NASCAR Daily News Headlines * April 29, 2008

Lowe's Installing More SAFER Barriers

“Not that many people end up down here, but just in case they do, we want to make sure they’ve got some cushioning,” Speedway Motorsports President Humpy Wheeler said Tuesday. “I wanted to do this for a while. The Las Vegas deal, we saw it is the bizarre places on the race track that you’ve got to watch out for. Those are the one that will bite you.”

Wheeler was joined by Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton for the ceremony installing the first additional barrier Tuesday afternoon. The project will cost about $110,000.

“I’m sure we’ll need it for the All-Star race,” Burton said. “Whenever you pay a million bucks to win something and second doesn’t mean a whole lot, then something will happen.”(scenedaily.com)

Schrader Sits In For Franchitti At Richmond

Franchitti was seen by Dr. Terry Trammel and Dr. Kevin Scheid in Indianapolis, Ind. on Monday. The doctors confirmed the slight fracture in Franchitti’s left ankle. Franchitti will be fitted for a carbon fiber brace later this week. His status behind the wheel of the No. 40 Dodge will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Schrader is confirmed to race for CGRFS in Richmond only. Franchitti will also be in Richmond with the No. 40 team.

Record Purse for Coca-Cola 600

Already one of the richest races on the NASCAR circuit, the $6,648,557 in total awards for the Coca-Cola 600 is $78,929 more than was posted for last year's event and $4,219,759 more than competitors raced for in the 600-mile event 10 years ago.

"Things have changed so drastically that it's hard to compare prize money from the early years of the sport to today, but here's a fact that caught my eye," said H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway. "Two-time NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett ran 352 races between 1953 and 1966, winning 50 times, and his total career winnings were $289,146. That's $59,429 less than the total posted awards for the winner of this year's Coca-Cola 600."

Competitors participating in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the Sprint Showdown on Saturday night, May 17, will compete for a record $4,308,251 with the All-Star Race winner guaranteed a minimum of $1,012,975. In addition to the posted prize money, $1,780,853 in television awards for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will be distributed through the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Car/Champion Owner Program.

NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers will battle for a record $1,287,710 during the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 on Saturday night, May 24. The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 presented by Circle K NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on Friday night, May 16, adds $560,747 to the total prize money.

Elledge Crew Chief Of Race

In an effort to improve the team’s performance this season, Chip Ganassi, owner of the No. 42 team, assigned Elledge to assume crew chief duties for Montoya beginning in Talladega. After starting 26th and even falling as far back as 32nd, Elledge and his team still managed to finish second, earning Montoya his first top-10 finish in 2008. Elledge and Montoya showed instant chemistry it takes to produce impressive results after only one race together in the Sprint Cup series.

“Montoya impressed me a lot this weekend,” said Elledge. “His awareness on the track is unbelievable and his attention to detail in regards to the car was unreal.† I’m looking forward to building on our relationship as well as the one I’m building with the No. 42 crew.”

The 2008 WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge is a season-long contest that will determine the best crew chiefs in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage. Following each Cup race, a panel will vote to determine which crew chief demonstrated the most outstanding strategy and leadership during the race. It isn’t necessarily the crew chief that goes to Victory Lane, but the crew chief that makes the biggest difference for his team.

Representatives from WYPALL Wipers, together with FOX/SPEED television analyst Jeff Hammond, and three of NASCAR’s top crew chiefs who represent WYPALL, including Todd Berrier of Richard Childress Racing’s No.29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevy team, Bob Osborne of Roush Fenway Racing’s No.99 Office Depot Ford team, and Kenny Francis of Gillett Evernham Motorsports’ No.9 Budweiser Dodge team, make up the panel of judges.

In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly top wins will be honored as the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at the season finale in Homestead, Fla.

“The WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge spotlights the crew chief’s efforts to get his team in Victory Lane,” said Tom Merrill, Category Manager for WYPALL Wipers. “WYPALL Wipers and crew chiefs are a natural fit. Crew chiefs only want to use reliable products on their cars and engines. That’s why they choose WYPALL Wipers. Our products are used to wipe up the toughest, most stubborn messes, and we want to focus on the men who put WYPALL Wipers to use each week. That’s why we continue to show our appreciation to the crew chiefs.”

Dale Jr. Interviews Danica Patrick

Earnhardt's interview with Patrick will air nationwide on the XM Sports Nation channel (XM 144) this Thursday, May 1, at 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT. Encore broadcasts will air Thursday at 10:30 pm ET/7:30 pm PT and Saturday at 1:30 pm ET/10:30 am PT and 6:30 pm/3:30 pm PT.

Patrick made racing history at the Indy Japan 300 on April 20 when she became the first female to win a major closed-course auto race.

"Danica is a talented driver, and she backs up that talent with the kind of commitment and dedication you've got to have to succeed," Earnhardt said. "We've hung out a little, and I'm glad to see her hard work pay off."

NASCAR's Earnhardt and the IndyCar Series' Patrick have more in common than auto racing. They are both members of the XM family: Patrick is a co-host of the XM show "Andretti Green Racing Hour" on Tuesdays at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT on the XM Sports Nation channel. The two drivers also made a memorable joint appearance in Jay-Z's video for "Show Me What You Got."

Earnhardt co-hosts "Dale Jr. Unrestricted" with his friend Josh Snider on XM Radio every Thursday night during NASCAR season.