NASCAR Daily News Headlines * April 16, 2008

GM Pushes For Alternative Fuels

NASCAR executives have indicated that alternative fuels are a priority. “They’re definitely receptive,” Dewar said about NASCAR. “They’ve got fuel providers, and it’s a transition, and I don’t want to mitigate the fact that some work has to get done. There’s modifications to the engines, but we do it to our vehicles today. … We have to reduce our dependency on petroleum products. We just have to. Economically we need to do it, and we’re willing to do it.”

General Motors is building cars that can be run on alternative fuels as well as electric vehicles. “I get that question because I am an environmentalist, ‘What are you doing being the head of racing and also pushing the environment?’ ” Dewar said. “They can go together, and there is a place to do that.”(scenedaily.com)

Schrader In No. 70 At Talladega

“I’m definitely very excited about the opportunity to drive for Haas CNC Racing,” Schrader said. “It is a younger team that is going through the growing process but yet has all of the elements in place. The team has an outstanding relationship with Hendrick Motorsports, and we know they have a proven engine program,” he added. “We certainly don’t have to second guess the equipment.”

Carpentier’s Helmet To Be Auctioned For Charity

Carpentier, making his first road course start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, will be piloting the No. 9 Auto Value Parts Stores Dodge. The native of Ville LaSalle, Quebec. finished second in the Nationwide Series’ visit to the Circuit Gilles Villenueve road course in Montreal last summer. Proceeds from the auctioning of the helmet will benefit Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper’s Charity Cars program.

Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Charity Cars takes in donated cars from store customers and then allows the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper experts to inspect and ensure that each and every car is ready for the road. The refurbished vehicles will then be presented to over 500 recipients across the nation, all of whom are victims of domestic violence.

“When I first came to Gillett Evernham Motorsports, the people at Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper shared with me their ideas for this year’s Charity Cars program,” said Carpentier. “I’m honored that they asked me to help out on a cause such as this. We’re going to go to Mexico and win, so we can raise the value of the helmet for some lucky buyer and give back to victims of domestic abuse.”

Logon to (www.800charitycars.org) for more information.

300th Start For Earnhardt At Talladega

It’s only fitting that Earnhardt Jr. would reach a milestone in career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, his most successful track on the NASCAR circuit. Five of his 17 career Sprint Cup Series victories have occurred here – the most of any track – and he won a record four straight between October 2001 and April 2003.

For the upcoming Aaron’s Dream Weekend April 24-27, Earnhardt Jr. will return to the Talladega Superspeedway for the first time with his new team at Hendrick Motorsports with hopes of ending a career-high 70 race winless skid.

After driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. for his entire Sprint Cup Series career, Earnhardt Jr. is currently in his first season behind the wheel of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports are expected to be a powerful combination in the Aaron’s 499. In the 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway since 2000, either Hendrick Motorsports or Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won 12. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports has won the past four Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway.

“It’s fitting that Talladega Superspeedway is the site of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 300th Sprint Cup start,” Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey said. “This facility is a special place for both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and all of his fans. I’m sure Jr. Nation would be thrilled if Talladega could be the site of Dale’s first victory with Hendrick Motorsports.”

Tickets are still available for the Aaron’s Dream Weekend by calling the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office at 1-877-Go2-DEGA, (1-877-462-3342) or visiting (www.talladegasuperspeedway.com). For our hearing impaired guests, please call TDD 1-866-ISC-TRAK (1-866-472-8725).

Auto Club Speedway Garage Sale

A tremendous variety of items featuring the California Speedway logo as well as past event-related apparel will be made available at discounted rates of up to 70% off the original retail price. Some additional one-of-a-kind items include light pole banners featuring the likenesses of drivers including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, backdrops that were utilized in Gatorade Victory Lane celebrations and over-sized signage from the track’s timing and scoring center. Lucky fans will have the opportunity to purchase some truly authentic pieces celebrating Southern California’s racing heritage.

This year’s garage sale will take place from Thursday, April 24 through Sunday, April 27 in the Goodyear garage off of terrace suite road. The garage sale will be open from 12:00 pm-8:00 pm on Thursday and is open to the general public on that day only. Hours of operations from Friday through Sunday will be 8:00 am-5:00 pm and bargain hunters must purchase a ticket to the AMA weekend to gain access to the sale on those days.

The AMA Suzuki Superbike Championship weekend will feature exciting racing in four classes including Superbike, Supersport, Superstock and Formula Xtreme. A midway will feature interactive displays and merchandise from your favorite brands, riders and teams as well as autograph signing sessions by fan-favorite riders.

Southern California’s favorite moto-X team, the Metal Mulisha, will also be performing during the weekend. Fresh off a Silver medal-winning performance at the first-ever Moto X World Championships, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg will be joined by Bronze medal winner Jeremy Lusk and other team members.

Tickets, including an AMA/NASCAR package, are still available for the weekend and can be purchased by calling 800-944-RACE or by visiting (www.racetickets.com).

The Auto Club Speedway of Southern California is owned by International Speedway Corporation, a leading promoter of motorsports activities in the United States, currently promoting more than 100 events annually. For more information, visit the company’s website at (www.iscmotorsports.com).

Chase Miller To Run 15 Races

Verizon Wireless and Motorola will utilize its sponsorship of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and the No. 9 Dodge to reach racing fans both on and off the track in the Nationwide Series through a variety of racing related promotions. The sponsorship also will support the wireless telecommunications products and services related to Verizon Wireless and Motorola throughout 2008 utilizing Miller’s profile as a successful driver with youthful exuberance.

