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IRN NASCAR Infineon Sunday Notebook

Compiled By Connie Felix

June 23, 2003

Ryan Newman Has Injuries

Ryan Newman, a week after his fiery accident at Michigan International Speedway is showing signs of several severe burns on the right side and front of his neck plus some minor color under the right eye.


Who’s Hot / Who’s Not - Infineon Raceway

Hot

• Matt Kenseth has scored 13 top-10 finishes in 2003, more than any other driver.

• Bobby Labonte has finished second or third in six of the last seven races.

• Tony Stewart has scored three straight top-10 finishes.

• Terry Labonte has scored three straight top-10 finishes.

Not

• Dale Jarrett, Jimmy Spencer, Derrike Cope, Ryan Newman and Ken Schrader lead all drivers, each with five DNF's in 2003.

• Ricky Rudd has scored only one top-10 finish in 2003.

• Johnny Benson has scored only one top-10 finish in 2003.

• Jeff Green and Steve Park have each scored only one top-10 finish in 2003.


Richard Karn At Infineon Raceway

Richard Karn the current host of "Family Feud" was floating around Infineon Raceway on Sunday.. He became famous playing Al Borland on the television program "Home Improvement".


Robby Gordon Does Double Duty

The last possible moment on Saturday, Rick Ruzbarsky, driver of the No. 51 Borg Redwood Fences Pontiac was removed from his Featherlite Southwest Series ride and replaced by Winston Cup driver Robby Gordon.

Gordon started at the back of the field due to the driver change but by lap two had passed thirteen cars. However, the luck did not continue Robby Gordon had a broken suspension on lap 27 and finished in 40th position.


NASCAR Winston Cup Top 10 – Infineon Raceway

First Matt Kenseth finished fourth in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained first in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings for the 12th straight week. His 185-point lead is the largest of the 2003 season. He is the only driver to score 13 top-10 finishes in the first 15 races in 2003. He was ranked fifth in the NASCAR Top-10 after 15 races one year ago. Kenseth has competed in just three races at Infineon Raceway and has yet to score a top-20 finish. Kenseth’s best finish on the California road course, 21st, came there in 2001. He finished 39th there one year ago, his worst Infineon Raceway finish. Kenseth has competed in six career road-course races scoring one top-10 finish at Watkins Glen- 10th in August 2000.

Second Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished seventh in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained second in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings, the highest points position of his NASCAR Winston Cup career. Earnhardt Jr., climbed from 38th after Rockingham to second following Talladega and has remained there for the last eight races. He now trails first-place Matt Kenseth by 185 points. One year ago he ranked 15th in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. He has scored 10 top-10 finishes this season, second only to Matt Kenseth with 13. Earnhardt Jr. still seeks his first top-15 finish at Infineon Raceway. His best finish at the California road course, 19th, occurred there in June 2001. He finished 30th there one year ago. Earnhardt Jr’s. best road-course finish, 12th, occurred at Watkins Glen in August 2001.

Third Jeff Gordon finished third in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained third in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings, his highest point position this season. He trails first-place Matt Kenseth by 223 points and is just 38 points behind second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gordon was ranked third in the NASCAR Top 10 after 15 races one year ago. Gordon has competed in 10 races at Infineon Raceway scoring three straight victories between 1998-2000 and seven top-10 finishes. Gordon finished 37th in this race one year ago, tying his worst Infineon Raceway finish set there in 1994. Gordon has competed in 20 career road-course races, scoring a record seven career road-course victories.

Fourth Bobby Labonte finished second in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway. He has scored six top-three finishes in the last seven races. He remained fourth in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings and is now 54 points behind third-place Jeff Gordon He has scored nine top-five finishes in 15 races this season, two more than any other driver. He only score five top-five finishes in the 36 races in 2002. He was ranked 20th in the point standings after 15 races one year ago. Labonte has competed in 10 races at Infineon Raceway scoring four top-10 finishes. His best finish at Infineon Raceway, fourth, occurred there in 1998. He finished 13th in this race one year ago. Labonte has competed in 20 career road-course races, scoring 10 top-10 finishes.

