Any NASCAR fans want to be part of a new TV show?

   Travel Channel will be filming at this year’s Daytona 500 and is seeking NASCAR superfans for a new series.

    They are looking for:
    • A NASCAR-obsessed family in need of a tailgate upgrade – Do you love Daytona but wish you had a better tailgate setup?
    • The best food – Do you have the ultimate signature dish, award-winning food creations, or one-of-a-kind recipes?
    • The most unbelievable tailgate setup – Do you have a tricked out RV, unique tailgating inventions, or the perfect tailgating spot?
    • The best Daytona 500 events – Do you host the best Infield parties, potlucks, contests, or games?
    • The most unique Daytona 500 fan traditions – Do you have any peculiar or outrageous customs or superstitions?

    If you or your family fit any of the above descriptions and will be at this year’s Daytona 500, then Travel Channel wants to hear from you!

    Contact them by emailing U​ltimateNas​carFanCast​ing@gmail.​ with subject line “Daytona 500,” and include photos of you and your family showing off your NASCAR/Daytona 500 pride.

NASCAR tightens up rules on race car communications

In a technical bulletin issued on Jan. 30, NASCAR officials made some more changes to what is and is not allowed in regards to in-car communications.

The changes include:

• In-car communications will be permitted only between team members of the same car number. Translation: A spotter for, say Kevin Harvick, cannot communicate with his Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton.

• Direct vehicle-to-vehicle communications will not be permitted. Translation: Drivers cannot communicate with each other directly, even if they are teammates.

Last January, NASCAR altered its radio policy to prohibit drivers from communicating with other drivers during the race. The communication was used primarily at Daytona and Talladega when two-car drafting tandems became commonplace.

Wood Brothers' winning car on display at Speedweeks

During Budweiser Speedweeks at Daytona, race fans will be able to take a special glimpse into the storied history of Wood Brothers Racing as a replica of the 1963 Daytona 500-winning car -- the No. 21 Ford Galaxie driven by Tiny Lund -- will be on display in the Sprint FanZone.

The replica car was constructed by Leonard Wood, who was recently inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The car, which was part of Wood's induction ceremony, will be on display for the next year at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.

Before the 1963 Daytona 500, Lund didn't even have a ride for "The Great American Race." Ten days before the Daytona 500, Marvin Panch suffered severe burns when he crashed a sports car during testing for the 250-mile American Challenge Cup race. Among the first to arrive on the scene was Tiny Lund, who helped Panch escape from the burning car. For his efforts, Lund, along with several others, received the Carnegie Medal of Heroism.

Following the crash, Panch was unable to race in the Daytona 500 so Glen and his brother Leonard selected Lund to be his replacement. Lund went on to capture the Daytona 500, which was the first win for Ford in "The Great American Race."

Remembering a NASCAR legend: Dale Earnhardt

   Dale Earnhardt Inc. will be hold its annual "Candlelight Remembrance of Dale Earnhardt" on Monday, Feb. 18.

    The DEI showroom will be open to the public and will be illuminated with candles. Commemorative decals and prayer cards will be distributed to all in attendance. A memorial guest book will be available throughout the day for those who would like to share their memories of the late seven-time NASCAR champion.

    Fans are invited to attend from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., at Dale Earnhardt Inc. on Highway 3, in Mooresville, N.C. Those unable to attend are encouraged to light a candle at home that evening in remembrance of Earnhardt's life.

The Wood Brothers rise again

    A great deal of the Wood Brothers' success in NASCAR came well before new fans started paying attention. But in recent years, the Wood Brothers have taken center stage iN NASCAR again for several reasons - the induction of Leonard and Glen Wood in the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Trevor Bayne's surprise win in the Daytona 500 in 2011.

   After Friday night's induction ceremony, Eddie Wood was asked if the recent spotlight has helped raise the visibility of his family's contribution to NASCAR's history.

   "It really has. It probably really started when David (Pearson) got in the Hall of Fame, which was in '10, I guess, or '11. And we changed the ‑ to honor David's accomplishments and his Hall of Fame induction, that's when we went back to the red and white car that they had had for so many years," he said. "That seemed to just be the right thing to do that day. I'm not even sure how we came up with it, it was just like, let's just do it, and the guys at Motorcraft said, okay, that's fine.

   "That just started that whole ball rolling, and then we got fortunate enough to win the 500, and dad getting in and then Leonard getting in. You know, there's a lot of young fans that are really, really young that probably ‑ they don't know anything about what happened in the '60s and '70s and stuff like that, but that did ‑‑ I mean, just the attention that we got since then has just been like it was back in the '70s with winning a lot of races, which is really, really cool.

   "I was a little bitty part of that in the '70s. I was his gopher, but I was there. So I remember all of that and how much fun it was and how special it was. Winning that race kind of brought all that back. And then the people, we heard from people after we won that race that we hadn't heard from in 40 years. I mean, it was just unbelievable the attention that it brought, which is ‑‑ that's NASCAR. That's the way it works."

Rusty Wallace and the privilege of racing in NASCAR

   As he has done several times this year, Rusty Wallace again talked about the need of today's NASCAR drivers to appreciate the opportunity they have. He mentioned it during his acceptance speech on Friday night during his induction to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

   Afterwards, I asked Wallace why he felt it necessary to continue to share that message and why it was so important to him.

   Here is his answer:

   "Because I think there are some people that don't appreciate it enough. I think some people take it for granted, and I think some people really need to know that there's so many people out there that don't have a proper education like I don't have, and you go out there and you get in these damned race cars and you drive and they pay you millions and millions of dollars, and that's a hell of a privilege to do something like that," he said.

   "And I get it, I understand it, and I know unless there's people packed in them grandstands that the popularity of the sport is going to go down and we're all going to be looking for different work. But I'm just really grateful that I was able as a young kid out of St. Louis to be able to do this, and it pisses me off when I see some of these people that don't appreciate it enough, and I want all the drivers to appreciate NASCAR like I appreciated it. You don't have to think like I think, but you'd better damned think like I think on that issue."

Darrell Wallace Jr. to run Trucks fulltime in 2013

   Darrell Wallace Jr., a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and successful participant in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program, will run fulltime in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2013, the Observer and ThatsRacin.com have learned.

   Wallace, 19, will drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports but remain under contract with JGR. Busch drives in the Sprint Cup Series for JGR.

   An official announcement of Wallace's move is expected Saturday during the NASCAR Preview, part of NASCAR Acceleration Weekend activities, multiple sources confirmed Thursday.

   JGR officials declined to comment.

   Wallace would become the first African-American driver to run fulltime in one of NASCAR's three national series since Bill Lester's last season in Trucks with Bill Davis Racing in 2006.

   Wendell Scott remains the only African-American driver to win a race in one of NASCAR's three national series. He won in what is now known as the Sprint Cup Series on Dec. 1, 1963, at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla.
  
   Wallace made four starts in the Nationwide Series in 2012 with JGR and earned three top-10 finishes, including a career-best seventh at Iowa. He has six wins in the K&N Pro Series East since 2010, including one in 2012.

   Born in Mobile, Ala., Wallace has spent most of his life in the Charlotte area and graduated from Northwest Cabarrus High School in Concord.