• Edwards On Pole in Darlington: #60-Carl Edwards wold the Coors Light pole for tonight's Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlinton Raceway with a top speed of 176.994 mph. #2-Clint Bowyer starts second, followed by #20-Tony Stewart, #64-David Stremme, #32-Kyle Busch, #29-Jeff Burton, #1-Mike Bliss, #17-Matt Kenseth, #6-David Ragan, and #47-Kelly Bires. #88-Brad Keselowski #46-Carl Edwards, and #05-Brett Rowe made minor contact with the wall during the session. Keselowski and Long will make repairs to the car, Rowe did not qualify. #18-Denny Hamlin, who was fastest in the last 2 practice sessions Thursday, hit the wall on his qualifying lap and was unable to finish. He was the only other driver not to qualify. The starting lineup is posted on the Darlington Race Page.(5-9-2008)
  
  
• Nationwide Series Live in Prime Time from Darlington: Long one of NASCAR's most treacherous tracks because of its unique, egg-shaped layout, Darlington Raceway will be even more daunting for Nationwide Series drivers this weekend as they race under the lights on a new coating of pavement that has turned the track into an ultra-fast circuit. ESPN2 will have live, prime-time coverage of the Nationwide Series at Darlington presented by The Coleman Company Friday night, May 9, beginning at 7 p.m. with NASCAR Countdown. The telecast also airs in high definition on ESPN2 HD and will be simulcast on ESPN360.com. Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2's coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree. Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Wallace and Brad Daugherty in the ESPN pit studio. Matt Kenseth will join the ESPN coverage team as In-Race Reporter, talking to Wallace on the race's pace laps and during caution periods.(ESPN PR)(5-5-2008)
  
  
• Hamlin Fastest in Happy Hour: #18-Denny Hamlin was also fastest in happy hour at Darlington. His top speed was 177.479mph. #64-David Stremme was second followed by #5-Mark Martin, #88-Brad Keselowski, #2-Clint Bowyer, #38-Jason Leffler, #12-Sam Hornish, Jr., #47-Kelly Bires, #1-Mike Bliss, and #60-Carl Edwards. Just 34 drivers participated during the session. Complete results are posted on the Darlington Race Page.(5-8-2008)
  
  
• Hamlin Paces Second Practice: #18-Denny Hamlin was fastest in the second practice at Darlington with a top speed of 178.348mph. The rest of the top 10: #32-Kyle Busch, #60-Carl Edwards, #5-Mark Martin, #6-Davd Ragan, #38-Jason Leffler, #1-Mike Bliss, #64-David Stremme, #59-Marcos Ambrose, and #33-Kevin Harvick. No speed by #02-Any Ponstein. Complete results are posted on the Darlington Race Page.(5-8-2008)
  
  
• Keselowski Fastest in First Practice: #88-Brad Keselowski was fastest in the opening practice session for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington. His top speed was 172.432mph. #2-Clint Bowyer was second followed by #38-Jason Leffler, #6-David Ragan, #32-Kyle Busch, #18-Denny Hamlin, #60-Carl Edwards, #5-Mark Martin, #7-Mike Wallace, and #29-Jeff Burton. #99-David Reutimann wrecked during the session and will have to go to a backup car. Two drivers did not practice during the session: #84-Mike Harmon & #02-Andy Ponstein. Complete results are posted on the Darlington Race Page.(5-8-2008)
  
  
• Next Race: Diamond Hill Plywood 200, Friday, May 9, 2008 at Darlington Raceway. Visit the Darlington Race Page for additional information.
  
  
• Last Race: Lipton Tea 250, Friday, May 2, 2008 at Richmond International Raceway. Visit the Richmond Race Page for additional information.
  
