Talladega Viewer's Guide

Steve Byrnes / FOXSports.com
Posted: 5 hours ago



With the Chase for the Nextel Cup 18 races away, some teams are bordering on desperation. Since he finished 7th in the Daytona 500, Kasey Kahne's best finish is 19th at Bristol. Owner Ray Evernham has said that they won't contend for a championship until they improve on restrictor plate tracks.

Darrell Waltrip says desperate times require desperate measures, and desperate men do desperate things. We're past the point when teams can say they have to be careful at Talladega because you can be up front or in the back and get wrecked. The teams struggling that are struggling to get into the top 35 and stay there just have to finish the race.


Who to Watch
Jeff Gordon: With momentum following a win last week at Phoenix, Gordon won this race two years ago.
Tony Stewart: Strong at Daytona until he was the first car crashed out of the race, there's a little bit of irony with Stewart. In 2002, he finished 43rd in the Daytona 500, too, and he came back and won the championship that year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: His father is the master at Talladega with 10 wins, and Dale Jr. is second on the all-time list with five victories. He's due, too, after having a great race car and getting crashed in Texas, and then he got trapped in the pits at Phoenix.
Jamie McMurray: Although he finished 31st at Daytona, McMurray ran as high as third in the 500. He's my sleeper pick this week.
Kyle Busch: The No. 5 was a great race car at Daytona. He didn't have the finish to show for it, but he had a great piece so he should be one to watch on Sunday.

What to Watch
On the offensive: Racing at Talladega is like a high-scoring football game. It's the epitome of a track meet, and it's going to be wide open. It would be easier to say who aren't we going to watch.
Hanging back: I've seen Dale Jarrett used different strategy. He won at Talladega, leading the very last lap in the October race a couple of years ago. Sometimes he hangs near the back. The Yates cars are always strong on the restrictor plate tracks. Gilliland and Rudd both qualified well at Daytona. For Dale Jarrett, I've seen him use different strategies.
Coopetition: You'll see two-tire stops and drivers running and pitting together so they won't lose momentum on pit road. You'll see wheeling and dealing in the pits, on the racetrack and atop the spotters' tower.
'Getting a good suck:' You'll hear drivers talk about getting a good suck or a good pull from the car in front of them. Being fast by yourself in qualifying is one thing, but they want to run together in packs and pull up on the car in front of them. Part of it is drafting. Part of it's just trying to figure out your closing rate and how quickly you can make the pass and keep your momentum.

Pit Perspectives
At Phoenix, I was really impressed with Ryan Newman and the No. 12 team. They cracked the top five. Like a lot of guys, Newman was fighting a tight race car, but they kept getting the car better and better. They had a miscommunication in the pits, and they fell to 38th, which is hard to believe. It's an example of how perfect you have to be these days.

Finish Line
It's very basic at Talladega. You have to be in position on the last lap. Mark Martin said it repeatedly — with a lot of class — after the Daytona 500. He kept saying, "I lost my pusher," referring to Kyle Busch who had been behind him. Assuming you've made it through all of the race to lap 188, you have to be in position to win. In this year's Great American Race, Kevin Harvick's run off of Turn 2 at Daytona was pretty spectacular, but he wasn't in the garage. And he wasn't so far back in the pack that he lost momentum and any shot to run to the front.

sorce - foxsports

Talladega: Dodge teams qualifying quotes

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger) -- 32nd
"It was an OK lap. I guess it doesn't much matter. We'll see where it ends up. We're relatively close to Kurt so we can get together and work together. We've had a good reputation from the first race together. We want to keep that up. I wish we had six of us, but two will have to do. This isn't racing anyway in my opinion. This is a track position game and whose team built them a good racecar. Obviously a driver has a small part to do with it, but not like at other tracks. I always thought it was 50-50 with the driver and car. Here it's about 80-20 car to driver. You've got to survive every race, and this track is no different. You've just got to do what you've got to do."
***

SCOTT RIGGS (No. 10 Stanley Tools/Valvoline Dodge Charger) -- Fastest Dodge, qualified 9th

"We have to come here with our objectives to make sure we make it in the race first. This year has gone miserable for us, but everyone has put their heads together and staying focused and putting our priorities in order. We're coming together has a whole and we're really putting our best foot forward trying to put this program together at Evernham Motorsports. My hat's off to every one of our sponsors who have stayed behind us and haven't put any more pressure on us. They have the confidence in us. I'm proud of everyone at Evernham Motorsports. The motor shop has stepped up on the restrictor-plate program and they've proved it this weekend. My guys have worked extra hard making sure this car was fast enough to get in the show.

