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DIRT TRACKS LOADED WITH UNINSURED RACECAR DRIVERS

WATERTOWN, N.Y. � The last thing short-track driver Tim McCreadie remembers, he was leading in the semifinal qualifier at the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Okla.

When he awoke, he had two problems.

His back was broken and he didn't have health insurance.

"It happened so fast," McCreadie said. "I went down the front stretch, and when I started through the corner I had no brakes. Right past the flagstand it started vibrating real bad. I thought we broke a motor."

Instead, McCreadie's rear axle had malfunctioned, sending his car first sideways and then barrel-rolling over a catch fence. McCreadie suffered a shattered vertebra in his upper back and still has floating bone fragments from the mid-January crash.

"There was way more pain than there should have been," he said. "I knew I was in bad shape. It was a bad deal."

There are an estimated 25,000 drivers like McCreadie who are competing on the more than 800 dirt race tracks in the United States. No one keeps a count of how many have insurance, but people in both the racing and insurance businesses say as many as 80 percent of drivers do not carry coverage. The only medical coverage McCreadie carried was through a small policy bought by the promoters of the event.

Dennis Huth, president of American Speed Association, estimates that a typical track's policy offers $20,000 to $30,000 in medical coverage for injured participants. "But there are tracks out there that carry $5,000 in medical insurance," Huth said.

McCreadie, the 2006 World Of Outlaws late model champion, and fellow driver Tim Fuller figure the vast majority of drivers don't buy insurance because they pour their money into their cars.

"The focus is to go faster � that's the way racers think. They'd rather buy tires and motors than health insurance because, come on, nobody's ever going to get hurt, right?" Fuller said. "You just don't think about that stuff. I always wanted health insurance in case of the big one, and the right deal came along. I'm glad that I've got it now."

Laura Hauenstein, president of WSIB Motorsports Insurance, agrees that insurance is not a priority for drivers � in a sport which has had two fatalities in the past five weeks.

"When they get to the racetrack, they really don't think about" it, she said. "And when you bug them and say, 'Hey, we need to do this,' it's like the last thing that they're thinking about."

Jessica Zemken, a 23-year-old sprint car driver from Sprakers, N.Y., said she'd have to choose between insurance and racing. So she doesn't carry any, nor does her father, who also races.

"What it would cost me for health insurance I wouldn't be able to put tires on my car," she said. "If I paid for health insurance I wouldn't be able to race, so what would I need it for?"

Fuller, whose first race car cost $60 and was fitted with a rollcage made from the rusted pipes from a boat dock, enters up to 70 events a year around the country and drove for more than a decade without coverage. But with a family to protect, he secured a policy, two months before McCreadie's crash.

"Tim's accident was an eye-opener for me," Fuller said. "I just jumped into different cars maybe that weren't real safe. I just jumped into things to race because I'm a race junkie. Then I started rethinking it: 'Maybe I should just concentrate on my cars and what I'm doing instead of getting in this and that and taking chances of getting hurt and screwing my life up.'"

John Bickford, stepfather of NASCAR star Jeff Gordon and the architect of Gordon's early racing career, said some young drivers under the age of 18 get themselves legally emancipated from their parents so they can try to make a name for themselves on the dirt tracks. But they don't consider the risk.

"It can impact your insurance if you're not careful," Bickford said. "Kids who get themselves emancipated have to really be paying attention to that because they could find themselves being 16 years old, treated like an adult, and they think they have health insurance when in reality they don't" because they are no longer covered under their parents' policy.

Bickford agreed that the mindset of a racer plays a large factor.

"I used to tell people that at many of the racetracks you could put a sign up at the sign-in window that says, 'We do not have any insurance. If you are injured, we will not be able to help you. So if you still want to race, sign here,' and nobody would pay attention to the sign," Bickford said.

Mark Richards watched his 21-year-old son, Josh, an up-and-coming late model driver, compete in the Chili Bowl for the family racing team.

McCreadie's crash caught them off-guard and made Mark Richards review his insurance. Richards, who has been involved in the sport for more than three decades, thought his company policy covered his son. It didn't. It does now.

