MOVING ON: Formula One World Driving Champion Jenson Button will leave his title-winning Brawn Mercedes operation and join McLaren next season as a teammate to 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
SPONSORING: Verizon Wireless will sponsor the third IZOD IndyCar Series entry fielded by Penske Racing next season, as Will Power will join Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves on a three-car team.
HIRED: Nico Rosberg will be one of the two drivers for the Brawn Mercedes Formula One team next season.
STAYING: Newly crowned Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports that will keep him with the team through 2015. Lowe’s will continue as the team’s sponsor through 2013.
TOP ROOKIES: Joey Logano was named rookie of the year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, while Justin Allgaier collected the same award for the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
SPEC ENGINES: Toyota Speedway @ Irwindale (California) will implement spec General Motors crate engines for its late-model division in 2010. Current powerplants can be modified to meet the new rules, keeping all teams from purchasing new equipment.
WESTERN WARRIORS: Sammy Swindell and Brady Bacon were the top dogs during the Western World Championship at USA Raceway in Tucson, Arizona.
BACK TO THE TOP: With a fifth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jimmie Johnson earned his fourth-straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championship and remained at the top of the National Speed Sport News Power Rankings. The rankings appear weekly in America’s Motorsports Authority.
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