ABC’s broadcast of Sunday’s Dickies 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway earned a 3.6 overnight Nielsen Media Research rating, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Daily reports.
The figure is 10 percent lower than the 4.0 NBC earned overnight for the race in 2006.

If Sam Hornish stays true to form, trusting team owner Roger Penske to all but make career decisions for him, the three-time Indy Racing League champion will be announced on Saturday night in Phoenix as the new third driver for Penske’s Nextel Cup team. Though Penske said Sunday a final decision would be made in [...]

NASCAR selected 11 cars to run on the engine dyno following Sunday night’s race. The cars registered numbers that were quite close. Included were:
No. 12 Dodge (781hp), No. 48 Chevrolet (784hp — a number recorded following his postrace burnout), No. 17 Ford (788hp), No. 1 (786hp) Chevrolet, No. 20 Chevrolet (781hp), No. 31 Chevrolet [...]

Richie Gilmore, vice president of competition for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., is back in the hospital, four weeks after suffering a brain aneurysm, said DEI’s Vice President of Motorsports Operations, John Story. According to Story, Gilmore was scheduled to return to work at DEI on Monday, but after a medical examination was checked into a hospital [...]

An Interview With:
RICK HENDRICK
JIMMIE JOHNSON
CHAD KNAUS
KERRY THARP: We’re going to roll into our post-race winner’s press conference with the Dickies 500. Our congratulations goes out to Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevrolet. Jimmie takes over the points lead in the Chase. He’s up 30 (points) over Jeff Gordon. This is his third [...]

Dale Earnhardt, Jr tried to make the best out of long day as his Budweiser Chevy just wouldn’t handle to keep him toward the front.
“We did the best we could with a car that just wouldn’t cooperate. I can’t carry that thing on my back all day. We couldn’t have been any better than we [...]

MATT KENSETH — No. 17 USG Ford Fusion (finished 2nd)
I’m happy and I’m disappointed. Whenever you’re leading with three to go, you’re always disappointed when you don’t win. That’s been a couple of races here in a row that’s happened to us, got passed on the last lap. So, I was disappointed in that, [...]

THE MODERATOR: Martin, you had a big weekend, got your Top 5 finish, your thoughts about your performance out there today.
MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: Well, it was okay. We pretty much struggled with the car throughout the race, real proud of the work the guys did in the pit. Pretty much complained about the car [...]

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT MONTE CARLO SS , Started 2nd, Finished 7th:
YOU CAME HOME SEVENTH. IT WAS A DIFFICULT NIGHT BUT A GOOD FINISH: “Yeah, that’s a hard-fought seventh. I couldn’t be more proud of this team and the effort they’re putting out there and with good communication. We’re not getting close enough. And [...]

BILL ELLIOTT — No. 21 Delimex Ford Fusion (finished 36th)
ARE YOU OKAY? WHAT HAPPENED? “I’m fine. The 40 car just had a flat left-rear and got down on the apron. It looked like he tried to correct, he was already on the flat, and then he over-corrected and came back up in front of Kyle [...]