Nationwide Series

The preseason NASCAR news is normally the same year after year.

It’s a constant barrage of drivers, teams, crews, and owners all talking about how hard they worked during the off-season, how this year will be different than years past, and how excited they are about starting fresh and chasing a championship.

During the 2010 preseason, there seemed to be one more common thread that made an appearance over and over—everything is fine in the NASCAR world.

Even though TV ratings are down, sponsors are pulling out, stands aren’t filling up, etc., it was repeated over and over that the sport is in good shape—that NASCAR fans should be happy and excited about the new year and everything that is going on.

In a weird way, NASCAR’s right.

It might be time for everyone to stop being so negative, and to now focus on all the positive things that will be taking place this year. We all spend so much time complaining and talking about what we don’t like—now that NASCAR has made so many changes, it’s time to keep quiet. 

All three NASCAR series will see something new in 2010.

The Camping World Truck Series will be going to double-file restarts, which they hadn’t done in 2009, although the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series had. It’s been a big hit with fans and drivers and has helped provide much side-by-side action.

With the Truck Series, it will just add to the already drama-filled racing.

Another change is on pit road, where they will be going back to traditional pit stops (instead of limiting them to not being allowed to change fuel and tires on the same stop). Pit stops will also now have the option of teams using a new,vented fuel dump can, possibly eliminating the catch-can man.

But that’s not all for them, as they are revamping and reloading their schedule. The track “Too Tough to Tame,” Darlington Raceway, has been put back on the schedule for the first time since 2004.

On a Saturday night in August of this year, the trucks will be rocking around the South Carolina track that last saw Kasey Kahne in it’s victory lane.

A driver familiar with victory lane whenever climbing aboard a truck would be Kyle Busch, who announced two months ago that he’d be fielding his own team this year. He’ll have trucks for himself in the No. 18 (to be shared with Brian Ickler) and the No. 56 for Tayler Malsam.

And in one of the coolest moves, Busch revealed that he’s trying to make it possible to have former series champion and fan favorite, Johnny Benson, return to the series in one of his trucks, if he can find sponsorship.

All of that is just the Camping World Trucks Series.

The Nationwide Series will see their own track additions this season with Road America, a road course in Wisconsin. The event is scheduled for mid-June and replaces the Milwaukee mile.

There are also some familiar faces in new places, as many Camping World Truck Series graduates will now be starting a new chapter for themselves in the Nationwide Series.

The likes of Brian Scott and Colin Braun will join Ricky Steinhouse Jr., Parker Kligerman, and Reed Sorenson, just to name a few.

With 2009 series champion Busch announcing he won’t be returning to defend his title, there’s the potential for a new champion, who will most likely have to go through Carl Edwards, the 2007 title winner.

Edwards is returning for his sixth full year of competition.

Then, upon returning to Daytona in July to kick off the second half of their season will be the debut of their own "Car of Tomorrow".  It is scheduled to run in four races the remaining part of the year before what is expected to be a full schedule in 2011.

Of course, we can’t leave out "Danicamania".

Love her or hate her, she’s here and it’s a good thing for NASCAR. While some might say she won’t fill the stands (and maybe she won’t), Patrick has people all over the country talking about the sport.

Publicity is always a good thing. Her debut is much anticipated and has many people now saying, “I’m going to watch NASCAR because of Danica Patrick.”  Whether it’s to see her fail or succeed—hey, they’re watching, and that’s the most important part.

It's a lot to digest so far.  Are you excited yet?

Once again, there are plenty of things that aren’t going well in the sport we love, but does anyone realize that it takes more energy to constantly be mad about something than it takes to be happy and positive?

Maybe it’s hard to imagine that the main reason everyone should be optimistic is that we have NASCAR to look forward to each Sunday.

Be thankful that, even though things are down, there are cars still on the track.

None of this is to say that we need to ignore, or forget, all the bad; but why are we getting upset over things that we have no control over or can’t change? It’s not good for anyone’s health.  So enjoy this dangerous, rough and tough sport while we have it.

Just look at the National Football League (NFL), where there are rumors of a lockout in 2011—just like the National Hockey League (NHL) had in 2004-2005 when there were no games played the entire season.

What if drivers, crews, owners, and teams all just stopped one day and said, “You know what, things are so bad that we just don’t want to do this anymore.” Soon all the garages would be empty and the tracks would be silent … and we’d probably complain about that, too.

It’s simple and probably something that we’ve all heard before, but be thankful and enjoy what you have.

Trust me, things may be bad in the sport, but what in the world would we all do if there was no NASCAR at all? That would be the ultimate worst for the sport compared to anything that’s happening now.

So, if the Camping World Trucks and the Nationwide Series isn’t what your looking for, then hear what’s in store for the big boys that come out to play on Sunday.

NASCAR officials announced they plan on letting them having free reign, so to speak—“boys have at it,” is how Robin Pemberton phrased it.

Drivers are now able to drive their cars the way they please, including bumping all around Daytona and Talladega.

Larger restrictor plates are also on the agenda for this year’s Daytona 500 meaning more horsepower, which kicks off a year that will see the return of the spoiler on the rear of the car.

