NASCAR Daily News Headlines * November 23, 2008

Busch To Run For Nationwide Title In 2009

While Busch, who led the league last season with 10 victories, was one of only two of the top-10 drivers in the 2008 standings who missed the Media Day for Saturday's Nationwide Series awards banquet, de Souza made it clear what the organization's intention was. Dave Rogers, the crew chief for JGR's owners' championship-winning No. 20 Toyota, said that he'd work another combination season, with Gibbs' Sprint Cup drivers Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano doing most of the races. He said Busch would run a full schedule in the No. 18 Camry with crew chief Jason Ratcliff.

"Obviously we're real excited," de Souza said. "We still have a few more t's to cross and i's to dot, but Kyle's made it well-known to us -- actually when he came [to Gibbs] he wanted to [run the full schedule], but we were already [planned-out] and we couldn't do that.

"But he and J.D. [Gibbs, team president] and Joe [Gibbs, team owner] have talked a lot about it and I think we'd love to do it for him. He's basically said, 'I'd like a shot at it before I get too far down the road in age and I've got too many priorities where I just can't do it; because I've got the desire.'(nascar.com)

A Look Back At Talladega

As the son of NASCAR great Bobby Allison and nephew of Donnie Allison, Davey had high expectations to live up to behind the wheel of a stock car, especially at Talladega Superspeedway. The largely Alabama crowd looked for the second generation “Alabama Gang” member to carry on the winning tradition established by his father and uncle. It was an expectation that the young driver relished.

“Talladega,” Allison said in an early interview, “I can’t really explain it. I’ve always felt at home at Talladega. It’s clearly my favorite speedway”

After a third place finish in his first start at Talladega, Allison would win the next three ARCA RE/MAX Series events at the 2.66 mile speedway, twice after starting from the pole. A thirteenth place finish in the July 1984 ARCA event wouldn’t deter Allison who won again in May of 1985. In his first six starts at Talladega, Allison won four times with a low of thirteenth.

Allison would find that success didn’t come quite as quickly in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, requiring three tries to earn his first win at NASCAR’s Most Competitive Track in the 1987 Winston 500 (now Aaron’s 499). It was also Allison’s first win in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. “Not a bad way to start a Winston Cup career, is it,” his father Bobby said of the win.

In all, Davey Allison won eight times at Talladega Superspeedway in only 11 years of competition (three NASCAR Sprint Cup, four ARCA and one IROC), placing him second on the all-time track wins list, behind Dale Earnhardt.

In 2009, Talladega Superspeedway proudly celebrates forty years of the most competitive racing in NASCAR. While the track has seen changes made to the cars that circle its high-banks, the surface that they race on and the grandstands that thousands of fans fill twice a year, one constant remains; Talladega Superspeedway is authentic NASCAR racing at its finest.

Race fans should make plans now to experience part of Talladega’s history in 2009 during the triple-header, Aaron’s Dream Weekend, April 24-26, featuring the ARCA RE/MAX Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. For tickets, visit (www.talladegasuperspeedway.com) or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA. For our hearing impaired guests, please call TDD 1-866-ISC-TRAK (1-866-472-8725). Tickets also are available in person by visiting the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. CDT, Monday- Friday.

Landon Cassill Without Ride

Names such as Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and now David Ragan are well entrenched in the Sprint Cup Series for 2009. Only 2006 rookie of the year Danny O'Quinn Jr. has never had the opportunity to drive in a full Cup season.

But for 2009, and despite having the sport's most popular driver solidly in his corner, Cassill's in the precarious position of knowing he has a job, with Hendrick Motorsports, but he doesn't have a ride, due to lack of sponsorship.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns JR Motorsports, the team that fielded Cassill's cars, in a partnership with Hendrick Motorsports. Even that has gained the team little more than enough sponsorship to run Cassill's full-time Nationwide Series teammate, Brad Keselowski, in 2009.

"Well, I was proud of Landon," Earnhardt said of his rookie champion. "He did a good job for the most part of the year. He got the finishes he needed to win. He had some pretty good competition [with] Bryan [Clauson]. He [Cassill] got some really good finishes at parts of the year and showed he's got a lot of talent."

That may end up being the best thing Cassill has going for him after he became only the third driver to win the title while running a partial schedule, following O'Quinn and David Stremme, who won in 2003.(nascar.com)

Wyler Racing Looks To Expand

Three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Jack Sprague, the current driver of the No. 60 Toyota, and Wyler Racing would like to stay together, but the pair is looking for marketing partners to support the 2007 Daytona winner. Sprague and Wyler Racing have made a potent combination in the past, as together they have went to Victory Lane three times, including the 2007 season opener at Daytona, earned four poles, 18 top-five and 27 top-ten finishes.

“I am really hoping to stay with Wyler Racing for the 2009 season and running for that fourth championship,” said Sprague. “It is not the best of economics times right now and sponsorship is hard to come by. I am confident in the product we put on the track for a sponsor and in my opinion you cannot find better owners in this sport than the Wyler’s. We are working hard on some sponsorship programs and welcome the opportunity to have that partner come on board and add the last piece to this championship puzzle.”

In addition, Sprague would serve as a mentor to an up-and-coming driver who already has backing from a company. Sprague and the young driver, who will pilot the second entry, would look to bring Wyler Racing back to their winning ways.