Fifth Kurt Busch finished first in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained fifth in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. He trails his first-place Matt Kenseth by 342 points and fourth-place Bobby Labonte by 65. Busch has scored eight top-10 finishes in 2003. His three victories this season (Bristol, California and Michigan) are the most among drivers. He was ranked ninth in the point standings after 15 races one year ago. He has competed in two races at Infineon Raceway scoring just one top-10 finish there. He finished fourth in this race one year ago, his best career road-course finish.

Sixth Michael Waltrip finished fifth in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained sixth in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. He is now 375 points behind first-place Matt Kenseth. Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson are the only drivers that have ranked in the top-10 in points all season. He ranked 14th after 15 races one year ago. Waltrip has scored one victory and six top-10 finishes this season. He has competed in 14 races at Infineon Raceway scoring just six top-10 finishes. He finished 22nd in this race one year ago. Waltrip has competed in 36 career road-course races scoring 10 top-10 finishes. His best road course finish, fourth, came at Watkins Glen in August 1990.

Seventh Jimmie Johnson finished 16th in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained seventh in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. Johnson has ranked among the top-10 in points after all 15 races in 2003. Johnson moved into the top-10 at Atlanta (March 2002) and has ranked among the top-10 in points for 48 straight races. One year ago he was ranked second in the point standings. Johnson has competed in just one race at Infineon Raceway, scoring a 35th-place finish in his rookie season one year ago. He finished 16th at Watkins Glen last August.

Eighth Rusty Wallace finished 12th in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway and remained eighth in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. This is his fifth straight week in the NASCAR Top 10. He trails first-place Matt Kenseth by 477 points and is 55 points behind seventh-place Jimmie Johnson. He has scored five top-10 finishes in 15 races of the season. Wallace was ranked sixth in the point standings after 15 races one year ago. He has competed in all 14 races at Infineon Raceway scoring two victories and nine top-10 finishes. Wallace finished 27th in this race one year ago, just one of five finishes there outside the top 10. Wallace has competed in 40 career road-course races, scoring six victories and 22 top-10 finishes. His last road-course victory came at Infineon Raceway in 1996.

Ninth Sterling Marlin finished sixth in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway and climbed from 10th to ninth in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. He trails first-place Matt Kenseth by 492 points. He has scored eight top-10 finishes in the first 15 races of the season. Marlin was ranked first in the point standings after 15 races one year ago. He has competed in all 14 races at Infineon Raceway scoring four top-10 finishes there. He finished 43rd in this race one year ago, his worst finish at the California road course. Marlin has competed in 35 career road-course races scoring 10 top-10 finishes. His best road-course finish (second) came at Infineon Raceway in June 2000.

Tenth Mark Martin finished ninth in the Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway and climbed from 11th to 10th in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings. Martin was ranked in fourth in the point standings after 15 races one year ago. Martin has scored seven top-10 finishes in 2003. He has competed in all 14 races at Infineon Raceway scoring four second-place finishes plus a victory there in 1997, all part of his 12 top-10 finishes at the California road course. He has competed in 33 career road-course races scoring four victories and 28 top-10 finishes (85 percent).


NASCAR vs. IRL

On the evening of Thursday, July 3 if you are in the Kansas City area, stop by and see drivers and crew members from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series team up for a charity softball game.

Kansas Speedway presents the ELIMINATORS vs. the CRUSHERS, a softball event benefiting BPU Checkered Flag Charities, at 7:30 P.M. at the Community American Ballpark, Home of the Kansas City T-Bones.

Tickets are $5 for children and $10 for adults, and can be purchased at Kansas Speedway's ticket office (110th Street off Interstate 70); Kansas Speedway's Pit Shop (next door to Kansas Speedway); and CommunityAmerica Ballpark (Parallel Parkway and 110th Street, across the street from Kansas Speedway).

Players committed to the game include: 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran; two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves; 1996 Indy Racing League co-champion Scott Sharp; IRL's 2001 Bombardier Rookie of the Year Felipe Giaffone; Indy Racing League drivers Buddy Rice, Tora Takagi and Robbie Buhl; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers Bill Lester, Rick Crawford, Travis Kvapil, Randy Briggs, Jason Leffler, Lance Hooper and David Starr.

Honorary Coaches: David Segui and Brian McRae.


