[bigsmooth]

happy harvick continues to have a great season, and the 48 inches closer to the title

Harvick wins at Phoenix, Johnson closes in on title
By Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
November 13, 2006
11:57 AM EST (16:57 GMT)
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Jimmie Johnson moved a step closer to his first NASCAR championship on Sunday, using yet another smooth run to leave Phoenix International Raceway with a firm hold on the top spot in the season standings.

Johnson smartly settled for second place, racing winner Kevin Harvick just hard enough over a final three-lap sprint to the finish to maintain his track position and keep the Nextel Cup title within his reach.

"In order to get the win, I was really going to have to force the issue and I knew that I needed to be smart from that point on," Johnson said.

He heads into the season finale next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 63-point lead over Matt Kenseth, needing just one more trouble-free race to grab the title that has so cruelly eluded him the past two seasons. Johnson can wrap up the title with a 12th-place finish or better.

Harvick, who won for the fifth time this year and swept the season at Phoenix, led 252 of the 312 laps and was out front for a series of late restarts. A short stoppage allowed both drivers to map out their final strategy, which called for Johnson to make a brief run at Harvick over the closing laps.

But Harvick twice held off any charge, and Johnson fell in line behind him as they crossed the finish line.

"Jimmie got a good run on me," Harvick said. "But I wasn't going to lose this race."

The win moved Harvick into a tie for third in the standings, but 90 points behind Johnson.

"We wish we were closer than that but we did everything we could do [Sunday]," he said. "That's all we can do and however it falls, it falls. It's been a great year for us."

Denny Hamlin finished third, Jeff Gordon was fourth and Carl Edwards rounded out the top five.

Although it was a decent day for nine of the Chase for the championship drivers -- all but Kyle Busch finished inside the top 13 -- five of them were mathematically eliminated from title contention. The scoreboard now shows that only Kenseth, Hamlin, Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have a chance to catch Johnson.

"I'm not too optimistic about it," said Kenseth, who finished 13th. "Obviously anything can happen, we're still within striking distance if they have a mechanical problem or some type of problem like that.

"But certainly we'd be fooling ourselves if we think we'd beat them on performance."

That's because Johnson has been unbelievable of late, finishing second or better in the past five races to climb back into contention for a title that looked to be well out of reach after Round 1 of the Chase. He wrecked in the opener and finished 39th, dropping all the way to ninth in the standings.

Instead of crying over what could have been, again -- remember, Johnson has fallen apart in the Chase the past two seasons -- he took it one race at a time and didn't worry about the points.

"I never felt like we were out of it, but I knew we needed some bad luck," he said. "I never conceded, but I also said to myself 'Lets just go all out.'"[/quote]

[PAmedic]

the Cup is the 48s to lose.

Unfortunately.

kudos to the whole team/organization though, they've peaked at EXACTLY the right time- unlike the 17

[PAmedic]

a very frustrating season comes to an end as the cheaters prosper.

just goes to show you CAN get away with it, and money makes the world go 'round.

Roush ends on a high note though, as they sweep the weekend series:

Martin w/ his last ride in the 6 dominates again and wins the truck race

Kenseth with a stout run takes the Busch race for the 17 team

Biff makes it 3 in a row as the 16 wins the Nextel Cup race going away

[bigsmooth]

are you kidding me??? a typical roush cry baby!!!! too bad ole man river could NEVER get one title!! he wont win a truck title either....always remember little man...2nd place is the first LOSER!!!

[bigsmooth]

hail to the champion!!!!! another win for the hendrick boys!!

Johnson's road has been long -- but well worth wait
By David Newton, NASCAR.COM
November 20, 2006
01:02 PM EST (18:02 GMT)
HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- A large, burly man wearing blue jeans and a No. 48 cap waited anxiously Sunday night as Jimmie Johnson leaned against his car for his first interview after winning his first Nextel Cup title.

As the television crew moved away Johnson noticed the man, his face red and beaming with pride, and stepped toward him.

