By Jeff Hood | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – There was no shortage of optimism and storylines in the room during media day at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday as a steady stream of nearly 50 NASCAR drivers were paraded in front of the assembled press.
Sporting new hair styles, tans, fit bodies and unblemished racing [...]

By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NASCAR team co-owner Gene Haas knows there are those who doubt his ability to field a Formula One team due to the failure of USF1 about five years ago, but that’s not keeping him from taking the next step in his pursuit of one.
Haas was scheduled to [...]

RacinToday.com
Top Fueler Doug Kalitta called race conditions at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. “perfect” on Saturday. They sure were for the Mac Tools driver as Kalitta raced to the No. 1 qualifying position for Sunday’s Circle K NHRA Winternationals.
John Force (Funny Car) and Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) also will lead their categories into Sunday’s [...]

By John Sturbin | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
John Force launched defense of his latest NHRA Funny Car world championship in record-setting fashion Friday, twice lowering the track record during the opening day of qualifications for the 54th annual NHRA Circle K Winternationals.
The winningest driver in NHRA history, Force recorded a 3.966-second pass on his second 1,000-foot lap down [...]

By Jim Pedley | Managing Editor
RacinToday.com
A year ago at this time, Shawn Langdon was a driver with things to prove. Important things. Things like proving he belonged on a Top Fuel team that had a championship-winning past.
This year heading into the coming weekend’s NHRA Mello Yellow drag racing series’ season-opening Winternationals, Langdon again has something [...]

By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NASCAR executives confirmed Thursday what had been rumored and speculated on for several weeks – a major change in the Chase format that will emphasize winning throughout the season and make the season finale a winner-take-all event for the championship.
The new format expands the Chase field to [...]

By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – International businessman Roger Penske’s motorsports involvement has covered all major facets of the sport – driver, team and track owner – and he said Wednesday he believed NASCAR was headed in the right direction with its rule changes for 2014.
“Change is an important evolution. There is no [...]

By Jonathan Ingram | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was the warmest of times and the coldest of times on the day before the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The skies? They were murky and clear.
The warmth emanated from satisfaction that the long-held dream of a single united endurance racing series in North America [...]

RacinToday.com
If reports out of North Carolina prove correct, the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship will undergo massive changes.
The Charlotte Observer newspaper ran a story on Friday evening that NASCAR is considering increasing the size of the year-ending playoff Chase field to 16 drivers.
That field of 16 would be whittled down by eliminations and culminate [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a surprise announcement, crew chief Steve Letarte, who has been leading Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team at Hendrick Motorsports, is leaving pit road to be a TV analyst for NBC, beginning with the 2015 season when the network returns to the sport.
”I’ve always been impressed with [...]