A Happy New Year (and thanks) to you

As the year of 2010 comes to an end, so does yet another year of NASCAR News And Notes being online. Started not too many years ago, this website was created based on my love for NASCAR and my dream of being apart of it. Today this website continues to grow, and thanks to you, the readers and viewers, it is something that I can be very proud of.

I would like to thank all those who have contributed work to this website, all those people who have helped me grow this website, and all the people who have stopped by this website to have a look at it. It truly means a lot to me. Lastly, thanks to everyone at NASCAR, along with its millions of fans, who make this so much fun.

As 2011 rolls in, another year of this website does too. Hopefully, it can be even better than the last.

Once again, thank you.

Happy New Year!

Travis

Tony Stewart and Teddy Bears?

(Photo credit: MATTER/Edelman for Office Depot Racing) I know what you're thinking. Tony Stewart, the rough and tough NASCAR driver, and a teddy bear? Don't worry, it's all for a good cause.

The Office Depot Foundation has recently announced its 2010 "Teddy B. Caring" holiday bear. The foundation formed by the leading global provider for office supplies and services will donate a portion of the proceeds of the holidays bear sales to assist families and children in need across the world.

The program was started in 2001 and continues to be strong today thanks to strong supporters like Tony Stewart, who encourages all NASCAR fans to participate in this great program.

Here is what the winner of the NMPA Humanitarian Award had to say about the program:

“Working with the Office Depot Foundation on its National Backpack Program is one of the most important and rewarding things I do,” Stewart said. “It’s amazing to see the look on a child’s face when they receive a new backpack and are able to head back to school with an extra boost of confidence. Every child deserves that, and I would like to encourage everyone to consider giving a Teddy B. Caring bear as a gift this holiday season in support of the great work the Office Depot Foundation does all year long.”

Initiatives supported by the sales include:
-"National Backpack Program"
-"Caring Connection"
-"Dream UP Career Exploration Program"
- "1-800 MY BIZ HELP"

The Bear costs $9.99 and is 16 inches tall.


NASCAR and it's drivers, sponsors, teams, and fans continue to show their support for great causes. This program developed by Office Depot yet again proves how NASCAR gives back to communities. It is certainly nice to see these things, especially during the off season, a time of year where NASCAR can almost be forgotten.



Editor's note: Why did I post this? I loved the picture of Tony Stewart with a Teddy Bear, and it's for a great cause.

Thanks to Office Depot Racing for the information.

18 cars on Daytona tire test list

There will be 18 cars participating in the Goodyear Tire test next week. Only four Chase drivers from 2010 will take part in the test session. The drivers are Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, and Kurt Busch.

Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, Stewart-Haas Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Front Row Motorsports and Robby Gordon Motorsports will not attend.

Other drivers include:
Brad Keselowski
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Mark Martin
Jamie McMurray
Juan Pablo Montoya
David Ragan
Paul Menard
Bobby Labonte
Reed Sorenson
Regan Smith
Trevor Bayne
Casey Mears
Todd Bodine
Brian Keselowski



Thanks to scenedaily.com for some of the information.

Dale Earnhardt Jr wins the most popular driver award for the 8th consecutive year

The NASCAR annual Myers Brothers Luncheon consists of many awards, consisting of awards for pit stops, pole awards, and many others. It even included a presentation regarding the new E15 fuel that the sport will use next year. The most talked about award had to be regarding the most popular driver award.

Guess who won?

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Didn't see that one coming, did you?

Here is what Dale Jr. said in a press release by Hendrick Motorsports.

"It was pretty cool to hear that I was eight in a row just like Bill (Elliott). I've enjoyed winning it – my fan base has stayed strong. It's become an important honor each year for me. I'm glad that fans still feel their support for me. I appreciate their dedication and loyalty."

Dale Jr. may not have had as many wins as other drivers in the past few years, but he has won over the majority of people that matter the most, the fans.

Who doesn't love YouTube?

YouTube can sometimes be better than anything on TV, especially during a period of boredom. So as the offseason is just in its first part, why not search NASCAR on YouTube.com?

Believe it or not, there can be pretty funny videos uploaded on there.

A very popular series of videos dealing with NASCAR can be found by searching "sexy NASCAR drivers," or "or not so sexy NASCAR drivers."

Now hold on, this isn't going where you think it is, unless of course you have seen the videos before.

The uploads are absolutely hilarious.

The whole theme of the videos is of drivers faces being posted on extremely funny bodies, and in extremely funny situations.

This may be offensive to some, but if you think you can handle it, and if you want to see you favorite driver(or least favorite driver) being made fun of, you will probably like it.

Here is a link of one of the videos. Other videos can be found by searching YouTube with the search words given above.

Enjoy.



Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdaw_j3uMDw&playnext=1&list=PL051908279BCB8A99&index=40

NASCAR 2010 = The Best Racing

Forget low TV ratings and lower track attendance. NASCAR 2010 has been one of the best years, if not the best as far as racing goes. The competition has been greater than ever, in every single race weekend. And if that continues, you can count on fans coming back to see more.

Not only was the season known for its "have at it boys" slogan, but it was known for its tight battle in the championship. Yes, Jimmie Johnson won, but it was one of the closest and best Chases NASCAR has ever seen.

Not to mention the other races.

There was more lead changes than ever before during the Sprint Cup races, averaging 25.4 changes.

There was an average high of 11.4 leaders in each event, the highest in history. Also adding to the great year, 55 drivers led a lap. Not to mention the 1,299 green flag passes for the lead, as well as 116,327 green flag passes in general.

Imagine being in charge of counting that.

So what does this all mean?

It means NASCAR may be in a slump as far as viewership goes, but the racing, which is really what matters, is the finest ever. If there continues to be a good show like there has been, then expect more people buying tickets.

So next time you say the racing is boring, think again. It could be a whole lot worse.


Thanks to Jayski.com for supplying the stats.

Roush Expects 3 Nationwide teams

According to Scenedaily.com, Jack Roush hopes to secure sponsorship for 3 full time teams next season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The 3 drivers he hopes to have run the full schedule are Carl Edwards, who will not be able to run for the championship because of rule changes, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a driver who has come on strong in the series as of late, and Trevor Bayne, who was let go from Diamond Waltrip Racing late in the season to drive for Roush the remaining few races.

Here's what Jack Roush had to say:

"Right now, we're still lacking sponsorship for two of our, hopefully, three programs next year. I am committed to start the year with Ricky and Trevor, assuming that we are going to be able to find the support, generate the interest in their future to make it a financially solvent program for both of them going forward."

He also says he will be willing to back them financially if sponsors do not come aboard.

"I'm prepared to make an investment myself. So we'll see how far we get."

Happy Thanksgiving!

As the season ends, and the NASCAR talk and TV shows wind down, it is important to remember all the good in our lives, and in the sport of NASCAR. We apreciate all the page views and visits to this website throughout the year, and we hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of your family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Big changes at Hendrick Motorsports

Just days after Rick Hendrick's 10th Sprint Cup championship, changes are being made to the team.

Hendrick will switch all the crew chief driver combinations, with the exception of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, effective immediately.

Lance McGrew will switch over to the number 5 team and Mark Martin. This will leave Dale Jr. needing a crew chief. He will get Gordon's crew chief, Steve Letarte. This means Gordon will get Alan Gustafson.

