NASCAR Cup Series

After taking the holidays to recharge and fight this never ending cold, it's time to park myself in the recliner and share my view of what is going on in the world of NASCAR.

Mario Andretti, who along with A.J. Foyt, Jamie McMurray and most recently Jeff Gordon, are the only drivers to win both the DAYTONA 500 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona, will serve as a Honorary Race Official for the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26 (FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN Radio and SiriusXM Radio), the opening race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

As the 2017 NASCAR season approaches, fans can expect to see significant changes both on and off the track. With Monster Energy leading the way as the new entitlement sponsor coupled with the recent exit of high-profile drivers such as Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, this year could prove to be a defining moment in the future of NASCAR.

The E.J. Wade Foundation, founded by Jeff and Janet Wade, is a public 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focusing on rheumatoid arthritis patient assistance, aid for the people of Niger, Africa, as well as disaster preparedness relief across the United States. Each pillar of philanthropy represents a deep personal meaning for the Wade family. The E.J. Wade Foundation will continue to encompass all three tenants of the elder foundations, adding a fourth focus: community partnerships.

NASCAR announced today it is partnering with American Medical Response (AMR) to expand the capabilities of NASCAR’s medical support model and enhance on-track incident response. AMR, a recognized leader in the emergency medical services, will add a doctor and paramedic to the on-track safety team for each Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekend.

Team Penske announced today that it has formed a technical alliance with BIG KAISER Precision Tooling, a worldwide leader in high-precision tooling systems and solutions for the metal cutting industry that guarantees extreme accuracy and repeatability. As the “Official Performance Technical Partner of Team Penske,”

Say goodbye to the days of damaged cars and trucks returning to the track down double and triple-digit laps looking like modified cars.

Kentucky Speedway, Alsco Linen and Uniform Rental Services, and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) have collaborated on a multi-layer celebration to begin at approximately 2:00 p.m., on Saturday, July 8.

FOX Sports brought their "Daytona Day" ad campaign back this year to promote the 59th running of the Daytona 500. It's as cheesy and silly as you'd expect and tries to give off a atmosphere of a party environment of NASCAR's biggest race.

The start of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season is only a couple of weeks away as the Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway. There have been a number of changes to the race weekend format, in addition to a new rules package. Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance and Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines, held a teleconference with members of the media today to discuss those changes, along with other issues.