Hendrick Motorsports News Rumors Page 2

Georgia Pacific and Hendrick: Georgia-Pacific on Friday announced a multi-year agreement to put its Sparkle brand of paper towels on the #24 Chevrolet of four-time champion Jeff Gordon, beginning in 2006. Sheila Weidman, vice president of corporate communications and marketing for Georgia-Pacific, said the associate sponsorship deal will not take away from its other NASCAR sponsorships, including qualifying night at Atlanta Motor Speedway's fall race, as well as primary sponsorship of Kyle Petty's #45 Brawny Dodge. G-P also is a sponsor of the Victory Junction Gang Camp. (AMS Pit Notes)

Hendrick unsure about attending Martinsville: Car owner Rick Hendrick won't decide until Sunday whether he’ll travel to Martinsville for the Subway 500 cup race. It was one year ago this weekend when a Hendrick Motorsports plane crashed into Bull mountain near Martinsville while attempting to land in foggy conditions.10 people lost their lives, including his son Ricky, brother John and head engine builder Randy Dorton. Hendrick told PRN'S Garagepass; “I’ve learned since the accident that I have to take things day by day. I can have three or four days great and then I’ll get really down and thinking about things. It could be somebody’s birthday or Ricky’s daughter comes over to the house or whatever and it just unleashes a lot of emotions so I just try not to make too many plans. I want to go back to support the guys and I also feel like you just can’t run from it. But, if that morning if it doesn’t feel right then I won’t go.” (PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)

Kyle Busch testing at Homestead/Texas: Busch and his #5 Kellogg's Racing team will test at Homestead, Fla., on Wednesday [Oct 19th] in preparation for the Nov. 20 NEXTEL Cup season finale. The team will also hold a two-day test Oct. 25-26 at the Texas Motor Speedway to warm up for the Nov. 6 event there. (Hendrick Motorsports PR)

Busch in CarQuest Scheme: This weekend at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Busch’s No. 5 Chevrolet will carry a special paint scheme featuring the red, white and blue CARQUEST Auto Parts logo. It will be the fourth appearance of the CARQUEST design this season. (Hendrick Motorsports PR)

Hendrick Motorsports to pay overtime: Hendrick Motorsports will pay more than $350,000 in back overtime wages to employees after an investigation found the racing company violated federal labor laws. The company, which designs, builds and races cars in NASCAR acknowledged it failed to pay 214 salaried production workers $351,783 in overtime between July 2003 and July 2005. The U.S. Labor Department said it determined Hendrick violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. "We certainly wanted to make sure our employees received any compensation to which they were entitled, so we were glad to make the appropriate payments," Hendrick spokesman Jesse Essex told The Associated Press on Saturday in an e-mail. "We've updated our internal policies and do not anticipate any ongoing issues." (Newsday)

Kyle Busch calls NASCAR shock rule "silly": Kyle Busch said he thinks NASCAR was wrong to change rules on how shock absorbers can be built to address the shocks that were on his car and teammate Jimmie Johnson's at Dover a week ago. "The Dale Earnhardt Inc. gang has found something that really helps them on the restrictor-plate tracks, and they're able to dominate," Busch said. "Probably three years or so they've been able to use whatever they use and win races. "But in the downforce races, which are most of the season, we found a little advantage there. It's not that the other teams don't have an opportunity to find that ... it's just that they haven't worked as hard as we have. "For any advantage to be taken away from me is honestly silly."" (ThatsRacin)

More on Hendrick post race inspection, including new shock rule? Roush Racing president Geoff Smith said he expects NASCAR officials to issue a technical bulletin as early as Friday outlawing the trick shock absorbers used by Hendrick Motorsports teammates Johnson and Kyle Busch in their 1-2 finish Sunday at Dover International Speedway. Instead of soaking up bumps, as shocks normally are designed to do, Smith said the Hendrick cars' shocks were designed almost to work in reverse; every time they hit a bump, the shocks jacked up the car's rear end for about 15 seconds. Because cars encounter frequent bumps at Dover, the shocks apparently kept the Hendrick cars' tails elevated about an inch beyond what NASCAR rules allow for most of the race, directing more air to the cars' rear spoilers and creating extra aerodynamic "downforce" that helped the cars stick to the track. Cheating? Not exactly, Smith said. "It was clearly an ingenious engineering exercise, and they ought to be commended for their ingenuity," he said. Johnson's team declined comment through a spokesperson. This explains why the two Hendrick cars failed an initial technical inspection by NASCAR officials Sunday night but passed the maximum-height requirement after they "settled," as NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston explained this week. Officials confiscated the Hendrick cars' shocks after the race, along with shocks from four other cars. Smith expects NASCAR to prohibit all teams from using such shocks beginning with the Oct. 9 race at Kansas Speedway. The Hendrick shocks wouldn't help in this weekend's race because downforce isn't a major concern at Talladega and teams typically try to get their cars as low to the ground as possible without violating NASCAR's minimum height requirements. (In part from USA Today)

