Friday, Dec. 5, 2003 | 10:11 a.m.
Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 259-4089.
The bad news for Bill Elliott fans is that their favorite driver will compete in a limited number of NASCAR Nextel Cup races beginning in 2004.
The good news for local Bill Elliott fans is that one of the races in which he plans to drive is the March 7 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Elliott, a two-time Daytona 500 winner and the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup champion, on Thursday announced he would drive in "12 to 15" Nextel Cup races for team owner Ray Evernham. Rookie Kasey Kahne will succeed Elliott in the No. 9 Dodge and run a full Nextel Cup schedule beginning next season.
Elliott said he would serve as a "driver coach" for Kahne, 23, who finished seventh in the NASCAR Busch Series standings this season and won the season finale at Homestead.
Evernham indicated that Elliott would run a limited schedule for the next "two or three years" and Elliott said he was not ready to walk away from the sport after 28 years.
"I think (retirement) is going to be several years down the road," Elliott said. "The way I look at it, I might get in a Busch car next year, I might run a truck some next year, I'm going to run my dirt car some next year, I'm going run these Cup cars still some next year -- I'm going to do quite a bit of R&D development for Ray, developing the new chassis for him.
"I don't foresee myself slowing down a lot -- other than not just having the hectic schedule of running week in and week out as far as the Cup side is concerned."
Elliott said he would run the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway in February, but "probably won't run the (Daytona) 500" because "I don't want to take Ray's focus off the 500 with Kasey and Jeremy (Mayfield)." Elliott said his first points race would be the Las Vegas race in March.
Elliott, who has been named the National Motorsports Press Association's Most Popular Driver a record 16 times, said he also planned to spend more time with his legion of fans in the coming years.
"I may go run my dirt car somewhere, I may run a Busch car, I may run a truck somewhere (and) this might give me the opportunity to be somewhere that that fan might be able to meet me," he said. "We'll probably do some specialty fan events that will be a little bit different than what's been done in the past over the next couple of years.
"I'm at the point in my life that I'm getting close to 50 here and I need to slow down; I need to start doing some of the things that my family and (I) need to do. I think, for me, this is a great fit; I don't know that I could totally walk away."
BIG SHOES TO FILL: Kahne admitted that the prospect of taking over the No. 9 car that has become synonymous with Elliott's success over the years is overwhelming.
"It's a lot of pressure, really, to think about what that car has done and what Bill has done as a driver," Kahne said. "It's a huge jump, a huge step, but that's the car that they have open and that's the car they want to put me in.
"I'm just going to do the best job I can in that car but it's definitely going to be a ton of pressure to get into a car that has run so well and had Bill Elliott in it."
Elliott has earned 38 of his 44 career victories and his lone Winston Cup championship while driving the No. 9.
SAUTER LANDS RIDE: Owner Richard Childress on Thursday announced that Johnny Sauter would drive the No. 30 AOL Chevrolet next season and compete for Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
Sauter, 25, helped Childress claim the 2003 Busch Series owner's championship as part of a two-driver effort in the No. 21 Chevrolet with fellow Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick. Sauter also drove in five Winston Cup races this season in the No. 4 Pontiac for Morgan-McClure Motorsports.
"Driving for RCR and AOL in the Nextel Cup Series is just an unbelievable opportunity for me -- really a dream come true," Sauter said. "RCR has been my home since Richard took the chance a few years back and put me in that Busch car. There isn't another team I would want to race for in my rookie year."
Childress also announced Kevin Hamlin will become Sauter's crew chief, moving from the No. 31 team and driver Robby Gordon. Hamlin will bring his entire crew to the No. 30 team.
CHANGES AT DEI: Dale Earnhardt Inc. announced this week that it would run the No. 1 Chevrolet in only a few Nextel Cup races next season. John Andretti, who drove the car in 29 races this season, will pilot the car in the Daytona 500.
DEI also announced that Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr., will run a full NASCAR Busch Series schedule in 2004 with driver Martin Truex Jr. Earnhardt will drive a second car at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
Truex also will compete in five to seven Nextel Cup races next season in preparation for a move to the series fulltime in 2005.
PETTY RETAINS GREEN: Jeff Green will continue to drive the No. 43 Dodge in the Nextel Cup Series next season for Petty Enterprises.
Green posted one top-10 finish in 31 starts this season after replacing John Andretti.
BURTON STAYING PUT: Roush Racing announced that Jeff Burton would remain as driver of the No. 99 Ford in the Nextel Cup Series next season.
There had been speculation that team owner Jack Roush might close the No. 99 operation, and open the door for Burton to leave the organization, because the team has not yet secured a primary sponsor for the car. Roush Racing president Geoff Smith said Thursday that the team would field the No. 99 for Burton with or without a primary sponsor.
"My commitment to Roush Racing is strong," Burton said. "I have said all along that Roush is where I want to be and that's where I'm staying.
"Jack is committed to this team and so am I. We've built something that really means a lot. We spent last year rebuilding and we are looking to capitalize on it in 2004 and return the No. 99 Ford to victory lane where it belongs."
WILBURN OUT: Rusty Wallace confirmed this week that Bill Wilburn would not return as crew chief on the No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge in 2004.
Wallace said the situation with Wilburn "is as amicable as it possibly can be" and that Wilburn would remain with the team in an undisclosed role. Wallace was winless in Wilburn's two seasons as crew chief on the No. 2 car.
CORRECTION: The date of the final "Midnight Mayhem" event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was reported incorrectly in this space last week. The final "Midnight Mayhem" event for street-legal cars will be tonight and will mark the end of the 2003 racing season at The Strip.
The event also will feature the "Las Vegas' Fastest Female Shootout," with trophies and cash prizes being awarded to women in Import, Domestic, Forced-Induction and All-Motor classes as well as for fastest reaction time and best of show categories. Gates will open at 7 p.m. and racing will run from 8 p.m. to midnight. Admission is $10 for racers and $5 for spectators.
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