Fan Design

Deborah Chastain of Thomasville, Georgia, designed the No. 24 Jeff Gordon's paint scheme for the Talladega Superspeedway, UAW-Ford 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Wal-Mart stores featured the Pepsi program, NASCAR artist Sam Bass narrowed the thousands of entrees down to five finalists, allowing driver Jeff Gordon to choose the winning design.

50 Year Anniversary

Fifty years ago this month Toyota Motor Sales started doing business in the United States, selling 287 Toyopet Crown Sedans and one Land Cruiser the first year. Sales have improved and nine out of the past 10 years, the Toyota Camry has been the best selling car in America. Toyota recently announced it's 11th U.S. vehicle assembly plant will be built in Blue Springs, Mississippi.

Chasing Glory

Can't get enough NASCAR, watch the 12 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Chase drivers in half hour documents on ESPN2, 'Chasing Glory'. Final episodes air: Wednesday, October, 10, 17, 24, 31 at 5:30 P.M., Wednesday, November 7, 14, 20 at 5:30 P.M., Tuesday, November 27 and December 4 at 6 P.M. The final two re-air Tuesday, December 11, 5:30 P.M. and 6 P.M.

Scratch And Win NEW Corvette

Purchase a ticket for the February 14, 2008, NASCAR Sprint Cup “Gatorade Duel at DAYTONA” race at Daytona International Speedway, prior to January 28, 2008 and receive a game piece with your tickets. You may also print your name, address, zip code, daytime and evening phone numbers, and age on a 3" x 5" card and mail the card to “Gatorade Duel Scratch-N-Win A Corvette” Contest, c/o Daytona International Speedway, 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114. Complete game rules can be found by Clicking HERE!

Not Hounded For Interviews

Michael Waltrip, earned the NASCAR Nextel Cup pole at Talladega Superspeedway for the running of the UAW-Ford 500. In an interview session following qualifying, Waltrip offered to hang around, when dismissed after two or three questions. Waltrip joked he would come to our homes if that would instigate an interview. Missing 19 races thus far during the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season, media has not interviewed him much.

Learn To Play With Others

The NASCAR race weekend barely began at Talladega and everyone was fussing about the debut of Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti and Scott Speed. Have they forgotten Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty started their NASCAR Nextel Cup debut at Talladega Superspeedway. Sadly several NASCAR Nextel Cup Series regulars will be out of a ride in 2008, that happens yearly, remember Ricky Craven! Fans everywhere are tired of the current driver whining and attitudes and look forward to the influx of experienced Open Wheel drivers.

JR Motorsports Invite

JR Motorsports, invites fans to the race shop this coming week before the Bank of America 500, NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. On October 11, Whiskey Falls, the harmony-driven country band that is celebrating the release of its self-entitled debut item, will perform live at 2 P.M., free of charge. Displayed will be the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro “Bumblebee”, made famous in the 2007 summer hit movie, “Transformers”. Also on display will be the special edition Dale Earnhardt Jr. custom chopper built by the Orange County Choppers and donated by Sunoco for the eighth annual Dale Jr. Celebrity Sports Auction presented by Bass Pro Shops, the 2006 custom Chevrolet Tahoe SS that Dale Jr. presented to his sister, Kelley Elledge, on the SPEED Channel show “Payback”, the Z06 Chevrolet Corvette that paced the field for the 2007 Daytona 500, and the No. 88 Navy Seabees Chevrolet Monte Carlo that was in a fiery crash in the Sept. 1 NASCAR Busch Series race at California Speedway. All the cars will be displayed in the FanZone area in the JRM truck bay.

Wind Tunnel eXtreme

Wind Tunnel eXtreme, announced at Michigan International Speedway, a group of investors have spent the past 18 months planning the world's most advanced Wind Tunnel, scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2009. The location was not disclosed nor the prices or how it would help NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow program. It was stated, you must be a member by signing up for 25-ten hour sessions per year for a five year period in order to use the facility. Two years from startup the company is 54% sold out on time. They expect to hire 30 employees with starting salaries of $83,000, and have two 10 hour shifts.
UPDATE Kristen Helsel, primary principal in the new state-of-the-art Wind Tunnel eXtreme project, has confirmed that TRD U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) has signed up for one of the limited Wind Tunnel eXtreme memberships.

Bees!

Donnie Wingo, Crew Chief of the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, had the following comment following the UAW-Ford 500, at Talladega Superspeedway.

Montoya was shuffled out at the end of the race! "Yeah, but you’re supposed to have people out there that’s supposed to help you once in a while, not always be on the other side of it and that’s just the way we always are here at these plate races. I don’t know why they can’t work together. You’ve got these other guys that stick together to the end, no matter what, and our guys spread out like a bunch of bees.

Penalty Report - NASCAR Nextel Cup Talladega