Lowe's out of Lowe's Motor Speedway?

Reports say that Lowe's has decided not to renew its naming-rights deal at Lowe's Motor Speedway after this year, ending an 11-year relationship that began as the first racetrack naming-rights sponsorship. After more than a year of renewal talks, the home improvement retailer informed Speedway Motorsports Inc., the track's parent company, of its decision within the last two weeks, industry sources said. The initial 10-year, $35 million deal ran through 2008 and last year the two sides agreed on a one-year extension through 2009 when they could not finalize a long-term deal. Talks continued this year, but the two sides have not been able to reach an agreement. Sources said it's not inconceivable for Lowe's to change its mind, given that five months remain on the current deal and the unpredictable nature of the economy, but such a change of heart is considered unlikely. Barring a late agreement with Lowe's or the signing of a new corporate partner, the track is expected to go back to its former name, Charlotte Motor Speedway, in 2010. Industry sources say that SMI initially came to the table asking for close to $9 million annually, and while that number dropped over the course of their discussions, the two sides could not come together. There were other factors. Lowe's must also consider its future with driver Jimmie Johnson, who has won three straight Cup championships and stands as the sport's most dominant figure. The Lowe's deal with Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports expires at the end of 2010 and those renewal talks are expected to begin later this year. Industry sources say that Lowe's will be expected to pay a hefty increase to maintain its position as the only primary sponsor on Johnson's #48 car, which is uncommon in this time of co-primary and "tri-mary" sponsorships on a car. The most expensive sponsorships go for the mid-$20 million range annually. Lowe's also is navigating the recession, which has struck the home improvement and building sector especially hard. Lowe's earnings fell 22% in 2008 and 60% in the final quarter of the year. Officials from Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Lowe's insist they are still talking in the wake of a report that the home improvement chain is ending its sponsorship of SMI's flagship track. SMI president and CEO Marcus Smith said both sides are still negotiating and that he remains confident a deal will be completed soon. "We're still working on and discussing the components of another extension to continue our relationship," Smith said. "Those components have not been finalized, but the process is moving along." Lowe's spokeswoman Chris Ahern said there was "nothing to report" about the nature of the company's talks with the track. SMI owner Bruton Smith, in Kentucky for this weekend's IndyCar race at Kentucky Speedway -- which is owned by SMI -- could not be reached for comment.

Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2010

Kyle Busch discussed his interest in being a team owner in one of NASCAR’s top series “down the road.” From what we are hearing, “down the road” might mean 2010. There have been rumors in the past about Kyle Busch either buying out current Truck Series owner Billy Ballew or starting his own team from scratch. Busch has been driving trucks for Ballew since the 2005 season, and it is widely known that he is not paid by BBM and takes none of the winnings. Now it appears that Busch could be competing against Ballew next season. Next door to the AeroDyn Wind Tunnel in Mooresville sits a 60,000 square foot race shop under construction. According to Iredell County records, the $2.4 million facility being built by LB Builders is a race shop for Kyle Busch. Just to give you a comparison on how big this new shop is, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s facility for JR Motorsports is 66,000 square feet. Word is that Busch’s new organization could have as many as two and half Truck Series teams and possibly a Nationwide Series team. Drivers being talked about for the two full time Truck teams include CWTS Champion Johnny Benson and the up-and-coming Brian Ickler. Busch himself may be in a third truck part time. No word on who may drive the Nationwide car.

New Ford Engine in the Works

Brian Wolfe, the director of Ford Racing Technology, said the new Ford engine will take to the track in anger very soon. Before the Chase begins. The exact timing of rollout will be determined by the teams which will use it. He is promising no miracles for those teams. "We've really struggled this year, you know that better than I do, after the first two races. Some bad luck, then probably some missed setups and we got some issues going and we haven't had the wins. While the engine has tested well and appears to do what Ford wants it to do, teams will have to figure out how it affects other areas of performance. Areas like aerodynamics. Its improved cooling capabilities will allow teams to tamper with front downforce by using less tape on the nose. Some in the Ford camp have balked about using the new engine this year. Those would mostly be teams which appear headed to the Chase. Wolfe said he understands their concerns and will not pressure those teams to use the new engine.

Jack Daniel's may not return to the #07 in 2010

Jack Daniel's, sponsor of the #07 Chevy that Casey Mears drives, has until Sept. 1 to inform Richard Childress Racing of its status for 2010. Some people in the NASCAR marketing circle say that Jack Daniel's will not be coming back full-time next year, so do they become an associate sponsor on the other RCR cars or go elsewhere? That decision will determine if there will be a fourth team at RCR next year. Certainly expanding to four teams has depleted the organization as a whole because Mears' team was a testing team last year. Childress needs to decide if he wants to field four teams or have three Cup teams and one testing team. Supposedly Mears signed a multi-year deal with RCR before the start of the 2009 season.

50,000+ Expected For Inaugural Race At Iowa

Inauguration Day is filled with expectations. High drama, large crowds, great excitement. Race fans in Iowa are expected to turn out in record numbers on Saturday when the NASCAR Nationwide Series runs its debut race at Iowa Speedway. An additional 25,000 temporary seats have been installed at the track, bringing the seating capacity to 55,000, which would make the crowd the largest in Iowa racing history. The opportunity to win the first NASCAR national series race at the track is incentive enough. But to add to the intrigue, there’s a $75,000 “Dash 4 Cash” bonus on the line to the winner if he’s an eligible driver in the program installed this year by Nationwide Insurance. This may be the first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa, but it won’t be the first time NASCAR has raced at the .875-mile oval located in the farming community of Newton. The NASCAR Camping World Series East and West have raced there over the last three years, and many of the drivers entered have competed in those combination series races — with outstanding results. NASCAR Nationwide Series standings leader Kyle Busch (No. 18 Pizza Ranch Toyota) won from the pole in May. His protégé, Brain Ickler (No. 32 Dollar General Toyota) was second and Trevor Bayne (No. 99 Aarons Dream Machine Toyota), who won his first NASCAR Nationwide pole last week at O’Reilly Raceway Park, was third. In 2008, Ickler beat Kasey Kahne; Austin Dillon (No. 2 High Point University Chevrolet) won the pole and finished sixth. In the first NASCAR race held at the track in 2007, Joey Logano held off two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Kevin Harvick (No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet) for the win; Harvick captured the pole. Some have put up strong finishes at Iowa in other series — Steve Wallace (No. 66 USFidelis Chevrolet) won from the ARCA pole in 2006, the first race at the track designed by his father, Rusty. Michael Annett (No. 15 Northland Toyota), the hometown favorite from Des Moines, won the pole there in his first ARCA race in 2007 and finished third. Justin Allgaier (No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge) was second in the 2008 ARCA event while Matt Carter (No. 61 Specialty Racing Ford) won the pole and finished fourth. Not to be forgotten among the pomp and circumstance of this event, though, is the true inaugural NASCAR national series race in the Hawkeye State. In 1953, Herb Thomas won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Davenport Speedway.

