NASCAR OFF SEASON WITHDRAWAL AND THERAPY THREAD

WGI gets $2.25 million repaving grant

Watkins Glen International racetrack will receive $2.25 million from New York State to -- in the state's words -- "undertake a necessary and complete racetrack re-paving project" that will address safety concerns and include "removing and replacing the existing track, portions of the aprons/runoffs, and pit road pavement." The money is part of $709.2 million in awards announced Thursday under Round 4 of a Regional Economic Development Council initiative developed by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The grant, WGI said, "comes on the heels of $33.5 million in private capital investments at WGI over the past 10 years, with an additional $12 million committed for 2015." WGI announced its intention in November to repave the road course following the 2015 NASCAR race there.

Newman Surprises Texas Woman with Brand New Chevy SS: Stephanie Gaines received a new Chevy SS and a year's worth of mortgage payments from Quicken Loans. Ryan Newman gave Dalhart resident Stephanie Gaines the surprise of a lifetime Saturday afternoon when he arrived at her home driving a brand new Chevy SS that she won through the Quicken Loans "Drive Home a Winner" Sweepstakes. Stephanie also received a year's worth of mortgage payments as part of the sweepstakes courtesy of Quicken Loans, the nation's second largest retail mortgage lender and largest online mortgage company. "The look on Stephanie's face when she saw the car was priceless; she couldn't believe she'd won," said Newman, driver of the #31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. "Once Stephanie's surprise subsided, she couldn't wait to jump in and take it for a ride."
"It was just like any other Saturday morning until Ryan Newman showed up at my door with a new car," said Gaines. "My husband and kids were so excited, we didn't know what was going on."(RCR)(12-12-2014)

Best Selling Diecast of 2014: It's official. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Daytona 500 Race Win die-cast isn't just the best-selling car of 2014; it's also the best-selling die-cast in the history of Lionel Racing. Lionel Racing - The Official Die-Cast of NASCAR - unveiled its annual top 10 list today and, as projected, Earnhardt's Daytona win car ruled them all. "When the NASCAR season kicks off with Dale Jr. winning the Daytona 500, it's a safe bet that die-cast sales across the board will skyrocket," said Howard Hitchcock, President of Lionel Racing. "His win really set the tone for our year overall - we have had a very good season." Earnhardt's on-track success this season resulted in the driver also clinching spots two, three, five, six, and 10 - a feat largely driven by his wins at Pocono Raceway and the popular National Guard/Superman special paint scheme. While Earnhardt dominated, other drivers did make some noise. The return of the iconic #3 Chevy to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series helped propel Austin Dillon's Dow Automotive Chevrolet SS to the fourth spot. "The story of the #3 car's return to Cup competition really resonated with both long-time and new NASCAR fans," said Hitchcock. "It's great to see a rising star like Dillon make our top 10 list." Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick also made the list, with his #4 Budweiser Chevrolet ranking eighth among the company's best sellers:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 National Guard/Daytona 500 Win Chevy
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 National Guard Chevy
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 National Guard Hall of Heroes/Superman Chevy
Austin Dillon #3 Dow Automotive Chevy
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 National Guard/Pocono Win Chevy
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Michael Baker/Pocono Win Chevy
Jeff Gordon #24 AARP/Drive to End Hunger Chevy
Kevin Harvick #4 Budweiser Chevy
Tony Stewart #14 Bass Pro Shops Chevy
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevy
In addition to the top 10 cars of the year, Lionel Racing also announced the best-selling drivers of 2014. While Earnhardt topped the driver list, three of NASCAR's newest stars also made the cut:
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Jeff Gordon
Kevin Harvick
Jimmie Johnson
Austin Dillon
Chase Elliott
Tony Stewart
Kyle Busch
Brad Keselowski
Kyle Larson
"It's exciting to see the rising stars of the sport make such an impact on the core fan," Hitchcock said. "Austin, Chase and Kyle Larson beat out some heavy hitters when it comes to merchandise sales, and that only bodes well for the future of NASCAR."(Lionel Racing)(12-12-2014)

Thank You Sir Chode for the WGI info Posting.

