NASCAR Past News April 4 - 9 2005

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April 9, 2005

Labonte Wins Martinsville Truck Race: The No.47 Chevrolet crossed the finish line 0.257 ahead of runner-up Ricky Craven. The victory was the first of Labonte's five-race Craftsman career and he became the 12th driver to win in all three of NASCAR's national series'.  "The guys in the Chevrolet Silverado truck did a great job," said Labonte. "I've got to run twice this year and finished second and first, that's awesome."  As usual, the race on the tight oval was filled with bumping and banging. With so many cars on the tiny circuit, track position was everything and that as much as a fast race car won it for Labonte.  (TSN)

Waltrip to try another Race: Darrell Waltrip won't be closing out his competitive racing career today at Martinsville Speedway. The three-time Cup champion and current TV analyst failed to qualify for today's Kroger 250, missing by less than a hundredth of a second and leaving the door open for one more race in his Toyota Tundra. "It can't be your last race if you didn't race," he said. "That's the way I look at it." (TimesDispatch)

Goodyear Tires Testing at Brickyard Delayed: At the request of Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials, Goodyear has postponed next week's NASCAR tire testing because of problems resulting from the track's recent repaving.  Earlier this week Firestone abruptly ended its tire test at the track for the Indy Racing League when unusual wear was discovered on several right-side tires.  Goodyear is tentatively expected to conduct its test later this month.  "I don't know what the actual issue is, and it maybe even such where it was an issue with the IRL cars and would never affect a stock car. But whatever it may be, they shut down the IRL tire test," Nextel Cup series director John Darby said Saturday. (ThatsRacin)

Sterling and Gannasi to Part after 05: Sterling Marlin said Friday he is "99.9 percent certain" that he won't be back with Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2006 Nextel Cup season.  Marlin, 47, has been driving for the team formerly owned by Felix Sabates since the start of the 1998 season. He's won four races with the team after having six victories in the previous four seasons at Morgan/McClure.  Marlin, who will be making his 646th career Nextel Cup start in Sunday's Advance 500 at Martinsville Speedway, is in the final year of his contract. (ThatsRacin)

NASCAR Outscores NBA Home teams: How hot is NASCAR Cup racing this spring? Hot enough that Sunday's Bristol 500 on Fox drew higher TV ratings than ABC's coverage of the NBA - in four cities that had home teams playing that day: Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia and Minneapolis. (Winston Salem Journal)

NEXTEL Night at the Movies in TEXAS: Fans will receive a special treat from Nextel following Friday evening's IROC race. "Friday Night Lights," the hit movie about Texas high school football, will be shown on a giant NextelVision screen at Lil' Texas Motor Speedway. Fans can bring lawn chairs or sit in the bleachers for the movie, and concession stands featuring movie theater items will be operational. Approximate start time will 8:30 p.m. Admission is free. (TMS PR)

April 8, 2005

Martinsville Qualifying Results: Scott Riggs wins the Advance Auto Parts 500 pole.  Ryan Newman qualified outside pole.  Complete lineup

More Cautions so Far: After five races, it appears that Nextel Cup drivers are experiencing a mild case of yellow-flag fever. It seems there have been more crashes this season than at the same point last year.  After four superspeedway races and a run at Bristol, there have been 50 cautions for 286 laps, compared to 45 cautions and 220 laps after a similar stretch to start 2004.  Rusty Wallace blames aggressive driving more than a mandated change in spoilers and tires.  ''Everybody is on a gas trotter trying to prove a point,'' he said. ''Everybody's trying to be the man this year. Everybody's aggressive on the wheel.''  (Tennessean)

Talladega Featured in Southern Living: Talladega Superspeedway has been selected as one of "205 Favorite Spots" by Southern Living, and will be featured in the magazine's spring 2005 issue available at newsstands from mid-April to mid-May.  The themed issue focuses on editors' picks of favorite things about the South, and staff writers compiled the list of favorite spots including the best places across the region to see a sunset, enjoy a stroll, visit a garden, go stargazing and more. Talladega Superspeedway is among a handful of travel destinations singled out not only for being unique to the South, but also for serving as a calling card for Alabama.  "Talladega Superspeedway is listed as one of just a few destinations that offer experiences you can find only in Alabama," said Allison L. Barnes, Southern Living Assistant Features Editor. "You can watch races at a lot of places, but you just won't get the same experience as you do at Talladega Superspeedway. It is very representative of the South and what we love about this part of the country." (Talladega PR)

