NASCAR Daily News Headlines * May 8, 2008

Edwards Joins SPEED Crew

Edwards, who has also co-hosted SPEED’s The Chase is On with Steve Byrnes the previous two seasons, will reprise his role as a pit road reporter during the preliminary NASCAR Sprint All-Star Showdown. Last year, he just missed the All-Star Race when he finished third in the Showdown, opening an opportunity for SPEED to use Edward’s off-track talents to cover the All-Star Race nightcap.

The Columbia, Mo. native has won three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this season, and is among those already qualified for this year’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV.

Edwards will join Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Dick Berggren on pit road, while Krista Voda and Jeff Hammonds will host SPEED’s Sprint All-Star Race coverage. Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds will be calling the race from the broadcast booth.

Fuel Cost Affecting Teams

"It affects all of us, anybody that's in business," said car owner Richard Childress. "Getting our cars to the racetracks costs a ton in gas money for the haulers. Bringing our people to the tracks, the rising costs of jet fuel. It's very, very expensive to do what we're doing."

Childress, owner of a highly successful race team, isn't complaining. Nor are the drivers who pull in multimillion dollar salaries and don't flinch at $85 fill-ups on their luxury SUV's. But no one in NASCAR is immune to the weakening economy and rising costs on fuel. Just because they can afford it, doesn't mean they aren't feeling the pinch.

Under Sunoco's deal with NASCAR, teams are provided free fuel at any sanctioned test, practice or race for all three top divisions. A company spokeswoman said it's impossible to determine just how much fuel is used per weekend because of fluctuations in schedules, weather and the teams' practice times each week.

When teams tested earlier this week at Lowe's Motor Speedway, their gas was once again free. But the good teams test a lot, traveling all over the South to facilities not sanctioned by NASCAR. Sunoco doesn't cover those all-day sessions, and a race team typically brings a 55-gallon drum of gas to get them through the test. Of course, it's all budgeted for long before the season even starts. And teams aren't affected by the oft-changing fluctuations in fuel costs under the Sunoco deal.

Even so, there are critics who complain that NASCAR races are dipping into the national supply. But NASCAR officials claim the amount of fuel being used -- less than 175,000 gallons per year on the Sprint Cup Series -- doesn't come close to the 366 million gallons that Americans average in daily usage.

So NASCAR has no current plans to shorten races, as it did in the early 1970s when OPEC hoarded oil to increase prices, causing long lines at the pumps...MORE...(espn.go.com)

Hendrick Museum Reopens

"We are extremely proud of this museum, and we hope our fans will enjoy it," team owner Rick Hendrick said. "We've had a lot of success and a lot of special moments over the years, and it's humbling to reflect on that. But the one thing we always keep in mind is that it wouldn't be possible without our fans' support."

Throughout the year, the museum will exhibit a rotating stable of famous Chevrolets -- such as an original All-Star Racing entry, multiple Daytona 500 champions and the inaugural Brickyard 400 winner. Featured currently are cars driven by Geoff Bodine, Tim Richmond, Ken Schrader and Ricky Hendrick, among others. Visitors will be met at the entrance by the Monte Carlo SS that Johnson drove at Homestead-Miami Speedway to clinch the 2007 Sprint Cup Series title.

Highlighted by Hendrick's 11 NASCAR championships, the museum will showcase significant memorabilia from nearly three decades of competition. Unique items on display include dozens of trophies collected over the years by Hendrick's teams, a "Days of Thunder" movie manuscript and personal notes from actor Tom Cruise to Rick Hendrick.

The facility, which first opened its doors in October 1995, blends the company's past with its present in cutting-edge ways. Notably, visitors can check out the No. 48 "war wagon" used during the team's 2006 championship season, get up close and personal with a Chevrolet R07 engine, sit in a carbon-fiber racing seat, and see how pieces of an Impala SS come together in a one-of-a-kind automated exhibit. Flat-panel televisions throughout the museum feature original content.

To complete their Hendrick Motorsports experience, fans can check out the race shops, which also are open to the public and feature the Nos. 5, 24, 48 and 88 Sprint Cup teams of Mears, Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt. There, fans can watch crew members work on this season's cars and see even more from the organization's storied past.

The Hendrick Motorsports museum is open to the public from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Visitors can find special announcements, extended race-week hours, driving directions and additional information related to the museum at (www.HendrickMotorsports.com).

Nationwide Series Will Test