Garage chatter: What everybody's talking about going into Pocono Raceway

July 30 news and notes

Letarte gets new contract, but future still fuzzy - 3:30 ET

Steve Letarte has signed to remain with Hendrick Motorsports, but on questioning he seemed a little fuzzy on some of the details Friday at Pocono Raceway. Letarte has worked his way through the Hendrick system and has been Jeff Gordon’s crew chief since late in the 2005 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Steve Letarte has a 3-year extension to remain at Hendrick Motorsports.

Jason Smith

The organization announced earlier in the day that Letarte had signed a contract extension, which the crew chief says is for three years.

“It’s a great length of time for me and for the company,” he said. “I’m really excited.”

The long-time Rick Hendrick employee says that it’s comforting to have the contract worked out and signed. That’s not to say that he was worried for his job, but is rather a statement on the business climate in the country at this time. A contract simply makes everyone feel more secure.

“Yeah, I want to work for Mr. Hendrick for my entire career, but when you have a sport like this one — it reminds me a lot of college football — there is a lot of money involved, there is a lot of sponsors involved, it is a very high-pressure situation,” said Letarte, who has worked for the team for 16 years. “The fact that you have a contract is always good. I have a wife and two kids so it gives me some comfort level. ...

“Rick is the kind of guy where a handshake would be good enough for most of us, but that’s what the sport has become and that’s the sport we race in.”

Asked if he could see himself doing this in 10 years, Letarte said that “I don’t know if my crystal ball is that clear.”

He did admit, though, that he hasn’t talked with Gordon about the contract — nor does he know if working with Gordon is written into it. Don’t read too much into that, though.

It doesn’t seem to be a source of concern for Letarte, though — or a sign that a change is going to be made. Gordon is currently second in the series standings. Letarte first won with Gordon in their sixth race together, at Martinsville Speedway in 2005. Since then, they have paired to win 10 Cup races and finished sixth in the standings in 2006, second in 2007, seventh in 2008 and third last season.

“I mean right now, I signed a contract extension and I plan on being Jeff’s crew chief,” he said. “What the details are of it I’d have to go back and reread it. I’m really not too concerned about it. I’ve worked for Rick for a number of years and we have very good friendship. I believe in his vision and how he steers the company.

“I’m sure if he feels that there is some other place in the organization that he feels I can suit it better then we’ll sit down and talk about that. But I have no plans of changing what I’m doing.”

For his part, Gordon is excited that the crew chief has his extension in place, though he says that was never an issue.

"We've been talking about it for a while, you know, that everything is good there," he said. "I'm happy with Steve. We love having him at Hendrick Motorsports. It's always nice to confirm that so it can put it to rest with everybody else."

--Rea White

Harvick going the distance - Noon ET

Kevin Harvick is one of several drivers planning to travel back and forth between a pair of tracks this weekend.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader will compete with his Richard Childress Racing team at Pocono Raceway and with his Kevin Harvick Inc. Nationwide Series team at Iowa Speedway. Harvick plans to let David Mayhew practice his Nationwide Series car today and then travel to the track Saturday for the race.

Harvick says the long-distance double isn’t that difficult.

“It's pretty simple, really,” he said. “We were going to go practice, but you can't make the practice tonight. It's kind of a long ways to fly a couple of hours for an hour of practice. So we'll just head up tomorrow."

Harvick said that Mayhew was an obvious choice. The 28-year-old runs a limited schedule in the K&N Pro West Series, in which he has one career victory. Guess where?

"He's had a lot of laps there in the West series cars and won a race there …,” he said of his choice. “That's why."

July 29 news and notes

Scouts honor for Gordon and Earnhardt - 3 p.m. ET

Hendrick Motorsports drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon made an important stop on the way to Pocono Raceway.

Thursday, the two were scheduled to attend the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree on behalf of sponsor National Guard. The pair planned to visit the Fort A.P. Hill, Va., camp and participate in both a question-and-answer session and in several Boy Scout/driver challenges.

Immediately after talking with the scouts, the pair planned to participate in the Advance Riffle Marksmanship with National Guard soldiers, where they practice shooting at the gun range on site.

Get a piece of history - 3 p.m. ET

While fans sometimes have been known to be coated in some asphalt dust at NASCAR races, it’s not every day that they get to actually take home a piece of the track. Daytona International Speedway, though, is handing over a piece of history with each ticket purchase.