The man embraced Johnson with a powerful bear hug and patted him on the back just as he'd done a thousand times before races, just as he'd done four hours earlier before this one at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

This one was different.

"That was the best one," said Gary Johnson, the father of the 2006 Cup champion. "That one was the best ever."

The elder Johnson looked like Average Joe race fan as he stood below the stage covered in yellow and black confetti. The hundreds of fans that rushed past him to get a glimpse of the ceremony had no idea he was the father of the driver that was about to receive a $6.2 million check.

He was a reminder that Johnson wasn't born with a silver spoon, that the model wife and jet-set lifestyle weren't on the radar when the 31-year-old Johnson raced motorcycles in the California desert.

"Nine years ago we were watching this on the couch at home in El Cajon [Calif.]," Johnson's father said. "To be here is incredible."

Indeed, the journey has been long for Johnson, longer than most realize. He grew up with modest means, his father working for a tire company while racing motorcycles on weekends and his mother driving a school bus.

"We were just a regular working family," said Gary, whose celebration included a keg in the Busch Series garage. "We just loved racing. We did it as a hobby. We would go camp in our van and that's what we did for fun."

Perhaps it was the blue-collar lifestyle that made Johnson so resilient when he came up eight points short of the title in 2004 and finished fifth last season after entering the final race only 52 points behind Tony Stewart.

Perhaps it was that workmanlike attitude that allowed Johnson to fight back after falling to eighth, 156 points out of first, five races into the Chase.

Had he lost this one, his father is sure he would have come back for more.

"I've always told him Johnsons do it the hard way," Gary said.

"Nine years ago we were watching this on the couch at home in El Cajon [Calif.]. To be here is incredible."
- Gary Johnson, on his son Jimmie winning the title


The elder Johnson also taught his son to set his goals high, to "shoot for the moon."

But Gary never imagined this, not when Johnson raced motorcycles and dune buggies. Neither did Johnson.

"That was my goal, to race motorcycles," Johnson said. "I really had to perform to get my next break."

That came in 1993 when Johnson was introduced to Herb Fishel, the executive director of General Motors Racing. Fishel began following Johnson's career and in 1997 offered him an opportunity to drive for an off-road team.

NASCAR didn't get on the radar until Johnson was waiting in an office to meet with Fishel and saw a picture of Jeff Gordon on the wall.

"He said, 'I'd like to do that,'" Gary said. "Then to end up to be Jeff's teammate, partner and friend ... unbelievable."

The nervous energy Gary felt before his son's 400-mile journey was gone, replaced by pure elation.

"Just waiting has been the hard part," he said before the race.

The wait was at times unbearable. The toughest moment came on Lap 15 when a piece of debris from the first caution left what crew chief Chad Knaus described as a "gaping" hole in the grill.

"I kept waiting for him to say they had a water leak," Gary said. "Thank God, it didn't."

The crew patched the hole with tape and Johnson, who had moved from his starting position of 15th to 10th, restarted 39th.

"That's our drama for today," Knaus said over the car radio. "Now you've got to get past all of those cars."

Johnson quickly moved back through the field. On Lap 78 he passed Kevin Harvick on the high side to move into the top 10.

He led a lap just before pitting on Lap 108 for five bonus points and was running 13th, a spot behind challenger Matt Kenseth, after a Lap 184 restart.

"Let's just follow the 17 [Kenseth] the rest of the night," Johnson said.

Johnson seemed calm at the moment, but he wasn't that way all weekend as he repeatedly claimed. His father saw through that, particularly during Saturday's final practice when Kenseth, who began the day 63 points out, picked up a lot of speed.

"I told him it doesn't matter, that you don't have to beat him," his dad said. "You just do good and have a good finish and let it fall where it may.

"Then I gave him a big hug, patted him on the back and told him to get them. We're a family of huggers."

Gary had to wait longer than he wanted for the final hug. Several cautions during the final laps, the last leading to a green-white-checkered finish, made the ending nerve-racking for the man who still works heavy equipment for a living.

But as Johnson did his burnout and team owner Rick Hendrick looked away from the monitor that his eyes had been fixated on, Gary finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"The cautions kept coming and coming," Gary said. "I was like, 'Quit!'"

That didn't end the waiting. Gary had to wait for his son to reach Victory Lane, and then wait for nearly five minutes while Johnson stood in front of the television camera.

Fortunately for Gary, he waited in front of a sign that said, "Jimmie Johnson. 2006 Nextel Cup champion."

"It was hard," Johnson said of the wait. "But it was worth it."

[El Scorcho]

I stand by my pick at the end of last season, Denny Hamlin. He's obviously a lock for Rookie of the Year and I can't wait to see what this guy will do down the road. What a rookie year for Hamlin!

[PAmedic]

agreed on Hamlin- great racer.

SMOOTHIE- remind me to kick you square in the Knutz when I come down

freakin' Whaler fans.

[PAmedic]

ESPN and NASCAR . com reporting the late Bobby Hamilton Sr has succumbed to cancer at age 49

very sorry to hear that.

[PAmedic]

Hamilton, 49, dies after battle with neck cancer

By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
January 7, 2007
08:42 PM EST (01:42 GMT)


Bobby Hamilton, the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series champion and a four-time winner in the Cup Series, died Sunday. He was 49.

Hamilton, a native of Nashville, had been battling cancer for nearly a year. He announced in March 2006 that he was undergoing treatment for neck cancer. He immediately turned over his driving duties in the Craftsman Truck Series to his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr.

Liz Allison, a family friend who co-hosted a radio show with Hamilton, said he was at home with his family when he died.

Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president for communications, saw first-hand the unlikely procession of Hamilton's career from Nashville short track champion to multiple winner in NASCAR's top series.

"He meant an awful lot. He was old school and one of those guys that did it his way," Hunter said. "He was very popular in the garage area and in the industry because he worked real hard. He didn't believe anyone was owed anything."

Hunter said the news hit the sanctioning body especially hard.

"It came as a real shock. We knew [the cancer] was serious, and we knew he was fighting it, but you just never know these things," Hunter said. "He will be missed. He was a tough, tough guy."

Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan recalled a day last fall when Hamilton took him aside and asked him to drive for his team.

"It floored me," said Gaughan, who eventually decided to turn down the offer. "He asked me to drive for his team, and it was quite an honor. That day will always sit in my head.

"He was a great drive and a great owner. My heart goes out to the BHR organization."

Hamilton was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in February after a malignant growth was found when swelling from dental surgery did not go down.

He raced in the season's first three events, with a best finish of 14th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, before turning over the wheel to his son.

"I love what I do; I love this business," Hamilton said when he disclosed that he had cancer. "NASCAR has been good to me, and I just don't feel comfortable when I am not around it."

Hamilton quit driving in the Cup Series after the 2002 season to focus on his thriving Craftsman Truck Series team. He went on to win the Truck Series title in '04.

"It is a terrible loss to us," said Larry McClure, Hamilton's team owner from 1998-2000. "I will miss him. I always thought of him as my friend."

McClure said he had talked to Hamilton just a few weeks ago.

"I asked him how he was dong and he said, Pretty good,'" McClure said. "Just amazing how it can turn like that."

Jeff Purvis, a fellow Tennessean and a close friend of Hamilton's, was shocked at the news of Hamilton's death. A longtime Busch Series regular whose career was curtailed by a 2002 crash, Purvis visited with Ken Schrader on Friday and they had discussed Hamilton's progress.

"We went to lunch and talked about Bobby," Purvis said. "[Schrader] had just left Bobby's shop and came from there to my house.

"[Hamilton] was kind of what racing was supposed to be about. He was a racer's racer. You could talk to him about chassis. He understood racing and the race cars, the event. He really understood racing itself."