Not only do the crew chiefs swap, the shops do too. The previous 24/48 shop will switch to the 48/88 shop. This makes the previous 5/88 shop turn into the 5/24 shop.

Here is what Rick Hendrick said in the official team statement.

"This will improve us as an organization, across the board. We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren't where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We've made the right adjustments, and I'm excited to go racing with this lineup."

Kenny Wallace may run for his brother's Nationwide team in 2011

Kenny Wallace has spent the previous few years driving for low quality equipment teams, struggling to just stay alive in the sport as a driver. He didn't just want to be known as Kenny Wallace the TV guy, he wanted to be known as a race car driver as well. He also recently mentioned that he wanted to be involved with a team that can make him run better every race he runs, even if he didn't run all the races.

He many now have that chance.

According to Larry McReynolds during the SPEED Nationwide qualifying session at Homestead(and thanks to the assistance of Jayski.com), Kenny hopes to drive for his brother, Rusty Wallace, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in a limited schedule.

Kenny Wallace recently got a chance at running a Rusty Wallace Racing car this year at Gateway. No other details have been mentioned.

Yesterday, it was announced that Michael Annett would drive for the team as well next year, replacing Brendan Gaughan.

PRISM Motorsports not to shut down?

After news that PRSIM Motorsports, which is owned by Phil Parsons and Randy Humphrey, would shut down(see our blog about that here) Randy Humphrey has stated, according to Jayski.com, that the team will not shut down. Here is what Jayski.com said in an update upon the story:

"Team owner Randy Humphrey says Prism Motorsports is not closing and are working on their 2011 plans.(11-20-2010)"

There have been no other updates since. We will keep you posted if there is anything else.

Nationwide Series plans not to be announced until January

During a press conference at Homestead Miami Speedway, NASCAR Chariman Brian France answered many questions, but created many new ones. He left many questions left to be answered, including ones about the Chase format for next season as well as the championship format and other rule changes regarding the NASCAR Nationwide series.

Some of the series issues have been about Sprint Cup drivers participation in the Nationwide series. Many argue that cup drivers should be limited in points, number of races, or both. France addressed the situation and gave some hints about next season. He said any decisions would be announced in January.

"We want to see the Nationwide Series have its own identity, very similar to what college football does for the NFL," NASCAR CEO Brian France says. "We don't want to see Sunday and Saturday just completely homogenized. So we want to see Cup involvement absolutely. Fans want to see that. We also want to make sure the Nationwide Series is helping us find stars that stay there for a little while." (USA Today).

What changes are to be made, is still left to be seen. However, it appears NASCAR continues to look over every possible idea.

Gaughan to Trucks, Annett takes over Nationwide car.

Brendan Gaughan will continue to race in the number 62 South Point Toyota in 2011. However, it will not be in the NASCAR Nationwide series. According to Dave Moody, Gaughan will drive the 62 Toyota in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series next season, driving for Germain Racing.

Rusty Wallace Racing also has announced that Michael Annett, will drive the Nationwide number 62 car next season, sponsored by Pilot Travel Centers, a long time supporter of Annett.

Next season will be Annett's third season in the Nationwide series. He has no wins in the series yet, however, he has won two race in the ARCA series.

Newman's have baby, PRISM shuts down, Kahne to have surgery

Ryan Newman and his wife have welcomed in a new member to their family today. Their new baby girl, Brooklyn Sage Newman, and her mom are both doing great according to a tweet by Ryan Newman.

Also, PRISM Motorsports, owned by Phil Parsons and Randy Humphrey, will shut down at the conclusion of the season. The team is known for fielding the 66 car as well as the 55 car(Toyotas) for the majority of the races. They were usually a start and park team.

And Kasey Kahne will have surgery on both his knees following Homestead. He will be sidelined from the race car for 6 weeks, according to doctors. Kahne claimed the operation was "no big deal." He will not be behind the wheel at the Goodyear tire tests at Daytona in the offseason, but will be behind the wheel at the start of the 2011 season.

400 starts for Matt Kenseth

Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth will be achieving yet another milestone in his career this weekend at Homestead: 400 career Sprint Cup series starts. Since his first race in Sprint Cup Series competition, Kenseth has scored 1 cup series championship, 18 wins, 117 top fives, and 167 top 10 finishes.

Kenseth hopes to finish off the season with a high note, making it win number 19. He has not won since 2009.

Kenseth will run chasis RK-704, which was last raced at Martinsville where it finished 15th.

Dear ESPN, do what SPEED does, please

Over the weekend, the NASCAR On SPEED Camping World Truck Series team put together a great telecast as usual. As and added bonus, fans got to experience something they don't usually see, online live video access. This wasn't just streaming like we saw miraculously worked out for the Sprint Cup race, this was NASCAR.com's RaceBuddy.

Yes, good ole RaceBuddy, who us fans usually only see for 6 races a year with TNT. However, Turner Sports(which owns NASCAR.com) made an agreement with SPEED to somehow have a form of RaceBuddy for the final three truck races.

To say it was successful is an understatement.

Not only was the telecast nailed by the SPEED team, but fans were able to use the RaceBuddy feature as a tool to get more of a satisfying experience with the race. Four different camera angles showed racing all over the track, whether it was shown on TV or not.

The point here is that if this feature is added to the Sprint Cup series all next season and beyond, expect a huge sky rocket with NASCAR. NASCAR would make a comeback like you wouldn't believe, and everyone would benefit. Remember, this is the 21st century, so it's time for change.

As of right now, we are probably going to be lucky enough just to get online streaming of races, as Turner Sports and ESPN are in intense negotiations for races to be streamed on NASCAR.com. As of last weekend, there was a live stream of the Cup race. Will there be one this weekend? Who knows?

The saga continues......

NASCAR Penalizes Kyle Busch, And A Opinion

NASCAR Penalizes Kyle Busch For Actions At Texas Motor Speedway



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 9, 2010) – NASCAR has fined Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, $25,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for his actions during last Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing – inappropriate gesture and verbal abuse to NASCAR Officials) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.


Opinion
I personally believe this is hogwash !
Everyone in racing especially Nascar has got to understand the emotions of a driver when he is penalized
And then to get penalized for a action that was spur of the moment ,justly uncalled for, but one that should be expected with high energy drivers or any other sports figure.
Will Jeff Gordon ,while on the race track itself ,attacks a fellow driver actually laying hands on him be penalized ,at all ?.I ask you what would you consider the worse offense?.
Nascar needs too recind this penalty now or justly penalize Jeff Gordon too.
Paul Denton

NASCAR :TEXAS STYLE

By Paul Denton


Hell did you think you were watching a real Nascar event finally ,after 33 great races Texas takes them all on and proves what Texas style means.

Jimmie Johnsons pit crew acting more like the Beverly Hillbillies changing a tire until Chad "FIRES" them and puts Jeff Gordons crew in to replace them , and they prove the reason why they are called the best .The morale around the water cooler tonight will be subdued and most likely fighting mad because of that embarrassment,and for the record bad call they will never be the same.

Talking about Jeff Gordon [were we ?] It looked like fight night Nascar Style after Jeff Burton rams Gordon and destroys both cars ,Gordon walks the walk and slams Burtons chest and the shuffle starts until broken up by officials Burton admits fault but beware JB, Gordon will take this with him to drivers heaven as always..

