A reminder of Dale and Daytona

   Now this has to rank as one of the more interesting ways to preserve the memory of one of NASCAR's all-time greats.

    Lionel NASCAR Collectables offers several pieces of the Daytona International Speedway track surface for sale, but this one is unique.

    Fans can pay tribute to the late Dale Earnhardt - who died in a last-lap wreck in the 2001 Daytona 500 - with a piece of the track carved into his car number. The track was recently repaved.

   Interested? Go here.

Are you ready for the 2013 Daytona 500?

   
Are you ready for the 2013 Daytona 500?

   
Nice job here on a NASCAR TV commercial promoting the 2013 Daytona 500 on Feb. 24. It features a collection of some of the race's biggest moments.

What was NASCAR legend Junior Johnson doing on this day in 1957?

   He was getting out of jail!

    While getting his NASCAR career going, Junior Johnson continued to work for his father and on June 2, 1956, he was caught at the still and charged with making non-taxed whiskey. He pled guilty, paid a $5,000 fine and spent 11 months and three days of a two-year sentence in the federal prison in Chillicothe, Ohio. He was released on Dec. 27, 1957.

    However, he continued delivering illegal liquor because the money – $500 a night – was just too good to pass up. And it was not until 1960 when Johnson – who was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 – decided to just concentrate on his race-car driving.

    And NASCAR was glad he did.

Tony Stewart is going (Chili) Bowling

   Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has joined the star-studded field of entrants for the 27th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center, which kicks off Jan. 8 and concludes Jan. 12.

   Stewart finished 10th in last year’s finale after not participating in the event for three consecutive seasons (2009-2011). This year, he returns to action in the TSR No. 14 Chevrolet Performance/Spike/Chevrolet in the most prestigious Midget race of the year.

   The annual Chili Bowl, which takes place inside the QuikTrip Center’s Tulsa Expo Raceway, will see Stewart and more than 200 drivers attempt to qualify for one of the coveted spots in Saturday’s 50-lap A-Main finale. 

   Stewart is one of five drivers to win the Chili Bowl more than once, one of 17 different drivers to win it since the inaugural event in 1987. He has a pair of Golden Drillers in his collection after scoring Chili Bowl victories in 2002 and 2007.

   Stewart's participation in the Chili Bowl may limit or prevent him from attending a scheduled Cup series test at Daytona International Speedway Jan. 10-12.

Help "undeck" the NASCAR Hall

   The NASCAR Hall of Fame invites race fans to make a stop after Christmas to help "UnDeck the Hall." Choosing from a display of festive Christmas trees in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Theater Lobby, each guest can take home one NASCAR-themed item until all are gone.

   The HALLiday trees are decorated with NASCAR-themed items including autographed souvenirs, memorabilia, ornaments, die cast cars, secret surprises and more. Among the hundreds of items available, guests can walk away with some big ticket presents including tickets to the April races in Martinsville, posters signed by all 12 Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers, or hats signed by reigning series champion Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and more.

   The event runs on Wednesday, Dec. 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Hall of Fame Theater Lobby, 400 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Charlotte, N.C.

Duke football team visits NASCAR Hall of Fame

   As part of the activities leading up to Thursday night's Belk Bowl in Charlotte, the Duke University football team paid a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

   Check out how their visit went here.

NASCAR champion's charity awards grant to Operation North State

   The Checkered Flag Foundation,  a charity started by reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, has awarded a $5,000 grant to Operation North State (ONS), a non-profit organization based in Winston-Salem, N.C., that provides numerous military support services to North Carolina’s deployed troops and veterans-in-need.

    The $5,000 grant was one of four awarded by CFF this year.

    Operation North State works on a large scale to ship care packages to deployed troops from North Carolina.

    The Checkered Flag Foundation was incorporated in July 2010. The Foundation strives to support individuals who have sacrificed greatly for America, including military members, veterans, first-responders and their families, among others.