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 April
2006
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
General News
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Talladega Superspeedway has been honored once again by Southern Living Magazine, selected by the publication's editors as one of 40 Best Southern Experiences in honor of the magazine's 40th anniversary year.
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NASCAR fans, start your engines! If they don’t start, donate them to The NASCAR Foundation’s Vehicle Donation Program. Launched during Car Care Awareness Month, the program got a little help from friends at the Crew Chief Club. Crew Chief Club members Tommy Baldwin, crew chief for Elliott Sadler’s No. 38 Ford; Matt Borland, crew chief for Ryan Newman’s No. 12 Dodge; Jimmy Elledge, crew chief for Casey Mears’ No. 41 Dodge; and Greg Zipadelli, crew chief for Tony Stewart’s No. 20 Chevrolet; have all lent their expertise, knowledge and support to this worthy program.
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As the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has a break in the 25-race schedule, this week David Reutimann travels to Long Beach to compete in the 30th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race on Saturday, which is part of the 32nd Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. "Racing in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Reutimann, who is currently fourth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings.
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It may be an off weekend for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, but not for the driver of the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota Tundra, Todd Bodine. He will be heading to sunny, Long Beach, CA for this weekend's 30 th Anniversary Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. "I went out there a couple of weeks ago for the driver training program and got to meet a lot of the celebrities that I will be running against as well as the other professional Toyota drivers," said Bodine. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Golf, not racing, will be front and center for several NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitors as the series takes its longest hiatus of the season. This is Masters Week at Augusta National, an event that Rick Crawford (No. 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford) and Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) look forward to each year. Both are avid players who would carry single-digit handicaps if not for a busy racing schedule. But they're also fans of the game and can't wait to see the likes of Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen tee it up in the season's first major. Skinner went to last year's tournament and may be in the gallery later this week. "It was pretty awesome; a lot of fun," he said. "I have been invited to play Augusta National but we were testing and had to turn it down. I have not had another invitation but I'd love to play there." (Ronda Greer Photo)
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The Martinsville NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series scored a Nielsen Rating of 1.15 (760,000 Households), up 16 percent from 2005 (.99; 623,000 HH). It marked the third consecutive race where Nielsen Ratings were up from a year ago, with Fontana up 11 percent and Atlanta up 21 percent.
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Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) announced today that Chris Rice, crew chief of the No. 33 NASCAR Truck Series team and two-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, have agreed to part ways. "This was a difficult decision," said Kevin Harvick, owner and CEO of Kevin Harvick Inc. "While we feel like we've got a driver and a crew chief capable of running up front, the combination of the two has not produced the results that we expected. This deal is all about chemistry and we felt like we needed to go in a different direction. We appreciate all of Chris' efforts and wish him the best of luck in the future." (High Sierra Photo)
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Center Street, a division of the Hachette Book Group USA, will release “The Girl’s Guide to NASCAR” by Liz Allison on May 1, as part of the NASCAR Library Collection. With 40% of NASCAR’s 75 million fans being female, and NASCAR TV ratings for females continuing to climb, this new title is a must-read for both the casual and avid female NASCAR fan.
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In recognition of the highest quality in tourism advertising, marketing and public relations, the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) presented the twelfth annual California Tourism Marketing Excellence Awards at the California Conference on Tourism on Wednesday, March 29, 2006.
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner, Rick Woodard announced early Wednesday that he and partner, Eddie Sharp will be parting ways in their newly-formed team, Woodard & Sharp Racing.
