http://www.thatsracin.com/120/index.xml Motorsports News from ThatsRacin.com en-us Copyright 2008 ThatsRacin.com NASCAR Charities 60 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:16 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive Workbench webmaster@thatsracin.com http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/20601.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/20601.html Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:25 EDT FORT WORTH, Texas - Budget cuts. Cost-saving measures. Layoffs. "Corrections."<p/>While these terms have become strikingly familiar in business news reports, they're leaking over onto the sports pages, too. Professional sports are business, too, and they exist in an increasingly financially challenging real world.<p/>NASCAR has enjoyed an era of explosive growth suckling on the teat of corporate sponsorship. But what happens now that many companies - including some at the very core of NASCAR's corporate relationships - are at the very least having to take a long look at every dollar being spent and are at the worst fighting for their own survival?<p/>"The sky is not falling," said David M. Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California. "It's getting lower, but I don't think it's falling."<p/>Brian France, NASCAR's chairman and chief executive officer, would likely agree.<p/>"We've had various other times where the economy has been very difficult," France said. "This probably to everybody is more significant, at least on the surface. So there is a big uncertainty about people's ability to do all the things that they want to do financially, given the backdrop of the credit crisis and all the rest.<p/>"You have to look at it over a long period of time. We're off ... but we tend to fare much better than other industries, thankfully. That's because sports are so culturally ingrained to fans. ... We're fortunate, but we are nervous like everybody else."<p/>France said that "close to between $80 million and $100 million of new money ... is predicted to flow into NASCAR from team sponsorships in 2009." While Camping World did sign on as the new title sponsor for the Truck series, it's hard to locate that level of additional backing simply by looking at next year's potential team lineups.<p/>In the Sprint Cup Series, Dale Earnhardt Inc. currently has one sponsor signed for four teams. Petty Enterprises has not yet announced a 2009 sponsor for its iconic No. 43 Dodges. Michael Waltrip Racing has one full-season sponsorship and one half-season deal done in what was a three-car operation this year.<p/>Bill Davis Racing lost sponsorship of its No. 22 Toyotas to Richard Childress Racing, which will buck the trend by growing from three to four full-time teams in 2009. Juan Pablo Montoya's No. 42 Dodges also have a sponsorship deal for only half of next season, at least so far. So, too, do Ryan Newman's cars at the two-team operation driver Tony Stewart will own in 2009.<p/>Ticket sales have been flat at some tracks, down at others, and with corporate clients having to watch their bottom lines there could be fewer big blocks of tickets and hospitality packages that go with them moving out of the inventory for Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series events.<p/>"Hospitality is where we've seen more of a downward trend than anything else," said Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc. "Companies can easily say, 'Not this time.' Some have stepped up and renewed, but it is a terrible economy, and all of us are going to have to live with it."<p/>The scariest piece of racing's economic puzzle might be with the auto industry itself, which has buttressed NASCAR with millions of marketing dollars as well as a similar amount of engineering and technical support.<p/>The three American manufacturers, at least, are fighting for their very survival in the global marketplace.<p/>General Motors and Chrysler - the companies behind Chevrolet and Dodge, respectively - have been discussing a merger that certainly could have major NASCAR consequences.<p/>Ford recently signed a new contract to continue its support of Roush Fenway Racing and its affiliated Cup teams, but is cutting back on support in the Nationwide and Truck series.<p/>"Ford's participation in racing ... is just vital," team owner Jack Roush said. "The automobile industry is absolutely essential. You could not compete with a NASCAR team without an affiliation like we enjoy with Ford and by the partnership we enjoy with Ford going forward."<p/>While NASCAR has operated at times throughout its history without official support from the manufacturers, it has not done that during the period of growth and expansion it has enjoyed for nearly two decades.