RCR Ship Sinking

So far this season, employees at Richard Childress Racing were told to take pay cuts, increases in out-of-pocket insurance costs and a reduction in 401-(k) retirement fund matching payments. Sources close to the team said there is much unrest internally because at the same time RCR employees are tightening their belts, their team owner is doing costly renovations to his homes in Montana and Daytona, purchased a new helicopter and graced his garage with a new $100K Corvette for himself and new high-end Mercedes-Benz for wife, Judy. The last two seasons, RCR has placed all three of its cars in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, but right now, none of the team’s four cars is in the top 12 in points. “Well it’s a little bit of chaos at the moment, there’s no question about it,” said Jeff Burton, the former Roush Fenway Racing driver who now drives for RCR. “I think everybody would admit to that. We haven’t had the results that we need to have. Whenever you’re not having results, the pressure gets turned up. That’s the way it is right now. There’s a huge effort to go and do things differently and change things and through that there creates a great deal of problems.” Kevin Harvick, who reportedly has asked out of the final year of his contract with RCR, declined to say whether he was leaving the team or not. “We’re focused on this weekend,” Harvick told several inquiring reporters.

RPM downsizing? Sorenson out?

Rumors persist that Richard Petty Motorsports will shrink to three cars in the next few weeks, with A.J. Allmendinger moving to the #43 Dodge, replacing Reed Sorenson, and the #44 team being shut down. People ask why, simple, money. Dodge stop its support of all its race teams and Richard Petty Motorsports have hurt greatly from this. Both the #44 and #43 has some sponsorship dollars behind them but not enough for the full season. No word on when this will happen (if at all) or if the team has laid off employees.

Crown Royal to Sponsor #17 in 2010

Roush Fenway Racing announced Tuesday that Diageo, parent company of Crown Royal, has renewed its multi-year sponsorship. Crown Royal will serve as the primary sponsor for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 Sprint Cup team at 18 Cup events in 2010. "I'm excited about teaming up with Crown Royal," said Kenseth, one of only five drivers in NASCAR history to win the Sprint Cup rookie of the year award, a Sprint Cup Championship and the Daytona 500. "I worked with Diageo’s Smirnoff ICE brand back in 2003 and we developed a great relationship. They were a part of our championship season and we were able to take part in a lot of really cool promotions and events to promote messages associated with responsible drinking. I’m really looking forward to representing Crown Royal and continuing that great work." “It’s a pleasure to welcome a champion like Matt back as our partner,” said Dan Sanborn, Sr. Director, Corporate Relations for Diageo. “Through our earlier relationship with Matt in 2003, and as the Crown Royal IROC Champion in 2004, we have experienced great success together over the years. We look forward to extending that relationship and having Matt represent one of our biggest brands both on-and-off the track.” Diageo has been a partner of Roush Fenway Racing dating back to 2003 where Kenseth was first paired with the Smirnoff Ice Brand. In 2005, Crown Royal entered the sport as sponsor of the No. 97 team and in 2006 became sponsor of Jamie McMurray and the No. 26 team. “With the conclusion of the contract arrangement with Crown Royal, Roush Fenway Racing’s Sprint Cup driver lineup will see Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan joining Kenseth to round out our four approved entries. We are still hoping to be able to transfer the No. 26 team, intact, to Yates Racing in order to keep everyone employed and racing within the Ford community."

Ford to run Mustang in Nationwide

Mustang is already the most successful single nameplate brand in professional racing history, but it hasn't competed in NASCAR, until now. Brian Wolfe, director of Ford North America Motorsports, made the announcement today that Mustang will debut as part of NASCAR's "new car" limited rollout in the 2010 Nationwide Series. Ford Racing has gone through the official NASCAR submission and approval process for the new car, and, once templates are finalized, production of Mustang parts will start so teams can build the first cars for testing later this fall. Ford Racing Communications Manager Kevin Kennedy told Sirius Speedway Tuesday that the new NASCAR Mustang will be more stock-appearing than the Sprint Cup Ford Fusion, adding that the appearance of the car was at the top of Ford MotorCo's wish list. While declining to comment on the direction Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota might make with their versions of the new Nationwide car, Kennedy confirmed that NASCAR would like to make the series a pony-car/musclecar-based platform. Statement from Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President, Competition: "We had a very productive meeting this morning (Tuesday, July 28) with the team owners from the NASCAR Nationwide Series about the rollout schedule for that series' new race car. "In the days ahead, we will digest what was discussed today and make a final decision on the rollout for next season with full anticipation of integrating the new car for the entire 2011 schedule."

Ron Hornaday: Making History One Race At A Time

It is no doubt that Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Chevrolet) continues to be one of the most dominant NASCAR Camping World Series drivers this season. His win last Friday at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis was one for the record books. He became the first driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to collect four consecutive wins, a feat that has been accomplished numerous times in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and only once by Sam Ard in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 1983. In 13 races this season, he already has five wins and has finished outside the top 10 only twice, at Dover in May and at Texas in June. At age 51, Hornaday’s fifth win also ties him with Harry Gant and Joe Ruttman for the most wins in the same season by a driver over the age of 50. Looking to this weekend, Hornaday remains winless at Nashville, one of eight tracks at which he has yet to make it to Victory Lane. In four starts at the track, he has two top-five finishes including a runner-up in 2007. The only time he finished outside the top 15 was in 2006 when he was involved in an accident that ended his run before the scheduled 150 laps. Hornaday also has his eye on that Gibson guitar trophy. “I’ve been so close to winning at Nashville,” he said. “In 2007, we had the thing won but ended up missing it by just a little and finished second. I went by (artist) Sam Bass’s studio a few weeks ago and he showed me his guitar collection. It was very impressive and I told him that I really wanted to win one of his specially- designed guitars.”

Brickyard 400 Back in 2010

The NASCAR race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will have a new name next year. Or, more likely, an old one. Allstate announced that it would not renew its title sponsorship of the race, which ran for the fifth time Sunday as the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Speedway spokesman Ron Green said a replacement won’t be sought and the race will revert to its original name as the Brickyard 400. “We weren’t actively or aggressively looking for a title sponsor when we landed Allstate,” Green said. “They were looking to do something and it just made sense at the time. If someone were to come along again, certainly we would listen, but this event does not need a sponsor to be financially successful.” Terms of the IMS-Allstate deal never were made public, but track president Joie Chitwood said at the time it was announced it was on the “high end” of race sponsorships, which would put the number well into seven figures annually. Allstate refused to pay an advertising premium required by ABC/ESPN and so its name was not used during Sunday’s telecast. The network struck a separate naming rights deal with a restaurant chain and billed the race as the “Brickyard 400 presented by Golden Corral.” Attendance Sunday was estimated at 180,000, off about 20 percent from last year, but in a statement Allstate officials said their decision wasn’t based on that. “When we looked at all of our business results,” said Pam Hollander, Allstate’s director of sponsorships and promotions, “they were just stronger in other properties.”