Kyle Busch spun out then did a fast exit and was called back then he did a no no in his pit box, gave a Nascar offical the "finger" and got penalized two laps .So Kyle did what every driver has wanted to do and they will secrectly send him flowers and candies to be there secret Nascar driver of the year ,in any event Kyle wondered out loud about freedom of speech hee hee Kyle -it's Nascar ,theres no such thing .

Well I dont know, I actually got excited watching todays race ,how about you .

Oh yeah Denny Hamlin wins and takes over points lead putting Johnson in 2nd and Harvick in 3rd place All three still contenders ,two more race s left -Here we go loop de loop

New NASCAR Video Game - What NASCAR Needed

On September 29th, 2010 the official announcement was made about the next NASCAR video game, something that has been absent for quite some time.

Activision along with Eutechnyx announced the multi-year agreement with NASCAR to distribute multiple NASCAR games over the next few years. The first of them will be "NASCAR The Game 2011," coming out just days before the 2011 Daytona 500.

EA Sports covered the NASCAR games for years, but lack of interest from EA eventually led to the end of the partnership. Their final game was NASCAR 09.

For years, there was uncertainty around NASCAR fans and gamers about when or if there were to be a new NASCAR game in the near future. Just about a year ago, rumors began to spread.

People began hearing that Activision was currently designing the next NASCAR game, but there was never any more confirmation. There was just the same old rumors that only seemed the exist on forums.

About three months ago, rumors began to pick up. A popular NASCAR rumor website, Jayski.com, discovered of the rumor, which led to even more speculation.

Then, the announcement came. There would finally be a NASCAR game.

Within days, it was a big topic within NASCAR. The same week of the official announcement, the show NASCAR Raceday on SPEED showed fans the first ever trailer. Great graphics along with a well put together piece increased the excitement. Fans began following the official social media sites for the game in bundles, allowing Eutechnyx to interact with NASCAR fans nicely, answering loads of questions along with trying to put requested features into the game by the time the game would be released.

So far already, based upon great screen shots, wallpapers, videos, and even pod casts answering the questions of fans, Activision and Eutechnyx have proven this game will be better than any NASCAR game of the past. They may not be perfect to start with for the first game, but they have many years to constantly improve the games, plus the ability to update the games after buyers purchase it. The racing game company has done their homework. There is a good chance this will be a good relationship for fans, Eutechnyx, and NASCAR.

NASCAR needs as much exposure as they can get. This has been one of the problems with NASCAR, according to many. This video game will expose NASCAR to more than just NASCAR fans, but to the entire public.

Activision and Eutechnyx, welcome to NASCAR.

Note: Here are some website dealing with the game:
Official Site: http://nascarthegame.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASCARthegame
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NASCARTheGame

Twitter of one of the game developers: http://twitter.com/davet_etx
Twitter of Community manager: http://twitter.com/baker011
_____________________________________________________________________
Thanks to the official site for the image.

Carl Edwards gives a surprise to fans at Texas

After the NASCAR Nationwide Series O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway, the fans waited for the celebration of the race winner, Carl Edwards. And they knew what was coming. Or did they?

Carl got out of his car, stood in front of the crowd at Texas, and did his back flip. Just like normal.

Except...

There was a little extra surprise waiting for the fans.

Edwards proceeded to the flag stand to pick up the checkered flag, and then it happened.

He went through the gate and into the stands.

Not only did he just go on the other side of the catch fence, he walked up the stairs into the grandstands, high fiving members of the crowd, even giving hugs to others.

He also said he should probably do that more often.

There's a marketing strategy for you Bruton Smith.

What Carl did was amazing, and he deserves as much credit as he can get for it. NASCAR is in an era where attendance isn't all that great, but if more drivers did things like Edwards did today, I wouldn't be surprised at all if more people sat in those seats.

Fans are what make NASCAR live, without them there would be nothing. So it is important those fans get some thanks, even if it is just a high five.

Allgaier part of Turner 2011 lineup

On Friday afternoon Turner Motorsports, which purchased most of the assets of Nationwide Series team Braun Racing recently, announced its driver lineup for Nationwide Series competition in 2011.

Among the organization's 2011 Nationwide driver lineup is Justin Allgaier, who was told by current team, Penske Racing, that there would be no Nationwide Series ride for him there next year as a result of team sponsor Verizon pulling out of NASCAR competition.

Allgaier is slated to be the full-time driver of the team's No. 31 car next year. That car will be part of a four-car Nationwide Series lineup. A No. 30 car will be shared by Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher and Jason Leffler. Leffler will also share driving duties in the team's No. 38 car -- a ride he'll share with Kasey Kahne. Reed Sorenson will drive Turner's No. 32 Nationwide Series entry.

To read more, visit NASCAR Nationwide Series Examiner.

Sadler goes Nationwide racing with KHI in 2011

It seems like months have passed since Elliott Sadler proclaimed that he wouldn't be returning to Richard Petty Motorsports No. 19 ride in 2011. Sadler made the announcement of his departure from the team, despite not having a ride lined up for next year.

It looks like Sadler has found a permanent home for 2011, but not in the Sprint Cup Series. Instead, he'll be heading to the Nationwide Series to drive full-time for Kevin Harvick Inc. KHI is expected to make an official announcement regarding Sadler's hiring on Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.

Aside from his driving duties in RPM's No. 19 Sprint Cup car this year, Sadler has been competing part-time in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series on the side. His Nationwide Series starts this season have come from behind the wheel of JR Motorsports entries, but he's competed in the Truck Series this season in KHI rides. He won a Camping World Truck Series race for Kevin Harvick Inc. earlier this season at Pocono Raceway.

To read more, visit NASCAR Nationwide Series Examiner.

Photo of Elliott Sadler courtesy of NASCAR Media.

With driver's title in the bag, Keselowski tries for Penske owner's title

With his 2010 Nationwide Series driver's title all but locked up (he only needs to finish 21st or better Saturday), Brad Keselowski can shift his focus in Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway to capturing the first NASCAR national owner's title for team owner Roger Penske. Heading into this weekend's race, Keselowski's No. 22 team holds a 71-point deficit to Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 team, with primary driver Kyle Busch.

"Regardless of how this season turns out, I'm proud of this team," Keselowski said. "To come out of the box like we have with a brand new team is pretty remarkable."

Gaining owner points on Busch and the No. 18 team won't be easy. Busch comes into Texas with five-consecutive wins. He's going for a sixth-straight Texas victory this weekend to take sole possession of a series record he currently shares with Dale Earnhardt and Jack Ingram. Earnhardt posted five-consecutive victories in Nationwide competition at Daytona International Speedway, and Ingram accomplished the same feat at South Boston Speedway. With six in a row, Busch will best the two.

To read more, visit NASCAR Nationwide Series Examiner.

Photo of Brad Keselowski by Amanda Vincent

Bowyer's 2010 Chase not a total loss

Of course, nobody can change history, but sometimes it’s fun to play what if. What if “wrecker-gate” never happened, and Clint Bowyer wasn’t docked 150 points after New Hampshire—the first race of the Chase?

On the surface, just by adding back the 150 points he lost near the beginning of the Chase he’d be sitting fifth in points, 217 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Instead, in the real world, he finds himself mired back in 12th, 367 points out of first with only three races remaining before the end of the season.

