Busch dreams of Daytona sweep

Kurt Busch hopes to become the first driver in history to claim a full sweep of victories at Daytona today, following his wins last week in the Budweiser Shootout and the Gatorade Duel qualifying race.

While the winner of the Shootout has also won his duel race 11 times in the 52 years of the Daytona 500, none of them have gone on to take victory the main event as well in the past. Busch could be the first one, although he shrugged off the pressure that comes with being labelled as the favorite to win the 500.

Despite technically starting from third place on the grid, Busch will move up to the front row for the start of the 200-lap race, once polesitter Dale Earnhardt Jr cedes his place during the final formation lap after swapping to his back-up car due to a practice crash.

"I'm not worried about it," said Busch of his favourite status. "It's just nice to get back out and practice today, get back into the swing of things and try to keep it as normal as possible. The normal part will be exciting when we fire up the engines and see Dale Jr drop to the back and we'll be leading the field to start the 53rd running of the 'Great American Race'.

"I've got to put all those emotions aside and get into the groove of the 500-mile race. We'll do that during lap one. I hope that Regan Smith and I are tied-up together like we need to be and we lead lap one. We'll just settle in after that."

As drivers continue to discover the new drafting technique at Daytona in the track's first NASCAR race since its recent $20 million resurfacing, Busch believes the best place to be when heading into the final turn ahead of the chequered flag will be pushing another car.

Last Saturday Busch won the Budweiser Shootout from third in the order out of the final corner, while in Thursday's duel he was the leader and being trailed by Furniture Row's Regan Smith. The Penske driver anticipates a green-white-chequered finish, just as happened for him three days ago before winning his qualifying race.

"I think that everybody knows that if you're the guy that's pushing, you're in the catbird seat," said Busch. "If you're separated from the guys behind you, that's the position to be in. You really want to be pushing. I really expect a green-white-chequered to happen and we'll see how it all plays out.

"You've got your buddy that you've been with all day long. When you get to the end of the race, you never know who's going to tie up, but everybody wants their best shot at victory and there's no guarantee of anybody staying behind you.

"If [Ryan] Newman's pushing me and I'm leading and he's second coming off of Turn 4, I've got to expect that's he's going to pass me and win his second-career Daytona 500. It's just the product of how this two-car draft is."

Busch has never won the Daytona 500 but has finished in second place three times, most recently in 2008 when he pushed his team-mate Newman to victory.

Palop commits to SevillaSteve Wallace to enter Daytona 500

Cooling adjusted for Daytona 500

NASCAR officials have issued last-minute technical changes affecting the cooling of Sprint Cup cars ahead of Sunday's Daytona 500.

Following restrictions imposed to the front grille opening for radiators after last week's Budweiser Shootout, NASCAR has gone back slightly on its measures to give a bit more cooling to the cars when they race for the first time in a full field.

The maximum size of the opening had been set at 2.5 inches high by 20 inches long, which is what drivers raced with during Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying races. Thirty-seven drivers out of 43 also practiced for the final time on Saturday ahead of the race with the same parameters, which were modified following the session.

The new size for the grille opening will by 3 inches high by the same 20 inches long, handing teams back a bit more cooling for Sunday, when ambient temperatures are expected to raise relative to Thursday.

"It will just allow us to push for a bit longer, but it won't have a huge impact," a representative from a leading engine builder told AUTOSPORT. "It's going to be hotter tomorrow also."

Ford engines have been perceived to have an edge over rivals in cooling, as many equipped with Roush Yates engines have been able to push another car for longer than most before water starts boiling.

"Now it's really all about what the cylinder head and the block see for pressure and temperature," said Doug Yates. "That's the critical part. If you start boiling in that combustion chamber, then you have issues. I think, along with Ford, we've done a great job on our engine design and, hopefully, they're saying the same things after Sunday."

Two-car tandems have developed as the most efficient way of racing around Daytona, as events have proved so far at the recently paved 2.5-mile speedway. The new style of drafting has placed emphasis on engine cooling, and it is expected that little will change during Sunday's main event.

"I think with 43 cars tomorrow, you'll see 22 tandems," said Dale Earnhardt Jr, who earned pole position for the event but lost it while practicing last Wednesday when he was involved in a crash that forced him to a back up car.

NASCAR looks to limit two-car draftAguero eyes Chelsea move

Patrick sets conservative '11 goals

Danica Patrick hopes to achieve top-15 finishes in her second partial season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, while she has yet to decide whether she will pursue a full-time career in stock cars from 2012.

The IndyCar star will kick off her racing season next week with the first of a planned 12 NASCAR events, competing for a second time at Daytona, scene of her debut in the second-tier series last year.

This year she is set to race again at six of the tracks where she competed last year, while four new venues, including the road course in Montreal, will complete her Nationwide series calendar.

Patrick hopes this year she can achieve the goals that she could not in 2010, when her best finish was a 19th place on her final outing of the season at Homestead, where she had qualified in fifth place.

"Last year [the goal] was top-15s and since I didn't achieve that I'd say that's a good starting point for this year," Patrick said. "I was really happy with the last race qualifying [of 2010] so I hope I'm able to continue that and start further up.

"That's a good goal and [so is] finishing on the lead lap, those kind of things. I still have a lot of the same goals so I hope to achieve those on a consistent basis and then make new ones."

The JR Motorsports racer believes she has already proved competitive at times in 2010, but reckons she is still short of stock-car experience. She suggests it would still be too soon to judge her NASCAR transition at the end of this year, as by then even adding all her NASCAR outings, she would not have run enough races to complete a full Nationwide series season.

"I believe that there were a few times last year when I was relatively competitive," said Patrick. "Unfortunately the results don't show for that. It's very difficult for me to say at which point in time should I be running up front every weekend - I don't know.

"At the end of the season with another dozen races under my belt I still will have only achieved about two thirds of a Nationwide season. Usually at least people get one season to figure it out but it would take three seasons of what I'm doing to get to a full season of Nationwide and obviously that's quite spread out too."

This year Patrick faces the decision of whether to pursue a full-time move to NASCAR in 2012 or keep her focus on the IndyCar Series. When asked about her plans for further ahead, she said it was still too soon to talk about the subject.

"At this point in time is only February, so we haven't started the NASCAR season or the IndyCar season," she said. "I think it's about getting through this year and I'm sure silly season will come towards the later part of the year, but until then I'm just going to make the most of every weekend and that's it, that's all I can do...

"There are always certain negotiation periods that are allowed in your contract, so at this point, I don't know."

This season Patrick is also entering her seventh full-season in IndyCar, hoping to improve on her career-best fifth place in the championship, achieved in 2009.

