John Wes Townley Arrested On DUI Charges, Suspended From CWTS Team
John Wes Townley, who is hoping to revive his NASCAR career this year by racing a truck for RAB Racing, was suspended by the team Friday as he faces DUI charges in Georgia. According to a statement on the Oconee County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, the 22-year-old Townley was arrested following a crash that occurred at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. "Obviously, this is an unfortunate situation," team owner Robby Benton said in a statement. "However, we have to react to the severity of the incident accordingly. His actions do not reflect those of RAB Racing, nor the sponsors associated with the team. The Camping World Truck Series opens its season Feb. 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Benton did not name a driver to replace Townley, who appeared bloodied in the mugshot posted by the sheriff's office....MORE...(scenedaily.com)
Parents Of NASCAR Official Killed
Son identified as suspect in North Carolina double homicide…The parents of a NASCAR communications official have been killed in an apparent double homicide at their home in Ellerbe, N.C. Richmond County officials identified the dead as Edwin Arthur Richardson, 69, and his wife, Margaret, 69, of Ellerbe. Officials said the cause of death apparently was gunshots. The deaths were discovered Tuesday morning. The Richardsons were the parents of Kristi Richardson King, who is director of communications for NASCAR’s competition department. She previously worked in public relations positions at Talladega Superspeedway and North Carolina Speedway. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as the couple’s son, 44-year-old Anthony Richardson. (speedtv.com)
54th Daytona 500 Boasts a Record Purse of More Than $19 Million
The 54th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 (FOX, 1 p.m. ET) – NASCAR’s biggest and most prestigious race – will carry a record purse of more than $19 million as well as a new contingency award that will payout $200,000 to the driver leading at the completion of Lap 100. The posted awards for "The Great American Race" are $19,142,601 with the winner collecting a minimum of $1,431,325. The second, third, fourth and fifth-place finishers in the Daytona 500 will receive a minimum of $1,050,075, $759,600, $609,900 and $486,550. The Daytona 500 Mid-Race Leader Award will reward the driver leading at the completion of lap 100 of the historic 200-lap, 500-mile race with a $200,000 bonus. If the race is under caution at Lap 100, the leader of the race at the completion of the fifth consecutive green flag lap following the caution will receive the award. "There is plenty of incentive for drivers to run up front the entire race but even more so at the halfway point and the last lap of the Daytona 500," Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. "This year’s ‘Great American Race’ stands to be one of the most exciting and thrilling ever seen, and will serve as a great kick-off to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season."
NASCAR And Turner Sports Restructure And Extend Digital Partnership Through 2016
NASCAR and Turner Sports announced today a restructuring and extension of their long-standing digital partnership. The new agreement takes the relationship through 2016, with NASCAR managing business and editorial operations for its digital platforms beginning in 2013 and Turner Sports continuing to oversee advertising sales and sponsorships across NASCAR-branded digital platforms. “Turner Sports has been, and will continue to be, a great partner for NASCAR,” said Brian France, chairman and chief executive officer of NASCAR. “Taking a leadership role as it relates to our digital rights is something we as the sanctioning body know is important for the future of our sport, the development of our drivers and most importantly, the experience for both our current fans and future followers.” “Turner Broadcasting and NASCAR have helped make each other successfulfor more than 28 years through a workingrelationship that, over time, has evolved with the media and technology landscape,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “The latest extension of our partnership is a strategically and fiscally enhanced business model for our company and ensures that NASCAR.COM remains a core asset of Turner's leading digital ad sales portfolio. Our unrivaled sports assets and scale offer advertisers the means to deliver the most targeted and relevant marketing messages across multiple digital and mobile platforms and properties.”
Under the new partnership, NASCAR will assume operational control in 2013 of all of its interactive, digital and social media rights including technical operations and infrastructure of all NASCAR digital platforms. Turner will continue to represent sponsorships and advertising for all NASCAR digital platforms, with the unique users from the NASCAR digital properties continuing to roll up to the Turner digital portfolio. NASCAR’s comprehensive digital and social media portfolio includes NASCAR.COM, the official online destination of NASCAR which provides racing enthusiasts with an all-inclusive offering of engaging content including fantasy games, video highlights, social elements and in-depth editorial content. NASCAR.COM, and the sport’s other digital and social media platforms, have been managed by Turner Sports since 2001. “This move is about the media, our sponsors and most importantly, our fans,” said Marc Jenkins, vice president of digital media for NASCAR. “We will build an innovative portfolio of platforms that strives to be as diverse as it is comprehensive. For our fans our digital platform will become the online destination for all things NASCAR. For everyone else, it will be the vehicle we’ll use to turn them into fans.”
