SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Long before he won a NASCAR race, Kyle Petty strapped on catcher’s gear and played Little League baseball on Saturday afternoons growing up in North Carolina.
His father didn’t watch many of the games.
“Absentee,” Petty said when he asked about how involved his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, was with his youth baseball days. “My mother was my Little League parent. … Obviously, playing on Saturdays, when my father raced, (he) was always gone somewhere.”  … Details
Walmart’s potential move into NASCAR has led the retail giant deep into negotiations with Hendrick Motorsports over sponsorship of Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet next season.
There continue to be several moving parts to the Walmart discussions with Hendrick and NASCAR, which began in the spring and have progressed through the summer. Walmart’s play could have tentacles in sponsorship and licensing at the team and league level, according to industry sources … Details
When you think of a NASCAR driver, you may not picture a young woman zipping around a racetrack going nearly 200 miles an hour in a 34-hundred pound stock car. Times have changed, and so have the faces of NASCAR competitors, with the help of The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing “Drive for Diversity” program. Since 2004, the program has been helping women and minority drivers fulfill their need for speed by putting them behind the wheels of fast moving stock cars with top notch coaching and sponsorship opportunities they may not have had in the past. NASCAR is the 2nd biggest sport in the country behind the NFL, and has some of the most loyal fans. Any fan would tell you that going to a race in person brings a 5 sense experience like no other. The brightly colored cars move so fast, they blur when they pass you … Details
Those who know Danica Patrick mainly for racy photo shoots and commercials are seeing something decidedly different in her public persona these days: humility.
For a high-profile driver trying to make the transition from IndyCar to NASCAR, responding to high expectations by running outside the top 20 is a formula for modesty.
“I just have a lot to learn,†Patrick said. “I don’t want to make excuses. It’s hard. So I think it’s been OK. I don’t know what else to say. I’m learning. I’m learning what I’m supposed to be doing, I’m learning with people watching—which is hard. But it’s just the way it is and I’m lucky that people are  … Details