By Bruce Martin

PA SportsTicker Contributing Editor

CONCORD, North Carolina (Ticker) NASCAR fans have been called many things but the latest controversy has come from a comment made by Rep. Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

The seven-term Congressman sent out an instruction to committee aides before they attended last weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama and who are attending this weekend’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway to be immunized for such diseases as Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus and influenza.

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By Bruce Martin

PA SportsTicker Contributing Editor

CONCORD, North Carolina (Ticker) – It’s been one “helluva ride” for Dale Jarrett.

The three-time Daytona 500 winner, two-time Brickyard 400 winner and 1999 NASCAR Cup champion announced Friday that he will retire after running an abbreviated schedule in 2008.

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By Bruce Martin PA SportsTicker Contributing Editor

CONCORD, North Carolina (Ticker) — Greg Biffle won’t have long to celebrate his 14th career NASCAR Busch Series pole. That’s because pole qualifying ended two hours before the start of Friday night’s Dollar General 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Biffle drove a Ford to the pole with a fast lap at 183.511 miles per hour. That was faster than fellow Roush Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth’s 182.933 mph. Another Roush driver, Jamie McMurray, was third at 182.834 mph, with defending champion Dave Blaney’s Toyota fourth at 182.692 mph.

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CONCORD, N.C. — Dale Jarett plans to run just seven races in 2008 — including the first five points races of the season — before concluding his career at the All-Star race next May.

The 1999 Cup champion said Friday he spent months pondering his future, and approached Michael Waltrip Racing and sponsor UPS some time ago to figure out a plan to ease of out the driver’s seat.

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By Bruce Martin PA SportsTicker Contributing Editor

CONCORD, North Carolina (Ticker) – He’s been called “Flyin’ Ryan” and Ryan Newman lived up to that nickname Thursday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Newman won the pole for Saturday night’s NASCAR Nextel Cup Bank of America 500 with a lap at 189.394 miles per hour around the 1 1/2-mile oval.

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CONCORD, N.C. — As the list of open-wheel stars moving to NASCAR grows, Sam Hornish Jr. remains undecided about his future.

He’s had tremendous success in IndyCars — winning three championships and last year’s Indianapolis 500 — but his tryout in stock cars hasn’t been nearly as smooth. He’s still trying to make his first Nextel Cup event after three failed attempts, and was set to try again Thursday night in qualifying at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

“We knew it was going to be difficult coming in,” he said. “We’d like to have been racing a couple times so far, but we knew this was a possibility. We knew this was going to be tough, and that’s why I said I wanted to do this.”

A longtime open-wheel loyalist, Hornish now finds himself one of the many newcomers in NASCAR.

The road was paved last summer by Juan Pablo Montoya, who left Formula One for the Cup Series, and the defections have been fast and furious ever since. In the past week, reigning IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti and Champ Car star Patrick Carpentier both said they will run full Cup schedules next season.

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STATESVILLE, North Carolina (Ticker) – Gillett Evernham Motorsports on Wednesday announced that it added Patrick Carpentier to its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team for 2008.

The Quebec native and former open wheel standout will drive in the Sprint Cup Series next year as well as select races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

The car number and sponsorship have not yet been announced.

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CONCORD, N.C. — Sprint car star Ricky Stenhouse Jr. signed with Roush Fenway Racing on Wednesday and will move to stock cars next season.

Stenhouse, who turns 20 later this month, will run the full ARCA schedule next season in a car fielded by Roush Fenway.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An appeals committee on Wednesday upheld the penalty that was levied against Carl Edwards and his Roush Fenway Racing team when his race-winning car failed inspection at Dover.

Edwards’ car did not meet minimum height requirements, and NASCAR docked him 25 points. Crew chief Bob Osborne was fined $25,000 and car owner Jack Roush was docked 25 car owner points.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former Champ car star Patrick Carpentier was finalizing a deal Wednesday to drive the No. 10 Dodge for Gillett Evernham Motorsports next season.

Team co-owner Alex Gillett acknowledged interest in the Canadian driver last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, and a person familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday the team was in final negotiations with Carpentier. The person requested anonymity because the contract was not yet complete.

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