And who knows, had the debacle following New Hampshire Motor Speedway never happened, Bowyer may have found himself even higher in points—maybe even a serious championship threat heading into the final three races. After all, Bowyer and the No. 33 team seemed distracted for a couple of races while fighting the NASCAR penalties—first to the National Stock Car Racing Commission, and then to the Commission’s Chief Appellate Officer. Without those distractions, the team could have garnered several more points to place Bowyer even higher in the driver points standings and closer to points leader Johnson. Just 10 more points added to the 150 and he’d be tied with Jeff Gordon for the fourth spot at this point in time.

Of course, bygones are bygones, and Bowyer, nor team owner Richard Childress, for that matter, can go back and change the past. The RCR team must move one and salvage what they can from the 2010 season.

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

Photo of Clint Bowyer by Amanda Vincent

Friends gather at Darlington to remember Hunter

Friends, family and NASCAR's elite converged on Darlington Raceway on Tuesday to pay respects to NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter, who passed away on Friday night after a year-long battle with cancer. Hunter was 71.

"Jim Hunter was one of NASCAR's giants," NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said. "For more than 40 years, Jim was part of NASCAR and its history. He loved the sport, but loved the people even more. It seems as if everyone in the sport called him a friend. Jim will forever be missed by the NASCAR community. Our sympathies go out to his entire family."

Hunter worked in motorsports, both as a newspaper reporter and a public relations representative. He covered NASCAR as sports editor of the Columbia Record, reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, columnist for Stock Car Racing magazine, and as author of several racing books.

To read more, visit Cup Series News & Notes.

Photo courtesy of NASCAR Media.

KHI, RCR join Nationwide forces

When it comes to Nationwide Series competition, Kevin Harvick will join forces with his Sprint Cup Series car owner, Richard Childress, in 2011. On Thursday, Kevin Harvick Inc. announced that the organization will field Nationwide entries with an assist from Richard Childress Racing. The cars will run under the KHI banner, with chassis, engine and technical support coming from RCR. RCR will not field a Natiownide Series entry next season.

"This alliance will help both of our race teams," Harvick said. "Richard and I have discussed this opportunity for awhile, and we thought, at this point, both programs would really benefit from this new structure, since the Nationwide Series new cars will be so similar to our Sprint Cup cars."

To read more, visit NASCAR Nationwide Series Examiner.

Photo of Richard Childress and Kevin Harvick courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Bayne to make Cup debut at Texas

NASCAR Nationwide Series regular Trevor Bayne has been on the move lately, moving from Diamond Waltrip Racing to Roush Fenway Racing. After a couple of races getting used to his new Roush Fenway surroundings, a new challenge for Bayne was revealed -- his Sprint Cup Series debut. Wood Brothers Racing recently announced that Bayne will be behind the wheel of its legendary No. 21 car for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 7.

"It seems a little surreal right now, but it's just an awesome opportunity to get in this No. 21 Ford," Bayne said. "The Wood Brothers have such a history in the sport, and it's great to get to become a small part of that."

To read more, visit Cup Series News and Notes.

Photo of Trevor Bayne courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Waltrip back in race car for Talladega

Michael Waltrip may not be behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup car week in and week out, but he's not completely retired. One kind of racing brings the driver out of his semi-retirement a few times a year -- restrictor plate racing. The Sprint Cup Series goes restrictor plate racing for the fourth and final time this season on Sunday with the Amp Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, and Waltrip will once again climb into a No. 55 car.

"If the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series raced every weekend at Talladega and Daytona, I'd still be driving full-time," Waltrip said. "That's how much I like those tracks and restrictor plate racing."

From the start of his Cup career in 1985 until he stopped competing full-time at the end of the 2009 season, Waltrip posted four-career wins, all coming at the restrictor plate tracks of Talladega and Daytona International Speedway. He has three wins at Daytona and one at Talladega, coming in 2003.

To read more, visit Cup Series News and Notes.

McCumbee in TRG's No. 71 at Talladega

Chad McCumbee returns to Sprint Cup Series competition this weekend when the series takes to Talladega Superspeedway for Sunday's Amp Energy Juice 500. He'll be behind the wheel of the No. 71 car of TRG Motorsports.

"I'm both proud and excited to drive for ModSpace (his sponsor for the weekend) and TRG this weekend in Talladega," McCumbee said. "It's a blessing to get back into the Cup garage and compete with the best drivers in the world. I'm looking forward to getting to Talladega and putting together a solid performance for everyone."

This weekend's Talladega event will be McCumbee's second Sprint Cup start of 2010. He finished 42nd at Pocono Raceway in June. For the most part this season, McCumbee has been competing in the ARCA Racing Series. He comes into this weekend's race with nine career Sprint Cup Series starts on his resume, but none at Talladega.

To read more, visit Cup Series News and Notes.

Photo of Chad McCumbee courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Top-three Chasers bring similar stats into Talladega

With only four races to go in the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup, counting Sunday’s Amp Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Speedway, three drivers have pulled away somewhat from the rest of the Chase field and set themselves apart as the true championship contenders heading into the final stretch of races to decide this season’s champion—Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick.

As has been commonplace the last few years, Johnson heads into this final stretch as the championship points leader, with Hamlin in second and Harvick holding down third. The three, along with the rest of the Sprint Cup competitors, face what is most certainly the biggest wild card of the Chase—Talladega—on Sunday. Anything can, and more often than not does, happen at Talladega Superspeedway.

If you overlook Talladega’s unpredictability and take a look at statistics, these top-three drivers are pretty evenly matched heading into Sunday’s race at Talladega. Johnson and Harvick each have a win at the Alabama track. They also each have four top-fives there and their Talladega top-10 tallies are just one apart—Harvick with eight and Johnson with seven. Hamlin is lagging behind just slightly with no wins and one fewer top-five with three.

They also each have their own kind of momentum heading into Talladega. Johnson is the points leader and is the reigning champion four times over, Hamlin comes into this weekend as the most recent race winner, and Harvick heads into Sunday’s race as the most recent winner at Talladega.

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

If Francis comes, McGrew must go

Okay class, it's time for today's math lesson. Today we will be learning about crew chiefs.....
Okay, so we all know that Kenny Francis is expected to be going to Red Bull racing next year with Kasey Kahne. Now, you know what happens when you assume, but I think it's pretty safe to say that Kahne will be joined at Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 with Kenny.
Okay, now time for math.

There is a 4 team limit for each Sprint Cup team.

There will be 4 drivers in 2012 at Hendrick Motorsports.

There then has to be 4 crew chiefs.

There are 3 crew chiefs signed on for a multi year crew chief position.

So, who's the guy left out?

Lance McGrew.

So, as long as Dale Earnhardt Junior stays on board at Hendrick in 2012, and Kenny Francis joins the team, that means that one crew chief has to go. This would have to be Lance McGrew.

So, for all the fans wanting Lance McGrew to be replaced as Dale Jr's Crew Chief, this might be a good sign for you.

Now the question is when? Wouldn't it be better now than later?

Okay class, don't forget your homework. It's on the number of times Jimmie Johnson can win a championship.

RPM looks to be on life support with possibly no relief in sight

Did Kasey Kahne’s departure from Charlotte Motor Speedway during last Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 signal the beginning of the end for Richard Petty Motorsports? The turmoil the organization is going through at the present time has been brewing for months, but Kahne’s actions on Saturday and then his parting ways with the team—unexpectedly to fans and others outside the RPM situation—on Wednesday night did definitely shed light on RPM’s plight.

