Hamlin to have Surgery

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, had successful surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee this morning. The surgery was performed by Dr. Patrick Connor with OrthoCarolina. Hamlin injured the knee in January prior to the start of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. He is expected to make a full recovery and will be in Phoenix as scheduled for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on April 10. JGR will have driver Casey Mears on standby should Hamlin experience any complications while driving in the race and need to be replaced in the car. "Denny had his surgery this morning and everything went well," said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. "He will start rehab immediately and now we can concentrate on getting his knee back to the full strength. The doctors tell us it will improve with each passing week and that he cannot damage it by driving. We expect him to be in the car in Phoenix, but we're fortunate to have Casey Mears standing by in case he would need to come out of the car for any reason." (JGR)

Martinsville would like new spring date

Clay Campbell, track president of Martinsville Speedway and he said he would like to have a new date for this spring race (the track had a mid-April date for a number of years until moving up earlier in the schedule in 2007). Here's what he said: "March, it's a tough time period here, so yes, I'm talking to see if there's any chance of something being done (spring date moved). I don't know if there is. Years ago we were the last week of April. That's a good time of the year around here. I know NASCAR has a tough time juggling the schedule around because if they move one (date), it takes two to move. I understand that, and I understand that NASCAR has issues, too. It's not an easy thing to do, and I'd say the chances are slim of any movement happening, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't try to improve what we've got here.'' Of course, there could be a good bit of movement to the schedule next year if the legal issues around Kentucky Motor Speedway get resolved and Bruton Smith moves a Cup date there. Also, International Speedway Corp., wants a second date for Kansas Speedway but has not said from what track it will take it from. ISC owns Martinsville Speedway. Certainly, there could be a good bit of changes to the schedule next year and this is about the time of the year that NASCAR officials begin working on the next year's schedule. (Virginian Pilot)

Tire tests at Indy and Bristol

The tire Goodyear used at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be getting a second look – for races at Indianapolis as well as Bristol. Goodyear will test at both tracks prior to the next NASCAR events at the two facilities. The Indianapolis test will feature 12-13 teams and is scheduled for April 20-21, said Goodyear NASCAR program manager Greg Stucker. Drivers already confirmed for that test are #00-David Reutimann, #18-Kyle Busch and #82-Scott Speed (Toyota); #9-Kasey Kahne and #17-Matt Kenseth (Ford); #12-Brad Keselowski (Dodge); and #14-Tony Stewart, #29-Kevin Harvick, #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, #48-Jimmie Johnson and #78-Regan Smith (Chevy). Virtually every racing organization has been invited to send a representative to the test, compared with the typical four invitations that go out for other tire tests. Stucker said he didn't anticipate a major change to the Indy tire. The tire that was used at Indy last year worked well enough that Goodyear thought that it would make a good combination for Bristol. Goodyear had the Truck Series and Nationwide Series use the tire last August and then opted for the Cup drivers to use it last weekend. But the tire did not perform as well as anticipated and too many teams had heat issues in their right fronts, Stucker said. Goodyear likely will go to Bristol in June and also will go to Atlanta as well. Stucker said he didn't expect to have a test at Daytona. (SceneDaily)

The Spoiler Returns

Goodyear on hot seat over tire issues (Again)

Goodyear is facing more questions about the quality of its tires. At least a dozen drivers were affected by tire problems during Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, stirring up complaints that Goodyear supplied a compound that was good for speed but low on durability at the high-banked track. "When they come here and test, you expect them to build a tire that we can abuse and that we can race hard with," said Jeff Gordon, one of those affected. "That obviously wasn't the case. There is a good chance we were too aggressive, but until we go back and analyze everything it's hard to say." Ryan Newman also chimed in. "Goodyear's got some work to do," he said. "It's a safety situation. We popped one. There are a lot of guys who popped one." Race winner Kurt Busch didn't have any problems. He was conscious of protecting his tires after Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified for the pole with the fastest speed of the Car of Tomorrow era. "When you have that happen, that means the tires are really grabbing hold of the racetrack," Busch said. "That means you're going to have speed. And when you have speed on a track that's very abrasive, yeah, you're going to be worried about tires, whether it's blistering of the right front, blistering the right rear. You have to find that right combination." Goodyear racing chief Stu Grant defended the quality of the tire. "It's a tire the guys are happy to run on," he said. "They're comfortable and they're fast if the setup is good. The leaders are running great. If you look at (Kasey Kahne) and (Busch), their tires have looked great all day." Kahne finished fourth. (Associated Press/ESPN)

