January 15, 2005:

Truck Daytona Testing Washed Out: A day-long rain washed out Saturday's first day of NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing for the Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR canceled the day's session about noon ET.  Truck teams will return Sunday morning, with a 30 percent chance of rain. Sunday afternoon looks clear. Monday is an open date, but it is unclear whether NASCAR will bring the trucks back to complete their two-day test at Daytona. The Nextel Cup Series returns Tuesday for a three-day test. (NASCAR)

Harvick skipping Daytona testing, Kerry to test: Kerry Earnhardt is assigned to test Harvick's #29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet next week during the second round of Nextel Cup Series Preseason Thunder. Earnhardt has a busy testing schedule. Earlier this week, he tested RCR's #33 Chevrolet that he'll try to qualify for the Daytona 500. He is also scheduled to test his full-time 2005 ride -- owner Billy Ballew's #15 Chevrolet truck, this weekend. (NASCAR.com)

NASCAR stars to highlight Detroit Auto Show: NASCAR will take center stage when NBC Sports broadcasts its two-hour, live coverage of the "International Auto Show" on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. ET from the COBO Center in Detroit. As the sport prepares for the Great American Race, the Daytona 500, on February 20, NASCAR drivers, NASCAR cars, and the NASCAR on NBC announce team will give NBC's broadcast a taste of NASCAR to help get fns ready for the 2005 season. The NBC telecast will introduce scores of production and concept cars to the national viewing audience with features, live political convention-type coverage from the exhibit floor and test drives of selected vehicles by NASCAR stars including four-time champion Jeff Gordon and reigning NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Kurt Busch. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Burton, and Brian Vickers will introduce the '06 Monte Carlo.  Chevy Teammate Jeff Gordon will go "top down" in the new Corvette convertible. Ford drivers Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler will test the new Ford Mustang. (NASCAR PR)

More about Dale Jr. in DC: Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn’t expect to attend the inauguration later this month of President George W. Bush; however the Bud Chevy driver will join NASCAR President Mike Helton in several pre-inaugural celebrations. Junior told PRN’s Garagepass he was invited to the concert hosted by twins Jenna and Barbara Bush, however he cannot attend due to a prior commitment. Still, Dale hopes to visit the President’s daughters in person to thank them for the invitation and said “If I get a chance to talk with George that would be awesome!” He went on to say, “When you’re in the racing business they bring the President around every once in a while and you get to meet him. I met George Bush more than, of course, than I ever saw Bill Clinton, but probably met him (Bush) face-to-face shaking hands three or four times…talked to him on my cell phone once…that was a highlight of my life.” While in Washington DC, “I’m just hanging out with Mike Helton and he’s going to show me where we’re sup! posed to be and hopefully we’ll get to give George a shout out.”(PRN's Garagepass Radio Show)

January 14, 2005:

Truex's  2005 Cup Schedule: Martin Truex Jr. is scheduled to attempt [and run] seven 2005 Nextel Cup races in the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy fielded by DEI: the planned schedule: The Daytona 500, both Talladega races, Pepsi 400 at Daytona, Brickyard 400, Michigan in August, and Homestead. (Martin Truex Jr Online)

NASCAR Common Engine Rule Proposal Dead? NASCAR executives have already angered stock-car racing engine builders by floating a proposal for a new "common" engine for the Nextel Cup series, looking toward the 2007 Daytona 500.  To judge by initial reaction from engine men and team managers here, that proposal appears DOA.  Robert and Doug Yates, the legendary Ford engine men and owners of the Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler teams, said they are "skeptical" about NASCAR's "engine of the future" plans.  And NASCAR in Seattle Still Possible: Bill France Jr. said NASCAR's plans to expand into the Seattle market aren't dead, despite a December no vote by Washington state politicians to an ISC-proposed $300 million speedway north of town. (Winston Salem Journal)

Dale Jr. in DC: Dale Earnhardt Jr. listed among the celebs and entertainers for the "A Celebration of Freedom" event on the inaugural event list announced today by the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee. PIC director Greg Jenkins announced the list which includes Dale Junior, Kenny Chesney, Buzz Aldrin & Others under the astronaut category. The Gatlin Brothers, The Temptations, Singer Daniel Rodriquez, the Radio City Rockettes, Boxkar, Kristen Chenoweth, Yolanda Adams and others will also be a part of the "Clebration of Freedom" event which is part of inaugural week events in Washington, DC. The Celebration of Freedom event is Wed., Jan 19th at 4:00pm/et in Washington, DC.(Claire B. Lang - XM Satellite NASCAR Radio)

