NASCAR News

Every single grandstand seat surrounding the monstrous 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway for Sunday's Daytona 500 has been sold, according to track officials.

A study by the James Madison University in Virginia has revealed that NASCAR fans are more aware of the corporate impact on their sport than the other 'major league' sports in the United States with nearly half of the total number of fans studied choosing their own products based on a brands invo

Defending Daytona 500 Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. was far from satisfied with his effort in Sunday's Bud Pole qualifying session at Daytona, setting the 39th fastest speed in a car that, by his own admission, just didn't have enough horsepower.

Dale Jarrett will start the Daytona 500 from pole position for the third time in his career after outpacing no less than 56 other hopefuls in a mammoth three-hour Bud Pole qualifying session in Florida on Sunday.

Actor Matthew McConaughey has been named Grand Marshal for the 47th annual Daytona 500.

The 47th annual Daytona 500 will carry the biggest purse in the history of stock car racing at more than $17 million.

Hollywood stuntman/racing driver Stanton Barrett has signed a sponsorship deal with First Trust Portfolios that will enable him to tackle both the Daytona 500 and supporting Busch Series event next weekend.

NASCAR Nextel Cup stars Michael Waltrip and Kyle Petty stepped up their preparation for the 'marathon' that is the forthcoming season by.... taking part in a marathon of another sort.

The most successful driver in terms of race wins in Busch Series history, Mark Martin, will round out his Busch career in the final round of the 2005 series at Homestead with team owner Jack Roush.

Nicorette gum will become the first specific anti-smoking product to sponsor a NASCAR Nextel Cup effort when it provides primary backing to Casey Mears' #41 Chip Ganassi Racing team later this year.

Chip Ganassi has re-affirmed his faith in veteran driver Sterling Marlin despite a sub-par 2004, stating that the double Daytona 500 winner and his #40 Coors Light team is the backbone of his Nextel Cup operation.

Roush Racing has revealed that Greg Biffle's #16 National Guard Ford Taurus will have a new associate sponsor for the forthcoming Nextel Cup season, with the Post-it brand joining the line-up.

Jack Roush has added another piece to the complicated sponsorship jigsaw puzzle that is his #99 Ford driven by Carl Edwards by agreeing a nine race deal with 'The Scotts Company' for 2005.

Brian Vickers' #25 Hendrick Motorsports team have picked up a major associate sponsor in the form of cosmetics firm Garnier Fructis. The deal marks the first foray into motorsports by Garnier Fructis, which is owned by L'Oreal USA.

After spending the majority of last week testing his new #22 Bill Davis Racing Dodge Charger at Daytona, Scott Wimmer spent most of the weekend piloting a snowmobile in Wisconsin, having some fun and helping to raise money for his late friend's memorial benefit.

Look for Nextel Cup driver Jamie McMurray on a future episode of American drama 'The West Wing.' McMurray played the role of a winning driver in an episode of the series, which aired in the U.S. last week and he even got to plant a kiss on 'First Lady' Stockard Channing.

Bill Elliott will swap teams for next month's Bud Shootout at Daytona after agreeing to drive a retro paint-scheme Dodge Charger for Chip Ganassi Racing in the traditional NASCAR season curtain raiser.

It's been a successful week of testing for MB2/MBV duo Joe Nemechek and Scott Riggs at Daytona. After two days of testing, they took time out for a chat... Q: Tell us about your success this week in testing.

Testing ahead of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season is well into it's second week at Daytona International Raceway.

Robby Gordon has officially unveiled the first of four co-primary sponsors who will carry Robby Gordon Motorsports through their first NASCAR Nextel Cup campaign since 2000 with Fruit of the Loom stepping up from the Busch Series for nine races in 2005.

Morgan McClure Motorsports has been saved from possible extinction after coming to a deal with Lucas Oil, who will sponsor the famous #4 Chevrolet for the entire 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup campaign.

Although 2005 marks his final season as a fulltime Nextel Cup Series competitor, don't expect Mark Martin to cruise through it collecting tributes and parting gifts as he continues to drive for that elusive Nextel Cup Championship.

Roush Racing's Greg Biffle had a chance to familiarise himself with the new Daytona International Speedway infield during the recent Rolex 24 Hours Grand Am test at the newly renovated facility.

In what has to be the first of a kind in the world of Motorsport, the Nextel Cup drivers who win pole position at the Texas Motor Speedway in 2005 will be awarded with a unique Beretta firearm.