NASCAR NOTEBOOK | From Daytona

New IROC debut: The International Race of Champions is making several changes this year in hopes of improving races. The opener is Friday at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR driver Ryan Newman drew the pole position Wednesday for the 40-lap, 100-mile race -- the first of four in the annual series now sponsored by Crown Royal. IROC officials have added a new twist, including an automatic yellow flag at lap 25 that will allow the field to realign itself behind the leader. The second-place driver has the option of moving to the inside or outside of the lead car, but staying a row back. Each driver in running order behind the second-place car then has the choice of moving to the inside or outside lane. Other changes include: car numbers have been carried over from each driver's respective series and will remain the same for all four races; car colors will remain the same, too, and will be the same as the driver's color on his regular series; races will be broadcast live for the first time; and the 12-car field is split evenly between six open-wheel drivers and six NASCAR drivers.
Tight schedule: With 36 official and a few more unofficial events on the schedule, NASCAR CEO Brian France conceded there is little room left for expansion to new areas. In the long-term quest to expand its once-Southern sport throughout the nation, NASCAR has put Nextel Cup races in Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Phoenix, Las Vegas, California and New Hampshire over the years. The Northwest and Colorado are a couple of the major glaring absences, but getting races there won't be so easy, France said, largely because of the schedule. The Nextel Cup season lasts from February through November with just three weeks off, including the traditional dates of Mother's Day and Easter.
-- Associated Press