All your racing news in about 6 minutes.  Kyle inks, Ballew needs cash, Goodyear with Spoiler, Back to Basics Racing, Darby Bolts, France and Helton speak. Hosted by Kerry Murphey

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As a part of NASCAR’s announcements today, they had a pre-produced segment narrated by NBC’s Brian Williams regarding their “Green” initiatives.  The audio explains how NASCAR is helping the environment by recycling, planting trees, and even building a solar farm at Pocono Raceway.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Jan. 21, 2010) – A vision that Bill France Jr. articulated more than fifteen years ago will become reality this season with the formation of the NASCAR iRacing.com Series, an official NASCAR racing series.

On February 9th online racing competition commences with the first event of the inaugural 18-race, 39-week NASCAR iRacing Drivers World Championship. This series will feature the 50 top-rated drivers currently racing in iRacing’s Pro Series and will include NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., who recently clinched entry into this elite series.

Selected races from the series will be carried over the internet on iRacing.com.

NASCAR and iRacing have worked together since the announcement of the partnership in 2009 to refine the structure of the series, establish a “sporting code” or rule book, as well as develop an identity for the series.

While entry for the NASCAR iRacing Drivers World Championship is limited to the top 50 drivers, iRacing will also host five NASCAR amateur series open to all NASCAR fans through membership in the iRacing.com online service.
Just below the World Championship series, the 2010 NASCAR iRacing Pro Series is reserved for the 250 top-ranked oval-track iRacing drivers and commences in May to determine eligibility to participate in the 2011 NASCAR iRacing Drivers World Championship.
“Bill France Jr. was ahead of his time when he initially had the vision of an online racing series. Thanks to evolving technology NASCAR fans can virtually compete at their favorite track and have their chance to end up in a victory lane,” said NASCAR Senior Vice President Paul Brooks.

Tony Gardner, iRacing’s president, explained that iRacing’s staff has been busy fine-tuning the infrastructure and creating the organization that supports the vision of NASCAR online racing.

“We’ve created our online racing service for racers and fans,” Gardner said. “We’ve done the hard work to make it simple and easy for NASCAR fans to join iRacing and get behind the wheel. You don’t have to be a computer geek to do this. PC owners with a broadband connection, only need to purchase an inexpensive wheel-and-pedal set from their local consumer electronics store or online. In an hour, they can be racing. It’s that simple. Everything an aspiring racer needs to know to get started is on our Web site, at www.iracing.com.”

The opportunity for NASCAR fans to have extremely affordable but highly meaningful racing careers of their own will become a reality with the launch of these NASCAR-sanctioned amateur online racing series organized and hosted by iRacing.com.
Featuring four 12-week seasons each calendar year, these series feature modifieds, late models, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series trucks, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars and mirror the skill ladder that NASCAR athletes typically follow, beginning with short-track racing and proceeding through virtual versions of the three premier real-world NASCAR series.

While iRacing competition licenses to participate in organized races are issued in progressive skill levels, all members are permitted to practice with any car on any track. In conjunction with the Daytona 500, the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Talladega race and the NASCAR season-ending Championship Weekend at Homestead- Miami Speedway, as part of its 2010 World Tour, iRacing will organize races that are open to any member of the service, regardless of license level.

NASCAR EMPHASIZES BACK-TO-BASICS RACING

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ New Car Moves From Wing To Spoiler

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2010) – NASCAR has announced that it will relax some on-track rules, putting racing back in drivers’ hands in 2010.

The changes, which begin with next month’s season-opening events at Daytona International Speedway, will allow drivers to be even more competitive.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2010) – NASCAR has announced that it will relax some on-track rules, putting racing back in drivers’ hands in 2010.  The changes, which begin with next month’s season-opening events at Daytona International Speedway, will allow drivers to be even more competitive.

Race rule changes were one of several announcements during Thursday’s annual media-tour presentation at NASCAR’s Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said the loosening of on-track reins is another step in enhancing competition and back-to-basics racing.
“Over the past 10 years we’ve dramatically increased safety and that mission continues. However, it’s time for us to allow the drivers to drive. We don’t want the rules and regulations to get in the way of great racing and fantastic finishes,” said France.

“NASCAR is a contact sport – our history is based on banging fenders.”
Among the changes: Bump-drafting rules will be eliminated at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway. Teams also will use a bigger restrictor plate at Daytona.
Eliminating bump-drafting rules puts responsibility for on-track moves squarely back in drivers’ hands. Larger restrictor plates give drivers more horsepower.

NASCAR also announced a significant change to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ new car, including replacing the wing currently mounted on the rear of the car with a spoiler. A full-field test is scheduled for March 23-24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Following that, a decision on when to implement the spoiler will be made based on teams’ input. The switch from wing to spoiler will return to a more traditional stock-car look.
“Over the last couple of years, there have been dozens of changes to this car, with this being the most visible change,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition.

Also significant: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby has been promoted to Managing Director of Competition, with oversight of all three national series’ directors, officials, inspection processes and race officiating. He will continue in his series director’s role until his successor is found.
“Probably no one is more qualified for this new job than John,” Pemberton said. “He knows and understands the officiating and inspection processes better than anyone and is the perfect fit.”
Other changes announced Thursday:

• Mike Fisher, managing director of NASCAR’s Research & Development Center, has some additions to his team. They include Brett Bodine as the director of racing R&D, Tom Gideon as director of safety, R&D, and Jamie DiPietro as manager of safety inspections R&D.

• Beginning with the Feb. 13 season opener at Daytona, NASCAR Nationwide Series teams will be limited to 15 crew members, including the driver, crew chief, spotter and seven over-the-wall pit-crew members. Teams also won’t be required to provide a scorer. Last year teams had no limit on at-track crew members.

• NASCAR Nationwide Series teams may run no more than two races in 2010 without using an engine sealed by series officials. Last year they could run three races before using a sealed engine.

• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams will use double-file restarts “shootout style” in 2010, making restart rules uniform across all three national series. Teams also will return to traditional pit stops, eliminating last year’s procedure of refueling and changing tires on separate stops. Teams also may use a new, vented fuel dump can, eliminating the need for a catch can.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On Sunday, February 14, multiple Grammy Award winner and superstar Tim McGraw, who recently released his 10th studio album SOUTHERN VOICE, will perform the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show, the pre-race extravaganza leading up to the start of “The Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona 500 will be broadcast live on FOX, with pre-race coverage beginning at noon and the race starting at 1 p.m. EST.

McGraw, who has 30 #1 hits to his credit, will perform three songs prior to the start of the 52nd annual Daytona 500 – the season-opening event to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the biggest stock car race in the world.

All race fans that purchase Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access pass for the Daytona 500 will be able to view McGraw’s Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show as well as the driver introductions from the grass tri-oval area.

“Tim McGraw is one of the most popular entertainers in the world and we’re thrilled to have him perform the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show,” Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said. “Year in and year out, the Daytona 500 attracts top performers in music for the pre-race show and we excitedly await Tim McGraw’s rousing performance that will kick off the Daytona 500 as well as the new NASCAR season.”

Since the release of his debut album in 1993, McGraw has won three Grammys, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, and 10 American Music Awards, while simultaneously maintaining a parallel career as a successful actor. He currently stars in the hit movie THE BLIND SIDE with actress Sandra Bullock.

McGraw joins a long list of star-studded names that have performed in the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show such as Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson and Mariah Carey.

In addition to his Daytona 500 Pre-Race Concert, a special $157 ticket package designed around McGraw has been created that includes a Daytona 500 ticket, Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access, VIP area access to McGraw’s performance and a copy of McGraw’s latest album SOUTHERN VOICE
For more information on tickets for the 52nd annual Daytona 500 and Sprint FANZONE/Pre-Race access, race fans can go online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.
Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter (www.twitter.com/disupdates) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway)