Who's competing for the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge title?

   Entering its eighth year of competition, the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge will feature 24 of the top Cup team pit crews in a head-to-head competition at 7 p.m. Eastern on Thursday at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. 

   Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased online at www.pitcrewchallenge.com or by calling Time Warner Cable Arena box office at (800) 745-3000. Speed's broadcast of the event begins at 8 p.m.
  
   The 20 teams eligible for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 19 automatically qualified for the Challenge. The remaining four positions were assigned to the car owners ranked highest in the 2012 Cup series owner point standings as of May 14.

   The official entry list for the event is outlined below.

   No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

   No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet

   No. 9 Stanley Ford

   No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota

   No. 14 Office Depot-Mobile 1 Chevrolet

   No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota

   No. 16 3M Ford

   No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

   No. 18 M&M’s Toyota

   No. 20 Home Depot-Dollar General Toyota

   No. 21 Good Sam-Camping World Ford

   No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

   No. 27 Menard’s Chevrolet

   No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet

   No. 31 CAT Chevrolet

   No. 34 MHP-Power Pak Pudding Ford

   No. 39 U.S. Army-Quicken Loans Chevrolet

   No. 48 My Lowe’s Chevrolet

   No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet

   No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota

   No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota

   No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet

   No. 88 National Guard-Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet

   No. 99 Fastenal Ford

  

How Hendrick got to win No. 200

   Hendrick Motorsports wins by driver
   Driver, Wins

   Jeff Gordon, 85
   Jimmie Johnson, 56
   Terry Labonte, 12
   Darrell Waltrip, 9
   Tim Richmond, 9
   Geoff Bodine, 7
   Mark Martin, 5
   Ken Schrader, 4
   Kyle Busch, 4
   Ricky Rudd, 4
   Brian Vickers, 1
   Casey Mears, 1
   Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1
   Jerry Nadeau, 1
   Joe Nemechek, 1

   HMS Wins by Crew Chief
   Crew chief, Wins

   Chad Knaus, 54
   Ray Evernham, 47
   Robbie Loomis, 23
   Alan Gustafson, 12
   Harry Hyde, 11
   Gary DeHart, 10
   Steve Letarte, 10
   Jeff Hammond, 9
   Waddell Wilson, 4
   Darian Grubb, 3
   Richard Broome, 3
   Andy Graves, 2
   Brian Whitesell, 2
   Dennis Connor, 2
   Gary Nelson, 2
   Jim Long, 1
   Lance McGrew, 1
   Peter Sospenzo, 1
   Randy Dorton, 1
   Tony Eury Jr., 1
   Tony Furr, 1

   HMS Wins by Track
   Track, Wins

   Martinsville, 18
   Charlotte, 16
   Darlington, 14
   Dover, 13
   Pocono, 12
   Atlanta, 11
   Talladega, 11
   Daytona, 10
   Richmond, 10
   Auto Club, 9
   Bristol, 9
   Phoenix, 9
   New Hampshire, 8
   Indianapolis, 7
   Watkins Glen, 6
   Infineon, 6
   Las Vegas, 5
   Michigan, 5
   Kansas, 4
   North Wilkesboro, 4
   Rockingham, 4
   Riverside, 3
   Texas, 3
   Chicagoland, 2
   Nashville Fairgrounds, 1

Former NASCAR exec Jim Hunter to be honored

   Former NASCAR executive and Darlington Raceway President Jim Hunter is among the members of the Class of 2012 to be inducted into the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame.

    Hunter joins South Carolina football great Duce Staley and former baseball coach June Raines; Clemson basketball standout Dale Davis; Spartanburg High’s Stephen Davis; and AAU legend Evelyn “Eckie” Jordan in the 2012 class.

    Wilhelm and Hunter will be enshrined posthumously in the ceremony Monday night at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

    A Charleston native, Hunter started with NASCAR in 1968 as the public relations director at Darlington and then served as track president from 1993 to 2001. He served as NASCAR's vice president of corporate communications at the time of his death in 2010.

    Hunter played football and baseball at the University of South Carolina and then joined The State newspaper in the 1960’s where he earned the nickname “Fumes” for his coverage of NASCAR.

Racing world responds to death of Carroll Shelby

   The following statements were released Friday regarding the death of legendary auto racer and car designer, Carroll Shelby:

   Edsel B. Ford II, member of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company and great-grandson of Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company:
   “Today, we have lost a legend in Ford Motor Company’s history, and my family and I have lost a dear friend. Carroll Shelby is one of the most recognized names in performance car history, and he’s been successful at everything he’s done. Whether helping Ford dominate the 1960s racing scene or building some of the most famous Mustangs, his enthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over six decades has truly inspired everyone who worked with him. He was a great innovator whose legend at Ford never will be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

   Bruton Smith, Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman:
   “Carroll was one of the best friends I ever had. He was known all over the world as an icon in the automotive industry and one of the greatest names in the history of motorsports. He was a great Texan and a great innovator with a style of his own. I’ll never forget how he would climb out of that sports car with bib overalls and a cowboy hat. Ford will do all but close the company because of his passing. I admired him a great deal and will miss him greatly as a friend and a business partner.”