"Handling is not going to be an issue. Track position is going to be the key. We didn't have to do anything detrimental to our race package to get qualified, so our car is pretty much set to go in race trim. I think we'll be in good shape."

***

BOBBY LABONTE (No. 43 Cheerios Racing/Spiderman-3 Dodge Charger) -- 41st

"We were better than we were last year. We picked up about four tenths. The way our car is set up it's not really set up for qualifying. That might have hurt us a little bit for qualifying, but it wasn't bad. We didn't expect a whole lot more. I know we've got a lot of work left to do, but we got out of here with a respectable run. A starting spot is a starting spot here."

***

REED SORENSON (No. 41 Target Dodge Charger) -- 33rd

"It was kinda like driving around 285 in Atlanta. I think everybody is concentrating on drafting and wherever you qualify is wherever it is. It's not where you start. It's where you finish."

***

ELLIOTT SADLER (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger) -- 39th

"I wasn't really worried about qualifying. The almighty draft tomorrow will be the equalizer. We'll race hard, try to get some momentum back and gain some points."

***

KYLE PETTY (No. 45 Nations Tire & Battery Dodge Charger) -- 25th

"That was a really good run. We didn't run anywhere close to that yesterday in practice. Billy Wilburn and the guys did a great job, and the guys at Evernham engines worked really hard to come up with a combination that really helped us. Bobby is running good, and they spent a lot of time focusing on race stuff yesterday. We made one qualifying run, but I think we're going to both be fine."

***

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Charger) -- 26th

"We've taken big steps here since last year, so I'm happy. Qualifying really doesn't mean anything here. We'll wait and see what happens. I think we've got a decent car. We'll see."

***

DAVID STREMME (No. 40 Wrigley's Winterfresh Dodge Charger) -- 22nd

"It wasn't what we thought it would be. We thought we'd be a lot better, but it's just an impound race. We'll race good. It doesn't matter where you start. It's where you finish. I think going out later hurt. It's a little windier, but I'm not a weatherman, so I don't really know, but we're not bad."

***

KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) -- 28th

"It's a little cooler right now, so an early draw can help you some days and hurt you some days. Today was a good day to go early. We feel like our Miller Lite Dodge has been pretty good. We backed up the time we ran yesterday, so we'll see where we end up. The car likes to draft, and that's where the big money is Sunday. This is our Talladega car, but it's the same general principle of restrictor-plate racing. At Talladega it's not about handling with the new asphalt, so we have to go as fast as we can all the time. Here's my mentality about Talladega. I treat this place just like I treat Bristol. I confuse everybody when I say that, but I just come here to survive. I protect the race car and try to do the best I can to be there at the end. The top is usually the most vulnerable spot on the racetrack, so I try not to run on the top side, but you try to work your way up to the top 10 and run toward the front. If you can't quite do that, you've got to look around and see who you're racing with and if you feel comfortable you're OK. Newman looks solid. I can't wait for us to hook up and do the things we've done in the past at restrictor-plate tracks. We've had our problems with caution flags the last two weeks. I should be right there with him (Tony Stewart) waving the flag, but he's battling his own battle. If we continue to run strong and keep putting ourselves in the right position we hope eventually everything will even itself out, and it usually does."

***

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger) -- 30th

"That was better than we ran yesterday. We made one qualifying run yesterday and felt like that was good for it. I'm proud of my guys. The Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger was pretty quick. Last year we ran second when the track was redone. It should be fun. The track is a lot of fun to drive now with it smooth and a lot of grip. We'll see how it goes. The Busch race today should be fun, and then we've got it again tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. We're looking to getting off to a better start and getting rolling. We need to step up our program."


source - motorsport.com

Ryan Newman Qualified 28 for the Aaron's 499.

Ryan Newman has qualified 28 for the Aaron's 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway. Newman had a speed of 189.429 / 50.552 / -0.695.

Today's 28 place qualifying will give Newman and his #12 NASCAR Nextel Cup Team and average start this season of 20.89.

Jeff Gordon got the pole position for the Aaron's 499 with a time of 192.069 / 49.857. David Gillian tied Jeff Gordon for the pole position but the position was given to Gordon based on points.

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway

Qualifying Order

Practice 1 Results

Practice 2 Results

NASCAR Not Changing Restrictor Plate At Talladega For Cup Race

Last October teams had to make a mad dash on Saturday morning to get new restrictor plates on thier cup cars. There was some fear that would happen this morning with fast practice times in yesterdays practices.

In practice one Kasey Kahne and two others turned at least one lap over 198 mph and Robby Gordon had the fastest second practice time at almost 197.5 mph. 4 others also broke the 197 mph mark (including Ryan Newman and the #12 Kodak Dodge in 3rd).

