NASCAR roundup

News:

• Sources: Sadler set to return to No. 19
• Petty, Gillett Evernham to merge
• Chevy to remain Daytona sponsor
• Owner reaches deal on fraud charges
• Logano to defend All-Star title
• Baldwin to debut Cup team at Daytona

Analysis:

• DW: Teams spend too much
• Owens: Where were the fireworks?
• DW: Petty cash, not enough
• McReynolds: It all starts here
• Mondaca: Nine stories for '09

Looking back at 2008:

• Sprint Cup
• Nationwide
• Trucks

Blog:

• Check out the NASCAR community

Neither ISC nor SMI has indicated which track it wants to move a date from in its realignment requests.

Speaking after an appearance at the Street & Smith's Motorsports Marketing Forum, France said NASCAR wouldn't approve a request without making sure it fits the sanctioning body's criteria.

"It depends on what they want to exchange it for," France said. "If they want to leave a smaller market not performing as well, we would look at that favorably. They all understand what that criteria is.

"I would expect Bruton (Smith at SMI) or ISC to ask for it in the way that would get it approved. ... We're not going to take a date that's working fabulously at one place to move it to a second date anywhere."

ISC, a publicly traded company whose majority of voting stock is owned by the NASCAR-controlling France family, has pledged a second Cup date at Kansas to go along with the construction of a Hard Rock Hotel and casino.

France said a 2010 Cup date is "possible" at Kansas, but Kentucky is another matter. Although SMI is expected to complete a purchase of the track later this month, the current owners have indicated they will continue pursuing a federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and ISC over the issue of Cup venues.

France has held firm that as long as the lawsuit continues NASCAR will not consider a realignment request. An appeal on whether the case should go to trial likely won't be decided until March at the earliest.