Talladega Superspeedway likely will have a smaller crowd this weekend for its UAW-Ford 500 Nextel Cup race, International Speedway Corp. officials said Thursday.
“While we expect to draw a strong crowd for the weekend, advance ticket sales are trending behind [2006],” said ISC Chief Operating Officer John Saunders during a call with financial analysts Thursday.

NASCAR has released the 2008 Craftsman Truck Series schedule.
There are no significant changes to the schedule with the series visiting the same 22 tracks for 25 races in the same order as in 2007.

Motorsports Authentics, the predominant NASCAR merchandise provider, will lose $20 million to $25 million in 2007, according to a new forecast from International Speedway Corp., which owns half of the company with track-operating rival Speedway Motorsports.
In July, it was announced the company would likely lose $15 million to $20 million.
“The primary contributor to this outlook [...]

All drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point to Talladega as the “wild card” track in the 10-race Chase.
While Talladega’s past does suggest an anything-goes show, over the last five races at the historic track, the top drivers have performed the best.

Jacques Villeneuve’s NASCAR career moves to a new high this weekend, as he makes his Nextel Cup debut at the famous Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. His Toyota Camry, car number 27, will carry the iconic blue branding of UNICEF, the globally-active, United Nations-founded children’s charity.

Sunday’s UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway marks the big track debut of the Car of Tomorrow, the first time it’s run on a superspeedway. The COT is taller and has more drag than the old-style spoiler car, which means NASCAR car run a larger restrictor-plate this weekend.

NASCAR has fined Hendrick Motorsports Busch Series crew chief Mike Bumgarner $10,000 for unapproved intake manifold modifications. Hendrick Motorsports said it plans to appeal.
The penalty, announced Wednesday, was lighter than anticipated after NASCAR confiscated the intake manifold following Kyle Busch’s win in the Yellow Transportation 300 on Saturday at Kansas Speedway. He will keep the [...]

Barney Visser, owner of Denver-based #78 Furniture Row Racing, said he and driver Joe Nemechek have agreed in principle to a contract for next season.
Visser also said his team has stopped producing its own engines and has been powered by Hendrick Motorsports motors since Nemechek came aboard.CQ Hendrick will provide Visser with all his engines [...]