DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 21, 2009) – NASCAR announced today that it has placed Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears on probation for the next six races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of their on-track incident last Saturday at the conclusion of the race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 team and Mears, driver of the No. 07 team, both violated Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing; hitting another competitor’s car after the race had concluded) of the 2009 NASCAR rule book.

The probation takes effect beginning with this weekend’s event at Talladega Superspeedway.

Stewart Inching Toward First Win as Driver/Owner

All signs point to a Tony Stewart victory coming sooner than later. Stewart, who this season became the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, has come oh-so-close to Victory Lane over the last three race.

His finishes have gone as such: third at Martinsville, fourth at Texas, second at Phoenix.

Stewart’s last win came at Talladega last season, setting the stage of his first win of 2009. The last owner/driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup race was Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998.

Continue reading “Tony Stewart Close to his first win as owner/driver”

Talladega Celebrates 40 Years of Racing

Talladega will mark 40 years of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing this weekend. Beginning in 1969, the Alabama track has been making history with each passing race. A few highlights:

• April 29, 1982 – Benny Parsons becomes the first Sprint Cup Series driver to break the 200 mph mark in qualifying with a speed of 200.176 mph.

• July 31, 1983 – Dale Earnhardt posts his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Talladega.  He would become the winningest driver in track history with 10 wins.

• May 6, 1984 – The Winston 500 establishes Talladega Superspeedway as NASCAR’s Most Competitive track when it sets a NASCAR record for lead changes with 75.  The record stands today.

• May 1, 1987 – Bill Elliott sets the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying record at a blazing 212.809 mph.  The record stands today.

• Oct. 5, 2008 – A NASCAR Sprint Cup Series record 28 drivers swap the lead at Talladega Superspeedway.  Tony Stewart earns his first Sprint Cup Series win at Talladega.

Revamped TonyStewart.com Unleashed on the Web

New Website Ushers in New Era with New Team, New Number and New Sponsors

INDIANAPOLIS (April 20, 2009) – The 2009 racing season ushered in a new era in the career of Tony Stewart. The two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has a new team, a new number and new sponsors. It’s only fitting that he has a new website – www.TonyStewart.com.

The official TonyStewart.com has been redeveloped from top to bottom, coinciding with Stewart’s new role as a driver and owner with Stewart-Haas Racing, the two-car Sprint Cup team he co-owns with Oxnard, Calif.-based Haas Automation, the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world.

The new website brings three previously different websites together under one roof, with TonyStewart.com providing fans with a comprehensive destination for all things Tony Stewart.

The incredibly user-friendly website allows fans to interact with one another, catch up on the latest updates from the track and, of course, purchase the new line of merchandise that reflects Stewart’s new role as a driver/owner in NASCAR’s elite series.

As Stewart blazes a new trail in his nearly 30-year racing career, blaze a trail of your own to the new http://www.TonyStewart.com.

Continue reading “Tony Stewart relaunches tonystewart.com”

STATESVILLE, N.C. – Richard Petty Motorsports announced today AJ Allmendinger will race for the team in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

“This was an easy decision for Richard Petty Motorsports,” said Tom Reddin, the team’s chief executive officer. “AJ has done a superb job, both on and off the track in 2009. We want to let everyone know that he’s going to be a vital part of Richard Petty Motorsports for what we believe will be a long-term, winning relationship.”

The Petty team signed Allmendinger before the start of the 2009 season with plans to run the Bud Shootout and the first eight point races. Allmendinger finished fifth in the preseason Bud Shootout, and posted a third-place finish in the Daytona 500 and a ninth-place finish at Martinsville. He was the only driver without a guaranteed starting spot to qualify for all of the races in 2009.

Continue reading “A.J. Allmendinger to race for Petty in 2010”