BREAKING: 2012 NASCAR HOF Class Announced

And the winners are:

From NASCAR their ownselves...

NASCAR announced today the 2012 class of inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The five-person class, which will be officially inducted in a ceremony during the weekend of Jan. 20, 2012 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., consists of: Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Inman, Richie Evans and Glen Wood.

Members of the 55-member NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met today in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C., to vote on the induction class of 2012. The announcement was made by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s “Great Hall.”

The class was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, which included a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.COM. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young presided over the tabulation of the votes.

As was the case for the first two classes of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the results of this year’s voting were competitive. Yarborough led with 85 percent of the vote, followed by Waltrip (82%), Inman (78%), Evans (50%) and Wood (44%).

For those of you who don't know... Inman was Richard Petty's crew chief, Evans is NASCAR's King of the Modified Division and Wood is from the Wood Brothers...

Congrats to all the winners selected from the 25-finalist class...

Evernham Sues Gillett For $19.2M

And just when you thought all of this George Gillett-foray into NASCAR-stuff would roll up into a pile and float across Turn 3 or something...

Nah...

Ray Evernham is suing two Gillett companies saying he's owed the money. Evernham claims he was promised a repayment of his investment plus a 5-percent annual return after GEM ((Gillett Evernham Motorsports)) was sold and, eventually, morphed into Richard Petty Motorsports- which barely made it through the 2010 NASCAR season. Petty then bought out Gillett.

Got all that...???

And it's the Petty buyout of Gillett that Evernham is pointing at for the return of his investment...

"We have diligently worked to resolve this matter in good faith without resorting to legal action," Evernham said in a statement. "This matter has been pending for a period of time and we did not want to disrupt any excitement of the beginning of the race season with this unfortunate situation. We were unable to come to a fair resolution for the amounts due to me related to my sale of the previous RPM race team. Like many other vendors and creditors, my claims have been left unpaid. I am optimistic that the judicial system will deliver a fair resolution for my outstanding claims, and hope that the other people and companies who are owed money by them are fully compensated and made whole."

Here's the high point of Petty Motorsports, the Kasey Kahne win at Sonoma in 2009
((HT: NASCAR/TNT/BumpsNotes))


And a low point, Kahne's wreck at Pocono last year...
((HT: NASCAR/TNT/youtube))

DEVELOPING: Kahne Released From RPM

Like, now...

Kasey Kahne was set to join Red Bull Racing next season as a placeholder/seat warmer until Mark Martin decides to retire from his chair at Hendrick. At that time, Kahne would jump into the number 5 seat...

But Kahne's jump to Red Bull can start immediately if not sooner...

Kahne thought he had a good car at Charlotte last week, but his brakes failed- causing Kasey to blow up and team members to jam at him behind his back...

"It's not like you have half-brakes, like you can pump them," Kahne said at the time. "Your foot goes to the floor. It bottoms out. It's a joke."

"I'm not going to say names, but I was told that I need to start doing my part," Kahne said of an unnamed RPM employee. "I can't control the issues I've had this year. I don't know how many parts I've broke. If I really thought about it, I could come up with all kinds of stuff.

"You can't control that as a driver. I'm doing my part. I just need the car. I work as hard as anybody out there."

Remember, RPM had financial problems and was purchased by George Gillett. They had more financial problems and have been a poor association with Richard Petty.

As a flashback, here's the end of Kahne for RPM...
((HT: NASCAR Images/ABC/Youtube))

Sadler Leaving RPM After 2010

Following in the tire tracks of teammate Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler has informed everyone willing to listen that he's leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the 2010 NASCAR season.

His best finish of the season so far is a 17th place wrap at Sonoma.

"We need to run good," said Sadler before Saturday's qualifying at Chicagoland Speedway. "I need to run good to further my career next year. They need to run good because they have great sponsors that they're trying to land and drivers that need to come back. Richard Petty needs to be a part of this sport, I think. So it benefits both of us for this car to run good the rest of this season."

The Joliet race is the first race that Sadler has been hooked back up with crew chief Todd Parrott since their past lives at Yates Racing in 2004.

Here's how much fun Sadler has had with RPM this year in microcosm... the wreck with Ryan Newman at the Daytona 500...
((HT: NASCAR on FOX/RacingDmp))

Allmendinger Drives Drunk

NASCAR Driver AJ Allmendinger may be in a spot of trouble. Allmendinger was arrested, very early Thursday morning for Driving Under the Influence in Mooresville, North Carolina. No word yet if he was racing or chasing (sorry just had to make that joke). He was released from custody later in the morning.

The story from Statesville.com IS RIGHT HERE

((AJ Allmendinger and Car//Courtesy: Getty/Nascar Images))

Allmendinger, who drives the number 44 car for Richard Petty Motorsports may be in some serious trouble here. Petty is not known for tolerating alcohol sponsorships on his cars and generally frowns upon it. Supposedly, Allmendinger was in line to be promoted to the teams 43 car for the 2010 season, no word if those plans will be changing. RPM also, at least at this point has made a comment.

