News and Notes

[landergolfer]

Eastman Kodak Company and Penske Performance, Inc. announced that Kodak would sponsor Penske-Jasper Racing Company's #77 Dodge for the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. The companies forged a multi-year agreement for Kodak to be the primary sponsor of the #77 Dodge, which will be driven by Brendan Gaughan. Gaughan, the 2002 "Rookie of the Year" in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, won eight races over two full seasons and finished fourth in the Truck Series point standings in 2003.

 

An Update on the proposed 'Playoff' points change: Drivers and teams have had a month to consider Brian France's proposed twist in NASCAR's championship point system, and there is no great enthusiasm for such a drastic change. But NASCAR is likely to announce the radical changes in the next two weeks, after tweaking a "wild-card" rule for the year's final five races. The top 10 drivers after 26 of the year's 36 races would have their points reset to zero and battle it out for the title - plus a still-to-be-decided "wild card." NASCAR executives want to give NBC more ammunition to use against the NFL this fall. Seven of the last 10 races are on NBC. Six of the sport's last 10 champions wouldn't have won under the proposed new rules. Jimmie Johnson would have won the 2003 title and Kenseth would have finished seventh.

 

Two of the biggest names in NASCAR racing, car owners Robert Yates and Jack Roush, are merging their engine-building operations, in a stunning development for the two long-time rivals. The move comes, Roush said, to meet the challenge of a tremendous influx of European Formula One technology into stock-car racing over the past 18 months and the pending Toyota challenge. At the moment, the Roush-Yates merger involves only engine technology, but sources said that the opportunity is now there for much tighter work between the two Ford camps - Yates, with drivers Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler, and Roush, with drivers Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle.

 

Cool Helmet: Brendan Gaughan will wear a special helmet in the Daytona 500. It was signed by an Army unit stationed at the Baghdad (Iraq) Airport. "We got the second guy who interrogated Sadaam Hussein on here," Gaughan said. "I've been given permission to wear it in the Daytona 500, so this is it. I've got to support the troops

 

 

From Jayski.com and other sources

Edited January 8, 2004 by landergolfer