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April 2005
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
General News
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SPEED Channel will begin airing a series of one-hour specials on the Michael Waltrip Celebrity Poker Tournament shot earlier this year at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. The eight-part series rolls out April 7 at 9 p.m. ET, with the two-hour tournament finale scheduled to air June 2 at 8 p.m. ET.
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HDNet and NASCAR announced today the schedule for the second season of NASCAR’s high-definition television package on HDNet. This year, HDNet will feature 20 live telecasts from the NASCAR Grand National Division, a tier of NASCAR’s regional racing series which includes the Busch North Series and West Series.
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Xpress Motorsports team owner Dave Fuge announced today that the No. 19 Silverado driven by Regan Smith will run a limited schedule the remainder of the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The decision to reduce the number of events is due to unfulfilled sponsorship commitments.
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Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Tundra Toyota) owns a niche in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history he'd just as soon relinquish. Benson is the only active competitor to participate in the series' Feb. 5, 1995 inaugural event who has yet to win a race. Not that the 41-year-old Michigan native hasn't come close. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series veteran and television analyst has finished second three times, most recently last October at Texas Motor Speedway. And several factors suggest this week's Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway could be Benson's personal drought breaker. (JohnnyBenson.com Photo)
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Melvin Joseph, construction pioneer and owner of Melvin Joseph Construction, died on April 6, 2005 after a brief illness. He was 83. Joseph, of Georgetown, Del., oversaw construction during the late '60s of the dual-use Dover Downs facility, which includes the one-mile motorsports track and the 5/8-mile horse track. Joseph had been a constant fixture at Dover International Speedway events, giving drivers the command to start their engines at every NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race in Dover since 1969.
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SPEED Channel and NASCAR announced today the broadcast schedule for Racing Across America, a series of races that showcase the grassroots of American stock car racing. This year, Racing Across America will feature 25 events in the NASCAR Grand National Division, a tier of NASCAR’s regional racing series which includes the Busch North Series and West Series, and finish off with live coverage of the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.
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2004 Champ Car bling bling Sebastien 'Bidet' Bourdais; a tall order of NASCAR Trucks' tag team w/ Brendan Gaughan and Steve Park; and the only driver who carries his personal driving seat to the loo, (heck, you never know) Speed World Challenge pilot Memo Gidley. Plus, a heap of some Statt Mann Scatt, Lugg Nuttz trip through the Sebring Zoo, Sargent’s hairy soccer legs stage left and a Tony Kanaan tongue twister.
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Three words say it all Most Popular Driver. It's the award that everybody wants, but nobody really expects to be able to win and Speed51.com will be bringing it to the fans when it comes to NASCAR Modified racing in 2005.
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Fans seeking information about Texas Motor Speedway and the Samsung/RadioShack 500 activities can turn to the updated speedway website,
www.texasmotorspeedway.com
, that offers fan-friendly data access.
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"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dale. He has proved he is a great race driver. He has won a championship, three Daytona 500s and numerous other races. There is no way I meant to hit him; it was simply five laps to go at Bristol. Things happen so fast and with everyone wrecking in front of us, it played out that Dale ended up with a torn up race car. I hate that happened."
- Shane Hmiel
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2005 Ford Championship Weekend to be held in "Prime-Time", Under the Lights - The future of Homestead-Miami Speedway, the excitement of Ford Championship Weekend, and the nightlife in Miami all just became that much brighter. Lights will be installed at Homestead-Miami Speedway to allow for races to be held at night, announced Speedway President Curtis Gray. Construction on the project is scheduled to begin immediately and be complete in time for the 2005 Ford Championship Weekend, the season-finales for the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, NASCAR Busch Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, November 17-20.
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Lori A. Smith has joined Williams Company of America, Inc. as an accounts representative.
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A 1945 LIFE magazine photograph of a sailor stamping a masterly kiss on a nurse in Times Square on V-J Day is one of the world's most recognized images. On Friday, photographs of NASCAR families at Kansas Speedway could be the next American treasures.
