Written by me for SB Nation on Trevor Bayne promising to put his potential All-Star Race winnings back into his Sprint Cup operation.

Weather has put the start of today’s Aarons 499 in question. Storms rolled in at approximately 7 a.m. EST and it hasn’t let up since. While the rain hasn’t been heavy, it has been consistent. Talladega does not have lights so we could be looking at a "get to halfway scenario" before darkness descends on Talladega Superspeedway.

Most weather reports are optimistic that the cell is breaking apart and NASCAR is insisting that the race will start on time. Sunset is scheduled for 8:31 p.m. giving NASCAR plenty of time to finish the race should the weather clear. Green flag is tentatively scheduled to drop at 1:20 p.m..

Here’s the official SB Nation prerace report as well as our official weather report.

Stay tuned.

(All times Eastern)

Graham Rahal is a man of the people. He signs for every fan until he has to get back to work and sometimes goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Written by me for SB Nation's Pop Off Valve. Several NASCAR stars could learn by Graham Rahal's example.

Carl Edwards said he ''absolutely'' disputes claims by Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard that the NASCAR driver was controlling and jealous during their yearlong relationship.

Edwards said Friday he was surprised by what his former girlfriend wrote in her 256-page memoir, including about a dozen pages about their time together.

''I don't know if I'm supposed to talk about the psychology of feelings and opinions when you have a relationship that doesn't work out, or if I'm supposed to talk about the strategies to sell books, or whatever,'' he said. ''It's just weird. I don't even know how to address things that I don't even remember happening, so that's tough.''

-AP

NASCAR on Wednesday announced the 25 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame's fourth induction class, and included among the diverse group are five newcomers who make this list arguably the most intriguing in the Hall's history.

NASCAR Ranting and Raving will release and analyze that list in a few hours, so stay tuned!

The 28th Annual NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race will provide some additional incentive for drivers to win one of the four segments leading into the event’s final 10-lap shootout, as NASCAR announced changes to their long-running Charlotte exhibition race.

The changes involve competing in five different segments, of which the first four are 20 laps, leading to a 10-lap shootout. The winners of the first four segments will start the final leg of the event in positions 1-4 prior to event's final pit stops.

This insures that the fastest cars of the night will be grouped in the front regardless of how the latter segments play out.

"This new addition to the format is going to provide even greater incentive for the drivers to go all out to win one of the four segments," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. "It also puts even more focus on the pit crews and how they perform during that final pit stop. The team aspect of the sport will be highlighted more than ever and it helps set the stage for an exciting race and an exciting evening for the fans."

Drivers currently eligible for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (as of March 27) include: Marcos Ambrose, Trevor Bayne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Mark Martin, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Regan Smith and Tony Stewart.

NASCAR Ranting and Raving will post an editorial in the coming hours providing our thoughts on the changes to the Sprint All-Star Race. In the meantime, share yours thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!

New to the IZOD IndyCar Series? Here's a paint scheme guide for this weekend's Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg! The race airs this Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. EST on ABC. Check it out!

Here's the schedule for today's NASCAR track events at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana (all times Eastern; track is on Pacific time):

3 p.m. -- Sprint Cup Series practice (1 hour, 30 minutes)
4:40 p.m. -- Nationwide Series final practice (2 hours, 20 minutes)
7:10 p.m. -- Sprint Cup Series qualifying

Mobile, Ala. - Chase Elliott is set to make his ARCA Series debut for Bill Elliott Racing on Saturday at Mobile International Speedway.

Elliott believes he can contend in the ARCA/Mobile 200, the second race of ARCA's 60th Anniversary Season.

"I don't really see why there'd be any reason we can't run in the top five or 10," Elliott said. "I really feel like we're capable of doing that. Obviously, this will be my first race as a driver and things are going to be different, but I think if we adapt well, I don't see any reason why we can't run inside the top 10."

The highly-touted 16-year-old is a veteran of Mobile and is the 2010 Mobile International Speedway late model track champion. Mobile is the first of five ARCA races for Elliott and his team is spearheaded by Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, Lance McGrew.

"I think it's going to be an interesting race, for sure," he said. "The cars that I've raced there are light cars, but these ARCA cars are heavy. It's a heavy stock car. We'll see how it goes. I kind of have a feel of what the race track is like. I'm sure there's going to be differences between driving a late model car and driving an ARCA car.

"It's a very unique place, obviously, with no walls except for on the front straightaway. It's different looking, and has a different feel. It's the kind of race track you're not used to seeing. Most places you go, you have the wall to kind of catch you. It's just different. All that plays into the feel of a race track. It's really smooth in (Turns) 3 and 4, and there are a few bumps in 1 and 2."

Practice will begin at 1:30 p.m. Central on Friday, March 9, and will last for three and a half hours. Qualifying will follow, starting at 7 p.m. The 200-lap, 100-mile Mobile ARCA 200 will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 10.

NASCAR Ranting and Raving content editor Matt Weaver will be live on-site at Mobile International Speedway and will post live updates to Twitter @MattWeaverSBN.

Close up video of Jeff Gordon’s arrival at an Auto Club 400 promotional event in LA. Includes additional video of Gordon discussing his opinion of the Chad Knaus suspension and how it relates to the approach of former crew chief Ray Evernham.