NASCAR Signs Memorandum Of Understanding With The EPA: NASCAR and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that provides a framework to encourage greater environmental awareness and adoption of green products and solutions with NASCAR fans and the entire industry. The MOU is a voluntary partnership around education and awareness. The agreement denotes some core areas NASCAR and the EPA will collaborate on moving forward including the following programs: E3: Economy, Energy and Environment; and Design for the Environment (DfE) labeled consumer and commercial products. The MOU, which can be accessed at bit.ly/EPA-NASCAR-mou(pdf), will pave the way for other opportunities and areas of focus for EPA and NASCAR such as sourcing more sustainable concessions at NASCAR events, expanding the use of DfE-labeled chemical products, conserving water, and continuing to grow the promotion and practice of all applicable types of recycling. Through E3, NASCAR and the EPA will work together to foster the adoption of green approaches, address sustainability challenges, and seize opportunities. A continuously greener sport – and NASCAR’s supplier network – will have positive economic and environmental impacts that extend far beyond the race track in the communities that NASCAR and the EPA serve.(NASCAR)(5-22-2012)

NASCAR Joins Beyond Sport To Promote Cause-Related Impact: NASCAR announced it has accepted an invitation to join Beyond Sport, a global organization that promotes, develops and supports the use of sport to create positive social change. NASCAR joins a coalition of leagues that includes Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of Beyond Sport's wider global network. NASCAR becomes the first motorsports organization to align with Beyond Sport.
Through Beyond Sport, NASCAR joins a movement led by a network of sports leagues that allows the sanctioning body to exchange best practices on community involvement, and to promote the numerous efforts of drivers, race teams, track operators and others within the industry to improve communities and the lives of people. It also provides NASCAR the opportunity to highlight the initiatives of the NASCAR Foundation, NASCAR's Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Green while networking with leagues and their partners around the world.
As a founding supporter of Beyond Sport United, NASCAR Chairman and CEO, Brian France, will join Commissioners from the other major North American leagues as part of the Commissioners' Roundtable at the Beyond Sport United annual gathering, November 13, 2012, at Yankee Stadium in New York. NASCAR also will have a significant presence in London this July, one week prior to the start of the Summer Olympic Games, as a participant in the annual Beyond Sport Summit & Awards, a gathering of global sports, political and business leaders to share ideas and honor the contributions of sport to society.(NASCAR)(5-20-2012)

NASCAR and Twitter team up: NASCAR and Twitter announced a unique digital partnership that will create a new way for the sport’s millions of fans to experience what happens inside NASCAR and its teams on race day. Built to support the live race broadcast, this new experience will give fans a complementary insider’s view of the action as it unfolds on the track and on Twitter. During a race, when fans click on #NASCAR, search for #NASCAR on Twitter.com or visit twitter.com/#NASCAR, they’ll reach a new Twitter experience where they will see the most relevant tweets from their favorite NASCAR drivers, NASCAR families, teams, commentators, celebrities and other racing fans and personalities. NASCAR is the first organization to team with Twitter to create an enhanced live event experience on the Twitter platform. Twitter.com/#NASCAR will be available starting with the Pocono Raceway race weekend and will be most active on Sunday, June 10 in conjunction with TNT’s first of six television broadcasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. More details surrounding this new partnership and the June 10 product launch will be available in the days and weeks ahead from Twitter, NASCAR and TNT.(NASCAR), check out Jayski.com's twitter at @jayski_nascar. (5-19-2012)

Jim Hunter inducted in South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame: He was loyal and compassionate and tough, a teacher and counselor and promoter, one of the rare who influenced so many in a positive way. Those words describe the late Jim Hunter, who, yes, in his younger days, walked on the wild side, too. But more than nouns or adjectives or verbs can say, he was Darlington. Yes, that Darlington, the race track that annually stages one of the state's oldest and most captivating sports spectacles. The timing is perfect: Another Southern 500, this one the first sponsored by Bojangles', unfolded Saturday night at Darlington - Jim Hunter's Darlington - and 48 hours later he will be among the inductees into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies [Monday night]. Hunter's career included stops at Columbia and Atlanta newspapers, public relations director for Darlington and Talladega speedway and in NASCAR administration before the International Speedway Corporation sent him to oversee the company's new purchase, Darlington Raceway. Eventually, the racing powers needed Hunter more at headquarters than at one race track and brought him to Daytona Beach as vice-president for communications. Essentially, he became the face of NASCAR.(The State)(5-15-2012)

