The Buzz: August, 10, 2001

August 11, 2001
10:31 AM EDT (1431 GMT)

Bill Elliott has won NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award 15 times-- 10 consecutively. However, Elliott has decided to not have himself elected to the honor again this year. Instead, he is withdrawing his name in honor of the late Dale Earnhardt.

Bill Elliott

Although Elliott has been honored to win the award so many times, he feels it wouldn’t mean the same this year if he were to win it again. “This is a much different year than others,” said the driver of the No. 9 Dodge. “Dale Earnhardt never won this award and I think it would be a tremendous honor for the Earnhardt family to receive it this year. I certainly don’t want to stand in the way of his family receiving this award.”

TARGET ON NASCAR WITH GANASSI FOR BRISTOL

Chip Ganassi Racing has enjoyed an 11-year association with Target department stores through his CART Teams. During that time, the two have enjoyed four titles in the open-wheel series.

Well, they’re hoping this success will carry over to Ganassi’s NASCAR No. 40 Dodge team driven by Sterling Marlin. Target will come on board for the upcoming night race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 25th.

“Our Champ Car team owes much of its success over the years to Target Stores, and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and dedication,” Ganassi said. “This is Target’s first stock car experience, so it would be a thrill to go to Bristol and achieve the type of success this partnership is accustomed to producing.”

The one-race deal calls for Marlin’s silver car to become Target red that weekend. Although he’s the leading Dodge driver (fourth in overall points with one Bud Pole, six top-fives and 11 top-10s) he has yet to grace victory lane with Ganassi and Dodge.

DALLENBACH GIVING BUCKSHOT A SHOT

Wally Dallenbach will be helping out the Richard Petty Racing-owned No. 44 Dodge at Watkins Glen International this weekend. Buckshot Jones, the team's regular driver, will have Dallenbach practicing and qualifying his ride for him. No matter where the driver-turned-NBC booth announcer does qualify on time, Jones will have to line up last for the green flag start.

Due to the fact the team is out of provisionals and has already missed three races this year, and used provisionals for the last four, they are calling upon the NBC booth announcer's road course experience.

Dallenbach has 226 Winston Cup starts to his credit through the last 10 years. He's won the 24 Hours of Daytona four times, 12 Hours of Sebring three and was the SCCA TransAm champion in 1985 and '86.

No word on whether Buckshot will get to take over Dallenbach's booth duties during qualifying in return.

GRAVES HIRED TO WORK WITH WALTRIP

Fred Graves, the crew chief behind Ron Hornaday’s Craftsman Truck Series championships, has returned to help out at Dale Earnhardt Inc. After a stint at A.J. Foyt Racing for the No. 14 Pontiac driven by Hornaday, Graves left his position there.

He has been rehired by DEI to help out with it’s No. 15 Chevrolet team driven by Michael Waltrip. Scott Eggleston began the year as its crew chief and won the Daytona 500. By the Michigan event, Eggleston had been replaced by Steve Hmiel, technical director for DEI. Hmiel has been serving as the team’s crew chief since then.

KERRY EARNHARDT GOING BUSCH RACING?

Kerry Earnhardt, the eldest son of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, may be joining the Busch Series ranks full time next year. Racing under the DEI ownership banner, he could possibly have sponsorship from Wrangler Jeans and a known restaurant chain.

Earnhardt has competed in two BGN races this year in the Michael Waltrip-owned-No. 99 Chevrolet. He has also competed in ARCA events, handily winning the June race at Michigan International Speedway.

His father competed with the blue and yellow Wrangler colors before donning the trademark black on the Goodwrench Service No. 3 Chevrolet.

WILBURN KNOCKED OUT?

Not literally, but it appears that NASCAR Winston Cup crewman Billy Wilburn was unable to rebound from his violent crash in a Pennzoil World of Outlaws Sprint Car heat race Wednesday night in the Amoco Ultimate Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway.

While Winston Cup driver Rusty Wallace said on Thursday afternoon that Wilburn, who is the front tire changer on Wallace’s No. 21 Miller Lite Ford, was trying to put together his second car, there was no mention of the veteran mechanic and hopeful race driver in either Thursday or Friday night’s results from Knoxville.

