smooth progressive surface as Bristol now has. Coming out of the turns there is a smooth transition to the straightaways that has never been seen anywhere which was the reason for the reduced number of cautions.
Kasey Kahne led the most laps last night (305 of 500), but in the end it was Carl Edwards in the #99 Office Depot car that produced a back-flip in celebration of another victory. It was a night which provided great entertainment and some serious competition.
Image by: Jeff Kluss/SIT
Kasey Kahne appeared to have a sure victory
In a post-race interview, Kasey had the following answers to questions fielded by the media.
“We couldn’t (catch up to Edwards). Those guys did a good job. They beat us to the end. We dominated I think the first half. The car was really good. We just got a little bit, the car felt good still at the end. He was just cutting through the center a touch better than me and we ran second. It was good. It was a great weekend for everyone at Gillett Evernham. These teams did a great job and everybody stepped up. This is the first time that we’ve run good with McDonalds on the car, but it was nice to get a Dodge Avenger up front with McDonalds on it.”
TALK ABOU T THE RACE TONIGHT: “We started good you know. Track position was key. We qualified perfect yesterday and had track position all night long. We had a great car. We had McDonalds on the car and just ran up front. The lap traffic worked good for us. I was able to get around a lot of it fairly quickly. Some of the cars hold you up and other ones you can get by quick. We just battled. The first 300 laps or 250 laps we were probably the best car. After that I think Carl came on a little stronger there at the end and I just couldn’t get back to him. He was a touch better through the center of the corner and he would get back to the throttle a little quicker and down the straighaways. It was close. He was just a touch better there at the end. It was fun. It was exciting to get a good run in our Dodge Avenger. It has been a while since we’ve had a top five. Its been a while since we’ve run up front all night long and had a pole. We just kind of put the whole thing together. The whole team stepped up and did a really good job. George Gillett was here. It was good to have him here. He came from Russia. I don’t really know why he was there yesterday, but it was nice to have our new owner here, and Ray (Evernham) and everybody just stepped up and just did a great job.”
HOW MUCH DID THE COT RUN TONIGHT MEAN TO GILLETT EVERNHAM MOTORSPORTS: “We were strong here the first time, but we were definitely a lot stronger tonight as the No. 9 car. The other cars didn’t run as well as we did and that was a little confusing, but the No. 9 car was definitely stronger tonight than what its been. These guys have spent a lot of time trying to develop that car and make it faster and make it better. I’m looking forward to running that car the rest of the year when we do. You know next weekend we go to California and I wish that was a COT race, but its not.”
HOW MUCH OF A SHOT IN THE ARM IS A WEEKEND LIKE THIS FOR YOU? “It feels good, you know. I think it will feel a lot better tomorrow when I can think about it and sit back. I’m going to do a couple sprint car races this week and enjoy myself and go home. We have a charity race for the Kasey Kahne Foundation Wednesday Night at Skagit Speedway and Tony (Stewart) is coming. It’ll be a blast and hopefully we raise a lot of money for the Ronald McDonald House. To run well, you know you go into a season and you think you’re going to run well – you don’t, and then to get a great weekend here like we did this weekend feels good. We are just going to try and carry it on. Next weekend we’re back to California and we are back to that same car that ran 31st with last week, so hopefully we do something this week to make that performance come up a touch next week.”
Image by: Jeff Kluss/SIT
Carl Edwards proved that patience pays with a great victory
Another bit of controversy was also provided by Richard Childress Racing having to endure a potential court battle between AT&T and NASCAR since Cingular was allowed to run their colors in spite of the sponsorship deal between NASCAR and Nextel/Sprint. Now that AT&T has taken over Cingular and has been running their logos on this car, the poop has hit the fan and the lawyers are in overtime. It was certainly strange seeing the #31 car of Jeff Burton running around the track with no logo. This will be interesting to see what transpires between the politics of NASCAR sponsorship and the likes of the #31 team.