NASCAR to implement new rules for less downforce: Trying to reduce downforce and the chance of cars becoming airborne, NASCAR will implement a pair of rules changes for Sprint Cup teams that may also produce more passing. One change will go into effect starting next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The side skirts-the body of the car between the wheels-will be higher above the ground, meaning more air will run underneath the car. Currently, the skirts must be 3 to 4.5 inches off the ground on both sides of the car. Starting next week, they must be 4 to 4.5 inches off the ground on the right side and 4.5 to 5 inches on the left side. Teams tested with the shorter side skirts during recent Goodyear tire tests. For tracks 2 miles or larger, NASCAR will use its longer "shark fin"-a panel that runs alongside the rear window and decklid of the car-that has been used at Daytona and Talladega to keep cars from getting airborne. On the short tracks, it will remain a minimum 17 inches long while they must reach all the way from the top of the car to the spoiler on tracks 2 miles or longer. This also will decrease the potential of car liftoff, which could have been an issue at some of the most recently repaved tracks-the 2.5-mile track at Pocono and 2-mile track at Michigan.(Sporting News)(5-12-2012)
UPDATE: Tuesday's [NASCAR technical] bulletin, which contained a laundry list of rule changes in eight areas, was significant enough that crew chiefs immediately began booking wind tunnel time. Of greatest interest was the shortening of the side skirts on the Cup cars, designed to create greater ground clearance. NASCAR also has mandated use of superspeedway-sized stationary air deflectors (commonly known as "shark fins") on all tracks of two miles or more. According to Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, the rule changes were inspired by work on the 2013 car, with an eye toward raising the speeds at which a car will lift off and become airborne. One byproduct of the shortening of the side skirts will be a loss of downforce and a possible decrease in the stability of the cars in traffic. Just how much downforce the Cup cars will lose is an open question, and there's no firm consensus among crew chiefs as to what the number will be, even though several teams already have tested the changes in wind tunnels and during a Goodyear tire test at New Hampshire earlier this week. There's also a consensus that the changes to the side skirts will force changes to the suspensions of the cars -- particularly to the rear suspensions -- as crew chiefs try to recreate the "seal" (or close proximity) between the side skirts and the pavement as a method to recover downforce.(NASCAR Wire Service)(5-13-2012)

Driver sues NASCAR, "too Caucasian’? An aspiring stock-car driver is suing NASCAR, claiming he was denied the opportunity to compete in NASCAR’s diversity program because he looks “too Caucasian.” NASCAR argues that in trying to change the “face” of the sport, it has the right to select drivers for its diversity program based on skin color, attorneys for the sanctioning body and its former diversity program administrators have told a U.S. District court. Michael Rodriguez, a driver from Pennsylvania, says in his complaint filed in U.S. District Court that he was denied the opportunity to compete in the 2005 and 2006 Drive For Diversity combines. Rodriguez is suing NASCAR and Access Communications, which operated NASCAR’s diversity program from its inception in 2004 until 2008 and conducted the combines that are designed for teams in NASCAR’s regional series to scout minority drivers. NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program was created to develop minority drivers and crewmen and help them advance through the NASCAR ranks with the goal of reaching the sport’s top series. Since 2004, the program has included 41 drivers, with most being selected multiple times. There currently are six drivers in the program racing in various NASCAR regional series.(full article at the Sporting News)(4-20-2012)

Heading Into Earth Day, NASCAR Releases ‘White Paper’ On Green: NASCAR issued a ‘White Paper’ detailing the various programs that have made NASCAR a leader in green initiatives across all sports. The data in “The Sports Leader in Sustainability”* illustrates the steps NASCAR has taken in educating fans, reducing the sport’s environmental impact, and validating green technologies – both on and off the track. This past weekend in Texas, NASCAR eclipsed the two-million mile mark running on Sunoco Green E15 since the seamless transition to the new fuel in February 2011. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series engines have been operating at an even greater level of efficiency due, in part, to NASCAR’s transition to electronic fuel injection this year. NASCAR’s release of the ‘White Paper’ is timed to Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Kansas taking place on Earth Day. NASCAR, Kansas Speedway and several of NASCAR’s Official Partners will be showcasing many of the environmental sustainability programs that take place each week at race tracks across the country – not just on Earth Day. Among those activities happening at Kansas include:
· NASCAR’s premier series entitlement sponsor, Sprint, will implement “Recycle for Victory” – a wireless recycling program that benefits charity;
· The backstretch of the track will be painted green thanks to NASCAR Official Partner American Ethanol;
· NASCAR Official Partners Coca-Cola and Coors Light will educate fans on the benefits of recycling and encouraging them to drop plastic bottles and aluminum cans in designated bins;
· A new 30-second television spot about the NASCAR Green platform will air during Sunday’s NASCAR on FOX national broadcast at 1 p.m.;
· The NASCAR Green logo will appear in the infield grass for the first time at a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event;
· The pace car for the STP 400 is a Toyota Camry Hybrid and will carry the NASCAR Green logo on its trunk lid;
· NASCAR and Kansas Speedway will donate 10 trees to the Gov. Jay Nixon’s Governor’s Joplin Challenge for every green flag that is dropped over the weekend;
· Miss Sprint Cup will wear a green fire suit throughout the weekend in support of the environment;
· Every race vehicle on the track this weekend will run on Sunoco Green E15, further validating the environmentally responsible high-performance racing fuel.
(NASCAR)(4-19-2012)