Patrick sets 2011 NASCAR scheduleForlan refuses to rule out move

NASCAR looks to limit two-car draft

NASCAR has introduced technical changes to the cooling system on Sprint Cup series cars in the hope of limiting the two-car tandems that prevailed during Saturday's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

Effective for Thursday's Gatorade Duels, which will complete the starting order for the Daytona 500, the dimensions of the front-grille opening on the cars will be reduced to a maximum of 50 square inches and also a pressure-relief valve set at 33 PSI will be fitted to radiators.

The move will drastically reduce engine cooling, hoping drivers will have to look for 'clean air' much more than they did during Saturday's event, thus reducing the number of laps a car can push another one before water temperatures peak on their gauges.

During the non-points Bud Shootout, the usual big packs of cars traditional of restrictor-plate racing were replaced by a new style of running in pairings, which proved to be the most effective way of gaining speed and thus getting to the front of the field.

The new smoother surface at Daytona allowed for the technique to develop, as the bumpy old asphalt prevented from bump-drafting in the turns in the past. This, coupled with the low ambient temperatures from Saturday, created perfect conditions for cars to push for long stretches, Jamie McMurray actually bumping winner Kurt Busch for 14 consecutive green-flag laps.

"As an engine builder, this is a big change for a big race, so we're gonna do a lot of homework today and tomorrow and, hopefully, be prepared when we go back there on Wednesday and Thursday," said Ford engine builder Doug Yates. "If we need to do some more research before the 500, then we will."

The changes are also safety-oriented, officials aiming to bring speeds down as averages broke into the 206 mph while running in the draft on Saturday's race.

"We can all agree from the competitors and NASCAR that 206 is probably a little bit to the extreme side," said Cup series director John Darby.

Teams will be able to sample the new cooling parameters during practice next Wednesday. However further changes could be introduced like reducing the size of the restrictor plate, which remains at 29/32nds of a inch, the same used during testing last January.

"I wouldn't be surprised from the speeds that I've seen that we could have a plate change, so we are preparing as if that might come," Yates added.

Keselowski fastest on final test day

McLaren in NASCAR ECU deal

McLaren Electronics along with Freescale Semiconductor will provide fuel injection systems that NASCAR plans to implement in the Sprint Cup Series in a year's time.

In one of the biggest technical changes for NASCAR in years, the sanctioning body has announced that its top series will use fuel injection systems on its cars from 2012, all being supplied by McLaren Electronics.

Freescale Semiconductor will provide the processors for McLaren's engine control units, which will be used to manage the fuel and ignition systems, replacing carburetors which have been used in the series since its inception in 1949.

Although difficulties in efficiently policing electronic systems has been a reason for NASCAR to stay away from them in the past, officials feel confident in their suppliers' capability to deliver a cheat-proof system that can guarantee a level playing field.

NASCAR plans to race the system for the first time next year at Daytona and although it has yet to confirm whether it will be run for the whole season, the aim is to make a full implementation in 2012.

"This is the tip of the iceberg for the technology," NASCAR's vice-president for competition Robin Pemberton told AUTOSPORT. "Right now we're concentrating on the engine management system and keeping it as fair for all of our manufacturers and all of our teams, knowing that moving forward we'll have the ability to do a lot more things.

"Those things will help the garage area in some form, but it's important to know that it can enhance the fan experience as well, whether we go into the telemetry part, it might add to the TV packages moving forward, things like that.

"We know that's down the road for us, but for now it's just important for us to make sure that we maintain the level playing field and make sure that nobody is getting away with anything."

Although ECUs open a wide range of options for NASCAR and teams in terms of data acquisition, the systems will remain restricted for engine management purposes initially. Teams will be able to tune them through software and parameters may vary from one track to another, as is the case with carburetors at present.

Further tuning or 'hacking' of the units will be prevented by codes, while McLaren Electronics officials guarantee that any attempt to alter the system will be easy to track.

The NASCAR fuel injection system will have eight injectors - one per cylinder - and it will be placed in the intake manifold. The throttle body will be manufactured by Holley, current vendor for NASCAR carburetors, while the airbox and air intake will remain the same as currently being used.

The system will be similar to the one supplied by McLaren for the IndyCar Series in the past, although it will be NASCAR-specific.

Before being officially tested on-track for the first time by teams, the systems are set to undergo plenty of dyno testing, although there have been a few outings at non-NASCAR tracks already, according to Pemberton.

McLaren Electronics has been working alongside NASCAR for the past 18 months, altough the company has been a supplier for teams for a few years already.

"As a group, McLaren is extremely serious about its involvement in North America: as well as looking ahead to our NASCAR involvement, the next 12 months will also see us introduce the MP4-12C high-performance sports car to the market," said Ron Dennis, executive chairman of McLaren Group.

"With both projects, we're keen to ensure that our expertise produces the most efficient and effective solutions while also safeguarding the incredible reputation that the McLaren name has built up over nearly 50 years of motorsport competition."

McLaren Electronics is also the official supplier for ECUs in Formula 1.

Aguero eyes Chelsea moveMcLaren in NASCAR ECU deal

Waltrip Toyotas top drafting session

The Michael Waltrip Racing Toyotas of David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr topped an uneventful Thursday drafting practice session as NASCAR Sprint Cup teams continued to gear up for the Daytona 500.

Reutimann, a two-time winner in the series, set a fastest lap of 45.970 seconds, at an average speed of 195.780 mph, achieved while running in tandem with his MWR team-mate Truex, who was second on the timesheets.

Behind them, Red Bull's returnee Brian Vickers was third-fastest, also achieving his best lap while working in tandem with his team-mate Kasey Kahne.

Stewart Haas' Tony Stewart was fifth, setting his best lap while drafting in single file with both MWR and Red Bull cars in a five-car group, the biggest seen during the four-hour session. However, his best lap was over a second slower than what the top four managed after splitting into two-car team formations.

Despite much anticipation to the afternoon session, few drivers ventured on the track to draft and figure out the effect of the new, smoother Daytona asphalt, which proved to allow more bump-drafting than in the past.

"It looked like a lot of guys were just working on a lot of stuff today so maybe they're going to be focused on drafting tomorrow," said Vickers. "I'm sure before we leave you'll see a pretty big pack. I can't imagine you wouldn't because I know pretty much everybody wants to see how the cars react in that situation, the track and all that stuff."

Many drivers and teams continued to focus on single-car runs, hoping to get most of their programmes done before switching to drafting mode. Some rain is forecast for the Daytona area on Friday.

Teams will continue to test until Saturday for the Daytona 500, which takes place on February 20.