Saloon, Bunkhouse, Cook Shanty and Sponsor

Dave and Helen Marcis are currently new proprietors of Camp 28, built in 1881, when loggers inhabited the Wisconsin Northwoods, it's the best kept secret in Wisconsin. A year round resort located on Highway 102 in the Rib Lake, Wisconsin area, and claims a comfortable and relaxing stay. Check out www.camp28.com if interested.

Dave Marcis, retired NASCAR Winston Cup driver, stepped down from his driving duties after competing at Daytona in February 2002, since fielding numerous cars in various series. Marcis used his resort, Camp 28 as associate sponsor, helping newcomer Darren Jones who attempted his ASA debut Saturday at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway. Jones, who competed in the ARCA Truck Series the past two seasons, did not make the ASA event in Ohio


No Happy Hour Time

Christian Fittipaldi did not participate in final Winston Cup practice Saturday morning at Infineon Raceway, due to a broken valve spring. The crew decided to change all valve springs as they were worn out and the team simply didn't have time to get on the track..


Ninth Kyle Petty Charity Ride

This ninth annual trek of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across American with over 200 Motorcycles participating will start June 22 from Palm Springs, California. The Winston Cup drivers and crew will have to pick up the ride in Sedona, Arizona, Monday evening. A few faces include Kyle Petty, Richard Petty, Steve Park, Ken Schrader, Terry Labonte, Jeff Green, Matt Kenseth, Harry Gant, David Pearson, Bill Davis and Texas Motor Speedway General Manager Eddie Gossage.

After an overnight stop in Sedona, Arizona the caravan of motorcycles will travel east, making overnight stops in Santa Fe, N.M.; Childress, Texas; Bossier City, La.; Biloxi, Mississippi; and Tallahassee, Fla. The Charity Ride will arrive in Daytona Beach on June 28 where the group will be part of the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Concert. The ride will conclude the following day with a stop at the Boggy Creek Gang Camp in Eustis, Florida.

A new part of the ride is when the group leaves Childress, Texas on Wednesday they and travel through Wichita Falls on Hwy. 287 to Decatur where they will begin heading east on Hwy. 380 through Denton to McKinney. Towne Lake Park is located at 1401 Wilson Park Blvd., just off Hwy. 75 and Parkview. The group will take a break, have lunch and then continue from McKinney to Bossier City, La. that afternoon.

The trip raises money for various children's charities including "The Victory Junction Gang Camp" that was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their late son Adam. The racing-themed camp is a planned extension of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps founded by Paul Newman. The camp's purpose is to enrich the lives of seriously and chronically ill children by creating camping experiences that are empowering, memorable and fun.


Update On Stephen Wallace

Stephen Wallace, son of Winston Cup driver Rusty Wallace was in his debut UARA late model race at Hickory Motor Speedway last weekend. On a restart, 80 laps into the 150 lap event, young Wallace made contact with the car in front of him, resulting in a damaged radiator which the team was unable to repair, resulting in a 26th place finish out of 29 entries. Barry Dobson was crew chief for the evening.


Trickle Leading Points

Chuck Trickle, brother of retired Winston Cup driver Dick Trickle, is currently racing the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Super Late Models where he is the current 2003 season points leader.

Chuck came to our attention in February 1997 when his son, Chris, a rising star in the NASCAR Southwest tour, was shot between the eyes while driving on Blue Diamond Road near Interstate 15 in Las Vegas, Arizona. Chris who regained consciousness for the briefest of time in October of that year, died March 25, 1998 from lung complications. To this date, there are no witnesses or suspects in the incident.


Rumors, Thoughts & Odds & Ends

  • Rumor has it that Dover, Indianapolis and Speedway Motorsports Inc. have had talks to somehow combine forces with their current twelve Winston Cup dates and make a greater impact on NASCAR!!!!

  • Robby Gordon's team told him, he didn't want the pole bad enough or he would have had it. Robby admits to slowing down in two corners just to be on the safe side.

  • Bill Elliott normally spends two days at the Jim Russell Racing School on the grounds of Infineon Raceway prior to the running of the Winston Cup race, running the Formula Ford.

  • Jimmy Spencer says he hates road course racing so much that when he gets home, he has the route to his children's school mapped out to only take left hand turns.

  • Tom Arnold, the voice of Johnsonville Brats and Grand Marshal of the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway claims he had a stock car for awhile and ran the Wapello County Fairgrounds in Southern Iowa.