  

• Changes at JR Motorsports: Marty Smith reported during ESPN2's Darlington pre race coverage that JR Motorsports' Director of Motorsports Steve Crisp was leaving the team the pursue a passion with hot rod cars. He will be replaced by Gus Larkin, the current head of Sponsor Relations, who will become the Team Manager.(ESPN TV Coverage)(5-9-2008)
  
  
• NASCAR Schedules Year End Banquets: NASCAR announced today the lineup for its three top series’ 2008 postseason awards shows, including the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards Ceremony’s return to the Waldorf=Astoria hotel in New York City.
  The Dec. 5 Waldorf event will continue a tradition begun in 1981 for NASCAR’s premier series. The event will be held in the Waldorf’s Grand Ballroom. Television broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
  This lineup is a change from recent seasons, when the Nationwide Series was the finale. This year, that event will preface the New York show.
  The rundown follows:
  • Nov. 17: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; Seminole Hard Rock; Hollywood, Fla.
  • Nov. 22: NASCAR Nationwide Series; Portofino Bay Hotel; Orlando, Fla.
  • Dec. 5: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; Waldorf=Astoria; New York.(NASCAR PR)(5-9-2008)
  
  
• Gunselman Released: Larry Gunselman said Friday that he did his best to slow his car down and avoid hitting Dario Franchitti in the door last week in an accident at Talladega Superspeedway that broke Franchitti’s left ankle. Gunselman was driving for MSRP Motorsports, a team that is more or less starting and parking this year. He said he was released from the team after the accident. Although he was released from the infield care center following the wreck, Gunselman said he started feeling nauseated and was taken to a hospital for observation. He had a CAT-scan and X-rays to his elbow and was released. He said he is still sore from the wreck. Gunselman was replaced at Richmond by Kenny Hendrick.(SceneDaily.com)(5-3-2008)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Hauler Images: Added several team hauler images to the Paint Schemes page. Teams include #1, #7, #16, #18, #22, #24, #25, #27, #28, #32, #37, #59, #60, & #89.(5-2-2008)
  
  
• More on the Nationwide COT: “We are working very hard on the COT,” [Nationwide Series Director Joe] Balash explains. “We’ll utilize the NASCAR 110-inch wheelbase certified chassis, and it will be interchangeable between the Sprint Cup and Nationwide garages. [But] we’re going to do something unique with the bodies to give the Series its own look as opposed to the past.” The last point is a reminder of the dangers posed by creating a Nationwide car too much like their Sprint Cup cousins; and when you talk to Balash, you sense his focus at ensuring the next generation of Nationwide vehicles create a unique driving style all their own. “We want [the new car] to drive somewhere between a Truck and Cup car,” he says. “And we’ve been working with drag and downforce to be somewhere in between. We want the car to drive a little easier than a Sprint Cup car; [and while] there are some components of the body that are the same, we’ve relocated them. For example, we’ve moved the rear deck lid forward, and the same distance we moved it forward, we’ve moved the front of the body forward, helping the car turn just a little bit better in the corner. It’s been great to see from concept to the car in the wind tunnel.” When that concept becomes reality, the timeframe is still very much TBD. “My hope is to introduce the new car next year,” says the series director. “We’re looking at an August timeframe based on the conversations we’ve had with owners and others in the garage.”(Frontstretch.com)(5-2-2008)
  
  
• Nationwide Series Ratings Up on ESPN Networks: ESPN on ABC's live telecast of Saturday?s Aarons 312 Nationwide Series race at Talladega scored big increases in ratings and household impressions over last year's race, continuing an upward trend to series TV numbers in 2008. The race earned a 2.6 rating and 2,962,000 household impressions, increases of 28 and 29 percent, respectively, over the same categories for last year's ABC telecast (2.1; 2,291,000). The event also earned the largest numbers for a Nationwide Series race on the ESPN networks since live NASCAR racing returned to ESPN in 2007, eclipsing the previous high of 2.4/2,699,000 for the March, 2007, event from Las Vegas that aired on ABC. The Talladega telecast also earned large increases across the board in important demographic categories, increasing 67 percent in Males 18-34, 50 percent in males 55 and older and 44 percent in persons 55 and older. Cable ratings for the series have also increased in 2008. The average rating for the five Nationwide Series events that have aired on ESPN2 is 1.9, a 10 percent increase over the 1.7 from this point last season. ESPN2 numbers do not include the rain-delayed event from California Speedway in February that was run on a Monday. ESPN's multi-platform approach to NASCAR coverage is also showing increases in areas other than television. ESPN.com's motorsports section has grown 32 percent in visits during 2008, and ESPN's Fantasy Racing was up 43 percent in visits and 15 percent in page views during the Talladega weekend as compared to the same weekend last year. ESPN-owned Jayski.com was up 16 percent in visits during Talladega weekend.(ESPN PR)(4-29-2008)
  