NASCAR looking closely into Edwards incident

Brad Keselowski called for fellow Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards to be suspended for at least one race after Edwards wrecked him Sunday in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition for NASCAR, said the governing body would take its time in examining all the facts before deciding what to do with Edwards, whose #99 Roush Fenway Ford was ordered to the garage after wrecking the #12 of Keselowski and sending it airborne on the frontstretch on Lap 323 of what was a scheduled 325-lap event. Pemberton and other NASCAR officials, including president Mike Helton, met with Edwards following Sunday's race -- but Pemberton said they would discuss the incident further "internally" on Monday and Tuesday before announcing any additional penalties for Edwards by late Tuesday afternoon. "It looked like it could have been a payback from the #99 on the #12," Pemberton said. The two drivers got together earlier during Sunday's race when they bumped on Lap 41 and Edwards ended up getting shoved into the #20 Toyota of Joey Logano, effectively ruining both of their days. Keselowski, meanwhile, drove away from that incident and went on to put together a solid run for the day while Edwards spent much of the afternoon having his car repaired in the garage. Edwards returned to the track on Lap 190 after spending 150 laps in the garage, and appeared to purposely wreck Keselowski when Keselowski appeared headed for a top-five finish. "To come back and intentionally wreck someone, that's not cool," Keselowski said. "You could have killed someone in the grandstands. I know that it's a little ironic that it's me saying that, but at least I didn't do it intentionally [when it happened at Talladega]. It will be interesting to see how NASCAR reacts to it. They have the ball. If they're going to allow people to intentionally wreck each other at tracks this fast, we will hurt someone either in the cars or in the grandstands. It's not cool to wreck someone at 195 mph." Pemberton indicated that Edwards more or less admitted in the post-race meeting with NASCAR officials that he intended to wreck Keselowski, but that he did not mean to send him airborne. Keselowski's car ended up landing upside down, nearly crushing in the driver's side of the roof, and was completely destroyed in the aftermath. Keselowski was shaken up after the wreck and needed assistance getting removed from the car, but eventually was cleared at the AMS infield care center. "Carl said he got into him; he said he didn't expect the result," Pemberton said. Earlier, Edwards spoke briefly with the media and attempted to explain his thinking. "Brad knows the deal between him and I," Edwards said. "The scary part was his car went airborne, which was not at all what I expected. At the end of the day, we're out here to race and people have to have respect for one another and I have a lot of respect for people's safety. I wish it wouldn't have gone like it did, but I'm glad he's OK and we'll just go on and race some more and maybe him and I won't get in any more incidents together. That would be the best thing." Keselowski told reporters that he believed Edwards took "three swipes" at him before connecting, and that Edwards deserves to be suspended for at least one race. He also defended what had occurred during their first incident Sunday. "He cut down on me on a restart and I lifted; I couldn't lift fast enough for him," Keselowski said. "I lifted for him to let him in, but I was there. I don't know what more you can do. "[Keep the] car low, that's what they say. So I was underneath him, tried to cut him a break. It was too late, though; he turned down. I apologized to him, but there was nothing that I could do in that situation." (NASCAR.com)

Atlanta Cup Race Recap

Kurt Busch Wins Kobalt Tools 500

Kurt Busch won two races Sunday: the Kobalt Tools 500 and the Carl Edwards 25. In a race that went 16 laps—nearly 25 miles—past its scheduled distance, after Edwards retaliated against Brad Keselowski for an incident earlier in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Busch took advantage of a strong restart to grab the lead during the second attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag restart and crossed the finish line .482 seconds ahead of runner-up Matt Kenseth. Juan Pablo Montoya, who was closing in on Busch near the end of the regulation 325 laps, finished third but lost his chance to battle for the victory when Edwards hit Keselowski’s No. 12 Dodge on the frontstretch and sent it flying on Lap 323. Keselowski’s car landed on its roof in the tri-oval, righted itself and slid into the Turn 1 wall. After extensive clean-up, NASCAR restarted the race on Lap 332—without Edwards, who was black-flagged on Lap 326—with Busch assuming the lead from Clint Bowyer, who had taken the point on a two-tire pit stop under caution on Lap 324. Before Busch could take the white flag, however, a seven-car pileup in Turn 3 caused the 11th caution of the race and set up the second try at the green-white-checkered.

