An official announcement that Aric Almirola will drive the No. 8 car at Dale Earnhardt Inc. full time next season will be made on Tuesday, sources close to the situation said.
DEI decided to put Aric Almirola in the No. 8 car full-time because he has developed a good relationship with crew chief Tony Gibson.
Meanwhile, Mark [...]

Juan Pablo Montoya was hit with a two-lap penalty Sunday after he intentionally ran into NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Kyle Busch during a late caution period at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Montoya spun out Busch, but the move backfired when Busch’s car came back across the track and hit Montoya’s.
The former open-wheel star, in his [...]

Former series champion Kurt Busch stayed on track when the leaders pitted late in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire and the strategy paid off with a win when the race was cut 17 laps short by rain.

Tony Stewart isn’t running many races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this series, so he’s making the ones he does drive in count.
The two-time Sprint Cup champion, who hasn’t been having much luck and has no wins in the top stock car series this season, drove away Saturday with his fifth victory in seven Nationwide [...]

POS CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR SPEED TIME BEHIND
1 10 Patrick Carpentier* Dodge Berlin City Auto Group 129.776 29.349 Leader
2 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker 129.059 29.512 -0.163
3 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet State Water Heaters 128.976 29.531 -0.182
4 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil 128.976 29.531 -0.182
5 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet National Guard / AMP Energy 128.885 29.552 -0.203

Tony Stewart proclaimed his interest Friday in Hendrick Motorsports’ soon-to-be-vacated No. 5 Chevrolet, saying the removal of Casey Mears from that ride could alter his plans for 2009 and beyond.

Clint Bowyer returned Friday to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of his first Cup victory last September, and chose that opportunity to confirm he has signed a contract extension with Richard Childress Racing through 2011.

Hendrick Motorsports made it official Friday by announcing that driver Casey Mears would leave the team at the end of the 2008 Sprint Cup season.
“None of us, Casey included, have been satisfied with the situation this season,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “We’ve put a ton of emphasis on the No. 5 program. It’s been [...]

Summer’s arrival means the “Race to the Chase,” the 10-race stretch that precedes the “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.”
The Race to the Chase begins with this weekend’s LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway — the same track that will host the first Chase event on Sept. 14.
In between, expect a compelling [...]

Dan Wheldon has left the door open for some time regarding a move over to NASCAR. Wheldon said this week that door has closed.