Notes: Hendrick confident about '11 sponsorships

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Quaker State Motor Oil, which has been under the hood of Hendrick Motorsports cars since 1996, will be on top of a hood for four races next year.

Quaker State -- made by the Pennzoil-Quaker State division of Shell Oil Co. -- will serve as primary sponsor for four races on the No. 5 Chevrolet driven by Mark Martin and will remain as an associate sponsor on all the Hendrick cars.

Rick Hendrick said he expects sponsorship on all his cars to be fully subscribed next year -- or close to it.

"I think the exciting thing -- and the important thing -- is that, in the first half of '09, there was nobody talking about anything [with regard to sponsorship], and now there are a lot of people talking and things happening," Hendrick said.

"I think, in general, the feeling is much better, and people are looking beyond what we've been through. They're not looking backwards any more. They're looking forward.

"But the economy's still tight, and people are trying to stretch their dollars, and we've got to be fairly creative to make it work for everyone."

Hendrick confirmed he has had discussions with Walmart, as had been widely reported, but acknowledged the retail giant will not be a primary sponsor on any of his cars next year.

• Walmart continues discussions to sponsor Gordon

Smith blasts NASCAR for Homestead finale

Speedway Motorsports Inc. owner Bruton Smith isn't a fan of NASCAR's insistence on ending the season in South Florida.

Smith likened Homestead Miami Speedway to "North Cuba," arguing it is not the "proper place" for the Sprint Cup Series to end the Chase.

The longtime track owner says he'd prefer NASCAR to run its final Cup race at SMI-owned Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Smith said he expects IndyCar to end the 2011 season at the 1.5-mile oval next October.

Despite his protests, SMI did not make a formal request for NASCAR to add a second Las Vegas race to the 2011 schedule. Smith said it's because he doesn't believe it would make a difference.

• Smith says divine intervention needed for Vegas finale

Edwards rues loss of Atlanta race

Still seeking his first victory of 2010, Carl Edwards said he'll miss having two chances at Atlanta -- one of his favorites tracks -- with the realignment of the Sprint Cup schedule next year.

After a 51-year run of at least two races per season at the 1.54-mile track, Atlanta will host one Cup event next year, as its traditional spring date becomes the inaugural Cup race at Kentucky Speedway in July.

"I wished we raced at Atlanta every other week, maybe three times a month," said Edwards, a three-time winner at AMS. "I really, really like this place. This track is really special for a number of reasons but, most importantly, it just puts on great races.

"Hopefully, this one event can become something that the fans really support. I know it will make an Atlanta win more special for the drivers, but just for the pure fun factor, I wished we raced here more."

• AMS' Labor Day race becomes four-day spectacle

The Associated Press contributed to this report.