A clean #31 with no sponsor logos
We would like to congratulate the folks at Roush-Fenway and the #99 Team for a great victory and a big thumbs up to Carl Edwards for his first NASCAR short-track win. But we also have to congratulate Ray Evernham and George Gillett Jr. for finally getting it together for the second half of the Season. Kasey with his Busch win on Friday night and his stellar second place finish last night can finally breath a little easier. Rest assured, it appears that the #9 guys have gotten a good handle on the Car of Tomorrow.
Image by: Jeff Kluss/SIT
08/21/2007 Kurt Busch Winner’s Circle Interview
“It was a great run for the Miller Lite Dodge. To be able to get the race underway was a relief. I thought we had a good car in practice, and it turned out to be true. We made one big adjustment at the end of Happy Hour and three days later we were able to put it to use. It really turned out great. It was a really smooth and steady day for us. We had to race some guys hard and got to move forward. We led some laps and put ourselves in position. That’s what it takes when you’re running for the Chase, to get in, its just smooth and steady effort. Pat made excellent pit calls. With all the restarts at the end, it challenged me to be my best and to be on top of my game with restarts and feeling the car out. This Dodge ran magnificent in the corners and the straightaway power was Penske/Jasper Power and it was great. It was a total team effort. You can’t leave anyone out. To be conservative is our approach and so far it’s worked out.
“We started off a little bit on the tight side with the Miller Lite Dodge and we freed it up from there. It was able to maneuver through traffic. We, fortunately, had flawless pit stops. The guys did an awesome job. Everybody is working so well together and once we get up there with clean air, we’re pretty hard to handle. The motor was awesome again today. I can’t say enough about the motor program we have at Penske.”
WILL YOU CELEBRATE WITH THE SHOP? “We have an abbreviated week this week. Last time we won we were able to get everybody together at the race shop and ordered over a 100 pizzas and I said, ‘next time around we might need to start this party around four o’clock’. I’m sure Roger will let us get out an hour early and we can have pizza and beer and that way everybody gets to celebrate.
“When you go to these big tracks aerodynamics is key. Those guys at the body shop, we know how hard they work and the paint shop and the guys that bolt these cars together and the engine shop. You can’t win at a 2-mile racetrack, or a 2.5 mile, without some serious power. We do need to do some more brownie points for the motor shop.
“I can’t thank everybody that’s involved for the long haul here, especially the way that it took awhile to get some wins, but then the new guys that have come aboard seeing that we are building something strong. They are able to enjoy the victory as well.
“Great celebration all around; I don’t think this team has any trouble celebrating.
“It’s great to go to Victory Lane and celebrate and know we did the best with this style car and this set-up. The next time we come to Michigan we’ll have to put this set-up and race car in the garbage because of the Car of Tomorrow. Our focus has been primarily the Car of Tomorrow races and to be able to win while we’re revamping our mile and a half program feels incredible. With Pat (Tryson, crew chief) taking the reins it filled in some of the holes we were missing, so to speak, and it has just hit with gear. We have both the Car of Tomorrow races at Bristol and Michigan. They are very important to get into the Chase. We have a very good car we are taking to California. Beyond that, you look at half the races that are left in the Chase. We’ll test Memphis and I’m sure we’ll test again. We’re going to test at Talladega. All of the testing we are doing is for the Car of Tomorrow, looking ahead to 2008.
“I would say right now we feel very comfortable with where we stand with the mile and a half program. With the Car of Tomorrow races, we have a good shot. We don’t have the edge now with Pocono and Michigan behind us. The Car of Tomorrow races we’ll have to work hard. Bristol will be survival like it always is. We finished fifth at Richmond in the spring and we’re looking to build on that.
“I’m more at ease with this group. I’ve worked with Pat in the past and working under Roger and learning his ways to deal with people whether it is internally or with Miller Lite and our other sponsors. It really gave me a better perspective of what this racing thing is all about. Maybe before, I pushed too hard thinking I could predict or control the outcome of races and not use the team atmosphere. You take some hits when you’re younger and you learn it makes you better in the long run. I’m happy flying under the radar and I’m happy delivering wins for our sponsors. Right now, the most important thing is to just get into the Chase. Having great guys and people all around me makes everything feel like we’re pulling the rope in the same direction. I just feel satisfied racing for this race team.
