Hamlin's Crew Shuffled
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew for Denny Hamlin went through an overhaul this week after a bad pit stop contributed to Hamlin's not winning the Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway.

The guys who remained on the team were Scott Wood, who went from gas man to jack man to replace Chris Webb; rear tire changer Dennis Terry, who went to become the front tire changer to replace Donnie Brown; and catch-can man John Eicher. The team added Brad Rothlin as gas man, Scott Merritt as front tire carrier (in place of Chad Edwards), rear tire changer Jonathan Sherman and rear tire carrier Billy Plourde (for the injured Heath Cherry).

"The decisions were on my shoulders, but we had already been working on it and it got accelerated after the performance we had at Darlington," crew chief Mike Ford said Wednesday at the Pit Crew Challenge. "We knew we had to work on that, trying to grow into a championship race team. That was a weak point of ours. If you run 12th to 15th, you don't see those issues. But when you're leading the race and running up front, it's one of those things you have to work on and strengthen your race team."

All the new over-the-wall guys came from within JGR, and some of the replaced over-the-wall members will pit the Busch car or the No. 80 Cup car in the future. The No. 11 crew made it to the quarterfinals of the pit crew challenge - elating Ford - and the new guys will get another chance to work together Saturday night in the Nextel All-Star Challenge, a non-points event.(scenedaily.com)

Liz Steedman Wins Double Prize
Liz Steedman and three guests won the opportunity to take part in the ultimate racing experience -- the Jim Beam 1100. The promotion gives them the opportunity to do what professional drivers have not done since 2003: take part in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, witnessing 1100 miles of racing in the same day.

Steedman and her guests will receive VIP treatment for the entire race weekend, beginning with exclusive access to sponsor and celebrity events Thursday through Saturday, May 24-26 in Indianapolis. Then Sunday, May 27, the group will do "double duty," attending the Indianapolis 500 and then traveling to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. At each track, they will enjoy the race from an exclusive VIP suite. Steedman's group will also have the opportunity to meet the drivers of the Jim Beam Indy car and Jim Beam stock car -- Indy legend and Andretti Green Racing co-owner Michael Andretti and NASCAR driver / owner Robby Gordon.

"The Jim Beam 1100 demonstrates our understanding that race fans, like great drivers, have an almost unquenchable thirst for motorsports," said Jim Beam manager of motorsports Brian Gallagher. "Drivers long considered 'double duty,' competing in the Indy 500, then flying directly to Charlotte and climbing aboard a stock car for another 600 miles, to be the ultimate challenge. For fans who share an authentic love for racing, the last Sunday in May is the biggest day in motorsports. What better way to show appreciation for fans than provide this type of opportunity."

Steedman and her guests will start the weekend in Indianapolis for the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500. Before the race even starts, Steedman will participate in a memorable Indy experience -- a high-speed ride around the famed Brickyard in a two-seat Indy car driven by Michael Andretti. Then on Sunday, the group will watch Andretti drive the Jim Beam / Motorola Honda-powered Dallara as he returns to the Brickyard to try and capture his first-ever Indianapolis 500 victory.

Following the Indy 500, Steedman and her guests will travel from the Brickyard to Indianapolis International Airport via helicopter. There the party will board two private jets and fly to Charlotte to watch the longest and most physically challenging race of the NASCAR season.

When the checkered flag waves at Lowe's Motor Speedway upon completion of the Coca-Cola 600, the VIP experience for Steedman continues. She and her guests will be shuttled to the track's infield, where they will meet Robby Gordon, driver of the No. 7 Jim Beam Ford Fusion. The meeting with Gordon is a fitting end for the weekend, as he is the last driver to have run in both the Indy 500 and the NASCAR race on the same day, accomplishing the feat in 2002 and 2003.(nascar.com)

Bill Elliott In For Schrader For Six Races
Former Cup champion Bill Elliott is coming out of semi-retirement to drive the famed No. 21 Ford in the next six Nextel Cup races, beginning with the Coca-Cola 600 on May 27th at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

"We certainly welcome Bill Elliott back to the Ford Racing Camp, where he's had so much previous success. Bill, his family and our family have been great and close friends for over 30 years and it's more special to us than we can put into words that he'll be getting behind the wheel of the 21 car," said Eddie Wood, co-owner of Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. "Ken Schrader and Jon Wood are the ultimate team players. They are looking beyond their own interests toward what is best for the company right now."

Elliott tried to make the season-opening Daytona 500 this year in the No. 37 entry, but Dale Jarrett beat him to the punch on using the past champion's provisional.

Jarrett, who drives the No. 44 UPS Toyota and has missed the last two races, has used up all of his six previous champion's provisionals, meaning Elliott would be guaranteed to make the next six races as a previous champion.

