Truex to MWR #56 as of Chicago?

Yesterday we reported that Michael Waltrip Racing will be making a MAJOR announcement on July 7th, that Martin Truex Jr. (current driver of EGR #1 Chevy) will be taking over the #55 NAPA Toyota in 2010. Could Martin Truex Jr. be headed to Waltrip's outfit a little sooner than next season? It seems like a pretty good possibility. One garage source said it's a likely possibility that Truex will be behind the wheel of Waltrip's #55 NAPA Toyota Camry for the Lifelock.com 400 on July 11 at Chicagoland Speedway, with Aric Almirola taking over his current seat in the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing #1 Bass Pro Chevy. Almirola has a ride with EGR when the season started but a lack of Sponsership closed the team down. And while the Truex to MWR rumor has been floating in the pond for some time, another name was tossed into the rumor mill concerning the big Waltrip announcement. Could Richard Petty Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne be heading to a new third Toyota team with MWR? Sounds odd, but its being whispered. [Kahne is signed with RPM thru 2010.] Michael Waltrip Racing announced on Monday (June 29) that the July 7th press conference will be involving sponsor NAPA Auto Parts at MWR's headquarters. (So now where make announcements about announcements...wow)

The company line at Michael Waltrip Racing is that despite the expected announcement on July 7 that Martin Truex Jr. will join the fold (hearing in the #56 Toyota), he will not drive the car until next season. And Waltrip will likely continue to run a limited 10 to 12 race schedule in the #55 car in 2010. But the consensus in the garage is that Truex could be in a MWR car as early as the Chicagoland Cup race in two weeks. A press release from NAPA announcing Waltrip's brother Darrell (also a NASCAR on FOX analyst) as an honorary pit crew member for this weekend Coke Zero 400 has only fueled the speculation that it will be Michael's last race. For now, MWR Vice President and GM Ty Norris and COO Cal Wells' say that the teams will remain status quo for 2009. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing president Steve Lauletta says he expects to have Aric Almirola back in the #8 Chevy by mid-August if sponsorship can be secured. But again his been saying that since the team closed down in April, the money just isn't there. Lauletta echoed MWR's sentiments that Truex will not be departing from the #1 Chevy before season's end.

Danica Patrick to Hendrick? Dale Jr. Out?

If Danica Patrick 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.

Patrick might take Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s spot on Hendrick's official four-team Cup roster, with Earnhardt moving to an expanded JR Motorsports operation. JR Motorsports, Earnhardt's own operation, run in partnership with Hendrick, would thus be stepping up to a full Cup program; Hendrick has already been talking with Talladega winner Brad Keselowski about Keselowski's future in NASCAR, with indications he could get a Cup ride with an expanded JR Motorsports venture, with Hendrick engines and Hendrick engineering. It is not clear how far along any Patrick-IMG-Hendrick negotiations have gone, but sources tell mikemulhern.net that the Patrick-Hendrick deal is very close to being a 'done deal.'

Martin Truex Jr. to the 55 in 2010?

Michael Waltrip Racing will be making a MAJOR announcement on July 7th. 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. “I heard about that [announcement] – I have no idea [its content],” Lauletta said in the New Hampshire Motor Speedway garage. “We have not re-signed Martin for 2010.” Lauletta was fairly mum on whether the team would put current driver Aric Almirola (who started the year driving for EGR in Sprint Cup and has since been driving select Nationwide and Truck races for other teams) in the #1 car or someone else. “We’re not going to talk about what we’re doing and what our options are,” Lauletta said. “We’ll keep that all internal.” He said those discussions would include Bass Pro Shops. As far as his manufacturer situation, Lauletta said EGR is in a similar situation as the rest of the Chevrolet organizations as it has been asked to cut back.

Shell to Hendrick?

Rick Hendrick may be in the running for the lucrative Shell-Pennzoil sponsorship for 2010, according to sources in the NASCAR garage. Car owner Richard Childress is in the third season of Shell sponsorship, but he has said little about the contract or any negotiations. Hendrick has had a long-standing sponsorship relationship with Quaker State, which is owned by Shell. If Shell were to move from the Childress camp to the Hendrick camp, it would apparently go on Mark Martin's car. NASCAR executives are expected to discuss the full range of sponsorship issues with key car owners and drivers in next week's planned annual post-Daytona 400 'seminar.' That private retreat each July was started by the late Bill France Jr., to get an inside look at the state of the sport from the owners' perspective.

Cup: Logano Wins and is Youngest Cup Victor

Sometimes, the sun shines even though it's raining. Ask young Joey Logano. A late-race rainstorm stopped the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 after 273 of the scheduled 301 laps, giving Logano his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. The 19-year-old rookie, who turned 19 on May 24, was probably the only happy driver when NASCAR announced the race official, but veterans of the sport would quickly tell the youngster to enjoy his win because "there's no telling how long it might be before he wins another one." Crew chief Greg Zipadelli, Logano's mentor and crew chief on the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, a veteran of this sport's tremendous emotional peaks and valleys, probably told his rosy-cheeked driver, "You take em any way you can get 'em, kid." Even though Logano never challenged any of the race leaders, he raced his way back into contention after a blown tire and an untimely pit stop put him a lap down. He eventually was the "Lucky Dog," which put him back on the lead lap and in position to gamble on fuel mileage as reports of impending rain rolled through the pit area like tumbleweeds. Actually, Logano's car was the last in a group of cars who rolled the dice on fuel. Ryan Newman was the leader with some 50 laps to go but had to pit.

Bobby Labonte had a turn out front before his thirsty Ask.com Ford asked for fuel. Logano's victory makes him the youngest driver ever to win a Sprint Cup race. That in itself came as no surprise to fans at this one-mile oval a couple hours from Boston. This track is Logano's "home" track since he grew up not too far from here in Middletown, Conn. He has been pegged as the "next" Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson with his past success in other NASCAR series. He won the championship in the developmental Camping World East Series in 2007 and moved to the Nationwide Series last year, where he has won three times. He has struggled at times this season but has also shown signs of tremendous potential. Sunday's win was a windfall of luck, which follows the wind and the rain from time to time. Jeff Gordon was second after running up front all afternoon, and Kurt Busch was next. They were followed by David Reutimann, Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Sam Hornish Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne. Casey Mears was 11th and Juan Pablo Montoya was 12th, just ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Mark Martin. An overcast New England sky cast an ominous shadow over the 43-car starting field for Sunday's race. The crowd of over 100,000 had the same thoughts as the drivers... would the New England weather allow the race to be run? As the field took the green flag, they were racing against another green, the rainy green of weather radar that lurked off the coast as a potential threat.

Gordon jumped out front early for the lead and then the older Busch Brother, Kurt, took the top spot. Greg Biffle passed Gordon for second, and Johnson was fourth. They were followed by Newman, Carl Edwards, Stewart, Montoya, the younger Busch brother, Kyle, and Reutimann. Patrick Carpentier hit the retaining wall in turn two at lap 15 to bring out the first caution of the afternoon. Busch maintained the lead on the restart at lap 19. Two laps later, Jamie McMurray lost control between turns two and three and slammed the outside retaining wall. Gordon was ahead on the restart at lap 25 this time around. They made just three laps this time before AJ Allmendinger spun in turn three. It was the third caution period in just a few laps, but the laps that were run were dandies. Under NASCAR's new double-file, shootout-style restart procedure, Gordon, Busch, Biffle, Montoya and others were two-abreast around the track. Gordon still led when the race resumed at lap 31, but Busch quickly went back out front. NASCAR added a competition caution at lap 47 to allow the teams to check tire wear. A hard rain Saturday night washed away the rubber put down during several preliminary races. On the restart at lap 50, Johnson took the lead for the first time with teammate Gordon next and young Busch third, then brother Kurt, Martin, Biffle, Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Matt Kenseth.

Another caution slowed the field when Michael Waltrip was turned by Scott Speed at lap 59. Johnson led on the restart at lap 64. He moved ahead of teammate Gordon by about one second, but at this point in the race, he certainly appeared to be the dominant car. Another caution fell at the halfway point of the race, 151 laps completed of the 301 to be run, and a few drops of rain showed up on windshields. Johnson had led to this point, but both Gordon and Kurt Busch took two tires to beat Johnson back on the track while he took four tires. The race started again on lap 157 with Gordon in front. He was followed by Busch, Johnson, Stewart, Earnhardt, Kyle Busch, Truex, Edwards, Martin and Reutimann.

N'wide: Busch holds off Logano the Win

Apparently tired of his recent pattern of leading the most laps and finishing somewhere other than first, Kyle Busch took a different tack in Saturday's Camping World RV Sales 200. Busch saved his surge to the front for the final green-flag run in the Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano for the lead on Lap 165 of 200, Busch stayed in front the rest of the way. In the final 10 laps, Logano closed up to the rear bumper of Busch's No. 18 Toyota in lapped traffic, but Busch eventually pulled away to win his fifth race of the season by .617 seconds over his teammate. Brad Keselowski finished third at the Magic Mile, followed by Mike Bliss, who stayed out on old tires during the third and final caution and led the field to a restart on Lap 162. Kevin Harvick came home fifth in his own No. 33 Chevrolet. Busch collected the 26th Nationwide victory of his career, fifth-best all-time and one behind fourth-place Jeff Burton. In posting his 13th top 10 in 16 starts this season, Busch extended his lead over sixth-place finisher Carl Edwards to 162 points in the series standings. Though Busch talked with crew chief Jason Ratcliff about being patient and taking his time during the first 51-lap green-flag run, he said his methodical approach was a matter of necessity, not choice.

"I wanted to be (up front) -- I just couldn't get there," said Busch, who started from the ninth position and became the 23rd different winner in 23 Nationwide races at NHMS. "These flat tracks, you just can't do stuff like that. You don't have the room to do stuff like that. "Texas, Charlotte, Atlanta -- all those big tracks -- Kansas, Chicago, you've got room. You can go way up to the wall and run around the outside and pass guys, and you've got the whole racetrack to use. Here, Milwaukee, Phoenix, you've got one, one-and-a-half lanes to use in order to get through guys and make it up towards the front. So you've got to be methodical about it, think about it and try not to get into anybody." Logano, on the other hand, got a taste of the frustration that has haunted Busch, who had led 1,486 of the 2,787 laps he had completed in the first 15 races this season. "I guess this is how Kyle feels lately -- leading the most laps and not winning," said Logano, who led a race-high 108 laps. Sprint Cup teammates Scott Speed and Brian Vickers -- driving cars for different Nationwide owners -- tangled in Turn 3 on the final lap and lost chances for top-five finishes. As the cars entered pit road following the race, Vickers (who came home 12th) bumped his Red Bull Racing teammate (who ran eighth). Speed explained that he had carried more speed than the cars ahead of him into the final set of corners. "He said I slowed down going into the corner," Vickers said. "No (kidding)!"

Trucks: Hornaday Dominates The Last Memphis Race

Ron Hornaday Jr. took home his second straight Elvis trophy with an overpowering victory Saturday in the MemphisTravel.com 200 presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park. Hornaday led 175 of 201 laps on the .75-mile track. The driver of the Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet had a commanding lead over Brian Scott's Toyota before a late-race caution forced a green-white-checkered finish. Hornaday pulled away on the final restart and won by .653 seconds over Scott. It was the second straight week Hornaday has led almost from start to finish. Hornaday led 180 of 200 laps at Milwaukee, where he took the points lead. Hornaday expanded it to 76 over Matt Crafton at Memphis with his third victory of the season and 42nd of his career, tops in the history of the series.

