By John Bassetti, vindy.com

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Dave Blaney knows he’ll be involved in racing in some capacity in 2009, but that’s speaking in general terms.

It could be in NASCAR Sprint, Nationwide or Craftsman Trucks series or it could be as overseer of his 14-year-old son’s super late-model short-track activities.

FOXsports.com

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - Michael Schumacher and Jeff Gordon will participate in a charity kart race organized by Felipe Massa in Brazil this weekend.

Seven-time Formula One champion Schumacher and four-time NASCAR champion Gordon will race in the "International Challenge of the Stars" in southern Brazil, organizers confirmed on Tuesday.

Bob Pockrass, Scenedaily

HMS Holdings, which operates the Hendrick Motorsports engine shop, is suing Dale Earnhardt Inc. for $1.5 million for the payment of a termination fee stemming from a contract to supply Hendrick engines to Ginn Racing.
 
Ginn Racing, which also is a defendant in the suit filed Friday in North Carolina Superior Court, merged with DEI in July 2007.

By EILEEN ZAFFIRO, news-jrnl.com

DAYTONA BEACH -- NASCAR and one of its companies are suing Cessna for damages, saying the aircraft company's negligence and its faulty plane are responsible for a crash last year that killed five people.

The plane that slammed into two houses in Sanford in July 2007 was "unreasonably dangerous and defective," and Cessna's instructions, warnings, inspections and repairs for the aircraft were inadequate, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in circuit court.

by Michael Smith, Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

Rather than finishing with a bang, telecommunications giant AT&T decided to go quietly without any special activation at the end of the season. AT&T executives watched their final Sprint Cup race as sponsor of Jeff Burton's No. 31 car from a suite over the garages at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

By Lee Montgomery, Scenedaily

ORLANDO, Fla. – Braun Racing driver Jason Leffler said Saturday night that Scott Zipadelli will serve as his crew chief for the No. 38 Nationwide Series Toyota next season.
 
Zipadelli, the younger brother of Joe Gibbs Racing Sprint Cup crew chief Greg Zipadelli, will leave JTG Daugherty Racing and the No. 47 driven by Kelly Bires.

By Frank Taylor, lincolntimesnews.com

NASCAR team owner Ray Evernham announced Thursday night in Lincolnton that he is in advanced negotiations to purchase the East Lincoln Speedway and plans to retire from NASCAR.

Evernham and partner Bob Mack of Cornelius-based RPM Group Holdings said they had hoped to have the keys to the speedway in their hands when they appeared at the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce’s Business After-Hours event to make the announcement, but were prevented from doing so as negotiations continued.

Associated Press

CONCORD, N.C. -- Matt Kenseth signed a multiyear contract extension Thursday with Roush Fenway Racing to continue driving the No. 17 Ford.

The deal comes at the end of one of Kenseth's most disappointing seasons: He failed to win a race for the first time since 2001, and his 11th-place finish in the standings was his lowest since that season.

Lee Spencer, FOXsports.com

ATLANTA - Due to current economic conditions, Wood Brothers Racing has downsized its Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck Series operations effective immediately.

The Wood Brothers expect to continue the 58-year tradition of the No. 21 Ford when racing resumes in February.

Lee Spencer, FOXsports.com

MIAMI - Two popular crew chiefs parted ways with their teams on Monday.

Todd Parrott, a second-generation racer with more than two decades of racing experience, was released from Yates Racing after leading the historic yet underfunded No. 28 Ford and driver Travis Kvapil to a 23rd-place finish in the point standings. The team finished seventh at Homestead on Sunday, the pair's fourth top-10 since joining forces at Daytona in February.

By Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The glitz and glamour surrounding NASCAR's championship-deciding race roared on at Homestead-Miami Speedway as if nothing was amiss.

Lucky fans still lined up for their pre-race garage tours, celebrities and CEO's crowded pit road and the champagne flowed following Jimmie Johnson's record-tying third consecutive title.

David Newton, ESPN.com

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Plans are in place for Chip Ganassi Racing to switch from Dodge to Chevrolet and be a part of the engine program currently used by Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Richard Childress Racing.

DEI, a Chevrolet-based organization, announced on Wednesday it is merging into a four-car team with the Dodge organization of Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009.

Lee Montgomery, Scenedaily

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – When the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season began, the Raybestos Rookie of the Year class contained some big names: Former Indy 500 winners Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish Jr. and Jacques Villeneuve. But when the season ended, it was a driver with the most common name of all as the winner: Regan Smith.
 
The Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver wrapped up the rookie title Sunday with a 34th-place finish in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus never slowed down enough to consider what a record-tying third consecutive championship would mean to their legacy.

Don't count on them doing it now.
 
After tying Cale Yarborough's 30-year mark as the only driver with three straight championships, Johnson and his crew chief were already thinking about going after No. 4.

Bob Pockrass, Scenedaily

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – General Motors has not been told whether the new Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing team will field Chevrolets next season, according to Pat Suhy, GM’s NASCAR manager.
 
Dale Earnhardt Inc., a four-car Chevrolet team, and Chip Ganassi Racing, a two-car Dodge team, announced Wednesday their plans to merge for the 2009 season. They did not announce a manufacturer, but Dodge teams seem resigned to the probability that the new four-car organization will race Chevrolets next season.