The wing hasn’t been a hit and will soon be history. 

The 2010 season will also see a change that fans and drivers alike have all been asking to be implemented the last few years—uniform start times.

All day races on the east coast will begin at 1 p.m. ET, all west coast races at 3 p.m. ET, and all night events are scheduled for 7:30 ET. Now everyone knows what time they should be home and in front of the TV on Sundays and, hopefully, these starts will help end rain-shortened races. 

We also can’t leave out Jimmie Johnson’s historic drive for five straight championships, along with many other great driver storylines.

NASCAR is listening to those that matter and they’re giving us what we want—so why are we still talking and being negative? This is all for the best and is setting up for a great year that’s sure to keep everyone watching.

If none of this puts you on the edge of your seat and shaking with excitement about what the next ten months have in store, you aren’t watching the right sport. 

Most of today's young guns in NASCAR were introduced into the world of racing during their early childhood, learning how to harness horsepower rather than pedaling a bicycle with training wheels.

Boys and girls at the tender age of five start their motorsports dreams competing in go-karts and quarter-midgets around America.

After their initial years with those vehicles, a crossroad is reached, and they either opt for the open-wheel circuit with sprint cars or the asphalt arena with late-model stock cars.

It is on those circuits and machines that their talents are honed and polished and they learn all about handling an ill-handling beast and racing on the edge of control.

In the case of NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie driver Brian Scott, racing wasn't much of a dream during his childhood. While he dabbled with go-karts at age 12, the Boise, Idaho native didn't get serious about a motorsports career until he was 17 years old, at the behest of his father.

Despite his relatively late start, Scott quickly adapted to the speed and fear factor of the sport and progressed through the racing ladder into the NASCAR world.

For the past two seasons, he competed in the Camping World Truck Series as the driver of the No. 16 Albertson's Toyota Tundra.

Scott emerged as a true contender for victories, improving in his points finish from 16th in 2008 to a respectable seventh in the championship standings last year.

He conquered the Monster Mile of Dover, Delaware, which is certainly no easy task for even the most veteran of racers in any of the top three NASCAR divisions.

Following his stint in the Truck ranks, the 22-year-old racer heads into 2010 as a new, full-time competitor in the Nationwide Series.

Regarded as the breeding grounds for new talent headed to the Sprint Cup division, this season may prove to be the most pivotal and crucial career-maker for Scott.

Sure, the road ahead looks challenging, dangerous, and full of many obstacles that are capable of defeating even the best in the business. However, there's no such thing as fear in the vocabulary and philosophy of this sensation. No way, no how.

Instead, there's an opportunity that lies ahead of him, with each stop in the 35-race championship schedule as a chance to compete at his best level with the sport's greatest drivers.

Whether he succeeds or struggles in any of the events, it's certain that Scott will step up his game, making gains of skill and confidence at each track behind the wheel of his car.

After all, it takes a brave individual to race wide-open at any facility, accepting the dangers and consequences of this weekly game of chance.

Recently, I spoke with Scott, who is preparing for Speedweeks 2010 with the Nationwide Series season opener around the corner on Feb. 13 (Live, ESPN2 at 1:30 PM ET).

Articulate, thoughtful, and very poised, there's no doubt about this young man's potential as a future superstar as he works his way up the ranks.

There's some excitement for the rookie as he heads into the new season, driving the No. 11 AccuDoc Toyota Camry for Braun Racing. With two seasons under his belt in a division that has its share of bumper-to-bumper, paint-swapping action, if there's any hesitation with Scott competing against the Nationwide boys, fear not.

After all, that's the way he goes out on the track on any given day.

Strap 'em up, ladies and gentlemen. There's a new rookie in town.

Rob Tiongson: Last season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series had to be an amazing one for you. You placed seventh in the championship standings, you got that first win at Dover, which is certainly no easy task, along with six other top-five finishes and an additional 12 top-10s behind the wheel of the No. 16 Toyota.

Was it a matter of comfort in your huge improvement from the '08 season (when you finished 16th in points) in terms of the truck, the tracks, or other factors?

Brian Scott: I would say the equipment changed more than anything. We invested heavily in resources and in people who could effectively use those resources. Coupled with the fact that I started repeating tracks, I really began to understand the type of feel that I wanted in a truck.

RT: You've got your share of experience in the stock cars, racing not only in the CWTS but in some Nationwide races, as well as the ARCA Re/Max division. Now that you're graduating up a rank to the Nationwide Series, what are your expectations for this coming season?

BS: I want to develop a consistency and continue to improve the overall performance. My main goal is capturing the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award.

RT: For some of the readers who may not know about you yet (and that will change with time!), tell B/R Nation a bit about yourself. How did you get started out in racing and did you know that you wanted to be a racer when you were growing up?

BS: Actually, I didn’t know I wanted to be a racecar driver until I was about 17 years-old. Starting at age 12, I wanted a go-kart and my father eventually bargained with me to keep the crazy driving on the racetrack.

