NASCAR News

Independent and start-up Nextel Cup teams may find it harder than ever to break into the 43 car-starting field from 2005 onwards after NASCAR eliminated the use of 'provisional' starting spots and guaranteed its top 35 teams a place in every race.

Jack Roush may not have secured complete primary sponsorship for Carl Edwards' #99 team for 2005 but the double defending NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion owner has succeeded in getting new driver Carl Edwards a pair of part-time deals.

Pre-season testing got underway in earnest last week at the Daytona International Speedway where those drivers whose teams finished the 2004 season in odd numbered positions in the Nextel Cup owners table got their first chance to sample the 2005 rules package at the newly refurbished 2.5-mile Su

On the eve of the start of his final NASCAR Nextel Cup season, Mark Martin knows that he has just one more chance to capture two things that have eluded him during his long and storied career to date: A win in the Daytona 500 and a Nextel Cup title.

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.

After almost 30 years, the legendary Dodge Charger will return to the track in 2005 as Dodge Motorsports reveals its modern-era version of the model for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series ahead of testing at Daytona.

Going into what will be his final NASCAR Nextel Cup season, Rusty Wallace believes that his final ace card in what has been a long and distinguished career could be crew-chief Larry Carter.

Bill Davis Racing has announced its driver and crew chief line-up for the upcoming Craftsman Truck Series.

Thirty-three year old racing instructor Chris Cook has been handed a dream NASCAR opportunity by Joe Nemechek, who has hired Cook to contest two Nextel Cup and two Busch Series races in 2005.

Chip Ganassi Racing's 'Young Guns' Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray have both been confirmed as part of Ganassi's three-pronged Rolex 24 Hour assault at Daytona.

Former driver and serving ARCA official Alfred (Al) Beale, Sr died suddenly last Thursday morning, December 23rd after falling ill at his home in Toledo, Ohio.

Many of 2004's independent Nextel Cup drivers and teams are already gearing up for a return to the grids in 2005, their enthusiasm unbarred despite a year that, for many, included far more lows than highs.

Before the first sounds of roaring engines filled the air and the first green flag fell at Talladega Superspeedway, Larry Johnson was hard at work at the now legendary track.

A special team will feature three NASCAR champion drivers from Ford and Roush Racing along with Scott Maxwell in a team dubbed as the 'Team of champions' for the Rolex 24 At Daytona race in early Febuary.

Frank Stoddard has joined MB/Sutton Motorsports as crew chief for the team's #36 Centrix Financial Chevrolet to be driven by Boris Said in a minimum of 10 races during the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. The newly-created team is part of the MB2 Motorsports umbrella.

NASCAR title sponsors Nextel have merged mobile-telecommunications rivals Sprint in a deal worth an estimated $35 Billion in stocks and shares.

Frank Kimmel, perhaps the only driver in recent Nextel Cup memory to bring sponsorship from 'Pork - The other white meat,' has tied the record for the most Championship victories in the ARCA Series with his sixth straight title win.

With the fight for dates on the Nextel Cup tour showing no signs of easing up, two current venues are doing their best to ensure that their dates remain in concrete by adding further seating in preparation for the 2005 season.

Mike Bliss will be the full-time driver of the #0 NetZero sponsored Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet in 2005 after the driver himself confirmed his new role at last weekend's NASCAR Busch Series banquet.

Robby Gordon's latest venture into team ownership has netted him the assistance of no less than three separate sponsors for the 2005 season with news that Harrah's, Fruit of the Loom and Menards will all provide backing for Team Gordon's 2005 Nextel Cup campaign.

Former Busch Series Champion Greg Biffle will drive for Brewco Motorsports in next year's Championship with sponsorship from Duraflame.

Penske-Jasper Racing has announced that 2003 NASCAR Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil will be drive the #77 Kodak EasyShare Dodge Charger in next year's NASCAR Nextel Cup, replacing Brendan Gaughan.

Jeff Gordon will market a series of upscale wines under a label bearing his own name, starting with a 2004 Carneros Chardonnay, which will be available in October, 2005.

Scott Wimmer will have a new crew chief for his sophomore NASCAR Nextel Cup season in 2005 with the news that Bill Davis Racing has named Derrick Finley as the crew chief for the #22 Caterpillar Dodge.