"It's just amazing to me that as many drivers as there are out there that drive these cars and don't understand that they're not insured," Mark Richards said. "Racers at this level should realize that, 'Hey, you're gambling with something that could put you in financial ruins.'"

The 35-year-old McCreadie has been a successful racer most of his adult life, following in the footsteps of his famous dad, "Barefoot" Bob McCreadie, one of the best dirt drivers in history with more than 500 victories.

Bob McCreadie raced more than once with a broken back, sometimes spending a night in a hospital and taking painkillers so he could get to the next track.

Tim McCreadie bought insurance when he briefly drove for Richard Childress Racing in NASCAR's Nationwide Series. But when RCR let him go, McCreadie let the policy lapse. That's when he got hurt.

"I had to switch a lot of things around. It was just like getting a new job," he said. "I didn't have it, and I got hurt in between. ... It was partly me being stubborn. I was just worried about racing."

Tim McCreadie knows he's fortunate � healthwise and financially � to be able to race again.

"The doctor said the bone break where I broke it is one of the ones you don't want. It causes a lot of paralysis," said McCreadie, who did not need surgery. "He said I'm really lucky."

Now, after months of rehab and a few fundraisers to help pay his medical bills, Tim McCreadie is back racing � he competed late last month for the first time since the accident and he's insured again.

"The bills are coming. I'd be happy if I could almost break even when it's all over with," said McCreadie, who was heartened when several hundred people from his hometown of Watertown � some of whom didn't even know him � attended a spaghetti dinner in March on his behalf. "I wish I could go back and change it. But only good can come out of this if all of a sudden everybody goes out and gets insurance. If people get hurt, at least they're covered." - By John Kekis
Associated Press

LOGANO'S NEW HAMPSHIRE WIN IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Joe Gibbs didn't expect his gamble to pay off so soon.

The car owner hedged when asked whether he expected Joey Logano to win a race during his rookie season in Sprint Cup.

"Do I need to tell the truth on that?" the former NFL coach replied, grinning.

The kid who started driving when he was 4 years old, wheeling a go-kart around the yard of his father's hazardous waste disposal business in Portland, Conn., is now 19 and racing with the big boys in NASCAR.

On his journey to the Sprint Cup series, Logano has proved over and over that he is a phenom, winning races at every level.

Now he's a winner in Cup, the youngest driver to reach Victory Lane in NASCAR's 61-year history.

The first of what most observers believe will be many Cup wins came Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where Logano won a rain-shortened race.

Crew chief Greg Zipadelli gambled on leaving the youngster on track as his gas ran low, and the rain came just in time, giving Logano the win in his 20th Cup start. At 19 years, 1 month and 4 days, he is more than a year younger than Kyle Busch was in 2005 when he won for the first time at 20 years, 4 months and 2 days.

But before Sunday, winning in Cup seemed a long time away for Logano, the most hyped young driver since Jeff Gordon came along in the early '90s.

Overall, it hasn't been a particularly good rookie season for Logano, who replaced two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart when he decided to leave Joe Gibbs Racing to become an owner-driver.

Going into New Hampshire, Logano's best finishes were a trio of ninths. Even with the win, he is 21st in the points heading into Saturday night's race at Daytona.

But even when Logano has struggled with the adjustment to the Cup car this season, Gibbs has liked what he has seen.

"He continues to improve," Gibbs said. "I think we all feel (that) at the end of the race he's always better, running much harder, and I think that's going to bode well for us as we go forward and come back to these places a second time (this season)."

The team owner was quick to point out that NASCAR's ban on most testing this season has hurt Logano more than veteran the drivers.

"At the time (Logano got the ride in the 20), we thought we were going to test a bunch, and that got taken away from us," Gibbs said. "So then you're putting Joey out there with the best in the world, this is the best people in the world doing this, and he's having to compete at places he's never seen, really."

Logano still seemed a little stunned by the win a few hours after the race officially ended as he sat in his No. 20 Toyota on pit road, the rain pouring down.

But a win is a win.

"I'm not going to give it back," he said, laughing. "I think every win is a big win to me. It's the mentality I've got. You want to win every race no matter where you're at."

Stewart, the series points leader with his new Stewart-Haas Racing team, said Logano should definitely not be embarrassed or reluctant to take credit for his first win, despite the circumstances.