  
• Record Purse for Lowe's Race: Nationwide Series drivers will battle for a record $1,287,710 during the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 on Saturday night, May 24.(LMW PR)(4-29-2008)
  
  
• Logano's Rockingham run to kick off biggest month of career: May 24th to be exact, means Logano's 18th birthday. Teenagers typically anticipate their 18th birthday for various reasons, but Logano's ability to make his first Nationwide Series start one week later on May 31st is one of the most anticipated events not only in his life, but also for the many fans the youngster won over through his years on the short tracks of the country. To help tune up for his May 31st Nationwide Series debut for Joe Gibbs Racing, Logano will team up with former ARCA RE/MAX Series winner Billy Venturini and the Venturini Motorsports team for the Carolina 500 ARCA event at Rockingham Speedway on May 4th.(JoeyLoganoRacing.com)(4-29-2008)
  
  
• Nationwide Sponsoring Kentucky Speedway: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. has agreed to a deal that will make it the official insurance provider of Kentucky Speedway, a venue for Nationwide Series and IndyCar Series events. The three-year deal will give the privately held, Columbus-based insurer a "home" race of sorts, allowing the company a major hospitality opportunity because of the track's proximity to Nationwide's headquarters. Kentucky Speedway is located in Sparta, Ky., about 150 miles southwest of Columbus. Part of the deal includes about 1,500 race tickets that Nationwide will use for its associates and guests. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nationwide, in its first year as title sponsor of NASCAR's No. 2 series, also has a track deal with Speedway Motorsports Inc. that runs through 2009, and has begun negotiations with International Speedway Corp. about a deal at all its tracks.(Columbus, OH Business First)(4-28-2008)
  
  
• Harvick Institutes Drug Testing Policy for KHI: Kevin Harvick’s voice was perhaps the loudest of anyone’s during the recent discussion about NASCAR drug testing. Harvick called for a series-wide random drug testing policy two weeks ago but admitted at the time that his own Kevin Harvick Inc. race team had no testing policy of its own. Upon returning home to North Carolina, Harvick fixed that. KHI’s Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series drivers and crew chiefs have all since been tested, and an independent testing company has been retained to test the entire company.(SceneDaily.com)(4-25-2008)
  
  
• Dale Jr. Recruiting Men and Women for the U.S. Navy: Today the U.S. Navy and Dale Earnhardt Jr., announced the formation of the Dale Jr. Division, an 88-person boot camp division at Recruit Training Command. Potential sailors will be able to start signing up for the division on May 24 at their local recruiting station. To officially launch the division, Earnhardt Jr. will drive the JR Motorsports #83 Navy Dale Jr. Chevy in the Nationwide Series CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 24. The national recruiting effort is the first of its kind for the Navy, and will be supported by a national advertising and marketing campaign.(JR Motorsports PR), see an image of the car on my #83 Team Paint Scheme Page.(4-25-2008)
  
  
• MACtac Sponsorsing Rensi: MACtac a leading provider of pressure sensitive materials, announced that it will sponsor The Team Rensi Motorsports' # 25 Smithfield Foods Ford, driven by Bobby Hamilton Jr., for the 2008 Nationwide Series season. MACtac has been indirectly involved with NASCAR for many years as a provider of graphics materials, initiating a formal NASCAR sponsorship in 2007 as a primary sponsor for a Busch Series car. MACtac is an associate sponsor of the Smithfield Foods # 25 car. The MACtac corporate logo will appear on the car, as well as on the hauler, racing jerseys and all team communications.(MacTac PR)(4-24-2008)
  
  
• Dollar General to Sponsor Chicago Race: Dollar General announced a multi-year agreement with Chicagoland Speedway to be the title sponsor for the Nationwide Series race at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. The Dollar General 300 Powered by Coca-Cola on July 11 will mark the first ever Nationwide Series night race at Chicagoland Speedway.(Chicagoland Speedway PR)(4-23-2008)
  
