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.