NASCAR Past News Jan 21 - 26

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January 26, 2005:

Man Goes to Jail over NASCAR Tickets: A judge sentenced one man to prison and placed another on probation while ordering both to pay back more than $100,000 they allegedly bilked from people trying to get tickets to Steelers games and other sports events.  "These people deserve to have their money back," Allegheny County Judge Donald E. Machen told Stephen Swintosky, 30, formerly of Delmont, and Carmen Parilla, 69, of McKees Rocks.   Prosecutors said the two promised people that they could buy batches of tickets for Steelers games, college games and NASCAR races. Fans sent checks ranging from $464 for NASCAR tickets to nearly $77,000 for football games but the men never delivered, authorities said. (AOL Sports)

Fisher Driver Full Time in NASCAR: Sarah Fisher is putting her Indy Racing League career on hold to go stock-car racing. NASCAR car owner Richard Childress announced Tuesday that he has hired Fisher to drive the full 11-race season in the West Series, a regional NASCAR division. She'll drive for Bill McAnally Racing with Childress' backing as part of NASCAR's diversity program.  Childress said Fisher also will be entered in two Busch Series races later this season. (Indianapolis Star)

UPS Announces sponsorship with ISC: United Parcel Service Inc. announced a deal Wednesday to become the exclusive track sponsor of California Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. Financial terms of the sponsorships were not disclosed. The three tracks host premier races throughout the NASCAR schedule and complement Atlanta-based UPS' existing presence at Daytona International Speedway. UPS has been the official delivery company for the Daytona track since 2001 and will continue through 2008 with the other tracks.  UPS now will have a presence on Tri-Vision signage and fan transportation. UPS will coordinate outbound and inbound shipments, including ticket packages and merchandise for vendor concessions. (Business Journal)

Kenseth Associate Sponsor USG: USG Corporation, a leading manufacturer of building materials, including the renowned SHEETROCK® Brand, announced that its 2005 NASCAR program will include a new partnership with DeWalt Racing, Roush Racing and champion driver Matt Kenseth. USG SHEETROCK Brand will be a primary sponsor on Kenseth's No. 17 DeWalt Ford Taurus at three Nextel Cup races -- Feb. 27 at Fontana, Calif., Aug. 7 at Indianapolis and Oct. 30 at Atlanta. At all of the other 2005 Cup races, USG SHEETROCK will assume a major associate sponsorship role on the DeWalt Ford, owned by Roush Racing. "USG's new NASCAR team program is an alliance of champions," said Julian Francis, vice president, marketing, USG Building Systems. "We're affiliated with a championship driver in Matt Kenseth, a championship team in DeWalt Racing, a championship organization in Roush Racing and a championship motorsports sanctioning body in NASCAR. "It is only fitting that USG SHEETROCK, a championship brand in the building industry, has positioned itself with a strategic alliance to target our customers. This is an exciting time for USG Racing and we're looking forward to a thrilling 2005 season." Since joining the Cup series full-time in 2000, Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Champion, has accumulated nine wins, 39 top fives and 82 top 10s. The 32-year-old Cambridge, Wis. native put together top-10 championship point finishes the past three years - eighth (2002), first (2003) and eighth (2004). He was NASCAR's Rookie of the Year in 2000 and has earned more than $25 million in career prize money. USG will continue as a NASCAR promotional partner in 2005 with the "USG Improving The Finish" contingency award at each of the 36 Nextel Cup point races and as a sponsor of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series. The USG Improving The Finish award will pay $5,000 at each race to the driver who gains the most places from the opening green flag to the closing checkered flag. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, the driver who earns the most USG Improving The Finish points will be awarded a $100,000 bonus. (Roush Racing PR)

Vegas Adds seats for Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway virtually is assured of setting an all-time attendance record for its annual NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race with the announcement that additional seating has been added for this year's NASCAR weekend.  LVMS general manager Chris Powell announced Tuesday that the speedway would add bleacher seating outside Turn 3 that could push attendance for the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 close to 160,000.   Tickets for the additional seating went on sale today for $99 each and include a reserved seat for both the Nextel Cup and NASCAR Busch Series races as well as a general admission seat for the Sept. 24 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Champ Car World Series races. (Las Vegas Sun)

