Here comes another Earnhardt

Jeffrey Earnhardt, the 20 year old son of Kerry Earnhardt and grandson of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, is scheduled to make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut August 8 at Watkins Glen International in the Zippo 200. He is confirmed as the driver of the Key Motorsports #40 Chevrolet that has been driven by Scott Wimmer and Aric Almirola this season.

Crown Royal becomes primary sponsor on No. 17

CONCORD, N.C. -- Roush Fenway Racing announced Tuesday that Diageo, parent company of Crown Royal, has renewed its multi-year sponsorship. Crown Royal will serve as the primary sponsor for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 Cup Series team for 18 Cup events in 2010.

"I'm excited about teaming up with Crown Royal," said Kenseth, one of only five drivers in NASCAR history to win the Cup rookie of the year award, a Cup championship and the Daytona 500.

"I worked with Diageo's Smirnoff ICE brand back in 2003 and we developed a great relationship. They were a part of our championship season and we were able to take part in a lot of really cool promotions and events to promote messages associated with responsible drinking. I'm really looking forward to representing Crown Royal and continuing that great work."

"It's a pleasure to welcome a champion like Matt back as our partner," said Dan Sanborn, senior director of corporate relations for Diageo. "Through our earlier relationship with Matt in 2003, and as the Crown Royal IROC champion in 2004, we have experienced great success together over the years. We look forward to extending that relationship and having Matt represent one of our biggest brands both on-and-off the track."

Diageo has been a partner of Roush Fenway Racing dating back to 2003 where Kenseth was first paired with the Smirnoff Ice Brand. In 2005, Crown Royal entered the sport as sponsor of the No. 97 team and in 2006 became sponsor of Jamie McMurray and the No. 26 team.

"We will miss Jamie [McMurray] as he has been an amazing partner both on and off the track taking our 'Be a champion. Drink Responsibly,' campaign to new heights. We were lucky to have him as part of our team and whatever sponsor aligns with him will have a great person working on their behalf. We wish him well," Sanborn said.

"We are pleased that we found a suitable home within Roush Fenway Racing for one of the greatest brands in the world," said Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith.

"With the conclusion of the contract arrangement with Crown Royal, Roush Fenway Racing's Cup driver lineup will see Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan joining Kenseth to round out our four approved entries. We are still hoping to be able to transfer the No. 26 team, intact, to Yates Racing in order to keep everyone employed and racing within the Ford community."

Earnhardt recovering from flu, won't hear of backup

INDIANAPOLIS -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. appears to be recovering from what he called a "24-hour bug" he picked up earlier this week but driver Brad Keselowski will be on standby Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway just in case.

Still, Earnhardt said it is probably "a waste of time," and qualified his No. 88 Chevy in the third position and seems to think he'll be fine for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

On Friday, Earnhardt canceled his news conference, took it easy and went to the speedway's infield car center for intravenous fluids.

"I had a stomach virus pop up late Thursday night and was throwing up and all that good stuff all the way up until 5 a.m. [Friday] and came here and got a couple IVs early in the afternoon," he said. "It was a 24-hour bug and I broke my fever about 8 a.m. ... My fever came back but I broke it again. I've been sweating a lot.

"I am feeling much better. Just getting a lot of fluids."

Hornaday wins a record fourth Truck race in a row

By Sporting News Wire Service

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ron Hornaday became the first driver to win four consecutive races in the 15-year history of the Camping World Truck Series on Friday, taking the AAA Insurance 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Hornaday held off Mike Skinner by .202 seconds in a tight battle on the .686-mile track following the final restart with 10 laps remaining.

"I have to thank Kevin and DeLana [Harvick]," said Hornaday of his team owners. "People ask me how I do it, and it is those two people right there. They just keep putting trucks underneath us, getting the right employees, just so. Awesome.

"Four in a row, that's cool. Three has been done, and to do this says a lot." Read the entire story here.

DeWALT will not return to #17 Cup team in 2010

Source: www.mattkenseth.com

CONCORD, N.C. (July 23, 2009) – Roush Fenway Racing was informed today that DEWALT Power Tools will not renew its sponsorship of Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 team for the 2010 NASCAR season.

“We would like to thank DEWALT for serving as a great partner for the past 10 years,” said Roush Fenway President Geoff Smith. “During that time we have seen great success for both their company and marketing program, as well as with Matt on the race track. They will always be remembered and honored as the sponsor of Jack Roush’s first Sprint Cup Championship team.

“Despite this success – in the face of the significant world-wide economic decline in the construction industry – DEWALT’s decision to not return is not a great surprise to us,” added Smith. “Fortunately, we have several great companies interested in taking over and we expect to begin finalizing those sponsorship arrangements in the very near future.

“All of us at Roush Fenway Racing remain committed to keeping the No. 17 DEWALT car running up front, winning races and to put them in a position to contend for a second championship this season.”

DEWALT has served as the primary sponsor on the No. 17 for the past 10 seasons. During that span Kenseth and the team matured into one of the most successful in the sport; winning 18 races, the 2000 Rookie of the Year Award, the 2003 Sprint Cup Championship, the 2009 Daytona 500 and qualifying for the Chase every year since its inception in 2004.

~ Roush Racing

Get your name on Jr's Chevy!

