Texas Speedzone - TMS Speed Reads

FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 19, 2006) – Talk about a Hall of Fame lineup. Hall of Fame Racing co-owner Roger Staubach and co-drivers Terry Labonte and Tony Raines will headline a strong contingent of guests for Texas Motor Speedway’s “10 Years Strong” Media Day scheduled for Monday, Jan. 30 in the Grand Ballroom of The Speedway Club.

SPEED READS “10 Years Strong” Media Day To Have “Hall of Fame” Feel World Dirt Championships Coming To Speedway In March Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte Slated For Goodyear Test FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 19, 2006) – Talk about a Hall of Fame lineup. Hall of Fame Racing co-owner Roger Staubach and co-drivers Terry Labonte and Tony Raines will headline a strong contingent of guests for Texas Motor Speedway’s “10 Years Strong” Media Day scheduled for Monday, Jan. 30 in the Grand Ballroom of The Speedway Club. Staubach, a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback who starred with the Dallas Cowboys, will represent the ownership group of Hall of Fame Racing, which will field the No. 96 DLP HDTV Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Staubach has an ownership stake in the first-year organization along with fellow retired Super-Bowl winning Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman and managing partner Bill Saunders. Labonte, the Corpus Christi native inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame last year, will split his final Cup season between Hall of Fame Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. Labonte, a two-time Cup Series champion, will compete in seven races for Hall of Fame Racing in addition to his 10-race schedule with Hendrick Motorsports. Texas Motor Speedway will be the site of his farewell race as Labonte will make his final NEXTEL Cup start in the Nov. 5 Dickies 500. Raines, the 1999 NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year, will drive the bulk of the schedule for Hall of Fame Racing as he is set to compete in 29 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup events. Labonte will be one of two former two-time series champions gracing the guest list as he will be joined by 2001-02 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr. Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Honda, is coming off a third-place finish in the championship last season. He also is a two-time winner at Texas Motor Speedway, including his dramatic victory in the fall of 2002 which was the closest finish (0.0096 of a second) in the speedway’s history. Rounding out the driver guests will be Texans AJ Foyt IV of the NASCAR Busch Series and Robert Richardson of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Foyt IV, the Hockley native who had previously competed at Texas Motor Speedway in the IRL, will return for his first full Busch Series season driving the No. 38 Great Clips Dodge for Akins Motorsports. Richardson, a McKinney native who began his racing career at Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway, ran a limited schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series last season, but is planning to run a full schedule in the No. 35 Richardson Racing Dodge and compete for rookie-of-the-year honors. The special guests will be joined by Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Bruton Smith and Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage. 2-2-2-2/Speed Reads 1-17-06 The “10 Years Strong” Media Day will begin at 11 a.m. CT. Those media interested in attending may RSVP to pr@texasmotorspeedway.com or call 817-215-8520. DIRT DEVILS SWEEPING INTO TEXAS The Pro-Cuts Texas World Dirt Track Championship returns March 3-4 to the world-class clay oval Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track after a record-setting visit last season. Last year’s event attracted a record 204 competitors to battle in the O’Reilly SUPR late model series and IMCA-type modifieds. Hot laps begin at 4 p.m. each day. Tickets are available through participating Pro-Cuts outlets. For any purchase of $15 or more, customers will receive two free tickets to either night of action. JUNIOR AND LABONTE LAYING RUBBER AT TMS Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet) and Bobby Labonte (No. 43 Cheerios Dodge) will participate in a Goodyear Tire test session on Tuesday, Jan. 24 and Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Texas Motor Speedway. With the new NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing rules, it will be one of the rare times that Cup drivers will be testing at “The Great American Speedway” the entire year. Both drivers will be available to the media only during the Tuesday lunch break period, beginning at noon. Earnhardt Jr.’s first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series wins have come at Texas Motor Speedway, and he has posted six top-10 finishes in seven career Cup starts. Labonte, the 2000 series champion who moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to Petty Enterprises this season, has four top-10 showings in his 10 career starts, and has started on the pole twice (2003, ’04). NOW THAT’S THE TICKET! Finding individual tickets for the April 9 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Samsung/RadioShack 500 can be quite the challenge. With less than 90 days until the green flag, a very limited number of individual seats remain for the race. But fans can still ensure getting the best seats for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 and all of the events in 2006 at Texas Motor Speedway by purchasing season tickets. Season tickets range from $289 to $514 for 11 days of action. Individual tickets are on sale for the following events: April 7 – Crown Royal International Race of Champions and The Dallas Morning News Qualifying Day; April 8 – O’Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series; April 9 – Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series; June 8 – Qualifying Night, IRL IndyCar and Craftsman Truck Series; June 9 – Chex 400k NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; June 10 – Bombardier Learjet 500k IRL IndyCar Series. Individual race tickets for November 2-5 Dickies 500 weekend will go on sale at a later date. Tickets may be purchase by calling the ticket hotline at 817-215-8500, online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com, or at participating Ticketmaster outlets. PETTY FAMILY GETS TEXAS PHILANTHROPY AWARD Seven-time NASCAR series champion Richard Petty, his wife Lynda, son Kyle and daughter-in-law Pattie will be honored at the 9th Annual Philanthropy Hall of Fame Gala and Induction Ceremonies on Friday at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas. The Petty family has long been associated with philanthropy through their Victory Junction Gang Camp in North Carolina, which allows terminally ill and physically-challenged children from around the country to attend free of charge. Also being inducted is three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and Fort Worth resident Johnny Rutherford and his wife Betty for their long-time involvement with philanthropic events across the country. Media availability begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Fairmont. For information, call (214) 502-0306. NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR BROADCASTERS AT TMS A new landmark in the speedway infield is quickly rising out of the dust. Workers have the lower floor exterior structure in place for the new Victory Lane Broadcast Center. Construction crews will begin pouring the slab for the second floor of the structure next week. The two-level building will house suites for local, regional and national radio and television crews to anchor live broadcasts from as well as a broadcast media deadline room. Phase I of the project is scheduled to be completed by the April 6-9 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Samsung/RadioShack 500 weekend with the remaining work completed for the November 2-5 Dickies 500 event. SPEEDWAY CHILDREN’S CHARITIES - TOAST AT THE TOWER Join Speedway Children’s Charities on Thursday, Feb. 23, for the opportunity to view the newly opened residences at The Tower (500 Throckmorton Street) in Fort Worth. Guests will sample cuisine from six featured local chefs, enjoy great wine and a unique scotch tasting experience. Del Frisco’s 62 Main, Sam & Harry’s, Blue Mesa Grill, Lonesome Dove, and PF Changs will serve up the delicious fare for the evening. The night includes a live auction with items ranging from collectible art to custom apparel after the tour in the 5th Floor commons area. The cost is $250 per couple or $150 per individual. For information, contact SCC Director Brittnee Henry at (817) 215-8564 or bhenry@texasmotorspeedway.com. For additional information, please contact the Texas Motor Speedway Media Relations Department at (817) 215-8520 or pr@texasmotorspeedway.com.