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Two drivers with ties to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be making an appearance in the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 ARCA Re/Max Series race at Salem Speedway scheduled for Sunday April 24. Ronnie Hornaday III, who works full-time for the Ultra Motorsports No. 2 Team ASE/Ultra Wheel Dodge team, is entered in the the No. 4 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge at the highbanked half-mile oval.
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Rick Crawford, driver of the No. 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has announced the opening of his new fan club at
www.rickcrawford.com
. Crawford invites all his fans to download the fan club membership application and become official 2005 member of the Rick Crawford Fan Club!
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Steve Park invites fans to meet him on South Padre Island April 15th-17th. Park will be outside the Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark on Saturday meeting fans, signing autographs and taking photos with the No. 62 South Padre Island truck.
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Hometown favorite Johnny Benson has had his ups and “upside downs” at Michigan International Speedway over the years, with his MIS debut in a 1993 NASCAR Busch Series race ending upside down on the backstretch. But one thing is for certain, he’s proud of his hometown track, which has provided plenty of memories for him during his 10 plus years racing at the 2-mile oval. “I enjoy coming here and I love racing here and every time we come through the doors its always been open arms for the drivers, owners and race fans,” said Benson.
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NASCAR applauds UPS as a catalyst for diversity throughout the sport and its related business activity. This is the first in a spotlight series to honor teams, tracks, sponsors and partners for leadership in creating opportunity and expanding participation within NASCAR. UPS’s active involvement with the NASCAR Diversity Council, the UPS Racing Technical Edge Scholarships and the company’s model Supplier Diversity Program set benchmarks to guide the NASCAR industry for both awareness and effective implementation.
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Dover International Speedway today announced new race names for the June 3-5 and September 23-25, 2005 race weekends.
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Todd Braun, owner of Braun Racing, and Shane Hmiel, driver of the #32 WINFUEL Chevrolet, have decided not to appeal the penalties assessed by NASCAR for the incident that occurred during the Sharpie 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Monday, April 4.
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Dennis Worden, who has media relations experience at several colleges and universities, has been named Manager of Public Relations for Michigan International Speedway, Director of Public Relations Bill Janitz announced today.
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Forest Suddeth is living proof that there is more to life than racing. Like gardening, for instance. “You can do a lot of thinking while you’re working in the garden,” said Suddeth, a mechanic on the No. 2 Team ASE Dodge driven by Jimmy Spencer in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. “Gardening keeps your time occupied. It’s a way to get off by yourself and help you decide what you’re going to do next, how you can help people. I like spending time in the garden.” You can’t fault Suddeth for trying to find a way to decompress from the rigors of a professional motorsports career. Like any job, time demands can often take their toll. That’s especially true in NASCAR racing where teams are on the road between 25 and 45 weeks a year. (Close Finishes photo)
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will utilize the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday night, May 20, to promote highway safety by serving as a sponsor of the Quaker Steak & Lube 200 presented by Click It or Ticket.
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Deborah Renshaw and her BHR2 team are pleased to announce the addition of CallSource as a sponsor for the remainder of the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The program will feature CallSource as an associate sponsor on the No. 8 DODGE of Renshaw for the rest of the season as well as the company being featured as a primary sponsor for one race during the season.
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It's going to be a battle that pits buddy against buddy, father against son and racer against racer; its the Speed51.com Most Popular Driver competition PASS Pro Stock (Super Late Model) style.
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2002 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Tony Stewart is often described as his generation's version of the legendary A.J. Foyt. He's a racer's racer - a man who will race anything, anytime, anyplace. So it is only fitting that the Columbus, Ind., native will celebrate his 34th birthday at more than 170 mph on Friday night, May 20, as he competes in the Quaker Steak & Lube 200 presented by Click It or Ticket NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
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First, it was the computer-designed, 20-degree variable banking. Then, Homestead-Miami Speedway announced the addition of lights for prime-time racing. Now, due to high demand for premium seating and hospitality, the Turn One Tower will provide individuals and corporations a new opportunity to experience championship NASCAR racing while enjoying state-of-the-art amenities during November's Ford Championship Weekend.
