ESPN Sprint Cup

CONCORD, N.C. -- Getting to the meat of the annual NASCAR media tour requires weeding through the typical pablum of how "Our team worked harder than ever to improve."

The stops and news conferences include surprises, oddities and biting comments if you look hard enough. As Forrest Gump would say, "You never know what you're gonna get."

Here are a dozen examples of the best items entering Day 2:

• Three teams were part of the tour Monday -- Penske Racing, the newly named Richard Petty Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing. The owner of each organization was a no-show.

This is the only opportunity to talk about your team before Speedweeks at Daytona next month. But apparently, making an appearance on your team's big media day was too much to ask.

Roger Penske had a prior engagement, so said team president Tim Cindric. Childress was off on one of his hunting trips with some Shell/Pennzoil officials.

And George Gillett, the real owner of Petty Motorsports, let "The King" and Foster Gillett (George's son) handle the announcement of the new name for Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

• A reporter from Germany asked Petty a question Monday about his involvement with the new team.

"OK. What did he say?" Petty asked, unable to understand the strong German accent. But the question was a good one. Once told the question, Petty's reply proved he won't be involved in the day-to-day operation of the team.

"I'll be doing the same thing I've done for the last eight or 10 years," Petty said. "Nothing. Well, I'll do as much as I can to work with sponsors and do whatever I can to advertise our team."

• Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage believes NASCAR's no-testing policy doesn't work unless officials eliminate testing everywhere.

NASCAR doesn't allow testing at tracks that have NASCAR events, but doesn't keep teams from testing at other tracks.

"It doesn't make sense and doesn't save money," Gossage said. "I heard talk this week that some teams might even send a car a crew to Motegi, Japan, to test on the [1.5-mile oval] there. That's insane."

Gossage also believes it's dangerous for teams to test at tracks that don't have the SAFER Barrier.

For example, Texas World Speedway in College Station doesn't have the collapsible barrier. Greg Biffle tested on the 2-mile oval last week and reached a speed of 218 mph.

"I just hope no one gets hurt," Gossage said. "And I think it's a little disingenuous for NASCAR to say how safe things are if they allow teams to do this."

NASCAR officials have said, from a legal standpoint, they cannot keep teams from testing at non-NASCAR tracks.

"Baloney," Gossage said. "If they want I will gladly find them a good attorney to debate that one."

• Kurt Busch said he would like to see the two remaining Dodge teams (Penske and Petty) share an engine program.

"I think it would help us get better,'' Busch said.

Sorry, Kurt. Cindric said it won't happen.

• AJ Allmendinger was asked if he and Elliott Sadler can get along as teammates. Allmendinger was going to replace Sadler in the No. 19 Dodge before Sadler threatened to sue to keep his job.

"I have no problem with Elliott," Allmendinger said. "If he has a problem with me, that's fine. I put all my teammates ahead of me because I still have a lot to learn."

Allmendinger also was asked what he thought about Sadler's naming him in the lawsuit, which was dropped.

"Well, at least he knows how to spell my whole name," Anthony James said.

No, AJ. Incorrect. Sadler's attorney knows how to spell your full name.

Conveniently, Sadler was on his honeymoon Monday.

• Seven of the eight Speedway Motorsports Inc. facilities were represented in an SMI news conference Monday. But the newly acquired Kentucky Speedway wasn't on the dais.

"I'm the acting GM today for Kentucky," said SMI chairman Bruton Smith.

So, as acting GM, will Kentucky get a Sprint Cup date?

"We didn't buy it to go on without a Cup date," Smith said. "We would have had one this year, but the former owners have appealed a lawsuit against NASCAR. But we'll get past that and have a Cup race in 2010."

Smith also announced his new slogan for his latest acquisition: "Get Lucky in Kentucky."

• On the economic problems, Smith had an interesting take.

"If you go back and look at it, through any downturn in the economy, people have to have two things,'' Smith said. "Entertainment and beer."

OK. But all the SMI honchos are taking a serious approach to difficult times, including payment plans for season-ticket holders.

"You tell us what you can do," Gossage is saying to fans. "If it's $5 a week, whatever. We will work with you."

• Gossage likes NASCAR chairman Brian France, but he had a criticism of France on Monday.

France recently said he doesn't plan to stay in NASCAR's top spot for most of his life, the way his father and grandfather did.

"Brian has done a lot of good things and I've defended him," Gossage said. "But if he feels that way, he should have kept it to himself.

"If I planned to leave Texas Motor Speedway, I wouldn't tell my staff. I want to make sure they are giving everything they have for the home team. I think him saying that was a liability."

• Steve Page, president of Infineon Raceway, was asked if the rumors were true that the Sonoma, Calif., road course might get a Formula One race. Before he could answer, Smith piped in.

"We're out," Smith said. "We want nothing to do with that today, tomorrow or next year. In a lot of ways, F1 has more problems than NASCAR. A few years back [1989 to 1991] they raced in Phoenix. They had an ostrich race one time and it drew more fans than the F1 race."

• Chris Powell, general manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, wants fans to know cheap rooms are available on The Strip for the Cup race on March 1.

"The days of the $299-a-night rooms [in Las Vegas] are gone," Powell said. "Fans can get rooms for much less now."

"They comped my room for that weekend," Smith said.

Gossage laughed, "Bruton, that's because in Vegas they call people like you whales."

Smith looked puzzled, not wanting to admit he was your typical Las Vegas big spender.

• Kevin Harvick said team owner Richard Childress has a tendency to mix up his radio frequencies during a race and talk to the wrong driver. He warned new RCR teammate Casey Mears about it.

"I can't wait for the first time Casey hears Richard say, 'Burton, you're clear.'"

• NASCAR normally has its State of the Union announcement in a Tuesday luncheon during the media tour. But the NASCAR time slot this year is Thursday afternoon at the end of the tour.

Why? NASCAR officials wisely and respectfully didn't want to go head-to-head with the presidential inauguration.

Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN.com. His book, "The Blount Report: NASCAR's Most Overrated and Underrated Drivers, Cars, Teams, and Tracks," was published by Triumph Books and is available in bookstores. Click here to order a copy. Terry can be reached at terry@blountspeak.com.