NASCAR Daily News Headlines * December 10, 2008

Mike Mulhern's Job Cut

One of those let go was Mike Mulhern, who covered his last NASCAR race for the Journal last month. The paper has ended full-time staff coverage of stock car racing. Mulhern has covered NASCAR for 34 of his 35 years at the Journal.(news-record.com)

Hot Pass Will Change

“Hot Pass as we know it today is changing,” Poston said in a statement. “Fans are still going to get unique content from DirecTV, but they won’t be getting fully produced channels. We’re still in discussion with DirecTV for enhancements for 2009.”(scenedaily.com)

Tire Test At Las Vegas

Carl Edwards, who won this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup event at LVMS, will be joined by Mark Martin, Brian Vickers and David Stremme for testing this week. For Martin, it will be a chance to get acquainted with Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet, which he will pilot in the 2009 season. Vickers will be in the Red Bull Toyota, and Stremme will be in his new Penske Dodge. Stremme has replaced Ryan Newman in the No. 12 car for next season.

“These two days in Vegas are going to be, quite possibly, the two most important days of our 2009 season," said Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Martin. “With NASCAR's latest ‘no testing’ rule, we are very fortunate to have been invited by Goodyear to this test. This gives us two extra days on an intermediate track that only three other teams are getting. We need to maximize that time all we can.”

Goodyear and race teams will be testing in preparation for March 1 Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The test will be closed to the public.

Tickets remain available for the 2009 NASCAR Weekend. Racing begins on the superspeedway Friday, Feb. 27 with practice and Z-Max Pole Day. The Sam’s Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide race will be Saturday, Feb. 28. There also will be two nights of racing on the dirt track Feb. 25-26. Passes for the Neon Garage, Lucky 7 Preferred parking and driver introductions also are available by calling 1-800-644-4444 or logging on to (www.lvms.com).

Dover Unviels New Logo

The new logo features Dover's familiar bold red color along with a single wavy checkered flag above the word "Dover." The words "International Speedway" are centered below giving the logo motion and speed. A short video on the track's website, (www.DoverSpeedway.com), recaps Dover's company logos since its inception in 1969.

"The new logo reflects the all-new Dover," said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. "Coming off two consecutive years of significant capital improvements and the energy created by our 40th anniversary season, we thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to update and modernize the logo. The "Monster Makeover" isn't just a capital improvement project; it's a plan to revitalize the speedway as a whole, and this new logo is another example of that."

The Monster Makeover is a multi-year, multi-million dollar capital improvement project at Dover. The first phase of construction was completed in 2007 and included a new skybox complex, an expansion of the Infield Media Center and continued beautification of the entire property. In 2008, Dover unveiled the Monster Monument at Victory Plaza, presented by AAA, a 46-foot-tall structure depicting the track’s signature character Miles the Monster. Other construction projects included a new main entranceway for fans on race weekend, an expansion of the FanZone display area, and the addition of a new emergency services building.

The one-mile, high-banked track has been a fixture on the NASCAR schedule since 1969, and continues to host NASCAR's three national touring series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – as well as the NASCAR Camping World Series, a regional touring series.

Tickets for the May 29-31, 2009 NASCAR tripleheader race weekend are currently on sale. Tickets for Dover's second annual race weekend, scheduled for Sept. 25-27, 2009, will go on sale on Monday, Dec. 15, 2008.

Dover International Speedway continues to offer event ticket insurance for all events, along with an array of ticket options including special three-day ticket packages, all-inclusive hospitality packages, early buy discounts, and a variety of payment plans. To purchase tickets, or for more information, call 800-441-RACE or visit (www.DoverSpeedway.com).

Clawson Loses Nationwide Ride

The laid-off crew members were told Monday, Parrott said, and Earnhardt Ganassi is trying to sell its inventory of Nationwide Dodges. Clauson remains under contract with the team but said Wednesday his plans for 2009 are unknown. The 19-year-old finished second in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings in the Nationwide Series this season.

Parrott said sponsor Fastenal left Earnhardt Ganassi and is searching for another team. Parrott also hopes to bring a core group of crewmen with him to another team, if sponsorship can be found. “I’ve got my name out there already, trying to beat down as many doors as I can because I know there’s a lot of people needing jobs,” Parrott said. “I’ve got a group of guys that have been together for three years. We can go as separate people, or we can go as a team.”

Parrott has talked to two owners who want to bring him and his crewmen together, pending sponsorship. “They said, ‘Brad, you’re at the top of our list if we can get this deal done,’” Parrott said. “They’re very close on the deals, and that’s them telling me I’m at the top of their list.”(scenedaily.com)

Benson To Run Bobsled

The event raises money for the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, which produces American-made sleds for U.S. athletes in the World Cup, World Championships and Olympic Winter Games.