"I said, 'Ten years down the road nobody's ever going to know how this win came.' But, the thing is, they still had to earn it," Stewart said. "They had to put themselves in position to be in this spot. They did a good job strategy wise."

Logano, who got the first of his three Nationwide victories in his third start in that series, said the learning curve in Sprint Cup has been steep.

"It's tough, believe me, it's real tough," said Logano, who made his first Cup start at New Hampshire last September, finishing 32nd. "If you think of last year in the Nationwide Series, yeah, I had some good runs. Did I run where I thought I needed to? No. I think it just took time.

"Now, over there, I think I know what it takes and over here we are working on it and, obviously, from what we did in the beginning of the season to now, we are running a lot better. If you look at my first race here last year, (it) was completely opposite of this."

Even before Sunday's win, though, Logano had felt the improvement, and gotten plenty of support from Zipadelli, Stewart's crew chief for 10 years.

"It's motivating just to keep seeing yourself getting better and working with Zippy and all of the guys and getting that communication going helps us improve a lot, too," Logano said. "I try to go to every track with the same mindset, you know, and just go out there, do the best you can, and go for the win." - By Mike Harris
The Associated Press

KAHNE SAYS NASCAR HAS CHANGED IT'S DRUG TESTING SINCE MAYFIELD

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne says NASCAR has stepped up its drug testing procedure since the suspension of Jeremy Mayfield. Kahne said the tests he took prior to the suspension were "in and out" in five to 10 minutes. He said his most recent test two weeks ago at Infineon Raceway took nearly 40 minutes.

"It's a process now," Kahne said on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. "Every little step you have to sign your name or initial, work with the person that is taking the sample.

"To me that's because of the whole Mayfield incident, to clarify everything and make sure the driver and also the person taking the sample is on the same page."

NASCAR's procedure was under attack when attorneys were seeking a temporary injunction to get Mayfield's suspension lifted, which it was on Wednesday by a federal judge in Charlotte, N.C.

Attorneys for Mayfield questioned whether Mayfield saw the seal put on his "A" and "B" samples.

Kahne said he always has watched the collector put on the seal, but that the process wasn't so detailed before.

"At the start of the year you'd go in, take a sample, they'd go through and sign your name and you basically walk out," he said. "You watch them pour the A and B samples into the capsules, sign your name and leave.

"Now every step you have to initial every step that goes on through the whole process."

Juan Pablo Montoya, who was tested at Dover in early June, said there is a lot more paperwork now.

"I did it at Daytona [in February] and it was a little easier," he said. "[At Dover] it was like proof of who you are. I'm like, 'I'm a freaking racer.' "

Three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has not been tested since Mayfield's suspension, but said he's had to wait on other drivers who were and it's taken longer.

He noted at Sonoma Kahne held up things because he had to go get his driver's license, something that he didn't understand to be required previously.

Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon said the procedure has changed "slightly," that there was an additional piece of paper he had to go through at his latest test.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Aegis Laboratory, which runs the sport's test program, put into effect within the last month a few procedures to ensure that the process was consistent at all tracks. He said the Mayfield case did not factor in this decision.

"They just want to make sure we're consistent on every test," Poston said. "It's just a matter of more initials, more validation. All of the big stuff is the same. This is just a matter of documentation." Drivers didn't seem to mind the changes.

"It's just getting more in depth," Kahne said. "Which is great." - David Newton - ESPN.COM

NASCAR'S POSTON WONDERS WHAT MAYFIELD'S URGENCY WAS FOR

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Jeremy Mayfield's absence from the track today called into question the argument his attorneys used in requesting a preliminary injunction on NASCAR's drug suspension.

Mayfield won the injunction yesterday.

Here's what Poston said:

"Jeremy and his legal team asked for a preliminary injunction for emergency relief because it was necessary apparently to come and compete here in Daytona. Apparently he�s not here and it appears as if he�s not going to compete this weekend which would raise some questions on how much of an emergency it really was." - by Tania Ganguli - blogs.orlandosentinel.com

RED BULL TO CHEVY & PETTY TO TOYOTA LOOKING LIKE A REALITY

Red Bull Racing will decide in a month whether to switch from Toyota to General Motors in 2010, sources close to the situation said. There has been speculation for a month that Red Bull would move to Chevys with the chassis and engines supplied by Hendrick Motorsports.

