NASCAR Daily News Headlines * December 17, 2007

Schumacher Beats Johnson In ROC

Afterward, Johnson was visibly steamed.

"Hell yeah I'm [upset] -- I want to win," said Johnson, the two-time defending NASCAR Nextel Cup champion. "I went out and did all that I could. I just do not understand the four-wheel drive, hand brake, rally car driving. I don't have a lot of experience at it, and to show the level that he showed in the car, I think he's had some days in it. He certainly navigated."

Other than ROC, Johnson has never driven a four-wheel drive car in competition. Then again, the same goes for Schumacher, who would later stall the same car -- the Fiat Abarth rally car -- in which he beat Johnson at the starting line in a loss to Finnish F1 star Heikki Kovalainen. "Even guys in the drivers' room were like, 'That's pretty good for an asphalt guy driving like a Pro Rally guy,'" Johnson said. "But he did an awesome job. I wasn't even close."

Mistakes cost Johnson dearly. More than once, he mistakenly grabbed the hand brake rather than the gear shift. Again, that goes back to lack of experience in these types of cars.

After the race, Schumacher insisted he'd never run the cars before this week, nor before his last previous ROC appearance, in 2004. In fact, in racing Johnson, Schumacher felt he had some trouble with the Fiat. "I didn't get so well along with the rally car," Schumacher said. "I need some open wheels. They spin more easily for me."

Asked about the outcome, Schumacher was matter of fact. "I won it, so it was straightforward," he said.(espn.go.com)

Busch Points Switched To Hornish

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said the sanctioning body had signed off on the transfer.

Hornish, a former Indianapolis 500 winner, is leaving that series for NASCAR next season. But his No. 77 Dodge won't be one of the 35 cars locked into the first five races of the year. As the 2004 series champion, Busch has a provisional position that he could fall back on should he fail to qualify on speed. Penske said last month that he had not decided if he would give Hornish the points Busch earned because the focus was not on the first month of the season.

But not taking the points put Hornish at risk of not making early races, and a failure to qualify could cripple his first full Sprint Cup season. Of the five new teams that started last season outside of the top 35, all missed early races, fell into a deep hole and never recovered. This swap will prevent that for Hornish, who failed to make the first six races he attempted to qualify for last season. He finally made it into the field at Phoenix and Homestead, Fla., and finished 30 and 37th in his only two starts.

Locking him into the field will give Hornish an edge on former open-wheel drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier, who will not be in cars guaranteed a starting spot. Reigning IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, however, will enter the series locked into the top 35. (canadianpress.google.com)

GoDaddy.com To Sponsor No. 5 Nationwide Car

"I'm very proud of this car, and I'm looking forward to driving it and representing GoDaddy.com in select Nationwide Series races this year," Earnhardt said. "It's racy and edgy. It's a sharp-looking car, and we are going to have some fun driving it this year."

A two-time Nationwide Series champion, Earnhardt will pilot the No. 5 Chevrolets April 5 at Texas Motor Speedway and Aug. 9 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. In just five combined Nationwide starts, the 32-year-old driver has posted one career victory at each venue. Mark Martin, the all-time leader in Nationwide wins, will pilot the No. 5 cars May 9 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Aug. 16 at Michigan International Speedway and Sept. 27 at Kansas Speedway. Canadian road racing ace Ron Fellows will take over Aug. 2 at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

With 72 Nationwide victories between them, Earnhardt (22 wins), Martin (47 wins) and Fellows (three road-course wins) comprise a formidable lineup for first-time NASCAR team sponsor GoDaddy.com, which will also serve as an associate-level partner on the No. 5 cars all season.

"We are excited to join Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports for our first NASCAR sponsorship," said Bob Parsons, CEO and founder of GoDaddy.com, an industry leading Internet company that helps individuals and businesses build their online presence. "It's a natural fit. These guys are all about winning and being the best -- that's exactly what GoDaddy.com is about."

JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports officially combined NASCAR Nationwide Series operations following the conclusion of the 2007 racing season. The No. 5 Chevrolets will be fielded full-time under the JR Motorsports banner in 2008.

"The effort both Dale and Rick Hendrick have put forth in combining their resources, cars, and team personnel is very much indicative of their commitment to this Nationwide Series program," said Kelley Elledge, vice president and general manager of JR Motorsports. "The dynamics of this relationship have opened the doors to new sponsor partners like GoDaddy.com, which are essential to our future success. We look forward to seeing Dale, Mark Martin and Ron Fellows driving the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in six races this season."

Go Daddy's first auto racing sponsorship was with the Indy Racing League's Danica Patrick. The IRL's most popular driver became a "Go Daddy Girl" in December 2006 and appeared in Go Daddy's 2007 Super Bowl commercial.