RT: Now that you've been in NASCAR for the past four seasons, what are some of the things that you enjoy as a racer and as an observer of the sport? Is it heading in the right direction as far as gaining new fans while satisfying the old guard in the stands and at homes across the globe?

BS: I enjoy good close finishes and the strategy that develops before our eyes. I like seeing the race unfold and understanding why and how race decisions are made. I’m happy that NASCAR is opening up the super-speedways and personalities of our sport.

RT: In what has seem to be a trend over the past year or so, you maintain contact with the media and fans through your Twitter. What are some of the benefits of having that site as a means to communicate to people out there about the latest happening with you? Has it helped you as a racer in terms of gaining new fans and understanding various viewpoints about racing?

BS: Utilizing social media is a huge tool to attract new fans and update the ones you have. You allow them a new perspective on the sport and the live through up-to-date developments. Having that direct conduit to the fans is vital when trying to build your fan base.

RT: Did you have any idols or inspirations in the world of racing? Any particular driver whose style you've tried to emulate or take after?

BS: I always look at the greatest drivers in the current age just because I can identify with them more. I look to emulate those like Jimmie Johnson. His driving style and off-track attitude continues to win races and championships no matter the changes to the vehicles, rules, tracks, or pressure.

RT: Being on the road about 10 months out of the year, I'm sure that you have a group of drivers or crew members who you hang out with or at least have some camaraderie with. Who are some of the people in the garage area that you have a close bond with?

BS: I have a few buddies at the track like Ron Hornaday and my PR guy, Joey. Mostly, I like to participate in team functions to maintain close relationships with those who are giving their life to me. It's a long season and you become one big family.

RT: From writer to driver, how much would you attribute to a success for a race team in terms of a single event to a season? Would you say it's 50/50 driver and equipment or that it's all man over machine?

BS: Putting a percentage on things isn’t correct. It’s a total package. A lot of variables have to come together to win. Being able to acquire all that data and make decisions to give yourself the opportunity to win isn’t something that tasked with just one person. It's a whole team effort.

RT: I'm sure there are some aspiring racers who visit B/R here and there...for those young men and women who are duking it out on the local short tracks, what advice do you have for them in their efforts to work their way up the racing ladder as you have? You have truly progressed quickly with amazing success.

BS: Work hard. Keep your head down. Climbing the ladder gives you more disappointments than success, so be prepared to weather the storm. Travel as much as possible to gain exposure and experience on different tracks.

RT: It's time for perhaps your ultimate test, my friend. Get ready for a little Free Association. Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind with the following, okay? Here goes.

Drafting.

BS: Superspeedway.

RT: Trading paint.

BS: Bumping.

RT: Toyota.

BS: Racing.

RT: Rookie stripes.

BS: Yellow.

RT: Respect.

BS: Veterans.

RT: Car of Tomorrow.

BS: Wing.

RT: Super Bowl.

BS: Football.

RT: Family.

BS: Idaho.

RT: Fear.

BS: None.

RT: What keeps me driving even if I'm having a bad day is...

BS: My team.

RT: Working hard.

BS: Diggin’.

RT: It's that age old question that I'm sure drivers even in the future will be asked. But how do you convince a sports fan that racing indeed belongs with the likes of football, baseball, hockey, and other stick-and-ball events?

BS: I would challenge anyone to come to a race and try driving one of these cars around a track for hours on end.

RT: You got yourself a sweet ride for the Nationwide Series this year. Tell us a bit about your sponsor, Accudoc Solutions. Are they in it for the long haul for your rookie campaign?

BS: AccuDoc is a medical billing company based in Morrisville, N.C. They provide highly customized billing statement printing and processing to hospitals all around the Carolinas. Owner Harry Scott is a tremendous race enthusiast and expects to have as much success on the racetrack as he has had in business. We’re both really looking forward to 2010!

Brian Scott's making the move from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2010 with Braun Racing.

Scott will be driving the No. 11 Acc Doc Solutions Toyota. He's all set for his rookie campaign, and thrilled for the opportunity.

"Well, I'm very excited to be able to announce I'm going to be running the Nationwide Series for the full year, going for the Rookie-of-the-Year again," he said.

"It's awesome to be able to progress, take the next step in my career, and hopefully have a season like I had this year in the Camping World Truck Series. I got to experience a lot of success, be a weekly contender. That's all you can ask for moving up."

He's joining one of the few remaining successful independent teams in the Nationwide Series.

One which just continues to flourish, holding it's own, and keeps growing competing against several Cup-oriented teams. It's a great pairing, the young talented Scott with Braun Racing, and one that will be exciting to watch this season.

While Scott's still learning, he feels the seven Nationwide races he ran last year, and his performance in his Truck career will be beneficial to him as he gains more experience.

He'll also will benefit that he's still with Toyota, since the manufacturer really likes Scott and would hate to lose him to another manufacturer.

Braun has brought in veteran crew chief Bill Wilburn to lead Scott and his No. 11 team. He has over 25 years of pit road experience in NASCAR.

He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will also help Scott's learning curve and his adjustment to the new car.

"You know, the equipment is different between the truck and the Nationwide car. Aerodynamics affect them both incredibly different," said Scott. "So it be a big help having Wilburn to lean on and gives us a greater chance for success".

