Atlanta Motor Speedway officials say Jeff Gordon will serve as grand marshal and Richard Petty as honorary starter for the track’s Oct. 28 Pep Boys 500 Nextel Cup race.
The race will mark the 15th anniversary of Gordon’s first Cup race and Petty’s final race. Gordon will give the command to start engines, with Petty waving [...]

NASCAR announced that Nationwide Insurance will become title sponsor of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, replacing Anheuser-Busch’s Busch brand at the start of the 2008 season. Nationwide Insurance will also become the official auto, home and life insurance provider of NASCAR.
The seven-year agreement gives Nationwide Insurance the exclusive rights to tie its brand to the most [...]

Actress Ashley Judd wasn’t by her husband’s side Wednesday, but she played a part in Dario Franchitti’s decision to move from the Indy Racing League to NASCAR.
Franchitti announced Wednesday that he will drive the No. 40 Sprint Cup car for Chip Ganassi Racing next season.
And with Franchitti comes the famous actress.

UPDATE:
Haas CNC Racing announced today that the team has signed Scott Riggs for the 2008 Sprint Cup season. The car Riggs will drive next season (#66 or #70) will be determined at a later date.
“We’re very happy to welcome Scott Riggs to Haas CNC Racing,” team general manager Joe Custer said. “It’s exciting for us [...]

Mars U.S. announced a three-year partnership with M&M’S Brand Chocolate Candies as the sponsor of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team and driver Kyle Busch in the Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2008. “I can’t wait to climb behind the wheel of the M&M’S car next season,” Busch said.
“M&M’S Racing has been a fan [...]

Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) announced reigning Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti has signed a multi-year deal with the organization to compete in the Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) beginning in 2008. Franchitti will become the first European driver in the 59-year history of NASCAR to join the series full time [...]

Deborah Chastain of Thomasville, GA, will be leading the cheers for the #24 DuPont/Pepsi Chevy on October 7 when Jeff Gordon races in the paint scheme she designed. Earlier this year, Jeff Gordon, together with Pepsi, handed creative control over to the fans by asking consumers to create their own paint-out design for the car [...]

Gateway International Speedway officials say former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve is scheduled to test at the track Oct. 16.