Rudd Returns To No. 88 After Separating Shoulder In California

CONCORD, N.C. — Gillett Evernham Motorsports added Patrick Carpentier to its driver lineup for 2008. The Quebec native and former open-wheel stand out will drive fulltime in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next year as well as select races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Carpentier made his NASCAR Nextel Cup Series debut earlier this season driving the No. 10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Avenger at Watkins Glen Int’l, leading seven laps in the event.
Carpentier has compiled five Champ Car World Series/CART wins and a Toyota Atlantic Championship in 1996.
“We are excited to add Patrick Carpentier to our organization for 2008,” said George Gillett, co-owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports. “Patrick has shown tremendous talent in every series he has driven throughout his career and has a bright future in NASCAR. We are committed to giving Patrick the best resources and opportunities available to make this transition, and we look forward to a great deal of success together both on and off the track.”
Carpentier replaces Scott Riggs, who has signed with CNC Haas Racing for 2008.

• Just prior to Saturday’s Bank of America 500, a plane towing a banner reading, “How much does Bobby Ginn owe you?” appeared in the skies over Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Ginn, a real estate and resort entrepreneur, began a short-lived three-car Nextel Cup program with the purchase of MB2 Motorsports prior to this season. The program consisted of Mark Martin and Regan Smith splitting duties in the No. 01, Joe Nemechek (No. 13) and Sterling Marlin (No. 14) behind the wheel of Chevrolets.
Despite early success particularly by Martin, Ginn found the going tough by midseason and merged his operation with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
The No. 13 team was subsequently disbanded, and Marlin and Nemecheck were released from their contracts. Nemechek and Marlin have since filed suit against Ginn in Cabarrus County (N.C.) court for nonpayment of their contracts. Many team members were left out in the cold as well.

• NASCAR heard the appeal of Roush Fenway Racing concerning the 25 driver’s points Carl Edwards was penalized after his victory at Dover.
The appeal was — as widely expected — denied, even though NASCAR admitted that a broken part caused the rules infraction and that no competitive advantage was gained by it.

PINBALL WIZZARD: Tony Stewart makes contact with Kasey Kahne on pit road during Saturday night's Bank of America 500. Stewart initially made contact with Paul Menard while leaving his pit stall. (Phil Cavali Photo)

• SKI Motorsports and NOS energy drink announced a four-race Sprint Cup schedule in the No. 50 Chevrolet for driver Stanton Barrett in 2008, beginning with the Daytona 500.
Barrett’s schedule will also include the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard and the Sharpie 500 at Bristol.
As a promotion, NOS is offering a contest for fans centering around the Daytona 500. In celebration of NASCAR’s 50th anniversary and the first running of the Daytona 500, a fan will have a chance to win the $19,050 winner’s share paid to 1959 Daytona 500 winner Lee Petty.
“We’re asking fans for a little piece of your heart,” said team owner Chris Lencheski. “We want them to want to see us do it — to see if this cat (Barrett) can go.”
Lencheski said the team is building its own cars, but could have a lease agreement with one of NASCAR’s major General Motors teams for chassis and engines.

• When introduced by team owner Michael Waltrip as the new driver of the UPS Toyota, David Reutimann rattled off one of the lines of the weekend.
“The well-spoken portion of the program stops now,” the rookie Cup series driver said.

• Ricky Rudd returned to the No. 88 Robert Yates Racing Snickers Ford after missing five weeks due to a separated shoulder. Rudd, 50, suffered the injury during a crash at California Speedway on Sept. 2.
Despite not being 100 percent, Rudd found himself in the top 10 with just more than 100 laps to go and finished 11th, his best finish since recording a seventh-place at LMS in May. Rudd felt he could have finished at least seventh here again, but ran out of fuel and coasted to the line.
Rudd also ruled himself 50-50 as The Chase goes to the half-mile of Martinsville this week.
“(The shoulder) is going to have to get in a little better shape,” Rudd said. “I don’t want to start Martinsville and get out at the halfway point because you just lose too much time.”

• Six of the top seven finishers Saturday night were involved in The Chase, including the top five of Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards. Tony Stewart finished seventh. The only non-Chase driver among them was Dave Blaney in the No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota of Bill Davis Racing.

• An episode on pit road proved costly to Tony Stewart. Challenging for the lead, Stewart made a gas-only pit stop and then grazed Paul Menard as Stewart exited his pit. Stewart then collided with Kasey Kahne as Kahne attempted to dive into his pit stall.
Stewart’s car was damaged, forcing him to make two other stops under yellow to repair the damage. Greg Zipadelli, crew chief of Stewart’s No. 20, blamed Menard for the incident. It was the No. 20’s second incident involving Menard during The Chase.
Zipadelli was particularly indignant over the reaction of the No. 15 crew, which he said applauded as the No. 20 crew attempted to repair Stewart’s damaged car.
“I am a believer in what goes around, comes around,” said Zipadelli. “Someday, (Menard) will be good enough to be in that situation, maybe, if he’s lucky, and that will probably happen to him, or he will lose something because he didn’t have respect or give or take with other people.”
The incident also cost the then top-10 running Bobby Labonte more than 10 spots on the track because he was blocked in by Stewart following the collision with Kahne.