• Lamar out at Braun: UPDATE: As Braun Racing prepares for the 2010 NASCAR season, the Mooresville, NC-based team is beefing up its driver line-up for a potential run for the Nationwide Series Owner's Championship. Brian Vickers will continue to pilot the #32 Dollar General Toyota Camry throughout the 2009 season as originally scheduled, which includes the next three Nationwide Series events. Vickers will be joined by a strong team of drivers who will replace Burney Lamar in the schedule. A formal announcement regarding the team's new members will be released separately. (Braun Racing PR)(6-22-2009)
  UPDATE: Dr. Jerry Punch said during Nationwide qualifying on ESPN2, that David Reutimann will be in the car at Chicago and several Cup drivers, including Kasey Kahne, could fill out the many of the remaining races.(7-3-2009)
  
  
• Penalty revised for Crew Chief, Bryan Berry: UPDATE: NASCAR announced Tuesday that it has revised the penalty for Bryan Berry, crew chief of the #62 Chevy in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Berry had been indefinitely suspended earlier this month for a rule violation (Section 12-1: actions detrimental to stock car racing; involved in an altercation with another team) he committed at the event held at Nashville Superspeedway on June 6. Berry's suspension will be lifted effective July 7, while his NASCAR probation will continue until Dec. 31. Berry must also perform community service as directed by NASCAR.(NASCAR PR) [For past news on Berry's penalty see the June Archives Page](6-30-2009)
  UPDATE: Rusty Wallace Racing driver Brendan Gaughan is ready to get his crew chief, Bryan Berry, back from a NASCAR-mandated suspension, which will happen next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Berry recently went through sensitivity training led by University of Central Florida professor Dr. Richard Lapchick, the director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. Berry will also complete community service. Interim crew chief Shane Huffman will return to his role as car chief at Chicago, and shop foreman Wes Ward will also return to working full time in the shop. (SceneDaily)(7-3-2009)
  
  
• Chase Austin debuts with new team: Driver Chase Austin is debuting a new NASCAR Nationwide Series team this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, driving for XXXtreme Motorsports in Friday night’s Subway Jalapeno 250. The team is owned by John Cohen and will be sponsored by the Cavi clothing line. Austin is driving the #07 normally used by SK Motorsports, but Austin said the team will also use the #58 Chevy in future races. Mike Harmon is in the #58 this weekend. “Right now, since we’re working out of the same shop, the 07 was locked in on points, so [listed team onwer] Armando [Fitz] let us use the 07,” Austin said. “We’re going to be 58 for the most part.” Austin said he and the team are only entered for Daytona but could run more races this season.(SceneDaily)(7-3-2009)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Blue Ox sponsorsing Mark Green and Kenny Wallace: Blue Ox Products will serve as the primary sponsor of the #49 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry driven by Mark Green and an associate sponsor on the #28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevy driven by Kenny Wallace. Blue Ox, of Pender, Neb., is a leading manufacturer of recreational vehicle and towing industry supplies and accessories.(Jay Robinson Racing PR)(7-3-2009)
  
  
• Final restrictor plate race for current Nationwide car: You want to buy Kenny Wallace’s car from the NASCAR Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250 after tonight’s race? Wallace says you can have the Jay Robinson Racing car for $5,000. NASCAR is expected to announce that the Nationwide Series will use its version of the “car of tomorrow” for the restrictor-plate tracks and road courses in 2010. That means the race today at Daytona International Speedway will be the final one for the current cars on restrictor-plate tracks. Not being able to use the current car again in the future, a driver could be willing to take more chances in the race tonight. “It will probably be a wilder race,” Wallace said. “I drive accordingly with my team. I can’t wreck. If I wreck one of my cars, it’s a devastation for my team. I still don’t want to wreck because I want the best finish I can get, but we don’t have to save this car for next year, I’ll tell you that.”(SceneDaily)(7-3-2009)
  