Nadal set for Mallorca roleWaltrip Toyotas top drafting session

Patrick sets 2011 NASCAR schedule

Danica Patrick will contest 12 NASCAR Nationwide Series races - one less than in 2010 - this year as she continues to evaluate whether to make a full-time switch to stock cars.

The American is considering whether to leave IndyCar for NASCAR when her Andretti Autosport contract expires at the end of this season.

She ran a part-season in NASCAR Nationwide with JR Motorsports last year and will do the same again with the Chevrolet team this season.

Patrick had already announced that she would enter the four Nationwide races - at Daytona, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Bristol - that take place before the IndyCar season commences.

The JR team has now added that she will contest the mid-season rounds at Chicagoland, Daytona, Montreal, Richmond and Kansas during gaps in the IndyCar schedule, before racing in the final three events at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead once her IndyCar commitments are finished for the year. The Montreal race will be her first experience of a NASCAR event on a road course.

Patrick struggled to make an impression in Nationwide during 2010, with a 19th-place finish at Homestead her best result. But she is optimistic that she will be more competitive this year as her experience builds.

"I have a much different perspective heading into this season," she said.

"I know a little more of what to expect, and I'm not as out of my element. I've had a year to work with my team, and there is a comfort level that comes with returning to some of these tracks."

Patrick enters first four 2011 roundsNadal set for Mallorca role

Stewart laments incident in Australia

Tony Stewart has expressed his regret at getting into an off-track incident in Australia last week, while competing in a sprint car event at Sydney Speedway.

The two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion was reportedly questioned by local police last Saturday after having a physical altercation with track co-owner Bret Morris following a dispute over safety conditions at the track, which was affected by heavy rain.

Stewart, who returned to the US last weekend, confirmed on Thursday at Daytona that he was involved in the confrontation and then questioned by the police over the incident.

"There was an altercation at the racetrack," said Stewart. "It was a dispute between myself and one of the owners of the facility. But as it also reported, we went down to the police station, we gave them a statement. They told us after the statement that we were free to go back to the hotel room and free to get on the plane the next day. But definitely wasn't the way I wanted to end my trip.

"We had a fun trip over there. Obviously there was a lot of flooding and raining while we were there, but at the same time we still had a good race trip over there and didn't end that last night the way we wanted to by any means. But it's not uncommon to see drivers and track owners have disputes over what's going on, but this one went a little bit further than a normal dispute."

Although the issue has reportedly not yet been closed by police in New South Wales, Stewart shrugged off any concerns about it possibly going any further.

"I'm not concerned about it," Stewart said. "If there is and we have to go back, we'll deal with it. But it's nothing that we're concerned with at this point. Like I said, when they were done with us, they said we were able to go back to the hotel and were able get on our flight and come back.

"I made sure that they knew exactly where we were staying, when our flight was, what the flight number was and how to get hold of us the whole time. We'll deal with it if anything else comes about."

Stewart, also a team and track owner in the US, has previously been involved in other off-track altercations, shoving a journalist at a NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Indianapolis in 2002 and more recently pushing a USAC official at an event where his team was competing in 2008.

"Well, I'm definitely not proud of what happened, and if I had to do it all over again, I would have dealt with it much different," said an apologetic Stewart about last week's incident.

"Like I said, this isn't something that I've blown off. I've lost a lot of sleep over it because I'm very embarrassed that I made it through a whole trip and the night before I come home I get in an altercation with somebody, and that really hasn't happened for a while.

"I'm not at all the least bit proud of it. I'm ashamed about it, but at the same time it's been nice to get back with the team and it's nice to come down here and worry about driving the racecar again.

"And it's not that it's making me forget about it, but it's at least getting my mind off it enough to relax."

Forlan refuses to rule out moveStewart laments incident in Australia

Drivers would back Cup points change

A number of Sprint Cup drivers have shown their support for a new points system that NASCAR could potentially implement this year in an attempt to make the scoring easier for fans to understand.

According to a recent report from the Associated Press, NASCAR is considering a complete overhaul of the points allocation that has been in place since 1975, and could replace it with a system that would award 43 points to the first finisher down to one for the 43rd placed driver, with a one-point decrease between each position. Possible changes to the Chase are also on the cards, as well as the allocation of bonus points.

The current points system awards 185 points to a race winner, with five-point decreases down to sixth place, four-point decreases from sixth to 11th and then three from 11th down to 43rd place. Five bonus points are awarded for leading laps, another five for leading the most laps, and 10 towards a driver's seeding in the play-off for every win during the first 26 races, with the top 12 in the points becoming title contenders in the final 10 weeks of the season.

A NASCAR spokesman has confirmed changes being considered but denied that a final decision had been taken. An official announcement is expected to take place next week.

Five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson backed the possible change but said he would not expect it to hurt his chances of defending his title if implemented this year. However he believes that further changes need to be made in other areas like the length and number of races, in order to enhance declining viewership and attendance figures.

"There's a lot of speculation at this point, but in theory if it is 43 points for the winner on down to one for the last place car, in concept, in theory, it's still very similar to what we have now," said Johnson. "So I think the premise, the concept is still very similar. Take a while to get used to it.

"I think it's more of an attempt to make our points system easier to understand. I don't think that it would be a huge change from the thought that I've put into it so far. I don't see it being a big thing.

"I know people expect me to react and think, 'oh, they've got to leave it alone, don't change it.' I don't care what races are in the Chase, the format to win the championship; I could care less because I feel confident that my team will be able to win championships under any set of circumstances.

"Some more tweaks here and there, I'm willing to try it, but I think there are some other issues that would help with attendance and viewership that kind of leave the garage area and what happens on the track.

"You look at length of races, frequency of races. In my opinion I think a lot of our fans are just over-exposed from race lengths and then so many events."

2004 champion Kurt Busch, the first to win a Cup title under the Chase format, said the changes being considered are positive for the fans, although he would like to see more bonus points being awarded for winning a race.

"I thought it was good," said Busch. "I do think it's simpler for people to figure out. Obviously when you know you're 18 points behind someone, that's 18 spots without the bonus points and everything.

"From what I saw that [NASCAR] proposed, the one thing that they were open to is possibly giving a few more bonus points for the wins in the regular season to count towards the Chase, and I think because just maybe giving one point to someone who wins a race, putting that to your Chase points, that's only one spot, that's not equal to what we had before.

"I definitely think that they're open to that change, but I'm definitely in favour of the one to 43. I think it's going to be easier for us to figure out to be honest with you."

Last year's championship runner-up Denny Hamlin believes that the proposed alterations would not have changed the identity of the champion in recent seasons.

