NASCAR Daily News Headlines * November 22, 2008

Evernham Leaving NASCAR - Will Buy Race Track

Evernham said he has already sold off most of his interest in the Gillett-Evernham Motorsports race team and is ending his career with NASCAR.

“I want to get back into grassroots racing,” he told the gathering of area community leaders and business people.

Contacted by the Times-News Friday morning, current track owner Ralph Nantz said he couldn’t “talk much about it right now,” but confirmed that “serious” negotiations with Evernham were under way. “You might say he is showing some interest,” Nantz said.

He said he visited the East Lincoln Speedway and was impressed with the atmosphere at the track, located on Mariposa Road in southeastern Lincoln County, near Lowesville. He watched as kids drove and families gathered in the stands. “It’s a nice Saturday night place,” Evernham said. “That’s my plan: to keep it a nice Saturday night place.”

A native of New Jersey, the veteran motorsports competitor said he’s been alarmed by what’s happened to small tracks in his home state and elsewhere. “Racetracks across America are disappearing quickly,” he said, describing calls from old friends in New Jersey who said the state was down to only two remaining tracks.

Only about 14 short tracks remain in North Carolina, with only a few hundred nationwide out of what was once a much larger number. Evernham said he and partner Mack are “going to have a little fun.”

They are optimistic about the role smaller tracks play. They hope that perhaps one of the next big racing stars can get a start at the track they are buying. While the pair could not go into detail about the still-uncompleted deal, or about their plans for the venue, Evernham hoped making the announcement would “dispel rumors” about what his future plans might be. As for the track, he said, “First thing, we’re going to do there is see what everybody needs.”...MORE AT...(lincolntimesnews.com)

Johnny Campbell Racing Drivers Win BAJA 1000 - 9:00 PM Friday

With the top 4-wheel vehicles expected to finish very late Friday night, and as racing continues through Saturday evening, Bell/Norman/Campbell rode hard and fast over a tight, technical, body-bruising 631.35-mile course to give American Honda a record 19th overall win in the granddaddy of all desert races. The trio tapped the rugged desert course, completing their victory march in 12 hours, 29 minutes and 10 seconds, averaging 50.56 miles per hour.

With Bell riding the start, Norman the second section, Bell back again for the third and Campbell the final sprint to the finish line, easily outdistancing the second of three JCR teams in the race--Caleb Gosselaar, Juniper Hills, Calif./Timmy Weigand, Santa Clarita, Calif./Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif../Tim Morton, Escondido, Calif., who finished in 12:55:35 on their Honda CRF450X, 26 minutes and 25 seconds behind their championship teammates.

While Bell, Sun City, Calif., won his second overall title in the SCORE Baja 1000 and Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif., his third, Campbell, San Clemente, Calif. added to his SCORE Baja Racing legacy by winning a race-record 11th overall motorcycle title. With the win, he broke the 10-10 tie he had with Larry Roeseler, Irvine, Calif., who currently is leading the SCORE Trophy-Truck and overall 4-Wheel vehicles race after the first 491.03 miles.

Roeseler, who is going for his race-record 13th overall race win in this event (he has also won two 4-wheel titles), is sharing the driving duties in the No. 8 Ford F-150 with team owner Roger Norman, of Reno, Nev. Three-quarters of the way through the race they are leading Las Vegas’ B.J. Baldwin, who is driving solo in the No. 97 Chevy Silverado, by just 4 minutes, 30 seconds.

Larry Roeseler Leading - Robby Gordon Flips His Truck -5;30 PM Friday

Roeseler, the 51-year-old veteran from Irvine, Calif., has captured the famed SCORE Baja 1000 twelve times overall – ten in motorcycles and two in cars – and drove the Norman Motorsports Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck to the overall lead at mile 217 over early leader Brian Collins of Las Vegas in the 631.35-mile contest.

Roeseler, who splits driving time with team owner Roger Norman, charged through the rough northern Baja California terrain after his truck broke a power steering belt in the first 100 miles. Roeseler has captured the last four Class 1 title in the SCORE Baja 1000 in addition to his overall Baja titles.

NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner/driver and three-time SCORE Baja 1000 winner Robby Gordon had a tough start to his 2008 SCORE Baja 1000 run when his Chevy Silverado flipped at mile eight, just outside Ensenada. Gordon’s crew was able to repair the truck, but the Charlotte, N.C. driver was well off Roeseler’s leading pace.

In the motorcycle divisions, the Honda 1x team of Robby Bell, Kendall Norman and 10-time SCORE Baja 1000 champion Johnny Campbell held the overall lead at race-mile 400. Campbell, the 37-year-old from San Clemente, Calif., is attempting to become the winningest SCORE Baja 1000 motorcycle racer, as he and Roeseler are tied with ten overall wins on two-wheel machines.

Trailing Roeseler in the SCORE Trophy-Truck category at race-mile 279.1 was five-time SCORE Baja 1000 overall race winner Larry Ragland of Cave Creek, Ariz., in a Toyota Tundra. Ragland, 65, is teaming with his son, Chad, in his quest for another Baja title.

Third overall was B.J. Baldwin of Las Vegas, who is driving the event solo in his Chevy Silverado.

With 347 starters competing to compete in 28 Pro and 7 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, the granddaddy of all desert races, the event is the finale of the five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series. The starting field, coming from 39 U.S. States and 24 countries, was a record for a “loop” race in the SCORE Baja 1000, bettering the 1977 mark of 346.

With the overall motorcycle winner expected during mid-evening on Friday and the fastest four-wheel vehicle in the elapsed-time race expected about midnight, the course will remain open until 7:21 p.m. on Saturday. The finish line is located on Boulevard Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada.

Since 1967, the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 has been run over the mysterious Baja California peninsula. Because of the economics and logistics involved, some years it is a peninsula run while most years it is a loop race, starting and finishing in Ensenada.

Nemechek Loses Ride

“Just like the reduced schedule announcement, this buyout of Joe’s contract has nothing to do with his on-track performance,” said team President Joe Garone. “But our contract with Joe for 2009 was for a full schedule, and we’re not able to fulfill that part of the deal. Joe has been a great leader, mentor and driver for Furniture Row Racing. This move is doing what is best for both Joe and our team." (scenedaily.com)

Ambrose Featured On 60 Minutes

The crew began their experience at Ambrose’s home in Charlotte, North Carolina last week where they spent some time with his wife Sonja and two young daughters, Tabitha and Adelaide. Ambrose then treated them to an afternoon of gold panning at the site of North America’s first gold discovery at Reed Mine just outside of Charlotte – gold prospecting is one of Ambrose’s sources of relaxation in his otherwise hectic life.

The crew also watched on as Ambrose took care of some corporate commitments with a photo shoot with team sponsor Bush’s Beans and then gave the group a tour of the impressive Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) facility at Mooresville, NC. Ambrose will race an MWR-prepared car in next year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the JTG Daugherty Racing.

“60 Minutes is such an iconic program in Australia and I have been a fan for many years so to have Peter Overton here with his crew was a little surreal,” said Ambrose. “The weekend was not a fantastic one from a results perspective, but NASCAR worked with us to give them the best experience possible so they could really see what this great sport is all about. I think we have converted them and hopefully the story next year will help convert plenty more.”

Overton, who is regarded as one of Australia’s most experienced journalists, came away from his first NASCAR race impressed with the whole show.

“Marcos is a very impressive bloke, right up there with Greg Norman in regards to Australian sports people I have had the pleasure of interviewing,” said Overton. “In a short space of time he is not only cutting it, but performing in one of the toughest arenas in world sport. NASCAR? Well, only in America is all I can say. It is huge.”

Ambrose returned home to Australia this week for a well-earned break with family and friends. His 2009 racing commitments will begin with the Daytona 500 in Florida on February 15, kicking off the 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

ISC Promotes Tracie Winters