Edwards’ aggression toward Keselowski was payback for a Lap 40 wreck in Turn 2, where Edwards felt Keselowski didn’t give him enough room. “Brad knows the deal between him and I,” said Edwards, who returned to the track on Lap 191 after losing 150 laps in the garage. “The scary part was that his car went airborne, which was not at all what I expected. “At the end of the day, we come out to race, and people got to have respect for one another. I have a lot of respect for people’s safety, and I wish that wouldn’t have gone like it did, but I’m glad he’s OK. We’ll just go on and race some more, and maybe him and I won’t have any more incidents together—that’d be the best thing.” The wreck, with Keselowski running sixth at the time, was eerily similar to a collision involving the two drivers last April at Talladega, where Keselowski held his line at the bottom of the track and won the race after Edwards No. 99 Ford flew into the catch fence, injuring eight spectators. “He cut down on me on a restart, and I lifted (off the accelerator), and I couldn’t lift fast enough for him,” Keselowski said of the Lap 40 wreck. “I lifted for him to let him in, but I was there. I don’t know what more you could do. “I apologized to him, but there’s nothing I could do in that situation, and to come back and just intentionally wreck someone—that’s not cool. It could have killed somebody in the grandstands. I know that it’s a little ironic that it’s got me saying that, but at least I didn’t do it intentionally when it happened.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how NASCAR reacts to it. They have the ball. If they’re going to allow people to intentionally wreck each other at tracks this fast, we will hurt someone, either in the cars or in the grandstand.” Busch claimed the 21st victory of his career and his first with crew chief Steve Addington, who joined Penske Racing during the offseason after guiding Busch’s brother, Kyle, to 12 victories in 2008 and 2009 with Joe Gibbs Racing. “With Steve Addington, all of his new ideas, I never knew how we could mesh them together and how soon we were able to do it,” Busch said. “Even on those restarts at the end, I just felt like we had the car to beat.” Fourth-place finisher Kasey Kahne led the most laps (144), but his car tightened at the end of the race. Paul Menard ran fifth and AJ Allmendinger sixth, giving Richard Petty Motorsports a 4-5-6 finish, the organization’s best result since announcing a switch from Dodge to Ford late last year. Brian Vickers, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick and Scott Speed completed the top 10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. regained two lost laps during the last two cautions and finished 15th. He’s 13th in the Cup standings, seven points out of 12th, the last Chase-eligible position. … Harvick retained the points lead by 26 over Kenseth and 59 over Biffle. (NascarMedia)

Atlanta Truck Race Recap

Harvick Wins His Third Straight Trucks Start

Brand new truck. Same old result. Driving a No. 2 Chevrolet that saw its first action this weekend at Atlanta, Kevin Harvick dominated Saturday's E-Z-Go 200 to win for the third time in his last three starts in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series. In a race that saw several championship contenders fall by the wayside, Harvick crossed the stripe 1.308 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch at the end of a 14-lap green-flag dash to the finish. Aric Almirola came home third, followed by Steve Wallace, the 25th driver to register a top-five in his first race in the series. Todd Bodine survived a spin to finish fifth. Ricky Carmichael, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter, Rick Crawford and rookie Austin Dillon completed the top 10. Harvick said his occasional appearances in the truck series are designed to "protect his turf" and keep Busch out of victory lane as often as possible. To that end, Kevin Harvick Inc. builds new trucks for its owner and teammate Ron Hornaday Jr. to drive. Used trucks are sold to other teams. "We probably have a third of the field out on the racetrack," Harvick said. "That's how we make truck racing work. We have a lot of customers that we hang bodies for and give a lot of technical support for, and that's what keeps our team going. "If they want this one (Saturday's winning truck), they can come have this one, too." Busch recorded the best finish for his fledgling Kyle Busch Motorsports team, which was formed during the offseason. "We weren't quite as fast as we would have liked to have been, but we're not sure if that came from our damage early in the race on Lap 1 or not," Busch said. "We still had a real decent effort, and I'm real proud of the way the KBM team ran today, with myself and the way (teammate) Tayler (Malsam) came up through there." Malsam ran well in the second half of the race, but an off-sequence pit stop dropped him to 13th at the finish.

