(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

It appears that Richard Childress Racing is about to announce a new sponsor for the #29 Chevy driven by Kevin Harvick.  All signs point to an announcement that Budweiser will be moving over to the #29 team for 2011.  That announcement could come as early as the weekend races at Watkins Glen, NY, . . . → Read More: Sponsor Changes Coming]]>

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

It appears that Richard Childress Racing is about to announce a new sponsor for the #29 Chevy driven by Kevin Harvick.  All signs point to an announcement that Budweiser will be moving over to the #29 team for 2011.  That announcement could come as early as the weekend races at Watkins Glen, NY, on the weekend of August, 8th.

If that announcement comes to fruition, the ramifications for Richard Petty Motorsports could be severe.  A.J. Almendinger has been talking to several teams, including Penske Racing about 2011.  If he were to take his sponsor, Best Buys, and depart RPM, that would leave Stanley Tools as the only sponsor still under contract to RPM for 2011!

Another RPM driver, Paul Menard, has beating the bushes as well.  There is speculation that Menard could well leave, take his Daddy’s sponsorship money (Menard’s), and become the fourth team at Richard Childress Racing!

It  would appear that Menard’s move hinges upon what Almendinger does  for the 2011 season.  If “The Dinger” stays with RPM, Menard would most likely remain at RPM, as well.

However, if both of these drivers leave Richard Petty Motorsports, that could have devastating  ramifications in the garage area. RPM could possibly go under if both of these drivers and sponsors jump overboard and move on to other race teams!  That would effectively remove Richard Petty’s presence from the NASCAR garage area, and that would be totally sad to see!

What is your thoughts on the possible switches to come?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON  MY REDNECK!

If the France family is the backbone of NASCAR, then the Petty family was the “lifeline” of the NASCAR.  It was Richard’s father, Lee Petty, that won the very first race staged at the famous Daytona International Speedway in 1959.

But more importantly, it was Richard Petty who became the “poster child” of NASCAR.  It was Richard . . . → Read More: Richard Petty #3 Inductee]]>

If the France family is the backbone of NASCAR, then the Petty family was the “lifeline” of the NASCAR.  It was Richard’s father, Lee Petty, that won the very first race staged at the famous Daytona International Speedway in 1959.

But more importantly, it was Richard Petty who became the “poster child” of NASCAR.  It was Richard Petty who charmed the fans.  It was Richard Petty who won race after race, totaling 200 victories in the Grand National/Sprint Cup Series.  It was Richard Petty who won 7 championships.  It was Richard Petty who would sit for hours signing autographs for the fans, never tiring.

It was Richard Petty who set all the standards of NASCAR!

It is Richard Petty who is “The King”!

Long live the King!

Therefore, it is extremely  fitting that “The King” is in the first class of inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

As a tribute to team owner and NASCAR legend Richard Petty, the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford will adorn old familiar colors for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The Ford driven by AJ Allmendinger will bring back the “Petty Blue” and “Day-Glo Red” colors in . . . → Read More: “The Petty Blue/Day-Glo Red” Re-Emerges]]>

As a tribute to team owner and NASCAR legend Richard Petty, the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford will adorn old familiar colors for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The Ford driven by AJ Allmendinger will bring back the “Petty Blue” and “Day-Glo Red” colors in honor of “The King,” who will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class on Sunday, May 23.

The throwback paint scheme will resemble the No. 43 machine Petty drove in 1984. That season, the driver collected his 199th career win at Dover. Petty holds the record for the most wins in NASCAR with 200.

“Obviously the No. 43 and Richard Petty are synonymous with NASCAR,” said Allmendinger. “To run this special throwback paint scheme at Dover as he’s being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the first class is really a pleasure. The people that are being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, they are the ones who made NASCAR what it is. Just to be a part of it is awesome. To be Richard’s driver, it’s an honor.”

Petty will serve as the Grand Marshal for the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, May 16. The seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion won the inaugural race at Dover in 1969. He is also tied with Bobby Allison for the most wins at the one-mile track with seven.

It is only fitting that NASCAR honor one of its living legends!  “The King” has done more for NASCAR than anyone one else who has ever been a part of this sport.  When one thinks of NASCAR, the next thought is the “Petty Blue”#43 Plymouth of the 60′s and 70′s that showed the rest of the boys the fast way around the track!

For NASCAR, history is a very important!  In just a few days NASCAR will open up their very own “Hall of Fame” in downtown Charlotte.  To keep the sport growing NASCAR has learned that you must keep one eye on the future, all the while celebrating the past!