Though he made his Cup debut in 1989 -- a one-race deal at Phoenix on Nov. 5 -- Hamilton probably is best known for the unusual way he broke into NASCAR's top series. He served as a stunt driver for the 1990 movie Days of Thunder, performing so well that he was soon hired to run the Cup Series full-time. He went on become Rookie of the Year in 1991.

His big break, however, came in 1995 when Hamilton was hired to drive the No. 43 of Petty Enterprises. He resurrected the ailing team with 10 top-10 finishes in 1995, and in 1996, he won at Phoenix, which helped him finish a career-best ninth in points.

After winning at Rockingham in 1997, Hamilton moved to Morgan-McClure Motorsports for the 1998-2000 seasons. His only win during that time came in '98 at Martinsville.

"He was a good driver and a good businessman," McClure said. "We spent three years with him and it was great. He got us our last win. It was probably the last time the team was competitive, and he kept getting better and better."

Hamilton wrapped up his Cup career with a two-year stint with Andy Petree. He won at Talladega in 2001 in a thrilling race that went green the entire way. The win was Petree's first as a car owner, and Petree celebrated by diving across the hood as Hamilton drove into Victory Lane.

"He definitely raced hard," Gaughan said of Hamilton. "I remember that race when he won at Talladega when everyone was falling out of the seat [from the oppressive heat]. That was a testament to how tough he was."

[PAmedic]

hoping for the best- always enjoy listening to Benny

*******************************
'73 champ Parsons hospitalized in ICU

January 6, 2007
12:01 PM EST (17:01 GMT)

CONCORD, N.C. -- Former NASCAR champion and current broadcast analyst Benny Parsons has been hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte since the day after Christmas.

Parsons, who has been a member of the NBC/TNT broadcast crew since 2001 and previously worked for ESPN, also hosts a weekly radio program on PRN.


The 1973 champion and 1975 Daytona 500 winner revealed in July that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Parsons admitted he had been a smoker but had kicked the habit nearly 30 years ago.

"The first thing everyone asks me is, 'Are you a smoker?'," Parsons said. "The answer is that I smoked my last cigarette way back in 1978 and since then I've hated being around smoking. I don't even allow anyone in my foursome to smoke on the golf course."

After treatment, the 65-year-old announced in October that his cancer was in full remission.

"Three months ago my family doctor called me into his office and told me I had lung cancer," Parsons said at the time. "So Rick Hendrick told me if I was going to fight cancer, you have to get [oncologist Steven A.] Limentani. He helped Rick through his leukemia 10 years ago. So we did.

"The last three months we have been battling the disease. Then Wednesday, I had a scan and [Limentani] called me Wednesday afternoon with the best news: 'The cancer is gone ... see ya.' "

However, Parsons was unable to attend the Nextel Cup Awards Ceremony in New York as the cancer treatment reportedly left his left lung too damaged to function properly, according to a report in the Charlotte Observer.

Parsons, chosen as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998, made 526 starts from 1964 until his 1988 retirement. He won 21 races and 20 poles.

He also had 283 top 10 finishes, led at least one lap in 192 races and finished no lower than fifth in the points from 1972 to 1980 while earning more than $4 million.

Parsons was born in Ellerbe, N.C., but spent time in Detroit where he worked at a gas station and a cab company owned by his father. When he first started racing, he often listed "taxicab driver" as his occupation on entry forms.

He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994.

Parsons' family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from fans and the NASCAR community and they encourage everyone to keep Benny in their thoughts and prayers.

Parsons is not allowed visitors at this time, but fans and associates can continue to send him messages at bp@goprn.com.

[PAmedic]

Parsons dies at 65 after battle with lung cancer

NASCAR.COM
January 16, 2007
08:11 PM EST (01:11 GMT)




Benny Parsons, who charmed television audiences with his folksy demeanor as much as he impressed fans with his ability as a driver, died Tuesday at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte following complications from lung cancer. He was 65.

