Some news tidbits from the world of NASCAR:

• 14 — Mark Martin’s DNFs in Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, site of this week’s race. Those are the most DNFs Martin has at a Cup track. He has had two since 2006, both for crashes.

      Overall, Martin has two wins and 23 top-10 finishes in 48 starts at the 1.54-mile track.

• Juan Montoya along with his foundation, Formula Smiles, and Colombia is Passion, a Colombian country brand, have launched a program for Colombian children called “Design Juan Pablo Montoya’s helmet with Colombia is Passion.” The contest is for children between the ages of 10 and 17 years old to enter a helmet design with Colombian biodiversity as the topic.

      Montoya will be part of the selection committee deciding each age group winner and who will get the opportunity to accompany Montoya to the Daytona event in July where the designs will be showcased. For more information, visit www.formulasonrisas.com.

• Jamie McMurray and primary sponsor Bass Pro Shops will take part in the 2010 NASCAR Day campaign. Bass Pro Shops will be a retail partner while McMurray has participated through his foundation in years past. Both Bass Pro Shops and McMurray will be featured in the NASCAR Day commercials which will be filmed this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

      — The pit crew for McMurray’s No. 1 Chevrolet will sign autographs at 10:15 a.m. ET Sunday at the Team Chevy Racing display, located near Gate 14 in the Midway display area at AMS.

• Darlington Raceway will host a fan luncheon with 2009 Southern 500 winner Mark Martin on March 17, Darlington president Chris Browning announced Wednesday. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET, and will include a question and answer session with the two-time Southern 500 champion.

      Fans interested in attending the event must first sign-up at www.DarlingtonRaceway.com/MarkMartin. The event will be held at the Florence Civic Center and is free of charge. Following the question and answer session five lucky fans and a guest will be selected to attend a meet and greet with Martin.

• The over-the-wall crew for Martin Truex Jr. won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The No. 56 Toyota spent the least amount of time on pit road — 207.012 seconds — during the 400-mile race. Carl Edwards’ No. 99 Ford was second (207.769) and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Chevy was third (211.931).

      Truex’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Cory Quick (front-tire changer), Craig Curione (front-tire carrier), Shannon Myers (rear-tire changer), Mark Kennerly (rear-tire carrier), Brian Chase (jackman), Doug Newell (gasman) and Keith Koppenal (catch can). The crew chief is Pat Tryson.

• To celebrate the inaugural Cup Series start by Wendell Scott, NASCAR has created an original decal which will be placed on all Truck and Cup series vehicles for the Atlanta race weekend.

      Scott, the first black to start and also win a Cup Series race, made his first start on March 4, 1961, at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds in Spartanburg, S.C. He made 495 starts between 1961-73. Scott’s victory came on Dec. 1, 1963, at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla.

      To further mark the occasion, UPS will endow the Wendell Scott Scholarship Fund with a substantial gift to be presented during the Truck Series’ pre-race festivities on Saturday.