HMS owner Rick Hendrick has said he needs to pick up some additional business to make up for the financial support GM cut after it filed for bankruptcy last month.

Red Bull general manager Jay Frye, who has worked with HMS in the past, said Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, that no decision has been made.

Richard Petty Motorsports could leave Dodge and fill Red Bull's vacancy if there is one. Robbie Loomis, the vice president for race operations at RPM, said the organization continues talking to all manufacturers about next season. - espn

'SMOKE' AND BURGER KING GET GOING THIS WEEKEND

Saturday Burger King Corp. will officially kick-off the company's sponsorship of Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing at Daytona International Speedway with the debut of the #14 Burger King Chevy. Burger King Corp. is teaming with TNT for the "Wide Open" race coverage of the Coke Zero 400 - allowing fans fewer interruptions during the race.

BKC will feature two :60 ads in the lower third quadrant of the screen starring the King and Tony Stewart. This weekend also marks the first time race fans will have the opportunity to purchase Burger King branded Tony Stewart merchandise.

The BKC/Stewart-Haas Racing sponsorship agreement, which was announced in January of this year, includes two primary paint schemes on the #14 Sprint Cup car, including this weekend at Daytona and for the September 27th race at Dover. The company also has a personal services agreement with Stewart. - bk pr

REUTIMANN FASTEST IN FINAL PRACTICE

NSCS Final Practice Daytona International Speedway Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Thu, July 02, 2009 @ 08:53 PM Eastern COKE ZERO 400 Powered By Coca-Cola (51st
Running) 1 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota 46.842 192.135 3 32 ---.--- ---.--- 2 07 Casey Mears Jack Daniel's Chevrolet 46.860 192.061 3 24 -0.018 -0.018 3 29 Kevin Harvick Pennzoil Platinum Chevrolet 46.868 192.029 3 26 -0.026 -0.008 4 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota 46.880 191.980 3 13 -0.038 -0.012 5 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet 46.975 191.591 7 24 -0.133 -0.095 6 17 Matt Kenseth R & L Carriers Ford 47.152 190.872 7 20 -0.310 -0.177 7 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 47.199 190.682 6 32 -0.357 -0.047 8 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge 47.466 189.609 2 27 -0.624 -0.267 9 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet 47.540 189.314 24 27 -0.698 -0.074 10 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge 47.542 189.306 1 19 -0.700 -0.002 11 43 Reed Sorenson Air Force Dodge 47.543 189.302 2 34 -0.701 -0.001 12 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet 47.558 189.243 27 30 -0.716 -0.015 13 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Dodge 47.582 189.147 2 29 -0.740 -0.024 14 26 Jamie McMurray IRWIN Marathon Ford 47.617 189.008 5 19 -0.775 -0.035 15 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ntnl Grd Srvng America/AMP Energy Chevrolet 47.647 188.889 5 17 -0.805 -0.030 16 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet 47.658 188.846 2 15 -0.816 -0.011 17 5 Mark Martin CARQUEST / Kellogg's Chevrolet 47.691 188.715 5 26 -0.849 -0.033 18 16 Greg Biffle 3M / Scotch-Brite Ford 47.711 188.636 8 26 -0.869 -0.020 19 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Dodge 47.727 188.573 1 28 -0.885 -0.016 20 7 Robby Gordon MAPEI / Menards Toyota 47.733 188.549 1 13 -0.891 -0.006 21 12 David Stremme Penske Dodge 47.734 188.545 6 23 -0.892 -0.001 22 20 Joey Logano # The Home Depot Toyota 47.753 188.470 2 32 -0.911 -0.019 23 1 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet 47.773 188.391 5 24 -0.931 -0.020 24 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 47.801 188.281 6 24 -0.959 -0.028 25 99 Carl Edwards SUBWAY Ford 47.806 188.261 5 18 -0.964 -0.005 26 47 Marcos Ambrose Kingsford / Clorox / Bush's Baked Beans Toyota 47.809 188.249 2 17 -0.967 -0.003 27 96 Bobby Labonte Academy Sports & Outdoors Ford 47.856 188.064 2 17 -1.014 -0.047 28 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet 47.884 187.954 22 28 -1.042 -0.028 29 *09 Brad Keselowski Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Chevrolet 47.984 187.563 2 19 -1.142 -0.100 30 39 Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 47.990 187.539 2 25 -1.148 -0.006 31 44 A J Allmendinger PVA.org Dodge 48.014 187.445 5 29 -1.172 -0.024 32 6 David Ragan UPS Ford 48.016 187.438 6 21 -1.174 -0.002 33 34 John Andretti Taco Bell Chevrolet 48.053 187.293 8 22 -1.211 -0.037 34 *78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet 48.073 187.215 9 13 -1.231 -0.020 35 98 Paul Menard Johns Manville / Menards Ford 48.075 187.207 18 20 -1.233 -0.002 36 55 Michael Waltrip NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 48.086 187.165 4 26 -1.244 -0.011 37 14 Tony Stewart Burger King Chevrolet 48.093 187.137 10 21 -1.251 -0.007 38 *71 David Gilliland TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 48.156 186.893 4 10 -1.314 -0.063 39 *82 Scott Speed # Red Bull Toyota 48.536 185.429 6 6 -1.694 -0.380 40 *87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 48.564 185.322 2 5 -1.722 -0.028 41 *36 Patrick Carpentier Tommy Baldwin Racing Toyota 48.588 185.231 2 8 -1.746 -0.024 42 *13 Max Papis # GEICO Toyota 48.872 184.155 5 5 -2.030 -0.284 43 *37 Tony Raines Grander Mountain Dodge 48.960 183.824 7 7 -2.118 -0.088 44 *66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota 48.977 183.760 2 5 -2.135 -0.017 45 *64 Mike Wallace FRED'S Hometown Dscnt Stores Toyota 49.182 182.994 2 5 -2.340 -0.205

