NASCAR announced Wednesday that it is changing the qualifying formats for its three major touring series beginning with the 2014 season.
At tracks measuring 1.25 miles in length or larger, qualifying for the Coors Light Pole Award will consist of three rounds:
· The first qualifying elimination round [...]

NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was voted the winner of the 2013 Driver of the Year Award, it was announced on Monday.
The 2013 DOTY is Johnson’s fifth, allowing him to eclipse Hendrick Motorsports teammate  Jeff Gordon, who was the only other four-time DOTY winner.
Johnson, the 38-year-old California native, continued to make NASCAR history [...]

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 John Sturbin | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
NASCAR team co-owner Gene Haas is exploring the possibility of fielding an American-based team in Formula One, reportedly beginning in 2015.
Haas is co-owner with three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart of Stewart-Haas Racing. According to various reports, Haas’ interest in F1 is the result of an announcement in December [...]

By Larry Woody | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Seven years ago this week NASCAR – and the world – lost one of its resident Nice Guys.
Benny Parsons died from lung cancer. I was around Benny a lot back in the old days and never saw him smoking. He used to gnaw on a stogie now and then, [...]

RacinToday.com
Day Two brought dryer weather to Daytona International Speedway and that allowed the Sprint Cup cars to take to the track for the first time in Preseason Thunder testing.
Much of Friday’s test, which concluded at 9 p.m., featured single-car runs.
Fastest of the test was Richard Childress Racing rookie Austin Dillon, who posted a top speed [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte are headed to new jobs as NBC broadcasters, but in many ways they’re remaining on the same side of the NASCAR fence.
They’ll still be a part of the fraternity of competitors. They’ll still be spending weekends living in the same motorcoach [...]

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 [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Driving into Daytona International Speedway for the 2014 version of preseason testing, there are visible signs of a major renovation of the facility. Well, sort of.
The cranes being used to remake the frontstretch seating area were mostly obscured by fog and low clouds for much of [...]

A year ago, there were two big, huge, major story lines dominating the scene (a.k.a., trending) as the Sprint Cup teams headed into the January test session known as Preseason Thunder.
Those story lines were Danica Patrick moving full time to Cup and the introduction of the mighty Gen 6 car.
On their own, both were supposedly [...]