NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said:

Sprint has been very successful in using our sport as a platform to enhance its brand and drive their business. They have been a fantastic partner and we are immensely pleased to continue with Sprint as the entitlement partner for our premier series. This new agreement aligns perfectly with our aggressive five-year plan, which is laser-focused on continuing to improve our product, keep our existing fans engaged, and reach new fans.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said:

NASCAR fans are great customers who reward us with their loyalty.  We’re very pleased to continue to have our brand associated with the most competitive and exciting form of racing in the world.

As a result, several cars were pinned one or two laps down because the field was in the middle of green flag pit stops.

Watts was suspended for the remainder of the race.

On Tuesday, NASCAR added four races to the penatly under the rule that crewmembers must not go on the track for any reason while the cars are running under green, or red flag conditions unless directed by a NASCAR official.

Watts also received probation for the rest of the year.

Crew chief Frank Kerr has also been placed on probation until the end of the year under the NASCAR rule that states that a crew cheif assumes responsibility for actions of the team.

JTG Daughtery indicated that it will not appeal the suspension, and is looking to put the whole incident behind it.

Kobalt Tools, a Lowe’s brand, is said to be the leading candidate to sponsor the truck series. Craftsman, a Sears brand, will not renew its sponsorship of the series.

Stanley Tools and NAPA have been rumored to be potential sponsors as well.

Should Kobalt reach and agreement to sponsor the series, it would replace Craftsman as the official tool of NASCAR. Lowe’s could also become the official home improvement store of NASCAR, replacing Home Depot.

Anheuser Acquired By InBev

Anheuser-Busch has agreed acquired by InBev for $52 billion. Under the deal, which will create the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser will receive two seats on the board of the new company. The takeover also contains a provision that requires either side of the agreement to pay a “breakup” fee of $1.25 billion if it was responsible for the breakup.

The deal shouldn’t affect the company’s NASCAR sponsorship. Budweiser has signed a multiyear agreement to remain as sponsor of the Budweiser Shootout.

Budweiser will also become primary sponsor on Kasey Kahne’s World of Outlaws team.

GM Woes Trickle Down To NASCAR

Chevrolet will not renew sponsorship agreements with two tracks that host Sprint Cup races next season. The company is also evaluating all levels of its motorsports operations.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway are the two tracks. GM has contracts with 12 of the 22 tracks where the Cup series races and is the title sponsor for the fall race at Richmond International Raceway. GM also is the official vehicle provider for Daytona International Speedway.

SK Telecom In Talks To Acquire Sprint

SK Telecom would solicit the help of private equity firms, which would provide the cash for the deal.

Sprint has been contemplating a sale as it struggles with subscriber losses and remaining competitve with Verizon, which recently acquire Alltel. Should Sprint decide against a sale, SK will not pursue on, sources say.