The Final Lap with Kerry Murphey

Stewart, Teammate Ryan Newman, Winners of Humorous Newlywed Game Parody

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 30, 2011) — Tony Stewart’s on a roll. And that’s a good feeling when you’re in Las Vegas.

Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman won Wednesday’s “This Ain’t the Newlywed Game,” a riff on the television original hosted by Bob Eubanks. Stewart and Newman edged the team of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch by most accurately recalling the estimated attendance of March’s Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The game had a myriad of humorous moments – some broad, others ribald – and in some cases more resembled a roast of the top 12 finishers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™.

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Blickensderfer Named Crew Chief of RCR’s
No. 31 Caterpillar/Wheaties Racing Team

WELCOME, N.C. (November 28, 2011) — Richard Childress Racing has named Drew Blickensderfer as the crew chief for the No. 31 Caterpillar/Wheaties Racing team with driver Jeff Burton for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Luke Lambert, interim crew chief during the latter part of the 2011 season for the No. 31 team, will assume a yet-to-be announced new position at RCR.

Blickensderfer begins his RCR career after nearly a decade with Roush Fenway Racing. He spent the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season leading the No. 6 team and has been a crew chief, in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, since 2007.

“I’m excited about the move to RCR and the opportunity to help lead Jeff Burton and the Cat/Wheaties Racing team back into Chase contention,” said Blickensderfer. “I was around Jeff briefly at RFR and always admired and liked him. He’s a very talented driver and I look forward to working him and the rest of the No. 31 team in 2012.”

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DAUGHERTY GETS UP FROM BEHIND THE DESK FOR THE DAY
TO CLIMB INTO A RACE TRUCK AND TEST AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

HARRISBURG, N.C. (November 28, 2011) – - Brad Daugherty may be best known as a five-time NBA All-Star or for his work as an ESPN analyst for NASCAR’s top touring divisions. However, his passion for racing runs deeper than just with his co-ownership of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team JTG Daugherty Racing.

Taking a closer look at Daugherty’s fervor for racing, he dabbles as a driver himself in the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and other racing series. In preparation for competition in the NASA Southeast Region next season, he has decided to test a NASCAR Camping World Series truck at Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday.

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Steve Addington Named Crew Chief for Tony Stewart

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Nov. 28, 2011) – Steve Addington, winner of 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races as a crew chief, has been named to the same position for three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) effective immediately.

The Spartanburg, S.C., native is only the third crew chief Stewart has had during his 13-year Sprint Cup career, and it comes just a week after Stewart captured the 2011 Sprint Cup title.

“I know Steve well and I know how he goes about setting up a racecar,” said Stewart, who worked with Addington from 2005 through 2008 during his time at Joe Gibbs Racing. “My comfort level with him is already strong. He balances the technical part of our sport with the real-world experiences we get at the track, and that will allow for a smooth transition as we prepare to defend our title in 2012.”

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NASCAR Fines Kurt Busch For Actions At Homestead-Miami Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 25, 2011) – NASCAR has fined Kurt Busch $50,000 for his actions during the Nov. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

NASCAR determined that Kurt Busch violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing – inappropriate hand gesture; abusive language) of the 2011 NASCAR Rule Book.

SEE THE VIDEO - YOUTUBE LINK (COLORFUL LANGUAGE)

Penske, Kurt Busch respond to Homestead outburst against Dr. Jerry Punch

In issuing the penalty, NASCAR cited Kurt Busch’s “poor judgment in making an inappropriate hand gesture” when he drove his car into the garage early in the race after it experienced transmission problems. In addition, NASCAR said Kurt Busch showed “disrespect towards a media member,” an incident that followed similar inappropriate media confrontations earlier in the season.