So there was some concern that NASCAR would want to but on restrictor plates with smaller holes to somewhat reduce the horsepower and slow the cars down a little. NASCAR has said that they are not to worried about it but that they will be keeping an eye on it during qualifying. They were also speculating that maybe the crews were running more of a qualifying setup than a racing setup.

There is still a chance that NASCAR will want to put a different restrictor plate on after qualifying today. I am curious how that would work. This is an impound race and the crews are not allowed to make changes to their cars after qualifying.

The second practice resulted in slightly slower speeds but over all speeds were well above last falls qualifying speed of almost 192 mph.

Mike Pratt

Catch Ryan Newman’s Qualifying Attempt Today At Talladega

Ryan Newman and his #12 Kodak Dodge will be qualifying 32nd today for the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. After Qualifying there will not be another practice.

TODAY - 4/28/07 SPPED - 11:00am QUALIFYING

Obviously the qualifying results are not up yet, but the links below will take you to the results once NASCAR.com has them posted.

Qualifying Order Practice 1 Results Practice 2 Results

POLL - Where Will Ryan Newman Finish At Talladega?

Time for a new poll. For Talladega. So lets hear it. Where will Ryan Newman and his #12 Kodak Dodge finish this weekend?


Last week I correctly guessed Ryan Newman and #12 Alltel Dodge's finish(here)....kind of. I predicted that he would have a top 10 night. Which he did. Heck he might have even got a top 5 if it weren't for that caution....but we all know that story. Just so eveyone knows, in the poll I posted before my prediction, I picked a top 20 position. Oh well.

Ryan Newman 3 For Aaron's 499 2nd Practice

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their second practice at Talladega Superspeedway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Aaron's 499
Newman had the 3 fastest practice speed of 197.24 mph / 48.55 sec.

Newman was seconds behind the leader Robby Gordon who had a practice time of 197.423 / 48.505.


Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results



Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway

NASCAR fines Stewart

So they fined him for not doing the press conference after the Subway Fresh Fit 500. Stewart seemed pretty sure that there was nothing in contracts stating that he had to do the press conferences. If thats the case, how can he be fined? Granted this is a nothing fine, same as Montoya got, but still it is the principle of it. IF and I do mean IF he is not required to do something, then how can he get fined for not doing that something? HHMMMMM! - Mike Pratt

STORY-
TALLADEGA, Ala. - NASCAR officials fined Tony Stewart $10,000 and placed the Joe Gibbs Racing driver on probation until Dec. 31 Friday afternoon.

Stewart was penalized for failing to go to the media center after finishing second in the Nextel Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway last week.

source

Ryan Newman 32nd For Arrons 499 1st Practice

Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge team had their first practice at Talladega Superspeedway today for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Arrons 499

Newman had the 32 fastest practice speed of 194.117 mph / 49.331 sec.

Newman was -1.134 seconds behind the leader, Kasey Kane who a practice time of 198.685 / 48.197.

Practice 1 Results

Good luck to Ryan Newman and the #12 Alltel Dodge Penske Racing Team in the Arrons 499 at Talladega Superspeedway

Final Phoenix TV ratings drop 8.3 percent

Fox's broadcast of last Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race earned a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 4.4 and a 9 market share, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports.

The race earned the highest rating of any weekend sports event, but the rating was 8.3 percent lower than the 4.8/9 the race earned in 2006.

source

Is Tony Right?

I am not a Stewart fan at all but I think that this is an interesting subject and worth a little discussion.

Well for starters it looks like Tony will be receiving some sort of penalty on this situation later today. Obviously NASCAR officials at fuming over this, but do they really have the right to "control" what Tony (or anyone) says outside of NASCAR. Tony was not at a NASCAR event when he said this. He was on his radio show. Does NASCAR have a hand in Tony's show, I don't know but I also don't think so. So, basically Tony or anyone else out there, is not allowed to have free speech. I understand that he "bashed" NASCAR and that makes NASCAR officials look bad and sound bad. But how many NON-NASCAR fans followed this story? I bet there are a few....which only equals out to more press and visibility for NASCAR. Bottom line, Tony and every other driver/crew member should be able to say what they want about a race, NASCAR or anything without getting penalized.

Now, do I think Tony was right? HHmmmm! Well, I know he is frustrated with not winning yet this year. There are plenty of other drivers that have not won yet either. I do think he has a point about about to many debris cautions BUT I do not think NASCAR is "playing God". Granted it would be easy to fall into that frame of thought. With ticket sales and ratings down, NASCAR would love for every race to be a close one so that later on the evening news people that don't watch might catch a glimpse of finish and want to watch the following week. BUT, once again, I do not think NASCAR is doing this. Are they possibly being a little to cautious? I think so. How many times have they said "caution, debris in turn 2" and the camera pans over to turn 2 and you don't see anything? Seems like that happens a lot.