“Right now we’re pretty strong, but we still have more work to do. I felt today that we had a good plan going, but is just been the same plan that we’ve had for the last five or six weeks. It’s just to gain points and don’t loose track of the big picture which is to get in the Chase.
“We don’t need to change much. I would say that after Charlotte and Dover and the middle of May and first of June, we had two DNFs in a row plus a penalty. We were seventh in points just before that and dropped all the way to 17th. My approach has been just to race each race to grab points a little at a time and stay steady. At the same time, our cars and our team and set-ups have developed into being stronger and that has helped us.
“I’ll start by just saying that Bristol, no matter what car we take there, if we’re running a truck or a Busch car, a Hooter’s Pro Cup or a pace car, you try and survive. You try and miss the accidents. The cleanest car usually has a shot going to Victory Lane. That’s the approach I’ve taken there every year and I’ve had some wins.
“Ryan (teammate, Ryan Newman) started with some problems and at the end I got his car running quicker and at the end was able to pass the second place car. I think that just gets back to the two teams working together, not on the track necessarily, but set-up wise. The combination with the two teams has never been stronger.
“I was astonished by the support of this group of fans. To be here on a Tuesday, I’m sure some of them may not have a job when they show up tomorrow morning. There are some die hard fans in this area and I think Roger knew that when he bought this place back in the late fifties, early sixties when he turned it from a 15,000 seat oval to a two-mile oval with over a hundred thousand seats today. The heart that NASCAR fans have is incredible.”
Prior to this morning’s scheduled race, Ricky Rudd, driver of the No. 88 Snickers Ford Fusion, met with reporters in the infield media center at Michigan International Speedway to discuss his “retirement” following the 2007 season. Rudd said he is done racing full-time, but would consider a part-time ride in the future. But, for 2008, he said, list him as retired.
Image by: Jeff Kluss/SIT
RICKY RUDD – No. 88 Snickers Ford Fusion – YOU’VE BASICALLY SAID THAT YOU’RE LEAVING THE 88 AND DON’T WANT TO RUN A FULL SCHEDULE. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A DEAL LIKE WHAT MARK MARTIN HAS, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? “I’m not looking for anything, to be honest with you. I decided I wanted to call it quits, and the only way I would get out of a rocking chair would be for a limited schedule, competitive, winning operation, ready to go, and for some unique situations they needed someone to help fill in the gaps. I’ve heard mention in the past of taking, like, three senior guys, or maybe two senior guys and a rookie. If that was with the right situation where you weren’t committed to running an entire schedule, you can kind of pick and choose your own races, and, again, it was a team that would be running for the full year, I would take a look at that. I’m not out looking for a job right now. And I don’t see that happening, to be honest with you. But if it did, I didn’t want to look like an idiot coming back and, ‘Hey, I thought you said you were retired.’ But that would be the only way that I would take a look at the situation – and if it was competitive and would do good, then I’d probably take a look.”
IN ALMOST 30 YEARS IN THIS SPORT, OF WHICH ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD? “I guess I’ve been fortunate most of my career to be in competitive equipment and good solid runs, some wins along the way, I think 23 wins or so – probably the Brickyard 400, if you look at it statistical-wise, as being a big thing for me. But, I’d have to say things like the IROC championship we won in the early ’90s was a big thing, the guys that were in that series that year; coming close for a championship, I know we finished second to Earnhardt in ’91 or ’92. I don’t know; the years sort of fly by. No matter what you’re doing, you put your heart and soul into it, the next thing you know, you take a look around and 20 or 30 years have gone. I guess just proud of the fact that I’ve been able to, knock on wood, stay healthy all these years, and thanks to NASCAR for looking after safety first. When I was a kid, I wanted to go Indy or Formula I racing. Looking back, if I had been able to make it to that league at that time, I would not have had a career span the way I’ve had it, with 30 years in Cup racing. I don’t know if the sport chose me or I chose it, but it turned out to be a good thing, I guess.”