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Edmonton International Raceway, a quarter-mile (0.40225 km) asphalt oval located in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, has joined the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series for the 2005 racing season. Edmonton becomes the third Canadian race track to join NASCAR, following Delaware Speedway in Ontario and Autodrome St. Eustache in Quebec, which both joined the series in 2004.
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Ownersite Technologies, the premier provider of online vehicle maintenance tracking and safety solutions, is proud to announce a joint promotional agreement with the highly regarded #63 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team MB Motorsports and driver Justin Allgaier, making his NASCAR debut this weekend at Gateway International Raceway.
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More than 20 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams will be testing at Lowe's including Bobby Hamilton, Ted Musgrave, Jimmy Spencer, Timothy Peters, Ron Hornaday, Deborah Renshaw, Shige Hattori, Terry Cook, David Reutimann, Chase Montgomery, Bill Lester, Bobby Labonte, Ken Schrader, Robert Pressley, David Starr, Matt Crafton, Jimmy Kite and Scott Glynn.
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Dale Earnhardt fans will have the opportunity to take home some great prizes and bid on “one of a kind” DEI racing memorabilia during Dale Earnhardt Day activities planned for April 29 at the corporate headquarters of Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
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Former Indianapolis 500 and Indy Racing League champion Buddy Lazier will try the NASCAR waters this week as he prepares to test the No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in Tuesday evening's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series open test at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Lazier has a winning track record at Lowe's Motor Speedway, he captured the checkered flag there in an IRL race in 1997, besting Billy Boat by 3.301 seconds in a Hemelgarn Racing entry.
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Three-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Darrell Waltrip heads the Class of 2005 that will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame next April 28th. Joining Waltrip in being inducted are drag racing icons Joe Amato and Bob Glidden, powerboat champion Chip Hanauer, and Formula 1 and CART champion Nigel Mansell. “This is a powerful class, one in which each member had a significant impact on the history of his particular form of racing. All five of them have won multiple championships. It is quite a group,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Jim Freeman.
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Close Finishes announced today that Veterans Racing had retained the firm to conduct a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series based media and marketing campaign.The program will feature NCTS veteran driver Rich Bickle behind the wheel of the No. 08 VFW Hidden Heroes Fund Chevrolet. The effort will be highlighted by a three-race schedule beginning April 30 at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis with additional events at Mansfield, OH and Charlotte, NC.
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Lesa France Kennedy, a member of the Board of Directors of NASCAR and the President of International Speedway Corporation, has been named "The Most Influential Woman in Sports Business" by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal. In its most recent edition published April 25, the publication "selected women who are actively applying their influence on a daily basis, none more so than the executive atop our ranking, Lesa France Kennedy of International Speedway Corp." (NASCAR Images Photo)
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New York, Orlando and Nashville will host Championship celebrations -
NASCAR has announced the dates and sites for season-ending awards ceremonies for its three national series, plus its nationwide short-track competitive level. The run of celebrations will be highlighted by the renewal of a true NASCAR tradition – “Champion’s Week” in New York City. As it has since 1981, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will honor its champion at the venerable Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. This year, the gala is set for Friday, Dec. 2 and also will feature the other drivers involved in the “Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.” (High Sierra Photo)
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Toyota Certified Used Vehicles (TCUV), a program of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., will become the associate sponsor on the No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra piloted by Johnny Benson in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Gateway International Raceway this Saturday. The sponsorship will run for the remainder of the season.
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Officials with Memphis Motorsports Park and Citadel-Memphis Radio Group have announced that KIX 106 (WGKX-FM 105.9) will replace WXMX-FM 98.1 “The Maxx” as the area affiliate of the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and will provide live, lap-by-lap coverage of the entire Nextel Cup Series season, as well as both NASCAR events at Memphis Motorsports Park – the O’Reilly 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on July 23, and the Sam’s Town 250 NASCAR Busch Series race on Oct. 22.
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The stars of entertainment will collide with the stars of NASCAR racing during the May events at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Included are several celebrity appearances by a variety of entertainers, headlined by "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest.
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