Beginning Monday at 9 a.m. ET and running through midnight Auf. 8, anyone purchasing a ticket for the 2011 Daytona 500 will receive a portion of the asphalt that was recently ripped from the 2.5-mile track as part of a repaving process.

“Since we began the historic Daytona repave project in early July, race fans have been asking how they can attain a piece of Daytona International Speedway’s asphalt,” track President Robin Braig said. “This one-time offer will provide two of the most coveted items in motorsports – a piece of Daytona’s legendary asphalt as well as a ticket to the 2011 edition of ‘The Great American Race.’”

The ongoing repaving project at the track is scheduled to be completed by Jan. 1, 2011.

July 28 news and notes

Labonte leading candidate for JTG Daugherty ride - updated 11:50 a.m. ET

Bobby Labonte is the leading candidate to take over the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Toyota for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, sources confirmed to FOXSports.com.

The team competes through an alliance with Michael Waltrip Racing and is run out of that organization’s NASCAR Sprint Cup shop. Marcos Ambrose has driven the No. 47 full time since 2009, earning nine top-10 finishes, four of them top fives, in that span. He and the team announced Tuesday that they planned to part ways at season’s end.

Labonte, the 2000 Cup champion, has driven for TRG Motorsports, Richard Petty Motorsports and Phoenix Racing this season. In his 18 years of full-time Cup racing, Labonte, 46, has 21 victories. He has earned 199 top-10 finishes, 114 of them top-fives, and earned the 2000 title while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is 31st in the drivers standings while Ambrose is currently 27th.  

In the past week, Cup drivers discussed the respect and competitiveness Labonte still brings to the sport.

"I feel like it's always been known in our sport that somebody that is a past champion, such as Bobby, the caliber of driver that he is, that you're always solidly going to have a good ride," Jeff Gordon said. "I feel like he still has a lot of good years left. He keeps himself in great shape. He's a smart driver."

Carlson named president of Hendrick Motorsports - 11:47 a.m. ET

Marshall Carlson has been named the president of chief operating officer of Hendrick Motorsports, according to a team release. The announcement was originally made during Tuesday’s quarterly employee meeting.

The president position has been vacant since the loss of John Hendrick, brother of team owner Rick Hendrick, in October 2004. John Hendrick had assumed that title in 1998.

"Marshall has the ability to plug into every aspect of our industry, from competition to marketing, at an extremely high level," team owner Rick Hendrick said in a release. "He's versatile from a business perspective, and there's a high degree of respect for him throughout the organization because of the way he treats people. We're very fortunate to have someone of his considerable talent help guide us into the future."

Carlson, 37, will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of the four-team NASCAR Sprint Cup operation. Four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, four-time champion Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. compete for the organization, which has won four of its championships since Carlson assumed the role of executive vice president and general manager on Jan. 24, 2005.

"Hendrick Motorsports is a family, and it's been one of the great privileges of my life to work with these amazing people," Carlson said. "This opportunity comes with the highest commitment to serve my teammates and support their continued success."

Carlson first worked sweeping floors at Hendrick as part of a chassis department summer internship. He earned a business administration degree from the Univ. of North Carolina in 1996, then worked as an engineer on the Hendrick Camping World Truck Series team. That group earned the first of its three championships in 1997.

He has since worked his way through the organization through his next role as director of marketing services and overseeing expansion on the property. From 2002-2004, he worked as vice president of corporate financial management with Hendrick Automotive Group, one of the largest automotive retail operations in the United States.

July 27 news and notes

JR Motorsports, Red Bull Racing fined — 5:35 p.m. ET

NASCAR has issued penalties for rules violations discovered during the recent race weekend.

Jimmy Elledge, crew chief of the No. 83 Red Bull Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup entry, has been fined for a rule violation at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Elledge, who works with driver Reed Sorenson, has been fined $25,000 for improperly attached weight. The violation was discovered during Saturday’s practice for the Brickyard 400.

In the Nationwide Series, JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., crew chief Tony Eury Sr. and driver Aric Almirola were all assessed penalties for an unapproved left-front shock absorber discovered during post-race inspection at O’Reilly Raceway Park. The team forfeited 25 championship owners points, Almirola — who is not running the full schedule with the team – was penalized 25 drivers points and Eury has been fined $10,000.
 

Reutimann finds value in victories — 4:30 p.m. ET

David Reutimann understands that there’s so much attention on making NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup that wins can get lost in the mix.