Image by: Jeff Kluss/SIT
WHEN YOU STEPPED AWAY AFTER 2005, YOU INSISTED YOU WEREN’T RETIRED. WHAT WORD WOULD YOU USE NOW? “In ’05 I didn’t want to use the retirement word because I didn’t know. The ’06 season I sat out and I purposely sort of stayed away from the sport, just to see after 29 or 30 years of racing, could I live with out the sport – certainly the sport could live with out me, but could I live without the sport? And I found out, all in all, I actually enjoyed the time off. Then, near the end, around September, I started getting bored, a little restless, and opportunities were popping up, so I said, ‘Maybe I owe it to myself to give it one more chance and find out what Ricky Rudd really wants.’ My family was supportive; they didn’t want to make the decision for me.
RUDD – “Linda, my wife, was telling me, ‘That’s your decision. I’m not even going to touch that, because if I say you need to stay out or you need to go,’ then she’s going to be sort of the bad guy. So this is a decision to that I was able to make, come back on my own, and when I came back with Robert Yates, it was never discussed, the long-term situation. It was discussed the one-year arrangement. And, really, the reason we’re having this discussion now is out of fairness to the team. A lot of things have taken place within the team with the merger with the Newman Haas Lanigan Indy Car operation, they’ve now merged teams, and they’re trying to build future plans. So I thought like I owed it to those guys. There was a place for me if I chose it, but they needed to know as early as possible so they could get their plans solidified for this upcoming season and ’08.”
“I think using the word ‘retirement’ would be the right thing to do, and it would be a rare situation that I would come back. So, I think ‘retirement’ would be the proper way to list me for next year. Retired.”
THIS MAY BE YOUR LAST RACE AT MICHIGAN. WHAT ARE SOME MEMORIES? “The first time I came up here was my rookie year, 1977, and just loved the place from the first time I came here. It’s just a great race track to race on. I’ve always enjoyed it through the years. We had one win here, and had a couple, maybe, of close calls to win it. But it’s always been a good solid race track for us. It’s a fun track because it is so wide, and you’ve got plenty of racing room. And, we’ve gotten to know plenty of people up here. I’ve got some good friends from up in this part of the country, and we just really like the Michigan area. A lot of times we’ll come up early, go up to Silver Lake and run dune buggies or ride four-wheelers or quads or dirt bikes, and in the wintertime we’ve been up here and been snowmobiling. So, we like this part of the country.”
WHO’S BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR CAREER? “Probably family in the beginning. My father was very supportive and that’s the way we got our foot in the door – I say entire family. In recent years, the one that’s been the most supportive all these years has been my wife, Linda. We’ve been married about 28 years now. She’s been the most supportive over the years. She was with me when I raced motorcycles and dirt bikes when we were high school kids. Her and I traveled to the motorcycles races and she was pretty much my pit crew, medical staff, everything wrapped up into one, because you needed someone who could keep you bandaged up there in those days. So, she’s been the most supportive.”
WILL THESE LAST 14 RACES BE A NOSTALIGIC PERIOD FOR YOU? “I’m kind of low-key guy. I really don’t like the attention of the press or whatever it might be. It’s good for my fans. I’ve had a lot of supportive fans over the years that really stood by me through thick and then. Hopefully, it’ll will be a time for them to see me race some during the rest of the season, because I had some when I stepped away in ’05, a lot of them were disappointed – ‘I can’t come to this race’ or ‘I’d go to that race to see you race one more time.’ I don’t look at it that way. I was hired at Yates to do a job, and my job was to try help re-build this team. I can see some signs of progress in recent weeks on the track, and by no means is the team back where it needs to be, but we’ve got 13 races after today.
RUDD “My mission is no different. I’m going to go out and try to do my very nest in every one of them, and look at the results at the end of the race and hopefully they’ll be good results, and go from there. But, as far as nostalgia, I probably will – this race today during the parade laps, I’ll probably look around a little bit, pay a little more attention than I have, and I’ve know this for about two or three weeks now, what I’m going to do, my decision. I notice when the checkered flag falls, there’s a race back to the pits to get out of the car; I’ve kind of looked around a little bit more on the way back down when the race is over – kind of take in a little snapshot, you know, the last time you run those race tracks.”