“NASCAR is an exciting and dynamic sport followed by millions of our customers and other consumers,” said Jerry Fountain, President of Carolinas/Tennessee Region for Verizon Wireless. “We’re proud to team up with Motorola and Gillett Evernham Motorsports.”

“Verizon Wireless and Motorola have a long standing relationship and we’re excited to be involved in a sport that will connect with our customers and racing fans,” said Dan Aderhold, Vice President of Business Operations, Motorola – Verizon Wireless Account.

The sponsorship allows Verizon Wireless and Motorola to provide customers with racing themed events by providing giveaways and contests for race tickets and merchandise. Verizon Wireless and Motorola will use this sponsorship to help connect to the people, information, and entertainment to help drive mobility.

“This is fantastic news for me,” said the 21-year-old Miller who expects to race about 15 times in 2008. “My dream has always been to race in NASCAR and when someone gives you an opportunity to race in more Nationwide races it’s like getting the perfect birthday gift. To do it with companies like Verizon Wireless and Motorola makes it even better. I am sure the text messages will start rolling in once they hear about this deal for me.”

Key Motorsports Rehires Hooper

“Our performances have not been where I had hoped they would be at this time, and I know that I have better equipment than what we have shown to this point in the 2008 season,” Key explained. “When a team struggles, changes can be made in various areas in an effort to get better. I just felt that at this stage of the season, and after evaluating everything, that we needed someone different to oversee our truck racing program, so I have brought Lance back,” Key added.

Hooper had been Crew Chief for the #13 ThorSport Motorsports team before being released just before the Martinsville race late last month.

After starting every race in 2007 for the first time in two, full-time campaigns, posting three top 10 and six top 20 finishes in 25 races and finishing 28th in owner’s points to guarantee the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet a starting berth for the first four races this season, things have not gone as expected.

Chad Chaffin, hired by Key to drive the final eight races of the 2007 season in yet another attempt to make the team better and who in the process scored the two, best finishes ever for a Key Motorsports race truck with a 7th in Martinsville and 8th in Talladega last fall, was back behind the wheel of the #40 to start this season. The performances just have not been there, however, thus prompting the change.

“We made changes to our trucks and bodies, worked very hard to try and improve our engine program and then kept Chad as our driver through the winter to give us some continuity and momentum after finishing the year on the plus side,” Key said of the team’s off season.

However, Chaffin got caught up in a big wreck not of his choosing in the season-opener in Daytona and finished dead last, and though the finishes the next three races showed slight improvement, Key still was not happy to see his race truck running in the back of the pack.

“I haven’t spent all the money I have spent over the last four years to run where we have been running, and after seeing how we performed as a group in Martinsville (Chaffin finished 22nd but on the lead lap for the first time in four races), I knew that we had to something big. Changing drivers was one option I had, but when we found some things that we were lacking in our race trucks, I felt it was our leadership at the top that had to be altered and I decided to bring Lance back to try and get us straightened out,” Key ended.

Having worked closely with Chevrolet engineers for the past two years, Hooper’s knowledge of the set-ups for the Chevrolets has expanded to the point that when he was retained by Key recently as a consultant he uncovered some major flaws in the majority of Key’s 10-truck race fleet. The technology experience that Hooper now possesses is what ultimately convinced Key to make the permanent change and hire Lance full-time, and changes to the trucks are underway.

“Lance left my team for ThorSport Motorsports early in the 2006 season, and to be honest, that had been one factor that kept me from hiring him sooner,” Key said. “But when I saw all of the things that he had learned over the last two seasons and then discovered what he had found in our trucks and what we needed to do to improve them, it became an easier decision to make.

“Gary (Showalter) did a good job for me over the last 11 months, and I really appreciate what he and our Director of Competition, Tommy Morgan, did to help rescue this team when we really needed it – right at the start of a string of seven consecutive weekends of racing. But it is quite evident now that we have been racing with some deficiencies that had gone unnoticed, so we needed Lance’s help now and not later,” Key said of his decision to change Crew Chiefs.

Morgan will remain in his current position with the team and will serve as the Crew Chief of Key’s #31 Chevrolet Monte Carlos that will begin NASCAR Nationwide Series competition at Richmond on May 2. Jeff Green will drive as Key returns to the Series he once competed in for six seasons in the 1990’s but after a 10-year hiatus.

A highlight to Hooper’s tenure at ThorSports Motorsports was Willie Allen’s drive to the 2007 NCTS Rookie of the Year title and a 21st place finish in owner points. Hooper sees some good things in a much different Key Motorsports program than what he had worked with late in 2005 for selected races late in the 2006 season – the first full season of competition for a Key Motorsports NTCS team.

“It’s good to be back, but we have a lot of work ahead of us, “ Hooper said. “When I last worked with Curtis, we had half the trucks, half the motors and half the work shop, so he has really spent a lot of money and effort to improve the infrastructure. The changes we are making to the trucks were definitely needed in an attempt to make them more competitive,” Hooper explained.

“Improvement will come over time, but Curtis does have the equipment to get the job done. We’ll take each race one at a time to make sure that we have made the right changes and to tweak them as needed. I’m excited about the challenge here (at Key) and the opportunity for me to continue doing what I have done since I last worked here and that is to learn,” Hooper ended.