Following a very intense, not to mention slightly wet, weekend in Montreal-Canada, NASCAR’s Nationwide Series will rejoin their Sprint Cup counterparts this weekend in Atlanta-Georgia for Saturday’s running of the Degree V 12 300.
SOME PRE RACE NOTES OF INTEREST
For series regular John Wes Townley Saturday’s race is a homecoming and became an opportunity for the young driver and his team to support an important cause that means a lot to them. The Watkinsville-Georgia native, and driver of the #09 Zaxby’s/RAB Racing Ford, spent Wednesday afternoon visiting Children’s Health Care Atlanta. He appeared on a closed circuit television and explained the duties of a NASCAR drivers to a large group of children. Afterwards he made some personal visits where he did some coloring and played some games with the kids.
On Thursday Townley teamed up with Matt Stinchcomb, a former University of Georgia football standout as well as a former NFL player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders. The two men met at a Zaxby’s Restaurant to help raise funds for the Children’s Tumor Foundation-CTF. Townley, Zaxbys and RAB Racing are currently raffling off a racing helmet, signed by top NASCAR drivers, that will also benefit the CTF.
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On the subject of needing some help that certainly applies to NASCAR Nationwide Series veteran, and ageless wonder, Morgan Shepherd who finds himself standing at a financial crossroads with his self owned race team.
Shepherd’s failure to make the starting field for last Sunday’s Nationwide Series race at Montreal was the catalyst for the financial woes. Last Monday Shepherd had no choice but to lay off both the shop and track personnel including his crew chief Morris Van Fleet. Morgan Shepherd Racing is now reduced to the driver, one shop mechanic and one track crew member. It’s likely that some members of Sprint Cup teams, and long time admirers of Shepherd, will volunteer to help with the pit road duties during Saturday’s race.
But the financial crunch is another matter. Shepherd has made it clear that if a sponsor package doesn’t develop soon, or if the team fails to qualify for the Atlanta race, then a very tough decision regarding the future will have to be made sometime next week.
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Yet another NASCAR Nationwide Series veteran pondering his future is Jason Keller the long time driver of the #27 Ford fielded by Baker Curb Racing. In recent days Keller announced that he was an official free agent. This occurred following an announcement from his team owners that their long time sponsor, Kimberly Clark Products, was leaving to sign on with driver Marcos Ambrose and his NASCAR Sprint Cup team owned by JTG Daughtery Racing. Keller said he has been talking to some other team owners about the 2010 season while waiting to see if Baker Curb can land another sponsor.
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Joey Logano will be making his official Nationwide Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway although he has raced there with his Joe Gibbs Racing Sprint Cup team earlier this year. Logano will have his usual Gamestop sponsorship on his car. But he will also have a second sponsor for Saturday’s race. It’s “The Beatles: Rock Band.” That’s a newly released music video game by Harmonix Music Systems and published by MTV Games.
But you almost have to wonder if someone had to explain to the young, 19 year old, driver exactly who the Beatles were. In turn you have to wonder if Logano, and Joe Gibbs Racing, are aware that they are promoting a new product that will directly benefit the estate of the late Michael Jackson. MJ pulled off a major coup many years ago by scoring a business deal that netted him the publishing ownership of the John Lennon and Paul McCartney music catalog. By the way here’s a health and safety tip for you. Don’t even think of mentioning that music catalog to Sir Paul McCartney. It’s reportedly still an extremely sore subject with the “cute Beatle.”
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