   H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, former president of Charlotte Motor Speedway:
   "Perhaps in the history of auto racing Carroll Shelby was the most unique character rivaling Bill France, Sr., Enzo Ferrari, Smokey Yunick, Barney Oldfield and even Juan Manuel Fangio. It was not what Detroit taught him but what he taught Detroit, Akron and the other capitals of automobile performance. He could see the future of performance better than anyone I ever knew. He told me in 1965 when he was a major Goodyear distributor and I was with Firestone racing that there would be only two owners at Indy -- those two companies! In two years he was right because they financed everyone of the 33 cars.
   "His contribution to performance was so varied. First was his amazing Cobra that stormed Europe like Patton. Then Henry Ford 11's Ford GT-40 that smashed past Ferrari at LeMans. Also he was such a people person he left Ford and helped Chrysler develop the Viper and then came back to Ford! How many guys could do that.
   "With his heart  and subsequent organ transplants he told me he felt like a parts house and then said he was working on getting new eyes. I learned so much from him about
how to just keep going and at the same time developing new projects. He was a humble man who treated everyone the same."

   Chris Powell, president of Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
   “All of us at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are saddened by the passing of Carroll Shelby. Mr. Shelby was a true pioneer in the automotive industry as well as a very accomplished sports car racer. His Shelby Cobra is one of the iconic automobiles in our country’s history. We were honored to be associated with his company for two years as the sponsor of our NASCAR Sprint Cup event, and to have him serve as grand marshal for our races in 2009 and 2010. He leaves a lasting legacy and will be missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Cleo, his family and his legions of fans."

   Tom Compton, president of the NHRA:
   “The automotive industry has lost a pioneer and the motorsports world a legend with the passing of Carroll Shelby. He and our founder Wally Parks were very good friends and Carroll frequently attended events at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California.  On behalf of everyone at NHRA, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

   Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France:
   "Carroll Shelby was a giant in the motorsports industry and the automobile industry overall. Known primarily as an innovative automotive designer, he started building his legacy as an outstanding driver. Along the way, his name became iconic.
   "On a personal level, he was simply a good friend to so many of us. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

   Richard Petty:

   "Carroll Shelby was a visionary for performance and speed for the Ford Motor Company. It was his ideas that helped push the Cobra and most recently the Mustang brand to the American people. He was an innovator of his time and helped Ford become a leader in the racing and performance world. The entire Petty family sends their prayers to the Shelby family.”

Dale Junior: It's not just me

   Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes issue with the idea his current career-worst winless streak and lack of winning a Sprint Cup Series title are reasons why some tracks are still dealing with attendance problems.

   As Earnhardt has reiterated in the past, he believes economic factors still greatly affect race fans - many of whom travel long distances to the races they attend.

   "I don’t really think (TV) viewership and attendance is directly tied to the success of our team. We do have a great fan base and a loyal fan base that I think watches the races regardless of how we’re running. I just think it’s challenging financially for the demographic to afford to come out to a race," the sport's most popular driver said.

   "I think hotel prices are really high and gas is really high and just trying to get here and enjoy yourself has become quite expensive. A lot of people are not willing to make that sacrifice. They can sit at home and either watch it on TV or mow the lawn -- I don’t know. I think that it will cycle around and things like this always do kind of have a cycle. It will improve over time. When the confidence is gained in the consumer to come back out and spend that kind of money.”

  

New exhibit at NASCAR Hall of Fame

    The NASCAR Hall of Fame kicks off a new exhibition in the Great Hall, "Grassroots Racing: Where NASCAR Heroes are Born" on Monday. The exhibition is included in general admission.

   "Grassroots Racing: Where NASCAR Stars are Born" tells the story of hometown racetracks, affectionately called “grassroots,” where many NASCAR drivers began their careers racing every Friday and Saturday night.
  
   “It’s a vital part of our mission to preserve, uphold and be a resource for the sport and its history," said Winston Kelley, executive director of the facility. "This is the eighth new Great Hall exhibition since opening in May 2010 and it is with these exhibitions the Hall continues to present new chapters in the history book" of NASCAR.

   The exhibit explores four race tracks historically known and recognized to be the beginnings of NASCAR racing – Greenville Pickens Speedway in Greenville, S.C., Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, N.C. and South Boston Speedway in Boston, Va.

   Highlighting the exhibition are historic race cars – David Pearson’s Ford Modified (1937), Richard Childress’ Plymouth Modified (1937), Dale Jarrett’s Busch Series Pontiac LeMans (1986) and Denny Hamlin’s Late Model Chevrolet (2003).

   Tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame can be purchased by calling 877-231-2010 or at NASCARHall.com.

Mark Martin has one fear in racing

   It's a good bet Mark Martin doesn't eat Lucky Charms for breakfast.

   Nothing he’s encountered has ever unnerved the 53-year-old Batesville, Ark. native who’s made 40 trips to Victory Lane in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. But, there’s still one thing in racing that makes his skin crawl. 

  "It's good luck charms,” Martin says. “I don’t like them at all.”

   To this day, Martin immediately hands off anything that most consider “lucky.”

    “I try not to insult fans when they give me something,” he said. “I try to be nice and say thank you, but I can’t get rid of them fast enough.”

  

   That’s unusual in a sport where some drivers carry a rabbit’s foot in the car, tape verses to the dashboard or put lucky coins in their uniform pockets. Martin said he has good reason to shun the supposed bringers of good fortune.

   His dim view of good luck charms dates back to one Sunday afternoon in 1993 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. A well-meaning fan gave Martin a four-leaf clover he taped to the dash of his car. 

   “I got hit in the back right after the green flag came out,” Martin recalled. “I got hit so hard it destroyed my car and ruined our race. We got all tore up.”

   That was the end of good luck charms for Martin. “I have been anti-lucky charm ever since," he said.