Former NASCAR team owner Ed Whitaker dies

   Former NASCAR team owner Ed Whitaker, who won 20 races in what is now the Nationwide Series with Harry Gant, died Friday in Bristol, Va. He was 76.

   Despite never fielding a team for a full-season schedule, Whitaker-built cars won 28 times in 246 career Nationwide Series races, a ratio of more than one in every 10 races they entered.

   The list of drivers who drove for Whitaker includes Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Harry Gant, Jimmy Hensley, Alan Kulwicki, Butch Lindley, Mark Martin, Tim Richmond, Hermie Sadler, Morgan Shepherd, Mike Wallace and two drivers in Friday night's Food City 300, Brendan Gaughan and Regan Smith.

   “Ed Whitaker proved you can have big success with a small operation,” said Jerry Caldwell, Bristol Motor Speedway General Manager. “The term ‘throwback' gets used a lot but Ed was a true definition of it. We are proud of the achievements he had in a sport we all love. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
 
   Whitaker's greatest success came with Gant behind the wheel for 20 of the team's 28 wins. Shepherd collected the remaining eight. Three of those victories, Shepherd in 1983 and 1986 and Gant in 1992 came at Bristol Motor Speedway.

   Funeral arrangements are incomplete.

Roush Fenway adds new sponsor for driver Greg Biffle

   Roush Fenway Racing announced Friday that Ortho and its line of home, lawn and garden pest control products will serve as the anchor partner on the No. 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry driven by Greg Biffle in a multi-year deal.

   Ortho will make its debut on Biffle's car next weekend at Atlanta and will appear on the car for two more races this season before debuting next season as an anchor partner, where it will appear on the car for approximately half the season.

   3M has been Biffle's primary sponsor but they are leaving Roush to move to Jeff Gordon's  No. 24 car at Hendrick Motorsports next season.

    “In this sport, I think everybody is familiar with this, but you’re always looking for more partners and to try to build that program," said team president Steve Newmark. "We had engaged in discussions with Scotts because of that history even before some of those things unfolded, so this, like a lot of other things, was in process and it stood alone based on the marketing potential I think both partners see.”

   Ortho’s parent company, Scotts Miracle-Gro teamed with Roush Fenway from 2005 until 2011, teaming for 12 wins and 14 poles across all three of NASCAR’s major series.

Bristol NASCAR race gets bumped from ABC in Charlotte for Redskins game

   Saturday night's Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway is scheduled to be shown on ABC but WSOC-TV in Charlotte will instead air a preseason Washington Redskins NFL game.

   The Bristol race will instead air on TV-64 and will be viewable to cable subscribers as follows: Time Warner channel 1230, Charter channel 703, Compas channel 16 and Comporium channel 110.

   Fans in Charlotte area who are satellite TV subscribers will be able to watch the race on ESPN alternate channels (DirecTV – channel 209-1; DISH – channel 145). 

   WSOC-TV will join the race in progress after football game ends and the telecast will air simultaneously on both.  ABC affiliates are independently operated and can make their own programming decisions.

Tony Stewart to sit out third consecutive Cup series race

   Three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will sit out Saturday night's Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway - the third consecutive race he has missed since being involved in an incident Aug. 9 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park that left another racer dead.

    As he did last weekend at Michigan, veteran Jeff Burton will drive Stewart's No. 14 Chevrolet in Saturday night's race. Burton, a 21-time winner in the Cup series, has 40 career starts at Bristol, including a victory in 2008 in the Food City 500.

   

   Team officials said the driver change pertains only to Bristol. Stewart’s plans for upcoming Cup races have yet to be determined.

Carl Edwards and new sponsor to join Joe Gibbs Racing

   Carl Edwards will be introduced on Tuesday as Joe Gibbs Racing newest driver in the Sprint Cup Series beginning in the 2015 season, multiple sources confirmed Monday night.

   That much isn't a big surprise.

   However, JGR will also be welcoming a new sponsor to NASCAR - Arris - which will adorn Edwards' No. 19 Toyota for roughly half the season. Arris is a communications technology company specializing in the design and engineering of broadband networks. 

   Arris' involvement in NASCAR will go far beyond just sponsorship of Edwards. Details will be announced during Tuesday morning's news conference at JGR headquarters in Huntersville, N.C.  

Forbes: Danica Patrick fifth-highest paid female athlete in world

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick ranks as the fifth highest paid female athlete in the world in 2014 according to an analysis by Forbes.com.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova ranks No. 1 for the 10th consecutive year, with earnings of $24.4 million between June 2013 and June 2014.

Patrick, a former IndyCar Series driver who now competes fulltime in NASCAR, was ranked fifth with total earnings of $15 million, including $8 million in endorsement and licensing deals.

To see Forbes' entire list, go here.

R. Truex injured in practice wreck

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Ryan Truex was taken to the hospital after he crashed during a practice session Saturday morning for Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Truex reportedly complained of shoulder pain and a headache.