Hornaday also won at Memphis in 1998, but the track didn't begin giving the Elvis trophy until 2005. This was the last year for it to be presented. "The last Elvis trophy at Memphis, that's pretty cool," Hornaday said. "It was pretty awesome to come here and win the last Elvis trophy. That means a lot." Hornaday started from pole and led 108 of the initial 114 laps, and never was passed on the track. He made his final pit stop and restarted second behind Scott, who successfully used a different pit-stop strategy to take the lead. Scott managed to hold off Hornaday for 18 green-flag laps. On Lap 135, Hornaday cleanly got inside Scott in Turn 1 and they raced almost side-by-side to Turn 3. Hornaday had the advantage and went to the inside of a lapped truck. Scott went to the outside and Hornaday emerged with a solid advantage. The race stayed green for the next 61 laps and Hornaday steadily built up a sizeable lead. Scott continued his strong second full season in trucks, moving up to sixth in the points. He finished third at Milwaukee last week and had his first victory at Dover. David Starr was third, equaling his best finish of the season. Aric Almirola finished fourth and Crafton was fifth.

History: Lowe’s Motor Speedway

In 1959 Curtis Turner and Bruton Smith set out to seperately construct a large speedway in the Charlotte area. After a lengthy battle, the two agreed to join together to build what is today Lowe’s Motor Speedway. At the time Smith, a native of Oakboro, N.C., was an automobile dealer and short-track stock car racing promoter at Concord Motor Speedway and the Charlotte Fairgrounds. When NASCAR first started He started his own version of NASCAR to put it out of business. Turner, a Virginian who amassed his money in the lumber industry, became one of the first drivers on the NASCAR circuit after the sanctioning body debuted in 1949. Together, they built their dream of a 1.5-mile superspeedway on the outskirts of The Queen City and, on June 19, 1960, the first World 600 was run at the new facility. Turner was forced out of the company in 1961 and Smith in 1962. For the next 9 years Turner worked to regain interest in the track. His death in a 1970 plane crash ended his fight for the speedway. However, by 1975 Smith regained control of the track he and Turner built. From that, Smith created an empire that includes eight tracks and multiple other entities. He not only controls Speedway Motorsports Inc., but operates the Sonic Automotive Group, one of the largest auto dealer conglomerates in the country.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the facility that is supposed to be the crown jewel of SMI, has been bypassed for renovations in lieu of buying other facilities, or building other facilities, or improving other facilities for years. In other words, it has taken a back seat to the interests of other tracks. Now I recognize Lowe’s is far from the most outdated track on the schedule (have you ever been to Pocono?), but when will its time come? Let’s take Las Vegas Motor Speedway as an example. The track built in 1996 was open just ten years before SMI reconfigured it with progressive banking and added the ‘Neon Garage’ to the infield. The Neon Garage, and the similar fan walk at Daytona allow fans an up close and personal look at the goings on of the garage area on a race weekend. Other things included, Las Vegas is outwardly a nicer facility, with one fewer Cup date. Along that same line is the zMax Dragway which Smith built following a protracted battle with the City of Concord late last year. The facility, which he likes to call the ‘Bellagio of drag strips,” was built in a little less than eight months (ground breaking to opening day; considerably shorter if you just figure construction time). Estimated costs for the project totaled about $60 million.

The fact of the matter is, Smith and SMI have neglected their gem. Last year the company added new seats to the track. Do you know where they got those seats? The recently imploded Charlotte Coliseum. The seats were probably 10 years old. Of course they have made improvements to the track surface through the years, but that is not something fans can directly experience. Why not improve the infield? Make access to the garage easier and provide the amenities available at Las Vegas. The concourse areas could certainly use improvement and the bathrooms are not the nicest I have seen. I know part of the deal with the City of Concord, that kept the speedway there, involved Smith making improvements to the track. However with the economy in the shape it is in, and given his present frustration with the city over the 40 year timeline for payout, I would imagine it will be some time before any changes come to the track. Despite the occasional bad race, it is a fan favorite. It has one of the most storied pasts of any track in NASCAR today and along with Daytona, Talladega, and Bristol, Charlotte is perhaps one of the most recognizable facilities on the circuit. SMI has an obligation to make their crown jewel shine once again. In short, they need to give Lowe’s the respect it deserves.

Ganassi’s Area 51

Deep in the Pennsylvania mountains lies one of motorsport’s biggest secrets. Built in the 1890s, the Laurel Hill Tunnel was one of a series of tunnels opened to accomodate the South Pennsylvania Railroad. When the railroad never opened the tunnels were abandoned. In the 1940s Laurel Hill Tunnel found new life as part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In order to alleviate congestion on the turnpike the tunnel’s were again abandoned in the 1960s in favor of bypasses cut through the mountains. Rumors began to circulate around 2004 that a motorsports team was using one of the abandoned tunnels for testing. As the years have gone on pictures have surfaced of the tunnel and speculation began about the team using the facility. While the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority has refused to name the team who uses the tunnel, through a patent and photos, it became clear that Chip Ganassi Racing was the one who gave the tunnel new life.

Referred to internally as LHT, CGR’s team of engineers use the facility as a giant moving wind tunnel for its IRL, Grand-Am and NASCAR teams. It was initially built for straight-line testing for CGR’s IRL teams. If you don’t know, straight-line testing really is the key to success in the IRL since track testing was banned in 2004. During straight-line testing the cars get going as fast as they can and then slow to calculate down-force and wind-resistance. The tunnel provides the team near perfect conditions for figuring this out and is widely credited with giving CGR the edge in the IRL. While it has proven beneficial for their IRL teams, it is debatable whether it helps their NASCAR teams. Because the aerodynamics and weight of a stock car are so much different than an Indy car, straight-line testing fails to simulate real world track conditions. The testing process is some what simply, the cars get going as fast as they can and then stop on a turntable at the opposite end. From there the engineers assess the data and make necessary changes; they then do it all over, again and again. The entire testing process can last for hours.

The testing has not been without incident either. Rumor has it there have been a few wrecks in the tunnel, which, as it turns out, isn’t perfectly straight. Due to the secrecy of testing in the IRL, Ganassi representatives will neither confirm nor deny that such a place exists. In a USA Today interview Ganassi Indy chief Mike Hull would only say the team tested somewhere in the United States. Despite this, it is one of the most commonly known secrets in NASCAR and the IRL. This facility is not only unique in NASCAR but unique in the world of motorsports. In the era of limited testing every little advantage helps. While LHT may not be Area 51, you are about as likely to get information about it from the heads of the team as you are to get information about the fabled military testing grounds from the US Government.

JR Motorsports signs Fellows for road-courses

JR Motorsports announced that accomplished road-course racer Ron Fellows will return to drive its No. 5 Chevrolets in NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Watkins Glen International Speedway on Aug. 8 and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Aug. 30, with Fastenal on board as the primary sponsor. A native of Windsor, Ontario, Fellows is the defending race winner at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, as he drove JR Motorsports to its first road-course victory in the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet last August. It was a historic win at the Montreal road course, as Fellows became the first Canadian to win a NASCAR event on Canadian soil. It was Fellows' fourth series victory. His other three wins came at Watkins Glen in 1998, 2000, and 2001. "Ron is one of the best road racers of our time, plain and simple," said JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who co-owns the No. 5 team with Rick Hendrick. "I've known Ron since 2001 when we raced the Corvette in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. It is an honor to have him drive our cars. I'm not sure there is anyone better at Watkins Glen, and what he did last year at Montreal was incredible."

A longtime sports car and road-racing veteran, Fellows is credited with three class championships in the American Le Mans Series, two class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and 19 overall victories in the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-Am Series as a member of the Corvette Racing Team. His NASCAR credentials include six overall wins (two in the Camping World Truck Series), and two runner-up finishes in Sprint Cup competition. With his four Nationwide Series victories, he also has six top-fives, seven top-10s and two poles in 13 starts. "I'm honored to have another opportunity to drive for JR Motorsports and represent Fastenal," Fellows said. "Montreal was a special win for us last year. It was not only a great day for Canadian race fans, but to win that close to my home was a thrill. Watkins Glen, likewise, has always been a special track for me. I'm hoping we can get the Fastenal Chevy to Victory Lane in both road course races this year." Fellows is one of six drivers that make up the 21-race schedule for the No. 5 team in 2009, joining Earnhardt Jr. (seven races), Scott Wimmer (six), Ryan Newman (four), Mark Martin (one) and Tony Stewart (one). Fellows is one of four drivers representing Fastenal Racing, which serves as primary sponsor for the No. 5 team in 14 of its 21 races.

Double-File Restarts for Nationwide Series

NASCAR announced the addition of “Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style” throughout each race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Beginning next weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the first- and second-place cars will line up side-by-side as the green flag is displayed for each restart. Double-file restarts were introduced at the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in May and the change was fully instituted for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series earlier this month at Pocono Raceway. Under the previous format, cars on the lead lap would restart in a single-file line while lapped cars would start in a line next to them. Drivers and fans have been enthusiastic about the new format, which has been showcased on three different track types thus far in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. NASCAR officials chose to gauge the format on various configurations before instituting double-file restarts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

"This is going to be extremely exciting for the NASCAR Nationwide Series," said Joe Balash, the NASCAR Nationwide Series director. "As they have done in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, double-file restarts – shootout style will add to even more close competition in our series and offer more excitement for our fans. The format will also help give us more standard restarts every time." NASCAR Nationwide Series regular Jason Leffler is supportive of the move. “Double-file restarts are going to add a lot of excitement to the [NASCAR] Nationwide races. It’s going to allow us the opportunity to race for position on the restarts instead of wasting valuable time trying to get by a lapped car,” Leffler said. “There are going to be times it hurts you, but I think more often than not, it is going to be a benefit. I’m looking forward to it and I think the fans are going to love it!” The NASCAR Nationwide Series will use the same double-file restart format as NASCAR Sprint Cup. The race leader will have the option to restart on the inside or outside lane. The second-place car then restarts next to the leader. Regardless of the leader’s starting position, cars in odd-number positions (3rd, 5th, 7th places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while those in even-number positions (4th, 6th, 8th places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race.

The first-place car will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track, while the rest of the cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line. The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the “free pass.” Also, the “free pass” will remain in effect the entire race instead of being eliminated with 10 or fewer laps to go in the event. Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be “waved around” the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thereby picking up a lap on the leader, provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference.

Developmental Success

Jack Roush was a very happy man in Milwaukee. And who wouldn’t have been? Carl Edwards won the race and three of the top five were from his stable. What made it even better were the successes of Roush’s development drivers. Throughout the garage Jack Roush is one of the very few owners who have committed to and successfully executed a driver development program. Now don’t get me wrong others currently have and have had development programs. Rick Hendrick wouldn’t be where he is at without some risks on young drivers, nor would Joe Gibbs or Richard Childress, but none of them has the program Roush has. Just look at Roush’s stable, all but one of their current drivers was developed through their program or given an opportunity to excel in the organization (Kenseth). With Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray, Erik Darnell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Colin Braun, Roush has a combined 48 Cup Series wins, 60 Nationwide wins, 18 Truck Series wins (with Roush), and four championships across all three series. Roush’s development program is perhaps most famous for its “Gong Show” which was developed into a reality television show on Discovery Channel in 2005 called “Driver X.” The Gong Show brought together some of the best and brightest young drivers throughout the country and gave them an opportunity to showcase their skills to Jack Roush and Roush management. Among the winners of the various Gong Shows are Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Erik Darnell. While not all of the program’s winners have gone on to success, it no doubt gave Roush some great prospects. In recent years Roush has brought on Colin Braun and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Braun a former go-kart and sports car driver, joined Roush in 2007 and made his truck series debut last season. While Braun’s run hasn’t been without its troubles, he landed his first win a couple of weeks ago. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joined the program in 2008 and ran last year for the ARCA Re/MAX title. He was competing for the title into the final race too when he and Scott Speed got into it and ended both of their chances. Penske stand out Justin Allgaier walked away with the title. This season Stenhouse is running a partial Nationwide Series schedule for the team. Thus far he has had four starts with one top-5 and two top-10. No matter your feelings on the kid following the ARCA showdown last year, he can drive. In addition to Stenhouse, Erik Darnell is also running a partial schedule for the team. In five starts he has two top-5 and three top top-10. Jack Roush said this past week he planned to put both Stenhouse and Braun into the Nationwide Series next season. Where that leaves Darnell is not exactly clear. At this point I think the biggest issue Roush is facing is where to put all these solid prospects. While he has room in the Nationwide Series for the time being, he is running up against the four car limit in the Cup Series. Certainly Yates is an option as is the partnership with Hall of Fame. Whatever happens with the current crop of drivers, Jack Roush should be commended for his commitment to developing drivers, and not just those with money. The future is bright for Roush Fenway Racing and Jack Roush and his keen eye for talent is the biggest reason why.

