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Mark Martin had enough left in his tank to win last Sunday’s LifeLock 400. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) |
Auto Racing notes
Something to build on
NASCAR owners will back reorganizing GM
“We had very productive conversations this week with the folks at General Motors,’’ Rick Hendrick said in a statement.
Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports, fields Chevrolets for drivers Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“It’s clear they are committed to racing and committed to our organization,’’ Hendrick said. “They’ve asked us for some help, and we’re going to give it to them. We’re proud to be a Chevy team, and we will do our part to support the new GM both on and off the racetrack.’’
As GM works to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy and rebrand itself as a leaner, meaner, and even greener auto manufacturer, it remains to be seen to what extent it will invest in racing.
In NASCAR, the mantra has always been, “Win on Sundays, sell on Mondays,’’ and no manufacturer seemed to embrace that philosophy as steadfastly as GM. During Chevrolet’s formative years, it owed many innovations to gains its namesake, Louis Chevrolet, made at the racetrack. Can GM continue to rely on NASCAR as a promotional vehicle?
Car owner Richard Childress doesn’t intend to quit racing the Chevy brand, which currently leads the Sprint Cup manufacturers’ championship standings by 33 points over
“I have to keep racing and we’ll keep racing General Motors products, for sure,’’ Childress said at Michigan International Speedway. “They’ve been good to us for many, many, many years. We’ve had a great partnership, and we’ve got to see what comes out of it. Everybody’s going through tough times right now.
“You do what you’ve got to do to survive. If you want to keep racing, you do what you’ve got to do.’’
Among those Nationwide Series owners who lost GM support were Sprint Cup drivers Earnhardt and Kevin Harvick, who absorbed a double whammy after losing funding for his Camping World Truck Series team. Earnhardt expressed hope that teams affected by the financial cutbacks would retain technical assistance from the manufacturer.
“I really don’t know what each program, what their situation was as far as what assistance Chevrolet was giving them in terms of dollars or wind tunnel time or whatever,’’ Earnhardt said. “But I know that through the manufacturer we’ll still probably have a lot of engineering data to trade back and forth. We’ll still try to learn a lot of things from them on the engineering side of things.
“Obviously, the financial side of it is entirely going away, which everybody understands,’’ added Earnhardt, who may seek additional sponsors. “Obviously, Chevrolet really cares deeply about this sport, and they still want to maintain some relationships, and they still want to see Chevrolets win no matter who’s driving them or who owns them.’’
Martin pumped
Martin gave GM something to cheer last Sunday with his victory in the LifeLock 400. The 50-year-old driver made the fuel in his No. 5 Chevrolet outlast that of Johnson, whose No. 48 Chevrolet ran out a lap from the checkered flag, and that of Greg Biffle, who dropped out of the lead when his No. 16 Ford Fusion ran out with about a half-lap remaining. “We had a great racecar, but for me, I always, always come up short on the gas mileage thing - I always have,’’ said Martin, whose third victory of the season tied him with Kyle Busch for the series high and vaulted him five spots to eighth in the driver standings with 1,868 points, 321 behind leader Tony Stewart. “If you look at the stats, you know, I’ve lost 25 and won two probably on it. I just don’t have the luck for it. I saw the pace they were wanting to run, and I started saving from the third lap. After I got my track position, I started trying to save. And the car worked perfectly to save fuel.’’ That wasn’t the case for Johnson or Biffle, who toed the company line when he proclaimed Patrick switching?
Danica Patrick, in the final year of her contract with Andretti Green Racing, might be looking to switch to NASCAR. Patrick, who recorded a career-high third-place finish in last month’s Indianapolis 500, would likely find that opportunity with IndyCar owner Chip Ganassi, who owns a Nationwide Series team and a Sprint Cup team. “We’ll be definitely looking at our options,’’ said Patrick. “They’re one of the top three teams in the IndyCar Series, but then again, I’m also driving for one of those top three teams. So it’s going to have to be a really good option for me as a driver and as a brand to expand beyond, because I already drive for a great team.’’ Ganassi brought Dario Franchitti to NASCAR last year, only to watch the 2007 IndyCar Series champion struggle, lose his sponsor and ride, and eventually return to IndyCar with Ganassi. Patrick said she took note of the NASCAR struggles of former open wheel champions such as Sam Hornish Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, and Franchitti. “I think what it shows is it is difficult,’’ Patrick said Tuesday during the Indy Racing League’s teleconference. “You do need as much help as possible.’’ . . . New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which will host the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 Sprint Cup race June 28 at Loudon, unveiled 3,400 feet of new fencing along the grandstands of the 1.058-mile oval. It raised the height of the fence from 16 feet to 21 feet, which is consistent with the safety standards of other tracks owned and operated by Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com; material from race teams, sponsors, track publicity departments, sanctioning bodies, and manufacturers was used in this report. 
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