Crown Royal to #17 in 2010, Only 18 Races

Hearing that Roush Fenway Racing will announce sometime this week that Crown Royal will sponsor the #17 Ford of Matt Kenseth for approximately 18 races in 2010, replacing DeWalt. The other 18 races will probably be 2-3 other sponsors. Crown Royal had sponsored the #26 for 25 races in 2009 with Irwin Tools on the car for 11 races and Sears for 2 races. No word if Irwin Tools or Sears will move over to the #17 in 2010. In 2009, the #17 car has also had USG sponsor the car for 3 races, Carhartt for 4 races and R+L Carriers for 4 races. More than likely these sponsors will be back in 2010 but it is unknow for how many races.

Montoya was Over 5mph Past Speeding Limit

#42-Juan Pablo Montoya was well on his way to winning the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. He had the field covered, including winner #48-Jimmie Johnson and runner-up #5-Mark Martin. But Montoya was caught speeding on pit road with 26 laps to go. On his final stop, Montoya came in a little too hot, not once, but twice. NASCAR officials made the call, meaning Montoya would have to go down pit road again for a pass-through penalty. After the race, Sprint Cup director John Darby had the specifics about Montoya's double no-no. Pit road has eight zones where the speed is measured. The speed limit in the pits at Indy is 55 mph. NASCAR gives the drivers a 5 mph cushion. Darby said Montoya was caught over the cushion in Zones 2 and 4. Officially, the speed was recorded at 60.06 mph in Zone 2 and 60.11 mph in Zone 4. "And he was already pushing it," Darby said. "He was over 59 miles per hour in most of the other zones." Montoya's big boo-boo caused him to fall back to 12th. He finished 11th.

Roush plans at least three full time teams in 2010

Roush Fenway Racing co-owner Jack Roush said Saturday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park he intends to field at least three full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series teams in 2010, including one each for young drivers Colin Braun and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Also, in addition to a full-time team for Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards, Roush said he is in negotiations with Paul Menard to run a fourth full-time team. "We're not ready to announce who is going to be our sponsors, but we're definitely in the middle of the discussions with them," Roush said. "I made the decision, rather than wait for the sponsor, that mine and [team co-owner] John Henry's investment in the sport next year - hopefully, we'll have adequate for our Cup programs - that I'm going to invest in Colin and Ricky and do what we can to give them a nice start."

Breakthrough Near For Earnhardt?

Dale Jr.'s troubles have made headlines for so long this season that they are no longer news. By all objective measures, the 2009 season has been a colossal disappointment for Earnhardt and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard weekend started awfully, too.But there may be light at the end of the tunnel.After suffering through some type stomach bug or 24-hour flu on Friday, on Saturday Earnhardt qualified third for the Brickyard race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. More importantly, perhaps, he did so in the first new car that interim crew chief Lance McGrew has built for him. Maybe, just maybe, better days are ahead for Earnhardt, who hasn’t finished in the top 10 for 10 consecutive races and is 21st in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings. And while Earnhardt no doubt benefitted from a favorable early draw in qualifying, there was no question that he’s feeling extremely positive about the latest addition to the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS fleet. He’s also feeling much better physically, although he will have Brad Keselowski standing by as a relief driver if needed on Sunday.For now, though, it’s full speed ahead.“It's been a good weekend for us,” said Earnhardt. “Lance built a brand new car to bring here. He's really excited about it, has been talking about it for the last couple weeks, about how excited he was to bring it here, looking forward to see how it would work. Seems to be doing really good.”According to Earnhardt, his Hendrick squad is making progress since McGrew came aboard as interim crew chief at Dover International Speedway in late May.“We are doing better,” Earnhardt said after qualifying third at IMS on Saturday. “We are seeing some signs of improvement. The team's mentality and everybody's personality, including myself, has turned around for the better. We just still have a little ways to go. We still have some work to do and still have a lot more to achieve.” One of the biggest improvements, Earnhardt said, has been in his communications with McGrew, at least relative to the often angry and chaotic mid-race exchanges he frequently had with his cousin and former crew chief, Tony Eury Jr.

McMurray is 'Free to Look Around' for a Ride

Roush Fenway Racing has informed #26-Jamie McMurray he is free to talk to other organizations about next season, team president Geoff Smith said on Sunday. But Smith said that is not an indication Roush doesn't want the driver of the #26 Ford associated with the organization in 2010. Smith said Roush is willing to move any of its five drivers with sponsorship to partner Yates Racing next season if that would maintain the current Ford stable. He said most of the drivers are willing to do that, understanding they will be in same equipment with the same technology. The problem is convincing sponsors to move to what is perceived as the "B'' team. UPS, for example, is committed to keeping David Ragan at Roush. "It's not moving apples to apples,'' Smith said from the garage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR has mandated that Roush be at the four-car cap by 2010. Roush currently has five drivers, McMurray, Ragan, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth. Although Edwards, Kenseth and Biffle signed extensions last season, Smith is not opposed to moving one if that keeps all within the Roush/Yates umbrella. "We would be open to any combination to keep them,'' he said. McMurray is considered the most likely to be moved because his contract expires after this season. Smith said it did not make sense in this economic climate to re-sign him to a long-term deal without sponsorship commitment. Crown Royal, which sponsors a portion of races on McMurray's car, has two years left on its contract. Smith didn't rule out that could be moved to Kenseth's car if necessary. Roush announced earlier this week that DeWalt, Kenseth's long-term sponsor, will not return in 2010. Smith said sponsorship for that car would be cleared up soon. McMurray avoided conversations with the media on Friday and Saturday. He reportedly has been contacted by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing as a candidate to fill the spot being vacated by Martin Truex Jr. in the #1 Chevy. McMurray drove for Ganassi from 2000 to 2005, in the Nationwide series and in the Cup series.

Gordon won't have second procedure on back

Jeff Gordon says he has decided not to have a second procedure to deal with an achy back and instead will try to deal with the pain. The NASCAR star said Saturday during qualifying for Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the first procedure didn't help much and he doesn't see the point in having another injection of anti-inflammatory medication. The four-time series champion has been dealing with a sore back for several months but ruled out surgery because it was too invasive. Instead he will continue to focus on a series of stretching exercises and physical training in hopes the condition will improve. Gordon has had pain for years in his back but with no testing over the winter, his bodywas getting used to not driving a stock car.

Cup Recap: Brickyard

Johnson Wins Third Race, Tires Hold up, Montoya Speeds on Pit Road and loses Biggest Race of his Life.