Opinion: What The (Expletive) Is Going On?!?!

After another busy weekend of racing we discover (thanks to the Internet) what many in the NASCAR media have been fronting for weeks; that all of NASCAR is finally starting to implode! OH MY GOD! WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE! SAVE YOURSELVES! EVERYBODY PANIC!!! A quick look around the Internet today and you would have seen the following headlines:

RCR is dropping to two teams: Richard Childress actually said he plans on having four teams next year, but some sponsorship stuff is still up in the air. The Shell and Jack Daniels deals need to be renewed, but even if they aren’t, it’s not necessarily the end of the line for the #29 and #07 teams.

Kasey Kahne will be in a Toyota by August: Lee White (head of TRD Operations) denied the Kasey Kahne rumor, but even if he’s lying, there are too many moving parts here. Something smells fishy. Why would an organization build Toyota’s for one team, and Dodge’s for the other three? I know the COTs are similar, but there are some differences. I’m just not seeing the logic here.

Toyota is pulling their support from the NNS and CWTS: While a cutback may be coming for next season, Toyota has no plans to change its involvement in the NNS and NCWTS for 2009. And it appears that only Detroit is interested in the spec engine program, as the story itself says NASCAR executives have shown little interest.

Red Bull is leaving Toyota: I don’t understand why Red Bull would walk away from Toyota and its funding to self fund a Chevrolet alliance through Hendrick Motorsports. Red Bull’s problems have less to do with Toyota and more to do with what is going on inside Red Bull. Getting Hendrick horsepower isn’t going to solve that, and it’s going to cost them some serious coin to switch.

Wow! That’s some scary stuff. Until you actually read what was said by the important people. So, now that we know the world isn’t ending, can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on? A lot of these Internet writers are trying to either fabricate a silly season or scare people out of their minds. Comparing the last few years, this season has been pretty light on free agent rumblings, and the economy continues to be a major factor in the future of many teams, but these “almost” stories are crazy. I understand that some of these sites depend on big traffic numbers, but creating a story where there is no story seems wrong. And this might not be a new thing, but I don’t know when it became news for somebody like Tony Stewart to come out and say that if the situation were right, he’d add a third team for next year. Couldn’t you really say that about every team? Gimme a break. Is the sport struggling some? Yes. Are the manufacturer cutbacks going to hurt the teams? Yes. Is it tougher then ever to find sponsors? Yes. Are teams going to have to get creative to fight through this tough time? Yes. Are we going to lose a few teams? Yes. But, even though many will try and convince you otherwise, is the end near? No.

Red Bull Manufacturer looking 50/50

Red Bull Racing driver #83-Brian Vickers has won back-to-back poles in a Toyota Camry, but to hear his boss talk, it doesn’t sound like that will make a difference on whether Red Bull remains a Toyota team. Red Bull is in its final year of its Toyota contract, and there has been speculation that Red Bull, could move to Chevrolet (without manufacturer support). But wouldn’t two consecutive poles make the team brass think twice about going to a new manufacturer, especially after being one of Toyota’s initial teams when it entered Cup in 2007? “Ask them,” Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye said at Infineon Raceway Saturday. “Obviously Toyota has been great to us. We’ve been one of their freshman teams and all that. We appreciate everything they’re doing and continue to do. We’re going through lots of different scenarios right now. There’s a lot going on in the world and it’s been reported that our deal is up with them at the end of the year and it’s possible they don’t want us to come back, right? It’s possible. Or it’s possible they want us to come back but they can’t for some reason do that. Anything is possible.”

Toyota Racing Development senior vice president Dave Wilson said the manufacturer wants to continue the relationship with Red Bull and there have been discussions to extend the relationship. There have been reductions in Toyota’s total racing budget, but Wilson said the manufacturer wants to have 10-12 cars on the track. “We have a great deal of loyalty to those guys,” Wilson said. “They slogged it out in the tough entry period in ’07 and obviously we should have notched a couple of victories with Red Bull. We’re certainly not looking to change that.” Frye said there is no time frame to make a decision. The other contract Red Bull needs to get finalized is the one for Vickers. Frye indicated that everything just needs a look in the corporate offices in Austria. “Everything is agreed, done, just the legalese stuff and things like that are going on right now. There’s no [issues],” Frye said.

Keselowski to talk to Hendrick about Cup move

Rick Hendrick said he plans to meet with Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski this week to discuss his plans for moving up to Sprint Cup in 2010. Hendrick mentioned two possible options for Keselowski -- a third car at Stewart-Haas Racing, which is affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports, or a chance to stay at JR Motorsports if Dale Earnhardt Jr. decides to move his Nationwide team to Cup next year. "We're looking at different options with some of our external situations with other teams," Hendrick said Sunday at Infineon Raceway. "I told Brad that I want him to have the best opportunity. If we can't give it to him, then I want him to have the best." Keselowski told reporters at that event that he would love to drive a third Stewart-Haas car next year. Tony Stewart said Friday a third car for his team is a possibility for 2010.

Stewart's team is a satellite operation with Hendrick Motorsports, leasing engines from Hendrick. Hendrick also said Earnhardt Jr. is considering moving his Nationwide operation to Cup in 2010. Either way, Keselowski would stay in the Hendrick family, so to speak, if he signed with Stewart-Haas Racing or stayed at JR Motorsports. "Brad wants to do something that is somehow associated with our company," Hendrick said. "We're working on it and hopefully in the next few weeks we'll have something sorted out. He'll be running Cup [in 2010]. Whether he'll be running them all or whether he'll be running 75% of them or what, I don't know."

Gibbs 4th Team?

Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs is still open to the idea of four Sprint Cup teams if the sponsorship can be found for 2010 by the end of the summer. “We can still plug in a fourth team,” Gibbs said Sunday at Infineon Raceway. “The problem is from an economy standpoint. You can probably get a few [sponsors] to mix and match, but we don’t have a full fourth ready to go from a sponsor standpoint. 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.” When asked if that fourth car could be Indy Racing League star Danica Patrick, Gibbs laughed. JGR uses IMG to help it find sponsors and Danica is represented by IMG.

“I don’t know what she wants to do,” Gibbs said. “Does she want to still run what she’s running and dip her toe in the water, does she want to do the whole thing? … I think it would be great for the sport wherever she goes. I don’t think she would want to be part of a [new] fourth team [here].” In addition to a fourth team, JGR also could become a vendor for other teams. JGR did not have a successful affiliate/vendor program with Hall of Fame Racing from 2006-2008, and Gibbs said if JGR did it in the future, it would be a closer relationship. Gibbs said the team management would have to decide whether such an arrangement would be simply for profit or help the organization run better. He also thinks that adding a fourth team would be more of a priority.

EGR to Toyota?

Once #1-Martin Truex Jr. announces that he's driving for Michael Waltrip Racing next month, where does that leave Earnhardt Ganassi Racing? With #42-Juan Pablo Montoya. But after GM dramatically reduced its assistance to EGR last week, is now the time that Chip Ganassi bolts to Toyota? One hot rumor swirling around the garage was a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing to run Montoya in a fourth car similar to the situation that Marcos Ambrose has with MWR. On Sunday, JGR president J.D. Gibbs said, "No, no, no...," but the guess is his bottom line could say "yes".

Cup: Kahne Holds Off Stewart For Infineon Win

How strange was it for Kasey Kahne to win a road-course race? The driver of the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge had to ask his crew chief for directions to victory lane after taking the checkered flag in a green-white-checkered finish in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Kahne held off road-course ace Tony Stewart through a succession of four late-race double-file restarts, the final time after Scott Speed’s spin on Lap 108 caused the seventh caution of the day. After starting from the rear because of an engine change, Marcos Ambrose chased the top two finishers to the line to claim third place, matching the best result of his Sprint Cup Series career. “Awesome—not too bad for a dirt-tracker from Washington!” Kenny Francis, Kahne’s crew chief, radioed after his driver crossed the stripe on Lap 113, three laps beyond the scheduled distance at the 1.99-mile road course.

“Unreal,” replied Kahne, who gave owner Richard Petty his first victory since John Andretti in 1999. “Gosh, we had to hold him (Stewart) off for a while. We won a road-course race! Oh, my God, I can’t believe this.” Jimmie Johnson recovered from a pit-road speeding penalty to finish fourth. Denny Hamlin, who led 33 laps—second only to Kahne’s 37—came home fifth. Juan Pablo Montoya, AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon and Elliott Sadler completed the top 10. The victory was Kahne’s first of the season and the 10th of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career. Before Sunday’s race, his highest finish on a road course was 14th at Watkins Glen. “It was crazy,” Kahne said, after following Francis’ directions to victory lane. “Stewart’s as good as they get out there, and I had to restart beside him about four times. Cautions kept coming out, and we were having to hold him off. He was giving me tons of room ... which is normal Stewart. The guy’s an awesome racer.” After Kahne took the lead from Speed on a restart on Lap 80, he stayed out front the rest of the way. Stewart’s attempts to pressure Kahne into a mistake failed to produce the desired result.

“The second-to-last run there (when Stewart was leading Kahne), we were looking in our mirror and we were fast, but Kasey was matching us lap for lap,” Stewart said. “Then when he came out in front of us after that last set of pit stops, I was like, ‘Oh, we might be in trouble here.’ “We could run about the same pace. I just couldn’t get (to him). I was a little too loose in the right-handers, and Kasey never made a mistake. The kid did an awesome job and just ran a perfect race.” Ambrose, who suffered a blown engine in Saturday morning’s practice session, got to the front through a combination of pit strategy and talent. “It was just a great recovery for our team,” said the Australian driver, who duplicated last year’s third-place finish at Watkins Glen, where he also started at the back of the field. “We kept the car fairly straight. Up there, when you’re in that rare air with those drivers, you don’t want to slip up when you’re around them—when you’ve got the chance to run well.

“We would have liked to have won the race, and I feel like I disadvantaged (us) Saturday, blowing up that motor, but it feels like a win.” Stewart expanded his lead in the Cup standings to 84 points over second-place Gordon. ... Montoya moved up two spots into 12th, the last position eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Kahne also gained two places to 13th and trails Montoya by three points. ... Jeff Burton finished 34th and dropped from 12th to 15th. ... Stewart finished second for a season-high fourth time. ... A late-race accident dropped Dale Earnhardt Jr. to 26th at the finish.

N'wide: Carl Edwards Gets First Win Of The Season

Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards made the trip from Infineon Raceway worthwhile on Saturday night, winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series NorthernTool.com 250 at the Milwaukee Mile. Edwards left Infineon earlier in the day, where he practiced his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car, to race at Milwaukee. Having to start at the rear of the field, Edwards tiptoed through the field early in the race. After his Cup counterpart, Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch, led for numerous laps, Edwards chased him down and made the pass for the lead on Lap 205. Despite two caution periods in the final 50 laps, Edwards easily pulled away to his first Nationwide victory of the season. He also repeated as the Milwaukee race winner, going to victory lane in 2008 with new crew chief Drew Blickensderfer.

"It seems like almost every week, we're getting faster and faster," Edwards said. "It's really cool to get that first win. Hopefully, it kicks off the rest of the season like it did last year." Edwards' 2008 win at Milwaukee kicked off an impressive second-half run where he won seven of the final 19 races. Can he do it again this season? "We could go win every race," Edwards said. "That's how we try to approach them. As good as last season ended, it didn't get good until a year ago tonight. All my guys are aware of that, I was aware of that. People were mentioning that to me as I was getting in the car: 'Hey, do you remember last year?' I thought, 'Boy, if we could do that again and get it going, there's no reason we can't have the same success.'" The victory was the first of the season for Dan Stillman, who replaced Blickensderfer as Edwards' crew chief.

Busch finished second, despite leading the most laps (80) for the eighth consecutive race. "I was out front and he passed me," Busch said of Edwards. "His car was better than my car was. Any time I tried to go harder I got loose." JR Motorsports' Brad Keselowski finished third. Polesitter Erik Darnell, Edwards' teammate, finished fourth after rallying in the closing laps. Roush Fenway's Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top five. Sixth through 10th were Rusty Wallace Racing's Steve Wallace, Phoenix Racing's Mike Bliss, Richard Childress Racing's Stephen Leicht, Kevin Harvick Inc.'s Ron Hornaday and Braun Racing's Jason Leffler. Busch saw his series lead over Edwards cut to 127 points, with Keselowski third, 218 out of the lead.

Trucks: Birthday Boy Ron Wins At Milwaukee

The Kevin Harvick Inc. driver dominated Saturday's rescheduled Copart 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, winning on his 51st birthday. "It's a cool day," Hornaday said. "What'd they (say), 'How old are you?' I don't know. I'm in my 50s, now, I guess." Hornaday led 189 of the race's 200 laps and easily beat MRD Motorsports' Dennis Setzer. The race was postponed from Friday night after heavy rain struck the Milwaukee area. "I hate to tell you but I don't think the truck was that good," Hornaday said. Say what? "I think we were just that much better than the rest of them," Hornaday said.

Whatever the case, Hornaday was the class of the field, as crew chief Rick Ren made numerous adjustments after Friday's practice to propel Hornaday to dominance. "You just can't expect to be as good as we were today," Ren said. "But it sure is a darn nice feeling." Hornaday took control of the race early, passing Matt Crafton on the third lap and pulling away. Disaster nearly struck later in the race, when a caution came out for Aric Almirola's spin after Hornaday had pitted his No. 33 Chevrolet. But Hornaday was fast enough to remain on the lead lap, and after the other seven trucks on the lead lap pitted, Hornaday was back in the lead. Setzer finished second, one second behind Hornaday. Xpress Motorsports driver Brian Scott finished third with a broken right wrist, with Germain Racing's Todd Bodine fourth and Circle Bar Racing's James Buescher fifth.

Sixth through 10th were Stacy Compton (Wyler Racing), Tayler Malsam (Randy Moss Motorsports), Colin Braun (Roush Fenway Racing), David Starr (HT Motorsports) and Terry Cook (HT). Hornaday dedicated the victory to his wife's mother, who has been in the hospital all week. "This is probably the eighth race in 30-some years me and my wife's been married that she's missed," Hornaday said. "Her mom is really deathly sick, and she's been in the hospital all week long. ... all she wanted to know was when I was going to race, and she kept calling. Hopefully this will boost her up a little bit."

Price Tag on GM Cutbacks: 2 Million

While no one is saying how much General Motors is cutting its financial support from teams, at least one court document puts a price tag on it: $2,538,750. And that's to one Cup team. A court document [click to view pdf] shows that GM was to have paid Richard Childress Racing $2,538,750 on June 15. Childress spoke Friday at Infineon Raceway about the GM situation. Asked if he received his June 15 payment from GM, Childress said: "That's kind of personal. I didn't ask you if you got your paycheck this week.'' If nothing else, that gives you a sense of some of the money that's out there and involved in this sport. Childress would not reveal what kind of cutbacks GM is making with his team. Asked if he would have to lay anyone off, Childress said: "I don't know really what all is going to happen. We're going to have to make cuts like everybody in the sport or in business. We don't want to cut performance. For sure, we're not going to cut performance. We'll cut a lot of other things before that."

Richard Childress continued speaking about the cutbacks by General Motors: “Richard Childress Racing is proud to be associated with General Motors and Chevrolet. I’ve been driving Chevys since I ran a Camaro in Talladega’s first Cup race in 1969 and I look forward to continuing that relationship. I’ve been fortunate to see some of the great new products General Motors has to offer, vehicles with great fuel mileage and styling. I’ve recently purchased a new Corvette and a Camaro and they’re two of the finest cars I’ve ever driven. RCR is honored to help showcase GM products to help sell them in the dealerships. These difficult economic times have forced all of us to evaluate our budgets closer than ever but I can assure you that this will not affect our competition on the track.”

Stewart-Haas to Three Teams?

Tony Stewart is off to such a strong first season as a team owner, he's already open to expansion. The Sprint Cup Series points leader said Friday he'd consider adding a third team to Stewart-Haas Racing next year if the right combination was available. Although he promised his team not to expand too quickly, their success so far this season has made him consider his options. Stewart won the All-Star Series race in May, then followed it with his first Cup points victory two weeks ago at Pocono. He's the first car owner to lead the points since the late Alan Kulwicki won the 1992 championship, and teammate Ryan Newman is fifth in the standings.

Stewart did not offer any potential drivers or sponsors that would pique his interest. Of the current free agents, Brian Vickers is not looking to leave Red Bull Racing and Martin Truex Jr. is widely believed to be headed to Michael Waltrip Racing. That leaves Jamie McMurray as the only driver in a contract year still trying to finalize his 2010 plans. But, Hendrick Motorsports developmental driver Brad Keselowski wants a Cup ride next season and Hendrick doesn't currently have an open seat to offer. Stewart has a technical alliance with Hendrick. Then there's a handful of drivers - Kasey Kahne or Kurt Busch - who would potentially try to negotiate a release from the current contract for the opportunity to join SHR. Kahne and Stewart are both represented by Motorports Management Inc., which typically does not encourage its drivers from breaking their contracts.

If you had to put your money on any one driver that Stewart wants, Kahne is your guy. Tony and Kasey have a history and they were really good on track friends in 2004/2005 and Tony thinks the world of him. Kahne is unhappy at Petty (RPM) and is looking for the out. Stewart successfully negotiated an early release from Joe Gibbs Racing last season, and Kahne could do the same with Richard Petty Motorsports if the slumping organization doesn't turn things around. Without Dodge support the chances of that happening this season is very unlikly. One name Stewart isn't chasing, though, is IndyCar Series racer Danica Patrick. She's been dogged by questions about NASCAR the past few weeks, but said she'll wait until the end of the IRL season to make a decision. Stewart said he's not following the Danica drama."Sorry, we don't pay attention to that stuff," he said. "Contrary to what people may think, we're pretty busy around here. We don't watch others. I have no idea. I have enough to worry about."

Danica to Roush?

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 [after the IRL's finale in Oct]. Last weekend Geoff Smith, head of Roush Fenway Racing, talked about the Danica Patrick option. What does Roush himself think about her as NASCAR stocker?

"I don't know enough about her to know how much time she'd have to spend in the Nationwide series or Truck series," Roush said. "I'd say, as a minimum, two years in the Nationwide series would be required…and at the same time she could run six or seven Cup races, to maintain her rookie status. It just depends on how badly she wants it," Roush says of any Patrick move into NASCAR. Patrick has some big advantages, Roush points out: "I don't know of any problems with Danica Patrick. If a female is going to make it in NASCAR in the foreseeable future, it will be Danica Patrick.

Mayfield expert under fire defends credentials

An expert witness for suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield is defending his qualifications after NASCAR accused him of lying about his credentials. Dr. Harvey MacFenerstein says he noticed mistakes in the affidavit that was prepared on Mayfield's behalf. He says in a statement on Thursday that he corrected the mistakes in his educational background, but the revisions were not on the affidavit that was submitted May 29. MacFenerstein did not say who prepared the incorrect affidavit. NASCAR on Monday filed a motion to have MacFenerstein's testimony dismissed. Mayfield is challenging his indefinite drug suspension, prompted by a positive drug test.

Long's record suspension reduced to 8 races

NASCAR driver Carl Long's suspension has been reduced to eight races from a record 12, but his record $200,000 fine remains. National Stock Car Racing commissioner Charles Strang heard Long's final appeal Monday in Chicago. He announced the reduced suspension Wednesday. Long, a part-time driver in the Sprint Cup series, was penalized for having an oversized engine at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May. Long and his wife, car owner DeeDee Long, were suspended 12 races and docked 200 points. Crew chief Charles Swing was fined $200,000. Long appealed in hopes of leniency for his low-budget team. He got some relief, but the fine could keep him from racing again.

"I suppose it's good news," Long told The Associated Press on Thursday. "Eight is better than 12. But they ain't gonna budge on the fine, and they know I can't pay it. They intentionally put it out of my reach." Long said there is no way Swing will be able to pay the fine, and under NASCAR rules, it would then revert to the car owner. And Long's team won't be allowed to compete until the fine is paid. More than $16,000 has been raised for Long's cause, with donations coming through his Web site and from a couple "pass the hat" events at racetracks. "That's a long ways off from $200,000," Long said. "If I can keep stuff like that going, then maybe $200,000 is in sight. The next thing to do is to stand outside the racetrack with my helmet and beg for change. I'm not above doing it, either."

Long, who competed in 23 races between 2000 and 2006, bought the engine from longtime builder Ernie Elliott and said all the paperwork showed it was within NASCAR specifications. It malfunctioned May 15 during practice for the All-Star race, prompting NASCAR's inspection. Long could have loaded up his car and gone home instead of turning the engine over to inspectors and trying to qualify for the non-points race with a backup motor. NASCAR measured the engine at 358.17 cubic inches, 0.17 more than the legal limit. Long argued in his appeal that the infraction may have been due to an error on the part of the engine builder or expansion due to overheating or general wear and tear on the engine. NASCAR countered that an oversized engine is one of the most egregious of rules violations and warrants the harshest of penalties. Strang sided with NASCAR, but reduced the suspension by four weeks. Long, whose full-time job is working with the Front Row Motorsports team in the Cup series, already has sat out two races. He will be eligible to return to the garage at Watkins Glen in early August. Until then, team owner Bob Jenkins has allowed Long to work solely in the race shop in Denver, N.C. "I'm very fortunate he keeps me employed," Long said.

Road Course ‘Specialists’ at Infineon

Ron Fellows came closest of the road course “specialists” to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in recent years, taking back-to-back second-place finishes at Watkins Glen International in 1999 and 2004. He also qualified on the outside of the front row for the 1998 race at The Glen, in addition to winning four races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (three at Watkins Glen and one at Montreal) and two in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the New York circuit. This weekend, Fellows will drive Phoenix Racing’s No. 09 Miccosukee Indian Gaming and Resorts Chevrolet for the first of two races this season.

