NASCAR Daily News Headlines * December 8, 2008

Brian Ickler Wins Snowball Derby ~ UPDATE, Disqualified

Augie Grill Wins After Ickler DQ'ed

After several minutes, Brooks emerged from the tech shed with the winner’s trophy. Without saying a word, Brooks placed the trophy on the roof of Grill’s car to the cheers of his family, friends, fans and crew. Meanwhile, Ickler walked slowly away from the tech area and back to his transporter – obviously very dejected.

The reason for the ruling was the placement of an electric brake blower onto the tire and wheel. This is forbidden in the Five Flags Speedway rulebook. Grill’s car passed technical inspection and he will go down as the official winner of the event. With the change, Grant Enfinger now moves up to second place. He was followed in the rundown by Matt Hawkins, Shane Sieg, Bubba Pollard, David Rodgers, Hunter Robbins, Dennis Schoenfeld, Heath Hindman and Paul Kelley.(speed51.com)

Gordon Offers To Cut Salary

Gordon, who drives the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, understands that the economic problems confronting big-time stock car racing are far more generalized than the specific troubles that have beset U.S. automakers General Motors, Ford and Chrysler and have forced the Big Three to go hat-in-hand to Congress.

"I'm taking a hit regardless of what happens with GM, through some other sponsors and personal endorsements," Gordon said. "It's affecting all of us in some way, somehow. This is not a laughing matter. It's tough times. It's something to be very serious about. We not only have to pay attention to raising money and finding companies out there to do that with, but we also have to watch our costs as well and not be exuberant."

Nicorette, which sponsored Gordon's car for eight of 36 Cup races, won't be back in 2009. National Guard, currently on teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevy, is rumored to be moving to Gordon. "We have replaced them," Gordon acknowledged in response to a question about Nicorette.

Gordon, however, hasn't replaced his lucrative endorsement deal with manufacturing giant Georgia Pacific, an indication that times are tough all over. "Georgia Pacific was a personal endorsement of mine, and they were on the car as well, but they were a big endorser, and they're not coming back," Gordon said. "When it's been escalating going up, and then you get to a year when it's going to take a dip, it gets your attention -- and it's going to get all of our attention."

Sponsors, clearly, are critical to the successful operation of a top-echelon Cup team. Gordon acknowledged Friday that his annual salary is roughly a third of the No. 24 team's annual budget. It takes somewhere near $30 million to operate a championship-caliber team for a year. Do the math. Gordon is willing to sacrifice salary in lieu of sacrificing performance, if it comes to that.

"The way I look at is that I always say to (team owner) Rick Hendrick, 'I'll do whatever it takes for us to have the best team we can possibly have,' Gordon said. "If that means take part of my salary to keep certain people on or to hire certain people, I'll do it."

Gordon doesn't apologize for the lifestyle he has earned, but he does admit to pangs of guilt dating to his first purchase of an expensive motor home, an accessory that's almost a requirement in the Cup garage.

"It's stupid what we spend on motor homes and planes and all this," he said. "Do we need that? No. But things have been good for us. The sport's been good. I'm living this way because things have been very good. Now, obviously, we're having to cut back, and I have to cut back, too. If me and Rick Hendrick sit down and we talk about the position that we're in -- obviously I'm not the only one -- but I would be open to it. Listen, I never (got into) this to make millions of dollars. I never dreamed in a million years I was going to make this kind of money. This is ridiculous.(sportingnews.com)

Loomis Denies Merger

"There is a lot of discussion going on, but the 43 car (driven by Bobby Labonte) and Richard Petty will be at the track next year," Petty executive Robbie Loomis told the Charlotte Observer. "I feel very confident in saying that everything is moving forward in our sponsorship drive. We are on track for the 43 car, but the second car is up in the air."

The newspaper reported that Chad McCumbee is under contract to drive the second Petty car next season, but the team is still trying to lock down full sponsorship for Labonte and his no. 43 Dodge.

"We're working in the shop that we're in, preparing cars for next season, and we plan on racing from right there where we are," Loomis added.(upi.com)