Everybody- I'm still not feeling well. so Today will have the updates posted above and in this post. Going back to bed now.

Stewart to have fifth surgery on leg: #14-Tony Stewart walked into the Performance Racing Industry trade show Thursday at the Indiana Convention Center, which was a big deal given the physical stress his injured right leg has endured over the past 16 months. Stewart recently had the fourth of what will be five planned surgeries last week. "I don't look like I'm walking really good, but I was on crutches two days ago," he said. "It's nice to get off crutches again. I'm looking forward to the day my leg doesn't hurt anymore. I think that's coming sooner rather than later." Stewart said the final surgery will remove the rod in the leg he broke in August 2013 at a dirt track race in southeastern Iowa. He acknowledged that the injuries haven't healed as quickly as doctors wanted to see, which is why the current rod, along with a small ring to help blood flow, was inserted in a prior surgery. Last week's surgery, he said, was small by comparison, and a spokesman for his team described it as routine maintenance. Stewart hasn't driven a sprint car since running into and killing New York racer Kevin Ward Jr. in August, but he said he "thinks about it every day." He again plans to attend next month's Chili Bowl, a prestigious dirt-track midget race in Tulsa, Okla., to help the event promoter with track preparation. Stewart won the event in 2002 and '07.(Indianapolis Star)(12-12-2014)

Sprint will not return as Series sponsor: Citing a need to focus more directly on its core business priorities, Sprint announced it has informed NASCAR it will not extend the title sponsorship of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after the current agreement expires at the end of the 2016 season. "We are proud of our association with NASCAR's top series but have made the decision not to extend our sponsorship beyond the next two years," said Steve Gaffney, vice president-Marketing, Sprint. "As we look to the future, Sprint is focused on investing in maintaining a competitive edge and providing consumers with the best value in wireless.Sprint has long benefitted from the unprecedented level of brand integration available in NASCAR, and the passionate fan base that is the most loyal in sports. Without question, the NASCAR sponsorship property has been a valuable investment for us and will be for our successor."
Since the partnership began in 2004, Sprint has worked closely with NASCAR to bring many fan-friendly innovations to life, including the introduction of the FanView next generation scanner (2005), the creation of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile wireless application (2008) and the debut of Miss Sprint Cup (2007), an ambassador program that now has more than 1.5 million social media followers. The constant evolution of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race pre-race show and the improvements to the Sprint Vision trackside programming also highlight Sprint's portfolio of fan enhancements.
"We genuinely appreciate the fans, teams, drivers, tracks and media who have been so supportive and welcoming to us during these many race seasons," said Gaffney. "We look forward to our remaining time as sponsor of the Sprint Cup Series and eventually assisting with the transition to NASCAR's next title partner."
The sponsorship extends back to 2004 when Nextel signed a 10-year partnership with NASCAR for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The name changed to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2008 as a result of the Nextel/Sprint corporate merger. At the conclusion of the first 10 years, Sprint extended the partnership an additional three years taking the contract through the end of the 2016 season(Sprint)
NASCAR Statement: "NASCAR and Sprint have enjoyed a long and productive partnership that has returned significant value to both parties. We understand significant changes within Sprint and the highly competitive business environment it is in has led to a decision not to extend its Cup Series entitlement position following the 2016 season. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a very unique, premium sports marketing platform with strong momentum, so we are very confident of moving forward in 2017 with an outstanding new partner. In the meantime, we look forward to Sprint's partnership on the best racing series in the world for the next two seasons."(12-16-2014)

I’m in! Now the big ? is what are they gonna call it after Sprint?

Although I see an opportunity for Tony to be the 1st Champ of the new name and keeping 6whine from it while at the same time STILL being the only Driver to have a Cup in ALL 4 names.

He is already the ONLY Driver to have the 3 different ones and there is NO WAY for anybody else to do that.

