NASCAR News

Nineteen drivers comprising all the 2002 Bud Pole winners, as well as previous winners of the race, will battle it out in the 2003 Budweiser Shootout this Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.

Jerry Nadeau will be surrounded with nothing but newness when he arrives this week at Daytona International Speedway to begin preparations for NASCAR's season opener - the 45th running of the Daytona 500.

"My number one goal is to have fun this year. I've had more fun leading up to the season over the winter than I've had in a long time. I'm probably the best prepared I've ever been to go out and start racing again.

Winston Cup veteran Ken Schrader made a winning return to the NASCAR Winston West Series last weekend, as he emerged victorious in the season-opening Bosch Spark Plug 150 at Phoenix.

Johnny Benson and the rest of the NASCAR Winston Cup fraternity are just days away from going back to Daytona and beginning the 2003 season.

Team Rensi Motorsports, Bobby Hamilton Jr's Busch Series team, have added footwear company Timberland as an associate sponsor for the 2003 season alongside primary backers The United States Marine Corp.

Chronic and acute carbon monoxide poisoning has led to Winston Cup driver Rick Mast's early retirement from the sport, nine months after he was forced to leave his 2002 drive with Junie Donlavey Racing.

Current Winston Cup star Jeff Green and his racing brother Mark have orchestrated a blockbuster charity event to be held at the Wachovia Atrium in Charlotte on the evening of February 19, 2003.

The longest continuous single-race sponsorship deal in NASCAR will continue for another ten season's after Coca Cola and the Lowe's Motor Speedway reached an agreement to run the Coca Cola 600 until 2013.

Entering their third year as an engine building partnership, Penske Racing and Jasper Engines and Transmissions have an interesting task ahead of them in 2003 with Penske switching from Ford to Dodge and Jasper remaining with the Blue Oval.

Season ticket holders at Texas Motor Speedway are enjoying yet another "fan friendly" opportunity during the 2003 season.

Former sportscar driver TJ Bell will change his career path significantly in the coming year, having opted to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series instead of looking for a ride in either the American Le Mans or Grand-Am championships.

NASCAR sponsor Hills Bros Coffee has revealed the winner of its unique programme to offer an aspiring race driver the 'Coffee Break of a Lifetime' with a seat in the Busch National series.

NASCAR's favourite underdog, Brett Bodine insists that his #11 Ford team is financially secure for the 2003 season with sponsorship from Hooters and that a potential co-owner partnership is still on the agenda.

"I made a decision pretty much right after Homestead that the program (BH Motorsports) needed to go a different direction, so I talked to a number of people within the sport that I respect and have guided me over my career the last 22 years. I saw an opportunity.

After a trying off-season that saw behind the scenes shakeups at AJ Foyt Racing right up until last Monday, the racing legend formerly announced his 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup plans at Daytona on Tuesday.

The world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval will soon become a part of the NASCAR Silicon Motor Speedway experience when the track is added to the unique racing center simulators on February 2.

When the green flag waves over the field of the Koolerz 300 at Daytona International Speedway, fans will get the chance to see some of NASCAR's finest young talent firsthand and a field stacked with action from top to bottom.

A collaboration between Travis Carter and Sam Belnavis has resulted in the formation of BelCar Racing and a full-season of Winston Cup action for New York's Todd Bodine.

Dave Blaney and his Jasper Engines team didn't create many headlines in 2002 or during the first week of testing at Daytona but the #77 Ford squad have quietly been building a race-winning program that should cause quite a stir this year.

When NASCAR Busch Series driver Tim Sauter declared himself a racing free agent over the Christmas break, the signs looked bleak for his former team AP Performance Racing. The team have now confirmed that they have ceased operations.

Winston Cup veteran Bobby Hamilton has ruled himself out of contention for a regular NWC ride in 2003 after agreeing to do a full Craftsman Truck Series campaign with his own team and his former Andy Petree Racing sponsors Square D.

Former ARCA racer Tina Gordon will become the first regular female competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after signing a full-season deal for 2003 with RDS Motorsports.

Tim Sauter, middle brother in the Sauter family-racing dynasty, is now exploring all his options after AP Performance Racing was forced to shut its doors.