Johnson Wins At Richmond
Jimmie Johnson quietly worked his way back to the front of the field after starting on the pole and then slipping back to sixth on the first lap when the front splitter of the new car, was dragging on the surface of the track. It was lifting the front of the car off the ground and nearly caused Johnson to wreck. Johnson held on and he eventually led four times for 104 laps. The victory in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night was the sixth of the 2007 season for Johnson and the 29th win in 209 career races. “At the end of the night we made enough changes to get the car right and it was awesome at the end,” said Johnson. “We’re off to a good start.”

Tony Stewart fought his way to second place and David Ragan drove a great race, finishing third. Jeff Gordon, who led the most laps (190) brought his Chevrolet home in fourth place followed by Johnny Sauter, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch and J.J. Yeley to round out the top ten. Kurt Busch and Harvick both did what they needed to do to get into the Chase, both avoided disaster, several times in the many wrecks of the night.

Heartbreak for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was running in the top five for most of the evening, and had some great on track battles with Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, blew and engine with six laps to go. Earnhardt finished in the 30th spot and the result was that he will miss the Chase for the Championship for the second time. Last year it was Tony Stewart who was eliminated from the Chase in the 26th race. “After missing the Chase last year obviously we’re excited to be back in it," said Stewart. "We never in our wildest dreams thought we’d miss it last year, but it just shows you have to be on top of your game.”

The Nextel Cup Series moves to New Hampshire International Speedway next Sunday (tomorrow) for the Sylvania 300 -- the first race in the Chase for the Championship. All top-twelve drivers will start next week with 5000 points plus 10 for each victory during the first 26 races. Johnson will have the advantage with his six wins, his point total will be a series leading 5060 points with Jeff Gordon in second (four wins) 5040 points.
To read the full article...     (Insider Racing News)
For full final race results...     (Insider Racing News)
For top-40 Nextel Cup drivers points...     (Insider Racing News)

Kyle Busch Wins Easy One At Richmond
Right from the beginning of the Emerson Radio 250 Busch Series race at Richmond International Raceway it was apparent that the rest of the field would be running for second place. Starting from the pole in Friday night's event, Busch could seemingly pull away at will, was challenged only one time -- by Matt Kenseth, but as hard as Kenseth was pushing his Ford, it was understandable to see him spin on lap 143 in an attempt avoid a spinning Paul Menard.

On pit road during the caution, Kenseth fell to sixth during the yellow-flag stops. The loss of track position effectively ended Kenseth's chance to win the race. "Kenseth had the car to beat today, and I knew that," Busch said. "But our car was right there with him. He got the lead from us a couple of times. Then he spun himself out over there with the lapped car." -- Kenseth said the spin was unavoidable. -- "The 15 was so close to me I couldn't stop," Kenseth said, "so I had to turn the wheel a little bit, and my car was so loose it just spun out."

The race ended under green-white-checkers and Busch had no problems there either, holding the field abay for the two laps. The victory was the ninth for Busch in the series in 104 career races. Busch was so dominate that he led 227 of the 252 laps in taking his second win of the year.

"We wouldn't want it any other way," said Busch, who finished second to Jeff Burton last weekend at California Speedway after surrendering the lead with seven laps remaining. "We had two great chances at Bristol (where he finished fourth) and California and didn't get it done. This is halfway payback, because we want the Cup Series (win on Saturday), too."

Points leader Carl Edwards had nothing for Busch and finished second over Ryan Newman and Kenseth. A strong run for Mike Bliss put him in the fifth spot followed by Brian Vickers, Denny Hamlin, Scott Wimmer, Kasey Kahne and Jason Keller to round out the top ten. Edwards lengthened his lead in the standings to 733 over Kevin Harvick and David Reutimann, who are both tied for second place. The Busch Series is off for the next two weeks and will return to action on September 22nd -- at Dover International Speedway.

