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Monday, Aug. 31, 2009

Kevin Harvick to return in the No. 29 in 2010: Kevin Harvick will drive Richard Childress Racing's No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevy in 2010 for his 10th season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series despite rumors to the contrary. "Rumors about Kevin not driving for RCR next season have been flying around the garage area and in the media," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "We want to put the rumors behind us by stating together that Kevin will drive RCR's No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevy for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. RCR continues to work on the overall performance of the No. 29 team, like we are with all of our teams, and the plan is to end the season on a high note. Kevin and the No. 29 team are also preparing for next season with the goal of making a run at the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship."(RCR PR

Dover announces 2010 schedule: Historically, Dover International Speedway’s spring race dates depend on where the Memorial Day holiday falls. Through the years it’s varied between late-May or early June, and because Memorial Day comes late in 2010, Dover International Speedway’s spring race weekend has been moved to May 14-16, 2010, three weeks earlier than this year’s dates to accommodate a busy spring NASCAR schedule. Tickets for the May 14-16, 2010 tripleheader weekend featuring the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series go on sale to the public on Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. Fans that have already renewed their seats and have questions or concerns about the date change are encouraged to call the Dover ticket office at 800-441-RACE for more information. “Dover is traditionally the first stop for NASCAR in the Northeast and it will continue to be that way in 2010,” said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. “With Memorial Day falling on May 31 next year, June becomes very crowded and we felt it was better to make this one-time move and preserve our position as the first race in the Northeast. Our dates will return to the slot after Memorial Day in 2011.” Dover’s fall “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” race weekend remains unchanged and is scheduled for Sept. 24-26, 2010. Tickets for the Sept. 24-26, 2010 races will go on sale on Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. Great seats remain for this year’s fall race at the Monster Mile coming Sept. 25-27. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 800-441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com.(Dover Speedway PR)

Erik Darnell to replace Bobby Labonte in the No. 96: Yates Racing, announced that former NASCAR Camping World Series Rookie-of–the-Year and current NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, Erik Darnell will be behind the wheel of the No. 96 entry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for seven races this season. Darnell will make his Sprint Cup Series debut Labor Day weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the No. 96 Academy Sports & Outdoors Ford Fusion. He also is slated to pilot the No. 96 at Loudon, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. Darnell will carry the familiar colors of Northern Tool + Equipment for the Loudon and Kansas races. Academy Sports & Outdoors will be Darnell’s primary sponsor at Atlanta, Talladega and Texas. Bobby Labonte will continue to race the No. 96 Ford under the Hall of Fame Racing banner with Ask.com and DLP as his primary sponsors at Richmond, Dover, Fontana, Charlotte and Martinsville. “This is a move that will be beneficial to Yates Racing surviving this difficult economic time,” said Bobby Labonte. “Of course, I’m disappointed that the sponsorship environment is so challenging right now, but I intend to make the most out of the remaining races that I’m behind the wheel for Ask.com, DLP and Hall of Fame Racing.”(Yates Racing PR)

Las Vegas Motor Speedway announces 2010 Cup date: The annual NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be a February affair in 2010. LVMS officials announced Friday that next year’s event will take place Feb. 26-28. It marks the first year the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event will be run in February. “In reality, it’s on the same weekend as the 2009 event, it’s just a quirk in the calendar that has the event being held in February,” said LVMS president Chris Powell. “We have been blessed with great weather on this weekend the past few years, and we look forward to having another great weekend with a packed house in 2010.” Tickets, which start as low as $49, are on sale now. Race fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-644-4444, logging on to www.lvms.com or in person at the LVMS ticket services office. LVMS has reduced the price of all Weekend Package and single-day tickets from 2009 pricing. Neon Garage passes also have been reduced from 2009. The speedway has introduced a special Family Four Pack which starts at $199. Lucky 7 Preferred Parking and Driver Introduction passes also are available. Times for all events will be announced at a later date.(LVMS)

Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009

Keselowski says announcement is coming soon: Brad Keselowski remained noncommittal this weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on his future in NASCAR, though he did say an announcement on his plans will come "shortly." Keselowski, a full-time Nationwide Series driver for JR Motorsports and a part-time Sprint Cup driver for Hendrick Motorsports and Phoenix Racing, is rumored to be joining Penske Racing in 2010 - perhaps running both series full time for the team. Keselowski has said he wanted to drive full time in both series, and those plans remain in place. "I'm confident that I will run full time in both series next season," he said. If he joins Penske, he could be a teammate to Justin Allgaier in the Nationwide Series. Allgaier said Saturday he told Penske officials he didn't want to know about the team's plans until they were official.(SceneDaily.com)

Toyota Executive: NASCAR is providing results: Toyota's presence in NASCAR has had a little different purpose than other manufacturers in the sport. Sure, the company wants to sell vehicles. But before Toyota could get NASCAR fans to buy its vehicles, the manufacturer had to get NASCAR fans to consider buying its vehicles. That's where NASCAR came in - just to be in the mind of a potential car-buyer to look up a Toyota vehicle on the Web site or come into the dealership. To that end, NASCAR is producing results, said Bob Carter, a Toyota vice president who oversees Toyota Racing Development as the general manager for Toyota Motor Sales USA. "NASCAR continues to deliver what our goals were when we entered the sport," Carter said. "We've been involved in racing for 30 years. NASCAR has certainly positioned itself as the premier series within the U.S. "It has a huge fan base. In 2004, for many of the NASCAR fans, we weren't necessarily on the short list when it came to buying a car. In fact, compared to Chevy and Ford among the [NASCAR] people who were shopping, we were 20 points behind Chevy and Ford. In our third year of Sprint Cup, we're virtually identical with Ford and Chevy. [NASCAR] has delivered more benefits quicker than we had originally had hoped for," Carter said. "Our goal being at the race track is to be top of mind among all these race fans when they're considering their next car purchase. This was a push on a market that we saw an opportunity to expose the product."(SceneDaily)

Indy Car owners support moving start time of Indy 500 up: The Indianapolis 500 will return to its more traditional start time -- 11 a.m. -- if some influential IndyCar Series team owners have a say in it. The leaders of Team Penske and Andretti Green Racing said Saturday they support a change back to the earlier start time to help the event attract NASCAR drivers, which they figure would boost television ratings for the 500. Currently, the 1 p.m. start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway does not allow enough time for drivers to complete the 500 miles and then fly to Concord, N.C., for the Sprint Cup Series night race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Team Penske president Tim Cindric brought the subject up in an owners meeting held with Indy Racing League officials prior to the race at Chicagoland Speedway. "It's worth one (ratings) point, at least," Cindric said after the meeting.(Indianapolis Star)

Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009

Nationwide's COT to be run fourt times in 2010: NASCAR Nationwide Series teams will run the new car in four events in 2010, beginning with the July race at Daytona International Speedway and then race it about once a month in a slow debut for the model. Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash says that series officials handed teams the rule book for building the new car following a recent series of meetings with owners and fabricators. Balash said those meetings helped the sanctioning body finalize some steps of the process, while others are still in the works. The series will use tapered spacers at all events, abandoning the usage of restrictor plates to harness horsepower at superspeedways. A tapered spacer serves the same purpose as a restrictor plate, but it is a thicker device. "We still have to finalize a couple of things on the overall schedule before we can announce what tracks we'll be on, but our goal is to have the teams race the new car once a month for four months and then we'll stay away from that last month with the last three races leading into the championship for the Nationwide Series," he said. Balash added that the four events will all be on ovals, but that it will be a diverse group to help the teams.(SceneDaily.com)

Friday, Aug. 28, 2009

Daytona 500 qualifying moved to Saturday: Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger, which secures the prestigious front row for the 52nd annual Daytona 500, will be part of a tripleheader day of racing on Saturday, Feb. 6, joining the 32nd annual Budweiser Shootout and Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 during Speedweeks 2010. Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger, which is traditionally scheduled on the Sunday prior to the Daytona 500, will kick off activities on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 1:05 p.m. on FOX, followed by the season-opening Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 for the ARCA Series at 4:30 p.m. on SPEED, and the Budweiser Shootout at 8:10 p.m. on FOX.(DIS PR)