Reutimann, who won two races ago at Chicagoland Speedway, and Jamie McMurray, who won Sunday’s Brickyard 400, are both currently outside of the top 12 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and, therefore, outside the group that will lock in a spot in the championship-determining field. While each is obviously trying to break into that group, Reutimann says that there’s still a lot of value in simply winning a race.

Sometimes, though, that can get lost in the shuffle.

“I think a lot of things do get lost in the fact that there's a lot of focus put on the Chase, and rightfully so,” Reutimann said during a national teleconference Tuesday. “That's what you're obviously trying to do. You're trying to win races. I think people lose sight of the fact that it's all about winning races.

“It's not all about winning races. Let me take that back. It's important to win races, but it's also about being consistent and all those things that gain you the most points. Every driver, when he's strapped in on Sunday, you're out there to try to win the race. For the drivers, I think the most important thing is going out there and trying to win races … If you win races, that's always the better way to get in the Chase as well. It's a win-win situation if you can go out and win races. I know that's what we're focused on doing.”

Winning can not only be a building block toward making the Chase, but also a crucial asset in building a driver and his team’s confidence.

That, too, can go a long way when it comes to propelling one into the Chase field. Reutimann is currently 18th in the standings, 177 points outside of the Chase field with six races to go before the top 12 are locked in. McMurray is 16th, 151 points outside of that group.

As the series' two most recent winners, though, they might have gained an edge.

“It can change your whole outlook of your entire organization,” Reutimann said. “If you're having a rough year, things aren't going well, you're able to go out and win a race, you automatically kind of forget everything that's happened bad up to that point to you. You can switch things around and make it so you're like, Wow. I mean, no matter how your season has gone up to that point, you win that race, you're like, the sky is the limit from that point on.

“It gives the driver confidence. It gives the team confidence. More importantly, it gives the guys back at the shop that aren't able to be at the racetrack with you, but are turning out your racecars, getting your stuff prepared, gives them added enthusiasm, a little pep in their step, so to speak. It makes them see what they're doing at the shop is really important. They're able to see the results on the racetrack. I think that's great for any race team.”

- Rea White

Bodine looks forward to Pocono challenge - 4:20 p.m. ET

This weekend, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will utilize a unique qualifying format.

First, the qualifying order for the 36 spots available in the Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway — the debut Truck race on the 2.5-mile track — will be determined by practice speeds from the final session Friday. Those times will be inverted, allowing the slowest Truck in practice to go out first in qualifying.

Second, drivers will participate in an unusual multi-truck format. The trucks will be released onto the track in 25-second increments. Two laps of qualifying will be allowed with the fastest lap counting. Once a truck comes back to pit road, its qualifying is complete. NASCAR officials do not allow drafting on these laps either.

In the case of a rainout a drawing for qualifying, which will be telecast on SPEED, will be held.

Points leader Todd Bodine seems excited about the format and somewhat dismissive of any idea that one would want to go slow in practice in order to go out earlier in qualifying.

“There's a few guys that might do that,” he said when asked about the idea on a national teleconference Tuesday. “I really don't think that's going to happen. There's a lot of chances you take by getting with a slower group. There are some benefits, no doubt about that. I think everybody's smart enough and I think NASCAR has a handle on it well enough that everybody's gonna do their best in practice.

“I mean, you still got to go out and practice and try to get your best lap. You still have to see what you're going to have for qualifying. I just don't think that's going to happen.”

After that, Bodine says, “I think you're going to see a heck of a race.”

“I know everybody is saying that,” he said. “You know, the way the trucks are and the drafting that's involved, the way Pocono is, long straightaways with a little bit slower corner, drafting is going to be very large, it's going to be critical. You know, I think a lot of the veteran drivers like myself and (Mike) Skinner and (Ron) Hornaday, guys that have competed there in the Cup series, we're going to have a little advantage for a while. But I think that the guys in the Truck series are good enough and the teams are good enough that they're going to catch up.

“I don't think by race time there's going to be much of an advantage. I think it's going to be a great race, another good show for the Camping World Truck Series.”
 

- Rea White

On this day in history ...

2002 — Hank Parker Jr. wins his final Nationwide Series race, romping to an 11.452-second win over Greg Biffle in the NetZero 250 at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo. Parker finishes his career with two wins in 137 starts from 1997 to 2005. - Sporting News