Official NASCAR news thread...

[~gymdiva~]

ok so I totally just made myself look like a redneck by creating the official NASCAR and WWE/TNA threads but um, yeah, ok, well, whatever :p

[~gymdiva~]

Daytona to be resurfaced

By David Newton
ESPN.com
Archive

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- International Speedway Corporation plans to resurface Daytona International Speedway in three years, the first time that has occurred since 1978.

And the decision was in place long before Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on Wednesday that the 2.5-mile track was becoming too bumpy and long overdue for a new surface.

"It has nothing to do with money, although it will be a $20 million project," DIS president Robin Braig said. "It has nothing to do with technology. We banked Talladega so we know we can do it on the high banking.

"It's all about when NASCAR and Goodyear says we need to do it," Braig said.

Daytona is one of the few major tracks that hasn't been resurfaced over the past 10 years. Talladega, Darlington, Lowe's Motor Speedway and many others have been through the process.

Sprint Cup series director John Darby said the DIS surface hasn't reached the point where it needs immediate attention because it isn't coming apart like Talladega was, but it is near the end of its life cycle.

He reminded that when the track is resurfaced the sanctioning body will have to make adjustments on the restrictor plate and tires because the speeds will jump considerably just as they have at other tracks.

"We know it's bumpy," Darby said. "A lot of what happened is that since Talladega was repaved it is smoother than a baby's bottom. That makes it easier for the drivers. But you can't compare the two tracks even though a lot of people do.

"They're not similar. They're like black and white," Darby said.

But Earnhardt said 30 years is too long and the bumps are proof of it.

"It's not unsafe," NASCAR's most popular driver said. "It just don't put on a good show. I like the bumps. You're going to ask guys in there and they're going to say, 'Oh, man, the bumps are cool.' They are cool, but they'll be back."

Not all drivers believe resurfacing is necessary.

"They should not repave any tracks," Carl Edwards said. "The rougher the better. If makes it more fun when you're out there sliding around and moving. It makes it harder so that you can end up running different lines and get an advantage.

"If this track was like Talladega it wouldn't be nearly as fun," he continued. "Repaving Darlington was the most frustrating thing they've done. In my eyes, that took a lot of fun out of that place."

Denny Hamlin argues that some of the best racing in NASCAR is at Talladega since the resurfacing "because we have so much control over our cars and you see a lot of the three- to four-wide racing."

"Here you don't see it as much and cars do get strung out a little more, but it's still better than any mile-and-a-half or two-mile race tracks," he added.

The bottom line for Earnhardt?

"Seventy-eight was a long time ago," he said. "Highways get paved more often than that, and they're only going 55 and 65 on them. If I owned a racetrack I'm going to pave that damn thing at the last minute. It costs a lot of money to pave it.

"I can understand why it doesn't happen more often, but they did pave Talladega and that's got good reviews. Maybe we'll get this thing paved before I retire," he said.

[~gymdiva~]

Harvick wins Shootout with late pass

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Thrilling finish, dramatic wrecks and a record number of lead changes.

It was just what NASCAR wanted, and needed.

Kevin Harvick boldly passed Jamie McMurray on the last lap of the exhibition Budweiser Shootout to give a sparse Saturday night crowd at Daytona International Speedway reason to want more.

"There's nobody who can leave today and say they didn't see an exciting race," third-place finisher Tony Stewart said.


NASCAR has taken a beating in the three months since last season's finale, as the economic crisis forced teams to slash budgets, lay off employees and even cease operations. Unemployed crew members are scouring the garage for work, sponsorships are hard to come by and everyone in NASCAR knows 2009 may be its toughest season ever.

"With the economy the way it is and the amount of layoffs -- it's almost depressing right now to turn the news on," second-place finisher McMurray said. "I get up at 6 a.m., I turn the news on and the headline is how many people are getting laid off from major corporations. I think it will be a tough year for us to sell tickets."

Harvick and McMurray did their part to promote next week's season-opening Daytona 500.

"For the fans, the price of admission was well worth it," winning car owner Richard Childress said.

When the crash-plagued Shootout finally became a shootout, Harvick used a huge push from Denny Hamlin to grab a come-from-nowhere victory that mimicked his Daytona 500 win two years ago.


"That was some wild racing," Harvick said from Victory Lane. "What a race. That was wild as heck there at the end."

Wild indeed.

"That was a lot of built-up race-car drivers really looking to hang something out on the edge," Harvick said of the record eight cautions and 23 lead changes.

It was Harvick's first victory in 71 races, dating to the non-points All-Star race in May 2007. The only other event he won that year was the season-opening 500, when he nipped Mark Martin in a photo finish.

Harvick started 23rd in the Shootout, spent most of the race in the back dodging wrecks, then slowly worked his way toward the front. McMurray seemed headed for the win until a late wreck between Greg Biffle and David Stremme set up a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish.

Harvick was fourth on the restart, and didn't seem to have anything for McMurray until getting the big push on the outside.

"It will be a long night," McMurray said. "I'll think about what maybe I should have done different."

Harvick coasted to the win as Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers all crashed behind him.

McMurray knew holding on for the win would be difficult when he restarted in the lead.

"It's just honestly the leader is kind of a sitting duck," McMurray said. "It's cool because you can pass him."

Stewart was third in his first race as owner of his race team. He left Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of last year to take over Stewart Haas Racing.

"Yeah, I'll take that for a debut night," Stewart said.

Jeff Gordon was fourth and was followed by AJ Allmendinger, Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards. Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 10.

The race used to be for the previous year pole winners and past champions of the event, but NASCAR overhauled the format and opened Saturday night's exhibition to the top six teams from each manufacturer. Then last month, NASCAR passed "The Tony Stewart Rule" and allowed each manufacturer one wild-car entry.

The joke around the garage was the caveat was added so Stewart, a three-time Shootout winner, could get his new team into the race despite switching from Toyota to Chevrolet this season.

In all, a record 28 cars competed in the race, which also was expanded five laps to 75.

Some of the participants were eliminated early: A six-car wreck just four laps into the race knocked out rookies Scott Speed and Joey Logano. For Speed, it was his second wreck in as many days.

"The guys in front of me wrecked and the rest is just history. Kind of a thing that happens around here," said Speed, a former Formula One driver who wrecked with Paul Menard during Friday's practice.

Logano finished second in Saturday afternoon's ARCA race, then sprinted to NASCAR's driver meeting -- only to get there as it was wrapping up. His punishment was being sent to the back of the starting field -- right where the accident occurred.

"You start in the back and that's kind of what happens," Logano said.


Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

[~gymdiva~]

All drivers clear first round of drug tests


By David Newton
ESPN.com


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- All drivers in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Nationwide Truck Series passed the first round of drug testing under NASCAR's new policy, officials said on Thursday, but that wasn't the case for crew members.

Kevin Harvick said two pit crew members for his Truck Series team were released after failed tests and he expects there are others throughout all three series.

"There's definitely more out there,'' Harvick said during media day at Daytona International Speedway. "There's a lot of people that are looking for jobs right now that are straight-up people. It couldn't have come at a better time.''

NASCAR implemented a policy that calls for mandatory preseason testing for all drivers and crew members and random testing throughout the season by an independent laboratory after former Truck Series driver Aaron Fike admitted last season he competed under the influence of heroin.

The tests are focused on narcotics, beta blockers and steroids. Random testing will be done at the track almost every race weekend, beginning at Daytona next week.

Anywhere from 12 to 14 crew members and two drivers per series will be tested each weekend. A failed test by a driver will be made public, but not those by crew members. Three failed tests will result in an automatic lifetime ban. In the past, testing was done only on "reasonable suspicion.''

Harvick, who instituted stricter testing at KHI before NASCAR, said he was pleased with the results of the Sprint Cup operation at Richard Childress Racing, where he drives the No. 29.

"I wasn't pleased with a couple of tests we got from our team at KHI,'' he said. "We had a couple of people that didn't do so good, but that's what it's for.''

Harvick said members of the team not on the KHI pit crew are given one chance after a failed test.

"The pit crew guys have known this stuff was coming,'' he said. "I don't have any tolerance for that stuff.''

Overall, Harvick said the policy is doing what it is supposed to.

"On the outside looking in it's cleaned a lot of things up,'' he said. "Nobody has to ask those questions anymore. Everybody knows the drivers are taking those drug tests and the guys jumping over the wall are clean and legitimate people . . . and you don't have to worry about some squirrel out there that can ruin it for everybody.'' NASCAR chairman Brian France agreed.

"We did not do that because we thought we had a big problem,'' he said of the policy. "We did that to make sure we were doing everything we could to have a thorough policy.''

For many drivers this was the first time they have been tested.

"It's kind of odd to go into a room with another man and have him watch you pee in a cup,'' three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said.

But Johnson agreed that NASCAR was right to be pro-active.

"We need to separate ourselves from other sports,'' he said. "We need to be on top of this stuff, especially with the issues that have popped up through the years with the illegal drugs. We absolutely need a policy and I'm glad it's in place.''

So is Michael Waltrip, the driver/owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, who jokingly said he made a 98 on the test.

"I love the fact that NASCAR stepped up and said that's what we have to do,'' he said. "Everybody needs to be held accountable. Racecar drivers are independent contractors. That in itself says I'm independent. The truth is, whether it's me or some kid starting up, a lot of people's livelihoods depend on what you do and how you act.''

Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Cup champion, said the policy should have been implemented a long time ago.

"I don't think there's really anything going on we needed to catch, and yet it's a comforting feeling when you're out there going 200 mph knowing everybody is in the same shape that you are,'' he said.

[Sandpig]

You must be tired of talking to yourself! :rolleyes:

I am taping the Nationwide race, to watch a little later, without commercials. Damn, I love the DVR.

Tomorrow should be a great race. I was a big Dale Jarret fan for years, now I root for the Bush boys, since I used to watch Kurt and their dad race on the local short track before they built the super speedway.

Please don't tell me you're a Jeff Gordon fan. ;)

[robert da strongman]

i am actually going to watch tomorrow.

anyone know the the starting grid?

[Bubba Bronko]

Is this all NASCAR or just sprint cup and nationwide?

[Bubba Bronko]

Anyone watch the truck race last night?!?! It was a very good race along with the Busch race today my bad nationwide series im use to the old days ;)

[Bubba Bronko]

Stewart rebounds to win Nationwide Daytona race



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart finally caught a break -- because his No. 80 Chevrolet didn't break loose on the last lap of Saturday's season-opening Camping World 300 Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
Kyle Busch pushed Stewart's Chevy down the backstretch and up the banking in Turn 3 of the final circuit, but Stewart fought back to the outside and crossed the finish line first. Clint Bowyer pushed Carl Edwards into second place off the final corner, with Bowyer coming home third.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/nascar/2009/news/headlines/bg/02/14/post.race.nwide.tstewart.daytona/stewart.2.193.jpg


Busch fell to fourth at the finish. Greg Biffle ran fifth, followed by Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Jason Keller and Matt Kenseth.
The win, Stewart's second consecutive in the season opener at Daytona, was at least some consolation for the calamity that devoured two of Stewart's cars in Saturday morning's Sprint Cup practice for Sunday's Daytona 500.
Ryan Newman, Stewart's teammate at Stewart-Haas Racing, blew a right-rear tire and spun midway through the session, collecting Stewart's own No. 14 Chevy in the process (more). Both Cup cars were damaged seriously enough to force the two drivers to backup cars for the 500, where they'll start from the rear of the field.
"After this morning, it's great," Stewart said of his eighth victory in 87 Nationwide starts. "We lost both of our cars for the Daytona 500 this morning with Ryan and I, and it's a good way to rebound from it -- come out here and win a race."
It took all of Stewart's consummate skill to keep from losing control of his car as Busch pushed him through Turn 3.
"It got really, really loose," Stewart said. "Kyle pushed me all the way through the corner. If I'd have spun or crashed, I was going to have to have it out with him on that one.
"I don't know how I held on to it, but I think he kind of cut us a break off of [Turn 4] and kind of let us back in."
Edwards, seeking to add another Nationwide title to his 2007 championship, had a front-row seat for all the last-lap action.
"The 18 pushed the 80 down the back straightaway," Edwards said. "They got in the corner. He pushed him all the way up. I thought, 'Man, this is it; we're going to have a run.'
"Coming off [Turn] 4, I was a little too close. Clint was right on my bumper, pushed me right by Kyle. He gave me like the half-inch I needed there ...
"Then we got all straightened out, coming to the line. Same deal. Clint was still pushing me. I had a little run on Tony. He came up. I thought, 'Man, we're going to -- this is going to be smoke and walls and all that.' But it ended up he gave me enough room, and I still ended up second."
[B]Notes: The No. 80 on Stewart's car represented the number of Rick Hendrick's automobile franchises ... Michael McDowell (14th) was the highest finishing rookie, edging Brendan Gaughan by one position ... Bowyer's third-place finish was his seventh top-10 in nine Nationwide starts at Daytona ... Pole-sitter Kevin Harvick finished 11th.


http://www.nascar.com/.element/img/2.0/story/flag_checkered.gif

[Bubba Bronko]

Kyle's absence brings end to Petty streak at Daytona

King's son dismisses look of 44 car, new team as Petty

By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
February 14, 2009
06:25 PM EST
type size: + -
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The legacy of the Petty family runs deep within the asphalt and concrete of Daytona International Speedway. Patriarch Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500, prevailing in a three-wide photo finish that took days to decipher in 1959. Richard Petty won a record seven titles including the iconic 1979 event, the crash- and fight-plagued race that spurred NASCAR to national popularity. Kyle Petty also won at Daytona in 1979, charging to Victory Lane in an ARCA event that marked his first time behind the wheel of a race car.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/nascar/2009/news/opinion/02/14/inside.line.dcaraviello.kpetty.rpetty.daytona/petty.k.193.jpg

“
It's crap, is what it's like. That's just honest.

”
KYLE PETTY




Richard Petty Motorsports is trying to commemorate that latter event this week, fielding a No. 44 car for A.J. Allmendinger featuring the same retro paint scheme that Kyle Petty drove in his debut 30 years ago. Allmendinger said he was stoked about the way the car looked. Richard Petty said the paint scheme brought back pleasant memories. Everybody seemed happy about it -- except Kyle.
"They did not ask me about the paint scheme," he said Saturday. "Ya'll have been around me long enough, and I'll be honest about this one. I get mad all the time. How many times have ya'll seen me mad? I broke my hand a couple of years ago because I was so mad. I get mad all the time. I was not mad about that, not at all. I was crushed. I was hurt, and I'm not going to get over it for a while. And that's a personal thing. That's me. That's not got anything to do with anything else. That was my paint job and my car and my number and my stuff, from my first win. Not for Petty Enterprises or GEM or whoever that is. They can look at it however they want to. But I didn't get a call from anybody. So that's even worse."
That's how it goes these days for Kyle Petty, the odd man out in the sale of Petty Enterprises to the organization once known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports. He's no longer associated with the race team his family founded, because that team no longer exists. He no longer has a car to drive on the Sprint Cup tour. He occasionally competes in sports-car events like the recent 24 hours at Daytona. He's taken to wearing a cap with a black stripe across the No. 45, telling the world that there's no longer a car bearing that number for him to drive anymore, and that it belongs to his late son, Adam, in eternity now.
He's not even going to stay for the Daytona 500. He appeared Saturday at an announcement for a Nov. 12 golf tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz., that will raise money to help send sick children in the Phoenix area to the Victory Junction Gang Camphttp://i2.cdn.turner.com/nascar/.element/img/2.0/global/util/icon_external_links.gif he founded in Adam's name. He planned to drive home to Trinity, N.C., later in the day, and said he won't even watch the race on television.
"That's what it's like," he said. "It's crap, is what it's like. That's just honest."
Kyle Petty clearly feels alienated, forgotten, and at times even hurt by the way his family's old team -- started by his grandfather, Lee, in 1949, and in existence as long as NASCAR itself -- was slowly sold off and dismantled. He didn't support Petty Enterprises' move from its ancestral home of Level Cross, N.C., to Charlotte, but the organization did it anyway. When Petty was absorbed by GEM late last year, there was no place for Kyle in the new organization. He seems to be reticent to even mention the name of Richard Petty Motorsports, which in his mind will always be the team that Ray Evernham founded.
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/nascar/2009/news/opinion/02/14/inside.line.dcaraviello.kpetty.rpetty.daytona/petty.r.193.jpg

“
Basically, we're just going in different directions.

”
RICHARD PETTY




"Let's be real honest. There's Richard Petty Motorsports, or whatever you want to call it, but there is no Petty Enterprises. Petty Enterprises ceased to exist when it left Level Cross, N.C. It further ceased to exist when the other group bought it. That's just a fact of life. Once somebody else bought the team, that was different. Once it moved, that was different. There have been things that have happened over the past 12 or 13 months that have, little by little, got Petty Enterprises away from what it was," he said.
"In my mind that's Ray's team. George [Gillett] bought it, now the King's over there, but it's still Ray's team. Still Ray's team. Sorry."
His father would likely disagree. Richard Petty was in the garage area Saturday as he always is, the spectators looking down from Daytona's Fan Deck cheering at the very glimpse of his omnipresent cowboy hat. No, it's not Petty Enterprises anymore. But in its final days, Petty Enterprises was bereft of sponsorship and low on cash. To keep the Petty name in NASCAR, to keep the team's old flagship No. 43 car on the race track, Richard saw merging with Gillett as an absolute necessity.
"We haven't got a family business as [Kyle] grew up in, as I grew up in," Richard said. "The business world has changed. He's an individual, he's 48 years old, he's going to have to go do his own thing also."
Richard also downplayed speculation of a rift between him and Kyle. "Basically, we're just going in different directions," the seven-time champion said. "I'm 72 years old, I'm looking at the world one way. He's 48 years old, he's still a young man, he's looking at it from a different way. Which we've always done, but we've always made it work. We're doing the same thing now. We're still in business together in a couple of different situations. I don't see any of that changing. As far as personal stuff, none of that's changed in the last 48 years."
But things have changed on the race track, and it hasn't come without a price. Sunday, for only the third time in its 51-year-history, the Daytona 500 will finish without a driver named Petty in the race. In 1961, Lee and Richard both missed the event when they were involved in serious accidents in the 40-lap qualifying races. In 1965, Richard skipped the race because he was drag racing, a protest of NASCAR's banishment of the dominant Dodge hemi engine. Kyle's absence will end a 43-year run of Petty drivers competing in NASCAR's biggest race.
"It's sad for a lot of people to know that there won't be a Petty out there on the track, or really even as names as car owners," said Jeff Gordon, who will start third Sunday. "It's exciting that there is still a No. 43 out there, I just wish that it was still a Petty Enterprises 43. Hopefully, that can at least continue that legacy and they can have some success with the 43. I think everybody is always going to recognize that as Petty."
Not Kyle. Reed Sorenson topped the speed chart Saturday, leading Daytona 500 final practice in the No. 43 car that Richard Petty made famous -- even though this latest incarnation of the vehicle is red, rather than trademark light blue. No matter. "Means nothing to me," said Kyle, whose only race at Daytona this year was the 24-hour sports-car event two weeks ago. He's been in every Daytona 500 since 1981, buying Eddie Bierschwale's starting spot and slapping his sponsors on the car after wrecking in a 1989 qualifier. Sitting out this season's event clearly hurts.
"It's bothersome, because of the way it was done," he said, referring to the sale of Petty Enterprises to GEM, which included the transfer of the 43 and 44 cars, but not Kyle's No. 45. "Because I don't like the way it was handled, because I don't like anything about it. On the reverse side of that, hey, that day's going to come, man. I'm the last one in line."
With that, he left to do a television appearance and prepare for the long drive home. Sunday, the Daytona 500 will go green without him. And another small part of the Petty legacy will be chipped away.
The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.

[Bubba Bronko]

Stewarts year now that he finally got his own team! He is my pick for the 500

[robert da strongman]

good for Tony!!

my fav driver

[~gymdiva~]

thank you TM! all NASCAR is good here!


and omg NO WAY am I a Gordon fan!!!!! :mad:

Dale Jr baby! :cool:

[HARDCOREB]

Go #24!!!!

[Sandpig]

thank you TM! all NASCAR is good here!


and omg NO WAY am I a Gordon fan!!!!! :mad:

Dale Jr baby! :cool:

I'm ok with JR, but when he joined Hendrick, he became a teammate of Gordon, and that sucks.

Gordon is the reason I don't root for Jimmy J.

[Sandpig]

Anyone watch the truck race last night?!?! It was a very good race along with the Busch race today my bad nationwide series im use to the old days ;)

truck race was good too, used to watch Brett Bodine race in New England when I was a kid, so I was happy for Todd.