Kyle Busch to appear on Oprah: Just three weeks after becoming the youngest driver to win a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event, Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet) will appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Friday, Sept. 23. “Meeting Oprah and being on the show was an incredible experience,” said Busch. “My mom (Gaye Busch) and grandma (Joann Busch) came to the taping. They’re huge Oprah fans and never miss a show, so it was a neat experience for all of us. We had a great time in Chicago. Oprah was awesome and I just feel lucky to have an opportunity like that. I was a little nervous, but hopefully I did OK.” (HMS PR)

Vickers expected to receive penalty: Brian Vickers' No. 25 team also will receive penalties. NASCAR confiscated his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after the car failed to meet template inspection last Friday at Loudon. A similar incident occurred in February at California, and one official said HMS was warned not to bring a car with similar dimensions back to the track. (Sporting News)

Loomis to join Petty Enterprises: Kyle Petty, CEO of Petty Enterprises, today announced the organization’s addition of championship-winning crew chief Robbie Loomis as executive vice president of race operations. In his new role, Loomis will head the day-to-day operations of Level Cross-based Petty Enterprises and its two full-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams -- the No. 43 Dodges driven by Jeff Green and the No. 45 Dodges piloted by Petty. “We are excited that Robbie will be rejoining Petty Enterprises,” Petty said. “Robbie won races as a crew chief here, and then won a lot of races and a championship with Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports. We have great respect for the entire Hendrick organization, and know that Robbie’s experience with the Hendrick team has prepared him well for the role he will take on at Petty Enterprises. “Robbie Loomis will direct our entire race operation, and we expect his experience and his ability to mold a team to help us get to the next level. Robbie has been a part of our family for a long time, and we’re happy to have him come home.” Loomis, 41, will leave his position as crew chief of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolets. Before joining Petty, the Forest City, Fla., native will work as a consultant to Concord-based Hendrick as the operation pursues the 2005 NEXTEL Cup championship with the No. 48 Chevrolets. “We still have a job to do,” said Loomis, who won a Cup title with driver Jeff Gordon in 2001 after coming to Hendrick from Petty Enterprises in 2000. “Our goal is winning that championship with Jimmie (Johnson), Chad (Knaus) and the No. 48 team. I’m here to support them in any way I possibly can. (Williams Company)

Hendrick names Letarte Gordon's crew chief: With Robbie Loomis’ move back to Petty Enterprises, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick today introduced Steve Letarte as crew chief of the #24 entries driven by Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion. Letarte will call his first race Sunday at Loudon, N.H., less than 70 miles from his hometown of Cornish, Maine. Letarte, 26, has been with the #24 team full-time since 1996, winning three Cup titles under the tutelage of crew chiefs Ray Evernham, Brian Whitesell and Loomis. He has worked as a tire specialist, mechanic and car chief. “To have a chance like this with Hendrick Motorsports is incredible,” Letarte said. “I couldn’t ask to work with a better driver or a more talented group of people. I’m committed to continuing the winning tradition of this team, closing 2005 on a positive note and pushing toward Jeff’s fifth championship next year.” Letarte takes over a crew with a pair of pole positions and three victories this season. Only two NEXTEL Cup teams have more wins in 2005. “I’m sad to see Robbie leave,” Gordon said. “We made a great team and had more wins ahead of us, but the Pettys presented him with a fantastic opportunity. For him, it was time for a change and I’m happy he’s found the right fit. “I’ve worked with Steve for more than 10 years and we already communicate extremely well, both on and off the track. The team has a ton of confidence in his abilities, so we’re looking forward to the last 10 races of 2005 and getting an early jump on next year.” (Hendrick Motorsports PR)

