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Allmendinger, Mayfield, Riggs and Regan Smith earned spots in the season-opening race in Thursday’s Gatorade Duels.

“It feels absolutely awesome. It’s like we just won the race,” said Riggs, who finished eighth in the first qualifier.

None of the four drivers had rides a month ago, piecing together any opportunity they could to get them to Daytona International Speedway. Allmendinger was let go from Red Bull Racing late last year, and is clinging to an eight-race deal with Richard Petty Motorsports.
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Truex, now driving for the organization born from the merger between sponsor-strapped Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing, earned the pole for the Feb. 15 showcase event. With a lap of 188.001 mph in a Chevrolet, he showed Earnhardt Ganassi Racing will go on — perhaps stronger than the individual teams ever were.

“It was a tough winter for most of us in the community,” said Ganassi, the front man for the new race team.
(More in ‘Truex, Martin blow away uncertainty at Daytona’…)

“It’s been an interesting and challenging offseason for everyone,” France said recently.

That’s putting it mildly. Because the sport depends so heavily on corporate funding as the primary support for owners, the landscape will look vastly different from a year ago when the track opens today for teams to begin preparations for the Daytona 500.

Many owners have merged, others have slashed their budgets and some have simply folded their race teams.

(More in ‘Track has gotten quite bumpy for NASCAR’…)

The team, which ran one car for American driver Ryan Hunter-Reay last season and won the race last July at Watkins Glen, will continue to seek sponsorship. RLR will concentrate on its sports car alliance with BMW in the American Le Mans Series.

RLR is co-owned by talk-show host David Letterman.

Patrick left the team after the 2006 season and now races for a team co-owned by Michael Andretti.

(More in ‘Rahal Letterman Racing pulls out of IRL’…)

The book says Rodriguez was called “A-Fraud” by teammates and Torre says he was betrayed by Cashman, New York’s general manager, the Daily News reported on its Web site.

Cycling:Armstrong is 29th in comeback race

Allan Davis won the Tour Down Under at Adelaide, Australia, on Sunday, finishing in the main pack in the final stage of the event highlighted by the comeback of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong , who was 29th.

(More in ‘Briefs: Former Tiger Casey retires to join MLB Network’…)

Motor sports: Petty’s name stays with team

Richard Petty ‘s name will remain active in NASCAR under a rebranding of the new team created by the merger of his organization with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. The new team will be called Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), capitalizing on the marketability of Petty, a seven-time champion. The race teams merged this month in a partnership that keeps the sponsor-strapped Pettys in racing.

(More in ‘Report says Markakis, Orioles agree’…)

Eric Lacy

• Smith joins Arkansas staff: Arkansas hired former MSU coach John L. Smith as special-teams coordinator.

• Penn State player heading to NFL: Penn State defensive end Maurice Evans made himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Golf: Woods will speak at inauguration event

Tiger Woods , who has tried to stay out of politics during his ascent to one of the world’s most famous athletes, has accepted an invitation to speak at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday as part of President-elect BarackObama ‘s inauguration festivities.

(More in ‘Briefs: MSU moves Ford Field game’…)

The team said whether Power drove in any races depended on the outcome of Castroneves’ trial in Miami, scheduled to begin March 2. The IndyCar season opens April 5 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Castroneves, who also won TV’s “Dancing With The Stars” competition in 2007, has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and tax evasion involving about $5.5 million in income stashed in offshore accounts.

(More in ‘Castroneves surrenders ride with Penske’…)

• Proctor to Marlins: Former Dodgers right-hander Scott Proctor has reached an agreement with the Marlins on a one-year, $750,000 contract with an additional $250,000 in incentives, the Associated Press reported. The deal is contingent on Proctor passing a physical Monday. Proctor, 32, had surgery in October for repair of a partially torn flexor tendon and is expected to be healthy for spring training.

(More in ‘Briefs: Diamondbacks will have former Tiger Clark again’…)

Watanabe said F1 was a good way to attract young people.

Earlier this month, Honda Motor Co., Japan’s No. 2 automaker, announced it was pulling out of F1.

Japanese automakers have been battered by the downturn in the U.S. auto market, the world’s biggest. The slowdown is spreading to other regions, including emerging markets, where they had been holding up.

In recent weeks, Subaru and Suzuki have both quit the World Rally Championship, citing concerns about the global economic crisis.

(More in ‘Troubled Toyota still in F1 racing, will cut costs’…)