Robert Yates Retires
Robert Yates announced earlier today his intention to retire as President of Robert Yates Racing following the last race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. Certain facets of Robert Yates Racing are being transferred to a new company presided over by Doug Yates. The new entity will be called Yates Racing. Robert Yates Racing will continue with its joint ownership of Roush Yates Racing Engines as well as other ventures.

“As many of you know I announced at the Brickyard, earlier this year, my decision to enter into a partnership with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing”, said Robert Yates. “The goal of this partnership was to build a team to contend for the championship. The more I thought about it the more I realized instead this was the perfect opportunity for me to pass the torch to the next generation. I don’t know how to express my gratitude to the Newman/Haas/Lanigan group for their support and belief we could get to the top. I’m closing this chapter of my life, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for me next. Carolyn and I look forward to watching Doug build Yates Racing into a championship caliber team”.

Since Robert Yates Racing was formed, the now two-car Cup team has posted 57 victories and 48 poles in addition to winning the 1999 NASCAR championship with Dale Jarrett. Current Nextel Cup drivers Ricky Rudd and David Gilliland pilot the No. 88 and No. 38 Ford Fusion’s, respectively.  On February 11, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway, both of Robert Yates cars qualified on the front row for the Daytona 500. David Gilliland qualified on the pole with Ricky Rudd was alongside in second. Robert Yates Racing also fields the No. 90 Ford Fusion driven by Stephen Leicht in the NASCAR Busch Series.  Drivers such as Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd, Kenny Irwin, and Elliott Sadler have driven for RYR.

Doug Yates Takes Over
Doug Yates announced today he will field two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) teams in 2008 with drivers David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil. These teams will be operated under a company called “Yates Racing” which has agreed to acquire operating assets from Robert Yates Racing, including the transfer of car numbers and owner points. The transaction will be effective December 1, 2007.

“With this announcement it’s clear that the letter of intent with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will not proceed. We’re thankful for their support and would welcome the opportunity to work with them in the future,” said Yates Racing CEO Doug Yates. “I am very excited to carry the Yates Racing heritage into the future. I believe I have the experience and understanding of the competition and business requirements that are necessary to be an effective team owner.

“My first order of business is to revamp our infrastructure into one that can field race teams that can compete successfully with the pre-eminent teams in the sport. I personally think the best business and competitive model in the sport to emulate for long-term success is that of Jack Roush and Roush Fenway Racing,” continued Doug Yates. “I have gotten to know Jack and his organization very well through our joint engine company and before I undertook this commitment I asked Jack for advice.

“I am pleased to announce that Yates Racing will have full support from Roush Fenway Racing, including hardware, engineering, marketing and operational practices,” added Doug Yates. “By the 2008 Daytona 500, Yates Racing wants to be in an elevated position where we are competing successfully against any race team in the sport. With David, Travis and Roush Fenway Racing, we will continue to work on finding the right sponsor partners to join our programs.”

Neither Jack Roush, Roush Fenway Racing, John Henry or Fenway Sports Group will have any ownership interest in Yates Racing.

NASCAR - AT&T Settle Lawsuit
AT&T, wanting to use the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car to promote the transition of the Cingular to the AT&T brand, has settled its lawsuit with NASCAR and Sprint over the logos on the Jeff Burton entry. AT&T will be allowed to sponsor the NASCAR Nextel Cup car through 2008 but must come off after next season, said David Garver, AT&T executive director of business development and wireless sponsorship. As part of the agreement, NASCAR agreed to drop the $100 million countersuit against AT&T.

AT&T wanted to replace the Cingular logos after the two companies were involved in a merger in December 2006 and the Cingular brand was being phased out. With NASCAR approval, the AT&T logos were being put on the Burton car on Friday afternoon at Richmond International Raceway. NASCAR had denied the use of the AT&T logo, saying it violated the NASCAR contract with Nextel (now Sprint Nextel) that granted Nextel exclusivity beginning in 2004 with sponsorship of the Cup Series.