All this story does is give us an excuse to show the First Big One at Talladega from the first race this season... Allmendinger was involved...
((HT: NASCAR on FOX/NASCAR Media))


PM UPDATE: From NASCAR their own selves...

AJ Allmendinger, driver for the No. 44 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2009.

Allmendinger has violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the 2009 NASCAR rule book.

That is all... AJ should be in the 44 car this weekend at Talladega...

2009 NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class Announced

From NASCAR their own selves...

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame today that includes: Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Richard Petty.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, consisting of members of the Nominating Committee along with 29 others representing NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, major race track ownership groups, retired drivers, owners and crew chiefs along with motorsports media representatives, met in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C. to vote on the induction class of 2010.

All this does is give us an excuse to show the following old video...
The 1988 Petty crash at Daytona...
((HT: NASCAR/NASCAR Images/Speed))

NASCAR's Silly Season Gets Really Silly

Coupla things for your Tuesday...

NASCAR wants an independent evaluation of Jeremy Mayfield. They've asked a federal judge to administer a mental and physical evaluation to see if he has a substance abuse problem or ADHD.

NASCAR filed three affidavits from three friends of Mayfield's who know him from Kentucky. Barry Lee, Michael Buskill and Steven Russelburg all testified to witnessing Mayfield use methamphetamine.

Lee said he first witnessed Mayfield use methamphetamine in 1999 in the garage, at his home and on his boat, and saw the driver use at least 50 more times through 2000. His affidavit said Mayfield was driving him to Lowe's Motor Speedway in 1999 when he pulled over, said "you want to hit one?" and snorted methamphetamine off a mirror.

Ruskill, who said he lived on Mayfield's property from 2006 to 2007, also claimed to have witnessed Mayfield use methamphetamine.

"During that time, I frequently saw Jeremy use methamphetamine, almost on a daily basis," Russelburg said. "Most of the time this occurred at a barn on the property that had been converted to a shop."

He also testified that Mayfield stated he did not want his wife, Shana, to know about his drug use.

Neat...

Item 2: What if your crew chief couldn't be around the shop, but he could still be your crew chief through the sprint to the Cup...???

Ask Pat Tryson- Kurt Busch's crew chief...

Tryson is moving to Michael Waltrip Racing at the end of this season, so Penske Racing does not want him present during any preparations for 2010.

"They want me to focus on this year's stuff and they've got stuff going on at the shop for next year, so they're going to work on that," Tryson said before Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "I'll be communicating by e-mail and phones, and I'll be in there for driver debrief on Tuesdays.

"Tuesday is the only day I'm welcome."

That'll win you a title...

Item 3: Would you race for free...??? Reed Sorenson, apparently, is...

Before the Loudon race, ESPN's Marty Smith confirmed that Richard Petty Motorsports came to Sorenson half-way through the year and asked him to do one of two things- race for no salary or take a buyout and go home...

"They didn't really have much justification for it," Sorenson told Smith. "They basically just said, 'This is the deal we have, but you've done nothing wrong. We feel bad.' But it sucked. I don't really get it. It never made sense when it was going down, and it doesn't make sense now.

"I definitely didn't envision them coming to me halfway through this year and saying this. I felt like I was moving to a team where I could make a home and work with new teammates and maybe be there for five years or whatever it might be.

"I didn't even get halfway through the year, and this comes up. Then I was told I haven't done anything wrong at the same time. So that's the most sickening thing about it."

Those of us at OSG HQ are now rooting openly for Sorenson for the rest of the year. We hope he gets some kind of hybrid ride for the '10 season...

Richard Petty, Yates Merging For 2010 Season

((HT: AJC))

Under the agreement announced Thursday, Yates driver Paul Menard will join RPM drivers Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and A.J. Allmendinger next year.

RPM was formed in January when Petty Holdings merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

The team has met with mixed success, though Kahne is in good position to make the 12-driver chase for the championship after picking up his second victory of the season last week in Atlanta. Kahne is sixth in points heading into Saturday's race at Richmond, the final race before the chase begins.

"This is a pretty big deal for us," Petty said. "We're thrilled to partner with Ford. We've talked with a lot of folks, but in the end it came down tothe success the Gilletts and I think we can achieve with Ford Racing."

The switch from Dodge to Ford should ease some of the financial pressure felt by RPM since Chrysler's Chapter 11 filing. RPM laid off employees and cut salaries after Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection.

"If you are going to compete with the other teams in this sport, you need a lot of support," said RPM managing partner Foster Gillett. "We bring a lot to this relationship as well. We've won twice this season and the power of Richard Petty is hard to beat, plus we have the support of some of the biggest names in corporate in America."

The merger leaves RPM driver Reed Sorenson and former NASCAR champion Bobby Labonte —who has been driving for Yates — looking for work while bringing Kahne full circle with Ford.

Kahne was being groomed by for big things by Ford in 2003 when he suddenly left the fold and signed with Ray Evernham's Dodge team, a move that gave Kahne a full-time ride at the Cup level. Ford sued for breach of contract, but the case was eventually thrown out of court.

Brian Wolfe, director of Ford North America Motorsports, called RPM's decision to switch manufacturers "gratifying."