  
• America’s Incredible Pizza Company Sponsoring CJM for Remainder of Year: MORE INFO CJM Racing team owners, Tony and Bryan Mullet, announced that the team has secured primary sponsorship on a full-time basis, by signing on America’s Incredible Pizza Company as a sponsorship partner. “Everyone has bought into this program and has worked very hard to make it a success. The guys have done an incredible job on the track, which allowed us to accomplish our goal of providing a long-term sponsor. I am excited about the partnership we are forming with the AIPC management team,” explained Tony. America’s Incredible Pizza Company made their first appearance on the #11 CJM Racing entry at Las Vegas. Since the initial meeting, the two parties have had lengthy discussions on how to make a successful partnership and they have come to a mutual business-to-business agreement. The long-term goal with America’s Incredible Pizza Company is to build the program from a successful Nationwide Series team to a winner in the Sprint Cup Series over the next six years. America’s Incredible Pizza Company will serve as the primary sponsor of the #11 entry in 2008. CJM Racing will only be seeking sponsorship in 2008 that can help strengthen this program. The 2008 season will enable the new partnership to build on the already solid foundation.(CJM PR)(3-31-2008)
  UPDATE: Incredible Pizza Co. is racing ahead with its latest multistore franchise deal and getting some invaluable brand exposure in the process. The Springfield-based pizza parlor and family entertainment company announced March 31 that it had signed a 20-franchise deal with North Carolina investors Tony and Bryan Mullet. The deal is not the largest the company has signed – Houston-based French Investments Inc. plans to open 30 stores by 2018, while Mexican franchisee Gonzalo Barrutieta is opening 20 stores south of the border. But the deal with the Mullet brothers, who also own NASCAR racing team CJM Racing, may be Incredible Pizza’s most complicated. Per the agreement, Incredible Pizza owner Rick Barsness and partners are investors in CJM’s franchise locations, which carry an estimated total price tag of $100 million. The investors will take up to half of their profits from the stores and use the money to sponsor CJM’s NASCAR Nationwide Series vehicle, driven by Jason Keller. Incredible Pizza Co. also has a management deal to run the stores and a construction management agreement to build them. CJM, in return, has agreed to take half of its profits and donate them to the Incredible Pizza Charitable Foundation, which funds Christian ministries around the world.(Springfield, MO Business Journal)(4-21-2008)
  
  
• Dale Jr. in the #83: Hearing that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will drive a #83 JR Motorsports Chevy in select races this season. No word on which races. See an image of the car on my #83 Nationwide Series Paint Scheme Page.(4-20-2008)
  
  
• Nationwide COT coming mid-2009: The NASCAR Nationwide Series likely will go with its own version of the “car of tomorrow” in 2009, but not at the start of the year as had been originally targeted by NASCAR officials. The rollout of the new Nationwide car most likely will be around midway through 2009, NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Saturday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. “It will probably be in the middle of next year sometime,” Pemberton said. “We will try to do something that’s more user-friendly than the roll-out schedule that they had in the Cup Series. “We probably will go later in the year but more races in a row. We haven’t determined that but we’ll look at sometime after mid-year.” Once it starts, it likely will be a clean break with the new car used in all events except for road courses where NASCAR will revert back to the old car, Pemberton said.(SceneDaily.com)(4-19-2008)
  
  
• Kyle Busch may run full Nationwide season: UPDATE 2: Kyle Busch said Friday he might change his plans and try to run the entire Nationwide Series schedule this season. "There's some thought about it," Busch said. "We'll see. I think the possibility is there, but I'm not going to do whatever it takes to get practice in the Nationwide car. I'm going to worry about the Cup stuff and show up to race the Nationwide car." Busch, who leads the Cup standings, ranks second in the Nationwide standings and second in the Craftsman Truck Series standings. He will not run the entire truck schedule. Busch said they would re-evaluate his schedule after the Nationwide race at Atlanta next weekend. "I believe Tony is going to skip that Atlanta race," Busch said. "So we'll probably be the [Nationwide] points leader coming out of that if everything goes right this weekend. Then we'll decide if we want to go to Mexico City or not. Right now, it's not on our list, but guys are calling to get a ride in our #20 car for that race, so I might be stealing somebody's ride."(ESPN.com)(3-1-2008)
  UPDATE: The one-time thought of running the full Nationwide Series schedule is quickly fading [for Busch]. "Probably for now, I’m going to decide to back out of adding more races," Busch said Friday at Martinsville Speedway. "We haven’t done any of that yet. The thought is still to go to Mexico, but I’m trying to get out of that if I can now."(SceneDaily.com)(3-28-2008)
  UPDATE 2: Kyle Busch said Friday the decision on whether to run the entire Nationwide Series schedule is strictly up to him. "It really depends on our Cup effort," Busch said. "We're still going race-by-race and see how it goes," Busch said. "If I win this weekend, that doesn't change it. Cup testing is going to come into play. We're going to have to out to places [non-Cup tracks] to work on it. That tends to make me tired, so I may not want to do all the traveling back and forth from Sonoma to Milwaukee and from Kentucky to Michigan."(ESPN.com)(4-18-2008)
  
