NASCAR team owner Ray Evernham has bought a small North Carolina dirt track to preserve what he said is a disappearing venue for nourishing up-and-coming drivers.

Nothing could stop Jimmie Johnson’s drive into the NASCAR record books. Not even a final, furious push by Carl Edwards.

Carl Edwards got the jump on Jimmie Johnson in qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway this Sunday. Edwards, facing a daunting 141-point deficit heading into the Ford 400, qualified fourth, trailing only first-time pole winner David Reutimann, rookie Scott Speed and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth. Johnson needs only to finish 36th or better on Sunday to wrap up his third straight Cup title. He’ll start a disappointing 30th. It’s only the seventh time in 36 races this season that Johnson has started 20th
or lower.

Teresa Earnhardt and Chip Ganassi will combine their slumping race teams next season, an effort to stabilize their organizations in a tough economic time, The Associated Press has learned.

NASCAR chairman Brian France is unhappy with ABC’s decision to bump the final laps of last weekend’s race in Phoenix to a cable station in favor of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.“

Jimmie Johnson moved inches away from his record-tying third consecutive NASCAR championship with a dominating victory Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.

Carl Edwards wins second straight race

Eastman Kodak Co. is ending its 22-year sponsorship in NASCAR and putting more sports marketing dollars into professional golf. The photography pioneer, betting its future on electronic imaging, says the realignment fits better with a new effort to highlight its brand digitally, such as on PGA Tour scoreboards.

Carl Edwards passed Denny Hamlin on a late restart, then held on to win Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway to keep his championship hopes alive.

NASCAR docked Brian Vickers 150 driver points and fined crew chief Kevin Hamlin $100,000 because the Red Bull Racing team dipped its sheet metal in acid to make it lighter than required.

A failed inspection following an 11th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday could lead to stiff fines and penalties against driver Brian Vickers and Red Bull Racing. Based on previous NASCAR rulings this season, Vickers might lose 150 driver points and Dietrich Mateschitz 150 owner points while crew chief Kevin Hamlin could be suspended indefinitely. That would cost Vickers a career-best finish in the points standings.

Jimmie Johnson has won at Martinsville Speedway, padding his lead in his bid for a third straight title with four races to go. The two-time defending series champion led 339 laps Sunday as he and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates again dominated on this track.

A popular NASCAR figure was found dead in his hotel room Sunday morning, according to NASCAR officials. Steve Lawson was 51.

Jeff Burton gambled on his final pit stop and was rewarded with a victory that pushed him into title contention at the halfway point of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

A.J. Allmendinger will drive the Number 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway this weekend. He’ll have to qualify the car on speed to make the field for Saturday night’s race because the team is ranked 36th in owner points.

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin has been released from a hospital a day after a hard crash at Talladega Superspeedway.

Denny Hamlin was taken to a hospital Sunday after an accident at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR said he was alert and awake, but was transported for futher observation.

Tony Stewart wins the Amp Energy 500 at Tallagega, due to an illegal last lap pas by Regan Smith.

Joey Logano will stop driving Sprint Cup Series races this season for Hall of Fame Racing. The 18-year-old phenom is set to replace Tony Stewart in Joe Gibbs Racing’s flagship Number 20 next season. JGR scheduled him for a handful of starts in a fourth entry this year, and loaned him to Hall of Fame for another five races.

Rusty Wallace reportedly is considering ending his three-year retirement to drive again, possibly for former rival Dale Earnhardt’s race team. Wallace’s younger brother, Kenny, wrote in his SpeedTV.com blog that the 52-year-old former Cup champion is pondering a return to NASCAR’s top series. Rusty Wallace retired after the 2005 season.

AJ Allmendinger will not finish out the season with Red Bull Racing. It had already been announced Allmendinger wouldn’t be returning to the Number 84 Toyota for the 2009 season and the team is letting him go early to pursue another job. Mike Skinner and Scott Speed will share the seat for the final seven races of the year.

Paul Menard will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the season to drive for Yates Racing, The Associated Press has learned. Menard is expected to announce Tuesday that both he and his sponsorship will move to Yates, a person familiar with Menard’s decision told The AP. The person requested anonymity because Menard had yet to make his announcement.

Jimmie Johnson barely held off a strong challenge from Carl Edwards on Sunday at Kansas Speedway, winning the race and vaulting into first place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

So what have we learned the first few days of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup championship playoffs?

Greg Biffle took command of NASCAR’s championship end game with his second straight playoff victory yesterday in the Camping World RV 400 at Dover International Speedway. And Kyle Busch was again the biggest loser.

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup championship picture is starting to look a bit clearer, perhaps. Greg Biffle, like teammate Carl Edwards, is set on the Jimmie Johnson strategy of go-or-blow, and Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon are in a hole.