All American Rejects to headline Chevy Rock-n-Roll 400 prerace show: For the seventh straight year, the sounds of rock & roll and the intensity of NASCAR racing will merge at the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. This year's event features a pre-race concert by The All-American Rejects. The chart-topping rock band will perform on the frontstretch of Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 5:45 p.m., followed by the start of "One Last Race to Make the Chase"-the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. An American rock band formed in 2001 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, The All-American Rejects have released three studio albums that have garnered the band critical and mainstream success worldwide. Tickets for the NASCAR doubleheader weekend, September 11-12, at Richmond International Raceway, are on sale now. Tickets, which start at $40, can be purchased by logging on to www.rir.com or calling 866-455-RACE (7223).(RIR PR)

Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009

Keselowski says he won't return to JR Motorsports in 2010: Brad Keselowski declined to comment on reports he'll drive in the Sprint Cup Series for Penske Racing next year, but he did indicate Thursday to Sporting News he won't be back in JR Motorsports' Nationwide car next season. Asked whether he expected to return to JRM, Keselowski said, "At this time, no," during a boat tour of the Old Port in Montreal. Kelly Bires reportedly is the leading candidate to replace Keselowski in the No. 88 JRM Chevy. "I heard that, too," Keselowski said when asked about the possibility of Bires driving for JRM. "It's hard to tell. I know they've talked to a number of drivers, and I wish them the best on whoever gets in there, and I expect big things from them, as I'm sure the team does. "I look forward to seeing somebody get the opportunity that I got." Keselowski's departure from JRM lends credence to reports, which surfaced last week at Bristol, that he'll join Penske Racing. Team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. has said if Keselowski were to drive a car make other than Chevy in the Cup Series, that would preclude him for driving for JRM's Nationwide program.(NASCAR.com)

Richard Petty Motorsports to stick with Dodge?  It appears Richard Petty Motorsports will not move from Dodge to Toyota next season. At least that's the impression that Lee White, who heads Toyota Racing Development, gave last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. White said he believes that Mike Accaviti, the president of the Dodge brand, is doing all he can to keep RPM in the fold. He also said that would be a good thing, that the sport needs all four manufacturers to be strong. He actually seemed to wish them luck and didn't seemed bothered that Toyota will not be welcoming in another organization. It makes sense -- Toyota's interest in RPM was tweaked when Red Bull Racing appeared set to leave the fold for General Motors and an association with Hendrick Motorsports. Now that Red Bull is set to re-sign with Toyota, there is not the urgency to get another organization. Having said that, there are no guarantees that RPM will be back with Dodge even if Toyota is out of the picture. The organization has had talks with General Motors as well. But all signs point to Dodge fielding cars for RPM and Penske Racing moving forward.(ESPN.com Insider)

Bootie Barker out as Michael Waltrip's Crew Chief: Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) announced that veteran crew chief Gene Nead has been named interim crew chief for two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip and his No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts team. Nead officially joins MWR on Monday and will call the final 12 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season for Waltrip. Robert “Bootie” Barker remains with the organization and will be assisting engineering with special projects. Nead is a familiar face to MWR. Earlier this season, he worked for JTG Daugherty Racing who has a technical alliance with MWR. He led the team’s NASCAR Nationwide Series program with driver Michael McDowell.(MWR PR)

TMS and Phoenix to swap spring dates: Texas Motor Speedway will have a slight shift in its 2010 NASCAR schedule as the Samsung 500 race week will be run April 15-18, moving the Sprint Cup Series race from the seventh to the eighth event of the season as a result of a date swap with Phoenix International Raceway.TMS officials agreed to the move to accommodate NASCAR and network television partner, FOX, because the Samsung 500 on its traditional April date would have been pitted directly against the final round of the The Masters on television. Phoenix transitions into that slot without a conflict since it will play host to a Saturday evening race.(Texas Motor Speedway PR)

