* Carl Edwards captured his 16th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win and ninth of the season with today’s win at Homestead-Miami Speedway. * The last time a Ford driver won nine NSCS races in a season was when Richard Petty did it in 1969.

Jimmie Johnson etched his place in NASCAR history by becoming just the second driver ever to win three straight Cup titles.

NASCAR • NHRA

The economic crisis made its first obvious mark on American professional sports Friday when a major cycling event and Nascar announced substantial changes because of financial woes.

Focus on: Auto racing this week NASCAR SPRINT CUP Ford 400 Where: Homestead, Fla.

AVONDALE, Ariz. - Jimmie Johnson won Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix Int’l. Raceway, and is now 141 points ahead of second-place driver Carl Edwards.

MUNICH, Germany—-Freescale Semiconductor and McLaren Electronic Systems have announced a collaborative initiative to develop next-generation kinetic energy recovery system technology for the highest levels of motor racing from 2010 onward.

Racing notes: Rubens Barrichello says he’ll retire if he fails to find a ride in Formula One next year. The 36-year-old Brazilian driver dismissed the possibility of a move to the Indy Racing League or any other series. “Either I stay in F1 or I won’t race,” Barrichello said late Tuesday.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Budget cuts. Cost-saving measures. Layoffs. “Corrections.” While these terms have become strikingly familiar in business news reports, they’re leaking over onto the sports pages, too. Professional sports are business, too, and they exist in an increasingly financially challenging real world. NASCAR has enjoyed an era of explosive growth suckling on the teat of corporate …

Also items on Cary Stapp and Sam Hornish Jr. Petty Enterprises has extended its partnership with the Paralyzed Veterans of America through the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.