Pontiac, which dramatically increased its involvement with
NHRA teams in '95, will become the NHRA's official car in '96
replacing Oldsmobile....Amoco has become an associate sponsor of
the Bill Elliott McDonald's NASCAR Winston Cup team. Amoco will
also be the name and title sponsor of the Amoco Knoxville
Nationals for sprint cars (ERNIE SAXTON'S MOTORSPORTS SPONSORSHIP
MARKETING NEWS). In other news, TNN and the Dover Downs Int'l
Speedway extended their TV contract through 1999. The new five-
year contract will keep the track's two NASCAR and Busch series
races televised live on TNN every year through '99 (NASCAR NEWS,
4/12 issue).
CATCH THIS RISING STAR: NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon is
profiled in the current issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. Ed Hinton
writes, "Gordon, the little (5'7") prodigy from the San Francisco
Bay Area -- darkly handsome, polished, polite, shy -- is the
rising star many NASCAR people think can lead them out of the
wilderness." In his third Winston Cup season, Gordon has won
more races and more poles than any other driver on the circuit
(SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, 4/24).