Gustafson Wins Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race Award: Alan Gustafson helped #5-Kyle Busch set a new standard in NASCAR racing. At only 20 years of age, Busch became the youngest driver to win a Nextel Cup event, after taking the checkered flag in the Sony HD TV 500. The duo's record breaking weekend earned Gustafson the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award. The pivotal moment of the race came on lap 242 when the drivers came in for their final round of pit stops. Only 12 laps remained in the event, still Gustafson called Busch into the pits for fresh tires. Nearly everyone followed suit. Although he was planning to take four Goodyears, Gustafson made the last second call for only two tires and sent Busch on his way after the crew changed his right-sides. That put Busch out front for the final restart. The panel of voters; including Gregg Patton of the Press-Enterprise, a Wypall Wipers representative and Robbie Reiser.; all agreed that Gustafson deserved crew chief of the race honors. Doug Richert leads the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year standings with five wins. Alan Gustafson is in second place with three wins. Bob Osborne, Greg Zipadelli and Robbie Loomis are tied for third place with two wins. Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Fatback McSwain, Steve Hmiel, Jimmy Fennig, Greg Erwin, Slugger Labbe, Robbie Reiser and Pete Rondeau are in a tie for fourth place, each with one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. Fans can also vote for their choice at www.wypall.com.(SMC 500)

Kyle Busch Fined and put on probation: NASCAR announced today that Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, has been fined $10,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31 for an infraction last week at Watkins Glen International. Busch was fined for hitting another competitor’s car after the completion of the race, a violation of Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series rule book. (NASCAR PR)

Lazzaro not happy with Kyle Busch: Anthony Lazzaro, who like Johnny Miller was expected to do little at the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen, completed the full 92 laps and finished 28th in the No. 37 Tequila Patron Dodge. But a post-race incident with Nextel Cup rookie Kyle Busch spoiled what had been a successful day. "The punk crashed me on the cooldown lap. It just shows me this guy never built or worked on a car," Lazzaro said of Kurt Busch's younger brother. "We don't go out and try to wreck other people's equipment." Lazzaro said the trouble may have resulted when the two made contact late in the race. Lazzaro admitted he made some mistakes, the result of not having enough spotters. He said he got into Scott Pruett and drove underneath Ken Schrader at different points of the race. (Star Gazette)

Hendrick Executive Shuffle: NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick has announced executive changes at Hendrick Automotive Group and Hendrick Cos. Jim Perkins, chief executive and president of Charlotte-based Hendrick Automotive Group since 1997, will become president and chief operating officer of Hendrick Cos., the corporate umbrella for Rick Hendrick's NASCAR operations and related enterprises. Jim Huzl, chief operating officer at Hendrick Automotive, will succeed Perkins July 1. In his new role, Huzl will oversee one of the nation's largest privately held auto retailers with 68 franchises and 4,000 employees spanning the Carolinas to California. The company has annual revenue of more than $3.5 billion. Additionally, Bobby Rice has joined Hendrick Cos. as executive vice president and special adviser to Rick Hendrick, who presides over a racing empire that generates an estimated $125 million annually. Rice will also work as a consultant to Hendrick Motorsports, which fields multiple stock-car racing teams for NASCAR divisions and includes drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. (Charlotte Business Journal)

Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch in Sports Illustrated: #5-Kyle Busch and #24-Jeff Gordon are featured in the July edition of Sports Illustrated for Kids magazine. Dubbed as a "Rookie to Watch," Busch answers questions about his racing career in the Teen bonus section. (Hendrick Motorsports)

NEXTEL Testing: 07-Dave Blaney, #31-Jeff Burton, #5-Kyle Busch abd #25-Brian Vickers tested this week at Virginia International Raceway in preparation for the upcoming road-course events at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen. (RCR and HMS Press Release)

Busch's Gustafson wins WYPALL Award: Kyle Busch may not have won the Pocono 500, but he passed more cars during the 200 lap race than any other driver in the forty-three car field. The rookie sensation suffered two setbacks over the course of the event that would have ruined most team’s weekend, but with leadership from crew chief Alan Gustafson, Busch rebounded from both incidents and finished his day in the fourth position. For his comeback, Gustafson was elected the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race. Kyle Busch tagged the outside retaining wall during his qualifying lap, forcing his team to make repairs to the #5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet. His team’s post-impound work moved Busch to the tail-end of the field for the start of the race. “We had a really good car in practice,” explained Gustafson. “The guys gave Kyle (Busch) a great car and he went for it in qualifying. He ended up getting in the fence. The crew did a good job getting the car fixed. They gave him great pit stops which allowed him to get back up front. That’s the great thing about this team, they never quit. I’m proud of them for not giving up.” Busch moved up to the third position, but that wouldn’t be his only charge through the field.