Jimmie Johnson might not have had the fastest car here Sunday for most of the race. Nonetheless, his car was fastest when it counted the most-- the last 25 laps of the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. Johnson ran behind race leader Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin until Montoya received a pass-through speeding penalty during a late race pit stop. That put Montoya back in the pack and another caution a few laps after a restart compounded things for the man who led 118 of the 160-lap distance. Starting from 12th, Montoya improved his position by one spot to finish 11th. The race was left for Martin, who took the lead shortly after the final restart with 25 laps to go. Johnson, however, had other ideas and zipped past his Hendrick Motorsports teammate a lap later and held Martin off to the end. It made it back to back wins for Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe's team, a first for this race. NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader and two-time champion Tony Stewart finished third with Greg Biffle fourth. Brian Vickers was fifth in the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota and Kevin Harvick was sixth. Kasey Kahne was seventh, David Reutimann was eighth, four-time champion Jeff Gordon finished ninth and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 10. Montoya was 11th and rookie Joey Logano was 12th. The 43-car field didn't complete a lap before Robby Gordon spun in turn four. Elliott Sadler drove onto pit road while his crew searched for a possible oil leak. On the restart at Lap 3, Montoyaput some daylight between himself and the field, signaling he might have the Chevrolet to beat on a beautiful summer day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After all, Montoya certainly knew the way to victory lane at this shrine, having won the Indianapolis 500 in a Chip Ganassi machine the only time he ran it back in 2000. After a routine round of green flag pit stops between laps 40 and 45, Montoya still led with Martin second. Stewart was third. Kyle Busch brought out a caution on Lap 58 and slammed into the outside wall. He drove his car into the garage area and parked it even though he had been running in the top 10. The day was looking pretty gloomy for Gibbs Racing with both Busch and Denny Hamlin's Toyotas in the garage with problems before the halfway mark of 80 laps. On the restart on Lap 63, Montoya took the lead again with Martin in tow. Vickers was next in front of Biffle. Johnson and Stewart followed with Earnhardt behind them. Reutimann was eighth, Kahne nine and Gordon 10th. On Lap 70, former Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish, Jr. got sideways and banged the Turn 4 wall, ruining his chances for the day. At halfway, 80 laps (200 miles), it was Montoya, Martin, Vickers, Johnson, Stewart, Biffle, Earnhardt, Reutimann, Kahne and Gordon in the top 10. Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick were next at the time. (Nascar Media)

N'wide: Edwards Muscles Past Busch For The Win At ORP

Carl Edwards passed Kyle Busch with 22 laps to go Saturday night at O’Reilly Raceway Park and went on to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Kroger 200. Edwards had the dominant car after starting from the rear of the field because he missed qualifying to participate in a practice session for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Edwards led twice for 72 of the race’s 200 laps but lost the lead with 30 laps to go under caution. Edwards’ No. 60 Ford was pinned behind Scott Wimmer’s Chevrolet in the pits, and Edwards mistakenly put his car in the wrong gear. Busch led coming to the green flag on Lap 174, but Edwards battled him hard and finally made the pass for the lead on Lap 179. Busch finished second, with Matt Kenseth third as double-duty drivers swept the top-three positions. Brad Keselowski finished fourth, with Steve Wallace fifth. Ron Hornaday Jr., who won Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series race at ORP, finished sixth. Polesitter Trevor Bayne, Jason Leffler, Wimmer and Kenny Wallace completed the top 10. Bayne, 18, won his first career pole in just his seventh series race. Bayne and Steve Wallace, while running 1-2, were involved in a bizarre accident on Lap 36 after Michael Annett crashed in Turn 3. As Bayne and Wallace took the yellow flag and slowed into Turn 1, the pace car hit the track in the middle of the corner. Bayne slowed to stay behind the caution car, but Wallace rammed him from the rear, spinning out both cars. NASCAR ruled that since they didn’t maintain caution speed, they took their positions from where they blended in.

Trucks: Hornaday Wins Record Fourth Consecutive Race

Ron Hornaday Jr. set a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series record by winning his fourth consecutive race, holding off longtime nemesis Mike Skinner in Friday night’s AAA Insurance 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park. Skinner pitted later than Hornaday for tires and charged through the top 10 to challenge for the lead. Skinner passed Colin Braun for second with nine laps to go and chased down Hornaday four laps later. Hornaday used the preferred outside lane and held off repeated inside moves by Skinner to win his 44th NASCAR Camping World Truck race. Skinner finished second, with Aric Almirola coming from a lap down to finish third. Dennis Setzer was fourth, with Braun fifth. Rookies James Buescher and Tayler Malsam, followed by Stacy Compton, David Starr and Kyle Busch completed the top 10. Hornaday had taken the lead from Todd Bodine on the outside in Turn 3 on Lap 169 of 200. Bodine then tried to squeeze Braun two laps later off Turn 4 but wasn’t clear and spun, eliminating himself from contention. Bodine had fought for more than 20 laps to get around Busch, finally getting the lead from the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series regular on Lap 147. Busch led 49 laps but faded from the top five and later pitted for tires. Hornaday extended his points lead to 174 over Skinner, who took over second in the standings from Matt Crafton.

NASCAR’s Role In Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Centennial (1909-2009)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, and although known more for its open-wheel tradition, the track has seen its share of NASCAR history. Stock-car racing became a fixture there in the early 1990s, with the advent of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. But NASCAR references and competitive crossover are found throughout Indianapolis’ long existence. Some examples follow:

• NASCAR founder Bill France was a pit-crew member for driver Joel Thorne during the 1938 and 1939 Indianapolis 500s. Thorne finished seventh and ninth, respectively.
• The car that Mauri Rose drove in his 1941 Indianapolis 500 victory proved quite versatile. The grandfather of outgoing Indianapolis Motor Speedway President (and soon-to-be International Speedway Corporation Vice President for Business Operations) Joie Chitwood drove the same car in the 1946 Indianapolis 500.
• Buck Baker later drove the car in the NASCAR Speedway division title in 1952. It remained in Charlotte, N.C., until Bob Harkey arranged for its return to Indianapolis. The car now is on display at the IMS Hall of Fame.
• Red Byron, the first NASCAR Sprint Cup champion (1949), practiced, but didn’t qualify for the 1947 and 1948 Indianapolis 500s.
• Red Vogt, one of stock-car racing’s earliest and most sought-after mechanics, helped Byron prepare for his Indianapolis 500 attempts.
• Legendary NASCAR driver and team owner Junior Johnson drove part of the rookie driver’s test for the 1963 Indianapolis 500, as a teammate to then-fellow rookie Bobby Unser.
• Curtis Turner attempted to qualify for the 1963 Indianapolis 500 in a car prepared by another famous mechanic, Smokey Yunick.
• The Wood Brothers, one of NASCAR’s oldest and most accomplished teams, pitted the car for 1965 Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Clark and his teammate Bobby Johns, who finished seventh.
• NASCAR legends Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and Donnie Allison all boast Indianapolis 500 history. Yarborough started the 1966, ‘67, ‘71 and ‘72 races. Bobby Allison started the ‘73 and ‘75 races. Donnie Allison (’70 and ’71) was the highest finisher of the three, finishing fourth in the 1970 Indianapolis 500 and earning rookie of the year honors.
• Current NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers with Indianapolis 500 experience include Tony Stewart, 2000 winner Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet), John Andretti (No. 34 Taco Bell Chevrolet) and Robby Gordon (No. 7 John Manville Toyota).
• The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ first test at Indianapolis was June 22-23, 1992. Nine drivers participated – Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin (No. 5 CARQUEST/ Kellogg’s Chevrolet), Bill Elliott (No. 21 Motorcraft Ford), Darrell Waltrip, Ernie Irvan, Davey Allison and Kyle Petty. Elliott had the top speed (168.767 mph).