Things started to look at least a little negative for Richard Petty Motorsports when three of its four drivers seemed to one by one look to jump ship. Kahne announced that he was leaving the team to ultimately drive for Hendrick Motorsports in 2012, via a one-year stop at Red Bull Racing in 2011. Then Elliott Sadler announced he wouldn’t be returning to RPM next season, even though he didn’t have another ride lined up. Paul Menard followed suit soon after, announcing that he was heading to Richard Childress Racing at the end of the season.

Of course, Sadler didn’t seem to be wanted by the organization, anyway. The team tried to let him go awhile back, but Sadler threatened a lawsuit to stay, since he was still under contract. Now that the contract is running out, Sadler seems more than happy to pack his bags and look for employment elsewhere.

Maybe these three drivers saw the writing on the wall and opted to get out before it was too late. Kahne, whether it was his decision or RPM’s, couldn’t even wait until the end of the season to escape. He’s beginning his stint with Red Bull Racing this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

Photo of the No. 9 car by Amanda Vincent

McReynolds hopes to make Nationwide Series debut at Gateway

Brandon McReynolds, son of NASCAR on Fox broadcaster and former Cup Series crew chief Larry McReynolds, hopes to make his Nationwide Series debut Saturday in the 5-Hour Energy 250 at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis. He'll be driving a No. 42 car for Team 42 Racing Dodge, owned by Eddie Smith.

"For someone like myself, who has made my living and spent my entire life in the sport of NASCAR and other forms of racing, I can't put into words what it means to have my son competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race this weekend at Gateway International Raceway," Larry McReynolds said. "I am so thankful that people like Eddie Smith are able to recognize all of Brandon's talent, and I'm thrilled to see his first start this weekend."

Brandon McReynolds isn't guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday's race. Instead, he'll have to get his car in on time when Nationwide Series qualifying is held on Saturday morning (airing 10:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2).

To read more, visit Nationwide Series News, Notes & Rumors.

Photo of Brandon McReynolds courtesy of ARCA

Childress hopes crew swap will help title run

With Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 looking to be Richard Childress Racing's only shot at the Sprint Cup championship this season -- even though all three teams are in the Chase -- team owner Richard Childress made a crew swap with the hope that it'll improve the No. 29 team's performance in the final five races of the season.

"Those (pit road) issues have been addressed, and I believe everything will be fine this week," Harvick said during a press conference at Martinsville Speedway on Friday. "Richard made some huge changes this week."

The huge changes Harvick was referring to includied swapping the pit crews between the No. 29 team and the No. 33 team of driver Clint Bowyer, who is 12th in the Chase and out of championship contention.

To read more, visit Cup Series News and Notes.

Photo of No. 29 car courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Edwards, Keselowski battle to become last winner at Gateway

When the Nationwide Series takes to the track Saturday afternoon for the 5-Hour Energey 250, it'll mark the final NASCAR event at Gateway International Raceway -- at least for the foreseeable future -- as track officials opted not to seek NASCAR sanctioning for 2011, citing financial difficulties.

Saturday's race will be the second Nationwide event of the season for Gateway, with the earlier race playing host to a showdown between points leader Brad Keselowski and second-place Carl Edwards. Edwards wound up winning that duel after controversial contact with Keselowski and heads into this weekend looking to not only sweep Gateway for the season, but also to prevent Keselowski from clinching the series championship with three more races to go after Saturday's race.

To read more, visit NASCAR Nationwide Series Examiner.

Photo of Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski from their visit to Gateway earlier this season courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Kahne gone from No. 9 car sooner than expected

On Wednesday evening, Richard Petty Motorsports announced that it was parting ways with driver Kasey Kahne, effective immediately. Kahne announced months ago that he would leave RPM at the end of the season for a ride with Hendrick Motorsports to begin in 2012. Plans for 2011 has the driver piloting a car for Red Bull Racing.

Kahne's contract with RPM expires at the end of the season, but the organization opted to release him immediately, according to Wednesday's announcement. Current Camping World Truck Series competitor and part-time Nationwide Series driver Aric Almirola will drive RPM's No. 5 entry in Sunday's Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Almirola was already scheduled to be at Martinsville this weekend, as the Truck Series competes at the same track on Saturday afternoon. The team is still searching for a driver to run the remaining four races on the Sprint Cup Series schedule.

Almirola was also expected to drive Red Bull's No. 83 car in the Sprint Cup event this weekend. With Almirola moving to the No. 9 and Kahne being slated as a Red Bull driver next season, Kahne is expected to be in the No. 83 car Sunday. Brian Vickers began the season as the regular driver in the No. 83 but was forced out of the car by treatment for blood clots. Vickers is expected to return to the team for 2011 to be a teammate to Kahne, and Scott Speed, current driver of Red Bull Racing's No. 82 entry, is assumed to be the odd man out with the organization.

To read more, visit Cup Series News & Notes.

Photo courtesy of NASCAR Media.

The No. 9 team needs to just hit fast forward and skip to 2011

Often times when drivers announce moves to different teams for the next season before the current season is over, or teams announce that their going to make driver changes during the offseason before the season is even over, drivers and teams alike insist that the plans for the upcoming changes will not hinder focus and efforts for the remainder of the season in progress. But are they really being honest with their fans, employees, etc., or themselves, for that matter?

The facade of “business as usual” for the remainder of the year with the No. 9 team at Richard Petty Motorsports developed a crack, or maybe even a downright hole, during the Bank of America at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

The Charlotte saga started with brake problems on the No. 9 car that resulted in a wreck that sent Kahne to the garage. As the team made repairs to the car, Kahne claimed he felt ill and left the racetrack. With its regular driver gone, the No. 9 team turned to J.J. Yeley to climb into the car to make laps once the car was repaired.

Was it a coincidence that the No. 9’s “gone at the end of the year” driver got sick while his team made repairs, or was this a case of a driver fed up and just not caring anymore, since he’s only with said team a few more weeks, anyway?

Truly, that’s something that I guess only Kahne knows the real answer to.

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

Photo courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Brad Sweet ready for Nationwide Series debut

USAC driver and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series part-timer Brad Sweet is scheduled to make his Nationwide Series debut in the Five Hour Energy 250 on Saturday at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis. He'll be behind the wheel of the No. 11 Great Clips entry of Braun Racing/Turner Motorsports.

I'm looking forward to making my Nationwide Series debut in the great Clips Camry," Sweet said. "I've seen what Great Clips has done for Kasey (Kahne) in the Nationwide Series, and I've really enjoyed working with them in the Truck Series."

Sweet's regular gig is driving a Kasey Kahne-owned USAC midget. In that ride, he sits eighth in the 2010 USAC National Midget Championship points standings. He has also made eight starts in the Camping World Truck Series, driving an entry for Stringer Motorsports with backing from Great Clips.

To read more, visit Nationwide Series News, Notes & Rumors.

Photo of Brad Sweet courtesy of Stringer Motorsports

NASCAR makes switch to E15

Over the weekend, NASCAR announced that it would make the move to a more environmentally friendly E15 fuel in all three national touring series -- Camping World Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup -- in 2011. All three series will run the new Sunoco Green E15 fuel, an ethanol blend.

"The fuel that we have chosen and the fuel that was ultimately developed by Sunoco is going to be cleaner burning," NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said. "It's going to be actually, from a performance standpoint, we're actually going to be better. I'm told the drivers will have a little more horsepower and so on."