Scott will also have to adapt to new surrounds being at Braun, but his experience from his family owned Xpress team will make this a easy adjustment for him.

He does have two crew members from his Xpress team, that made the move with him to Braun, and gives him a little familiarity for him on the team. Other wise, it's a new team, that he'll build chemistry with.

I'm excited for Scott and Braun Racing, as I think they are perfectly matched, and it's one that we may very well see in Cup together one day.

It also has me planning on watching the NNS full-time again. Something I haven't done since Bobby Labonte drove the No. 44 Slim Jim car in the Series.

Scott is also my Raybestos Rookie pick in the NNS. He's a tremendously talented driver, who should have an easy transition to the series and finish top-10 to 12th point wise.  

It also will bring a few changes to my Truck Series pieces, as I'm planning to keep writing about Scott.  

Sources for quotes: catchfence.com & braunracing.com

The 2010 season fast approaches, and all the big news swirling around from all the major series does nothing to keep us patient.

So I'll do what many of us enjoy doing at this point in the season: List my expectations for the motorsports I make it a point to watch. And what better way to start than with the series that kicks off the season?

Rolex Sports Car Series

Despite the confirmed loss of the Penske team and the apparent loss of the only good-looking DP (nobody on the Daytona entry list is using a Crawford), there's a few things to look forward to in Grand-Am this season.

The Dinan-BMW engine has always seemed to underperform, but putting it Ganassi's cars could show its true powers. Old CART fans, like me, will recall when Toyota's CART engine seemed underpowered, only to prove itself very capable when it was put in Ganassi's cars.

The Ferrari DP engine continue to receive no further word since the program's development was directly confirmed last year during the Six Hours of the Glen. This will likely become a talking point as the season goes on.

The Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.Rs have shown promise at the Roar Before the 24. The new Camaro, a car which by all accounts should look hideous with a rear wing, yet somehow looks absolutely stunning, will certainly be getting a lot of attention throughout the season.

So what do I expect from all of this?

Well, since Grand-Am looks poised to maintain its consistently high car count, I think we can expect one hell of a season.

Ganassi's influence on the Dinan-BMW engine is certainly going to help other teams using it, which could bring about a few new winners (or at least CONTENDERS for a few wins), and we still have the always-competitive SunTrust and Gainsco teams unchanged from last year—which will give them a slight edge over Ganassi.

The GT class is always too close to call. With Farnbacher/Loles, last year's champions, no longer around the door is even more wide open. The GT championship battle will certainly be great to behold.

DP Champion prediction: Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing. Aside from the name on their engine, nothing has changed for them last year.

Though always competitive, SunTrust Racing still seems to be working some kinks out of the Dallara chassis, and if Ganassi's Dinan-BMWs suffer ANY issues, it's going to kill their chances real quick.

GT Champion prediction: Stevenson Motorsports. The GT battle is FAR too close to call, so I'm just going to step up and push for the car I most wanna see take the championship.

NASCAR Sprint Cup/Nationwide Series

I guess I may as well transition from Grand-Am over to its parent company. And holy CRAP is there a lot to talk about.

Let's put Danica Patrick aside for a moment and start out with a recent matter—potential changes to the Cup CoT. There's talk of adjustment to the front splitter and, more significantly, replacing the rear wing with a a blade-style spoiler as the previous cars had.

As someone who feels that 80 percent of the CoT's problems can be written down to that wing, I say go for it. Wings do not belong on ANY closed-wheel oval-tracker.

Danica Patrick has been a huge talking point since before her Nationwide/ARCA program was confirmed. And that's certain to continue throughout the year.

The Nationwide CoT will see its first races this year, and it's certainly more anticipated than the Cup CoT. The Nationwide CoT actually uses front end body work to differentiate the models being presented on track, which led Chevrolet to decide on sticking to the Impala for the sake of potential aerodynamic benefits.

As always with NASCAR, there's much more to look at, but we could be here forever if I didn't move on. So here are my expectations.

Danica Patrick will NOT win a race in ARCA or Nationwide. This is not a slam on Danica's talent—anyone who's watched her race knows she has skill and talent (how much is debatable).

But most of us can agree that people of much BETTER talent than her have struggled to make the jump. She may surprise us with some good finishes, however. In fact, given the equipment she'll have, I will be shocked if she DOESN'T get at least one top-five.

If the wing is removed from the Cup CoT, expect a huge shakeup in the standard order of things.

The Nationwide CoT will produce far more exciting races on its debut than the Cup CoT did.

Cup Champion prediction: Jimmie Johnson if the wing is NOT removed. While Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus definitely have the Chase format mastered, Hendrick Motorsport also has pretty much the best understanding of the CoT on the entire grid. If the wing is removed, Tony Stewart or Kyle Busch.

Nationwide Champion prediction: A Cup regular who decides to run a full Nationwide schedule.

Formula One

Another series that's had a lot of news in recent weeks and throughout the offseason. New teams, new drivers, and old drivers coming back to the grid.