Four-time series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., who won the pole for Saturday's race, took another body blow against the defense of his 2009 title when a blown left rear tire shot his No. 33 Chevrolet backwards into the Turn 4 wall. Hornaday, who opened the season with a 27th-place finish at Daytona last month, was credited with a 34th place result at Atlanta. Hornaday's troubles started, however, at the start of the race, when Matt Crafton took Hornaday and Busch three-wide moments after the green flag. The right front of Busch's Toyota rubbed the left rear of Hornaday's Chevy, damaging both vehicles. Harvick inspected a tire rub on the No. 33 and told Hornaday he thought the tire would last. Harvick was wrong, and Hornaday slammed the wall when the tire blew, injuring his truck beyond repair. "Hate to see it, but we had a good truck, and we'll come back," Hornaday said after leaving the infield care center. "Kyle and I spun our tires a little (at the start) and that's what got (Crafton) the run." Crafton, who finished second to Hornaday in the series standings last year, had his own succession of problems. On Lap 60, Crafton slipped in Turn 2 and collected the Toyota of Bodine, who remained on the lead lap despite the accident. A cut tire on Lap 69 sent Crafton hard into the Turn 2 wall for the second time and ended his race. He finished 27th and dropped from fifth to eighth in the series standings. The win gave Harvick victories at Atlanta in all three of NASCAR's top touring series—trucks, Nationwide and Sprint Cup. He also has accomplished the feat at Phoenix, where he won the truck race last November to start his current streak of three wins in three straight starts. … Busch posted his sixth top 10 in six races at Atlanta. … Bodine took the series lead from Peters, who trails by four points through two races. (NascarMedia)

Montoya-McMurray ok...sort of

The tension between Earnhardt Ganassi teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray has abated but not entirely been brushed off the table, or at least that's the impression one could draw from Montoya's remarks. Montoya and McMurray crashed early in the Feb. 28 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Montoya excoriated McMurray afterwards. According to Montoya, it's time to move on, but he didn't seem all that forgiving. "He sent me a text saying 'la-la-la-la-la,' and he was sorry about the whole thing," said Montoya of McMurray, "and I said 'don't worry about it.' He asked if I wanted him to call me, and I said 'don't worry about it.' It happens. It's racing. Move on. Really, I was really (ticked off) at the time because we had a DNF ('did not finish') the week before with an engine problem. And (the next) week, being taken out by your teammate is something that you don't really expect, but it happens. It's part of racing and move on." (NASCAR This Week)

Kyle Busch not happy with Boris

Kyle Busch walked away from a banged-up car shaking his head, clearly miffed about a scrape in the final practice for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch tangled with #26-Boris Said coming onto the back straightaway and was forced to park his Toyota after getting in 37 practice laps. While the damage around the right rear tire was mainly cosmetic, that didn't improve Busch's mood. "You've got guys who don't belong out there," he said. "He's off the pace at every track we've been to. But he keeps getting in on owner points." Said drives for Latitude 43 Motorsports, a new venture started by a Vermont businessman who bought the #26 team from Roush Fenway Racing, inheriting its points from a year ago. Since that team finished 22nd in the Cup standings, Said is guaranteed entry into the first five races of 2010. "I'm out there minding my own business, running my car at the bottom of the track," Busch said. "He's at the top, then all of a sudden he wants to run in the middle on the straightaway. Usually if you're running at the top, you stay up there." Said, who's gotten into the last three races based on his owner points, managed only two laps in his final tuneup for the race. He was next-to-last on the speed chart, beating out rookie Kevin Conway. (Associated Press/ESPN)

Wendell Scott's First Start Being Celebrated This Week

At Atlanta Pioneering African-American driver Wendell Scott is being honored this week in Atlanta, via the celebration of his first start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, on March 4, 1961 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. All vehicles competing this weekend in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will have a commemorative decal (shown above) baring the familiar picture of a waving Scott, who died in 1991, leaving a legacy of achievement and dignity. Wendell's daughter, Sybil Scott, will attend this weekend's races as will NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver Jason Romero, the 2009 winner of the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award, given annually to a female or minority driver in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series who has excelled on and off the race track. Scott, a Danville, Va. native, started racing in 1947. In his first race, he finished third in a borrowed car and won $50. In the next few years he won 128 Hobby, Amateur and Modified races, on the old Dixie Circuit and outlaw tracks. In 1959, Scott logged his best season ever. He won 22 races and captured the Richmond track championship as well as the Virginia State Sportsman title. On Dec. 1, 1963 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, a one-mile dirt track, Scott became the first African-America to win on NASCAR's highest level, a distinction he still holds. NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series vehicles will carry a special commemorative decal honoring Wendell Scott's first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on March 4, 1961. Wendell was a racing pioneer, becoming the first African-American to win a race in NASCAR's premier series on Dec. 1, 1963."This is enormous for our family in so many ways," Sybil Scott said. "(My father) would want the young drivers coming up today to be inspired." Ryan Gifford, one of the Drive for Diversity participants, visited with Scott's family earlier this year for the reality show Changing Lanes, and he said the experience humbled him. "It really showed me what he went through to open the door for someone like myself," Scott said. "I couldn't be more grateful." And that's what Sybil Scott hopes her father's true legacy is: creating opportunities for future minority drivers. "Daddy's legacy is through the diversity program," Sybil Scott said. "The doors are open pretty wide right now, I feel very strongly. "I can only look at these drivers and think of how my dad would be their greatest fan. He would be out there encouraging them and would want others to be supportive. That's how to keep Daddy's legacy alive." (AMS)

