News and Notes -- Thursday, July 23
Moving forward, I would like Ranting and Raving to become a one-stop shop for both NASCAR news and opinions. With that in mind I am creating a News and Notes section starting tonight.
In a perfect world, I would like to post one on both Mondays and Wednesdays as to not get in the way of Lead Draft Fridays.
So please consider this post my first experiment. Get your daily NASCAR dose of news and information after the jump!
It appears that long time Roush sponsor DeWalt will not be returning to the #17 Ford driven by Matt Kenseth. The power tools brand told Roush President Geoff Smith on Thursday that the sponsor would be ending a decade-long relationship with the team that spanned the 2003 Championship, the 2000 Rookie of the Year Award and this season’s Daytona 500. Roush Fenway Racing seems prepared to deal with the loss citing numerous options waiting to take over for DeWalt.
Chip Ganassi appears to be interested in moving his stake of Earnhardt Ganassi racing over to Joe Gibbs racing next season. With Martin Truex and Bass Pro Shops out after 2009, Ganassi is looking to match driver Juan Pablo Montoya and sponsor Target with the three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas. It is unclear what role Teresa Earnhardt will play in any possible merger.
The NASCAR/Jeremy Mayfield war may soon come to a conclusion due to a strand of hair according to a report on News Channel 36 out of Charlotte, NC. Mayfield and his attorney may consider testing a piece of hair to submit to the courts. Doctors universally agree that hair contains a long-standing record of drugs in the body and that Mayfield’s strand may be the deciding factor in the dispute. This news comes off the heels of Mayfield’s speculation that he may have secured sponsorship for the races post-Indy.
That’s it for news. Onwards to the Hallowed Halls -- Indianapolis.
