Another of NASCAR's worst-kept secrets

As I told you a few weeks ago, Mark Martin was looking to go to Hendrick Motorsports next season. No, I didn't have the inside scoop on some major story, it was all over the NASCAR garage. Now, Rick Hendrick is making it public and was in good spirits about the lack of secrecy of his and Martin's future plans. Here are a couple of comments from the press conference announcing what most of us already knew would happen. What I find even more hilarious is that these two old guys did most of the negotiating via TEXT MESSAGE. 

RICK HENDRICK (RH):  “Well since this has been a well kept secret (laughter) we appreciate the opportunity to see you folks. This is a real special day for me. It’s been 15 years that I’ve tried to do this; that we’ve tried to do this. It’s a pleasure to be able to announce Mark Martin coming on board to run for the championship next year in the No. 5 car. That car means a lot to me because that was my first number. And when Harry Hyde and I got started, Mark and I reminisce a lot about meeting Mark early on and then watching him and then watching him flog us in the Busch (now Nationwide) Series and then racing against him in the Cup Series and seeing him come so close to championships, I think four times he finished second, and just to have him come on board with our organization and our drivers and our crew chiefs and everybody is really exciting. Everybody is excited. We’re honored to have a guy of his caliber and again, we’ve talked from time to time, but now to be able to go out in the ’09 season and go for the championship (is special). I want to thank (Martin’s wife) Arlene. I think she is here. Where is she? Thank you for letting him run all the races. We appreciate that. But this is a very special day for me.” 

MARK MARTIN (MM): “Well first of all, I don’t know why it was such a bad kept secret unless people are snooping on our text messages because I’d say 50 percent of this deal was done by text between Rick and I. I think that’s pretty cool because I just learned how to text myself.” 

RH: “I did too (laughter). Junior and Jimmie Johnson, they’re both here, now they are the ones that taught me how to text. I had to learn how to do that Mark, because they won’t return your phone call (laughter).” 

MM: “Yeah, so golly. When I think about being a part of the status organization in NASCAR and being a member of the team with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and working with Alan Gustafson and all the folks there and the relationship that I’ve had and the opportunity I had to go there a year ago and pour an insert for the seat of the No. 24 car, was really the first time that opened my eyes. We did that in case Jeff needed me to fill in at Sears Point (now Infineon Raceway) last year when they were having their baby. I really saw and got a taste of Hendrick Motorsports from the inside. It’s just an opportunity that I absolutely could not let pass by at this point in my life. I was very concerned about regretting that decision for the rest of my life. And so I got my arms wrapped around the scheduling situation and here we go. I’m incredibly excited and honored and I know that most people can’t comprehend what an honor it is for me to be invited to be a part of this organization, especially at this stage of my career. After two years of catching my breath, I’ve enjoyed it, it has been very meaningful to my family and to myself. But I’ve also learned; and rekindled my passion for racing and what it means to me and also given me a taste of what it would be like to not have that in my life. And so all those things played in this decision.” 

Am I surprised, "No!" Hamlin puts #20 in Victory Lane

Here is Reid Spencer's coverage of the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona. A special thanks to the folks at Sporting News. I think this is like the ninth time of the season for the No. 20 car to get a win in the Nationwide Series.

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 4, 2008) -- Same car. Same racetrack. Different driver.

 

The cast of characters in Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Toyota is such a successful game of musical chairs that even Dale Earnhardt Jr. got confused.

 

Tony Stewart took the No. 20 Camry to victory lane to open the NASCAR Nationwide Series season at Daytona International Speedway in February. The car, sans Stewart, returned to the winner's circle in Friday night's Winn-Dixie 250 with Denny Hamlin behind the wheel.

 

Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch, Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer in a green-white-checkered-flag finish -- the seventh of the season in the series -- to win his second Nationwide race in the No. 20 car and his third of the season overall. In his final appearance this season in the car, which has won nine races with four different drivers, Hamlin notched the eighth Nationwide victory of his career.

 

Busch stayed in line behind his teammate over the final two laps and came home second, followed by Earnhardt, Bowyer and Brad Keselowski. Kasey Kahne, Scott Wimmer, David Stremme, David Ragan and Mike Bliss completed the top 10.

 

"I thought Tony was in the 20 all night," Earnhardt said. "I didn't know Denny was in it -- so congratulations, Denny."

 

The confusion carried over into Earnhardt's post-race interview.

 

"It was hard to beat those guys," Earnhardt said. "Kyle and Tony were both really fast."

 

"I think the reason for the confusion was that the colors (on the car) are the ones (Tony) usually runs," Hamlin said of the candy-apple-red No. 20 machine. "But my head's a lot smaller than his."

 

Earnhardt was third, closing on Hamlin and Busch when Colin Braun's spin off Turn 2 caused the third caution of the race on Lap 99, setting up the two-lap sprint to the finish and turning a three-car race for the win into a free-for-all. Even though Earnhardt hung back on the restart on Lap 104, however, the top three positions didn't change during the final two laps, which sent the race five laps beyond its scheduled distance.

 

Hamlin was grateful for his teammate's help in getting to the finish line without a challenge.