  
• Milwaukee owes NASCAR for races: UPDATE 2: The race promoter for the Milwaukee Mile owes NASCAR money stemming from the races last weekend, and the Indy Racing League won't say whether it has been paid yet for its event in May. The Mile hosted the Camping World Truck Series Copart 200 and the Nationwide Series NorthernTool.com 250 last Saturday. Claude Napier, head of Wisconsin Motorsports, did not disclose attendance numbers Friday but said the turnout for the truck race was low. As for the Nationwide Series race, Napier said it was in excess of 35,000 fans. Napier acknowledged that the track would lose money this year. Asked for details, Napier said: "I don't want to get into specifics about what we owe and what we don't owe. We are working very closely with NASCAR and in particular we are working on the future." Ramsey Poston, a NASCAR spokesman, said in a statement that, "despite having a terrific day of NASCAR racing last Saturday there remain outstanding issues which concern NASCAR. As a matter of policy I won't get into the specifics of our business dealings. However, I can say we are working closely with the track management to resolve outstanding issues." The competitors were paid, according to a Charlotte Observer story.(Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)(6-27-2009)
  UPDATE: The Milwaukee Mile's financial mess has NASCAR's attention. In documents obtained by the Journal Sentinel, NASCAR states that Wisconsin Motorsports, the race promoter at the Mile, owes it $1,878,228 for the two races NASCAR sanctioned earlier this month. The documents include an agreement that Napier signed in which he states that he is unable to pay in full the fees due NASCAR for sanctioning the races. As part of the agreement Napier signed, all of the revenue generated by the two races was sent directly to NASCAR. The documents include a letter written by a NASCAR lawyer to all Milwaukee Mile vendors, concessionaires, program sellers, and food and beverage sellers telling them the money they owe to Wisconsin Motorsports was instead coming to NASCAR. Napier signed the agreement on June 18, just a day before the truck race was scheduled to take place. On June 19, however, heavy rains postponed the truck race a day. Both the truck race and the Nationwide Series race were contested on June 20.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(6-30-2009)
  UPDATE 2: The Milwaukee Mile office is closed, and all 12 staff members have been laid off at least temporarily. Whether the oldest auto racing facility in the country lives to see its 107th birthday is in grave doubt even among its biggest boosters. "It depends totally if I'm able to get some investors," promoter Claude Napier said Thursday in a telephone interview from Texas. Napier, president and chief executive officer of Wisconsin Motorsports, admitted to the Journal Sentinel for the first time that he had no other financial backers when he entered into a deal in February with State Fair Park, where the track is located. "I've got a hunch it's over," said Dominic Giuffre, a former promoter with his brother Frank. "It's too late." The Giuffres, promoters at the Mile from 1983-'91, have expressed interest in returning to that role. It is "very uncommon" for NASCAR to stage a race without being paid in advance by the promoter, said Ramsey Poston, a NASCAR spokesman. The races were already scheduled and television contracts in place when Napier took over. Given its dealings this year, NASCAR is not expected to grant credit to the track - no matter who operates it - to return for 2010.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(7-2-2009)
  
  
• Gerhart attempting second race of season: 5-time ARCA Daytona 200 winner Bobby Gerhart will return to the site of his greatest successes, Daytona International Speedway, when he competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250 powered by Coca-Cola on July 3rd. Gerhart will drive the Bob Schacht Motorsports #75 Chevy with support from long-time sponsor, Lucas Oil. This will be the second Nationwide race of the season for the Gerhart - Schacht combination. Their first outing was at Talladega in April. Bobby had moved up to 8th place with 4 laps to go but was relegated to a 33rd place finish after getting collected when #12-Justin Allgaier spun.(Gerhart PR)(7-2-2009)
  
  
• Sport Clips on the #20: Sport Clips will adorn the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Nationwide Series Toyota this weekend for the second and final time as the primary sponsor this season.(JGR PR)(7-2-2009)
  
