NASCAR Current News

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Sunday, March 8, 2009

Drivers have some concern about tires: While none of the drivers for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 seem particularly satisfied with the tire they’ll be racing, none of them seem eager to point the finger at Goodyear, either. And some of them are really looking for the challenge. "We have our hands full,” Gordon said Friday. “It’s gonna be a white-knuckle survival kind of race. I’m actually kind of excited about it.” That’s probably because Gordon remembers how much fun it was to race last weekend at Las Vegas, where slipping and sliding through the corners was commonplace. Polesitter Mark Martin said the track layout at Atlanta will only exaggerate that feeling. “This thing is so big and so sweeping that when you’re sliding for life from turn 4 to turn 1, you’re sliding for life for a long time,” Martin said. Three-time Atlanta winner Carl Edwards was practical about situation, noting that all 43 drivers were facing the same challenge. “It doesn’t matter to me what the tires were like as long as we all have the same tires,” said Edwards, who was second fastest in the final practice session. “It’s easy to have a positive attitude when you’re fast. We got the car driving pretty well, but it’s still a pretty slippery race track. It’s gonna be pretty fun and a good race.” Tony Stewart was extremely outspoken last March at Atlanta Motor Speedway in his criticism of the tire Goodyear brought to the race. Three tire tests (and one race) later, all reports are that this weekend's tire will wear much better and should provide more grip. But not everyone is convinced. "They did these tire tests here in (January) when the track temp was 50 degrees; it's 90 out here today," Gordon said. "There's not much grip at all. It's not wearing crazy or anything, but we've only been making one lap at a time. Thank goodness, that's about all I can handle." Gordon wasn't pointing fingers; in fact, he praised Goodyear for doing its best in what he considers a no-win situation. "I believe this track, and this car, especially with these temperatures, could possibly be the most difficult track in the world to build a tire for; it's almost beyond what they can do," Gordon said. "We have our hands full; it's gonna be a white-knuckle survival kind of race. I'm actually kind of excited about it." Gordon said the track's speed and abrasiveness wears so excessively on the tires that it's hard for the manufacturer to balance wear with grip. Even Stewart was in agreement that this year's tire was a much better - albeit not perfect - compound. "We don't have a ton of grip," Stewart said. "In race trim I think it'll be better, but we don't have quite as much grip as we've had in past."(AMS PR)

Stewart's off-week plans: During a rare off week for the Sprint Cup Series next week, one thing is a good bet: you won't see Tony Stewart. "I'm going to be invisible," promised Stewart, who is eighth in the Cup championship standings in his first year as an owner/driver with Stewart-Haas Racing. "I'm leaving town. I don't know what (crew chief) Darian (Grubb) and the guys are going to do. "I'm sure they're going to work their tails off like they always do. But I'm going to get away. I need a break right now. It's perfect timing for a break after this weekend." (Sporting News)

Truex fine after kidney stones: After suffering from sporadic bouts of intense pain during the final Sprint Cup practice session, Martin Truex Jr. was taken by ambulance to Spalding Regional Medical Center in Griffin Saturday afternoon and diagnosed with kidney stones. He passed the offending stone at about 10 p.m. and is ready to go racing today. Truex was examined and administered fluids while at Spalding Regional, then released shortly after 5 p.m. He passed the stone a few hours later. Driver spokesperson Amanda Jones said Truex was doing great Sunday morning and was eager to hit the track. (AMS PR)

Saturday, March 7, 2009

NASCAR devises formula for restart line: NASCAR has established a formula for determining the length of the restart zone on the track. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway that officials will take the pit-road speed limit, double that figure and then set that as the distance in feet of the restart zone. At the start of this season, NASCAR created a zone where the leader must restart the race instead of giving the leader discretion from a certain area coming out of Turn 4 up to the starting line to restart the race. The rule is designed to create a more consistent restart at each track. Pit-road speeds typically range from 30 to 55 mph, depending on the length of the track. That means the restart zone will vary from 60-110 feet, depending on the track. "It will be twice the pit-road speed," Pemberton said. "It's a means to get variable lengths in there for the race track itself. It's something the garage area asked us to do. Is it perfect; maybe, maybe not. But, it's a start."(NASCAR PR)

