IN THE PIT: Beverage Source Worldwide, manufacturer of
Rawlings Sports Drink, has joined the NASCAR Busch Grand
National Series (BGN) Pontiac team as a major associate
sponsor to display its Rawlings brand Thirst Quencher. The
team plans to compete in 24 BGN events this year (Beverage
Source Worldwide)....Raybestos, the official brakes of
NASCAR, will become the title sponsor of NASCAR's Northwest
Tour, which will now be called the Raybestos Brakes
Northwest Series (NASCAR)....Driver Darrell Waltrip, who
signed a sponsorship deal with Speedblock, Inc. in January,
said he was "terminating the contract effective immediately"
because the company "grossly failed" to fulfill the terms of
the deal. Waltrip did not elaborate. OH-based Speedblock,
manufacturer of home building systems, and company President
Dick Haas were unavailable for comment (LAS VEGAS SUN,3/11).
NOTES: SporTVision, a company started by the people who
invented the FoxTrax glowing puck, is featured in USA TODAY.
SporTVision's new basketball invention, called AIR F/X, uses
optical sensors mounted behind each backboard and on two TV
cameras positioned around the arena. The sensors measure a
player's trajectory and height off the floor. USA TODAY's
Kevin Maney writes that Turner Sports "is the broadcaster
most interested in using it" (USA TODAY, 3/12).