  
• Gander Mountain sponsoring Front Row Motorsports cars at Daytona Gander Mountain will be the primary sponsor of both Front Row Motorsports' (FRM) #37 Sprint Cup entry and FRM's #34 Nationwide entry at the legendary Daytona International Speedway during the 4th of July holiday race weekend. The sponsorship highlights Gander Mountain's new online firearms department and free standard shipping program. Both race cars will be piloted by Tony Raines, currently 13th in driver point standings in the Nationwide Series. Raines has routinely qualified for races this season behind the wheel of the #37 Dodge for FRM. Gander Mountain, with 116 stores in 23 states, is the nation's largest retail network of stores for hunting, fishing, boating, camping, marine and outdoor lifestyle apparel, products and services. FRM team owner Bob Jenkins welcomes Gander Mountain as a sponsor and said, "Gander Mountain is sure to have success with its launch of online firearms sales and free shipping program." He continued, "We intend to run strong and help spread the word at Daytona over this holiday weekend."(Front Row Motorsports PR)(7-2-2009)
  
  
• Four more races for Bayne: NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Trevor Bayne has had four races added to his schedule with Michael Waltrip Racing, a spokesperson said Wednesday. Bayne was originally scheduled to compete in eight Nationwide races with the #99 Toyota team, and the 18-year-old has already completed three of those. The races added are Chicago on July 10, Michigan on Aug. 15, Atlanta on Sept. 5 and Texas on Nov. 7. Bayne’s remaining schedule also includes Gateway on July 18, Iowa on Aug. 1, Bristol on Aug. 21 and Phoenix on Nov. 14.(Scene Daily)(7-1-2009)
  
  
• One Source Solutions added as associate sponsor for Shepherd: One Source Solutions will join Faith Motorsports as an associate sponsor for the remainder of the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season beginning with this weekend's Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway. One Source Solutions is one of the strongest credit card processing resellers in the southeast, offering retailers competitive pricing, 24/7 customer service in several languages and a wide variety of products to choose from.(Faith Motorsports PR)(7-1-2009)
  
  
• Newman and Wimmer Swap races in #5: JR Motorsports announced a race swap for two upcoming NASCAR Nationwide events pertaining to its #5 Fastenal team and drivers Scott Wimmer and Ryan Newman. Newman, previously scheduled to compete in the Kansas event on Oct. 3, will give up driving duties that weekend to participate in the Aug. 21 race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Wimmer will now drive the Kansas event.(JR Motorsports PR)(7-1-2009)
  
  
• 2 race sponsorship for Kertus Davis: Noland Company, Charlotte Division and www.NuToneHVAC.com have come on board at Daytona and Bristol . "We are very excited to partner with the #04 J-D Motorsports and Kertus Davis says Jim Cosgrove Noland Representative. This is a great venue to showcase to dealers and consumers new Heating and Air Products from NuToneHVAC." This initial program is for the Daytona July 3rd race and the Bristol August 21st race, both perfect settings to advertise new air conditioning products in two of the "Hottest" races of the season.(JD Motorsports)(7-1-2009)
  
  
• RC Cola on the #0 at Daytona: Mike Wallace announced that R C Cola will be the primary sponsor for the #0 entry of J-D Motorsports July 3rd at the Daytona International Speedway. R C Cola will make a dramatic return to racing by showing-off the new RC logo at the Daytona Nationwide Series race.(JD Motorsports PR), see an image of the car on the #0 Paint Schemes page.(7-1-2009)
  
  
• JDRF on the #23: Robert Richardson and the #23 Mahindra Tractors Chevy team will have some extra colors on their R3 Motorsports entry this weekend. Through a gentleman by the name of James Lupo, the Stock Car Gourmet, the team is carrying the familiar sneakers of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. As a special guest of Lupo and the team, Nicholas Holland, 11, will be serving as an honorary team member for Friday night's NASCAR Nationwide Series event. Mahindra Tractors supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and freed up a spot on the #23 Mahindra Tractors Chevy in support of the cause.(R3 Motorsports PR)(7-1-2009)
  