“It’s going to be interesting,” Fellows said. “We’ve got a Hendrick (Motorsports) Motor, and we’ll find out about the chassis. I like Infineon, I had one of my best chances for my first Cup win there back when I drove for DEI (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.).” Canadian veteran Patrick Carpentier will return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, replacing Michael Waltrip this weekend in the No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota. Sports car veteran Boris Said hopes to make his first start of the season in the No. 08 Carter/Simo Racing Ford. Said attempted to make the 2009 Daytona 500. The Carlsbad, Calif. driver has 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, with his best finish fifth at Watkins Glen in 2005.

Following Sunday’s checkered flag, race fans are invited to participate in the fourth annual Track Walk at Infineon Raceway. An added bonus is a massive scavenger hunt for blue-and-gold specially-marked lug nuts that will be hidden on the road course. The people who find those lug nuts will be treated to great prizes, including a big-screen TV, Save Mart Supermarkets gift certificate and 2010 Toyota/Save Mart 350 race tickets. Fans are also encouraged to make a voluntary contribution to Speedway Children's Charities, the charitable arm of Infineon Raceway. The charity benefits youth groups in Sonoma County and has distributed more than $3 million since 2002.


Ken Stabler, legendary quarterback of the Oakland Raiders, will be the Grand Marshal for the Toyota/Save Mart 350. Stabler guided the Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory in 1977. Infineon Raceway will honor four officers from the Oakland Police Department who were killed in the line of duty prior to Sunday’s race. Four motorcycles from the department will lead the 43-car field around the circuit prior to the start of the race. Davina Kelly from the department will sing the national anthem.

Cup Regulars Holding Their Own Against Road Course ‘Specialists’

With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visiting California wine country for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350, one can expect to see several specialists competing at Infineon Raceway for the first of two road-course events this season. Sunday’s race will be no exception. Veteran road racers Boris Said, Ron Fellows, Max Papis, Patrick Carpentier and Brian Simo are expected to be among the competitors suiting up to tackle the 12-turn, 1.99-mile circuit. However, one can also expect to see the top stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series holding their own. The days when a road-racing specialist could come in and dominate a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event has passed. Jeff Gordon leads the list of NASCAR’s all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winners on road courses with nine victories – four at Watkins Glen International and five at Infineon Raceway. Tony Stewart is tied with four other drivers – all oval track aces – at second with six triumphs. Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace also have five road- course triumphs.

While popular American Formula One driver Dan Gurney scored five victories at Riverside back in the 1960s, the last NASCAR Sprint Cup Series non-regular to win in the series was Mark Donohue, at Riverside in 1973. In recent years, many drivers with road-racing roots have turned their attention to NASCAR – with outstanding results. Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Speed (No. 82 Red Bull Toyota) raced in Formula One. Robby Gordon (No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota) and AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Best Buy Dodge) were winners in Champ Car, while current Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Max Papis (No. 13 GEICO Toyota) was a Grand-Am Rolex Series champion.

Juan Pablo Montoya To Return To The Roads

The timing may be right for the perfect storm for Juan Pablo Montoya. On the outside looking in at NASCAR’s top 12 contenders throughout the 2009 season, Montoya has gained to the point where he is only 43 points away from a berth in NASCAR’s elite top 12. Now, with only 11 races remaining before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Montoya will be in his element when he gets behind the wheel of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates No. 42 Target Chevrolet in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Montoya was one of the world’s premier road racers prior to joining the stock car ranks. He won seven Formula One races, the 1999 Champ Car title and 11 open-wheel races, including the 2000 Indianapolis 500, prior to making his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut for Chip Ganassi in the 2006 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award in 2007, along with winning at Infineon Raceway.

After final finishes of 20th and 25th in his first two NASCAR seasons, Montoya is getting the hang of driving the 3,400-pound machines. He’s coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes, placing eighth at Pocono and sixth in the LifeLock 400 at Michigan, moving to 14th in the series point standings. Now, he’s looking at a solid run at Infineon to make his move with only 11 races remaining before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. That stretch also includes the road course at Watkins Glen, along with races at the four tracks where he’s had top-10 finishes this season.

Racism in NASCAR

No matter how hard it tries to shake the stigma, it seems that some people still look at NASCAR and its fans as Confederate Flag waving, racist rednecks from the South. This most recent incident involving Brendan Gaughan’s crew chief Bryan Berry and African American driver Marc Davis has brought all of this back to the surface. Everyone (including NASCAR) is going off hearsay at this point, and while I understand NASCAR needed to punish Berry, I don’t know if some of the things being said about Berry are fair. I wasn’t there, I don’t know what was said, so I’m not going to condemn Berry’s actions or justify them. Let me just make that clear one more time. If Berry did say what those witnesses are claiming he did, I’m not saying it’s okay, because it isn’t. But at the same time, if he is innocent, then there is no reason to condemn him for being angry about the incident with Marc Davis.

I think it’s interesting though that some people are calling Berry a racist and connecting him to NASCAR’s southern roots, yet Berry isn’t even from the South! He’s actually a native of South Florida, one of the most diverse areas of this country. That certainly doesn’t acquit him of what happened, but his alleged actions have absolutely nothing to do with the South. And along with that, some of the comments made on the radio by Gaughan have people questioning his views as well. Let’s not forget that Gaughan played basketball at Georgetown under John Thompson and was college roommates with Allen Iverson. If Gaughan is racist, don’t you think he would have had a problem playing for an African American coach and living with an African American roommate? The Berry incident aside, I believe it is ridiculously unfair to label the entire sport of NASCAR, the people in the garage, and the fans as racist. While I understand NASCAR is struggling with diversity, there is a ton of progress being made on both sides of the fence.. For example, there are more women and minorities working in the sport then ever before. Racism is an unfortunate reality in this country. It happens everywhere, everyday. And NASCAR isn’t immune to that. It helps to prove that NASCAR IS like every other sport and that the people in the NASCAR world are human and like the rest of the world. But to say in this day and age that NASCAR is somehow this leftover bastion of deep rooted Southern views is ludicrous. It seems like there are more people who work in NASCAR that aren’t from the South, then there are people who are from southern states.

It bothers me that in a time where we have an African American man running this country that somebody would feel hesitant about attending a major sporting event for fear of not being accepted. There is no reason why someone who considers themself a racing fan shouldn’t feel 100% welcome at any race track from Washington to South Carolina. It's like NASCAR's Ads say, this our NASCAR. So lets share it and enjoy it together.

Sponsor search 2010: Hendrick

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. "Our sponsors are coming back," Hendrick said after Martin won at Michigan. "We don't know to what extent. That's the question. As you go along with this economy companies are taking longer to get their budgets in line. They're not a year out, or not even eight months like they have been in the past. We're in good shape. We have a lot of sponsors inside our company that we're talking about, you know, splitting up the car. So look for the guys that are on it to be back, but there will probably be someone new along there with them." That not only goes for the #5, but the #24 of Jeff Gordon and #88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. also could have more partners next season. Jimmie Johnson and Lowe's appear solid on the #48. The same sort of restructuring is going on at other organizations such as Roush, which is trying to find multiple partners to lessen the load of DeWalt [#17 Matt Kenseth].

McGriff Ready for His Return

Eighty-one year old Hershel McGriff has had enough of retirement, and the legendary driver will make his return behind the wheel at Infineon Raceway for the Bennett Lane Winery 200, presented by Supercuts, on Saturday, June 20. McGriff walked away from racing in 2002, but he will compete in three road-course events on this year’s NASCAR Camping World Series West schedule, including the series’ only stop in Sonoma. If McGriff takes the checkered flag, he would become the oldest driver to ever win in one of NASCAR’s premier series. McGriff has reason to be excited about making his return at the Sonoma Valley road course.

He has earned four West Series victories at Infineon Raceway (1983, ’85, ’87, ’89) and still has the track record for most West Series poles with three. Perhaps best known for his talent on a road course, it’s only natural that McGriff makes his return at the road-course events. McGriff’s racing career is one that pre-dates NASCAR and spans seven decades of racing. His first race was at 17 years of age after his family moved to Portland and from there his career took off. McGriff was presented with the NASCAR Award of Excellence and named one of the 50 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR in 1998. He was also inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in its inaugural year in 2003. McGriff’s popularity among fans was indicated by the record 12 consecutive years (1981-1992), that he was named the Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR Camping World Series West. McGridd also has four Sprint Cup wins in 85 races from 1950-1993.

GM to cut back on Sprint Cup

General Motors will reduce its financial support in the Sprint Cup series, officials from several Chevrolet teams confirmed on Wednesday. Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart Haas Racing, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Richard Childress Racing officials said they have been asked to participate in cutbacks by the U.S. auto manufacturer that recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Officials did not say how large the cuts would be. "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," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports in a statement. "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."

Tony Stewart, the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing and Sprint Cup point leader, echoed Hendrick's sentiments. "We have been, and will continue to be, strong supporters of GM and its Chevrolet brand," he said. "These are tough times for our auto industry, and in light of what's happening to them and how it affects all the people who make a living building and selling cars and trucks, the sacrifices we'll have to make as a race team are pretty weak in comparison. We believe in the products GM has now and in the products they're building for the future. We're proud to carry the Chevy bowtie on the hoods of our racecars, and we support GM in this time of uncertainty because we know they'll be an even stronger company in the years to come." Stewart said the cutbacks will force teams to review their budgets, but "it will not impact our preparation for the track or the return on investment we provide for our partners." The cutbacks come a week after GM cut all support from its Nationwide Series and Truck Series teams.

NASCAR says Mayfield expert lied in affidavit

An expert witness for suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield does not have the medical degrees or certifications he listed in his qualifications, NASCAR alleged Tuesday. In a motion filed in U.S. District Court, NASCAR asked that Dr. Harvey MacFenerstein's sworn affidavit be dismissed from Mayfield's lawsuit because the expert falsely represented himself on six counts. MacFenerstein is president of Analytical Toxicology Corp., a drug-testing laboratory in San Antonio, Texas. Attorney's for Mayfield filed a sworn affidavit from MacFenerstein that said NASCAR's drug-testing program is flawed and does not meet federal workplace guidelines. His findings were the basis of Mayfield's May 29 argument that his indefinite suspension for a failed drug test should be lifted.

Mayfield was suspended May 9 for failing a random drug test collected eight days earlier. NASCAR has not identified the substance he tested positive for, but described it in court as a "a dangerous, illegal, banned substance." It's name has been redacted in all court filings related to the case. But NASCAR asked Tuesday that a large portion of Mayfield's pending lawsuit be dismissed based on MacFenerstein's misrepresentation in last month's affidavit.

Among MacFenerstein's listed qualifications in the affidavit are claims that he has a bachelor of science degree in medical technology from "Mid Western State University of Texas"; he obtained a medical doctor degree in clinical pathology from CETED University in Mexico; he is certified as a Medical Review Officer, and has membership and certification from two different clinical agencies. But NASCAR submitted six affidavits Tuesday refuting each of his claims. Darla English, an employee in the university registrar's office at Midwestern State since 1989, said a search of school records failed to find any documentation that MacFenerstein received a degree from the university. Her sworn testimony showed "a Harvey Mac Fenerstein briefly attended ... some classes" during one semester in 1976 as part of a cooperative program.

Johnny Benson released from Mich. hospital

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. [Following the accident] the Life EMS emergency response crew, along with Berlin Raceway officials and safety team, worked carefully to extract Johnny Benson from his race car. Benson was awake and alert during the process and gave race fans a wave when loaded into the ambulance. "He was pretty sore, but he seemed to be doing well last night when I talked to him," Johnny Benson Sr. said. "The car's driver side hit the wall hard, and it's a testament to the Hans (head and neck safety) device and the safety seat in the supermodified car that held him in place so well. I have to commend the safety crew and ambulance crew at Berlin Raceway for their quick response - they did their job well, putting the fire out quickly and taking care of Johnny." Benson Sr. said the fuel line was cut in two when it was pinched between the rear axle and the frame. The alcohol-based fuel that these supermodified cars use burns blue and very hot, and Benson managed to come out of it with barely any burns due to the quick response by the safety crew. The frame of the car was not bent badly, and all of the safety aspects of the car held up well, which allowed Benson to escape without major injuries.

