Martinsville fans to get October race started

Most of the time, the crowd at NASCAR races waits impatiently for the traditional "Gentlemen, start your engines" announcement that gets things going on track.

This fall at Martinsville Speedway, it will be the fans that get things started at the TUMS Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Clay Campbell, president of the Virginia track, and Darren Singer, vice president of marketing for TUMS, said earlier this week that all of the fans who attend the Oct. 25 race will act as Grand Marshal for the event.

"Fans have been our top priority since Martinsville Speedway opened more than 60 years ago," Campbell said. "Fans have always come first with us and what better way to show that than making them all the Grand Marshal."

He said the track and the NASCAR community will recognize the fans throughout the prerace ceremonies.

The Martinsville race will be the sixth of the 10 races that make up NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

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NEW CLASS: There will be a new class of sports cars on track at Watkins Glen International in August.

SCCA Pro Racing and WC Vision have announced the introduction of Touring Car 2 (TC2), which will run as a separate class within SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car races.

The new class is intended to provide a more cost-effective point of entry into the series.

TC2 vehicles will have fewer modifications than the current Touring Cars, including tight limitations on engine and drive-train modifications and the prohibition of non-factory aerodynamic devices such as wings and splitters.

"We recognize that not everyone is in the position to develop a car to the same level as our front-running World Challenge Touring Car teams," said Bob Wildberger, president and CEO of SCCA Pro Racing. "The rules being developed will include a number of cars that can race with World Challenge as soon as Round Five at Watkins Glen next month."

TC2 will retain the same basic premise of Touring Car, a class designed for four-seat automobiles. The overall power-to-weight ratio of the class will be lower than the current World Challenge Touring Car series and, while the cars are expected to have outstanding handling with aftermarket racing shocks, sway bars and springs, they will lack the overall aerodynamic grip created by the devices permitted in Touring Car.

Eligible cars include, but are not limited to, the Acura RSX, BMW 328 and 330 (E36, 46), Chevrolet Cobalt SS, Dodge SRT-4, Honda Civic Si, Lexus IS, Mazda RX-8, MINI Cooper S, Saturn Ion, Scion tC, Subaru Legacy, and Volkswagen GTI and Jetta.

Grubb enjoying time at top with Stewart

AP Graphic CAR LIFELOCK 400

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) -- Darian Grubb made his first good move when he decided to leave the Hendrick Motorsports powerhouse to join Tony Stewart's first-year team.

His decisions as Stewart's crew chief have been just about as good.

Once seemingly content to work behind the scenes at Hendrick, Grubb has helped boost Stewart-Haas Racing into an instant Cup contender.

Grubb was on top of his game at Pocono Raceway, directing Stewart to his first win as driver/owner with a series of instructions designed to help the points leader conserve fuel and show just how much faith they had in each other.

"You have to trust the guy that's on that box making the calls for you," Stewart said.

He believes in no one right now more than Grubb.

"We didn't know how we were going to work together at Daytona when we got there," Stewart said. "It was literally a week-to-week deal, and that's the approach we've had from Day 1."

Grubb had only limited experience as a crew chief working for Hendrick, but a pretty good winning percentage when he was running the show. He was crew chief for Casey Mears in 2007 and led him to his only career Cup victory with a win in the marquee Coca-Cola 600. Grubb also ably filled in for Chad Knaus, leading Jimmie Johnson to two wins during his crew chief's four-race suspension.

When Grubb moved back to an engineering job with Hendrick last season, he believed his days of sitting atop the pit box were numbered.

Hendrick dominated the series with its drivers at least a threat to win every week, and he played a role in Johnson's third straight Cup title.

"I was not planning to be a crew chief at all," Grubb said. "I was very happy where I was at with Hendrick Motorsports. We were on top of the game."

Stewart, a two-time Cup champion, took notice.

When Stewart was assembling his team, he wanted to hire some of the best people he knew to make it a title contender. So he went after Grubb with a simple sales pitch: Come join me and build a contending team and a lasting program from the ground up. That piqued Grubb's interest enough to discuss the job with Stewart.

"It's kind of hard not to get chill bumps from that and say, 'Hmm, do I really want to do that?"' Grubb said. "He wanted to go out and he wanted to build a team to win races and championships."

Grubb liked what he heard. The shot at facilitating the Stewart-Haas Racing team from the outset was enough for him to give up his comfortable job at Hendrick.

