NASCAR a crucial part of Chevrolet’s marketing arm
Posted by admin in NASCAR News on 07 30th, 2008INDIANAPOLIS — Chevrolet had fun last week at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, hosting its annual golf outing at Brickyard Crossing.
As you might have heard, it hasn’t been all fun and games lately in the car and truck business, and some have speculated that one or more of the major manufacturers involved in NASCAR racing might get out of the sport in the face of mounting losses, sagging sales and the economic drain that the current fuel crisis has placed on their business.
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Terry Dolan, head of Chevy Racing, addressed that point-blank just before teeing off in the annual best-ball tournament on the championship golf course that surrounds Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I don’t anticipate that GM would completely leave racing,” Dolan said, standing next to one of the new-generation Chevrolet vehicles, the Chevy Traverse, that will be in showrooms this fall. “You have to look at what we do: We manufacture cars and trucks.
“Consumers who are automotive enthusiasts are also race fans, and they enjoy seeing cars and trucks do exceptional, high-speed, dynamic things on the track. It’s a great portfolio for us. If you look at Chevy and all the racing that we are involved in, we sell a lot of cars and trucks to race fans, and we plan to continue to do that.”
As for NASCAR, Dolan said that program is annually put through the same test that all the other series that Chevrolet supports are.
“We look at all our racing platforms on three key elements,” he said. “No. 1, can we race to win? If we’re there, can we be up front and leading the pack? No. 2, is the audience relevant to our brand? Does it consist of the people that buy our cars and trucks? No. 3, do we get a quality return on investment for the money that we put into the sport?
“It takes two investments. It takes a technology investment, to get cars prepared to compete, and it takes a go-to-market investment to literally take the on-track message and convert it into something that’s meaningful to a consumer to drive their behavior to want to purchase a vehicle.
“We’re constantly evaluating all the series we participate in. We put them through that three-step evaluation and we determine whether or not it makes sense for us to continue. We’ve been in business for 100 years. We’re looking forward to the next 100 years in our chapter in history. I would guess that, whether we’re racing gasoline-powered cars or perhaps battery-powered vehicles or even hydrogen-powered vehicles, there will be General Motors vehicles racing somewhere across the globe.”
When you think about racing without Chevrolet, it’s a pretty bleak landscape. As folks from the brand are fond of saying, “racing is in their DNA.” Chevrolet’s founder, Louis Chevrolet, believed wholeheartedly in the power of motorsports to sell cars, and that hasn’t changed much.
However, Dolan did say that the primary focus of the brand is to sell cars and trucks, and that’s been a big challenge lately.
“As you look at the marketplace, we’re faced with an unprecedented rapid shift in consumer demand,” Dolan said. “They still want utility, they still want versatility, but they want to see a more efficient use of the fuel they put in the tank.”
One such effort to give the consumer a fighting chance at all the things they want is the Traverse.
“Today, we brought one of our new vehicles out, a Chevy Traverse, which provides a family hauler in a crossover-style sport utility, so it drives and rides like a car, but it looks and feels like a sport utility vehicle,” Dolan said. “You can take a family of eight, load ‘em up into one of these, get 24 mpg on the highway and very comfortably transport your family and the things you need to have to go on a trip without having to pull a trailer behind or put things up on the roof. It’s an outstanding vehicle.
“Along with that, there are other things like our hybrid Tahoe, which takes technology being used by other manufacturers in smaller cars and allows you to again get the versatility and utility factors in a larger compartment. So consumers who have the need to haul people or to haul items or to tow something that is part of their lifestyle — a boat, a jet ski, a motorcycle or a camper — it enables them to do that. Right around the corner is a full-size Silverado in a hybrid format, so that the man who is a contractor, a plumber or carpenter or some other form of trade can still utilize his Silverado and get good utility and outstanding fuel efficiency.”
Chevrolet, within the framework of the massive General Motors family, has to make its own business make sense to remain viable and to succeed in an arena that is every bit as tough as Indy or Pocono or Michigan — the marketplace.
“We have a technical group of experts, the engineers of GM Racing, and literally they are direct liaisons with us on the marketing side,” Dolan said. “As we develop our go-to-market strategy, we literally look at the series we’re involved in and how that makes sense for us to drive the business, and we have to find that connectivity. We’re in this as a business, we have to be able to sell cars and trucks, and we have to show that we’re doing that through the work we’re doing on-track, at-track or through the variety of marketing tools we have, whether that’s print, TV, radio or the magnificent power of the Internet to get that job done.”
That’s why, as Dolan says, that there will likely be a Chevrolet or GM vehicle racing in the 2050 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard: It’s in their DNA.
read comments (1)Top 10 Suggestions for the NASCAR
Posted by admin in NASCAR News on 07 30th, 20089. I would like to see an Open to the Public Test at Iowa Speedway for the Sprint Cup.
8. Tell the Nationwide and Truck Series that we want more road courses.
7. I would like to see Grand National Races in Silverstone and Shanghai.
6. Have the Nationwide Schedule be cut down to 30 Races in 2009 and have a Nationwide Invitational All Star Race and a 4 Race Championship for the Nationwide Series.
