The Media Tour. Action at every stop. / Getty Images

NASCAR Media Week concluded Thursday, and while there wasn't a whole lot of earthshattering news, there's plenty that will have an effect on NASCAR in the 2012 season and beyond. If you missed any of it, clip and save this handy post.

• NASCAR ended its policy of secret fines. We'd tell you what we think about that policy in general, but we don't want to get publicly fined.

• Ford rolled out the 2013 Fusion, which got everyone excited for 2013 before 2012 even begins.

• Kevin Harvick and wife Delana will be adding a new member to their race team. Bad news: their first child is going to have to qualify on speed.

• Danica Patrick will be passing up the Indy 500 to run the Coke 600, more evidence of the total career makeover she's undergoing.

• Bill Elliott will return to the Sprint Cup series, driving a Wal-Mart car at the July Daytona race.

• And another Elliott, Elliott Sadler, will be driving in the Sprint Cup series once again, running for Richard Childress Racing in the Daytona

Bill Elliott's Wal-Mart car / Via @jeff_gluck

Bit of a splash from the final day of NASCAR Media Day on Thursday, as Bill Elliott announced he'll return to the Sprint Cup series for one race: the July Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. He'll be driving the car you see above, the No. 50 Wal-Mart Chevy Impala, for Turner Motorsports. He'll also be getting some engineering/equipment assistance from Hendrick Motorsports. Elliott claims that the deal just came together and he was only offered the opportunity on Wednesday. Perhaps true, perhaps not.

Believe it or not, this is the first time Wal-Mart has sponsored a car. This season also marks Wal-Mart's 50th year, hence the number on the side. Nice bit of synchronicity, yes? And we can guess that quite a few People of Wal-Mart will be keeping a close eye on this race.

Elliott Sadler will be driving the No. 33 in the Daytona 500 (Getty)

Elliott Sadler will be back in the Sprint Cup Series for the Daytona 500.

Sadler, who is driving a full Nationwide Series schedule for Richard Childress Racing, will drive the No. 33 for the team on February 26 with sponsorship from General Mills and Kroger.

"It's great to be back in the Daytona 500," Sadler said in a release. "I've had a lot of success in this race in the past and want to thank General Mills, Kroger and Richard Childress for this opportunity."

Sadler has five top 10s in his last seven Daytona 500s.

The No. 33 is locked into the race because that's the car that Clint Bowyer drove for RCR last year before moving on to Michael Waltrip Racing. With General Mills moving to a reduced role with RCR car Jeff Burton and the No. 31, enough sponsorship couldn't be found to run the car full-time in addition to Burton and Kevin Harvick, who finished third in the points standings.

Gil Martin, Harvick's 2o11 crew chief, will be Sadler's crew chief. Shane Wilson, who was crew chief

NASCAR will now announce all fines. (Getty)

NASCAR announced Wednesday that it will stop the practice of 'secret fines' and publicly announce all monetary punishments.

"NASCAR will no longer issue fines that are undisclosed," a NASCAR statement said. "We looked at this issue from every angle and gathered feedback from the industry. While there are always sensitivities related to sponsor relationships  and other leagues may continue issuing disclosed and undisclosed fines, NASCAR has decided that all fines moving forward will be made public after the competitor or organization that has been penalized has been informed."

Over the past two seasons, the sanctioning body has issued fines in secrecy on multiple occasions, though it's unknown how many times fines have been handed out discretely and for how long. Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin were the first known drivers to be secretly fined for comments in 2010, and Newman was secretly fined again after an incident with Juan Pablo Montoya at Richmond that led to an alleged physical

Brian Vickers / Getty ImagesWelcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com (note new address) or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

NASCAR is in the middle of its media week, and look, I have to say this: as much as we all complain about NASCAR drivers being vanilla and bland to the media, you have to admit: these guys are more available for more sessions than any other sport anywhere. And most of them will actually treat the process with respect and, dare I say it, a bit of enjoyment in some circumstances. NASCAR fans (and NASCAR media), we get a TON of information straight from the major players. Not all of it, true, and not all of it IS true, but still ... far better than the alternative. (Hey there, NFL.) Anyway, let's start with a guy who, sadly, isn't doing many interviews right now:

I am one of those rare under-30 NASCAR fans and I cheer only young drivers (to the point I actually watch the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series on a semi-regular basis #Lame). I started liking NASCAR in college. Brian Vickers was one of my go-to guys as he connected with young fans. Watching him win in Michigan was awesome! As the silly season ends, is he doomed to start/park or nothing?

I don't get why no one will pick up Vickers. Nationwide champion, 2x Sprint race winner. Did the Kenseth incidents end his career? I hope not, but it seems like he is a pariah for NASCAR.

— Chris Johnson

Yeah, there's something up with the Vickers thing that we haven't totally isolated yet. David Ragan took the last available regular Sprint Cup seat (at Front Row Motorsports), so yes, it's looking like Vickers will be either a Nationwide driver or a start-and-parker. We've put in an inquiry with Vickers but are yet to hear back; most recently on Twitter he told a fan, "When there is news, we will let you know. Until then- sit tight please." (He's also hawking sake to his 39,000 followers. Hey, you do what you have to do.)

Vickers seems to be another of those guys who desperately needs to prove he's not as bad as his image would suggest. A good, drama-free run in a lower-level car would do just that; his career shouldn't be over, by any means.

Time again for another NASCAR chat as the season draws ever closer! We're meeting up on Wednesday at noon Eastern (note: one hour earlier than usual) and we'll talk media tour news and other breaking info. Be here!

The 2013 Ford Fusion / via Ford Motor Company

On Tuesday, a few hours ahead of Ford's scheduled announcement of the redesigned Ford Fusion for 2013, pictures began to leak out of the new model. Check 'em out here, and see a larger gallery at Speed. The new design is part of a wide-ranging effort by NASCAR and the manufacturers to visually distinguish the cars from one another.

All right, here's the deal: Fantasy NASCAR is coming up soon, and we at Yahoo! Sports want to fantasize with you. (Wait, that sounded really wrong.) Anyway, you need to get in on this action. Go to the Fantasy NASCAR homepage and sign up for a team. Then make sure you jump in on our special private league:

Fans of From The Marbles
Group ID: 31
Password: marbles
(sneaky password, yes?)

Anyway, the whole deal begins in a month or so with the Daytona 500. There'll be acclaim and love for the weekly winners, and you'll get the satisfaction of knowing that you're a better race analyst than [insert announcer name here]. Win-win all the way around. Get on it!