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Bobby Hamilton stood anxiously on pit road at Atlanta Motor Speedway a couple weeks back, set to strap into the No. 18 Dodge truck for the final time for the foreseeable future, when Mark Martin strode by with a message. "Kick its ass," Martin said. "I will," Hamilton nodded. "See ya later," Martin said. With that, he was gone. "I'll probably never talk to Mark Martin again, but [that shows] Mark cares," Hamilton said. "That's just how we are." Hamilton has cancer. It forced him from the seat. The very thought of it terrifies his colleagues. Drivers are apt to ignore such things. (HHP Image)
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Red Horse Racing team owner Tom DeLoach celebrated a victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series last weekend with his No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota and driver David Starr at Martinsville Speedway. This weekend, DeLoach's other racing endeavor - PIT Instruction and Training - will celebrate a victory in its own right as the school will be featured on 'Good Morning America Weekend Edition' on Sunday morning. (RedHorseRacing.net Photo)
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Reigning NASCAR Cup champion Tony Stewart entered Race Two of the Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) Friday night winless in three series - Nextel Cup, Busch and IRL IndyCar - in 13 starts at Texas Motor Speedway. After missing a mandatory practice earlier in the week, Stewart and Truex, Jr. were forced to start at the rear of the field, as dictated by Crown Royal IROC series rules. However, Stewart and Truex, Jr., both climbed through the field and both led the race. Stewart, the Indiana native passed NASCAR Busch Series champion Martin Truex, Jr. on the outside with five laps remaining with drafting help from Ryan Newman to clinch his third-career IROC race. Nextel Cup driver Ryan Newman finished second, Truex, Jr. was third, followed by five-time IROC Series winner Mark Martin and 2004 series titlist Matt Kenseth, who rounded out the top five. (David Vaughn Photo)
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David Reutimann finished ninth driving his No. 21 Scion tC during the 30th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. With the 10-lap event at the 1.97-mile Long Beach (Cali.) street circuit ending under caution, Bucky Lasek (Professional Skateboarder, X Games Gold Medalist) won the event. John Elway, Martina Navratilova, Todd Bodine and Bo Bice rounded out the top-five. (Patrick Dempsey Photo)
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In a fast-paced race with celebrities and professional drivers swapping paint and demonstrating deft driving skills through multiple Turn One incidents, professional skateboarder Bucky Lasek - who won the 2006 PEOPLE pole award Friday - led from start to finish to win the 30th Anniversary Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. Todd Bodine, who worked his way from the 25 second handicap imposed on all professionals behind the celebrity participants, earned the top spot in the Pro Category and finished fourth overall. (DWM PR Photo)
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Stellar-Quest Racing Team, LLC for which JC Stout drives the No. 91 NASCAR® Craftsman Truck, announced today their new partnerships with Stars & Stripes Tool, Inc. and Castle Products, Inc. Stars & Stripes Tool, Inc. (SAS Tools) is owned by the husband and wife team of Tim and Nicole Schnobrich. The Schnobrichs recently moved back to Minnesota to operate their growing business after Tim spent the last 13 years playing professional hockey in Germany.
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A very big race is on the horizon, and it’s not even NASCAR-sanctioned. How big? This big: It will have approximately 500,000 spectators spread out along a race course of 26.2 miles. There will be approximately 20,000 competitors and more than 1,000 media members reporting on it all. The 110th Boston Marathon is set for April 17.
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David Ragan will take the controls of the No. 6 Scotts Ford when competition resumes April 29 at Gateway International Raceway, effectively ending Mark Martin's four-race reign as the championship leader. Martin won't resume his 14-race schedule until May 19 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series veteran won't win this year's title - he's planning a fulltime assault in 2007. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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An online auction hosted by The NASCAR Foundation and benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation, will go live on April 11 with autographed items from popular NASCAR drivers and the new Sony Pictures movie, The Benchwarmers, up for bid.
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Kentucky Speedway and UK HealthCare’s Chandler Medical Center at the University of Kentucky announce an extension of their corporate partnership through 2008. UK HealthCare has been the “Official Medical Provider of Kentucky Speedway” since the track opened in June of 2000.
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Legendary country music group Diamond Rio has signed on to sponsor Willie Allen at the ARCA RE/MAX PFG Lester 150 this Saturday in Nashville. The two-time ACM and four-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year will release their Greatest Hits II album on May 9th courtesy of Arista Nashville. (Team PR Photo)
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Martin will hold the 'Grand Opening' on April 14 and 15
- Roush Racing's Mark Martin will hold the grand opening for his all new Ford dealership, Mark Martin Ford-Mercury, and museum this weekend (Friday and Saturday) in Batesville, Arkansas. The dealership and museum officially opened on Feb. 27th. The grand opening is being officially presented by Coke. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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MBI Publishing informed veteran motorsports writer John Close today that his upcoming book on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be licensed by NASCAR as part of the NASCAR Library Collection series of books. "This has been a great project to work on and now to have it be licensed by NASCAR is more than I could have hoped for," said Close.
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Hornaday Returns to the No. 33: Ron Hornaday will make his second NASCAR Busch Series start of the 2006 season this weekend at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. Hornaday, who will drive 13 races for KHI in the No. 33 Outdoor Channel Chevrolet, made his first start at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway three weeks ago where he picked up a seventh-place finish. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Nashville Superspeedway is the site of many firsts for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular David Reutimann. This weekend will be another first Reutimann as he drives the No. 66 Cottman Transmission entry in the NASCAR Busch Series event at Nashville Superspeedway. "This is my first chance to drive the Cottman Transmission car and I'm thankful for the opportunity," said Reutimann. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)
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Erik Darnell plans on taking advantage of a few off-weeks in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series by returning to his roots, racing at two tracks of which he credits much of his success. On Saturday night, April 15, Darnell will return to the seat of his family-owned No. 7 Simply Wow Late Model and do battle at Lake Geneva Raceway. "It's the track where I started racing," said Darnell. "I really laid the foundation there." (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Tickets Expected to Sell Out Quickly -
April 22 isn’t just another Saturday this year. It’s also the day that tickets to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway - the hottest tickets in South Florida - go on sale to the general public.