 

"It feels good to do this in my final ride in the 20 car," Hamlin said. "I've got to thank Kyle for sticking with me there at the end. The only way we don't win this is if Kyle goes for the win. I knew Kyle could go for the win and maybe not succeed, but I knew, as long as he stuck on my bumper, we'd have a 1-2 finish."

 

Notes: Hamlin led 29 of the 105 laps, one more than Keselowski. . . Bowyer expanded his points lead to 202 over second-place Keselowski and to 218 over third-place Carl Edwards, the defending series champion. . . Kerry Earnhardt qualified 10th and finished 17th in his first Nationwide Series start since the same race last year. . . Polesitter Bryan Clauson, a part-time Nationwide driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, came home 19th.

Hornaday, Stewart get Saturday wins

The photos are from CIA Stock Photos - Thanks Earnie.

Yeah, I know. I slacked of a little last week. But I did get a chance to watch both the Nationwide Series race and the Craftsman Truck Series race today. Tony Stewart dominated the field in the Nationwide race at New Hampshire and Ron Hornaday took the checkers at Mephis.

Here's the lowdown on the Craftsman Truck Series event from the folks at Chevrolet.

Memphis, TN – June 28, 2008 – Ron Hornaday had a great record at Memphis Motorsports Park (MMP) heading in to tonight’s O’Reilly 200, but he was determined to make it better and 

take home the coveted Elvis trophy the race winner receives in victory lane. After leading 139 of 204 laps in his No. 33 Camping World Silverado fielded by Kevin Harvick, Inc. (KHI) to claim his third win of the 2008 season, the three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) champion is a two-time winner at the Tennessee track. 

The victory is the 36^th of Hornaday’s career, extending his lead as the all-time NCTS race winner. He retook the top-spot in the championship standings by 27 points over fellow Team Chevy Silverado driver Matt Crafton.  In addition to his three victories, Hornaday has scored six top-five and eight top-10 finishes thus far in the season. 

His victory was the fifth for Chevrolet this season and vaulted the Bowtie brand back to the top of the NCTS Manufacturers’ point standings with 12 of 25 races now in the record books. 

Hornaday qualified third and took the lead for the first time on lap 44. He retook the point on lap 76 and never looked back as the race scheduled for 200 laps, finished under a green-white-checkered scenario, the fourth time this season for the NASCAR pickup truck drivers. 
Crafton, No. 88 Menards Silverado, kept his quest for his first NCTS championship in high gear with a third place finish at Memphis.  It is the second consecutive race Crafton has finished in the top three to extend his season’s record to one win, six top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Crafton started 16^th in the 35-truck field. 

Jack Sprague, No. 2 American Commercial Lines Silverado, finished sixth to give Team Chevy Silverado three drivers in the top-10.  Sprague is eighth in the standings.  Chevrolet driver Chad McCumbee, No. 8 Malcolmson Construction Silverado remains 10^th in points after finishing 15^th at MMP. 

Round 13 for Team Chevy Silverado in NCTS competition is July 19, 2008 at Kentucky 

Speedway. 

And here is the race report from Reid Spencer:

Stewart bags fifth Nationwide win at Loudon

 

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

LOUDON, N.H. (June 28, 2008) -- Aside from Tony Stewart becoming the 22nd different winner in 22 Nationwide Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the outcome of Saturday's Camping World RV Sales 200 was more of the same for NASCAR's Triple-A division.

 

Stewart's victory was the eighth of the season for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, which has carried four different drivers to victory lane this year -- Stewart on five occasions and Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and rookie phenom Joey Logano once each.

 

Hamlin and Busch, in fact, chased Stewart for the final 64 laps, after Stewart took the lead for good on Lap 136. Hamlin, driving Braun Racing's No. 32 Toyota, was within a half-second of the leader when Greg Biffle crashed on Lap 200, the final circuit. The race ended under caution with Stewart, Hamlin and Busch in the top three spots, followed by Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards.

 

Stewart credited crew chief Dave Rogers, a native of the neighboring state of Vermont, with the consistently excellent performance of the No. 20 Camry.

 

"There've been four drivers (to) win in this car, so it's not the drivers -- that's for sure," Stewart said. "We're the fortunate ones to be able to drive this thing."

 

A two-tire call on Stewart's final pit stop in Lap 129 got the No. 20 Toyota out in third place for a restart on Lap 133. Three laps later, Stewart took the lead from Edwards, who had taken fuel only on the pit stop, with a smooth pass entering Turn 1.

 

On Lap 138, Hamlin passed Edwards for second, and Busch followed into third position three laps after that, but neither could overtake the leader.

 

"We didn't know it would come down to a track position race," said Busch, who took four tires on his final pit stop, restarted eighth and had to work his way through traffic. "We got out-strategized there at the end."

 

Notes: Todd Braun's No. 32 and No. 38 Toyotas were painted black, with no sponsor decals on the car. The cars were a symbol of mourning for the team owner's mother, Linda Braun, who died Wednesday. . . The race marked the first 1-2-3 Nationwide Series finish for Toyota. . . Stewart led 75 laps and Busch 63, as the Gibbs cars dominated. . . Series points leader Clint Bowyer finished ninth. . . Polesitter Landon Cassill had to start from the rear of the field because of an engine change. He gained 28 positions before a tap from Bobby Hamilton Jr. sent his No. 5 Chevy into the wall and out of the race on Lap 47. He finished 34th.