All Or Nothing Trend For Johnson At Indy

Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, it’s been all or nothing for Jimmie Johnson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – literally. In the last four Allstate 400 at The Brickyard events, Johnson has either kissed – as in “The Bricks” – or crashed. In 2005, Johnson finished 38th, posting a Driver Rating of 58.8, an Average Running Position of 23.0 and ran only 46 of the 160 Laps in the Top 15. A year later, he captured only the second Daytona 500-Allstate 400 sweep en route to his first series championship. In that race, he had a Driver Rating of 124.3 and an Average Running Position of 7.7. But then in 2007, Johnson suffered another DNF (accident). For the most part, his statistics were even worse than 2005: an Average Running Position of 30.1, a Driver Rating of 66.1 and a Laps in the Top 15 number of just 38. Finally, last season, he dominated once again. In his second career Indianapolis win, Johnson scored a near-perfect Driver Rating of 147.3 (a perfect rating is 150.0), an Average Running Position of 2.5, 36 Fastest Laps Run and ran all 160 Laps in the Top 15. Who knows if there’s an “odd year jinx” in the works, but Johnson’s Loop Data statistics at Indianapolis rank among the best in the series. In his last four roller-coaster years there, Johnson has a Driver Rating of 99.1 (fourth-best), an Average Running Position of 15.8 (15th), 56 Fastest Laps Run (second) 164 Green Flag Passes (ninth), an average Green Flag Speed of 169.710 mph (third) and 85 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), which is ninth-most. Though not nearly as pronounced, a similar trend has developed for Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford). Edwards, who ran runner-up to Johnson in last season’s race, has a race-by-race Driver Rating log that looks like this: 69.6 in 2005, 107.9 in 2006, 67.1 in 2007 and 121.9 in 2008. Edwards’ Indy stats aren’t among the best in the series, but many still rank in the top 10. Over the last four seasons, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 91.6 (11th), an Average Running Position of 14.3 (10th) and 39 Fastest Laps Run (third).

Who's the Odd Man Out at Roush?

Who's it going to be? With #99-Carl Edwards, #17-Matt Kenseth and #16-Greg Biffle all signed to long term contracts, multiple sources say that #6-David Ragan will be the fourth driver at the team next year. "Absolutely, I can confirm that David Ragan will be driving for UPS in the #6 Roush Fenway car," said Zak Brown, CEO of Just Marketing International, which handles the UPS marketing account. According to NASCAR rules, RFR has to downsize from five to four teams by the end of this year. #26-Jamie McMurray, the fifth driver at RFR, is likely headed across the street from the Roush shop to Yates Racing, which is a satellite organization of RFR. However, another option appears to be a reunion with former boss Chip Ganassi. Ganassi is losing a drive and has a car with sponsorship open (#1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy). AND Roush is losing a sponsor at the end of the year (Dewalt, sponsor of the #17 ford for the last 10 years) Something that could happen is Jamie McMurray going back to EGR and into the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy. And the sponsorship for McMurray's old ride (#26 Crown Royal/Irwin Tools Ford) could move over to the #17 and driver Matt Kenseth. Only Time will tell how this will end and who will the odd man out at Roush.

Carter buys Mayfield's team

Tony Furr, Jeremy Mayfield's long-time crew chief, says that Mayfield has sold his [#41] team [hauler and cars] to Georgia businessman, John Carter, who has been in racing for a while [the #08 Carter Simo Racing team], and Furr says he expected Labonte to run the rest of the season with the team, in as many races as it can make. Furr says the team will continue running out of Mayfield's old shop. Furr is overseeing the operation, and said Friday morning Mayfield may well be at Indianapolis Motor Speedway sometime this weekend. However NASCAR won a legal appeal Friday afternoon in the U.S. 4th circuit court of appeals that should put Mayfield back on suspension. The latest legal move, in NASCAR's favor, would apparently put Mayfield back on suspension, until the court case itself can be resolved. And that case might not get going for several months."John Carter owns it, bought it from Jeremy," Furr says. "I haven't talked with Jeremy in about a week so I don't know if he'll be here. Terry is going to run the car wherever we run it, and we may run it the rest of the year, don't know yet." Toyota's Joey Arrington is doing the motors; Jeremy Lafave is the crew chief. Furr says he himself "is mainly a consultant." Boris Said is scheduled to run some races in the #08, running a Ford with Frankie Stoddard as the crew chief, supposedly at Watkins Glen and Talladega. No word if Mayfield's #41 team owner race attempts (12 attempts) and owners points transferred over to the #08 team.

Humpy in talks to help promote Indy

Humpy Wheeler, who helped make Lowe's Motor Speedway a power in NASCAR, said he could be in line to help Indy-car racing improve its business. Wheeler confirmed talks with Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. officials about having his company, The Wheeler Company, offer promotional and marketing support to the IndyCar Series. Advertisement "Right now it's all in its infancy," he said. "We haven't made any deals yet; we're just in the talking stage." IMS Corp. officials have not confirmed talks with Wheeler or his son, Trip, who runs the family business. Wheeler, who in the 1960s worked with Firestone's Indy-car program, said there is a need to "objectively look" at the series. Former Lowe's Motor Speedway president H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler was at the Indianapolis 500 and plans to be back at the famed Brickyard for Sunday's Sprint Cup race. Could he be positioning himself to become a permanent fixture there? "Could be," Wheeler said on Monday night. There is an opening now. Joie Chitwood, the president and chief operating officer at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, announced on Monday he is resigning to become vice president of business operations for International Speedway Corp. in Daytona Beach, Fla. "We were talking," Wheeler said. "Things have kind of slowed down a little bit. The latest move about Chitwood leaving added to the drama. We'll see what happens." Asked directly if he were interested in a position at IMS, Wheeler said, "We'll see."

DeWalt will not return to the #17 team in 2010

Roush Fenway Racing was informed today that DeWalt Power Tools will not renew its sponsorship of Matt Kenseth and the #17 team for the 2010 NASCAR season. "We would like to thank DeWalt for serving as a great partner for the past 10 years," said Roush Fenway President Geoff Smith. "During that time we have seen great success for both their company and marketing program, as well as with Matt on the race track. They will always be remembered and honored as the sponsor of Jack Roush's first Sprint Cup Championship team. Despite this success in the face of the significant world-wide economic decline in the construction industry. DeWalt's decision to not return is not a great surprise to us. Fortunately, we have several great companies interested in taking over and we expect to begin finalizing those sponsorship arrangements in the very near future. All of us at Roush Fenway Racing remain committed to keeping the #17 DeWalt car running up front, winning races and to put them in a position to contend for a second championship this season."

GM Shakes Things Up

In what looks like good news for NASCAR's Chevrolet teams: a major General Motors shakeup Thursday puts racing aficionado Brent Dewar in charge of the entire Chevrolet brand world-wide. The 54-year-old Dewar, currently running GM's European operations, will take over as head of the "global" Chevrolet brand, which will include Chevrolet in North America. Dewar's boss will be Bob Lutz, who is GM's new head of marketing and communication. Lutz is one of the eight key men on the "executive committee" that GM CEO Fritz Henderson -- looking for a meaner, leaner operation  has created. The others are Tom Stephens as boss of global product development, Nick Reilly as head of international operations, Ray Young as chief financial officer, Tim Lee as head of global manufacturing and labor relations, John Smith as boss of corporate planning and alliances, Mark LaNeve and head of U.S. sales, and Bob Socia as boss of global purchasing and supply, Henderson is also pruning jobs. Among the men leaving GM: Ralph Szygenda, chief information officer; Troy Clarke, president of GM North America (Henderson himself will now be in charge of North American operations); Maureen Kempston Darkes, in charge of GM's Latin America, Africa and Middle-East projects; Michael Grimaldi, CEO of GM Daewoo; and Jonathan Browning, head of global sales, service and marketing. Ed Peper, who has been running GM's North American Chevy operations, is moving over to Cadillac as general sales manager.

