DEI May Buy No. 13 Team
Dale Earnhardt Inc. is looking to expand its Nextel Cup operation and has inquired about acquiring an existing team. DEI vice president John Story declined to name teams with which DEI has talked, but multiple sources confirmed that Ginn Racing's team, driven by Lakeland's Joe Nemechek, is the prime target.

Nemechek's No. 13 Chevrolet, which is not fully sponsored, is 33rd in owner points and Ginn has had some financial difficulties this season. Officials with Ginn Racing were not immediately available for comment late Monday.

Story said Monday that the purchase of a team in the top 35 of car owner points would be used to shore up DEI's No. 15 team driven by Paul Menard. Menard is 39th in owner points and has failed to qualify for six races. The top 35 teams are guaranteed spots in a 43-car Cup field.(theledger.com)

Jeff Gordon Wins ESPY Award
Jimmie Johnson won the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship but sports fans still recognized Jeff Gordon for his skillful driving. Via on-line voting by sports fans, Gordon won the “Best Driver” Award Wednesday night at the 15th Annual ESPY Awards held in the Kodak Theatre. Gordon bested his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick, IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr., Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti and NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher.

“Winning an ESPY is an honor,” Gordon said. “It’s one of the most prestigious awards in sports. It’s a credit to how the No. 24 DuPont team performed over the last year. Hopefully we can continue to have success through the end of this season and be in contention for next year’s award as well.”

In addition, “Talladega Nights,” the popular comedy starring Will Farrell, gave NASCAR its second victory of the night by winning in the “Best Sports Movie” category. Other films in the category were “We Are Marshall,” “Pride,” and “Invincible.”

"Clearly, the movie was terrific because of the unbelievable talents of Will Farrell, director Adam McKay and their team," said Dick Glover, NASCAR Vice President for Broadcasting and New Media. "Talladega Nights was a fun experience for both NASCAR fans and non-fans. It was a mixture of realistic racing action and hilarious comedy. But what's really exciting about this ESPY is the fact that fans decided the category winner. This is the best form of fan feedback you can have. In this case we know that we provided something they truly enjoyed."

Johnson was also nominated in the “Best Championship Performance” category. That award went to Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. Harvick was also part of another nomination for NASCAR, as this year’s Daytona 500 – in which Harvick edged Mark Martin by 0.02-seconds – was nominated in the “Best Finish” category. That award was won by last September’s 11-10 Los Angeles Dodgers victory over the San Diego Padres; the Dodgers had four consecutive home runs in the ninth inning to tie the game 9-9, then had another homer in the 10th inning to win.

Wednesday night’s ceremonies were hosted by comedian/talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and NBA star LeBron James. The show will be broadcast on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, on ESPN.

NASCAR Stars At Blaney's Track
NASCAR Stars Dave Blaney, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick will have some company on Aug. 14 during the "NASCAR Duel on the Sharon Speedway Dirt", as Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 07 Richard Childress Chevrolet, has been added to the list of drivers scheduled to race e-mods on an evening featuring an open sprint car race.

For the first time in Sharon Speedway history, an open 410 Sprint Car $5,000 to win feature will take center stage with NASCAR stars in attendance. The area's elite winged sprint car drivers will battle for 50 laps and a $5,000 crown on Sharon's 3/8-mile dirt on Aug. 14. Drivers from the tri-state area are expected to compete.

Blaney, Stewart, Harvick and Bowyer, along with the possibility of other potential additions to be announced, will also take to the 3/8-mile dirt oval at Sharon Speedway as part of a $1,000 to win e-mod race slated for Aug. 14. The area's best e-mod drivers will duel with some of NASCAR's stars at Sharon Speedway in a 25-lap e-mod feature.

Bowyer, an Emporia, Kan. native, is currently in his second full season on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit as the driver of the No. 07 machine. Bowyer, who is an acclaimed dirt modified driver in the Midwest, will be making his first visit to Sharon Speedway when he battles Blaney, Stewart, Harvick and a host of local e-mod drivers.

Tickets for the "NASCAR Duel on the Sharon Speedway Dirt" will cost $25 for adults and just $5 for kids (age 2-13), with reserved seats just $2 more. For an opportunity to get into the pit area, and possibly meet the NASCAR stars, fans are encouraged to secure a pit pass for $30. A reserved seat/pit pass combo is also available at a price of $45.(whowon.com)

Gordon Talks About Baby
Jeff Gordon co-hosted ABC's "Live with Regis and Kelly" on Monday and talked about the birth of his daughter, Ella Sofia Gordon and about Belgian model-actress wife, Ingrid Vandebosch. Ella was born on June 20, and Gordon and Vandebosch released new photos of her on Monday. "A good friend of ours took those pictures," Gordon explained. "They turned out fantastic."

It's only been a few weeks, but Gordon, 35, a first-time father, says parenthood has already changed him. "It's all I want to talk about now – just about babies, about kids," he said, adding that he has "a whole new respect, not just for parents, but especially for moms."

Kelly Ripa teased Gordon about whether his competitive instincts made it hard for him to be in the delivery room, where he could provide emotional support but little else.

"No competition when it comes to that," he said, but added: "My emotions were just all over the place, because I was kind of helpless. She's having the baby, and there's nothing I can do except get the doctors. I'm sure that was very helpful, though."

Boat Owned by Kyle Busch In Incident
The pilot of a boat owned by NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was cited on alcohol charges on the Fourth of July. Lake patrol officers said the 44-foot cabin cruiser came within inches of hitting the boat of a lake patrol officer who had his blue lights on and was citing another boater.

