Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch by Bennett Raglin/ WireImage.com
NASCAR's "regular season" ended Sunday, and the 12-man field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup is set. The 10-race postseason begins with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Sunday, Sept. 14, 2 pm/ET, ABC).
The dozen drivers in contention for the 2008 title are: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. The Chasers will present a special "Top 12" on Late Show With David Letterman on Tuesday (Sept. 9, 11:35 pm/ET, CBS).
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. courtesy JR Motosports/ESPN
"It's fun to be able to tear down my house," says Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he rides high on a bulldozer and eats into his old home. It's a typically fun, out-there moment from one of the final two episodes of Dale Jr. - Shifting Gears, a five-part documentary series about NASCAR's most popular driver. Episode 4 premieres Tuesday (July 22, 7 pm/ET, ESPN) and the finale is Friday (July 25, 7 pm/ET, ESPN).
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. courtesy JR Motosports/ESPN
The NASCAR Sprint Cup season (formerly the Nextel Cup) kicks off next Sunday at the Daytona 500 (Feb. 17, 2 pm/ET, Fox). Without a doubt, the biggest story this year is Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s jump from DEI, the company his legendary dad created, to Hendrick Motorsports. Junior wanted a controlling interest in DEI, but his stepmom, Teresa Earnhardt, refused, leaving Dale to jump to NASCAR's powerhouse team, the home of two-time defending champ Jimmie Johnson and four-time Cup winner Jeff Gordon. Documenting this monumental event, ESPN tonight kicks off Dale Jr. – Shifting Gears, a five-part behind-the-scenes series made with Junior's cooperation and including footage shot last spring as he was making his decision to leave DEI. "There’s a part of me that feels a responsibility to the fans, to give them inside information," Earnhardt says. "They have a perception of how the agreements or disagreements go down, and here’s an opportunity to really show them what’s real...
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. courtesy JR Motosports/ESPN
In case there was any doubt who NASCAR's biggest star is, ESPN just announced a new five-part series, Dale Jr. — Shifting Gears, which will follow Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he moves to his new team, Hendrick Motor Sports. Coming off a frustrating 16th-place finish in last season's NASCAR Nextel Cup campaign, Junior is hoping for big things with his new team and his new car, the No. 88 Chevy. Shifting Gears premieres Friday, Feb. 8 (7 pm/ET, ESPN2), nine days before the renamed Sprint Cup season kicks off at the Daytona 500 (Sunday, Feb. 17, 3:30 pm/ET, Fox). Episodes 2 and 3 will air Feb. 15 and 16, with the remaining two coming this summer.The show will be coproduced by Earnhardt's company, Hammerhead Entertainment. In a statement, Earnhardt said:“We were working on a new DVD about my life and the guys kept getting more and more footage, so they decided to put a whole TV show together to document the biggest career decision I’ve ever made. The past year of my life has be...
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Kyle Busch by Kevin C. Cox/WireImage.com
NASCAR's Kyle Busch has decided to join Joe Gibbs Racing for next season, according to the Associated Press. The decision comes after a seven-week search that started when Hendrick Motorsports gave the 22-year-old driver the boot in order to make room on the team for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gibbs is expected to replace J.J. Yeley (in the final year of his contract) with Busch, who has scored four Cup wins and won four times in the Truck Series. Last season he finished 10th in the standings.
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Jimmie Johnson has his eyes on another prize.
BREAKING NEWS! Michael Waltrip apologizes for cheating, and his role in one of the sport's biggest scandals. See FoxNews.com for details.
NASCAR driver Jeff Burton isn't known for overstatement, so it's noteworthy when he says, "I've never been part of a season that's had this many changes at once." As the 2007 Nextel Cup season gets under way at the Daytona 500, America's premier auto series faces major twists and turns on and off the track. Here's your guide to the new season.
1) The Chase Gets an OverhaulThe Chase for the Championship has been significantly tweaked, placing a greater emphasis on winning races. Nextel Cup drivers now earn five extra points for each victory, and 12 cars — two more than in the past — can qualify for the postseason Chase, with their poi
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Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The new NASCAR season has arrived and in the garage area, teams come to Daytona — NBC airs the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19 at 2 pm/ET — with healthy quantities of anticipation and optimism. Tony Stewart intends to build on the greatness he achieved last season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon hope to accelerate their way back into the top 10, Jimmie Johnson is getting a little tired of the bridesmaids dresses and the new crew at Roush — hello, Mr. McMurray, don't let the door hit you on the way out, Mr. Busch — is set for a few more backflips.
While this preseason gave drivers lots of opportunity to offer reasons why they're on the fast track, it also raised a number of topics that will affect the sport for years. The "Car of Tomorrow," a pet project of NASCAR Research and Development czar Gary Nelson that rolls out in 2007, is supposed to remake the common temp
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