Silly Season Roundup

Rumors are circulating the Martin Truex Jr to Michael Waltrip Racing is a done deal. But both Truex and MWR’s Ty Norris have denied the rumors.

Brian Vickers is said to be close to a deal to re-sign with Red Bull Racing. Vickers’s contract ends this season, but the team has a option that would lock Vickers up for one more year.

Danica Patrick is said to be considering NASCAR, but many believe she may be using a potential career in NASCAR to secure a better deal in the Indy Racing League.

Johnson Muscles His Way To Victory In Goodys Pain Relief 500

Jimmie Johnson bumped Denny Hamlin out of the way in the closing laps of the Goodys Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway and held on to win.

Hamlin was very diplomatic about the incident, saying he was “honored” being on the racetrack with Johnson, and the other leaders. He said that it was just short track racing, and that he would have done the same thing.

Top 5: Johnson, Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Clint Bowyer.

Ryan Newman, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr, AJ Allmendinger, and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top 10.

Notables: Kevin Harvick (12th), Juan Pablo Montoya (13th), Jeff Burton (15th), Bobby Labonte (16th), Kurt Busch (18th), Kasey Kahne (19th), Matt Kenseth (23rd), Kyle Busch (24th), Carl Edwards (26th), Greg Biffle (28th), and Brian Vickers (33rd). 

Give a call to Michael Waltrip Racing. Michael Waltrip (13th), Marcos Ambrose (14th), and David Reutimann (20th) all finished in the top 20. Reutimann ran well and stayed on the lead lap for most of the race. A late-race incident with David Stremme led to a Reutimann spin, which put him a lap down.

Also, Stewart Haas Racing deserves a call for finishing with both cars in the top 6. Stewart finished third, while Newman finished sixth.

Kyle Busch did not like the handle of his car, and he got frustrated early. He drove into the corner a little too hard a spun. He collected Scott Speed in the crash. Busch lost two laps and never recovered. Speed finished 76 laps down in 39th.

TRD Switches To Last Year’s Oil Pump In Wake Of Engine Woes

Toyota Racing Development, provider of engines for the Toyotas of Michael Waltrip Racing, Robby Gordon Motorsports, and Red Bull Racing, has decided to revert back to the oil pump used on TRD engines last year, and will continue the modifications used in the Shelby 427 last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In the last two weeks, TRD had to replace six engines due to lifter or camshaft issues. Lee White, TRD president, believes the issue has to do with oil pressure when the cars are in low-RPM situations.

It is also believed that the better tire at LVMS increased lap speeds by three-quarters of a second, which may have led to more strain on the engines.

TRD has switched to a more aggressive camshaft that uses a lighter weight oil.

Five Cars To The Back For Shelby 427

Kyle Busch, who qualified on the pole for the Shelby 427 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, blew an engine in practice Friday and will go to the back of the field.

Fellow Toyota drivers David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose, who qualified fourth and fifth respectively, had to replace their engines and will start at the rear of the field. While Reutimann and Ambrose drive for different teams (Michael Waltrip Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing, respectively), both teams have a technical alliance.

Red Bull Racing teammates Brian Vickers and Scott Speed also replaced their engines, and will start from the rear of the field.

Overall, five Toyota teams replaced engines. While Joe Gibbs Racing builds its own engines, the other teams all use Toyota Racing Development engines.

TRD President Lee White  said:

It’s a wear issue between the camshaft and lifter – it’s either a coating, lubrication, lack of lubrication, too much lubrication, not enough coating or a material situation or just the simple fact that we haven’t been testing.

TRD replaced some of the lubricants and hopes that might fix the problem. They plan to look at the engines after today’s practices.

Aaron’s To Sponsor MWR’s No. 00

Michael Waltrip Racing has confirmed that Aaron’s will sponsor the No. 00 Toyota, driven by David Reutimann, for the entire Sprint Cup season.

Initially, Aaron’s agreed to sponsor the car for half of the season.

Michael Waltrip said he spoke with Aaron’s CEO Ken Butler, saying:

I said, ‘Reutimann’s going to win. You watch.’ And I said, ‘If he wins in somebody else’s car, that’s going to really get on my nerves, because you guys have put us here. We want him to win in your car.’ And we were going to leave Daytona and go to California either with out a sponsor or a different sponsor. I just couldn’t handle that, so we talked and we worked (it out).