 France and NFL Rumors again: When asked about selling off his shares of NASCAR or ISC stock back to the family, presumably to finance an NFL bid, France would not discuss it.  "We don't get into any of our family planning within the business," the 42-year-old executive said. "We do all kinds of financial transactions within the family.  "What I can tell you is that I'm heavily invested in the industry of NASCAR. I have a financial interest that, in my little world, is very important to me and I plan on keeping for a long time."  When pressed for more information, France would not budge off the non-comment.  "The public company (ISC) has various filings we've had, but we've never talked about the infrastructure of the private company and I can't get into that," he said. "I'd break the family tradition."  The rumor that France wanted to buy into the NFL started near the end of the 2004 racing season and has followed him into 2005 like his own shadow. (The-NewsJournal)

Final Bristol Numbers Best Ever: Bristol Motor Speedway says Fox's broadcast of last Sunday's Food City 500 earned a 6.3 final Nielsen Media Research rating as it drew a track record viewership of more than 9.75 million people. The rating is 5.0% higher than the 6.0 the race drew for Fox last year and is also 5.0% higher than the 6.0 earned by the 2004 Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, which aired the same weekend last year. The track says 6.9 million households viewed the race, a 7% increase from the 2004 spring race. (NASCAR Scene)

April 7, 2005

NASCAR Drug Testing: NASCAR confirmed Wednesday that it has issued 40 to 45 drug tests during the past two years, a figure that includes multiple tests for some individuals. NASCAR only drug tests individuals based on reasonable suspicion that they are abusing a drug. Jim Hunter, NASCAR spokesman, said that Shane Hmiel has been tested 12 to 15 times since he was reinstated in February 2004. NASCAR suspended Hmiel on Sept. 18, 2003, for violation of the series' substance abuse policy for the use of marijuana. NASCAR required Hmiel to attend counseling and periodic random testing as part of his reinstatement. (Pilot Online)

Hmiel Fined and Points: Shane Hmiel has been fined $10,000 and docked 25 points in the standings by NASCAR for making an obscene gesture at Dale Jarrett during the Busch Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this week. Hmiel was caught on his in-car camera flipping his middle finger at Jarrett after Jarrett leaned inside the window to complain about an accident Hmiel had caused during Monday's race. The image was shown on live television. (Wire)

NASCAR Not Committing to Charlotte: Half a million dollars in taxpayer money isn't enough to persuade NASCAR to make a long-term commitment to keep its all-star race in the Charlotte area.  Local officials have been working to save the race for more than three years, since NASCAR suggested it might want to rotate the event to tracks in other cities. It wants the race to attract an atmosphere equal to all-star games in other sports.  Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, surrounding cities and the state are all putting money into the effort. On Wednesday, organizers announced a lineup of events designed to add more excitement to all-star week.  A Nextel vice president said NASCAR's new sponsor is happy with Charlotte's efforts, and indicated the race would likely come back in 2006. (StarTelegram)

NEXTEL Pit Crew Challenge presented by Motorola: Presented by Motorola, NASCAR's top pit crews to compete for cash, prizes and bragging rights Reinforcing the status of the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge as one of the nation's elite sporting events, Nextel and NASCAR today announced that the first NASCAR NEXTEL Pit Crew Challenge presented by Motorola will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, at the Charlotte Coliseum. The only event of its kind officially sanctioned by NASCAR, this inaugural contest will pit the nation's favorite over-the-wall athletes against each other in seven head-to-head skills competitions designed to showcase the talents of NASCAR's top crew members. Components of the competition include individual and team contests for tire changers, tire carriers, gas men and jack men, and the competitors will earn at least $200,000 in guaranteed cash and prizes. 'The NASCAR NEXTEL Pit Crew Challenge is one of the many ways that Nextel is helping to raise the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge to the next level,' said Mark Schweitzer, senior vice president of marketing for Nextel Communications. (dBusiness)