DO YOU SEE THIS AS A CLEAN BREAK FROM THE SPORT, OR DO YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN A TEAM CAPACITY OR IN BROADCASTING? “Really, no immediate interest in it. I just want time to sort of breathe a little bit and figure out what that next chapter is going to be. And I don’t know what that will be, whether it will be in motorsports or what. The television situation never really has appealed to me, but I was asked to come up and basically interview last year, about the middle of the season., a broadcasting team. And I did so, and it was a little intriguing to see what’s involved; it was interesting. We looked at what was going to be required for the job, and they were very upfront and I was very upfront that I didn’t want that heavy of a schedule, traveling away from home. So, that got nipped in the bud, and didn’t pursue it much after that, the time away from home. I’m just sort of burned out on the road trips.”
Well one thing about it, Ricky Rudd has been an integral part of NASCAR for 30 years now and has been one of those drivers that has provided us with some great entertainment. If he is serious about retirement as he seems to be, we at Sports Image Times would like to thank him for the many years he has survived in this great sport. Wonder if he will be watching the races from the comfort of his La-Z-Boy at his oceanside home?
August 11, 2007 Sparta, KY
What do you get when you mix Gene Simmons, Ashley Judd, and a bunch of IndyCar Series participants? You have a great time. A fine facility mixed with celebrities and great racing make for a fantastic Saturday evening for all. A race that had only 4 cautions, but still had plenty of action and even a few thrills and spills but ultimately was won by Tony Kanaan in the 7 Eleven car #11.
Tony Kanaan in the #11/Photo by: Jeff Kluss/SIT
Tony Kanaan on a Vespa in the pits.
Ahsley Judd otherwise known as Mrs. Franchitti in the pits.
Of course Dario Franchitti supplied the biggest surprise of all when he went airborne after the race had actually finished in his Canadian Club car. Poor communications, inattention….whatever you call it this was a costly error for the Andretti owned team. We are sure Ashley wasn’t too pleased with the last minute flying performance by her husband.
Gene Simmons talking it up with the media in the pits. Gene is a true racing hound that is classy and makes time for all fans including we in the media.
Of course on Friday they had the autograph signings by all the drivers in the garage area for the fans. And as you might guess, judging by the length of the lines Danica Patrick had everyone beat hands-down. Her line of fans was at a minimum 3 times that of anyone else. Amazing how she has attracted such a fan base with no wins but a lot of promise.
Danica Patrick and team owner Michael Andretti in the pits.
Danica composition showing her in the car prior to the race and on the track in her Motorola Car #7.
Danica was up to fourth on several occasions but late in the race had a problem with recognizing the caution and wrecked avoiding a pace car. She has some great ability, but for some reason can’t quite put it all together to get into the win column. Amazing though how this young lady is actually a major contributor to the coffers of Indycar Series via her fan base.
Helio Castroneves in the Penske #3 car
Tony Kanaan dedicated this win to his late father. “A special weekend for me,” said Kanaan, who recorded a series-leading fourth victory of the season. “He’s not around any more, so it is pretty touching. I’m glad that I got a win for him. (Aug. 12) is Father’s Day in Brazil. I’m a father-to-be, so my wife better give me a good gift.” Tony, congratulations from everyone at Sports Image Times and a big thank you for an exciting race.
Once again, we highly advise any of our readers to attend this great facility for any of their events. What a great bunch of folks that really know how to put an exciting weekend together.
Watkins Glen, Ny. (August 13, 2007) – The 22nd stop of the 2007 season at Watkins Glen International once again had the stars of the Nextel Cup Series experiencing several indigestion-causing incidents, from rain interfering with qualifying to spinning out while leading the race. Each weekend, PRN lead anchor Doug Rice picks the Top 10 TUMS Moments from that week’s racing activities. For the 22nd week of the Nextel Cup season, top TUMS honors go to:
10. Michael Ambrose is unable to take advantage of Robby Gordon’s generous offer to drive his car at the Glen after rain washes out qualifying. The field later started on points. The offer was an attempt to appease Ambrose after Gordon spun him out while racing last week in Montreal.