According to France, though, the move was actually made to be more environmentally responsible. The added performance in horsepower just happens to be an added perk.

The new fuel will be a domestically-produced one, coming mainly from the Midwest.

To read more, visit Cup Series News and Notes.

Photo of Brian France courtesy of NASCAR Media.

HALL OF FAME :SHAME ON LOSERS

10/15/10
HALL OF FAME :SHAME ON LOSERS


Shame on the losers But ,who was the loser .?
. It seems to me this class of inductees were taken from the roots of Nascar .The original people that really gave us the racing as we know and so love today
To call someone a loser or complain as Darrell Waltrip did that he wasnt choosen makes no sense at all . There is only room for five inductees a year and to honor the "old timers" of this great sport is just a natural phase that took place and should have .To say there shouldve put all the champions in first then all the drivers with the most wins makes like diddy people, a inductee like Bud Moore would never be elected and he was a very important part of "making" Nascar as it is today.
So to all of you that didnt get in ,youre "new" !Lets honor our history first.
Even the first pick of inductees went overboard when Dale Earnhardt was put in ,even thou he died ,as others have' he is [was] "new"
So get over yourselfs you will get in but in the mean time there are so many people that helped start this sport we cannot overlook them just so you will be satisfied.
Paul Denton
Racing Hellonwheels

McMurray right at home at Earnhardt Ganassi

Jamie McMurray may not have made this Chase this year, but does that mean his 2010 season is a bust? After all, most competitors would love to have the type of season McMurray has had so far in 2010. He started the year by winning the Daytona 500—NASCAR’s marquee event. To top that off, around mid-season, he claimed victory for the second time in 2010 by winning the Brickyard 400 at the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

With those two wins, McMurray has come a long way in the last year. Remember, it was just a year ago that the Joplin, Mo., driver seemed to be struggling to keep his head above water and getting lost in the shuffle somewhat at Roush Fenway Racing. With NASCAR’s four-team cap that the five-car team was forced to abide by come 2010, it was no surprise at the end of last season that McMurray was the odd man out at the organization.

After being notified of his termination at Roush Fenway, McMurray didn’t know if he’d have a job in 2010, but a salvation of sorts came in the form of his former boss, Chip Ganassi. McMurray had started his Cup career with Chip Ganassi Racing but left the team for what, at the time, looked to be the greener pastures of the Roush Fenway shop.

Upon his arrival at the Roush organization, McMurray just never seemed to fit in. Maybe that’s because he was overshadowed by the likes of former Cup champion Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and Carl Edwards. Someway, somehow, Roush Fenway Racing just never seemed to be the right fit for McMurray and vice-versa.

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

Photo of Jamie McMurray courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Who will be the next inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame?

On Wednesday, the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting committee will get together once again to vote on the second class of inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. One ballot is already determined, as it’ll contain the result of the fan vote that wrapped up last month on NASCAR.com. As for the other ballots cast, at least some of the names on them look to be up in the air.

Of the 25 men nominated for induction this go around, only one of them seems to be a shoe-in—David Pearson. Pearson was expected by many to be among the five inaugural nominees, but instead, the place he was expected to fill went to Junior Johnson.

The first class of nominees that was announced last fall and officially inducted earlier this year was much easier to predict. After all, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt were considered certainties, with Petty being NASCAR’s all-time win leader and he and Earnhardt being the only two drivers with seven Cup titles. Also, Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. were expected to be part of the first class. France Sr. was the father of the sport, of sorts, creating NASCAR and getting it off the ground, and France Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps and brought NASCAR into the modern era.

This time around, though, the inductees are harder to predict. With the shoe-ins, except for maybe Pearson, going in with the first induction, it’s hard to tell who’ll make up the second class of inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

Chevrolet claims eighth-straight manufacturers' title

With Tony Stewart's win of the Pepsi Max 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, Chevrolet clinched NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series Manufacturers' Cup.

"I'm glad to get Chevy the Manufacturer's Championship and to lock that up today," Stewart said after his win on Sunday.

The manufacturer has visited Sprint Cup Series victory lanes 16 times this season, with driver Jimmie Johnson leading the way for Chevrolet drivers with six victories. Kevin Harvick has three wins this year, Jamie McMurray and Stewart each have two, and Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Clint Bowyer have each contributed on win to Chevrolet's cause.

To read more, visit Cup Series News and Notes.

Photo courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Childress gets penalties reduced in last chance hearing

After losing an appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Commission last week regarding penalties his No. 33 team was handed following the Sept. 19 Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, car owner Richard Childress stated his case to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook on Tuesday.

Following the New Hampshire event, Childress' No. 33 car, driven by Clint Bowyer was taken to NASCAR's Research and Development Center near Charlotte for further inspection. Upon that inspection, the car's placement on the chassis was discovered to not be within NASCAR's guidelines, as specified in the 2010 NASCAR rule book.

As a result, Bowyer was originally docked 150 driver points and Childress lost 150 owner points. Crew chief Shane Wilson was fined $150,000 and placed on suspension for six races. Car chief Chad Haney was also suspended for six events. Last week, the National Stock Car Racing Commission upheld NASCAR's penalty.

To read more, visit Cup Series News and Notes.

Photo of the No. 33 car courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Should Chasers be treated differently?

Unlike in other sports where playoff participants don’t have the non-title contenders to deal with, competitors in NASCAR’s playoff—the Chase for the Sprint Cup—still have to race with and around other drivers/teams that they’ve been competing against all season long. With that being said, should Chase drivers get or expect special treatment from the non-Chasers they’re sharing the race track with? After all, non-Chasers are looking to log race wins too.

In the 10 races that make up the Chase, on-track incidents that earlier in the season probably wouldn’t garner much attention from those not involved end up being scrutinized in the Chase if they involve a Chase driver. Case in point—the contact between non-Chaser David Reutimann and Chase competitor Kyle Busch during the Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway this past Sunday.

Early in the race, Busch made contact with Reutimann—contact that Busch claimed was unintentional and caused by his inability to check up with Reutimann’s car got loose. Unintentional or not, and Busch being a Chase driver or not, Reutimann believed that a move of retaliation was in order. Several laps later his move of retaliation was carried out as he intentionally hit Busch, causing his car to scrape the wall and eventually finish the race in the 21st position.

After Reutimann’s retalitory move, Busch radioed his crew saying that if NASCAR didn’t penalize Reutimann, there was was going to be a meeting after the race. To my knowledge, the meeting never happened, but the series of events prompted an official statement from Michael Waltrip Racing the following Monday saying:

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

Toyota claims third-straight Nationwide manufacturer's title

With Joey Logano's win Saturday of the Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kansas Speedway, Toyota clinched its third-straight manufacturer's title in the series. This year's Nationwide title marks the seventh manufacturer's championship for Toyota in NASCAR competition since it's entry into the sport via the Camping World Truck Series in 2004.

"Toyota's accomplishments in the NASCAR Nationwide Series are the result of countless hours of hard work and dedication by all our race teams and engine builders working in conjunction with TRD (Toyota Racing Development) USA," TRD President and General Manager Lee White said. "All the race team members and everyone at TRD spent countless hours in producing the new Nationwide Series car for this year, along with maintaining the superior performance of our existing cars."

To read more, visit Nationwide Series Examiner.