"It's just one of those things that when you can read it in somebody's eyes and you know how much it means to them, that you just want to be a part of it," Grubb said. "You want to take that ride. It might be good, it might be bad. But you know at that point you have to make a change and try it."

So far, it's been all good.

Stewart has the points lead, a victory and a spot in the Chase for the championship all but secured. Not only was Stewart able to pluck Grubb away from Hendrick, but Rick Hendrick agreed to share engines with Stewart's team.

"We have to give credit to the Hendrick engine department making great power, but at the same time giving us good fuel mileage," Stewart said. "Without those guys, we couldn't do this."

The smooth working relationship between Grubb and Stewart has played just as big a role in the team's fast development. Stewart had a sometimes strained relationship with crew chief Greg Zipadelli over their 10 years together at Joe Gibbs Racing, but they put their differences aside to win 32 races and two championships together. Grubb hasn't yet run into any rough patches with the fiery Stewart -- just nothing but success.

"There's something to be said when Tony walks into the shop and he has that confidence," Grubb said. "He pats everybody on the back. They know he's back and putting everything he's got into it."

Having the right crew chief in Grubb hasn't hurt either.

20-year-old Braun targets Roush truck milestone

Colin Braun figures there couldn't be a better time for his first victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series than in Saturday's race at Michigan International Speedway.

The 20-year-old Braun, in his second full season driving trucks for Roush Fenway Racing, would love to be the driver to give team co-owner Jack Roush his 50th truck series victory.

"Not only is Michigan Jack's backyard, it's Ford's and our sponsor Con-way Freight's backyards, as well," said Braun, last year's top truck rookie. "Just to get a win for them at Michigan, not to mention it being the 50th, would be pretty awesome."

Roush Fenway Racing has four truck wins and 11 Sprint Cup victories at Michigan, more than any other venue in either series. And Roush was able to celebrate last June at the Brooklyn, Mich., track after Erik Darnell -- now racing in the Nationwide Series -- gave the team its most recent truck win.

That's a long victory drought for Roush and his team, but Braun could be on the verge of changing that. He is coming off a third-place finish at Texas, matching his career best last season at Kansas. Now, heading into his 35th truck start, Braun would love to get to Victory Lane.

"Fifty wins in the truck series would really be keeping in concert with what our goal is: to set a lot of standards, to set a lot of high marks for ourselves, and to enjoy the celebration of those milestones with Ford Motor Company," Roush said.

Roush, whose team won the 2000 truck series championship with Greg Biffle -- as well as two Sprint Cup and two Nationwide Series titles -- is the only high-profile Cup owner still fielding entries in the truck series. Names such as Gibbs, Hendrick and Childress have pulled out.

"Having a name like Jack Roush in the Truck Series is pretty significant," said Patrick DiMarco, Ford's NASCAR brand manager. "... When I started in NASCAR, I was working in the truck series and you had Hendrick, Childress, DEI and Roush and they went at it -- all the big names -- and Jack stuck around, and that is important to us that he's still there and going for his 50th win."

Braun, who finished sixth at Michigan last June, said a big part of Roush's success is that his team is a big family.

"Everyone wants to see everyone else do well," he explained. "Everyone has the same goals and there is no question that goes unanswered.

"I feel like Jack Roush has made it clear to the older drivers that they need to help out the young rookies, and I think that's a big part of it."

Roush views the truck series as a teaching tool for younger drivers and the lessons imparted extend beyond maneuvering the truck around a speedway.

"It's the first stop for a rookie driver coming into NASCAR, coming into stock car racing," Roush said. "Historically, since the onset of the truck series more than 10 years ago, we've enjoyed taking our rookies there first and getting them started and improving their race craft -- improving judgments on the racetrack, establishing their code, which is the thing that keeps them out of harm's way.

"It establishes expectations among the competitors of what (young drivers) will and won't do on the racetrack. It's important that a driver have a good code, a defensible and admirable code, so he can really have the racing room he needs when it comes time and he's able to close the deal to win his races and compete for championships."

Braun agrees with his boss, and he just wants to keep learning and moving up the racing ladder.

"I don't really feel any pressure to get that win," Braun said. "I think that's one of the coolest things about driving for Jack and this team. They just put good trucks under me and we always have fast vehicles and good pit stops.

"We've got to keep putting ourselves in the position to win a race here. I know it will happen."

Eury Jr. out as crew chief for slumping Earnhardt

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have a new crew chief starting with this weekend's race at Dover because of a slump that has dragged deep into the season.