"I'd like to go back for myself and just do research and plug those numbers into past years and to see who comes out on top or to see how things change around and to help fine-tune it a little bit more, because in the end you still want it to be about consistency, but you have to be consistent during those 10 weeks," said Hamlin.

"When you sit there and change around points 100 different ways, we still end up with the same champion nine times out of 10 it seems like."

Double champion Tony Stewart also seemed supportive of any possible changes.

"As long as we all start the year and we understand what the point structure is and how you get the points, then you race accordingly," said Stewart.

"But it's still going to be on a situation where if you win races the points take care of itself, and as long as it's not a deal where you ever get in a situation where running 30th pays more points than winning then it shouldn't really change how you race, it's just you know if it's a 36-week deal that leads into a championship or a 10-week deal, you know how to prepare for it."

Next week NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France is expected to unveil any final changes to the championship format.

Hammers lead Barrera chaseDrivers would back Cup points change

McLaren in NASCAR ECU deal

McLaren Electronics along with Freescale Semiconductor will provide fuel injection systems that NASCAR plans to implement in the Sprint Cup Series in a year's time.

In one of the biggest technical changes for NASCAR in years, the sanctioning body has announced that its top series will use fuel injection systems on its cars from 2012, all being supplied by McLaren Electronics.

Freescale Semiconductor will provide the processors for McLaren's engine control units, which will be used to manage the fuel and ignition systems, replacing carburetors which have been used in the series since its inception in 1949.

Although difficulties in efficiently policing electronic systems has been a reason for NASCAR to stay away from them in the past, officials feel confident in their suppliers' capability to deliver a cheat-proof system that can guarantee a level playing field.

NASCAR plans to race the system for the first time next year at Daytona and although it has yet to confirm whether it will be run for the whole season, the aim is to make a full implementation in 2012.

"This is the tip of the iceberg for the technology," NASCAR's vice-president for competition Robin Pemberton told AUTOSPORT. "Right now we're concentrating on the engine management system and keeping it as fair for all of our manufacturers and all of our teams, knowing that moving forward we'll have the ability to do a lot more things.

"Those things will help the garage area in some form, but it's important to know that it can enhance the fan experience as well, whether we go into the telemetry part, it might add to the TV packages moving forward, things like that.

"We know that's down the road for us, but for now it's just important for us to make sure that we maintain the level playing field and make sure that nobody is getting away with anything."

Although ECUs open a wide range of options for NASCAR and teams in terms of data acquisition, the systems will remain restricted for engine management purposes initially. Teams will be able to tune them through software and parameters may vary from one track to another, as is the case with carburetors at present.

Further tuning or 'hacking' of the units will be prevented by codes, while McLaren Electronics officials guarantee that any attempt to alter the system will be easy to track.

The NASCAR fuel injection system will have eight injectors - one per cylinder - and it will be placed in the intake manifold. The throttle body will be manufactured by Holley, current vendor for NASCAR carburetors, while the airbox and air intake will remain the same as currently being used.

The system will be similar to the one supplied by McLaren for the IndyCar Series in the past, although it will be NASCAR-specific.

Before being officially tested on-track for the first time by teams, the systems are set to undergo plenty of dyno testing, although there have been a few outings at non-NASCAR tracks already, according to Pemberton.

McLaren Electronics has been working alongside NASCAR for the past 18 months, altough the company has been a supplier for teams for a few years already.

"As a group, McLaren is extremely serious about its involvement in North America: as well as looking ahead to our NASCAR involvement, the next 12 months will also see us introduce the MP4-12C high-performance sports car to the market," said Ron Dennis, executive chairman of McLaren Group.

"With both projects, we're keen to ensure that our expertise produces the most efficient and effective solutions while also safeguarding the incredible reputation that the McLaren name has built up over nearly 50 years of motorsport competition."

McLaren Electronics is also the official supplier for ECUs in Formula 1.

Aguero eyes Chelsea moveNASCAR to use E15 fuel from 2011

Drivers would back Cup points change

A number of Sprint Cup drivers have shown their support for a new points system that NASCAR could potentially implement this year in an attempt to make the scoring easier for fans to understand.

According to a recent report from the Associated Press, NASCAR is considering a complete overhaul of the points allocation that has been in place since 1975, and could replace it with a system that would award 43 points to the first finisher down to one for the 43rd placed driver, with a one-point decrease between each position. Possible changes to the Chase are also on the cards, as well as the allocation of bonus points.

The current points system awards 185 points to a race winner, with five-point decreases down to sixth place, four-point decreases from sixth to 11th and then three from 11th down to 43rd place. Five bonus points are awarded for leading laps, another five for leading the most laps, and 10 towards a driver's seeding in the play-off for every win during the first 26 races, with the top 12 in the points becoming title contenders in the final 10 weeks of the season.

A NASCAR spokesman has confirmed changes being considered but denied that a final decision had been taken. An official announcement is expected to take place next week.

Five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson backed the possible change but said he would not expect it to hurt his chances of defending his title if implemented this year. However he believes that further changes need to be made in other areas like the length and number of races, in order to enhance declining viewership and attendance figures.

"There's a lot of speculation at this point, but in theory if it is 43 points for the winner on down to one for the last place car, in concept, in theory, it's still very similar to what we have now," said Johnson. "So I think the premise, the concept is still very similar. Take a while to get used to it.

"I think it's more of an attempt to make our points system easier to understand. I don't think that it would be a huge change from the thought that I've put into it so far. I don't see it being a big thing.

"I know people expect me to react and think, 'oh, they've got to leave it alone, don't change it.' I don't care what races are in the Chase, the format to win the championship; I could care less because I feel confident that my team will be able to win championships under any set of circumstances.

"Some more tweaks here and there, I'm willing to try it, but I think there are some other issues that would help with attendance and viewership that kind of leave the garage area and what happens on the track.

"You look at length of races, frequency of races. In my opinion I think a lot of our fans are just over-exposed from race lengths and then so many events."

2004 champion Kurt Busch, the first to win a Cup title under the Chase format, said the changes being considered are positive for the fans, although he would like to see more bonus points being awarded for winning a race.

"I thought it was good," said Busch. "I do think it's simpler for people to figure out. Obviously when you know you're 18 points behind someone, that's 18 spots without the bonus points and everything.

"From what I saw that [NASCAR] proposed, the one thing that they were open to is possibly giving a few more bonus points for the wins in the regular season to count towards the Chase, and I think because just maybe giving one point to someone who wins a race, putting that to your Chase points, that's only one spot, that's not equal to what we had before.