Stewart, 2011 Chase meet with the President: Three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will be honored by President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday, April 17 [approx 4:20pm/et]. The event also will include NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and each member of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field: Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. This event will be livestreamed at www.whitehouse.gov/live.(NASCAR)(4-12/17-2012)
UPDATE: Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and his fellow 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series contenders changed their attire – from standard fire suits to business suits – for their annual visit to the White House on Tuesday.
President Barak Obama honored Stewart for capturing his third Sprint Cup Series title and celebrating the other 11 drivers who qualified for NASCAR's postseason last year. Speaking from the South Lawn, the President addressed the 12 drivers, honored quests and dignitaries in attendance in an approximate 4-minute speech. He thanked NASCAR CEO Brian France and NASCAR President Mike Helton for their leadership, NASCAR's commitment and support of the military, singled out driver Jimmie Johnson's unparalleled achievement of claiming five consecutive championships and 2011 Sprint Cup runner-up Carl Edwards's sportsmanship in the aftermath of falling just short of winning the title in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November, which was attended by First Lady Michelle Obama.
But, The President saved his best material in addressing Stewart, playing tribute to the 2011 champion's heart, attitude and determination as last season's regular season was coming to a close and Stewart on the postseason bubble. "Nobody saw it coming," said President Obama. "We've all heard about athletes who say they're going to do what it takes to win it all, but back in August with the season winding down, Tony predicted he wouldn't be able to pull it off. In fact, he said if he did end up winning the championship, and this is a quote, 'I'll declare I'm a total bumbling idiot.' But I think Tony's hero, the great AJ Foyt, put it best when he said the reason Tony won is because 'he drove the best race of his life, period.'"
Stewart's day started early with a behind-the-scenes tour of the iconic 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue residence and a meet-and-greet with the President. The champion roamed the famous halls and stepped foot in rooms frequented by the first family, including the East Room, the Library and more before heading to the South Lawn, where he was joined by fellow drivers Johnson, Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. The day ended with "Smoke" engaging in small talk with Obama by his No. 14 Chevrolet, which was prominently positioned off to the side of the podium.(NASCAR)(4-18-2012)

New C-Post template to debut at 'Dega: NASCAR will add a new template to its inspection process when teams go through tech May 4 at Talladega Superspeedway. It's a template inspired by Hendrick Motorsports and five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson's team. Starting May 4-6 at Talladega, NASCAR will begin using an additional template for the C-post, the area of the car from the roof to the top of the rear quarter panel.(Sporting News)(4-13-2012)

Stewart, 2011 Chase drivers to meet with President: Three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will be honored by President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday, April 17 [approx 4:20pm/et]. The event also will include NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and each member of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field: Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. This event will be livestreamed at www.whitehouse.gov/live.(NASCAR)(4-12-2012)

NASCAR President defends appeals process: NASCAR president Mike Helton said he believes in the sport's rules inspectors and the overall appeals process, despite the decision Tuesday that overturned most of the penalties imposed on Jimmie Johnson's #48 Chevy from a body-alignment issue at Daytona last month. "We think the decision made this week supports the inspection process with the elements of the penalty that were upheld," Helton said Friday at Auto Club Speedway. "It indicates they did their job correctly." NASCAR originally penalized the #48 team 25 points and suspended both crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec for six races, along with fining Knaus $100,000. Before the car went on the track at Daytona, inspectors said the C-posts (on each side of the rear window) were not within the tolerances of the rule book, but the car was not measured on the templates. Both Knaus and Malec were allowed to continue working races while the penalty was appealed by Hendrick Motorsports. A three-man appeals panel held up the penalties two weeks ago, but most of the penalties were rescinded Tuesday by chief appellate officer John Middlebrook, a former GM executive who has the final say in the appeals process. The points and the suspensions were eliminated by Middlebrook, but the fine was upheld. Helton said the fact that the fine was upheld proves that NASCAR inspectors discovered a violation. "Elements of the penalty were upheld based on parts of the car that did not conform to the rules," Helton said. "The debate was how we reacted to it. That's as much a bureaucratic decision as it is a competition decision." Middlebrook has not spoken publicly about his reasons for greatly reducing the penalty. The surprising decision by Middlebrook has caused some people to wonder if changes are needed in the inspection or appeals process, but Helton said NASCAR has no plans to do so.(ESPN)(3-23-2012)

Some divers not big on fans attending drivers meeting: Chatter Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway from the drivers was that fan interaction may have gone too far last week at Las Vegas when fans were allowed to be a part of the drivers' pre-race meeting with NASCAR officials. "I don't like it," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "I like the drivers' meeting to be with the drivers and the crew chiefs, and about the race. It has become less and less about that. It has to be cool for a fan to be able to have that kind of access. I think there is probably a way to give them that kind of access without going to the lengths that they went to at Vegas." Matt Kenseth said the drivers' meetings have been going further and further away from their original purpose for years. "It hasn't been for a long time a true drivers' meeting in the true sense of the word," he said. "Nobody is going to raise their hand and ask a question in that environment. They have been letting more and more people in and I remember when we used to do it my first couple years in the series we did it in the scoring stand at Charlotte and you could barely get the drivers and crew chiefs in there," he said. "That is all it was. It was never a media event or a fan event."(Bristol Herald Courier)(3-17-2012)

