Nascar and Racing Daytona Intl Speedway

Beginning with the 2010 Daytona 500, NASCAR fans won't have to deal with much variation in terms of start times for Sprint Cup races.

NASCAR and its three television broadcast partners announced Wednesday that they are moving to a uniform -- and often earlier -- drop of the green flag for races in 2010. It boils down simply to three options: East Coast races will start at 1 PM ET, West Coast races at 3 PM ET and night races at 7:30 PM ET.

Brian France, NASCAR's chairman and CEO, said the decision ultimately came down to going with what the fans wanted.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The celebratory Fourth of July pyrotechnics going off along the backstretch following Saturday night's NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway were nothing compared to the last-lap fireworks show minutes earlier on the frontstretch.

Two-time NASCAR champ Tony Stewart muscled his way by Kyle Busch about 100 yards before the finish line -- holding his line as Busch tried to block him. Ultimately, Stewart was able to get his nose in position for the pass. When Busch tried to stop Stewart's final push, the two cars collided and Busch's car spun out, hitting the wall and paving the way for Stewart to capture the victory.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The "Big One," a 13-car accident at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night took out fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. before NASCAR's Coke Zero 400 was even halfway complete.

The accident on the backstretch was triggered when Kasey Kahne's Dodge tapped David Stremme's Dodge from behind. Eleven more cars were collected, including Earnhardt and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon -- both truly innocent victims of the smoky melee.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Embattled driver Jeremy Mayfield released a statement two hours before the start of Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway, thanking fans who have stood behind him and promising to do everything possible to make next week's race in Chicago.

"Last Wednesday's ruling by Judge Mullen was a giant step towards clearing my name and getting the 41 Car back on the track,'' Mayfield said. "For those who know me well, there is nothing in the world that I would rather do than race for you all on the Fourth of July.

"Following Judge Mullen's ruling, we had less than 24 hours to prepare the car, assemble a team, get sponsorship and travel to Daytona. Ultimately, we were unable to get this done in time ... We've decided that our time is best spent back here in North Carolina working around the clock to try and secure the funding needed to get the 41 Car to Chicago and beyond.''

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Catching up on the news and notes trackside at Daytona International Speedway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. met with reporters briefly Friday and seemed pretty much resigned to the fact that he won't be making the 12-driver Chase for the Championship this season. He's currently ranked 19th, 285 points behind 12th place Juan Pablo Montoya with nine races remaining before the Chase field is set Sept. 12.

"It's going to be a real challenge for us to make the Chase,'' Earnhardt said. "We're still mathematically in it but we're not trying to catch just one guy. .. we're trying to catch four or five guys. And it's unrealistic to expect all them guys to have enough trouble.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR Chairman Brian France addressed the media Friday afternoon in the infield of Daytona International Speedway and insisted that despite the downturn in the economy, sagging television ratings and lagging attendance, he considers the sport to be relatively healthy - competitive racing and compelling championships trumping the downsides.

"Everyone would like to point to me that the world is crumbling,'' France said. "I'm not telling you it's not difficult, it is. But we try to keep things in perspective. Lots of people would like to have our problems.''

And then France tackled the hot topic of the weekend here in Daytona -- a federal judge's decision Wedneday to lift NASCAR's suspension of driver Jeremy Mayfield, who failed a drug test in May.

"We don't just go laying the hammer down and ruining someone's career,'' France said emphatically. "We know what it means to anyone to get such a positive test back ... we are very comfortable that the test is accurate and reliable and will hold up, ultimately, when all of the facts are heard.''

Tony Stewart picked up his third rain-out pole position of the season Friday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. He'll start the No. 14 Burger King-sponsored Chevrolet first in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 by virtue of leading the championship standings. Rain washed out qualifying so the starting order reverts back to the season rankings.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will start second and third.

"We weren't going to be third, I know that,'' Johnson said with a smile. "We'll take the track position, it is so important where you start and to take advantage of that all day long.''

Max Papis and Mike Wallace were among those outside the top-35 in the standings who ended up on the end of the circumstance and will miss the race. This is the fifth time this season and third time in the last five Sprint Cup races that qualifying has been cancelled because of bad weather.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jeremy Mayfield did not bring his race team to Daytona International Speedway Thursday, despite getting the go-ahead from the U.S. District Court in Charlotte on Wednesday.

Mayfield, an owner-driver in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR on May 9 after allegedly testing positive for methamphetamine on May 1. He has repeatedly denied that he took the illegal drugs, insisting the test was a false positive -- the result of mixing a prescription drug and a common allergy medication.

Mayfield has sued NASCAR over the test results, and Wednesday U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen ruled he could compete until his trial, saying the damage to Mayfield's reputation and career exceeded the potential damage done to NASCAR.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Some drivers said Thursday they've noticed a change in NASCAR's drug testing procedure: A more detailed, formal process since Sprint Cup owner-driver Jeremy Mayfield was suspended indefinitely for failing a random drug test on May 1.

"When I went at the start of the year, it was go in, take your sample, sign your name and basically walk out,'' Kasey Kahne said, "It was a five, 10 minute process. ... Now it's every step, you have to initial every step through the process. It seemed like it took 40 minutes in Sonoma (two weeks ago).''

Kurt Busch said he hasn't been tested since Mayfield's suspension took effect but welcomed the news.

"If they have made changes, I'm glad it's more formal,'' Busch said. "It seemed informal in the beginning."

Join driver Ryan Newman trackside at Daytona International Speedway Friday at 3 PM ET for a live chat with FanHouse readers. Newman, who drives the No. 39 U.S. Army-sponsored Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, is ranked seventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner enters Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 with eight top-10s, and his best showing in Daytona's summer race is 11th. This is your chance to catch up with one of the season's biggest success stories.

Also, 2003 Daytona race winner Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, will join FanHouse for a live chat at 3 PM ET on Saturday.

Chat with Ryan Newman after the jump.