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from Atlanta Motor Speedway
Posted on 10/28/2004 3:44:50 AM PDT by glock rocks
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Atlanta Motor Speedway Track Facts:Track/Race Length: 1.54 mile oval, 325 laps, 500.5 miles
Degree of Banking: Turns: 24 degrees
Straightaways: Banking: 5 degrees; Straights: Frontstretch - 1471 feet; Backstretch - 1380 feet.
Pit Road Speed: 45mph
Grandstand Seating: 124,000
Cup Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, October 30, 11:10 - 11:55am/et on TV-Speed Channel LIVE.
Busch Series - Aarons 312 - Sat. 10/30 at 1pm et on TNT.
Well, I can finally sit back and watch a NASCAR race!
Our dirt track season ended on Sunday with the 42nd running of Eastern States Weekend and the DynoMax 200. Regional legend Brett Hearn won it, along with a victory in the Smallblock race on Saturday.
Now, we just look out the window and wait for April.
Many thanks to glock rocks and Norm's Revenge for including me on their ping list.
(George Bush will win.)
BTTT
Spencer arrested, then dropped by team
October 27, 2004
CORNELIUS, N.C. (AP) -- Jimmy Spencer was fired by Morgan McClure Motorsports on Wednesday, just days after he was arrested and accused of interfering with police officers as they attempted to serve a warrant on his son.
Spencer, 47, has driven 25 races for the team this season without posting a top-10 finish. He ran 29th in Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. The team didn't indicate whether the firing was because of Spencer's arrest.
``Over the past several weeks there has been a steady and gradual improvement in the Morgan McClure race car and Spencer has been an integral part of this drive for success,'' team owner Larry McClure said Wednesday in a statement. ``While his part has been greatly appreciated by everyone here at Morgan McClure Motorsports, it has been decided, by mutual agreement, that it would be beneficial to both the team and to Jimmy Spencer to release him so that he may pursue other driving opportunities within the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.''
On Sunday night, officers went to Spencer's home to arrest James Jonathan Spencer Jr., 18, on a misdemeanor charge of injury to personal property, police records show. He is accused of pouring paint on two cars at a Cornelius home Oct. 6.
The elder Spencer was charged with two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and resisting a public officer.
I like your attitude :o)
The Atlanta race will be a good pre-election chance to let off some steam. At least when I throw things at the tv, I'll be aiming at bonehead drivers instead of Chris Matthews and Susan Estrich.
Oh, Jimmy.
I know. :(
What a hard end to his long career. I have always liked Jimmy. He was a hard rider all his life. This just breaks my heart. He is not MY driver, but I always liked Jimmy.
There must be more to this for his team to just dump him and not 'give him a chance.'
Whoa, it's immediate, too. They'll have a different driver in the car by Friday qualifying. That's just awful for Jimmy. Hope he finds a ride for next year.
I just can't understand this. Like I said, there must be more to this then meets the eye. What happened to second chances? They could have penalized him instead of just dumping him.
Doesn't make sense to me.
WELCOME, N.C. (AP) -- Robby Gordon said Tuesday he will leave Richard Childress Racing at the end of the season with the intention of racing for his own Nextel Cup team in 2005.
RCR will name Gordon's replacement on Friday.
"Now is the time for me to start my future as an owner at NASCAR's highest level," said Gordon, who was co-owner of a short-lived Cup team in 2000 with John Menard and Mike Held. Gordon then drove for several teams in 2001 before winding up with Childress and winning the season-ending race at New Hampshire. That victory earned Gordon a full-time ride with RCR.
Gordon, who has run a part-time Busch Series schedule this year with his own team, said he has been putting the pieces in place for a Cup team for most of 2004.
"We don't have anything to announce yet for next season," he said. "We hope to make some announcements soon."
Gordon and Childress both said the parting is amicable, although the owner put the former open-wheel racing star on probation after he started an accident at New Hampshire in September that seriously damaged the championship hopes of title contenders Tony Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield.
"He has won three points races, a qualifying race at Daytona and has had a lot of good runs for RCR since 2001, but sometimes change is good," Childress said. "Robby is a true racer and I will always be grateful to him for what we've been able to accomplish together and for the positive things he brought to our organization."
Going into Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Gordon is 23rd in the season standings.
I imagine we'll be able to gleen more info about Jimmy from the sports shows on FoxSports and Speed by the weekend.
Robby is going to own his own team.
That's good news about R. Gordon, but horrible news regarding Spencer. His short track modified skills were equalled by only about a dozen others at most. Maybe he'll fall back to driving modifieds again.
Glock, thanks for hosting this weeks thread.
If you hear anything more, will you let me/us know, please?
Drivers and teams live by sponsorship (Oh ye, bow to the mighty dollar). The drivers are the face and voice of the products they represent. Any stain on the driver is also a stain on the sponsor.
Spencer's situation may not be as agregious, nor his sponsor as prominent, but it's similar to Ronald McDonald getting busted for smacking a little kid around.
shall do.
You're welcome. Coffee's gone and I gotta get going now. Be back later.
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