Info on the spoiler coming together

There are still many unknowns in the advent of the transition from wings to spoilers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but the pieces are coming together. Teams have received retro-fit pieces to adjust the template grids for the change from the wing to the spoiler which will measure four inches on intermediate and down force tracks and 4.5-inches at Talladega and Daytona. A two-inch "ear" will be at the ends of 64.5-inch spoiler for Talladega similar to the construction on the truck spoilers. All spoilers will mount on to the cars at exactly 70-degrees without adjustability, thereby preventing modification by individual teams. Although NASCAR is preparing for the roll out of the new spoilers at Martinsville Speedway on March 26, teams will be responsible for manufacturing their own spoilers for the test scheduled on March 16th at Talladega Speedway. NASCAR template guru Billy Berkheimer anticipates each team having at least two spoilers by the time NASCAR rolls into Charlotte Motor Speedway for the test following Bristol on March 22nd. Spoilers will be distributed to teams at the same time so one team does not gain an advantage over another. Following the initial distribution, teams will be able to place orders for additional spoilers. Despite initial wind tunnel reports of the spoiler providing more downforce than the wing on the new car, Berkheimer said, "If this works the way I expect it will, the downforce numbers will the same with the spoiler and the wing." Most of the top organizations have tested cars with spoilers at tracks such as Walt Disney World Speedway (1 mile), Rockingham Speedway (1.017 mile) and Little Rock (0.526 mile). (FoxSports)

Triad Racing Technologies moving

Triad Racing Technologies announced that it will move their Toyota racing engine shop and manufacturing operations to Mooresville, NC this year. The company will occupy 40,000 sq.ft in two separate buildings on Raceway Drive in the Lakeside Park area. Triad Racing Technologies is considered to be at the top of the industry for race engine development and production. Triad was instrumental in Toyota winning the 2006, 2007,2008, and 2009 Manufacturers Championships in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Currently, Triad supplies horsepower for teams in NASCAR's Truck, Nationwide and Cup Series, as well as the ARCA Series. Triad's engine and manufacturing facilities are presently located in High Point, N.C. [Bill Davis Racing's old shops] and their corporate offices are located in Cornelius, N.C. The move to Mooresville will bring Triad closer to its client base and allow the company to continue to grow within the racing arena. "We are looking forward to the move as a positive step in our company's growth. Close interaction with our clients is an integral part of making our product successful. Mooresville is a town with deep racing roots and a home to many of our racing clients." said Triad Racing Technologies co-owner Marty Gaunt. Triad will move its present operations and jobs to Mooresville by the end of 2010. (Triad Racing Technologies)

Census colors for Biffle next three races

The U.S. Census Bureau announced an agreement with Roush Fenway Racing to serve as the primary sponsor of the #16 Ford Fusion driven by Greg Biffle for three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. The agreement will see the #16 carry a special 2010 Census livery in Sprint Cup Races at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 7, Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 21, and Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, March 28. To increase awareness and encourage participation in the upcoming 2010 Census, the three-race sponsorship schedule lines up with key census mail-out and mail-back dates. The 2010 Census #16 Ford Fusion will feature the familiar Post-It Brand notes of primary sponsor 3M carrying both the 2010 Census logo and "Mail It Back" on the hood, rear quarter panels and rear bumper. In addition, Director Groves will visit Atlanta Motor Speedway this coming weekend for the Kobalt Tools 500. Biffle recently filmed a racing-themed 2010 Census Public Service Announcement. (RFR)

