NASCAR Odds and Ends

Here are a few odds and ends from the world of NASCAR:

-First and foremost Morgan-McClure Racing announced Friday they were closing up shop due to lack of sponsorship for the 2008 season. I won't say much about this here, but feel free to check out my column on the subject in today's paper or online at this link.

-Ken Schrader and BAM Racing have come to an agreement that will allow BAM Racing to enter Schrader in its No. 49 entry in the Daytona 500.

-After testing for Richard Childress Racing in its No. 33 entry, Kirk Shelmerdine has been named the driver of the car for the Daytona 500. Some might remember Shelmerdine from the 2006 Daytona 500 when he got the last spot in the field on speed and ended up finishing 20th. And oh yeah, he is a former championship winning crew chief for Dale Earnhardt.

-It looks like former Ginn Racing sponsor Principal Financial will be joining Dale Earnhardt Inc. as a sponsor for Regan Smith's No. 01 entry. Principal Financial will likely be a primary sponsor on the car for a limited number of races while remaining an associate sponsor for the rest of the schedule.

-Furniture Row Racing is sending another car to Daytona testing this week. Last week they sent the No. 78 entry driven by Joe Nemechek to the first round of Daytona testing. This week Rick Fuller and the No. 87 entry will make the trip to Daytona for the second round of testing. It is not yet known if Furniture Row will field both cars in the Daytona 500.

-Wood Brothers Racing and JTG Racing have decided to split up their duel operation. They will still work together in a large capacity, just not to the extent that they had been. Bill Elliott is slated to run all of the Speedweeks events at Daytona (and likely some others, though none are announced as yet) in the No. 21 with Little Debbie on the hood, Jon Wood will drive nine races in the car with sponsorship from the U.S. Air Force, and Marcos Ambrose will drive the car in most of the other races with Little Debbie as the sponsor.

-Carl Long & E&M Motorsports are going to attempt this years Daytona 500 in the No. 08 Dodge with sponsorship from Millstar and Rhino Energy Drink. Long will also drive the car at the spring Bristol event.

-Valvoline appears to be returning to the No. 10 operation that will be driven in 2008 by Patrick Carpentier, though its unlikely they will be returning as a fulltime primary sponsor. They will be on the hood for a few races according to recent rumors (and a paint scheme recently made public).