Daytona Lobbying for NASCAR Hall of Fame: Daytona Beach has started lobbying for a plan that could lead to state lawmakers chipping in as much as $75 million to help woo a NASCAR hall of fame to Volusia County.  The plan, which Volusia lawmakers hope to pass during the spring legislative session, could be pivotal to Daytona's hopes of outbidding three other cities for the hall of fame. Backers of the project said they expect competing states, such as North Carolina, to offer extensive financial packages to try to lure the hall.  "If this doesn't pass, I'd say we're dead," said Sam Bell, a former Volusia County lawmaker who lobbies for Daytona Beach.  NASCAR sent letters early this month to Daytona Beach, Charlotte, N.C., Atlanta and Kansas City, Kan., inviting them to submit proposals for building and operating a racing hall of fame. Hoping to bolster tourism and economic development, Daytona Beach officials and local lawmakers immediately said they would try to put together an incentives package. (News-Journal)

Humpy wants NASCAR Hall in Charlotte: NASCAR has asked four cities to submit their proposals for a hall of fame.  Charlotte is an early favorite to land the facility, but it has competition in Atlanta; Daytona Beach, Fla.; and Kansas City, Kan.  “Atlanta’s going to be the formidable competition, but this is where it started,” said Humpy Wheeler, the president of Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord. “This is where the peach basket was put up in 1949, right out on Little Rock Road near the airport.”  The proposals are due in May, and NASCAR is expected to make a decision by the end of the year.  “NASCAR was born here, it was built here, and its hall of fame belongs here,” said Mike Crum, the chief operating officer of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. “However, we’re not taking anything for granted. We’re willing to put together what will be a very competitive proposal to bring the facility to our city.”  An organizing committee, led by Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, will draft the proposal. (News 14)

Chex Cereal to Sponsor NASCAR's Most Popular: Chex cereal will begin sponsoring the NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award for the Nextel Cup Series beginning this season. The announcement was made today as part of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Media Tour. The award is administered by the National Motorsports Press Association. Voting for the more than 40 drivers eligible for the only fan-based award in motorsports begins Tuesday, Feb. 1, at www.mostpopulardriver.com and continues through 11:59 a.m. CST, Monday, Nov. 21. Fans may vote once each day at the site. The Chex NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award has been sponsored by General Mills since the start of the 2002 season. In that time period, more than 9.3 million votes have been cast. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won the award the past two years. (Catchfence)

DW DVD: The newest stock-car racing DVD from NASCAR Images will be “Darrell Waltrip: His Passion Behind the Wheel,” which will be available Feb. 15. The DVD will be distributed by Melee Entertainment in conjunction with Good Times Entertainment and will carry a list price of $19.95. (Speed Channel Media)

NASCAR Chaplin Retiring: The only chaplain in the history of Daytona International Speedway is entering his final lap.  The Rev. Hal Marchman, known for his distinctive "Shalom and amen!" ending to pre-race prayers, will step down after next month's Speed Week activities, including the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20.  Marchman, in his 80s, is the retired pastor of Central Baptist Church and co-founder of the Stewart-Marchman Center for Chemical Independence. He hasn't missed a NASCAR event here in more than 40 years.  Succeeding Marchman is the Rev. Tim McNeil, executive director of the Genesis Counseling Center of First United Methodist Church of Ormond Beach. (AP)

Penske paint schemes in Vegas: NASCAR(R) teams continue to strive for ultimate performance under extreme driving conditions. Now, NASCAR sponsor ExxonMobil is partnering with Penske Racing South to help every-day drivers improve their cars' performance. As part of the initiative, all three of Penske Racing South's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers will race cars promoting the new line of Mobil high-endurance motor oils -- which guarantee engine protection for longer intervals -- during the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on March 13 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ryan Newman (No.12) will run the Mobil 1 Extended Performance car in Vegas, with teammate Rusty Wallace (No. 2) behind the wheel of the Mobil Clean 7500 car and NASCAR Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Travis Kvapil (No. 77) driving the Mobil Clean 5000 car.  "Penske Racing has always been about performance. We are excited to partner with Mobil to help race fans understand the best way to get the most out of their motor oil and optimize their engine's performance," said team owner Roger Penske. (Business Wire)

Multiple sponsors for Bobby Labonte in '05: Bobby Labonte’s Nextel Cup primary sponsor, Interstate Batteries, is one of the smallest companies to be a Cup primary. To help defray the rising cost of sponsorship, Interstate will sell some of its races to other sponsors, as it did last year when the car carried the purple Wellbutrin colors on several occasions. (Speed Channel Media)