DRIVERS SPEAK OUT ABOUT MAYFIELD MESS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Bump-drafting, slingshot passing and restrictor-plate racing weren't the buzzwords being thrown around Daytona International Speedway on Thursday.

There was way more talk about affidavits, B samples, false positives and a judge's temporary injunction that reinstated suspended NASCAR owner-driver Jeremy Mayfield.

A federal judge in Charlotte, N.C., lifted Mayfield's indefinite suspension Wednesday, allowing him to race at Daytona this weekend.

"The situation that we had, when somebody tests positive, is something to be seriously considered, and there's a lot of responsibility that goes along with that," driver Ryan Newman said. "People make mistakes. I hope the judge didn't make one."

Mayfield missed the deadline to enter his No. 41 Toyota into Saturday night's race. He still could drive for another team, although no owners seemed ready to offer him a ride.

"Everybody out here wants to race, and they want to race hard and race with people that are in the same state of mind that you're in," former teammate Kasey Kahne said. "If people are into other things, they should go do those things by themselves and not be on a race track going 200 mph with other racers."

Mayfield failed a random drug test May 1 and was suspended eight days later. Outside court Wednesday, NASCAR said Mayfield had tested positive for methamphetamines. But in an affidavit filed last week, Mayfield denied ever using the illegal drug. He has blamed the positive test on the combination of Adderall, prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Claritin-D, used to fight allergies.

NASCAR attorney Paul Hendrick argued that the "massive amounts" of methamphetamines in Mayfield's sample suggest his defense was "simply not true." But U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen ruled in Mayfield's favor, saying the likelihood of a false positive was "quite substantial."

That decision shocked many in the sport.

"Either Jeremy or NASCAR is wrong, and I don't know which one, but whichever one is wrong is really hurting the other," said veteran Mark Martin, adding that his biggest concern is that NASCAR doesn't have the final say in who can and can't drive.

Three-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was simply baffled by the whole mess.

"I don't even know where to start because you hear one rumor that it's one way and another that it's another way," Johnson said. "Now, next thing you know, there's a chance for him to come back to the racetrack and makes you believe maybe there's something wrong with the system and then you hear the rumors. It's just a confusing mess right now. I look forward to the day that it's all laid out plain and simple."