Later in the race, Busch overshot his pit stall. The extra-long stop put Busch in ninth place when he returned to the track. “I probably should have calmed Kyle down a little bit before he came in,” said Gustafson. “He was jacked up because we were doing so well, but the crew did a good job keeping their heads straight and pushing him back into the stall. They handled it well when it could have been a whole lot worse.” The team made up for their miscue on their final green flag stop. With several teams experiencing tire failures during the race, Gustafson made the gutsy call to change only two tires before sending Busch back out. With the time the team saved by changing only two tires, Busch shot into fourth place. “We made a good call at the end to take only two (tires),” said Gustafson. “That got Kyle back up front and in clean air. That allowed us to make up a bunch of time. He drove his guts out there at the end and gave us a good finish.” The panel of voters; including Chuck Givler of the Easton Express Times, a WYPALL® Wipers representative and Robbie Reiser; collectively agreed that Gustafson deserved WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race honors. “He (Gustafson) made great decisions today,” said Givler. “He started in the rear and then jumped to the front. Then he had to do it again when they had trouble in the pits. He caught up again with their last pit stop. No doubt about it, he did the best job today.”

“Alan (Gustafson) did a great job keeping his crew focused,” said Reiser. “They had a lot of work to do that they weren’t planning for, but Alan kept them on task. After the qualifying incident, he made sure their car was repaired correctly. He didn’t let their problems on pit road ruin their day. He made smart decisions and scored a good top-five finish.” With four wins, Doug Richert is in first place of the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year standings. Alan Gustafson and Robbie Loomis are tied for second place with two wins. Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Bob Osborne and Pete Rondeau are in a tie for third place. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. For more information, log onto www.wypall.com. (SMC 500)

Moving Back: Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch made post-qualifying changes to their cars and were forced to drop to the rear of the field on the pace lap. Teammates Gordon and Kyle Busch scraped the wall in qualifying Saturday. Series champion Kurt Busch arrived Sunday morning to find a puddle of break fluid under his car and the team changed its master cylinder

Hendrick Motorsports and Pizza Hut Agreement: Hendrick Motorsports today announced a program that will feature Pizza Hut as a primary sponsor of Chevrolets driven by Terry Labonte and Brian Vickers this season in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series.

Labonte, a two-time Cup Series champion, will showcase a Pizza Hut paint scheme on his No. 44 Chevrolets in three upcoming NEXTEL Cup events: May 21 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, June 12 at Pocono Raceway and July 10 at Chicagoland Speedway.

In the Busch Series, Vickers' No. 57 Pizza Hut Chevrolets will appear May 6 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway during the track's inaugural weekend of night racing and Sept. 24 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Vickers posted a pair of victories, three top-fives and four top-10 finishes at Darlington and Dover in 2003 Busch Series competition.

"We're honored the folks at Pizza Hut have chosen to team with Hendrick Motorsports in their first venture into NASCAR racing," said Marshall Carlson, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. "They've laid out a campaign we're all excited to be associated with and we look forward to making the partnership a valuable one for them."

As the world's largest pizza restaurant company with nearly 6,600 units in the United States and more than 4,000 units in 100 other countries, Pizza Hut has been the place families have gathered for 47 years. The company's legacy of leadership and innovation in the category makes it a perfect match for this sponsorship.

"This is our first foray into anything NASCAR. We're really excited to team with Hendrick Motorsports because they're a winning team that is family-oriented," said Tom James, chief marketing officer, Pizza Hut. "We know NASCAR is a family sport -- families gather to watch the races, racing teams are family-owned and many drivers have siblings and parents racing with them on the track -- so it's a natural connection for us."