He lost his full-time ride last week when Red Horse Racing shut down his truck team because it couldn't find sponsorship. In the same week, Red Horse Racing started a new truck team for driver Timothy Peters. Peters remained in the #17 Toyota but started using equipment from the #1-Red Horse Racing team. Some asked why the move? Sinple. Peters has a full time sponsor with him, Strutmasters.com and Benson does not. It doesn't matter that Benson is the reigning Champion; No Sponser, No Ride.

Cup drivers think Goodyear has solution for Indy

Jeff Gordon insists this year's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will be a real race, not a seven-lap sprint to the finish line like last year. He guarantees it. After rain washed out most of Goodyear's final tire testing day at Indianapolis, the four-time Cup champion gave the manufacturer's new, softer tires an unwavering endorsement for one of NASCAR's biggest races. "I'm 100 percent confident," he said Tuesday. "I ran this tire as hard as I possibly could, and this is a dead issue. This race might come down to a lot of things - fuel, pit strategy, a double-file restart - but it is not going to come down to a 10-lap shootout on whose tires can last the longest." Race organizers and Goodyear could not have hoped for a stronger statement from one of the series most recognizable drivers, nor could they have chosen a better time for Gordon to make it.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Joie Chitwood said ticket sales for the July 26 race are lagging from last year, even after cutting prices in February. The combination of a recession and concerns over a repeat of last year's tire debacle are at least partly to blame, Chitwood said. Excessive tire wear forced race officials to throw competition cautions every 10 to 12 laps last July. The longest green flag run was 13 laps. The fiasco left drivers and fans upset, forced NASCAR to apologize and sent Goodyear into full redevelopment mode. So after 11 months of testing, Gordon, former Cup champ Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne spent Tuesday debunking any lingering concerns. "It's night and day difference," Busch said. "The ability to make more than 10 laps has been refreshing. I'm amazed at how much better the tire feels. It doesn't have as much powder, and it feels sticky when they take it off the car." Goodyear, based in Akron, Ohio, spared no expense to fix the problem.

Race tire sales director Greg Stucker could not calculate how much money or how many man-hours were spent resolving the problem but acknowledged that tires for Indianapolis were discussed every day since late July. Stucker said Goodyear conducted seven tire tests at Indy since the race, accumulating more than 13,000 miles on the Indy track. That number does not count testing done in the laboratory where the company even ground a test track in exactly the same manner as Indy's surface. For Goodyear's racing division, getting it right at Indy was the No. 1 priority. "We've got our name on the sidewall of every tire, so I think it's very important to our whole company," Stucker said. Despite all the work, drivers were concerned as recently as last month that Goodyear still hadn't figured it out. Those impressions changed earlier this month when drivers like Kahne and points leader Tony Stewart returned for the next-to-last test at Indy two weeks ago.

"I feel Goodyear worked really hard through all these tests," said Kahne, a regular participant in the tire tests. "But until about two weeks ago, they didn't have a tire for this race. I'm confident now. We ran five laps on these tires and it rubbered in and was ready to go. Last year, it never rubbered in." The proof showed up Monday. Teams were running 20-lap intervals late in the afternoon and projected they could have gone 35 to 40 laps on the new tires. Gordon suggested he could have run 50, and Carl Edwards ran multiple segments Monday, totaling 33 or 34 laps, before running out of fuel. "As far as I'm concerned, I think we're ready to race," Kahne said.

Yates Wants Reduction on Horsepower

Support appears to be growing to cut Cup horsepower, thus cutting corner-entry speed, thus making for more side-by-side racing. David Hyder, crew chief for #21-Bill Elliott and the Woods, says putting restrictor plates on engines at tracks like this two-mile oval and California's Auto Club Speedway would greatly improve the racing. And Doug Yates agrees. "Nobody likes plates, but here [Michigan] you're going into the corners at 215 mph, which is ridiculous. And then you've got the tire problems at Indianapolis…..It's all just a physics equation - how fast you go into the corner, how much grip you have, and what that does to the tires. So I'm an advocate of taking some engine power away and making the racing better. Take at least 50 horsepower way.

These Cup cars are overpowered today. We definitely need to take some power away. Every engine builder in this garage has made gains of 15 to 20 horsepower every year for 20 years…and we're going to gain another 15 horsepower next year. And it will cost us more money. The fans in the stands don't care if we've got 700 horsepower, 800 horsepower or 900 horsepower or 1,000 horsepower, they just want to see a good race. If we could take some power away, put more grip in the tires, it would make for better racing."

Hard Times for NCWTS Sponsorships

Sponsorship, or lack thereof has been on the mind of just about every team executive in NASCAR this season. While the year has been rough for the sponsorship market as a whole, in no place has it hit harder then in the Truck Series. The biggest anomaly in the series are the amount of experienced, winning drivers that have been affected. Take defending champion Johnny Benson. He became the latest victim of the economy this week after Red Horse Racing shut down his unsponsored team. The only time the team actually had any deal was at Daytona with K&N. The rest of the time the truck has remained white. Now Timothy Peters is joining Red Horse from his own fledgling organization. Peters’ biggest asset is the Strutmasters sponsorship he brings with him.

Todd Bodine doesn’t quite know Johnny’s plight, but he has been driving race-to-race all season. Every time Bodine has been on the cusp of reaching his final race, sponsorship has come through and they have been able to continue. The brilliant thing this team has been doing is publicizing their struggle and they have gotten a lot of great exposure as a result. Germain ran several very small sponsors early on in the season (which were plugged heavily during the broadcasts), and then signed Copart for the last several races. Copart has three races remaining with the team this season. After that the team finds itself in a familiar situation.

Another former champion feeling the pinch is 26-time winner Mike Skinner. He joined Randy Moss Motorsports this season after Bill Davis Racing folded. Skinner brought with him a partial sponsorship from Exide and some support from Toyota, but he and most especially his wife Angie have been working very hard to put together smaller deals for the holes in his schedule. They have had everything from Daytona Beach law firm Rue & Ziffra to Bad Boy Mowers on the truck. Mike and Angie, instead of waiting and hoping on others to find deals, took the initiative and are keeping Mike’s career alive and still very vibrant.

Unfortunately NASCAR has been less than enthusiastic about furthering the Truck Series. It has become the overlooked series, almost an after thought by the sanctioning body. If you want an example of this look at purse money. Just something to consider; the top grossing driver, in terms of purse money, in the Cup Series is Tony Stewart. He has pulled in $3,459,120. In the Nationwide Series, Kyle Busch is tops; he has earned $506,620. In the Truck Series Todd Bodine holds the crown with $286,875 in winnings. He is not the norm either. The points leader at the moment, Matt Crafton, has pulled in $130,000 less than Bodine. While it is true it’s a little cheaper to run in the Truck Series, it’s not that much cheaper.

Another big issue the series faces is a lack of media exposure. While they have been making ratings strides on Speed, the untapped market is very large. Despite the extensive amount of programming that covers the other series, the Truck Series has very often left out in the cold.
And now we have reached the point where fewer than 30 trucks will even actually finish the race. At Texas there were only 22 trucks running at the end. This weekend there are 32 on the entry list and I counted at least six start and parks.

It’s hard not to commend the teams who are actually fighting and going the distance. I can’t say enough times how much I love the Truck Series. It is the most fun to be around and the best racing you’ll see most weekends. Unfortunately NASCAR has been slow to give the series the credit it deserves. It will be interesting to see how the remainder of the season plays out for those sponsor-challenged teams.

Danica Patrick will be in NASCAR in 2010

If NASCAR executives can pull it off. George Pyne -- the former NASCAR Chief Operating Officer, and thus one of the top officials in stock car racing, and now head of IMG sports and entertainment, the high-buck talent marketing agency – and key NASCAR executives are together working the entire Sprint Cup garage trying to put together a package for Patrick to run NASCAR next season. Finding sponsorship is quite likely not the big issue, as hot a property as Danica Patrick is. And Geoff Smith, who runs Roush Fenway Racing for Ford's Jack Roush, says he's pretty confident she could do the job in one of these awkward stockers…eventually. But what would the game plan look like for her?

And how to package everything for her, that's the big stumbling block: How long a contract, two years, three years? How much money? And then Patrick would have to prove she's serious about a NASCAR venture and willing to commit to the program…which would naturally include a heck of a lot of laps. Would Patrick be willing to follow Juan Pablo Montoya's footsteps and run ARCA for a while? Montoya is so good a driver that he made the leap from ARCA to Cup very swiftly…but he did spend considerable time in the minors. Would Patrick accept that? Would Patrick be willing to follow Tony Stewart's example and run a couple of years of Nationwide? Would Patrick be willing to follow Ryan Newman's ABC game plan, a mixture of ARCA, Busch (Nationwide) and Cup?Would Patrick be willing to endure the agony that IRL-transplant Sam Hornish Jr. has endured? Smith and Roush have expressed an interest in signing Patrick at times the past two years.

But Smith indicates he senses that Patrick may be working this garage and these team owners perhaps a little too avariciously, and perhaps with not enough consideration for just how hard this part of the sports business really is. "IMG is representing her and taking her around to all the teams in the NASCAR garage….in an opportunity search for her," Smith says. "But it's a little unclear to everybody whether this is a trial balloon, for evaluation…. "However she's a very exciting personality, because of her popularity, and a very competitive attitude, and she's very physically fit – probably more fit than half the guys in this garage and on par with the other part…."But it's not about 'a test.' "In our opinion she needs to be in a program that runs her a lot of laps. She has to be a full-time lap-gatherer….and then work on making the transition. "It would be a very difficult scenario." However this season the number of teams failing to qualify is shrinking dramatically. Only one driver here, for example, didn't make the Friday cut. So Patrick shouldn't have any trouble qualifying for Cup races.

But Smith says there is more to the issue: "The thing that makes careers is being successful at every level you're in. "Learning how to Cup race, by running in the back of the field and wrecking every week, is not the way to do it. "Even the great ones here needed some grounding. Like Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya. So she would need a plan. "And sponsors are still only going to pay to a certain level, no matter who you are…..so a team owner would have to be certain of her commitment. We don't want to get stuck being out of pocket for $5 million a year down the line. "But Danica has a great resume, and more -- she's a great competitor, and has a great personality. "However we don't know how it all might play out."

NASCAR talking to other Manufacturers

NASCAR continues to have contact with foreign-based carmakers who are not yet involved in stock car racing but have manufacturing plants in the United States and may want to market through NASCAR, sanctioning body chairman Brian France said Sunday. "Clearly there are some companies that are going to look at opportunities that may not have been there in the past," France said. Of NASCAR's four current manufacturers, Chrysler and General Motors are in bankruptcy and Ford has reduced its expenditures on racing. Toyota, though its worldwide passenger car sales have been lagging, stands now as the strongest supporter of NASCAR among manufacturers. But other brands could help fill the void if the traditional American carmakers should weaken further and reduce if not eliminate their NASCAR participation.

"We have companies that are interested in particular in developing the North American market as robustly as they can," France said. "And we're all aware that there are lots of foreign manufacturers producing cars here in America. That was part of the rationale that Toyota used" to get involved in NASCAR. Other such companies with U.S. plants include Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. But, "I'm not going to name names," France said. "We have been talking to people off and on for a long time. These are decisions, in terms of new manufacturers joining the sport, that will take a long time to evaluate and actually enter. So this isn't something that if we turn the light switch on tomorrow morning it would happen. But of course, we're the preeminent place in America for car manufacturers to build their businesses with an auto racing group. We remain that."