"I definitely think that they're open to that change, but I'm definitely in favour of the one to 43. I think it's going to be easier for us to figure out to be honest with you."

Last year's championship runner-up Denny Hamlin believes that the proposed alterations would not have changed the identity of the champion in recent seasons.

"I'd like to go back for myself and just do research and plug those numbers into past years and to see who comes out on top or to see how things change around and to help fine-tune it a little bit more, because in the end you still want it to be about consistency, but you have to be consistent during those 10 weeks," said Hamlin.

"When you sit there and change around points 100 different ways, we still end up with the same champion nine times out of 10 it seems like."

Double champion Tony Stewart also seemed supportive of any possible changes.

"As long as we all start the year and we understand what the point structure is and how you get the points, then you race accordingly," said Stewart.

"But it's still going to be on a situation where if you win races the points take care of itself, and as long as it's not a deal where you ever get in a situation where running 30th pays more points than winning then it shouldn't really change how you race, it's just you know if it's a 36-week deal that leads into a championship or a 10-week deal, you know how to prepare for it."

Next week NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France is expected to unveil any final changes to the championship format.

Drivers would back Cup points changeHammers lead Barrera chase

Waltrip Toyotas top drafting session

The Michael Waltrip Racing Toyotas of David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr topped an uneventful Thursday drafting practice session as NASCAR Sprint Cup teams continued to gear up for the Daytona 500.

Reutimann, a two-time winner in the series, set a fastest lap of 45.970 seconds, at an average speed of 195.780 mph, achieved while running in tandem with his MWR team-mate Truex, who was second on the timesheets.

Behind them, Red Bull's returnee Brian Vickers was third-fastest, also achieving his best lap while working in tandem with his team-mate Kasey Kahne.

Stewart Haas' Tony Stewart was fifth, setting his best lap while drafting in single file with both MWR and Red Bull cars in a five-car group, the biggest seen during the four-hour session. However, his best lap was over a second slower than what the top four managed after splitting into two-car team formations.

Despite much anticipation to the afternoon session, few drivers ventured on the track to draft and figure out the effect of the new, smoother Daytona asphalt, which proved to allow more bump-drafting than in the past.

"It looked like a lot of guys were just working on a lot of stuff today so maybe they're going to be focused on drafting tomorrow," said Vickers. "I'm sure before we leave you'll see a pretty big pack. I can't imagine you wouldn't because I know pretty much everybody wants to see how the cars react in that situation, the track and all that stuff."

Many drivers and teams continued to focus on single-car runs, hoping to get most of their programmes done before switching to drafting mode. Some rain is forecast for the Daytona area on Friday.

Teams will continue to test until Saturday for the Daytona 500, which takes place on February 20.

Nadal set for Mallorca roleWaltrip Toyotas top drafting session

Bowyer leads first Daytona test

Clint Bowyer topped the timesheets during the first NASCAR Sprint Cup testing session of the year at Daytona on Thursday, as teams kicked off a three-day programme which got their on-track preparation for the season-opener underway.

Richard Childress driver Bowyer set a fastest lap of 48.855 seconds at an average speed of 184.219mph, with Chevrolet Impalas sweeping the top five spots with four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon finishing second best, ahead of Mark Martin and the Earnhardt Ganassi duo of Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya. Reigning Nationwide Series champion Brad Keselowski was sixth in the #2 Penske Dodge.

Drivers and teams focused on single-car qualifying-type runs on the new surface, which continues to show the improved grip and smoothness already evident when a number of cars laid rubber on it for the first time last December during a Goodyear tyre test.

"It's almost identical feeling to what we have at Talladega," said two-time champion Tony Stewart following the session. "Obviously the transitions off [Turns] 2 and 4 are a little more abrupt than what we have at Talladega, but as far as the ride, you literally could hold a cup of coffee with the lid off full and not spill a drop riding around there."

Besides the new nose on the Cup cars, all teams were also running with the new Sunoco Green E15 gasoline, as well as testing the new self-ventilated dump cans that will be used during pitstops this year.

Thirty-three cars completed laps during the session, the caution flags only being displayed for debris on the track.

Teams are set to finish the day with an afternoon drafting session, although many have no plans to run in the pack thus far.

Zaragoza want Pennant stayBowyer leads first Daytona test

Drivers would back Cup points change

A number of Sprint Cup drivers have shown their support for a new points system that NASCAR could potentially implement this year in an attempt to make the scoring easier for fans to understand.

According to a recent report from the Associated Press, NASCAR is considering a complete overhaul of the points allocation that has been in place since 1975, and could replace it with a system that would award 43 points to the first finisher down to one for the 43rd placed driver, with a one-point decrease between each position. Possible changes to the Chase are also on the cards, as well as the allocation of bonus points.

The current points system awards 185 points to a race winner, with five-point decreases down to sixth place, four-point decreases from sixth to 11th and then three from 11th down to 43rd place. Five bonus points are awarded for leading laps, another five for leading the most laps, and 10 towards a driver's seeding in the play-off for every win during the first 26 races, with the top 12 in the points becoming title contenders in the final 10 weeks of the season.

A NASCAR spokesman has confirmed changes being considered but denied that a final decision had been taken. An official announcement is expected to take place next week.

Five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson backed the possible change but said he would not expect it to hurt his chances of defending his title if implemented this year. However he believes that further changes need to be made in other areas like the length and number of races, in order to enhance declining viewership and attendance figures.

"There's a lot of speculation at this point, but in theory if it is 43 points for the winner on down to one for the last place car, in concept, in theory, it's still very similar to what we have now," said Johnson. "So I think the premise, the concept is still very similar. Take a while to get used to it.

"I think it's more of an attempt to make our points system easier to understand. I don't think that it would be a huge change from the thought that I've put into it so far. I don't see it being a big thing.

"I know people expect me to react and think, 'oh, they've got to leave it alone, don't change it.' I don't care what races are in the Chase, the format to win the championship; I could care less because I feel confident that my team will be able to win championships under any set of circumstances.

"Some more tweaks here and there, I'm willing to try it, but I think there are some other issues that would help with attendance and viewership that kind of leave the garage area and what happens on the track.

"You look at length of races, frequency of races. In my opinion I think a lot of our fans are just over-exposed from race lengths and then so many events."

2004 champion Kurt Busch, the first to win a Cup title under the Chase format, said the changes being considered are positive for the fans, although he would like to see more bonus points being awarded for winning a race.

"I thought it was good," said Busch. "I do think it's simpler for people to figure out. Obviously when you know you're 18 points behind someone, that's 18 spots without the bonus points and everything.

