CHARLOTTE, N.C. — IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti will make his NASCAR debut in the Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

Franchitti, who also won the Indianapolis 500 this season, is moving to NASCAR next season. He made his stock-car debut in the ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend and finished 17th.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ricky Rudd will get back behind the wheel of the Robert Yates Racing No. 88 Ford this week at Lowe’s Motor Speedway after missing five weeks with a separated shoulder.

“My shoulder still is not at 100 percent yet,” said Rudd, who will retire at the end of the season. “But we’re going to have to see how it handles being in the car for practice.”

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By Scott Serrano

PA SportsTicker Auto Racing Editor

If recent history is any indication, there will be yet another change atop NASCAR’s “Chase for the Nextel Cup” standings after Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have taken turns as Chase leaders after the past three races since they left New Hampshire tied for first place.

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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (TICKER) — NASCAR on Tuesday issued penalties and fines to Nextel Cup Series driver Reed Sorenson as a result of rule violations found Sunday in post-race inspection at Talladega Superspeedway.

The No. 41 Dodge Avenger, which Sorenson drove to a 10th-place finish in the UAW-Ford 500, was found was found too low in front-end height.

As a result, Sorenson was penalized 25 championship driver points. He still remains 23rd in the standings with 2,756 points.

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By Bruce Martin PA SportsTicker Contributing Editor

TALLADEGA, Alabama (Ticker) – It was a bad day for the drivers that use engines from the RCR/DEI cooperative engine department as blown engines by drivers on both teams in Sunday’s UAW-Ford 500 has left a big impact on NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship.

Jeff Burton was the first to go when the Chevrolet engine in his car blew up on lap 92. He finished last in the 43-car field and is now last among the 12 drivers in “The Chase” 336 points out of first place.

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By Bruce Martin PA SportsTicker Contributing Editor

TALLADEGA, Alabama (Ticker) – Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are more than teammates at Hendrick Motorsports; they are also close friends.

That friendship often is forgotten on the race track, however, where they are fierce competitors when it comes to racing.

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TALLADEGA, Ala. — Dale Jarrett is leaning toward running just six races next year before stepping out of his car after 23 seasons.

Jarrett has been mulling his future for several months, and said at Talladega Superspeedway he’s made up his mind and will announce his plans next week. But Jarrett does not plan to drive the car past the March 30 event at Martinsville, according to a person familiar with the 2008 plans at Michael Waltrip Racing told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because portions of the deal are still being finalized.

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SALOU, Spain — Sebastian Loeb edged closer to world championship leaderMarcus Gronholm after winning his third straight Catalunya Rally on Sunday.

Gronholm leads the overall standings with 96 points, six more than Loeb,with four races to go.

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By Bruce Martin PA SportsTicker Auto Racing Editor

TALLADEGA, Alabama (Ticker) – Much-maligned Michael Waltrip finally had a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season when the Toyota driver won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

This is the fist race where NASCAR’s “Car of Tomorrow” is being used on a restrictor-plate superspeedway. The bigger, boxier car will be used at every race next year, including the 50th Daytona 500.

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TALLADEGA, Ala. — Michael Waltrip led a charge of “go-or-go-home” entries to the top of the grid Saturday in qualifying for the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

The top 35 cars in NASCAR Nextel Cup owners points are guaranteed a spot in the 43-car field each week and it was the drivers who had to make it on speed and worked strictly on qualifying in Friday’s practice who dominated in time trials for Sunday’s race, the superspeedway debut of the Car of Tomorrow.

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