Cup: Mark Martin Grabs Fifth Win At Michigan

There's an old saying in NASCAR racing, "To finish first...... you must first finish." Mark Martin has heard that saying many times before and never has it meant any more. While Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle were running out of gas with just one lap remaining, Martin cruised by to pick up his third win of the season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The 50-year-old Arkansas native, who started 32nd in the 43-car field, moved into contention in the final quarter of the race and saved fuel while Biffle and Johnson battled it out up front. Martin, one of the most popular drivers on the circuit, and certainly the pride of the over-50 crowd, calmly hit his marks and ran his race down the stretch, patiently waiting for the frontrunners to falter. It happened with just over a lap remaining in the 200-lap, LifeLock 400 event at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway. First Johnson ran out in the tri-oval short of the start-finish line, then Biffle's Ford sputtered going into turn one. The huge crowd erupted when Martin's CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet passed first Johnson, then Biffle to grab his third win of the year. He won earlier in the season at Phoenix and Darlington, much to the delight of his peers. Martin is one of the most respected members of the NASCAR industry.

Finishing second behind Martin was four-time champion Jeff Gordon. Denny Hamlin was next and Carl Edwards was fourth. Biffle wound up fifth and Juan Pablo Montoya brought home a sixth-place finish. Two-time champion Tony Stewart was seventh and Kurt Busch eighth. Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top 10 finishers. Johnson wound up 22nd after dominating most of the afternoon. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., continued to struggle, finishing 14th.
It was cool and overcast when the green flag waved and Kyle Busch assumed a familiar position by streaking ahead of pole winner Vickers before they made it to the second turn. At 10 laps, Johnson had passed Busch for the lead. Vickers was third. Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Montoya were next in line.

Joe Nemechek and Tony Raines pulled into the garage before 30 laps had been completed but Johnson took his Chevrolet to a commanding lead of more than six seconds. Kyle maintained second with brother Kurt third. They were followed by Kahne, Stewart, Biffle, Montoya, Vickers, Bowyer and Matt Kenseth. Martin, Carl Edwards and Gordon were moving towards the top 10. Martin went from 32nd to 15th; Edwards from 29th to 16th and Gordon from 27th to 17th.
Once teams had made their first green flag pit stops, Johnson resumed the lead with Kahne, Kyle Busch and Biffle in tow. Kurt Busch was fifth and Stewart sixth. Johnson was obviously the car to beat at this point in the race. Earnhardt, Jr. qualified 30th fastest and had moved to 18th after 50 laps.

Within a few laps, Biffle had moved to second ahead of Kahne. The first caution period of the balmy afternoon came out on Lap 73 when debris cluttered the track. On the double-file, shootout-style restart, Johnson was still the leader as the field bunched up in side-by-side fashion to go at it again. Johnson immediately jumped ahead of Biffle and Montoya held the third position. Kahne was next followed by Kurt Busch, Kenseth, Stewart, who lost time in the pits, Kyle Busch, Earnhardt and Edwards.At halfway (100 laps), Johnson had a three-second lead over Biffle which he held for most of the race as the laps wound down. Stewart holds on to the points lead ith 47 points over Gordon in second. Defending champion Johnson is in third followed by Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Edwards, Biffle, Martin, Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Kenseth, and Jeff Burton.

N'wide: Logano Wins Second Straight Kentucky Race

In a race where numerous drivers were nabbed for speeding on pit road, Joe Gibbs Racing's Joey Logano sped on the racetrack, winning the Meijer 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race for the second year in a row at Kentucky Speedway. Logano passed teammate Kyle Busch with 10 laps to go to become the first driver to win two series races at Kentucky. Earlier in the day, Logano also became the first driver to win the pole for a second time at the 1.5-mile track. "It's really cool," Logano said. "This place is one of my favorite racetracks. It's one of those places that just suits you. To win two-for-two here, that's really cool for me and the whole team. I guess that's the first time anyone's ever done that here, so it's pretty neat. We've got two poles, two wins -- perfect record here, so that's pretty cool." Busch led six times for 162 laps to lead the most laps for the seventh consecutive race, but his No. 18 Toyota got too tight in the closing laps, and he couldn't hold off Logano. Following his television interview, Busch was excused from his other post-race media obligations and headed back to Michigan International Speedway, where he'll race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Sunday. NASCAR issued 27 pit-road speeding penalties during the race, including one to Logano on Lap 71.

Logano had come out of the pits second but restarted 15th on Lap 74. Logano's No. 20 Toyota was strong, and he easily moved through the field, getting to second place with 93 laps to go. After a caution and red flag with 15 laps remaining, Logano closed in on Busch after the restart and slipped under him heading into Turn 3 on Lap 190. Busch finished second, with Brad Keselowski third, and rookies Brendan Gaughan fourth and Justin Allgaier fifth. Sixth through 10th were Jason Leffler, Michael Annett, Burney Lamar, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kelly Bires. Bires came back after starting 42nd due to having to use a back-up car following an accident on his qualifying lap. Busch extended his NASCAR Nationwide Series points lead over Carl Edwards to 137 points. Edwards fought an ill-handling car all night and was caught speeding on pit road three times during the race and finished three laps down in 20th

Trucks: Colin Braun Holds Off Kyle Busch For First Victory

On a gray Saturday with a threat of rain that never materialized, Colin Braun took his first step into the sun. On Lap 77 of the Michigan 200, Braun took advantage of a rare mistake by Kyle Busch. With Busch's momentum slowed through Turn 2 by the lapped truck of Norm Benning, Braun passed the No. 51 Toyota for the lead and sailed home in clean air the rest of the way. Leading the final 24 circuits of the 100-lap NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway, Braun crossed the finish line 1.790 seconds ahead of Busch, knowing he had beaten perhaps the top talent in NASCAR racing. As he crossed the finish line, Braun, 20, thanked his crew and team owner Jack Roush, who collected his 50th win in the series.

"What an awesome truck -- you poured your hearts into this," Braun told his crew, then turned his attention to the owner. "Thanks, Jack. Thanks for sticking with me." The latter was a reference to the promise Braun had shown driving Roush Fenway Fords in both the truck and NASCAR Nationwide Series -- promise that before Saturday had remained unfulfilled, as a combination of ill fortune and impatience had kept the young driver out of victory lane in his first 34 truck series starts. "It was cool to beat Kyle, and it was also cool to beat Toyotas here," Braun said, noting the proximity of MIS to Detroit, the home of the American auto industry. Polesitter Brian Ickler finished third in his fifth start in the series, his best result to date. Matt Crafton ran fourth and extended his lead in the series standings to 39 points over seventh-place finisher Ron Hornaday Jr., who survived a Lap 28 accident that also involved Stacy Compton and Chad McCumbee. Mike Skinner, third in points, came home fifth and trails second-place Hornaday by five points in the series standings. Braun said that when he saw Busch about to pass Benning to the inside during the decisive sequence, he committed to the outside line.

"Luckily, Kyle got a little boxed up in traffic there, and we could get around him," Braun said. "It's been a tough year so far, but we're on a roll now." Busch, who had led 62 of 76 laps to that point, acknowledged his mistake. "It was just a mistake by the driver," Busch said. "I saw a lapped truck (Benning) running a lane up off the bottom, and I'd been liking to run on the bottom. I went into the corner underneath him, and he kept coming down and coming across. "Unfortunately, I lost all the momentum and all the speed that I had. Colin just drove right by on the top, and I lost the race for us. My fault. (My) team deserved it -- they had a great Tundra out there. The guys did an awesome job preparing this thing. It's the fastest I've ever been here and the most laps I've ever led here in a truck. It was fun while it lasted."

Waltrip closer to hiring Truex?

Michael Waltrip hinted Friday that he's closer to a decision on his future - and that future may involve Martin Truex Jr. Waltrip reiterated his stance that he needed to run better in order to remain the driver of the NAPA-sponsored #55 car at Michael Waltrip Racing, the race team he owns. Truex, whose contract at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing expires after this season, has been frequently tied to the possible opening in the #55. "You just have to figure that he's one of the ones that no one knows where he's going," Waltrip said.

"He's been a Chase guy. He stumbled in and has run up front from the beginning, so I don't know what the future holds. But he might be one of those on that list that would be better than me." Asked if he was any closer to a decision on his future on Friday, Truex smiled. "I'd love to share it with you, but I can't," he said.

A month ago, the word on the street was that #1-Martin Truex to Michael Waltrip's team in 2010 is a 'done deal,' but Truex and Ty Norris, the general manager for Waltrip's operation, both insist their 2010 deals are still up in the air, for at least another three weeks. "All that would seem to imply that Waltrip himself has to make a good case for sponsorship-driver renewal with NAPA between now and the July Fourth 400 at Daytona.

Red Bull to Chevy?

It is very possible that Brian Vickers, winner of the pole at Michigan International Speedway on Friday, could be behind the wheel of the #83 Red Bull Chevy next season. Yes, Chevy. Over the last three years, the Red Bull program has worked to gain speed but has experienced some reliability issues with the Toyota Racing Development engines.

Red Bull's contract with Toyota is up at the end of this season. And although General Motors likely cannot afford to support additional teams at this time, Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, who owns race teams in both NASCAR and Formula One, could certainly afford to take on the role as Chevy parts customer. If Red Bull Racing was to make the switch to Chevy engines, Hendrick Motorsports would be the logical choice of vendor. Given Jay Frye's relationship with HMS, most recently during the management of Ginn Racing and MB2 Motorsports prior to that, there's a familiarity as a technical customer.

Danica Patrick to sign with Ganassi?

Chip Ganassi is supposedly working on a deal at the moment that would not only keep open wheel racing's biggest name away from the clutches of NASCAR, it would likely advance her ascention in Indy cars. Ganassi is considering signing Danica Patrick for a third car on the Target team for 2010, joining Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. Ganassi didn't return phone calls Wednesday but his veteran lieutenant acknowledged adding a car for Patrick could be possible. "We've always entertained having a third driver if we could get the comparable funding that Target provides us," said Mike Hull, managing director of Target/Ganassi. "

If Danica has something and wants to talk to us, that would be great because I think she's ready to take that next step. But I can tell you we haven't spoken to her." Patrick's three-year contract with Andretti-Green Racing, which was sponsored by Motorola to the tune of $21 million, expires at the end of this season. And, if she wanted to test the waters in NASCAR down the road, Ganassi could slide her right into one of his seats on the team he shares with Teresa Earnhardt.

Red Bull Racing does a pit stop..in Times Square

In the heart of New York City's Times Square on Wednesday, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brian Vickers pulls over for a Red Bull Racing/No. 83 Pit Stop. It's the second time in six months that Brain Vickers and team Red Bill have done something like this in New York City's Times Square.

Among the tour buses, taxis and busy New Yorkers making their way somewhere in a hurry; Brian Vickers and eight members of the Red Bull Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team became the hottest and fastest free show off Broadway Wednesday at 7th Avenue in Times Square.

For passers-by the driver of the team's #83 car, Brian Vickers put on a noisy, tire smoking display once it was over. Red Bull's stunt didn't hold up the traffic for too long, thanks to a modest 13-second time.

MIS Sports Rich Racing Tradition

Cale Yarborough won the first NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway on June 15, 1969 — next Monday will mark the 40th anniversary of that win. Driving the Wood Brothers’ famed No. 21 car, it marked the first of 11 victories for that racing organization at MIS — most by any race team. This Sunday will mark the 80th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan. Other than 1973, which had just one race, there have been two races each season since 1969. The first Michigan race was 500 miles in length; the second was scheduled for 600 miles. Except for the last race in 1970 and both races in 1971 (when the races were 402 miles in length), all of the other races at MIS have been 400-milers.