<p/>Mike Delahanty, the senior manager for Dodge Motorsports, this week reiterated that current contracts with Cup teams would all be honored by Chrysler no matter what happens with any merger with GM.<p/>"What we are seeing across is what I would call a series of corrections," Delahanty said. "But the sport has seen times like this before and the sport will get through it. There are some very astute people running NASCAR and racing is too good of a thing to just go away. There are a lot of opportunities for efficiencies to be gained, but NASCAR still puts on a great show."<p/>These "efficiencies" could involve a reduction in the work force for NASCAR's top race teams, which would have a direct impact on the economy of Charlotte and surrounding areas.<p/>One published report this week said as many as 750 people in the industry could lose their jobs when the current season ends in three weeks. It's hard to know how accurate that number could be, but Smith believes even the sport's biggest teams, as well as tracks and the sanctioning body itself, are likely to trim staff.<p/>"I am sure at this point that NASCAR is having meetings about cutting expenses," Smith said. "All businesses today do that. We have a meeting every month hammering away at expenses. You'd go to the carnival and there would be this machine where this thing would stick its head up and you'd whack it. Business is that way. You have to whack away at expenses all of the time.<p/>"The first thing you always look at is two-legged overhead. NASCAR has too many people. They've got people they don't even know. Teams have people who're employed to check on other people. You don't need that many people."<p/>France said that NASCAR will keep doing what he said it always tries to do, trying to keep rules in place that don't encourage teams to equate being more competitive with spending more money. That always has been a challenging balance for the sport to strike, however, and in the current era of dominance by multicar teams the plight of an owner trying to field just one team seems dire.<p/>While things have been bad before in racing, it has been long enough that not everyone remembers those times.<p/>"When times get tough this industry has proved it can get tough," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president of corporate communications who is a former president of Darlington Raceway and a longtime veteran in the sport. "Some of the best car owners in the garage area today know what a good baloney sandwich tastes like."<p/>Carter, who monitors the business of sports and also teaches at Southern Cal, said NASCAR could be helped in the immediate and long-term future by the way it's dealt with sponsors and fans in the past.<p/>"NASCAR has for so long worked with its corporate partners to protect both of their interests," Carter said. "I think the sport would be in worse shape if they didn't have that history with those partners.<p/>"What's going to have to happen is that a corporation needs to quickly and precisely let its stockholders know why they are doing any kind of spending. In racing, it needs to be able to say 'Last year we got four clients out of what we did a this race and that led to this much in sales.' It will have to get to that point.<p/>"You can't just say, 'Well, it's good for business.' You have to show it's not something that's frivolous, that it's an integral part of how you do business."<p/>Carter believes that in most cases NASCAR still delivers good value to sponsors in relation to how a company might otherwise spend its marketing dollars. Delahanty shares that belief.<p/>"You have 120,000 to 150,000 people who're there, at least in part, because they are enthusiastic about the automobile," Delahanty said. "It's a receptive audience."<p/>Smith said he believes the key is in that audience.<p/>"We have to constantly make the sport better for the fans," he said. "If we do that, then it's better for everybody. It's better for me, it's better for the sponsors and it's better for NASCAR.<p/>"That's what we ought to do. Make the product better and the fans will beat a path to your door." http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/5780.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/5780.html Sat, 04 Aug 2007 15:11 EDT MONTREAL – Lightning flashed and the fans in the aluminum grandstands never flinched. NASCAR was finally in front of them, and it would take more than a storm to drive them away.<p/> Stock cars roared into Canada this weekend for the NASCAR Busch Series' first foray north of the border, and early indications are this inaugural debut will be an unqualified success.<p/> Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart aren’t in the field for Saturday’s Busch Series event. But NASCAR chairman Brian France doesn’t believe his biggest stars are needed to sell stock cars in a nation where open-wheel racing dominates.