Bass Pro Founder and CEO John L. Morris donates to Childress Pediatric Trauma Institution: News of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma and its needs has touched the hearts of many generous donors who have recently made significant contributions. Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has announced a $1 million commitment from John L. Morris, founder and chief executive officer of Bass Pro Shops, to the Childress Institute. An additional $1 million pledge has been made by an anonymous private family foundation. Another recent gift was made by the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Foundation, established by Eddie Smith, owner and CEO of Grady-White Boats Inc., of Greenville, N.C. The Smith Foundation made a $250,000 commitment to the Institute for research and expansion of programs in pediatric trauma care. To date, contributors have given nearly $2 million to the Childress Institute, and pledges total almost $8.5 million. On July 30, 2008, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the Richard Childress family announced the formation of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma. The Childress Institute’s mission is to significantly improve survival rates of children nationwide who suffer serious injuries and reduce the lifelong impact of traumatic injuries in children. Richard Childress and his family have provided $5 million to the Medical Center to initiate the project. For more information on the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma visit www.childresspediatrictrauma.org.(RCR PR)

Friday, March 6, 2009

Sponsorship survey -- Motorsports budget slightly down: A report released last month by sponsorship experts IEG found that North American companies would spend about 6 per cent less in motorsport-related activities than in 2008, NASCAR's teams should keep motoring along at the expense of many other sports. "NASCAR is the major player in the U.S. when it comes to motorsports and they draw by far the most sponsorships than anything else," said William Chipps, senior editor of the IEG Sponsorship Report, which tracks and analyzes corporate sponsorship. "Companies always flock to the biggest and the best sports property. For the most part, NASCAR's competition from a sponsorship sales perspective isn't in the motorsports space, it's almost like other sports properties. The report found that North American companies earmarked an estimated $3.3-billion (U.S.) for racing sponsorships this year. While a significant amount, the 2009 figure represents a $200-million drop from last year, marking the first time the study has predicted a dip in sponsorship in almost two decades. (More at Toronto Globe and Mail)

More teams testing at the "Little Rock": The sound of thunder returned to the Rockingham Speedway nearly a year ago. Now the booming noise is coming from a new source. Track owner Andy Hillenburg added a half-mile oval behind the Speedway dubbed “Little Rock” which he hopes to use for racing by 2011. Right now, the small track is being used by nearly all the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams for testing because it is similar to the Martinsville Speedway, where the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will battle on March 29. Even though the Martinsville race is more than three weeks away, several teams have scheduled practice time at “Little Rock.” (Richmond County Daily Journal)

RCR/No Fear Racing to debut pushed back to Infineon: This weekend was supposed to be the debut of Sprint Cup’s newest team, the No. 60 Ford for RCM / No Fear Racing driven by Boris Said. But a change in philosophy has pushed back the debut of the organization until Infineon in June. “I learned an important lesson in this sport that I should have known as a new owner,” said RCM / No Fear CEO Rick Clark. “My enthusiasm to debut the team is a lesson in patience that I should have learned playing college football and in the NFL. I would much rather make mistakes before we get to the track as opposed to on the track, and I don’t want to put Boris in a situation that we were not ready for. So, the decision was made, as much as I was eager, to debut the team at a track where we’re capable of contending for the win. I know there will be speculation as to why we didn’t run, but rather than burn up money I’d rather burn up rubber when the time is right. I’ve been waiting for five years, and I sure as heck can wait three more months to take a chance at Victory Lane.“ Clark said announcements on specific sponsors and programs will be forthcoming for the June event. Following Infineon, the team still plans to run a limited schedule of races in 2009 before plans to move up to full-time competition in 2010.(Frontstretch Newsletter)

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Toyota back to old oil pump: Toyota Racing Development has reverted to the oil pump used on last year’s engine and will continue the modifications used in last Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas when its teams compete this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Michael Waltrip Racing, Red Bull Racing and Robby Gordon Motorsports use TRD engines. In the last two weeks, TRD has had to replace six engines during the race weekend – two at Auto Club Speedway in southern California and four at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The problem was a lifter or camshaft issue. TRD President Lee White said in a phone interview Wednesday that he believes the problems occur when there is no oil pressure as drivers are entering and exiting the garages during practice. White said the oil pump used last year is better for those situations. “Last year’s oil pump had better capacity at very low RPM,” White said. “We are able to deal with other means to deal with the high-end flow to match that to the requirement of the engine. That was something sitting on the shelf that we know worked.” (SceneDaily.com)

R. Gordon's nice gesture: A couple of fans visited Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend hoping to get Robby Gordon to sign a poster so they could send it to a solider they know who's in Iraq. Gordon not only signed it, he took the poster inside the track and had more than two dozen other drivers sign it and got it back to the fans so they could send it to the soldier. (ThatsRacin.com)

Harvick on his rare DNF: Kevin Harvick’s modern era streak of completing 81 races in a row ended at California, but Harvick tells PRN’s Garagepass it didn't have to happen. Harvick said, "The bad thing about the DNF streak is that the car was actually functional to go back on the racetrack. I thought the motor had blown up...I hit the fence and the oil was running across the racetrack and the oil streak all the way up to the wall...I thought the car had blown up. So, I left and the spotter left and they called and said hey we’re ready to go back out with about 15 laps to go...and (chuckles) I wasn't there...that’s the way it ended. The DNF streak is great but in the end it would be nice to have a win streak."(PRN Garage Pass Radio Show)

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Former driver/owner arrested on moonshine related charges: Former NASCAR driver and crew chief for the legendary team owner Junior Johnson was arrested last week after a still used to make moonshine was found on his property. Dean Combs, 57, was charged last Friday with making non-tax paid liquor, as well as one count each of possessing ingredients to manufacture and possessing equipment to manufacture non-tax paid liquor. Combs property sits near the abandoned North Wilkesboro Speedway in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Agents from the State Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement along with deputies from the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office raided the property and found a still that had a capacity of 300 gallons per run, with about 1,150 gallons of corn mash in the “working” stage in preparation for another run in two to three days. Agents said the still was warm from a run of corn liquor the day before. (NASCAR Examiner)

Wilson named Crew Chief of the Race: Shane Wilson, crew chief of the #33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevy driven by Clint Bowyer has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race in Sunday's Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 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, FL.(Wypall PR)

NASCAR on FOX dominates weekly sports ratings: NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing on FOX once again dominated weekend sports coverage. Sunday’s (3/1) race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway scored as the most-watched and highest-rated weekend sports event giving NASCAR on FOX that distinction for the third consecutive week. Sunday’s victory by hometown favorite Kyle Busch averaged 11.1 million viewers (6.5/12 national rating/share) towering over the next closest event, ABC’s Lakers/Suns broadcast, which recorded 4.7 million viewers (3.1/6). According to Nielsen Media Research, FOX’s 11.1 million viewers on Sunday is up 5% over the 10.6 million viewers Sprint Cup Racing at LVMS has averaged from 2001 to 2008 on FOX. Sunday’s 6.5/12 equals the average household rating over the same eight-year span.(FOX PR) NOTE: One week after putting up the best challenge to ABC’s Oscars telecast, a NASCAR race lifted the net to a strong showing on Sunday. The final 90 minutes of action from Las Vegas averaged a dominant 4.4/13 in 18-49. (Variety)

