Fans can vote on changes in revamped Sprint Unlimited Daytona race

NASCAR Cup Series title sponsor Sprint announced details of how fans can vote on the format of the 2013 Sprint Unlimited exhibition race (formerly the Bud Shootout), which will run at Daytona International Speedway on February 16th at 8 p.m. Much like past NASCAR Sprint All-Star races, fans can vote online on the race format, types of required pit stops, and number of drivers eliminated for the final segment. Fans can vote online at NASCAR.com/SprintUnlimited or on the NASCAR '13 Mobile app, which is available on more than just Sprint phones. (I installed it on my wireless iPad and my Verizon phone today...real sharp). The name of the race reflects Sprint's unlimited data plan and Sprint is also allowing fans to vote as much as they want on their preferences. Fans can choose how many laps they want each segment to be (40/20/15, 35/30/10, or 30/25/20), the types of pit stops they want teams to make after segment 1 (none, two tires, four tires), and how many drivers NASCAR eliminates after the 2nd segment (none, two, four, or six). NASCAR on FOX announcers Mike Joy, Jeff Hammond, Larry McReynolds and (of course) Darrell Waltrip discussed the different options  - what they would want personally and how they expected fans to vote. Fans can also choose the style fire suit that Miss Sprint Cup will wear in Victory Lane, though the fireproof bikini is not an option.

Stewart-Haas Racing going three-wide with Danica in new Gen 6 car

After the day's introductory Sprint lunch, media gathered in another hotel convention room for Stewart-Haas Racing's presentation of its 2013 driver and crew chief lineup. The big news, of course, for the team is the full-time addition of Danica Patrick and the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevy, as she will run for Rookie of the Year honors. She essentially will assume the the No. 39 team members from Ryan Newman's team of the past few seasons, including crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman signed a one-year contract in the offseason to return to SHR and reunites with his former Penske crew chief Matt Borland, who worked in the SHR shop before the end of last season. Gibson and Borland assumed their respective roles with their teams near the end of the 2012 season in preparation for 2013. Team co-owner and driver Tony Stewart will of course drive the No. 14 Chevy with Steve Addington in his second year as crew chief, but with Bass Pro Shops replacing departing Office Depot as primary sponsor for a large portion of the season.
The big story for the team is Patrick's adjustment to Sprint Cup racing, as she ran only ten races in her debut season with relatively poor results. Gibson says that the No. 10 team is starting the season off with reasonable, small goals and that Patrick's "great feedback" will be a big key to their success. Patrick says that she plans to run a partial Nationwide Series schedule, but she has not set those plans. Her 2013 NNS him will likely not with JR Motorsports, the team she ran with since she began NASCAR racing in 2010, as Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team has added to its lineup for 2013.
One can of worms both Patrick and Stewart tackled is the prospect of running the Indy 500. AP reporter Jenna Fryer brought up NASCAR and IndyCar owner Roger Penske's offer to Stewart to run for his team in the Indy 500 - an offer Stewart reportedly turned down. Stewart says that while he turned down Penske's offer to run in the crown jewel of American open wheel racing, he had dinner with Penske and made an open-ended offer to possibly run the race sometime in the future. Patrick also left open-ended the possibility that she, too, would be open to running the 500 in the future. But both Stewart and Patrick agreed that 2013 - being Patrick's rookie year in Cup - is not the best time to split her attention with the Memorial Day weekend race.
Borland joins with Newman to crew chief the No. 39 team. The two worked together from 2000-2006 at Penske Racing, winning a number of races and poles. Both have engineering backgrounds (Newman is one of the few drivers with a college education). And both are optimistic about their future together. Newman needs a jolt, having missed the Chase in 2012 and having signed only a one-year deal to stay with SHR. With Kevin Harvick likely heading to SHR in 2014 and some lack of funding on Newman's car, 2013 is a pivotal year for the veteran driver. When I asked Newman if 2013 is especially a make or break year, he agreed - sort of.
"Every year is a make or break year for me."
Stewart's track, Eldora Speedway will play host to the Camping World Truck Series this season. Buzz about the race is big in the NASCAR community and Stewart says there are only about 1,000 seats left at the race. Eldora GM Roger Slack says that Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace, and likely several other drivers are planning to run the race and the highly secretive test run there last year was very successful. Stewart did tear the splitter off of a truck in that test.

2013 changes at RCR

A lackluster 2012 brings change for Richard Chlidress Racing in 2013. The media rode the buses an hour north of Charlotte to Welcome, North Carolina (sans Captain Herb and me, as we went early on our own to walk through the RCR museum), got stuck in a massive traffic jam, and finally got the RCR’s extensive racing complex an hour-and-a-half late. After arrival, RCR introduced its 2013 NASCAR driver lineup, which looked very similar to how it did in 2012. Brian Scott does replace Elliott Sadler in the RCR Nationwide Series No. 2 Chevy and Brendan Gaughan replaces Joey Coulter full-time in what was the No. 22 NCWTS team (now No. 62). But the big changes at RCR are behind the scenes, as Childress announced last year the hiring of Dr. Eric Warren as director of competition. Warren, who has worked in the past for Richard Petty Motorsports, Evernham Motorsports, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Penske Racing, is looking to turn an RCR ship that only won one Cup Series race and saw one of its three cars make the Chase. He says he is working hard on improving communication between the teams and structuring how they go about their business.

Harvick, RCR’s longest-tenured and biggest driver, is leaving the only team he has driven for in the Cup Series after this season. Rumors have him going to SHR and while Harvick did not announce that, he did confirm his departure and says that, strangely, this year could be his best in the sport.

Scott brings his family’s Shore Lodge sponsorship to RCR, after a tumultuous two years with Joe Gibbs Racing. Scott says he is confident that he can perform after his tough times at JGR and especially with the championship-caliber No. 2 team.

Gaughan also is getting fresh life in NASCAR, using his family’s South Point Hotel and Casino sponsorship to land a full-time ride in the No. 62 Chevy in the Truck Series. Gaughan says that he has questioned his ability in recent years, but that his 2013 crew chief Shane Wilson, with whom he worked with in his rookie Cup season at Penske Racing, encouraged him and convinced him he can still drive well.

Austin Dillon is set to run a full NNS season, along with the Daytona 500 and a few other Cup races. His brother Ty will run in the NCWTS full-time, along with nine or ten NNS races. RCR has also hired Max Papis to not only run NNS road course races for the 2^nd year in a row and Iowa in the NNS, but also to continue giving tips to both Austin and Ty.

Earnhardt Jr. joins Petty with Goody’s

And in the night’s final event, Goody’s Headache Powder announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is its newest spokesperson, joining Richard Petty in a role that Petty has held for over 30 years. Goody’s hired Earnhardt Jr. to appeal to the younger generation that Petty says doesn’t know much about Goody’s. Combining two of NASCAR’s most popular figures is nothing but a win-win for the longtime NASCAR sponsor.

Tomorrow: Updates on Furniture Row Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Speedway Motorsports Inc., Chevrolet, and the Nationwide Series