NASCAR still a few weeks away from releasing EFI data: Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway that officials remain a few weeks from releasing EFI data and determining exactly what data will be released. But Darby was skeptical that the information, regardless of what is released, will help one driver improve on restarts. "It's not about what a guy is doing with his throttle on a restart," Darby said. "It's more about how the fuel maps and the original run tables that were set up for the race. The purpose of it is to help educate the entire garage on what's good for fuel strategies and what's not. It's not about pinpointing every time someone stepped on the brake. Or when somebody had their foot to the floor. They can get that off the TV telemetry now." Darby said the data collection should be completed in a few weeks, giving teams a sample of a restrictor plate race, two short tracks and a couple of mile-and-a-half tracks. "Once we get the tables like we want them, we'd be able to send every race,'' Darby said. "Typically, we download everything sitting on pit road after the race."
Darby acknowledged there have been minor issues with EFI through the first three races, but nothing to set off alarms. He said Brad Keselowski's issue at Las Vegas was a failed fuel pump. "We've got out of the habit of blanketing fuel injection, because it's almost as bad as saying did he have a problem with his race car," Darby said. "He had a fuel pump fail. Well, we had fuel pumps today and fuel pumps with carburetors. I'm a little defensive probably because everything wants to fall in the lap of fuel injection, where 99 percent of the problems that we've had up to this point in the year have nothing to do with fuel injection."(ESPN)(3-17-2012)

NASCAR's Brooks Leaving in May: Paul Brooks, senior vice president of NASCAR and president of NASCAR Media Group, is leaving the company on May 4, 2012, to focus on a variety of personal and outside business interests. Brooks, who has been with NASCAR for 19 years, will continue as a senior advisor to the company in key areas, including broadcasting, media strategy and innovation. Among his most important contributions at NASCAR, Brooks was on the initial team that developed NASCAR's long-term consolidated television and new media agreements with FOX, FX, NBC, Turner and NASCAR TV on SPEED, and later, agreements with ABC/ESPN. Brooks also is credited with leading NASCAR's efforts to become the first professional sports league to launch a 24-hour satellite radio channel with NASCAR Radio on XM Satellite and later transitioning to Sirius Satellite Radio. In one of the largest sponsor partnerships in sports, Brooks was a key member of the negotiating team that brought Sprint-Nextel into the sport as title sponsor to what was then the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and is now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Brooks, 47, and his wife, Kelly, have a daughter, Olivia, and a son, Kasey, and they will continue to live in Charlotte, N.C.(NASCAR)(3-13-2012)

Sportvision extends partnership with NASCAR: Sportvision, Inc., partner of NASCAR since 2000 and the leading innovator of digital sports content, broadcast enhancements and tracking data, announced that it has extended its partnership with Emmy Award-winning NASCAR Media Group as the exclusive tracking partner for NASCAR-sanctioned events through the 2018 racing season. Sportvision's RACEf/x technology, the most advanced tracking technology created for televised sports, is now utilized in all three NASCAR national series after expanding to the Truck Series in 2012. Like Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series cars, the trucks are equipped with Vector II tracking devices. These devices are the latest generation of Sportvision RACEf/x technology and the first to utilize both Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) satellite navigation systems. The technology debuted in the Sprint Cup Series at the 2001 Daytona 500 and was introduced to the Nationwide Series in 2007. This patented, state-of-the-art technology tracks the cars at speeds reaching 200 MPH to create a complete "digital record" of a NASCAR race in real-time. With the addition, SPEED will now highlight a full slate of broadcast graphics during Truck Series broadcasts and the technology will continue to be an integral component utilized by other NASCAR broadcast partners through 2018.(NASCAR)(3-6-2012)

NASCAR to use extra pace car behind jet dryers: NASCAR officials announced a change to have an extra pace car with flashing lights behind the last jet-dryer truck on the track in all races in all three series -- Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Trucks Series. The change, which was explained to the Sprint Cup teams during the drivers' meeting Sunday morning at Phoenix International Raceway, comes after Juan Pablo Montoya's car spun into a jet-dryer truck during a caution period in the Daytona 500 Monday night. The drivers of the jet-dryer trucks also will wear helmets and fire suits during each race, but that is a change agreed upon by officials at race tracks that play host to NASCAR events, not a rule instituted by NASCAR.(ESPN)(3-5-2012)

Open Letter to NASCAR fans from NASCAR Chairman Brian France: Dear NASCAR fans,
With the Daytona 500 now upon us, I hope you are as excited as I am to see the greatest drivers in the world competing at Daytona International Speedway later today. NASCAR is in a very good place right now and our entire industry is working very hard for you, the fans, as we continually seek to improve and grow our sport. Indeed, we are listening to you, as several enhancements that have been put in place in recent years were a direct result of your input.
Thank you for your on-going support and enthusiasm, the way you whole-heartedly embrace NASCAR and how you share your passion for our sport with family, friends and others you encounter each and every day. We certainly were encouraged by the excitement generated by our 2011 season and look forward to enjoying this season together as one NASCAR Nation. On behalf of the France family, I want to personally express our appreciation for your support, and join you in anticipation of the thrilling ride ahead.
Best regards, Brian France.(2-26-2012)