History by the Numbers: #14

The No. 14 is a contender again at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and everywhere else for that matter. Tony Stewart is the driver and he’s also the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader this week, coming into Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Stewart is amid a stunning debut as a driver-owner, in the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet. Stewart secured the No. 14 in honor of his childhood idol, Indy-car legend and former Daytona 500 champion A.J. Foyt. Which would make a Stewart victory this weekend especially memorable. Foyt is synonymous with the Brickyard, having won the Indianapolis 500 a record four times. Two of Foyt’s 500 wins came in an open-wheel machine adorned with the No. 14. Foyt also drove the No. 14 in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition – albeit without a victory in 42 starts between 1983-92, as his storied career wound down. Stewart has returned the number to a NASCAR Victory Lane three times, winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the Pocono 500 and the Coke Zero 400. The No. 14 has a classic lineage that covers 860 races and 28 victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, featuring some of NASCAR’s brightest stars. Long before Foyt there was a Flock, as in Fonty Flock, with 103 starts and 14 victories between 1951-55 in the 14. Hershel McGriff made 21 starts in 1954, winning four times. Jim Paschal had 76 starts and seven wins between 1961-71. Curtis Turner, LeeRoy Yarbrough and Bobby Allison all made starts as well in the No. 14. Coo Coo Marlin holds the record for starts in the No. 14, a total of 129 between 1972-80. Unfortunately, none of those starts resulted in a victory. His son Sterling tacked on 62 more starts between 1976-81 and 2006-07, also going winless.

TMS president Eddie Gossage fighting cancer

Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage has been absent from TMS because he has been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. Gossage, 50, was diagnosed with cancer early last fall and began treatment this spring. Gossage, who oversaw the construction of the track and was the general manager for its first race in 1997, declined to be interviewed. A statement from TMS vice president of media relations Mike Zizzo said Gossage "would like to keep his illness private and does not plan to discuss it publicly." Gossage was informed by doctors in February that treatment needed to begin, and it was done around the Samsung 500 in April and the Bombardier Learjet 550 in June. He was at the track for the IndyCar Series race in June and looked thinner than he did at the Sprint Cup event in April. He hasn't appeared at any TMS public functions since the June race as he has undergone more intense treatments over the last month. Gossage is hoping to return to work next month. "I've been talking to him almost every day either by phone or text," Zizzo said. "His brain is in overdrive. If it were up to him, he'd be back tomorrow." Zizzo said Gossage doesn't want to talk about his illness because he doesn't want that to be what people identify him with. Gossage's father, H.L., died of lung cancer in 1998. "He's trying to keep it under the radar and keep it as low-key as possible," Zizzo said.

NASCAR penalizes #33-Crew Chief

Rick Ren, crew chief for the No. 33 team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, has been fined and placed on probation for rule infractions committed this past weekend at Kentucky Speedway. The No. 33 truck was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-I (any determination by NASCAR Officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20B-12A (mounting points on the axle housing must be evenly spaced and welded to prevent movement; mounting points were not evenly spaced) of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rule book. The infractions occurred during opening day inspection on July 17. Ren has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Ragan the odd man out at Roush?

Who will be the odd man out at Roush Fenway Racing? According to published reports, Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith is putting together a sponsor package that would keep #26-Jamie McMurray in the fold. McMurray, whose contract expires after this season, has been speculated as the most likely to be moved to satellite team, Yates Racing, to get Roush to four teams. If McMurray stays then #6-David Ragan becomes the top candidate to leave because #17-Matt Kenseth, #99-Carl Edwards and #16-Greg Biffle signed new deals within the last year. A decision on restructuring should come by September at the latest. Roush has until next season to move from five to four teams as NASCAR mandated when it put a cap on teams.

Drivers, Officials Expect Tires To Be A Non-Issue

NASCAR and Goodyear officials believe extensive tire tests have resolved wear problems that cropped up in last year’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. Thirty teams logged more than 13,000 miles at the 2.5-mile track during seven tests since last summer’s event. The final session concluded a month ago, on Tuesday, June 16. “I'm very confident in the tires,” said Jeff Gordon, a four-time winner at Indianapolis, during Tuesday’s NASCAR Teleconference. “I did the last test there and was very pleased.” Attention to detail and unique outside resources aided both Goodyear’s and teams’ efforts, said NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton. “The last two tests, Goodyear really honed in on different constructions, different tire compounds and things that would add life to the tire but also add a lot of grip,” Pemberton said. “It’s tough to get both and I think they’ve done a great job in doing just that. It’s amazing to see what’s been accomplished in the last 10 months or so. There will be a lot of good information that comes out of these tests that we will be able to take to other race tracks, such as different compounds and constructions. Things that will help the grip and help make the racing better all the way around. I think there was a lot to it because it seemed like a pretty tough process,” said Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge), who finished seventh in last year’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. “I must have tested six or seven times there since last year’s race. The teams have put a ton of time testing up there and I feel like the tire is as good as anything that I’ve been on up there. “So, it’s gonna be an awesome race.” Two-time Indianapolis winner Tony Stewart is similarly confident. “I think they’ve come back with a combination that not only is durable, but also made it where it should be better racing at that time, too,” Stewart said. His view was enhanced by a trip to Goodyear’s Akron, Ohio headquarters, where he learned about the race tire assembly process. “It’s a process that makes you shake your head because you just don’t realize what goes into making a tire,” Stewart said. “And the good thing is it’s not done by a machine, it’s done by a physical person that actually puts that tire together. “There’s a lot of machines that assist in that process, but some of the key components are still done by a Goodyear engineer that sits there and makes sure it’s as perfect as it can be.”

Stewart, Gordon Out Front Heading To Indianapolis

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Old Spice Chevrolet) and Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) both own multiple NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles, multiple wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the top two spots in the current series standings, respectively. Both drivers also appear primed for another championship run. And as NASCAR Sprint Cup teams prepare for Sunday’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard, both return to a special place. An Indiana native, Stewart resides in Columbus and considers Indianapolis his home track. Gordon spent his formative racing years in Indiana. Aside from personal impacts, another victory in the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard would count not only as a standings boost for either driver, but also toward potential seeding in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. For Gordon, it would mean history. The four-time series champion leads all NASCAR drivers with four wins at Indianapolis (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004). A fifth win would tie him with Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher for most wins at the historic facility. He’s tied for second with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears – Indianapolis 500 champions, all. As a kid growing up, I always dreamed about racing at Indy and thought those dreams had gone away when I was moving down south and starting my NASCAR career,” Gordon said. “I love the fact that the Brickyard 400 happens every August or July. And it's just a spectacular event.” Stewart, a two-time series champion, has two Indianapolis victories (2005 and 2007). A third would mean another personal milestone in his first year of team ownership; even if Stewart-Haas Racing teammate and fellow Hoosier Ryan Newman (No. 39 Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet) wins, Stewart would score his first victory as an owner at his favorite track. Wins are crucial: Sunday’s Allstate 400 at The Brickyard marks the fourth event in the Race to the Chase, the 10-race stretch prior to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Drivers begin the Chase by having their point totals reset at 5,000, then are seeded according to the number of wins they accrued in the season’s first 26 events (10 bonus points for each win). Stewart has two wins thus far; Gordon has one.

