JACK DANIELS AND JIM BEAM TO LEAVE NASCAR

Officials from Jack Daniels and Jim Beam have announced that they plan to leave NASCAR at the end of the 2009 season. Jack Daniels currently sponsors the #07 Chevrolet driven by Casey Mears of Richard Childress Racing. Jim Beam has backed the #7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota team since the 2005 season. Both distillery companies stated that the main reason why they were pulling out of the sport is because of economical issues and the need to find platforms where they could reach consumers who can legally drink.

It’s sad that two really good companies have to pull out of NASCAR because of the economy. This news gives both teams that are affected the chance to start looking for a replacement sponsor for next season. It was hard to get these two sponsors into the sport, and in today’s economy, it’s going to be hard for both teams to find a suitable sponsor to replace them. The good thing about the companies, however, is that they have agreed to fully fund the teams for the remaining nine races of the season

HENDRICK SIGNS MARTIN TO NEW CONTRACT

Officials of Hendrick Motorsports have announced that they have signed driver Mark Martin to a contract extension. The two-year extension calls for Martin to continue driving the team’s #5 Chevrolet through the 2011 season. Martin began driving for Hendrick Motorsports at the start of the 2009 season after driving a partial schedule for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated during the past two seasons. The original contract called for Martin to only run one full-time season in the #5 and then go back to a partial schedule for 2010, but the team has had such a great year that Martin agreed to extend the deal to include all of 2010 and 2011. In 27 races with the team this season, Martin is currently ranked first in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings with five wins.

Many fans are accustomed to seeing the #5 car with Kellogg’s/CARQUEST sponsorship. However, the sponsor on the car will change beginning next season. Officials from GoDaddy.com, one of the world’s leading website domain registrars, announced that the company will sponsor Martin for a minimum of 20 races a year for the next two seasons. GoDaddy.com has sponsored Hendrick Motorsports’ #25 car driven by Brad Keselowski in a limited Sprint Cup campaign this season. They also sponsor Keselowski in JR Motorsports’ #88 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series.

Although the contract extension is a big deal, what I want to talk about is the change in primary sponsorship for 2010. As good as it is for GoDaddy.com to come aboard the #5, I will find it hard not to think that Kellogg’s/CARQUEST should be on the car’s hood. I grew up watching the Kellogg’s car driven by Terry Labonte, so to have a new sponsor on the car next season will definitely be strange. What I am looking forward to is the bright green car that will make its debut at Daytona next season. If the paint scheme is any indication of how fast the car will run on the track, all other drivers should be worried because it’s a really cool looking ride. What is your opinion of this story?

MARTIN TAKES CHASE OPENER IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Mark Martin proved that even at 50 years old, if a driver has a team that is behind him, he can contend for wins and championships. Martin, the Sprint Cup Series point leader, took his first step toward winning his first Cup title with a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. The victory was his first at the speedway in 26 attempts and fifth win of the 2009 season. The win didn’t come easily, however; as Martin had to hold off charges by both Juan Pablo Montoya and Denny Hamlin over the final 10 laps. Montoya had the dominant car all day, leading a race high 105 laps en route to a third place finish.


While Martin, Hamlin, and Montoya got off to a solid start in the chase, drivers like Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart struggled. On lap 67, Kahne’s motor blew and left a trail of smoke billowing out of the #9 Budweiser Dodge. Stewart on the other hand, had a strong run going until about lap 200 when a problem with an axle slowed his progression to the front. After coming down pit road to fix the axle, Stewart dropped to the 29th position for the ensuing restart. He would be able to drive his way back up to the 14th position before the checkered flag waved.

