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State road will honor Earnhardt

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Legislation to renumber a state road in honor of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt has been signed into law.

The 28-mile stretch of N.C. 136 in Iredell and Cabarrus counties will become N.C. 3.

"We want to show Dale's family, his fans and his friends that North Carolina remembers and cares," Gov. Mike Easley said during the signing.

Earnhardt, who died in a wreck at Daytona International Speedway in 2001, drove a No. 3 Chevrolet. He lived in Cabarrus County and ran his business in Iredell County.

FINE UPHELD: The National Stock Car Racing Commission upheld a $25,000 fine levied by NASCAR against crew chief Tommy Baldwin for a rule violation after the Busch series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The penalty was announced after NASCAR inspectors found the No. 6 Ford, driven by Wally Dallenbach to a seventh-place finish Oct. 12, did not meet the rule pertaining to minimum roof height. Baldwin appealed the ruling.

NIGHT LIGHT: Qualifying for the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be held under the lights tonight for the first time.

Even with cooler evening temperatures, track-record holder Geoff Bodine doesn't expect anyone to approach the 197.438 mph lap he ran in fall 1997.

The track had just been repaved before Bodine's record qualifying run.

"They won't get close to the record. I'm not worried about that. The day I set the record, it was a brand new racetrack and a softer tire and a really good setup," said Bodine, who will make his first Atlanta appearance since 1999 in the NAPA 500. "Now, the track is worn down enough that it doesn't have enough grip, plus we have a harder tire."

START STREAK: Jimmy Vasser will make his 162nd consecutive start in the Honda 300 on Sunday in Surfers Paradise, Australia.

Vasser has the longest current string of starts and will move within two of Emerson Fittipaldi, who is second all-time with 164. Al Unser Jr. holds the CART record with 192.

A GREAT SUCCESS: The inaugural Grand Prix of the Americas attracted 85,000 fans to downtown Miami, exceeding the minimum expectations of the event's organizers.

Grand Prix president Chuck Martinez said earlier this month that he would be satisfied if the event drew 75,000. The three-day event, held Oct. 4-6, brought three circuits -- CART, American Le Mans and the Trans-Am series -- to Miami.

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