Martinsville Efforts to Keep Races: Martinsville Speedway is the second-oldest active NASCAR Nextel Cup track behind Darlington Raceway. Darlington has already lost the prestigious Southern 500 and is the latest in a line of Carolina race tracks that have been stripped of races.  In today's era of expansion, Martinsville's long-term status of hosting two NASCAR Nextel Cup races is open for debate.  "I'd like to see both races stay at Martinsville, but I don't really see it long-term," said driver Jeff Burton, a South Boston native. "Martinsville has a place in our sport, but I see them losing at least one race. I'm not pushing for that."  Martinsville, a Cup track since 1956, faces more scrutiny than ever to maintain its facility and stay parallel to the changing times. (NewsAdvance)

Richmond to Expand:  An International Speedway Corp. official said during a conference call with investor analysts this week that Richmond International Raceway might add more seats soon.  Susan Schandel, senior vice president and chief financial officer of ISC, said the company will consider seating expansion at some tracks. "I know we've got quite a bit of demand at Miami, Richmond and Phoenix, so those would be tentative for next year,'' she said.   Richmond seats 107,097.  Also, officials acknowledged that the less-than-capacity crowd at California Speedway in February was a disappointment. (Pilot Online)

Wallace Track News in IOWA: NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace says a track he designed will be constructed in Newton and an official announcement will be made April 26th. Wallace says all the funding is in place, "so it's gonna be a reality." The 7/8ths mile track will have seating for 25-thousand fans. He says he was in Newton last week checking the contours in the turns and he says "this thing is real, it's gonna happen, and we have a lot of work to do yet." Wallace says he would eventually like to see the track host some NASCAR events but no such ageement is in place. He says they haven't had any conversations with NASCAR yet. He says they're working on building it now, and then see how it works out.The track is expected to open in 2006.  (RadioIowa)

Nashville no plans to sell: Dover Motorsports President and CEO Denis McGlynn said he has no plans to sell Nashville Superspeedway but stopped short of denying that it has been discussed. "'We don't have any plans to sell Nashville,'' McGlynn said earlier this week in response to recent reports that the five-year-old, $125 million track is being shopped.  Asked if he has talked with representatives from any group - including International Speedway Corporation - about a possible sale, McGlynn would say only: ''We talk to a lot of people about a lot of things.'' (Tennessean)

April 6, 2005

NASCAR Not being investigated yet: The House Committee on Government Reform, which is investigating performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, sent letters Tuesday to seven sports organizations requesting information on their testing policies.  One sport won't be getting a letter right away: NASCAR.  Robert White, spokesman for committee chairman Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., said the committee has not decided whether to ask to review NASCAR's drug testing policy. "We're looking to see whether it makes sense for us to take a closer look at them," White said. "At this point, we don't know if it's something we want to do." (News-Record)

Biffle Tax Paint Scheme: With the end of tax season quickly approaching, this weekend Biffle's No. 16 National Guard Ford will feature a special Jackson Hewitt Tax Service paint scheme. (Roush PR)

Busch in Crown Royal: Busch's No. 97 Ford Taurus sports the colors of Crown Royal for the second of six times this season at Martinsville. Busch finished sixth in the Crown Royal Ford in the pre-season Shootout at Daytona. (Roush PR)

Darlington not being sold:  Darlington Raceway president Chris Browning got a call Tuesday that sent him scrambling: Was International Speedway Corp. contemplating a sale of the old country track to its rival? So Browning, who was displaced when North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham was sold last year, called down to the company's Daytona Beach, Fla., headquarters to find out. "They told me, 'Hey, nothing to it, buddy,' " Browning told The Associated Press. "That was good enough for me."  Browning said the report he read on the Internet speculated that Bruton Smith of Speedway Motorsports Inc. wanted to buy Darlington and move its remaining race weekend to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, giving that facility a second race date. But Browning said that's not the case. "There's absolutely no truth to the rumors whatsoever," he said. "I don't know where they got started." (NASCAR)

Good News for Daytona HOF: For weeks, lobbyists and local officials have tried to convince state lawmakers that Florida would get an economic boost from funneling tens of millions of dollars to a NASCAR hall of fame and two sports stadiums. But a Senate economist blasted holes in many of those arguments Tuesday, telling lawmakers that taxpayer-funded stadium projects don't bring economic growth -- though he gave a somewhat-brighter picture of the proposed NASCAR hall of fame in Daytona Beach.  Economist Ross Fabricant said studies are "clear and unambiguous" that spending tax dollars on projects such as building or overhauling stadiums for the Orlando Magic and Florida Marlins would not benefit the state economically. He said, in part, that new-and-improved stadiums likely would only lead to people shifting spending from other entertainment venues. (NewsJournal)