The rest of the top-12 divers in the championship points battle had decent runs. For much of the day, 5-7 positions in the top 10 in the race were occupied by a driver competing in the chase. The comple top 10 results for the Sylvania 300 are as follows:

#5 Mark Martin
#11 Denny Hamlin
#42 Juan Pablo Montoya
#48 Jimmie Johnson
#18 Kyle Busch
#2 Kurt Busch
#39 Ryan Newman
#19 Elliott Sadler
#16 Greg Biffle
#33 Clint Bowyer

Race #2 in the Chase:
AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway
Time: 1:00PM TV: ABC
Radio: PRN Sirius: Serius Satellite Radio: Channel 128

ALL GILLILAND NEEDS IS A SOLID OPPORTUNITY

David Gilliland is a great driver who is just searching for the right team and sponsor to align himself with. After spending much of last season unsponsored, Gilliland proved to many of the NASCAR faithful that with or without a primary sponsor, he would stop at nothing to get a good finish for his team. In a time when many of the underfunded teams are struggling to survive, Gilliland has taken TRG Motorsports, a new team in the Cup Series ranks, to many really respectable finishes. He has qualified for all but one of the races in which he has driven the #71 Chevrolet. Gilliland knows how to put his foot to the floor and drive to victory lane. He has done this many times in the West Coast series of NASCAR. Does anyone remember that Gilliland took the win in the Kentucky Nationwide race in a car that had little funding back in 2006? David Gilliland is still relatively new to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and if a team with a solid sponsor would sign him, he would consistently be able to run up front every week.

Yes, Gilliland did get a job driving the #38 Robert Yates Racing/Yates Racing Ford when the team was sponsored by Mars, Inc. Let’s be honest, however. Yates had a hard time remaining competitive once both Elliott Sadler and Dale Jarrett left in 2006. The team struggled to find its footing and at the end of the 2007 season, Mars Inc. left the team and headed to Joe Gibbs Racing. Usually when a driver loses his major sponsor at the end of the season, they get really upset. Not David Gilliland. He just kept doing his job and thanking every sponsor, large or small, that would come aboard his #38 in 2008. David had a very successful season in 2008 considering that there was not a lot of sponsorship money coming in.

At the beginning of the 2009 season, Yates Racing released David so that he could have an opportunity to find a full-time ride in the Cup Series. It didn’t take him long to sign with TRG Motorsports as driver of the #71. The team and driver made their debut together in the second race of the year at California. When TRG Motorsports announced a few weeks ago that they had signed Bobby Labonte to compete in seven races in the #71, replacing David Gilliland, it got the gears in my head turning. After being upset for a few days, an idea came to me.

Kevin Buckler, owner of TRG Motorsports, has said that he would like to see the team expand and be able to field a two-car team in 2010. As a former champion, Bobby Labonte is guaranteed to make the race so if the team puts him in the #70 that would lock him into the field and give the #70 team a few point should they end of fielding two cars next season. If they continue to field the #71 for Gilliland, Gilliland would make the race on points should qualifying be rained out by virtue of the #71 being 37th in points and having made all of the races this season. So I guess what I am saying is it is good that the team picked Bobby Labonte to pilot the car in those seven races, however, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to get rid of David as their full-time driver.

I can’t wait to see what David can do in his three races with Joe Gibbs Racing in their fourth car. This team has solid sponsorship in Farm Bureau Insurance. This opportunity may be just what David Gilliland needs to really turn some heads. If David got the right opportunity, without having to worry sponsorship every week, I know he could run up front and win races. If he is given enough time to gel with his team, I believe he can contend for championships in the future. What are your opinions on this story?

DISCOUNT TIRE TO SPONSOR KESELOWSKI IN 2010

Penske Racing has announced the signing of Discount Tire Company to sponsor the team’s new #22 Dodge in the Nationwide Series beginning in 2010. Brad Keselowski, who will drive for the team in the Sprint Cup Series, will also drive the #22 as a teammate to Justin Allgaier. The multi-year deal calls for the car to be wrapped in Discount Tire livery for a minimum of 26 races each season. As part of the partnership, Discount Tire will become an associate sponsor of two of the three Penske Racing Sprint Cup Series teams with drivers Kurt Busch and Keselowski.