9. Kyle Petty had a terrible day at the Glen after going down 11 laps early. His Dodge eventually erupted in flames, but luckily Kyle was okay.
8. On lap 11 David Ragan makes what would be his first of two trips to the unfriendly gravel pits that guard the Watkins Glen International Raceway. You need a wrecker, not a sand wedge to get out of these traps.
7. Brian Vickers’ Red Bull Toyota sustained heavy sheet metal damage and then the shock absorbing foam spilled all over the racetrack bring out the yellow.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered a broken valve spring while running in the top five. This bad break may keep Jr. from making the chase; a real TUMS moment.
5. A shirtless fan ran on the track and approached Matt Kenseth while he was in his car during the red flag. The fan asked for an autograph, but was quickly taken into custody. This is not the way to get you favorite driver’s autograph.
4. Carl Edwards ran off course during the final lap, while challenging Stewart for the win. Edwards then had to settle for 8th.
3. Martin Truex started a chain reaction in turn one on the restart that caused heartburn for lots of other folks (see No. 2). He may have some heartburn from the paybacks as the season progresses.
2. Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Juan Pablo Montoya all saw their day end on lap 73 when they crashed in turn one on the restart. Harvick and Montoya then got into a small shoving and shouting match, although no real punches were landed. You could tell they weren’t serious about fighting since they both kept their helmets on during the whole altercation.
1. After dominating the race by leading 51 laps, Jeff Gordon spun out all alone while leading with less than two laps remaining. This is like Tiger Woods putting one in the water on 18 while leading; it just doesn’t happen. This one may take more than TUMS to get over.
Find out how tough nine entertainment and sports stars really are!
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PUEBLO, Colo. (August 9, 2007) – The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is pleased to announce the debut of “Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge” on Friday, August 10 at 9 p.m. ET. The six-episode series which airs on CMT teaches nine stars from the entertainment and sports world how to ride a bull. Nine-time World Champion Ty Murray hosts the “Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge”, which brings nine celebrities to his sprawling 2000-acre ranch in Stephenville, Texas, for an intense bull riding boot camp. The celebrities will be taught the techniques and toughness it takes to survive riding an 1,800-pound bull in less than two weeks.
The cast features stars from different walks of life and realms of entertainment and sports, including:
- Vanilla Ice (Rob Van Winkle) – Rapper/ Musician
- Leif Garrett – Actor/ Musician
- Stephen Baldwin – Actor/Writer/Producer
- “Rocket” Raghib Ismail – Former NFL Football Player
- “Cowboy” Kenny Bartram – Motocross Rider, X-Games
- “Nitro” Dan Clark – Actor (“American Gladiator”)
- Jonny “Fairplay” Dalton – Reality Star (“Survivor”)
- Josh Haynes – UFC Fighter
- Francesco Quinn – Actor (“Platoon,” “24”)
Murray leads each episode with tutorials by himself as well legendary cowboy Cody Lambert and other great current PBR riders. Cast members are taught how to mount a bull in the chute, take major falls, practice extreme mental concentration and survive the most intense eight seconds in sports, and perhaps their lives. As their time on the ranch progresses, the stress is amplified as the bulls become increasingly more intense.
These celebrities will quickly move from mechanical bulls to riding some of the biggest, meanest animals from the Professional Bull Riders tours. If the celebrities can conquer their fear, avoid injuries and get a passing grade from Murray, at the end of their training they’ll ride in front of a packed auditorium at a PBR event in Nashville. The celebrities will even get a chance to pick their poison, choosing which legendary bull they’ll ride in the finale. It’s the ultimate man versus beast showdown.
Ty Murray, a founding member of the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. is retired from competition.
STATESVILLE, NC – August 6, 2007– Today, Ray Evernham and George N. Gillett, Jr. announced the creation of Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM), a partnership combining Evernham Motorsports and the Gillett family where Evernham will remain a substantial owner and retain the title of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The strength of Evernham’s championship on-track performance and Gillett’s off-track sports business experience creates a high-performance, high-energy platform to establish GEM’s value and appeal to fans and sponsors, on and off the track.