"I was pretty honored to get a call from the Wood Brothers to drive the 21 car. I've seen them struggle the last few weeks, being outside the top-35, and it breaks my heart to see them miss races," said Elliott. "I hope I can get in the car, get us qualified well every week and see what we can make up in the points battle along the way. Eddie and Len and, in fact, Glen and Leonard, have always been very close and dear friends of mine and I'm very glad to be able to help them out."

Elliott won 40 of his 44 Cup wins driving a Ford entry, including 1988 when he drove the No. 9 Coors Ford to the championship. Cup veteran Ken Schrader has driven the No. 21 Ford most of the season with Jon Wood making one start in the car, but the team has failed to qualify for two of the last three races and is well outside of the top-35 in points.

"I see the need for it at this time. I want to see this team move forward as quickly as possible and I think the plan we have in place will allow that to happen," said Schrader. "Down the road, we can reevaluate where we stand. I'll look forward to being back in the seat soon."

A top-35 points position assures a driver and team of making the race, but Schrader sits 40th in the standings with no finishes higher than 19th and two crashes this season. Making the next six races of the season and 15 of the season's first 17 events would give Wood Brothers/JTG Racing some cushion to work with and options as to whether to keep Elliott in the car or go back to a mix of Schrader and Jon Wood at mid-season.

"We owe it to our sponsors to be in every race," said Tad Geschickter, President of Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. "This move gives us the best opportunity to move the No. 21 higher in the Nextel Cup points. Our drivers, sponsors and employees have all given their full support to this plan."(AHN)

No. 12 Team Wins Pit Crew Challenge
Ryan Newman's team, which includes two former college football players, kicked off NASCAR's all-star week activities by winning the Nextel Pit Crew Challenge on Wednesday night, beating Bobby Labonte's team in the final round. Newman's seven-member crew changed four tires, filled the car with gas and pushed it 40 yards in 24.66 seconds to collect the $70,300 first prize.

Jackman Britt Goodrich, a former linebacker at North Carolina State University, had to pump the jack a second time in the final round and was beaten to the car by Labonte's jackman Tony Martin. But Newman's crew was able to get the No. 12 car to roll quicker to win the event. "I missed the jack stop, so I had to reset it and I was little bit behind Tony getting down there," Goodrich said. "But all night I was getting the car rolling, but (my teammates) were getting it rolling."

And thanks to a new rule, Newman's team will get to choose its pit box for Saturday's Nextel all-star Challenge. Newman, who won the race in 2002, did not attend the pit crew event. Labonte's team completed its stop in 24.99 seconds. Mark Martin's team finished third and Kyle Busch's crew was fourth.

Newman's winning team included gas catch-can man Bryan White, who played football at Virginia. The rest of the crew included George Whitley (gas man), Ben Brown (front tire changer), Scott Reiniger (front tire carrier), Joe Piette Jr. (rear tire changer), Cherry and Goodrich. The event also included individual prizes of $10,000 each to crew members for completing their tasks the fastest in the opening round.

Those awards went to: Nick O'Dell and Jason Gay, front tire changers for Kasey Kahne; Daniel Rankin and Bryan Rockwell, rear tire changers for Labonte; Mitch Lash, jackman for Dale Jarrett; and Jeff Patterson and Brian Larson, gas man and catch-can man for Tony Stewart. Patterson and Larson won for the second straight year.

The event pitted 24 crews - seeded based on the Nextel Cup points standings - facing each other in head-to-head stops with the winners of each heat advancing to the next round. The competition strayed from normal race pit stops. Teams changed tires on two unmarked cars, filled the tank on another and a jackman lifted a fourth car. The jackman then ran to the team's regular car and began pushing it to the finish line, joined by the rest of his crew as they finished their tasks.

Teams received time penalties for infractions ranging from loose lug nuts to spilled gas, which caused several teams to be eliminated after initially winning their heats. There were penalties on at least one team in each of the first 15 head-to-head stops. Defending champion Martin Truex Jr.'s team was knocked out in the first round. It beat Clint Bowyer's team to the finish line, but was penalized three seconds for a loose lug nut.

A lug nut violation also not knocked out Kahne's crew in the first round. Kahne's team, which won the inaugural event in 2005 and finished second last year, beat Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew to the finish line, but the penalty put Junior's team into the second round, much to the delight of the fans at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Junior's team reached the quarterfinals, but was eliminated due to a five-second penalty for spilled fuel. A day earlier, Earnhardt was docked 100 points, while crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was fined $100,000 and suspended six races for an illegal car modification at Darlington Raceway Sunday. Eury and Earnhardt were not seen at the event, but many drivers, including Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, were rooting on their teammates.(metronews.ca)