Gibbs Back in Control, Two Roles Owner and NFL Coach:  On Tuesday Joe Gibbs found himself switching gears, donning the hat of NASCAR team owner to promote his burgeoning stock-car racing empire, which is adding a third Nextel Cup team for the 2005 season. Rookie Jason Leffler will make his debut in the No. 11 Federal Express Chevrolet in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 alongside Gibbs's veteran drivers, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart.  Though the subject was racing, Gibbs was bombarded with questions about the NFL: Had he underestimated the difficulty of winning in today's NFL? Had the players changed? Did he regret returning to the sidelines? How was his health holding up? (Washington Post) Wednesday Edition

January 25, 2005:

Gibbs to Keep White Diversity Program: Joe Gibbs Racing's Late Model diversity program will keep its Reggie White Motorsports name in honor of the defensive end who died unexpectedly last month. One of the cars will carry White's No. 92. "Reggie White was somebody who changed the people around him in a great way," Gibbs said. "He did chapel services for us [at the shop]. I wish I had a chance to coach him."

France Waiting on Approval for Season Finale Races Under the Lights: NASCAR CEO Brian France said if the Federal Aviation Administration approves lights for Homestead-Miami Speedway, he would like to have night races for the Craftsman Truck and Busch Series finales. He also would like the Cup championship race to start late Sunday afternoon and finish in prime time -- ``just like the Super Bowl.'' (Miami Herald)

"Car of Tomorrow" On Schedule: Gary Nelson, who runs NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., said the next generation stock car, dubbed "the Car of Tomorrow," is right on schedule. "Actually, we're pretty excited about what's happening," Nelson said. "We've got several of them under construction, working with several teams now and, probably within the next couple of months we'll pick up several more teams now that they've got a lot of their '05 cars done.  "We've got a pretty exciting and aggressive schedule for the next couple of months."  The developmental car features a larger cockpit area - known as the greenhouse - a higher and wider profile to promote more aerodynamic drag - slowing the cars down - and new "crush zones" to better absorb impacts. NASCAR has built several of the cars and more are now being constructed for testing by the teams. "Our schedule has always said that it will be ready near the end of this season to be on the track, but a lot of other factors come into play," Nelson said. (ThatsRacin)

MB2 Moving into Bigger Shop: The MB2-MBV-MB/Sutton Motorsports team will move to a new shop sometime in July, dramatically increasing its available space. Currently, the three-car team occupies a 40,000-square foot building near the Concord Regional Airport.  General manager Jay Frye said the team would close on a warehouse building in Mooresville, N.C. in March, with hopes of completing the move in July. Once finished, the new building would be 144,000 square feet.  "We're surrounded by Roush," Frye said jokingly. "So it's time to get out."  "We think we got a great deal on the building, it's in a great location, it's a good investment. We look at it as a diamond in the rough. It'll take us about three months to fix it up, but at the end of the day, we'll be set. We won't have to look for space for a long time." (NASCAR)

Said gets Cup ride: The longtime sports car star is 42, yet hoping to match the recent success of some of the youthful stars in NASCAR's Nextel Cup series.  Said has driven a handful of races in NASCAR's top three series over the past nine years, but is getting his big chance in 2005. He will be in 10 to 15 Cup races with MBSutton Motorsports, a new addition to MB2/MBV Motorsports, which fields Chevrolets for Joe Nemechek and Scott Riggs.  "The best thing Boris has going for him is he got involved with an established team," said Nemechek, who has been giving Said considerable help in adjusting to oval racing. "He's going to have the same stuff I have.  "As long as he can adapt quickly, he's going to do well - and he can adapt quickly." Said has sought for a long time a regular ride in NASCAR's top series. (AP/That's Racin)

Pension Plan Unlikely, France Says: NASCAR chairman Brian France said Monday he doesn't think a pension fund for retired Nextel Cup drivers is a realistic possibility in the near future. "Compared to many other leagues that allow it, we have differences in how we're structured," France said. "Our drivers are independent contractors with independent teams." France addressed the topic at the NASCAR Research and Development Center, the first stop on the NASCAR media tour. Veteran Cup driver Rusty Wallace, who is retiring after this season, brought up the idea of a pension fund last week. (Dallas Morning News)