[Bubba Bronko]

What a crock of shit sat there and watched that race for it to end because of weather they didnt even wait it out! Good race up to that point though!

[Sandpig]

The only crock of shit was the fact that they didn't penalize Jr for rough driving!

:mad::confused:

[GirlyMuscle]

Go #24!!!!Woohoo! Another Gordon fan. At least I won't be alone!

[~gymdiva~]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-taunt004.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org)

[Southern Cross]

The only crock of shit was the fact that they didn't penalize Jr for rough driving!

:mad::confused:

exactly. all the announcers, dave despain, and every media news outlet was saying how jr was at fault. it was horrible.

they penalized jason leffler in the nationwide race for doing the same thing, but they don't penalize jr for it.

there's nascar world and then theres earnhardt world, it's just the way it is.

[Sledge]

Woohoo! Another Gordon fan. At least I won't be alone!


Isn't he the gay one?

[matt1005]

I am not a big NASCAR fan or even watch it that much.
About 10-12 years ago Jeff Gordon was winning like every race. Have the other drivers cuaght him as far as talent? Is his team/car just not as good as it used to be? It is a combination of both?
Just curious. Enlighten me folks.
Thanks

[DaveV]

My dad watches it. Gordon still usually wins every race. It's either him or some other guy (and Gordon owns that guy's car).

[matt1005]

From his website, he hasn't won in 14 months or so. I do understand that he is a member of Hendrick (sp?)

[GirlyMuscle]

Jeff Gordon drives for Hendrick Motorsports and is a co-owner of his car. I'm sure he has stake in other cars too. I'm a Gordon fan and he hasn't been winning much these days. Then again winning isn't everything in NASCAR.

As far as winning like the old days....I think just about all the drivers out there are excellent. They wouldn't be there if they weren't. I think they go through changes in their careers depending on the team behind them. Gordon hit a sweet spot for quite a few years. He's a very talented driver and with the right team again he could go right back to the top.

[DaveV]

I don't know. My dad says people get mad at him because he's so good. Then again, he only became a fan of him because he was winning at the time. Same as he hated Tiger Woods at first because of obvious reasons you don't need to think too hard about and then now likes him because he's the best at the game. My grandfather is the same. They only cheer on the winners.

[MusclePump]

Jeff Gordon was a very good driver and very dominant that was till he brought his team member Jimmie Johnson on board, now Jimmy is winning everything including the last 3 championships!

[Sandpig]

Jeff Gordon was a very good driver and very dominant that was till he brought his team member Jimmie Johnson on board, now Jimmy is winning everything including the last 3 championships!

Somebody finally got it right. Although Girly is right too.

Honestly though, I hope he never wins another race. :p

[Goodfellas]

--VQHqK4weM

[Sandpig]

Bristol Motor Speedway. Best racing on the circuit. And to think I hated short track racing when I first started watching.

[Goodfellas]

Isn't he the gay one?

No thats Jamie McMurray I mean McMary

[Goodfellas]

By The Associated Press

(AP) -- General Motors met with teams in NASCAR's top-tier Sprint Cup series this week about its plans to cut back financial support.
Teams in the lower-tier Nationwide and Camping World Truck series already had been notified of cuts. GM, reorganizing through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, had said last week it planned to make cuts across all of NASCAR's series.

Stewart-Haas Racing and Hendrick Motorsports confirmed on Wednesday that they had discussions with GM.

"We believe in the products GM has now and in the products they're building for the future," driver and Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart said in a statement. "While this cutback will force us to review our budget at SHR, it will not impact our preparation for the track or the return on investment we provide to our partners."

Chevrolet spokesman Terry Rhadigan confirmed the discussions but declined to provide details of the cuts.

"We're still partners with them," he said of the teams.

The GM cutbacks are the latest in a series of economic blows to the sport.

The global economic crisis led to more than 1,000 team members being laid off at the end of last season, and Chrysler, which just came out of bankruptcy, has cut its funding of Dodge teams this year.

Ford, also facing financial problems, cut back its support in the truck series heading into this season.

"We had very productive conversations this week with the folks at General Motors, and it's clear they are committed to racing and committed to our organization," Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick said. "They've asked us for some help, and we're going to give it to them. We're proud to be a Chevy team, and we will do our part to support the new GM both on and off the racetrack."
---=

AP Auto Writer Kimberly S. Johnson in Detroit contributed to this report.

[Goodfellas]

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- Reigning NASCAR truck champion Johnny Benson has been released from a Grand Rapids hospital three days after being injured in a fiery crash.

The 45-year-old driver suffered burns and broken ribs after his vehicle collided with another car, slammed into a wall and burst into flames.

The crash was Saturday during an International SuperModified Association race at Berlin Raceway in Marne, just northwest of Grand Rapids.

Benson was taken to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, where he initially was listed in serious condition. He was upgraded to fair on Sunday and released Tuesday.

The Grand Rapids native now lives in Charlotte, N.C. He lost his full-time ride this month when Red Horse Racing shut down his truck because it couldn't find sponsorship.

[Goodfellas]

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Danica Patrick's likely free agency at the end of the IndyCar Series will make her a hot commodity among teams in the open-wheel series and NASCAR.

Any announcement about her next move, however, will have to wait until October.

The IndyCar Series season finishes Oct. 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and she said Tuesday on a conference call that her main focus until then will be on winning as many races as she can and finishing as high in the driver's point standings as possible.

"To be very open about anything until that point would be foolish," said Patrick, who is fifth in IRL points. "That's for after the season and we'll worry about it then."

[Goodfellas]

U7u4cyAbwac

[Goodfellas]

84Dxs-4uKlI

[Goodfellas]

1. Tony Stewart
2. Jeff Gordon -47
3. J. Johnson -142
4. Kurt Busch -228
5. Ryan Newman -255
6. Carl Edwards -262
7. Greg Biffle -276
8. Mark Martin -321
9. Kyle Bush -329
10. Denny Hamlin -340
11. Matt Kenseth -341
12. Jeff Burton -379

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SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -- There was little celebrating at Red Bull Racing after Brian Vickers won his second consecutive pole.

Instead, team management was busy securing a deal to get rookie Scott Speed in the field.

Vickers claimed the top starting spot with a strong run Friday through the road course at Infineon Raceway, but his teammate missed the race when Speed ran off the course in Turn 10 and failed to qualify.

"What do they say, 'It's the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat?' " general manager Jay Frye said. "One's first and one went home, so it's pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum."

Frye worked a deal with Joe Nemechek, who qualified 31st, to put Speed in his car for Sunday's race. Nemechek races in old Red Bull cars, and qualified in one of their Toyotas from last season.

Red Bull, which also borrowed his car for Speed at Darlington last month, will cut Nemechek a later deal as payment for the Sonoma favor.

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SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -- Support for General Motors remained strong Friday, even as teams adjust to reduced funding as the automaker navigates through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

Team owner Richard Childress said his four-car organization is among those who have been informed GM support is being scaled back. Rick Hendrick and Tony Stewart said earlier this week that they met with GM officials, who must cut back spending since filing earlier this month for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Stewart said the cuts are immediate.

"We'll make it through the year, for sure," Stewart said at Infineon Raceway. "We're supportive of what Chevy had to do. There's a lot of people that don't even have jobs. We just got our budget cut percentage-wise. We're still (getting) support from Chevy and we're proud of that.

"It's a hard situation for them. You can see it in their eyes when they came to the shop, it's not a meeting they wanted to have. They didn't want to tell us that we'd have to take a cut."

GM last week cut funding completely to Nationwide and Truck Series teams. It met with its Cup teams this week, but GM officials have declined to reveal which teams had their budgets slashed and to what degree the funding will be cut.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The NASCAR Hall of Fame will open next May after more than four years of construction.

Hall of Fame organizers say the official grand opening will be May 11, 2010 and will boast interactive displays, exhibits and more than 1,000 artifacts.

Officials collected for display on Friday the blazer Ned Jarrett wore while announcing the 1993 Daytona 500 won by his son, Dale.
The Hall will also include a reproduction of a Charlotte Speedway track poster from 1924, and an original entry blank from the inaugural 1949 stock car race at Charlotte.

Officials previously announced the collection of the Plymouth Belvedere that Richard Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967, and the first NASCAR trophy ever awarded.

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Danica Patrick will be in a Jack Roush NASCAR Ford next season, bank on it. Well, don't bet the ranch, but there is a growing sense that that is the momentum on the issue, if the sexy Indy-car star does make the leap into stock car racing, as she has hinted. And in the NASCAR garage here at Infineon Raceway Roush himself pondered the Danica option Friday. Patrick herself has been talking around the NASCAR possibility for several weeks now but insists she won't be making any announcement of where she'll be racing next season until this fall. Patrick in a Roush Ford? Hey, what really are Patrick's NASCAR options, if she wants to be able to win? Rick Hendrick's operation is full, and so is Richard Childress', and Chevrolet doesn't appear in any mood to spend more money in NASCAR, less if anything.
mikemulhern.net (http://www.mikemulhern.net/index.php?q=breakingnow/there-jack-roush-ford-danica-patricks-nascar-future)

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WEST ALLIS, Wis. (AP) -Ron Hornaday Jr. celebrated his 51st birthday in style with a dominating win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series race at the Milwaukee Mile.

It was the 41st career trucks series victory and second win of the season for Hornaday - and his second career victory in a trucks race at Milwaukee, where he also won in 1997.

Dennis Setzer finished second, followed by Brian Scott. The race originally was scheduled for Friday night, but heavy rains forced officials to postpone it until Saturday afternoon.

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SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -The first trip to Infineon Raceway was a pressure-packed, must-win race for Juan Pablo Montoya.

Considered one of the best road racers in the world, everyone in NASCAR knew it was his best opportunity to win in a stock car. He pulled it off, overcoming a horrible qualifying effort to drive through the field and win in 2007, his first season in NASCAR after jumping from Formula One.

Two years later, the urgency to win Sunday's race is gone for Montoya, replaced but an even bigger goal: making the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

That means Montoya, who is 14th in the standings and just 43 points away from claiming one of the 12 Chase spots, won't push the limits in pursuit of a win. He'll instead settle for solid finishes that improve his position in pursuit of the Chase.

"I will Chase race,'' Montoya said about his strategy for the next 11 races. "Surprising, isn't it?''

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SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -It was an eventful final few minutes of practice Saturday at Infineon Raceway, where David Gilliland ran into John Andretti and Marcos Ambrose blew an engine.

Ambrose's motor exploded in a plume of white smoke with just a few minutes left in practice, and because he'll have to get a new engine, he'll forfeit his third-place starting position for Sunday's race.

"It's really a real shame for us,'' Ambrose said. "We were looking for a great day tomorrow and now we have to come through field. But we have good horsepower and we'll bounce back from this.''
Ambrose will have to move to the back of the field before the start of the race.

"We came from dead last last year at Watkins Glen and finished third, so it can be done,'' Ambrose said. "But we'll have to make some gambles on fuel mileage now to get up there.''

Gilliland, who was slated to start 32nd, will have a much harder time matching last year's career-best finish of second. He wrecked his primary car when he ran into the back of Andretti as the two were leaving pit road during practice.

"It was totally my fault,'' Gilliland said. "I didn't have any of my blowers or anything on, just reached down to turn on the switches and John Andretti stopped for cars merging, and I just ran right into the back of him. Completely my fault and really disappointed.''

But Gilliland's biggest issue is that underfunded TRG Motorsports only had one road racing car, so his backup is not suited for Sonoma.
"We've worked really hard, put a lot of effort into this race,'' he said. "Now we have to dig down and try and get our backup car as best we can.''

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We've been hearing for months that sponsors, including those at top teams such as Hendrick Motorsports, won't fully commit past this season. Team owner Rick Hendrick made that clearer on Sunday when he indicated that Kellogg's and Carquest may not return in their full capacity in 2010.
jayski.com (http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htm#news7pj)

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Jeremy Mayfield's next chance to have his indefinite drug suspension lifted will be at a July 1 hearing in federal court.

U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen has added Mayfield's preliminary injunction request to his calendar. If the ruling goes in his favor, Mayfield could possibly compete that weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

Mayfield has been suspended since May 9 for failing a random drug test. He sued 20 days later, and NASCAR moved the case to federal court a week after that.

Mayfield has not raced since his suspension, and has not sent his Mayfield Motorsports team to the track the last four weeks.

[Sandpig]

How many guys did Jimmy Johnson wreck yesterday? Three?

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SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -- Richard Petty Motorsports has made news this season for all the wrong reasons. Caught in the financial crunch of Chrysler's bankruptcy, the team had a recent round of layoffs and companywide salary reductions.

Star driver Kasey Kahne has been openly unhappy with RPM's slow development of an improved Dodge motor, and the organization can't shake whispers about its long-term stability.

A win can cure most of those ills.

Kahne returned team co-owner Richard Petty to Victory Lane for the first time in over a decade with a much-needed win -- on a road course, of all places -- at Infineon Raceway on Sunday.

It snapped a 37-race winless streak for Kahne, who last won at Pocono a year ago, and the first win for a Petty-owned car since John Andretti's victory at Martinsville in April, 1999.

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Rick Hendrick will meet with Brad Keselowski this coming week to discuss their 2010 options. Under consideration is placing the young driver with a team affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports. Among the possibilities: a third entry at Stewart-Haas Racing, a full-time ride with James Finch's team, or staying put at JR Motorsports but moving that team to the Sprint Cup Series. Keselowski currently drives the No. 88 in the Nationwide Series for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who could move the team up to NASCAR's premier series.
Charlotte Observer (http://www.thatsracin.com/140/story/12473.html)

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Joe Gibbs Racing will take the summer to decide if the organization can expand to four teams in 2010. "We can still plug in a fourth team," team president J.D. Gibbs said. "We're in no hurry. If we have to wait a year, that's fine. You have got to have the right driver, the right core group and the right sponsor. But if that happened, we could do it pretty quick. "I wouldn't cross it off for next year, but at the same time we're not going to force it."
Charlotte Observer (http://www.thatsracin.com/115/story/12465.html)

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Kyle Busch was NASCAR's hottest driver at this time last year, winning on the road course at Sonoma for his fifth Sprint Cup Series win of the season. This year has been very streaky, and although Busch is tied with Mark Martin for a series-high three wins, his success seems to come in bunches. He hasn't won since May at Richmond, and he's had just one top-10 finish in the five races since. But a team meeting last week - sans teammates Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano - has Busch convinced that Joe Gibbs Racing can get back on a roll. Owner Joe Gibbs, president J.D. Gibbs and Busch sat down with the crew chiefs and engineers from the three-team organization. "We just all sat down and talked about what my feelings were in the car and where I felt like we were struggling at and why I felt we were struggling," Busch said. "We need to get our cars better, that's the biggest thing. Our cars aren't as good as they were last year. Hopefully, the meeting we had will solve some of that and we can continue to get better and learn from some of the mistakes we've made this year."
Charlotte Observer (http://www.thatsracin.com/115/story/12402.html)

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kpsFoMXgL4U

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1. Tony Stewart
2. Jeff Gordon -84
3. Jimmie Johnson -157
4. Kurt Busch - 280
5. Carl Edwards -313
6. Ryan Newman -318
7. Denny Hamlin -355
8. Greg Biffle -372
9. Kyle Busch -402
10. Matt Kenseth -407
11. Mark Martin -438
12. Juan Montaya -447

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Contrary to multiple radio and Internet reports, no teams at Richard Petty Motorsports will change manufacturers before the conclusion of the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season. Several reports Monday indicated driver Kasey Kahne's at RPM would change over to Toyota before the end of the season while one or more of the remaining teams at the organization would remain with Dodge. Team officials told the Observer Monday afternoon that was not true.
Charlotte Observer (http://www.thatsracin.com/140/story/12645.html)

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Word in the Infineon Raceway garage over the week was that Toyota has decided to follow its three corporate rivals and pull all but engineering and technical support and parts supplies from the two NASCAR tours. Lee White, head of Toyota' racing development operations: "Toyota and TRD have been in the process for over a year, of adapting our series support for the Truck/Nationwide programs to be appropriate to the value of each series. Our process in the future will not be determined by other manufacturer's actions but by the value delivered by each series. At this point there is no plan to change our involvement for the remainder of this season. As always we will re evaluate each series over the winter and could make appropriate adjustments

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To compensate for cuts from General Motors, Rick Hendrick is thinking about expanding his affiliate programs. Hendrick already had cut some spending thinking that GM would end up filing for bankruptcy, nullifying some of its commitments. And now he is thinking about how to expand his business with affiliate programs, including the possibility of aligning with JR Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series. Hendrick would have to sell off his half of JR Motorsports if Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sister Kelley Earnhardt wanted to move JR Motorsports from being a Nationwide Series team to a Sprint Cup team because of the four-team owners cap.
SceneDaily.com (http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/Rick_Hendrick_open_to_more_Cup_affiliations_includ ing_with_JR_Motorsports.html)

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Jeremy Mayfield denied Thursday ever taking methamphetamines, doesn't know how he failed a random drug test and said his indefinite suspension from NASCAR has ruined his driving career.

Mayfield's denial comes in an affidavit that was among several hundred pages of documents filed by his attorneys in U.S. District Court. He's been suspended since May 9 for failing a random drug test conducted eight days earlier at Richmond International Raceway.

"I have never taken methamphetamines in my life, and when accused of taking them I immediately volunteered to give another urine sample," Mayfield said in the affidavit, which also says his offer of a second sample was denied.

NASCAR has refused to reveal what drug Mayfield was caught using, classifying it only as a "a dangerous, illegal, banned substance." Mayfield has said his positive test stemmed from the combined use of Adderall for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Claritin-D for allergies -- an explanation that was rejected by Dr. David Black, CEO of Aegis Sciences Corp. in Nashville, Tenn., which runs NASCAR's testing program.

But Ohio forensic toxicologist Harry Plotnick disputed Black's dismissal in an affidavit in support of Mayfield, saying a component of Claritin in certain circumstances "could produce a false positive for methamphetamine."

[Goodfellas]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The Nationwide series will emulate the top NASCAR circuit by using double-file restarts with the leaders at the front throughout races, beginning with the event at Daytona International Speedway on July 3.

Just as the Sprint Cup series has moved away from having lapped cars next to the lead cars on restarts, the Nationwide drivers will line up according to the standings for restarts.

Double-file restarts were introduced at the non-points NASCAR Sprint all-star race in May and the change was fully instituted for the Sprint Cup Series earlier this month at Pocono Raceway.

"Since NASCAR made the decision to implement the double-file restarts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series a few weeks ago, it's been a huge hit with fans and competitors alike," Daytona International Speedway president Robin Braig said.

"Race fans have seen firsthand the thrilling racing that double-file restarts produce at Daytona International Speedway in the Budweiser Shootout, and we're glad to see these restart procedures will now be instituted in the NASCAR Nationwide series, beginning with next week's (race) at Daytona

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LOUDON, N.H. (AP) -- Tony Stewart had to move to a backup car Friday after crashing in the first NASCAR Sprint Cup practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The series points leader hit the wall hard early in the session on the 1.058-mile oval, sending the crew of his Stewart-Haas Racing team scrambling to get the backup No. 14 Chevrolet ready in time to get Stewart back on track.

"I just got loose going in the corner,'' said Stewart, co-owner of the team. "Goodyear came down and was worried, but it wasn't a tire problem. Once I got out of the groove, I just ran out of room. I was staying right with it and I just needed another 50 feet to get it gathered up. I just ran out of racetrack.

"The good thing and the comforting part of the situation was that I've got a group of guys that I have the utmost confidence in when we get in a situation like that,'' he added. "(I know) you'll recover from this and get the backup car out and get it ready and go out and finish the session and finish competitive.''

It's the second time in four races that Stewart has crashed and been forced to move to a backup car. At Pocono, he started from the rear of the field after crashing in Saturday practice and won his first race as an owner-driver.

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LOUDON, N.H. (AP) -- Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Nationwide race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday.

The victory by Busch, who now has 52 wins in NASCAR's three professional series, added to a string of 23 different winners in 23 Nationwide races on the 1.058-mile oval.

Busch passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and pole-winner Joey Logano 36 laps from the end of the race and pulled away to his fifth victory of the year in the second-tier series.

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LOUDON, N.H. (AP) -- Teenager Joey Logano became the youngest winner in the history of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series Sunday, winning the rain-shortened race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The precocious 19-year-old rookie came back from a crash that put him a lap down earlier in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 and won his first Cup race in his 20th start.

Logano was among a group of drivers who moved to the front of the field after getting out of sequence on fuel stops. The youngster took the lead when Ryan Newman, trying to stay on track as long as possible with rain threatening, ran out of gas on lap 264 in the event scheduled to go 301 laps.

Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon moved into second and was steadily cutting into the lead as Logano, with a nearly empty gas tank, conserved as much fuel as possible. But the rain began falling three laps later and, after NASCAR put out a red flag in hopes of drying the track, the rain began falling harder and the race was called after 273 laps.

"I guess I'd rather be lucky than good right now," Logano said as he waited for the decision. "Obviously, we didn't have the car to win, but we've overcame a lot today: tires down and more issues than you can imagine."

Logano, 19 years, one month and 4 days old, broke the record set by Kyle Busch for the youngest winner. Busch, now 24, was 20 years, four months and two days when he won for the first time.

Logano took over the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota that had been driven the last 10 years by two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart. He also inherited veteran crew chief Greg Zipadelli, who worked with Stewart through that entire period.

"He said to just stay out, rain's in the area," Logano said of Zipadelli. "So we started saving a little bit of fuel ... It would be a dream come true, that's for sure."

It was a virtual home victory for Logano, who was raised in Middletown, Conn.

Gordon was disappointed with the second-place finish.
"I felt like we had the best car," Gordon said. "The guys got us out first on our last pit stop, but it just got us out ahead of the guys we were racing with."

He congratulated Logano and said Zipadelli made "a gutsy call" leaving the youngster on track.

"I was trying to get him to use as much fuel on the caution laps as I could," Gordon said, grinning. "I thought for sure he was going to run out of gas. But we're here on pit road and it's raining hard, so I guess it worked out for him."

Kurt Busch, who won a rain-shortened event here last June, finished third, followed by David Reutimann and Stewart, now part owner of his own team and the series points leader

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Ron Hornaday dominated his second consecutive race and won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Memphis Motorsports Park.

Hornaday, the series points leader, won last week at Milwaukee in the same truck by leading 180 of 200 laps. He had a similar performance in the MemphisTravel.com 200 on Saturday night.
He started on the pole after a qualifying lap of 117.7 mph and led 175 of 201 laps on the 3/4-mile oval.

"It's a pretty dominant truck, for some reason," Hornaday said. "I don't know what we're doing to it, but we're going to go back and copy it somehow."

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C1NPmaS9wUw

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Jeremy Mayfield will go head-to-head with NASCAR this week in what very well may be his last shot at racing again this season. If a federal judge agrees Wednesday to lift his indefinite suspension for a failed random drug test, Mayfield has indicated he'll go straight to Daytona International Speedway to attempt to resurrect his career. But if the decision goes for NASCAR, then Mayfield is in for a long legal battle that will potentially destroy him both personally and professionally.
Charlotte Observer (http://www.thatsracin.com/140/story/13122.html)

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Earnhardt Ganassi Racing President Steve Lauletta said no matter what happens with Martin Truex Jr., he expects Bass Pro Shops will remain with the organization for 2010. Truex, who drives for EGR, is expected to be announced as the 2010 full-time replacement for Michael Waltrip at Michael Waltrip Racing on July 7.
SceneDaily.com (http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/_Earnhardt_Ganassi_Racing_expects_to_keep_Bass_Pro _Shops_regardless_of_Martin_Truex_Jr_decision.html )

[Goodfellas]

As soon as he checked his rearview mirror and saw the swirl of pinballing cars getting farther and farther away, Kyle Busch knew that on a day in which there was one wreck after another, the blame for the biggest of them all would fall at his brake pedal. The hate overflowed anyhow. "Kyle just lost his head like he usually does when something bad happens," said Truex, 24th in the points after finishing 37th. "He decided he wasn't going to lift [off the gas pedal]. He was going to turn me on the straightaway for no good reason at all." After watching the replays from the Care Center with his No. 83 Toyota done for the day, Brian Vickers, 17th in the points and five spots out of the Chase, came to a quick conclusion. ???It looked like the 18 was completely impatient,?????? he said.
Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/autoracing/articles/2009/06/29/angry_foes_pile_on_busch_for_his_role_in_nascar_wr eck/)

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The latest on the Danica Patrick/NASCAR saga is quite intriguing. If the Indy-car star does jump from the Indy Racing League to NASCAR, as increasingly appears likely, the battle for her, according to sources close to the negotiations, is down to car owners Rick Hendrick, of Chevrolet, and Jack Roush, of Ford. According to these sources, Hendrick and General Motors' Chevrolet division are now suddenly the heavy favorites to sign Patrick. And the key would apparently be Hendrick's willingness to put her in a Sprint Cup ride for the full 2010 season. Roush has said he would like to see her run some NASCAR Nationwide and/or Truck events, along with six or seven Cup events, to get her accustomed to stock car racing. Hendrick reportedly is willing to go further.
mikemulhern.net (http://www.mikemulhern.net/index.php?q=breakingnow/danica-patrick-latest-report-puts-her-rick-hendrick-chevrolet-instead-jack-roush-ford)

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Former drivers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip are two of the 25 nominees for the first NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class.

NASCAR released the two names Tuesday ahead of the announcement of all nominees Thursday night.

The first class will consist of five members. They'll be inducted in conjunction with the opening of the Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte next May.

Allison and Waltrip were longtime rivals and are tied for third with 84 victories in NASCAR's top series. Waltrip won three Cup championships and Allison one.

A 21-member nominating committee selected the nominees from NASCAR drivers, owners and promoters

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LOUDON, N.H. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. had one of the most satisfying 13th-place finishes in his NASCAR career Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Gas strategies and a rain-shortened race probably cost the crowd favorite a better finish, but Earnhardt ran well throughout the day, spending most of the 273 laps in the top 10 and running quite a bit in the top five.

"We ran good today," said Earnhardt, in only his sixth race with crew chief Lance McGrew. "I want to thank Lance and the team. ... They did a good, man, giving me a good car. I had fun today. I hope we can keep this up.

"Being around fifth and looking at the top five, that was great," he added. "Seeing the leaders most of the day in your windshield is better than where we have been."

Earnhardt moved up one spot in the standings to 19th with nine races remaining until the start of the Chase for the championship, which will include only the top 12 drivers.

"We are inching so slowly up back in to where we need to run," he said. "It is taking a while but, hopefully, we keep moving forward

[Goodfellas]

NASCAR on Tuesday revised its penalty against Nationwide Series crew chief Bryan Berry and will lift his indefinite suspension on July 7. Berry was indefinitely suspended June 11 for the use of a racial slur directed toward driver Marc Davis following a race at Nashville Superspeedway. NASCAR officials confirmed at the time that Berry, crew chief for series rookie Brendan Gaughan, had a verbal confrontation with Davis, who is black. Berry, who is white, used a racial slur on his way to confront Davis as the two exchanged words about an incident between Gaughan and Davis on pit road. During the race, Gaughan was making a pit stop when Davis turned in front of his car to enter the garage area for repairs. The collision significantly damaged to both cars.
Charlotte Observer (http://www.thatsracin.com/140/story/13129.html)

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ATLANTA (AP) -- Play-by-play announcer Bill Weber will not call the last two races of TNT's NASCAR coverage.

Weber wasn't in the booth for last weekend's race from New Hampshire Motor Speedway. TNT said Wednesday that Ralph Sheheen will again take his spot, working The Coke Zero 400 in Daytona and the LifeLock.com 400 from Chicagoland.

TNT did not give a reason for Weber's absence. In a statement Sunday about the New Hampshire race, the network said: "As this is a private issue, it's the policy of the company not to discuss personal matters involving our employees."

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After all the hoopla Jeremy Mayfield missed the deadline to enter a car for Saturday night's race at Daytona :rolleyes:

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Joe Gibbs didn't expect his gamble to pay off so soon.

The car owner hedged when asked whether he expected Joey Logano to win a race during his rookie season in Sprint Cup.
"Do I need to tell the truth on that?'' the former NFL coach replied, grinning.

The kid who started driving when he was 4 years old, wheeling a go-kart around the yard of his father's hazardous waste disposal business in Portland, Conn., is now 19 and racing with the big boys in NASCAR.

On his journey to the Sprint Cup series, Logano has proved over and over that he is a phenom, winning races at every level.
Now he's a winner in Cup, the youngest driver to reach Victory Lane in NASCAR's 61-year history.

The first of what most observers believe will be many Cup wins came Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where Logano won a rain-shortened race.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Tony Stewart will start from a familiar spot Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.
The Sprint Cup points leader was awarded the pole for the Coke Zero 400 when rain washed out qualifying Friday.

It was Stewart's third pole -- all in rainouts -- in the last five races. He also started up front at Pocono last month and New Hampshire last week.

"It really doesn't matter anyway," he said. "In a Cup race, if your car is good enough to get to the front, you can do it from dead last, so it really doesn't matter if you start from the pole or not. The advantage is it gives us a good pit selection. That's what helps. Other than that, it's really not an issue."

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Clint Bowyer's first victory of the season gave Richard Childress Racing a much-needed boost.
Bowyer won the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night, holding off Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards in a green-white-checkered finish.

The defending series champion was the leader when a four-car accident brought out the caution with six laps to go in the Subway Jalapeno 250. That set up a final two-lap overtime sprint, and Bowyer lined up inside of Edwards for the double-file restart.

With Busch pushing him from behind, Bowyer raced to the front. He didn't have to deal with a challenge from Busch because an accident in the fourth turn brought out a race-ending caution, giving RCR its first win of the year.

Busch finished second, followed by Edwards, Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne.

[Goodfellas]

At least one Sprint Cup Series driver says Aegis Laboratories, which administers NASCAR's drug-testing program, has altered its methods of collecting samples. Kasey Kahne said he was tested two weeks ago at the race weekend at Sonoma, Calif., and said there was a more involved process. "I've been tested a few times this year and early in the year, I would go and get tested and it was kind of in-and-out," he said. "Now, every little step you have to sign your name and initial ...work with the person that is taking the sample." Kahne said he believes it was an effort to make sure the driver and the person taking the sample "are on the same page."
Charlotte Observer (http://www.thatsracin.com/140/story/13179.html)

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Kyle Busch braced himself for a four-lap "trophy dash" around Daytona International Speedway, intent on snatching a win away from Tony Stewart.

Busch thought he mapped out the strategy to take him to Victory Lane.

Instead, he ended the race in the infield care center after a vicious last-lap accident sent him flying into the wall as Stewart skirted by for a somber win.

"That's not the way I wanted to do it," Stewart said after his Saturday night win gave him his third victory in five years in Daytona's summer race.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- An overheated Kyle Busch received intravenous fluids Saturday following his driving stint in the Grand-Am race, then retreated to his motorhome to rest before NASCAR's 400-mile Sprint Cup event.

Busch, the defending race winner of NASCAR's Coke Zero 400, drove 70 minutes in his sports car series debut. He split the Chip Ganassi-owned ride with fellow NASCAR driver Scott Speed.

"Very, very, hot in those cars," Busch said. "Just the biggest thing was to get some fluids back in me since I know I lost a ton of fluids. The faster you can get to the medical center after getting out of the car, the faster I could get taken care of and get some rest before tonight's race."

A spokesman for Busch said the driver received the IV as a precautionary measure.

Busch and Speed teamed to finish 10th in the race at Daytona International Speedway. He'd been lobbying Ganassi for a seat in the prestigious Rolex 24 hour race at Daytona, but Ganassi told him to try the 2-hour July race first.

That event had typically been run two days before the NASCAR race, but Grand-Am, which is now owned by NASCAR, moved it to Saturday afternoon as a doubleheader with the Sprint Cup Series.
The race was won by SunTrust Racing's duo of Max Angelelli and Brian Frisselle

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Brian France defended NASCAR's drug testing policy as the toughest in professional sports, despite a federal judge's ruling that overturned driver Jeremy Mayfield's suspension.

Mayfield was indefinitely suspended May 9 for what NASCAR said was a positive test for methamphetamines. He sued to be reinstated, and a federal judge issued an injunction Wednesday that allowed Mayfield to return to competition based on Mayfield's argument that NASCAR's testing system is flawed.

U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen questioned the test results, saying the possibility of a false positive was "quite substantial'' and ruled the harm to Mayfield significantly outweighed the harm to NASCAR.

But NASCAR's chairman said the sport needs a tough system that bans impaired drivers from competition.

"We remain very comfortable and very calm despite the ruling, that our policy is thorough, it's accurate, and it's fair,'' France said Friday at Daytona International Speedway, site of Saturday night's race.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Jeremy Mayfield wasn't at Daytona International Speedway for Saturday night's race, citing the media attention on his legal fight with NASCAR as an unnecessary distraction from the Independence Day celebration.

NASCAR suspended Mayfield May 9 for testing positive for methamphetamines, and he sued to be reinstated. On Wednesday, a federal judge issued an injunction clearing him to return to competition, and Mayfield indicated he'd travel to Daytona.

But he didn't enter his Mayfield Motorsports team and had no ride lined up for the race. Still, there was a constant watch for his arrival, which was expected to happen Saturday.

Instead, he and wife Shana issued a statement at the same time the pre-race driver meeting began at Daytona.

"We've been watching on television and reading online about the `Storm Clouds Over Daytona' and the `Mayfield Media Circus,"' he wrote. "Honestly, this is the last thing Shana or I want for anybody. This weekend shouldn't be about a questionable drug test or a flawed drug testing system. It should be about celebrating our country, the greatest country in the world.

"So, enjoy the weekend with your friends and family, and have a very Happy Independence Day. We look forward to seeing you all at the track very soon."

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NASCAR asked a federal judge Monday to renew Jeremy Mayfield's ban from racing, saying officials face "resistance from other drivers refusing to put their lives at risk with Mayfield on the track." Court papers filed by NASCAR cite comments attributed to Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Burton, as quoted by espn.com. Burton reportedly said, "One thing I disagree with the judge on, my safety is important to me. . . . He potentially put my safety in jeopardy by that decision."
Charlotte Observer (http://obspapertrail.blogspot.com/2009/07/nascar-drivers-wont-race-mayfield.html)

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Elliott Sadler's season has been about as bumpy as a lap around Daytona International Speedway.
He threatened a lawsuit to keep his ride, nearly won the season-opening Daytona 500 and endured all sorts of changes, cutbacks and layoffs at Richard Petty Motorsports. But Sadler remains upbeat, even with the team's uncertain future with Dodge.

Why? Because he believes things are about to turn.

"We just need some momentum, we need a little change of direction, we need something really good to happen to this race team," Sadler said.

Coming off his second 10th-place finish in the last three weeks, Sadler has reason to be optimistic heading into this weekend's race at Chicago. It also helps that some of his favorite racetracks -- Indianapolis, Pocono, Michigan and Bristol -- are on the horizon.

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be fine.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Two-time Allstate 400 winner Tony Stewart said Wednesday he is confident Goodyear has solved the tire problems that plagued last year's race at the Brickyard.

Stewart is among the drivers who have participated in Goodyear's seven test sessions at the track since last year, when severe tire wear turned the race into a series of 10- to 12-lap sprints.

"I can promise you they put on a full-court press on making sure we don't have the issues we had last year," Stewart said during an appearance at the track with teammate Ryan Newman. "We were able to run almost 30 laps and were still not down to the cords on the tires, so I'm confident that with a full field there shouldn't be any issues at all.

"Obviously I can't guarantee that, but I can tell you that normally the test is a lot worse on tire wear than it is in the race," he said. "I think they've come back with a combination that's not only durable but also to where it should be better racing."

The July 26 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be the first for Stewart as both driver and team owner. He said that gives him two shots to win, and either would be fine

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR has asked an appeals court to overturn the injunction that lifted Jeremy Mayfield's indefinite suspension for a failing a random drug test.

NASCAR made its request Wednesday to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In the filing, NASCAR argues allowing Mayfield on the track presents potentially fatal consequences to other drivers, teams and fans.

The filing claims U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen relied on incorrect information when he lifted the suspension last week.
NASCAR has said Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine, but the driver has denied using the illegal drug. His lawyers contend NASCAR's drug policy is flawed because it does not meet federal guidelines.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- If any of the entries breaks down at Darlington Raceway's fall festival, they might not have to look far for replacement parts.

Track president Chris Browning said on Tuesday that O'Reilly Auto Parts has signed on as a presenting sponsor for the Darlington Historic Racing Festival in September.

The second-year festival is Darlington's attempt to tap into its history as NASCAR's oldest superspeedway and keep the quirky oval relevant when it's not hosting the annual Mother's Day weekend Sprint Cup race.

"That's our goal, to build this thing," Browning said. "You hear Darlington Raceway and you think about the history and tradition of the sport and this event fits right in with that.

"I really think that in 10 years, we're going to be just in awe of how big the event has gotten."

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Tony Stewart says Kyle Busch holds no hard feelings about the final-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway.

Stewart said he spoke to Busch on Tuesday and that they are on the "same page" following the accident that sent Busch to the infield care center and Stewart to Victory Lane in the final moments of the 400-mile race on Saturday night.

Busch took the lead on the next-to-last lap and tried to fend off a hard-charging Stewart. Busch tried to block Stewart, but Stewart hooked Busch's right rear fender instead, sending him into the wall a few hundred yards from the finish.

Stewart said on Wednesday that Busch understood the incident was just a part of racing.

Busch, who finished 14th, has not spoken publicly since the wreck.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR on Wednesday asked an appeals court to ban Jeremy Mayfield from racing, alleging the participation of "a proven methamphetamine user" could lead to fatal consequences for other competitors and fans.

NASCAR wants the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen's decision last week to lift Mayfield's indefinite suspension following a positive drug test.
Mayfield attorney John Buric scoffed at the idea Mayfield is a potential danger and revealed the driver was tested twice Monday -- once at an independent laboratory and once at his home by NASCAR.

"He's not a danger, and they have the right to test him anytime to find that out," Buric said. "In fact, they did test him on Monday night at his home. A group of people went to his home and watched him pee in a cup. It was humiliating."

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JOLIET, ILL. (AP) -- Kyle Busch says Tony Stewart caused him to wreck on the last lap at Daytona International Speedway last week, and questioned if drivers should be allowed to win if they cause an accident that lets them take the lead.

Busch says a driver should be black-flagged if he triggers a wreck late in the race and goes on to win. Busch says he has no problems with a driver bumping the one ahead of him out of the way if it doesn't cause an accident.

At Daytona, Busch took the lead on the next-to-last lap and tried to fend off a hard-charging Stewart. He successfully blocked Stewart once, but when he tried to do it again Stewart hooked Busch's right rear fender instead, sending Busch into the wall a few hundred yards from the finish

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JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Former crew chief Tony Eury Jr. says he feels as if he let down driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. because the pair could never turn around this year's slow start and that it's time for him to move on professionally from his cousin.

Eury is back at the track for the first time since he was removed as Earnhardt's crew chief in late May. Eury, speaking Thursday at Chicagoland Speedway, says Earnhardt has so much pressure on him this year that he's not enjoying racing.

Eury says it was difficult to listen to the criticism levied his way by fans and the media. Eury says it was time to try something different because the Hendrick Motorsports team was not getting the results they wanted.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. would jump at the chance to drive in the Indianapolis 500 if there were not a conflicting NASCAR race on the same day.

Rain washed out his plans for a ride in a two-seat Indy car on Thursday. Instead, he strapped himself behind the wheel and received a 10-minute, stationary lesson in Indy driving from former 500 winner Dan Wheldon.

"Any time you're around a race car and there's a driver that has driven that car, you're going to ask what it drives like, what it feels like, what it does, how it works,'' Earnhardt said. "I picked his brains as hard as I could.''

He said driving at Indianapolis "definitely interests me.''
"I'd love to drive one (Indy car), to go to the track and put some laps in,'' Earnhardt said.

But he said he would not try to race both at Indianapolis and in NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, N.C. on the same day.

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JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Brian Vickers won his fifth NASCAR pole of the season for the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Thursday.

Vickers ran a lap of 184.162 mph (296.37 kph) to start at the front in Saturday's race.

Red Bull Racing teammate Scott Speed qualified second at 182.958 mph (294.43 kph). Three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson was third.

Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top five.
Vickers hasn't had those poles help him drive to Victory Lane. He hasn't finished higher than fifth this season.
He has 10 career poles in 191 races.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Unable to find funding since his suspension for failing a random drug test, Jeremy Mayfield is considering selling his race team.

Shana Mayfield said Thursday she and her husband are considering selling their remaining inventory because they don't have the cash to field a race team. Mayfield transferred ownership of the No. 41 Toyota to his wife following his May 9 suspension.

"We are looking at all options at this point, since we cannot get sponsorship," Shana Mayfield said.

Jeremy Mayfield told ESPN earlier Thursday that he had a meeting scheduled with a potential buyer on Monday when NASCAR summoned him for a drug test. It was the first indication he might not bring Mayfield Motorsports back to the track.

