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First NASCAR race...65 years ago today:
Thursday, June 19, marks the 65th anniversary of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' first race, held in 1949. In what was then called the Strictly Stock division, the race was held at Charlotte Speedway, a .75-mile dirt track, and won by #34-Jim Roper. It featured a 33-car field that included NASCAR Hall of Famers Tim Flock(5th), Buck Baker(11th), Lee Petty(17th) and Herb Thomas(29th).(NASCAR), see race results at racing-reference.info. Eventual 1949 Champion, Red Byron, finished 3rd in a Raymond Parks owned car.(6-19-2014)
OOOOHHHH!!! Nifty New Race Info Site ALERT!!
Rumors persist that Carl Edwards' sponsor at Joe Gibbs Racing will be none other than the M&Ms/Mars brand. While even the Edwards to JGR piece of the puzzle has yet to be confirmed, the most recent speculation has the current Roush Fenway Racing driver with America's most popular confection as his livery for 2015. Over the last few weeks, representatives from Gibbs have been actively recruiting throughout the garage for a fourth team but both Edwards and Gibbs remain mum on the driver's status. Where would that leave Kyle Busch? Sources say Monster, a long-time supporter of Busch, would step up to the primary sponsorship level. Still, it's hard to fathom an athlete as health-conscious as Edwards could embrace a brand with so little nutritional value. When Motorsport.com asked the driver two weeks ago about representing a company that he would not personally support off the track, the response was similar to Edwards' previous "no comment" replies regarding next year.(Motorsport)(6-19-2014)