Roush would like teams to get mulligans: Jack Roush, co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing [#'s 6,16,17,99], has one suggestion to spice up the Sprint Cup season and Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Give each team a do-over. "Think about giving each team a mulligan," Roush said. "Have one race you can throw out for each team during the first 26 races and one for the 10 races (in the Chase). That would mean, until you use your mulligan, you could run with great dispatch and lack of restraint, much like you had last Saturday night in the Budweiser Shootout. That wasn't a points race and everybody said, 'Let's throw caution to the wind and see what we've got here.' You'd see the races a little more exciting if they could discount one as they made their strategies."(Kansas City Star)(2-26-2012)

NASCAR's Most Valuable Teams: The top nine NASCAR teams are evualated by Forbes:
1) Hendrick Motorsports $350 million
2) Roush Fenway Racing $185 million
3) Joe Gibbs Racing $155 million
4) Richard Childress Racing $147 million
5) Stewart-Haas Racing $108 million
6) Penske Racing $98 million
7) Michael Waltrip Racing $90 million
8) Earnhardt Ganassi Racing $76 million
9) Richard Petty Motorsports $58 million
(see full story and more at forbes.com.(2-25-2012)

2011 Highest paid drivers: Forbes.com estimated 2011 NASCAR driver annual earnings, Forbes earnings figures include driving salaries, personal endorsements, share of race winnings, licensing income and bonuses. The top-10:
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – $28 million
2. Jeff Gordon – $24 million
3. Tony Stewart – $22 million
4. Jimmie Johnson – $21 million
5. Carl Edwards – $15.5 million
6. Kevin Harvick – $14 million
7. Kyle Busch – $14 million
8. Danica Patrick – $12 million [indy car]
9. Matt Kenseth – $11.5 million
10. Kasey Kahne – $11 million
(See more at Forbes.com)(2-24-2012)

NASCAR Propels Giants To Super Bowl Victory: Sunday,in the Daytona 500 of Football, the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots, employing a thrilling, breathtaking and awe-inspiring defensive package named after a thrilling, breathtaking and awe-inspiring sport – NASCAR. The moniker, and its genesis, makes sense. Think about it… DE Justin Tuck went to college at Notre Dame, a quick three-hour drive from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Look at him during a game, dancing here – then there – behind the line of scrimmage. Aren't his shimmies – which often result in a spike of some poor quarterback – reminiscent of Darrell Waltrip in Daytona International Speedway's Victory Lane after winning The Great American Race in 1989? Then watch the swim move from DE Osi Umenyiora, whose college (Troy University) sits about a two-and-a-half hour drive from big Talladega Superspeedway. His go-to move: Juking right, swatting a helpless defender away, and launching left. Can't you envision a similar slingshot maneuver on Lap 200 on Feb. 26? And now everyone's down with JPP – DE Jason Pierre-Paul. He went to school at the University of South Florida, near NASCAR's bookend tracks – Daytona and Homestead-Miami Speedway. His specialty: Off the block speed, every single play. If the NFL had an American Ethanol Fastest on the Restart Award (they don't, but NASCAR does), he'd win it every game. No wonder the Giants nicknamed its all-out pass rush after the world's most competitive form of motorsports. "We came up with NASCAR; we call it our speed package," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, who notched two sacks last night, told ESPN. "Why do we call it that? All of us compete about who's the fastest and who gets to the quarterback the fastest. So NASCAR's just something that felt right." Among the NASCAR drivers who attended Super Bowl XLVI were Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Austin and Ty Dillon.(NASCAR)(2-7-2012)