Daytona Program hits Newsstands: NASCAR's 2005 season rolls February 20 in grand style with the 47th annual Daytona 500. In anticipation of NASCAR's most prestigious event, the Daytona 500 Souvenir Program will be available at newsstands across the country just in time for this year's running of "The Great American Race." On of the hottest collectibles of the race season, this high-quality keepsake features many of today's most popular drivers and race teams who will all be trying to win at world-renowned Daytona International Speedway. Fans unable to make it to "The World Center of Racing" for Speedweeks 2005 will be able to get their hands on this prized souvenir in plenty of time for the running of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season-opening event.  At 148 pages, the newsstand edition of the race day program captures the excitement of Speedweeks at Daytona and all of the drama that makes the event so special.  This year's Daytona 500 Souvenir Program commemorates Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s dramatic victory in 2004 and his quest to defend the title. It also features the resounding success of The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and how Kurt Busch claimed the first championship under the new format. Busch will return to Daytona looking to continue his strong showing late in 2004 with his sights set on a Daytona victory. (WhoWon)

Vicker Signs Sponsorship: Garnier Fructis and Hendrick Motorsports today announced a multi-year agreement featuring Garnier Fructis as a major associate sponsor of the No. 25 Chevrolets driven by Brian Vickers in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The deal marks the first foray into motorsports by Garnier Fructis, the wildly popular unisex haircare brand owned by L'Oreal USA.  In addition to the associate-sponsorship on the No. 25 GMAC / ditech.com Chevrolets in 2005, the union will be highlighted when Vickers and the No. 25 car don the trademark bright green Garnier Fructis color scheme in two races -- April 17 at Texas Motor Speedway and Aug. 7 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  "NASCAR has enormous universal appeal," says Karen Fondu, president, Maybelline New York-Garnier. "NASCAR is more than a sport; it's a lifestyle. Like Garnier Fructis, NASCAR is dynamic, spirited and all about high performance." "The energy and excitement of NASCAR connects Garnier Fructis to over 75 million fans, both men and women," says Cheryl Vitali, senior vice president, marketing, Maybelline New York-Garnier. "We couldn't be more thrilled about our partnership with Hendrick Motorsports and Brian Vickers, and hope to make many more NASCAR fans Garnier Fructis fans." Under the associate sponsorship agreement, Brian Vickers will serve as a spokesperson for Garnier Fructis haircare and styling products. His likeness will be featured in print advertising, at point-of-purchase and in-store displays, and throughout public relations campaigns and Internet initiatives. (NASCAR)

Best Buy Joins NetZero Racing: NetZero, a leading Internet Service Provider that offers high-quality, easy-to-use, free and value-priced Internet service to millions of people nationwide, and Best Buy Co., Inc., North America's leading retailer of consumer electronics, will head into the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season together as co-sponsors of the #0 NetZero Best Buy Chevrolet. Former Craftsman Truck Series Champion Mike Bliss will pilot the NetZero Best Buy Racing Chevrolet for Haas CNC Racing team owner Gene Haas.  "Many of our customers and store associates are among the 75 million people who have declared NASCAR one of their favorite sports," said Michael Linton, chief marketing officer at Best Buy. "Our co-sponsorship with NetZero appeals to race fan interests with countless racing thrills on the track and then transports the excitement of NASCAR back into our own stores."   "We are very excited to be partnering with Best Buy on the 2005 NetZero Best Buy Race team," said Barbara Palmer, senior vice president marketing at NetZero. "Our ongoing relationship with Best Buy makes it easy for consumers to sign-up for our value-priced NetZero Internet services right in their local Best Buy store through Best Buy's knowledgeable sales associates. We believe this co-sponsorship provides what we have not had in past NASCAR seasons: a physical location where consumers can meet and interact with our team, driver and race car  and sign up for our service at the same time."  (WhoWon)

Inside Winston Cup Extended: Future plans for SPEED’s NASCAR broadcasts include an expansion of the popular Inside NEXTEL Cup Racing program from an hour to an hour and a half each Monday evening. (Fast Machines Blog)

January 24, 2005:

Hendrick names General Manager: Marshall Carlson was named general manager of Hendrick Motorsports on Monday, taking the post held by the late Jeff Turner, who was one of 10 people who died in the crash of a team airplane on Oct. 24.  Carlson, whose wife, Lynn, is the daughter of team owner Rick Hendrick, will oversee day-to-day operations of the Harrisburg-based company that fields five teams in NASCAR competition and employs more than 500 people. "Marshall has been with our racing and automotive operations for years and has experience in many different areas of this business," Hendrick said. (ThatsRacin)