The worst-kept secret of the offseason was Michael Schumacher's return to the grid with Mercedes GP. The best-kept secret, at least until recently, was the likelihood that USF1 would be ready in time. It's now clear that unless something happens to drain all their funding, there will be no issue.

Once again, keeping the news summary brief, let's dive right into my expectations.

Michael Schumacher will NOT dominate the field. Win a few races? Almost certainly if the car is anywhere near as good as last year's Brawn.

However, Schumi's been out of the cockpit for quite a while and will need time to brush up on his race craft again. He COULD take the title, but it'll be a close fight if he does.

USF1 and Virgin Racing will make Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes pop a few blood vessels. Fernandes a while back expressed surprise when Virgin Racing was developing their car solely through CFD, stating that his experience in the airline industry has shown him enough that he knows it is impossible to make an effective car without wind tunnel testing.

Meanwhile, the racing world knows that the Acura ARX-02a has already proven that to be not true. I expect Lotus F1 to be the slowest of the new teams, while Virgin will be the fastest new team as their car is being developed in partnership with Wirth Research—the same company that designed the Acura ARX-02a.

Virgin Racing has the expertise that built the first pure-CFD LMP in the world to make their car fast.

Regardless of whether I am right or wrong, I fully expect the fastest of the new teams to outrun at least ONE pre-existing team.

The partnering of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will not be a peaceful one if the team is able to challenge for the championship.

Driver's Champion prediction: Cannot predict now on account of too many changes.

Constructor's Champion prediction: See above.

American Le Mans Series

The ALMS has been rather quiet over the offseason, which in this case is a very bad thing due to their impending revamping. We know very little about who will be competing right now on account of no one yet knowing the details of the equivalency formula for the combined LMP class.

Additionally, we currently have only two confirmed LMP-C entries.

At this point, reasonable predictions cannot be made due to lack of information. I can only say the following: If the car counts are reasonable, this should be a very exciting season.

And last but not least...

Izod IndyCar Series

I'm getting rather pumped up about this one, as things are now shaping up to be much better than it seemed at the end of last year.

We have, for certain, 18 full-time entries plus six more probable full-time entries (for a total of 24, if they all go through), plus two confirmed part-timers and three potential part-timers.

There may still be a struggle to fill the field at Indy, but it's looking likely that the field will be plenty large enough at most races.

Every day it gets more and more likely that the Brazil race is going to happen. The layout has apparently been agreed upon and is expected to be presented publicly within the next week (and apparently already has been shown publicly in Brazil).

And not really IndyCar-specific, but an occurrence which has the potential to affect the series has happened in that Comcast, owners of Versus, have purchased a majority stake in NBC Universal.

This move provides a chance of a few IndyCar races getting bumped up from Versus to NBC, and more network coverage can only help the series.

So what do I expect from the IndyCar Series this year?

I don't expect any Versus races to be bumped up to NBC this year, but there's hope for next year.

Someone will finally break the Penske/Ganassi oval stranglehold. And it might not be Andretti Autosport.

With development restricted, Ganassi and Penske's only real advantage has been understanding the cars better and doing to the setup and adjustments better than everyone else.

But when that's all you have, eventually others will catch up. We saw at Kentucky last year how close Ed Carpenter came to breaking the stranglehold, and with the improvements that N/H/L and KV Racing made on the ovals last year, there's no reason to suspect the stranglehold won't end soon.

There will be a closer title fight, potentially between three or more teams. The other teams' best hope for victory still lies on the road courses. And with them comprising half the schedule now, Penske and Ganassi can't count on their oval dominance to win them a championship.

Champion prediction: Will Power or Helio Castroneves. Penske's been title-less since 2006, and with the addition of Will Power, they have a one-car advantage over Ganassi.

This will give them better ability to steal points away from Ganassi when things don't go their way. Helio is as determined as ever, and Will Power is quite possibly the best young talent in the field.

And my prediction on who will break the Penske/Ganassi oval stranglehold? Graham Rahal.

Throughout 2009, he seemed to be the driver most poised to bring about an upset. And driving for N/H/L, which COULD be a three-car operation next year (though it will likely be two cars with one of them split between two drivers), I don't see any reason why this would change.

His contract renewal has not yet been confirmed, but I'd say his return to the cockpit at N/H/L is the worst-kept secret in the offseason for IndyCar.

So what do YOU expect out of the 2010 motorsport season?

After signing autographs at Sound and Speed, Denny Hamlin flew commercial to Los Angeles yesterday. He said it was a "reality check."

Kelly Bires spent New Years eve at Wisconsin Dells.

Colin Braun celebrated at Times Square.

Bobby Labonte is back from hunting in Texas.

David Ragan is vacationing in Jamaica.

Aric Almirola and Justin Lofton have been skiing and snowboarding near Boone, NC.

Juan Pablo Montoya is getting ready for testing this week.

Today is the Newman's sixth wedding anniversary.

NASCAR television personality Riki Rachtman, has been seeing a doctor for his back and bronchitis.

Rachtman is at the Carolina Panthers game, to see his first ever NFL game.  It is the coldest game to have been played in Bank of America Stadium.

Meanwhile, Kenny Wallace is comfortable in the Edwards Jones Dome.  He is watching the St. Louis Rams.

Digger made an appearance in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Finally, a reason to see the movie!

Michael McDowell has been helping with the Nationwide team's move to Mooresville. McDowell is also pricing cars to add to the fleet.

Joe Gibbs Racing has released the 2010 Home Depot showcar schedule. It can be found on their website.

ARCA driver Leilani Münter's brother-in-law Bob Weir, was monopolized with a Grateful Dead Monopoly board game. Weir is the Dead's guitarist.

Jesse L. Medford's Facebook Fan Page for instant access to new articles. Also, if you have anything interesting that you think would fit in one of my columns, please send me a message.

Jimmie Johnson and Danica Patrick have been playing a virtual media tug-o-war the past few months.

Johnson has dominated the media pages for his NASCAR driving abilities and Patrick for her ability to drive in NASCAR.

Hundreds and hundreds of questions have been posed to Patrick, and for the most part, she has answered most of them by not really answering them.

One well known NASCAR journalist described it best by saying this: “She held a press conference at JR Motorsports and we don’t know much more now than we did before.”

Patrick seems to be better at the tease than she is driving a race car. Her scantily clad magazine layouts are not much different than her year-long entrance into NASCAR.

Just as she keeps the 51 percent demographic of NASCAR fans interested by showing some skin, but never all the skin, she keeps the media interested by never completely answering the questions or divulging her full intentions.

If Danica Patrick intends to infiltrate the ranks of NASCAR and build loyal fans, then she must start by actually answering some tough questions.

Let's get started.

In the world of marketing, longevity and continued success can be achieved by the ability to reinvent your self. Madonna, Michael Jordan, Elizabeth Taylor and a host of other superstars have enjoyed years of marketing success by re-inventing their persona every few years. This ability allows things to be kept fresh in the public’s eye.

Patrick is now entering her sixth year in the IRL, and in that series, she has been most popular driver four times in the past five years. Statistically though, she is just as anorexic as this year’s most popular driver in NASCAR.   

5) Is the jump to NASCAR an opportunity to re-invent your self?

Professional tennis player Anna Kournikova also posed in magazines and enjoyed marketing success. She did not however have success on the tennis court.

Patrick had limited, but slightly above average success in the IRL. Success in one series does not make her a success in another.

4) Are you concerned being unsuccessful in the Nationwide Series will hurt your marketability? 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been NASCAR’s most popular driver for seven years in a row. He also has the most loyal following of fans in NASCAR, aptly named Jr. Nation.

Patrick's contract with JR Motorsports is for two years, and at the same time she has a three year agreement in the IRL with Andretti Autosport.

It’s tough to serve two masters, but, if she finds success in the Nationwide series, will she remain with JR Motorsports for the third and final year of her AA contract, or is it possible she is using JR Motorsports as a personal spring board to the Cup series.

3) I ask you Danica, do you already have a Sprint Cup ride lined up? 

It has been announced that Danica has a new perfume line coming out. Release date is said to be scheduled for March, 2010, but rumors are she is actually releasing it to the public during the ARCA race at Daytona in February.

There are magazines with half naked pictures of Patrick for the men and now perfume for the women. Exactly which demographic of NASCAR is she trying to capture?

2) Are you attempting to take over the complete fan base in NASCAR?

It has been said Danica Patrick is good at marketing Danica Patrick.

As soon as it was announced she was signing with JR Motorsports, there were t-shirts, caps and a host of other souvenirs available immediately.

Patrick is racing in two completely different series, modeling, magazine layouts, commercials, spokesperson for GoDaddy.com, has her own souvenir trailer, and is now launching a new perfume.

It’s very easy to see that this whole campaign is more about marketing and is certainly all about Danica Patrick. Fittingly, it’s the IRL and NASCAR making it all possible.

The most important question is the final question.

1) Is your ultimate goal to be a race car driver, or drive a race car?

Photo Credit: David Yeazell

Hollywood, California is known to throw some of the biggest bashes when it comes to announcing the next up-and-coming star, whether it be music, television, or sports.

The glamour and glitz of this popular hotspot is known to spread out as far as 30 miles to the east into the neighboring cities.

Auto Club Speedway, with its backdrop of the San Bernardino mountains, by all means is no stranger to hosting NASCAR’s biggest stars. Even though they may not walk the red carpet of the Academy Awards, nonetheless they are some of motorsports' biggest stars.

Twice a year the stars of NASCAR make their way out to a city that was made famous by drivers such as Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Rusty Wallace, Jeremy Mayfield, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle, who are all past winners.

On Feb. 20, 2010, Auto Club Speedway will once again play host to the media frenzy that will follow NASCAR’s newest driver into the Nationwide series.

Danica Patrick announced that she will make her Nationwide debut in the No. 7 Go Daddy-sponsored Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and team owners Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick in the Stater Bros. 300.

This will be Patrick’s second visit to the two-mile D-shaped oval; her first was back in 2005, where as a rookie in the IRL she finished 18th.

