DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Speedweeks got off to a volatile start Friday night with former NASCAR champs Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch at the center of it all.
Stewart and Busch were involved in the second of two wrecks during practice for tonight's Budweiser Shootout, an exhibition race that kicks off nine days of racing at Daytona International Speedway.
Busch was blocking Stewart, and contact between the cars sent Busch spinning into the wall. Stewart then turned low and ran into teammate Denny Hamlin.
As Stewart tried to drive to the garage, Busch caught up and twice slammed into the side of his car. Busch then blocked Stewart from exiting the track, prompting some of Stewart's crew members to run toward pit road. They appeared to yell at Busch.
Both drivers were called into a meeting with NASCAR.
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Spokesman Jim Hunter said officials would meet with them again today.
The crash ended a wild two sessions of practice for a no-points, 70-lap dash for cash. Eleven of the 23 cars practicing for the exhibition were damaged, a possible indication of what's in store leading up to next week's season-opening Daytona 500.
Earnhardt debuting for Hendrick tonight
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It's been years since Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated Daytona International Speedway, where he has won 10 times in two series.
With a powerful new Chevrolet built by Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt hopes to return to his winning ways, starting with tonight's Budweiser Shootout exhibition.
The first test of the most scrutinized move in NASCAR history is here, and Earnhardt said he is ready to get rolling in his new ride.
"All I really wanted was to run up front every week and to go to the race track knowing that my car is good, my team is good," he said.
That's not in question now that Earnhardt is driving for Hendrick, which won 18 of 36 races last season. He signed with the team last June, after making the difficult decision to leave his late father's company.
Open-wheel series merger hits a bump
The latest merger discussions between Indy Racing League and rival Champ Car World Series have apparently ended in another failure.
After information leaked Thursday that the rival open-wheel series were close to unification, with a snag over race dates the biggest hurdle, Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven was irate.
"Unfortunately, leaks and media reports about a possible unification of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League have significantly hampered discussions," Kalkhoven said in a statement Friday.
"... Discussions currently are at a standstill, and we therefore are proceeding with plans to continue as Champ Car."
