■ Jimmie Johnson said he probably blamed Sam Hornish a little too much for their costly run-in last week at Texas Motor Speedway.
Johnson wrecked three laps into the race after contact with Hornish. The accident meant his team had to totally rebuild his car, leading to a 38th-place finish.
That cut Johnson's lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship from 184 points to 73.
Johnson said he's since talked with David Reutimann, whose car tapped Hornish to trigger the accident.
Johnson, a three-time defending series champion, said he tries not to place blame too much, and his harsh post-race words for Hornish were sparked by the frustration of watching his points lead shrink.
■ Mark Martin won't judge this season on whether or not he can catch teammate Johnson for the Sprint Cup title.
No matter where Martin finishes in the final standings, Martin, 50, said that 2009 has been the best year of his life.
Martin has had a resurgence this season, his first with Hendrick Motorsports. He's won five races and is second in the standings, 73 points behind Johnson with two races remaining.
■ CARQUEST Auto Parts has extended its sponsorship deal with Hendrick Motorsports and Martin.
The two-year contract extension will make CARQUEST the primary sponsor for Martin in eight races next season. CARQUEST will be an associate sponsor the rest of the year.
GoDaddy.com had previously announced that it will be the primary sponsor for Martin for 20 races next season, while Delphi has two races. The CARQUEST extension leaves just eight races remaining for Hendrick to sell on the No. 5 Chevrolet.
CARQUEST has been with Hendrick Motorsports since 2002 in different capacities, and joined the No. 5 team in 2005 as a co-primary sponsor.
■ The U.S. Army will continue to sponsor drivers in NASCAR and the NHRA next season.
The Army will be the primary sponsor for Ryan Newman in the Sprint Cup series and Tony Schumacher in drag racing's Top Fuel division.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement