The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is set to kick off its 10-month season this coming Saturday night with the Budweiser Shootout all-star event at Daytona International Speedway.  The 75-lap race under the lights will be the first for NASCAR in Speedweeks 2009, which culminates with the 51st running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 15.

The race will feature 28 drivers and be split into two segments, one of 25 laps and the second of 50 laps.  Starting positions will be determined by a draw on Thursday, February 5.

The Budweiser Shootout has been an exciting part of Datyona Speedweeks since its inception in 1979, then under the title of "Busch Clash".  The race was originally comprised of the previous year's pole winners.

Here's a track we haven't heard much about in a long time: Texas World Speedway. The high-banked two-mile oval hasn't hosted a Cup race in well over two decades, but with NASCAR's ban on testing at tour tracks this season, the place is sure to be busy.

Greg Biffle claims to have topped out at 218mph at the track in a recent test, with a lap average of 195mph.

"[It was] very fast," Biffle said. "A little bit bumpy, which is to be expected of a race track that the pavement is that old, but just a very fast place. It's kind of a fun race track, but our cars today are probably pretty dang fast for a race track like that."

Biffle said his Thursday afternoon speeds in College Station on Jan. 15 were the "fastest I've been in a race car before -- 218 miles an hour. That's getting her done, if you want to say -- 195 mile an hour average, so it was a pretty fast place."

Who knew the new car could even go that fast? Full story at NASCAR.com.

Ford Racing has announced that its new FR9 engine will likely be ready for NASCAR racing in the second half of 2009.  Ford, which partners with Jack Roush and Doug Yates to develop the engines for NASCAR's top series, says the engine was designed from a "clean sheet of paper", with no carryover parts from previous models.

“With the exception of a few cylinder head changes through the years, we’ve had the same engine since 1991 and have been able to squeeze out every ounce of power and speed possible,” [said] Yates. “What’s got me so excited is we’ve won races and championships with an engine many consider old, and this new piece is definitely a notch above, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to for years to come.”

There are three key differences between FR9 and the current engine. First, the cooling system has been re-worked and will allow teams to optimize the amount of tape they can put on the front grille and improve downforce. Second, the valve train has been improved, and, third, the production and assembly of FR9 will be much easier than today’s model.

Just when FR9 is ready for competition remains to be seen, but a tentative target date is the second-half of the 2009 season.

“We’re not going to rush this engine into competition until we’re 100 percent sure it’s going to meet our strict standards,” said Yates. “We don’t feel a need to rush because our current engine is still strong and that gives us the luxury to take our time and make sure we do FR9 right. I know we’ve got a winner here, and I can’t wait to see it on the track.”

See the full press release at FordRacing.com.

Here's some good news:  David Poole is reporting in the Charlotte Observer that NASCAR is not on board with Bruton Smith's idea of implementing a local TV blackout of races that don't sell out.  Smith owns several race tracks on the NASCAR circuit, two of which rarely sell out both of their Cup races: Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

NASCAR executive Paul Brooks put a damper on the idea:

"TV partners, advertisers, ratings, team and event sponsors would all be negatively impacted. However, the most significant issue is the negative effect this move would have for our fans.

"We need to continue to find ways to bring our fans even more television, Internet, radio and new-media coverage and continue to remind fans that the ultimate NASCAR experience will always be sitting in the grandstands watching that race live."

It's nice to see NASCAR take this approach.  In the past they were vigilantly focused foremost on the fan base and making coverage of their events readily available.  I think this is the number one reason they took off in the past few decades and this decision seems to fall in line with that same philosophy.