Nascar Nextel Cup Race - Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen On NBC - Sun. August 14, 1 p.m.

Nascar.com ^ | 8.10.05 | Me

[WestCoastGal]

WELCOME EVERYONE

This week we are going to Watkins Glen International Raceway in New York. Please join us for a full weekend of racing.

Watkins Glen International continues a road-racing tradition that dates back to 1948 -- when sports cars competed on the streets of the village at the southern tip of scenic Lake Seneca. The circuit, which at one time hosted the F1 United States Grand Prix, has grown to become one of the most respected facilities in the northeast.

Track Facts Banking/Turns: -- Distance: 2.45 miles Shape: Road course

Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen
NBC HDTV Sun. 1 p.m.
Toyota Tundra 200 - Truck Race
SPEED Sat. 5 p.m.
Zippo 200 - Busch Race
NBC Sat. 2 p.m.
Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen Bud Pole Qualifying SPEED Sat. 11:10 a.m.
All Times are ET

This is an impound race, all practice is on Friday, qualifying on Saturday (unless they change their mind) FRFL picks must be made by Saturday morning 2am pacific time. I will update the practice times as we get closer to Friday as well as adding the qualifying lineup etc.

[Fierce Allegiance]

The rumors of Mikey/NAPA to the #11 have resurfaced

Darn, I was hoping for something better for Mikey.

[countrydummy]

Thanks!!!!!!!!

[countrydummy]

LOL LOL LOL hahahahaha, Thanks! cold turkey.....

[countrydummy]

awww!!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!

[tubebender]

Hi CD. It looks like your doing great. It's amazing what medical science can do these days...

[countrydummy]

awwww, Thanks!

[steveegg]

Tire notes from Jayski (sadly, they're still not taking my advice on bringing back Hoosier) -

Number of Tires:
Nextel Cup - 1,100 for each side
Busch Series - 550 for each side (sounds like 5 sets per team, though since Jayski concentrates on Cup, that's not certain)

Tire codes: Front - D-6836, Rear - D-6840
This combo was used earlier this year at Sonoma and Mexico City, as well as here last year. The rears are specific to the road-courses, while the fronts were/are used on the right side at Martinsville.

Technical Inspection/Minimum Recomended Inflation:
Left Front - 23/22 psi; Left Rear - 20/17 psi
Right Front - 23/20 psi; Right Rear - 20/17 psi

Estimated Pit Window: Every 30-33 laps for fuel

No inner-liners here (standard for road-courses).

Goodyear Quote - Mark Keto, Lead Engineer, Stock Car Racing (from a Goodyear PR): "I guess the biggest thing about the tire set-up we run at Watkins Glen, as well as at Sonoma and Mexico City, is that we have different codes on the front and rear, not the left and right like on ovals. This front code is from our short track tire group and is relatively soft to help give cars better forward bite off the corners. We are running the same codes at The Glen as in 2004, primarily because NASCAR's aero rules changes don't affect cars on road courses quite as much as on the bigger ovals."

[steveegg]

Update on the Cup side from Kirk Shelmerdine Racing via Jayski - Put Tom Hubert in for Kirk Shelmerdine on the Sirius at the Glen entry list. Hubert qualified the #27 35th for Sonoma, but exited the Dodge/Save Mart 350 early with low oil pressure, ending up in 43rd place.

[fideist]

From http://www.NASCAR.COM --

dirty in driver signings
By Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
August 11, 2005
10:18 AM EDT (14:18 GMT)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- When Jamie McMurray signed a contract to drive for Roush Racing in 2007, it put his current team in an awkward position.

McMurray is signed with Chip Ganassi Racing through next season, and the team has no intention of letting him leave before then. But in the five weeks since announcing his intent, the Ganassi team has been scrutinized and criticized for holding McMurray to his original contract.

Kurt Busch

In a shocking case of what goes around, comes around, Roush now finds himself in the same uncomfortable position: Defending Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch said Tuesday he is leaving for Penske Racing South in 2007, and he wants out of his contract next year to speed up the move.

