CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR is interviewing candidates for a new Sprint Cup Series director, and current garage boss John Darby will train his replacement before moving into a managerial role.

Several people familiar with NASCAR’s restructuring plan told The Associated Press that Darby will move into an oversight role at the research and development center. The people all spoke on condition of anonymity because NASCAR will not announce its planned changes for 2010 until Thursday.
There is no timetable for hiring a new director of NASCAR’s premiere series, and Darby will fill the role as long as it takes to hire and prepare a replacement. Then he will transition into a new position that oversees the officials in all three of NASCAR’s national series, as well as focus on the technical aspects of the sport.
Darby replaced Gary Nelson as director of NASCAR’s premiere series following the 2001 season, and is currently responsible for overseeing technical inspections, rules changes and enforcement in the Cup Series. He’s highly respected among competitors, and his no-nonsense approach helped rid the garage of the widespread cheating that plagued the sport from its 1949 inception until the past few seasons.
The restructuring is part of several changes NASCAR plans to discuss Thursday during its stop on the annual preseason media tour. NASCAR is also in the process of replacing the current rear wing with a spoiler, possibly eliminating the yellow out-of-bounds line at Daytona and Talladega, and giving drivers more control in policing themselves on the track.
It’s part of a concerted effort to listen to feedback from competitors and fans as the sport faces decreasing television ratings and attendance, as well as economic difficulties that have handcuffed many race teams.