5. I would like to see a NASCAR Young Stars Series so that it would be a qualifier for the Weekly Racing Series or any other series in the world.
4. I would like the Trucks to return to the Road Courses.
3. Widen the Tires on the COT.
2. Obviously, I do like to see changes in the 2010-2011 Schedules.
1. Improve Weekly, Minor,Modified and Grand National Live Telecasts for FOX/Speed and ABC/ESPN.
NASCAR official apologizes for tire problems that marred Sunday’s Indy event
Posted by admin in NASCAR News on 07 30th, 2008CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series official apologized Tuesday for the tire issues that marred Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and said NASCAR and Goodyear have started working on avoiding another similar debacle.
“I can’t say enough how sorry we are,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vice president for competition. “It’s our responsibility being NASCAR that we don’t go through this situation again.”
Pemberton’s comments on a teleconference with reporters made him the second top NASCAR official in two days to apologize for the race Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in which teams were unable to run more than about 10 laps before tires wore out beyond use.
Jim Hunter, NASCAR’s vice president of corporate communications, also apologized Monday.
Pemberton said NASCAR and Goodyear officials had a long conference call Tuesday morning to begin assessing what went wrong.
“We’re still working on it,” Pemberton said. “We’re trying to find out what was different, if anything, but everybody’s pointing toward the fact that the rubber looked to be a little bit drier or a little bit dustier.”
Goodyear officials say the right-side tires, which caused the problems at Indy, were made from the same tread compound as the tires used in the same race a year ago. Unlike last year, Sunday’s race used the “car of tomorrow.”
Track chairman Tony George said in an interview with The Indianapolis Star the surface was not a factor. Pemberton agreed.
Pemberton said Sunday’s race was a disappointment to everyone who worked to stage it for NASCAR.
Two-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, fresh off his victory Sunday at Indianapolis, has added two more races to his schedule this season, including an appearance in the NASCAR Truck Series for new owner and NFL star Randy Moss.
Johnson has added the Aug. 9 Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen, N.Y., where he will compete in a No.48 Chevrolet fielded by JR Motorsports.
He also will drive the No.81 Chevrolet owned by Randy Moss Motorsports in the Aug.20 Truck Series race at Bristol, Tenn.
NOTE:
Former Formula One driver and current Red Bull Racing development driver Scott Speed is participating in his first test with Sprint Cup Series cars this week, team officials confirmed.
NASCAR’s Smith takes IWK 250 at Riverside
Posted by admin in NASCAR News on 07 21st, 2008Click here to go back to the main page of the Only Nascar Stuff store for Nascar Merchandise, Memorabilia, Tickets & More!
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By GLENN MacDONALD Sports Reporter
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Regan Smith travelled north of the border and left with a Carquest series victory.
Smith captured the much-delayed IWK 250 Saturday night in front of 10,000 spectators at Riverside Speedway in James River. The NASCAR rookie takes home the $10,000 first-place prize from the $103,000 event.
Smith, a 24-year-old originally from Cato, N.Y., who now lives in North Carolina, and NASCAR teammate Aric Almirola were the feature attractions at the one-third mile track near Antigonish.
Johnny Clark of Hallowell, Me., led for much of the race before a flat took him out of contention. Charlottetown’s Greg Proude was ahead late before a flat ended his night. That opened things up for Smith.
Smith, who has earned $1.8 million during his NASCAR rookie campaign, led for the final 17 laps to take the checkered flag.
Smith was the 11th different leader in the race, which had 10 stoppages and took almost three hours to complete.
Enfield’s Shawn Turple and Mike MacKenzie of Dartmouth finished second and third, respectively. Kennetcook’s Bob White was fourth and Halifax’s John Flemming fifth.
Crowd favourite Donald Chisholm of Antigonish earned the pole in the 31-car starting grid after winning the Dash for the Pole, which featured the top 10 cars in time trials.
Heat winners included Flemming, Travis Benjamin of Belfast, Me., and Chris Hughes of Brackley, P.E.I. Semi winners were Pictou’s Rollie MacDonald and Robbie MacLean of Winsloe, P.E.I.
The B feature was won by defending Carquest champion Shawn Tucker of Fredericton.
The Carquest Pro Stock Tour returns to action Saturday at Speedway 660 in Geary, N.B.
Note — Heavy rain on Friday night postponed the conclusion of the NAPA 100 Sportsman Series on lap 21 at Riverside. A make-up date is expected to be announced soon.
Busch falls short of NASCAR history in trucks race
Posted by admin in NASCAR News on 07 21st, 2008Click here to go back to the main page of the Only Nascar Stuff store for Nascar Merchandise, Memorabilia, Tickets & More!
SPARTA, Kentucky (AP) — Kyle Busch came up five spots short in his bid to make NASCAR history Saturday night and Johnny Benson took advantage, holding off Michael Annett to win the Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway.
Busch was attempting to become the first driver to win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series in successive starts. He won the Nationwide Series’ Dollar General 300 on July 11 and the Sprint Cup’s Lifelock.com 400 the following night.