Sorry I’ve been slacking on the news, been sick and ended up going to ER Monday night w/foot pain on the 0-10 scale at a 12+. Of course My BP was 185/163 or so so they freaked on that.

Kurt Busch has court date Tuesday UPDATE: NASCAR driver Kurt Busch is scheduled to appear at Kent County Family Court on Tuesday for a hearing related to a protective order filed by his ex-girlfriend, who last month alleged that Busch had "smashed" her head three times against a bedroom wall in their motor coach following a September race in Dover. Busch will be present at the courthouse, said Dover attorney James Liguori, who is part of Busch's legal team. Busch has to report to the court at 9:00am/et and will be among eleven other hearings at the court on Tuesday, he said. A previously scheduled hearing was postponed earlier this month because Busch was out of the country. "At this point, the evidence, witness statements, etc. are being reviewed on the criminal investigation," [Dover police spokesman Cpl. Mark] Hoffman said in a Monday email. The investigation has been particularly difficult because of the delayed reporting of the incident and the frequent travel related to some of the witnesses, Hoffman said.(Delaware News Journal)(12-16-2014)
UPDATE: NASCAR driver Kurt Busch's breakup with his ex-girlfriend turned into an ugly court battle Tuesday when she described Busch in testimony as unstable and struggling with alcoholism and depression. His attorneys countered, describing her as untrustworthy and "extremely mercenary." Patricia Driscoll, who is seeking a court order for Busch to stay away from her, told a family court commissioner that he had choked her and smashed her head into a wall inside his motorhome at Dover International Speedway after she drove from her Maryland home to check on him. Busch attorney Rusty Hardin suggested that whatever happened the night of Sept. 26 could have been prevented had Driscoll left when Busch told her to. "I am not to blame for him putting his hands on me," said Driscoll, at times defiant and other times sobbing, prompting Family Court commissioner David Jones to order a recess at one point so she could regain her composure." Defense attorneys have denied the assault allegations, which are the subject of a separate criminal investigation by Dover police. Hardin said Driscoll has not presented any evidence to suggest that Busch has ever physically threatened her. Driscoll said Busch's representatives have repeatedly tried to contact people close to her, and that she fears for her safety. "I don't know what he's capable of doing," she said. Driscoll, 36, was the only witness to testify during Tuesday's six-hour hearing. Lawyers for Driscoll and Busch declined to comment after Tuesday's session as a stern-faced Busch left the courthouse. The hearing is set to continue Wednesday. See more details from the Associated Press.(12-17-2014)

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Some interesting "details" at the AP Link above.

2015 Sprint Unlimited Field to feature Chase drivers, Daytona 500 pole winners UPDATE: Coming off an exciting 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup finale, NASCAR announced all 16 Chase drivers will be eligible to compete in the 2015 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway. The 75-lap, non-points race will once again kick off the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing season Saturday, Feb. 14 (FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and will feature an expanded field of drivers based on new eligibility requirements. A minimum of 25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are eligible to participate in the Sprint Unlimited at DIS. In addition to the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup participants, the field also will include 2014 Coors Light Pole Award winners, as well as former Sprint Unlimited race winners and Daytona 500 pole winners who competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full time in 2014. Any remaining spots will be filled by drivers highest in 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship points who are not already eligible. The 2015 eligible participants include:
" #18-Kyle Busch (2014 pole winner)
" #3-Austin Dillon (2014 pole winner)
" #24-Jeff Gordon (2014 pole winner)
" #38-David Gilliland (2014 pole winner)
" #11-Denny Hamlin (2014 pole winner)
" #4-Kevin Harvick (2014 pole winner)
" #48-Jimmie Johnson (2014 pole winner)
" #20-Matt Kenseth (2014 pole winner)
" #2-Brad Keselowski (2014 pole winner)
" #42-Kyle Larson (2014 pole winner)
" #22-Joey Logano (2014 pole winner)
" #1-Jamie McMurray (2014 pole winner)
" #33-Brian Scott (2014 pole winner)
" #14-Tony Stewart (2014 pole winner)
" #55-Brian Vickers* (2014 pole winner)
" #41-Kurt Busch (former Unlimited winner)
" #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. (former Unlimited winner)
" #19-Carl Edwards (former D500 pole winner)
" #10-Danica Patrick (former D500 pole winner)
" #16-Greg Biffle (former D500 pole winner)
" #78-Martin Truex Jr. (former D500 pole winner)
" #31-Ryan Newman (2014 Chase driver)
" #47-AJ Allmendinger (2014 Chase driver)
" #5-Kasey Kahne (2014 Chase driver)
" #43-Aric Almirola (2014 Chase driver)
(* - Michael Waltrip Racing today announced that Brian Vickers will not be available to race during the early part of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season due to health issues.) (NASCAR),for more information, check out Jayski's Sprint Unlimited Race page.(12-15-2014)
UPDATE: If the race expands to 25 to meet the minimum because of Vickers missing the race, his teammate #15-Clint Bowyer would get in. Bowyer is neither a former race winner of the Unlimited or Daytona 500 pole winner and was 19th in the 2014 points standings. Drivers 1-18 all are eligible for the race.(Yahoo Sports)(12-17-2014)

