John Sturbin 
THAT'S RACIN'
Gossage making the calls, but NASCAR isn't listening
Star-Telegram staff writer
Updating and cleaning out the notebook from Sunday's aesthetically unappealing -- that is, boring -- Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway:
Hey NASCAR, pick up the phone: Somebody at NASCAR World Headquarters in Daytona Beach needs to re-check the phone messages for Brian Z. France, the company's chairman/CEO. Because Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage says he has been trying to connect with France and some "other officials" to talk about what can be done to improve the quality of racing with NASCAR's Car of Today in the wake of Sunday's snoozer in Fort Worth won by Carl Edwards.
"I imagine they know what I'm calling about and that's why they're not calling me back," Gossage said Wednesday. "I just wanted to visit with Brian and share some of the messages I'm hearing from fans."
Gossage said he also wanted to "strongly encourage" France and NASCAR to test extensively during the five weeks leading to the Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, sister 1.5-mile track to TMS in Concord, N.C. Coincidentally, H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president/general manager of LMS, offered Wednesday to open up his Speedway Motorsports Inc. facility for testing on May 5-6.
Gossage said all the money Cup teams are spending to test at tracks not on the Cup schedule and via state-of-the-art seven-post shaker rigs obviously have not solved the handling issues experienced by Samsung 500 runner-up Jimmie Johnson, third-place Kyle Busch and others.
"If they [NASCAR] continue with what they did Sunday, everybody loses," Gossage said. "I am absolutely puzzled why they won't help themselves. That makes no sense. And before the Dickies 500 rolls around [at TMS] on Nov. 2, they absolutely have to have an open test here. Will they? I don't know. I doubt it, judging from phone calls not being returned. They've got a lot of explaining to do if they don't."
Eddie Gossage can be reached by calling 817-215... ah, you have the number, BZF.
Check off one Chevy brand: As NASCAR officials mull whether or not to introduce the COT platform into the Nationwide Series, Chevrolet officials already have eliminated one nameplate out of the Muscle Car Era.
"It won't be Camaro, for sure," said Brent Dewar, General Motors' North America vice president of field sales, service and parts. "We're launching the Camaro later this year. We've got a very iconic design with our Corvettes and Camaros. And because of the way the formula works here [NASCAR's templates], we're not going to compromise our brand integrity.
The vehicles [in NASCAR] are basically the engine packages, and we work with design differentiation. We've got to figure out how to best brand it."
Rain (tires) won't go away: Fans looking for something different during the Nationwide Series events in Mexico City and Canada should pray for rain. Greg Stucker, Goodyear Racing's director of race tire sales, said the manufacturer has not abandoned its rain-tire program.
"We've had it for road-racing since the mid-1990s," Stucker reminded. "It's just never happened that NASCAR wanted to utilize it in a race condition.
"But we have had it available and conducted race sessions with it. And we'll continue to have it available. If you look at the Nationwide Series now, they go to Mexico City and to Canada. We don't have a lot of versatility in our dates there. If we get rain, we want to make sure we can put on a show for those folks."
PIT STOPS
Massey's IHRA debut impressive: Fort Worth's Spencer Massey launched his International Hot Rod Association Top Fuel career in stunning fashion Sunday with a victory in the final of the season-opening Amalie Oil Texas Nationals. Massey, who defeated Terry McMillen at San Antonio Raceway in Marion, had earned his Top Fuel license only six days prior to securing the ride with car-owner Mitch King.
"We were just worried about qualifying, then we just looked at things one round at a time," said Massey, who covered the eighth-mile in 3.261 seconds and 256.26 mph. McMillen's rail broke after his burnout and coasted to numbers of 15.164 seconds/59.94 mph. Earlier, Massey defeated Bruce Litton and Kevin Jones, highlighted by a best pass of 3.193 seconds/264.86 mph vs. Litton.
"I have a really good team behind me and there aren't any long-term plans," said Massey, a former Top Alcohol Dragster champion of the NHRA's South Central Division. "But then again, who would have ever thought we'd leave the Texas Nationals with the points lead?" Massey leads McMillen by 19 points after the first of 11 events in the 2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Massey is scheduled to compete Friday through Sunday at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, site of Round 2 of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
Mosley video good to go: London's sleazy tabloids are having a blast with the Max Mosley sex scandal. Britain's High Court refused Wednesday to prevent the News of the World from posting a video on its Web site of Mosley, president of the Federation Internationale de l' Automobile, consorting with prostitutes. Mosley, 67, has admitted taking part in a five-hour orgy but denied any Nazi role-playing was involved. Judge David Eady ruled the paper could post a 90-second clip. "The very brief extract which I was shown seemed to consist mainly of people spanking each other's bottoms," Eady told The Associated Press. The FIA will determine Mosley's future by vote of the Extraordinary General Assembly on June 3.
Triad's chassis passes test: The chassis that saved the life of NASCAR rookie Michael McDowell during his horrifying crash at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday was built by Triad Racing Development in High Point, N.C. TRD is led by Todd Holbert -- son of champion sports car racer Al Holbert.
WHO'S HOT
Graham Rahal. The second-generation open-wheel star scored an historic victory in his IndyCar Series debut during Sunday's Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Rahal, of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, became the youngest driver to win a major open-wheel race at age 19 years, 93 days. The son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal, Graham is just the fourth driver to win in his IndyCar Series debut and the fourth rookie to win in his first IndyCar Series season.
WHO'S NOT
Kyle Petty. It certainly was awkward at Texas Motor Speedway last Friday, listening to Kyle Petty explain that it wasn't his idea to step out of the No. 45 Dodge Charger in favor of Chad McCumbee for the Samsung 500. Still, Petty refused to throw either Robbie Loomis, Petty Enterprises Inc. vice president, or father/co-owner Richard Petty under the hauler. Kyle returns to the cockpit at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend with first-time crew chief Stewart Cooper.
BY THE NUMBERS
300 Career Sprint Cup Series starts for Matt Kenseth, the 2003 series champion, when he takes the green flag for Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
575 Gallons of Sprint yellow paint required to cover the traditionally white retaining walls at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
ON THE GRID
NASCAR Sprint Cup
Subway Fresh Fit 500
Site: Avondale, Ariz., Phoenix International Raceway (tri-oval, 1 mile, 11 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 9 degrees banking in turns 3-4)
TV schedule: Thursday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 6 p.m.); Saturday, race (KDFW/Ch. 4, 7 p.m.)
Race distance: 312 miles, 312 laps
2007 winner: Jeff Gordon
NASCAR Nationwide
Bashas' Supermarkets 200
Site: Avondale, Ariz., Phoenix International Raceway (tri-oval, 1 mile, 11 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 9 degrees banking in turns 3-4)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 4 p.m.), race (ESPN2, 8:30 p.m.)
Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps
2007 winner: Clint Bowyer
NHRA
SummitRacing.comNationals
Site: Las Vegas, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (7 p.m. taped, ESPN2); Sunday, eliminations (7 p.m. taped, ESPN2)
2007 winners: Robert Hight (Funny Car), Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock)
John Sturbin, 817-390-7408
