Want to learn how to drive like #24? Soon you will have to look no further than some major race tracks to get some Jeff Gordon-branded instruction. Starting in Charlotte and to be followed by locations in Georgia, KC, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida, the Jeff Gordon Racing School will be run by Bob Lutz, former racer and founder of the Petty (as in the King) Driving Experience. Can Gordon dethrone the King?

Some math-enabled environmentalists have come to the conclusion that NASCAR (actually racing in general) might be a waste of gas. In the NASCAR race this weekend in Atlanta, it is estimated that drivers will go through roughly 5,000 gallons of gas. But given that the focus of racing is DRIVING and fans pay big dollars to see drivers...well...drive, shortening races to conserve fuel does not seem a realistic solution.

NASCAR has been open about their desire to expand beyond the traditional contiguous United States. In the past, races have been held in Japan and earlier this year the Busch series held a race in Mexico. Now it seems that a race in Canada could happen soon, once NASCAR and Canadian racing officials can settle on a location. Gentlemen, start your (cold, French accented) engines!

The proposed NASCAR track in Washington's Kitsap County might have a new neighbor. The Skokomish Tribe is interested in setting up a casinoon or around the possible track. International Speedway Corporation, who is supporting the track's entry into the NASCAR family, seems to be fine with having a casino in close proximity to the track. Maybe some no-limit holdem' in between practice laps?

OK, so this is yet another post about Will Ferrell and his NASCAR movie. But get used to it, because the press around it is going to be massive when it wraps. The big news to report here is that Will topped out at 135 during his eight laps at the Richard Petty Driving School, beating Britney's top speed of 123 by a healthy margin. Maybe a new career for the funnyman?

Joining the ranks of Oprah and The Today Show, NASCAR has launched a book club for fans of the sport. With the launch of the NASCAR Library Book Club, fans will be able to chat with authors, meet up with local chapter members, and get special discounts on publications. The club will be run through the Official NASCAR Members Club (ONMC)--look out for the first selection coming soon.

In a deal that will be announced today, DirecTV will sponsor a Cup team in the 2006 season (widely speculated to be a Richard Childress Racing driver). In addition, DirecTV will have exclusive rights through 2010 among subscription TV distributors to use the NASCAR brand in marketing, ads, and promotions. Could this signal Fox (DirecTV's sister company) holding on to TV rights for the foreseeable future? Stay tuned...

Former NFL player Terrance Mathis has teamed up with Larry Morgan to form Victory Motorsports Racing. Mathis will be majority owner of a second team for Morgan-McClure that will aim to compete in NASCAR during the 2006 season.

Come October 2006, the Charlotte race will be the Bank of America 500. Already a TV segment sponsor, it seems only natural that the Charlotte-based B of A sponsors the race that happens in its own backyard. Bank of America, like many financial institutions have always been big backers of sports, including golf and the Olympics. And with a fan base of 75 million, that's a lot of checking accounts...

Just when NASCAR has reached one of the largest TV audiences ever (especially now during the Chase races), NBC decides to pass on the new TV rights contract, allowing ABC and ESPN to step in for a cool $280M/year for a six-year deal. Could this mean that Desperate NASCAR Housewives can be far off? Maybe a towel-dropping Nicolette Sheridan in an ad with Jeff Gordon?

You'd never think that Medicaid restructuring and NASCAR would be mentioned in the same sentence, but the issues have become intertwined in the state of Florida. Some folks in Florida want plates to hopefully fund a NASCAR Hall of Fame in Daytona Beach, but it requires a special legislative session and shifts focus away from what others might view as more pressing issues, including Medicaid restructuring and gambling. Keep your eyes peeled for more information on this as states lobby for the chance to have the Hall of Fame in their state....

Ladies and gentlemen, start your puns now. The sport, formerly sponsored by tobacco giant Winston, will now be directly associated with Nicorette, GSK's stop-smoking product. The company will be the primary sponsor of Gordon's #24 car for two races, and will be an associate sponsor for the 2006 season. How things have changed...

While NASCAR drivers are the last people to typically keep an eye on the speedometer, in Florida they are doing just that. In a series of public service announcements, drivers Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne will urge young people to Focus on Driving. Keeping young drivers safe might mean another crop of future NASCAR fans--or drivers.

