CUP: NHoF Near/Midweek Notebook

Sprint Cup

CUP: NHoF Near/Midweek Notebook

Five new members will be selected next week for the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame class...

Tom Jensen | Posted October 06, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Bobby Allison was among the 25 candidates for entry into the second NASCAR Hall of Fame class. (Photo courtesy of NASCAR)

VOTING DAY UPON US — Wednesday, Oct. 13 is Vote Day to determine the five 2011 inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The second class of inductees will be selected by 53 NASCAR Hall of Fame voters and a national fan ballot. The five winners will be announced in ceremonies beginning at 4 p.m. ET in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Great Hall. They will join Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as NHoF members.

SPEED’s coverage of NASCAR Hall of Fame Vote Day begins at 3 p.m. ET with a special preview show, followed at 4 p.m. ET with live coverage of the announcement of the five new members of the Hall, scheduled to be enshrined in May 2011.

The nominees are: Bobby Allison, Buck Baker, Red Byron, Richard Childress, Jerry Cook, Richie Evans, Tim Flock, Rick Hendrick, Jack Ingram, Dale Inman, Ned Jarrett, Fred Lorenzen, Bud Moore, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts, T. Wayne Robertson, Herb Thomas, Curtis Turner, Darrell Waltrip, Joe Weatherly, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough.

CLOSE COMPETITION — You don’t have to look to hard to see that the on-track competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is as good or better as it’s ever been. The top nine drivers are separated by just 101 points, the closest the Chase for the Sprint Cup has ever been at this point in the season.

On top of that, Greg Biffle is the only repeat winner in the Cup Series over the last 11 races dating back to early July: David Reutimann, Chicagoland Speedway; Jamie McMurray, Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Biffle, Pocono Raceway; Juan Pablo Montoya, Watkins Glen International; Kevin Harvick, Michigan International Speedway; Kyle Busch, Bristol Motor Speedway; Tony Stewart, Atlanta Motor Speedway; Denny Hamlin, Richmond International Raceway; Clint Bowyer, New Hampshire Motor Speedway; Jimmie Johnson, Dover International Speedway; and Biffle, Kansas Speedway.

As far as the Chase goes, the points leader after three races has won the championship in four of six previous seasons that the Chase format has been in place. Mark Martin (2009) and Jeff Burton (2006) are the lone exceptions. Johnson was 165 points back after three races in ’06, the largest margin any driver has ever made up.

WEDDED BLISS — Things are different in on the Left Coast, right? Right. And they will continue that way at Auto Club Speedway this weekend, where more than 40 couples will marry or renew vows prior to the Pepsi Max 400. Track President Gillian Zucker will officiate with Michael Waltrip serving as groomsman and Miss Sprint Cup as maid of honor.

Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts two annual points-paying Sprint Cup Series races, plus the Sprint All-Star Race. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

CMS GOES FAN FRIENDLY — Charlotte Motor Speedway will open its new Family Seating Section during the Dollar General 300 on Oct. 15 and the Bank of America 500 on Oct.16. The family-oriented environment will give parents with young children the option to sit in a smoke-and-alcohol-free family section, as well as provide kid-friendly activities throughout the weekend. The Family Seating Section is in the Toyota Fourth Turn Terrace grandstand.

Seats in the Family Seating Section are priced at $25 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under for the Dollar General 300, and $49 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under for the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 16. Tickets for the Family Seating Section and all October races at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be purchased online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267).

BUSCH TO HANG WITH TEXAS FANS — Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, will play host to an exclusive group of NASCAR fans in a luxury suite at Texas Motor Speedway for the Nov. 6 O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge Nationwide Series race. From the green flag to the checkered, Busch will share an insider’s perspective on the race action with the suite guests as well as sign autographs and take photos throughout the race.

The following day, Busch will go back to work at Texas Motor Speedway and attempt to defend his AAA Texas 500 Sprint Cup Series race title with those same fans enjoying another first-class, race-day suite experience and rooting him on.

Kurt Busch will play host to an exclusive group of NASCAR fans in a luxury suite at Texas Motor Speedway for the Nov. 6 O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge. (Photo: Getty Images)

TMS is offering a two-day package that includes a suite ticket for both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races (tickets are transferable between days); complimentary food and beverage (including beer and wine); an autographed 1:24-scale die-cast of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge; AAA Texas 500 souvenir program; radio scanner to listen to your favorite drivers on both days; and a garage tour prior to the Sprint Cup Series race. The package costs $995 per person, with the charity benefactors being The Kurt Busch Foundation and Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter. All proceeds are tax deductible. Seating is limited.

MIS SEATS ON SALE — Michigan International Speedway is offering discounted pricing for groups of 10 or more for the 2011 race season. Information about group sales packages can be found at MISpeedway.com or by calling 517-592-1134. The best, guaranteed lowest prices in 2011 will go to renewal customers and new customers who make a $30 goodwill deposit. Renewals are under way for 2010 ticket holders. New customers can log onto www.MISpeedway.com or call 800-354-1010.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

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