Drivers unsure of new Darlington
Posted: Friday May 09, 2008 07:04AM ET
NASCAR returns to its roots Saturday night with the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The tight, egg-shaped oval, which held its first race 58 years ago, is legendary in NASCAR and known as "the Lady in Black" because drivers routinely scrape its walls -- or worse -- as they maneuver around the 1.4-mile circuit. The track will have an added quirk because it was repaved after last year's race. Drivers aren't sure how that will affect this year's event, although testing on the new surface indicated speeds will go up.
Darlington Raceway, AP
Junior's old-school Dew paint job
Posted: Friday May 09, 2008 06:56AM ET
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is an "old-school" racer, and he'll sport an "old-school" paint scheme this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has a Mountain Dew paint scheme much like Darrell Waltrip's No. 11 Chevy from the 1980s. "I think the Mountain Dew retro paint scheme is very fitting for the history at Darlington," Earnhardt Jr. said. "The car itself is an old paint scheme on a new car, and we've got an old race track with a new surface."
Dale Earnhardt Jr., AP
Stewart won't rule out Indy return
Posted: Thursday May 08, 2008 07:40AM ET
If Tony Stewart ever runs another Indianapolis 500, which the NASCAR star said Wednesday remains a very big if, he vows to do it right. That means showing up in March for the start of the IndyCar Series season, not in May for the start of Indy 500 practice. Stewart said he is weighing "a laundry list of factors" as he contemplates whether to stay at Joe Gibbs Racing or consider one of many offers to go elsewhere. But for the time being, at least, he still answers to team president J.D. Gibbs, who didn't want a repeat of four years ago when Stewart showed up at Indy on bump day and flirted with the idea of getting into an A.J. Foyt Enterprises car.
Tony Stewart , Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Office Depot moving to MWR
Posted: Thursday May 08, 2008 07:57AM ET
Hearing Office Depot, currently the sponsor for No. 99-Carl Edwards, is considering a move to Michael Waltrip Racing with driver No. 00-Michael McDowell. UPS has been rumored as a possible sponsor for Edwards and Roush Racing in 2009.
Michael Waltrip , Chris Trotman/Getty Images
13-year-old NASCAR prospect
Posted: Thursday May 08, 2008 06:59AM ET
Logan Ruffin turns 14 in July -- two years away from getting his driver's license and four years from becoming eligible to drive in NASCAR's top three series. But the Brentwood (Tenn.) teenager is already turning heads on racing Web sites as one of the top young NASCAR prospects in the nation. Various NASCAR teams saw Ruffin became the youngest champion in the World Series of Asphalt's 42-year history in February. Ruffin won three Crate Late Model races in the event held in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., during Daytona's SpeedWeeks.
NASCAR, AP
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