The latest driver to get a free pass into "The Great American Race" is former IndyCar star and second-year Cup driver Sam Hornish Jr. He inherited a spot in the top 35 in owner points from the No. 22 car, fielded last year by Bill Davis Racing, when Roger Penske took on Davis this week as a minority owner. Dave Blaney drove that car to 31st in the points.
Davis, whose team won the truck series championship last year, sold his team in December after failing to find sponsorship in the reeling economy. But Davis retained the rights to the No. 22 and its points and brought them to the newly named Penske Championship Racing.
NASCAR rules reward the top 35 teams in car owner points with a guaranteed spot in each week's race field, and the previous season's top 35 get a free pass for the first five races the next year.
Daytona officials said an entry list for the 500 would not be issued until Friday, and the official top 35 was still up in the air, thanks in part to the economy forcing team mergers and sales that have sidelined some of last year's regular entries.
It appeared that Marcus Ambrose, whose No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing entry was 36th in the owner points last year, would move up to 35th, while Richard Petty Motorsports driver A.J. Allmendinger, whose car was 37th, will just miss out.
The moves are confusing and bothersome to many fans, but NASCAR president Mike Helton said the sanctioning organization is on top of the situation.
"We're handling it the same way we would have handled it in earlier situations in previous years," Helton said Thursday during the Sprint Cup Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. "What complicates this year is there's so much more activity going on around that."
Helton noted that owners can't sell points, but there are other ways to transfer them.
"Historically, we have allowed owners to merge with other owners. ... What's critical to that is the owner that established that history stays part of it," he said.
"The amount of activity we've got this year certainly makes a very significant topic out of it. What we have done is to monitor the traditional way that we would look at this and be sure that those business relationships abide by the spirit of the rule as the garage area would accept. The ones that we've signed off on fit those, in our opinion."
The top 35 rule was put in place to reward and protect teams that run the full season.
NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said NASCAR will review the rule and possibly simplify it at some point.
"My feeling is it's taking on a lot of different dimensions, and we are looking at that carefully to make sure the intentions of the policy is where we ended up," France said, noting the situation remains unsettled with the season about to start. "Sometimes we announce something and then we work on it. So we'll be looking at it here as we go out.
"We're not going to change anything tomorrow, or for the Daytona 500, but as we go on we'll be looking at the top 35."
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WINNING DAYTONA: A year ago, David Stremme didn't have a Sprint Cup ride. Now, he's heading into the Daytona 500 in the car that won the 2008 race.
Stremme, who hired on with Roger Penske's team as a test driver last year, is the driver of the No. 12 Dodge that Ryan Newman raced to victory at Daytona last February. Newman left Penske for the new Stewart Haas Racing, with Stremme moving up to the full-time ride.
"I feel great," said Stremme, who spent 2006 and 2008 driving a Cup car for Chip Ganassi Racing. "Coming down here, there's no question of the team and if they can win, if they can do a certain performance and a certain atmosphere."
Stremme is teamed with crew chief Roy McCauley, who worked with Newman last year.
"Obviously, Roy did a great job calling the race last year. I feel like I have good people around me and we can go out and do the same thing," Stremme said. "It obviously gives me a boost of confidence coming down here to Daytona with this program."
Does Stremme, whose best finish in 75 Cup races was third at Talladega in 2007, think he can start off with a win?
"I love restrictor plate racing," he said. "Some of my best finishes have come on plate tracks. Last year it showed. Dario (Franchitti) got hurt and I got a ride in his (Chip Ganassi Racing) car. Never had any practice, nothing. We went out and led some laps and were running up front when we got caught up in that accident on the white flag lap. I think that showed Roger that I can do the job."
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HAMLIN'S GIVEAWAY: Denny Hamlin wants to help race fans affected by the economic downturn by giving away four tickets to every race this season via his Web site.
The giveaway starts with the Daytona 500 at www.dennyhamlin.com/seats.
"They can sit in my seats every single week," he said. "It's for everyone. It doesn't matter if you're going to be there in your Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. gear. It doesn't matter to me. I just want to help the race fans out that don't have the means to or have gone for the last 20 years and now aren't able to because of financial reasons."
Hamlin first broached the idea last month and has been busy working out the details. He's buying the tickets himself, and doesn't receive a discount from any of the tracks -- and because they're premium seats, prices range from $75 to $150 each.
He's committed to giving away at least four tickets a race, but could do more at some races. He added that everyone has to do their part to help fans during the economic crisis.
"Some of these tracks are cutting down their ticket prices, cutting down their infield parking, and that's what its going to take," Hamlin said. "It's going to take a little bit from everybody."
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AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this report.
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