I think Tony is "kinda" right. Right about to many debris cautions, wrong about NASCAR "playing God". I am all for the safety of the drivers. If there is a brake pad or something on the track, throw the caution! But it just seems to me that there are to many debris cautions. I get frustrated when there is a good race going on and debris cautions are coming out left and right. I want to see green, not yellow!

Stewart Apologizes For Radio Remarks

Tony Stewart’s day began early at Talladega – 6 a.m. to be precise, which is when the two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion was summoned for a high-level confab with NASCAR official over some comments made by Stewart earlier in the week on his SIRIUS radio show. NASCAR refused to let Stewart’s Joe Gibbs Racing team unload his No. 20 off the hauler Friday morning until Stewart met with officials from the sanctioning body.

And Stewart was properly contrite afterwards. “You can’t fix stupid a lot of times,” he said. “I’m getting better about not saying stupid things at the wrong times, but I’m not totally cured yet.”

NASCAR will announce what action it will take with regards to Stewart later Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway, said NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter.

Stewart appeared in the Talladega media center Friday morning, when he apologized for comments he made on his radio show. Five hours earlier, at 6 a.m., he met with a group of NASCAR officials who he declined to identify, but Stewart made it clear that the tone of the meeting was intense.

“The meeting this morning was a good meeting,” Stewart said of the NASCAR sit down. “It’s a little tender for me to sit down right now, but I’m semi-confident that by the time practice starts, the medication that I’ve got will numb it up enough that I can go out and do my job.”

Stewart’s radio comments on Tuesday were highly inflammatory, questioning NASCAR’s credibility and suggesting that debris cautions were being thrown not because of debris on track, but to bunch the fields. “To me it's not all about the money, it's about the integrity of the sport, and when I feel our own sanctioning body isn't taking care of that, it's hard to support them and feel proud about being a driver in the Nextel Cup Series when they're throwing debris cautions,” Stewart said. “It's like playing God. They can almost dictate the race instead of the drivers doing it. It's happened too many times this year. You get so frustrated ... But enough of it's gone on that fans are writing in and talking about it. At what point does NASCAR get the hint? I guess NASCAR thinks, ‘Hey wrestling worked, and it was for the most part staged, so I guess it's going to work in racing, too.’ … I can't understand how long the fans are going to let NASCAR treat them like they're stupid before the fans finally turn on NASCAR. I don't know that they've run a fair race all year.”

But after the NASCAR meeting Friday morning, Stewart had a different perspective. “They assured me that the debris cautions are for things that are out there,” he said. “They say that there are things that are out there and to be honest, the group that I spoke with this morning is a group of peers that I trust. If they tell me stuff is out there, I believe them.”

Stewart, who finished second at Phoenix International Raceway Saturday night, also skipped the mandatory post-race press conference, which NASCAR requires of the second- and third-place finishers at each race.

“We tried to learn from our mistakes before, and I’ve went to the media center and been furious before and said things I didn’t want to say,” Stewart said. “Tuesday night I was sick and still ended up saying things I didn’t want to say, or shouldn’t have said, and got in trouble for it. I should have went to them (NASCAR) instead of saying it in public.”

Stewart forced to meet with NASCAR; car held

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Tony Stewart met with NASCAR officials early this morning after a week in which he first skipped out on postrace media obligations following his second-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway and then bashed the sanctioning body on his weekly radio show.

According to the NASCAR entry blank, "the second and third place drivers, and the highest finishing Rookie of the Year candidate, must also report to the media center upon conclusion of the race."

Since he left the track without fulfilling his obligation to speak to TV reporters or appear in the media center, Stewart has lashed out at NASCAR on his weekly radio show. The two-time Cup champion questioned the timing of some cautions for debris while comparing NASCAR to professional wrestling.

The series of comments resulted in the sanctioning body issuing a statement saying officials found his remarks "disappointing."

Stewart met with officials at 7 a.m. EDT, and NASCAR did not let his Joe Gibbs Racing team unload its car from the transporter until that meeting ended at 7:35 a.m. Other competitors had unloaded their cars and begin work when the garage opened at 7 a.m.

Stewart is scheduled to meet with the media later this morning.

source

War of words in lawsuit between AT&T, NASCAR

By Mark Aumann,
NASCAR.COM
April 27, 200711:48 AM EDT

ATLANTA -- Is AT&T Mobility using an "ambush strategy" to wreck Nextel's exclusive title sponsorship agreement with NASCAR? Or is Sprint bent on "booting out" of the series a sponsor that was grandfathered in four years ago?