"From what I saw that [NASCAR] proposed, the one thing that they were open to is possibly giving a few more bonus points for the wins in the regular season to count towards the Chase, and I think because just maybe giving one point to someone who wins a race, putting that to your Chase points, that's only one spot, that's not equal to what we had before.

"I definitely think that they're open to that change, but I'm definitely in favour of the one to 43. I think it's going to be easier for us to figure out to be honest with you."

Last year's championship runner-up Denny Hamlin believes that the proposed alterations would not have changed the identity of the champion in recent seasons.

"I'd like to go back for myself and just do research and plug those numbers into past years and to see who comes out on top or to see how things change around and to help fine-tune it a little bit more, because in the end you still want it to be about consistency, but you have to be consistent during those 10 weeks," said Hamlin.

"When you sit there and change around points 100 different ways, we still end up with the same champion nine times out of 10 it seems like."

Double champion Tony Stewart also seemed supportive of any possible changes.

"As long as we all start the year and we understand what the point structure is and how you get the points, then you race accordingly," said Stewart.

"But it's still going to be on a situation where if you win races the points take care of itself, and as long as it's not a deal where you ever get in a situation where running 30th pays more points than winning then it shouldn't really change how you race, it's just you know if it's a 36-week deal that leads into a championship or a 10-week deal, you know how to prepare for it."

Next week NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France is expected to unveil any final changes to the championship format.

Hammers lead Barrera chaseDrivers would back Cup points change

Steve Wallace to enter Daytona 500

NASCAR Nationwide Series regular Steve Wallace will make his Sprint Cup debut next month at Daytona, driving for his father's Rusty Wallace Racing team in the season opener.

The 23-year-old, son of former Cup champion Rusty Wallace, who fields his own team in NASCAR's second-tier series, will make the jump up together with his family's outfit, which will enter the #77 Toyota Camry in the Daytona 500.

Wallace, who has finished in the top 10 in the Nationwide Series points in the past two years, will have his start in the race guaranteed after his team was able to secure a deal to have the 2010 owner points transferred from Penske Racing's #77 car of Sam Hornish Jr, who is not expected to compete for the team in the Cup series this year.

According to NASCAR rules, the top 35 cars in the owner standings from the previous year are automatically guaranteed the start in the first five races of the new season. Penske's #77 was 29th in that ranking at the end of last year.

"Starting my first Daytona 500 is definitely going to be the most exciting day of my career - make that my life - so far," said Wallace. "It's something that every kid wanting to be a racer - including me - dreams of doing one day. It's the some of the best drivers in the world competing in the biggest race in the world.

"As far as the race, my goals are simple: to stay out of trouble, earn all the respect I can from the other guys and make sure [the car] is there at the end of the race. The way restrictor plate racing goes, if we can do that, there's no telling what can happen."

Larry Carter, who was crew chief for his father Rusty on his final appearance in the Daytona 500 in 2005, when he finished 10th for Penske Racing, will be calling the shots from the pitwall for the younger Wallace on his Cup debut.

1989 Cup champion Wallace, who never claimed a Daytona 500 victory despite his 55 wins in the series, believes the new grippy asphalt at the 2.5-mile oval will make it easier for his team to be competitive on its debut as handling will no longer be as large a factor.

"When you're a young driver coming up, you dream about racing in the Daytona 500 and now Steve's going to get the opportunity to do it," said team-owner Wallace. "He's grown by leaps and bounds as a driver in the Nationwide Series over the last few years and we think he's ready for this opportunity.

"We've been looking at this race as an opportunity for a while, because I really believe that the new pavement at Daytona is going to be a great equaliser among the teams. The cars will have a tonne of grip and it's going to make handling a much smaller part of the equation."

Steve Wallace will be the fourth different member of his family to compete in the Daytona 500.

Forlan refuses to rule out moveSteve Wallace to enter Daytona 500

Steve Wallace to enter Daytona 500

NASCAR Nationwide Series regular Steve Wallace will make his Sprint Cup debut next month at Daytona, driving for his father's Rusty Wallace Racing team in the season opener.

The 23-year-old, son of former Cup champion Rusty Wallace, who fields his own team in NASCAR's second-tier series, will make the jump up together with his family's outfit, which will enter the #77 Toyota Camry in the Daytona 500.

Wallace, who has finished in the top 10 in the Nationwide Series points in the past two years, will have his start in the race guaranteed after his team was able to secure a deal to have the 2010 owner points transferred from Penske Racing's #77 car of Sam Hornish Jr, who is not expected to compete for the team in the Cup series this year.

According to NASCAR rules, the top 35 cars in the owner standings from the previous year are automatically guaranteed the start in the first five races of the new season. Penske's #77 was 29th in that ranking at the end of last year.

"Starting my first Daytona 500 is definitely going to be the most exciting day of my career - make that my life - so far," said Wallace. "It's something that every kid wanting to be a racer - including me - dreams of doing one day. It's the some of the best drivers in the world competing in the biggest race in the world.

"As far as the race, my goals are simple: to stay out of trouble, earn all the respect I can from the other guys and make sure [the car] is there at the end of the race. The way restrictor plate racing goes, if we can do that, there's no telling what can happen."

Larry Carter, who was crew chief for his father Rusty on his final appearance in the Daytona 500 in 2005, when he finished 10th for Penske Racing, will be calling the shots from the pitwall for the younger Wallace on his Cup debut.

1989 Cup champion Wallace, who never claimed a Daytona 500 victory despite his 55 wins in the series, believes the new grippy asphalt at the 2.5-mile oval will make it easier for his team to be competitive on its debut as handling will no longer be as large a factor.

"When you're a young driver coming up, you dream about racing in the Daytona 500 and now Steve's going to get the opportunity to do it," said team-owner Wallace. "He's grown by leaps and bounds as a driver in the Nationwide Series over the last few years and we think he's ready for this opportunity.

"We've been looking at this race as an opportunity for a while, because I really believe that the new pavement at Daytona is going to be a great equaliser among the teams. The cars will have a tonne of grip and it's going to make handling a much smaller part of the equation."

Steve Wallace will be the fourth different member of his family to compete in the Daytona 500.

Forlan refuses to rule out moveSteve Wallace to enter Daytona 500

Waltrip Toyotas top drafting session

The Michael Waltrip Racing Toyotas of David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr topped an uneventful Thursday drafting practice session as NASCAR Sprint Cup teams continued to gear up for the Daytona 500.

Reutimann, a two-time winner in the series, set a fastest lap of 45.970 seconds, at an average speed of 195.780 mph, achieved while running in tandem with his MWR team-mate Truex, who was second on the timesheets.

