Let’s see what’s in the old Saturday Memo today:
NASCAR has set itself up for an environmental disaster of major proportions this coming season. It is a disaster the effects of which, I predict, will range from nightmares to temporary blindness.
It is the off-season decree by series officials that fans, and especially media, will be allowed [...]

The word is out to pit crew members of Jimmie Johnson’s Sprint Cup team: Rest on your laurels and you’ll be resting on your butt.
Chad Knaus, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, made that clear Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
Knaus said that crew members on his team who do not perform up to the level which [...]

Predictions that the new surface at Daytona International Speedway would produce high speeds proved more than correct on Friday.
Joey Logano was the fastest car in the evening session of Friday’s practice for Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. His top lap was at an impressive 203.087 mph.
In all, 10 drivers posted speeds in [...]

In racin’ news today, Friday, Feb. 11:
NASCAR announced today a technology partnership with Freescale Semiconductor and McLaren Electronic Systems to develop and integrate fuel injection systems into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, targeted for the 2012 season.
Freescale will provide the processors for McLaren’s engine control units that will be used to manage the fuel and [...]

In racin’ news today, Wednesday, Feb. 9.:
Phoenix International Raceway will be getting a major facelift, track officials have announced.
PIR president Bryan R. Sperber offered details related to the NASCAR facility’s first major track paving project since 1990 on Wednesday.
Construction will begin in March with the removal of the facility’s current surface and the subsequent installation [...]

From the Monday Morning Crew Chief™:
On the cusp of the new season, it’s worthwhile to ask if the changes to the points system and Chase for the Sprint Cup formats were worth the trouble?
There’s not much difference from the preceding systems after there was so much expectation built up last year by a summer-long public [...]

In Racin’ News today, Monday, Feb. 7:
NASCAR released its telecast times for the 2011 season.
Regular season points races in the Eastern and Central regions of the country will begin at 1 p.m. ET; West Coast events will begin at 3 p.m. ET; and night races will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET (Note: NASCAR’s longest race, [...]

Phoenix, Ariz. – Like so much of the country left shivering from yet another cold snap thanks to Old Man Winter, Joey Logano also was greeted by Ice Station Zebra temperatures Wednesday in the desert Southwest.
“Brrrr, I thought I was going to be able to wear just a T-shirt when I got here,” said Logano, [...]

Jason Bowles drove his No. 75 Rusty Wallace Racing Experience Toyota to victory in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown Saturday night.
Bowles moved to the lead on the final restart of the race, which is held at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, Calif., and held off DJ Kennington through the final eight laps.
But perhaps a bigger story was [...]

Reaction to Wednesday’s announcement of changes to NASCAR’s point system began to roll in shortly after the announcement was made by NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France at the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the annual media tour sponsored by Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The reaction came from drivers, media and track officials and promoters.
Here [...]