Sponsor does well with Nemechek

Looking for a statement on the economy and how hard even big Cup teams have to scramble? From the entry lists for Las Vegas, to this weekend at Atlanta, no less than 22 cars had primary sponsorship changes. Good news is only six cars are unsponsored. How can social media and the Internet work for you? Joe Nemechek got last-minute sponsorship for his Daytona 500 effort from England's Stove Works. The final figures weren't in, but within a couple days of the Great American Race, the company did more than $500,000 in business and its Web site had trouble handling the traffic. "Bravo Joe" for providing a real return on investment. (NASCAR.com)

#78 team getting RCR cars

Furniture Row Racing’s technical relationship with Richard Childress Racing is more than just having use of the #07 owner points for the first five races of the 2010 season. Furniture Row now is getting cars built by RCR and also has access to RCR data. The technical alliance is similar to the Stewart-Haas relationship with Hendrick Motorsports, but Furniture Row still has a contract through the end of this year to lease engines from Hendrick. “A lot of the initial part of working together is literally learning how to work together and how we’re going to do that,” Furniture Row general manager Joe Garone said. “That’s what we’re going through right now.” In the past, Furniture Row has gotten chassis from Laughlin Racing Products/Ortec Racing and still has a contract with the company for a few more cars. Garone said that the move to RCR will allow Furniture Row to have a little more control over the chassis as well as the access to RCR’s information. “For us, as a single-car team, some of the tools that it takes with simulation programs and chassis measurement and having control of your tolerances for your modeling simulation is very difficult when you’re not building your own chassis,” Garone said. “Being on their chassis gets us on the same page, and it also gives them another person that’s on their chassis that is sharing information back to them through all the different facets of testing and simulation.” The team will continue to use its own pit crew. The Furniture Row pit crew is the same pit crew that does Kevin Harvick Inc.’s Nationwide Series car. (SceneDaily)

Rahal to look for NASCAR ride?

IndyCar driver Graham Rahal figures by the time the IZOD IndyCar Series begins March 14 in Brazil, he will have essentially earned an advanced degree in marketing and promotion. What the 21-year-old really wants, however, is a job behind the wheel of a race car -- preferably a car without fenders. "I know there have been a lot of NASCAR rumors, but right now my focus is 100 percent on being in the IndyCar Series,'' Rahal told FanHouse this weekend. "I'm not just an IndyCar driver, but very much a fan of the sport and to make a big switch like that takes time to consider. As of this second, everything I have going is for IndyCar.'' So instead of joining Danica Patrick in the stock car ranks -- even as a part-time gig -- Rahal has been visiting America's corporate boardrooms hoping to attract financial backing for the 2010 IndyCar season. The timing, however, couldn't be worse. (Motorsports FanHouse)

Lots of testing for the #2

Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led #2 Penske Racing Team will be testing at all sizes of race tracks in the upcoming weeks. The schedule calls for a day of testing on March 9 at Gresham Motorsports Park, a half-mile oval asphalt track with a quarter-mile oval track within the main one located near Jefferson, Ga. The schedule shows the Talladega open testing on March 16 on that massive 2.66-mile speed plant. The team will be participating in the March 23-24 open testing at the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway. With NASCAR's wing-to-spoiler transition, Busch is looking forward to getting in the laps on such a diverse lineup of race tracks. "We'll be testing on everything but a road course in the next couple of weeks and with the tracks we have coming up on the schedule, those will be some important test days," said Busch. The current car schedule for these tests sees the team using their "PRS-701" (last raced at California last fall and completely rebuilt) at Gresham, the "635 car" (Busch yet to race this car) at Talladega and the "PRS-712" (another new Penske Racing Dodge Charger) at Charlotte. (Tom Roberts PR)

Kurt Busch to try Drag Racing

Kurt Busch showed off his vaunted versatility Monday night at Rockingham Dragway at the wheel of a 1970 Dodge Challenger in which he will make his drag racing debut two weeks hence. Under the watchful eye of former NHRA and IHRA Pro Stock driver Roy Hill, who now operates a professional drag racing school, the 31-year-old Busch, who normally drives the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, had a best quarter mile time of 9.16 seconds at 166 miles per hour. "We got a lot of homework done," Busch said, "but we've still got a lot to do. The track worked great and I was amazed at how well the car hooked at the 400 foot mark." A vintage "muscle car," Busch's Challenger is equipped with a turbocharger which, according to Hill, makes it fully capable of sub-9.00 second times although it will be dialed-in to run the 9.90 second standard of the NHRA Super Gas class. Busch plans to make his Super Gas debut at the March 11-14 NHRA Tire Kingdom Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla [an off week for the Sprint Cup Series]. (Richmond County Daily Journal)