The early portion of the race featured a number of yellow flags, and nine of the first 24 laps were run under caution. There were eight cautions overall, slowing drivers for a total of 36 laps. There was also a 10-minute, 34-second stoppage for track repairs following a red flag.
“The crew had a lot of really good stops,” Benson said. “We had to use a little strategy because we had a loose right front tire, so I was glad that the (early) caution came out when it did. But these guys continue to do a great job.”
Benson grabbed the lead in the truck series points race by one over third-place finisher Matt Crafton. Previous points leader Ron Hornaday finished 10th, dropping him to third in the standings.
“I thought we had the best truck tonight,” Crafton said. “When we were in the dirty air, we could pass (Benson) and get away. I think if we had gotten the lead we would have won this race.”
The race did boast a historical milestone for Roush Racing, which eclipsed Spears Motorsports to become the team with the most starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
The race also marked the debut for NFL wide receiver Randy Moss as a truck owner. Willie Allen drove the No. 81 Rascal Flatts Chevrolet under the newly formed Randy Moss Motorsports team and finished 15th.
Is Logano ready for the No. 20 ride?
Posted by admin in NASCAR News on 07 12th, 2008Click here to go back to the Only Nascar Stuff store for tons of Nascar Merchandise, Memorabilia and Tickets!
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
JOLIET, Ill. — Crew chief Greg Zipadelli doesn’t know who will be behind the wheel of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota next season, but he does know who it won’t be.
With Tony Stewart set to leave JGR after 10 years to launch Stewart-Haas Racing for 2009, Zipadelli’s loyalty to the Gibbs organization outweighed his friendship with Stewart. Accordingly, the longest current association between a driver and crew chief will end when Stewart departs at the end of the season, and Zipadelli stays behind.
Zipadelli will face the challenge of building a relationship with a new driver. Joey Logano, an 18-year-old self-professed candidate for the No. 20 ride, might be the man behind the wheel, though he has yet to compete in his first Cup race.
In four starts in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series, however, Logano has two poles and one victory. Though Zipadelli places a high value on experience, he also has a healthy respect for Logano’s talent. But the crew chief isn’t certain whether Logano is ready to make the jump to Sprint Cup racing.
“That’s a big question that I don’t know anybody has an answer to,” Zipadelli said. “Experience is priceless, you know. It’s one thing to do it in other divisions, but when they feed you to the sharks out here on Sunday, you’re going against the best in the world that have tons of experience. There’s a lot to this sport from just being able to (compete) mentally, physically, and that all comes with time.
“I think from what we’ve seen so far, I think he has as good of a chance as any 18-year-old to come into this sport and succeed. I think what you’ve seen . . . over the last few years is somebody that has it, shows it early and they find a way to deal with it. There will be some lumps. If he did it when he was 20, he’d still have some ups and downs.”
Zipadelli cited Cup points leader Kyle Busch, who came to JGR this season, as a prime example.
“Look at Kyle and what he went through the first few years (at Hendrick Motorsports) and where he is today and how much more mature (he is), and because of that, where his success is at so far this year is a lot of that,” Zipadelli said. “A lot of that is just his experience. All of us have to deal with different things and learn over time.
“Can he (Logano) do it? I think he’s got as good of a shot as anybody else.”
BROTHER FOLLOWS BROTHER
Ward Burton won the 2002 Daytona 500 in a Dodge sponsored by Caterpillar. Next year, his brother, Jeff Burton, will carry the Caterpillar colors on his No. 31 Richard Childress racing Chevrolet.
“It’s been very much in the forefront of my mind,” Burton said Thursday after the unveiling of his 2009 car. “The success that CAT has enjoyed in this sport, most of the time Ward was driving it. We hold Caterpillar in really high regard in our family, based on how their relationship with Ward (went) and the things they were able to do together.
“So this is a great opportunity to continue that relationship and to make that Burton involvement even larger. We’re really excited about it. It is a unique situation, that’s for sure. I don’t ever remember a brother driving for a company and then, a few years later, another one driving. It’s going to be fun.”
ELLEDGE DEBUTS WITH RED BULL
Saturday’s Lifelock.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway marks the return to action of veteran crew chief Jimmy Elledge, who takes over from Ricky Viers on the No. 84 Red Bull Racing Toyota driven by AJ Allmendinger.
Elledge comes to Red Bull after being released from Chip Ganassi Racing, where he served as crew chief for both Reed Sorenson and Juan Montoya before being released in June.
“Ricky and I worked for a year-and-a-half together, and he’s a close friend of mine,” Allmendinger said of the change. “I think, ultimately, it just came down to when you go through so many tough times together, it just kind of strains you.
“There’s a lot of frustration the last few weeks — not anything specific, but we’ve just been struggling. The addition of Jimmy, the experience that he brings — that will be great for me, not just as a driver, but to have the experience on the pit box. I think, for the team, it’s going to be good.”
Franchitti ponders his next move after Nascar troubles with Ganassi
Posted by admin in NASCAR News on 07 4th, 2008