Dale Earnhardt Jr. Quits Dale Earnhardt Inc.

He's the youngest champ in race history

(AP) - Leading on the final lap of the Daytona 500, a pack of veterans baring down on his bumper, Trevor Bayne didn't panic. He figured it would be a cool story to tell someday, how he led a lap in NASCAR's biggest show. Somebody, maybe Tony Stewart, would pass him any moment and Bayne would dutifully push him to the win. But the pack never came. Nobody ever passed him, and with one smooth block of Carl Edwards, Bayne pulled off a stunning upset. Unlikely? Absolutely. Unworthy? He sure thought so. Unbelievable? That's Daytona for you. More»

Ex-Alaska gov won't play official role but does have 'NASCAR's blessing'

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin is planning a romantic Valentine's Day—at the Daytona 500. Although the former Alaska governor won't have an official role in the race, she does have "NASCAR's blessing," the president of the Daytona International Speedway tells the Daytona Beach News-Journal , quoting the sport's governing body as saying, " NASCAR does not take sides either way." More»

Danica Patrick to race for team with Kelley Earnhardt as owner

(NEWSER) - Female racing phenom Danica Patrick confirmed today that she's going to race in NASCAR events next year. Patrick will make the jump to stock cars while maintaining her presence on the IndyCar circuit, where she is a certified star. But the best part of this new deal is that she's joining JR Motorsports, which features Kelley Earnhardt—sister of Dale Jr.—as a team owner, writes Jay Busbee. More»

(AP) - Rain that had threatened today's season-opening race finally rolled in moments after Matt Kenseth slid past Elliott Sadler for the lead, the AP reports. Then the former NASCAR champion was forced to sit out a 20-minute delay before claiming victory in the Daytona 500 after 152 of 200 laps. It was just the fourth rain-shortened 500 in the race's 51-year history, and first since Michael Waltrip's 2003 victory. More»

Sport cuts costs to keep fans at the races

(NEWSER) - The US auto industry is teetering on the brink of destruction—and NASCAR isn't too far behind it. The Daytona 500, NASCAR’s Super Bowl, takes place Sunday, but business is stalling, leaving the costly sport looking for a lift, Sean Gregory and Steve Goldberg write in Time. “We need to get back a little beating and banging, a little nudging,” one racetrack exec says. “We need some of the numbers rubbed off the door.” More»