And yeah, you read that right in the previous paragraph. Lowe's Motor Speedway is no more; the name is now officially Charlotte Motor Speedway once again . Lowe's naming rights, a $35 million/10 year deal, expired at the end of 2008. Lowe's extended the deal for one additional year, but declined to continue the deal any further. NASCAR has changed the length of two Sprint Cup races for 2010. The April 10 race at Phoenix International Raceway will increase by 63 miles, and the October 10 race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, will decrease by 100. Back in October, NASCAR and its television broadcasters announced earlier, uniform start times for Sprint Cup races -- races in the eastern and central time zones would begin at 1 p.m. ET, west coast events would start at 3 p.m. ET, and night races would begin at 7:30 p.m. ET. To guarantee that the night race at Phoenix, which would begin at 4:30 p.m. local time, would actually finish at night, NASCAR increased it from 312 laps (500 kilometers) to 375 laps (600 kilometers). The race at Auto Club Speedway, where cars usually get strung out, is being shortened from 500 miles to 400 miles. Kyle Busch, who was set to begin the third and final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, has signed a multi-year contract extension . Terms of the agreement weren't disclosed. Meanwhile, Penske Racing has picked up the option on brother Kurt's contract for 2011, but financial details haven't been worked out. The elder Busch is also hoping those remaining negotiations lead to a longer-term deal. Tony Stewart is expanding the pit crew program at Stewart-Haas Racing. The goal is to put the best crews together for 2010 and lay the foundation for a third team in the future. Tony Gibson, crew chief of Ryan Newman's No. 39 team, has already made several changes in Newman's crew. Newman's father, Greg, has resigned as his spotter, replaced by former driver...
Read more...