Kentucky Speedway sales tax rebate passes committee: The House budget committee voted overwhelmingly yesterday to approve a sales tax rebate designed to lure a NASCAR Sprint Cup race to the Kentucky Speedway in Gallatin County. There was only one vote against House Bill 521, which was approved after a lengthy debate in which some legislators complained about a lack of transparency in economic- and tourism-development incentive packages. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Royce Adams, D-Dry Ridge, in whose district the speedway is located, could provide as much as $36.75 million in incentives over a 20-year period if Speedway owner Bruton Smith invests the amount he has discussed. It now goes to the full House. (The Courier-Journal)

No. 16 crew wins pit road award: Greg Biffle's No. 16 team claimed the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award at Sunday's Shelby 427 Sprint Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Biffle's Ford Fusion spent the least amount of time on pit road -- 252.400 seconds -- during the 285-lap, 427-mile race. The speedy No. 16 pit crew has helped lift Biffle to fourth place in the driver point standings. The No. 16 over-the-wall crew consists of: Todd Zeigler (front-tire changer), Colin Pasi (front-tire carrier), Kyle Power (rear-tire changer), Kevin McDowell (rear-tire carrier), Rodney Fetters (jackman), Billy Manchester (gasman), Ryan Dextraze (catch can) and Chris Elliott (windshield). The team's crew chief is Greg Erwin and the pit crew coach is Andy Ward. For winning the weekly Tissot Pit Road Precision Award, the #16 team will receive $5,000. The payout for the season-championship pit road team will be $100,000 and a Tissot watch for the driver and members of the over-the-wall crew.(DMF Communications/Tissot PR)

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Newman looking to become all-time pole sitter at Atlanta: Having won the pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway seven times previously, No. 39-Ryan Newman will attempt to make history on Friday, March 6 during Georgia Power Qualifying Night when he looks to become the all-time leader in pole wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Accustomed to leading the field to the green flag in Atlanta, Newman, known as the “Rocket Man” for his qualifying prowess, will not only be chasing history, but also his mentor with whom he is tied in pole wins, Buddy Baker. "Atlanta has always been a place where I like to qualify, and it would be an honor to get the all-time pole record there,” said Newman. It would be an honor to beat Buddy Baker in all-time poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway," Newman continued." (AMS PR)

Toyota: Engine problems had different causes: The president of Toyota Racing Development says the engine failures incurred by the three Roush Fenway Racing teams during Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway were unrelated to the problems five Toyota teams experienced on Saturday. "Not in any way related,'' Lee White said on Monday. "We're going to take 100 percent responsibility for maybe not having all of our ducks in a row with durability testing when we got to the racetrack to be ready for the decisions the teams put the engines through to get ready for qualifying.'' Four teams supplied engines by TRD -- David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose of Michael Waltrip Racing and Brian Vickers and Scott Speed of Red Bull Racing -- had to switch engines and start at the rear of the field. (ESPN.com)

Roush: Tires may of caused engine failure: At the forefront of Matt Kenseth’s mind, and the minds of the people at Roush Fenway Racing this week, is the cause of the failure. Engine failure also hampered fellow Roush drivers David Ragan and Carl Edwards. Team owner Jack Roush said that the problem might have originated with tires — they were too good. “I think we misjudged how fast this tire was going to be, and the engine turned more,” Roush said. “It’s the same spec on the engine that we had all of last year. It wasn’t something new or experimental. I had great confidence in it. “We had it the last third of last year, but we saw more RPM with it in qualifying than we ever had, and we saw more RPM in the race than we ever had. The tire didn’t fall off as much as we expected it to, so the tire did a real nice job, but we just over-revved the engine.” (Kansas City Star)

Monday, March 2, 2009

Ky. Busch parties at the Hard Rock: Kyle Busch scored a victory in his hometown of Las Vegas Sunday, and celebrated by shelling out over $5,000 on 10 bottles of champagne at Body English in the Hard Rock. (TMZ.com)

No driver has finished top 10 in first three races of '09: The only three drivers to score top-10 finishes in the first two races of the season -- Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart -- all had those short streaks broken. Kenseth was 43rd, Stewart 26th and Busch 23rd. (PR)