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Earnhardt Ganassi Racing President Steve Lauletta says he could understand what Martin Truex Jr. was saying when the driver commented that he is leaving EGR for Michael Waltrip Racing in part because MWR has fewer questions about its future. But Lauletta is looking optimistically at the future of his own organization. "I think we're very stable," Lauletta said in a phone interview Tuesday. "We have a car sitting in the top 12. We've got really good sponsors. However, there are a couple of things that I know he's alluding to, one of those being manufacturer. We've been working with General Motors. We all know that story. We're very happy with what we're doing with [Earnhardt Childress Racing engines] and our relationship with Chevrolet. We all had to make adjustments based on bankruptcy. They're obviously Toyota and they're not having the same discussions."
SceneDaily.com (http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/Earnhardt_Ganassi_president_says_team_is_stable_Tr uex_leaving_on_good_terms.html)

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Martin Truex's current crew chief Bono Manion is expected to join Michael Waltrip Racing in the future, whether that date is after Homestead or before is likely predicated on the Chip Ganassi. Manion has worked with Truex since the May Richmond race in 2003. If Truex and Manion leave EGR prematurely, Aric Almirola, who is still under contract but has not raced since Texas due to a lack of sponsorship, could jump in the car.
foxsports.com (http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/9779104/What-Truex's-move-to-MWR-means)

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JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Joey Logano's only wrong move of the night came after the Nationwide Series race.

He walked past the press conference setup and down the wrong aisle until he was turned around and pointed the right way.
"I've never been here before," Logano said, smiling.

That can be forgiven because Logano sure does know his way to Victory Lane.

Logano won the Nationwide race at Chicagoland Speedway for his third win of the season and continues to live up to his billing as one of NASCAR's rising stars.

"We just drove the wheels off her at the end," Logano said

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR was still analyzing Jeremy Mayfield's latest drug test Friday, four days after demanding the driver submit to a random test.

"The process continues," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said, declining further comment.

Dr. David Black, the program administrator, said Wednesday the test processed by Aegis Sciences Corp. would be completed by Friday at the latest. His Nashville, Tenn.-based lab typically needs four days to analyze a sample.

"I just don't think there's anything to report right now. I did not come to work (Friday) expecting we'd get the results," Mayfield attorney John Buric said. "But then again, I'm a lawyer, and I can wait a year for a ruling. So I am never too surprised when things take time. I wouldn't read too much into it, honestly

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fjeECRAQ9Zo

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JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Mark Martin will feel his age in the morning or a day or two after a race.

His bones will stiffen and his body will ache after driving 400 grueling miles, even though the fitness fanatic is still in top shape.
After all, 50 is 50 and that matters -- well, everywhere but on the track.

Martin is still nifty at 50 and has made Cup racing his personal senior circuit. He won at Chicagoland Speedway, getting the strong jump off the double-file restart with two laps left to win his series-high fourth race of the season.

"I'm going to feel like hell tomorrow because I ain't going to sleep much tonight," Martin said on Saturday night. "When I'm pumped up driving fast race cars, I certainly don't feel 50."

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JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Brad Keselowski's racing team for 2010 is still undecided.
The 25-year-old Keselowski hoped a recent meeting with team owner Rick Hendrick would answer some questions about where he'd be racing next season. Keselowski wants a full-time ride next year, and he's optimistic he can stay affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports. He discussed several possibilities with Hendrick, though no final decision was reached.

"I have some preferences, but I haven't gotten very far with them," Keselowski said. "I'm not really close on anything."

Keselowski was making only his seventh Cup start of the season Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway. He qualified 29th in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 25 Chevrolet, and had Tony Eury Jr., as his crew chief. Eury was calling the shots for the first time since he was ousted as Dale Earnhardt Jr's crew chief in late May.

Eury's father is Keselowski's crew chief at JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series. Keselowski drives the No. 88 in the second-tier series for Earnhardt, who could move the team up to NASCAR's premier series and open up a spot for him.

Keselowski was introduced at Friday night's Nationwide race as "Junior's best buddy."

Keselowski, who had a surprise Cup victory in April at Talladega, could also run next season as a third entry at the Hendrick-supported Stewart-Haas Racing.

NASCAR's four-car limit means Hendrick doesn't have an open seat for 2010.

No matter where he ends up, Keselowski felt he would have a full-time ride next season.

"I feel pretty confident that's the way it's heading," he said. "It would have to be a big problem to come up for that not to happen."
He recorded his lone Cup win for owner James Finch and runs a part-time schedule this season for Finch and Hendrick. Keselowski said he wasn't feeling impatient and was just thrilled there was interest in him, especially in this economy. But he found enough common ground over future goals with Hendrick that Keselowski expected to remain in the fold.

"I think he appreciates the fact that I can be blunt sometimes," Keselowski said. "We've made progress because of that. I don't hide how I feel about things. I think there's a home for me over here."

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Double-file Restarts

Race director David Hoots issued a warning at the drivers meeting that rules' flexibility with the double-file restarts is over.
"You're the best in the world and you shouldn't have any problems doing this," Hoots said.

Hoots said NASCAR officials had been "lenient" as drivers became accustomed to the revamped restarts. But Saturday night's race at Chicagoland Speedway marked the sixth one with the new format and it was time to get tough.

One example: Hoots said the lower-place driver should no longer expect to get away with beating the higher one to the line, then give the spot back.

"It's not going to happen," Hoots said.
Crew chief Chad Knaus, and drivers Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin were among the attendee's who still had questions about the policy.

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Pit Stops

Red Bull Racing swept the front row for the first time. Brian Vickers sat on the pole and Scott Speed was second. ... Only 14 drivers have competed in the eight Cup races at Chicagoland. ... Six different drivers have won races. Kyle Busch won here last year

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Martin Truex Jr. has been penalized by NASCAR for a rules violation during Saturday's race at Chicagoland Speedway.

NASCAR announced Tuesday that Truex was docked 25 points in the Sprint Cup Series driver standings because his right rear quarter panel was found to be too high at the post-race inspection. Truex is 24th in the standings. His No. 1 Chevrolet finished 16th on Saturday.

Crew chief Kevin Manion was fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Owner Teresa Earnhardt was penalized 25 points in the Sprint Cup Series owner standings.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR said Jeremy Mayfield once again tested positive for methamphetamine and asked the federal judge who lifted the driver's drug suspension to reinstate the ban.

The positive result from a July 6 random test was included in a U.S. District Court filing Wednesday that included an affidavit from Mayfield's stepmother, who claimed she personally witnessed the driver using methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years.
Mayfield once again denied ever using the illegal drug.

"I don't trust anything NASCAR does, anything (program administrator) Dr. David Black does, never have, never will," Mayfield told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
Lisa Mayfield said she first saw the driver use meth in 1998 at a race shop in Mooresville, N.C. She said Mayfield cooked his own drugs until the ingredient pseudoephedrine was taken off the shelves and it became too difficult for Mayfield to obtain the ingredients. She said her stepson then began to purchase meth from others.

"Between 1998 and 2005, I am personally aware that Jeremy used methamphetamines often," she said in her affidavit. "I was concerned about his heavy use and talked to his father about it. I saw Jeremy use methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the 7 years I was around him. Jeremy used methamphetamine not only in my presence, but also when we were both in the presence of others."

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MADISON, IL. (AP) -- Kyle Busch dominated the NASCAR Nationwide Series again, cruising to victory in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 on Saturday.

Busch, who leads the series standings by 212 points (3,121-2,909) over Carl Edwards, won for the sixth time in 19 races season and also captured the 27th win of his career. The 27 wins ties him for fourth all-time in Nationwide wins with Jeff Burton.

Reed Sorenson finished second and Carl Edwards was third. Mike Bliss and Brad Coleman rounded out the top five.

"The car drove really well," Busch said. "It was like a rocket ship. We just drove right up to the front."

Busch, who started from the fifth row, has finished first or second in the last seven Nationwide races including wins at Loudon, N.H., and Nashville, Tenn.

"We've really worked hard to improve on our short track program," said Jason Ratcliff, Busch's crew chief.

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CLERMONT, Ind. (AP) -- Ron Hornaday Jr. wasn't sure if he could keep Mike Skinner at bay in his quest to make NASCAR trucks history.

Hornaday led coming out of a caution with 10 laps remaining in the AAA Insurance 200 Friday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park, but Skinner quickly made it a two-car race to the finish.
"I didn't think I could hold my breath that many laps, but I did," he said.

The win made Hornaday the first driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to win four consecutive races. The three-time series champion had previously won at Milwaukee, Memphis and Kentucky. He credited his Kevin Harvick, Inc. teammates for his success.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Chip Ganassi said Friday he doesn't believe he's the right car owner to help Danica Patrick move to NASCAR, and he advised the driver to accomplish her goals in IndyCar before switching formulas.

Ganassi, who owns race teams in IndyCar, NASCAR and Grand-Am, was one of the few car owners with the ability to offer Patrick a slow transition into stock cars that also allowed her to stay in open-wheel racing. But speaking before NASCAR practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he said he's not the right car owner for her potential move.

"My counsel to her was she's pretty close to making that last step in IndyCar racing, and she could easily do that in the next three or four years and still do (NASCAR),'' Ganassi said. "She's one of those athletes that she can make a lot of turns in her career today and will still be able to make other turns in the future. It's up to her.''

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CLERMONT, Ind. (AP) -- Carl Edwards has an idea that would revolutionize racing.

He'd be in favor of starting the fastest cars in the back so the fans could enjoy watching them blow past their competition while trying to get to the front.

Edwards explained his unique idea after giving a good example of why such a plan might work. He came from the back of the pack Saturday to win the Nationwide Series race at O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Edwards started 42nd out of 43 drivers because he spent the day at Brickyard 400 qualifying and got into the Saturday night race on owner points. He moved up 15 spots by the end of the fourth lap, and took the lead for good in lap 179.


"I definitely like starting in the back," he said. "It would be fine with me if we qualified for points and inverted the field every week. I think that would be a lot more exciting racing. It's fun when you've got fast cars starting in the back. I know the crowd likes it, especially for these short races."

Kyle Busch, who started 41st and qualified because of owner points, finished second

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- NASCAR star Jeff Gordon has decided not to have a second procedure to deal with an achy back and instead will try to deal with the pain.

Gordon said on Saturday at qualifying for Sunday's Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the first procedure didn't help much and he didn't see the point in having another injection of anti-inflammatory medication.

The four-time series champion has been dealing with a sore back for several months but ruled out surgery because it was too invasive.
Instead he will continue to focus on a series of stretching exercises and physical training in hopes the condition will improve.
Gordon was second in the points race behind Tony Stewart and will be looking for his record fifth victory at Indy.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- So much for that Jimmie Johnson-Kurt Busch feud.

For now anyway.

The two NASCAR stars have cleared the air -- finally -- following their latest run-in at Chicago two weeks ago and don't expect any carry-over in Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Johnson said Busch walked over smiling in the garage area before practice on Friday and the two had little trouble sorting things out.
"It was nothing," Johnson said. "He walked over smiling."
The three-time defending series champion stressed to Busch their recent trouble wasn't personal.

"There's been a couple of periods in my career where no matter where I go on the track I end up driving into somebody and it's the same dang guy," Johnson said. "It ended up being Kurt the last few weeks and I assured him that it was nothing that I'm searching him out for, it's just been circumstances

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Kevin Harvick is not discussing his long-term plans with Richard Childress Racing.

A disappointing season has thrown Harvick's name into the rumor mill, and he declined to answer specific questions about his future with the race team. He's signed through 2010, and Childress has said Harvick will be back with the team next season.

Harvick admits he's frustrated with the overall performance at RCR, but his focus right now is on "the week-to-week" aspect of the team and Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Harvick won the 2003 race at The Brickyard. But he's winless since the 2007 season-opening Daytona 500 and is currently 25th in the points standings.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Matt Kenseth's sponsorship search lasted less than a week.

Roush Fenway Racing said Tuesday it will move Crown Royal to the former NASCAR champion's car next season.

Crown Royal has been with the team as sponsor for Jamie McMurray, who is in the final year of his contract. RFR officials have said they want to re-sign McMurray, but only if they can find additional sponsorship.

Kenseth lost his longtime sponsor last week when Dewalt Power Tools said it would not return in 2010.

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STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Jeremy Mayfield's stepmother has sued the suspended NASCAR driver, claiming he made slanderous, false and defamatory statements.

In civil court papers filed Wednesday, Lisa Mayfield argues her stepson falsely accused her of killing his father and taking money from NASCAR. She's seeking compensatory and punitive damages of more than $10,000 each and "further relief as the Court may deem just and proper.''
Jeremy Mayfield's comments in several interviews came after his stepmother signed an affidavit claiming she witnessed him taking methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years. Her affidavit was part of a NASCAR filing asking the federal judge who lifted Mayfield's drug suspension to reinstate the ban.

An appeals court has since ruled in NASCAR's favor to keep Mayfield off the track

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Darlington Raceway has trimmed ticket prices on more than half of its seats for its 2010 NASCAR race in light of continuing tough economic times.

Darlington president Chris Browning told The Associated Press on Thursday that the track "Too Tough To Tame" would offer reduced prices on about 35,000 seats for next year's Southern 500. Add that to the 9,000 or so seats reduced by $10 for last May's event, and 44,000 of the track's 62,000 would cost less than they did in 2008.

Darlington came within 3,000 tickets of a fifth straight sellout this spring, a strong showing in a region afflicted with 12 percent unemployment. But Browning said officials didn't want to just hold the line and pray more prosperous times were ahead by May.

"We kicked around a whole lot of different scenarios," he said by phone, "and at the end of the day, we felt like this was the right thing to do."
Browning said renewal forms will go out to all ticket buyers next week. Should they respond by the deadline of Sept. 18, purchasers could receive an additional $5 discount.

The biggest reduction comes in the Wallace Grandstand along the start finish line and affecting about 2,500 seats that had been $85 this May and will go for $59 next spring. A timely renewal would mean a savings of $31 a seat

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LONG POND, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Tony Stewart lost his pole position and will start from the back of the pack after wrecking his car during practice for the Pennsylvania 500 on Saturday.

Stewart lost control of his No. 14 Chevrolet on a turn on the second lap of Saturday's first practice and spun into the wall. He was unhurt in the crash.

His Stewart-Haas Racing crew quickly got to work on the backup. Stewart leads the points standings and was the pole sitter at Pocono because rain washed out Friday's qualifying.

"I just screwed up," Stewart said. "I got in too deep and got loose and couldn't save it."

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NEWTON, Iowa (AP) -- Brad Keslowski passed Kyle Busch with eight laps left and held on to win the inaugural Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway.

Keslowski stayed on the track during a caution flag late in the race Saturday, a risk that paid off with his second victory of the year. He also won at Dover on May 30.

Busch, who started at the back after spending the morning in Pennsylvania practicing for the Sprint Cup race Sunday at Pocono, finished second after leading 84 laps. He has nine consecutive top-two finishes, tying the series record set by Jack Ingram in 1983.
Jason Leffler was third, followed by Carl Edwards and Kelly Bires

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GLADEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Ron Hornaday Jr. raced to his record fifth straight NASCAR Camping World Trucks victory, easily holding off Brian Scott in a green-white-checker finish Saturday night at Nashville Superspeedway.

"Five! Can you believe that?" the 51-year-old Hornaday said.
The Kevin Harvick Inc. driver has six wins this year to push his series-record total to 44 in 239 career starts. He also has a record three season titles.

Hornaday became the third driver in NASCAR's three national series to win five consecutive races. In Sprint Cup, Richard Petty won 10 races in a row in 1967 and five straight in 1971, and Bobby Allison also won five consecutive races in 1971

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5FLjRRq2d8A

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- David Reutimann says he is "mad as heck'' at Denny Hamlin over their wreck at Pocono Raceway.

Hamlin ran into Reutimann midway through Monday's race, and the accident essentially ended Reutimann's chances to run for the championship this season.

Reutimann was 13th in the standings. His 29th-place finish Monday dropped him to 16th in points. The top 12 drivers make the Chase, which begins in six weeks.

Hamlin went on to win Monday's race and sent Reutimann an apology text afterward. Reutimann says it didn't make him feel any better.

[Jaxf8685]

Some recent news that I can understand first hand since I work there(Lowe's)...

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP)—Lowe’s will not renew its naming rights of Lowe’s Motor Speedway when its contract expires after this season.
Lowe’s cited changing marketing strategies Thursday as the reason it won’t return in 2010. The home improvement chain signed as sponsor of then-Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1999 in the first major naming rights deal of a NASCAR track.

The Sports Business Journal reported last week that Lowe’s would not come back in 2010, but Speedway Motorsports Inc. president Marcus Smith insisted as late as Wednesday that the talks were continuing on a new deal.
Lowe’s will continue its primary sponsorship of three-time defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson (http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/sprint/drivers/213/;_ylt=AkzV31HLJWOvoaD8LMQaHZDTv7YF).






I actually prefer the track as Charlotte Motor Speedway, but then again I wonder if this means no more discount or free tickets for us who work there :/

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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) -- Robby Gordon says he's glad Joey Logano is OK after their run-ins at Watkins Glen International.

Both Cup regulars raced in Saturday's Nationwide race and had two run-ins late in the 82-lap event.

Gordon blew his right front tire after slamming Logano in the rear entering the first turn of the 2.45-mile track to bring out a caution. Gordon said Logano had knocked him sideways only moments earlier.

"I ran him down towards the inside wall on the front straight,'' Gordon said in an e-mail. "I tried to do a crossover move in turn 1 to get back by him. However, I misjudged a little, resulting in both of us getting flat tires.''
Not long after the restart, Gordon ran Logano off course into a tire barrier. Gordon said that crash, which ended Logano's day, happened when Logano tried to block him.

"Apparently, we got in a little grudge match after I cut down his tire,'' Logano said after visiting the care center. "It's a pretty raw deal. You can't fix stupid, it's forever. You put that in your memory bank.''

Gordon said it was just a matter of hard racing for the lucky dog position.
"We both had good cars and were just trying to improve our finishing position for the day,'' Gordon said. "I felt he would be OK because he was in the section where the outer loop was. Rather than going down the inner loop, he decided to cut across the grass, hitting the tire barrier.

"This is a highly competitive sport, and we are all very passionate when we are on the track,'' Gordon said. "Tempers have a tendency to flare, but hopefully in the future we will both race each other cleaner.''

Gordon said he met with NASCAR officials Sunday morning and was told there would be no penalties

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Jeremy Mayfield's estranged stepmother was accused of trespassing on the suspended NASCAR drivers' property.

A criminal complaint filed in North Carolina District Court shows Lisa Mayfield was accused of four misdemeanor counts of simple assault and one misdemeanor count of second-degree trespassing for an incident that allegedly occurred Saturday night at the driver's Catawba County home.
A Sept. 14 court date was set for Lisa Mayfield, who was released Sunday on the condition she can not access any property owned by Jeremy Mayfield.

Mayfield was suspended in May for failing a random drug test. NASCAR says he tested positive for methamphetamines, and Lisa Mayfield said in sworn testimony she personally witnessed the driver use the illegal drug at least 30 times.

He disputed her claims, alleged she was paid by NASCAR for her testimony and accused her of killing his father. Jeremy Mayfield has claimed he's in the final stages of filing a wrongful death lawsuit against his former stepmother. Police ruled Terry Mayfield's death in 2007 a suicide.
Lisa Mayfield responded by filing a defamation-of-character suit against Mayfield.

The latest twist in the family drama came Saturday night, when Mayfield and his wife, Shana, claim an intoxicated Lisa Mayfield showed up at their home after the couple had left to attend a race in Gaffney, S.C.
"Our caretakers that work on our property heard her beating on our door, saying she was going to ... kill us,'' Shana Mayfield told The Associated Press.

Shana Mayfield said a caretaker and his wife approached Lisa Mayfield, who allegedly began hitting the caretaker and then pushed their pregnant daughter.

"Luckily, we got back in time as the cops were taking her away,'' Shana Mayfield said.

A Mayfield employee alleged in the criminal complaint that Lisa Mayfield punched him in the chest and kicked his wife in the crotch. The worker also claimed Lisa Mayfield hit his daughter in the arm, and her fiance in the chest.

"She has been told several times to stay away from our home,'' Jeremy Mayfield said in the report, adding he has "two 'no trespassing' signs at the entrance of my driveway because of her. She hit my employee and made racial remarks to him and his family. (She) also threatened me, my wife and threatened to kill all of us.''

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BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) -Dodge president and CEO Mike Accavitti reaffirmed the manufacturer's commitment to NASCAR on Sunday. He also made it clear that the brand's involvement in the sport will remain on a smaller scale than some of its competitors.

Dodge backs two multi-car teams, Penske Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports. But there is speculation that the Petty team will switch to a different manufacturer next season, and no guarantee Dodge would replace them with a new team.

