| Compiled by Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
September 3, 2004
10:19 AM EDT (14:19 GMT)
Events: Pop Secret 500, Target House 300 Local papers covering: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News NASCAR drivers get the acting 'bug'  |  | | Kevin Harvick |
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The deal: Tim Haddock of the Los Angeles Daily News says move over Dale Earnhardt Jr. Here comes Herbie. The Volkswagen Bug is being resurrected by Walt Disney Pictures for a summer 2005 release of a movie titled "Herbie: Fully Loaded." Lindsay Lohan, Matt Dillon and Michael Keaton are among the actors cast in the newest Herbie chapter. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers Earnhardt Jr., Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick and Rusty Wallace are scheduled to make cameo appearances in the movie. Why we care: Harvick has an especially busy week with the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in town for the Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway on Sunday. The driver of the No. 29 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing is also taping episodes for NASCAR week on the "Family Feud." His team competed against Jeremy Mayfield's team for $20,000 to donate to charity. |  | ALSO | |
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Before the race Sunday night, Harvick also has some scenes he has to shoot for the Herbie movie. "I think everyone grew up watching all the different Herbie movies," said Harvick, a driver from Bakersfield. For more news about Harvick, click here. Busch is riding on family fast track The deal: Shav Glick of the Los Angeles Times says when Kurt Busch emerged two years ago as one of the hottest young drivers in NASCAR, the word out of his home base in Las Vegas was, "If you think Kurt's something special, wait until you see his kid brother." |  | | Kyle Busch |
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The kid brother, now 19, has arrived. Why we care: Kyle Busch, driving a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, has won five races in his rookie season in the Busch series and is second in the points race as NASCAR's second-most popular circuit prepares for the Target House 300 on Saturday at California Speedway in Fontana. The slender teenager trails Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s protege, by 78 points after winning at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Michigan and finishing third at Bristol, Tenn., in his last three races. In those three races, he made up 64 points. For more NASCAR news on Kyle Busch, click here. McMurray gives Cribs a tour The deal: Tim Haddock of the Los Angeles Daily News says once the California Speedway race is over, driver Jamie McMurray has some housecleaning to do. That's a little unusual considering McMurray just purchased a new home in Statesville, N.C. But then again, it's not every day MTV is expected over to shoot an episode of "Cribs." Why we care: McMurray and Casey Mears will be featured on "MTV Cribs" starting in November. Filming for each episode will be going on this month. |  | | Jamie McMurray |
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NASCAR drivers can be seen on TV racing every weekend on Fox, NBC, FX, TNT and Speed Channel. But lately, they have been showing up on unexpected channels. Brian Vickers has been a guest on MTV's "Total Request Live" (TRL for those in the know). Dale Earnhardt Jr. was on an episode of "MTV Diary." McMurray was a presenter during a Country Music Television awards show. For more NASCAR news on McMurray, click here. Mears a driving force in play for TV The deal: Tim Haddock of the Los Angeles Daily News says Casey Mears, nephew of racing legend Rick Mears, not only is one of NASCAR's rising talents, he is at the center of a push by the sport for a piece of the entertainment mainstream. |  | | Casey Mears |
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"He has a great personality," Sarah Nettinga, NASCAR's television liaison, told the paper. "He's a single, good-looking, talented NASCAR driver. What more could they want?" Why we care: Mears, currently 16th in the Nextel Cup standings, also has spent time on the sets of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "The Jimmy Kimmel Show." He is the first NASCAR driver to appear on the soap opera "Days Of Our Lives." He soon will be on a NASCAR edition of MTV's "Cribs" and has a spot on the movie "Kirby" that will be filmed at California Speedway. "I've been in front of the camera my whole life so it's not really a big deal," he said. For more NASCAR news on Mears, click here. | 
