8 car disappears and so does some Norfolk history

Tuesday wasn't a good day for everybody.

# Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has suspended operations of the No. 8 team with Aric Almirola because of lack of sponsorship. If the team finds sponsorship, it will bring the car back. In this tough economic period that's not going to be easy. Almirola had only one top-25 finish in the first seven races this season and was 37 in the driver points standings.

Thus, the No. 8 car will not be on the track. For many new fans, the 8 is all about Dale Earnhardt Jr. and how he picked that number because his grandfather drove it. For older fans, they might know of the 8 car from Norfolk's Joe Weatherly. He made 110 starts in NASCAR's top series with that number from 1961-64,winning 20 times (he had 25 career wins). He won his two Cup titles (1962 and '63) with that number.

According to NASCAR's research, the No. 8 car has only won 38 times in Cup history (with Weatherly having more than half of those wins). Dale Earnhardt Jr. won 17 times with that number and Bobby HIllin won a race with the No. 8.

# Also, Tuesday, International Speedway Corp. _ which owns such tracks as Daytona, Richmond, Martinsville and others _ had its first quarter earnings report. In a conference call with investor analysts, ISC officials said that admission revenue was down about 15 percent so far this year (after races at Daytona and California) and that advance ticket sales are down 20 percent from this point last year. Officials say they are seeing fans wait longer to buy tickets, waiting until closer to the event. That means that weather could play a greater role in ticket sales if this trend continues.

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