<p/> “I think Canadian fans are a pretty good judge of what is exciting racing and we think, when it’s all said and done, we’re going to be able to give them that,” France said.<p/>“When they watch a Formula One race, lead changes are either nonexistent or nonimportant. We have a whole different philosophy that we are going to present.”<p/> This is NASCAR’s second trip abroad with its second-tier Busch Series, which has raced in Mexico City since 2005 with impressive reviews. Fans there embraced the series, partly because of the contingent of Mexican drivers. In March, Juan Pablo Montoya became the race’s first Latin American winner.<p/> NASCAR is banking on a similar response in Montreal, where eight Canadians from five provinces are entered Saturday. Among them is Patrick Carpentier, an open-wheel star from Quebec.<p/> “Once they give the start ... I think it’s going to be ‘Oh, my god,”’ he said.<p/>“They’re not used to it, but I think they’re going to like it. It’s pretty popular, and you’re going to see all these people come and take a look at it. They want to see what the big show is.”<p/> Carpentier said the early crowds exceed what his former Champ Car Series drew to this venue, a claim backed by event organizer Stock Car Montreal. <p/>Ticket sales have not been released, but general manager Martin Spalding said hospitality suites are sold out and the last of the grandstand seats were snapped up Friday.<p/> Only general admission lawn seats are still available. At $30 each, fans can bring a lawn chair, picnic basket and take a seat across from pit road that would give them access to the Busch race and a Canadian Tire Series support race.<p/> “This can really be a marquee event for NASCAR,” Spalding said. “It’s a terrific city, with two cultures, a wonderful nightlife. It’s safe, we have great food. The city is absolutely buzzing about this.”<p/> It doesn’t appear NASCAR has done much to market the event, but famous Crescent St. has been closed during the evenings for a street festival with live music and stock cars on display.<p/> But it all begs an answer as to what NASCAR is trying to accomplish in these brief stops on foreign soil. France is adamant that he has no plans to take his top-tier Nextel Cup Series out of the United States. His pressing desire is to expand into New York City and the Pacific Northwest.<p/> And he doesn’t envision turning the Busch Series into an international circuit, beyond Mexico and Montreal. Instead, this is about selling the NASCAR brand and tapping markets for long-term growth.<p/> “In this day and age, no sports league can continue to grow without an incredible and increasingly international presence,” said David Carter, executive director of USC’s Sports Business Institute.<p/> “Even though it’s the Busch Series, its about starting moderately and taking incremental steps toward building the sport up internationally. The NBA has been in China. The NFL wants to be in China. If you aren’t growing internationally, at some point you simply aren’t growing. And NASCAR’s potential for growth is simply dramatic.”<p/> Unlike the other leagues, NASCAR isn’t interested in trotting its stars around the world even though France and his top executives made a recent visit to China.<p/> The expansion model is based on slowly promoting the brand and aligning itself with existing racing series, said Steve O’Donnell, vice president of NASCAR’s racing operations.<p/> NASCAR did it in Mexico City by sanctioning the DeSafio Corona Series and now sanctions Canada’s national tour.<p/> “Maybe a young driver comes this weekend and decides to pursue stock cars,” O’Donnell said.<p/>“If the Canadian Tire Series is a success, then maybe two, three, four years down the road, drivers who came through that tour will move into the Busch Series. Then maybe one day they are in the Cup Series.”<p/> France eventually would like to take the model into China, and maybe Europe. <p/>The first step is making NASCAR relevant to foreign countries through television exposure and sponsor interest. Aligning itself with a grass-roots touring series is next. And it’s all aimed toward finding an international superstar for NASCAR, as the NBA has done with Yao Ming and baseball with its infusion of Japanese players.<p/> “To establish this event in Montreal is all about a return on investment,” Spalding said. “And for us, that’s having the fans leave her on Saturday saying, ‘Man, that was cool.’ Lets prove there’s a market for NASCAR in Canada and we’ll go from there.” http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/19376.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/19376.html Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:48 EDT http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/13245.