AT&T sued NASCAR in March and won an injunction in U.S. District Court to get the logos on the car May 18. The injunction was overturned by an appeals court Aug. 13. There was another injunction hearing scheduled for Sept. 18, but that is no longer necessary. Team owner Richard Childress expressed relief that the settlement had been reached.

"We're very pleased to have the AT&T logos back on the No. 31 Chevrolet and to have AT&T continue as a primary sponsor for Jeff Burton and Richard Childress Racing," he said in a statement.(scenedaily.com)

Chevy Takes Manufacturer's Title
Jimmie Johnson's victory of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway clinched the 2007 Manufacturers' Championship for Chevrolet in NASCAR's premier division. With ten races left in the season, Chevrolet has collected its 31st Manufacturers' crown since 1952.

A total of nine different drivers have contributed to the 19 victories in 26 races thus far this season that brought Chevrolet this award. Chevy drivers who posted wins during the season included Jimmie Johnson (6), Jeff Gordon (4), Tony Stewart (3), Kevin Harvick (1), Denny Hamlin (1), Kyle Busch (1), Jeff Burton (1), Casey Mears (1), and Martin Truex, Jr. (1)

This marks Team Chevy's fourth consecutive Manufacturers' title under the Nextel reign. The 2007 Manufacturers' Championship continues Chevrolet's dominance of North America's most popular racing series.

"This has been a dream season for Chevrolet," said Ed Peper, General Manager for Chrevrolet."We have won 19 Cup races so far this year. We have nine of the 12 drivers in the running for the NASCAR Nextel Cup title. And tonight we also want to congratulate Hendrick Motorsports and Jimmie Johnson for winning the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Our success in NASCAR is a result of many hours of hard work and dedication from all the men and women on our Chevy race teams. We know that a strong performance in racing helps to generate the same strong performance in the marketplace, and we're pleased with everyone's efforts to keep the Chevy bowtie out front on and off the track."

ESPN On ABC Ratings Up
The first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race televised on ABC since July 2000 delivered an increase in ratings and viewership for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. The telecast by ESPN on ABC delivered a 4.2 fast national rating with more than 4,731,000 households and more than 6,750,000 viewers.

The households represent a 33 percent increase (up from 3,568,000) and the viewership increased 28 percent (up from 5,288,000) from last year’s Richmond telecast. ABC won Saturday night in all key adult demographics, and the race delivered ABC its largest Saturday night audience since April, as well as its strongest Adult 18-49 Saturday night audience since December.

ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of all 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, beginning with Sunday’s race at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H. The telecast begins at 1 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

Jeff Gordon Will Start No. 500
Jeff Gordon will become the youngest active driver to reach 500 career starts this weekend when he takes the green flag in the SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. This career milestone will be downplayed, however, because this weekend's event also marks the first race in the 'Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup.'

Gordon would be first in the point standings, ahead by 312 markers, if the "old" points system were still in effect. Instead, Gordon is ranked second, behind teammate Jimmie Johnson by 20 points under this season's point system. This year, following last weekend's event at Richmond, the top 12 drivers in the standings had their points reset to 5000 and received 10 additional bonus points for each win they earned in the first 26 events of the season.

More Apologies From ESPN
ESPN executives say that they listen to fans and that the network tries to capture all restarts on the track. Sometimes, though, the unpredictable nature of the race makes that difficult. Unlike some sports, where television timeouts slow the action and leave clean breaks for commercials, racing is one that leaves producers trying to do quick math in an effort to figure out when to squeeze in a commercial without missing any key action on the track.

ESPN's Rich Feinberg, vice president, Motorsports production, says that the network works to make sure that fans see the restarts live, but points out the difference in NASCAR and other sports.

"Stopping a race car in the middle of the race is a tough deal and even extending caution laps when we're in a commercial, because we try to do our breaks after pits stops around yellow flags, could ultimately affect the game or affect the race because so many fuel-mile stories are involved at any given time," he said during a national teleconference Tuesday. "We sit in that truck and we have to make an instant decision on when to go to commercial. We have to get our commercials in because it is a business. We want to make sure that we're in good shape for the last part of the race, and when we actually make the decision to go to commercial, there are many times when we don't know how many pace laps are left until they go green again."