  • Johnny Benson is said to have 6,700 fan club members, wonder how that compares to other drivers?

  • A sign above the entrance to the No. 7, Jimmy Spencer Sirius hauler reads: The Dog Pound

  • Drivers, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch had the exact same time - 77.133 during quaifying.

  • Not all Winston Cup rookies, tested at Infineon Speedway. Tony Raines and Greg Biffle sluffed it off, stating they would be okay, when admitting to not testing for the road course. After they realized that Mears and McMurray had tested, the attitude changed immediately.

    The result, Tony Raines finished 31st, Greg Biffle 37th, both behind Jamie McMurray who came in 20th and Casey Mears in 26th position.

  • The "Race-n-Rock Charity Auction", held Saturday evening at Infineon Raceway raised $65,340 for Speedway Children's Charities. A commemorative Dale Earnhardt, Snap-on Toolbox was the big ticket item for the evening netting $7,000 for the cause.

  • Save Mart Supermarkets signed a five year agreement extending through 2008 to continue as the title sponsor of the NASCAR Winston Cup event at Infineon Raceway.

  • A crew member was overheard, "We hit the trifecta this week. We didn't have to go home, we didn't have to roll out our backup car and we finished."


    Said Spent Time In San Quentin

    Boris Said was in San Quentin earlier this week, having the three hour tour he laid on the actual table used in the Gas Chamber. He admitted to being glad to get out of the facility as it was spooky.


    Gas Prices & Octane

    Sign at Infineon Raceway driver gas pumps reads.

    Performance Premium 92 [octane] - $1.87 9/10 High Performance 96 [octane] - $3.18 9/10 Competition 100 [octane] - $4.50 9/10

    Union 76 employees said Drag cars run on 118 octane and Winston cup cars run on 110 octane.


    Third Of Drivers From Three States

    A third of the drivers that comprise the top 43 spots in the Winston Cup driver standings come from three states: Indiana, California and Missouri. Although most drivers live near Charlotte, N.C. a typical weekend's entry list includes the drivers' official hometowns that represent about 20 states.

    Driver State By State

    Indiana 5 (Stewart, J. Gordon, Newman, Andretti, Raines)

    California 5 (R. Gordon, Skinner, Mears, Johnson, Harvick)

    Missouri 5 (Schrader, R.Wallace, M. Wallace, K.Wallace, McMurray)

    Virginia 4 (J.Burton, W.Burton, Sadler, Rudd)

    North Carolina 3 (Earnhardt, Jarrett, Petty)

    Kentucky 3 (Mayfield, M.Waltrip, J.Green)

    Texas 3 (T.Labonte, B.Labonte, Foyt)

    Michigan 2 (Benson, Sprague)

    New York 2 (Park, T.Bodine)

    Georgia 1 (Elliott)

    Arkansas 1 (Martin)

    Wisconsin 1 (Kenseth)

    Connecticut 1 (Nadeau)

    Pennsylvania 1 (Spencer)

    Tennessee 1 (Marlin)

    Florida 1 (Nemechek)

    Maine 1 (Craven)

    Washington 1 (Biffle)

    Nevada 1 (Busch)

    Ohio 1 (Blaney)


    Winston Cup Race Notes At Infineon Raceway

    Pit road speed and pace car speed on the track was 35 MPH.

    Ricky Craven started at the rear of the field due to an engine change.

    The magic lap was 107, if a caution had occurred after that lap the race would have ended under yellow.

    Yellow flags were local [individual turns] as well as full course yellows, NASCAR allows passing on a yellow prior to the start finish line.


    Jarrett's Charity

    Race Fans for a Cure raised $12,133.48 in four days at the Ford Centennial Celebration in Michigan last weekend. All proceeds go directly to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. It is one of the largest amounts ever raised by the program at a single event.

    Race Fans for a Cure - a charitable initiative comprised of Ford Credit, the Komen Foundation, and Dale and Kelley Jarrett - has raised $46,594.17 so far this year, and more than $315,000 since 2000, for the Komen Foundation and the fight against breast cancer.


    Shifter Ball Broke

    Hideo Fukuyama, besides having rear end problems that put him out of the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway after running 68 laps, drive most of the race with the ball on the shifter lever broken off and was shifting with the rod.



    You can send feedback to Connie at: Insider Racing News



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