Discount Tire Company’s decision to join Penske Racing for 2010 was smart. Brad Keselowski is an up-and-coming driver who has proven that when put in the right situation, he isn’t afraid to get aggressive to win a race. Brad is also a guy that knows how important a sponsor is to the success of a race team. Whether he wins a race or has a sub-par finish, he is always mentioning his sponsors. When a sponsor is aligned with Brad Keselowski, you always receive good exposure.

With Discount Tire moving to Penske next season, it calls into question who will support the #6 Roush Fenway Racing car. Discount Tire has sponsored Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series since 2007. We will have to wait and see. If I hear of more developments regarding this story, you will be the first to know.

JR MOTORSPORTS SIGNS BIRES TO MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT

JR Motorsports has announced that Kelly Bires has been signed to drive one of the team’s Chevrolets beginning in 2010. At this time, team officials do not know whether Bires will drive the #5 or #88. A decision on the car number will be made once all sponsorship contracts are put in place. Bires has spent much of the 2009 Nationwide Series season driving for teams such as Kevin Harvick Inc., Braun Racing, and JTG Daugherty Racing. In 66 Nationwide Series attempts, Bires has 11 top-10s and a career-best 13th place finish in the points in 2008.

Kelly Bires will have some big shoes to fill after seeing what Brad Keselowski has been able to accomplish with the #88 team. That being said, I think the decision by JR Motorsports to sign Bires was a good move. Kelly has shown that he knows how to run up front and take care of his car in the process. I think that the opportunity that JR Motorsports has given Bires will help his career tremendously. Not only will he contend for wins, but I also see him contending for championships with the team. Both the #5 and #88 teams have experienced crews so if Bires uses his crew chief wisely, he will be very successful during his time with JR Motorsports.

Even though Bires competed full-time in the Nationwide Series in 2008, he didn’t really know if his team could afford to go to every race. There were a few weeks last season when he was running a car with little or no funding and still got really good finishes. So with JR Motorsports working on getting solid sponsorship for next season, I look for Kelly Bires to have a break out year in 2010. It will definitely make for an easier season for Kelly knowing that the team will be able to go to all the races without really having to worry about funding. What is your opinion of this news?

PAT TRYSON SIGNS DEAL TO HEAD UP #56 TEAM IN 2010

Michael Waltrip Racing announced today the signing of Pat Tryson to lead the team that will service the #56 NAPA Toyota in 2010. As has already been announced, Martin Truex Jr. will move from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to pilot the car. Tryson, who is currently employed by Penske Racing, will begin his new duties at the end of the season. Since joining the Penske organization midway through the 2007 season, Tryson has helped driver Kurt Busch to four Sprint Cup wins and 35 top-10 finishes. He has also guided the #2 team to two Chase appearances, including 2009, and is making his fifth Chase appearance as a crew chief this season.

In my opinion, I couldn’t think of a better crew chief for Michael Waltrip Racing to bring aboard to help Truex transition into the organization. Martin Truex is still a relatively young driver on the Cup scene and pairing him with someone of Pat Tryson’s caliber will only help him in the long run. Tryson has proven that if a team puts enough faith in him to call the shots, he more than likely will get that driver to victory lane. All and all, it was a good choice by MWR to sign Tryson because he will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the organization.

As great as it is to see Truex get Tryson as his crew chief next season, I have to feel bad for Kurt Busch. The reason why I feel bad is because even though the Busch-Tryson pairing has been together since 2007, I think they were just starting to hit their stride. They have competitive cars every week and it seemed as though the chemistry between the two was where it needed to be in order to grab some more wins. I would hate to see Busch have a season like 2008 where he finished 18th in points in 2010 because of the crew chief change. Hopefully, Penske Racing is working on a deal to get a strong crew chief in 2010. What is your opinion regarding this story?