Workers getting Daytona grandstands ready for 2015: The $400 million Daytona Rising project has a timeline that suggests marathon, but the primary contractor is in an all-out sprint to complete a section of the grandstands before Speedweeks 2015. A growing work force at Daytona International Speedway is putting the finishing touches on the western-most area of the new grandstands near Turn 1, an area that could hold up to 40,000 race fans for events in January and February. On Wednesday, 1,002 workers - the highest head count since the project started 16 months ago - were at the Speedway. Not only do the grandstand seats need to be installed, but the concourse areas and fan amenities behind those seats need to be 100 percent operational for the 53rd Rolex 24 At Daytona sports-car race, scheduled for Jan. 24-25. The stock-car portion of Speedweeks is scheduled to get underway Feb. 14 with The Sprint Unlimited and wrap up on Feb. 22 with the 57th running of the Daytona 500.(Daytona Beach News-Journal)(12-17-2014)

After surviving Raintona and I complained bout the Stands and several other things NOW they fix it!!!!

Rutledge Wood joins NBC Sports: NBC Sports Group added reporter Rutledge Wood to its multiplatform coverage of NASCAR, Formula 1, IndyCar, Global Rallycross and Mecum Auctions. Among his contributions, Wood will present features on the storied raceways, unique towns and enthusiastic fans that make NASCAR an American treasure. The announcement was made by Jeff Behnke, Vice President of NASCAR Production for NBC Sports and NBCSN. "Rutledge brings a unique combination of knowledge and enthusiasm to his work that will help us shine a spotlight on the tracks and communities we visit throughout the year, and bring them to life," said Behnke. Wood's first experience in NASCAR came during his first job in entertainment: traveling with the NASCAR circuit for Country Music Television's mobile marketing activation. Soon after, he was hired by SPEED, where he has worked continuously for the past 10 seasons covering NASCAR. Wood most recently was a correspondent for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pre-race show, NASCAR RaceDay, on Fox Sports 1, and has also hosted or co-hosted several NASCAR events, including the annual NASCAR Awards Banquet. In addition, Wood has been the co-host of Top Gear on the History Channel, the American iteration of the BBC program of the same name, for the past four seasons.(NBC Sports)(12-16-2014)

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Mama won tickets to Atlanta 2 years ago and the Package included a Pre-Race tour of the garage with Rutledge. It was pretty cool. And yes He does almost always wear the flannel checked shirts. We asked Him;)