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/13245.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:04 EDT Peyton Sellers and Austin Dillon, teammates for Harrisburg, N.C.-based Andy Santerre Motorsports, finished first and second Saturday in the Camping World East season opener at Greenville-Pickens Speedway.<p/>Late Tuesday, however, NASCAR informed Santerre the official finish had been revised with Dillon, the grandson of Sprint Cup team owner Richard Childress, declared the winner and Sellers moved down to the 30th and last finishing position.<p/>Crew chief H.C. Sellers was also suspended for three races.<p/>The win was taken from Sellers after NASCAR found one of the shock absorbers on his No. 44 Chevrolet had a base valve, which helps control the flow of fluid. Shocks with base valves are not allowed in the series.<p/>“We admit there was a rules infraction,” Santerre said.<p/>“It was a shock to us as much as it was unintentional.”<p/>Santerre said his team had not torn the shocks down since getting them from a team that used them in another series. The shocks were put on Sellers’ car in a test and three were changed before Saturday night’s race. But the right-rear shock was still on the car.<p/>Santerre said he doesn’t understand why a win was taken from Sellers when that did not happen after Carl Edwards’ Ford did not pass inspection after Edwards won a Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas.<p/>“What makes me any different from Jack Roush, other than he’s got a lot more money than I do?” Santerre said.<p/>Ramsey Poston, NASCAR’s manager of corporate communications, said the decision is not without precedent. <p/>Mike Olsen was moved from first to last after the 2005 Toyota All-Star Showdown when the right-side wheels were found to be too wide and too light.<p/>Poston also said the penalty does not mean NASCAR will be more likely to reverse its traditional policy and begin taking away finishing position for rules violations in the Cup, Nationwide and Truck series.<p/>“The regional and touring series tend to administer penalties differently and this really isn’t an unusual step for any developmental series,” he said. http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/4319.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/4319.html Fri, 18 May 2007 13:57 EDT Gov. Mike Easley will race a few laps in Casey Mears' No. 25 National Guard/GMAC car this weekend to raise money for the car's namesake.<p/> Easley will drive the "American Heroes" car Saturday prior to the start of the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord. The governor has received several pledges from private donors that will benefit the National Guard Family Readiness Program, Easley's office announced Friday.<p/> The program provides information and referral services to National Guard members and their families on issues ranging from unexpected income drops during deployments to car repairs.<p/> "The men and women in the North Carolina National Guard make significant sacrifices being overseas serving our country," Easley said in a written statement. "I am asking every citizen and business to join in giving a little bit back during race week."<p/> Easley has had his share of adventures - and misadventures - behind the wheel of a stock car.<p/> In May 2005, the governor kicked off a legislative session by driving Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet from the Executive Mansion to the Legislative Building less than two blocks away. As he drove away from his official residence, Easley fishtailed and nearly hit a parked car, but caused no damage.<p/> Two years earlier, he wrecked another of Johnson's cars while driving at Lowe's Motor Speedway.<p/><b>On the Net:</b><p/> Donations are being accepted through:<p/> <b>Speedway Children's Charities:</b> www.speedwaycharities.org<p/> <b>Office of the Governor:</b> www.governor.state.nc.us http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/13528.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/13528.html Thu, 01 May 2008 09:15 EDT Some midweek observations on NASCAR's No. 2 series from Jim Utter of the Charlotte Observer:<p/><strong><span class="subhead">Elevator</span></strong><p/><strong>UP - DAVID STREMME</strong>He's having a remarkable season despite no full-time ride.<p/><strong>UP - JOE GIBBS RACING</strong><p/>The team's drivers have won six of the season's 10 races.<p/><strong>DOWN - DARIO FRANCHITTI</strong><p/>Bad crash and ankle injury cause rough start to his first season.<p/><strong><span class="subhead">3 to Watch</span></strong><p/><strong><span class="subhead">1 - DENNY HAMLIN:</strong> Looking to become JGR's third driver to win in the series this season. The last time a non-JGR driver won a series race was a month ago at Nashville, Tenn.