NASCAR News

In an effort to get back into the top 35 in NASCAR Nextel Cup owner points, Morgan McClure Motorsports have hired veteran John Andretti to drive the #4 Lucas Oil Chevrolet in this weekend's GFS Marketplace 400.

Watkins Glen fan favourite Boris Said may have let second place in Sunday's Sirius Satellite at the Glen slip away from him but his legions of fans were still ecstatic with his third place effort, Said's career best Nextel Cup finish to date.

Robby Gordon's first stab at being a Nextel Cup team owner since the 2000 season started badly but has picked up during the middle of the season and, as Gordon reiterates his desire to become one of the top owners in the sport, he also looks forward to a much better run to the end of the year.

Former Champ Car World Series Champion Paul Tracy has successfully completed his two day test with Richard Childress Racing's #33 team at the Michigan International Speedway and is now hoping that team boss Childress gives him the thumbs up to race the car in the upcoming GFS Marketplace 400.

The Joe Gibbs Racing team has announced that Jason Leffler has been released from his driving duties with the #11 FedEx Express Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series.

Scott Riggs' MBV Motorsports team have signed Checkers Drive-In Restaurants to a five-race primary sponsorship deal for the latter part of the 2005 season in a deal that the soon-to-be sponsorless team hopes will carry over into 2006.

Bubba Pollard wasn't sure what to expect at Martinsville Speedway on Tuesday. He certainly didn't expect to be the centre of attention so early in the first day of Jack Roush's talent search for talented young drivers.

Reigning NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Kurt Busch attended the Hungarian Grand Prix at the weekend before heading to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on August 7. Like the rest of the NEXTEL Cup drivers, Busch wants to win at Indianapolis.

NASCAR Busch Series racer Paul Menard will make his second career Nextel Cup start, but his first for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated in next month's Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen.

One NASCAR fan can use his online bidding skills to help benefit the Tsunami Aid relief fund as well as get VIP treatment during the upcoming Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

For the fifth year running NASCAR has awarded twelve scholarships through its Wendell Scott Scholarship Award in cooperation with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

Father/son tandem Bobby and Bobby Hamilton Jr led the final day of Nextel Cup Series testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday.

The first Nextel Cup race of the year at the New Hampshire International Speedway in 2004 was an unmitigated disaster for Dale Earnhardt Jr on what was his first outing since sustaining burns in an American Le Mans Series accident at the Infineon Raceway.

Michael Waltrip has been told that Dale Earnhardt Incorporated will no longer require his services after the current season, ending a five-year relationship.

Chip Ganassi Racing's Jamie McMurray has been tabbed as Mark Martin's long-term replacement in Jack Roush's #6 Ford, but his contractual obligations with Ganassi mean that he won't be taking the wheel of the #6 until 2007.

David Stremme, the driver who will replace Sterling Marlin behind the wheel of Chip Ganassi's #40 Dodge in 2006 will make his Nextel Cup Series debut in this Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway.

NASCAR's favourite underdog Carl Long has been signed to drive for a new Nextel Cup team, Victory Motorsports, who are expected to make their Cup Series debuts later this year.

Less than one week following his first win of the 2005 season, Tony Stewart raced to his first Bud Pole award since Chicagoland 2003 on Friday at the Daytona International Speedway.

Kyle Petty's #45 Nextel Cup team will have a new look in 2006 after it was confirmed that current backers Georgia Pacific would not be returning next year.

Valvoline have announced an agreement in principle to end its NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team partnership with MB2 Motorsports at the end of the current season.

Tony Stewart finally broke Joe Gibbs Racing's 2005 victory duck as he claimed a hard fought win at the Infineon Raceway on Sunday.

Scott Pruett will once again drive a fourth Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge at the Infineon Raceway this weekend although, unlike the previous two years, he will be driving with Texaco Havoline colours.

The latest phase of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's expansion began in earnest last week with the demolition of the upper section one grandstand to make way for the new Petty Terrace.

Joe Gibbs Racing has hired two-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Terry Labonte to pilot the #11 Chevrolet during the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race weekend at Infineon Raceway. He replaces Jason Leffler, the #11 team's regular driver, for this one event.