TGR Motorsports wants two Cup teams in 2010: Team Owner Buckler was hoping to run up to three Truck Series entries this season, but that was "before the economy took a dump." The No. 7 truck has made only six starts this season, four with driver J.R. Fitzpatrick. There will likely be no TRG Motorsports truck next season because of sponsorship issues, but Buckler hopes to expand into a two-car Cup operation in 2010. Buckler's plan is to find success by becoming the exact opposite of stock-car behemoth Hendrick Motorsports. "It's very exciting," Buckler said. "Everybody feels it. We got a little buzz going. We're trying to position ourselves to be sort of the new, small, and efficient, lean, and mean business model. "We want to establish a new way of doing things. I'm not out to compete today with a Hendrick, but what I want to be the toughest dog in the fight."(Daytona Beach News Journal)

Penske still in talks with Keselowski? Reports surfaced last week in Bristol that Brad Keselowski was set to replace David Stremme in the three-car Penske Racing Sprint Cup stable next year. ESPN reported on its race telecast Stremme was informing people in the garage area he was out of the ride and looking for employment next season. However Stremme insists he never made those statements and that no one from the network bothered to ask him directly about his future. Stremme told Sirius NASCAR Radio's The Morning Drive he "feels good about his future and will discuss his plans when the time allows." Keselowski and his current Sprint Cup and Nationwide team owners Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have also declined to comment on what lies ahead for the Michigan driver.(CBS Sports

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009

Irwin Tools likely to leave Roush Fenway Racing: Irwin Tools appears to be ending its relationship with Roush Fenway Racing. In a release discussing the company's new title sponsorship of the August race at Bristol Motor Speedway – the Irwin Tools Night Race – the company stated that it was time for a "new chapter" for the company. The company has been a mainstay in the sport since 2003, serving as a primary car sponsor for Roush Fenway Racing. During that span, drivers Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray both won races in company-sponsored Fords while Busch won the NASCAR Cup championship with that sponsorship in 2004. McMurray has been sponsored by Irwin this season. "It's been a great ride with Roush Fenway Racing," said Eric Pinkham, Newell Rubbermaid's Vice President, sponsorship and event marketing. "They clearly helped us put Irwin Tools on the map, and we appreciate what they've done for the Irwin brand. Now it's time for a new chapter for Irwin."(SceneDaily.com)

Furniture Row adds two Cup dates: Furniture Row Racing driver Regan Smith knows what he’s doing next season, and, in a way, that will dictate a little bit of what he’ll do the rest of the 2009 season. With the Furniture Row Racing team returning to a full-time schedule in 2010 after scaling back to a part-time schedule in 2009, the team has added next week’s race at Atlanta and Auto Club Speedway in California in October to help Smith prepare for next year. The team was at the track in Rockingham, N.C., earlier this week testing and also does some testing at Pikes Peak in Colorado, which is near its Denver base. The team will also need to build road-course cars for next year.(SceneDaily.com )

Counterfeit HANS parts found: HANS Performance Products has been trackside the past few days investigating the counterfeit HANS Post Anchor problem reported earlier. COO Gary Milgrom has been focused on circle track racing. “I must have seen about 150 helmets and exchanged over 50 sets of counterfeit anchors,” said Milgrom. He continued, “On the whole, I’ve not had to touch any Simpson, Bell, Arai or Stand21 helmets – they’ve already been fitted with genuine HANS Post Anchors.” Simpson, Bell, Arai and Stand21 have had substantial long-standing relationships with HANS Performance Products. They are among the 200 authorized dealers throughout North America that receive direct factory support.(HANS)

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009

NASCAR Ratings up at Bristol: Live coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway Aug. 21-22 by ESPN saw increased ratings from last year’s telecasts for both events, the second consecutive week that ratings for both series have shown increases from 2008. ESPN’s telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race on Aug. 22 earned a 3.8 final national household coverage rating, up from the 3.5 rating for last year’s race that also aired on ESPN. The telecast averaged 5,322,577 viewers. The Bristol race was ESPN’s fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup race of the season but only the third to be run and telecast as scheduled. The previous week’s race at Michigan International Speedway also saw a ratings increase from 2008. Live coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Bristol on ESPN2 earned a final national household coverage rating of 1.5, up from a 1.4 for last year’s race that aired on ESPN. The telecast averaged 1,956,225 viewers. Last week’s Michigan race also saw an increase.(ESPN PR)