Kentucky Testing:  NASCAR NEXTEL Series Cup teams from Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Petty Enterprises and Morgan-McClure Motorsports visited Kentucky Speedway today to help drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Petty, Jeff Green and Mike Wallace develop a competitive edge for upcoming races on intermediate tracks.  Earnhardt, Jr., who was second in the series standings after the fifth race of 2004, used a fourth-place finish at Bristol to move to 17th in the current standings. After generating an average finish of 21st through the first five series races this season, the No. 8 team is intent on building stronger racecars. "We weren't that good at intermediate tracks last year and we haven't really been that strong this year," Earnhardt, Jr., said. "That's why we're here testing. Hopefully, we can learn something. We're working on a lot of different things all across the board with our engineering department, trying to build a better racecar for the rest of the season. (Motorsports)

Russo Hired at NBC: General Electronic has promoted Alana Russo, previously Manager of Communications at their MSNBC unit, was today named Manager, Communications, NBC Sports. The announcement was made by Mike McCarley, Vice President, Communications and Marketing, NBC Universal Sports and Olympics. Russo will develop and execute strategic communications plans for NBC Sports and promote NBC's sports broadcast partnerships. She will be the primary media contact for horse racing and NASCAR, among other NBC Sports properties. Russo joins NBC Sports from MSNBC, where she oversaw national publicity efforts for "Hardball with Chris Matthews," "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and events and specials, including MSNBC's coverage of the 2004 Presidential Election and "JFK: The Day That Changed America." Russo joined MSNBC as a publicist in 2002. Previously, she was a communications assistant at FOX Sports. (NBC)

Labonte Golf Tourny: Yesterday Bobby Labonte hosted the second annual Bobby Labonte Celebrity Golf Classic Presented by ConAgra Foods. The event, which raised money for the Bobby Labonte Foundation, was conducted at the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, N.C. Fellow NASCAR drivers Terry Labonte, Tony Stewart, Jason Leffler and Johnny Benson participated in the event. Other celebrities included: J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, Steve Addington, Labonte's crew chief and Greg Zipadelli, Stewart's crew chief, Allen Bestwick from the NASCAR on NBC broadcast team, Larry McReynolds from the NASCAR on FOX broadcast crew, Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel, Marty Roe, lead-singer for Diamond Rio and Larry Ziegler from the PGA Champions Tour.

April 5, 2005

Women killed at JGR shop Identified: Huntersville police on Monday released the identity of the woman killed last week while helping finish construction on an addition to a race team's facility. Asia Mena Diez, 42, of Charlotte died Wednesday afternoon when the platform lift she was in slammed her into the rafters in a Joe Gibbs Racing building in the Huntersville Business Park, Lt. Ken Richardson said.She worked for Queen Drywall, a subcontractor under general contractor Shelco Inc., he said.  There were no signs of foul play, Richardson said. It appeared she had hit a button on the lift, he said. (ThatsRacin)

Ratings up at Bristol:  Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway drew a 5.6 overnight rating from Nielsen Media Research and a 13 share from the nation's largest markets. The rating represents a 7.9% increase from the overnight rating for the 2004 spring Bristol race, which was contested on the last weekend of March. The numbers match the overnight figures from the spring Texas Motor Speedway race of 2004, when it was run on the first weekend of April, although those Nielsen figures were reported to be incomplete because one market was not included. (SportsBusiness Daily)

Edwards Kickoff Garden Month all Green: The No. 99 Scotts team will kick off National Garden Month this week when the green and white Scotts/Miracle Gro paint scheme returns to the Ford of Carl Edwards. In honor of National Garden Month, the No. 99 Scotts/Miracle Gro Ford will carry a special decal on the TV panel with the "Give a GardenT - Add Beauty to Life" logo throughout the month of April. "Give a GardenT - Add Beauty to Life" is this year's theme and has one simple premise - someone in your community can benefit by receiving a "garden".  "This is a great opportunity for people to give back to their community while at the same time having fun," said Edwards. "To celebrate, people can do anything from giving a pot of flowers to their neighbors to planting a garden at a local school or community garden. I hope all our NASCAR fans will find the time to plant something before they tune in to watch the Scotts team race on Sundays in April." (Roush Racing)