Feinberg says estimates are done based on the timing of pace laps and length of commercials.

"Most of the time we get it right. Sometimes we don't, but we're gambling a lot based upon experience on how we actually do it," he said.(scenedaily.com)

Letterman's Top 12 List
For the first time in the history of the Late Show with David Letterman broadcasts, tonight’s Late Show Top Ten was instead a Top Twelve, presented by the 12 NASCAR drivers in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. The following list aired on Wednesday, Sept. 12 broadcast of the Late Show with David Letterman, seen weeknights (11:35 PM‑12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.]

"Top Twelve Reasons I Love Racing"

12.    Clint Bowyer: “We’ve got special mirrors that show objects the size that they actually are.
11.    Kevin Harvick: “Sometimes back in the garages there’s horseplay with the airhose.”
10.    Jeff Burton: “Between the G-forces and the fumes, I’m loopy most of the season.”
9.    Kyle Busch: “Switch the ‘R’ and the ‘C’ in ‘Racing’ and you get ‘Caring.’”
8.    Matt Kenseth: “Can hold 8 gigs of music on my new iHelmet.”
7.    Martin Turex, Jr.: “In a pinch, checkered flags make a lovely tablecloth.”
6.    Denny Hamlin: “Two more wins and I get to marry Ashley Judd.”
5.    Kurt Busch: “You can talk to your car and pretend you’re David Hasselhoff.”
4.    Carl Edwards: “How many people can say their “office” goes 200 miles per hour.”
3.    Tony Stewart: “Driving fast and starting fights.”
2.    Jeff Gordon: “It’s not one of those sports you have to inject stuff in your a-- to be good.”
1.    Jimmie Johnson: “Unlike most guys, I like it when my wife says, ‘You’re too fast.’”

Smokey Yunick Award To Penske
Roger Penske, whose race teams have captured 20 national championships while setting the industry standard for professionalism, will receive the Smokey Yunick Award Saturday night, Oct. 13, during pre-race ceremonies for the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Instituted in 1997 by legendary car owner and mechanic Smokey Yunick who passed away May 11, 2001, the award annually recognizes an individual whose lifelong efforts have had a major impact on the motorsports industry.

Penske was one of America's most successful young road racers before electing to retire from driving in 1965 to focus on his first business-a Chevrolet dealership in Philadelphia. However, racing remained a key element in Penske's overall business plan. After fielding sedans and sports cars, Penske Racing and driver Mark Donohue made their Indy Car debut in 1968. The following year, the team appeared in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time with Donohue finishing seventh and earning the Rookie-of-the-Year title.

Since then, Penske Racing has become synonymous with Indy Car racing, claiming 134 victories, 170 poles and 12 national championships. Penske Racing, however, is probably best known for its 14 Indianapolis 500 victories.

In 1972, Penske ventured into NASCAR racing with Donohue wheeling an AMC Matador in the road course event at Riverside International Raceway. Penske Racing stock cars appeared in 95 NASCAR events between 1972 and 1980 with Donohue earning the team's first victory in 1973 and Bobby Allison winning four more times in 1974 and '75.

Penske took a hiatus from NASCAR racing in 1980, but returned in 1991 with a full-time effort for Rusty Wallace. The team enjoyed immediate success and has grown into one of the sport's premier multi-car operations. Penske's résumé now includes 60 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victories, including two this season, and Kurt Busch is among the 12 drivers challenging for the NEXTEL Cup.

In addition to his racing success, Penske is recognized as one of the nation's premier business leaders. He is the founder and chairman of Penske Corp., a diversified transportation services company whose subsidiaries operate in a variety of segments, including retail automotive, truck leasing, transportation logistics, transportation component manufacturing and high-performance racing. Penske Corp. manages businesses with revenues in excess of $17 billion, operates in more than 1,700 locations and employees 38,000 people worldwide.