What do yo think?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Liverpool are expected to confirm shortly that, as The Daily Telegraph disclosed, Hicks and Gillett are to stand down as co-chairmen at Anfield in favour of Martin Broughton, the chairman of British Airways.

Royal Bank . . . → Read More: Gillett’s Continued Financial Difficulties]]>

(George Gillett (left) and Tom Hicks have confirmed they will sell up at Enfield  Photo: AP)

Liverpool are expected to confirm shortly that, as The Daily Telegraph disclosed, Hicks and Gillett are to stand down as co-chairmen at Anfield in favour of Martin Broughton, the chairman of British Airways.

Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia are also preparing to offer a six-month extension on loans of £237 million, paving the way for the sale of the club. That process will be led by Barclays Capital (BarCap), an investment bank Hicks and Gillett have worked with in the past and which, through its retail bank parent company which sponsors the Premier League, has a vested interest in maintaining the health and reputation of one of England’s leading clubs.

Confirmation of the sale process and the boardroom reshuffle will mark the beginning of the end of the Americans’ tenure, though the sale of the club is unlikely to be swift.

Prospective buyers are expected to wait to begin negotiations until the end of the season, when Liverpool’s participation in Europe and the fate of manager Rafael Benítez, who has again been linked with Juventus, is clearer.

The Americans’ valuation of the club at upwards of £500 million is also bound to come under pressure from buyers, but what is certain is that Hicks and Gillett are ready to end their protracted and often bruising struggle to retain control. Until recently the pair remained determined to retain a stake, believing that the club they borrowed close to £300 million to buy in February 2007 remain undervalued.

Hicks in particular has enjoyed his association with Liverpool immensely, valuing their presence alongside his baseball and ice hockey interests in the family business, and has battled to find a way of retaining an interest.

Those hopes have been undone by the Americans’ inability to raise fresh investment, either externally or from their own assets, their failure to work together harmoniously, and opposition from supporters that has made life at Anfield uncomfortable and, at times, dangerous.

Unable to raise the money to stay, heavily leveraged across their empires – just this week George Gillett’s NASCAR team were reported to have defaulted on a $90 million loan, albeit for technical reasons – and facing continued opposition they have had no option but to prepare an exit strategy.

The crucial factor in the latest developments has been the looming summer deadline to refinance £237 million of loans from RBS and Wachovia.

The original deal with RBS was struck in the benign financial climate of early 2007, when the bank was willing to lend the Americans £185 million to buy Liverpool, with the option of a further £113 million to fund investment, secured against personal guarantees of just $100 million.

Unfortunately for the Americans and RBS, before this original short-term deal expired the financial weather turned for the worse, and they have faced increasingly tough conditions from a bank that is now 70 per cent state-owned.

In January 2008 they refinanced, with RBS lending £183.5 million and Wachovia £61.25 million. The price for this deal was guarantees and letters of credit from the owners to the tune of £185 million, increasing the strain elsewhere.

Last summer they again refinanced but had to pay down £60 million of debt to do so, and the banks made a further reduction of £100 million a condition of any new deal struck this summer.

The search for that investment has been long and fruitless, with the price of a minority stake and the questionable influence it would bring standing in the way of any deal.

Against that backdrop the Americans have sought an alternative route to appeasing the banks, starting with Broughton. His appointment, sealed over dinner in London, was secured after the Americans approached him, rather than following any pressure from the banks, and has bought them time.

With a credible business figure in place and the sale process under way, RBS is preparing to extend the financing deal until the end of the year, giving BarCap a window in which to find a buyer.

Liverpool’s managing director, Christian Purslow, has already begun working with them, passing on the details of investors linked with the club in the past year.

It is hoped that the changes will also appease supporters who have run a vehement personal campaign against the owners since they broke a commitment not to use club revenues to service their acquisition loans. It has intensified in recent months, with Hicks finding himself trapped inside Anfield after a Premier League game against Bolton in February by a protest co-ordinated by the Spirit of Shankly group.

His son, Tom Jr, meanwhile, also found himself humiliated at the hands of supporters. In 2008 he was drenched with beer after finding himself unwelcome at the Sandon pub near the ground on a match day, and a lurid email exchange with a supporter earlier this year cost him his place on the board.

Liverpool’s irate fans are one aspect of life at Anfield neither Hicks nor Gillett will miss when they walk away. Given the bitterness of the past three years, the feeling is likely to be mutual.