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Bodine Takes the Win in Pro Category and Runs Speed World Challenge Race -
Todd Bodine had a memorable weekend last week as he drove his No. 16 Scion to victory in the Pro Category of the 30th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. He began the race from the pole and beat out five other Pro drivers, including fellow Craftsman Truck Series driver, David Reutimann to take home top honors in the Pro Category. (PR Photo)
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In an effort to help strengthen overall racing operations and position the organization for continued success, Roush Racing announced several personnel changes today. The crew chief and engineering changes will take effect immediately. Veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig will oversee Roush Racing's Busch program in its entirety taking on the job of senior crew chief.
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Tickets Go On Sale this Monday:
Craftsman Motorsports in conjunction with Bobby Hamilton Racing will host the 'Craftsman For A Cure' charity event which will support the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and the Victory Junction Gang Camp. 'Craftsman For A Cure' will give race fans the opportunity to live their racing dream, to meet and race fender-to-fender with some of their favorite NASCAR drivers at NASCAR SpeedPark in Concord, N.C., while also helping out two very important charities.
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Race fans will be able to purchase tickets for the 'Craftsman For a Cure' charity event beginning Monday, April 17. Craftsman Motorsports in conjunction with Bobby Hamilton Racing will host the 'Craftsman For a Cure' charity event on Tuesday, May 23 at NASCAR SpeedPark in Concord, N.C. from 5 to 9 p.m. The charity event will support the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.
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The holiday weekend provided an abbreviated motorsports schedule, but the short slate of events still produced front-running efforts for a number of EMP Stewart Components racers. Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer led the EMP Stewart Components parade finishing 1-2 in the Pepsi 300 NASCAR Busch Series race at Nashville Super Speedway Saturday. (CloseFinishes.com Photo)
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Last weekend I had a great time in Texas. At the end of the day, I finished ninth in the Crown Royal IROC Series race. My car was ok, but it's kind of 'pot luck' when it comes to the car you get in the IROC Series. It's more like 'what you get is what you get'. I started out running behind Mark and then I got shuffled back. A few laps later I moved up a little bit through mid pack. When I came in for tires I was hoping the car would get better, instead the car pretty much stayed the same. There were a lot of cautions, which didn't give me the time I needed to work my way back through the field. I still had a lot fun though. I am out of the picture as far the Crown Royal Championship goes, but I am going to go out there and just have fun running the last two races and enjoy this honor. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Just 16 hours after winning a NASCAR Late Model Heat race and finishing second in the NASCAR Late Model Feature during the Dollar General Friday Night Thunder at the Nashville Music City Motorplex, Willie Allen rolled into the ARCA RE/MAX PFG Lester 150 hoping to keep the successful momentum going. He did just that. Driving the #75 Diamond Rio Ford, Allen raced to an impressive fifth place finish in only his second ARCA RE/MAX outing. (Mike Curran Photo)
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Granted, Jeremy Davidson finished a few laps down to the Boston Marathon’s winner, Kenyan Robert Cheruiyot. On the other hand, Davidson finished ahead of more than 15,000 other runners. In the process, Davidson also established an unofficial record for NASCAR types in the renowned event held for the 110th time on Monday, with a time of 3 hours, 27 minutes and 19 seconds.
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Ron Hornaday Jr. has a lot of experience, and has made a name for himself, in several different divisions over the years at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway (PIR). Hornaday has competed in the NASCAR Southwest Series, West Series, Truck, Busch and Cup Series at PIR. Hornaday made his first start at PIR in 1985 driving a modified in the Copper Classic. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Tickets for the 'Craftsman For a Cure' charity event are on sale now and packages are going quickly. Craftsman Motorsports in conjunction with Bobby Hamilton Racing will host the 'Craftsman For a Cure' charity event on Tuesday, May 23 at NASCAR SpeedPark in Concord, N.C. from 5 to 9 p.m. The charity event will support the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.
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As construction is ongoing at Waltrip Racing World (WRW) in Cornelius (N.C.), Michael Waltrip watches as a decade of planning and forecasting for his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series multi-team operation come to life. “Everything is really starting to take shape,” said Waltrip. “It’s all coming together before our eyes."
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If it has gas, four tires and faces a green flag, Ken Schrader will hop in the cockpit and drive it. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series' oldest - and some say funniest - competitor just can't resist racing. In fact, it's the title of his autobiography, "Gotta Race," which he spent the Easter off-weekend signing between events at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway and the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)
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In a significant move to continue to expand international television distribution of NASCAR, officials from ESPN International and NASCAR announced today that beginning in 2007, ESPN International will become the exclusive worldwide syndication agent for NASCAR outside of North America. ESPN International will handle the worldwide television syndication rights for NASCAR and help identify broadcast partnerships on a country-by-country basis.