Taxslayer.com adds Atlanta race to 2010 schedule

As tax season gets into full swing, TaxSlayer.com has decided to add the Kobalt Tools 500 to its list of primary sponsorship races for the #71 TRG Motorsports team and NASCAR Champion Bobby Labonte, who returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway as the track's most winning active driver. TaxSlayer.com made its debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last year at Watkins Glen International Raceway and served as the primary sponsor of the #71 a total of six times in 2009 before signing on for a multi-race sponsorship in 2010. Jimmy Rhodes, President of TaxSlayer.com, has seen a tremendous upswing in the company's business since joining the ranks of NASCAR sponsors. "We've seen that the power of sponsorship really does work since we've joined forces with TRG as the primary sponsor on the # 71," Rhodes said. "This is always our busiest time of year, but we're really seeing a return on our investment in the sport and believe that adding the Atlanta race to our primary sponsorship schedule can only serve to grow our business further." (TRG Motorsports)

DEI being sued

Dale Earnhardt Inc., founded by the late seven-time Nascar champion, was sued by a financial firm that accuses it of reneging on a deal to sell the firm a $3.25 million claim in General Motors Corp.'s bankruptcy. The Seaport Group LLC, based in New York, sued Feb. 25 in federal court in New York. The company wants the court to force Dale Earnhardt Inc. to deliver the claim or to award money damages. "After DEI signed a binding contract to sell its claim to Seaport, the value of the claim increased dramatically, and DEI refused to honor the deal," Seaport Group wrote in its complaint. Dale Earnhardt Inc., based in Mooresville, North Carolina, agreed to sell the claim for $783,604, according to the complaint. A call to DEI wasn't answered. (Business Week)

Dale Jr. donates $1 million to Victory Junction

Victory Junction kicked off their "Keeping the Dream Alive" campaign today by announcing that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join the elite list of Victory Junction Founders, as he commits to donate $1 million to build and maintain The Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre at the Randleman, N.C. camp for children with serious illnesses. On March 27, 2010, during The Dale Jr. Foundation Physical Disabilities Weekend at Victory Junction, Earnhardt Jr. will join the Victory Junction family as a Founder and will break ground on a one-of-a-kind project, The Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre. Eighty-eight members of The JR Nation Crew, The Official Fan Club of Earnhardt Jr., will be randomly selected to be special guests for this private ground breaking ceremony. To become a part of the FREE JR Nation Crew fan club and be eligible to attend, go to dalejr.com/jrnation. "There are many reasons why we wanted to get involved with Victory Junction and build this amphitheatre, and it starts with the tremendous impact the camp has on these kids. It's incredible how one week changes lives," said Earnhardt Jr. "Just as important to me is my friendship with Kyle and Pattie Petty, and the memory of my buddy, Adam Petty. Adam and I met each other at an early age, and from that point on our lives and careers were virtually parallel. He was as genuine as they get and a great friend. If I can play a small part in helping Kyle and Pattie keep his dream alive, it doesn't require a second thought." This unique, interactive & accessible outdoor amphitheatre will provide campers, the opportunity to sing a song, act in a play, tell a joke, play an instrument, watch a movie or even get their face pictured on an old, western "Wanted" poster along with the infamous outlaw, "Junior." For more information about Victory Junction visit http://www.victoryjunction.org/. (Victory Junction/Dale Jr. Foundation)