Get your name on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevy for the Nov. 1 AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. As part of the AMP Energy "Get on the 88" promotion, fans can enter by logging on to www.AMPEnergy.com. The first to sign up will see their names on Earnhardt's car and others will appear on the team's pit wall banner.

Mine's going to be on his car! Whoohoo!

Deflecting the blame

Deflecting the blame for Junior's poor performance

By Joe Menzer, NASCAR.COM

Upon having time to reflect on all of the troubles that have been laid at the driver's-side door of Dale Earnhardt Jr., it was inevitable that this conclusion would be reached in this space.

It's not our fault.

Yep. You heard it right.

It has been going on two weeks since Tony Eury Jr. laid it all out for us at Chicagoland Speedway, revealing that the blame for Earnhardt's dual failure to win more races and truly contend for a championship since joining Hendrick Motorsports is mostly the fault of unrealistic expectations placed upon poor Junior by the media.

Look, before anything more is said on the subject, it must be noted that the interview granted by the immensely likable Eury was much appreciated by the said media. There has never been a time in this reporter's experience when Eury dodged a question or was anything less than courteous and, at least on the surface, full of mutual respect in an interview session -- whether it was a group gang bang in the heat after a race, or during a one-on-one with no one else around at a more leisurely pace in the garage or during an event at the Hendrick shop.

To Eury's credit, his answers to the many legitimate questions fired at him in Chicagoland -- where he spoke publicly for the first time since team owner Rick Hendrick mandated that the crew chief split with his driver/cousin -- were thoughtful and heartfelt.

Eury is a smart man who clearly has plenty to offer to the Hendrick operation in whatever capacity he and it decide is best moving forward.

But when he blamed the media for his demise as Junior's crew chief, and for Earnhardt's struggles in general since coming over to the No. 88 car at Hendrick, he not only was dead wrong but may have inadvertently revealed a bigger part of the problem eating away at Earnhardt's effectiveness behind the wheel. (Continued)

Happy Birthday Mom!

My Mom turned 73 yrs old today. Does she look like a 73 yr old woman to you? I sure don't think she does.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Last Lap Was Interesting

(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

But for me the rest of the race was pretty boring. I really wish we had the old cars back, but I know that will never happen.

I'm pretty sure the wreck Junior was involved in had a lot to do with my lack of interest in the rest of the race.

“I just saw some guys getting together in front of me. The track’s real slick. It’s not wide enough for three-wide or two-wide racing sometimes; these cars are just sliding around and everybody had to be careful,” said Earnhardt.

“I guess there were a couple of guys going for the same piece of real estate there and I tried to stay high (on the track) because I thought they would spin down off the wall and (David Reutimann) got crossed up trying to miss them and we hit him.”

And I could not believe my eyes when I saw the backstretch completely empty. What a shame.

Anyhow, I guess Smoke had enough of Kyle's blocking and sent Kyle's car flying. I don't blame Smoke, but it was a shame so many other cars were wrecked along with Kyle's.

Kyle had to be escorted to the infield care center by four officials after trying to walk his way to Victory Lane. Of course Kyle didn't want to talk to any reporters about what happened.

Have A Safe & Happy 4th!

Hall of Fame Nominees

Following are the 25 individuals who have been nominated:

-Bobby Allison, 1983 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and winner of 84 races

-Buck Baker, first driver to win consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships

-Red Byron, first NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, in 1949

-Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series

-Dale Earnhardt, won record seven NASCAR Sprint Cup championships

-Richie Evans, nine-time NASCAR Modified champion

-Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion

-Bill France Jr., NASCAR president, chairman and CEO (1972-2003)

-Bill France Sr., NASCAR founder and first president (1948-1972)

-Rick Hendrick, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series

-Ned Jarrett, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion

-Junior Johnson, 50 wins as a driver, 132 wins and six championships as an owner

-Bud Moore, 63 wins and two NASCAR Sprint Cup titles as a car owner

-Raymond Parks, NASCAR's first champion car owner

-Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion

-David Pearson, 105 victories and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships

-Lee Petty, winner of first Daytona 500 and first three-time series champion

-Richard Petty, 200 wins and seven NASCAR Sprint Cup titles – both records

-Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 1962 Daytona 500

-Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, 1951 and ‘53

-Curtis Turner, first to win Daytona 500, Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600 in same year

-Darrell Waltrip, winner of 84 races and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships

-Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion

-Glen Wood, as driver, laid foundation for Wood Brothers' future team success

-Cale Yarborough, winner of three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, 1976-78.

Of those 25, five inductees will be chosen via a process that includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.COM; the inductees will be announced in October and honored next May at the new Hall of Fame facility in Charlotte, N.C.

Congrats to the nominees to the Nascar Hall of fame!

Five things about ... Daytona's fireworks show

Originally invented in ancient China used to scare away evil spirits, Americans now use them to celebrate the country's independence.

Fireworks, with their explosive pyrotechnic personalities, will be shooting off in high style at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday's Fourth of July holiday. But much more than lighting a few fuses on a pack of black cats goes into the fireworks display put on to entertain thousands of NASCAR fans.

So while you're 'oohing' and 'ahhing' from the grandstands Saturday night, read on to ponder Five Things About ... Daytona's fireworks show, maybe the largest pyrotechnic show in the Southeast.

Read the rest of this article here.