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Eastman Kodak Company today announced it will sponsor Chris Bristol of High Point, N.C. in the Drive for Diversity driver development program, which is endorsed as NASCAR's leading on-track diversity initiative. Bristol will pilot the No. 99 Kodak Chevrolet for Ken Schrader Racing in the 2006 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series. (PR Photo)
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Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) has partnered with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CF) to raise awareness and funds to support vital research and care programs. The companies have joined forces to sponsor "Fast Lane to a Cure," a dinner to be held on May 16 featuring silent and live auctions, entertainment and a guest speaker. Three drivers from the KHI family will be in attendance at the event, including Burney Lamar, Ron Hornaday and Kevin Harvick. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)
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Sullivan Worldwide Announces Relationship Between National Pork Board and ThorSport Racing -
Sullivan Worldwide Marketing Group (Sullivan Worldwide) announced today that ThorSport Racing has secured the National Pork Board as an associate sponsor for the #13 Chevrolet driven by Kerry Earnhardt and the #88 Chevrolet driven by Matt Crafton in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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The NASCAR Foundation Continues its Record Setting Pace
- With exactly one month left until the third annual NASCAR Day, The NASCAR Foundation is gearing up for its most successful event ever, having sold twice as many NASCAR Day pins online compared to this point last year.
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Evernham Motorsports recently announced that its No. 98 Cheerios/Betty Crocker truck series team will have a new recipe for success for the remainder of the 2006 season. The team adopted the new leadership structure which will feature a team director, car director and engineer. The new leadership organization is currently used by Evernham's NASCAR Nextel Cup series teams. (Team PR Photo)
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For the third straight year, NASCAR fans will choose an at-large driver for the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Saturday, May 20 (FX, 7 p.m. ET). Fans will have the opportunity to vote in one driver among the top 50 in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points who is not already on the list of eligible drivers for this year's all-star event.
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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today that Scott Warfield will manage public relations for NASCAR Licensing, Aftermarket and Community Affairs, based in Charlotte, N.C.
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Aaron Rents, Inc. today announced that six-year-old Benee Calderon of Buena Park, California has won the nationwide 'Color your Way' to Talladega Sweepstakes. Benee and three of his family members will enjoy an all-expense paid trip to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend to watch as Michael Waltrip takes the wheel of the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine in the paint scheme designed by the young boy.
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When faced with the question of what to do for a three-week break in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule, Erik Darnell packed a suitcase and headed north to compete in Late Model competition for the season-opening races at Lake Geneva Raceway and Slinger Speedway. "I had a lot of fun getting back up north to race," said Darnell. "It was great to see all my friends that race up there. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Motor graders and bulldozers have replaced stock cars on Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile superspeedway. On Monday, work began in earnest on the speedway’s racing surface as part of a multi-million renovation project. Crews spent Monday tearing up asphalt from the back straightaway, ripping out the concrete pads from pit road and removing light poles.
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2 Brothers, NASCAR’s officially-licensed barbeque sauce, and world-renowned chef Mario Batali, are set to launch the first of several NASCAR co-branded grilling products April 27-30 at the Talladega Superspeedway. The duo plans to unveil their newest sauces, 2 Brothers Mario Batali Sweet and Tangy Barbeque Sauce and Hot and Spicy Barbeque Sauce, at the Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.
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At least 15 full-time NEXTEL Cup Series drivers are expected to compete in both the Aaron's 312 NASCAR Busch Series and the Aaron's 499 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, and track Vice President and General Manager Rick Humphrey said the added star-power will only enhance the experience for fans in attendance here April 28-30.
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NASCAR.COM is gearing up for the race at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend by offering its Raceday Scanner application free for the Aaron’s 499 NEXTEL Cup Series Race on Sunday, April 30. Raceday Scanner is a popular component of NEXTEL TrackPass and allows fans to listen to their favorite driver with live race-day communications of all available NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers.
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Just a couple of years ago Phil Bonifield owned a successful three-truck team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Now he is working to grow the next generation of drivers for the NCTS. Bonifield and his long-time companion, Pam Lippard sold the last of their trucks teams to Bill Davis Racing two years ago. Last year, Bonifield met and started helping a young NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series racer, Andrew Myers. (PIR 2006 Photo)
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Homestead-Miami Speedway President Curtis Gray has been recognized as one of Florida’s Top 100 Power Players in Florida International Magazine.
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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and Sony Pictures will begin selling merchandise this week online and at-track for one of the most anticipated comedies of the year – “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”
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The Roush Automotive Collection, located at Roush Enterprises headquarters in Livonia, Mich., captures the history and essence of Roush Enterprises and Roush Racing. This summer fans and history buffs alike will have the opportunity to view the 30,000 sq. ft. private facility through a series of special events.
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