Patrick, who is expected to run 10 to 12 races this season, will use an ARCA Series test at Daytona International Speedway on Dec. 18-20 to get approval by NASCAR for her Nationwide debut in February.

Every NASCAR fan waited, wondering if it would happen. Speculation began two years ago, and got even bigger as reports began surfacing.

The wait is now over, as it will happen. At Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, JR Motorsports announced that IndyCar sensation Danica Patrick will race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series next season.

Patrick signed a two-year deal to race for JR Motorsports, the team owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr, to race the No. 7 Chevrolet Impala SS.

Her race schedule itself has not been set in stone, however it appears that she will bookend her races around her IndyCar schedule, which begins on March 14 and ends on October 2. It is suspected she will run between 10 and 12 races, but when her actual debut will be has not been confirmed.

However, there are many things that have been confirmed in today's press conference:

• Patrick will run her first stock car race on Feb. 6 in the ARCA race at the Daytona International Speedway. She will participate in an ARCA test at the same track from Dec. 18-20 to prepare for the race.

• Long-time sponsor, the web-host provider GoDaddy.com, will sponsor the car in all her races.

• Tony Eury Jr, former crew chief for Earnhardt Jr. and co-owner of JR Motorsports along with Rick Hendrick, Earnhardt Jr., and Kelley Earnhardt, will serve as crew chief.

Patrick admitted that now that the deal is complete, she feels relieved.

"We’ve all been working very hard for some time now to bring this all together,” Patrick said. "There’s much relief there, but I’m starting to get a bit nervous now that it’s time to to do my part of the deal and get out there in these cars and perform."

Questions about Patrick coming to NASCAR were not so much if she would come, but more about when she would come. Now that she has decided to try stock cars, there will be many naysayers that will question her move.

Patrick, however, isn't paying attention to those people.

"I really don't think a lot about that kind of stuff," Patrick said. "Everybody is entitled to their own opinion—that's fine with me.

"My job is to prove to all the people that are around me that I'm committed, that I want to do this, that I'm willing to put in the right amount of effort, and that's all I have to do."

Bob Parsons, GoDaddy.com founder and CEO, said that he believes Patrick will do well in her new adventure, and is proud to be along for the ride.

"This is probably the fourth year that we've sponsored Danica Patrick," Parsons said of his driver. "We started a number of years ago, featuring her in our commercials.

"Over that time, I've gotten to know her, and the one thing I can tell you—when she goes into NASCAR, she's no wilting flower. That gal is going to trade a lot of paint, and that suits her just fine."

Although sponsorship for Patrick is set, the full-time car for JR Motorsports, the No. 88 of Kelly Bires, only has funding for half the season.

Kelley Earnhardt believes that having Patrick sign with the team will help bring sponsorship for their other car.

"It's going to have some different eyeballs on JR Motorsports, in a good way," Earnhardt said. "It's very exciting. The branding and the stuff that we've done with Dale Jr.—to be where he is in the sport—it's equally exciting to bring her along and just have a new set of eyeballs watching and the female factor, with the young girls and the role-model thing.

"I'm really excited about it."

Patrick will bring a lot of new faces to the sport, but the big factor will be her performance on the track. With her competing full-time in IndyCar, the idea of her coming to NASCAR a few years ago was not on her mind.

Now, Patrick says that she feels more comfortable with a heavier schedule.

"I think the schedule doesn’t intimidate me as much as it used to.  It’s going to be a lot to learn,” Patrick said.

Patrick finished fifth in the 2009 IndyCar Series points in her Andretti Autosport entry, her most successful season to date. With the success in her open-wheel career, expectations from other teams, drivers and fans could be high.

Earnhardt, however, had more subtle expectations for her driver.

“I think it’s reasonable for her to be in the top-15 of the series when she’s running,” Earnhardt said.  “Obviously, maybe the first few races, we’ll see what that brings.  She’s got to get in there and get used to the cars.

“Hopefully, everybody will remember that and won’t be so quick to judge, which is easy to do.”

Her signing to drive NASCAR is a major milestone in the sport, but whether this is a stepping stone for her into the Sprint Cup Series is unknown.

"I think that's the natural thing to do, to see how it goes," Patrick said. "There's no plans right now to do anything beyond [doing] this partial schedule, but, obviously, we'll have to ask ourselves that question [about a move to Cup] if it goes well."

Right now, Patrick is focused on learning her "new craft" in stock cars. Before she can consider making any move upwards in NASCAR, she will have to prove that she belongs in the sport.

“It’s an opportunity to try and show what I’ve got.”

While NASCAR nation has celebrated veteran drivers like Mark Martin and Ron Hornaday Jr. throughout the 2009 season, these drivers continue to be more the exception than the rule, especially in trying economic times.  It was widely discussed during the run Martin had in the 01 Army Chevy at DEI, that the Army was concerned about Martin’s age – despite his level of fitness – being a negative factor for recruitment efforts. 

This season, one of the suspected delays in announcing the 2010 plans of Talladega winner, Jamie McMurray, is a disconnect between the No. 1 car sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, and McMurray’s image/lifestyle.  It is rumored that the sponsor would like to move to Ryan Newman’s ride, likely due to Newman’s outdoor lifestyle and strong ties with Tony Stewart from his open wheel endeavors.