For some it already is.

"If he's out there on the race track with me, it doesn't bother me," Kyle Busch said. "Normally, we're ahead of him anyway."

Kahne, too, took a shot at Mayfield.

"As far as racing with Jeremy, I don't ever race with Jeremy," Kahne said. "He's at one end; I'm at the other."

Even so, some drivers have expressed concerns about even being on the same track.

Johnson and four-time Cup champ Jeff Gordon both signed affidavits, part of a recent NASCAR court filing, saying they didn't want to be on the same track as someone who tests positive for a banned substance or has drugs in his system.

"It's almost a 'duh' statement when they say they don't want drivers using drugs on the racetrack. Who does?" Mayfield's attorney, Bill Diehl, said in court.

The two former champs are among those having a hard time keeping track of all the developments.

"I'm so confused right now at the whole thing that I'm going to let it all play out," Gordon said. "I haven't been following it enough to know what's going on, so leave me out of it. I support NASCAR in what they're wanting to do and what they're trying to do with the drug policy. I think it's the right thing to do."

Added Johnson: "We just want people on the track that are sober and not under the influence of anything. ... If he passes the test, then put him back on the track. It's hard to know with all that's gone on over last few months what is what. It's just getting more confusing as every day unfolds."

Jeff Burton had a better feel for the details.

"Ultimately, unless there is some agreement prior to that, it will eventually go to trial and that decision of that trial will be huge," Burton said.

Until then, Burton would like to see Mayfield tested as often as possible.

"The fact of the matter is that he failed a drug test, and that opens the door to question," Burton said. "I deserve to 100 percent know that he is 100 percent clean and so he should be tested soon enough, early enough, often enough to where he can never be on the race track while he is using drugs." - AP

NASCAR'S INAUGURAL HALL OF FAME NOMINEES RELEASED

NASCAR announced a history-rich list of 25 nominees for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class. From that list, five inductees will be chosen via a process that includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.COM; the inductees will be announced in October and honored next May at the new Hall of Fame facility in Charlotte, N.C.

The nominees, which include many of the sport's legendary names, were selected by a 21-person nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks. The HOF's first inductees will be determined by the Voting Panel, which has 50 members -- the entire Nominating Committee, 14 media members, four manufacturer representatives and nine retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs -- three each) and two recognized industry leaders.

In addition, the fan vote will result in the Voting Panel's 51st and final ballot. Following are the 25 individuals who have been nominated:

Bobby Allison, 1983 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and winner of 84 races
Buck Baker, the first driver to win consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
Red Byron, first NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, in 1949
Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Dale Earnhardt, won record seven NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
Richie Evans, nine-time NASCAR Modified champion
Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
Bill France Jr., NASCAR president, chairman and CEO (1972-2003)
Bill France Sr., NASCAR founder and first president (1948-1972)
Rick Hendrick, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series
Ned Jarrett, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
Junior Johnson, 50 wins as a driver, 132 wins and six championships as an owner
Bud Moore, 63 wins and two NASCAR Sprint Cup titles as a car owner
Raymond Parks, NASCAR's first champion car owner
Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
David Pearson, 105 victories and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
Lee Petty, winner of the first Daytona 500 and first three-time series champion
Richard Petty, 200 wins and seven NASCAR Sprint Cup titles -- both records
Fireball Roberts, won 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 1962 Daytona 500
Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, 1951 and '53
Curtis Turner, first to win Daytona 500, Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600 in same year
Darrell Waltrip, winner of 84 races and three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships
Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion
Glen Wood, as driver, laid foundation for Wood Brothers' future team success
Cale Yarborough, winner of three consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup titles, 1976-78 - nascar pr

DALE JR THROWS F-BOMBS AT NASCAR

Daytona Beach., Fla., isn't the spring break destination it once was, but the seaside birthplace of NASCAR remains a vacation haven for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Or at least it did when the Sprint Cup schedule had an open week before its midseason trip to Daytona International Speedway, which plays host to Saturday's Coke Zero 400.

"The worst (expletive) thing that ever happened in this sport is when they took that away from us," he said. "That really (expletive) up everything I loved about this sport." -- USA Today