DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 22, 2008) – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR)  announced today the promotion of Karen Leetzow, Paula Miller and Susan Schandel to vice president positions.

Leetzow has been named vice president/deputy general counsel; Miller has been named vice president of human resources and organizational development; and Schandel has been named vice president/chief accounting officer.

All three promotions are effective immediately.

“These are well-deserved appointments,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “I’m proud of the expertise and talent we have throughout NASCAR. These appointments further strengthen our leadership team.”

Leetzow, previously assistant general counsel for the stock car sanctioning body, has worked for NASCAR since 1999. She is a graduate of The American University, Washington College of Law.

Miller joined NASCAR in October, having previously worked as managing director of corporate and human services for International Speedway Corporation (NASDAQ:ISCA). Prior to that she worked for 13 years with General Electric in human resources. She is a graduate of Ohio and Purdue universities.

Schandel came to NASCAR in February – being named chief accounting officer – after 15 years at International Speedway Corporation, where she rose to senior vice president. Prior to joining ISC she worked for Ernst & Young. Schandel is a graduate of Penn State University.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), celebrating 60 years in 2008, is the sanctioning body for one of North America’s premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – holding 17 of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S., and is the No. 2 rated regular-season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in more than 30 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.

NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (Fla.), NASCAR has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.), Mexico City and Toronto.”

“Does Dale Earnhardt Jr. need a new crew chief?

My answer is yes!

If Junior wants to win a championship he needs to part ways with his cousin and get someone else. Week in and week out you here the conversations between the two Juniors on the in-car radio and all they do is argue.

They don’t have the chemistry it takes to win a championship together.

Tony Eury Junior doesn’t make the right adjustments on the car to suit Dale’s driving style and Dale doesn’t want Tony to make certain adjustments. This team needs a crew chief who can figure out what adjustments to make to the car to fit Dale’s driving style and make the car better as the track changes.

Rick Hendrick needs to make the move and not worry about hurting anyone’s feelings and he needs to do it now before the season begins!”

What Happened: A manufacturer switch from Chevy also-ran to Toyota’s Top Dog reaped great horespower for the three Gibbs cars. It was evident from the first weekend at Daytona where Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart all shared time at the front. Kyle Busch enjoyed a dominant regular season in his first year with Gibbs, winning 8 Cup races and leading the points for almost the entire summer. Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart both won races and made the Chase. Tony Stewart also announced a deal to move to Haas Racing in 2009 to become part-owner, ending a ten year run Cup with Gibbs.

What Went Well: The jump to Toyota was mutually beneficial for both parties. Gibbs’ engine builder Mark Cronquist improved all of the Camry teams’ fortunes by supplying more power. For Gibbs it was a chance to break away from the logjam of top teams at Chevy. Busch’s season was a dream for the first 26 races. Not only did he win lots of races, he managed to improve his public image beyond an immature malcontent. While losing Stewart was a surprise and will be hard to replace, at least Gibbs has a ready-made phenom in Joey Logano to try and replace him.

What Went Wrong: Stewart and Hamlin both ran very well at times during 2008 but never found the consistency that Busch enjoyed. Then in the Chase all three cars found trouble, especially Busch who enjoyed a disastrous Chase filled with parts failures, engine woes and bad finishes. Busch had 4 finishes worse than 15th in the first 26 races and then matched that number in the final ten. In his limited Cup exposure Logano struggled (2 DNQ’s, no finish better than 32nd).

The Current State:

Like almost every year JGR sits in really good shape. They have three young drivers with fully sponsored cars. Toyota will almost certainly be even more dominant in 2009 in lieu of the other manufacturer’s struggles and Gibbs will again lead that line. Stewart is an immense loss to the organization, but if you are trying to replace a legend then you might as well try to find the next superstar of the sport.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2008) – A busy week in New York City culminated Friday evening with the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Jimmie Johnson, who etched his name in the NASCAR record books by becoming only the second driver in the sport’s history to win three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships, was officially coronated as the 2008 series titlist. The No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team relished in the spotlight Friday afternoon, posing for dozens of photographs with Johnson and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Trophy. It’s a ritual that Johnson says he looks forward to continuing in 2009 and beyond.

“Yes, I want to win a fourth championship,” said Johnson, who along with Cale Yarborough is the only NASCAR driver to ever win three straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles. “Right now, I’m just part of history. I’d love to make history. I’m not pulling a Babe Ruth and pointing over the outfield fence and saying I’m going to hit it over here, but yeah, I want to win a fourth championship. We’ll see.”

Team owner Rick Hendrick, whose teams have won eight series championships, says the chemistry on the No. 48 team has helped provide a winning combination.

“There’s a lot of talent on that team, but the thing that really impresses me is how well they work together toward achieving the common goal of winning a championship,” said Hendrick. “They stay motivated and have that “refuse to lose” mentality. For the most part, the team has remained intact from the inception and the consistency has been a real plus in helping them get to the level they are today.”

Johnson’s wife, Chandra, says it’s amazing to see how passionate her husband is about his work.

“Jimmie loves what he does for a living and that’s a real blessing,” said Chandra. “The passion he has for driving that race car is unbelievable.”

Friday night’s awards ceremony not only recognized Johnson and his championship team, it also featured the remaining top 10 drivers from the 2008 season, including Kyle Busch (10th); Tony Stewart (9th); Denny Hamlin (8th); Jeff Gordon (7th); Jeff Burton (6th); Clint Bowyer (5th); Kevin Harvick (4th); Greg Biffle (3rd); and Carl Edwards (2nd).

