Ah I always forget about Ross.

So has everyone it seems. I don't get it, he seems to have decent driving talent based on his few listed starts on Racing-reference, and he's got the name to get him anywhere, yet havent heard a blip about him anywhere in NASCAR?

NASCAR is in advanced talks with Comcast Xfinity about becoming title sponsor of the sport's secondary series. Nationwide Insurance, which has sponsored the series since 2007, is in the final year of its title sponsorship, and NASCAR has been looking for a replacement sponsor for the Nationwide Series since last fall. Conversations with Xfinity, which is Comcast's video service, have been going on for several months. Sources familiar with the negotiations said the parties have not reached a contract phase but that Comcast has emerged as a leading candidate for the sponsorship. NASCAR Chief Sales Officer Jim O'Connell said the company doesn't comment on discussions with current or potential sponsors. He added, "With regards to the Nationwide Series, we're speaking to a number of companies in a number of different industries." Comcast did not reply to a request for comment. NASCAR is asking $12 million to $15 million annually in rights fees for the title sponsorship of the series. Media and activation commitments would take the total costs of the deal to more than $25 million. In addition to Comcast Xfinity, NASCAR has met with a number of companies in the auto aftermarket category, including Advance Auto Parts and AutoZone. Nationwide Insurance is spending approximately $10 million in rights fees for title sponsorship of the series. Its total spend, which includes activation at track and media spending, is in excess of $20 million. The company opted to discontinue its sponsorship of the series in order to become an official NASCAR sponsor and sponsor the #88 car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Next year, Nationwide will sponsor Earnhardt Jr. in 12 Sprint Cup races.

Ray Fox: Ray Fox, 98, one of NASCAR's premier engine builders and mechanics in the 1950s and '60s, died at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach on Sunday afternoon with members of his family at his side. A family spokeswoman said Fox, who had battled COPD for years, was hospitalized a few days ago and succumbed to pneumonia. Two of Fox' daughters, Gerri and Sandra, were at his side when he died. Fox, who moved to Daytona Beach in 1946 from New Hampshire, captured every major NASCAR Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) race of his day. His driving roster reads like a Who's Who in stock-car racing with NASCAR Hall of Famers Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Buck Baker taking his equipment to Victory Lane in showcase events. Fox is credited with 14 wins as a car owner, but his victory count was much higher in his many roles in sport. He stayed active in racing into his 80s as an engine inspector for NASCAR, then as president of the Living Legends of Auto Racing. He celebrated his 98th birthday at the Living Legends Museum in South Daytona on May 24. For the last two years, Fox has been nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame honors but came up short of votes on the final ballot. His grandson, Ray Fox III, remains in the sport as a mechanic at Roush Fenway Racing. Fox most famously won the 1960 Daytona 500 with driver Junior Johnson wheeling the #27 Chevrolet.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(6-16-2014)

Sprint name to go away? T-Mobile Cup? Sprint might not be Sprint in the near future, and if the company does want to keep its name, it might have to pay a pretty penny. If Sprint merges with T-Mobile, it is expected to adopt the T-Mobile moniker, according to the latest reports from CNBC. Not only that, it looks like if the deal doesn't go through because of regulatory hurdles, Sprint will have to pony up a hefty $2 billion to T-Mobile. There are more indications that the T-Mobile brand will be the ultimate victor. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has admitted he is okay with not leading the combined company, and reports indicated eccentric T-Mobile CEO John Legere and his management team will be the new leaders. But it's been Sprint that's been pushing the merger, not T-Mobile. Sprint parent company SoftBank's chief executive Masayoshi Son has been touting the merger as a way to shake up the stale U.S. wireless industry.(Latin Post)(6-17-2014)