"We're not a big organization,'' Accavitti said. "We haven't really been. We need to start acting like the organization that we are. We're nimble and we're smaller than the other guys. And we feel like if we focus our resources on fewer teams, that we can produce better results.''

Accavitti said Dodge tried backing more teams in the past, but it spread their resources too thin. At its current level of support, Dodge has two drivers - Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne - in solid contention to make NASCAR's championship chase.

"You really only need (about) three good drivers - good cars, I should say, good teams - and that would be sufficient for us,'' Accavitte said. "We'll strike the appropriate balance where we can have a good Sunday afternoon for our Dodge fans.''

After receiving U.S. government aid, Dodge's financially troubled parent company, Chrysler, has emerged from bankruptcy protection with new management controlled by Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA.

And while Dodge's ongoing support of NASCAR won't be on the same scale as Ford, GM or Toyota, Accavitti sought to quell a new round of rumors that Dodge was leaving the sport.

"We want to continue to talk to the fans in NASCAR, and we want to continue to provide them with good performance and exciting days at the races, which is what the Dodge drivers have been doing for us this year,'' Accavitti said. "And again, we intend to remain involved with the NASCAR sport for the foreseeable future.''

Accavitti also confirmed reports payments Dodge owed to the Petty team were delayed. But he attributed the issue to procedural issues related to Chrysler's bankruptcy and said it has been resolved.

Kahne confirmed that he recently did a photo shoot for sponsor Budweiser with a Toyota in the background, adding to speculation that the Petty team would not be back with Dodge next year.

"I didn't see that photo,'' Accavitti said, joking. "Maybe my filter blocks that out on my computer.''

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BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Kyle Busch pulled away from Matt Crafton in the closing laps to easily win the O'Reilly 200 truck series race Wednesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Busch passed Jason White for the lead on lap 124 and then steadily pulled away from Crafton after the race's final caution period on lap 175.
Driving the No. 51 Toyota for Billy Ballew, it was Busch's second straight win at the .533-mile short track and his third victory of the season. He has 12 victories overall in the three NASCAR national touring series this season.

"It's a fun place to race," Busch said. "For some reason, I've really taken to this track. We knew we had a fast truck. It was great to be able to capitalize tonight

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BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Brad Keselowski has won the Nationwide Series pole at Bristol Motor Speedway. After his victory, he declined to discuss speculation he'll drive for Penske Racing next season.

Keselowski turned down an offer from Roger Penske last year to drive the No. 12 Dodge, and the ride went to David Stremme.

Keselowski is again the hottest young prospect, but current team JR Motorsports does not drive in the Sprint Cup Series. Keselowski wanted to stay with a team affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports, but there doesn't seem to be a scenario for that to happen.

Rick Hendrick on Friday declined to comment on Keselowski's future. Keselowski has three Nationwide wins this season and won the Cup race at Talladega.

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BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- David Ragan held off teammate Carl Edwards on a two-lap sprint to the finish Friday night to win the Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Edwards settled for second, but shaved 91 points off the commanding lead Kyle Busch brought into the race. Busch, who started the night with a 339-point lead over Edwards, was wrecked by Chase Austin while leading early in the race and finished 28th.

Edwards now trails him by 248 points, and wasn't disappointed to lose to his Roush Fenway Racing teammate.

"We didn't come here to finish second, but he's a great guy, a great teammate," Edwards said. "If you guys don't have a David Ragan hat or T-shirt, you need to go get one. There's no better guy out there."

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BRISTOL, Tennessee (AP) -- Mark Martin won the pole for the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday in a race that will be critical to his NASCAR Chase for the championship chances.

Martin turned a lap at 124.484 mph (200.33 kph) to win his fifth pole of the season and sweep the top starting spot at Bristol this season. He beat Greg Biffle, who ran a lap at 124.307 mph (200.04 kph), and rookie Scott Speed, who qualified third at 124.146 mph (199.78 kph).
Martin's effort is a huge boost for the No. 5 team, which was reeling after running out of fuel last week at Michigan. It cost Martin a top-10 finish and he's now clinging to the 12th and final Chase berth with three races to go.

Crew chief Alan Gustafson gambled at Michigan but didn't change strategy at Bristol, going with aggressive setup.

"I didn't need to choke today and we got a great lap," Martin said. "It's a real big battle, mostly because I want to make the (Chase) for my team. For me, I've had lots of brutal disappointments. I care for this team, that's why I want it so bad. They want it so bad, and they dig so hard."

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Kings Dominion amusement park in Virginia will debut a new roller coaster next year named after seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, the "Intimidator 305." The 5,100-foot steel "Giga-coaster" is slated to open next spring, and park officials say it will be the tallest and fastest of its type on the East Coast. The 305 part of the name comes from the 305-foot lift hill. The coaster will top 90 mph during its ride. The trains will be fashioned after Earnhardt's signature black car.
Scene Daily (http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/Amusement_parks_Intimidator_305_roller_coaster_nam ed_after_Dale_Earnhardt.html)

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Rusty Wallace Racing says they will make a significant 2010 announcement of Friday afternnon at Bristol Motor Speedway concerning its 2010 NASCAR racing programs. (RWR), supposedly it will be something with current sponsor 5 Hour Energy Drink, but no word if it is for Nationwide or if Wallace will run any Sprint Cup races in 2010.
Jayski (http://jayski.com/cupnews.htm#news-rwr)

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BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Kyle Busch was finally able to shake that anger.
Derided all week by rival Brian Vickers as a generally unhappy human being, Busch had reason to celebrate Saturday night when he held off Mark Martin over a frantic four-lap sprint to the finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. His fourth victory of the season put him back in contention for the Chase for the championship.

And that miserable existence Vickers described? Perhaps he was confused by Busch's passion for winning.

"I am a guy who loves to win," Busch shrugged. "There's nothing else to me but the feeling of winning."

Although he grabbed wins in the lower-tier NASCAR series-- including Wednesday night in the Truck race at Bristol -- he'd come up empty in 13 consecutive races in the premiere Sprint Cup Series. It was a healthy slump for a guy who won races at a rapid pace last season, 21 in all spanning all three series.

The struggle to accept defeat had been seemingly too much for Busch to handle of late.

"I hate that he lives in such an angry place. It must be miserable to live like that," Vickers said Friday at Bristol in the wake of a feud that began on the final lap of last week's Nationwide race at Michigan.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- NASCAR has suspended a crew member for Nationwide Series driver Boris Said for violating the organization's substance abuse policy.

NASCAR says in a release Wednesday that Mark Norman also was banned indefinitely for actions detrimental to stock car racing.

Norman becomes the seventh crew member suspended this season under NASCAR's toughened drug policy. Jeremy Mayfield is the only driver to be suspended since NASCAR began random testing this year

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Robert "Bootie" Barker has been moved to the engineering department at Michael Waltrip Racing, while Gene Nead has been named interim crew chief for the co-owner's No. 55 Toyotas. Barker will focus on special projects after working as crew chief since joining the operation. Nead has most recently worked with Nationwide Series driver Michael McDowell at MWR.
Charlotte Observer (http://www.thatsracin.com/140/story/16520.html)

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JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- It's an off weekend for many of NASCAR's top drivers, but Kyle Busch isn't getting much rest.

After winning the Camping World Trucks series race at Chicagoland Speedway Friday night, Busch was rushing to board a plane for Montreal to begin preparations for Sunday's Nationwide race on the city's road course.

Busch joked that he probably shouldn't have guzzled an energy drink so late at night.

"I'll be all right," Busch said. "It shouldn't be too bad."
Busch went truck racing on an off weekend for the Sprint Cup series, holding off Todd Bodine on a restart with seven laps to go and cruising to a victory.

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MONTREAL (AP) -- Marcos Ambrose has won the Nationwide Series pole at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in the rain.
Ambrose turned a fast lap of 80.905 mph to hold off Carl Edwards, whose best lap was 80.116 mph. Defending race winner Ron Fellows of Canada was third in 79.717 mph, followed by fellow road race ace Boris Said.
Brad Coleman was fifth, followed by former Formula One star Jacques Villeneuve, who made a gallant run on the track named after his father despite standing water on the 14-turn, 2.7-mile street course.
Series points leader Kyle Busch will start 12th.

Showers are in the forecast for Sunday's race. Last year's Nationwide race in Montreal was the first and only NASCAR race ever run on rain tires.

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MONTREAL (AP) -- Max Angelelli and Brian Frisselle teamed to win the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race on Saturday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

It was the 14th career victory for Angelelli and the team's second win of the season.

Angelelli led the final 12 laps of the 67-lap race in the No. 10 Ford Dallara and won by over a minute in a race which featured rain throughout.
While most teams opted to change to rain tires, SunTrust Racing kept Angelelli on dry tires, and he sprinted away for the victory to close within five points of the championship lead.

Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard were second in the No. 12 Porsche Riley, followed by Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, who took over the points lead.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards spun out while trying to warm his tires during a pre-race warmup lap and hit the Turn 11 wall hard in his No. 77 Ford Dallara.

Edwards was not hurt, but he and teammate Marcos Ambrose were unable to compete in the race because of the damage to the car.
Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis won the GT class race for their third victory of the season and second consecutive win at the track

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Carl Edwards broke his right foot playing frisbee, and the preseason favorite to win NASCAR's championship will be on crutches this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

But Edwards says he will race in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races.

Edwards is fifth in the Sprint Cup Series standings with two races remaining before the title-deciding Chase for the championship begins. Because of his series-high nine wins last season, he was widely considered the favorite to end Jimmie Johnson's run of three straight titles.
Edwards is second in the Nationwide standings, but cut Kyle Busch's lead to 192 points with a win last weekend in Montreal.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Bobby Labonte is listed on the entry list for this weekend's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Yates Racing said earlier this week that sponsorship issues forced the team to pull Labonte in seven of the final 12 races this season, beginning with Sunday's event at Atlanta.

But Labonte is now listed on the official entry list as the driver for TRG Motorsports' No. 71. It will allow Labonte to continue his streak of 568 consecutive starts, second among active drivers only to Jeff Gordon's 569 starts.

TRG had been fielding a car for David Gilliland, but will use Labonte in all seven races he's available.

Labonte has six career wins at Atlanta, and it's considered his best track.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Tom Cruise will narrate an upcoming documentary about the history of Hendrick Motorsports.

"TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story'' will air Oct. 11 on ABC before the network begins its coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race at California.

Cruise will narrate during never-before-seen footage and family photographs that chronicle Rick Hendrick's 25 years in NASCAR.
The actor became friendly with Hendrick when the car owner did some consulting for Cruise's racing film "Days of Thunder.''

Cruise and his family have been periodic guests of Hendrick at races the past several years, and the actor sat at an HMS table during last year's championship celebration

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HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Tony Stewart says he's convinced that Danica Patrick will eventually make the jump to NASCAR.

Stewart says Saturday that he knows Patrick has talked with "a lot" of NASCAR teams about moving to stock cars. The two have talked frequently about the IndyCar driver's future. He said there's little doubt she wants to race in NASCAR some day.

Stewart says he doesn't have a Sprint Cup job for Patrick, since he'll remain a two-car operation in 2010. But he doesn't think she'll jump to the top-level series right away, perhaps working a deal to spend a year or two driving a Nationwide car while still racing in the Indy series.

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CORNELIUS, N.C. (AP) -- Police have released surveillance footage from a security camera at Denny Hamlin's home in hopes it will lend clues about the theft of a luxury car from the NASCAR star's driveway.

The 2008 Lexus LS was reported stolen Aug. 18. Footage shows a car pull up to the gate at Hamlin's suburban Charlotte home, and two men walk down his driveway. As the Lexus is pulled through the gate, a female can be seen walking around the waiting car and climbing into the driver seat.
Both cars then pull away.

A police report lists the car value at $50,000 and shows it is owned by Toyota Motorsales.

Hamlin is racing this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He was not immediately available to comment.

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WELCOME, N.C. (AP) -- Slumping Richard Childress Racing has reorganized its competition department, and the biggest change means a new crew chief for Jeff Burton in 2010.

Scott Miller is the new director of competition, and will simultaneously finish the season atop Burton's pit box. Miller will assume some of the responsibilities currently handled by vice president of competition Mike Dillon and director of competition Will Lind.

Dillon, who is Childress' son-in-law, will continue to oversee the competition department. Lind will become the business director for competition.

RCR is on the verge of not qualifying for the 12-driver Chase for the championship after placing three drivers in the field the past two years. Clint Bowyer is 15th in the standings, Burton is 18th, Casey Mears is 20th and Kevin Harvick is 24th.

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HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. won a late gamble on gas, but that wasn't enough to overcome Kevin Harvick's dominance.

Harvick led most of the race and then passed Earnhardt with two laps left to regain the lead and win the Degree V12 300 Nationwide Series race on Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Harvick and Kyle Busch each went into the pits for gas and four tires with 14 laps remaining. Earnhardt and Brad Keselowski stayed on the track, gambling they had enough gas to finish the race.

Earnhardt and Keselowski had enough gas, but were still passed by Harvick and Busch, who finished second. Earnhardt was third, followed by Keselowski and Jeff Burton.

"I would have been glad to steal a win," said Earnhardt, who said the decision to remain on the track when the leaders stopped for gas was his only chance to beat Harvick.

"We had a pretty good chance of making it and that was our only real shot of getting a win. It didn't work out in our favor but that was the best call to make for us

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HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Martin Truex Jr. won his first pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, just in time for the track's first scheduled race entirely under the lights.

Truex qualified first for Sunday night's Pep Boys Auto 500 with his lap of 184.149 mph. It is Truex's second pole of the season after qualifying first and finishing 11th at the Daytona 500.

Truex is leaving Earnhardt Ganassi Racing after the season to join Michael Waltrip Racing and said he wants to give his current team a win.
"I want to go out on a high note for them and for all they've done for me," Truex said.

Truex, 23rd in the Sprint Cup standings, is an outsider in the late-season competition for one of the 12 spots in the Chase for the Championship.
"I think the urgency is just that the year is coming to an end," Truex said. "It's been a tough year. We've had some great runs. We've worked really hard and really don't have a lot to show for it.

"I sure would like to get to victory lane before the season is out."

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HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- Kasey Kahne was clinging to his spot in the race for the Chase. He can breathe a little easier now.

Kahne greatly improved his hopes of making the season-ending Chase for the Championship with a victory Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, pulling away from Kevin Harvick after a fortunate yellow flag late in the race.

Kahne leaped five spots in the Sprint Cup standings -- from a tenuous 11th to more comfortable sixth -- by winning under the lights in the first Labor Day weekend race in Atlanta history.

Not that he's ready to count himself in just yet. The 12-driver playoff field will be finalized Saturday night at Richmond, and those are the only ones who'll have a shot at the Cup over the final 10 races.

So far, just four drivers have clinched a spot in the Chase. The next 10 spots are separated by a mere 122 points.

"It's going to be intense," Kahne said. "From fifth to 14th is going to be really intense at Richmond next week."

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Mark Martin's final push for a spot in NASCAR's Chase for the championship will start from the best spot in the field on Saturday night.

Martin turned a lap of 126.808 mph in qualifying Friday night at Richmond International Raceway, edging Martin Truex Jr., whose lap came at 126.731 mph.

Unlike last week at Atlanta, when his desire to make the 10-race playoff that begins next week caused him all sorts of anxiety, Martin said he felt good before making his laps.

"I had the confidence in the car from practice and I knew what was riding on it and I felt like it was worth the risk to go out there and try to get it all," Martin said.

"I'll rest easy until tomorrow night."

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Carl Edwards grabbed the lead from Kevin Harvick on pit road with 24 laps to go Friday night and won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond.

The victory finished off a remarkable race for Edwards, who had to start at the back of the field after his team made adjustments to his Ford after the field was impounded.

The work and penalty were clearly worth it as Edwards steadily worked his way into contention, first challenging Denny Hamlin for the lead with 70 laps to go.

"I thought I'd lost the race," Edwards said. "I got in deep behind Denny, he checked up a lot more than I thought he was going to, I hit him and I let off and (Harvick) got by me."

Edwards faded afterward, but when a caution for debris on the track flew on the 226th lap, the leaders all headed for pit road, and Edwards beat Harvick back to the track.

"My guys are the ones that made this one happen, the guys in the pits," Edwards said.

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- NASCAR's bad boy won't have a chance to race for the championship, and Kyle Busch figures he only has himself to blame.
"It's just a conglomerate of things that put us in this predicament," Busch said after finishing fifth in his pressurized bid to climb from 14th to 12th in points in the event that set the field for its playoff Saturday night. He came up eight points shy of Brian Vickers.

Busch said he could pinpoint mistakes he's made throughout the season as reasons that will find him on the outside looking in when the 10-race playoff starts next weekend.

"It's not the last two weeks. It's the previous 26 all together," Busch said.
Still, he almost made up for it all at Richmond International Raceway.
"It was just short. That's what this year's been for us," Busch said after climbing from his car. "I knew it was going to be down to the end. I saw him behind me all night but never saw what the points were. Unfortunately they fell the way they are."

Vickers, like Busch, had to make up ground to make the Chase field -- he was 20 points out of the last spot to start the night, while Busch was 37 out. Vickers finished two spots behind Busch in the race, but was good enough to take Matt Kenseth's 12th and final spot.

Kenseth, a former series champion and one of two drivers never to miss the playoffs, at one point drove past his pit stall and had to back up, and wound up 25th, 14th in points.

But all eyes were on Busch as one of the series most controversial drivers tried to drive his way into the field, and on Vickers, who never let Busch get out of his sight.

Having lost despite a strong performance hardly eased Busch's disappointment.

"If you want to win a consolation prize, I guess that's a great way to do it," he said.

One year after heading into the Chase as the favorite only to fall way back in a difficult first race, Busch won't even have that chance to make up for it this year.

He said it was especially hard because his team made a valiant effort to get him in.

"If anybody deserved to be in, the team did," he said. "When you come down pit road and count on gaining a spot or two, that's pretty cool. I owe them a couple of steak dinners."

All that's left, he said, is winning races and trying to "go out with a bang."
On pit road after the race, Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs seemed conflicted, wanting on one hand to celebrate JGR driver Denny Hamlin's long coveted first victory at his hometown track while also still absorbing that Busch's effort came up short.

"It was just discouraging, but I think the reality of it is that we've got a great driver, we've got a great team, and hopefully we won't be in this position again," he said.

And at least, he added, Busch put on a show trying to make up the ground.

"If you came out here and laid an egg," he said, "that would be really heartbreaking."

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Michael Waltrip Racing has hired Pat Tryson as the crew chief for Martin Truex Jr. next season.

Tryson will leave Kurt Busch's team at the end of this season. He has been with Busch at Penske Racing since 2007 and guided him to four wins and two berths in the Chase for the championship. Busch will start the Chase this weekend seventh in the standings.

Tryson will be just the second crew chief in Truex's NASCAR career. He's worked with Kevin "Bono" Manion in all four of his Cup seasons.

Truex is leaving Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 56 Toyota for MWR next season

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Kelly Bires has signed a two-year deal to drive in the Nationwide Series for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports program.
Bires replaces Brad Keselowski, who will join Penske Racing's Sprint Cup program in 2010.

The 25-year-old Bires has made 66 Nationwide starts since 2006, with 11 Top 10 finishes, including a career-best fourth-place finish at Nashville in April while driving for Kevin Harvick Inc.

Earnhardt called Bires a "talented" driver and is eager to give the Wisconsin native an opportunity to showcase himself.

JR Motorsports fields both the No. 88 and the No. 5 car in the Nationwide Series. There has been no decision on which car Bires will drive next year

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Driver defections and sponsor cutbacks have raised never-ending questions about Chip Ganassi's organization during his roller-coaster nine seasons in NASCAR.

Is his team stable? Does he have suitable funding? Why do drivers keep leaving? And, when will the team win races?

It's tiring for Ganassi, who sometimes bristles or offers sharp responses, but always gives an answer.

And he's never panicked.

That steadiness at the top has given his team its first shot at a Sprint Cup title this season. Juan Pablo Montoya, the fiercely loyal Ganassi driver who left Formula One to reunite in NASCAR with his old boss, earned the team its first berth in the Chase for the championship and is considered by many to have a shot at the title.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Red Bull Racing is sticking with Toyota as the manufacturer for the program's two NASCAR Sprint Cup teams.

The agreement, announced Wednesday, continues the relationship that began when Red Bull started its Cup program three years ago. Red Bull had been in preliminary talks about a possible move to General Motors before opting to remain with Toyota.

Red Bull sponsors the No. 82 driven by Scott Speed and the No. 83 driven by Brian Vickers. Vickers qualified for the Chase for the Championship for the first time following last week's race at Richmond. Vickers also picked up the first win for Red Bull Racing at Michigan earlier this year at Michigan.