  
• Said to Run Nationwide Road Course Races: Boris Said's No Fear Racing team will not attempt to run the Sprint Cup race at Talladega next week, he said Friday. "We can't really turn our program around [in a short amount of time], and we're just not ready," he said before practicing his Nationwide Series car at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for this Sunday's race. "We've only got three people working in our shop." Said said his team would take the money it would have spent to attempt the first Talladega race and use it to run all three road course races in the Nationwide Series – Mexico City, Montreal and Watkins Glen.(SceneDaily.com)(4-18-2008)
  
  
• Paint Schemes Page: Completely reworked the 2008 Nationwide Series Paint Schemes page so each team has their own page with all images and added photos of every car in the Texas race.(4-8-2008)
  
  
• American Eurocopter on the #29 as Associate Sponsor: American Eurocopter, a subsidiary of the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, Eurocopter, has joined the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) family of partners as an associate sponsor of the #29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevy for the 2008 Nationwide Series season. (RCR PR)(4-8-2008)
  
  
• Special Salute the troops scheme at LMS in May: Memorial Day Weekend is always thrilling for race fans at Lowe's Motor Speedway. This year, a special celebration of America's military personnel takes place with the Salute the Troops program. Dale Earnhardt Jr and Hendrick Motorsports join the celebration of America's heroes with a special National Guard paint scheme on the #88 Chevy. This special paint scheme features the Salute the Troops logo on the hood, as well as the lower side panels. Salute the Troops will be an on-track program based around strength, patriotism and philanthropy. By positioning this program around Memorial Day, Motorsports Authentics and the teams involved will look to celebrate and honor one of the greatest federal holidays for Americans all year long. The program calls for teams to carry the "Salute the Troops" insignia and/or showcase a special paint out featuring a branch of the United States military. The Salute the Troops program will be on track in May for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. This program will celebrate the history and tradition of the military branches on this Memorial Day weekend. The pre-race show for Memorial Day will include a military demonstration for the fans and then followed by a concert for the troops. In support of this program, Motorsports Authentics will create a unique and collectible line of Salute the Troops merchandise. Motorsports Authentics will create a line of Salute the Troops die-cast and collectables that will raise money for military families. In addition, MA will work with corporate sponsors to raise money and awareness for the men and women of the armed forces.
  Scheduled Participating Sprint Cup Drivers:
  #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Carrying the logo on hood and rear quarter panels
  #24-Jeff Gordon - Carrying the logo on the decklid
  #8-Mark Martin - Full military paint out with program logos
  #21-Jon Wood - Full military paint out with program logos
  #07-Clint Bowyer - Carrying the logo on the rear spoiler, along with Toast the Troops logo on the deck lid
  Scheduled Participating Nationwide Seires Drivers:
  #88-Brad Keselowski - Full military paint out
  See the Cup schemes on my Paint Scheme Gallery and the #88 on my Nationwide Paint Scheme Gallery.(4-8-2008)
  
  
• Newman Would Like to Run More Nationwide Races: Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman has had an up-and-down 2008 since his big win in the season opener. One thing he’s not happy about is that Penske Racing isn’t fielding cars for him in more Nationwide Series races this season. “The seat time, no matter what car you’re driving at a certain race track, is very important,” said Newman. “There are two things that I’ve always said that that you learn: the first is the race track and what you learn from it. Race tracks change, characteristics change. For instance, two years ago, they took the bump out of (Turns) 1 and 2. In the Nationwide Series, you get the opportunity to feel that first then you know how to predict things. The combination of the tires - typically the tires are identical, so you have an idea of the tire falloff and what the tires are going to feel like. So there are huge advantages seat-time wise, not just pure racing in getting more experience in being a better race car driver. Getting a taste of a few things make a big difference for your potential Sunday race.”(SPEEDtv.com)(4-4-2008)
  
  

• Remaining 2008 Testing Dates:
  * Lowe’s Motor Speedway – May 12-13 (rain date May 14)
  
  

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