Additional changes to pit rules: There was a meeting this week between NASCAR and the sport's various pit crew coaches regarding the new pit road rules for 2015. The main story line we've seen emphasized this week is the fact that NASCAR is no longer going to enforce a lug nut rule. But that isn't the only thing to come out of that meeting. There are other new rules and ways of enforcement that could have much more drastic impacts on races.
The big move for next season is the removal of more officials from pit road. Starting at Daytona, a new video system will monitor pit road, and penalties will be called from a central video-review location. That means far fewer "judgement" calls by officials. Cut and dry video evidence will rule. And the one area that nobody in the media has mentioned that will be affected the most is crews jumping from the wall early. The rule for when crews can leave the wall goes like this: teams are allowed to be on the ground in their pit stall as soon as their car crosses the back line of the stall directly behind their own. You didn't see this rule enforced all that often, because it had to be fairly blatant for an official to even notice it. Now, if a crew member is down even a split second early, the penalty will be called. Supposedly once NASCAR started testing this video system late in 2014, they were hundreds of "jumping early" penalties flagged by the system. What this means, is that you could potentially see a lot of these penalties called early in the season until pit crews figure out what they can and can't get away with. All coaches are emphasizing this point to their teams this offseason, but it will be an issue in 2015.
Another rule that will be more actively enforced with this video system is the drivers rolling through too many pit boxes before their own on entry. Drivers are only allowed to drive through three (I think) pit boxes before they enter their own. This was also a judgement call in the past, but this new video system will catch more of these in the future.
Other smaller points of emphasis for NASCAR included the elimination of helping your neighbor on pit road gather up his tires by being over the wall. You would often see a member of another pit crew over the wall helping a team corral it's tires. Now, if a crewman wants to help, they have to stay behind the wall. NASCAR is also going to pay closer attention to tire control by the pit crews. If tires aren't in control of a crewman at least half way back to the wall, NASCAR will call a penalty. This rule isn't new, but will be more actively enforced.(NASCAR Insiders)(12-14-2014)

Martinsville begins construction Of new restrooms: Work has begun on the demolition of an existing restroom facility and the construction of a new one in the second-turn area of Martinsville Speedway. This construction marks the replacement of all original fan restrooms at the speedway. The completion date for the project is early March, well before the STP 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend scheduled for March 27-29. The new building, located behind the Clay Earles Tower in turn two, will be approximately 1,500 square feet. It will contain full men's and women's restroom facilities, including baby-changing stations. Both restrooms will be handicap accessible.(Martinsville Speedway)(12-13-2014)

Lawsuit against Bowyer dismissed: South Dakota courts have no jurisdiction over a lawsuit between Kustom Cycles and NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer, according to the South Dakota Supreme Court's reversal of a circuit court ruling. The underlying lawsuit involves a motorcycle Kustom Cycles built for Bowyer who, in addition to racing in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, is also a motorcycle enthusiast. According to the Supreme Court brief, Bowyer first met Brian Klock, owner of South Dakota-based Kustom Cycles - which does business as Klock Werks - at a NASCAR race in Florida in 2008, then again in Arizona shortly thereafter. Bowyer hired Klock to design a custom motorcycle that would match his 1949 Mercury. As payment, Bowyer let Klock film the motorcycle driving on the NASCAR track and gave Klock and his friends special access to a Daytona race. Bowyer also attended a four-hour photo shoot and allowed Klock to use his name and likeness for promotional purposes, the opinion said. Eight months after Bowyer received his motorcycle, he received a bill for over $30,000. Bowyer refused to pay, claiming he had already provided "compensation in the form of the promotions, endorsements, and special access to NASCAR events," the opinion stated. Bowyer moved to dismiss the ensuing lawsuit for lack of jurisdiction, which the circuit court denied. On appeal, Bowyer argued that he did not have sufficient contact with South Dakota for its courts to have personal jurisdiction over him. South Dakota's highest court agreed on Wednesday, noting that Bowyer had not engaged in "significant activities" in the state - the contract was negotiated in Florida and Arizona, the motorcycle was purchased in Minnesota and delivered to Bowyer in South Carolina, the justices said.(Courthouse News Service)(12-13-2014)

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