<p/><strong><span class="subhead">2 - CLINT BOWYER: </strong>Not even an early crash at Talladega (Ala.) could pry the series points lead from Bowyer, who won the spring race at Richmond, Va., a year ago.<p/><strong><span class="subhead">3 - BOBBY HAMILTON JR.: </strong>His third-place finish at Talladega moved him into 10th in the series standings despite not competing in the race in Mexico City.<p/><strong><span class="subhead">Observations</span></strong><p/><span class="bullet">&#149;&nbsp;</span>ESPN scored big with its broadcast last weekend of the Talladega race on ABC. The race earned a 2.6 rating, a 28 percent increase over last season's race (also on ABC). The race also earned the largest audience for a series event on ESPN's networks since it began airing NASCAR races again in 2007.<p/><span class="bullet">&#149;&nbsp;</span>Franchitti's injury and his recovery time will likely open the door for <strong>Bryan Clauson </strong>and <strong>Cale Gale </strong>to make a serious challenge for the rookie title. Franchitti leads Clauson 89-52 with Gale at 44 points. Clauson is the only one of the three entered in Friday's race.<p/><span class="bullet">&#149;&nbsp;</span><strong>Jeff Green</strong> hopes to make his season debut this weekend driving for Key Motorsports. The team has been running predominately in NASCAR's Truck Series over the past five years.<p/><strong><span class="subhead">This week's race</span></strong><p/><strong><span class="briefs-section-head">LIPTON TEA 250</span></strong><p/><strong> WHERE: </strong>Richmond (Va.) International Raceway<p/><strong> WHEN: </strong>7:30 p.m. Friday<p/><strong> TV: </strong>ESPN2<p/><strong> LAST YEAR'S WINNER: </strong>Clint Bowyer<p/><strong> TOP 10 IN POINTS: </strong>1. Clint Bowyer, 1,427; 2. Carl Edwards, 1,400; 3. Kyle Busch, 1,388; 4. David Reutimann, 1,298; 5. Mike Bliss, 1,282; 6. David Ragan, 1,274; 7. Brad Keselowski, 1,252; 8. Jason Leffler, 1,227; 9. Mike Wallace, 1,173; 10. Bobby Hamilton Jr., 1,055. http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/13520.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/13520.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:32 EDT Tuesday would have been Dale Earnhardt's 57th birthday, and for the seventh straight year since his death in a crash in the 2001 Daytona 500 fans gathered at Dale Earnhardt Inc. to mark the occasion.<p/>Several hundred fans braved blustery weather to participate in Dale Earnhardt Day activities, getting autographs from DEI's current drivers and touring the team's headquarters/museum in Mooresville, N.C.<p/>Dale Earnhardt Jr. sent a short videotaped greeting to fans at his former team and DEI owner and chief executive officer Teresa Earnhardt spoke briefly at an afternoon ceremony.<p/>Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 1 Chevrolets for the team, joined teammates Mark Martin, Aric Almirola, Paul Menard and Regan Smith at the gathering. DEI has notified Truex that it plans to pick up an option on his contract for 2009, but both Truex and DEI president Max Siegel said there are details that must be worked out regarding that.<p/>"I am pretty happy with how things are going, but there's a lot of stuff we need to work out and a lot of questions I need answered going forward," Truex said.<p/>"We will just see where that leads. ...There are questions I need answered before I commit three or four years of my life in racing. It's hard to know what's going to happen."<p/>Siegel said DEI wants not only to bring Truex back for next season but also wants to talk about a long-term deal. "We want to have him here long term, so we're having those discussions," he said. http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/18104.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/18104.html Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:04 EDT Dario Franchitti will leave NASCAR and return to IndyCar in 2009 as the replacement driver for Dan Wheldon at Chip Ganassi Racing.<p/>The move was announced Tuesday by Ganassi, who also signed a multiyear extension with Target for both his open-wheel and NASCAR programs.<p/>Franchitti won the 2007 IndyCar Series championship and the Indianapolis 500, but left open wheel for NASCAR at the end of the season to drive Ganassi's No. 40 Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series.<p/>Ganassi never secured sponsorship for that team, and was forced to shutter it in July because of the weakening economy. Franchitti has lingered in NASCAR since, running a handful of second-tier Nationwide Series races as he and Ganassi tried to figure out his future.