Penske was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1998 and became a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1995. He was also inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002. Previous winners of the Smokey Yunick Award include Junior Johnson, Ken Squier, Bill Simpson, Ralph Moody, Banjo Matthews, Bud Moore, Cotton Owens, Junie Donlavey, Jim Hunter and Glen and Leonard Wood.

Kenny Wallace Earns Another Week In No. 88 Car
Kenny Wallace will pilot the Snickers Ford for the second week in a row while Ricky Rudd, who normally drives the #88, will not race this weekend as a result of a separated left shoulder injury he sustained at California Speedway. Wallace also went to Talladega Superspeedway this week to test the #88 Snickers Ford for a two day test session with the new Car of Tomorrow chassis which will make its superspeedway debut in October.

Boris Said Gets NHIS Ride
Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced today that Boris Said will be behind the wheel of a fourth Nextel Cup entry this weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway. Said will be running the No. 98 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Avenger in what would be his first Nextel Cup start on an intermediate track since 2005.

Gillett Evernham Motorsports has built a successful relationship with Said in the Busch Series over the past two seasons resulting in a pole, a second-place finish, two top fives and 31 laps led in nine starts. The No. 10 Avenger of Scott Riggs will be running its Stanley Tools primary paint scheme at New Hampshire as Gillett Evernham Motorsports’ three fulltime teams including, Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne, will remain unchanged.

“Fielding the No. 98 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Avenger at New Hampshire this weekend is the start of some additional research and development Gillett Evernham Motorsports will be doing with the COT heading into the 2008 season,” said Ray Evernham. “This is also an excellent opportunity to get Boris (Said) some seat time at a Nextel Cup race considering all he has done for our Busch and road course programs over the last two seasons.”

Marlin-Nemechek Sue Ginn Racing and DEI
Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek have sued Ginn Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. for alleged breaches of their contracts, which included a base salary of $1.2 million apiece. The separate suits, filed Sept. 7 in Cabarrus County, N.C., do not specify how much they have been paid or what they exactly are owed. Also suing Ginn and DEI are crew chiefs Richard "Slugger" Labbe and Peter Sospenzo.

Ginn and DEI merged prior to the Indianapolis race in July, and Marlin and Nemechek found themselves without a place in the organization. The points of the No. 14 of Marlin ended up moving to the No. 15 of DEI with Paul Menard as the driver, while the No. 13 Nemechek team was eliminated.

"Demand for payment has been made ..., but [Ginn and DEI] have failed and/or refused to pay all or any part," the complaints state. J. Merritt White, an attorney representing the former Ginn employees, and a DEI publicist did not return a phone message left Sept. 10 for comment. The contracts of both drivers and both crew chiefs were filed as part of the complaints and give an insight to what the current rate is for drivers.

Both drivers joined the organization when it was MB2 Motorsports. Marlin began in 2006 with a base salary of $1.1 million, and that increased to $1.2 million for 2007. Nemechek started with MB2 in 2004 and received $900,000 for 2004, $1 million for 2005, $1.1 million for 2006 and $1.2 million for 2007.

Both drivers got to keep 45 percent of their race winnings (Nemechek, who was 27th in points in 2006, had $4,099,914 million total in race winnings last year, while Marlin, 34th in points, had $3,248,034 million) and 33 percent of souvenir sales. Their bonus schedules were $50,000 per win, $25,000 for a top-five, $10,000 for a top-10 and $5,000 per pole. Winning a Cup title was worth a $500,000 bonus, while second through fifth in the final standings were worth $250,000; sixth through 10th were $150,000; 11th through 15th were $100,000 and 16th through 20th were $50,000.

Each received a $500 per race travel allowance, a seat on the team plane and a hotel room for each race. They also got a personal car. They agreed to 50 hours of personal appearances for a sponsor plus two days for commercials or media events as well as unlimited track hospitality visits not to exceed 30 minutes in length.