Stewart signs new primary sponsor

Stewart Haas Racing announced Wednesday the signing of ExxonMobil with their brand Mobil 1 as a co-primary sponsor of Tony Stewart's car from 2011.

The Sprint Cup series team had been in the hunt for new sponsors for 2011 as the deal with Old Spice, which shares as main sponsor with Office Depot and Burger King on Stewart's car, is due at the end of the season.

The two-time champion, who won last Sunday in the fourth Chase event at Fontana, will now sport the logos of Mobil 1 on his car, featuring as the main sponsor in in 2011.

Mobil 1 is also NASCAR's official motor oil and switches to Stewart's team following many years with Penske Racing. The brand's logos currently feature on the #77 car of Sam Hornish, but the IndyCar and NASCAR squad announced earlier this year the signing of a major deal with Shell Pennzoil.

Stewart says the multi-year deal with ExxonMobil allows his team to complete the bulk of the budget of his two-car outfit for next year.

"We're in good shape on the #14 car now," said Stewart. "This has fulfilled what we're looking for to fill the void for Old Spice next year. It allows us to now put that project behind us. We're still always looking for new partners. You never stop in that category.

"...So the search [for sponsors] necessarily, isn't over. But this does fill the void from the Old Spice brand leaving at the end of the year. On Ryan [Newman's] car, we're still looking for some associate sponsorship also, but we're very happy that Tornados and U.S. Army are coming back again.

"Exciting to have new partners that have come into the sport that are excited and happy with what we're doing and that want to return."

Stewart's deal with ExxonMobil also includes his teams in USAC midgets and World of Outlaws, as well as the Eldora Speedway in Ohio, which he owns.


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NASCAR penalises Bowyer and RCR

Clint Bowyer's title chances have taken a major blow after NASCAR penalised him for irregularities found on his winning car from Sunday's race at Loudon.

The Richard Childress driver has been docked 150 points in the standings, after his #33 Chevrolet failed to pass a detailed inspection at NASCAR's Research and Development facility in Concord, North Carolina, where the car was taken following the initial post-race inspection at the track.

Officials found discrepancies in the "car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis", citing that these "did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications." The NASCAR rulebook states how the bodywork must be placed in reference to the chassis and in the rear of Bowyer's car measurements were found not to comply.

Last week after the final race of the regular season at Richmond, Bowyer's team had already been warned about issues that arose during inspection of the car he ran at the event where he secured his place in the championship play-off. Officials found the Richmond car, which was selected randomly for inspection at the track, was too close to the mandated tolerances.

"Details regarding the #33 car surround the car from a post-race inspection after the Richmond race," said NASCAR's vice president of competition Robin Pemberton.

"We reinforced the fact that they had come exceedingly close to the measurements that we allow for post-race [inspection]. The #33 car that was raced in New Hampshire was brought back to the R&D centre after the race and that car did not meet specifications, as a result these penalties have been issued."

The points penalty has dropped Bowyer from second place in the Chase down to 12th and last among the title contenders, placing him exactly where he was before taking his first win of the season last Sunday, although with a larger gap to leader Denny Hamlin.

While Richard Childress was also docked 150 points in the owners' standings, crew chief Shane Wilson and car chief Chad Haney have been suspended for the next six races, Wilson additionally being fined $150.000.

There was no word from NASCAR regarding the cars run at Loudon by Bowyer's team-mates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, which both passed inspection following Sunday's Chase opener.

Scott Miller, current director of competition at RCR and former crew chief for Bowyer's team-mate Burton, is expected to replace Wilson in his role while he serves his suspension.

The team has announced that it will appeal against the penalties.

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Bowyer's points penalty upheld

The 150-point penalty imposed on Clint Bowyer's team has been upheld by NASCAR's final appealing instance, although fines and suspensions have been reduced following a hearing on Tuesday.

After an unsuccessful first appeal by Richard Childress Racing against penalties imposed to its #33 team when its race-winning car from Loudon was deemed illegal, John Middlebrook, NASCAR's chief appellate officer, heard the outfit's and NASCAR officials' arguments yesterday.

