Some news tidbits from the world of NASCAR:

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. will guest star in the primetime special “Handy Manny Big Race,” which premieres at 7 p.m. ET March 20 on Disney.

      Manny (star Wilmer Valderrama) and the tools hit the speedway as a pit crew for the highly anticipated Wood Valley 500. Earnhardt voices the role of famous race car driver “Chase Davis.” N’SYNC’s Lance Bass also guest stars.

• 8 — Cup Series wins at Bristol Motor Speedway by drivers not named Busch since 2003. Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth have two wins each, and Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have the others.

      8 — Cup Series wins at Bristol by drivers named Busch since 2003. Kurt has five wins and his brother, Kyle, has three. Kyle won both races last year. The Sprint Cup Series resumes next week at Bristol.

• Tony Stewart will return to Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 22 as the defending champion of the All-Star Race, and thanks to the new “Smoke Double Down” ticket package, his legion of fans can have a May to remember. Fans can purchase the ticket package while supplies last and receive two frontstretch tickets for the All-Star Race; two passes to a fan forum lunch with Stewart at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 3; and two Stewart souvenirs. Plus, $20 per ticket package will be donated to the Tony Stewart Foundation.

      The “Smoke Double Down” package is $149 and available by calling the CMS ticket office at (800) 455-FANS or online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

• Dallas Cowboys standout Jason Witten has been named the honorary starter for the Sprint Cup Series race on March 21 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Witten, a six-time Pro Bowl selection at tight end, is from nearby Elizabethton, Tenn.

      Witten was a standout at Elizabethton High School and was the USA TODAY Player of the Year in Tennessee in 2000 before signing with the University of Tennessee where he starred for three years. In 2001, Witten was drafted in the third round by the Cowboys. One of the premier tight ends in the NFL, Witten finished the 2009 season with 94 catches and 1,030 yards.