Jeff Gordon’s Car For Sale on eBay
This is not a diecast – one of Jeff Gordon’s actual race cars is for sale on eBay.
This car was raced by Gordon – in fact he won at Bristol in this race car. It even comes with a Hendrick Motorsports racing engine. Fire this thing up in your driveway and you’ll be the talk of the neighborhood.
Talk about the ultimate racing collectible.
Pocono Picks — Besides Firestone and Michelin
NASCAR heads to Pocono this weekend for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 — possibly one of the longest race names of the season.
Who are you picking for this race? And, no, I don’t mean you get to choose between Firestone, B. F. Goodrich, Michelin and Hoosier. Who do you think is going to win the race?
Remember, Pocono is a 2.5 mile race track — just like Indianapolis.
Pocono has long straightaways — just like Indianapolis.
Pocono has flat turns — just like Indianapolis.
In fact, turn 2 — the Tunnel Turn — was designed after the turns at Indy.
Indy and Pocono share a lot of the same characteristics. So much so that Goodyear and NASCAR seemed to think the Pocono tires would work at Indy, so they trucked a load of them to Indianapolis last weekend.
Lets hope we don’t have the same fiasco again.
So, who do you like at Pocono?
NASCAR Apologizes for Indy Tire Disaster
NASCAR issued an official apology to fans today for what happened in Sunday’s race in Indianapolis.
Tire problems turned what was supposed to be a 160 lap race into a series of heat races. The longest green flag segment was 13 laps.
Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s Vice President of Competition, spoke today about the tire debacle.
Pemberton said that NASCAR officials had met with Goodyear on Tuesday, and both parties are doing everything they can to determine the cause of the problem — and to make sure it does not happen again.
“You know, I can’t say enough how sorry we are, and you know, it’s our responsibility being NASCAR that we don’t go through this situation again. We’ve already got after it, and we’re moving forward with a plan to get ahead of the situation so we don’t go through this again,” said Pemberton.
“Once again, you know, I think it deserves to be said that the race didn’t come off like we had hoped. The fans didn’t get what they exactly wanted, and we’ll do everything in our power and it won’t happen again, I can tell you that much. So we’re going to put a lot of effort towards it and get a better plan moving forward.”
“I just want to let everybody know and get ahead of that and try to put this behind us and we’ll work hard, all us that are involved at Indianapolis – from the tire manufacturer to NASCAR, to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”
NASCAR has received much criticism for not having a full field test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The only testing done at the speedway with the new car of tomorrow was a 3 car tire test – which obviously did not provide enough information as to how this new car and tire would react on the Indy racing surface.
Tires which normally marbled and wore into the track’s surface instead disintegrated into a fine powder.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George has stated that there was nothing wrong with the race track, and that no changes would be made to the racing surface for next year’s event.
George seemed to be telling NASCAR that this was his speedway – and if NASCAR didn’t like it they could race elsewhere.
However, Pemberton went out of his way to deflect that comment.
“Well, I didn’t get a chance to see that comment, said Pemberton. “It’s obvious that we don’t go there with the right car/tire combination. We raced them on that surface the last four years and realized we wouldn’t ask them to change that surface. We’ve got to do a better job.”
“I didn’t read Tony’s comments. A few of the people have told me what they were. You know, we haven’t asked the Speedway to make any such changes. We’re just going to move forward and do a better job leading into the race when we get there next year.”
When he was asked how he felt about the show NASCAR put on at Indy on a personal level, Pemberton responded, “I don’t feel real good about it right now. I think if you had talked to anybody that’s been around me the last 48 hours; they’ll probably back me up on that. It’s difficult, it’s hard. We do beat ourselves up.”
“But, you know, that’s what makes us one of the best Motorsports in the entire world. We take it personal. When we see things we know we can fix, we’re going to go fix them. That’s what we’re going to set out to do. We’re going to put this behind us. When we go back to Indianapolis next year, we’ll probably have the best brickyard race we’ve ever had.”
I think we should accept NASCAR’s apology and let’s get on with racing. What do you think?
Dale Earnhardt Jr and Tony Eury Jr Discuss Strategy
Here’s a candid photo of Dale Earnhardt Jr and crew chief Tony Eury Jr apparently discussing strategy prior to Sunday’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. Photo Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports.
I hope this isn’t when the decision to stay out under caution when everybody else pitted for tires was made. That definitely didn’t work out so good. Dale Jr blew a tire and lost a lap in the pits. He had a fast car, but was never able to make up the track position — even after making up the lost lap. He finished in 12th.
What do you think?
Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Favorite YouTube Video
Dale Earnhardt Jr earned a spot in the 1999 IROC Race by winning the NASCAR Busch Championship the year before.
He would race against other racing champions, including his father, Dale Earnhardt.
Junior was driving the red Pontiac Firebird — his father a blue Firebird.
It was a race that he finished second in — but Dale Jr said he thought he had the race won.
Junior seemed to have the 1999 IROC Race at Michigan won, but lost at the line by .007 seconds to his father. It’s one of the closest finishes in IROC history.
I’ve watched it more than once, and each time it looks like Dale Jr will pull out the win — he was oh so close.
Dale Earnhardt was leading with 3 to go, with Junior on his bumper. Dale Jr waited until the last lap to make his move, and the 2 cars touched coming to the finish line.
Does it look to you like he had this race won?
Kannapolis Boots Earnhardt Flags
Dale Earnhardt No Longer Good Enough For His Home Town
It seems that city officials think that Dale Earnhardt is no longer good enough for his hometown of Kannapolis, North Carolina.