During Thursday's four-hour preliminary injunction hearing in a U.S. district courtroom, federal judge Marvin H. Shoob listened to arguments from lawyers representing AT&T Mobility, NASCAR and Sprint/Nextel.

At issue is the sponsorship of the No. 31 Chevrolet owned by Richard Childress Racing. Current sponsor Cingular was one of a handful of telecommunications companies given an exemption when Nextel became entitlement sponsor of NASCAR's premier series in 2003.

However, with the December acquisition of Bell South by AT&T, the Cingular brand is reportedly being phased out, which leaves Judge Shoob with what appears to be a difficult and complex ruling: Does NASCAR have the right under its exclusivity contract with Nextel to lawfully reject a paint scheme featuring AT&T and the globe logo?

Both sides presented compelling arguments supporting their positions during the hearing.

David L. Balser, an Atlanta attorney representing AT&T Mobility, used excerpts from three contracts -- the original sponsorship agreement between Cingular and RCR, the driver-owner contract between RCR and NASCAR and the title sponsor agreement between NASCAR and Nextel -- in an attempt to show the judge that under grandfather rights, AT&T can legally sponsor the car.

"There are only two limitations," Balser said, referring to the 2003 agreement. "We cannot improve our brand position -- from an associate to primary sponsor -- and we cannot move our sponsorship from the current team to another. But there's nothing in the contract that says we can't change our name.

"We're the same company, the same network, the same service and we're still the primary sponsor."

Balser pointed out that an amendment to the original agreement was added in 2006 which specifically deals with the potential acquisition of Alltel and Cingular, which was then dated April 4, 2005.

"They knew full well that the original terms did not prevent a brand change," Balser said.

However, NASCAR's outside counsel, David R. Gelfand, disagreed, saying AT&T seeks "to change the status quo, not maintain the status quo."

Gelfand provided a timeline that he said showed NASCAR has been "even-handed" in its refusal to grant re-branding to competitors of Nextel, describing a pattern of memos between NASCAR, RCR and Cingular dating back to the beginning of the Nextel agreement.

He also pointed to NASCAR's rule book, which contains a clause that states "NASCAR retains the right to refuse to permit advertising or paint schemes for any reason." Gelfand said by agreeing to abide by the rules, RCR and Cingular were bound by that rule.

"And despite knowledge of all these communications, Cingular renewed its sponsorship with RCR in 2004," Gelfand said.

But Balser challenged that point, claiming all of those instances dealt with "limited pass-through rights" -- referring to one-time special paint scheme sponsorships -- and not changes to the primary sponsorship.

The hearing turned contentious at times, given the relationship between the two major corporations and their ongoing efforts to gain an upper hand in the wireless market. Peter Canfield, outside counsel for Nextel, said "the harm to Nextel's investment would be great, indeed" if AT&T's re-branding was granted.

"Nextel's intention was not to benefit competing sponsors," Canfield said about the decision to grandfather Cingular and Alltel four years ago. "The expectation was that [those sponsorships] would be short-lived."

Balser produced a document he claimed was an internal Sprint e-mail from earlier this year, including a line that said NASCAR was willing to work out a compromise over the issue, but Sprint officials determined "no benefit would be superior to having AT&T booted out of the sport."

"They're trying to use our name change to drive us out of the sport," he said.

In NASCAR's defense, Gelfand brought to light an internal AT&T memo from February, attempting to show that AT&T was hoping to "force its way into the sport" by means of what he termed ambushing, a marketing strategy based on the encroachment of Nextel's exclusive sponsorship rights. He also showed the deposition of a former Cingular employee who testified that the company immediately began looking for loopholes as soon as the Nextel agreement was signed.

Judge Shoob set May 7 as the deadline for briefs to be submitted in the case. A decision is expected to follow.

source - NASCAR.COM

#20 Home Depot team not allowed to unload car, Stewart to NASCAR hauler?

I don't know if this is true or not, but his is what AutoRacingSport.com is reporting. - Mike Pratt

Sources are informing us that the #20 Home Depot team has not been allowed to unload its Nextel Cup Chevy at Talladega until Tony Stewart meets with NASCAR at the NASCAR hauler.

Stewart make several strong accusations that NASCAR fixes its races.

Word is that NASCAR is fuming over Stewart’s remarks.

Stay tuned for updates.

source

Catch Ryan Newman’s Practices Today At Talladega

Ryan Newman and his #12 Kodak Dodge will be practicing today for the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Newman and the other drivers will have only 2 practices for the Aaron’s 499 before qualifying tomorrow. After Qualifying there will not be another practice.

TODAY – 4/27/07

SPPED - 2:30pm – Practice 1

SPEED – 4:00pm – Final Practice

Obviously the results are not up yet, but the links below will take you to the results once NASCAR.com has them posted.