NASCAR and Turner restructure and extend digital partnership: UPDATE: NASCAR and Turner Sports announced a restructuring and extension of their long-standing digital partnership. The new agreement takes the relationship through 2016, with NASCAR managing business and editorial operations for its digital platforms beginning in 2013 and Turner Sports continuing to oversee advertising sales and sponsorships across NASCAR-branded digital platforms. Under the new partnership, NASCAR will assume operational control in 2013 of all of its interactive, digital and social media rights including technical operations and infrastructure of all NASCAR digital platforms. Turner will continue to represent sponsorships and advertising for all NASCAR digital platforms, with the unique users from the NASCAR digital properties continuing to roll up to the Turner digital portfolio. NASCAR's comprehensive digital and social media portfolio includes NASCAR.COM. NASCAR.COM, and the sport's other digital and social media platforms, have been managed by Turner Sports since 2001.(NASCAR)(1-30-212)
UPDATE: In a phone interview Monday, NASCAR Vice President of Digital Media Marc Jenkins said NASCAR is at the "tail end" of the process of thinking of what it wants to do with its website. He said NASCAR is working toward having several camera angles for fans to watch a race on the website, like what was done during the Chase For The Sprint Cup on the current website. "That drives a better fan experience when watching the race," Jenkins said. "In my mind, more important than just a pure stream of the race broadcast is the alternate camera angles, it's the dynamic leaderboard, it's the [car] data, it's all those things that help people enjoy the race more." Jenkins said they also hope the NASCAR site will help drive traffic to the drivers' websites and could offer a content management system teams and drivers could use in production of their websites.(Scene Daily)
AND: The lack of an iPhone app for the sport has been a glaring, gaping hole in the interactive experience. "I can assure you it will be an important thing for us moving forward," NASCAR chief marketing officer Steve Phelps said last week. "Whether we have it for '12 or not, it's probably not something that's going to happen. But digital and social media is going to be a major plank for us as a sport. It's going to be a way for us to engage our fans, candidly, in a way we've never been able to before. We think our sport lends itself (to an app) as well as any sport - maybe better - because of the community nature and social nature of the sport. It clearly is coming." But fans may begin to see changes in the app world even earlier than expected. Tim Considine, Sprint's director of sports marketing, told SB Nation in a statement Monday: "Sprint is working with its internal partners to develop NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile for the iPhone, with an expected launch in the first half of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season."(SB Nation)(1-31-2012)

No more 'secret' fines by NASCAR UPDATE: NASCAR will no longer fine its teams and drivers without making the fines public, the governing body announced Wednesday. NASCAR was criticized harshly last season after fining Brad Keselowski $25,000 for publicly criticizing NASCAR's switch to fuel injection and never making the fine public. The existence of the fine was uncovered by a media outlet and later confirmed by the Penske Racing driver. Other drivers have said they were fined in secret. Denny Hamlin was fined in 2010 for suggesting on Twitter that NASCAR issues phantom caution flags during races. Ryan Newman was fined that same season for critical comments about the racing at Talladega Superspeedway after a major wreck. NASCAR chairman Brian France said during the 2011 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway he would look into the issue and consider a change. It came on Wednesday. "NASCAR will no longer issue fines that are undisclosed,'' the governing body said in a statement. "We looked at this issue from every angle and gathered feedback from the industry. While there are always sensitivities related to sponsor relationships and other leagues may continue issuing disclosed and undisclosed fines, NASCAR has decided that all fines moving forward will be made public after the competitor or organization that has been penalized has been informed.''(ESPN.com)(1-26-2012)
UPDATE: NASCAR CEO Brian France said Thursday the sanctioning body still would fine its members for disparaging the sport in the wake of abolishing its policy of private punishments. "If you challenge the integrity of the sport, we're going to deal with that," France said. "What's really interesting is I can't tell you how many owners or drivers come up to me and say, 'Thanks for doing that because some of these comments were irresponsible and unhelpful to growing the sport.' Now, having said that, you can be critical of things you don't think we're doing well, in particular a race call. You can say, 'I don't think I was speeding; I disagree with that.' We understand that. It's when you go after the integrity of the sport is where we will step in, and they will be public." In the past two years, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman were punished for making comments (or in Hamlin's case, posting on Twitter) that NASCAR deemed detrimental to its brand. Keselowski privately was fined $25,000 for criticizing the switch to fuel injection during a fan forum at the NASCAR Hall of Fame last November. When news of the penalty leaked, it drew plenty of derision from fans and news media. "In terms of going public with it, we didn't have a real strong position on that," France said. "It seemed to bother some people in November when we talked about this. So we didn't feel strongly (about the fines being private). If (making them public) is something that people think is a good thing, we were happy to do it."(USA Today)(1-28-2012)

NASCAR to re-evaluate 'boys have at it' policy: NASCAR officials plan to re-evaluate its "boys have at it" policy going into the 2012 season and could strengthen its stance against drivers retaliating on the track. NASCAR loosened the reins on drivers in 2010, allowing them to police themselves on the track and retaliate when they believed another driver had intentionally wrecked them. The incidents intensified in 2011, and NASCAR officials acknowledged that things might have gotten out of hand near the end of the season. "We reflect on that at the end of the year and the season hasn't started yet, but there are some things that a group of us will sit down and talk about, and that is one of them," NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Thursday. "There were times that it got out of hand, and we're going to discuss what out of hand really is moving forward." Pemberton said he doesn't believe the trend of retaliation in general got out of hand, although specific incidents may have crossed the line. Pemberton, who coined the phrase "boys have at it" in 2010, believes NASCAR's original position of allowing drivers to police themselves still works. "It's working pretty well. It goes in stages," he said. "It works pretty well, then somebody gets outside the box and everybody gets the message and it goes back to working pretty well. But we can't take all of that for granted."(SceneDaily)(1-27-2012)