Middlebrook supported the initial ruling on the team breaking the rules and confirmed the points penalty, although the severity of the punishments imposed to Bowyer's team members was lowered.

The fine to his crew chief Shane Wilson was reduced from $150,000 to $100,000, while suspensions handed to him and car chief Chad Haney were also reduced from six to four weeks.

"After reviewing all the data, presentation and factors involved, I am ruling NASCAR was correct in its decision to levy penalties," said Middlebrook, a former GM executive who was hearing his first case in the role. "I believe that the revisions that have been made to the penalties are consistent and fair to both parties involved."

Wilson and Haney will have to serve their suspensions from this weekend's race at Fontana and they will only be able to return next month at Texas. Scott Miller, RCR's director of competition, is expected to fill in Wilson's role as interim crew chief for Bowyer.

Richard Childress accepted the final ruling as Middlebrook's was the final instance they could take the case to, meaning Bowyer's championship hopes are all but over after three of the play-off's 10 races.

"I'm disappointed that the results are not what we wanted, but I feel we received a fair hearing today," Childress said in a statement. "The final step in the appeals process is very good, and I can assure you we would not have taken our case to the chief appellate officer if the first step in the process had been as fair as today's.

"I want to thank all of the fans for their support. I'm proud to be a part of this sport and proud to represent RCR's partners. We all need to put this behind us and get back to racing. There are seven races remaining in the Chase, and Richard Childress Racing will continue our focus on winning the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship."

NASCAR's John Darby said the final ruling proves its procedures to measure cars are accurate and consistent, and guarantee that all drivers and teams compete on equal footing every weekend.

"I believe what has been shown is the way we inspect the cars is consistent, the procedures we apply to the cars are well-known amongst the garage and the way we generally do business from the inspection side of the sport is okay," Darby said.

While Bowyer is out of contention for the title, his RCR team-mates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton currently rank third and ninth in the standings respectively. RCR is the only Sprint Cup team that has all its driver in the Chase for the championship.

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Ekstrom's NASCAR future unclear

Audi is not keen on Mattias Ekstrom competing in any more NASCAR races this year, this week's AUTOSPORT magazine reveals, despite Red Bull's desire to give the Swede more oval outings.

Ekstrom impressed the Red Bull team on his oval racing debut at Richmond earlier this month, when he finished 31st.

Both team and driver stated their desire to link up again in the future after the race, but Audi has played down the possibility of Ekstrom returning to America.

"For me, this issue is finished," head of Audi Sport Wolfgang Ullrich told AUTOSPORT.

"Mattias did not ask me for another [NASCAR] race - we never talked about it. I think he gave a clear statement that for him the NASCAR experience is done.

"If he does ask to go back, then we will see what it is and what it means."

AUTOSPORT understands that Red Bull has targeted recruiting Ekstrom for multiple races between now and the end of the season.

For more on Ekstrom's NASCAR position, read this week's AUTOSPORT magazine, available in digital form here.

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Martin sent to rear of field

Mark Martin will drop to the rear of the field for Sunday's Sprint Cup series race at Dover after issues were found with a rear shock absorber on his car during post-qualifying inspection.

The NASCAR veteran had qualified third on Friday afternoon but officials found the gas pressure on the right rear damper of his #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy exceeded the maximum allowed by the rules.

As a consequence, the starting order changes, Martin Truex Jr moving into third, with everyone behind Truex also moving up one spot except 43rd-placed Michael McDowell, while Martin will see the green flag wave from 42nd on the starting grid.

After being the runner-up in the championship last year, Martin missed this year's playoff and is currently 17th in the drivers' standings.

No additional penalties will be handed to Martin and his team for the rules infringement.

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Ekstrom expects NASCAR return soon

Two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom expects to return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup series soon after making his oval debut at Richmond last weekend with Red Bull Racing Team.

