E Foreclosure TODAY’S D PLUS: Ohio’s John I Prevention FORECAST Boehner writes of creating S Helping Hands Community jobs through tax relief. N Outreach Center workshop. GAZETTE I Page 1 2A ® Page 5A ® Light Snow, FAST FACT This year’s Cup race at Las Vegas IRLS ASKETBALL Motor Speedway (March 1) is the G B Shelby 427. In honor of the sponsor, high of 20˚ NASCAR has agreed to lengthen the race from 400 to 427 miles. Weather, 14A TEAMS LOOKING AT TOP SEEDS NASCAR management, race teams working through challenging economic climate Money concerns cast long shadow ited Cup schedule, Nemechek said, adding that he already has teams and tracks. has indicated he’ll secured the services of veteran crew chief “Despite the fact that there are no major over annual Charlotte Media Tour enter every race. Philippe Lopez. changes, the NASCAR management team Undefeated Xenia aiming for No. 1 seed in The latest to an- “We have a lot of exciting things happen- has been extremely busy this winter work- By RICK MINTER nounce plans is Joe ing at Nemco. Having Philippe join us is a ing with teams and tracks to face the chal- Cox News Service Nemechek, who is huge plus for our program. We were also lenges of the economy and keep our sport hoping to run a full able to acquire excellent equipment and moving in the right direction,” Chairman EWS-CURRENT The makeup of the starting fields for Cup schedule with are in position to run an economic yet com- Brian France said in his address to the Sprint Cup races this year is starting to his own Nemco petitive program.” media. N shape up as the season opener nears. While Motorsports team, Nemechek, who drove for Furniture Row “One of the key areas we’re zeroing in on girls Division I basketball tournament. there have been concerns about getting a which has primarily Racing last year, said he also plans to run is helping the teams develop a new busi- full 43-car field for every race, there also run Nationwide the full Nationwide Series. ness model to fit today’s ever-changing have been numerous new teams emerging Series races in the NASCAR NASCAR typically has used the annual economy,exploring ways to manage costs to fill the gaps left by teams that dropped past. Media Tour in Charlotte to roll out new much smarter, working with our media THURSDAY cars or dropped off the circuit altogether. Nemechek, in an- BRIAN FRANCE programs and announce changes in rules partners to explore additional ways to take Veteran crew chief Tommy Baldwin has nouncing his plans, at Media Tour and schedules. But this year’s tour came in our product to our fans, meeting with our announced plans to field his own No. 36 touted the fact that his is a lean company the middle of an economic crisis, so the tracks to brainstorm new promotions for Toyota with Scott Riggs driving. There are that can give sponsors a lot of bang for the news from NASCAR was more subdued. ticket opportunities for our fans and con- reports that Jeremy Mayfield plans to start buck. The most newsworthy part of the NASCAR tinuing our efforts in diversity,working his own team. Phoenix Racing owner “We want to race and put people back to presentation involved the sanctioning hard to facilitate opportunities for minori- January 29, 2009 James Finch, who has been running a lim- work in these tough economic times,” body’s effort to help its struggling race ties and females on and off the track.” ® Rick Minter’s Page 1B OBSERVATIONS Key story lines this week in NASCAR. Junior not pleased with Shootout changes 75 Cents NASCAR has expanded the field for the Budweiser Big Picture, Local Focus. Shootout at Daytona to 28 entries, putting, among others, veteran driver and former Shootout winner Tony Stewart in the field. Unlike recent seasons when the starting field was comprised of pole win- ners from the previous year, this year’s race will fea- single copy ture the top six teams from each of the four manufac- turers in the sport. The rules recently were amended Atlanta Motor Speedway to allow each manufacturer to add a seventh team, Juan Pablo Montoya crosses the finish line during recent Goodyear tire testing at Atlanta Motor Speedway. with the slots going to either a past Cup champion or to the driver from the next highest teams in owner points. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is as staunch a sup- porter of tradition as any driver in the sport, doesn’t like the changes at all. “I just like all the history,and I like all the cool things about the history,and I like looking back on the guys who were in this race in the ’80s and ’90s and why they were in it and how they got in it and Vol 2 No 120 who missed it the next year and made it the next year,” he said. “Maybe there’s nothing wrong with this new format. Maybe I just hate change, but I don’t Track time like it. I like the old format.” By RICK MINTER full and just everything that Cox News Service Amid new testing ban, teams get creative you’ve taken for granted.” Waltrip: A year of self-evaluation ahead in getting cars, personnel ready for season The consensus in the Could this season be Michael Waltrip’s last as a ith NASCAR’s ban garage is that the bigger full-time Cup driver? At the least it’s going to be a on testing at tracks teams will fare better with year of self-evaluation for the veter- Wthat host its major with I think Brian Vickers down to diagnosing how the the ban because they have an driver who also owns the cars he races, race teams have adopt- and Carl Edwards and maybe balance of the car is, that’s more resources to test compo- drives. ed various strategies to pre- a couple others.” extremely important.” nents in the shop with com- “My goal is to go win some races pare their cars and to build Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo There has been consider- puter simulators and such. this year, run up front so that I don’t I I I I I I I chemistry in situations Montoya, Sam Hornish Jr. able debate over whether And the drivers and crew have to say this is my last year,” where drivers are working and Scott Speed tested at teams should test at all since chiefs who have been togeth- Waltrip said. “But if I don’t do those XENIA BEAVERCREEK JAMESTOWN CEDARVILLE YELLOW SPRINGS SPRING VALLEY BELLBROOK WILBERFORCE with new teams or different Atlanta Motor Speedway last NASCAR’s intention with the er for a time should gain an things, if I can’t compete at the level crew chiefs. week, with Biffle turning a ban was to save teams money. advantage, too. that [teammate David Reutimann] Many have tested at best lap at 187.045 mph while Kevin Harvick said it’s Reed Sorenson, who is does or [sponsor] NAPA expects, WALTRIP Rockingham Speedway, getting to run numerous con- good for the teams to get on a moving to the No. 43 at then I probably won’t get to do this again in 2010.” which no longer hosts secutive laps as Goodyear en- track somewhere to get back Richard Petty Motorsports, He said that a decision to quit driving won’t come NASCAR races and is not af- gineers worked to see how in shape, see that everything counts himself among those easy. fected by the ban. Greg Biffle the tires reacted to long runs. is in order to go racing and getting the short end of the “This is a real important year for me because I still has been to Texas World Ryan Newman has tested make sure everyone on the deal. love it,” he said. “I’m still emotional about it. That’s a Speedway,which hosted its his Stewart Haas Racing team is comfortable in his or “It’s definitely hurting us great feeling. I’m glad I have that. I’m glad I feel the last Cup race in 1981. Several Chevrolet at Rockingham her role. not to be able to have a day or way I do, and I’m also glad that I own my car because Chevrolet teams went to the and New Smyrna, which “I think a lot of it is the days where we can work to- if this is my last year, then I’m fine because that manufacturers’ proving weren’t part of a Goodyear bonding, the fact that every- gether and get a feel for what means I got somebody faster or better than me to grounds in Arizona and still test but still proved helpful. body just needs to get back in I feel in the car and what drive my car in 2010, and that’s how it was supposed others ran at New Smyrna “It served two purposes, re- the swing of things and real- changes our crew chief to be.” Speedway in Florida. ally just to get some more ex- ly kind of get in sync …” he makes and what it does,” he Jeff Gordon’s team went to perience with the crew and said. “I don’t want to call it said. The good and the bad for ’09 debuts the proving grounds, with with the cars because they training, but we do have a Two Cup drivers had vastly different results as David Green driving the No.