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Show 6 May 4, 2006 THE MAGNA TIMES, WEST VALLEY NEWS, KEARNS POST B X DID YOU KNOW? Jeff Gordon has more t :- v Race: Crown Royal 400 fc Where: Richmond International Raceway When: Saturday 7 p m. ET Television: FX Defending race winner: Kasey Kphne poles at Richmond than any other active driver. He has fotr. For Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield, to AU Its OBSERVATIONS Toyotas personnel raid It's not just drivers who stand to reap financial rewards from Toyotas entry into Nextel Cup next year. Race team officials say Toyotas teams already are raiding their crews, offering big raises to key mechanics, particularly the fabricators who take plain sheets of metal and mold them into aerodynamically efficient race car bodies. next season of the Car of Complicating the issue is the phase-iTomorrow; which will require all teams to build more new cars. Penske Racing South President Don Miller said Toyotas teams are offering fabricators up to $15,000 in raises to come to work. He said his teams have lost five talented crew members mostly fabricators and painters to Toyota teams in recent weeks. It's the key position right now," Miller said of the fabricators. Because weve got to maintain our regular fleet ... but at the same time we have to build an entirely different fleet for the Car of Tomorrow. Miller said there may soon come a time when teams put fabricators and painters under contract to keep them from jumping to other teams. Atlanta and cut a right front tire down. WTe blew a motor at Martinsville. ... It looks a lot worse than its really been Its not the team chemistry as much as it is bad luck, too. He said that the offseason personnel changes at Evernham Motorsports, which saw' Kalme essentially take the crew Mayfield once had, vv ill work out eventually Team director Chris Andrews and 1 have started to come together, he said. It hasnt showed up yet, but its better than it vv as a couple of weeks ago as far as him understanding what I like and me understanding how he does things on the car." Still, he said, the odds of him appearing in a third straight Chase aren't good. Right now. it looks pretty slim, he said Atlanta a NASCAR driver who doesn't like Richmond Rareway. site of Saturday nights Crown Roy al 400. Its even tougher to find anyone more anxious to get back there this weekend than Evernham Motorsports drivers Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield. Last spring at Richmond, Kahne led 242 of 400 laps to get his first career Nextel Cup victory. This year, he's excited about racing at any upcoming track, which is understandable considering he had two victories and two other finishes after the first nine races. Still. Richmond holds a special place in his heart. "Its always nice to race at Richmond the rest of my life because thats where I won my first race, Kahne said, cautioning that just because he scored a dominating victory last year doesnt mean hell be able to pick up where he left off this time around. Its a new race, new year, he said. We look forward to hopefully running well. The setup we used last year w asn't even close when we went to test. Weve got to figure out how to get the car working with a new setup. Richmond also holds warm memories for Mayfield, who raced his way in the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup with a dramatic victory at Richmond in the fall of 2004 It was the final race before the start of the Chase, and Mayfield was a long shot at best to earn one of the 10 Chase berths. He entered that race 1 1th in points but his victory propelled him past the cutoff point to ninth. After a successful test at Richmond, Mayfield feels good about the prospects of once again puli mg the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. That optimism comes in spite of his dismal luck so far this season. His best finish in the first nine races was a 13th Monday at Talladega. "I wouldnt be surprised if we dont pull another one out of the hat, Mayfield said. Weve got some good things going on after this week. Its going to be pretty exciting for on the top-fiv- e n Try giving e INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY NASCAR Track length: .75 mile Race length: 400 laps300 miles Banking in corners: 14 degrees Banking on frontstretch: 8 degrees Banking on backstretch: 2 degrees Frontstretch: 1 .290 feet Backstretch: 860 feet Grandstand seating: 107,097 Qualifying record: Brian Vickers, Chevrolet; 129 983 mph, May 14. 2004 Toyota truck success Toyota drivers continue to trounce the competition in the Craftsman Truck Series. Saturdays Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway was another Toyota rout. Todd Bodine won, leading a Tundra sweep of the top five positions. Terry Cook was the fastest Ford, finishing sixth, while Bobby Hamilton Jr. led the Dodge contingent with a seventh-placrun. The top Chevrolet driver was Mike Bliss, who finished ninth. Other than Mark Martins two victories in a Ford, Toyotas have dominated the truck circuit. Even in Martins Daytona victory, four Toyotas were poised to draft by him when the caution flag flew, bringing the race to a premature end. In Martins California victory, five Toyotas followed him under the checkered flag. Martins second-placrun at Atlanta made him the only driver in the top five there. The truck series is idle until May 19 at Lowes Motor Speedway. e non-Toyot- a Kasey Kahne chalked up his first Cup victory at ' Richmond last year (above). Hes won two races in 2006, including the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta (left). good lest there. We were actually better than teammates Kahne and Scott RiggsJ at Richmond. Who know s? We might turn it around there. Id like to see us be competitive again. I feel real confident that Richmond is going to lie the place. Mayfield said that despite his poor stats this season, is better than it appears. Wo had a great car at Daytona and got in a wreck and it set us back, he said. We had a decent car at his race team Cox News Service News Service vv riter Rick Mmter about life after racing. HARRETF 1982-199- Catching up with On whether he could have been as good as his brother, given the right circumstances: Thatll never be proven. 