NASCAR Daily News Headlines * March 19, 2008

Gibbs Racing Fuel Cell Design Flaw?

It wasn't the first time this has happened.

"Anytime we get low on fuel, especially with a banked race track like Bristol, all of our fuel drains in the cell to where we don't get any in the engine," Hamlin said Tuesday. "Once we do take off all we're using is fuel in the lines. There's a bubble in there and the car stalls."

Hamlin said team owner Joe Gibbs met with engineers all day Monday looking for answers. He said officials are also looking into why the gearbox in his car failed the previous week at Atlanta and the one in teammate Kyle Busch's car failed with him in the lead at Bristol.

"He blew the top seal out of his," Hamlin said. "Mine blew the bottom seal. As far as knowing exactly what's causing it, I don't know yet. Between steering boxes and fuel, it's aging me pretty bad."

Hamlin, who made the championship chase the past two seasons, is 15th in points after five races despite having cars capable of winning at Daytona and Bristol. "It's just a sad situation," said Hamlin, who led 98 laps at Bristol.

Sunday was particularly disappointing for the Virginia native. He noted that Dale Earnhardt Jr., who also stayed out instead of pitting on the previous stop and was in a similar fuel situation, had no problems.

"We weren't cutting it close on fuel," Hamlin said. "We weren't even close to cutting it close. … We've just got to change the design, I guess."

Hamlin said there are several ways to design a fuel cell. One is so that it always works well with low fuel; another is where under green-flag conditions a car can "suck out the gas to where there's only one drop left." (espn.go.com)

Lowe's To Honor Jarrett

Those are just two of several events and promotions that officials from UPS and Lowe's Motor Speedway announced Wednesday in preparation for the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion's final career start.

Jarrett unveiled the No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry he will drive in the Sprint All-Star Race which features a special paint scheme that pays tribute to several of the North Carolina native's career accomplishments. The unveiling marked the first time Jarrett viewed the metallic-gold design which unites the past with the present. The car displays design elements from both Jarrett's current No. 44 UPS Camry as well as the No. 88 Quality Care entry that he drove during the 1999 championship season.

But, before Jarrett straps into the No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry for the final time, he'll do something fans have eagerly anticipated, he's going to "race" the truck. After Jarrett is introduced prior to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, he will step into the UPS Race Truck from the UPS ad campaign and take one lucky fan for a ride around the 1.5-mile superspeedway. In honor of Jarrett and in appreciation of the fans who have supported him, Lowe's Motor Speedway officials have created "DJ's Deal," a special Friday-Saturday (May 16-17) All-Star Weekend ticket package for only $44.(Lowe's)

Scott Miller: Crew Chief Of Week

After Burton ran in the top six for most of the day, Miller made the late decision for Burton to come in for a four-tire change after the race’s 9th caution on lap 485. According to Miller, this was an easy call to make. “Our only chance of making anything happen or having at least some potential to win the race was to have four tires and then let the chips fall where they may,” said Miller following the victory. “We weren’t going to win the race had we stayed out there.”

The leaders didn't pit. With five laps left, Burton, with fresh tires, was sixth, then moved to fourth on lap 499 when RCR teammate Kevin Harvick got together with Tony Stewart. Jeff slipped past into second place setting up a green-white-checkered, two-lap dash for glory. When the green flag fell, Burton roared past leader Denny Hamlin, who also had not pitted for tires, and cruised to the win.

At both Bristol races this season, not only does the winning crew chief receive $1,000, but a $1,000 bonus is awarded to the winning pit crew as well. The No. 31 AT&T crew received a $1,000 check during the post-race ceremonies in Victory Lane.

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 who made the biggest difference to 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, make up the panel of judges. The crew chiefs include Todd Berrier of the Richard Childress Racing No.29 Shell Pennzoil Chevy team, Bob Osborne of the Roush Fenway Racing No.99 Office Depot Ford team, and Kenny Francis of the Gillett Evernham Motorsports No.9 Budweiser Dodge team.

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, FL.

“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.”

Wallace Jumps To No. 28 Nationwide Car

“Kenny brings some valuable experience and history of success to the JRR team,” stated owner Jay Robinson. “I am more than confident that he will have the No. 28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy running competitively on a weekly basis.”

“Jay Robinson is a well respected car owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series,” Wallace said. “I am excited about the challenge of taking the No. 28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy to the front and competing in the top 10 every week. I am very grateful for the opportunity to become part of the JRR team and I’m ready to go racing. I feel especially proud that I am part of the U.S. Border Patrol team and I look forward to helping them continue to raise awareness to recruit men and women to protect our borders.”

Allen To Run For Hamilton

"My goals for this year are to run four or five Nationwide races with Willie as our driver," said Hamilton Jr. "I sat down with our crew chief Danny Gill and looked at available drivers and Willie was a great fit for our project. Next year, we hope to run 15-25 Nationwide races and a full Camping World East schedule."

Allen, a Nashville native, will compete in this weekend’s Pepsi 300 at the Nashville Superspeedway. Current plans have Allen driving in the NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Memphis, Nashville, Daytona and Talladega along with the Nashville ARCA and Camping World events.

"It is an honor to drive for Sadler-Hamilton Racing," said Allen. "The team has such a great history in NASCAR. Earl Sadler and Bobby Hamilton Jr. are very passionate about the sport and very competitive. It is going to be a lot of fun driving in my hometown of Nashville. I am very excited and thrilled to have this great opportunity."

Allen has three career NASCAR Nationwide Series starts with a fouth-place qualifying effort in his series debut in 2006.