  
• Venom on the #01 at Daytona: Venom Energy Drink will be the primary sponsor for the #01 entry of J-D Motorsports.(JD Motorsports PR), see an image of the car on the #01 Paint Schemes page.(7-1-2009)
  
  
• Xxxtreme Motorsport to debut at Daytona: Newly formed Xxxtreme Motorsport will make its debut this weekend at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Cavi Clothing/Macy's will be the primary sponsor on two cars in the race for Xxxtreme Motorsport - the #07 driven by rookie Chase Austin and the #58 with veteran driver Mike Harmon. This is also the first race in the Nationwide Series at Daytona International Speedway for Austin. In his first-ever attempt at on the 2.5-mile tri-oval earlier this year in the Camping World Truck Series race, Austin finished an impressive 13th. Cavi Clothing/Macy's looks forward to their first foray into NASCAR by bringing home solid finishes under the lights this Friday night.(XXXtreme Motorsport PR)(6-30-2009)
  
  
• First Nationwide race of 2009 for Kahne: Kasey Kahne makes his first of four 2009 Nationwide Series appearances on Friday at Daytona International Speedway. Braun Racing will field the #10 McDonald's McCafe car for Richard Petty Motorsports in each race. Kahne is a seven-time winner in the series while Braun has visited victory lane four times in its history and posted seven top-five finishes in 2009 with Jason Leffler and Brian Vickers.(Richard Petty Motorsports PR)(6-30-2009)
  
  
• Final 2009 race for Klondike: This weekend marks the final time for sponsor Klondike on the hood of Brad Keselowski's #88 JR Motorsports Chevy. Klondike was the primary sponsor of the #88 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, where Keselowski earned the sponsor's highest finish of ninth.(JR Motorsports PR)(6-30-2009)
  
  
• Mattioli could run more Nationwide races: If NASCAR approves Chase Mattioli to run at tracks over a mile in length, his schedule may see some changes to incorporate other Nationwide Series events. Currently, Mattioli is set to compete in three races throughout the month of July, beginning with the ARCA RE/MAX Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway (July 11th), the Barber Motorsports ParkKONI Grand-Am Challenge in Birmingham, Alabama (July 19th), and the Pocono ARCA 200 at Pocono Raceway (August 1st).(Activ8/Mattioli PR)(6-29-2009)
  
  
• McDonald's to serve up McCafé twice more in July The mocha brown and creamy white of McDonald's McCafé returns on two Richard Petty Motorsports cars racing under the lights in July. First, Kasey Kahne will pilot the #10 McDonald's McCafé [Toyota] around the famous banks of Daytona in the July 3rd Nationwide Series race. The next week Reed Sorenson will take the #43 McDonald's McCafé Dodge Charger to Chicagoland Speedway for the July 11th Sprint Cup race.(McDonalds PR), see an image of the Nationwide car on the #10 Nationwide paint scheme page.(6-29-2009)
  
  
• Racing Resources Says...
  Kyle Busch won the Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Busch became the youngest race winner at New Hampshire at 24 years, one month and 25 days. He also became the 23rd different race winner in 23 series races at New Hampshire.
  Busch has finished first or second in eight of the 16 races this season.
  Busch won from a ninth-place starting position. He scored his series-leading fifth victory in 16 starts this season. He scored his 26th series victory in his 154th race.
  Busch posted his first victory at New Hampshire in his fourth race. His last win came at Nashville, three races ago.
  It was Joe Gibbs Racing's 35th Nationwide victory and seventh in 2009.
  Busch led twice for 37 laps, including the final 36. Busch ended an eight-race streak of leading the most laps that began at Talladega in April. He has led 1,523 laps this season, the most by any driver.
  Busch leads the Nationwide standings by 162 points over Edwards, who finished sixth.
  This marked the fifth 1-2 finish for JGR and the first Busch has won.
  Joey Logano (second) posted his 24th career top-10 finish in 32 series starts (75 percent).
  Brad Keselowski (third) extended a streak of 13 consecutive top-15 finishes that began at Bristol.
  Kevin Harvick (fifth) has scored eight straight top-10 finishes at New Hampshire.
  Erik Darnell (ninth) was the highest-finishing rookie of the year contender. He scored his fourth straight top-15 finish.
  Jason Leffler (10th) has finished in the top 10 in the past 11 series races, a streak that began at Nashville in April.
  The three cautions tied the record at New Hampshire. The average speed of 111.912 mph set a track record. The 15 caution laps were the fewest in a race at New Hampshire.
  The top 10 consisted of three Chevrolets, three Fords and four Toyotas.(ESPN.com)(6-29-2009)
  
  
• Sheltra in the #81 at Daytona: MacDonald Motorsports and Sheltra Motorsports announced that ARCA RE/MAX Series veteran Patrick Sheltra has been tapped to drive the #81 D.H. Griffin-Quality Turf-Buffalo Wings & Rings Dodge in Friday's Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona. For Sheltra, he will make his third career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start but most notably make his dramatic return to the "World Center of Racing" since surviving a breathtaking accident in the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series opener in February which nearly halted the 23 year's old racing career.(Sheltra PR)(6-28-2009)
  
  
• Kerry Earnhardt gets sponsor for Daytona: Rick Ware Racing announced that Liberty Port, a value added distributor of IT & Telecommunications products, has joined the organization as the primary sponsor for the #31 with Kerry Earnhardt. Liberty Port's product portfolio includes routers, switches, servers, and security solutions designed for customers of all sizes. Due to the diverse nature of their products, Liberty Port is able to cater to large customers within the financial, education, and commercial development sectors, while still providing cost effective solutions for intermediary businesses.(Rick Ware PR), see an image of the car on the #31 Team paint scheme page.(6-29-2009)
  
  
• JTG needs sponsorship for McDowell: JTG Daugherty Racing doesn’t have enough sponsorship to continue running #47-Michael McDowell beyond next week’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway, team co-owner Tad Geschickter said Saturday. The team has sponsorship for Marcos Ambrose for the two Nationwide road-course events later this season but beyond that, Geschickter is not sure how many races the #47 car will run over the second half of the season. Tom’s snack company has sponsored the car for much of the first half of the season. Geschickter said the organization is concentrating on its Sprint Cup effort with driver Ambrose. The team is imbedded with Michael Waltrip Racing as part of a technical alliance. Whether that MWR relationship continues remains to be seen. “As far as what we’re doing next year, we haven’t started discussions with them yet,” Geschickter said. “We’ll have to renegotiate for the next year. … They’ve done a really good job. The secret’s been that we have integrated our people into their shop.”(SceneDaily)(6-28-2009) Comment here
  
  
• 22 winners at NHMS: UPDATE: Some might call it an anomaly, but the string of 22 different winners in 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway stands as the longest such streak at active tracks in each of NASCAR’s national series.(NASCAR PR)(6-23-2009)
  UPDATE: #18-Kyle Busch is the 23rd different winner in 23 series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.(NASCAR PR)(6-28-2009)
  