The former self-proclaimed Detroit taxi driver-turned-NASCAR racer never forgot his humble rural North Carolina roots, and it came through in every aspect of his life.

Even though he gained fame as the 1973 Winston Cup champion and winner of the 1975 Daytona 500, Parsons understood that as a broadcast analyst, it was his job to aim the spotlight away from himself.

"I heard someone say this one time and I thought it was fabulous," Parsons said. "Everyone can't be stars. Someone has to sit on the sidewalk and clap as they go by.

"We announcers on TV that talk about sports are simply the people sitting on the sidewalk clapping as the parade goes by. We are no longer the stars. The guys on the racetracks and in football and basketball games -- those are the stars."

Still Parsons was a star in his own right. He was born in 1941 in Wilkes County, N.C., but resided for much of his life in Ellerbe, just a few miles up the road from Rockingham, home of North Carolina Motor Speedway. It was there that perhaps Parsons' greatest accomplishment as a driver took place in the 1973 season finale.

Holding a slim lead over Richard Petty, Parsons' car was heavily damaged in a Lap 13 accident. However, with help from a number of different teams in the garage area, Parsons was able to get back on the track, completing enough laps to finish 28th and win the title.

Parsons' racing career came somewhat by accident. When his parents moved north to Detroit following World War II, Parsons helped work at his father's service station.

One evening in 1963, a truck towing a racecar stopped at the station for fuel. Parsons was invited to join them and hopped into the bed of the pickup on the way to nearby Mount Clemens Speedway. According to the story, when the regular driver failed to show up, Parsons volunteered to drive.

Parsons made his first visit to Daytona that same year.

"I had become a huge race fan and had been going to the races with some guys that were running the ARCA series up in the Midwest. I didn't know a soul [in Daytona], and couldn't get in the garage area," he said.

"But I would buy my infield ticket for three or four dollars -- whatever it was to come in -- and just hang on the fence and watch those cars being pushed by. I would've paid anything I had in my pocket just to push -- you know, [Fred] Lorenzen's car and Ned Jarrett's car and Fireball [Robert's] car."

The highlight of the trip, Parsons recalled, was when he met H.B. Bailey's wife in the lobby of the hotel where they were staying.

"She slipped me a pit pass, so I got in for about two hours one day," Parsons said. "It was the highlight of my life, getting inside the garage area and getting close to those racecars."

Parsons quickly made a name for himself in the Midwest racing ranks, winning ARCA rookie of the year honors in 1965, then capturing the ARCA championship in 1968 and 1969.

He made his NASCAR debut in 1964, earning $250 for a 21st-place finish after his Holman-Moody Ford began overheating.

Parsons qualified for the first of 20 Daytona 500 starts in 1969, finishing eighth in the No. 88 Ford. He would go on to run the entire 1970 season in L.G. DeWitt's No. 72, posting the first of 21 career victories at Virginia's South Boston Speedway in 1971.

When David Pearson spun out while leading with two laps remaining in the 1975 Daytona 500, Parsons was there to take the checkered flag, giving Chevrolet its first win in that race since 1960.

Parsons also became the first driver to qualify a stock car at over 200 mph when he won the pole at Talladega for the 1982 Winston 500 at a speed of 200.176 mph.

After retiring as an active driver following the 1988 season, Parsons joined ESPN as a race analyst, winning an Ace Award in 1989 and an Emmy in 1996. He moved over to NBC and TNT when those networks began NASCAR coverage in 2001.

In July, Parsons revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Parsons admitted he had been a smoker but had kicked the habit nearly 30 years before.

"The first thing everyone asks me is, 'Are you a smoker?'," Parsons said at the time. "The answer is that I smoked my last cigarette way back in 1978 and since then I've hated being around smoking. I don't even allow anyone in my foursome to smoke on the golf course."

After treatment, the 65-year-old announced in October that his cancer was in full remission.