Practice 1 Results

Practice 2 Results

No ruling yet in AT&T's case against NASCAR

ATLANTA (AP) — Jeff Burton's No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet will bear the familiar Cingular markings for at least two more weeks.

There was no decision Thursday on AT&T's request for an injunction to have its logos placed on Burton's car. Instead, U.S. District Court Judge Marvin H. Shoob listened to almost four hours of arguments from NASCAR, AT&T and Nextel and then set May 7 as the deadline for briefs to be submitted in the case.

At Thursday's preliminary injunction hearing, NASCAR attorneys defended the decision to prevent Cingular — the primary sponsor of the No. 31 car — from changing its branding on the car to the AT&T blue globe.

Cingular merged with AT&T in December, and AT&T is phasing out the Cingular brand.

Sprint Nextel Corp. sponsors NASCAR's premier series, the Nextel Cup, and has exclusive rights as the telecommunications company for the series. The only exceptions are companies, including Cingular, that already sponsored cars when Nextel reached its agreement with NASCAR.

"We have changed our name, but we are the same company as we were before we changed our name," said David Balser, attorney for AT&T Inc.

"Sprint has said the value of its investment would increase if they could drive us out," Balser said to Schoob. "That is what this is about, your honor. Sprint Nextel is trying to use our name change to drive us out of the sport."

NASCAR attorney David Gelfand said AT&T would be welcome to sponsor a car in NASCAR's Busch series or truck racing, but he said Nextel was entitled to exclusivity through its 10-year, $700 million investment that began in 2004.

"Those are the benefits NASCAR is seeking to protect," Gelfand said.

NASCAR president Mike Helton attended the hearing.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Nextel's investment benefits every racing team.

"NASCAR is defending every driver, team and track involved with NASCAR," Poston said. "The court's ruling will be important to protect the very flexible and open environment that allows for hundreds of sponsors to successfully participate in NASCAR. ... NASCAR will continue to protect the industry in any future attacks on our key partners."

source

Kodak Returns As Primary Sponsor In NEXTEL Cup Series At Talladega

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 25, 2007) – For the first time in the NASCAR Cup Series, Kodak colors will adorn the hood of the No. 12 car as a primary sponsor, ending the company's 15-month hiatus from NASCAR's top series in that role. This is also the first year Kodak has been a sponsor on the 12 car.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Kodak Dodge Charger, will make his 11th start at Talladega Superspeedway and his 197th in the Cup Series this weekend.

Of course, the main concern at Talladega is the same one that exists at every restrictor-plate track -- avoiding the “big one”.

“Like every race at the superspeedways, you have to stay out of trouble,” Newman said. “We’re taking the car that finished third at the Daytona 500 in 2006. We’ll be looking for some people to work with and hopefully, earn a good finish on Sunday without getting caught up in a wreck.”

Newman’s average start at Talladega is 10.8 and his finishing average is 20.9. He has led six races for a total of 25 laps and has completed 1,515 laps of a possible 1,888 for an 80.2 percent completion rate.

“Talladega is a fun track to race at and the race is exciting for everyone, especially the fans,” Newman continued. “One lap you could be fifth and the next lap you might be 25th. You never know what’s going to happen and the winner always seems to emerge at the very end, so it’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Crew chief Mike Nelson and the No. 12 Kodak Dodge team will take chassis PRS-056 as the primary car. The car's third-place finish in the 2006 Daytona 500 occurred after Newman started 18th. The back-up car will be PRS-099, which Newman drove in the 2007 Daytona 500. This car was also used last year at Talladega in May when Newman started 18th and finished 33rd.

The Aaron’s 499 will be broadcast live by FOX and MRN Radio beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

source-penske racing

KODAK Sponsoring Ryan Newman and Team This Weekend

Keep an eye out for that #12 KODAK Dodge this weekend at Talladega. Ryan Newman will be driving the KODAK Dodge car this weekend instead of the Alltel Dodge. So don’t look for blue, you won’t find it. Look for yellow. It really is not a bad looking car. Kodak will be sponsoring Penske Racing’s #12 NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge 3 times this year. The first will be this week at Talladega for the Aaron’s 499. The next time we will see the KODAK Dodge will be in August for the Walkins Glen race. And finally it will appear again for California Speedways second race of the season in September.

Kodak is also sponsoring the #12 in the Busch series. They have already done Bristol (Newman came in 4th) and Phoenix (Newman came in 36th). Their other five Busch Series events will be – in order – Darlington, Chicago, Watkins Glen, California and Richmond.