1 think with the resources that vve had, which were pretty limited, we On Ills media duties: Tm going to do 11 Cup and Busch races this year for Motor Racing Network. In the past few years Ive done a few Busch stand alone races for Fox, hut I dont know if thats going to happen this year or not. 0 On his carpentry skills: can drive nails probably better than I could drive a race car. The good thing about driving nails is youre supposed to hit the wall. 1 . did very well. I love the sport and probably will always be a part of it, but Dale has done an awful lot of good things over the years, so thats pretty hard to measure up to. Ryan Newmans lack of success during races this season has had a ripple effect on his qualifying efforts, which have been spectacular throughout his Nextel Cup career. From 2001 to 2005, Newman has won 35 poles. After nine races tills season, he has none. He said his team is placing its emphasis in practice on flying to find ways to run good on race day, and the pole effort has suffered as a result. Our struggle in race trim has put more emphasis on us doing race trim in practice, which weve got a lot of criticism for, whether it was deserved or not, Newman said. Were definitely to a point where were straggling now. Its not that were running fifth to seventh and not winning races and people saying Youre winning poles and not winning races. Were struggling to get to seventh at any point in the race, and thats put more emphasis on racing and made our qualifying performances less than theyve been in the past, He traced his troubles to the changes at Penske Racing, which shut down the No. 77 team and swapped personnel to set up a team for his new teammate, Kurt Busch. I think everything kind of hit us, he said. races at Richmond International Raceway after this weekends Crown Royal 400. This places the track fourth behind Daytona (118), Martinsville (115) and Darlington (104). Victories by Chevrolet and Ford at Richmond; tops among manufacturers. Nextel Cup Busch Scries driver Jason I1 filer is 13th in jxnnts after finishing 18th in Saturdays Aaron's 312 at Talladega 4 Wheres Newman? NUMERICALLY SPEAKING ... Jason Superspeedwav. Leffler seems to have found a home, at least a temporary one, in Busch after his disappointing season in Nextel Cup last year. He drove ihp No, 11 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs ca- Charlotte, we had a pretty good car, and I ran with the leaders all day, in the top five, and wound up finishing fourth. About five laps to go, I caught Bobby Allison and was trying to pass him when the checkered Hag fell. ... I was never fortunate enough to win a Busch race, but it was an honor just being able to compete with those guys who went on to become world famous. behind-the-scene- 1978-198- e On the highlight of his driving reen In the 1982 Busch race at On his hosting duties at the track: UPS invites top customers in the region to the race, and my job is to entertain them. 1 welcome them and bring them into the garage area and show s them around, sort of a look. Then I spend the race in the suites with them, entertain them, update them about the race and ansvv or their questions. The brother of Nextel Cup veteran Dale Jarrett was a NASCAR driver from 1978 to 1993. Many in the sport felt he was very talented, but he spent his career driving for teams with limited resources. He ran 10 races in NASCAR's top and 67 more in the series from Busch Series, from with two top-fivand 13 top-1- finishes in Busch. Today, he works as an at track host for UPS, which sponsors his brothers car. Following in the footsteps of his father. Ned Jarrett. he does some TV and radio commentary. During the week, he remodels houses. He talked with Cox Aaron's 312. Eury Sr. said he treats his cars like they're living tilings. You have to talk to them when you w alk by them, talk to them and make em love you, he said. You have to work on them and rub on them and make them better. e to Richmond. We had a What ever happened to ... " Bf' I 7 r Racing, but was released after the Brickyard 400. His Busch team recently switched from No. 32 to No 38 and took over the Great Clips sponsorship. He spent time w ith Cox New s Set vice writer Rick Mmter last week. Q: How tough is it to get recognition in the Busch Series, which is dominated by Nextel Cup drivers? A: Its not a big deal. Youve just got to keep your head down, keep working to get up front and mix it up with those guys. Q: Do you have a desire to one day return the car a little love and attention As highly technical as NASCAR car preparation has become, an ad crew chief is as successful as any when it conies to mittedly restrictor-platracing. Years ago, Tony Eury Sr. prepared the care that Dale Earnhardt, used to dominate Busch Series his brother-in-law- ; races at Daytona and Talladega. Eury Sr. also led Dale Earnhardt Jr. to two Cup victories at Daytona and five at Talladega, where on Saturday Martin Truex Jr. drove another of Eurys creations to victory in the old-scho- RICHMOND us. Im looking forward j Rick Winter's its a pleasure to ... InJN By RICK WINTER Cox News Service to find -- Here are some of the top story lines as NASCAR heads to Richmond: Return o) hard a THIS WEEK to the Nextel Cup Series? A: I've got unfinished business in the Cup deal. 1 feel like I was not treated very well last year. It was a bad program to be involved with good people, just a bad deal. Id like to get with a team that' s ready to go ran up front. I definitely think I'm ready. I run with the guys on Saturdays. Theres no reason I cant run with them on Sundays. Q: What about the new; updated look and design for the USAC Silver Crow n cars? (A former USAC driver, Leffler is now a car owner in the series, which is being adapted for superspeedwav racmg ) A: The cars before were great looking cars with so much history behind them, and to take that and throw it out the window' has been hard to take. . . Compared to the old cars theyre ugly but I think if s ail for the better. Victories by Richard Petty at Richmond, a track record. 0 Richard Petty holds the record for most wins at Richmond International Raceway. . chain for a Q: And having a sponsor? A: Tli have to get my hair cut at Great Clips, and Im about due for one. hair-stylin- g Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate for Cox News Service. (800) Fewest caution periods in a race at Richmond (March 7,1976). NASCAR 255-673- 4. n The NASCAR page is sponsored by: Automatic Transmission Specialists DARRELL BAWDEN Foreign A Domestic DOUGLAS BAWDEN M amMV i A viir ' 8784 W. 2700 S. Magna, Utah 84044 250-908-1 you would like to be a sponsor of the NASCAR page, call Francie If at 250-565- 6 |