It has become a sponsor’s market as more teams chase smaller pools of sponsorship money.  The days of a single sponsor car or truck ended before the economy went into free fall in 2008.  The top cars and trucks in each series feature at least two to three primary sponsors per season, even when one sponsor has more name association for the team.  Dupont, Home Depot, Lowe’s and alike have split sponsorship duties as the cost of doing business in Cup has jumped. 

Trends in the Nationwide Series have followed suit with the series leaders, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards showing multiple sponsors each season.

Hornaday may be close to running away with the CWTS title, but he has also had to woo multiple sponsors including CoPart, Georgia Book, Longhorn, and the VFW.  Former series champion, Todd Bodine, faced parking his truck as the economy impacted the financial outlook of key sponsor, Lumber Liquidators.

Conventional wisdom, with regard to sponsorships, has been that up-and-comers often have difficulty landing sponsorship deals because of the potentially unpredictable finishes a rookie can have.  However, in this economy and business climate, where relationship marketing is a key buzzword, the younger driver may have a distinct advantage over a veteran.

At a time when Electronic Arts let the license lapse with NASCAR for future video games, in favor of developing a line of youth-oriented MMA products, drawing the attention of younger generations is critical for the continued success of the top three series in NASCAR.  Younger fans tend to gravitate in their following towards peers, rather than veterans.  As a result, established drivers may be facing a quicker exit than in times past.

In sports, more so than almost any other profession, it is a young person’s game.  However, one of the draws of stock car/truck racing at the top levels is the notion - misplaced or not - that anyone can envisage themselves in the driver’s seat. 

If the CWTS fails to remain a place for veteran drivers to land and race a few extra years, it could mean the loss of interest among fans who typically have the most buying power, those over 35.  For those who enjoy racing, without the four hours of pre-race hype seen in Cup, the truck series has provided action that has been focused more on racing than personality.  With one of the best aspects of that racing being the chance to watch young drivers evolve while racing the wily veterans.  Hopefully, a short-term economic trend does not change the long-term face of the special niche of NASCAR racing known as the Camping World Truck Series.   

Veteran vs rookie NCWTS reflects racing today: Part one

Three races. Three cowboy hats. That's what Kyle Busch was gunning for this weekend. In the end, he barely missed the bulls-eye, coming up a little short on his third shot. 

After winning the Winstar World Casino 350 truck race on Friday, then dominating the O'Reilly Challenge Nationwide race on Saturday, all that stood between Busch and history was the Dickies 500 Cup race.

The bit of history he was aiming at—to become the first driver ever to win a race in all three of NASCAR's major touring series in the same weekend at the same track.

Busch bagged his 16th career victory Friday night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, leading the most laps (54-of-147) in the process.

He dominated again during his 29th career victory Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, again leading the most laps (179-of-200) in the process.

Sunday, Busch seemed poised to finally finish off the elusive triple-win he has attempted so many times in his short career.

Busch started fifth and as in the previous two days, he dominated the race, eventually leading the most laps (232-of-334).

After the smoke from the victor's donuts had cleared, however, there was a Busch in Victory Lane—but it wasn't Kyle.

After pitting on Lap 269-of-334, Kyle was leading and trying to conserve fuel when he ran out on the backstretch on Lap 331.

"I'm out! I'm out—coming to you!" he radioed to his new crew chief Dave Rogers, who replaced Steve Addington on the pit box after last Sunday’s race at Talladega.

He coasted around to pit road, took on a splash of gas, and headed back out to finish 11th, while his brother Kurt, who pitted two laps after Kyle on Lap 271, took home the trophy, the cowboy hat, and the six-shooters.

All in all, it was still an impressive weekend for the younger Busch brother. He brought his total visits to victory lane in the NCWTS and NNS this year to seven and eight, respectively, and to 19 across all three series.

Kyle led over two-thirds of all the laps run for the weekend (465-out-of-681) on his way to bringing home his 60th and 61st career victories across all three major NASCAR touring series. 

Considering he had only led eight laps in his last eight Cup races—four each at Martinsville and Talledega, and none in the six races before that—this was quite a promising start for Busch and his new crew chief. 

Moreover, he increased his lead in the battle for his first major NASCAR title to 272 points over Nationwide series rival Carl Edwards. And he still holds a 32 point lead over Matt Kenseth in the "first of the rest" race for 13th place in the Cup series. 

His efforts also helped owner Billy Ballew move the No. 51 truck team to within 75 points of Kevin Harvick, Inc.'s No. 33 team, driven by NCWTS points leader Ron Hornaday.

This was the second time this year Kyle came oh-so-close to completing the weekend triple. In February of this year, he won both the NCWTS and NNS races on the same day at the Auto Club Speedway, and finished third in the Cup race the next day. 

Next week Busch will begin his quest anew at a track where he nearly pulled off the triple-win two years ago. In November, 2007, he won both the truck and Nationwide (then-Busch) series races, then finished eighth in the Cup race.

(Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)