  
• Latest on Double File Restarts: UPDATE: Starts at Daytona: Double-file restarts for the leaders, a two-week old procedure for Sprint Cup, probably will become practice in the Nationwide Series within the next month. "We're just taking our time," series director Joe Balash said. "We don't see any red flags with what we've seen in the Cup Series, and we think it's something we can implement with everything we have here and provide a little more excitement for the fans." NASCAR’s policy was to have lead-lap cars in one lane for a restart and lapped cars in the other. Now the leader of the race has the option to start at the front of the inside or outside line, and the other drivers on the lead lap follow in order.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(6-21-2009)
  UPDATE: Double-file restarts with the leaders up front for the Nationwide Series aren't far away. They may come as soon as Daytona in two weeks. Indications are that NASCAR's secondary series will turn to the format that the Sprint Cup series adopted three races ago at Pocono in time for the July 4th weekend in Florida. It's worked in Cup with few hiccups. The chaos some predicted this past weekend at Infineon never happened.(ESPN Insider)(6-22-2009)
  UPDATE 2: NASCAR announced the addition of “Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style” throughout each race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Beginning next weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the first- and second-place cars will line up side-by-side as the green flag is displayed for each restart.
  The NASCAR Nationwide Series will use the same double-file restart format as NASCAR Sprint Cup. The race leader will have the option to restart on the inside or outside lane. The second-place car then restarts next to the leader. Regardless of the leader’s starting position, cars in odd-number positions (3rd, 5th, 7th places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while those in even-number positions (4th, 6th, 8th places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race.
  \ The first-place car will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track, while the rest of the cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line. The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the “free pass.” Also, the “free pass” will remain in effect the entire race instead of being eliminated with 10 or fewer laps to go in the event.
  Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be “waved around” the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thereby picking up a lap on the leader, provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference.(NASCAR PR)(6-26-2009)
  
  
• Fogle to be Daytona Grand Marshal: Subway Restaurants national spokesman, Jared Fogle, has been named Grand Marshal for the Subway Jalapeño 250 Powered By Coca-Cola NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on Friday night, July 3. Fogle will utter the most famous words in racing, giving the command of: “Gentlemen, start your engines!”(Daytona Speedway PR)(6-25-2009)
  
  
• JR Motorsports & Fellows reuniting for two road-course races: JR Motorsports announced today that accomplished road-course racer Ron Fellows will return to drive its #5 Chevy in NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Watkins Glen International Speedway on Aug. 8 and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Aug. 30, with Fastenal on board as the primary sponsor.(JR Motorsports PR)(6-25-2009)
  
  
• Toyota not pulling out of NNS or CWTS: Toyota has no plans to leave the Nationwide or Truck Series as has been reported and speculated. Lee White, who heads Toyota Racing Development, said the Japan-based manufacturer has eliminated its financial support in both series over the past couple of seasons. But technical, he added, support continues. "We're not going out of the series," White said. "We're not leaving. In fact, as we kind of moderated our involvement we gained truck count and car count in [both series]." White said it's unfair to say Toyota is following other manufacturers that have pulled financial support from the Nationwide and Truck series over the past few months.(ESPN Insider)(6-24-2009)
  
  
• Baker Curb to celebrate 20th anniversary of Petty's 200th: Baker Curb racing will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of Richard Petty's 200th win with a special paint scheme on the #27 Scott Products/Walmart Ford that will be driven by Jason Keller in the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona. Keller's Grabber Blue and Orange Neon Ford Fusion is reminiscent of the scheme Petty carried on his Mike Curb owned STP Pontiac in the historic Firecracker 400, July 4, 1984.(Baker Curb PR), see an image of the car on the #27 paint schemes page.(6-24-2009)
  
  
• Whitt Leaves Specialty Racing: UPDATE: Brandon Whitt has decided to part ways with #61-Specialty Racing to pursue other opportunities and would like to wish Doug Taylor, Charles Shoffner and everybody at Specialty Racing the very best.(BrandonWhitt.com)(6-22-2009)
  UPDATE: Specialty Racing announced that Matt Carter will immediately take over the driving duties of the #61 Ford in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Carter, who replaces Brandon Whitt, will make his debut with the team this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.(Specialty Racing PR)(6-24-2009)
  
  
• Braun and Stenhouse in NNS in 2010: UPDATE: From an Jack Roush interview with the Detroit Free Press:
  Q: Young Colin Braun won the truck race for you at MIS on Saturday. What do you think of him?
  A: He's got great potential, and he's a great person. There are some drivers who can't ever come through your organization again, and he's not one of them. We'll run Colin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the Nationwide Series in 2010.(Detroit Free Press)(6-18-2009)
  UPDATE: Roush Fenway Racing would like to put all three of its development drivers in the Nationwide Series next year, team President Geoff Smith says. Smith said Sunday that the perfect plan would involve moving Roush Fenway’s lone Camping World Truck Series team with Colin Braun to Nationwide to form one team and use two of its current teams to run Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Erik Darnell full time in the series. “We are sure we want them in Nationwide,” Smith said. “We’re working really hard in keeping a full employment scenario at Roush Fenway Racing going into next year, which requires the Colin program to convert from a Truck program to a Nationwide program.”(Scene Daily)(6-22-2009)
  
  
• Toyota to leave Nationwide and Truck Series? UPDATE: Toyota appears ready to withdraw its financial support of NASCAR Truck and Nationwide teams, though continuing engineering support, in the wake of General Motors' decision to join Ford and Chrysler in withdrawing all but engineering support for those two NASCAR tours. There has been no specific comment on that yet from Toyota executives.(MikeMulhern.net)(6-22-2009)
  UPDATE: Word in the Infineon Raceway garage over the week was that Toyota has decided to follow its three corporate rivals and pull all but engineering and technical support and parts supplies from the two NASCAR tours. Lee White, head of Toyota' racing development operations: "Toyota and TRD have been in the process for over a year, of adapting our series support for the Truck/Nationwide programs to be appropriate to the value of each series. Our process in the future will not be determined by other manufacturer's actions but by the value delivered by each series. At this point there is no plan to change our involvement for the remainder of this season. As always we will re evaluate each series over the winter and could make appropriate adjustments."(MikeMulhern.net)(6-22-2009) Comment here
  
  
• Edwards plans another full season in 2010: Five consecutive seasons of running the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series schedules full time apparently isn’t enough for Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards. After earning his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory of the season at the Milwaukee Mile, Edwards said he plans on running full time in the series again in 2010.(Scene Daily)(6-21-2009)
  
  
• Leffler expects to return to Braun in 2010: NASCAR Nationwide Series driver #38-Jason Leffler said Friday he is “90 percent sure” he will return to Braun Racing next season. Leffler is fourth in the Nationwide Series standings heading into Saturday’s NorthernTool.com 250 at the Milwaukee Mile. He has driven for Braun since 2006. “Anything could change, but I think [sponsor] Great Clips and everybody are all back on board,” Leffler said. “I’m looking forward to it.”(Scene Daily)(6-20-2009)
  
  
• Series could use COT next year on road courses, restrictor plate events: NASCAR is considering introducing the Nationwide Series car of tomorrow at restrictor-plate races and road-course races in 2010, series director Joe Balash confirmed Friday at the Milwaukee Mile. The rule book for the car is close to being finished, Balash said. All four manufacturers have had their cars’ aerodynamic profiles approved by NASCAR. Many Nationwide team owners did not want the COT to be introduced until 2011, citing the prohibitive cost of building new cars. Using the new car at five races – two at Daytona and one each at Talladega, Montreal and Watkins Glen – could appease some of the concerns of car owners. A town-hall type of meeting like NASCAR had recently with its Sprint Cup teams is a possibility with Nationwide teams, Balash said. Once NASCAR finishes its discussions with competitors and an agreement is made, Balash said the sanctioning body can release the rules so teams can start building cars.(Scene Daily)(6-19-2009)
  
  
• Clements to attempt Chicago race: Jeremy Clements and his #50 car plan to make their next race attempt at the Chicagoland Speedway. The #50 team has attempted for and qualified for NNS races at Nashville and Charlotte in 2009. The team had planned to contest races at Nashville and Kentucky as the Nationwide Series embarked on its standalone stretch, but those plans were changed when Clements reached a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing to practice cars for Kyle Busch at Nashville and Joey Logano at Kentucky.(Frontstretch)(6-19-2009)
  