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Ky. Busch wins Shelby 427: Las Vegas native Kyle Busch came from the back of the 43-car field to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup race Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after Matt Kenseth's bid to win the season's first three races ended early. Busch won the pole for the Shelby 427 but was forced to start at the rear because of an engine change on his No. 18 Toyota. Busch, 23, doggedly moved up through the field, took the lead with 20 laps remaining in the 285-lap race and held off Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton, teammates at Richard Childress Racing who finished second and third, respectively. (LA Times)

No. 64 Gunselman Motorsports signs two sponsors: Gunselman Motorsports has enjoyed the benefits of making their first race of 2009 in several ways. And, the enjoyment keeps coming, even hours before the Shelby 427 green flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Already gaining two sponsors before qualifying on Friday in Core Construction and Curtiss Steel, the team has now signed on two more for the race. The No. 64 Toyota with Todd Bodine behind the wheel will now also carry NY Bagel Deli and Communication Electronic Systems. NYC Bagel Deli is out of Chicago, Ill and specializes in kettle-boiled bagels. Principal owner Corey Kaplan, a longtime friend of co-driver Geoff Bodine, was so excited about his involvement he became a licensed team member during the weekend. Communication Electronic Systems is a low-voltage subcontractor in the Las Vegas area. Brian Thomas and Dave Ellis are the principals involved with the sponsorship.(Gunselman Motorsports PR)

McMurray suffering flu-like symptoms: Jamie McMurray had the fastest Ford in Saturday's final practice session, but a bout with the flu prevented him from feeling good about his chances at a win. McMurray, seventh fastest overall, headed to the infield care center after practice to ask for new medication. "The medicine that I've got right now is not really working," said McMurray, who fell ill Tuesday night. "You think you'd be better by now and I'm not, so I'm going to see if they'll give me something else to help with my chest. My eyeballs are the biggest issue right now. There's a lot of pressure on them and when the car loads up in the corner it really hurts my eyes." (ESPN.com)

Saturday, February 28, 2009

SMI Speedways host driver/fan forums: NASCAR drivers and Speedway Motorsports are teaming up to bring fans closer to their favorite drivers than ever before. The new "PRN Up To SPEED" program will bring NASCAR's top names out for fan forums at the SPEED Stage during each of the 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends at Speedway Motorsports' seven speedways across the country. The Performance Racing Network's on-air personalities will emcee question-and-answer sessions with some of the sport's biggest personalities at the SPEED Stage leading up to SPEED's regularly scheduled weekend programming. "PRN Up To SPEED" will kick off Sunday at 9:30am/et, at the SPEED Stage located in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway midway. The stellar lineup will include Las Vegas-native Kyle Busch, legendary NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, and four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon. Each Speedway Motorsports track that hosts a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will hold "PRN Up To SPEED" sessions during their respective race weekend. The location of the SPEED Stage may vary from track to track, but at all Speedway Motorsports facilities, the stage is always located in an area where access is free of charge for fans.(SMI PR)

Ky. Busch focused on NASCAR: Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch said the timing isn't right for him to race in Formula One for the new F1 team based in Charlotte. Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor are partnering to form the team, which hopes to begin racing to start the 2010 season. Busch's name has been mentioned as a candidate to drive one of the cars for the new operation. "I have not been talked to yet, but I do toss the idea around," Busch said. "It's something I'd love to give a shot one day. It's not something I would shoot down, but I don't think it's the right time in my career to do something like that." Busch, who turns 24 on May 2, wants to win a Sprint Cup title before taking a shot at F1. He won eight Cup races last season and started the Chase in first-place before finishing 10th overall. "I want to get it done here first," Busch said. "If I could win a championship in the next two or three years, I wouldn't mind going over there and running Formula One a couple of years, then come back. I'd only be 28 or so." (ESPN.com)

NASCAR moves restart line again: NASCAR is still experimenting with new distances for the restart zone. This weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it’s 90 feet. The zone two weeks ago was 50 feet at Daytona. Last week, it was 110 feet at Auto Club Speedway in California. (SceneDaily.com)

Friday, February 27, 2009

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to serve as R. Gordon associate sponsor: Jim Beam will serve as the primary sponsor for Sunday's 285-lap event. In addition to MAPEI and Menards, Robby Gordon Motorsports is excited to announce that Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will also serve as an associate sponsor this weekend. (PR)

NASCAR Milestone -- 20,000 lap: Four-time champion Jeff Gordon will reach the 20,000-lap milestone in his Cup career when he completes 11 laps Sunday.