"Three months ago my family doctor called me into his office and told me I had lung cancer," Parsons said at the time. "So Rick Hendrick told me if I was going to fight cancer, you have to get [oncologist Steven A.] Limentani. He helped Rick through his leukemia 10 years ago. So we did.

"The last three months we have been battling the disease. Then Wednesday, I had a scan and [Limentani] called me Wednesday afternoon with the best news: 'The cancer is gone ... see ya.' "

However, Parsons was unable to attend the Nextel Cup Awards Ceremony in New York as the cancer treatment reportedly left his left lung too damaged to function properly, according to a report in the Charlotte Observer.

He was admitted to the hospital for the final time on Dec. 26 as his condition progressively worsened.

Parsons was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994 and named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998.

[PAmedic]

Martin talking up MB2

Martin looks to do things his way for a long time

By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
January 17, 2007
05:07 PM EST (22:07 GMT)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Mark Martin fans should be thrilled to know the veteran of more than two decades in NASCAR plans to be around for as many more, he hopes in alliance with new team owner Bobby Ginn.

Since coming on the scene midway through last season Ginn, in his low-key fashion, has illuminated the landscape like a supernova.

Securing Martin's services, expanding the former MB2 Motorsports from two teams to three for the 2007 season, establishing a Busch team and hiring former championship crew chief Gary DeHart, two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief Slugger Labbe and Cup race-winning crew chief Peter Sospenzo were all major steps.

Martin, who in recent years has been accused of being somewhat pessimistic, couldn't be more thrilled as he anticipates his first new deal since spending the last 19 seasons with owner Jack Roush.

"We haven't spent much time educating the fans and the media about what a terrific opportunity this is," Martin said, "to be on the ground floor and help be one of the architects for the future of Ginn Racing, just like Roush Racing.

"This is not a short-term endeavor for me. I see it being long term -- as long as Roush was. I wouldn't be surprised to be with Ginn in 19 years."

Martin was a laugh a minute, given that a year ago he talked about having a full-time Craftsman Truck Series ride at this time -- rather than looking at nearly 40 races between NASCAR's three national series.

"I might be driving the Truck, [20 years from now]," Martin said, quickly correcting any possible misconception. "I mean, the tractor-trailer truck -- the transporter. But I expect to be around -- I expect to be involved in racing."

And fans of Martin as a Ford driver can also take heart by the fact that, as he came into Daytona International Speedway's media center for a Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder news conference, he also proclaimed his ability to cross-promote.

"Shhh, just don't talk about it," Martin said, while laughing, to former Ford teammate and current Dodge driver Elliott Sadler, when Martin took the stage and Sadler asked how Martin's No. 01 Ginn Racing Chevrolet was running.

"I'm still a Ford dealer, remember," Martin said of his dealership in Batesville, Ark. "And the car business ain't too good, either."

Martin said that, rather than be troubled by the dichotomy, he's relishing it.

While Martin's 20 Nextel Cup points races and three special events this season will be in Ginn's Chevrolets, and Martin also plans to run a handful of Busch races in Monte Carlos; he also plans to do at least two Busch races for Roush in a Ford Fusion, plus at least six Craftsman Truck Series races in a Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Ford.

In the beginning, racing on dirt, Martin and his dad, Julian, did it their way and excelled. He's relishing the non-conformity some 30 years later.

"I'm having fun because according to a lot of you guys I'm breaking all the rules this year," Martin said.

"So I'm going to enjoy breaking all the rules in '07 and we'll see what happens in '08. I just kind of want to be like some of my heroes like Tony Stewart or Kenny Schrader or Kenny Wallace and drive what I want to when I want to and where I want to this year.

"That's a little special to me. I have the best gig in NASCAR as far as I'm concerned. I got to lay out exactly what I wanted to do at this stage of my career [and] I'm not 24 -- so for where I am, I think I have the best deal in racing.

"I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. I'm very excited to go to the racetrack each and every day."

The most intriguing aspect of Martin's appearance, however, was his separation of his heart, and his hands on the wheel -- as he repeated a statement he made at the end of last season.