Spoiler probably to return at Martinsville

NASCAR is finally about to lose its wings. "We're hoping within the next two of three races that we'll be able to be at a point where we say it's time to take the wings off and put the spoiler on," NASCAR president Mike Helton said Monday. While Helton didn't provide a specific date for the expected removal of the wings from the cars, that timeline coincides with the March 28 race at Martinsville that most teams have expected to be the first with the more traditional-looking rear spoilers. Speaking at Texas Motor Speedway's media day, Helton said there was a "pretty doggone good chance" that the spoilers would be on the car when the series races at the 1½-mile, high-banked track April 18. The first on-track testing of the new spoiler package was done during a tire test at Texas in January. "I think by the time we come here in April, we can have a race or two under our belt with the spoiler," Helton said. There are two more Sprint Cup races before the series goes to the half-mile Martinsville, which will come only days after NASCAR's planned open test at Charlotte. Texas is the second race after that. Spoilers were replaced with a wing on the new car model phased in three years ago. That model has been used full-time since 2008, and fans have complained it has made races boring. NASCAR last May began a series of town hall and individual meetings with teams, and one of the constant cries from participants was a need to alter the car design. "If the industry benefits from the fans seeing a more traditional piece and that works for us, can we mechanically do the things that the wing presents as an advantage with a spoiler?" Helton said. "During the course of research, we figured out how to do that." Already, NASCAR is encouraging drivers this season to be more aggressive, in large part to answer a growing fan sentiment that the sport had gone stale. Helton knows the message is viewed partly as "NASCAR is saying that they don't need to be such a heavy hand, they don't need to be so regulatory." He said drivers were told about the expected change more than a year ago and are gaining more of an understanding of the new freedom "as each little occurrence happens" and they see how the series reacts -- or doesn't react. Three races into the Sprint Cup season, there have already been sagging television ratings, the pothole problem at Daytona, caution lights coming on twice for no reason at Las Vegas and lower attendance at California. Helton called the pothole at Daytona "unique" and unfortunate, something that surely affected television viewers who had the choice of flipping over to the first weekend of the Olympics during two hours of race delays. "At the end of the day completing all 500 miles, the action in those 500 miles was indicative of what people's expectations of the Daytona 500 were," Helton said. "But with the Olympics as an alternative, the TV audience had a very specific direction that they could go. The longer we were down, the more difficult." As for the unexpected caution lights at Las Vegas, Helton said it was an electronic problem but wasn't sure if it was caused by NASCAR or the track. Officials thought it was a fluke when it happened the first time, but turned off the electronic system after it happened the second time. NASCAR is also apparently paying more attention to teams who enter races with no intention of trying to finish the events, the so-called "start-and-park" cars. At Las Vegas, series spokesman Ramsey Poston said the sanctioning body will now inspect the first car that drops out of a race and wasn't involved in an accident. It should force teams to attempt to run as many laps as possible to avoid NASCAR inspecting its motor to ensure everything is legal. Helton emphasized Monday that NASCAR races are open to any team that follows the rules, qualifies and passes all inspections. "We have shown we'll be reactive or adaptive with our rules and regulations to fix something that we don't particularly agree with," Helton said. "But right now it's more about NASCAR being a free enterprise system ... where the system stays balanced by allowing it to take its own course."
(ESPN)

Gordon racing at least another 5-6 years

As his family expands, so does the timeline on Jeff Gordon's Sprint Cup career. Once planning to retire from NASCAR at 40, he now wants to drive several more seasons with Hendrick Motorsports so his children can appreciate the success of the sport's sixth all-time winningest driver (82 victories). Gordon has a 2-year-old daughter, Ella Sofia, and his wife, Ingrid, is due with their second child in August. "I've always said I don't want to race for the money," said Gordon, who turns 39 on Aug. 4. "I really want my family to be able to be a part of it in a way that they can see and experience and be proud of what I've done." Gordon has a lifetime contract to drive the #24 Chevy for Hendrick, which is working to extend a deal with his primary sponsor, DuPont, beyond the 2010 season. "You go through life and find you really care about what you do and how important it is," he said. "You think about what life would be like without it. I'm enjoying what I do." John Bickford, Gordon's stepfather who oversees the four-time champion's business affairs as general manager of Jeff Gordon Inc., told USA TODAY the four-time champion is five to six years away from retiring. (USA Today)

LVMS records ninth consecutive sellout

Las Vegas Motor Speedway recorded its ninth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series sellout with Sunday’s running of the Shelby American. Speedway officials sold the final grandstand seats Sunday morning prior to the green flag for the 13th annual event. The capacity crowd marked the largest crowd of the season. “In what are still challenging economic times, today’s turnout is a testament to the popularity of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this great city and NASCAR’s premier racing series,” said LVMS president Chris Powell. “We really appreciate the thousands of race fans who chose to spend the day with us.” Tickets for the 2011 NASCAR Weekend are on sale now, and anyone who buys or renews tickets for 2011 will get them at 10 percent off this year’s prices if they purchase by April 9. Race fans purchasing before April 9 will be able to pay 33 percent of their invoice on April 9 and have the remainder charged in two additional installments. Fans also will receive a commemorative poster. (LVMS)