<p/>Franchitti had said at the time his team closed that returning to IndyCar was not an option, but apparently changed his mind when Ganassi and Wheldon decided to part ways.<p/>"I have always admired his competitive spirit when he raced against us and have really grown to see more of what he is about this season while he raced in NASCAR," Ganassi said. "When there was a possibility of an opening on our IndyCar team, the only person I thought about was Dario. This is going to be a great move for Dario and for our team.<p/>Franchitti will join Scott Dixon, the reigning Indy 500 winner who is poised to wrap up his second IndyCar title, on Ganassi's open wheel team. Franchitti beat Dixon for the title a year ago, right before he announced he was joining Ganassi's NASCAR operation.<p/>Franchitti likely had several opportunities with Ganassi - including a Nationwide ride in NASCAR, and possibly a job in the Grand-Am Series - but was intrigued by the recent unification of the IndyCar Series and the now-defunct Champ Car Series.<p/>"Part of the reason that I signed with Ganassi last year was because of how many options that Chip has at his disposal for a driver. You can do almost any form of racing that you want," Franchitti said. "With unification and the new schedule having more road and street courses it made me think about this more and more.<p/>"I have really enjoyed this last season in stock cars and have not completely closed that chapter of my professional career, but the opportunity that arose was just something I could not pass up."<p/>Franchitti raced in just 10 Cup events this season. He missed five with a broken foot suffered in a crash at Talladega, and the No. 40 car fell outside the top 35 in points and failed to qualify for a handful of races before Ganassi finally closed it down.<p/>Franchitti's highest finish was a 22nd at Martinsville in March. He's been better in the Nationwide car, with a career-best finish of fifth on the road course at Watkins Glen and a 13th and 11th in his last two outings.<p/>Shortly after Franchitti's announcement, Panther Racing said Wheldon will return to the IndyCar team with which he began his IndyCar career in 2002.<p/>Wheldon, who joined the Ganassi team in 2006, right after winning the series championship and the Indy 500 for Andretti Green Racing, has been overshadowed by Dixon in his time there.<p/>"Dan Wheldon has done everything this organization has asked of him," Gansassi said. "He was competitive from the moment that he stepped into the car for us. Dan is a class act both on and off the track and we wish him nothing but the best."<p/>Wheldon, who signed a multiyear agreement with Panther, said, "I'm looking forward to when my obligations with my current team have been honored, so I can get with the entire Panther family and start moving towards all of our goals of winning races and championships together. It's great to be back."<p/>The championship will be decided this weekend at Chicagoland, where Dixon will try to hold off Helio Castroneves for the championship. The IndyCar teams also will race in non-points event at Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia on Oct. 26.<p/>"I will certainly miss my working relationship with Scott Dixon and wish him and the team all the best for this weekend at Chicagoland," said Wheldon, who is fourth in the season points with wins at Kansas Speedway and Iowa Speedway.<p/>All the movement comes at a tumultuous time for Ganassi, who has gone from three teams to two in NASCAR and is losing Cup driver Reed Sorenson at the end of the season. He still must fill that seat.<p/>Also, sponsor Texaco is leaving Juan Pablo Montoya's NASCAR car at the end of the year.<p/>At the same time, Ganassi's Grand-Am duo of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas has already clinched the 2008 Daytona Prototype championship and Dixon needs only to finish ninth or better to wrap up his second IndyCar title.<p/>Longtime partner Target remains committed to the organization, and its new contract ensures the sponsor and Ganassi will enter their 20th season together next year.<p/>"We are excited about our relationship ... and we look forward to celebrating our 20th year with the team in 2009," said Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel. "This program has had tremendous success over the years, and we look forward to even more success in the years to come." http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/2801.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/2801.html Thu, 08 Feb 2007 12:00 EST MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 7, 2007) – NASCAR legend and Ginn Racing driver Mark Martin will lead a charitable effort to benefit residents of central Florida whose lives were devastated last week when three deadly tornadoes tore through the area. And one lucky fan will come away the winner of a race to provide relief to those in need.