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NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing on FOX once again dominated weekend sports coverage. That Sunday’s (3/1) race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway scored as the most-watched and highest-rated weekend sports event giving NASCAR on FOX that distinction for the third consecutive week.

Sunday’s victory by hometown favorite Kyle Busch averaged 11.1 million viewers (6.5/12 national rating/share) towering over the next closest event, ABC’s Lakers/Suns broadcast, which recorded 4.7 million viewers (3.1/6).

ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns to the air for its third season on Monday, Feb. 2, to coincide with the beginning of the 2009 NASCAR racing season. The season’s first program, a one-hour roundtable discussion, airs at 5 p.m. ET.

FastCar Newsdesk for week of 1/29/09
Though A.J. Allmendinger’s name has been thrown around as a Gillet Evernham Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports driver for months, he officially had not been signed by the team, until Wednesday. RPM has signed Allmendinger to run at least 10 races in the No. 44 Dodge this season and may run more, pending sponsorship. The team has an option to keep the third year Cup driver with the team in 2010 as well. If RPM obtains sponsorship for the team, it will field Allmendinger and the No. 44 in more races this year and, again pending sponsorship, would like the field the No. 44 in every race next season.

FastCar Newsdesk for NASCAR Media Tour 2009, 1/23/09
Now in its third decade, few are surprised by the sheer volume of announcements made public during the circus that is the NASCAR Media Tour. A pool of reporters makes the rounds to teams’ race shops and other NASCAR points of interest in the Charlotte area during this time of January every year. Most teams seize this moment to activate their 2009 brands, by debuting paint schemes, announcing final driver lineups and sponsorship additions, and to clear up any other unknowns that existed during the offseason. Given the current state of sponsorship and economic flux, some of this week’s announcements left more questions than answers.

NASCAR Legend Ernie Irvan attended the 2009 Sprint Sound and Speed Presented by Suntrust fan festival in Nashville this past weekend.

Fans got to ask Ernie questions during one of many Artist/Fan question and answer sessions at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

Click past the fold for a picture of Ernie from this event, taken by MotorSportsNews.Net photographer Steve Langley.

Photo: Steve Langley

Irvan won 15 Cup races over a 12 year career before it was cut short due to a near-fatal crash at Michigan.

Ernie was on stage with NASCAR Legends Darrell Waltrip and Ray Evernham and music Legends Connie Smith and Charlie Louvin.

Well there you have it, Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings have reached a tentative agreement to form a new Cup team co-owned by Richard Petty, Petty Holdings (owned by Boston Ventures with Petty as a minority owner) and Gillett Evernham Motorsports.
No word yet on the new offical team name but I think the new team should be called PEG Holdings Motorsports (P for Petty, E for Evernham and G for Gillette), or MPM for Melting-Pot Motorsports, or even better RR'Gone Gillette Holdings Motorsports (RR standing for Ray Evernham and Richard Petty)!

MOORESVILLE, NC (December 2, 2008) - Ray Evernham has announced that he has acquired the assets of the East Lincoln Speedway in Stanley, NC from founders Ralph and Joanne Nantz. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The East Lincoln Speedway is a 3/8 mile dirt track located on Mariposa Road in Lincoln County, NC. The facility was built by the Nantzes and opened for racing in 1990. The 2009 season will mark its 19th consecutive year of racing. The Speedway runs various classes of cars ranging from Micro-sprints to Late Model Modified-Sportsman.

FastCar Newsdesk for Chase Race Seven: Atlanta Motor Speedway, week of 10/24/08

Headlines and speculation regarding the merger and sometimes consolidation of race teams have permeated many NASCAR conversations and stories this season.

In the last week or two, rumors regarding a merger between Petty Enterprises and Dale Earnhardt Inc. seemed close to being fact. Now, there is talk that Ganassi Racing (which fields Dodges) and Petty enterprises may be in negotiations about merging.