CONCORD, N.C. -- John Darby isn't going anywhere anytime soon, except maybe to have his office moved from down the hallway at NASCAR's Research and Development Center to right next door to the office of colleague Robin Pemberton.

The two men have worked closely together for years. But with Darby now being promoted to managing director for NASCAR after previously being Sprint Cup Series director, he and Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, envision spending even longer hours working together.

“

He's a guy with all his knowledge and experience that everyone leans on very heavily here. It's a team effort, and John fits right in with that.

”

-- ROBIN PEMBERTON

Word had leaked Tuesday that Darby would be leaving his position as Cup director, but his new title was not revealed until Thursday on the final stop of the 2010 Sprint Cup preseason media tour at the R&D Center. Darby, who had been Cup series director since the outset of the 2002 season, said he would continue in that role as he works with Pemberton and others to find a suitable replacement for the taxing job.

But eventually, Darby will be replaced and will begin to transition more into his new job that will oversee all of NASCAR's series directors and many projects related to them -- such as the Nationwide Series' introduction of a new car (part-time this season and full-time next) and the transition on the Cup side to cars powered by fuel-injection systems.

"I'm not going away. I'll still be as deeply involved in NASCAR racing as I always have been, times four," Darby said. "What I mean by that is that obviously to date my primary concerns and responsibilities have been with the Sprint Cup Series. As I move on they will be the Sprint Cup Series as well as the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series, the touring series and everything else we have that has wheels and tires on it.

"I think it's a great idea. I'm quite flattered, honestly, to be given the opportunity to advance to this level. The teams I'll be working with on everything are obviously very good at what they do. Having the ability to pull the best from each series and create a much more consistent world for all of our competitors from both the technical aspects and the rules and regulations part of our business is going to be a fun challenge."

Pemberton said the move was made because the many projects and demands being placed on the current NASCAR hierarchy was becoming too much, and the responsibilities that went along with them "needed to be spread out more." (Continued)