Red Bull general manager Jay Frye called Toyota a critical element of Red Bull's success, adding he is looking forward to continuing the relationship

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LOUDON, N.H. (AP) -- NASCAR championship contender Mark Martin will drive for Hendrick Motorsports through 2011, an easy commitment for a driver at the top of his game.

Martin starts the Chase for the championship Sunday at New Hampshire International Raceway as the Sprint Cup Series points leader, a spot he earned through four victories this season.

"That shouldn't come as any big surprise," Martin said Friday of the contract extension. "Who would want to quit?"

Martin, in his 27th season of NASCAR, has repeatedly staved off retirement over the last several years. He ran a partial schedule in 2007 and 2008 and the time off re-energized him. Then came an offer to drive for elite Hendrick Motorsports, and Martin has thrived.

At 50, he's the elder statesmen of the 12-driver Chase field. But his high performance has made him a favorite for his first Cup title.

"As long as I can have fun, compete at a high level and have the opportunity to win, I'm going to continue to do this," Martin said. "I'm having a blast, and that's always been most important to me and my family."

[bndniron4evrgal]

GO DENNY HAMLIN!!! :p

[Goodfellas]

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) -- Mark Martin held off Denny Hamlin and Juan Pablo Montoya on a late frantic restart to win the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

It was Martin's series-best fifth victory of the season and spoiled what could have been a blockbuster day for Montoya. Making his 100th career start on his 34th birthday, Montoya won the pole in record-breaking speed and led every practice session while setting the stage for just his second career Sprint Cup Series victory.

Instead, Martin used pit strategy to move to the front and take the lead, forcing Montoya, who led a race-high 104 laps, to chase him down.

"I fought for this race," Martin said. "Pinch me. I am sure I'm sleeping. I am sure I am dreaming. This is my hardest place, a tough place."

[Goodfellas]

a5ASC5TmwEY

[Goodfellas]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR asked a federal judge Monday to order a mental and physical examination on suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield to determine if he has a substance-abuse problem and/or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The filing in U.S. District Court includes three affidavits and one deposition from four different people who claim to have witnessed Mayfield using methamphetamines multiple times since 1999.

The deposition is from former brother-in-law David Keith, who testified he witnessed Mayfield snort methamphetamine in his house, garage and car from 1998 through 2000. The deposition was taken Aug. 19, with attorneys for NASCAR and Mayfield in attendance, and Keith testified the drivers' drug use escalated to daily usage.

NASCAR suspended Mayfield for failing a random drug test collected May 1 and said he twice tested positive for methamphetamines. Mayfield has denied using the illegal drug.

He is now suing NASCAR, alleging his positive test result from May 1 came from the mix of the prescription drug Adderall for ADHD and the allergy medication Claritin-D.

NASCAR asked U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen to order Mayfield to report for a psychiatric, neuropsychological and physical examination in November. NASCAR selected the physicians it wants to examine Mayfield.
Mayfield did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
The affidavits are from three friends of Mayfield's who know him from Kentucky. Barry Lee, Michael Buskill and Steven Russelburg all testified to witnessing Mayfield use methamphetamine.

Lee said he first witnessed Mayfield use methamphetamine in 1999 in the garage, at his home and on his boat, and saw the driver use at least 50 more times through 2000. His affidavit said Mayfield was driving him to Lowe's Motor Speedway in 1999 when he pulled over, said "you want to hit one?" and snorted methamphetamine off a mirror.

Ruskill, who said he lived on Mayfield's property from 2006 to 2007, also claimed to have witnessed Mayfield use methamphetamine.

"During that time, I frequently saw Jeremy use methamphetamine, almost on a daily basis," Russelburg said. "Most of the time this occurred at a barn on the property that had been converted to a shop."

He also testified that Mayfield stated he did not want his wife, Shana, to know about his drug use.

A previous motion filed by NASCAR included an affidavit from Mayfield's estranged stepmother, Lisa. She also claimed to witness the driver using methamphetamine on several occasions.

She has since filed a defamation of character suit against Mayfield, while he recently filed a Sept. 4 wrongful death lawsuit against Lisa Mayfield over the 2007 death of his father.

[Goodfellas]

WELCOME, N.C. (AP) -- Richard Childress Racing will lose sponsor Jack Daniels at the end of the season.

Jack Daniels has been with RCR since 2005 and spent this season sponsoring the No. 07 Chevrolet for Casey Mears. The decision was made after a change in spending priorities by parent company Brown-Forman.
"While it is difficult for us to end our formal relationship with RCR, the current economic environment has compelled us to reevaluate our spending, and we've concluded that other areas in the marketing mix require additional investment," said Tim Rutledge, vice president and brand director for Jack Daniels.

Jack Daniels has been with three different drivers at RCR through 171 races. Its most successful stint was with Clint Bowyer in 2007 and 2008, when he twice made the Chase for the championship and finished third and fifth in the final standings.

But Childress this season moved Bowyer to a new fourth team in the organization and signed Mears for the No. 07 with Jack Daniels.
Childress gave no indication what will happen with Mears or his fourth team in 2010.

"We understand the shift in their spending priorities during these tough economic times, and the No. 07 Jack Daniel's Racing program will continue to provide that successful platform for the rest of the 2009 season," Childress said.

[Goodfellas]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The maker of Jim Beam Bourbon will stop sponsoring Robby Gordon's Sprint Cup team next season, sending another liquor company to the NASCAR sidelines.

A day after Jack Daniels announced it would stop supporting Casey Mears' No. 07 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. said Tuesday it was shifting sponsorship dollars to areas outside NASCAR.

Jim Beam had been the sponsor of Gordon's No. 7 Toyota since 2005. The company will continue to fund the team through the end of this season

[Goodfellas]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Kyle Busch has been docked 25 points and his crew chief fined $25,000 for failing post-race inspection at New Hampshire.

NASCAR fined Steve Addington because the left front of the No. 18 Toyota was too low after Sunday's race.

Team owner Joe Gibbs has also been docked 25 points.

Busch finished fifth at New Hampshire, and his car was automatically inspected by NASCAR.

Even with the penalty, he holds the 13th spot in the Sprint Cup Series standings

[Goodfellas]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Juan Pablo Montoya is still smarting from Mark Martin's late-race strategy that prevented Montoya from winning at New Hampshire.

Martin led all three laps of a final sprint to the finish, and slowed his car in front of Montoya's to block a potential race-winning pass with two laps to go. Montoya was upset with the strategy after the race, and did not appear over it Tuesday.

He says he's not spoken to Martin, who went on to win his Sprint Cup Series-best fifth race of the season. Martin is also the points leader.
Montoya finished third, but moved up seven spots to fourth in the championship standings.

[Goodfellas]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- NASCAR will allow teams to test next season at tracks that host regional touring events.

NASCAR made the announcement on Wednesday. It's a change from the cost-cutting policy that went into effect this season, when all tracks that hosted any NASCAR-sanctioned events were off limits for testing.

Next year, NASCAR will only ban facilities that host national series events.
Among the tracks that teams can use next season are Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, South Boston Speedway in Virginia and Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

[Goodfellas]

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson has turned a lap of 157.356 mph to win the pole at Dover International Speedway.

The top four spots in Friday's qualifying all went to Chase for the championship drivers.

Juan Pablo Montoya was second, Ryan Newman third and Greg Biffle fourth.

Points leader Mark Martin qualified 14th for Sunday's race. Carl Edwards was the lowest Chase qualifier, starting 30th.

[Goodfellas]

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Denny Hamlin's day appeared over. His No. 20 Toyota was in the garage after Brad Keselowski spun him into the wall late in the Nationwide Series race.

Not so fast.

An angry Hamlin returned to pit road at the end of the Nationwide Series race and welcomed Keselowski with a forceful shove and a heated exchange. Keselowski's public relations rep shoved Hamlin, and crews for both drivers quickly got involved in the brief skirmish.

Oblivious to the post-race melee, Clint Bowyer celebrated his second victory of the season Saturday on the concrete at Dover International Speedway.

"Clint's just a master on these concrete tracks," owner Richard Childress said.


'

[Goodfellas]

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson dominated again in winning a crucial Chase race.

It's become about as routine this time of year on the sports calendar as the start of the NFL season or the baseball playoff stretch drive. If he keeps driving like this, NASCAR can expect another regular fixture in November: Johnson hoisting the series trophy and celebrating a championship.

Johnson thumped the competition in the second Chase for the championship race, sweeping the season races at Dover International Speedway to accelerate his bid for an unprecedented fourth straight Sprint Cup title.

"I'm pretty sure that dude is Superman," runner-up Mark Martin said.
He was pretty super on the concrete in the No. 48 Chevrolet. If three championships weren't enough to intimidate the rest of the Chase field, the way he won on Sunday should send another message: He's just really getting going on a fourth.

"As far as sending a message, I hope it does," Johnson said. "I hope people are worried."

[Goodfellas]

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Already changed into jeans and a golf shirt, Mark Martin propped his feet up on the chair in front and listened as one of NASCAR's most popular drivers gushed about his improbable season.
Martin seemed to grow more uncomfortable the more Dale Earnhardt Jr. talked, finally breaking into a tight grimace when his former rival's son said he was pulling for the 50-year-old to win the Chase.

He should be used to it by now.

Martin's sentimental run through the Sprint Cup took another turn on Friday, when the age-defying driver turned a lap of 175.758 mph at Kansas Speedway to earn his career-best seventh pole of the season.
"He still has the urge and the yearning to do it as if he were in his first season," Earnhardt said. "You see guys, their temperament seems to soften over time, but he seems just as excited about going around a race track as he did when he first strapped into a car."

[Goodfellas]

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson used a pair of wins to race their way to the top of the Sprint Cup standings.
Fair and square. No cheating involved.

Even so, tongues were wagging Friday at Kansas Speedway after NASCAR warned the two Hendrick Motorsports teams they came awfully close to failing post-race inspection at Dover.

"There was no room to breathe," Sprint Cup director John Darby said. "Both cars passed inspection, or we would be having a whole different conversation with this."

Johnson led Martin to a 1-2 finish on Sunday, and their Chevrolets were taken back to NASCAR's research and development center in North Carolina for further inspection. Johnson's car was taken as the race winner, while Martin's represented the random selection.

During the inspection, NASCAR found that the body of the cars came very close to exceeding allowed specifications. Hendrick officials were called in the next day to go over the measurements and NASCAR let the teams go with a warning:

"Don't put it so close that your head's in the guillotine and somebody is holding a lighter on the rope," Darby said

[Goodfellas]

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- That horrific barrel roll at Dover, the one that looked more like a scene from "Talladega Nights" than a real NASCAR wreck?
Turns out it gave Joey Logano confidence, not fear.

Passing points leader Kyle Busch with three laps left, Logano won at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, pulling out his fourth Nationwide victory less than a week after that spectacular crash during a Sprint Cup race.
"If you can barrel roll a race car like that and come out OK, it's going to give you confidence to drive it harder," Logano said. "I didn't think it was a big deal at all coming into today. I knew a lot of people did and were wondering how I was going to be. This should put it all to rest, I hope."

In the days leading up to Kansas, Logano assured everyone the Dover crash wouldn't affect his aggressiveness on the track. Sure, he was shaky, even after walking away from the care center. Rolling a car seven times will tend to do that to a driver, even if he walks away unscathed, as Logano did.

Whether it was the nerves of a 19-year-old or the nature of a race-car driver, Logano wasn't about to let fear climb into his head.
He proved it at Kansas.

[Goodfellas]

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has given a formal endorsement for crew chief Lance McGrew.

He's just not sure if that carries any weight.

Earnhardt will start a season-best second in Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway, his 16th race with McGrew calling the shots for his underachieving Hendrick Motorsports team. Although there's been few tangible results since McGrew replaced longtime crew chief Tony Eury Jr. in late May, Earnhardt is pleased with their progress and wants McGrew back next season.

"I like working with Lance. I get along great with Lance," Earnhardt said. "We have had some great runs and I feel like I can build on that type of success. I hope that we're successful the rest of the year and that we go into next season with the same group of guys.

"But the decision isn't mine, and never will be mine

[Goodfellas]

8klKaMGBz-E

[Goodfellas]

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- Joey Logano simply got mad after Greg Biffle put Logano in the wall Saturday in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway.

His father, Tom, tried to get even, and lost his NASCAR credentials in the process.

Joey Logano recovered to win the 300-mile race, pulling away from Brian Vickers over the final two laps to pick up his fifth series win of the year, and second in a row.

Yet while the 19-year-old exalted in Victory Lane, his father was being taken to the NASCAR hauler to talk with Nationwide Series director Joe Balash following a postrace confrontation with Biffle.

The elder Logano approached Biffle's car in pit lane after the race and made at least one hand gesture in Biffle's direction before a NASCAR official intervened.

"A NASCAR official pulled Mr. Logano's annual credential after he confronted the 16 on pit road," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.
Tom Logano will be eligible to sign for a single-event license while officials review the event and can attend Sunday's Sprint Cup event at the track, Poston said

[Goodfellas]

FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson sat in his No. 48 Chevrolet during a lengthy red-flag delay six laps from the finish at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday and worried he didn't have enough car to hold off Jeff Gordon.
Gordon, second next to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, had no such fears.

It's California. It's the Chase. It's Johnson's time.

"What else can you say? They're the best out there," Gordon said after Johnson roared away from the field to win the 500-mile race and take the lead in NASCAR's Chase for the championship. "They've won the last three championships. They're going to be hard to beat for this one. Really, unless they make a mistake, I don't see how they lose it."

Johnson's fourth win at the 2-mile oval propelled him into the lead in the standings for the first time all season. He'll take a 12-point lead over Mark Martin into Saturday night's race at Charlotte.

[Sandpig]

Looks like we are in for another year of Chevy/Hendricks domination.:mad:

I am not a Jr. fan, but he will never be the driver his father was. If he can't get it done driving for Hendricks, he's got issues.

[cook]

I agree.You know I have nothing against Jimmy Johnson but gosh are they going to let him win 5 in a row?Someone needs to step up.

[rainjack]

Jimmy Johnson is killing NASCAR. He has all the personality of a wet blanket. If it weren't for Chad Knaus, JJ would be another also-ran.

[Sandpig]

Jimmy Johnson is killing NASCAR. He has all the personality of a wet blanket. If it weren't for Chad Knaus, JJ would be another also-ran.

LOL. I agree about his personality, but I like him better than Gordon.

[Goodfellas]

All anyone does is thank there 8 million sponors and say there car was running good today.

[Sandpig]

All anyone does is thank there 8 million sponors and say there car was running good today.

Annoying as hell. Especially when a guys running 35th and crashes then tells us that.

[Goodfellas]

Annoying as hell. Especially when a guys running 35th and crashes then tells us that.

They act like it is world breaking news when they catch up with the driver. I like how must of them have a coke in their hand and take a couple sips lol.

[Goodfellas]

Junior always has some friggin problem. He should just race at Daytona and Talladega spare his fans lol.

[Sandpig]

Junior always has some friggin problem. He should just race at Daytona and Talladega spare his fans lol.

Since he went to Hendrick, he hasn't even raced those two tracks as well as he should be.

[Goodfellas]

Jimmy Johnson is killing NASCAR. He has all the personality of a wet blanket. If it weren't for Chad Knaus, JJ would be another also-ran.

I dunno tough to say. He has the best owner and equipment and probably pit crew.

He is pretty smart himself. The crew chiefs rely on the drivers to tell them whats wrong with the car.

[Sandpig]

Bristol this week. :yep:

[cook]

I love that track.They get some real speed for a half mile track.That race is Saturday night ,isn`t it?

[cook]

I love that track.They get some real speed for a half mile track.That race is Saturday night ,isn`t it?
No Bob it was Sunday.Try to keep up

[Goodfellas]

Notice the stands look mighty empty at NASCAR events this year....

[cook]

Yeah we have one here in a couple of weeks.It will be interesting to see what kind of crowd is there

[Sandpig]

Notice the stands look mighty empty at NASCAR events this year....

Not just Nascar. Have you seen many NBA games this year.

And I'm not talking about games involving the elite teams either.

Let's see what baseball looks like this year.

[Goodfellas]

Not just Nascar. Have you seen many NBA games this year.

And I'm not talking about games involving the elite teams either.

Let's see what baseball looks like this year.

NBA games are expensive I couldnt afford to go.

Baseball will probbaly hit the same attendance numbers as last year yheir ticket prices are prob cheaper than the other two. The minor league team here for triple A is only like 6.00

And I didnt answer yer question. No I cant stand the NBA. Guys take five steps now. When I was a kid it was two!!

[HammerStrength12]

ok so I totally just made myself look like a redneck by creating the official NASCAR and WWE/TNA threads but um, yeah, ok, well, whatever :p

I just read this thread for the first time lol. I'll talk Pro-Wrestling all day long, but Nascar. Sorry, not for me :confused:

[Goodfellas]

Its awesome watching cars turn left for five hours:hypno:

[HammerStrength12]

Not just Nascar. Have you seen many NBA games this year.

And I'm not talking about games involving the elite teams either.

Let's see what baseball looks like this year.

The disparity between the "good" teams in the NBA and "bad" teams is as bad as it's ever been. With the exception of the Celtics, east coast basketball is in a terrible state right now. My sixers are a joke and have been for years. Going to a sixers game is about as exciting as going to a high school girls game. The fans gave up on them long ago. About 10 teams fan bases' in the league have abandoned ship as well - The Nets and the Wizards, we don't need to talk about what's going on there. The Knicks still sellout games only because they play in the Mecca of Basketball smack dab in the middle of the largest city in the country. But the team itself is even more of an embarrassment to the city of NY than my sixers are to the city of Philly.

Baseball has had nowhere to go but up IMO over the past few years. On the east coast it'll always do well since its the most popular sport in all the major cities. The Phillies used to be a total joke for the longest time, but after 07-08 this city quickly became a baseball town.

[Sandpig]

2011 season is just around the corner.


For NASCAR, it all starts with famed Daytona

Just the name alone packs a punch, conveying so much more than simply a position on a map. It's one of those locales that has a certain mythical element connected to it, that at its mere mention brings a million feelings, images, or emotions to mind. Maybe it's the memory of all the things that have happened there, both good and bad. Maybe it's the sheer scale of the place, everything oversized and overwhelming. Maybe it's something as simple as the ominous long vowel sound in the middle syllable, which allows its verbalization to be stretched out to almost dramatic lengths.

Daytona.

Love it or hate it, there's no denying its presence or its significance, or its position as one of those unique American destinations -- alongside the likes of Augusta, Williamsport, or Lake Placid -- whose entire identity is wrapped up in the sports facility located within its city limits. But really, we're not talking about a city here. This isn't about Daytona Beach, Fla., that somewhat time-forgotten seaside town where waves break in front of hotels straight out of an Annette Funicello movie. No, this is about Daytona, an entity unto itself, a place so embedded in popular culture that Dodge and even Ferrari had cars named after it, a world capital of speed and danger and daring.

That's the Daytona everyone immediately envisions at the mention of the name. That's the place that even the most casual of sports fans can associate with horsepower and high-octane gasoline. That's the place that for NASCAR faithful is a shrine, and for competitors is the holy grail. And that's the place that the sport returns to once again this weekend, for the resumption of a preseason test session that will provide the first hints of thaw amid a long, cold winter, for three days that will stoke competitive adrenaline and heighten anticipation for the most important race of the year.

Now, let's not kid ourselves -- Preseason Thunder is far from the most glamorous event on the NASCAR calendar. The cars are often painted primer gray, bear numbers like "14X," and they drone on around the big track for hours on end. The goal isn't to win, but to gather information essential to winning a month from now. And yet, there's something strangely welcome about this occasion, which has been absent the past two years because of the recession. No, not all of those concerns have abated; in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. As ticket sales and sponsorship figures from late last year indicated, the economic worries are still very real. From a stock-car racing perspective, the recovery may never be complete. But the return of Daytona testing, in all its mundane, sun-splashed glory, seems like a small step back toward normal.

There are still all kinds of unknowns, from the new track surface at Daytona International Speedway to the new ethanol-blended fuel to trial balloons and innuendo over potential changes to the points system or the Chase. None of that, though, alters the essential meaning of Daytona and the significance it holds to a sport that, beginning Thursday, will fixate on the place for a full month. It wasn't the first, it's not the biggest, it isn't necessarily the best race track on the circuit. For years, it wasn't even the season opener -- as difficult as it is to believe now, Daytona didn't assume that perch until 1982, with Riverside International Raceway in Southern California serving as the premier division's jumping-off point for the decade prior. But for NASCAR, it all starts with Daytona, and has since founder Bill France had it carved out of a cypress swamp 52 years ago.