Behind them, Red Bull's returnee Brian Vickers was third-fastest, also achieving his best lap while working in tandem with his team-mate Kasey Kahne.

Stewart Haas' Tony Stewart was fifth, setting his best lap while drafting in single file with both MWR and Red Bull cars in a five-car group, the biggest seen during the four-hour session. However, his best lap was over a second slower than what the top four managed after splitting into two-car team formations.

Despite much anticipation to the afternoon session, few drivers ventured on the track to draft and figure out the effect of the new, smoother Daytona asphalt, which proved to allow more bump-drafting than in the past.

"It looked like a lot of guys were just working on a lot of stuff today so maybe they're going to be focused on drafting tomorrow," said Vickers. "I'm sure before we leave you'll see a pretty big pack. I can't imagine you wouldn't because I know pretty much everybody wants to see how the cars react in that situation, the track and all that stuff."

Many drivers and teams continued to focus on single-car runs, hoping to get most of their programmes done before switching to drafting mode. Some rain is forecast for the Daytona area on Friday.

Teams will continue to test until Saturday for the Daytona 500, which takes place on February 20.

Waltrip Toyotas top drafting sessionNadal set for Mallorca role

Steve Wallace to enter Daytona 500

NASCAR Nationwide Series regular Steve Wallace will make his Sprint Cup debut next month at Daytona, driving for his father's Rusty Wallace Racing team in the season opener.

The 23-year-old, son of former Cup champion Rusty Wallace, who fields his own team in NASCAR's second-tier series, will make the jump up together with his family's outfit, which will enter the #77 Toyota Camry in the Daytona 500.

Wallace, who has finished in the top 10 in the Nationwide Series points in the past two years, will have his start in the race guaranteed after his team was able to secure a deal to have the 2010 owner points transferred from Penske Racing's #77 car of Sam Hornish Jr, who is not expected to compete for the team in the Cup series this year.

According to NASCAR rules, the top 35 cars in the owner standings from the previous year are automatically guaranteed the start in the first five races of the new season. Penske's #77 was 29th in that ranking at the end of last year.

"Starting my first Daytona 500 is definitely going to be the most exciting day of my career - make that my life - so far," said Wallace. "It's something that every kid wanting to be a racer - including me - dreams of doing one day. It's the some of the best drivers in the world competing in the biggest race in the world.

"As far as the race, my goals are simple: to stay out of trouble, earn all the respect I can from the other guys and make sure [the car] is there at the end of the race. The way restrictor plate racing goes, if we can do that, there's no telling what can happen."

Larry Carter, who was crew chief for his father Rusty on his final appearance in the Daytona 500 in 2005, when he finished 10th for Penske Racing, will be calling the shots from the pitwall for the younger Wallace on his Cup debut.

1989 Cup champion Wallace, who never claimed a Daytona 500 victory despite his 55 wins in the series, believes the new grippy asphalt at the 2.5-mile oval will make it easier for his team to be competitive on its debut as handling will no longer be as large a factor.

"When you're a young driver coming up, you dream about racing in the Daytona 500 and now Steve's going to get the opportunity to do it," said team-owner Wallace. "He's grown by leaps and bounds as a driver in the Nationwide Series over the last few years and we think he's ready for this opportunity.

"We've been looking at this race as an opportunity for a while, because I really believe that the new pavement at Daytona is going to be a great equaliser among the teams. The cars will have a tonne of grip and it's going to make handling a much smaller part of the equation."

Steve Wallace will be the fourth different member of his family to compete in the Daytona 500.

Steve Wallace to enter Daytona 500Forlan refuses to rule out move

Waltrip Toyotas top drafting session

The Michael Waltrip Racing Toyotas of David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr topped an uneventful Thursday drafting practice session as NASCAR Sprint Cup teams continued to gear up for the Daytona 500.

Reutimann, a two-time winner in the series, set a fastest lap of 45.970 seconds, at an average speed of 195.780 mph, achieved while running in tandem with his MWR team-mate Truex, who was second on the timesheets.

Behind them, Red Bull's returnee Brian Vickers was third-fastest, also achieving his best lap while working in tandem with his team-mate Kasey Kahne.

Stewart Haas' Tony Stewart was fifth, setting his best lap while drafting in single file with both MWR and Red Bull cars in a five-car group, the biggest seen during the four-hour session. However, his best lap was over a second slower than what the top four managed after splitting into two-car team formations.

Despite much anticipation to the afternoon session, few drivers ventured on the track to draft and figure out the effect of the new, smoother Daytona asphalt, which proved to allow more bump-drafting than in the past.

"It looked like a lot of guys were just working on a lot of stuff today so maybe they're going to be focused on drafting tomorrow," said Vickers. "I'm sure before we leave you'll see a pretty big pack. I can't imagine you wouldn't because I know pretty much everybody wants to see how the cars react in that situation, the track and all that stuff."

Many drivers and teams continued to focus on single-car runs, hoping to get most of their programmes done before switching to drafting mode. Some rain is forecast for the Daytona area on Friday.

Teams will continue to test until Saturday for the Daytona 500, which takes place on February 20.

Waltrip Toyotas top drafting sessionNadal set for Mallorca role

Drivers would back Cup points change

A number of Sprint Cup drivers have shown their support for a new points system that NASCAR could potentially implement this year in an attempt to make the scoring easier for fans to understand.

According to a recent report from the Associated Press, NASCAR is considering a complete overhaul of the points allocation that has been in place since 1975, and could replace it with a system that would award 43 points to the first finisher down to one for the 43rd placed driver, with a one-point decrease between each position. Possible changes to the Chase are also on the cards, as well as the allocation of bonus points.

The current points system awards 185 points to a race winner, with five-point decreases down to sixth place, four-point decreases from sixth to 11th and then three from 11th down to 43rd place. Five bonus points are awarded for leading laps, another five for leading the most laps, and 10 towards a driver's seeding in the play-off for every win during the first 26 races, with the top 12 in the points becoming title contenders in the final 10 weeks of the season.

A NASCAR spokesman has confirmed changes being considered but denied that a final decision had been taken. An official announcement is expected to take place next week.

Five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson backed the possible change but said he would not expect it to hurt his chances of defending his title if implemented this year. However he believes that further changes need to be made in other areas like the length and number of races, in order to enhance declining viewership and attendance figures.

"There's a lot of speculation at this point, but in theory if it is 43 points for the winner on down to one for the last place car, in concept, in theory, it's still very similar to what we have now," said Johnson. "So I think the premise, the concept is still very similar. Take a while to get used to it.