Harvick set on 2010 Sponsorship For #33

Kevin Harvick Inc. owner Kevin Harvick said sponsorship for his #33 team is set for next year, and he hopes to have only two drivers in the car in 2010. KHI has fielded the #33 full time this season with six drivers, including Harvick. “We’re all set for next year,” Harvick said after qualifying for Saturday night’s Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway. “It’ll be pretty much the same thing with myself for the majority of the races and probably a few less drivers. We’re working on getting that part situated, but sponsorships all done.” Harvick said he hopes “it’ll be a younger guy,” perhaps Kelly Bires, who has driven KHI’s car in two races this year, finishing fourth and 10th. “I really like Kelly Bires,” Harvick said. “Cale Gale’s done an OK job, but I really like the Bires route, if he’d be interested in that.”

NASCAR to meet with Nationwide teams about COT

NASCAR will host Nationwide Series owners and drivers at a meeting at its research and development center in Concord, N.C., on July 28 to inform them of plans to roll out the car of tomorrow for the 2010 season, series director Joe Balash confirmed Saturday. NASCAR already has informally told teams the new car will be used on restrictor-plate tracks and road courses next year. The July 28 meeting will officially detail the use of the car. Track testing is likely to take place after the October Sprint Cup race at Talladega, despite NASCAR’s testing ban this season. The car has been track tested twice, at Richmond and Charlotte last year, but only by a few teams. Most Nationwide teams don’t have a COT, and some teams will likely buy old Cup chassis and convert the bodies to Nationwide specs.

N'wide: Kyle Busch Grabs First Win At Gateway

Capitalizing on Kevin Harvick’s attempt to stretch his gas mileage beyond the capacity of his fuel cell, Kyle Busch won his sixth NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the season Saturday night and his first at Gateway International Raceway. In a 19-lap green-flag run to the finish, Busch held off Reed Sorenson to win the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at the 1.25-mile racetrack. The victory was Busch’s 27th in the series, tying him with Jeff Burton for fourth place on the career win list. Busch extended his lead in the series standings to 212 points over third-place finisher Carl Edwards. Mike Bliss finished fourth, followed by Brad Coleman. Stephen Leicht, rookie Michael Annett, polesitter Brad Keselowski, Jason Keller and rookie Erik Darnell completed the top 10. “Good job, guys, awesome work—great racecar,” exulted Busch after crossing the finish line. Harvick led the field to a restart on Lap 130 after the sixth caution of the race and maintained a six-to-eight car length lead over Busch until Harvick ran out of fuel on Lap 171, coasted into the pits and lost three laps as his crew struggled to restart the engine of the No. 33 Chevrolet. Jason Leffler, running second at the time, brought his No. 38 Toyota to pit road on Lap 175, moments before Kenny Wallace’s No. 28 Chevrolet started billowing smoke and dropped oil on the track, necessitating the seventh caution. The front-runners took the opportunity to stop for fuel and tires, with Busch winning the race off pit road. Edwards lined up fifth after a four-tire stop but couldn’t make enough headway toward the front before the laps ran out. “It was good, hard-fought race,” said Busch who has three wins and four runner-up finishes in his last seven NASCAR Nationwide starts. “It was a real battle there with Kevin Harvick. He had a real good car tonight. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to race him there at the end. He ran out and had to come to pit road. “They (the No. 18 Joe Gibbs racing team) gave me a great racecar. We didn’t qualify as well as we wanted to (ninth)—maybe because of the draw, maybe because of the setup in qualifying trim—but we were steady all night.” Keselowski won the pole in an owner points tiebreaker with Sorenson. Both drivers posted identical laps of 33.158 seconds (135.714 mph). Keselowski also got credit for a track record, courtesy of the tiebreaker. ... Harvick led a race-high 106 laps before running out of gas. ... Saturday was a bad night for Rusty Wallace Racing. Scott Lagasse Jr. got loose underneath Steve Wallace and knocked the No. 66 car into the wall on Lap 85. Sixteen laps later the other RWR car of Brendan Gaughan took out Lagasse’s No. 11 in traffic. Neither wreck appeared intentional. On Lap 121, Gaughan was eliminated from the race after colliding with the No. 16 Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Trucks: Hornaday Wins Third Race in a Row

Ron Hornaday Jr. rallied in the final 24 laps Saturday for his third straight victory in the Camping World Truck Series, beating Mike Skinner by a truck length in the Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway. “On Lap 45, if you had told me we’d win this race, I’d have told you were lying,” Hornaday said. “We brought the truck back to where we could run (Turns) 3 and 4 wide open. We definitely had to pass some trucks.” Hornaday was sixth for the Lap 127 restart in the 150-lap race on the 1.5-mile track. Crew chief Rick Ren made chassis and air pressure adjustments to the tires on the final two stops to give Hornaday a faster truck. Hornaday used his tremendous ability on restarts to jump up to third before another caution came out four laps later. On the ensuing restart, he passed rookie Tayler Malsam on the inside of Turn 2 and Aric Almirola on the inside in Turn 4 to take the lead with 18 laps remaining. Skinner passed Randy Moss Motorsports teammate Malsam for third with nine laps left and inherited second when Todd Bodine had a mechanical problem under the last caution. Skinner closed on Hornaday going into the final two turns but wasn’t able to pass him on the outside. “I kept my head on the restarts, and we took about a fifth-place truck and finished second,” Skinner said. “I really thought I could pass (Hornaday) on the outside on the final lap.” Matt Crafton was third, followed by Timothy Peters and Almirola. The victory was Hornaday’s fourth of the season and boosted him into a 96-point lead over runner-up Crafton. Hornaday seems likely to lose some of that lead in the coming week. NASCAR confiscated a rear housing during initial technical inspection Friday and will take it to its Research and Development Center. There also could be other penalties. “We buy it from a manufacturer in good faith,” Ren said. “The housing was not built to order. We measure it, but not the part that is illegal per the rulebook. We brought it to the racetrack, we’re responsible and we’ll be penalized. It slipped through so many cracks. We’re talking about a quarter of an inch, and the discrepancy didn’t make any difference as far as performance. “It’s in black and white in the rulebook, but it was built wrong. I don’t want people to think we’re cheating.”