<p/>The “Ultimate Mark Martin/Daytona 500 Dream Package” is the creation of Martin, the iconic NASCAR driver and Florida resident, Ginn Racing, Martin’s NASCAR Nextel Cup team and Ginn Resorts, a central Florida-based developer.<p/>Among the items included in the package are the hood of Martin's No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet race car, two VIP suite tickets to Daytona Speedweeks, a day as honorary crew chief at the Daytona 500, and laps in a pace car with Martin around the famed Daytona International Speedway 2.5-mile oval. <p/>The package will be auctioned off on eBay. Bidding begins today (Wednesday, Feb. 7) and closes on Monday, Feb. 12. All proceeds will go directly to the American Red Cross Central Florida relief programs.<p/>“So many people’s lives have been turned upside down, and I am happy that Ginn Racing and Ginn Resorts are joining me in helping the disaster relief fund of central Florida,” offered Martin, driver of the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. “I’m a proud Florida resident, as is our team owner Bobby Ginn, and we both feel a deep compassion for the devastating toll this tragedy has taken.”<p/>“Being a Central Florida company, it is only fitting that we would participate in this relief effort,” said Bobby Ginn, president and CEO of Ginn Resorts, a Celebration, Fla.-based resort real estate developer and team owner of Ginn Racing. “It is our company’s mission to assist those in the communities in which we develop in times of need.”<p/>The winner of the “Ultimate Mark Martin/Daytona 500 Dream Package” will receive the following:<p/>*Honorary Pit Crew Chief for Martin’s No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet<p/>* The hood of Martin’s No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet <p/>* A ride with Martin in a pace car on the famed Daytona International Speedway<p/>* The fire suit Martin will wear in this year’s Daytona 500<p/>* Two VIP suite tickets to the Orbitz 300 NASCAR Busch race and the Daytona 500 <p/>* Attend Daytona 500 driver/crew chief meeting as Martin’s guest<p/>* Accommodations for three nights at Ginn Reunion Resort<p/>About Mark Martin<p/>Martin left his longtime ride with Roush Racing after the 2006 season and signed a multiyear contract with Ginn Racing to drive the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet.<p/>Martin, who is one of only three drivers who have made the Chase for the Nextel Cup each season since the playoff championship format began three years ago, began his remarkable journey 25 years ago when he made his first Cup start at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway on April 5, 1981. Since then the Hall of Fame driver has amassed a record of: 674 starts, 35 wins, 234 top fives, 374 top 10s and 41 poles. <p/>About Ginn Racing<p/>Founded in July 1996, Ginn Racing (formerly known as MB2 Motorsports) has grown from a single-car NASCAR Cup team in an 8,000-square-foot shop to a multicar operation, which is currently housed in a 158,000-square-foot shop in Mooresville, N.C. Ginn Racing's lineup for the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series consists of the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet to be co-driven by Mark Martin and rookie Regan Smith; the No. 13 Chevrolet, driven by Joe Nemechek; and the No. 14 Waste Management/Panasonic Chevrolet, driven by Sterling Marlin. Ginn Racing will also field a full-time Busch team in 2007 with drivers Smith and Kraig Kinser plus a driver development program with Jesus Hernandez and motocross champion Ricky Carmichael. For more information about Ginn Racing visit the company’s web site at www.ginnracing.com http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/5803.html http://www.thatsracin.com/120/story/5803.html Sat, 04 Aug 2007 12:32 EDT LONG POND, Pa. - Tony Stewart said he understands why Kevin Harvick was upset with him and the outcome of last Sunday’s Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.<p/> Stewart and Harvick finally talked about the incident on a phone conversation Friday night. Stewart made contact with Harvick’s car in the final laps of the race as Stewart was racing to his second Brickyard victory.<p/> “He should have run second. He had the second-best car for sure. I would have been upset if the roles were reversed, too. I can’t blame him for that,” Stewart said. <p/> “I made a mistake. I let the car get too high. I’ve heard differences of opinions from people watching the tape, but I still take responsibility for it. I would never race Kevin like that on purpose.”<p/> Some fender damage to Harvick’s car as a result of the incident slowed him and he dropped to seventh at the finish.