Chandra and Jimmie Johnson donates 500k to schools: Chandra and Jimmie Johnson announced a $150,000 commitment for K-12 education in the Charlotte area. The foundation has partnered with Lowe’s, Johnson’s primary sponsor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and its Lowe’s Toolbox for Education program to offer a competitive grant opportunity to four local school districts in the city where the Johnsons currently reside. The Johnsons have also announced similar initiatives in their hometowns in California and Oklahoma, bringing the total commitment to education to more than $500,000. (PR)

Biffle's No. 16 team wins Tissot Pit Road Award at Bristol: Greg Biffle's team won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was the fifth victory of the season for the No. 16 crew, which remains in first place in the Tissot standings. The crews for Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are tied for second with three wins each. Biffle's No. 16 Ford spent the least amount of time on pit road - 214.601 seconds -- during the 500-lap race at the world's fastest half-mile oval. The quick pit stops helped Biffle to a fourth-place finish in the Sharpie 500.(Tissot)

No. 18's Steve Addington named Wypall's Crew Chief of the Race: Steve Addington, crew chief for the No. 18 M&M's Toyota driven by Kyle Busch, has been named the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Race following Saturday night's Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Addington-led No. 18 team provided Busch with flawless execution all night, running in the top-five, but it wasn't until Lap 433 that Busch claimed the top spot from Michael Waltrip. Following a successful pit stop during a caution on lap 423, that Waltrip chose not to come in for, Addington shot his driver out to the front of the pack, never to look back. After a late race battle with Mark Martin, Busch prevailed and took home the coveted Sharpie 500 win. In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly wins will be honored as the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at the season finale in Homestead.(Wypall)

Monday, Aug. 24, 2009

Changes expected at RCR? Changes are coming at Richard Childress Racing. "We're getting ready to make a lot of changes to hopefully change [the performance]," Team owner Richard Childress said last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. He wouldn't get any more specific, but those close to the situation said there will be some major restructuring announced early this week that hopefully will improve performance. The organization already has made some changes within the teams to put the best at-the-track personnel with Clint Bowyer, the only one of RCR's four drivers with a shot at the Chase. Bowyer is 15th in points, 112 points out with two races remaining before the field is set. Jeff Burton is 18th, Casey Mears is 20th and Kevin Harvick is 24th. Childress has already switched the crew chiefs of Harvick and Mears in an attempt to improve performance, so any further changes likely will come in a shakeup of managerial or engineering structure.(ESPN.com)

JR Motorsports looking for Keselowski's replacement: JR Motorsports President Kelley Earnhardt confirmed that Kelly Bires is on the list of possible replacements for Brad Keselowski should the company and the driver part ways. Many in the garage have called Bires, who turns 25 Tuesday, the front-runner for the No. 88 Nationwide Series ride.(FoxSports)

Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009

Hendrick Motorsports working on fuel injection project: Sources have told FOXSports.com that Hendrick Motorsports is working on the fuel injection project for NASCAR. If NASCAR opts for fuel injection engines in the near future, it will likely increase production costs by $15,000 to $20,000. One engineer also quipped, "It will be more fuel efficient, but also provide teams with an easier platform to cheat."(FOXSports.com)

Mark Martin honored at Bristol: Mark Martin's introduction drew the loudest cheers at Bristol Motor Speedway during Sharpie 500 driver introductions, and the honors continued for Martin before his 1,000th career start. Besides a video tribute, the 50-year-old was presented with a 3-foot trophy with the number 1,000 on top while fans in the north end zone turned red, white and black cards reading The 1000 Mark. It was enough to choke Martin up as he thanked the crowd for their support. "A thousand starts ain't no big deal," Martin said, "but what they did made me cry."(USA Today)

The latest on Brad Keselowski: NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick does not plan to let Brad Keselowski stray far from his organization. Keselowski is believed to be headed to Penske Racing next season, in part because Hendrick Motorsports has no room in the lineup to promote him to the Sprint Cup Series. But the team owner says wherever Keselowski ends up, "he'll always be close enough for me to bring him back." Keselowski is the hottest prospect right now in NASCAR, but wants to move up from the Nationwide Series to the premier Cup level. He wanted to stay with a team affiliated with Hendrick, but there is no scenario for 2010 that would work. Keselowski turned down the No. 12 for Penske last season. David Stremme got the ride.(Associated Press)

