The NASCAR Thread

[TruckDriver]

Aric Almirola will drive the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jh-aric-almirola-43-010412

[nvrbdn]

alot of moving goin on. wont know who is where when the season starts.

[Budnicks]

alot of moving goin on. wont know who is where when the season starts.

Amen, I'll second that statement...

[TruckDriver]

Reutimann finds ride with Tommy Baldwin Racing

http://www.nascar.com/news/120103/dreutimann-tommy-baldwin-racing-2012/index.html?eref=/news/headlines/cup

[TruckDriver]

Rusty Wallace Racing closing: UPDATES: Rusty Wallace is in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico this week, hosting his annual Charity Golf and Fishing Tournament. Next week, he'll return home to make some difficult decisions on the future of his Rusty Wallace, Inc. NASCAR Nationwide Series team.RWI fielded a pair of Nationwide Series Toyotas for son Steve Wallace and Michael Annett last season, with Annett finishing ninth and Wallace 10th in championship points. Major sponsor 5-Hour Energy departed at season's end to back Clint Bowyer's new Sprint Cup Series effort at Michael Waltrip Racing in 2012, and the search for a replacement has yielded no results. Now, Wallace faces the prospect of closing the doors on a team he has devoted the last seven years of his life to building. "I'm afraid we're getting really close to that right now," admitted the 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. "I don't want to do it. It breaks my heart even thinking about it. But if we don't have the money to do this thing right, it's not worth doing. We've got some sponsorship in place for next year, but not nearly enough to run the full season. Honestly, we've got just enough money to get ourselves in big trouble. My wife Patty and I are trying to decide what to do," he said. "We're looking everywhere for a way out; a way to avoid closing the doors. But I'm afraid that may be where we're headed."(Sirius Speedway)(1-6-2012)
AND: Reliable sources say that Rusty Wallace, Inc., will close its doors at the end of business [Friday], laying off a majority of its employees. Expect an official announcement within the hour.(Sirius Speedway)(1-6-2012)
UPDATE: Rusty Wallace is a man of his word. In September, the former NASCAR champion and current team owner warned if there wasn't enough money to run his Nationwide Series program, he'd put the shop in mothballs. Unfortunately, that day has come. Rusty Wallace Inc. is expected to shut its doors next Friday, sources told FOXSports.com.(Fox Sports)(1-6-2012)
UPDATE: Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC (RWR) announced today that the team's on-track activities will be put on a temporary hiatus. While the organization's day-to-day competition activities will temporarily cease, key elements of RWR's business staff will remain in place to continue development of future opportunities. The team is currently assisting #66 driver, Steve Wallace, in exploring several exciting opportunities for 2012, with backing from his current RWR sponsors. RWR will continue to maintain and manage those sponsor relationships on Wallace's behalf. #62 driver, Michael Annett has been released from the team and will pursue other 2012 opportunities with his longtime family sponsor, Pilot Flying J.(Rusty Wallace Racing)(1-6-2012)

[nvrbdn]

thats a shame. i like rusty. had lunch with him one time. a really friendly guy.

[TruckDriver]

I always liked him too.

[Aero426]

It was reported that Rusty turned down $4.5 million of sponsorship by their second driver Michael Annett which would have kept things rolling.   Annett has family sponsorship of Pilot and Flying J travel stops.

Rusty has a shop that is big enough to run two Cup programs out of.   Sounds like they overbuilt with the thought that they would eventually move up.

[TruckDriver]

NASCAR eliminates car-to-car communications
In an effort to downplay tandem drafting, ban goes into effect at Daytona 500

http://www.nascar.com/news/120112/notebook-preseason-thunder-daytona-nascar-eliminates-car-to-car-communications/index.html?eref=/news/headlines/cup

The days of NASCAR drivers being able to talk with their drafting partners over the radio during a race are over. In another step toward trying to downplay tandem drafting, the sanctioning body has officially banned the practice beginning with this season's Daytona 500.

