Jamie McMurray Wins Pepsi 400
If your butcher sliced your meat this thin, you'd starve to death. Thirty-one year-old Jamie McMurray hadn't been to Victory Lane for five years, a 166 race stretch that had him shaking his head as to why not but all of that ended on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway in the Pepsi 400. Kyle Busch had other ideas. Busch had won the postponed Busch Series race on Saturday morning and was going for a doubleheader win. Busch was ahead of McMurray on the track with 20 feet to go but McMurray surged by Busch in the final few feet to win, in a photo-finish, his second career Nextel Cup race. McMurray started 15th and worked his way to the front before incurring a "yellow line penalty" that put him at the rear of the field. McMurray and his team clawed their way back toward the front and gave themselves the opportunity to win. McMurray gave all the credit for the victory to his teammate, Carl Edwards, who he said pushed him into the lead. The difference in the race was five one-thousandths of a second. (.005)

“I’ve said for however long it has been that there would never be another victory like the one at Charlotte,” McMurray said, speaking of his victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway in October of 2002 when he was filling in for an injured Sterling Marlin. “But when you wait so long to win, it’s just incredible. I can't believe I am in victory lane at Daytona, of all places.”

Kurt Busch finished third behind his brother, Carl Edwards was fourth and Jeff Gordon was fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson. The Rookie of the race was David Ragan. Ragan finished 12th and took Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the eighth time this season and for the second consecutive race. The Nextel Cup moves to Chicagoland Speedway next Sunday for the USG Sheetrock 400. The race will be televised live on TNT, scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern time.
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Kyle Busch Wins Winn-Dixie 250
The Winn-Dixie 250 Busch Series race wasn't planned to be a morning race but heavy rain in the Daytona Beach area forced postponement of the race from Friday night to Saturday morning, starting at 9 a.m. (6 a.m. on the West coast). Kevin Harvick looked to have the car to beat early in the 102 lap race but handling problems and several pit mistakes, put him near the rear of the field several times. Each time Harvick was able to drive back to the front.

Kyle Busch was the winner, holding off Kevin Harvick in a green-white-checkers finish. Busch has been close to winning several times this year in the series but something or someone kept him out of Victory Lane. This is his first win of the 2007 season and the first since March 2006 at Bristol, Tennessee. Busch led 65 laps to collect his 8th career Busch Series victory. Busch avoided disaster on the first round of pit stops. After his stop, Busch was driving down pit road toward the track when Clint Bowyer and Kyle Krisiloff had trouble getting started and Busch had to swing around the two cars, going out on the grass to do so. He passed the two cars but NASCAR ruled immediately that he wasn't speeding. NASCAR had his crew chief issue the warning -- not to do that again. “There was a cluster on pit road that one time and there were guys in the outside lane who were going about 30 mph and I had to go,” Busch said.

Dave Blaney stayed near the front all race and finished third with Tony Stewart coming in fourth. Clint Bowyer snared the fifth spot followed by Kasey Kahne, Reed Sorenson, Casey Mears, Jason Leffler and David Gilliland to round out the top ten. Kyle Krisiloff, who has been tapped to drive the JR Motorsports Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the next three races, finished 20th and took Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the first time this season.

Carl Edwards still holds onto his massive lead in the Busch Series point standings, leading Kevin Harvick by 798 and 781 over David Reutimann. The race was slowed by six cautions for a total of twenty laps. There were ten lead changes among five different drivers. The Busch Series moves to Chicagoland Speedway next Saturday July 14th -- the USG Durock 300 is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.

Big Launch For Sprint Cup Series
Sprint Nextel is putting a Sprint stamp on its NASCAR sponsorship with a name change to the Cup series, announced Saturday at Daytona, and a $1 million giveaway promotion that launches July 15. The "SprintSpeed Million" sweepstakes is the wireless carrier's first NASCAR promotion under the Sprint flag and signals a transition away from the Nextel brand.

NASCAR's top racing series, which has been known as Nextel Cup since 2004, will be called the Sprint Cup beginning in 2008. Nextel's original contract with NASCAR allows for one name change over the lifetime of a 10-year deal, for which Sprint Nextel spends close to $100 million annually. But the rebranding of the sponsorship from Nextel to Sprint begins in earnest this weekend with the "SprintSpeed Million."

Sprint Nextel began a new branding campaign July 1 with the tag line "Sprint Ahead" and a focus on "Life at SprintSpeed" to reflect the emphasis on its data and voice network. The "SprintSpeed Million" will be the first promotion tied to the new branding campaign, which was created by Omnicom's Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, San Francisco.

Nextel has essentially been left behind, except for specific references to the walkie-talkie phones, making it more of a feature than a brand moving forward. The "SprintSpeed Million" will launch this weekend through a series of billboard ads and promotions when the Nextel Cup circuit visits Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., and run through Sept. 3. Consumers can begin entering the sweepstakes July 15.