  
• New crew chief for Gaughan? UPDATE 2: Wallace Hearing that Tripp Bruce, who served as Johnny Benson's crew chief at Red Horse Racing until the team shut down last week, is the new crew chief for #62-Brendan Gaughan. No word on whether or not its a permanent change.(6-16-2009)
  UPDATE: Bruce is taking over as crew chief for #66-Steve Wallace, effective this weekend at Milwaukee.(6-17-2009)
  UPDATE 2: Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing announced that reigning NASCAR Truck Series champion crew chief, Trip Bruce, has been named crew chief for Steve Wallace and the team's #66 entry, effective immediately. The team further announced that after leading Wallace to his current top-ten ranking, former #66 crew chief, Dale Ferguson, has been promoted to the role of Lead Engineer for the organization. Ferguson will also serve as Wallace's Race Engineer for the remainder of the 2009 Nationwide Series season.(RWI PR)(6-17-2009)
  
  
• Able Body Labor to sponsor Phoenix race: Phoenix International Raceway announced that Able Body Labor has joined PIR's team of corporate partners and will be the title sponsor of the track's November NASCAR Nationwide Series race - the Able Body Labor 200. The race entitlement is the first such partnership for Able Body Labor in NASCAR.(Phoenix Raceway PR)(6-15-2009)
  
  
• Pony cars coming with Nationwide COT: NASCAR is bringing sexy back — and in the case of race cars, it's long overdue. If the Car of Tomorrow comes to fruition in the Nationwide Series in 2010, the vehicle list will include "pony cars" from the manufacturers that choose to use the series to market those models to the public. That includes the iconic Mustang — the quintessential pony car. Ten-fold better than a Cup car," the official said of the designs, which must be submitted for approval by June 26 according to the NASCAR Rule Book. The new cars are expected to be closer to stock than any vehicle that the sanctioning body has run in the top two series since the dreaded term "aero-matching" rolled off spin-doctor tongues in 2000. Currently, only Ford and Dodge will compete with models that differ from Cup. Despite Chevy rolling out the new Camaro to dealers, there doesn't seem to be an urgency to promote that brand or the Malibu in NASCAR other than for pace cars at this time. Toyota has discontinued its two-door Solara, so expect the Camry nameplate in NNS.(FoxSports)(6-14-2009)
  
  

• NASCAR officially moves Cup banquet to Vegas; Nationwide and Truck Banquets combined: NASCAR announced that Las Vegas formally becomes the “Official Host City of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week.” NASCAR’s annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony will be held at the Wynn Las Vegas on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. The move to Las Vegas provides for greater flexibility for driver and fan events. The NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events will be combined and held at the Loews Miami Beach on Monday, Nov. 23. The Grand-Am Rolex Series banquet will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla. on Monday, Oct. 12. NASCAR had held the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in New York City every year since 1981. After exploring several options, NASCAR formed a partnership with Las Vegas Events, making the change of venue a reality. "I can’t say enough about the warm reception from Las Vegas,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “Las Vegas really made it a priority to get the awards ceremony moved there. We were able to come to an agreement on reasonable room blocks, banquet facilities, and approvals to hold fan activities on the famous Las Vegas Strip." Activities being planned for the days leading up to the Awards Ceremony include the return of the “Victory Lap,” a procession of the top 10 NSCS drivers in their race cars, the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Media Luncheon, the Pit Stop Tour and the NASCAR Street Tour to include stock cars and mobile marketing units placed throughout the city. The awards ceremony for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be consolidated in south Florida. This is designed to provide another great venue for the ceremony as well as help save NNS teams from making an additional trip following the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The top-five finishers from the NNS and NCWTS will be honored at the combined banquet celebration.(NASCAR PR)(4-23-2009) Comment here
  
  

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