When we try and evaluate the overall economy of NASCAR we must take into account as many of the economic indicators as we can. Of course this analysis comes on the heels of the news that Red Horse Racing has shut down the #1 truck team of Johnny Benson.
While that news is very sad, and the loss of Benson is a substantial one for the truck series, this news is particularly troublesome for other reasons. Benson is the defending champion of this series and currently sits 7th in the points. The failure to secure Benson a sponsor for the remainder of the season could be a failure of the Red Horse racing sales division, or a indicator that sponsors do not want to be a part of this series.
What is does indicate is this …Â Details
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Owner/driver Michael Waltrip’s tweet coincided with his team’s announcement Tuesday that driver Patrick Carpentier would replace Waltrip in the No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota for the Sprint Cup race June 21 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
“I’m giving my Canadian friend Patrick the keys to the 55 in Sonoma,” Waltrip wrote in his twitter message.
In a press release announcing the change, Waltrip said using a road-course expert such as Carpentier gave him a chance to maximize the team’s results at the 1.99-mile road course…Â Details
Jeremy Mayfield reportedly tested positive for methamphetamine during a random drug screening at Richmond International Raceway, according to ESPN The Magazine.
NASCAR suspended Mayfield on May 9 after he failed the drug test, the magazine reports. Mayfield claimed the positive test resulted from a combination of prescription Adderall-XR and over-the-counter Claritin-D, which he took for allergies.
Sporting News has not confirmed the ESPN The Magazine report.
A third drug came up positive during the urine-based Richmond test and had not been previously identified. The name of the drug in question has been redacted from court documents and was …Â Details
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Richard Petty Motorsports laid off nine employees Monday and reduced salaries throughout the organization, a byproduct of Chrysler’s bankruptcy filing.
RPM officials took the measures because of anticipated cutbacks from Dodge, a person familiar with the moves told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding RPM’s contract with Chrysler.
Chrysler, Dodge’s parent company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.
In an interview Monday before the organizational cuts, team co-owner Richard Petty acknowledged a disruption to the race team since Chrysler’s April 30 filing.
“Everybody sets up a budget of what to do. All of a sudden… Details