Back in Indiana

I'm not one for "unnamed" or "sources close to the situation," but ESPN reported last night Ryan Newman has a verbal agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing.

Duh. Haven't we been saying that for two weeks now?

J.D. Gibbs said over the weekend they don't have sponsorship for a fourth car, so that flies out the window. But there were, and I suppose still are, possibilities at Petty Enterprises and Gillette Evernham.

But look at the advantages of Stewart-Haas.

First off, lots - and I do mean lots - of press coverage.

Next, it's two heartland racers getting together. One is pretty outspoken, but maturing. The other is grounded, quieter and already mature. One is streetsmart, the other seriously booksmart. That works well together.

The two Indiana boys are philanthropic, serious givers. Tony's we've discussed here already. Newman and his wife Krissie compiled and published Pit Road Pets, to benefit their foundation which focuses on animal welfare and no-kill shelters.

Both are poised and polished spokesmen for sponsors. Tony's done great commercials for Home Depot. Or Ryan and the Alltel spots calling other drivers to say the race is cancelled. And don't you hear the Gillette Young Guns yelling "New-man!" when you think about the name?

And for Newman, his buddy and former crew chief Matt Borland is competition director for Stewart-Haas. That's a good pairing, period, considering all but one of his wins has been with Borland. They were a hot team when I started watching NASCAR. I was greatly impressed by the gambles - and wins - on fuel mileage. Maybe they fudged the tanks, maybe not, but they won.

On the negative, there is pressure to succeed. Plenty of pressure to succeed, for both drivers.

All Hoosiers, all the time. Now if they could only run Hoosier tires...

Jimmie 'n Randy teaming up for Truck Series race at Bristol

Randy Moss has a seriously big name driver for his truck team Aug. 20 in the O’Reilly 200 at Bristol.

Jimmie Johnson will make his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series in the #81 Kobalt Tools Silverado.

Yes, that’s THE Jimmie Johnson, two-time, defending Sprint Cup Series champion.

OK, I’m impressed. The fleet-footed, sure-handed, high-leaping one has one of the the sport’s top drivers in his truck, with a sponsor. Lowe’s does has a vendors contract with Kobalt, and Jimmie and Chad made those really funny commercials for the tool company.

Before you get too excited, remember, Jimmie doesn’t race trucks and Jimmie hasn’t raced trucks. Anything could happen.


But this will get Randy Moss Motorsports some serious face time with the media and camera shots during the race.

So, tip of the hat, er ball cap, to Randy.

Photos thanks to the Associated Press and Lowe's Racing.

NASCAR auction to benefit Autism groups

The guys in NASCAR are always generous with their time and money. Some have taken time to autograph items for a benefit auction in Huntington.

Here is your chance to snag some collectibles and do good at the same time.

The local Autism Service Center, Autism Society and Autism Training Center at Marshall University, have a number of NASCAR items for auction – many autographed - to raise money for the groups. All money raised will remain in the Tri-State for services.

The auction will be 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 at Adkins Auction on 14th Street West in Huntington.

You can also make bids by e-mail to Elaine and Bill Harvey at bandeharvey@comcast.com.
Two items have minimum bids, others are no reserve.

Take a look at the list and if you see something you like, contact the Harveys.

Autographed items:
Jeff Gordon, Inaugural 1994 Brickyard Official Truck 1:24 diecast, paired with 1994 Brickyard Official Pace Car (limited edition of 25,000, unsigned) Minimum bid: $200. (Pictured on this page)

Elliott Sadler, 2 Race for Hope (Autism) yellow hats. (Pictured on this page)
Greg Biffle, Army National Guard Jacket, size large. (Pictured on this page)
Casey Mears, Army National Guard Jacket, size large.
Casey Mears, 1:24 diecast #25 National Guard (Pictured on this page)
Dave Blaney, 1:24 diecast #22 CAT racing
Dale Jarrett, framed poster #28 Havoline car (Pictured on this page)

Unsigned items:
Dale Earnhardt #3 Career Commemorative Plaque. Minimum bid: $100 (Pictured on this page)

1:24 diecasts, limited editions of National Guard #25 and National Guard #16

1:64 diecast, National Guard #16
National Guard hats, #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
National Guard shirts, #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., size large
Jim Beam Racing golf shirt, size large
Blue Lizard Racing shirt, size extra large
Old Spice Racing shirts, size extra large
Richard Petty shirt, white, size extra large
Richard Petty shirt, black, size small

There is also a National Guard muzzleloader rifle for auction, camouflage in color.

