A Week To Go.

With 1 week remaining until the 2008 Cobo Cup picksheet deadline (Friday, Feb. 15th) there have been 90 sheets turned in. That leaves 84 sheets to match last years numbers.

Now for the news:

Sorenson Fastest in Second Bud Shootout Practice: The second (and final) practice for the Bud Shootout is over and didn’t suffer for a lack of excitement. #41-Sorenson was the fastest with a speed of 191.873mph. He was followed by #48-Johnson, #5-Mears, #9-Kahne, and #21-Elliott. A big wreck took place just minutes into the session when #07-Bowyer and #12-Newman made contact at the end of the backstretch. #12-Newman, #48-Johnson, #24-Gordon, #38-Gilliland, and #21-Elliott suffered the greatest amount of damage. Newman, Johnson, Gordon, & Elliott will all go to backup cars. #99-Edwards and #8-Martin spun after making contact but only suffered minor damage. A second incident happened midway through the session when #20-Stewart squeezed up beside #2-Busch on the backstretch. Busch caught the front of Stewart’s car and was knocked up into the wall. Stewart came down the track and made minor contact with teammate #11-Hamlin. Busch then bumped Stewart’s car as they were both headed back to pit road. Busch and Stewart were both called to the NASCAR trailer after the incident and will have to go back again Saturday morning. Busch will go to a backup car as well.

Stewart fastest in first Bud Shootout practice: 23 cars went out to run the first Bud Shootout practice on Friday with #20-Stewart the fastest at 191.290mph, followed by #99-Edwards, #11-Hamlin, #22-Blaney and #38-Gilliland. #96-Yeley lost a tire but slowed on the track and did no damage. Slowest was #49-Schrader and #2-Busch.

Valvoline to sponsor #10 GEM Dodge in 2008: Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced that the familiar red, white and blue colors of Valvoline will sponsor Patrick Carpentier’s #10 Dodge in selected races for the 2008 Sprint Cup season. Valvoline will serve as the primary sponsor at some of NASCAR’s biggest races including the 50th running of the Daytona 500, Las Vegas, Texas in April, plus the California and Bristol races in August. Valvoline has served as a co-primary sponsor on the #10 Dodge at Gillett Evernham Motorsports since 2005 as well as an associate sponsor on the #9 Dodge of Kasey Kahne and the #19 Dodge of Elliott Sadler since 2001. “This is another chapter in Valvoline’s rich racing history,” said Robert Stravitz, vice-president of marketing for Valvoline, “We have a long relationship with Ray Evernham and this race team. We think Patrick can take Valvoline as well as the sport of NASCAR to new markets. We plan to continue to make our NASCAR Nextel Cup Series racing effort serve the needs of our family of brands which include: Valvoline, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Eagle One, Car Brite and Zerex.” Gillett Evernham Motorsports purchased Valvoline’s half of Valvoline Evernham Racing last month ending seven years of Sprint cup ownership by Valvoline. Company officials said there are no plans to pursue ownership in the sport with any other partners. Gillett Evernham co-owner George Gillett Jr. said the team is pursuing additional primary sponsors for the #10 Dodge’s remaining races in 2008.

Earnhardt Jr. skeptical about drivers showing more personality: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t convinced that NASCAR really wants Sprint Cup drivers to loosen up and show their personalities more. “I don’t believe them,” NASCAR’s most popular driver said during media day on Thursday. “I don’t think anybody does. What does that mean? Are we supposed to walk the line and see where we step over it and where are we going to get fined when we go too far? What are they saying?” NASCAR chairman Brian France said last month that the governing body wants to get back to the days when drivers were able to be themselves without the fear of a big fine. It was part of his back-to-the-basics mandate, an attempt to win back the traditional fan that he believes may have been lost with all the changes the sport has undergone since 2004. “NASCAR is focused on the best side-by-side racing in the world,” NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. But again, Earnhardt isn’t convinced. “I think honestly they’re playing to you guys, not talking to the drivers,” he said to a crowd of reporters in a tent outside of Daytona International Speedway. “Basically, they’re trying to appear to be looser.”

Franchitti gets sponsor for Daytona: The new Dodge vehicle – Dodge Journey – a SUV, station wagon “crossover” will be the primary sponsor for #40-Dario Franchitti in the 50th running of the Daytona 500. The deal is only for Daytona. After that Franchitti’s #40 Dodge Charger’s paint scheme may change from week-to-week as no set company has forked over the necessary money for the entire season. Is this reason for Franchitti to be alarmed? Not really. Owner Chip Ganassi has said he will run three cars all season.

Villeneuve close to a sponsor? Hires Barry Green: #27-Jacques Villeneuve has moved to NASCAR, where he’s signed on with a fledgling team that’s very short on sponsorship. If this venture fails – and it soon might if he doesn’t find a sponsor for his Bill Davis Racing team – there’s nowhere else for the 36-year-old driver to go. If he’s worried, Villeneuve isn’t letting on. “It can’t fall apart. I won’t let it,” he said Thursday at media day for the Daytona 500. “Of course you are not in 100% control of what happens all the time, so if it does fall apart, I will just persevere.” It begins this weekend for Villeneuve, who will attempt to qualify his unsponsored car for the Daytona 500. If he’s not among the fastest two in Sunday’s time trials, he’ll have to race his way into the field next week. He’s confident about his chances, even though he has a shell of a team working on his Toyota Camry. The financial limitations have him lagging behind the super teams, and even though his years of open-wheel success made him a very rich man, he’s not prepared to finance this venture himself because he spent so much to get the operation off the ground late last year, and money is a little tight. But Villeneuve claims he has a sponsor on the edge of commitment, a company just needing one final push to sign on the dotted line. This weekend could seal it, ensuring him a fully funded car for the entire 36-race schedule. Having to deal with all the details has stressed Villeneuve a bit, so he last week called Barry Green, who fielded his cars for him in CART, and asked him to handle his business affairs. “The only thing I want to be doing is drive the race car,” he said. “When you try to do more than one job at a time, you won’t do it as good as you should because your mind is not as rested the way it should be. It’s not a positive thing. If I am driving, then I just want to concentrate on that.”

Jimbo (the Pitbull)