Photo of Kyle Busch courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Kenny Wallace, Brian Scott have heated discussion via Twitter

Kenny Wallace seemed to unintentionally set off a Twitter war between himself and fellow-NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brian Scott earlier this week. The Tweet from Wallace that set Scott off:

“MY THOUGHTS. . Trevor Bayne is a good driver, He will get a ride Imediately! . . Brian Scotts dad is wealthy he will BUY a ride Imediately. .

Wallace’s tweets were in response to announcements this week that both Bayne and Scott were parting ways with the teams they had driven for this season, up to that point.

Not long afterward, Scott tweeted back with this response:

“Jees @kenny_wallace thanks for all the kind words. . . Not! You should maybe give me a chance or get to know me first. . . Your choice.”

On some level, Wallace may have brought up an interesting—and disturbing to some—trend of some drivers seeming to buy their way into national level competition. But Brian Scott?

Whether or not Scott’s family has money and whether or not that money played a part in helping him reach the level he is currently competing at aside, at least Scott seems to have the talent to make the best of the opportunity the money may or may not have gotten him.

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

A look at NASCAR's appeals process

The turn of events following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway a couple of weekends ago that led to Clint Bowyer being docked 150 driver points, Richard Childress Racing losing 150 owner points and crew chief Shane Wilson being fined $150,000 and placed on probation for six races have sort of brought NASCAR’s appeals process into the spotlight.

As is often the case when penalties are handed down by NASCAR, especially penalties of this magnitude, Richard Childress Racing is appealing NASCAR’s decision to the National Stock Car Racing Commission. The appeal is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday.

The Stock Car Racing Commission, or NSCRC, is an independent board that hears appeals to NASCAR penalties. It’s made up of 32 volunteer members from various motorsports backgrounds, including track presidents, former drivers, former car owners, and even a few people from racing series other than NASCAR.

The Commission has a formal outline for how appeals are brought to the NSCRC and heard, which is described in section 14 of the NASCAR rule book. Anyone slapped on the wrist with a NASCAR penalty who wants to appeal it has 10 days of being notified of the penalty to do so. The penalized party seeking appeal is required to hand deliver the request for appeal, along with a $200 hearing fee, to the Commission Chairman.

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

It's Official: NASCAR TV Coverage Sucks

Well, well, well.

After a season that has proven in the past never to leave the TV set with only a few laps to go, fans began to tune in or continue watching the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover. Would there be a caution? Would Jeff Burton catch up the Jimmie Johnson? The answers to those questions were about to be answered.

And then.......

"I trust them, and you can too." ..... "Nationwide is on your side!"

Whew. That's a relief. For a second there, I thought that we wouldn't get to see another commercial with Dale Jr. and his family. I love those!

Yeah, that's right, a commercial. Perhaps you didn't know this however, as you may have turned off the TV with annoyance to the tremendous amount of commercials during the entire race before the ending. And, for the record, I wouldn't blame you.

Here's what some fans had to say on Twitter:

Thank God for MRN on Sirius and RaceView so a person can keep track of the race.

(DoriCRNP)

My favorite part was when I started to watch 20 to go and saw 6 laps on Knauss and JJ only with a feature #FAIL #ESPN

(davidevertsen)

And some from The Daly Planet

How are you going to go to commercial in the last 10 laps? ESPN went from trying to be the best at coverage to the worst! First time fans tune in to see the start and finish, not the middle of the race. Pick up your game! I'll be happy when NASCAR on Fox comes back.

(JJfan1993)

Thank goodness it's over! I thought this was a very boring race as presented made worse by retarded booth monkeys. I would have left and gone for a motorcycle ride except for the rain. If the racing and coverage continues like today, I will find something else to do.

(OSBORNK)

Others have said this--but having commercials during the last 10 laps of green flag racing is just a slap in the face of Nascar fans. It looked like they even had to cut the last one short to get back before the checkered flag. Who wouldn't want to see the Earnhardt's talking about their insurance company for the 1000th time rather than real racing? Who makes the decision when to go to commercials? Were their extra spots to show because there were fewer yellow flags than expected?

(Annonymous)

I was stunned they went to a commercial break as well. I am done. It's football season anyway.

(Annonymous)

These were just some of the comments made by the fans. There's no question that there is a problem here. Fans tune in everyweek to watch a race. And when it seems like they are tuning in to watch commercials with race breaks, it proves something needs to be changed.

Fans have suggested ESPN and INDY car style "side by side" commercial breaks, and others have just suggested fewer commercials. Some fans suggest that the announcers aren't bringing in excitement, or that the right people aren't in the right place.

The root of the problem is just about everything mentioned above. However, the commercial issues are in deep need of being solved.

No matter what happens on track, the ratings seem to constantly go down, while the complaints go up. As a fan of the sport, I have somewhat kept my mouth shut about issues with TV coverage, however within the past few weeks, it has seemed to bother me more and more.


The racing is better than ever, so something needs to be changed with the TV coverage.

I don't think there is much doubt about that anymore.

Now, just hope that something is changed by 2014. Because if nothing is changed by 2014, there won't be much to negotiate about as far as TV contracts are concerned.

Dover Weekend Notes(Constantly Updated)

Hamlin's comments on Bowyer's penalties:

"They should be happy they're even in the Chase at this point. They were warned, and they were warned before Richmond. Everyone in the garage knows that. They're the ones who wanted to press the issue and get all they could to make sure they got into the Chase. They got in it, and then they got busted when they kept going with it."

(SBNation/NASCAR)

- Clint Bowyer's comments:

"You always want to win races. You're very proud to win races and I'm still proud of that win. I don't believe that we did anything wrong. I guess I'll go on record and say that, first and foremost, in my opinion. I want my fans to know that.

There is a lot of integrity that goes into this sport. I'm damn proud of being a part of this sport. I love this sport and I wouldn't cheat to win a race in this sport. We have a lot more integrity for myself and our race team at RCR. Hopefully I only have to do this once.

I woke up about 6 o'clock this morning, which is uncharacteristic for me. I just grabbed a notebook and wanted to make some notes. You know, for myself and for you guys. I know a lot of you guys have a lot of questions; trust me, there are a hell of a lot of questions that I have, too. And I'm going to go through them. I like to have facts when something like this comes down. I've got a timeline of facts.

I'm going to start with number one: We were warned after Richmond that the car was too close to tolerances.

Number two: We were told by NASCAR they were taking the car after New Hampshire, no matter what; first or 43rd.

Number three: The car passed pre- and post-race inspections at the race track.

Number four: Monday, the rumors started about all this and in my opinion, forced NASCAR's hand to do something about it.

Number five: Wednesday came and it was a 150-point fine.

And the sixth thing, and at least an answer, you know, I'm looking for answers too. There are several things but one of them is a two-ton wrecker pushed me to victory lane.

I'm going to elaborate on them. I think the first one (is) we were warned that both sides of the car were high after Richmond. Both sides. After the race in New Hampshire, after it got back to the Tech Center or whatever they call that place, just the left side was high. I think this shows that we definitely had it fixed; something within that race happened.

Number two: After being told that they were taking the car, we made double sure before it went to New Hampshire that that car was right. Who in their right mind, knowing that they're going to take that car, wouldn't have made triple sure that thing was right before it went to the race track?

