DISMISSED: U.S. District Court Judge William O. Bertelsman dismissed Kentucky Speedway’s antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR January 7. Kentucky Speedway officials were seeking more than $200 million in damages and a change in the way NASCAR conducts business. Kentucky Speedway attorneys said they will appeal the decision.
REPEATER: Jimmie Johnson was selected by the panel of voting media as the Driver of the Year for the second-straight season. Johnson is only the third (Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip) driver to win the award, which is starting its 42nd season, in back-to-back years.
FAST AGAIN: Defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was fastest on the first day of testing for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway January 7.
STILL THE SAME: Testing for the Rolex 24 at Daytona got under way in earnest, but the Chip Ganassi Racing entry of defending race winners Scott Pruett and Juan Montoya was again at the top of the speed charts. The pair will share driving duties with Dario Franchitti and Memo Rojas.
COMPROMISE: American Le Mans Series officials will add 25 kilograms to its LMP2 sports cars in an effort to keep them from overpowering the LMP1 Audis. The change is in violation of the rules leased to the series by the governing body of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Automobile Club du L’Ouest.
SKIPPING OUT: Unable to schedule more than a handful of dates for the 2008 season, the Sprint Car Racing Association, which sanctions 360 non-winged sprint-car racing in California, will sit out the season, instead focusing on a return in 2009.
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