Second Annual NASCAR Security Summit: The second annual NASCAR security summit took place last week in Orlando. Representatives from all Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck tracks attended. Tim Christine, NASCAR's director of security, headed up the two-day meetings and briefed the officials on potential threats facing the tracks. ...  When NASCAR vice chairman Bill France addressed the media during Daytona testing, he hinted about upcoming International Speedway Corp. news. The Indy Racing League has added two road course races, at Infineon Raceway and ISC's Watkins Glen, for 2005, so France might be trying to land IRL races at other ISC tracks for 2006. ... (SportsNews)

Rusty would like to see McMurray in 2: Rusty Wallace admits he'd love to see McMurray replace him in the No. 2 Dodge in the Nextel Cup series next season. But he knows that's not happening.  "I would love to see Jamie drive the 2 car, but Felix Sabates and ( Chip) Ganassi have a contract with him," said Wallace, 48, who is retiring. "If they didn't, I would love to have him drive for me. (But) those two are some of my best friends and there's nothing I could ever do with it."  Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates invoked a one-year team option to retain McMurray, the 2003 rookie of the year, this season and reportedly can do so again in 2006 and '07. (St Petersburg Times)

Johnson Named Driver of the Year: Jimmie Johnson was named the winner of the Richard Petty Driver of the Year Award on Sunday as the National Motorsports Press Association held its annual convention in Charlotte.  Johnson, who won eight races and finished second in the Nextel Cup standings in 2004, was unable to attend the luncheon where his selection in voting among NMPA members was announced.  The group's convention at the Hilton University Place was held on the eve of this year's NASCAR Nextel Media Tour hosted by Lowe's Motor Speedway at Charlotte. (ThatsRacin)

January 23, 2005:

BANG Racing, Closes Shop:  As Jayski first reported this week, Bang's former spokesperson said the team had closed its doors Friday.

Max Pappis to NASCAR? Defending Grand American Rolex Series Daytona Prototype co-champion Max Papis has become a fixture around NASCAR garage areas, and has even tested cars for owner Ray Evernham, among others. Last week at Daytona, Papis said he had established a relationship with owner Cal Wells, and Thursday Wells confirmed he'd love to put a program together for the personable Italian.  "I'd love to run him in the two road course races," Wells said of the driver who was named to the 12-man field for the IROC Series on Wednesday. (NASCAR)

January 22, 2005:

Fox's Hammond makes Pro Wrestling Debut: Jeff Hammond, a NASCAR TV commentator for Fox Sports, will make his professional wrestling debut with TNA Wrestling during the organization's Feb. 13 "Against All Odds" pay-per-view event.  Hammond, 48, joined TNA in 2004 as a special broadcast analyst and debuted the "Six Points of Impact" for TNA, a regular interview segment with the group's wrestling stars. During the 8 p.m. Eastern Feb. 13 wrestling card, Hammond and wrestler BG James will face Michael Shane and Kazarian.  One of the best jackmen in NASCAR, Hammond served on Cale Yarborough's three then-Winston Cup (now Nextel Cup) championship seasons. When Darrell Waltrip took over for Yarborough in 1981, the team won another championship. (ThatsRacin)

Bristol hires Triplet: Bristol Motor Speedway has announced the hiring of former NASCAR official Kevin Triplett as vice president of public affairs. Triplett was NASCAR's managing director of business operations before making an unsuccessful run the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia last year.(Scene Plus)

Gaughan keeps door open for NEXTEL plans: Brendan Gaughan would neither confirm nor deny a published report that he is close to signing a deal that would have him running the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season in a second PPI Motorsports Chevrolet. PPI, which is owned by Cal Wells, fields the No. 32 Chevy for Bobby Hamilton Jr. Gaughan, a Las Vegas native, only said that he is committed to running 18 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races -- including all that are companion events on Nextel Cup weekends -- in the No. 77 Orleans Racing Dodge. Steve Park will return to the Las Vegas-based team this season and drive the No. 62 Dodge in all 25 races. Gaughan reiterated last weekend during truck testing at Daytona International Speedway that he had not ruled out the possibility of also competing in the Nextel Cup Series this season. (Las Vegas Sun)