Tony Stewart Foundation, helping others

Tonight will be a special night at O’Reilly Raceway Park. There will be a USAC Midget and Silver Crown double header, PLUS a presentation by and for the Indiana State Police.

The Tony Stewart Foundation teamed up with Vest ‘N Police Dog Protection, www.vestnpdp.com, to provide customized bullet resistant and knife resistant vests for the dogs. Tony will present 30 of the vests to the ISP tonight. The photo of the K9 with a vest is from the Tony Stewart Foundation website, www.tonystewart.com.


An officer and his dog will demonstrate the vests and an attack on a perpetrator, who will be Tony’s sister, Natalie Repenning. And she volunteered to be the person attacked by the dog.

Say what you will about Tony – brash, outspoken, honest to a fault, speaks what’s on his mind and doesn’t care what you think. He may not care what I think, but I think inside, he’s a pretty good guy.

The TSF was also a sponsor and partner in the 2008 Mutt Strut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in April. I’d been reading about that at www.IndyPaws.com. There are photos there from the Strut, too.

Tony’s mom, Pam, was grand marshal for the Strut and rode in the pace car ahead of the doggies. She waited at the start-finish line to personally greet all the walkers, quad- and bi-ped (4-footed and 2-footed). There were 3,500 people in the walk, which raised money for the Indianapolis Humane Society, www.indyhumane.org. Just pawesome!

The Tony Stewart Foundation raises and distributes funds to help care for chronically ill children, drivers injured in motorsports activities and other charitable groups protecting various animal species.

We all know how much money Smoke raises and gives to Victory Junction Gang Camp, but he does much more. He’s hosted Make A Wish kids in his Turn 2 Suite at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’s built playgrounds with his sponsor Home Depot. The list just keeps going.

You can be a part of this giving heart with gifts to the Foundation. You can find out more about the Foundation at www.tonystewart.com.

Friday media conference

According to RacingOne.com and SPEED, Tony Stewart has called a press conference for Friday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to reveal his new car, number and sponsor.

The article at RacingOne.com also reiterates what a lot of folks have said for the last 10 days, Office Depot (sorry Jack, find another sponsor), Old Spice and the number 14. And once again, Tony says he hasn't decided on a second driver yet, but hopes to soon.

No word yet on TV coverage from SPEED or streaming at NASCAR.com.

I's still picking Tony to win The Brickyard. Teammate Kyle "bash 'em" Busch should be a contender, but Tony is focused on winning at home.

Next up, Indianapolis

The #81 in the Craftsman Truck Series and Randy Moss Motorsports will be driven by Landon Cassill of Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday in the Power Stroke Diesel 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park, Indianapolis.

There is no sponsor announced as of Tuesday night. This could get to be a pretty expensive venture pretty fast.

You can catch the race beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday on SPEED.

Other thoughts on Indianapolis...

Like lots of others, I'm waiting for Tony Stewart to call a media conference to talk about his second driver for next season. I'm still banking on it being another Hoosier boy, Ryan Newman.


I have a friend in Oklahoma at Bible college and she's a SERIOUS Ryan Newman fan. We always pull for the other's driver, but how cool would it be if they were both on the same team?

Once again, I have to pick my favorite Hoosier boy, Tony, to win at The Brickyard. Climb that fence one more time, boys!


Hey, he's got to have that first win of the season somewhere, and it is his time of the year. Might as well be at a track he deeply loves.

(Thanks to the Associated Press for the file photos of Ryan and Tony)

Randy's truck debut

Well, it looks as though Randy Moss Motorsports has made a decent start in the Craftsman Truck Series.

