NASCAR TAKES DIFFERENT TURNS.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

Here are some of the ins and outs that have transpired since the end of the 2004 NASCAR season:

IN: The Dodge Charger.

OUT: The Dodge Intrepid.

This change has been in the works for some time, but when only two Dodges qualified for the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship, the need for a change seemed imminent.

The last time the Dodge Charger competed in NASCAR was 1977. It was used for 12 years, with Richard Petty winning 37 races, the most of any driver in a Charger.

The last time a Charger won a race was Nov. 20, 1977, when Neil Bonnett drove his No. 5 Dodge to victory at Ontario Motor Speedway in the - ahem - Los Angeles Times 500.

Three drivers won NASCAR Cup championships in a Charger, Petty in 1972, 1974 and 1975. David Pearson won in 1966, the first year the Charger was used at the NASCAR Cup level, and Bobby Isaac won in 1970.

``The 1974 Dodge Charger was probably the best overall car we ever had,'' Petty said in a release. ``Sure, we had it about five or six years and had a lot of time to work on it. Back then we didn't have specialty cars. The car was just good on everything. It didn't matter if it was a short track, superspeedway or road course. It was just a good overall car. This was a real universal car.''

Of course, things in NASCAR have changed significantly since 1974.

IN: Post-qualifying impounds.

OUT: Happy Hour.

Instead of making qualifying a more pertinent component of the race weekend, this move will make it even more worthless.

Most of the tracks will be implementing an impound procedure after qualifying, prohibiting teams from working and making adjustments on cars before the race.

``I think it's great,'' said Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 38 Ford Taurus for Robert Yates Racing who was at California Speedway for this week's NASCAR Preseason Thunder. ``I think it throws a good little twist in the racing deal.''

NASCAR justifies its decision by stating this move will help reduce operation costs to teams.

``Ultimately, all the teams will arrive at the track with a focus on one goal,'' said John Darby, the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Director, in a statement. ``That goal will be to have the best possible race set-up, and hopefully that will enhance the overall competitive element throughout the field.''

NASCAR lists some of the benefits of this new rule as reducing the amount of labor by crew members, reducing tire consumption and eliminating the use of special qualifying parts, components, oils and setups.

One of the casualties of the impound rule will be Happy Hour, the two 45-minute practice periods run before race day.

This clearly is a test to see if one-day NASCAR Cup races can work. If it's successful, look for Wednesday Night NASCAR on Fox to follow.

IN: NASCAR in Mexico.

OUT: The Nextel Cup?

The NASCAR Busch Series will hold a race in Mexico in 2005, but the expansion doesn't stop there.

Looking to tap into new markets, in the hopes of finding new financial resources for teams, NASCAR is hitting Mexico hard with stock-car racing.

In addition to holding a race in Mexico City, NASCAR will also launch Desafio Corona, a 14-race national stock series, the first of its kind in Mexico.

``This important step in NASCAR's expansion demonstrates our long-term commitment to building stock-car racing in Mexico and making the sport more attractive to Mexican fans throughout Mexico and the U.S.'' NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said in a statement.

Good news for NASCAR. Bad news for the Champ Car Series, or whatever it's calling itself these days.

In an almost unrelated story, the merger of Nextel and Sprint has put the licensing and title sponsorship of the NASCAR Cup series in jeopardy.

Even though NASCAR honchos won't admit the merger may lead to the end of the partnership between Nextel and NASCAR, it has to be a move that concerns all who work and live in NASCAR.

Nextel and NASCAR have a 10-year agreement that started in 2004. France said the arrangement would continue unaltered only through the 2005 season. After that, it would seem, all bets are off.

``NASCAR's premiere national series will continue to be known as the NASCAR Nextel Cup in 2005 and will build on the outstanding success of the 2004 season,'' France said. ``NASCAR's 10-year agreement remains in place and all of NASCAR is looking forward to great success in the years to come.''

If the Mexico thing works, the NASCAR Corona Cup Series might not be too far off.

In: Berretta as the official firearm of Texas Motor Speedway. Not sure if there is an out to go along with the in here, but just thought it was so Texas to have a race track sponsored by a handgun manufacturer.

Perhaps the people at Smith & Wesson and California Speedway could get together.

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Photo:

From left, team owner Roger Penske and drivers Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman unveil the Dodge Chargers they will use.

Terry Renna/Associated Press