Labonte, 48, who won Cup championships in 1984 and 1996, is driving 10-race NEXTEL Cup schedules in 2005 and 2006 as part of his "Shifting Gears - Lone Star Style" tour. He already has made starts this season at California Speedway, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

A Corpus Christi, Texas, native, Labonte has 22 victories, 27 pole positions, 181 top-five finishes and 359 top-10 efforts since joining the Cup circuit in 1978. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Hailing from Thomasville, N.C., Vickers earned the Busch Series title in 2003, winning three races and becoming NASCAR's youngest-ever champion. He moved to the NEXTEL Cup level the following season, posting two poles and four top-10 efforts in his rookie campaign, and currently competes on the tour full-time in the No. 25 Chevrolets.

With Pizza Hut on the hood May 6, the 21-year-old Vickers will make his first Busch Series start since capturing the circuit championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2003. (Hendrick Motorsports PR)

Vickers to Stay at 25? Wrong again. This one is extremely damaging since Hendrick Motorsports is about to announce the extension of its sponsorship deal with GMAC. As with the Leffler case, Vickers is loved by his sponsors. And this season he has been reunited with crew chief Lance McGrew, who was the crew chief on his 2003 Busch Series championship-winning team. (Yahoo!)

Hendrick and Jeff Gordon to Toyota? This one sounds good because Rick Hendrick is one of the largest Toyota dealers in the country, but it won't happen. Unless, of course, Toyota buys GM in the next couple of years. (Yahoo!)

Newman, Borland to Chevy? The hottest news on the corporate front is that Chevrolet executives may be making a run at Ryan Newman and crew chief Matt Borland, according to NASCAR sources. Newman apparently has one more year left on his driving contract with Roger Penske but Borland's contract is reported to be up at the end of this season. Now comes word Chevrolet is offering to set up a team for Newman and Borland for 2006, reported to be with engines supplied by Hendrick Motorsports. Penske is buying out the 48 percent share of Penske South that is owned by Rusty Wallace and his long-time business manager Don Miller. It was Miller who discovered Newman and put together his deal with Penske.(Winston Salem Journal)

Labonte in Texas Sports Hall of Fame: Terry Labonte and Shepherd, both native Texans, were among six honorees at the Hall of Fame's second awards banquet Wednesday night. Labonte, running part-time on the Nextel Cup series this year and next before retiring as a driver, won the 1984 and 1996 Cup championships. After running local stock car races in his hometown of Corpus Christi, "Texas Terry" went on to NASCAR in 1978. He will race Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Shepherd won four straight National Hot Rod Association championships from 1981-84 before he was killed in a testing accident in Oklahoma in March 1985. From 1980-84, he reached the finals in 44 of 56 NHRA national events, winning 26 of them. (FoxSports)

Former Hendrick Chassis Director to DEI? Former Hendrick Motorsports chassis director Eddie Dickerson will interview with Dale Earnhardt Inc. this week. DEI is starting an in-house chassis program, and Dickerson could use his magic to develop better-handling cars for Dale Earnhardt J

Hendrick Driver Development: Hendrick Motorsports has extended its developmental alliance with Bobby Gerhart Racing, which will enter 19-year-old Kyle Krisiloff in 12 ARCA stock car races this season. Hendrick will continue to provide engines to the team. Krisiloff, the grandson of Indianapolis Motor Speedway chairman Mari Hulman George, began his professional racing career in open-wheel cars but moved to stock cars last year as part of Hendrick's driver development initiative. He ran four ARCA events last year and came up with three top 10 finishes, including a win at Chicagoland Speedway and a runner-up performance at Nashville. (Jacksonville Sun)

Hendrick to Lead Charlotte HOF effort, Fl. Looking for Celebrity: Top-level NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick was anointed Tuesday as crew chief of the effort to bring the highly coveted NASCAR hall of fame to the Charlotte region. Daytona Beach, which is competing with Charlotte and five other cities for the racing landmark, is looking to land a famous name, too. "It's our plan to have a NASCAR car and a NASCAR driver from Florida" at a rally in Tallahassee on March 22, City Manager Jim Chisholm said. And George Mirabal, president of The Chamber, Daytona Beach-Halifax Area and a member of the Green Flag Strike Force organizing the local hall of fame effort, said an agreement with a celebrity spokesperson might be reached later this week. Charlotte, meanwhile, still has many unanswered questions, but at least officials there know who'll be selling their pitch to the public. "This is where it belongs," Hendrick told reporters at the Hendrick Motorsports Museum, where he was joined by dozens of business and public officials who are backing the campaign. Charlotte and its northern suburbs are a stock-car racing hub and are home base for most Nextel Cup teams, Hendrick noted. Fans already flock to racing shops and Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, considered one of the top tracks in the country. (CupScene)

Johnson and Busch #5 penalties: As been reported throughout the night on ESPN Radio's "All Night With Todd Wright" that #48-Jimmie Johnson, the winner at Las Vegas, was found in post race inspection to be too low and the 2nd place finisher #5-Kyle Busch's Chevy quarter panels were too high. NASCAR decisions will come later this week. Johnson is expected to keep his win at Sunday's UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400.