Texas Motor Sports Hall Of Fame Names Newest Inductees: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series veteran Terry Labonte and long time drag racing veteran Lee Shepherd will be the next inductees into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 14, at Texas Motor Speedway during the Samsung/RadioShack NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race weekend. Labonte and Shepherd join inaugural award winners Johnny Rutherford and A.J. Foyt as members in the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame.

January 13, 2005:

Thursday's Top-10: 1st) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet - 186.959 mph, 2nd) Jamie McMurray, Dodge - 186.459, 3rd) Greg Biffle, Ford - 186.189, 4th) Travis Kvapil, Dodge - 186.181, 5th) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge - 186.070, 6th) Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet - 185.893, 7th) Mike Skinner, Dodge - 185.782, 8th) Elliott Sadler, Ford - 185.759, 9th) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet - 185.705, 10th) Carl Edwards, Ford - 185.697

Texas Fall Race to end under the lights: Texas Motor Speedway track officials said Thursday that the November race will begin at 2:20 p.m. CST, ensuring that it will finish under the lights. There will be just two races left in the NASCAR season after that. Texas also will continue extended race weekends, with qualifying the Friday before each Sunday race and practice sessions the day between. Some tracks this season will have qualifying the day before the race with cars impounded immediately afterward. (CNNSI)

Texas Motor Speedway Cup Pole Winners gets Unique Award: Texas Motor Speedway today announced an official partnership agreement with Beretta naming the company as the “Official Firearm” of the speedway. Beretta, known worldwide for producing premium firearms, will present Texas Cup race pole winners with one of its Giubileo (pronounced jubi-lay-o) 12-gauge over/under shotguns. Although the stock Gubileo can be purchased by consumers for $14,000, the ones being done for Texas Motor Speedway will be crafted by Beretta’s master engravers, bringing the value of each gun to more than $65,000. Each Giubileo will be customized with the driver’s likeness and number on one of the sideplates making it a one-of-a-kind piece. (WhoWon)

NASCAR Changes Qualifying Procedure: NASCAR Thursday announced a new qualifying procedure for its three national touring series: Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Trucks.  Per the procedure, a certain number of owners in each series will be guaranteed starting positions in their respective race fields based on owners' championship points, and all other entries will try for the remaining positions based on qualifying speeds. In the Nextel Cup Series, the top 35 owners in the point standings will be guaranteed starting positions somewhere within the top 42 positions in the 43-car field, based on their qualifying speeds. The other seven starters among the top 42 will line up based on their qualifying speed. In the Busch Series, the top 30 owners in the point standings will be guaranteed starting positions somewhere within the top 42 positions in the 43-car field, based on their qualifying speeds. The other 12 starters among the top 42 will line up based on their qualifying speed. In the Craftsman Truck Series, the top 30 owners in the point standings will be guaranteed starting positions somewhere within the top 35 positions of the 36-truck field, based on their qualifying speeds. The other five starters among the top 35 will line up based on their qualifying speed. (NASCAR PR)

Rain Halts Daytona Testing: The third day of NASCAR Nextel Cup testing was going nowhere Thursday with rain falling on the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Partly cloudy skies were forecast Thursday afternoon, so teams and NASCAR officials were holding out hope of getting a little more preseason testing under their belts.  Dale Jarrett topped the speed chart on Wednesday with a best lap at 186.455 mph, while Jeff Gordon has the hot hand Tuesday, putting up a 185.448 mph lap. Gordon was second-fastest on Wednesday.  Twenty-six Nextel Cup teams are at the track. It wasn't clear yet how officials planned to work around the weather. Rain is aqain in the forecast for Friday.  We'll keep you posted on the weather and let you know when cars are able to get back on the track. (ThatsRacin)

NASCAR Press Release: Daytona Dale Earnhardt, Jr. media; Daytona Jeff Gordon media; Daytona Michael Waltrip media; Daytona Carl Edwards media.