Danica Patrick to stay in IRL? Danica Patrick pretty much confirmed Saturday that not only was she staying in the Indy Racing League, she's also staying put at Andretti Green Racing. Just two days after Michael Andretti announced he was taking charge of the racing team Patrick has been with since 2007, IndyCar's biggest star acknowledged she was happy with the changes and wants to be part of solution. "Every team has its pitfalls and people who are difficult but I like some of the changes being made for this team and that's good for me," said Patrick, who is fifth in the point standings and having her best season with Andretti calling her strategy. This is a great team and it's won a lot of races and there's no reason to think we can't do it again. Michael has so much passion and is such a good leader. My deal isn't finalized but things are going well and clearly moving forward and that's good." Andretti said he was getting close to re-signing Patrick and happy with the progress. It's assumed the new deal will be announced this week at Chicago, the home of Motorola and where IndyCar races Saturday night in Joliet. Asked about the possibilities of switching to NASCAR, Patrick said: "I think at the end of the day, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know."(SPEEDtv)

Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009

Brad Keselowski to Penske Racing? According to two published reports and additional sources, Brad Keselowski is to replace David Stremme as driver of the No. 12 car. A grinning Keselowski was coy when asked about the reports. "Ah, well, you know, I'm really not in a position to talk about any of that stuff right now. That's probably my biggest response. And I'm really not prepared to address any of the rumors about next year right now. I'm here to race the Nationwide car and I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that or distract me from that," Keselowski said. Asked if he was still a free agent, Keselowski smiled widely and added: "Everybody's free. We live in a free country, so, yeah, I'm still free." Jonathan Gibson, vice president of marketing for Penske Racing, said he could neither confirm nor deny the reports. But what he said appeared to speak volumes. "It's no secret we've been talking with Brad. Roger Penske has a history of having great drivers [in the employment of Penske Racing]. Brad Keselowski is a great driver," Gibson said. As part of the agreement, Keselowski presumably will cease to drive a Nationwide car for Jr. Motorsports at the end of this season as well. (NASCAR.com)

Kimberly-Clark to sponsor No. 47 in 2010: Kimberly-Clark announced a partnership with JTG Daugherty Racing for the 2010 season, making it a sponsor of the No. 47 Toyota NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car driven by Marcos Ambrose. The partnership will commence with the Daytona 500 in February and mark the 16th season Kimberly-Clark has been active in NASCAR. As sponsor, Kimberly-Clark brands will be present on the No. 47 for the entire 2010 season, serving as the primary sponsor on paint schemes for five races, including Daytona. The move to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series brings to end one of the longest-standing team/sponsor relationships in the Nationwide Series. "Kimberly-Clark has partnered with Baker Curb Racing and that organization for a long time," Kimberly-Clark's Don Quigley said. "We certainly wish that team the best of luck and expect it to continue finding success. We also hope nothing but the best for Jason Keller in his endeavors both on and off the track. As we graduate up, we will certainly remain fans of the Nationwide Series."(Kimberly-Clark PR)

Kentucky Speedway to have Sprint Cup date in 2011?  Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith was hoping to get Kentucky on the schedule, likely taking a date away from Atlanta, but the former owners of the speedway refuse to drop their lawsuit against NASCAR. Until that happens, NASCAR won't consider Kentucky for a date. But otherwise, expect next year's schedule will be like this year's schedule -- except for two exceptions. If you were paying attention to Sunday's press conference in which Michigan International Speedway officials announced a reduction in ticket prices, you may have noticed a change in date for the track's first 2010 race. The date was June 13, a week earlier than normal. And there's another shift: The Dover race will move from the weekend after Memorial Day weekend to early May. These changes come because there is an extra weekend in between the Mother's Day race date at Darlington and the Memorial Day race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and one less weekend between then and the Fourth of July weekend. (ESPN Insider)