"I think it's more of an attempt to make our points system easier to understand. I don't think that it would be a huge change from the thought that I've put into it so far. I don't see it being a big thing.

"I know people expect me to react and think, 'oh, they've got to leave it alone, don't change it.' I don't care what races are in the Chase, the format to win the championship; I could care less because I feel confident that my team will be able to win championships under any set of circumstances.

"Some more tweaks here and there, I'm willing to try it, but I think there are some other issues that would help with attendance and viewership that kind of leave the garage area and what happens on the track.

"You look at length of races, frequency of races. In my opinion I think a lot of our fans are just over-exposed from race lengths and then so many events."

2004 champion Kurt Busch, the first to win a Cup title under the Chase format, said the changes being considered are positive for the fans, although he would like to see more bonus points being awarded for winning a race.

"I thought it was good," said Busch. "I do think it's simpler for people to figure out. Obviously when you know you're 18 points behind someone, that's 18 spots without the bonus points and everything.

"From what I saw that [NASCAR] proposed, the one thing that they were open to is possibly giving a few more bonus points for the wins in the regular season to count towards the Chase, and I think because just maybe giving one point to someone who wins a race, putting that to your Chase points, that's only one spot, that's not equal to what we had before.

"I definitely think that they're open to that change, but I'm definitely in favour of the one to 43. I think it's going to be easier for us to figure out to be honest with you."

Last year's championship runner-up Denny Hamlin believes that the proposed alterations would not have changed the identity of the champion in recent seasons.

"I'd like to go back for myself and just do research and plug those numbers into past years and to see who comes out on top or to see how things change around and to help fine-tune it a little bit more, because in the end you still want it to be about consistency, but you have to be consistent during those 10 weeks," said Hamlin.

"When you sit there and change around points 100 different ways, we still end up with the same champion nine times out of 10 it seems like."

Double champion Tony Stewart also seemed supportive of any possible changes.

"As long as we all start the year and we understand what the point structure is and how you get the points, then you race accordingly," said Stewart.

"But it's still going to be on a situation where if you win races the points take care of itself, and as long as it's not a deal where you ever get in a situation where running 30th pays more points than winning then it shouldn't really change how you race, it's just you know if it's a 36-week deal that leads into a championship or a 10-week deal, you know how to prepare for it."

Next week NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France is expected to unveil any final changes to the championship format.

NASCAR announces new points systemHammers lead Barrera chase

Vickers admits he doubted return

Brian Vickers has admitted to being unsure about his return to the Sprint Cup series at one point but is thrilled to be making it back in 2011 with Red Bull Racing Team.

The former Nationwide Series champion was diagnosed with blood clots in May of last year and was forced to stop racing in order to get treatment, hoping he would be able to make a full recovery.

Vickers successfully returned to driving his #83 Red Bull Toyota on January 10th at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, before taking part of the three-day test at Daytona International Speedway, where he ran all three days making plenty of laps in the draft.

Following his testing return, he says he feels at his best after going through a life-changing experience during the months of his treatment.

"Everyone keeps asking me how does it feel to be back? I guess, it feels damn good," said Vickers following testing at Daytona last week. "You look for all of these words and ways to describe your emotions and your feelings and sometimes there's just nothing to say.

"I wasn't sure if I would ever be back up here talking to you guys about being in the car again and here I sit. I'm really happy about it. It's been a long year. Last year was a very long year. I'm very excited for 2011. I'm probably at the best place I've ever been personally, professionally, emotionally and I'm ready to go kick butt!"

Vickers said he hit a low when he returned to the track while still being under treatment, despite feeling great support from the NASCAR community and the fans.

He revealed at the time he was struggling emotionally while finding it hard to cope with the fact that he couldn't race.

"My first time back I think I was still dealing with a lot of things and everyone was so supportive - the fans, the media, the team, everybody top to bottom in NASCAR," said Vickers. "So, it was kind of out of site, out of mind.

"Then the next time back just sitting there on the box trying to be supportive for the team, but it was just tearing me apart inside. I was just a wreck -- a complete wreck. My stress was out of the roof, my medicines weren't working, they were all over the place. That was probably when it hit me."

The 27-year-old admits that when he was given the green-light by doctors to resume his racing career he had doubts over making a return. However it didn't take him long to realize that his place was back behind the wheel.

"There was a point in time there where I didn't know if I was ever coming back," said Vickers. "Not just because of the doctors, but I questioned if I wanted to come back. Maybe it was time to just start a new chapter of my life. Is it worth going back and trying again? What would happen to me emotionally?

"Trust me, once the doctors said, 'Okay,we feel pretty good about this and we're good with you going back racing if you want.' It's tough talking to a doctor about risk levels and going back racing and all of this stuff because most doctors would tell you that they'd rather you did not race cars to begin with.

"They're like, 'Okay, let's really think about this. You skydive and you race cars at 200 miles an hour and you're asking me about this. Let's address the first problem.' That's kind of their mentality.

"Once they told me I could go back racing - it was funny, for the longest time I just kind of went down this path and I assumed it was a clear cut decision for me when I had approval, but as some time went on I started thinking to myself, 'Maybe it is time to start a new chapter.'

"You go through a lot of emotional states, I guess... I went through everything you could imagine, but in the end through a lot of traveling, chasing some dreams outside of racing that I always wanted to do and some soul searching and spending time with friends and family I realised that I couldn't not give it another shot."

After more than three years racing alongside less experienced team-mates, Vickers is set to compete this season alongside Kasey Kahne at Red Bull Racing. The pair entered the Sprint Cup series full-time as rookies back in 2004, and Vickers claims to have a good relationship with him based on mutual respect.

"I've enjoyed working with Kasey," he said. "Kasey and I came in this sport about the same time and we've always had a mutual respect, over 10 years you're always going to have your run-ins here and there, but we sort it out quick and painless.

"I've always had a good working relationship, even as competitors, so I can't imagine that our partnership, even as team-mates is not going to go well."

Although Vickers is under no restrictions from his doctors and is no longer taking any blood-thinning medicines, he says there's still many unknowns about how he developed his illness.

"There's a lot of questions that are going to go unanswered, and that goes with anything," said Vickers. "My situation is not unique to that. In a lot of ways, there will always remain to be unanswered questions. Moving forward they feel good with me going back racing. I feel good with me going back racing. I'm pretty excited about it."

Vickers made the Chase for the first time two years ago, before his blood clot diagnosis sidelined him from racing last season. He claimed Red Bull's only Sprint Cup series victory in a points race thus far at Michigan in August of 2009.

Kahne to finish 2010 with Red BullForlan refuses to rule out move