Two other lake patrol officers witnessed the near collision and rushed to the scene, thinking that the cabin cruiser, owned by Kyle Busch, had actually hit the other officer's boat. Those officers said the person operating Busch's boat, who officials later identified as a front tire changer for a NASCAR team, realized he was in trouble and got his girlfriend to take the pilot's seat while he went into the cabin.

The two other lake patrol officers saw the switch, caught up to the cabin cruiser and stopped it. The boat's pilot was cited for boating while intoxicated, operating a boat with insufficient lifejackets, failure to move over for blue lights and careless and reckless boating.

Kyle Busch was a passenger on the cabin cruiser but he was not piloting the boat. He owns the boat but he is not facing any charges. The boat is actually registered to NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, because Busch had just bought it and he had not changed the registration yet.(macon.com)

Dover Offers Ticket Insurance
If an event at the Monster Mile is postponed due to weather — as it was for the June 3, 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race — fans who opt for event ticket insurance can now take comfort knowing that they will receive a full refund if they must work on the date of the rescheduled event. The new insurance option, provided by World Access, provides greater peace of mind and offers a full refund of the purchase price if the Dover ticket holder cannot attend the event for a number of unforeseen personal, medical or travel reasons.

Dover International Speedway leads the way by becoming the first motorsports venue hosting NASCAR-sanctioned events to offer this level of service and protection for its fans. The insurance may be used for all NASCAR events held at Dover International Speedway, including the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and NASCAR Busch East Series races. All add-on fan hospitality options at Dover, like the Monster Mile Club and Blue Crew Premium Seating, may also be insured.

“We realize that fans choosing to attend NASCAR NEXTEL Cup events are making a significant entertainment investment in time and money, along with some assumed risk,” said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. “This new option from World Access allows our fans to feel secure about their ticket purchase, knowing that they will not experience a financial loss if they can’t get to a race for a covered reason. This is an excellent feature that will enable them to purchase their Dover tickets in advance, with confidence.”

All Dover fans will have the opportunity to add the event ticket insurance to their September 21-23, 2007 race tickets, beginning in late-July 2007. For more information, visit (www.DoverSpeedway.com) or by call the ticket office at 800-441-RACE.

Dover International Speedway is partnering with World Access, a leading insurance and assistance company, to provide this coverage. World Access supplies the travel industry, financial institutions and healthcare companies with a wide variety of customized travel insurance and assistance services.

The event ticket insurance is available for 5 % of your total purchase, with a $ 6.25 minimum. If a medical issue, a traffic accident, a mechanical breakdown, or any of the other covered categories prevent the insured from attending an event, 100% of the ticket price, including shipping fees, is returned to the covered person.

Dover fans who choose the event ticket insurance will receive reimbursement from World Access for their total purchase in the case of:

• Work obligation – if your employer requires you to work during the event.
• Illness or serious injury – preventing the ticket holder from being able to attend an event.
• Care for a family member – serious injury to a family member, requiring the ticket holder to provide care.
• Traffic accidents – which could delay or prevent the ticket holder from getting to an event.
• Mechanical breakdown – if your car breaks down within 48 hours of the event.
• Airline delay – if your plane or other common carrier is delayed (includes bad weather) while going to the event.
• Home or business issues – if your home or business is uninhabitable due to fire, flood, vandalism, burglary or natural disaster.
• Felonious assault – if the ticket holder is the victim of a felonious assault within 10 days of the event.
• Employer termination – providing the ticket holder protection against a lay off.
• Jury duty – if the ticket holder is required to serve on jury duty after having purchased an event ticket.
• Work relocation – if you are relocated by your company over 100 miles from your home.
• Military duty – if the ticket holder is required to miss an event as a result of military orders.

The three other Dover Motorsports, Inc. venues — Gateway International Raceway, Memphis Motorsports Park and Nashville Superspeedway — will soon provide this same insurance option for their events.

Tickets are still available for the entire Sept. 21-23, 2007 Dover International Speedway race weekend and can be obtained by (clicking here) or calling 800-441-RACE.

Kennedy-Klemm Funeral Set For Friday
The funeral arrangements for Dr. Bruce Kennedy and Michael Klemm have been scheduled for this Friday at Seabreeze United Church in Daytona Beach. The services for Dr. Kennedy are scheduled for 11 a.m. and the services for Michael Klemm are scheduled for 5 p.m. The Klemm family will receive guests at the 500 Club (located in the infield at Daytona International Speedway) immediately after the church service. Both services are open to the public and employees are welcome to attend.

Seabreeze United Church is located at 501 N. Wild Olive Ave., on Daytona’s “beachside,” between Seabreeze and Oakridge boulevards.

In lieu of flowers, the Kennedy family requests that donations can be made to the Halifax Medical Center Foundation, C/O Bruce Kennedy Memorial Fund, 303 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach FL 32120.

The Klemm family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either the American Heart Association, C/O Michael Klemm, 1101 Northchase Parkway, Marietta, GA 30067 or Camp Boggy Creek, C/O Michael Klemm, 30500 Brantley Branch Road, Eustis, FL 32736.

NASCAR Fines Greg Conner
NASCAR announced that Greg Conner, crew chief of the No. 59 Ford driven by Marcos Ambrose in the NASCAR Busch Series, has been fined due to rule violations at Daytona International Speedway.

Conner was fined $1,000 for violating Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing), 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used that do not conform to NASCAR rules) and 20A – 2.1E (unapproved aerodynamic modification) of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Rule Book.

The infractions were discovered during opening pre-qualifying inspection on July 6.