FanHouse DarianGrubb

The Hendrick Motorsports public relations staff wasted no time Tuesday morning. Could it be because they had Monday off for Labor Day?

Regardless of the reason, Hendrick announced two important pieces to the Dale Earnhardt Jr. puzzle.

First, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. will follow his driver and cousin Dale Earnhardt Jr. from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Hendrick in 2008 after signing a multi-year deal. And then, Hendrick ended a minor part of the rumors for Dale Jr.'s number next year by naming Casey Mears to the No. 5 Kelloggs Chevrolet, replacing a departing Kyle Busch.

Mears has campaigned the No. 25 for Hendrick in 2007 with moderate success, including a win and a pole.

While Dale Jr. sponsor rumors continue to swirl (and irritate The Charlotte Observer's David Poole), the puzzle seems to be slowing taking shape. According to Junior, all of the major details of his Hendrick Chevy for 2008 have been essentially stamped out, but the team is waiting to announce them for about another month.

It was also interesting to note that Alan Gustafson, Kyle Busch's current crew chief, will assume that role for Mears in 2008, landing Darian Grubb (current No. 25 crew chief) away from the top of a pit box at Hendrick. He will be an "at-track engineer" that will help coordinate the Mears and Earnhardt Jr. programs.

That's kind of like a promotion, right?

Just a month ago, March Madness swept through the NASCAR garage and had crew members, including 1998 Virginia Tech Graduate Darian Grubb, championing their alma maters and reminiscing about their college days.

Grubb:

"We had a lot of phone calls and emails going around when Virginia Tech beat Duke and UNC this year in basketball and always with football. We've always had a pretty strong following in the garage. It's amazing how many Hokies are actually in the garage when you get to know them.

"There's a lot of people in the garage that went to Tech one year before I did or one year after that I never knew because it's such a big campus and there's so many people there. But it's a tight-knit community once you find a fellow Hokie and you have a lot to talk about because everybody enjoys their experience that they have at Virginia Tech and it's something that they cherish and would love to go back and relive."

Yesterday's experiences won't be ones that any VT alum will want to relive:

With all three of NASCAR's national series running at AMS this weekend, schedules will be busy for drivers across the board. Despite the track time, appearances and other commitments, several drivers will have one eye turned towards the NCAA Tournament – especially Brendan Gaughan.

Gaughan is a former college basketball player himself, spending four years as a backup to Allen Iverson at Georgetown University. During his time at Georgetown, the Hoyas made two Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight appearance.

"I don't know if there is a way to really get people to understand what its like to be there and be part of the phenomenon," Gaughan said. "You're 18, 19 years old. You're a child, and you walk into an arena and there are 30,000 people. You walk in there, you know the national media is there, all of the main announcers are there, the entire sports world is there. And you take the court – its amazing."

Gaughan's former team will take the court Thursday night, one day before he takes the track for the American Commercial Lines 200.

Several NASCAR competitors weighed in on the NCAA Tournament, here are their picks:

Brendan Gaughan (No. 77 South Point Resort Chevrolet), NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Final Four Picks: Georgetown, Kansas, Ohio State, Wisconsin
Champion: Georgetown
"I was there – I got to play it, I got to live it – so for me, for the rest of my life it will be a big part of every March. Whether I'm racing or not, I'll be watching the games – yelling for the Hoyas and loving the Cinderella stories. And when I'm at home in Las Vegas, you'll find me sitting in front of 10 TVs at a Sports Book at the South Point watching every game."

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge), NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Final Four Picks: Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA
"I always let my heart weigh in more than logic and rarely is that a smart move. For my final four, I'll have to go with UCLA, Kansas, Arizona...the Wildcats will have to have miraculous tournament play, but I just have to hang with them since they did get a bid (Kurt attended Arizona for a year prior to deciding to go racing fulltime)... and of course I have to throw the North Carolina Tar Heels in there, too."

Robby Gordon (No. 7 Jim Beam Ford), NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Final Four Picks: Florida, Nevada, Texas, UCLA
Champion: UCLA
"For the national championship I'm going to stick to my California roots and take UCLA. The Bruins, like my sponsor Jim Beam, know that the stuff inside matters most and that will take them to the title."

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge), NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Final Four: Florida, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Washington State
Champion: Ohio State
"I can't overlook our teams from the Northwest. Washington State will make the Final Four. Florida is the defending NCAA champion; the Gators know tournament pressure. Virginia Tech has been a giant killer at times this year. There's just one giant they can't handle...Ohio State. The Buckeyes win the championship this time, just not against Florida."