Wallace said Wilburn planned to be with his team on Sunday at Watkins Glen International for the Global Crossing @ The Glen. Wallace qualified fifth for the race on Friday afternoon on the 2.45-mile road course.

ANOTHER RACING GREEN WINS

Tyler Green, son of NASCAR Busch Series driver Mark Green, posted his first career win Tuesday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the Bandolero Bandits Division feature at the OdoBan Summer Shootout Series.

Tyler Green

The Concord, N.C., native grabbed the lead on the second lap and pulled away for a 10 car-length win over second-place Kyle Grissom, the son of former Busch Series champion Steve Grissom. Grissom did make up ground in the point standings, though, unofficially pulling within 18 points of series leader Joey Logano.

CARELLI SPOTTED

Rick Carelli was much in evidence at Nashville Superspeedway, plying his trade in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series garages. Carelli served as crew chief for John Metcalf in Davey Liniger’s No. 05 RE/MAX Chevrolet and wrenched the car that he sometimes drives into the fourth starting spot for Saturday night’s Waste Management 200.

In the “nightcap,” Carelli served as spotter for moonlighting Busch Series driver Lyndon Amick, who drove Ken Schrader’s No. 52 Chevrolet backed by race sponsor Federated Auto Parts.

Amick tried to parlay a daring strategy by staying on the race track under an early caution to ultimately lead a lap and have enough truck under him to re-lap Jack Sprague, who was given a lap back by his teammate Ricky Hendrick on a restart.

When another caution didn’t fall, Amick and Hendrick each lost two laps on a sequence of green flag pit stops and Amick ended up 13th, three laps down to dominant winner Scott Riggs.

THE LADY IS A RACER

Tammy Jo Kirk, the Dalton, Ga., motorcycle shop owner, former motorcycle racer and car and truck racer of some note who made 38 NCTS starts between 1997 and 1998, was prowling the Nashville garage area looking for a way to get back in the series.

Kirk, who is the only female to ever start a race in the Truck Series, had a best start of third at the Portland Speedway short track in 1997 and a best finish of 11th at the Heartland Park Topeka road course later the same season.

CHICAGO TEAMS GO TRUCKING

No less than four professional Chicago sports teams will “get behind” Truck Series teams in the upcoming Sears Craftsman 175 at Chicago Motor Speedway Aug. 18. The Major League Baseball Cubs, NBS Bulls, NHL Blackhawks, MSL Fire, AFL Rush will each have team decals displayed on trucks that were selected by the sports teams.

The Bulls will be on Ricky Hendrick’s No. 17, the Rush will be on Jack Sprague’s No. 24, the Fire will be on Carlos Contreras’ No. 43, the Cubs will be on Coy Gibbs’ No. 20 and the Blackhawks will be on Rick Crawford’s No. 14.

MORGAN REVISITS RACING ROOTS

Victoria Motorsports co-owner Frank Cioppettini of the SCCA Trans-Am Series has announced a two-race partnership with road racing and Craftsman Truck Series veteran Rob Morgan. Morgan, co-owner of the No. 46 Morgan Dollar Racing Acxiom/Computer Associates Chevrolet driven by Dennis Setzer will compete in two Trans-Am races at Road America on Aug. 18 and Mid-Ohio on Aug. 25.

Rob Morgan

Morgan’s racing career began in 1992 when he started racing in IMSA. In 1995, he won Oldsmobile’s 100th victory in IMSA’s Exxon Supreme GTS-1 Series at Mosport, Canada. Morgan celebrated his biggest career victory in 1996, taking a class win in GTS-1, driving an Olds Aurora for Brix Racing, in the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona.

He continued his Daytona success in 1997 finishing second overall in the Rolex 24 Hours, driving a Ferrari 333sp. Also in 1997, Morgan scored a win at Mosport Festival’s World Sportscar Championship capturing Ferrari’s first win at Mosport since 1964.