The track just has a hold on people, particularly those who turn wrenches or steering wheels for a living, or are enthralled by those who do. Five decades ago they called it the Big D, and it sat alongside Volusia Avenue, near where General Electric was marshaling its engineers for work on the space program at Cape Canaveral. Today it's just Daytona, and the address is International Speedway Boulevard, and it's surrounded by acres of office parks and commercial developments that that were drawn to the speedway like moths to an incandescent bulb. But the appeal to those in the industry remains constant. "It was out of this world," former driver Cotton Owens said of the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. "It's the track we all love," Alan Gustafson, Jeff Gordon's crew chief, said in advance of testing this week.

No question, the place has a dark side. The names of men like Billy Wade, Bruce Jacobi, Neil Bonnett, Rodney Orr, and Dale Earnhardt stand as a testament to the fact that the quest for speed is not without its human costs. At times Daytona has been too big, too fast, too much for tires to handle, too unpredictable for aerodynamic packages to harness. Even now, with head-and-neck restraining devices and soft walls and next-generation cars and all the other modern safety systems at the sport's disposal, it is still a place that has to be handled with extreme care. The fondness that so many competitors have for Daytona is often mixed with a fearsome respect.

But that won't change the anticipation mechanics will feel when they gather outside the garage gates early Thursday morning, or the giddiness fans will feel when they see their favorite drivers make their first laps of 2011, or the sense of rebirth the entire industry experiences as wheels start turning again. It's late January, and the sky is leaden, and even in much of the South there's still snow on the ground. What a welcome time to turn eyes to central Florida, to think of sunnier times and warmer weather, and watch cars circle a 2.5-mile ribbon of black that's equal parts asphalt, monument and legend. It's time for the sport to shake off the frost and begin anew, which means a trip to only one place. It's time to go back to Daytona.

[cook]

bring it on

[Goodfellas]

the only track where junior is good.

[Sandpig]

the only track where junior is good.

And Talladega.

[Goodfellas]

It would be nice if he could win a race again. hes been terrible. should have never parted ways with tony eury sr.

[Sandpig]

Two-car drafts dominate final day of Thunder

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After two days of testing at a chilly and overcast Daytona International Speedway, drivers were ready to stick by each other's sides on Saturday.

Literally.

Two-car drafting was the theme of the day as the sun finally made an appearance. Teammates took to the track to test the pull, push and grip of the newly repaved 2.5-mile speedway during the third and final day of Preseason Thunder -- a three-day series test in preparation for the 53rd Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20.

During the morning session, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin swapped spots tailing each other and set the day's top speeds with just over 197 mph.

"I feel like we've got a decent speed in the Home Depot Toyota," said Logano, who had the morning's fastest lap (197.516 mph, 45.566 seconds). "Usually in single-car runs we were probably a 15th-place car, but I feel like we're a top-five car in single-car runs right now. That's exciting to know."

Numerous teams opted for two-car drafting, including Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, Earnardt-Ganassi Racing's Juan Montoya and Jamie McMurray and Penske Racing's Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski.

Managing director of competition John Darby wasn't surprised that teams avoided multi-car drafting, instead relying on two- and three-car combinations.

"Obviously the guys are working on the tandem deal knowing that's faster than the draft," Darby said. "Everybody's working on a little different agenda, and it's all trying to find that edge to win the Daytona 500."

Darby says it wasn't about what teams and NASCAR learned during this week's test, rather more about what fans can expect on Feb. 20.

"I think this test has done more in building confidence," Darby said. "There's always some anxiety around what happens when a track repaves."

Last year's repave -- only the second at 2.5-mile Daytona and the first since 1978 -- began after the Cup event on July 3 and ended in early December. A Goodyear tire test on Dec. 15-16 was the first time teams drove on the repaved surface; this past week was the second.

"All it has done is amplify the beautiful job they have done on resurfacing Daytona International Speedway," Darby said. "The grip is at an all-time high, the drivers are comfortable -- that's why you see a lot of the stuff on the race track, because they are comfortable in the cars. Sometimes there's a fine line between comfortable and cocky but that's what makes the race exciting. That's one of the things that'll make this Daytona 500, I think, different than any one I've been able to watch."

One driver already comfortable in his new car was 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch.

"It's gonna be one heck of a Daytona," Busch said in the garage during the afternoon test.

[Goodfellas]

maybe a car can actually pull away from the pack.

[Sandpig]

maybe a car can actually pull away from the pack.

Gotta see it to believe it.

[Goodfellas]

i fin dit more boring every year. cars start in a pack and end in a pack. the only excitement is some knucklehead causes a wreck during the last few laps trying to make a move.

[Sandpig]

Sabates offers another suggestion to NASCAR
Never short on opinions, team minority owner has fresh take on 2011 points

CONCORD, N.C. -- If it's late January, it must be time for the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. And if it's time for that, it must be time for Felix Sabates to say something that will at least get people thinking.

So it was Monday on the first stop of the 29th annual tour, as Sabates -- minority partner in the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates organization -- stated that he knows just what to do to follow through on NASCAR president Mike Helton's proposed mandate to produce a simpler points system. Helton stated that NASCAR was studying the possibility last Friday in Daytona Beach, Fla. He and other NASCAR officials continued to meet with race teams Monday in and around Charlotte, seeking additional input on the idea. That included meetings Monday afternoon with officials from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing.

Speaking before he was to be part of that meeting, Sabates said that the time for a change to a point system that many have long found confusing had come.

"That system we've got now, I don't think Einstein could figure it out. If there is one of you [in the media] who say you understand that bull----, I say you're crazy, you're lying," Sabates said.

Under the system used through last season, winners of races received 185 base points. The points dispersed to race finishers then went down in varying increments, with the last-place car in the field of 43 entrants receiving 34 points. Various bonus points could be added to a driver's total based on whether he led a lap, or led the most laps.

Under the same system, the top 12 drivers in the standings after the first 26 races qualify for the Chase -- a championship that is then decided amongst them over the final 10 races of the season. The points were reset at the beginning of the Chase, with race winners over the first 26 races receiving 10 bonus points per race victory accumulated and seeded accordingly.

Sabates said he likes the idea of giving 43 points plus additional bonus points to the winner of a race, and has heard that NASCAR is leaning toward a system where 43 goes to first, 42 to second, 41 to third, and so on. He likes that idea, but proposes adding a fairly dramatic twist.

"The new point system they are talking about -- the 1 through 43 -- I think is great. But I think they should take the four worst races of the year [for each driver] and throw them away. So [to qualify] for the Chase, you would only count your best 22 out of the first 26 races," Sabates said. "That would change the whole dynamic of the Chase."

[Sandpig]

NASCAR’s Busch to make NHRA Pro debut at Gatornationals


Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has announced that he will be making his NHRA Full Throttle Series debut at the 41st annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals, March 11-13, at historic Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.

The 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion will be competing for one of the 16 qualifying spots in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock class in the Shell Dodge Avenger for Allen Johnson and J & J Racing.

“Pro Stock is the tightest pro category as far as the elapsed time is concerned and it’s not going to be an easy task,’ Busch said. “I feel me teaming up with Allen Johnson and the Mopar folks, we’ve given ourselves the best opportunity to make the show.”

Busch spent a good part of his busy offseason testing with Allen Johnson and he earned his NHRA Pro Stock license with an impressive best-pass of 6.576 seconds at 210.43 mph at Bradenton, Fla.

As a matter of reference (understanding conditions are not identical), Mike Edwards was the No. 1 qualifier at the 2010 Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals with a 6.537 at 211.53 and Rickie Jones was on the bump with a 6.601 at 209.10. Busch’s 6.576 would have qualified him 11th.

When Busch arrives in Gainesville for the 41st running of the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals, he will get a total of four qualifying passes – two on Friday and two on Saturday – at which point the 16-car fields will be set for Sunday’s race.



Pro Stock cars have similar appearance to their showroom counterparts but feature extensive engine modifications, sophisticated chassis and suspension with a maximum 500 cubic-inch engine displacement. On average a Pro Stock car will cover the quarter-mile in six and a half seconds with a speed of more than 200 mph.

“It’s a whole different world than NASCAR. The toughest part is staging the car and of course cutting a good light, the thrill of the launch and the speed at the top-end is why I’m so fascinated with drag racing. But I do know that heading to the Gatornationals and running with the pros, I will get a full dose of ‘humble pie.’”

At the 2010 Tire Kingdom Gatornationals, Busch competed in the Super Gas category, which is part of the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, in a rebuilt 1970 Dodge Charger. Weather plagued the event which limited his time on the track and contributed to his first round loss in the category.

“The 2010 event was an experience of a lifetime, the camaraderie with the sportsman guys was a truly fun experience,” Busch said. “Although it was tough to watch it rain for four days, the grassroots effort of the sportsman guys is what makes the true heart of NHRA racing.”

Busch, a native of Las Vegas, was introduced to drag racing in the early 1990s when he met two Las Vegas based NHRA racers – George Marnell, a Pro Stock racer, and Dave Bush (no relation), a Super Comp competitor. He also became friends with three-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion Larry Dixon when both were sponsored by the same company.

[Sandpig]

Changes for 2011 include emphasis on winning
Final two Chase spots based on victories; simpler points system identified

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR on Wednesday announced that it has added a wild-card element to setting the Chase for the Sprint Cup field and it has simplified its points system for 2011, making it easier for fans, competitors and the industry to understand.

While the 12-driver Chase field remains intact, the final two spots will be determined by the number of victories during the first 26 races.


The top 10 in points following Race No. 26 -- the "cutoff" race -- continue to earn Chase berths.

Positions 11 and 12 are "wild-card" qualifiers and will go to non-top-10-ranked drivers with the most victories, as long as they're ranked in the top 20 in points. The top 10 Chase drivers will continue to be seeded based on victories during the first 26 races, with each win worth three bonus points. The wild-card drivers will not receive bonus points for wins and will be seeded 11th and 12th, respectively. It's a move aimed toward rewarding winning and consistency during the regular season.

NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France made the announcements at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., during the Sprint Media Tour (watch video).

"The fans tell us that winning matters the most with them, so we're combining the tradition of consistency in our sport with the excitement that comes along with winning," France said. "This makes every race count leading into the 26th race of the season at Richmond, when we set the field for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup."

The new points system -- which applies to all NASCAR national series -- will award points in one-point increments. As an example, in the Cup Series, race winners will earn 43 points, plus three bonus points for the victory. Winners also can earn an extra point for leading a lap and leading the most laps, bringing their total to a possible maximum of 48 points.

All other drivers in a finishing order will be separated by one-point increments. A second-place finisher will earn 42 points, a third-place driver 41 points, and so on. A last-place finisher -- 43rd place -- earns one point. In the Camping World Truck Series, the last-place finisher receives eight points, to account for that series' 36-driver race field.

"Many of our most loyal fans don't fully understand the points system we have used to date," said France, referencing the system that has been in use since 1975. "So, we are simplifying the points system to one that is much easier to understand. Conceptually, it is comparable to our previous system, but it is easier to follow."

During his remarks Wednesday night, France reflected on the outstanding competition the sport enjoyed in 2010 and expected to see that high caliber of racing to continue once the green flag drops for the 53rd running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20.

"NASCAR enters 2011 with positive momentum and a great sense of excitement and optimism," France said. "We're extremely excited for the launch of the season. Leading the season off with Daytona, Phoenix and Las Vegas, we believe our fans are in store for some of the best racing the sport has to offer."

Other competitive enhancements announced Wednesday:

Pick a Series -- Drivers in all three national series now must select the series where they'll compete for a drivers' championship. Drivers still may compete in multiple series and help their teams win owners' titles in series where they're not competing for a drivers' title. The move helps spotlight young talent in the Nationwide and Truck series.

New Qualifying Procedure -- The qualifying order will be set based upon slowest-to-fastest practice speeds.

Inclement Weather Qualifying -- If bad weather cancels qualifying, the final starting lineup will be determined by practice speeds. The same rule book procedures will be used to determine eligibility to start a race. If weather cancels practice sessions, then the starting lineup will be set by points, per the rule book.

Tire Rules Revision -- Cup teams now are allowed five sets of tires for practice and qualifying instead of six. They must return four of those sets to Goodyear in order to receive their race allotment, and may keep one set of practice/qualifying tires. Tire allotments for race weekends will vary according to historical performance data.

Closed Loop Fueling System -- Introduced in the Truck Series, this goes into effect for all three national series in 2011. It combines a more efficient fueling system with the elimination of the catch-can man, considered the most "vulnerable" pit-crew member. Teams now will use six, rather than seven, over-the-wall pit-crew members.

Evolution of Cup Car -- NASCAR continues to work with the manufacturers and teams to enhance the look of the Cup Series car. The cars have new fronts this season and the body makeover will continue to help appeal to fans and aid manufacturer identity.



My 2 cents: I think they should still be awarding more points for wins.

[cook]

I agree Sandpig.Wins are too hard to come by.They should be rewarded more.

[Goodfellas]

Does it even matter Jimmie Johnson is gonna win.

[cook]

Does it even matter Jimmie Johnson is gonna win.
Someone needs to step it up a notch don`t they ?

[Sandpig]

Does it even matter Jimmie Johnson is gonna win.

Hope not. I like Jimmy, but just the fact he's associated with Gordon and Hendricks makes me root against him.

[Sandpig]

Junior says time has come to shorten races

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Wednesday that he applauds the changes that are coming to the Sprint Cup Series point standings, but that NASCAR has another adjustment it needs to make.

Speaking during a Sprint Media Tour stop at Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt called again for a shortening of most of the Cup races. Hitting on a theme others have addressed previously, he said he particularly would like to see the season's two 500-mile events at Pocono Raceway shortened.


"I think it's a great idea, especially at certain events. The Pocono races are entirely too long," Earnhardt said. "I think NASCAR should shoot for a three-hour or three-hour and 15-minute televised event, and try to fit into that sort of time frame. But it can't be done at all times. I understand. I think you've got to have races like the 600-miler [Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte] and the Daytona 500 and things like that -- but there are certain events [that should be shortened]."

[cook]

Junior says time has come to shorten races

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Wednesday that he applauds the changes that are coming to the Sprint Cup Series point standings, but that NASCAR has another adjustment it needs to make.

Speaking during a Sprint Media Tour stop at Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt called again for a shortening of most of the Cup races. Hitting on a theme others have addressed previously, he said he particularly would like to see the season's two 500-mile events at Pocono Raceway shortened.


"I think it's a great idea, especially at certain events. The Pocono races are entirely too long," Earnhardt said. "I think NASCAR should shoot for a three-hour or three-hour and 15-minute televised event, and try to fit into that sort of time frame. But it can't be done at all times. I understand. I think you've got to have races like the 600-miler [Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte] and the Daytona 500 and things like that -- but there are certain events [that should be shortened]."
Yeah let`s all watch the Daytona 300.....it doesn`t really roll off your tongue does it.

[Goodfellas]

he should be more concerned about his falling career.

[Goodfellas]

Nascar isnt the same without Sr Rusty Dw King Richard. todays drivers are a bunch of cry babies. Every wreck they just about cry on camera.

[Sandpig]

Pastrana's Nationwide debut slated for Indianapolis

Travis Pastrana will drive the No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing in seven Nationwide Series races this season, including a mid-summer debut in Indianapolis designed to bridge NASCAR with the X Games. Pastrana plans to compete in at least 20 races in 2012.

In addition to Indianapolis, Pastrana is scheduled to race in six of the final eight races: Richmond, Dover, Kansas, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami.

Pastrana owns 11 X Games gold medals, multiple supercross and motocross championships, and four Rally America championships.

"To announce this partnership in November and have a sponsor this soon is really gratifying, and we certainly appreciate Boost's support," Pastrana said. "Having worked with Boost in the past and knowing what an innovative brand it is, I am excited to see what we can do together this year."

Pastrana's debut weekend will be a big one travel. Pastrana will compete at the X Games in Los Angeles July 28 and July 29, fly to Indianapolis for his Nationwide debut, then return to Los Angeles to finish his X Games competition.

"That is going to be a phenomenal weekend," Pastrana said. "We're going big that weekend. Our vision for this team is to expose NASCAR and action sports to each other's world, and this is a perfect way to accomplish that. We have a lot of work to do before then, but that weekend has already been marked on my calendar."

[Goodfellas]

Well he cant be any worse than Danica :dunno:

[Sandpig]

Well he cant be any worse than Danica :dunno:

:no:

[Sandpig]

Patrick's 2011 Nationwide schedule finalized
Driver to race 12 times in second season, venture to four new tracks

JR Motorsports general manager Kelley Earnhardt announced Wednesday the 2011 Nationwide Series schedule for Danica Patrick.

Patrick's tour will closely resemble her rookie campaign in that she will compete in a cluster of races on the front and back ends of the Nationwide schedule. She will appear in select races during the middle parts of the year while competing full time in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Patrick's 2011 NASCAR plans feature 12 races across 10 markets. Four of those markets will host Patrick for the first time in a stock car.

As announced last October, Patrick will compete in the first four Nationwide races -- Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 19), Phoenix International Raceway (Feb. 26), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 5) and Bristol Motor Speedway (March 19).

Patrick will continue with races at Chicagoland Speedway (June 4), Daytona (July 1), Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Aug. 20), Richmond International Raceway (Sept. 9), and Kansas Speedway (Oct. 8). She will conclude her second NASCAR season with the final three races on the Nationwide schedule -- Texas Motor Speedway (Nov. 5), Phoenix (Nov. 12) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 19).

"This is going to be an exciting year in the No. 7 Chevrolet," said Patrick, who scored a career-best fifth-place start and 19th-place finish in the 2010 finale at Homestead-Miami. "I have a much different perspective heading into this season. I know a little more of what to expect, and I'm not as out of my element. I've had a year to work with my team, and there is a comfort level that comes with returning to some of these tracks. It's obvious experience goes a long way in this sport."

Race tracks that were not on Patrick's 2010 schedule, but are among her 2011 plans, are Bristol, Richmond, Kansas and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Patrick has raced at Richmond and Kansas in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

GoDaddy.com, the world's largest Web hosting provider and top domain name registrar, will serve as primary sponsor for 11 of the 12 races with Patrick on the No. 7 Chevrolet.

[cook]

Daytona 500 is right around the corner

[Goodfellas]

hasnt been getting much publicity. course you only have to turn it on for the last 5 laps.

[Sandpig]

New Daytona surface leaves predictions up in air


Racing in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series has provided drivers with more opportunity to study each track's unique characteristics. But Daytona International Speedway's new surface will be like a clean sheet of paper for every Nationwide team.

So in 2011, the biggest benefit will come early. The season-opening Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway will be run on the track's recently repaved surface, and only Cup drivers have had a chance to drive it. First there was a two-day Goodyear tire test in December, then Preseason Thunder in January.

So while no one has yet put one of the Nationwide Series' new cars on the track, there are some series regulars who have a semblance of an idea of what to expect.

"I think it's going to be really racey," Trevor Bayne said. "I think we're going to get three-wide, and some Nationwide guys will probably go four-wide when we shouldn't be."

Bayne tested the new surface in the No. 21 Ford Cup car for Wood Brothers Racing, and he came away impressed. It's smoother than it has been, with plenty of grip. The new surface has drawn plenty of comparisons to Talladega Superspeedway, also a restrictor plate track.

Joey Logano, for one, thinks those comparisons are apt.

"To be real blunt, it's like Talladega," Logano said. "The packs will be really tight probably the whole day. There will be big packs and no room to go anywhere, if you get a big run going."

One thing the two rising stars disagree on is how long it will take for Daytona to regain some of its most identifiable characteristics. Bayne said he could tell some of that coming back in between the tire test and Preseason Thunder. Logano wasn't so sure the drivers haven't lost the old Daytona for a while to come.

"I think we have for a long, long time," Logano said. "It's pretty smooth out there. You'll feel it lose grip as you keep going but it's going to take a while. It's going to take years and years."

[Goodfellas]

The same guys you always see up front johnson stewart edwards hamlin harvick etc.

[Sandpig]

The same guys you always see up front johnson stewart edwards hamlin harvick etc.

IMO, it's not cause of the drivers but the teams they drive for.

[Sandpig]

Earnhardt draws Shootout pole
Stewart on front row; Harvick to roll off 18th in attempt at third win in row

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kevin Harvick will try to win his third consecutive Budweiser Shootout from the 18th starting position Saturday night -- but that's not such a bad thing.

It doesn't seem to matter where Harvick starts the 75-lap exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway. Last year he won from the second position. Two years ago he claimed his first Shootout win from 27th on the grid.


"That'll be all right," Harvick said after unwrapping the No. 18 placard from the Budweiser bottle he chose in the blind qualifying draw Friday night.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won the 2003 and '08 Shootouts, drew the pole for Saturday's race.