Recognizing that the rate of change off-track has exceeded the change on-track in the past few years, Evernham forged a relationship with Gillett, whose diverse holdings offer unique business-to-business opportunities, sponsorship activation and fulfillment that will revolutionize what sponsors can expect from a NASCAR team.
Gillett is the owner of the Montreal Canadiens National Hockey League (NHL) team and a co-owner of the Liverpool Football Club in the English Premier League. Gillett’s other business interests include the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens and Gillett Entertainment Group (GEG), producers of some 700 sporting and entertainment events in numerous venues throughout Canada and the United States.
GEM will benefit from Gillett’s existing network of sports and entertainment properties, resorts, auto dealerships and auto franchises offering unique access to sponsors and partners and a powerful global connection that no other team can offer.
“It’s very exciting for me to deliver to sponsors and fans the opportunity to align with a worldwide sports leader,” said Evernham, CEO of GEM. “With the business acumen of the Gillett family and its sports brands, we’ve greatly expanded our reach.
This will allow me to focus on our racing operations and team performance, while the Gillett family will focus on our business operations. It certainly allows us to capitalize on our strengths and position GEM for long-term success both on and off the track.”
“Racing is in my blood,” said Gillett, chairman of Booth Creek Management Corporation (BCMC). “It’s not often you get to partner with a leader with Ray’s reputation, talent and championship legacy.”
Evernham, whom motorsports media voted The Greatest Crew Chief of All Time in 2006, spearheaded Dodge’s re-entry into NASCAR in 2001 and earned a pole position in Dodge’s debut at the Daytona 500 with driver Bill Elliott. Prior to founding Evernham Motorsports, Evernham served as Jeff Gordon’s crew chief, earning three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championships and 47 wins in just 216 starts.
Gillett’s business interests include: Booth Creek Resort Properties, LLC, the owner of luxury ski and golf resorts in North America; Grand Targhee Ski Resort in Wyoming; WorldCast Holdings, a major fishing guide company in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Booth Creek’s automotive platform includes Summit Automotive Partners, LLC and Vista Automotive Group, owners of some 14 dealerships and 27 franchises in the United States. Other BCMC holdings are Coleman Natural Foods and Wheat Montana Farms & Bakery.
The transaction was initiated and negotiated by Matthew Doherty at McLaren Capital Partners in Los Angeles. Wachovia Securities advised BCMC.
Additional announcements regarding the GEM partnership will be forthcoming.
Long Pond, Pa. (August 5, 2007) – The 21st stop of the 2007 season at Pocono Raceway once again had the stars of the Nextel Cup Series experiencing several indigestion-causing incidents, from rain interfering with qualifying to being sidelined for the race. Each weekend, PRN lead anchor Doug Rice picks the Top 10 TUMS Moments from that week’s racing activities. For the 21st week of the Nextel Cup season, top TUMS honors go to:
10. Jamie McMurray is involved in three separate caution flags. The final accident sidelines the Crown Royal Ford for good.
9. Ward Burton can’t follow up a strong 14th place run at the Brickyard and the team finishes 43rd.
8. Dale Jarrett, a two-time winner at Pocono, barely makes it to the halfway mark before the engine expires on the No. 44 UPS Toyota.
7. A rugged season continues for Greg Biffle as he spins out all by himself on lap 138.
6. Toyota places six cars in the race but the best finish they can muster is a 20th for Dave Blaney.
5. Evernham Motorsports has a long day in Long Pond, PA. as Scott Riggs leads the way with 24th place run.
4. Reed Sorenson sees a good run disappear faster than bourbon at a fraternity house when the Crown Royal Ford of Jamie McMurray collected him in a late race incident.
3. Kurt Busch looks like a sure pole winner until a short shower stops qualifying and Dale Jr. takes the pole on a much cooler and faster track.
2. All the competition had a TUMS-type day as none of them had anything for Kurt Busch in the Miller Lite Dodge. He gave the entire field a queasy stomach.
1. Robby Gordon, after ignoring the NASCAR’s black-flag in the Busch race in Montréal, earned a vacation in the Poconos from NASCAR. Robby is forced to stay on the sidelines with PJ Jones driving the No. 7.