HDNet and NASCAR: HDNet and NASCAR announced today the schedule for the second season of NASCAR's high-definition television package on HDNet. This year, HDNet will feature 20 live telecasts from the NASCAR Grand National Division, a tier of NASCAR's regional racing series which includes the Busch North Series and West Series.  "NASCAR Grand National Division on HDNet" coverage began Jan. 30 from Phoenix International Raceway, and continues Saturday, April 9, with a West Series race, the Lucas Oil 150 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. The first Busch North Series race on HDNet will be at Thompson International Speedway on Sunday, June 12. HDNet's coverage will also feature select races from NASCAR's AutoZone Elite Division. "We are really excited to continue our relationship with NASCAR," said Mark Cuban, co-founder and president of HDNet. "HDNet viewers are committed NASCAR fans and we are excited to provide them race action like they have never seen it before."  (More TV News)

ISC Record Earnings:  International Speedway Corp., the country's largest operator of car racing tracks, Tuesday said earnings in the latest quarter beat internal forecasts, as the company benefited from a shift in the NASCAR calendar.  ISC boosted its earnings forecasts, citing increased admissions revenue and an anticipated gain from a bankruptcy settlement.  The Daytona Beach-beach based company, whose events include the Daytona 500, Tuesday said it earned $41.1 million, or 77 cents a share, on revenue of $179.4 million in the fiscal first quarter ended Feb. 28.  In January, the company forecast earnings between 69 cents and 71 cents a share. Analysts were expecting earnings of 70 cents a share, according to Thomson Financial.  In the same period the previous year, it earned $27.8 million, or 52 cents a share, on revenue of $130.6 million. (Forbes)

Kentucky Testing: Several NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams are scheduled to test at the speedway this week. The Tuesday, April 5 schedule includes Petty Enterprises drivers Kyle Petty and Jeff Green along with Morgan McClure driver Mike Wallace. Evernham Motorsports driver Jeremy Mayfield and Hendrick Motorsports rookie Kyle Busch are scheduled to test on Wednesday, April 6. They will be joined by the Chip Ganassi Racing R&D Team. The Thursday, April 7 schedule features Biagi Brothers NASCAR Busch Series driver Ryan Hemphill and Michael Waltrip Racing. The Indy Racing League IndyCar Series opens Kentucky testing with Paul Dana and Hemelgarn Racing on Friday, April 8. (Kentucky PR)

NEXTEL All-Star Challenge Voting: Nextel Communications Inc. today announced the Nextel All-Star Challenge Sweepstakes, the first of three national sweepstakes to be offered by Nextel during the 2005 racing season. Beginning April 3, fans can choose one driver among the top 35 in points standings to compete in the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge on Saturday, May 21, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Fans participating in the Nextel All-Star Challenge Sweepstakes will automatically be entered for a chance to win a $50,000 cash prize and an ultimate fan experience VIP package, valued at $20,000, compliments of Nextel. Eligible drivers will be announced when voting opens on April 3. The ultimate fan experience VIP prize package includes four tickets to the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, accommodations, a ride in the official pace car, helicopter transport to the race and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to wave the green flag as the honorary starter of the race. The sweepstakes winner will be chosen at random after voting closes on May 7. Thousands of contest participants will also win prizes upon completion of their ballot. Prizes include Motorola® handsets built for Nextel, tickets to the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge and NEXTEL Cup prize packs.  Fans will have five ways to vote for one driver among the top 35 in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points standings into the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge. Voting locations include:

* Trackside at The Nextel Experience
* Nextel retail locations
* The Nextel Racing Experience Events
* Online at www.Nextel.com/allstar
* Through their Nextel phones by texting "STAR" to 7827

For more information regarding the sweepstakes, please see the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge Official Rules located at www.Nextel.com/allstar.(NEXTEL PR)

April 4, 2005

Tragedy Strikes at Tulsa Speedway: Automobile racing, regardless of the venue, is a dangerous business. It goes without saying that those who participate in the racing universe and those who ardently follow the action from the safety of the grandstands or their TV rooms understand the risks. But even the most rock steady fan of the NHRA and its Lucas Oil Sportsman division has truly been shaken and saddened by the freak accident in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday evening that claimed the life of Top Alcohol Dragster star Shelly Howard and her son, Brian. According to reports, the 59-year-old Shelly was making a test pass in a newly delivered racecar at Tulsa Raceway Park when the dragster's front end lifted vertically somewhere near half-track, sending it into an uncontrollable blowover. (More at Oklahoma Race Connect)