In the debut of the #81 Chevy truck, driver Willie Allen qualified 20th and finished 15th.

Good enough for first time out. The truck was sponsored by country music artists Rascal Flats.

Rascal Flats and Randy Moss. Who'd a thunk it? Not me.

But then again on www.therealrandymoss.com there's a Q&A with the fleet-footed sure-handed one where he calls himself just a "country boy." Somehow I've never thought of Randy Moss as a country boy.

Anyway. He goes on to say he'd like to see a NASCAR track in West Virginia.

Wouldn't we all?

Well, let's see what happens and who the truck's next sponsor will be, when it will run and where.

Stay tuned.

Watch out for Petty!

The Chick-Fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride will make a stop Wednesday in Grayson, Ky., at the Pilot Travel Center.

Fans are encouraged to show up to meet and greet Petty and the other riders. Or, ride down there and join in for the trip between Grayson and Huntington or Teays Valley or Charleston.

Or just hang out along the route, smile and wave and cheer them on their way! But do so safely, please.

The ride began Sunday in Traverse City, Mich., and will end Saturday, July 19 in Savannah, Ga., a trip of 3,000 motorcycle miles.

On Wednesday, the journey will be from Lexington, Ky., to White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. They're overnighting at The Greenbrier. Tough going. The route is I-64 to Charleston then I-77 to Beckley and on to White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Since 1994, more than 5,700 riders have helped raise more than $10 million for children’s charities. In the last four years, the main beneficiary of the ride has been the Victory Junction Gang Camp, founded by Kyle Petty and his wife Pattie, in honor of their son, Adam, who was killed on the racetrack in 2000.

Located in Randleman, N.C., the camp provides a fun, memorable, physically safe and medically sound experience for children with chronic or life-threatening illness. They are planning to expand to a second location in the midwest.

Because of sponsors and fund-raising activities such as the motorcycle ride, children can attend Victory Junction Gang camp at no charge. It costs an estimated $3,000 for one child to go to camp for a week.

For more about the camp, to donate, sign up your child or to volunteer, visit www.victoryjunction.org.

You can follow the ride at www.kylepettycharityride.com and sign up for a virtual ridealong on the various legs of the trip.

What's the buzz?

Where to begin?

For all you Brett Rowe fans out there, he's parted company with Day Enterprises to focus on Herd Racing. The Marshall car will run under the number 75 when it gets back on the tracks, and owner Dana Tomes is hopeful there will be a couple of races in the Nationwide series this summer they can enter.

But it will be go or go home for Brett. He'll have no points.

But I told you that a couple of weeks ago. Some people must have overlooked it.

Ah, Davin Scites next up.

The schedule on JR Motorsports hasn't gone past early June and Davin's site doesn't seem to be updated. A e-mail inquiry to his folks a couple of weeks ago has been unanswered.

On to the really local scene.

The Any Car class at Ona Speedway has been renamed Street Stocks. Same thing, different name.

And the Late Model race last Saturday was full of fireworks. Actually it got down right ugly and a warning was issued to one of the drivers. OOOPS!

The #27 of Eric Maynard got into the back of another racer. Eric seemed to take exception to the incident and got a little snarky. He threw his car into reverse, pulling off bumpers on both cars and his hood. Then he proceeded to put the PRNDL back into drive and take off around the track into the pits only to reappear a few minutes later for the restart - minus pretty much the front end and hood. Looked like something out of Mad Max.

Yeah, he got a warning for that. I wonder where the speedway's equivalent of NASCAR's Big Red Truck is?

Youngsters are getting a nice start there at age 13 in the Junior U-Car class. They do a respectable job, too.

I've already lobbied Race Director Jerry Skeens to keep the Australian something or other race, I've forgotten what it was called. Nevertheless, it's a progressive passing race where if you get passed, you're out. It was the most fun of the night and the fans where screaming to invert the field when it got down to two and the second place car just couldn't catch up.

Well, more racing Saturday at Ona. The green flag drops around 7 p.m. Come on out and support your local track.