No strangers to using NASCAR to sell record albums, the good people at Warner Brothers have enlisted the help of the Phoenix International Raceway to plug rockers Trapt. Trapt will bring the hit "Headstrong" and other tracks to the fans prior to the start of the Checker Auto Parts 500 on November 13th.

Replicating the information and caring seen often in NASCAR (i.e. Casey Mears' pink paint scheme #41 Target), the sponsor of Travis Kvapil's #77 is doing their part to honor and inform the women fans of NASCAR. Kodak ran a logo with the words "Mammography Products" as well as the symbolic pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness at the race today in Kansas. It's great to see that sponsors care beyond simply selling products--especially when they have a platform as large as the NASCAR audience.

As RPM is well aware, the NASCAR marketing juggernaut knows no boundaries. Official vegetable? Ladies purse? Breakfast cereal? All accounted for. If you can name it, and more importantly if a consumer can buy it, odds are someone, somewhere is trying to make it "The Official Widget of NASCAR".The good folks from the Kansas City Star write a nice piece reminding us just how prevalent NASCAR is in society (and RPM continues to dig to bring you news sources far and wide).

A new reality TV show will allow total amateurs the chance to prove their driving mettle with their own car, pit crew, and entrance into sanctioned races. Given the incredible popularity of reality TV and motorsports, it was only a matter of time that the two were combined. "Reality Racing-The Rookie Challenge" will begin searching the country for 15 lucky racers to show and prove if they have the stuff to compete in the big leagues--gentlemen, start your engines!

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a familiar face as one of the senior medical reporters on CNN, follows drivers both on and off track to test their health and general athleticism in a new TV special. Maybe...finally...drivers will get the respect they deserve for the intense strain put on their bodies during their careers. Something tells me a golf special on the same topic is NOT in the works...

Like an old-time law firm looking for young associates, NASCAR is hitting the road on a tour of historical black colleges and schools serving large Hispanic populations in an effort to reach new fans and future employees of the sport. The tour will be sponsored by Coca-Cola and will hit Johnson C. Smith University, North Carolina A & T, Clark Atlanta University, and the University of Miami. I see a movie--Drumline meets Days of Thunder?

The old adage is that if 60 Minutes comes calling, it can't be good news. But when one family runs the fastest growing sport, even the veterans at CBS's longest running news magazine can't ignore NASCAR. Check out what Lesley Stahl has to say Sunday October 9 at 7 PM.

No, the frogs are not thinking of adopting the flag of the South. In a move consistent with NASCAR's actions of the past several years, Brian France has come out against the Confederate flag. Looking for include more minorities and women as both fans and participants, France sees the symbol of the old South as divisive. A bold and inclusive move by one of the most influential men in racing.

Showing that they have come a long ways since the days of racing on a Florida beach, NASCAR and AMD announced today that they are teaming up to bring NASCAR Into the 21st century. AMD computer technology solutions are planned to be deployed extensively throughout NASCAR, on and off the track, to help improve such critical functions as timing and scoring, research and development, wind tunnel testing, and crash simulation. And in a move that could have been predicted, 2 AMD64-powered, NASCAR -branded PCs are available for sale through the ZT group. Add a PC to the list that includes scanners and Nextel (I mean Sprint) chirping phones to the next race!

Let's run through some NASCAR sponsors...Liquor (yep), Beer (yep yep), Tobacco (yep yep). Now that Guns are back in courtesy of the world largest auction for firearms and accessories, all the rowdy boys are coming over tonight! Seems that NASCAR fans would dig the new film "Thank You For Smoking", the story of a fictitious meeting of the heads of the alcohol, tobacco, and firearms lobbies. Coming soon to a theater near you!

Any time The New York Times (subscription required) writes an article about NASCAR, corporate American listens. And when The New York Times uses the word "Squirming" when not talking about NY AG Spitzer's latest target or an SEC investigation, others will read too. In sum, the NYT gushes over the good fortunes of sponsors who picked the right ponies to bet on. And talks about a few that might be placing new bets next year...

Some NASCAR sponsorships make sense. And this one happens to be one of them. Adding to the statement "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" adopted by auto makers, you can now add "Race on Sunday, Change Your Oil on Monday." Quaker State is teaming up with Hendrick Motorsports, offering essentially the same blend of oil used by Hendrick racers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Can DEI filters be far behind?