Sprint Cup director John Darby said some drivers had as many as 20 or 30 channels programmed into their radios for restrictor-plate races. "There was a point where it got so confusing to them, that they actually lost focus on what they were doing," Darby said, "and felt much better if we could back that off somewhat and get it to a standard or more common communications between driver and spotter and driver and pit crew as we've known it in the past."

[nvrbdn]

that might keep them a little more even out there.

[maxwellwedge]

Thank God - It was getting stupid....waiting for each other in the pits - etc.

[TruckDriver]

I agree. It wasn't about who was the fastest anymore.

[400/6/PAC]

Lot's of changes going on.
Getting hard to keep up.

[nvrbdn]

this season cant get here soon enough. then every thing will fall into place. your used to looking for a color to flash by, not this year. 

[Ponch ®]

Thank God - It was getting stupid....waiting for each other in the pits - etc.

it was the racing equivalent of how chicks always go to the bathroom together. Good move by NASCAR on this one.

[nvrbdn]

  good one ponch. just read an article about zip and patric. i dont understand how you put a driver that hasn't finished in the top 5 and never won a nationwide race straight into a cup car. i dont think she's ready.just my

[maxwellwedge]

Thank God - It was getting stupid....waiting for each other in the pits - etc.

it was the racing equivalent of how chicks always go to the bathroom together. Good move by NASCAR on this one.

Nice one - I was trying to think an equivalent when I typed that....

[TruckDriver]

Well, this will be interesting...

Kyle Busch signs brother Kurt for Nationwide team

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=ap-nascar-buschsteam

The Busch Brothers will be teamed together for the first time in more than a decade this season as co-drivers for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Kyle Busch tabbed his older brother, Kurt, to share the No. 54 Toyota this year in the Nationwide Series. The brothers on Thursday introduced Monster Energy as their sponsor for the new team.

[nvrbdn]

wow, could get exciting. i wonder if they will back each other?

[Ponch ®]

wow, could get exciting. i wonder if they will back each other?

at least they made up. I read somewhere that they didn't talk to each other for almost a year after they wrecked at the Winston (I know...its the Sprint All Star Challenge or whatever..but it will always be the Winston to me dammit!) a few years ago.

[NHCharger]

Wow, thought this was interesting news. Seven figure salary, damn I'm in the business.

Loomis out at Petty: Richard Petty Motorsports has elected not to renew Robbie Loomis' contract for 2012. Loomis, who was most recently listed at Chief Operating Officer for RPM, first joined Petty Enterprises as a crew chief in 1991 at the end of the King's driving career. "I'm taking some time off," Loomis said. "My contract was up in December and I'm looking to explore what's next. Richard is still family -- so is everyone else at Richard Petty Motorsports. The future is exciting because it's unknown but there's still a lot of uncertainty in what the future brings." Loomis wouldn't acknowledge whether or not he would continue on as a consultant for the team but added that he'd "Do anything to help Richard Petty Motorsports be in a better place." But with Best Buy pulling out of RPM and Smithfield signing up for a limited schedule on the #43 Ford, it's become increasingly clear that the company could no longer afford Loomis' reported seven figure salary. While no successor for Loomis has been named, certainly with 20 years of racing experience, Sammy Johns, RPM's director of operation, is more than capable of overseeing the competition department.(Fox Sports)(1-22-2012)

[TruckDriver]

I dont think that will affect anything really.

[TruckDriver]

Ford unveils 2013 Cup Series Ford Fusion

http://www.nascar.com/news/120124/ford-fusion-2013-cup-series/index.html?eref=/news/headlines/cup

[Budnicks]

Lot's of changes going on.
Getting hard to keep up.

yep mind boggleing at times, I saw they were testing the smaller rads, smaller air intakes/grills, lower pressure relief valve, all heating or over heating engine issues, to help stop/detour the 2 car constant drafts, they want to get back to pack racing & individuals not hooked up with another single car boring a$$ draft like the last year & last the electronic fuel injection again... Could be an interesting year...

[Ponch ®]

Ford unveils 2013 Cup Series Ford Fusion

http://www.nascar.com/news/120124/ford-fusion-2013-cup-series/index.html?eref=/news/headlines/cup

beat me to it...that thing looks badass.

Hopefully the other manufactures will follow their lead.