NASCAR's Brian France Says 'Sport Is In A Very Good Place': NASCAR and its stakeholders intend to build on the success of 2011 as the new season begins with the Feb. 26 Daytona 500 and other Speedweeks events at Daytona International Speedway. In his State of NASCAR remarks delivered during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said, "The sport is in a very good place and we're going to work even harder to achieve the very best things for the sport of NASCAR well into the future." France pointed to initiatives begun a year ago – a simplified points structure in all three national series and a "Wild Card" twist in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup that placed a greater emphasis on race victories – which culminated in what France called "a championship battle that will be talked about for decades to come." While the 2012 season will be one of continuity rather than major change, NASCAR will introduce electronic fuel injection into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and implement rules designed to restore traditional "pack racing" at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. "We have had a breathtaking number of close finishes at those tracks, but the fans want a mixture of styles including a return to a more traditional 'pack racing' and that close side-by-side competition that's unique to Talladega and Daytona," France said. "NASCAR and the teams are working hard on this and based on the test earlier this month, we're encouraged that we're making progress." France also said the sanctioning body continues to operate on a more collaborative method of maintaining and growing the industry by taking into consideration the thoughts and needs of teams, tracks, media partners and especially its fans. "The goal of this effort is to help us better serve our great fans, grow our audience and ensure that our sport stays relevant, vibrant and highly-valuable to sponsors and other partners critical to the health of NASCAR," said France. "The industry has never been more united in growing the sport." France said the organization is "very encouraged" by increased television ratings across its three national series – NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He also pointed to attendance gains at a number of venues. "While we are still in a tough economic climate that is still difficult, we are pleased with some positive steps we saw last year," he said. France and Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president, competition and racing development, touched on how EFI and the introduction in 2013 of re-styled NASCAR Sprint Cup cars from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota will make the sport more relevant to manufacturers and technology companies. "EFI excites the manufacturers and technology companies," said France, responding to questioning about NASCAR's embrace of technology. "To attract new companies (to the sport), we've had to take a little different view of that." Ford earlier this week unveiled its 2013 Fusion prototype with the other OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to follow in the near future. A closed test of the cars is scheduled early next month with additional testing to follow before final specifications are drawn.(NASCAR)(1-27-2012)

NASCAR starting Speedweeks with restrictor plate that ended test: NASCAR will return to Daytona International Speedway in February with the same restrictor plate that it left with when testing ended earlier this month. Teams were informed Friday of the rules configuration for Daytona, which includes a restrictor plate with holes 29/32nds of an inch in diameter. In hopes of limiting the use of the two-car draft used by the Sprint Cup cars during the Daytona 500, NASCAR officials have made changes that they hope would result in overheating if the two-car draft is used for an extended period of time during the race. The biggest change is the rear bumper has been moved two inches closer to the ground. Teams will have a front grille opening of 50 square inches - it was 40 square inches by the time testing ended last week at the 2.5-mile trioval. The radiator pressure release valve will be set at 25 psi, the same as it was when teams left Daytona on the final afternoon of testing.(Scene Daily)(1-23-2012)

France talks NASCAR Issues: NASCAR CEO Brian France recently sat down for an interview with Broadcasting & Cable that covered a variety of subjects:
You say you're pretty aggressive about what your TV partners need to do for NASCAR. What do you want from them?
We are always the sport that is under-covered given the ratings and size of the events. In particular, ESPN. They just have so many platforms. So we are pushing real hard with them to have a more integrated approach. We have hired people to service them better, so we can help them accomplish that. They have the most assets to be deployed; it doesn't mean everyone else doesn't have some big ones and good ones. We are going to work to make them a better partner.
Your TV deals are up in 2014, but when do your negotiating windows open with your current partners?
Not for a little while, but we are having conversations, because a lot of our partners have been clear they would prefer to renew. All things being equal, our first hope is that the incumbents do renew. . . I think [talks] could heat up at any time, that's my sense. It's not cold now, we are having conversations, my sense is things will happen sooner rather than later, and sooner than they normally would in a cycle of renewals.
Are you going to change the post-season Chase format?
I think I'd be shot if I changed the format, frankly. We are not going to change the format.
How much does it hurt that Dale Earnhardt Jr., your most marketable driver, doesn't win races?
It hurts. It hurts. He is trying to win and get his team to have the confidence to not only win one but rip off more. He did improve and made the Chase, he's a big franchise, he's the most popular driver in NASCAR, so it would help us if he would win.
Everyone talks about creating superstars, but does your sport need villains?
I think some version of a villain, yeah. I think you need people that no one cheers for, I think that's healthy. But there are limits to that. It's great when there is someone that acts different, has a little bit of bravado, that typically is good.(Broadcasting & Cable)(1-18-2012)