The Swede had a respectable run on Saturday night at the 0.75-mile Richmond International Raceway, finishing 31st but running close to a top-20 position in the first half of the race, eventually crossing the finish line ahead of series' regulars Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

While others trying the transition from different series into NASCAR have taken a more gradual approach in the past, the Red Bull driver ventured into racing on a short oval track at Cup level for his second stock car outing, but still managed to have a trouble-free run.

The 32-year-old said his experience last Saturday went beyond what he anticipated and made him earn more respect for the series. Although he has returned to Europe to drive again for Audi in the DTM, Ekstrom expects to be back in the Sprint Cup soon.

"I have to say for the first race on an oval, I was expecting it to be long and hard, but didn't expect it to be so action packed," Ekstrom said. "As soon as I started after the first restart, it was wild. That is nothing like what I have even come close to.

"I respect these guys even more who are doing this all the time -- the way you have to drive, stay focused on every single lap, hit your marks all the time, and tune the car up. [Saturday's race] is something to build on. I had a great experience and great support from the team. I am really appreciative of this chance.

"A big thanks to Red Bull and hopefully I will be back in NASCAR again soon."

Reed Sorenson will return behind the wheel of the #83 Red Bull Toyota next weekend at Loudon, but with only four races left in the DTM schedule, which finishes in late November at Shanghai, Ekstrom is expected to drive again for the team this season.

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Johnson not obsessed with fifth title

Jimmie Johnson is refusing to get carried away with his chance of becoming a five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion heading into this year's Chase.

The reigning champion starts the 2010 play-off from second place in the standings thanks to his five wins during the regular season, a statistic only bettered by Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin.

However, before the points were reset for the start of the play-off, Johnson was sixth in the drivers' standings, which is the lowest he has been for the past five years after the first 26 races. Three crashes and one mechanical failure have caused him four non-finishes, the highest number of DNFs he has had before the Chase since his first title in 2006.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver heads into the Chase as the most recent winner at this weekend's venue Loudon, where he won for the fifth time this year. He claims that is still early to set a strategy aimed at winning a fifth title, as he tries to unload the pressure of defending his Sprint Cup series crown.

"I really don't think about that stuff," said Johnson about his chances of making further history this year as the first five-time consecutive champion in the series.

"As of right now I'm just trying to keep it as simple as possible, just going into this weekend, having a good race, and we ran so well here in the spring that I'm much more at ease than I've been in other years. This is one of the tracks we need we take advantage of and we're shooting at this weekend with winning that in mind.

"You really can't be too emotionally attached to things. You can only try as hard as you can and there's nothing more than you can do than 100 per cent. If we show up and stay focused on our team and our job this week, we give 100 per cent, we'll look around and kind of evaluate things with two or three races to go and then at that point you probably form a strategy.

"But until then you've just got to stay in your little bubble and worry about your team."

Despite being an obvious favourite to win another championship, Johnson reckons there are a number of drivers showing enough strength to really pose a real challenge for this year's title.

While he and Denny Hamlin have claimed the most wins thus far, he believes Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards should be considered as serious championship contenders.

Johnson says his previous titles do not necessarily make him the target for rivals and states that as long as him and his team give their best in the final 10 races of the season, he would not be disappointed if he was to see the end of his championship run this year.

"The world I live in has just collecting points," said Johnson. "Denny and I have been in the same situation and we've got pretty hot and cold. I still look at the #29 [Harvick] and say, regardless of track, they've been collecting a tonne of points.

"You look at the #99 [Edwards] and I think he's probably collected the most points lately. I want to have the target on the back, I want to be that guy but I've got to go out and kind of earn that.

"I'll be angry if we didn't do everything we could to win the championship. We have a gauge of the effort that's put in from the team, myself, how we perform on pitroad, how the cars drive, and if we just have a terrible Chase and we flop around and and don't perform, I'll be p****d.

"If we go out there and we race well and win races and run up front and get beaten, we get beaten. That I can live with."

Johnson currently leads all drivers in number of wins during Chase races with a total of 18, 12 more than his closest rivals, Roush Fenway's Edwards and Greg Biffle, both also in this year's play-off.

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