Yates Racing hopes to have drivers back in 2010

Yates Racing team co-owner Max Jones says he hasn’t soured on his driver lineup [#96-Bobby Labonte and #98-Paul Menard] despite having seen some good days go bad and some bad days remain bad. “I won’t say I’m disappointed, but it’s not the outcome we were hoping for the first half of the year,” Jones says. “We’ve had some good runs from both teams, but we haven’t been consistent enough. We have a lot of work to do. … When we’ve had good cars and we’ve run up [near the] front, we haven’t been able to close the deal, and that’s what hurt us.” After a first year at Yates Racing where Travis Kvapil finished 23rd in points and David Gilliland was 27th in a pair of underfunded cars, Jones’ expectations rose with Menard bringing his family sponsorship and Hall of Fame Racing providing the Ask.com sponsorship with Labonte as the driver. The team has an alliance with Roush Fenway Racing and is housed in a building next to the Roush Fenway campus and gets its cars as well as technological and marketing help from the organization. “Everybody’s frustrated,” Jones says. “Our expectations coming into the year, I felt that Paul could be in the top 20 in points, and I felt like Bobby was a top-15 [driver] and maybe working our way into the Chase [For The Sprint Cup]. People may think that’s far-fetched, but I don’t think so. That’s attainable. Not this year, with the way we’ve dug ourselves in the hole, but I think that the organization and the drivers are capable of doing that if we put everything together.”The Hall of Fame alliance, where Yates Racing fields the cars, is a one-year deal (as is the Ask.com sponsorship), and Jones hopes that it continues. He says that Menards is a two-year deal that runs through 2010. Whether Yates Racing gets another team siphoned from Roush Fenway Racing, which must cut from five teams to four after this season, is still to be determined, Jones says. Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith has said he hopes to move a team to Yates but that it would depend on sponsorship. “I’m sitting here today hoping I have two [cars],” Jones says about 2010. “I feel good about that. The Hall of Fame program, they’re working really hard on their end of it, and we’re working really hard on sponsorship, too. We have another year on Paul’s program. … I don’t know all what they’ve got going on [over at Roush Fenway].”

Menard Shopping Sponsorship

Hearing reports that #98-Paul Menard and his family are surveying their options and shopping around their sponsorship package to other teams for 2010. Both driver and sponsor are a package deal, although Menard's list of options on the current Sprint Cup landscape is rather short. Among those teams still under the pending four-car limit and with the ability to expand include Michael Waltrip Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing (extremely unlikely), Robby Gordon Motorsports (Menards has a relationship with Gordon already), Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (the team Menard left in 2008), and Penske Racing.

Wood Bothers Add A Race

While the NASCAR Sprint Cup series began the second half of its 36-race season Saturday night, the race marked the sixth event of the season for the Wood Brothers and the #21 Ford Bill that Elliott drives. The team scaled back to a partial schedule this season because it was unable to find enough sponsorship to run the entire year. This marks the first time since 1984 the team hasn't attempted to run a full Cup schedule. Eddie Wood, co-owner of the team, said that the team has added one race -- the Charlotte fall race -- giving it 13 for the year [plus the team ran the Sprint Showdown]. The team's next race is Indianapolis in two weeks, and then the team will skip two races before returning to Michigan in mid-August. "It's really working out for us,'' Wood said. "Just like everybody else in here, we send out [sponsorship] proposals everyday. Literally. If something turns up to where we get another chunk of money, we'll add races accordingly. But we won't run races if we don't have the money to support it and do it correctly.''

Tire Test at Atlanta

Tire testing was underway at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Monday and Tuesday, as four NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers assist the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in preparing the preeminent tire for Atlanta’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup night race, the Pep Boys Auto 500 on Sept. 6. Goodyear is tasked with preparing the first tire for Sprint Cup night racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the company is utilizing NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers #2-Kurt Busch, #11-Denny Hamlin, #26-Jamie McMurray and #14-Tony Stewart in the two-day Goodyear Tire Test. “It’s definitely tough to prepare a tire for a night race [in Atlanta], because there are unknowns going into a night race – how fast is the track going to be and where do we need to have many of our settings,” said Busch, who won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. “I felt like the tire was just fine in March, obviously. With the way our car handled and we drove it into Victory Lane, I wouldn’t change a thing. But, we’ve got a night race now, so we’re here working with Goodyear to find something better and make the racing more exciting.” All four participating drivers have higher-average finishes in night races than afternoon races in 2009. In five-2009 night races, Stewart has the highest average night race finish of the four at 2.4, compared to his season average of 7.6. Of the remaining drivers, Hamlin has an average night race finish of 8.2 (13.4 for the entire season), Busch has an average of 10.6 (12.5) and McMurray’s average night race finish is 14.6 (20.2).

Harvick wants out at RCR

Kevin Harvick has told Richard Childress he would like to leave after this season, according to multiple sources. Harvick has one year remaining on his contract with RCR, but the Shell/Pennzoil sponsorship deal on the #29 Chvey ends at the end of this season, and Harvick is trying to move with it to Stewart-Haas. Tony Stewart has said his team is interested in running a third car in Sprint Cup in 2010. Childress is in a tough spot. He could hold Harvick to the contract and try to re-sign Shell/Pennzoil, but in a performance-based business, the Stewart-Haas option, undoubtedly, is more appealing to the gas and oil company. If Shell/Penzoil decides to leave, Childress has to find $15 million to $20 million in sponsorship to replace it -- a very difficult prospect in this economy. Harvick would also bring additional Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series capability to the organization, joining the JR Motorsports operation owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick. Kevin Harvick Inc. competes in both series.

Penalties announced for Truex's car at Chicago

NASCAR announced that Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #1 Chevy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, crew chief Kevin Manion and car owner Teresa Earnhardt have been penalized for rule violations during last weekend’s event at Chicagoland Speedway. Truex was penalized 25 points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver standings. Manion was fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31, 2009. Earnhardt was penalized 25 points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner standings. The three were penalized for violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); Section 12-4-I (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules) and Section 20-12.8.1C (right rear quarter panel height did not meet the required specifications; too high in post-race inspection).

Keselowski to 3rd Red Bull Chevy in 2010?

Brad Keselowski wasn't kidding when he said he had "options" for next season. In addition to being close to re-signing a deal with JR Motorsports to run in the Nationwide Series, the latest buzz has Special K paired with Red Bull Racing. If Keselowski indeed stays with JRM, the only scenario that would work on the Cup side would be with a Chevy team. Maybe Red Bull is closer to inking a Chevy deal. Rick Hendrick said on Saturday that HMS has the resources to include Red Bull in its engine program. And Red Bull Head guy, Jay Fry has a meeting this week with Red Bull Officials. It could be about a number of thing: Switch to Chevy in 2010, a new 3rd team, Speed out of 82, more money for Vickers?

JR Motorsports NOT going to Cup in 2010

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said there's "only a 10 percent chance" he'll move his JR Motorsports team from the Nationwide to the Cup series next year. "I basically just wanted to put feelers out there and see what kind of interest there was from sponsors," he said. "I would have to drive the car myself (to get a sponsor) and I'm going to be working for Rick for the next couple of years, at least." The team is close to re-signing Brad Keselowski to run in the Nationwide Series in 2010. No word on if they want him full time or part time, it all depends on sponsorship dollars and if they can find them.