Television advertising for the "SprintSpeed Million" is expected to debut two weeks later on ESPN around the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard with a 30-second spot featuring driver Denny Hamlin. The promotion will award $1 million to a fan based on the outcome of the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. Fans may register at Sprint Nextel stores, nextel.com/speed, via their Sprint Nextel handset, or at the Nextel Experience at the track to choose the driver they think will win the title. One fan will be paired with each of the 12 drivers who make the Chase based on a random draw. Each of the fans will win a trip to at least one Chase race and other prizes.

The fans paired with drivers still mathematically eligible to win the title going into the season finale at Homestead will be flown to the race. Sprint is working with ABC/ESPN to incorporate the promotion's climax into race coverage, Kessel said. The fan aligned with the winning driver will take home $1 million

NASCAR Statement Regarding Sanford, Fla. Plane Crash
"This morning (Tuesday), at approximately 8:40 a.m. Eastern Time, a Cessna 310 registered to Competitor Liaison Bureau, Inc. of Daytona Beach, crashed in a Sanford, Florida, area neighborhood. At this time, we can confirm there were two people on-board, including the pilot, Dr. Bruce Kennedy and Michael Klemm, a senior captain with NASCAR Aviation. Both were killed in the crash. Dr. Kennedy was the husband of NASCAR Board Member and ISC President Lesa France Kennedy.

“It is clear that numerous families were affected by this terrible tragedy and unfortunately several people were deceased or seriously injured. Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with all of those who were involved in this tragic accident and their families.”

NASCAR Owned Plane Crashes
A small plane carrying the husband of a NASCAR executive crashed into a neighborhood Tuesday and engulfed two houses in flames, killing both people aboard the aircraft and three others on the ground. The pilot had reported smoke in the cockpit and was trying to make an emergency landing when the twin-engine plane went down in suburban Orlando, officials said.

NASCAR confirmed 54-year-old Dr. Bruce Kennedy, a Daytona Beach plastic surgeon and husband of International Speedway Corp. President Lesa France Kennedy, and NASCAR Aviation pilot Michael Klemm, 56, were among the dead. It was not clear who was flying the plane. NASCAR said it was Kennedy, but investigators said earlier Tuesday it was Klemm.

Janice Joseph, 24, and her 6-month-old son, Joseph Woodard, were killed when the home they were in was hit by the plane, police said. Also killed was a 4-year-old girl, Gabriela Dechat, who was in a second home. Her parents, Milagros Dechat, 33, and Peter Dechat, 36, were seriously injured and transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, police said.

Budweiser May Dump Earnhardt
Budweiser officials are shopping around for their best sponsorship option in NASCAR, a clear indication that the beer company will not sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports next season, sources confirmed Tuesday. It's expected that PepsiCo Inc., possibly with the Mountain Dew brand or a combination of Pepsi products, will sponsor Earnhardt next season in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick. And Anheuser-Busch is negotiating with Evernham Motorsports to possibly move the Bud sponsorship to Kasey Kahne's No. 9 Dodge next season. Budweiser officials also have contacted officials at Lowe's Motor Speedway about the possibility of holding a news conference at the Lowe's Speedway Club next week if a new team sponsorship agreement is reached.

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. 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.

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.”

McClure Lays Off Five Employees
Morgan-McClure Motorsports in conjunction with primary sponsor State Water Heaters continue to search for additional sponsorship for their #4 Chevrolet currently running in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. State Water Heaters (Ashland City, TN) signed up to be primary sponsor for 12 races in the 2007 season with the hope of bringing along a co-sponsor. When that didn’t happen, Morgan-McClure and State focused even harder on the continuing search for additional funding.

Morgan-McClure Motorsports is in its 25th year of competition in NASCAR’S elite Nextel Cup division and carries a history of 14 wins, 63 top five’s and 146 top ten’s in 694 races. They also had one of the longest running sponsorships in the history of the sport when they carried the Kodak colors for 18 years.

Motorsports Authentic's Big Loss
Motorsports Authentics, the biggest seller of NASCAR merchandise, will lose $15 million to $20 million in 2007, International Speedway Corp. announced on Tuesday, thanks in large part to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s planned team switch next season. In reporting its second-quarter earnings, ISC reported that the move of Dale Earnhardt Jr. from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Hendrick Motorsports will heavily impact the Motorsports Authentics' performance. Motorosports Authentics is 50 percent owned by ISC and 50 percent by Speedway Motorsports Inc.

"More than half of the decline is associated with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s decision to leave DEI at the end of 2007, resulting in lower merchandise sales in multiple distribution channels," the company said in its news release. "To a lesser extent, some of the shortfall is driven by a more challenging consumer economic environment than was anticipated at the beginning of the year by the joint venture. Despite the lowered outlook, ISC continues to believe Motorsports Authentics has significant potential for generating solid growth in earnings and cash flow over the longer term."