Engine of the Future, Three maybe Four Years: Chevrolet engineers are expected to have their first version of NASCAR's proposed "engine of the future" ready for dyno testing by Christmas, according to Detroit sources.  And Ford's Robert Yates and Jack Roush have started laying the groundwork for a new engine-development operation that would start work on a Ford version of that engine of the future.  But Roush said Ford couldn't meet a deadline of having such a new engine ready for the 2007 Daytona 500, as NASCAR has proposed. It would have to be 2008 at the earliest, Roush said. (Winston-Salem)

Harvick's Crew Chief Miller wins WFPALL Award: Nothing was going to deny Kevin Harvick a trip to victory lane this weekend. With Scott Miller filling in as crew chief, Harvick went from worst to first in the Food City 500, collecting his first win in over fifty races. Miller's spectacular day earned him the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race. Miller led Harvick from the back of the pack not once, but twice. On the morning of the race, the #29 Goodwrench crew found a leak in the power steering system and replaced a faulty pump. For making a change to the car after it had been impounded, Harvick was sent to the back of the field for the start of the race. On top of that, Harvick had to come in for an unscheduled pit stop after two of his lug nuts were left untightened, once again sending him to the tail end of the lead lap. Despite the setbacks, Miller stuck with his game plan and inched Harvick back into the lead.  He had fresh tires and that's what he needed to take the lead and pull away." The panel of voters selecting the Crew Chief of the Race; including Robert Daski of the Lynchburg Daily News, a WYPALL Wipers representative and Tony Eury Sr.; all thought Miller was the standout crew chief. Miller was awarded $1,000 for taking home Crew Chief of the Race honors. He is now tied with Bob Osborne, Alan Gustafson, Pete Rondeau and Doug Richert in the point standings for the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Year. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. For more information, visit www.wypall.com

Busch Series to Chase Format? Busch Series director Joe Balash on Monday denied a report over the weekend by the Knoxville (Tenn.) News-Sentinel that NASCAR was considering adding a "Chase for the Championship" format to the series.  "I don't know where that came from," said Balash. "They just put it in there and they didn't talk to any of us."  Asked if he was involved in any discussions regarding such a change, Balash said: "I haven't had any conversations at all." (ThatsRacin)

Newman to #6 Roush? Two major rides will open next season when Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace retire. Jack Roush will be looking for a driver to take Martin's Ford seat, and Roger Penske will be looking for someone to take Wallace's Dodge seat. There have been reports that Penske would be interested in Chevy's Kevin Harvick, although Harvick is apparently under contract with Richard Childress for one more season. Now there are reports that Roush may be interested in Penske's Ryan Newman, or perhaps even Newman and his crew chief Matt Borland, too. (Winston-Salem)

Beer and Martinsville:  Many NASCAR fans will have another reason to enjoy this weekend's Martinsville race -- beer at the concession stands.  Speedway owner International Speedway Corporation will start selling beer this weekend at the Advance Auto Parts 500. The new policy runs counter to a national trend of cutting back on drinking at sporting events, which several other NASCAR tracks have done. The Martinsville track also allows people to carry alcohol into the venue. But now officials claim that security reasons have caused them to limit the size of the cooler. (WFLS)

No Swapping Crews for DEI: For those who wondered if conditions at Dale Earnhardt Inc. were dire enough to swap the Nos. 15 and 8 crews and cars back to the original drivers--think again. "There will never be a flip back," says a DEI source, who adds that the 15 crew, formerly the No. 8, was disappointed with Earnhardt. "I don't think they would take him back. We said we would work with Michael (Waltrip) this year for us to get a young gun for next year. What's happened is fate, and we're going to make the most of it." Earnhardt echoed similar sentiments and reiterated his confidence in crew chief Pete Rondeau. "The way Pete has hung in there further constitutes my belief in him," he says. (FOXSports)

Eury, Jr. to leave DEI: Crew chief Tony Eury Jr., the key car chief in Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s title runs the past two years, is reported to be one of hottest items in the garage, with several rival teams interested in hiring him away from Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he now runs Michael Waltrip's team. It is unclear if rival Chevy teams are interested in Eury or Ford or Dodge team owners. (Winston-Salem)

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