Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice president of corporate communications, denied a Speed TV report that Richard Childress Racing altered the rim of the wheels to act as a bleeder valve to release air pressure to give them an edge in the New Hampshire race.
The cars of winner Kevin Harvick and teammate Jeff Burton passed inspection after the race. The report said the teams didn't break any rules but were told my NASCAR not to do it again. Hunter called it "sheer fantasy."
Harvick, who dismissed the report, said he thinks the story was planted by another team.
Richard Durrett
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A former employee of Richard Childress Racing says in a wrongful termination lawsuit that the team used illegal engine modifications at this year's Daytona 500, including in the car of polesitter Jeff Burton.
Durrett: Bernstein can't slow down
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When Childress was told of the problem, the owner responded by saying: "All teams do something to enhance performance," according to the lawsuit, filed by Anthony Corrente and reported on the Charlotte Observer's Web site.
An RCR spokesman told the Observer that the allegations in the lawsuit are untrue.
Associated Press
Roush Racing president Geoff Smith said in a statement this week that the group is in discussions with Red Sox owner John Henry to sell part of Roush Racing to Fenway Sports Group.
Henry, a big racing fan, visited with Roush at the New Hampshire race last weekend. The Boston Globe reports that the price tag to buy an interest in Roush Racing is more than $50 million.
If Henry gets involved, Roush could consolidate to four teams, which is a NASCAR limit when the current contracts end. Roush has five teams now.
Richard Durrett
Terry Labonte will drive for the final time at Texas Motor Speedway at the Nov. 5 Dickey's 500. And his car will have a commemorative paint scheme.
The maroon car has images of Labonte from his career, including his celebration of the 1999 win at TMS on the hood.
Richard Durrett
The likely NASCAR Busch champion will have to find a new primary sponsor next year. The U.S. Coast Guard, citing budget restructuring, will not sponsor Kevin Harvick's No. 21 Chevrolet in the Busch series next year. ... The IRL announced two more races to the 2007 schedule: at Richmond on June 30 and the new Iowa Speedway on June 24. The series comes to TMS on June 9.
Richard Durrett
The Dover 400 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. It's the second Cup race this season at Dover and the second of the 10 Chase events.
A one-mile high-banked oval with a concrete surface known as the Monster Mile. Dover is unique from any other NASCAR facility. It has a five-eighth mile harness racing track in the infield and an 80,000-square-foot casino overlooking the backstretch.
Jimmie Johnson won last September, his third Nextel Cup victory in Dover. Matt Kenseth, third in the Chase standings, won in Dover in June.
•Kevin Harvick has won two consecutive races and three of the last six. He has 11 consecutive finishes in the top 15.
•Rookie Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in eight of the last nine races, including a fourth-place finish last week in New Hampshire.
•Matt Kenseth has six consecutive top-10 finishes, including two wins. He's had success at Dover.
•Since moving to Evernham Motorsports, Elliott Sadler has finished 16th or better in four of the five races. He had his best finish since July 1 last weekend, crossing the line sixth in New Hampshire.
•Dale Jarrett has finished 28th or worse in six of his last 10 races, including last weekend in New Hampshire.
•Tony Raines and his DLP Hall of Fame Racing team are still struggling. They've finished no better than 25th in the last five races.
•Bobby Labonte hasn't finished better than 19th since placing eighth in Pocono in July. He's been 22nd or worse in six of his last seven starts.
•Jeff Green finished 41st in Richmond and 43rd in New Hampshire. He hadn't finished in the bottom three in a race since the Daytona 500.
•Look for multiple-car crashes at Dover. When cars hit the wall in the turns, they usually slide down the banking and collect a few other cars in the process.
•Dover has one of the most dangerous pit roads in NASCAR. The pit boxes are tight and narrow, and cars often bang into each other getting in and out. Pit workers had better watch out or they can get hit.
•Crew chiefs have a tough time setting up the cars to exit the turns. The car needs to be tight or it will spin going in, but too tight and it will push into the wall on the exit of the turns.
•A driver needs good bottom-end torque to get off the corners hard on the throttle. That wears on an engine for 400 laps, though.
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