NASCAR Daily News Headlines * November 28, 2008

Edwin 'Banjo' Matthews To NC Hall of Fame

"Banjo could get that thing fixed in a matter of hours," atoned Allison, on the stage as the official presenter of Matthews as the latest recipient of the Snap-On Tools Golden Wrench Award during the course of earlier this fall's 12th annual N.C. Auto Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. "He was a mastermind at what he did."

Matthews is considered by those in the know as one of the founding fathers -- particularly what took place in the garage area behind the scenes – of the modern stock car racing scene. His contributions first as a driver and then most notably as a car builder/owner remain unparalleled. The impact he made on the sport is still in place today.

Born in Ohio, Matthews first attempted to make it as a driver. He had some success, making his debut at the age of 15. He went on to claim hundreds of wins at lower divisions before making the move to the big time in the Grand National/Winston Cup – now Sprint – level. Though never managing a win, he was able to collect nearly $30,000 in career winnings.

Matthews, who relocated to the Asheville area, became a full-time car owner in 1963. As such, his cars picked up nine wins and garnered 14 pole positions in a total of 160 starts, resulting in some $317,000 in earnings.

In addition to Allison, among other drivers steering Matthews's cars to wins included Fireball Roberts and A.J. Foyt. Matthews passed away in early October of 1996 due to heart and respiratory disease at the age of 64. He had been in declining health for nearly a decade and was seriously ill the last two years of his life....To Read More...(Mooresville Tribune)

NASCAR Sues Plane Maker

The plane that slammed into two houses in Sanford in July 2007 was "unreasonably dangerous and defective," and Cessna's instructions, warnings, inspections and repairs for the aircraft were inadequate, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in circuit court.

"The incident was entirely due to the negligence or fault of (Cessna), and not the negligence or fault of (Competitor Liaison Bureau, Inc.) or NASCAR," the lawsuit states.

Cessna attorneys could not be reached for comment, and a spokesman for the Kansas-based company said he couldn't discuss pending litigation. The spokesman did say he's not sure if anyone else has sued Cessna over the July 2007 crash.

The amount of money sought in the lawsuit is not specified, but NASCAR has already paid at least $1 million to the family of one of the two men killed in the plane, 56-year-old Michael Klemm, a NASCAR pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet released its final report on the cause of the crash. But NASCAR already believes the accident was caused by an electrical fault in the aircraft wiring installed in the aircraft by the manufacturer in 1977.

The lawsuit is seeking reimbursement for the money the racing giant's insurance company already paid to the families of the people killed on the ground: a woman and an infant in one home, and a 4-year-old girl in the house next door. Three people on the ground were burned, two badly, but survived.

Since 1983, 461 accidents have involved a Cessna 310 model, according to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation accident database. Of those accidents, 137 involved at least one fatality. Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver has said in the past that Cessna 310s have "millions of flights hours and an excellent safety record."(News Journal Online)

Lowe's Souvenir Sale Extended

But with NASCAR fans spending less on T-shirts, die-cast cars and other items in recent months – the result of high gas prices and the credit crunch – the speedway and race teams closed the season with more merchandise than usual on shelves. That was one factor in expanding the sale, now in its 16th year, to three days.

“It's no secret that we have product we want to move,” said Don Hawk, vice president of business affairs for Speedway Motorsports, the parent company of Lowe's Motor Speedway.

But, Hawk added, the annual sale also was ripe for a marketing boost – the speedway bought radio, print and Internet ads this year. And stretching the event through Sunday gives people who work Friday a chance to find bargains on NASCAR merchandise, with hats and T-shirts starting at $2.

“A lot of them are shopping for Christmas,” he said. “We decided to muscle up what we were doing already.”(charlotteobserver.com)

Nationwide Banquet Airs Sunday