Owners would be unwilling to sack manager

In normal circumstances Rafael Benítez would be under huge pressure following Liverpool’s disappointing season, but the owners’ travails may again save him in the short term, should he reject overtures from Juventus reported on Tuesday.

Hicks and Gillett are understood to have agreed to provide a summer transfer fund if a buyer is not found quickly, but they are unlikely to be willing to sack Benítez and pay out his contract given the new circumstances.

The Spaniard retains the support of managing director Christian Purslow, but an offer from another club looks like an increasingly agreeable solution.

Replacing Benítez could be the first priority for the new owners, but building the new Anfield would not be far behind. That project was the reason David Moores sold to the Americans and, following their failure to deliver, the ground remains the key to moving Liverpool on to the next level.

Could this be a sign of the Gillett’s liquidity problems?  Will the Gillett’s be increasing their liquidity by selling Richard Petty Motorsports?  With the impending loss of their big dollar sponsor, Budweiser, will this team whither on the vine?

RPM has many questions swirling around regarding surrounding its future survival?

TILL NEXT TIME, I AM WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Foster Gillette, co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, fully expects Kasey Kahne to fulfil his commitment to RPM and The Ford Motor Company for 2010.

Not only do I expect that, the one thing that I do know well is what a gentleman Kasey Kahne is,” Foster Gillett, son of team principal George . . . → Read More: RPM: Life Without Kasey Kahne]]>

(photo courtesy Jason Smith/Getty Images)

Foster Gillette, co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, fully expects Kasey Kahne to fulfil his commitment to RPM and The Ford Motor Company for 2010.

Not only do I expect that, the one thing that I do know well is what a gentleman Kasey Kahne is,” Foster Gillett, son of team principal George N. Gillett Jr., said Friday morning at Texas Motor Speedway. “I really, really believe that not only will he fulfill his contract and his commitment to us, but he’ll do it to 
the best of his ability. He’ll uphold all of the commitments that he has.”

“I think a lot of people explain him as kind of a racer’s racer,” Gillett said. “If you give him great equipment, he’ll go and win and I think that’s our focus. I really believe we have a championship-caliber team in the No. 9 team as a whole, with the driver and the sponsor and all the people that are a part of it. Our goals haven’t changed. We show up here to win with that car. We show up to win with all of our cars and we look forward to trying to get him into the Chase and compete for a championship.”

I think many different owners or teams in this sport would take a 30-race contract with Kasey Kahne to try and do the best they can,” Gillett said. “He’s probably one of the nicest people in this sport. He’s one of the greatest racers and we’re pleased to have had him for as long as we have, and we’re focused on our next 30 races with him to see what we can do. We want to win races. Obviously, when there’s a change like this it opens opportunities for others. I think we’re trying to focus more on what opportunities we have than what we might potentially lose.”

Gillett declined to say if Kahne has a non-compete contract that prevents the driver from taking Bud with him to another team. “That’s a contractual, private matter and we’re going to keep it there,” said Gillett, whose current lineup also includes Elliott Sadler, A.J. Allmendinger and Paul Menard. Of that group, only Sadler (three wins) has visited Victory Lane in NASCAR’s premier series.

Through all of this massive upheaval, Gillette talked very positively about the driver that is bolting from his stable.

However, one of the biggest fall-outs from all this upheaval at RPM is the possibility of loosing Budweiser as the big dollar sponsor for RPM.  That could be a catastophic for RPM and possibly add to the already financial difficulties that they have had to endure.

Stay tuned gang, the Hendrick-Kahne saga still has a few more chapters to be written!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Jason Smith/Getty Images)

Kasey Kahne will leave Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the 2010 season.  More importantly Kahne will drive the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy, but not until after Mark Martin retires at the end of the 2011 season.  So beginning with the start of the 2012 season, Kasey Kahne is scheduled to . . . → Read More: Kasey Kahne Jumps To Hendrick Motorsports]]>

(photo courtesy Jason Smith/Getty Images)

Kasey Kahne will leave Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of the 2010 season.  More importantly Kahne will drive the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy, but not until after Mark Martin retires at the end of the 2011 season.  So beginning with the start of the 2012 season, Kasey Kahne is scheduled to jump into the driver’s seat of the #5 Hendrick Chevy!

Hendrick Motorsports would not comment on Kahne coming their stable in 2012.  Also there was no statement on what Kasey Kahne’s 2011 season will entail.  However, officials from Kahne’s current team, Richard Petty , did confirm that Kahne and RPM will go their separate ways at the end of the 2010 season.

