Kenny Francis to join Hendrick Motorsports for 2012:
Veteran crew chief Kenny Francis will lead the No. 5 Sprint Cup Series team when driver Kasey Kahne moves to Hendrick Motorsports for the 2012 season. Francis will join the organization after the conclusion of the 2011 NASCAR schedule. Francis has 11 Sprint Cup victories as a crew chief, with all but one coming with Kahne behind the wheel. Since being teamed for the first time in the final race of the 2005 campaign, the pair has posted 10 wins, 13 pole positions, 34 top-five finishes and 71 top-10s.
[media-credit id=43 align=”alignright” width=”218″]
[/media-credit]Lance McGrew will complete the 2011 Sprint Cup campaign as crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet team. After the season, he will remain in a key role with Hendrick Motorsports focusing on research and development and special projects, including work on the new Chevrolet Sprint Cup car scheduled to debut in 2013.
Kyle Busch Leads all NASCAR Drivers in TV Exposure for Sponsors:
According to research conducted by Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc., which has monitored every NASCAR race telecast over the last 27 seasons, Busch’s sponsors as a group appeared for 12 hours, 31 minutes, seven seconds (12:31:07) during live and replayed telecasts of the season’s first 18 races. When also factoring in verbal mentions (142) of Busch’s sponsors, the Cup Series points-leader at mid-year amassed nearly $38.4 million of in-broadcast exposure value for his backing brands. Fox and TNT race announcers also mentioned Busch by name on 2,722 occasions during the first half of the season, or about 36% more frequently than the next closest competitor, Carl Edwards.
Kyle Busch to give Ride-Alongs to Five Fans at Atlanta Motor Speedway for AdvoCare 500:
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, will be in Atlanta on August 16 to promote the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Fans can register at the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at which time five fans will be selected to take the ride of a lifetime with Busch on the lightning fast high banks of the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. For more information, call the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX, (770) 946-4211 or visit http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com
No. 29 Pit Crew Scores Second Quarter Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award:
For their outstanding efforts on pit road during the second quarter of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet over-the-wall team for Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing has earned second-quarter honors in the 2011 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award competition.
The Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award, which is determined by a vote of each team’s crew chief, is given quarterly to the top-performing pit crew in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The four quarterly winners are eligible for the year-end Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award presented during NASCAR Champion’s Week in Las Vegas.
Luke Lambert Named Interim Crew Chief for RCR’s No. 31 Caterpillar Team:
Luke Lambert has been named interim crew chief for Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Caterpillar/Chevrolet team with driver Jeff Burton in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Lambert replaces veteran crew chief Todd Berrier. The 28-year-old has been with RCR since September 2005. He was named a team engineer for the No. 31 program in 2008. He is a 2005 graduate of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering.
Elliott Sadler To Drive For Joe Denette Motorsports In Select NCWTS Races:
Elliott Sadler, will make his debut for Joe Denette Motorsports behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events at Bristol Motor Speedway (August) and Martinsville Speedway (November). The No. 24 will be a second entry for Joe Denette Motorsports. A sponsorship announcement for Elliott Sadler and the No. 24 Joe Denette Motorsports entry will be forthcoming in the following weeks.
Win up to $1,000,000 or a new truck with DIRECTV’s NASCAR Head 2 Head Knock Out!:
Get ready for the second annual DIRECTV’s NASCAR® Head-2-Head Knockout competition, where you have chance to win the ultimate prize of $1 million! More Information: http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=14434
MWR/CAL WELLS STATEMENT:
Michael Waltrip Racing and Calvin Wells have mutually agreed to part ways it was announced today by co-owners Rob Kauffman and Michael Waltrip. The separation is effective immediately. “We want to thank Cal for his strong contribution to getting Michael Waltrip Racing to where it is today. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors, ” said Kauffman. “We plan to go forward now with the solid management team that is in place, and bring MWR to the next level.”
Talladega Superspeedway Welcomes Polk’s Meat Products as Pole Award Sponsor:
Talladega Superspeedway officials announced that Polk’s has been named the pole award sponsor for the upcoming Coca-Cola 250 Powered By fred’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. The multi-year agreement will include sponsorship of the pole award for both NASCAR races during the spring Aaron’s Dream Weekend as well.
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, JOSTENS OFFER FANS EXCLUSIVE MEMORABILIA CONTAINING PIECES OF TRACK’S RACING SURFACE:
Phoenix International Raceway, in conjunction with Jostens, is offering a line of limited edition memorabilia containing actual track pieces from PIR’s iconic, 1-mile oval. Race fans and collectors will now have the rare opportunity to own a piece of racing history following the 2011 repaving of Phoenix International Raceway by visiting http://www.jostens.com/phoenix.
