RACING ROUNDUP

RACING ROUNDUP
News and notes
Rules overhaul: NASCAR is overhauling its impound rules. The procedures were implemented for Nextel Cup races this season as a cost-cutting move and were used at more than half of the events. An impound weekend typically featured Friday practice, Saturday qualifying and a Sunday race. Following qualifying, cars were impounded and could not be altered until the race without penalty. Teams that opted to work on their cars before the race were forced to start at the back of the field. At non-impound races, cars could be worked on after qualifying and before the race. "This all boiled down to the balance between the show -- the garage area -- and the race tracks," NASCAR president Mike Helton said Friday, two days before the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "It just didn't fit right for right now." The offseason change relieved teams from the need to have race and qualifying setups on cars. NASCAR officials had announced plans to use the current impound procedures for most of the 2006 Cup schedule. But the sudden impound changes are likely related to the ongoing negotiations between NASCAR and its television partners. NASCAR's current TV contracts expire at the end of the 2006 season, and it has been in negotiations with several networks on a new deal. The networks in negotiations, particularly ESPN, have indicated a desire for increased on-track activity that could be broadcast. "In the overall scheme of things, it didn't fit the way we thought it would right now," Helton said. "We just wanted to back off that and take a look at it from a different angle. We just haven't found the right balance yet."
More driver moves: Ken Schrader will replace retiring driver Ricky Rudd in the Wood Brothers' No. 21 Ford next season. Schrader, 50, spent the last three years driving the No. 49 Dodge for BAM Racing. "Three years ago, I thought that 2005 could be my last season," Schrader said. "However, when the opportunity to drive for the Wood Brothers presented itself, it made my decision to continue driving in the Nextel Cup Series very easy." BAM Racing replaced Schrader with rookie Brent Sherman, who has no Nextel Cup experience. "He has shown a lot of talent and a great deal of potential, and we think he has a bright future ahead of him in NASCAR Nextel Cup racing," car owner Beth Ann Morgenthau said. "We're happy that future will begin next season with BAM Racing." Sherman finished second to Frank Kimmel for the 2004 ARCA championship. This season, the 31-year-old Sherman competed in 26 NASCAR Busch Series events with a pair of different teams and one top 10 finish. "Probably the most difficult lesson for a young driver to learn is how to finish races, and Brent has already shown that ability," Morgenthau said. "The fact he has failed to finish just three Busch races this season, and all three due to things beyond his control, wasn't lost on us. He loves to go fast and does that well."
Associated Press
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