Earnhardt, Jr. gets plane: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won't have to bum a plane ride from his racing pals anymore. Notoriously frugal, Earnhardt has joined the ranks of drivers with his own plane, having purchased a Lear 60 twin-engine jet. ``I've been trying to avoid getting a plane because it's really expensive, but we got to looking at them and talking about it and it seemed like there were a couple of places where we got stuck and hung up,'' Earnhardt said Wednesday. ``With your own plane you don't have to wait on everybody to show up to take off.'' Earnhardt always had the option of riding on the Dale Earnhardt Inc. company plane, but because that plane transported team members for both his car and teammate Michael Waltrip, he would have to leave earlier and stay longer. Having his own jet will allow Earnhardt to spend at least another week at home over the course of the season. Last summer, while suffering with burns suffered in a sports car crash in Sonoma, Calif., Earnhardt accepted plane or helicopter rides from some of his driver friends, including Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart. (Tampa Tribune)

NASCAR new Fuel? NASCAR also began to put out word that it will ask the car factories to begin thinking about a new engine platform for introduction in the next two or three years. It was not stated whether this move indicates a move toward a more "common" engine, much as NASCAR has done with the car bodies since 2002.  Even with Ford's having received cylinder heads with equivalent port heights for 2003, there remain significant differences between the engines of the three makes. Dodge, for example, has a shorter crank-to-cam dimension, allowing for shorter stroke and higher rpm. (Speedtv)

Waltrip up to $650,000: MIchael Waltrip discussed the Jan. 30 Las Vegas Marathon he will run, along with Kyle Petty for Operation Marathon that will benefit Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp for children with life threatening illnesses. "We've raised over $650,000 through Operation Marathon for the camp," he said. "When we were here in July we committed to raise $1 million and I think we can." Las Vegas will be Waltrip's fourth marathon, including one appearance in the storied Boston Marathon. His best marathon time is 4:13 while his goal for Las Vegas is 3:59:59. Beyond Las Vegas, Waltrip said he is setting his sights on racing an Olympic-distance triathlon, usually a 1-mile swim, 24.8-mile bike ride and 10K (6.2-mile run). For more information visit www.michaelwaltrip.com/marathon.(Florida Today)

Hotel Problems for the 500: Damage from last summer's hurricanes could have a significant impact on this season's Daytona 500, because about 3,700 hotel rooms of the city's 13,548 were knocked out of commission by the storms and many may still be under repair when SpeedWeeks kick off. It's unclear how reservations with those properties will be handled, or even how many of those Daytona 500 ticket holders are even aware of the situation. About 60 Daytona Beach hotels and a number of high-rise condos were damaged by the hurricanes. (The Winston-Salem Journal)

January 12, 2005:

Top-10 Afternoon Speeds:\ 1st) Dale Jarrett, Ford, 186.455, 2nd) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet - 185.736, 3rd) Greg Biffle, Ford - 185.094, 4th) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge - 184.972, 5th) Elliott Sadler, Ford - 184.926, 6th) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet - 184.839, 7th) Randy LaJoie, Chevrolet - 184.831, 8th) Boris Said, Chevrolet - 184.824, 9rh) Kurt Busch, Ford - 184.528, 10th) Mike McLaughlin, Chevrolet - 184.475

Top-10 Morning Speeds: 1st) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet - 184.786 mph, 2nd) Dale Jarrett, Ford - 184.509, 3rd) Greg Biffle, 184.487, 4th) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge - 184.411, 5th) Boris Said, Chevrolet - 184.098, 6th) Elliott Sadler, Ford - 184.004, 7th) Randy LaJoie, Chevrolet - 183.978, 8th) Kurt Busch, Ford - 183.974, 9th) Mike McLaughlin, Chevrolet - 183.602, 10th) Ryan Newman, Dodge - 183.434

35 Drivers Testing in Vegas: All 10 drivers in last year's Chase for the Nextel Cup have indicated they will visit LVMS Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 to prepare for the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. In 2004, eight of the 10 drivers who made the Chase for the Championship tested in Las Vegas.The top-10 drivers from 2004 are part of a record list of 35 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers who will attend the two-day test on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The testing list includes Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman — two drivers who didn't test in 2004 and struggled during the race. (FoxSports)

Mexico City NASCAR testing: NASCAR driver Jeff Burton roared around Mexico City's winding road course Wednesday in a test for the first points race outside the United States in 50 years.  "It seems like there's 30 corners back there," Burton said after taking the first few laps in a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. "It never stops. You mess up one of those and you mess up all the rest." The Nextel Cup driver was here to help teams figure out the braking, shifting and gearing needed for the Busch series race March 6. Burton was chosen by NASCAR because he won't be in the race. The sanctioning body believes a Busch driver might have gained an advantage by testing.