Actor and film director Kevin Costner made some remarks during the banquet regarding NASCAR’s recently completed 60th anniversary season and was joined at the podium by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty. The musical group Matchbox 20 performed and comedian John Pinette also entertained the audience.

2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver Champion: Jimmie Johnson

2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Owner Champion: Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsport

Final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top 12: 1. Jimmie Johnson, 6,684; 2. Carl Edwards, 6,615; 3. Greg Biffle, 6,467; 4. Kevin Harvick, 6,408; 5. Clint Bowyer, 6,381; 6. Jeff Burton, 6,335; 7. Jeff Gordon, 6,316; 8. Denny Hamlin, 6,214; 9. Tony Stewart, 6,202; 10. Kyle Busch, 6,186; 11. Matt Kenseth, 6,184 and Dale Earnhardt Jr., 6,127.

Raybestos Rookie of the Year: Regan Smith”

“DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2008) – Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Cale Yarborough made an unannounced appearance tonight at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Followed by a rousing standing ovation, Yarborough presented the championship ring to 2008 series champion Jimmie Johnson during this year’s annual ceremony.

The two champions will be forever linked in NASCAR lore. This season, Johnson joined Yarborough as the only drivers to win three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships. Yarborough accomplished the historic feat from 1976-78.

During Yarborough’s incredible three-year stretch, he posted 28 wins, 70 top-five and 74 top-10 finishes.

“Somebody finally did it,” Yarborough said. “I set a pretty good record, didn’t I? It took them 30 years to tie it. There are only two of us who have done it in the 60 years of the sport. That’s a pretty good accomplishment. You know, I haven’t been to this banquet in several years, but tonight I feel like I got my racing spirit back. You know, all he really did is tie the record – he still has to break it. He still has some work to do. I want to congratulate Jimmie; he’s a great man and a great racer. I know he’s going to win some more championships. Maybe he can skip a year though.”

Yarborough’s famous swagger continues to this day. During his speech, he told team owner Rick Hendrick that if there was a ride open in his stable, he could have the first 70-year-old series champion. Yarborough turns 70 next March.

Johnson matched Yarborough’s record with another typically brilliant performance. In 2008, Johnson had seven wins, 15 top fives and 22 top 10s.

“What a surprise and what an honor to have Cale present me with the championship ring,” Johnson said. “I’m pretty much floored.”

The Yarborough ring presentation was the culmination of a night filled with memory-making moments.

Earlier in the program, Betty Jane France – widow of former NASCAR Chairman and CEO Bill France Jr. – introduced Academy Award winning actor Kevin Costner, who made some remarks commemorating the 60th anniversary season of NASCAR. Costner was later joined on stage by seven-time champion Richard Petty, who spoke on the impact NASCAR has had on his life and the tremendous growth of the sport.

Also in attendance was Academy Award nominee Tom Cruise, who played Cole Trickle in the NASCAR-themed film Days of Thunder.”

What Happened: After the company namesake, Dale Earnhardt Jr, left for Hendrick Dale Earnhardt Incorporated went winless for the first time since 1999. The team fielded four full-time teams, thanks in part to their merger with Ginn Racing in 2007. Martin Truex Jr was the highest finishing driver in 15th place, although Mark Martin had the best numbers (4 top 5’s, 11 top 10’s) in his 24-race schedule. One-time Martin apprentice, Regan Smith, won the Rookie of the Year award despite finishing 34th in the standings. Paul Menard won the pole at the summer Daytona race, finished 2nd at Talladega and spent the rest of the year a lap down (or at least it felt that way).

What Went Well: Mark Martin had an excellent season despite his reduced schedule. He nearly won races at Phoenix and Pocono and proved that he was still very competitive. Unfortunately he was so competitive, that he will drive full time in 2009-for Hendrick Motorsports. Martin Truex Jr had a solid season with 3 top 5’s and 11 top 10’s. DEI’s merged engine program with RCR was also a mixed bag. DEI put cars in the top 10 starting grid 33 times, but only finished in the top ten 24 times. They had 4 engine related failures, but also showed serious horses on restrictor plate tracks. Beyond Menard’s pole win, Regan Smith nearly won the fall Talladega race with a push from Menard before being penalized for an illegal pass. Maybe the most promising part of 2008 was Aric Almirola’s performance. He scored a top ten in his first race at Bristol and had several other encouraging runs, including leading 53 laps at Martinsville. Almirola assumes a full time seat for 2009 and will run for Rookie of the Year honors.

What Went Wrong: While never being a legitimate Championship-calibur organization, DEI has always at least competed with the sport’s powerhouse teams. In 2008 no driver was close to making the Chase and only Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr came close to consistently running with the leaders. DEI drivers led a combined 268 laps. In 2007 Truex led 581 himself. While the on-track performance took a serious dive, the off-track news was even worse. US Army did not renew their sponsorship past 2008, Paul Menard took his personal sponsorship with him to Yates Racing and the #01 team couldn’t find fulltime sponsorship for 2008 or 2009. The year ended on such a bad note that the team-only one year removed from acquiring Ginn Racing and aggressive expansion-was forced to merge with Chip Ganassi Racing. As of December, the new team now has three drivers and two fully sponsored cars.

The Current State: DEI president Max Siegel has to wonder, “I signed up for this? The company is drastically different than the one he was hired to run two years ago. Obviously the economic depression has accelerated DEI’s tailspin, but the on-track performance dwindled far sooner than the sponsorship money dried up. The merger with Ganassi places their engine program with RCR in question and might further weaken the team. DEI-Ganassi has a decent collection of drivers, but as Truex’s ‘08 showed a team is only as good as its cars.