The city put up a series of banners along the “Dale Trail” honoring the 7 time NASCAR Champion following his death in the 2001 Daytona 500.
Now California billionaire David Murdock wants the banners removed, and the city of Kannapolis has agreed.
Murdock owns the North Carolina Research Center, a science research conglomerate that is being developed in Kannapolis.
The Salisbury Post has reported that Murdock’s company wants to “put the best face on the city” for a high profile visitor who is visiting the city. It turns out that visitor is Martha Stewart.
The Dale Train begins at I-85′s exit 60 and travels through downtown Kannapolis on Dale Earnhardt Boulevard. It then passes Ralph Earnhardt’s grave and the old Edelman’s Garage where Ralph learned how build fast engines for bootleggers like Junior Johnson. It continues through a section of Kannapolis known as Car Town, where the Earnhardt clan once lived.
Martha Earnhardt, Dale’s mother, still lives in Kannapolis.
The Dale Trail passes Dale Earnhardt Plaza, where Dale’s friends have built a park with a 9 foot statue of ‘The Intimidator’. From there the trail heads out of town and past Dale Earnhardt Inc’s race shop and corporate headquarters in Mooresville.
City Manager Mike Legg has told the Kannapolis city council that the banners will be permanently removed. Is that any way to honor Dale Earnhardt?
However, the Cabarrus Convention and Visitors Bureau wants to put up new markers along the Dale Trail. A plan that Legg says may not fly.
“There may be a conflict as to what happens later,” Legg wrote, says the Salisbury Post. “There are many that do not want to see anything ‘Dale-related’ going back up.”
If you want to contact Mike Legg – the Kannapolis City Manager — to let him know how you feel here’s how to reach him:
Mike Legg
City Manager
246 Oak Street
Kannapolis, North Carolina 28081
Please let other Earnhardt fans know about this.
What do you think about the way Kannapolis officials have handled this? Comments left here will be forwarded to the Kannapolis City Manager.
Like this site? It’s free to subscribe
Dale Jr Citizen Soldier Diecast
I found a few of the Dale Earnhardt Jr National Guard / Citizen Soldier die cast cars. This is the paint scheme that Earnhardt drove in the 2008 Sprint All Star Race.
The paint scheme was a retro design based on Buddy Baker’s ‘Gray Ghost.’ It seems Baker’s competitors complained about the cars gray color, making it hard to detect in the rear view mirror just before the car passed.
It was also a tribute to the National Guard and 50,000 ‘Citizen Soldiers.’ The band 3 doors Down wrote a song by the same name as their tribute to the men and women of the National Guard.
These cars are produced by RCCA – in a limited run of only 3,000. I’m thinking about buying one.
Jeff Gordon Not In Tony Stewart’s Groove
By Tim Tuttle
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
Don’t look for Jeff Gordon to follow in the tire tracks of Tony Stewart and become Sprint Cup’s next owner-driver.
“What works so well for me is I’m an equity owner at Hendrick (Motorsports), and one day I hope I can have more of a role in the decision-making process,” said Gordon, who will be shooting for his fifth victory in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday. “But I never wanted to make those decisions while I was driving. I felt like it would be a distraction.”
Gordon makes exceptions to that rule when it comes to major changes.
“When (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was coming over, I got involved with the decision,” he said. “When we built the team with Jimmie (Johnson), I was probably more involved with that than any other thing I’ve done. For the most part, I just stick to driving.
“When the day comes that I’m not driving, I’m going to have something to fall back on, and I want to sink myself into it as much as I have as a driver. I look forward to that.”
Gordon, who will turn 37 in August, has a lifetime contract with Hendrick, the only Sprint Cup team he has driven for during his outstanding career.
“I don’t really see myself driving past 40 very much,” Gordon said. “I think that if you love what you do and you’re still good at it, you keep going to some extent. I think in some way, I’m always going to want to drive a racecar. Just full time in the Cup Series, I don’t see myself doing it for more than four or five more years.”
Sports cars could be at the top of Gordon’s list after he departs Cup.
“I’d love to do the Rolex 24 Hours (at Daytona) and Le Mans,” he said. “I’d like to drive some cars I used to drive or didn’t get a chance to drive, even the dirt late models we do at Tony’s place (Eldora Speedway in Ohio) have been a blast. But my primary job per se will probably be involved with Hendrick Motorsports on the management side of it.”
It’s No. 14 for Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart will be driving the No. 14 Chevrolet sponsored by Office Depot and Old Spice in 2009, according to Jim Utter, a reporter with the Charlotte Observer and That’s Racin’.
Why No. 14? Tony Stewart’s racing hero is A.J. Foyt, 4 time winner of the Indianapolis 500, and 1965 winner of the Daytona 500. Foyt is one of only 2 drivers to win both races – Mario Andretti is the other.
A.J Foyt drove the No. 14 for much of his career in open wheel racing. Is that the only reason Tony chose the No. 14? Probably not, but I would say it had some influence.
Haas CNC Racing, which is becoming Stewart Haas Racing, applied for the trademark on the No. 14 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for purposes of NASCAR racing and merchandising on July 2, 2008.
Stewart is set to make an official announcement at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday.
There is still no word on a teammate for Stewart. “You want a guy who has every intention every year and a realistic intention of saying, I expect to make the Chase. I want somebody that expects to win races and expects to be a contender to be a championship every year, and if they don’t have those intentions, that’s not a guy that I want driving my race cars,” said Stewart.
Yet Another Racing Argument
Danica Patrick argues with Milka Duno