With the tables turned on Roush, outsiders are getting a clearer picture of NASCAR's cutthroat free agent signing process.

"What I've been telling people is, when you conduct your business from the weeds, sooner or later the weedeater will run over you," said Felix Sabates, a co-owner of McMurray's car at Ganassi.

With no union or policing organization, there is very little car owners can do to prevent the competition from trying to lure its drivers away. There is usually some sort of gentlemen's agreement that prohibits teams from talking to drivers under contract. And if the conversations do occur, it is typically with permission from the rival owner.

So when Roush swooped in and signed McMurray more than a year before his current contract expired, many NASCAR insiders viewed it as a sneaky back-room deal. McMurray and Roush have declined to discuss the specifics of their negotiations, and Ganassi has refrained from voicing his opinion.

But the practice is becoming increasingly common. With several high-profile rides opening up next season, teams are desperate to secure replacement drivers. And for the first time in years, it's a sellers market.

Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte both recently stepped down from full-time racing, and Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace have both said this season will be their last. It's created a driver shortage with just a handful of top name talent out there.

With much of the available talent already under contract, car owners are scrambling to grab what's left.

"I think it is as tough as its ever been with drivers," said Richie Gilmore, vice president of Dale Earnhardt Inc. "Right now the market is really tough. I think you look at before, a driver would have to win Busch championships or contend for them before you were brought up.

Jamie McMurray

"I think now you have to take a chance and it works out or it doesn't."

Gilmore admitted last weekend to speaking to 2003 series champion Matt Kenseth about driving one of DEI's cars. But with one year left on his contract with Roush, Kenseth declined to make an early deal that would have teamed him with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"He has always been on DEI's short list. He was one of (Dale Earnhardt's) favorite drivers, and if we could ever get Matt, he would probably be our first choice for a teammate for Junior," Gilmore said. "But he indicated to us he was going to try to work something out where he is."

With Kenseth out of the picture, it leaves DEI with just a handful of options to fill the No. 15 Chevrolet being vacated by Michael Waltrip.

Off the list is Ryan Newman, who said last weekend he had reached a new deal to remain at Penske. His contract extension comes three months after a newspaper report said Newman was spotted leaving a meeting with all five of Roush's Nextel Cup drivers, with the implication that the team was trying to woo him to join their stable.

Kasey Kahne was taken off the market when Ray Evernham announced a long-term contract extension last weekend. And Casey Mears, while denying he had been approached by Penske and DEI, said he was trying to work out a deal to stay with Ganassi.

Waltrip and Sterling Marlin are among the drivers who are looking for work, but neither fits the current casting requirements. Teams now want young, marketable drivers and are overlooking on-track success to get them.

Matt Kenseth

Consider: The battle for McMurray is a fight for a driver with just one Nextel Cup victory -- and that came in 2002 when he was driving as an injury replacement for Marlin. And Mears was pursued by top teams despite having never won at any of NASCAR's levels.

Marlin, meanwhile, has two Daytona 500 titles among his 10 career victories but has seemingly been shut out of current negotiations. Same goes for Ward Burton, another former Daytona 500 winner who has sat out this entire season, unable to land a ride.

Neither of them should bother applying for the open ride at DEI. In a sign of the times, Gilmore laid out his criteria for the open seat by saying any applicant must be under 30 years old and able to get along with Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr., two of NASCAR's most eligible bachelors.

"Junior wants to be the oldest driver at DEI. That's kind of one of the things he wants," Gilmore said. "I think the main thing we're looking for is a good teammate for Junior and Martin."

[Jackknife]

Thanks for the ping, WCG. Just moved into a new(old) house 1 1/2 weeks ago, got cable for the first time in 10 years, and am excited to have a few buddies over to cookout and watch the race Sunday. The wife'll be at work, so I'll have the surround-sound cranked!

[steveegg]

So, is DEI going for 4 teams in 2007, or are they going to sneak Menard out the back door?