Kahne began his Sprint Cup career with Evernham Motorsports in 2004.  Over the next five years he has won eight races.  In 2009 Evernham-Gillette Motorsports merged with Petty Enterprises and became Richard Petty Motorsports.  After the 2009 season Richard Petty Motorsports merged with Yates Racing and switched manufacturers to Ford.

HMS currently has four drivers all locked into contracts through the end of the 20011 season, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie J0hnson, Mark Martin, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  However Stewart-Haas Racing, who is very closely aligned with HMS, only has two race teams at this time.

Could Stewart-Haas Racing provide a position and race team for Kasey Kahne to compete in the 2011 season?  That could be a strong maybe!

What do you think?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(File photo courtesy of Indy Racing League)

Two of the great families in American auto racing will team up to race in this year’s Indianapolis 500 it was announced Wednesday.

Andretti Autosport of the Indy Racing League, it was revealed, will work in a joint effort with racing legend Richard Petty and Window World, . . . → Read More: Andretti And Petty Join Forces For Indy]]>

(File photo courtesy of Indy Racing League)

Two of the great families in American auto racing will team up to race in this year’s Indianapolis 500 it was announced Wednesday.

Andretti Autosport of the Indy Racing League, it was revealed, will work in a joint effort with racing legend Richard Petty and Window World, Inc., to field a fifth IZOD IndyCar Series entry for veteran driver John Andretti, first at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, May 1 and then in the 2010 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 30.

“I’m excited to be a part of this venture with John, Andretti Autosport and Window World for the Indy 500,” Petty said. “There is so much history around this event, and the Andretti’s have such a rich tradition in racing. I’m looking forward to watching John hit the track in May.”

After his debut run at Kansas, Andretti will attempt to make his 11th Indianapolis 500 start behind the wheel of the No. 43 Team Window World car. A successful qualifying attempt for Andretti on Saturday, May 22 or Sunday, May 23 will deepen the Andretti family legacy at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he drives for the team owned by his cousin, Michael.

“It would be difficult to script a scenario any better than the one we have here,” John Andretti said. “The relationship I have with Richard, the respect I have for Michael and his team, the partnership I enjoy with Window World and all of it focused on the Indianapolis 500 – it’s really a perfect situation. I can’t wait to get in the car and get to work. May can’t get here soon enough.”

John Andretti will join current drivers Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay on the Andretti Autosport roster at Kansas and Indy.

So the two dominate names in U.S. automobile racing, Petty and Andretti, have joined forces once again to take on “The Greatest Spectacle in Motor Racing”, the Indianapolis 500 in May!

(photo courtesy Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Things overlooked in Atlanta Sunday in light of “The Wreck”:

1. Kurt Busch wins the Kobalt Tools 500 for Penske Racing.

2. Matt Kenseth finished second for Roush-Fenway Racing.

3. Kasey Kahne led the most laps, but finished fourth for Richard  Petty Motorsports.

4. Paul Menard, also an RPM driver finished fifth!

5. A. J. Almendinger,(THE DINGER), . . . → Read More: Atlanta Refections]]>

(photo courtesy Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Things overlooked in Atlanta Sunday in light of “The Wreck”:

1. Kurt Busch wins the Kobalt Tools 500 for Penske Racing.

2. Matt Kenseth finished second for Roush-Fenway Racing.

3. Kasey Kahne led the most laps, but finished fourth for Richard  Petty Motorsports.

4. Paul Menard, also an RPM driver finished fifth!

5. A. J. Almendinger,(THE DINGER), finished sixth, again an RPM driver!

6. Scott Speed finished 10th for Red Bull Racing

7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started on the pole and finished 15th!

Most interesting quote from the race:

8. Steve Addington, the crew chief no longer good enough for Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, took the older Busch, Kurt, back to Victory Lane at the same track where he got his first victory in 2008 with Kyle Busch.  “It is a good feeling to know that your driver wants you to go to work for him,” Addington said in a statement that showed a lot of class but made a strong point.

9. The Atlanta Motor Speedway folks were probably extremely pleased that the amount of empty seats was not a big topic of conversation with the media!

10.  Brad Keselowski is probably glad to have an off week to recuperate from the Edwards “Cheap Shot”!  He also will need to reload and prepare for some of the other drivers who, no doubt, are lining up for their shot at him!

NOTE TO ROGER PENSKE:

Have plenty of haulers at the tracks with back cars onboard for the #12 for the remainder of the the 2010 season, you may need them!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!