NASCAR Milestone -- 450 Consecutive: Jeff Burton will record his 450th consecutive Cup start.

Toyota Becomes Official Vehicle of Martinsville: Press Release

Thursday, February 26, 2009

USG Sheetrock on No. 17 at Vegas: #17-Matt Kenseth will run the USG Sheetrock paint scheme on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first of three times this season. The other two USG Sheetrock races will be Chicago in July and Phoenix in Nov.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)

Captain Sully getting ceremonial brick at NASCAR Hall of Fame: Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger traded jokes with Pat McCrory. The Mayor lamented that he couldn't present a Key to the City as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg did for the crew. But he offered what he called “the next best thing:” ceremonial bricks from the now-under-construction NASCAR Hall of Fame. He compared the crew's performance to racing's best teams: “Richard Petty would be jealous,” McCrory said. (Charlotte Observer)

EA Sports NASCAR sim on hold: Today NASCAR news announced that developer Electronic Arts, who have exclusive rights to developing games based on the popular racing franchise, have put the driving sim on hold for now while they review the current business model. With the recent release of NASCAR Kart Racing for the Wii, it’s clear that EA is looking find a more casual friendly audience with which to share its NASCAR series, and as such have placed plans for NASCAR 2010 on hold while they make a decision about what will best benefit both companies. EA’s Randy Chase stated that the "old game was more for the simulation players, the serious gamers" whereas the Wii game is considered "more lighthearted, something that’s more fun for the entire family. We look at it as a respectful caricature of the sport." (GameFocus)

Energizer on No. 42 at Vegas: The #42 Chevy of Juan Pablo Montoya will sport the Energizer paint scheme this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Crew Chief Brian Pattie and the #42 team will bring chassis #805 to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.(EGR PR)

Stewart doesn't see himself at driver/owner: Tony Stewart is now a driver-owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but he doesn't see it that way. Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet, acknowledges wearing two hats in his first year as an owner in the series. He's just not wearing them at the same time. "The only way it really works is to be a car owner four days a week and be a driver those three days we're at the race track," Stewart said Wednesday at Texas Motor Speedway's annual media day. "It's hard enough just being in the driver's role. That's part of having the right people in the right places." Stewart said owning a short track and World of Outlaws and USAC teams have helped prepare him for his new challenge. (Dallas Morning News)

DuPont slashes motorsports budget: DuPont, long recognized as the leader in hospitality among NASCAR sponsors, is drastically reducing its program this year as part of its companywide cost cutting. Instead of entertaining the 17,000 guests it had at 37 races last year, DuPont will buy hospitality packages at just six races this season and will host fewer than 2,000 guests. “The economy has had a huge impact on us,” said Larry Deas, DuPont’s motorsports manager. “The current environment along with the high cost of hospitality have forced us to make significant cuts.” Whether DuPont’s cuts signal the beginning of the end for its sponsorship of Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet remains to be seen. DuPont, which has been on the car since 1993, has been the only primary sponsor Gordon has known at Hendrick Motorsports and together they own the longest driver-sponsor-owner streak in the sport. DuPont’s current contract with Hendrick Motorsports runs through the end of the 2010 season. Deas would not speculate on how DuPont’s team deal might be affected in the future, but industry experts say it’s a bad sign that an iconic sponsor has made such deep cuts, which could represent a savings well into the seven figures, analysts say. Most high-end team sponsorships cost $20 million or more a year before activation. (SportsBusinessJournal)