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CNC Machining Magazine | |||||||||
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Relationships between team owners and sponsors are as healthy as ever. Team owners are quick to recognize that machine tools with the precision to support NASA’s space shuttle program are clearly capable of supporting precision driving efforts. We have plenty of reasons to feel enthusiastic and encouraged by the upcoming season, and by the fact that Haas equipment will continue to create the parts that win races and championships. Winston Cup It was a long time coming, but the first time is always the sweetest and worth the wait – just ask Hendrick Motorsports driver Jerry Nadeau (#25, below). The final Winston Cup Series race of 2000 brought Nadeau’s first-ever visit to (Winston Cup) Victory Lane. Carrying the Haas logo, the 30-year-old Connecticut native bested Dale Earnhardt by 1.3 seconds to win the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
In fact, the Hendrick trio of Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Jerry Nadeau showcased an exciting 2000 season, making their mark on the Winston Cup Series with a stat book of facts and figures that includes NASCAR records, come-from-behind victories and career-best finishes. With Nadeau’s season-ending victory, the trio combined to bring Hendrick Motorsports and Haas to Victory Lane four times. Craftsman Truck Series GMAC, a longtime member of the Hendrick family of racing sponsors, announced a comprehensive sponsorship agreement with Hendrick Motorsports for 2001 that includes involvement in NASCAR’s Winston Cup, Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck Series. During the new racing season, GMAC will be the primary sponsor of the #17 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Ricky Hendrick in the Craftsman Truck Series, as well as a major associate sponsor of the #24 Chevrolet of Jack Sprague, who closed out the 2000 series in 5th position. Dennis Connor, the all-time “winningest” crew chief in Craftsman Truck Series history, will oversee the new GMAC racing operation, which will operate out of its own separate facility. NetZero.com will assume primary sponsorship of the truck now driven by Sprague. Sprague has finished in the top 10 a whopping 89 times in his 145 Series starts to date. NetZero says it’s looking to take the #24 Chevrolet Silverado, with a lot of work and luck, to a third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. CART Champ Cars Even though Mark Blundell didn’t finish the Marlboro 500 at the California Speedway, he did go out “in style” in his last race for the PacWest Racing Group. After starting the race in 21st place, Blundell worked his #18 Motorola Mercedes-Benz through the pack to the front. On lap 128 of the 250-lap contest he executed a stunning pass to take the lead, only to suffer a major mechanical problem that ended his day. The elation in the Motorola pit as Blundell took the lead lasted only a few seconds before a plume of smoke came gushing from the back of the car and the Englishman was forced to take a line which would not leave oil in the path of his opponents.
Scott Dixon gave PacWest Racing its first title when he led all but one lap to clinch one of the most dramatic Dayton Indy Lights Championships ever at the California Speedway in Fontana. Dixon, driver of the #17 Invensys/Powerware PacWest Lights entry, went into the season finale with just a four-point lead over Dorricott Racing’s Townsend Bell, but was able to dictate the race after taking the lead on lap one. During the lead changes on laps 37 and 38, Tony Renna (Dixon’s teammate, running second) actually lost three positions, and Bell moved up to second place to put pressure on Dixon. Bell tried a desperate move on the inside of Dixon as the two approached the start-finish line for the last time, but it wasn’t enough to beat the 20 year-old New Zealander. All American Racers (AAR) Atlantic Series The 12-race, highly competitive Formula Atlantic season ended in the streets of Houston with mixed results for the young AAR team. Alex Gurney finished 8th in the Championship. He wasn’t blessed with the best luck, being knocked off the track on the first lap at Homestead and the first lap at Toronto; he also suffered four mechanical DNF’s, depriving him of gaining points toward the championship. However, there were also plenty of highlights: a pole position in Cleveland; a podium finish (3rd place) at Trois Rivieres, PEI, Canada; a brilliant come-from-behind race (from 21st to 5th) in Elkhart Lake; 3 top-five finishing positions (7 top-ten); and 7 top-five qualifying spots. The team, which was only formed a few months before the first race in Miami, worked together all year and is proud of what it has achieved in a very short time. PPI Motorsports CART Champ Cars PPI Motorsport’s 2000 Champ Car season came to an early end at the very long Marlboro 500, as both Cristiano da Matta and Oriol Servia crashed out by no fault of their own. During Sunday’s portion of the race, da Matta’s season ended after debris smashed his front suspension and the Brazilian careened into the wall. When the race was halted on Sunday, teammate Oriol Servia was running 12th – up four spots from his 16th place start. As the Monday portion of the race began, the Spaniard started his climb to the front. His charge topped out at 6th when the engine of Tony Kannan gave up the ghost and clouded the track with thick white smoke. Lost in the cloud, Servia and Michael Andretti touched wheels, ending Andretti’s day and sending Oriol hard into the wall. The Telefonica car was totaled but Servia was unhurt. Atlantic Series Many Haas accolades for the final PPI Motorsports Atlantic Team! After finishing the year with rookie sensation Dan Wheldon second in the championship and Andrew Bordin third, the final PPIM Atlantic team was recognized at the Atlantic year-end banquet for the Greg Moore Legacy Award. A surprise honor was bestowed on PPIM’s veteran Atlantic driver, Andrew Bordin. The Canadian was selected as a finalist for the first Greg Moore Legacy Award. The 24-year-old from Woodridge, Ontario, Canada, finished third in the Toyota Atlantic Championship for PPI Motorsports in his third season in the series. He collected two wins and two poles in 12 starts. Both wins came from the pole, going flag-to-flag at Toronto and the season finale in Houston. The longest non-stop, point-to-point desert race ever held – Tecate SCORE Baja 2000 presented by AutoZone – came to a surprising finish, with 70 percent of the 262 starters completing the torturous 1679.54-mile, brutal terrain of the Baja, California peninsula.
Haas’ own John Roth participated as a co-driver. For him, one big highlight was when the vehicle rolled over completely (John was aboard at the time) just past the half-way point. The rollover cost the team some time, but the truck and drivers were fine. Helping crew for the winning team was no other than Gene Haas himself.
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