Truex, team penalized for failing Chicago inspection

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR announced Tuesday that Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series, crew chief Kevin Manion and car owner Teresa Earnhardt have been fined for rule violations during last weekend's event at Chicagoland Speedway.

Truex was penalized 25 points in the Sprint Cup Series drivers' standings. Manion was fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31, 2009. Earnhardt was penalized 25 points in the Sprint Cup Series owners' standings.

The three were penalized for violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock-car racing); Section 12-4-I (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules) and Section 20-12.8.1C (right-rear quarter panel height did not meet the required specifications; too high in post-race inspection).

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Truex waits for possible penalty

The No. 1 Chevrolet driven by Martin Truex Jr. did not pass a post-race inspection when NASCAR officials discovered the right rear quarter panel was too high on the car.

Truex finished 16th in the LifeLock 400 race at Chicagoland Speedway.

The car will be taken back to the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., for further evaluations. NASCAR officials will determine if the height problem is a violation that requires a penalty.

Any announcement of the process will come later this week, likely on Tuesday or Wednesday.

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What an ass

Ya know Kyle Busch needs to grow up. Revving the engine up to 10,000 RPMs is not going to help matters. And yes, I did hear that he was already down a cylinder prior to his pit stop antics, but still that was a bit childish. JMO

Kyle's engine finally blew up. Of course he did not want to speak to the media...again.

Congrats to Mark Martin on his well deserved win.

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Rainy weather means historic museum trip for Earnhardt

Source: HMS Website

INDIANAPOLIS (July 9, 2009) – Thursday's rainy weather kept Dale Earnhardt Jr. from circling Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an IndyCar, but it also afforded the driver a rare opportunity to visit the historic racetrack's Hall of Fame Museum.

Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, made a pit stop at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday on his way to this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Chicagoland Speedway.

Earnhardt was scheduled to join fellow National Guard driver Dan Wheldon for a hotlap in an IndyCar two-seater and drive the car that won the 1941 Indy 500. But the weather postponed those plans, and the racing buff was invited to view the historic cars stored in the museum's basement. This part of the museum is closed to the public.

"I filled up my phone with all kinds of video," Earnhardt admitted. "I stood next to a Formula One car for the first time. I had never been in the same room with a Formula One car, and if you're a race car driver, that's kind of like being in the same room with a national swimsuit model or something.

"I was pretty much in awe just to be next to a vehicle like that. And all the other cars that were in there, Smokey Yunick's little sidepod car, all kinds of neat little things that have happened at this racetrack and have been brought to this racetrack." View the photos here.

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Truex Jr. will make move to MWR for 2010 season

Today at Michael Waltrip Racing headquarters, Truex finally got the opportunity to make the official announcement of his move to MWR under a multi-year agreement with the Toyota team, the specific terms of which were not disclosed.

"I'm excited," said Truex, who will drive the No. 56 NAPA Camry next season as team owner Michael Waltrip scales back to an abbreviated schedule in the No. 55 Toyota. "I've been telling y'all for a month and a half that I want to tell you, but I can't.

"It's hard to hold it in. I've been so excited about it -- I really have been. I haven't been excited about anything like this for a long time. I feel good about it."

Concurrent with the Truex announcement, NAPA confirmed a multi-year extension of its sponsorship agreement with MWR. NAPA also will sponsor Waltrip's car in the 2010 Daytona 500. Beyond that, Waltrip, 46, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, hasn't set his schedule for next year but says he could run as many as 10-12 races depending on sponsorship.

To view the video of the announcement, please click here.

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Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR

Thanks to Niki Sri-Kumar for this info:

On Thursday, July 9, the all-new CNBC Original "Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR" premieres at 9P ET on CNBC. Darren Rovell takes viewers inside NASCAR for an unprecedented look at the once seemingly unstoppable sport. Today, the recession and the imploding car manufacturing business have hit NASCAR and its sponsor companies especially hard. In fact, as I’m sure you know, no other sport relies so much on corporate dollars. Rovell meets with Brian France, goes with Tony Stewart inside his garage, and reveals how NASCAR plans to weather today's economic storm.

Preview Clip: http://www.hulu.com/watch/78948/cnbc-originals-inside-track-refueling-the-business-of-nascar#s-p1-so-i1

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