By the Numbers: Talladega

Have your facts straight for a free TrackPass weekend

By NASCAR.COM
April 26, 2007
11:32 AM EDT


By the Numbers teams with TrackPass this week to bring the fans closer to the action at Talladega. NASCAR.COM is offering a free TrackPass weekend and exclusive access to a wide variety of live features that get you on the track and in the race.

If you have never taken advantage of TrackPass, here's your chance. In case you don't know what you're missing, here's a BTN sample.


Interesting Fact

4 Number of applications available with TrackPass: PitCommand, RaceView, Scanner and Radio Broadcast.

Fun Fact
2x Sign up by May 5 and earn double RacePoints.

TrackPass Facts

3 Virtual camera angles available with RaceView: Lead View, Flyover View and Draft View.
3 Monitor LIVE timing, scoring and telemetry with PitCommand.
4 Number of events that can be heard this week on MRN's Radio Broadcast. Listen to Cup qualifying, as well as all three series races.
14 Enjoy a two-week free time trial.
43 Listen to in-car audio for every driver with Scanner.

To get you ready for the weekend, By the Numbers takes a look at all 52 drivers on the Entry List for the Aaron's 499. Going by car number, BTN offers a fact about that driver at Talladega, and follows with another about his season to date.

Driver Facts

00 David Reutimann has only one career start at Talladega, finishing sixth last year in a Craftsman Truck Series race. He crashed and finished 40th this season at Daytona, his only superspeedway start in a Cup car.
01 Regan Smith has only one career start at Talladega, finishing 37th last year in a Busch Series race. Smith will be making just his third Cup Series start of his career.
1 Martin Truex Jr. finished fifth this past October after DNFs in each of his first three Talladega starts. Truex has two top-10s this season.
2 Kurt Busch has five consecutive top-10 finishes at Talladega, including seventh and third in two races last year, his first with Penske. Busch has only one top-10 this season.
4 Ward Burton finished fourth in October, his best result in 19 starts at Talladega. Burton has qualified for only three races this season.
5 Kyle Busch has made four starts at Talladega, his second-most of any track without a top-10. Busch has five top-10s this season and is sixth in points.
6 David Ragan has only one career start at Talladega, finishing seventh last year in a Craftsman Truck Series race. Smith opened the season with a fifth-place run at Daytona, his first Cup start at a superspeedway.
07 Clint Bowyer crashed in both Talladega races last year, his first at the track. Bowyer has three top-10s this season and is ninth in points.
7 Robby Gordon went seven years between his first Talladega start in 1993 and next one. Gordon finished 15th at Daytona, his best result of the season.
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. has eight top-10s at Talladega, all of which came consecutively from the October 2001 through October 2004. Junior's only two top-10s this season have come on the short tracks of Bristol and Martinsville.
09 Mike Wallace finished ninth in April 2001, his best result in 15 Talladega starts. Wallace finished fourth at Daytona, his only start this season.
9 Kasey Kahne finished second this past October, but has a 22.5 average in six starts at Talladega. Kahne finished seventh in the season-opener at Daytona, but hasn't been better than 19th since.
10 Scott Riggs finished sixth last April at Talladega, his only top-10 in six starts. Riggs has only one top-10 this season and a 31.5 average finish.
11 Denny Hamlin finished 22nd and 21st in his first two Talladega starts, leading one lap in each race last year. Hamlin is riding three consecutive top-10s and is fifth in points.
12 Ryan Newman made only three laps before crashing in April 2003, the shortest race of his career. Newman has a 25.5 average finish this season.
13 Joe Nemechek has three poles at Talladega, more than any other track. Nemechek opened the year with a ninth-place run at Daytona, his only top-10 this season.
14 Sterling Marlin has two wins and 17 top-10s at Talladega, third-highest of any track. Marlin has a career-best 21 top-10s at Daytona. Marlin finished 17th at Daytona this year, his only top-20 run of the season.
15 Paul Menard was 15 laps from the finish in his Talladega debut this past October when a crash sent him to the garage and a 34th-place finish. Menard has completed all but 10 laps this season.
16 Greg Biffle failed to finish in either of his two Talladega starts last year. Biffle has led only two laps this season.
17 Matt Kenseth has three consecutive top-10 runs at Talladega, his worst finish during that span sixth last April. Kenseth is third in points, with a win, five top-fives and six top-10s this season.
18 J.J. Yeley led one lap in each of his first two Talladega starts, but crashed his last time out in his third appearance this past October. Yeley finished a season-best 12th at Daytona.
19 Elliott Sadler finished 29th in his first Talladega start in the 19 car. Sadler has one top-10 this season, a sixth-place finish at Daytona.
20 Tony Stewart has finished second at Talladega six times. Stewart has finished second twice this season, at Atlanta and Phoenix.