France to buy NFL Franchise? NASCAR chairman of the board and CEO Brian France has denied recent speculation that he might be in the market for a National Football League team. Speculation during the holidays was that France planned to sell his NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. stock [not public stock] to his sister, Lesa France Kennedy, and his uncle, Jim France. He would then buy outright or be part of a group that moved an existing NFL franchise to Los Angeles, where he once lived. Through a NASCAR spokesman, France said he was not interested in owning a professional football team. What such a bid might mean for France's role in NASCAR is unclear. The NFL at one time prohibited its owners from having a majority stake in another sports team, so it is unclear if France would have to abandon NASCAR to move into the NFL.(Autoweek.com and Winston Salem Journal)

NFL interested in Auto Racing Series? The France-NFL report isn't the only NFL-NASCAR buzz here. There are reports - as outlandish as they may seem - that some NFL figures are interested in creating a stock-car series of their own, if they can persuade some top NASCAR team owners to sign on. According to sources, there was similar talk around the NFL in the early 1990s, when Joe Gibbs first joined NASCAR, after winning three Super Bowls as coach of the Washington Redskins. Finding enough big-market tracks on which to race would seem to be a problem; unless there is a Bruton Smith angle at play. (Winston Salem Journal)

Harvick and Stewart not testing in Daytona? Not that a driver has much input into a car's setup, but Stewart's absence was duly noted. Stewart was scheduled to test at Daytona next week, but he will be doing a Goodyear tire test at Texas instead.  Stewart may not be the only star skipping Daytona 500 testing. Kevin Harvick might pass. Crew chief Greg Zipadelli said that the driver really has little to do here, so he's not worried about not having Stewart at the wheel. "We just tested Kentucky, we're going to Texas for two days of testing, then we're going to Vegas and California for more testing this month, and Tony is running in the 24 Hours here," Zipadelli said. "And Tony just ran the Chili Bowl too. So basically we're just giving him a couple of days off. (Winston Salem Journal)

Slow Ticket Sells and California Labor Day Weekend on the move? There are reports that early-season ticket sales are worrisome at several NASCAR tracks, particularly California Speedway. According to some, one reason is high ticket prices.  Last September's Labor Day race at the Fontana track was a difficult sell; some NASCAR insiders said that a number of tickets were actually giveaways, or pushed on sponsors. The California race was sponsored by General Mills' Pop Secret division; this year's 500 has no sponsor.  That September race in California was such a tough sell that at least one NASCAR executive is reported to be pushing to revive the Southern 500 at Darlington as a Labor Day race and to move the California race to a different weekend. (Winston Salem Journal)

Pepper Receives Nomination for "3": While ESPN has more than a few staffers with Sports Emmys on their shelves, Tuesday (Jan. 11) morning's Screen Actors Guild nominations broke new ground for the cable network. Barry Pepper's performance as Dale Earnhardt in the ESPN original movie "3" earned a SAG nomination for outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries. Pepper's nod, for a part that required exhaustive research and ample prosthetics, put the actor in a category with the likes of Oscar winners Geoffrey Rush and Jon Voight and the season's awards Golden Boy Jamie Foxx. The nomination was a breakthrough for ESPN, outstripping the awards acceptance of earlier original productions including the original series "Playmakers" and the movies "Season on the Brink" and "Hustle" and briefly putting the network in a scripted production league with TNT, HBO, FX and the networks.(Zap2it)

January 11, 2005:

Daytona Testing: Afternoon Top-10: 1st) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet - 185.448 mph, 2nd) Randy LaJoie, Chevrolet - 185.231, 3rd) Boris Said, Chevrolet - 184.642, 4th) Elliott Sadler, Ford - 184.604, 5th) Greg Biffle, Ford - 184.456, 6th) Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet - 184.170, 7th) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge - 184.109, 8th) Kurt Busch, Ford - 184.042, 9th) Dale Jarrett, Ford - 184.000, 10th) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet - 183.872