I could have hit the wall doing a burnout, I could have done a lot of things that other drivers have done and that other teams have done in a post-race celebration this year. I didn't. We didn't want to push that in NASCAR's face. We appreciated them warning us on the fact and we tried to fix the situation. They told us about that situation Wednesday. On Wednesday the car leaves. We had about two hours to jump on that car and make sure that thing was right.

And number three: The car passed pre- and post-race inspection, and three days later get such a huge fine? They take the car apart – completely apart – to measure this thing and in my opinion that's not the way the car was raced on the racetrack. I think that's something to be said.

Number four: Once the rumors started it wasn't long before the penalty. I think NASCAR has a lot of problems with a lot of cars on the racetrack being out of the box and I think they needed to set an example with something.

Number five: I don't think the penalty fits the crime. Sixty-thousandths of an inch, folks. Grab a quarter out of your pocket (holds up a quarter). That's sixty-five thousandths of an inch thick. Less than the thickness of that quarter right there resulted in a 150-point fine. Before or after this, grab that and ask yourself if that was a performance-enhancing thing right there.

And the last thing, my question is, is it possible that a two-ton wrecker could bend the quarter panel of this thing sixty-thousandths of an inch? You have to ask yourself that. I got hit during the race, turned a couple of times; racing is tough. Now if this thing was knocked out a half of an inch, I could see something being made. But if it passed the height sticks afterwards, the very height sticks the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) did not pass, then miraculously enough when that same pit crew pushed it back around after 20 minutes it passed, that was pretty amazing. You know it passed those same sticks.

And, you know, my dad owns a towing business and has since I was born in 1979. I know a little something about wreckers. About 15 years ago they took them push bumpers off the front of them for this very reason. I remember back when people used to come (during) a snow storm and (say), 'Please, push me out of the snow bank.' You push them out of the snow bank and two days later they'd show up with a body shop bill in their hand, wanting you to pay the body shop bill for the damage you did to the back of their car. This could happen. That's the only question I had for you guys (media) is to ask yourselves if it is possible for that to happen. That's all I've got to say.

I'm angry about the whole thing. This tarnished my win. It's something you're very proud of. I'm very angry about it. I'm angry for my fans for our sponsors. I'm angry about it. I think that there are a lot of things a lot of people don't know about, media included, and I don't understand it about as much as you do. So I found myself all week, instead of celebrating a win, trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about. The rumors, in my opinion, I truly believe that these rumors forced their hand in making a decision.

I think NASCAR does a great job of policing and maintaining common ground. Look at the racing. Now last year and the last two years, when an organization was as dominant as were, do you think they had something up on the competition? This year it's as close as it's ever been. I think it's pretty damn good racing on the race track. I think it's the best as we've had since this car was put into inception. So, I think they do do a good job. I respect the fact that what they have to look at each and every week.

My personal opinion, I don't like the R&D Center. I think what you bring to the racetrack is what they inspect. And, you know? Three days later the car the car (is) completely taken apart from something that you haven't even raced. I mean it's a completely different vehicle, you know? You take the suspension off the thing; these are all components that bolt on. It ain't a decal you took off. These things are bolted on and could interrupt the way the car is measured. How can that possibly be kept in the same box?

So I think there is a lot of cars that are close to being on the out-of-the-box side. I think that's what crew members and crew chiefs are paid to do and you know, yeah; I do think there are a lot of cars that are very close. I think they do a good job. I appreciated the fact that they warned us, you know? That's why we tried to fix the thing. That's why we did fix the thing before it went to New Hampshire so this wouldn't happen. Not to rub it in their face and say well you know what you're talking about, we're going to continue to do this and don't think you're going to do anything about it. I mean you've got to appreciate this sport and respect the sport and we darn sure did and it bit us in the rear for it.

Like I said, if any of you guys or anybody else think I won that race because not the quarter panels are high; not because the splitter is this much higher; because of some measurement that nobody even understands in this room or watching on TV, if that won me that race, I would gladly give it back to them. We won that race on fuel mileage is what it ended up being. If you want to start looking at something, look at our fuel cell. How could the quarter panels have won that race? I'm proud of that win. I am proud of giving General Mills their first win in this sport. They've sponsored this sport for a long time and that was a good win for all of us.

Had they looked at the car before? Probably. That is the thing about the R&D Center that I don't like. It's, it's...who knows. You don't know. To answer that question, I don't have a clue. (RCR officials) were down there at one part of the inspection. I don't know if it was the part that mattered or not. I do know, one other fact, the left rear quarter panel was split. The bumper cover from the quarter panel, the rivets were pulled out of it and the rear quarter panel was kinked. You know. We have a picture of that. I know that if it was hit hard enough to have split that...like I'm saying, it wasn't a half of an inch. You are talking less than the thickness of that quarter right there. Could it have moved it that much? I would say that was my only explanation of the whole mess.

They just acted like that was...their mind was set before the wrecker even came into the picture. You know, I mean, that was the thing. When I told you guys earlier this week that I show up on Friday with my helmet and Friday to Sunday is my job, anything that happens to those cars Monday through Friday, I don't really know about. I mean, I found out about it after the fact. I'm the one after the crew came to me and said 'Well, somehow that car is high again', I said "Did you tell them that there was a semi pushing the thing after the race?' That is a Freightliner. I wasn't a car. It wasn't a pace car pushing it around there, it was a Freightliner.

I feel like we were warned. We were told they were going to take the car. We had no reason to take that thing there out of the box. We knew they were taking that car and we knew that was our good shot at winning the race and it didn't matter whether we finished 43rd or won. They were going to take that car and they were going to look at it.

And after being warned, if it was out of the box again, they were going to penalize us. They already told us that. Why in the hell would you take a car to the racetrack knowing that they are going to take the car and they are going to penalize you if it is out of the box?

We fixed the problem and that is the only reason I am defensive about this. Richard (Childress) grabbed everybody, I'm telling you it was an ugly meeting after that warning. This isn't something that was taken lightly. He took everybody involved with that thing from the fabrication shop to me to Mike Dillon...everybody. Scott Miller, crew chief and it was a butt-chewing and it was a make sure, make damn sure that car passes tech when we go. I'm telling you, everybody did that. That is why I am defensive.

I apologize for coming in here and being stern. This isn't me. This is completely out of character for me. I don't like being in this situation. But if it paints you into the corner you've got to be able to react to it. Does it take away? I'm sure it does. I apologize to Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton and everybody at RCR for that very reason. This is something that shouldn't have happened; something that's completely complicated. I think there is about probably 80 percent of the people in the media and everywhere else that don't understand what the infraction even was."

(SBNation/NASCAR)

Saturday:

1:50 ET- Round 2 of practice starting, the 1st practice for Saturday was pretty interesting, no doubt about it.

1:55- Practice underway, Logano fastest right now.

2:00- Top 5: 20, 33, 56, 47, 43

2:09- Same top 5, 6th through 10th: 12, 17, 16, 9, 42

2:10- Practice not televised, but FOX SPORTS has a good live leaderboard to follow along. Works really good.

2:23- Kurt Busch moves to 8th, Biffle and Kahne round out top 10. Montoya now in 11th.

2:40- Big gain for Jimmie Johnson. Moves into 7th. He was around 30th for most of the session. Top 10: 20, 33, 31, 17, 56, 47, 48, 11, 43 42. A lot of movement in the closing minutes.

End of practice: 20 33 31 17 56 47 11 48 43 42