[fideist]

How come not all the drivers entered are available on Yahoo's FRFL?

[steveegg]

How come not all the drivers entered are available on Yahoo's FRFL?

That's Yahoo's decision. Ask them.

[fideist]

That's Yahoo's decision. Ask them.

I understand that is up to Yahoo. I was just hoping someone here with experience might know the answer.

I did send Yahoo an email.

[WestCoastGal]

If it's someone that didn't start the year out in Cup or in that car and Yahoo didn't list them, then they won't add anyone. I think. :)

[WestCoastGal]

Enjoy your new house jackknife!!

It's a requirement to post what the cookout food will be. :)

[WestCoastGal]

Another piece of the puzzle is placed.

Posted on Thu, Aug. 11, 2005



Casey Mears has re-signed to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing, but his 2006 number has yet to be determined.

Ganassi re-signs Mears, adds fourth team

Reed Sorenson to run Nextel Cup and Busch Series in 2006

By JIM UTTER

ThatsRacin.com Writer


WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Chip Ganassi Racing has exercised an option to retain driver Casey Mears, and in addition, will field four Nextel Cup teams in the 2006 season, ThatsRacin.com has learned.
A formal announcement of Ganassi's retention of Mears, as well as plans to add an additional Cup team, is expected Friday at Watkins Glen International.

Mears, who has driven Ganassi's No. 41 Dodge since he joined the organization in 2003, will move to another car whose number has not yet been decided, while current Busch Series driver Reed Sorenson will take over Mears' No. 41, sources confirmed.

Earlier this season, Ganassi team manager Tyler Epp said the team would keep Sorenson in the Busch Series in 2006 – and it will.

Sorenson will drive most – if not all – of the 2006 Busch season as well as compete for rookie of the year honors in Cup, sources said.

The move will give Ganassi four drivers under the age of 30 in Cup next season - and two rookies (Sorenson and David Stremme). Among the four, only Jamie McMurray holds a Cup victory.

Mears, 27, has two poles and two top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 93 Cup starts. He is 24th in points this season. Mears, is the son of former IndyCar and off-road driver Roger Mears and the nephew of Hall of Fame IndyCar star Rick Mears.

Casey Mears previously competed in the Indy Lights Series, where he won at the Grand Prix of Houston in 2000.

Mears finished fourth in his CART (now Champ Car) series debut in 2000. In 2001, he earned two top-fives in four CART races after replacing the injured Alex Zanardi. Mears made his full-time NASCAR debut in the Busch Series in 2002.

Sorenson, 19, is in his rookie season in the Busch Series, but already has two wins and is third in points, trailing series leader Martin Truex Jr. by 104 points.

In 2003, the native of Peachtree City, Ga., became the youngest driver ever to win rookie of the year in the American Speed Association. That year, he finished fourth in points.

In only his second start in the Automobile Racing Club of America series, Sorenson won at Michigan International Speedway in June 2004

LINK

[WestCoastGal]

BTW it's too bad Ganassi has Mears in a no win position!!!

Casey Mears, meanwhile, will remain with Ganassi in a different car, the sources said. The car number has not yet been determined, but the sponsor will be mortgage lender Home123. Mears had an option in his contract for 2006 that the team picked up, removing him from the free agent market.

[fideist]

RE: Yahoo Fantasy Racing

They have replied and said they are considering adding the additional drivers because of my email. I said to them it would be extremely embarassing to them if one of the drivers they did not make available to pick won the event!

RE: SlowCasey re-ups with Ganassi

That is good news that he is not coming to DEI.

RE: Ganassi now fielding four cup teams

And here in this corner we have Richie Gilmore saying DEI might fold the #15 next year, and go with just the #1 and the #8. How come DEI is the only ones not to get it yet?! The more teams you field, the more information you can gather about the track and adjustments and share between the teams!

[WestCoastGal]

Thanks for putting up the entry lists. :-)