21 Ken Schrader won his first career race at Talladega in 1988, driving for Rick Hendrick. Schrader has finished better than 28th just once in seven starts this season.
22 Dave Blaney has led one lap in 13 career starts at Talladega. Blaney has led one lap this season.
24 Jeff Gordon has four victories, and has finished in the top-10 in half of his 28 Talladega starts. Gordon leads the points this season with an average finish of 4.5 in eight starts.
25 Casey Mears finished eighth in both 2004 races at Talladega. Mears has only one top-10 in his first season with Hendrick.
26 Jamie McMurray has finished fifth in the past two April races at Talladega. McMurray finished a season-best fifth at Texas, but has top-10s in half of his eight starts this year.
29 Kevin Harvick has six top-10s in his past eight starts at Talladega. Harvick posted his first superspeedway victory this year at Daytona.
31 Jeff Burton finished fourth last April at Talladega, his best result there since a third-place run in October 2001. Burton is second in points this season, with a victory, five top-fives and six top-10s.
34 Kevin Lepage has one top-10 in 10 starts at Talladega. Lepage doesn’t have a Cup start in 2007.
36 Jeremy Mayfield finished fourth in April 2005, his best result in 24 Talladega starts. Mayfield has qualified for only two starts this season, both on the short tracks of Bristol and Martinsville.
37 John Andretti has scored four of his 37 career top-10s at Talladega, including his first in 1996 driving the 37 car. Andretti has made only one start this season.
38 David Gilliland earned his first career pole at Talladega this past October and finished 15th in his first start there. Gilliland started from the pole this year at Daytona and finished eighth on the superspeedway.
40 David Stremme finished 34th and 33rd with a crash in his two Talladega starts as a rookie last year. Stremme opened the season with an 11th-place run at Daytona and posted his first career top-10 with a 10th-place showing at Texas.
41 Reed Sorenson failed to finish in either of his first two Talladega starts with a crash and engine failure hampering his rookie efforts last year. Sorenson opened the year by finishing 13th at Daytona and has a season-best ninth at Atlanta.
42 Juan Montoya finish third this past October in an ARCA race at Talladega, his first in a stock car. Montoya has one top-five and two top-10s in his rookie season in Cup.
43 Bobby Labonte won his only Talladega race from the pole in April 1998, and is the last driver to win from the inside of front row. Labonte finished eighth at Phoenix, his best of the season.
44 Dale Jarrett is the last driver to win at Talladega in something other than a Chevrolet. Jarrett won in October 1998 and again in October 2005, his last Cup victory. Jarrett is the only Toyota to compete in all eight races this season, but has needed the past champion's provisional five times.
45 Kyle Petty has 19 top-10s at Talladega, more than any other track. Petty has only one top-20 finish this season.48Jimmie Johnson has five DNFs in 10 Talladega starts, but won there last April. Johnson has three victories this season and is fourth in points.
49 Mike Bliss has one top-10 in five career starts at Talladega. Bliss has made four starts this year, with a season-best 17th at Bristol.
55 Michael Waltrip has one win at Talladega, and in 42 starts has a near identical 19.4 average start and 19.3 average finish. Waltrip has failed to qualify in seven consecutive races this season.
60 Boris Said started 12th but crashed in his only Talladega start, in April 2005. Said finished 14th at Daytona, his only start this year.
66 Jeff Green finished 14th and seventh in his two starts at Talladega last year, his first in the No. 66. Green has two sixth-place finishes this season, at Bristol and Phoenix.
70 Johnny Sauter has finished 14th and 16th in his only two Talladega starts, in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Sauter finished ninth at Phoenix, his first top-10 of the season and second of his career.
78 Kenny Wallace finished second at Talladega in October 2000, his only top-10 that season in 34 starts. Wallace has made four starts this season, with two DNFs.
83 Brian Vickers won his first career race at Talladega this past October, which also was his second consecutive top-five and third consecutive top-10. Vickers gave Toyota its only top-10 finish of the season with a 10th at California, but he has qualified for only four races.
84 A.J. Allmendinger has only one career start at Talladega, finishing fifth last year in a Craftsman Truck Series race. Allmendinger has qualified for just two races this season on the short tracks of Bristol and Martinsville.
88 Ricky Rudd has made 58 starts at Talladega, more than any current driver. Rudd’s best finish this season is 13th at Martinsville. He hasn’t finished better than 26 in any other race.
96 Tony Raines has a 21.2 average finish in five starts at Talladega. Raines is 21st in driver points this season.
99 Carl Edwards has three consecutive top-10 finishes at Talladega. Edwards have finished 12th or better in five of the past six races this season.