Morning Top-10: 1st) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet - 185.265 mph, 2nd) Boris Said, Chevrolet - 185.181, 3rd) Jeremy Mayfield, Dodge - 184.506, 4th) Greg Biffle, Ford - 184.430, 5th) Kurt Busch, Ford - 184.419, 6th) Michael Waltrip, Chevrolet - 184.158, 7th) Dale Jarrett, Ford - 183.993, 8th) Elliott Sadler, Ford - 183.824, 9th) Ricky Rudd, Ford - 183.666, and 10th) Ryan Newman, Dodge - 183.411

Terry Labonte's Ten Race Schedule: Two-time NASCAR champion Terry Labonte has included a variety of tracks in his 10-race 2005 schedule released Tuesday, everything from the half-mile oval at Bristol to the 21/2-mile track at Indianapolis. "One of the things that excited me about moving to a part-time deal was being able to pick my favorite race tracks," Labonte said. "Now, having everything finalized and being able to look at the schedule on paper, I'm even more energized and ready to go." Labonte, who announced plans in October to drive partial Nextel Cup schedules with Hendrick Motorsports in 2005 and 2006, will skip the season-opening Daytona 500 at Feb. 20 and begin his racing season Feb. 27 at California Speedway. (SFGate)

Randy LaJoie & No. 98 Nextel Cup ride: NASCAR veteran and two-time Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie to drive the No. 98 car for the 2005 Nextel Cup season. (FoxSports)

Office Depot Sponsors Edwards: Office Depot, one of the world's leading resellers of office products and services, and Roush Racing announced today that Office Depot will sponsor Roush Racing's #99 Office Depot Ford Taurus driven by Carl Edwards in the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race season. The sponsorship comes on the heels of Office Depot's new multi-year agreement with NASCAR to become the sport's first-ever Official Office Products Partner. Beginning with the Daytona 500 in February, Office Depot will be the primary sponsor of Roush Racing's #99 Office Depot Ford Taurus for a minimum of eight races in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and an associate sponsor for the remaining races in the season. The Office Depot paint scheme, unveiled today during the first day of testing at Daytona International Speedway, will be featured on the #99 Office Depot Ford Taurus for the Daytona, Darlington, Chicago, California, Atlanta, Homestead, Texas and Bristol races. Just last week, Office Depot introduced its new multi-year agreement with NASCAR as the company's primary national sponsorship platform. The relationship with NASCAR is also a central component of Office Depot's new Taking Care of Business brand positioning and advertising campaign. Office Depot will link its entry into the 2005 NEXTEL series and its alliance with NASCAR through aggressive marketing efforts on the local and national level, leveraging the association with NASCAR to reach out to its core audience of business customers. Office Depot's NASCAR agreement includes category exclusivity in NASCAR's Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series. Activation plans include a large-scale national promotion, advertising campaign, merchandising, signage and sales events. Further, Office Depot will utilize the proprietary tagline "Where NASCAR Stops for Office Products" in the company's more than 900 retail stores and online. In addition, Office Depot plans to launch a national advertising campaign featuring Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Office Depot Ford Taurus. The company will also support an upcoming NASCAR diversity initiative, as NASCAR is the fastest-growing sport among African-Americans and Hispanics, according to independent research. (Roush Racing PR)

NASCAR testing at Talladega:  Testing will be held Tuesday and Wednesday for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Teams Including drivers Joe Ruttman, Eric McClure and Keith Segars; NASCAR Busch Series Driver Johnny Sauter and ARCA RE/MAX Series Teams Including Drivers Chad Blount, Mike Guerity, Chris Serio, Jeff Spraker, Doug Reid III, Tim Steele and Terry Jones. (Talladega Superspeedway PR)

NASCAR VP heads for NBA: Brett Yormark, NASCAR vice president of corporate marketing, has submitted his resignation to the sanctioning body and will soon be announced as the chief executive officer of the NBA's New Jersey Nets. Not only did Yormark develop NASCAR's New York marketing office over the last six years, he was instrumental in closing the deal that made Nextel the title sponsor of NASCAR's premier series. Yormark returns to the Nets where he began his sports marketing career as an account executive in 1988.(FoxSports/Sporting News)