RPM TO RUN FORDS, TAKE OVER YATES TEAM IN 2010

Richard Petty Motorsports will switch from Dodges to Fords for the 2010 season. The team also plans to absorb the Yates Racing team and have a four-car operation with Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, A.J. Allmendinger and Paul Menard. Reed Sorenson, who currently drives the #43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports, has been told by team officials that he is free to look for other opportunities as he will not be re-signed for next season.

The team is in the last year of its contract with Dodge Motorsports and they had talked to all other manufacturers about a possible partnership for 2010 and beyond. Richard Petty, minority owner of the team said that the reason why the team chose the Ford Racing program for 2010 is because most of the money that Dodge has allocated for next season will be going to the Penske Racing organization. Petty also stated that another big reason for the move was for all of the technical and financial incentives that Ford was willing to give the team. There are still many details of the transaction to be ironed out, however; one thing that is almost certain is that the team will continue to get their engines from the Roush-Yates engine program and that they will continue to get their chassis from Roush Fenway Racing.

Yates Racing will continue to field the #96 and #98 Fords for the remainder of the season. One big question that this new merger brings with it is what will happen to the fifth Roush Fenway team? It was expected that Yates Racing would move the team into its shop next season, but with the Petty team already at the four-car cap, that is no longer a possibility. Jack Roush, co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing has said that he would like to sell the #26 team to another owner with all technical parts and pieces as part of the deal so that he would not have to let anyone on his team go. He also said that he would like to keep Jamie McMurray in the seat if the right owner and sponsor were to come along.

As I hear of more details regarding this news, I will keep you updated.

LABONTE, DARNELL TO SPLIT #96 CAR FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON

Yates Racing announced today the signing of Nationwide Series driver Erik Darnell to pilot the #96 Ford in seven races this season. Bobby Labonte, the team’s primary driver, will compete for the team in races in which Ask.com or DLP are the primary sponsor on the car. Darnell currently competes in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing and will be making his Sprint Cup debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend with sponsorship from Academy Sports and Outdoors. Darnell will also compete in races at New Hampshire, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead.

According to Yates officials, the move to add Darnell to the team was a sponsorship-driven decision. Ask.com announced earlier in the season that they would support the team in a minimum of 21 races and as many as 29. When it became evident that the team still had sponsorship holes to fill, putting Darnell in the seat made the most sense, seeing as it adds Northern Tool & Equipment to the team’s sponsorship line-up.

REPORTS SUGGEST KESELOWSKI TO PENSKE IN '10

After months of exclusive contract negotiations with Hendrick Motorsports to stay with the team, the hottest young driver on the NASCAR scene has had to make a change in order to run the full Cup schedule in 2010. Brad Keselowski, has apparently been chosen to wheel the #12 Penske Racing Dodge in 2010. He replaces a struggling David Stremme. Penske Racing had been trying to sign the young driver to a deal since 2008. While at Penske Racing, the 25-year-old driver will be a teammate to Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish, Jr.

Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, has tried everything in his power to keep Keselowski in Hendrick equipment for next season, including putting him in a possible third car at both Red Bull Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing, however those plans did not materialize. Hendrick Motorsports currently campaigns four full-time teams for drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The team is not permitted to add a car for Keselowski due to NASCAR's four-car cap for team owners that begins next season.

Keselowski had been rumored to be pairing with Martin in a part-time schedule for 2010 in the #5, but when Martin announced his intension to once again run a full schedule in 2010, those plans changed. Adding to the move is the fact that Keselowski has informed team officials at JR Motorsports that he will step out of the team’s #88 Nationwide Series car at the end of the 2009 season. As long as Keselowski stayed in a Chevrolet, he would have had a seat in the team’s #88. As of right now there no confirmed plans to replace Brad before the season ends. Keselowski has one Sprint Cup win at Talladega Superspeedway and three Nationwide wins in 2009 and is currently ranked third in points in Nationwide competition.