Notes: New Ford engine will be available in 2009

Ford Sprint Cup teams will begin using a new engine later this season, but the exact rollout hasn't been determined, Roush Yates Engines president Doug Yates said Thursday.

The FR9 engine is the first purpose-built NASCAR racing engine ever built by Ford and the first new piece for the manufacturer since 1991. It has been in development for three years.

"The rollout for the new engine is probably the second half of the year. [It won't be] in all of the cars," Yates said. "We'll see how our strategy develops as points and teams go."

McDowell gets Nationwide ride

Michael McDowell has joined JTG Daugherty as the driver of its Nationwide Series car, replacing Kelly Bires. Gene Nead will be McDowell's crew chief.

McDowell, 24, will run for rookie of the year honors and plans to enter at least the first 16 races. By midsummer, McDowell hopes team owner Tad Geschickter will have found funding to allow the team to continue further.

Kvapil gets commitment for first five races

Yates Racing is committed to running the first five Sprint Cup races with Travis Kvapil, with any races beyond that still to be determined, team general manager Max Jones said. Kvapil was in a similar position a year ago but ended up running a full Cup schedule in the No. 28 car.

Jones said he hopes that sponsorship can be found, much like the team did last year when it ran an unsponsored car in several races and had several occasional primary sponsors.

France: No TV blackouts

NASCAR will not consider blacking out races for local markets that do not sell out, NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said, putting the issue raised by track owner Bruton Smith to rest.

"We're not set up [like the NFL], because we don't have home market or in-market teams," he said. "Our fans come from much farther away, drive farther, fly in -- so that wouldn't have the benefit that I think [Smith] would be thinking he might get [for an] individual track or an individual market."

Allmendinger's team qualifies third for Rolex 24

A.J. Allmendinger will compete in the car that qualified third Thursday for the Rolex 24 at Daytona that begins Saturday afternoon. Allmendinger, part of the driver lineup for Michael Shank Racing, is the highest-qualifying NASCAR driver.

Juan Montoya's team will start sixth, Jimmie Johnson's will start 11th and Colin Braun's 12th. Casey Mears' team did not post a time because of engine issues during practice Thursday. The team will participate in another qualifying session Friday.

Suspension update

NASCAR has reinstated Joe Gibbs Racing Nationwide Series crew chiefs Dave Rogers and Jason Ratcliff as well as five other team crewmen who were suspended indefinitely last August. The suspensions lasted 10 races. All are receiving an additional one-race suspension from JGR.

Two Red Bull Racing crewmen, including former crew chief Kevin Hamlin, will miss the first two Cup races of the year as part of an indefinite suspension issued late last year over sheet-metal thickness. Hamlin and car chief Craig Smokstad missed the final four races of 2008.