From Sports Illustrated ....
NASCAR's so-called "silly season" is hitting its apex. Multiple sources told nascar.com that Elliott Sadler will take advantage of the escape clause in his contract with Robert Yates Racing and leave after this season. Sadler will join Evernham Motorsports and take over the No. 19 car currently driven by Jeremy Mayfield. Sadler denied having negotiated with Evernham when interviewed last weekend at the New Hampshire International Speedway. He admitted to talking to other teams.
-- Florida Times-Union
Mayfield's status for next season remains unclear, although Michael Waltrip has offered him a job with his start-up Toyota team that debuts in 2007. Mayfield refused comment about his future last weekend. Stephen Leicht, a 19-year-old who joined Yates' driver-development program last year, is Sadler's most likely replacement. Leicht will make his Nextel Cup debut this weekend at Pocono. He has run eight Busch Series races this season and has one top-10 finish.
-- Florida Times-Union
Wally Brown will remain as Carl Edwards' crew chief, the driver acknowledged Tuesday. Roush said he would revisit the move after a "90-day trial." The drivers, crew chiefs and owners met Tuesday morning and decided to leave the teams how they are.
-- Florida Times-Union
Watkins Glen International has partnered with Bully Hill Vineyards to work on a potential sponsorship opportunity for Chip Ganassi Racing driver Juan Pablo Montoya for the upcoming Zippo 200 NASCAR Busch Series race on Aug. 12.
-- jayski.com
NASCAR Chairman Brian France has hinted that some changes will made in next season's championship system, and he's getting lots of helpful suggestions. Darrell Waltrip, who won three championships under the former points system, has never been a fan of the final 10-race Chase for the Championship, now in its third season. But he said if NASCAR is determined to keep the system (and it is), then he, too, would like to see the field expanded.
-- The Tennessean
Six drivers are serious contenders for rookie-of-the-year honors, and Martin Truex Jr. is fourth among them in points. He was picked in a preseason news media poll to win the award. Now that award will most likely go to Denny Hamlin, who was the midseason pick.
-- Detroit Free Press
Nextel Cup will make its second stop in six weeks this weekend at Pocono Raceway. Atmospheric conditions are expected to be similar to those the first time around, and no rules have been changed, but that doesn't mean car setups will be the same. Carl Edwards said Tuesday that running well last month doesn't ensure a well-handling car this month.
-- Denver Post
Before hitting the Daytona 500 next year, a handful of NASCAR drivers will detour through Boca Raton to help drop the green flag on the Champions Tour's return to South Florida. The Allianz Championship already has struck a deal for a Monday pro-am Feb. 5 in which each NASCAR driver (18 in all) will team with a Champions pro and three amateurs at Broken Sound.
-- Miami Herald