NASCAR close to finalizing Daytona package: Sprint Cup preseason testing ended at Daytona International Speedway Saturday afternoon with NASCAR saying it has a good handle on a workable rules package for February Speedweeks. Officials made numerous modifications during three days of testing at the 2.5-mile track with the aim of lessening driver dependence on the tandem drafting that have ruled racing at Daytona and Talladega in recent events. NASCAR and track officials seemed pleased with the results of the three days after drivers ran in single-car, double-car and pack formations. NASCAR compiled stacks of data during the test runs and expects to issue a final rules package for Speedweeks soon. There is the expectation that Speedweeks events - particularly the featured Feb. 26 Daytona 500 - will see more traditional pack racing and less tandem drafting, although the cars' setups remain such that the two-car draft could decide the race over the closing laps.(SPEED)(1-15-2012)

NASCAR moving forward with 2013 cars: The 2012 season hasn't even started, but the move toward new car models in 2013 is well under way. Manufacturers that compete in NASCAR's premier series have targeted next year to roll out new vehicles that will provide the carmakers with more brand identity on the race track. That process will gain speed during the next month or so, beginning with wind-tunnel tests and eventually an on-track session sometime later in 2012, according to the sanctioning body. "We'll be in the wind tunnel over the next 30, 45 days with the new prototypes as we do our evaluations on the submission cars, parts and pieces," Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president for competition, said Friday at Preseason Thunder. "Everybody seems to be pretty far along, and the changes that will come out of those will be based on parity due to the wind-tunnel numbers. We're optimistic that there will be some real race cars on race tracks probably in the second quarter this year doing some evaluation runs, if not before then. NASCAR president Mike Helton praised the cooperation between the carmakers, which decided with the sanctioning body's blessing to redesign the cars for next season.(NASCAR.com)(1-14-2012)

Helton doesn't expect short fields: There are 32 cars participating in this test at Daytona International Speedway. That number does not include some teams that folded during the offseason (such as Red Bull), some smaller outfits (such as Front Row Motorsports) and some that decided not to test (such as JTG Daugherty Racing). [NASCAR President Mike] Helton said he didn't think the number of teams participating in the test portended short fields for the regular season. "I think there is a good deal more activity out there than is represented by testing and some of the other things," he said, "and the fact that there will be in excess of 43 cars trying to make the Daytona 500 ... and we've been through cycles, particularly when we get to the June, July stretch, where we may only have 43 cars show up at the race track. But I don't see us going below 43 this year. I may be surprised, but I think just knowing the chatter and the conversations that we've had with race teams and organizations that either have participated or are going to participate, that we'll have full fields."(NASCAR.com)(1-14-2012)

NASCAR makes more rule changes: UPDATE - additional changes: If NASCAR's objective was to eliminate tandem drafting at restrictor-plate racetracks, it remains a work in progress, based on Thursday's first Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway. Accordingly, in a meeting with crew chiefs at approximately 5:30 p.m. Thursday, NASCAR announced additional modifications to a restrictor-plate competition package that already had undergone major changes in the offseason. Even though Kyle Busch topped the speed chart in Thursday afternoon's Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway at 202.402 mph-in a tandem draft with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano-NASCAR will make the cars faster, less stable and more prone to overheating on Friday. The sanctioning body increased the diameter of restrictor-plate openings 1/32nd of an inch to 15/16ths inches, adding an estimated 26 horsepower to the engines. In addition, NASCAR has lowered the pressure relief valve settings from 30 pounds per square inch to 25 psi and narrowed the grille openings of the cars, thereby decreasing airflow to the engine. Both measures are designed to decrease the number of laps one car can push another without overheating.(Sporting News)(1-12-2012)
UPDATE: NASCAR announced more changes for Sprint Cup Series teams after the second day of testing at Daytona International Speedway on Friday. Teams will receive a smaller restrictor plate with an opening of 29/32nd of an inch, down from 15/16ths, to decrease the amount of air intake to the engine. The radiator opening was shrunk from 3.5-by-18 inches to 2-by-20 inches, or from 63 square inches to 40. And the pressure relief valve is now 21 pounds per square inch from the 25psi they used Friday. The top speed in Friday's test session was set 90 minutes into the afternoon by Kurt Busch. He ran a 206.058-mph average lap working in tandem with his regular drafting partner, Regan Smith. Busch hit 210.9 mph down the backstretch, the fastest portion of the track.(Fox Sports)(1-13-2012)

Drivers prohibited from communicating with each other over radio: NASCAR has mandated that drivers and spotters will not be allowed to communicate with other drivers over their in-car radios in an ongoing effort to eliminate tandem racing at restrictor plate tracks. The decision was confirmed Thursday as teams prepared for the first of a three-day test at Daytona International Speedway, a tune-up for the Feb. 26 Daytona 500. Over the past few years, as teams have refined their ability to team up with other cars to create more speed, drivers and spotters have had the ability to talk to multiple teams over their radios. They used it to coordinate which cars would pair up and to help drivers switch from pusher to pushee. By eliminating such communication, NASCAR hopes teams will have a more difficult time making deals and remaining in pairs. The driver pushing especially needs this communication because he has little to no visibility. It was so refined that one spotter would communicate for both drivers even if one of the drivers wasn't with his organization. This is racing's latest rule change to address the two-car tandem that surveys indicate fans would like to see eliminated.(ESPN)(1-12-2012)