"You knew it, didn't you?" draw party show host Kenny Wallace asked Earnhardt after the selection.

"I did," Earnhardt said. "We're good."

Three-time Shootout winner Tony Stewart starts from the outside of the front row after drawing the No. 2 position. Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin will line up third and fourth, respectively.

The race will be run in segments of 25 and 50 laps, with a 10-minute break between. Green-flag and caution laps count toward the total.

It's an eclectic field for the 33rd running of the race that originated as the Busch Clash. Originally, the event was an exhibition for pole winners from the previous season, but when Coors Light took over sponsorship of the Cup pole award from Budweiser, it created a conflict that necessitated a change in eligibility requirements for the Shootout.

NASCAR is still feeling its way through that process, and changes to the eligibility rules this year dramatically altered the composition of the field. All 12 Chase drivers from 2010 qualified, along with past Cup Series champions, past Budweiser Shootout winners, past winners of points races at Daytona, and Cup rookies of the year for the past 10 years.

That last provision punched the tickets of Kasey Kahne, Juan Montoya and Joey Logano, who otherwise wouldn't have made the field. It also gave entry to Regan Smith and Kevin Conway, neither of whom has won a race in any of NASCAR's top three series.

Budweiser Shootout
Starting Lineup
1. Dal Earnhardt Jr. 7. Clint Bowyer 13. Juan Montoya 19. Matt Kenseth
2. Tony Stewart 8. Ryan Newman 14. Jamie McMurray 20. Mark Martin
3. Carl Edwards 9. Derrike Cope 15. Jeff Burton 21. Kyle Busch
4. Denny Hamlin 10. Michael Waltrip 16. Kevin Conway 22. Joey Logano
5. Kasey Kahne 11. Greg Biffle 17. Kurt Busch 23. Jimmie Johnson
6. Bobby Labonte 12. Jeff Gordon 18. Kevin Harvick 24. Regan Smith
Related:

[Goodfellas]

IMO, it's not cause of the drivers but the teams they drive for.

Then Junior should be winning.

[Sandpig]

Then Junior should be winning.

You're right there. I can't explain that one. He was better when he was driving for DER.

[Sandpig]

Busch wins Shootout as Hamlin black-flagged
Visits Victory Lane for first time at Daytona as Hamlin takes the safe route

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Budweiser Shootout winner Kurt Busch got it right -- Daytona is a whole new game.

With a push from 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, Busch won Saturday night's season-opening exhibition race when Denny Hamlin drew a black flag for passing below the yellow out-of-bounds line as the cars approached the finish.

Hamlin, who was inches ahead at the stripe, was demoted to 12th for the infraction and scored as the last car on the lead lap.

Without a teammate in the race, Busch took his first victory at Daytona -- and his first victory on a restrictor-plate race track, for that matter -- in the No. 22 Penske Dodge.

McMurray came home second, narrowly edging Ryan Newman, who led the race off the final corner, only to have Hamlin slingshot past him in the dogleg. Newman was third, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle.

This was a brand-new Daytona, with a brand-new asphalt surface and a brand-new style of racing. The fast way around the 2.5-mile superspeedway was to pair up in a two-car draft, and that was what fans saw for the entire event.

The race produced a record 28 lead changes among nine drivers.

"What an unbelievable experience, this two-car draft," Busch said. "I had no idea what to expect going in. I was just going to take it one lap at a time and see how it played out. I wanted to learn as the race went on how this Shell/Pennzoil Dodge raced.

"[McMurray] was the man [Saturday night]. He stayed with us. He stayed true. I can't thank him enough for doing that. I hope it was the show the fans wanted to see."

For McMurray, the experience was equally novel.

"It's completely different plate racing than we've ever had," McMurray said. "I hope it was exciting for the fans to watch. But from the driver's seat, it was actually really exciting to push two-by-two and do the side draft. It is awesome the runs you were able to get, so I hope the fans enjoyed it."

Hamlin said he chose to dip below the yellow line, rather than knock Newman into the fence.

"That yellow line is there to protect us and the fans in the stands, and I just chose to take the safer route," Hamlin said. "A win in the Shootout is not worth sending the 39 [Newman] through the grandstands. For me, as fast as we're running, if I got into his left rear, that car will go airborne."

Polesitter Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the victim of a multi-car crash on the backstretch on Lap 28. Contact from Regan Smith's No. 78 Chevrolet turned Carl Edwards' No. 99 Ford into Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevy and spun it into the outside wall. The chain-reaction crash also collected Joey Logano, Juan Montoya and Kevin Conway.

Johnson also sustained right-side damage in the incident but brought his car to pit road for repairs and remained on the lead lap.

"We were three- or four-wide back there, and I was going between the 88 and the 78, and I don't think the 78 knew I was in there," Edwards said. "He kept coming down, and I just had enough of my car in there. I laid up against the 88 and then the 78 got me in the right-front, but that's just everybody trying to get the best position they can so we can go out there and race."

Jeff Burton led 13 of 25 laps in the first segment of the 75-lap race, including Lap 25, as cars danced in pairs around the track. In an oft-repeated scenario, cars would team up and draft to the front only to fall back dramatically when they separated to get air to the engine of the pushing car.

Kevin Harvick and Burton teamed well together, as did Earnhardt and Kyle Busch, though during the break after the first segment Earnhardt said Busch's No. 18 "jacks my car around like he has Velcro on that thing." Earnhardt led four laps in the first segment, tied for second most with Tony Stewart.

At the completion of the 25-lap opening segment, there was a 10-minute break to service and adjust cars on pit road.

IMO, I thought it was a great race. All along I knew whoever was second would pull out from behind the first place car at some point, which would allow 3 & 4 to catch up.

[Sandpig]

And it was funny to see Curt drinking the Budweiser during the celebration.

Would've been interesting to see if he did that had he still been sponsored by Miller Lite.

[Goodfellas]

same old junior always some problem.

[Goodfellas]

And it was funny to see Curt drinking the Budweiser during the celebration.

Would've been interesting to see if he did that had he still been sponsored by Miller Lite.

Sponorship nightmare.

[Sandpig]

same old junior always some problem.

Wasn't his fault, but he always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Sandpig]

Earnhardt to start from the 500 pole for first time
Hendrick teammate Gordon to start outside; Elliott, Kvapil, Nemechek race way in

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The pressure's off Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- until next Sunday, that is.

In Sunday's qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway, Earnhardt edged Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon for the top starting spot in next Sunday's season-opening Daytona 500.

Turning a lap in 48.364 seconds (186.089 mph), Earnhardt claimed the 10th Coors Light pole award of his career and his first at a restrictor-plate superspeedway. He'll try to win NASCAR's most prestigious race for the second time in the 400th start of his Cup career.

What Earnhardt -- and Gordon, for that matter -- won't have to worry about is racing for position in Thursday's Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying races at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Under the unique qualify procedure for the Daytona 500, the two fastest drivers in time trials are locked into the front row.

The rest of the field for the 53rd running of the Great American Race won't be set until the Duels are completed.

"The main thing [the pole] does for me is take the pressure off Thursday's race," said Earnhardt, who will start from the top spot in the first qualifying race. "I can go out and have fun and not worry about where I finish or getting a good starting spot for the Daytona 500."

Gaining a slight edge through Turn 1, Earnhardt narrowly beat Gordon (48.396 seconds, 185.966 mph) for the top spot on the grid.

It was the third Daytona 500 front-row sweep for Hendrick Motorsports, which placed Ken Schrader and Darrell Waltrip first and second in 1989. Mark Martin won the pole for last year's 500, with Earnhardt starting on the outside of the front row.

[Goodfellas]

Hell get a good finish if someone moron doesnt wreck him.

[Goodfellas]

my prediction kevin harvick.

[Sandpig]

Good pick.
I just don't see how you can predict a race like this. Definitely has to be someone with a teammate. Which is obviously all the top guys.

[Goodfellas]

Good pick.
I just don't see how you can predict a race like this. Definitely has to be someone with a teammate. Which is obviously all the top guys.

Easy just find someone at the end that is not a moron and doesnt cause a wreck.

[Goodfellas]

Seriously certain guys are just better at the super speedways.

[Sandpig]

NASCAR mandates changes to slow Daytona field

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR knew Sunday morning at Daytona International Speedway, that the 206-plus mph speeds seen in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout were unacceptable for the rest of Speedweeks.

"What we know is, we can have good races at 100 miles and hour and 200 miles and hour and everything in between," Sprint Cup director John Darby said on Sunday evening. "I think we can agree, for both the competitors and NASCAR, that 206 was probably a little bit to the extreme side, so we'll do what we can do to probably cushion that, some."

NASCAR issued a bulletin Sunday that attempts to equate the four manufacturers' ability to control their engines' water temperatures. At the same time, it continues trying to limit their ability to engage in speed-building two-car drafts.

The bulletin resulted in a steady stream of crew chiefs, engine tuners and engine builders taking advantage of NASCAR's "open-door policy" to come to its mobile office trailer in the Sprint Cup garage to visit with NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton and Sprint Cup Series director John Darby for clarifications.

Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines president Richie Gilmore said the bulletin was a little different than what he expected to see and that many teams "didn't have their cars plumbed [the way the bulletin dictated]."

"What they're looking to do is put an external pressure-relief valve [near] the top of the water [overflow] tank," Gilmore said, explaining that the bulletin mandated set-diameter hoses to and from the tank and a pressure-relief valve supplied by NASCAR and set to 33 PSI.

In addition, the bulletin mandated a change to rule book section 20-7.3, whereby, no matter the shape of the grille, per manufacturer identity, it would have an aluminum plate behind with a rectangular opening with a 50-square-inch maximum opening for cooling.

Darby said NASCAR would have the ability to check the dimensions and the valves' pressure ratings post-race and that variations would be subject to penalties, per the rule book. Darby said the concern among the competitors was "pretty low."

Gilmore said the goal was relatively simple.

"What that's gonna do is drive the cars to where they're probably not going to be able to push as long," Gilmore said. "In two or three laps they'll have to get out [of line] and get some air, or they'll start pushing water [out the pressure-relief valve].

"They're trying to get it to where we can only run about 230 degrees of water temperature. Guys the other night were pushing for 10, 12 laps or more -- and they were probably seeing 260 degrees of water temperature. But it was staying there because guys were running a higher-pressure [radiator] system."

And Darby said that, while a restrictor plate change is still on the table, NASCAR opted to go this route, first.

"If you look at what creates speed, the plate would be fine as it is," Darby said. "If drivers never pushed each other, we'd be putting bigger plates on the cars; so that's part of what we want to watch -- how the cooling system changes and what the reaction to it is, and we may not have to change the plate. That's what we've got to watch on Wednesday."

There is no track activity at Daytona until Wednesday, and most competitors were planning on returning to their shops in North Carolina anyway.

"We all get to go home," Daytona 500 pole-winning crew chief Steve Letarte said. "I get to go to the shop Monday and Tuesday. We get to run stuff on the [engine dynamometer]. I think the first thing we'll do is we'll take all that information and feed it into our dynos. We have engines at home. We'll test our water systems and find out exactly what kind of criteria that will affect the car. We'll come down and decide.

"We're going to tiptoe into it. I think we have a lot of practice left. I think the opportunity to run, you can learn a lot with just a teammate -- especially when it comes to cooling -- the two car push. We'll apply [the rules] the best we can and come up with a very diligent plan for Wednesday, definitely not go into it blindfolded. We'll go into it with a specific plan."

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said that on Saturday, NASCAR requested teams remove an auxiliary engine-cooling hose in an attempt to minimize their ability to engage in two-car drafts in which the cars are literally constantly in contact, with the first car breaking the air-resistance and the second car taking advantage of that to push both cars more quickly around the track.

"Some teams didn't have it but some did, and we asked them to take it off to cut down on some of the cool air the engine gets," Tharp said. "It wasn't intended to reduce horsepower; it was something we tried to see if it would curtail the length of those two-car hook-ups."

However, as Shootout runner-up Jamie McMurray pointed-out, his team doesn't even run the hose in question -- as a number of other teams don't -- and he was able to push Shootout winner Kurt Busch constantly for more than 12 laps Saturday night, when ambient temperatures were near 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Conditions were ripe for the speeds that were recorded, and that was enough for Darby.

Even though race-time temperatures on both Thursday, for the Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying races and Sunday for the Daytona 500 are expected to be warmer, thereby slicking up the race track and lowering speeds, NASCAR was compelled to try something.

"It was so cool [Saturday] night, when the car would get 275 degrees [of water temperature] you could peek the nose out and my car would go back down to 230 in a straightaway," McMurray said. "And if it's 40 degrees hotter on Thursday it's not going to do that. Yeah, I think it'll be a lot different racing when you have to swap [[positions in the two-car drafts], where [Saturday] we didn't have to."

But three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon said the art wouldn't completely go away.

"We used to run like, maybe two laps at Talladega, lap and a half at Talladega, was about as long as you could run [without overheating]," Gordon said. "These teams went to work over the off season. Look now, we're running 30, 40 laps in a row. We figured out how to do it without even having to swap [positions] over.

"So I think cutting that restriction down would certainly stop us from being able to push as long, but it's not going to stop us from pushing. It doesn't matter if you can push a guy for a half a lap -- if it makes you go faster, it makes you go faster, you're going to do it.

"That just means you're going to have to figure out how to get some air to cool the car down, poke our nose out, back off a little bit. So as long as those bumpers line up and the airflow over the cars is the way it is, I don't think you're going to stop it."

Once NASCAR made the cooling system decision, the teams were in position to do the rest.

"The way Speedweeks is broken up, the most important day of the week, make sure everyone knows this, is the Daytona 500. The 150s have to be a way to verify some of the changes, that's what we'll do. We want to make sure next Sunday we put on a great show for a lot of fans that have traveled a long way to come see us."

"The game has changed, that's all I can say," Gordon said. "You can't take knowledge and throw it away. Once you have it, you have it. You maintain it, you apply it. No matter what changes from now to Sunday, we're still going to have that knowledge. We'll try to use it to our advantage.

You talk about the cooling; you talk about the rev limiters -- all those things. Now I got to figure out who has 9500 [RPMs]. Shoot, we can't run 9500. We got some work to do [smiling]. But, you know, the thing is there are going to be some guys that are going to try to do it for 500 miles.

"I think there's going to be some guys that fail from an engine standpoint. We've known since January coming down here that we can't do that for 500 miles. That's if we run high temperatures. What we're doing in testing is we push till we got to like 260, 270 on the water temp, then we would swap and let it cool down, then we'd swap. We did that. We didn't think we could do it for 500 miles based on what we saw on the engine.

"There are going to be guys that take the risk and try it. We're here to do whatever it takes to win the race. So we'll see kind of what happens over the next few days. We are going to take it day to day and make our plan from there."

[Goodfellas]

gotta love a sport that changes its rules every five minutes.

[Sandpig]

gotta love a sport that changes its rules every five minutes.

Well, they did it again! :dunno:


Plate change serves up slower speeds for 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In its continuing quest to reduce the speeds of Sprint Cup cars this week at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR on Wednesday finally made the move everyone felt was coming -- ordering the use of a carburetor restrictor plate with a smaller opening.

NASCAR trimmed plate openings by one-64th of an inch, a change that reduced engine output by about 10 horsepower and that officials hoped would reduce the uncomfortably fast speeds the cars were turning on the recently resurfaced 2.5-mile oval. The move had an immediate effect --in last Saturday 's Budweiser Shootout exhibition, some cars reached speeds upward of 206 mph, but Kyle Busch topped a rain-delayed Daytona 500 practice session Wednesday afternoon at 200.254 mph. Kasey Kahne led the day's second session at 200.067 mph.

"Ready for the Duels," Sprint Cup director John Darby pronounced, referring to Thursday's two 150-mile qualifying races that will set the bulk of the Daytona 500 field.

"We'll run the Duels, take a look, see how everything is," he added. "The biggest unknown right now, knowing that we just ran two practices, is the difference in how teams approach a race versus practice. If everything stays pretty much like we saw [Wednesday], we'll be fine."

Darby said the tandem drafting situation that has defined much of these Speedweeks wasn't the reason for the change, and that NASCAR was most concerned with high speeds and engine RPMs. Prior to the plate change, defending Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray said he heard from his engine builders that his power plant was turning 9,000 revolutions per minute, raising concerns about the stresses placed on it during the race. Most drivers seemed to support the change.

"I completely understand the situation NASCAR is in, and have talked to [series president] Mike Helton a lot about changes and ways to keep the speeds down," five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson said. "So I certainly have seen the process and appreciate the decisions that have been made. Only time will tell. I think in general we'd all like to have no plate on there, which is impossible, or the biggest plate we possibly could. But at those speeds, we know what happens .... It's like Brad [Keselowski] and Carl [Edwards] at Talladega -- you add 10 to15 mph to that, and it's going to be even worse."

Edwards flipped into the catch fence in a final-lap accident that injured several fans two years ago at Talladega Superspeedway, the only other track where NASCAR uses restrictor plates to limit speeds and keep cars on the ground in the event of a crash. The smooth new Daytona surface, necessitated by the pothole that developed during last year's Daytona 500, creates so much grip that even two Nationwide cars cracked the 200 mph barrier during a practice Wednesday afternoon -- a fact that led NASCAR to order use of smaller engine spacers to attempt to reduce speeds in those vehicles. Wednesday night, NASCAR confirmed that beginning with Thursday's practice, it would use a restrictor plate along with a tapered spacer to further attempt to bring down speeds in the Nationwide cars.

"They're trying to slow the cars down to keep everyone safe -- not just the drivers, but the spectators in the stands, and make sure they keep the car on the ground. If they decide to put a smaller plate on, I don't think you're going to hear one driver complain about that, because it's not going to affect the racing," McMurray said Wednesday before the restrictor plate change was announced.

"I think the reason NASCAR is taking small steps is because they don't need a lot to get the speeds back down to where they need to be. In the last couple of days, I've talked to a lot of drivers, and nobody seems to be a little upset or concerned with the changes they've made. I think everybody's for it."

In the immediate aftermath of the Shootout, NASCAR ordered changes to the cars' engine-cooling systems in the hope that forcing the vehicles to break the two-car drafts on occasion would slow their average speeds to more tolerable levels. Despite that move, Darby said use of a smaller plate opening was still an option -- one that NASCAR employed after crunching some dynamometer numbers on Monday and Tuesday.


Some had hoped NASCAR would go in a different direction.

"I thought that going bigger would be better, simply because the faster we go, ultimately the handling will come into play eventually," Denny Hamlin said. "If we're going a certain speed ... the cars really can't handle the corners being pushed. I thought [the plate openings] being bigger would be an advantage for getting the pack back together. The pack would be able to catch the two-car tandems very, very quickly if the plate was bigger. Obviously they felt that they didn't want the cars running 206. There's a big safety concern when the cars are running 206. Not necessarily for us, but the flag man especially."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. indicated that the slower speeds were a factor in his practice crash Wednesday, when Martin Truex. Jr. hooked him from behind and wrecked the No. 88 primary car. Earnhardt had to go to a backup, meaning he will vacate his pole position and start at the rear of the Daytona 500 field regardless of how he fares in Thursday's twin 150-mile qualifying events.

"They keep slowing the cars down, and it makes a car drafting normally much slower, and now the closing rate on the two-car pack is even faster. And I mean, it's just hard," Earnhardt said. "Hopefully, there's no more accidents this week. We're all kind of getting the hang of it, but the guys that aren't, in a two-car pack, [they] need to be aware that those guys are going to come flying up on them faster than they think. And you've just got to keep that in mind and hold your line."

The end result was another day of changes in a week that's forcing Daytona 500 entrants to adapt on the fly. But Johnson said most competitors understand what NASCAR officials are trying to do.

"I think we all felt like a smaller plate was coming, and understand why, so I am not saying I have a problem with the direction it is going," he said. "I think everybody would love to see the plates off the cars to start with. It is that necessary evil that we talk about every time we go to a plate track. NASCAR was trying to do everything they could to not go down on plate [opening size], but they are kind of at that point."

[cook]

JR wrecked in practice yesterday and will drive his backup car starting from the back of the pack instead of the pole.

[Sandpig]

JR wrecked in practice yesterday and will drive his backup car starting from the back of the pack instead of the pole.

:ok: Not a fan of Team Hendricks.

[cook]

Kurt Busch wins the first qualifying race and will now be on the pole for the 500

[cook]

Jeff Burton wins the second qualifying race.

[Goodfellas]

fucking junior im not even watching. dying sport anyway.

[cook]

fucking junior im not even watching. dying sport anyway.
hahaha oh come on man.At least we`re not talking about Lebron and Kobe