Tony Eury Jr. was removed as crew chief of Earnhardt's No. 88 team Thursday. The two are cousins and have worked together during Earnhardt's entire career.

"It seemed the harder we pushed, the more it unraveled," team owner Rick Hendrick told The Associated Press. "We need a new reason to get up and go to the track each morning, and the chemistry had broken down between them to the point where we just needed a fresh start."

The pair left Dale Earnhardt Inc. last season to drive for Hendrick Motorsports. But despite driving for NASCAR's top team they have one win in 48 races with Hendrick and are 19th in points, well behind teammates Jeff Gordon (first), Jimmie Johnson (fourth) and Mark Martin (12th). Earnhardt hit rock bottom with Monday's 40th-place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Team manager Brian Whitesell will be the crew chief this weekend. Lance McGrew will take over in two weeks on an interim basis as Hendrick decides on a long-term plan for NASCAR's most popular driver.

"We're going to do everything we can to get this team where it needs to be," said Hendrick, whose steadfast commitment to the pair clearly waned following Monday's rain-shortened race. "It's hard to put your fingers on what the problem is or was. We just feel like with all the frustration we need a fresh start.

"We've all given it the best shot we could and I think the guys that are going to be lined up now on this team. ... We're just rolling up our sleeves and we're going to refuse to lose, refuse to quit until we get it fixed."

Earnhardt and Eury spent Tuesday and Wednesday testing on the road course at Virginia International Raceway. Hendrick told them he was splitting them up when they returned Wednesday evening. He said they needed time to adjust to the split.

"I don't know that they were 100 percent, but by this morning, both of them said they were good," Hendrick said. "I don't think they felt good when I told them, but I think they'll feel better as the days go on."

Eury will stay with Hendrick Motorsports in a research and development role. Whatever route Hendrick takes with Earnhardt, he's giving Earnhardt the full-time use of Whitesell and Rex Stump, the lead chassis engineer.

Earnhardt and Eury are grandsons of Robert Gee, one of Hendrick's first employees. The two went through a rough patch that led to bickering at the end of the 2004 season when they raced for the championship at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Earnhardt's stepmother, Teresa, separated them at the start of 2005, a move that led Earnhardt to finish a career-worst 19th in the standings. They were back together before the end of the season, but won just one race together in 2006 as Earnhardt's relationship with his stepmother rapidly deteriorated.

The next year, Earnhardt embarked on one of the most high-profile free agencies in NASCAR history. He settled on Hendrick Motorsports, and Eury went with him.

Although they opened their first season at Hendrick by winning the exhibition Budweiser Shootout and a Daytona 500 qualifying race, Earnhardt didn't win a points race until the 15th event of the year. That was at Michigan, his only victory all season.

Still, consistency put him at the top of the title contenders when the Chase for the championship began. But Eury and Earnhardt moved away from what got them into the Chase and finished last in the 12-driver field.

This year, Earnhardt opened with two pit-road mistakes in the Daytona 500 that put him in position to later trigger a nine-car accident. The pit-road errors have plagued him most of the season, but the poor showings have spilled onto the track as well.

Earnhardt has just three top-10 finishes this season and six finishes of 27th or worse. He's close to falling too far behind to rally for a spot in the Chase. That's unacceptable for a driver who went to Hendrick to win the Cup title that has eluded him his entire career. His father, the late Dale Earnhardt, was a seven-time Cup champion before his death in an accident on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Despite their shortcomings -- two wins in the past 120 races -- Earnhardt remained fiercely loyal to Eury and was pained when his fans blamed the crew chief for their failures.

"Every time I read in the paper that people are on his case I feel like I'm sending my brother to jail for a crime I committed," Earnhardt said in one of his early season defenses of Eury.

Hendrick never considering a split until Monday's disappointment. Now he wants to "spark some magic."

"Right now, we've got one boat that's got a hole in it and we've got to fix it," he said.

NASCAR holds town hall meeting with drivers

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR chairman Brian France held two town hall meetings Tuesday to discuss everything from the sport's toughened drug policy to the economy, competition and fan interest.

"I learned a long time ago if you get everybody involved, they can't complain," team owner Rick Hendrick said after exiting the morning session. "That's what happens in our sport, people don't feel like they get a voice."

So NASCAR gave everyone a chance to be heard, presiding over two open meetings at the research and development center located a few miles away from Lowe's Motor Speedway. Drivers, team owners and crew chiefs were assigned to one of two sessions, and the morning group of 53 participants needed a little over two hours to discuss the issues facing NASCAR.

The second group, which included three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson, two-time series champion Tony Stewart and a large contingent from Roush Fenway Racing, met later.

France and NASCAR president Mike Helton opened the first session by encouraging candid discussion on any subject, spokesman Jim Hunter said. NASCAR had 10 top officials in attendance, including France's sister, Lesa, an executive vice president of NASCAR. The two have presided over NASCAR, a family run business started by their grandfather, since their father's death two years ago.

"I think today was a really great step toward Brian, Lesa and all those folks answering questions and taking some criticism and explaining why some things are like they are and giving everybody a chance to speak up," Hendrick said. "I think if we can do more of these we can see that we all can work together to make this thing better. There's a lot of smart people in that garage area."

Drug testing was a main topic of the first session, which included Mark Martin and Ryan Newman, two drivers vocal with their concerns about the policy since Jeremy Mayfield's failed test. He received an indefinite suspension May 9 and, despite calls from drivers, NASCAR has not revealed the substance found in his sample.

The secrecy and lack of an official list of banned substances led many drivers to worry their careers could be put in jeopardy by a failed test for a simple prescription.

"If you're taking something as prescribed, I don't think you're going to lose your career," Martin said. "I feel much better now than I did before the meeting."

The slumping economy has taken a toll on NASCAR, which this season is suffering through drops in both attendance and TV ratings. Smaller teams are struggling to find sponsorship opportunities, and there's been differing opinions on the competition since NASCAR switched last season to the full-time use of its "Car of Tomorrow."

Although NASCAR has been steadfast in its stance that no changes were forthcoming to the car, Hunter said input collected would be considered.

"In the end there was no answer, but we also learned a lot of things we need to talk about," Newman said. "It's like a marriage. It's a two-way street. You need to talk about things to make it better."

Wheldon's move to smaller Panther team paying off

When Dan Wheldon walked away from a ride with powerful Target Chip Ganassi Racing to sign with second-tier Panther Racing for 2009 there were murmurs in the garage that he had taken a wrong turn.

That speculation just made his runner-up finish in last Sunday's Indianapolis 500 more gratifying.

"I'm incredibly proud of the Panther Racing team," Wheldon said after the race. "In my IndyCar Series career there's not many races where I've honestly left the track feeling that we've executed everything perfectly, and I have to say I thought they did an absolute phenomenal job. The pit stops were just first class (and) I didn't have to do too much work on track because they kept making me spots."

Still, it was surprising when the 2005 Indy winner and series champion with Andretti Green Racing decided to leave Ganassi, which won last year's 500 and series title with Scott Dixon, for Panther.

That team was once a powerhouse, too, with Sam Hornish Jr. winning championships in 2001 and 2002. But without a win since Tomas Scheckter reached Victory Lane at Texas in 2005, those days were little more than a memory for a team trying to beat big, well-funded outfits like Ganassi, Penske Racing and AGR.

Wheldon, who drove briefly for Panther in 2002 as he was starting his IndyCar career, had a so-so season in 2008 by Ganassi standards.

The English driver won twice, had 10 top-five finishes, but wound up fourth in the points, making him the likely odd-man-out if Ganassi made a driver change.

Mike Griffin, co-owner of the Panther team, said it was Wheldon who contacted the team about a possible ride.

"His manager called and asked if (co-owner) John (Barnes) would be willing to talk about a ride for 2009," Griffin said. "We thought he was talking about an Indy Lights driver and said, 'Sure.' Then it was Dan who called."

Wheldon said he told Barnes how impressed he was with what the team was doing with its limited resources.

"I could see they had a lot of talent and a lot of energy," Wheldon said.

So far, the move has been good for both the driver and the team.

Since a disappointing 14th-place finish in the season-opener at St. Petersburg, the 30-year-old Wheldon has finished fifth at Long Beach, 10th at Kansas and second at Indy. He goes to Milwaukee this week seventh in the season standings.

"I really am enjoying racing with this team," Wheldon said. "Being a one-car team, there's a lot of responsibility on me, and I like that part of it. I'm looking forward to really growing and being a big part of the team.

"Everybody on this team wants to get back into Victory Lane. They won championships and races, but it's a team that hasn't been that strong for a couple of years. Now, everybody is ready to get back on top."

Griffin said the team has been very impressed with what Wheldon has brought on board.

"It's been awesome. He's the leader," Griffin said. "He's definitely the guy and everybody has stepped up. This is a team that has a whole lot less resources than some of the other teams, but everything is going in the right direction."

After Wheldon's brief debut with Panther, he spent the next three seasons with the Andretti team before moving to Ganassi.

"They're all very, very different," Wheldon said of the three teams. "Panther is obviously a smaller operation, being a one-car team, and some people say it's more of like a family type atmosphere. But, what some people tend to miss is that the people at Panther are incredibly driven.

"There's a hunger, a lot of motivation, and I thrive off that."

A win or two this season would be a big boost for both driver and team.

"I have no doubt that this team is capable of winning races, and the team believes we can win," Wheldon said. "We just have to show people we can get it done."

Logano showing promise in 1st full Cup season

Joey Logano still has plenty of years to develop into NASCAR's next big thing.

For now, the Cup rookie is still learning his way around the tricky tracks. The former phenom absorbed some hits early in his first year on the circuit, but the teenager has started to show some of the promise that made him one of the most hyped prospects in years.

He's recorded two straight ninth-place finishes, and three in his last four races. All that early talk that he was a bust and those false rumors that he might be replaced at Joe Gibbs Racing have faded with each finish near the front of the pack.

The 19-year-old is starting to prove he can live up to some of the mile-high expectations that have followed him for years, long before he could to shave, vote, or even get a driver's license.

Logano returns this week to Dover International Speedway, where he made his debut in a Nationwide Series race last May, kicking off a whirlwind start to his NASCAR career that included his first Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire in September.

"It feels like it's been a lot longer than that," Logano said. "When you think of everything that happens in a whole year, holy smokes."

He's recorded two wins in the second-tier Nationwide Series, and sits in 25th place this season in the Cup standings driving full-time for JGR. Logano toured Darlington Raceway with former Cup champion Cale Yarborough, garnered praise from former teammate Tony Stewart, and has already earned nearly $2 million in purse money this season.

The JGR driver with the squeaky-clean look was an instant hit with the fans, earning a spot in NASCAR's All-Star race after they voted him in.

Like a typical teen, Logano gushed over the honor, calling it "huge" and "awesome."

That's how Logano was described long before he was racing against NASCAR's big boys.

Veteran Mark Martin raved about Logano when he caught a glimpse of him years ago and stated "he can be one of the greatest that ever raced in NASCAR."

Logano has been on the fast track ever since, winning races at every level and beating some of NASCAR's top developmental drivers along the way. He earned the nickname "Sliced Bread," as in, "the greatest thing since ..."

Logano, who said only some close friends tease him with the "Sliced Bread" tag, said he's blocked out the hype and has focused on winning races.

He also refused to use his age and lack of experience as reasons for a slow start that included a last-place finish at the opening Daytona 500.

"I'm not going to use it as an excuse that I'm only 18, 19 and that's why things didn't go good that day," he said. "It never phased me that hey, you're 18 and you're doing all this. It never happened."

Logano was eligible to drive once he turned 18 and JGR put him in a car at Dover only days after his birthday. His goal was a top-five, but he finished sixth in his national-level debut. In the postrace interview, Logano said the finish wasn't "much in my book." Time has softened his stance on his performance on the Monster Mile concrete track.

"I remember going there, not really knowing what to expect and having a good solid run," he said. "For your first race, that was a really, really good finish."

He's navigated the tracks without the benefit of testing, thanks to rules changes implemented this season. That was one reason why he finished 30th or higher in five of his first seven races in the No. 20.

"I don't think you ever get the hang of it," he said. "I think I'm a lot closer to where I need to be. The cars are nothing like the Nationwide cars. It makes it quite a bit tougher, but it is what it is."

The lack of seat time at some of the upcoming tracks have prompted him to add some dates to his schedule. He'll take a spin at the ARCA race next week at Pocono Raceway, one track where he has yet to turn a competitive lap.

His slow start led Logano to gripe in April that his critics weren't being fair. Logano said he barely had a chance to prove himself in the Cup series when he was hearing or reading stories that he wasn't worth all the hype.

"Of course they weren't," being fair, he said. "No one realized it was going to be that much different than the Nationwide car. Look at who you're racing against, too. It's the best drivers in the world. It's not going to be 'bam!' and you're there."

The JGR team never pressured him, only wanting Logano to learn each time he hit the track. Now that he's recording top-10s, his next goal is a win or two and to build some momentum for next season -- and the rest of what promises to be a lengthy career.

"I'm to the point now where I feel comfortable on the race track," he said. "All that stuff builds up your confidence."