Ky. Busch Robot Scheme: Coinciding with the March 11 launch of the movie "Robots" presented by 20th Century Fox, Kellogg's will trade in the No. 5 Chevrolet's traditional paint scheme for a nuts-and-bolts Robots-themed design for Sunday's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In addition, Kyle Busch will jump into the driver's seat this week, but with a different agenda than he's used to. The 19-year-old NEXTEL Cup rookie will stop by Spring Valley High School in his hometown of Las Vegas to educate students on safe driving. Busch graduated one year early from nearby Durango High in 2002. (Hendrick PR)

Hendrick Engine Trouble: Hendrick Motorsports again had engine blues as 4 of their engines failed to complete the 500 miles. Jeff Gordon experienced engine trouble in the closing laps.

Kyle Busch Wins Pole in For Auto Club 500: Busch becomes the youngest pole winner in NASCAR's premier series. Starting Grid

XBOX And Busch: Some Video Gamers got in the game with Kurt Busch today. In the latest Xbox Live "Game with Fame" event. Busch will challenge racing fans in Electronic Arts' racing game, NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, on Wednesday, March 2 from 2-3 p.m. EST. Players looking to chase the checkered flag with Kyle Busch, a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Rookie of the Year candidate, should watch for the Gamertag “KB5Grrreeat” and head to the official "Game with Fame"

Nemechek Sick for 500: Joe Nemechek skipped Saturday's final Daytona 500 practice, choosing instead to rest and try to shake a bug. His crew chief, Ryan Pemberton, said missing a few test laps won't hurt the No. 01 Chevrolet, which is the back-up car to the one wrecked in Thursday's qualifying race. "We feel we're as ready as you can possibly be for the Daytona 500," Pemberton said. "This car has logged a lot of miles here beginning with testing last month." (Wichita Eagle)

Delphi Revs Up with Hendrick: One of the Dayton region's largest employers, Delphi Corp., said Tuesday it signed on for another year of sponsoring a driver in Nascar's Nextel Cup series. The company is co-sponsoring, with Kellogg's, the No. 5 Chevrolet being driven by Kyle Busch. Last year, Delphi co-sponsored Nascar driver Terry Labonte, also in the No. 5 car. Financial terms of the sponsorship were not disclosed. Delphi, of Troy, Mich., also will be the primary sponsor this year for four races in the Nextel series -- at Texas Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Lowe's Motor Speedway -- and supplies ignition wire sets, electrical connectors, steering pumps and steering gear to Nascar. (Delphi PR)

Vickers to Race Busch Races: Hendrick Motorsports has announced that Brian Vickers will return to the NASCAR Busch Series for four races in 2005 with support from primary sponsor Ore-Ida. As part of the agreement, Vickers will drive his four Busch Series races in Ore-Ida-wrapped No. 57 Chevrolets. "We're fortunate to have Ore-Ida's increased involvement at Hendrick Motorsports," Hendrick said. "The four Busch Series races this season will provide Brian with some valuable time on the race track that will translate into success during Sunday's races." In addition to its support of Vickers' Busch Series appearances, Ore-Ida will become a major associate partner of the No. 25 NEXTEL Cup Series team with Vickers as driver. (ThatsRacin)

Hendrick VP's Named: Doug Duchardt and Ken Howes have become vice presidents at Hendrick Motorsports. Duchardt, a longtime General Motors executive and most recently director of GM Racing, will be vice president of development. He will control race-car evolution through design, engineering and production in the chassis and engine areas. Howes, a former Formula One mechanic and NASCAR crew chief and most recently competition director for the NASCAR team owned by Rick Hendrick, will move up to the role of vice president of competition. The South African native will oversee the team's day-to-day competition-related activities, including teams, crew chiefs and pit crew trainers, along with at-track logistics and execution. (FoxSports)

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