NASCAR Cup

News 98-01-09

NASCARFans E-Mail Newsletter ======= News conferences are scheduled in Louisville and Florence, KY., (Thursday) apparently to announce that controlling interest in Louisville Motor Speedway is being purchased by a group looking to build a ...

Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM

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NASCARFans E-Mail Newsletter

=======

News conferences are scheduled in Louisville and Florence, KY., (Thursday) apparently to announce that controlling interest in Louisville Motor Speedway is being purchased by a group looking to build a superspeedway in Northern Kentucky. A group headed by Jerry Carroll, chairman and co-owner of Turfway Park, a thoroughbred racing track in Florence, has an option to buy 800 acres in Gallatin County and is investigating building a speedway there. A progress report on the project is also expected at the news conferences.

Rumors have been circulating for months that the track, under new ownership, would be closed and rebuilt as a superspeedway itself. But Stilger and Vertrees spent about $300,000 last fall to have the track's bumps and dips removed and the racing surface widened.

The season will be highlighted by the Craftsman Truck Series race on August 29th. Weekly racing will again feature the sportsman and three figure-8 divisions on Friday nights and the late-models, street stocks and thunder trucks on Saturday nights.(By Jim Terhune The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky - Thanks Lynne)(1-8-98)

Update from the press conference in Louisville via 84 WHAS radio news: Louisville Motor Speedway has been sold to Jerry Carroll for $5 million. More improvements are planned for the future including more seats being added.(1-8-98) (Jayski)

For more on this story, check out:

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/01/09/loc_speedway.html

http://www.cincypost.com/news/nascar010898.html

=====

Inclement weather limited Ford's NASCAR Winston Cup teams to less than two hours of track time Thursday at Daytona International Speedway -- along with shortening each of the first two days of Ford's first preseason session here.

But for the second straight day, Robert Pressley was the quickest Ford, albeit in a Thunderbird, and on Thursday he posted the second-fastest Daytona lap of the winter. Pressley was timed at 47.779 seconds, an average speed of 188.367 mph, in the No. 77 Jasper Engines & Transmissions Ford. He became the first Ford pilot to eclipse the 188 mph mark this winter.

Five of the six teams that remained in Daytona Thursday ran their best laps of the three-days, including second-quick Rick Mast, who ended up as the quickest Taurus with his 47.917/187.825 effort. Mast's lap was the fourth-quickest of the winter. (NASCAR Online)

WEDNESDAY'S SPEEDS from Daytona: 1. Robert Pressley (Thunderbird) 187.707 mph; 2. Rick Mast (Taurus) 187.652; 3. Rusty Wallace (Taurus) 187.262; 4. Kenny Irwin (Taurus) 187.157; 5. Lake Speed (Taurus) 186.943; 6. Mark Gibson (Thunderbird) 186.730; 7. Dick Trickle (Taurus) 185.162; 8. Jeremy Mayfield (Taurus) 184.087; 9. Tim Steele (Thunderbird) 183.614. (Jayski)

TOP OVERALL TEST SPEEDS at Daytona so far(thru Wed) 1. Terry Labonte (Chevrolet) 188.403; 2. Jack Sprague (Chevrolet) 188.029; 3. Ken Schrader (Chevrolet) 187.715; 4. Robert Pressley (Ford Thunderbird) 187.707; 5. Rick Mast (Ford Taurus) 187.652; 6. Bobby Hamilton (Chevrolet) 187.606; 7. Andy Hillenburg (Chevrolet) 187.539; 8. Steve Grissom (Chevrolet) 187.297; 9. Rusty Wallace (Ford Taurus) 187.262; 10. Kenny Irwin (Ford Taurus) 187.165.(1-8-98) (Jayski) =====

Enerjetix Motorsports President, Richard J. Balestrieri, announced that Jeff Andretti will team up with drivers Paul Dallenbach, Johnny Unser, and Danna "Daytona" Dayton for Enerjetix Motorsports in the 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The team has no sponsorship yet but are currently looking at all interesting offers. (NASCAR Online)

=====

The image of superstar Elvis Presley rocked the motorsports world today as Action Performance Companies Inc. and Elvis Presley Enterprises unveiled two new brightly painted Elvis-themed NASCAR and NHRA race cars during a press conference held at Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant in Memphis, Tenn. Making the presentation in front of hundreds of Elvis and motorsports fans was NASCAR Winston Cup Series star Rusty Wallace, driver of the Penske Racing South Miller Lite Ford.

The Elvis cars will make their respective debuts in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series' Las Vegas 300 event on March 1 and in the NHRA 29th Annual Mac Tools Gatornationals race in Gainesville, Fla. on March 8. Force's Elvis car will run a second race in the 11th Annual Pennzoil Nationals on Oct. 11 in Memphis.

Both cars feature a larger-than-life image of Elvis on the hood with a gold guitar adorning the car side panels. Musical notes sweep above the words, "Hunka Hunka Burnin'." The image used is that of Elvis clad in black leather from his 1968 TV special, and kicks off a yearlong celebration of the 30th anniversary of that famous show. (NASCAR Online)

=====

This Saturday Jan. 10th QVC will be live from the Winston Cup Preview. Time is from 11:00am to 1:00pm EST. One of the scheduled guests is Dale Earnhardt. (Thanks to Randy and others)

=====

Ford Testing Speeds - Day 3 Daytona International Speedway January 8, 1998

Pos # Driver            Make             Time  Speed   Time   Speed
                                        (sec.) (mph)   Behind Behind

1 77 Robert Pressley    Thunderbird     47.779 188.367  0.000  0.000 
2 75 Rick Mast          Taurus          47.917 187.825 -0.138 -0.542 
3 28 Kenny Irwin        Taurus          47.962 187.649 -0.183 -0.718 
4  9 Lake Speed         Taurus          48.026 187.398 -0.247 -0.969 
5  2 Rusty Wallace      Taurus          48.681 184.878 -0.902 -3.489 
6 90 Dick Trickle       Taurus          48.684 184.866 -0.905 -3.501 
7 37 Jeremy Mayfield    Taurus          48.820 184.351 -1.041 -4.016

=====

If you're a diecast collector, here's a website where the owners say you can get a free diecast car, in exchange for your name, address, phone and e-mail address:

http://www.musiccitymotorsports.com/freecar.htm

Thanks to Connie for the information.

This is not an endorsement of the above website by myself, NASCARFans, or MNI, but is provided to you for informational purposes.

===== Mike Irwin (mailto:Mike@NASCARFans.Com) NASCARFans _______________________________________

NASCAR Fans Website http://www.NASCARFans.com _______________________________________

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