NASCAR Daily News Headlines * November 4, 2008

Ganassi-DEI Hold Merger Talks

Juan Montoya drives the No. 42 car, but Ganassi has not named a driver for the No. 41 car. Martin Truex Jr. is the driver of the No. 1 car, and Aric Almirola drives the No. 8, which has not named a sponsor for next year. One of Montoya's current sponsors, Texaco Havoline, will not return to the car next year, but Ganassi has a partial sponsorship locked in with Wrigley's for the No. 42.

That the two organizations are aligned with different manufacturers is a complication. DEI runs Chevrolets and maintains an engine alliance -- Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies -- with Richard Childress Racing, which also is in the Chevy camp.

Ganassi has a contract with Dodge that runs through 2010. According to the report, the expectation would be for the newly formed team to move to Chevrolet, if details can be worked out with both manufacturers. General Motors, which produces the Chevrolet brand, and Dodge majority owner Cerberus Capital also have explored the possibility of a merger between the automakers. (nascar.com)

Woman Shot At Texas

"She immediately [screamed], 'I've been shot. I've been shot.' She took off running out the door," her son-in-law Bobby Cook told Dallas-Fort Worth television station KTVT.

The 62-year-old woman, whose name was not released by authorities, was taken to a nearby hospital with a "significant wound" and was listed in stable condition, police Lt. Paul Henderson said Monday. The bullet is believed to be a rifle round and appears to have been fired from a long distance because it penetrated the roof at a slight angle, Henderson said.

He said he did not have information on whether investigators had any suspects. Some 40,000 fans in about 10,000 to 10,500 recreational vehicles camped at Texas Motor Speedway for the weekend's races, said TMS spokesman Mike Zizzo, who declined to comment on the shooting. The speedway does not release attendance figures for any races at its nearly 160,000-seat track.(nascar.com)

Ards Say Busch Donation Was Enormous

"He asked me 'What if I go back racing?' " Jo Ard said Monday. "I said 'If you go back racing, I'm going to hand you divorce papers. Nobody is going to let you go racing.' "

Ard's racing days are indeed long over. He's 69 years old and suffering from both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. He's not permitted to drive anywhere anymore, and no one is exactly sure how much Ard understands about the latest push to help his crumbling finances and mounting medical bills.

Kevin Harvick, a champion of Ard's plight, donated a 2007 Chevrolet van last month to Ard's family that solved the transportation woes that plagued the couple since Jo's car died five months ago. Then the NASCAR Foundation and Motor Racing Outreach teamed for an online auction to benefit the Sam Ard Fund.

The largest gesture, though, came Saturday afternoon when Kyle Busch committed $100,000 to Ard moments after winning the Nationwide Series race. The win at Texas Motor Speedway tied Ard's mark of 10 series victories in a season.

"Sam Ard is one of the pioneers of this [series], and to be tied with him at 10 wins is something that's pretty spectacular and really, really special to me," Busch said. "I'm going to try to help him out and see what I can do. It's not much, but it's something that can try to help."

But to the Ard's, the gesture was enormous. Ard didn't have a particularly long NASCAR career, but his three seasons netted him two championships in the second-tier series now sponsored by Nationwide. He never got rich from racing, and collected roughly 25 percent of the $378,765 he made in winnings before suffering severe head trauma in a 1984 accident.

Unable to secure a consistent income after the accident, the Ards blew through their children's college funds to cover everyday expenses. Unlike every other major professional league, NASCAR does not provide a pension to its participants and has not been on the hook for Ard or any other former driver facing financial difficulties.

The NASCAR community has occasionally stepped in to help, and a 2006 plea to their peers by Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. led to a significant donation to Ard's care fund. That gesture and Ard's fight were the centerpiece of a 2007 Associated Press examination of NASCAR's indifference toward financially supporting its veterans.

Jo used the money to pay off the mortgage on their doublewide trailer in Pamplico, S.C., repay debts and collect the two championship rings that Ard was forced to turn over as collateral on a loan. Then Ard was seriously injured in an April 2007, accident on an all-terrain vehicle that gobbled up the last of the money.

When the balance in the fund dipped below $200 earlier this year, Jo Ard had to close the account before Wachovia's $35 monthly maintenance fee gobbled what remained. Social Security, Ard's veterans benefits and the little bit Jo brings home from cleaning houses and taking care of some hunting dogs is the only money currently coming in.

So when Busch pledged his assistance, Jo Ard said the 23-year-old racer had no idea the magnitude of his gesture. She said she'll use a chunk of the money to make their bathroom handicap accessible so Ard can use it alone.

"Kyle doesn't know what he's done. He really, truly does not know what he's done to take the load and the pressure off of me," Jo Ard said by telephone Monday. "We can do the bathroom. I can maybe get someone to come to the house and help me if I need them, because we're here day in and day out because Sammy can't be left alone. He falls. He can't drive. He'll tell you he feels fine, but every day is different." (nascar.com)

Osborne Crew Chief Of Race

Osborne gambled Sunday that his driver - Carl Edwards in the No. 99 Office Depot Ford - could run the final 69 laps (103.5 miles) on a tank of fuel. Osborne hit the jackpot as Edwards pulled off the win and gained 77 points on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Jimmie Johnson.

So Osborne, along with Chad Knaus, crew chief for the No. 48 team and driver Jimmie Johnson, and Steve Addington, Crew Chief for the No. 18 team and driver Kyle Busch, are tied with four "Crew Chief of the Race" NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins with just one race to go (winner decided annually after Phoenix race).

As with each week, our Crew Chief panel of Todd Berrier of the Richard Childress Racing No. 29 Shell Pennzoil Chevy team, 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 along with FOX/Speed Analyst Jeff Hammond, will vote on the winner. For this weekend's race in Phoenix, WYPALL Wipers representatives have confirmed that the voting will only be between the three tied at the top so this truly is a Winner-take-all situation for the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year.

Once the dust has settled at Phoenix and the votes are in, WYPALL Wipers will hold a press conference in Miami announcing this year's winner and will be presenting him with a check for $20,000. The event will be held on Friday night, November 14 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 2008 WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge has been a season-long contest that has strived each week to determine the best crew chiefs in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage. Following each Cup race, a panel (mentioned above) has voted 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 made the biggest difference to his team.

"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."

About WYPALL* Wipers
WYPALL is a brand of Kimberly-Clark Professional. Since 2004, WYPALL Wipers has been affiliated with some of racing's top teams. Offering heavy-duty to versatile light-duty towels, WYPALL Wipers provides race teams with a number of products providing strength and durability. Defeating the toughest of challenges, from absorbing tough grease and oil to wiping down windshields without leaving residue behind, WYPALL Wipers continue to offer performance and versatility.

The WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief Challenge will continue throughout the remainder of the 2008 season and spotlight the men behind the machines. For more information, log onto (www.wypall.com).