"Just because I stayed with Jack Roush for 19 years, doesn't make it wrong for me to drive for someone else -- it just makes it strange [and] I'm actually already beyond that," Martin said. "To me and many of my fans I'll always be No. 6 -- and a part of me will always be No. 6, but that's emotions and this is racing.

"The cool opportunity that I have is that I get to do whatever I want to do. That can be drive Cup cars or Busch cars and I get to mentor young drivers or do whatever it is that I would like to do there."

And Martin's optimistic about the possibilities.

"You have an incredible core group [at Ginn] that is expanding as fast as we can and building as fast as we can build to try and get where these other guys are," Martin said. "We hope to get there as soon as possible and then try and move on.

"There is an intention to try to be a powerhouse in NASCAR and there is a realization that it takes time to do that -- a lot of time. In the meantime we are going to work long and hard and I think that we can get some great results this year and better results next year.

"There is a long-term plan and I'm real excited about it and I'm really excited to work with all of these great people and to build something."

[PAmedic]

SMOKE = "hero" of Mark Martin ?

senile dementia?

[givemethemic]

Only the real NASCAR guys will appreciate this but I booked James Hylton (72 year old driver to make the Daytona 500) for the Sportsline this Monday night at 6:35.... www.sportslineradio.com He was born in Giles county (VA) and grew up in Roanoke this is a really cool story and I pray to God that he makes the field.

[PAmedic]

I watched that guy last year! It was FASCINATING!

I forget, but he may have even sponsored himself. What an AMAZING story. All I could think was, "don't die while behind the wheel, man"

"If you get chest pains, or feel dizzy- for the love of God- PULL OVER"

[bigsmooth]

that is indeed amazing story! i hope he stays safe and does well. i usually do not get wired for NASCAR till media week and it is here, so i want to add my condolences to the family of benny parsons. a good driver and a great broadcaster! he will be missed.

[bigsmooth]

i was watching sportscenter this morning and saw ESPN radio guy eric kuselius and LCA graduate stacy compton on the tube:

Compton goes to work for ESPN
Nathan Warters
Lynchburg News & Advance
January 25, 2007

Stacy Compton isn’t simply a racecar driver. In recent years, he has added land developer, businessman and team owner to his ever-expanding job title.

He isn’t stopping there.

The 39-year old NASCAR veteran is preparing to make one of his biggest career moves yet.

Compton, from nearby Grit, has agreed to terms on a contract that will make him ESPN’s “lead analyst,” the driver confirmed Thursday.

He said the contract is for one year with a two-year option for 2008 and 09.

ESPN will make a formal announcement of Compton’s hiring next Tuesday.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” said Compton, who also will drive a limited schedule in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series in 2007. “Any time you can get in front of 275 million homes is pretty big.

“I wanted to get into the broadcasting end of it at some point. I didn’t know I was going to be able to get into it this quick, but I’m pretty excited about it. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for me.”

Compton made his first ESPN appearance on Thursday night’s 6 p.m. SportsCenter. He will be a regular contributor to the ultra-popular sports news show, and he will share his racing expertise on three racing-exclusive programs a week during the season.

He and host Erik Kuselias will do a Monday “NASCAR Now” program, and Compton will also appear on two Sunday “RaceDay” shows. Most of the programs will air from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios, but Compton expects to do some work from NASCAR tracks.

Official airdates of “NASCAR Now” and “RaceDay” will be announced next week.

Compton doesn’t have a lot of in-studio television experience, but he has been interviewed on air many times.

He has an easy-going, friendly demeanor that seems tailor-made for television. And he knows the subject very well.

“Obviously in the business we’re in, we’re in front of a camera pretty much every day we’re at the race track, answering questions and doing things,” Compton said. “Racing is what I’ve done my entire life. It makes it a little bit easier to talk about things that you have been involved with your entire life.”

Compton, who still lives in Grit with his wife Vicki and baby daughter Olivia Grace, plans to stay in the Lynchburg area.

