Casey Mears on NASCAR media tour

TALLADEGA, Ala., Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Travis Kvapil won his first career pole in the Sprint Cup Series Saturday by posting the top time for the Amp Energy 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway.

LOUDON, N.H., June 27 (UPI) -- Hendrick Motorsports will drop driver Casey Mears at the end of the 2008 Sprint Cup auto racing season, the team said Friday.

SONOMA, Calif., June 22 (UPI) -- Kyle Busch won his fifth Sprint Cup race of the year Sunday, finishing 1.716 seconds ahead of David Gilliland in the Toyota Save Mart 350 in California.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin won the two Daytona 500 qualifying races Thursday, with both outcomes creating NASCAR milestones.

HOMESTEAD, Fla., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said would-be voters from the fast track of NASCAR racing are close to his sporting heart.

KANSAS CITY, Kan., Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Greg Biffle beat Clint Bowyer to win Sunday's LifeLock 400 Nextel Cup race at Kansas City, Kan., the third event of the 10-race "Chase for the Nextel Cup."

RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Jimmy Johnson beat Tony Stewart Saturday night to win the Nextel Cup’s Chevy Rock & Roll auto race at Richmond, Va.

JOLIET, Ill., July 15 (UPI) -- Tony Stewart Sunday crossed the finish line before Matt Kenseth to win the Nextel Cup's USG Sheetrock 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

JOLIET, Ill., July 13 (UPI) -- Casey Mears Friday won his first pole of the season, turning in the best qualifying time for Sunday's NASCAR USG Sheetrock 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway.

MOORESVILLE, N.C., June 13 (UPI) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr., who last month said he was leaving the racing team founded by his father, Wednesday said he would drive for Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt announced in May that he was leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. following a dispute with DEI's current