"We will work with them closely on the technical front to help them become even more competitive than they are," he said. "What's also really good to me is the chance to have someone with the class and the legacy of Richard Petty involved with Ford."

Petty, winner of a record 200 NASCAR races, said some of the details are still being worked on. But he added there is little doubt the merger will help RPM make inroads on NASCAR super teams like Hendrick Motorsports.

"I've won races with Ford and plan to again," he said.

Just not with Sorenson, who is 28th in points this year with just one Top 10 finish.

Labonte is 30th while driving for Yates as part of a joint venture with Hall of Fame Racing, but was pulled from last week's race at Atlanta in favor of rookie Erik Darnell. Labonte ended up driving the No. 71 car for TRG Motorsports and finished 18th while Darnell was 30th.

Yates Racing co-owner Max Jones said it will still field two cars for the remainder of the 2009 season. Menard, who is 32nd in points, will drive one car while Darnell and Labonte will split time in the other.

All the story above does is give us a chance to show you the Sonoma race from earlier in the year where Kahne held off Tony Stewart
((HT: NASCAR Media/TNT))

AJ Gets RPM Through 2010

((HT: SpeedTV))

Richard Petty Motorsports announced today AJ Allmendinger ((pictured, thanks Todd Warshaw/Getty)) will race for the team in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

“This was an easy decision for Richard Petty Motorsports,” said Tom Reddin, the team’s chief executive officer. “AJ has done a superb job, both on and off the track in 2009. We want to let everyone know that he’s going to be a vital part of Richard Petty Motorsports for what we believe will be a long-term, winning relationship.”
The Petty team signed Allmendinger before the start of the 2009 season with plans to run the Bud Shootout and the first eight point races. Allmendinger finished fifth in the preseason Bud Shootout, and posted a third-place finish in the Daytona 500 and a ninth-place finish at Martinsville. He was the only driver without a guaranteed starting spot to qualify for all of the races in 2009.

Sponsorship from Dodge, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Valvoline, Harrah’s, Super 8, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and Charter Communications extended Allmendinger’s schedule through the September 12 Richmond race.

Reddin said he is confident the team will secure the sponsorship needed to extend the number of races the 27-year-old Californian will run in 2009 for the full season. Allmendinger is 20th in points but only 104 points out of the 12th and final “Chase” position.

“I’m thrilled about this,” Allmendinger said. “Racers are no different than anyone else. We like to know we have a job. I’m very thankful to be where I am and I expect we will keep running better and better each weekend. I think I have found a long-term home at Richard Petty Motorsports.”
Allmendinger, who won the 2008 Sprint All-Star Open, owns 51 starts in his brief NASCAR tenure after leaving an open wheel career where he won five races in the Champ Car series.

Here's some of the handiwork RPM was looking for when they signed him. This is when AJ was driving for that high-powered energy drink team...
((HT: NASCAR Images/Speed))

It's Amore... Allmendinger Good Through September

((HT: Foxsports))

AJ Allmendinger picked up a sponsor Wednesday that will keep his Richard Petty Motorsports entry running at least until September.

Hunt Brothers Pizza will sponsor six races and the All-Star event, ensuring the Number 44 ((pictured, thanks Nick Laham/Getty Images)) will stay on the track at least through the September 12 race in Richmond, Virginia.

Allmendinger started the season with just enough sponsorship to take him through the first quarter of the Sprint Cup schedule, and RPM officials recently extended that deal through the end of May.

"This is awesome news," Allmendinger said. "I want to thank Hunt Brothers Pizza for coming on board and supporting us. We plan to give Hunt Brothers Pizza a lot to talk about in the coming weeks."
There's been a buzz surrounding Allmendinger since his release from Red Bull Racing late last season. He was impressive in a brief stint driving for Gillett-Evernham Motorsports, and the team briefly considered dumping Elliott Sadler in favor of Allmendinger.

GEM then merged with Petty Enterprises in January, and the new organization instead started the season with Allmendinger in an underfunded fourth entry. Then he opened the season with a third-place finish in the Daytona 500, and has continued to impress RPM officials since, qualifying on speed for the first five races of the year to lock himself inside the top-35 in points.

Allmendinger, a former Champ Car star, is currently 20th in the Cup standings after slipping five spots with a poor race last week in Texas. He's currently higher in the standings than RPM drivers Sadler and Reed Sorenson, and only trails teammate Kasey Kahne, who is 10th.

"I think we have shown that we have the ability to run up front in this series," he said. "I think you are going to see our results get progressively better the longer this team stays together. We started the year putting an emphasis on qualifying, but now that we are locked in the starting field we can turn our attention to the race and that's going to help our race results.

"We are committed to making this thing work and I think we offer a great opportunity for Hunt Brothers, our existing partners as well as any partner looking to be part of NASCAR and Richard Petty Motorsports."

Larry McReynolds thinks that the parking of the Almirola 8 could just be the beginning.

He's looking closely at the Scott Riggs, Jeremy Mayfield, and David Gilliland cars as the next go-round. But he also points to guys running half-schedules ((like Bill Elliott and Regan Smith)) as examples of how it can be done sucessfully.