He will continue with his non-racing business ventures and remain a central part of his Late Model Stock racing team, Turn One Racing, which fields cars for local drivers Stephen Berry (Huddleston) and Adam Barker (Hurt).

Brothers Brian and Burt Frisselle, formerly of the Rolex Sports Car Series, will drive for Turn One in 2007.

Compton’s only regret about his budding television career is it will cut into his racing slate.

He recently signed to drive an abbreviated NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule for 2007 with Wood Brothers/JTG Motorsports, the team he drove for in the NASCAR Busch Series from 2001-06.

Compton will share the driving duties of the No. 09 Ford F-150 with Georgia driver Joey Clanton. Compton is signed to pilot the truck for nine races (the preliminary list includes races at California, Dover, Michigan, Milwaukee, New Hampshire, Phoenix, Loudon and Indianapolis Raceway Park), and Clanton is scheduled to drive the other 16.

There also are plans for Compton to drive some Busch Series races for Wood Brothers Racing. Compton is talking with other teams about possible race dates, too.

Compton, who made 173 straight Busch Series starts from 2001-06, wants to continue his racing career, but realizes his driving days are numbered.

The Turn One Racing team and his upcoming television work will allow him to remain close to the sport even as his driving career nears its end.

“I’m a racer at heart,” Compton said. “Knowing I’m not going to run for a championship anywhere this year, yeah, it bothers me. It’s no doubt it’s tough when it’s basically what you’ve done your entire life.”

“But still yet, it’s the handwriting on the wall,” he added. “You better be prepared for (the end of your driving career) one way or the other. If you can prepare yourself for it someway to stay in the sport, then it’s not as much of a culture shock as just going into the shop one day and them saying, ‘Look, we don’t have a seat for you any more.’”

[givemethemic]

Smoothie, this is a huge break for Stacy, we are hoping to have him on our show weekly. I can't wait for the Gatorade Duels!!!!! It's all about Brian Vickers and Red Bull racing!!!!!

[SuperJon]

Nascar's about to blow up even bigger than it is now. With ESPN already covering it, it's going to get huge.

[PAmedic]

until GM and Ford go under, leaving them w/ ONE manufacturer!

how funny would it be if only Toyota supplied cars/factory support!

[PAmedic]

WOW
what a crazy weekend.

1. The Yates cars come outta the gate FLYING and stay that way. (Gilliland on the POLE! are you kidding me? and how great is it to see Ricky Rudd back f/t, let alone OUTSIDE poll)

2. SMOKE back to his old tricks, knocks the Shrub sideways and out of the draft (no tears shed here- no love lost for anything Hendrick), and wins the Shootout going away.

3. Martin looking pretty stout in a (gulp) Monte Carlo Still having indigestion over THAT one, but at least I can get behind the Army team. Gonna have to grow on me though, esp since they're using Hendrick motors
Also, David Ragan looks surprisingly good taking over the 6.

4. Denny Hamlin- eh. Expected more out of him and the 11 ( and evidently, so did he- didja see his face?)

5. Ganassi: Stremme and the Coors Light team have come alive- Juan Pablo may be the biggest surprise, aside from the aforementioned 38 team.

6. Little E: whatever. who cares. Go fight w/ your stepmommy and come back when you've grown the heck up.

7. Finally, whodathunk the Toy-yoat's would be THAT bad!!!! Mikey may have gotten his team DQ'd thanks to screwing around w/ an intake manifold (DUH)- will know by Wednesday. Bill Davis racing looks ok, but not great, and I don't see ANY of the Red Bull teams making it in- sorry GMTM.

Looking forward to the Duals on Thurs afternoon, and can't WAIT for the 500!

[PAmedic]

no, I didn't forget about Jeffy or the 48.

did they come down? hmmm. Didn't notice

when they do something noteworthy other than drop out 1st (24, cough- cough) I'll take notice.

(Cue SMOOTHIE)