NASCAR officials used to cringe when the sport was compared to professional wrestling. A few years ago, Charlotte Motor Speedway`s latest promotion would have made their skin crawl.

Jamie McMurray seemed genuinely excited during the Charlotte Motor Speedway media tour on Thursday about the prospect of having just one teammate in Juan Pablo Montoya at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Conventional thinking in NASCAR dictates that bigger is better, especially when it comes to the number of teams in your organization. For McMurray, that clearly wasn`t the case at Roush Fenway Racing. He languished there, failing to meet lofty expectations while finishing no better than 16th in points in any of the past four seasons. Whether McMurray can enjoy the type of success he formerly had with Chip Ganassi – he was on the cusp of making what was then a 10-driver Chase between 2003-05 with points finishes of 13th, 11th and 12th, respectively – remains to be seen at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Being paired with Montoya, whom McMurray said dumped him at Bristol last year and triggered a brief spat between the two, could potentially be a benefit given the No. 42 team`s success last season. But the Sprint Cup car`s new spoiler – and how all teams adjust to it, not just those at EGR – could derail the progress made by Montoya last year. There won`t be as much information to draw from, obviously, with a two-car outfit compared to what McMurray had at Roush Fenway Racing. He is more than OK with that, based on his words Thursday, and seemed happy to be moving away from the information overload that occasionally resulted from having so many different voices in play. At 33, this would appear to be McMurray`s last best chance to realize the potential so many – including Jack Roush – saw in him back in 2006 when he was lured away from Ganassi. If he can do it with one teammate at EGR, it would strike a certain blow to the bigger-is-better philosophy.

NEWS RELEASE The NHRA is going four-wide. NHRA President Tom Compton, Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman and CEO Bruton Smith and 16-time Funny Car champion John Force were on hand Thursday to announce the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals to be held...

NEWS RELEASE CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 21, 2010) - For the first time in NHRA national event history, qualifying and eliminations for Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle at an NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event...

Funny Car drivers (left to right) John Force, Mike Neff, Tim Wilkerson, and Del Worsham set up for a four-wide exhibition run on the final day of the NHRA event at ZMax Dragway at Concord, N.C., on Sept. 20, 2009....

NHRA - Side by side by side It`s official. They`ll run four-wide during the NHRA`s March event at ZMax Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NHRA officials joined track officials in the formal announcement Thursday. Funny Car star John Force also...

Jack Roush still believes that Hendrick Motorsports pulled a fast one on NASCAR and the rest of the garage during the Chase last year, and he`s not afraid to say so.

Scrum? No, not even a scoop. Just the media surrounding driver Denny Hamlin at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bob Henry Editor, ThatsRacin.com

Best question, answer A couple of quick hits from the second day of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour. No. 1. I was absolutely stunned - shattered, even - by how long it took for someone to ask a question...

Speed`s questions keep Helton on message via www.thatsracin.com A corporate transparency primer: Short interview? Check. Easy questions, each straight from your company`s or party`s talking points and lobbed right into your wheel house? Check. Answers that wander all over the...

Fw: Fan friendliness Bob Henry Editor, ThatsRacin.com