DIS looking for personal for NEXTEL Tribute to America: If you want to be a part of a world-class entertainment production that will be broadcast to millions, has Daytona International Speedway got an offer for you? The World Center of Racing is looking for thousands of locals (ages 13-45) to be in the national spotlight, taking part in the heart-pumping pre-race revelry leading up to "The Great American Race" - the prestigious Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, 2005. The high-energy NEXTEL Tribute To America, featuring national music entertainers (to be announced at a later date) and a world-class, pre-race show at Daytona International Speedway, will be televised live on Fox Television and produced by Q&A Entertainment. The NEXTEL Tribute To America pre-race extravaganza is the culmination of events leading up to NASCAR's most prestigious race. To participate in the event, visit www.jmbcasting.com or call 407-224-6621 for more information. (DIS PR)

January 21, 2005:

NASCAR to Fight Piracy: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) will implement a hologram program for its licensees that will signal to fans that the NASCAR merchandise they purchase is authentic. The program will require all licensees producing NASCAR-licensed merchandise to affix to the products a specially-designed hologram. By making it easy to identify counterfeit goods, the hologram program will help to protect drivers and teams whose likenesses and logos are increasingly exploited in imitation products.  "With the increasing popularity of NASCAR and the expansion of our licensing business, knock-off goods are a growing problem in our sport," said Mark Dyer, vp of licensing for NASCAR. "The hologram program will assure fans that they've purchased high-quality, authentic NASCAR licensed merchandise that supports their favorite drivers and teams." (Retail Merchandiser)

Benny Parsons and Hall of Fame: NASCAR champion Benny Parsons, Indianapolis 500 winner Tom Sneva and LeMans 24-Hour king Hurley Haywood will lead a group of nine racing greats into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America annual induction ceremony Aug. 18 at the State Theatre in Detroit. Parsons, Sneva and Haywood will be enshrined along with drag racer Tommy Ivo, motorcyclist Jay Springsteen, powerboat racer Danny Foster, car owners/builders John Holman and Ralph Moody and 1952 Indy 500 winner Troy Ruttman. The Class of 2005 will join the 126 racers already enshrined in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, located in Novi. Currently a NASCAR analyst on NBC, Parsons won the 1975 Daytona 500 and the 1980 Coca-Cola 600, as well as 19 other Winston Cup races. Tickets for the induction ceremony are available by calling 800-250-7223. (The Detroit Free-Press)

NASCAR going with Electronics: Team members yearning for more consistent enforcement of pit road speeding penalties are about to get their wish in the form of a new electronic monitoring system. But to hear Nextel Cup Series director John Darby explain it, the teams' next wish might be to go back to the old system. "I think the line of 'be careful what you ask for' people is going to be way long for a while," Darby says. "Because one thing about doing it electronically is it's hard-fast. And the day somebody's got to goose a throttle a little bit to avoid a wreck and they get nailed for speeding, it's not going to make sense to them. So that's the downside." (USA Today)

Childress Team Member Leaves Over Sponsorship: NASCAR's controversial decision to allow liquor sponsorships has caused a popular personality in the garages to quit because of his religious convictions. David Smith, a former crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt and team manager and pit crew coach for Richard Childress Racing, told Childress during the offseason that he couldn't work on a car backed by a liquor company. Last season, Childress teams were sponsored by AOL, Cingular and Goodwrench. When AOL dropped out, Jack Daniels took the spot. "The absolute hardest part of this deal was to tell Richard that I was leaving after 25 years," said Smith, who in four decades has been a six-time all-pro jackman. I had a great job, the best anybody could ask for. I may never have a job as great as that again, but I'll have peace of mind from knowing that what I did was the right thing to do. That's worth more than money." Liquor sponsors Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam and Crown Royal will be prominent throughout the sport this season. Smith said his decision actually was made years ago when he gave up his wayward ways to become a Christian. "I trusted the Lord with my life, and He changed it around for me," Smith said. "I went to work for Richard in 1979 and told him when I went there that I'd work for him as long as he didn't have an alcohol or dirty magazine or gambling sponsorship on his car. And he was OK with that." Dave Blaney, who drives the #07 [RCR Chevy] sponsored by Jack Daniel's, said he's not much of a drinker, but he's proud to be associated with his sponsor.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Rusty Plans to Meet with Newman: Rusty Wallace said he's planning a meeting with teammate Ryan Newman "to defuse" things before the season starts.  Newman and Wallace had some run-ins last season, most notably at Martinsville.  "What I want is respect," Wallace said.  Wallace is a part-owner of the Penske South team. (Winston Salem Journal/NASCAR notes)

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