NASCAR Most Popular Driver voting now underway

   Voting for the 2012 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) NASCAR Most Popular Driver award is now underway. The 10-week playoff format will return, with the top 10, based on votes received, competing for top accolades at season's end.

   Fans can visit www.MostPopularDriver.com and vote once a day for their favorite NASCAR Sprint Cup driver. Voting for the full field of drivers will end on Sept. 8 at 11:59 PM ET. The 10 drivers with the most votes will be announced as finalists, and the vote count will reset to zero.

  
Fans will then have 10 race weeks to cast their votes once a day to determine the 2012 NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver from the final field of 10 drivers. Voting will conclude Nov. 18 at 11:59 PM ET. The winner will be announced at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon in December.

   Dale Earnhardt Jr. notched his ninth consecutive NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award last season. Only Earnhardt Jr. and Bill Elliott have won the award nine consecutive times since the award's inception in 1953.

Daytona needs more repave work

   Daytona International Speedway plans to make long-term repairs to the area of Turn 3 where Juan Pablo Montoya struck a jet-dryer during the Daytona 500 and ignited a large fire that delayed the race for more than two hours.

    Lane Construction, which handled Daytona's recent repaving project of the entire track, will remove the affected area of Turn 3 and repave it. The project will be completed in time for the July NASCAR race weekend.

    “Once this work is complete, we expect no further issues related to the jet dryer crash,” said track president Joie Chitwood III.