David Pearson leads all drivers with nine victories at Michigan. Yarborough is next with eight wins. Among drivers still active, Bill Elliott tops the list with seven wins at MIS. Mark Martin is next with four. Speaking of Elliott, he has a chance this weekend to move past Ricky Rudd for most laps completed at Michigan. Rudd’s track record is 10,609 and Elliott has run 10,413 laps there. Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) has won twice at this two-mile oval located in the Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan. “I love Michigan and would have to say it’s my favorite track,“ says the four-time series champion. “You would think my favorite track would be one that I’ve won a lot more at, but I love Michigan. It’s big and wide and fast; it has multiple grooves and you can run from the white line to the wall. You can change your angles in and off the corners. You can do so much there that to me, it’s just an all-around great track.”

Race fans attending the event this weekend at Michigan will have some entertainment opportunities at their disposal. Detroit’s own Kid Rock will serve as Grand Marshal for the LifeLock 400 on Sunday. The multi-platinum recording artist will headline pre-race activities, including being recognized during driver introductions, give the famous command for drivers to start their engines and ride in the Grand Marshal car leading the field during the ceremonial parade laps. In addition, Kid Rock will join Robby Gordon (No. 7 Red Stag/Kid Rock Toyota Camry) in the speedway’s fan hospitality club, Acceleration, on Sunday morning.

Kid Rock has a connection with several NASCAR drivers, including Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet). In 2004, Kid Rock sponsored Stewart’s car in the first NASCAR Nationwide Series race for Kevin Harvick Inc. at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. NASCAR fans will be treated to live entertainment in the New Holland Fan Plaza throughout race weekend. The headliner act on Saturday is “Majestic,” a tribute band to the ever-popular late 70s, early 80s sensation, Journey. Majestic will perform at 6:20 p.m. Opening for Majestic at 4:30 p.m. will be MIS crowd favorite cover band, “The River.”

MIS Site Of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Last Victory

It was Father’s Day weekend, June 15, 2008, at Michigan International Speedway and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet) was back in Victory Lane. Fast forward a year later and the sport’s most popular driver hasn’t tasted victory since and has experienced more than his share of ups and downs on the race track over the past 12 months. While that win was the 18th of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career and first while driving for Hendrick Motorsports, that victory didn’t generate the type of momentum that the No. 88 team had hoped it would.

Earnhardt did make the Chase in 2008 — finishing 12th — but currently finds himself 20th in points and 245 points out of the cut-off 12th position. His team experienced a crew chief change a couple of weeks ago, with Lance McGrew taking over the duties from Tony Eury Jr. Since that switch, Earnhardt has finished 12th at Dover and 27th at Pocono. While Earnhardt is the defending race winner, his performance at Michigan over the years has been so-so at best. In 19 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at MIS, Earnhardt has the one victory, six top-10 and three top-five finishes, to go along with two poles. His Average Finish is 16.7.

Stewart-Haas Continues To Roll

The duo of Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet) and Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet) at Stewart-Haas Racing continues to roll on. With 14 races in the books, Stewart and Newman, competing in their first year as teammates in Stewart’s new ownership collaboration with Gene Haas, find themselves first and fourth in the current point standings, respectively. With his win this past Sunday at Pocono Raceway, Stewart not only claimed the 34th win of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career, he became the first driver/-owner since Ricky Rudd in 1998 to win a points race. That’s a span of 375 races.

And for the second consecutive week, the two-time series titlist is atop the leader board heading to this Sunday’s LifeLock 400 at Michigan International Speedway. “Last year, there certainly were a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of headaches going to bed,” Stewart said following his win on Sunday. “Once you get it all together and you get a good group like this and you’ve got a group that’s as hungry as this group is, they feed off each other. Really, all I have to do is walk in there and pat those guys on the back, because they are a lot smarter people than I am.” Newman, Stewart’s running mate and fellow Hoosier, has put together a string of six straight top-10 finishes. He was 32nd after the season’s fourth race, but has moved up 28 spots over the past 10 races. This is Newman’s best start to the season since the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup began in 2004. After 14 races in 2008, Newman, then competing for Penske Racing, was 14th in points.

“We’ve worked hard as a team to obtain our recent finishes,” said Newman. “Whether it has been pit strategy or just fixing mechanical problems during a race, it’s really been a team effort. We’re pleased with the recent results and where we currently stand in points, but we still haven’t reached the ultimate and that’s going to Victory Lane. We’re all excited about Tony’s win at Pocono and know that we can also get there.” Both Stewart and Newman have enjoyed a fair amount of success at Michigan. Stewart has one win — a race-shortened victory in 2000 — to go along with nine top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Newman is a two-time winner at MIS — winning in 2003 and again in 2004. He also has posted four top fives at the two-mile oval. Stewart’s Average Running Position of 10.4 is second best on the circuit in 2009, while his Driver Rating of 101. 2 is fourth best.

Michigan’s Roush Country

Last year, Erik Darnell won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Michigan International Speedway by .005 seconds. Joey Logano won his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the LifeLock 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at MIS. NASCAR's top three national series head to Michigan and Kentucky this weekend.

Interesting fact, Roush Fenway Racing co-owner Jack Roush owns a home and a business about 45 minutes from Michigan International Speedway. Statistically, the home track advantage is huge. The team’s 11 wins there are tied with the Wood Brothers for most all-time at the 2-mile track. Michigan also is Roush Fenway’s most prolific track, edging out Bristol, where it has 10 wins.Three of his drivers own multiple wins at Michigan: Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle have two wins apiece.

The apparent home track advantage could most benefit David Ragan, who is struggling coming off a promising 2008 campaign. Ragan has just one top-10 finish after scoring 14 last season. He currently sits 31st in the points standings. Some of his best performances have come at Michigan, though. In terms of Driver Rating, Michigan ranks as Ragan’s third-best track behind Homestead and Talladega. In terms of average finish, Ragan’s 12.5 makes it his second-best track behind Kansas.

Roush Fenway Racing drivers have won 11 times at Michigan, tied with the Wood Brothers’ for most at the track. His teams have won three of the last five races there. Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford) has won twice at MIS, including the race last August. Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) has also won two times at Michigan, as has Matt Kenseth (No. 17 CARHARTT Ford). Heading into this week’s LifeLock 400, Edwards, Biffle and Kenseth rank 6-7-8 in the series standings. Keep an eye of all five of the Roush Cars they will be in the top 5 all day long and will be very fast all weekend.

Vickers re-upping with Red Bull

Sprint Cup driver Brian Vickers has agreed to a multiyear contract to remain the driver of the #83 Toyota for the Red Bull Racing Team, sources confirmed Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. An official announcement is expected later this week. Vickers is competing in his sixth Cup season. He was in the last year of a three-year contact with Red Bull, but team officials had an option to extend the deal one season. Vickers wanted a multiyear agreement, which team officials gladly accepted to keep Vickers in the organization long term.

Five things about ... the Gibson guitar

On the Gibson guitar news site, stories on rockers fill the space: Trent Reznor bashing Marilyn Manson, Pearl Jam's new song debut and another about a Jimi Hendrix roadie and ... um, where's the one about Kyle Busch, the goofy NASCAR driver whose only piece of rock-star cred are his oversized sunglasses? Maybe the editors are busy posting the piece now, meanwhile fans of music and NASCAR alike are still buzzing about Busch's bashing of the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar trophy in Victory Lane this past weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.

The two passionate and convincing arguments for both sides prompted me to offer up more information on the guitars themselves, produced by a company based in Nashville, Tenn., which has been creating iconic instruments since the 1930s. And how exactly did the artist who painted the instrument feel that day in Victory Lane?

Here are five additional tidbits about Gibson and in particular that one that Busch won.

1. Sam Bass loves rock and roll but loves art more ...

While the artist, Sam Bass, who spent 150 hours designing and painting the now broken guitar was stunned and shocked to see it destroyed 30 seconds after handing it to Busch, he appreciated the show the driver put on and trusts Busch when he said he meant no disrespect.

"I have mixed emotions," Bass said. "There's been a lot of erroneous reporting whether I knew it was going to happen or not and how I felt about it, so I wanted to clear that up. I had no idea he was going to destroy the guitar. I can assure you that if he had come to me and asked if I thought it would be a good idea to destroy a one-of-kind piece of artwork, I would've said, 'No, I don't think that is a good idea.'" Bass would've offered Busch a much less-expensive prop guitar. "It was an amazing instrument. To see it 30 seconds later beat all to heck hurt," Bass said. "It's like a six- to eight-week process into building one of those guitars. ... It was a working guitar and if you bought one off the shelf it would've been at least $3,500, but [the trophy] one is not coming out of the Gibson custom shop and by the time you include my artwork and what it symbolizes it almost becomes of a priceless nature. I estimate it being worth $25,000 to $35,000. It's was a meaningful piece of art."

Bass has been a NASCAR artist for 27 years and has painted dozens of guitar trophies for drivers who win in Nashville. Last weekend marked the 30th completed piece for Bass. Another guitar will be awarded when the Craftsman Truck Series races there in August.

2. Why Busch couldn't completely break it ...

The Gibson Les Paul guitar trophy is made of heavy mahogany and maple woods and is what manufacturers call solid body, as opposed to hallow inside. "I just wanted to break it apart and spread it around with the crew. I didn't break according to plan so I guess we'll take it the shop and cut it up so all of the guys can have nice, smooth pieces and I'll order another one for myself and one for Jason [Ratcliff, crew chief]," Busch said.

3. Who is (Lester William Polsfuss) Les Paul? ...

The Les Paul was originally designed by Ted McCarty and endorsed, named and used by jazz guitarist and pop star Les Paul.Though he couldn't read music, Paul had a magnificent ear and innate sense of structure and went on to invent the solid-body guitar and countless hits. The now 94-year-old from Wisconsin is considered to have "made the sound of rock and roll possible" by his peers.

4. Some of the greatest left-handed six-stringers to use Gibson guitars ...

Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Paul McCartney and Otis Rush. But who are some of the greatest left-handed Cup Series drivers? Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Terry Labonte and Joey Logano.

5. America Idolizes Gibson ...

During the young man's final winning performance on American Idol, Kris Allen played a beautiful acoustic Gibson Hummingbird. Like the Les Paul, it, too, is made of mahogany with a cherry sunburst finish but has a decorative pickguard with a hummingbird design.

Jeremy Mayfield tested positive for Meth

Jeremy Mayfield reportedly tested positive for methamphetamine (Meth) during a random drug screening at Richmond International Raceway, according to ESPN The Magazine. NASCAR suspended Mayfield on May 9 after he failed the drug test. Mayfield claimed the positive test resulted from a combination of prescription Adderall-XR (for ADD, which Mayfield has) and over-the-counter Claritin-D, which he took for allergies.

Sporting News has not confirmed the ESPN The Magazine report. A third drug came up positive during the urine-based Richmond test and had not been previously identified. The name of the drug in question has been redacted from court documents and was not specified by either Mayfield or NASCAR because of the conditions of a May 29 gag order issued by Mecklenburg Count Superior Court in North Carolina, according to the publication. The magazine learned from sources that the unidentified drug was methamphetamine.

Neither NASCAR nor Mayfield is allowed to comment because of the gag order. Mayfield's attorneys argue it was a false positive test reading, triggered by either a mixture of the two acknowledged drugs ingested or by poorly executed testing procedures. NASCAR countersued the suspended driver and accused him of willfully violating its substance-abuse policy, breach of contract and fraud and argued his failed drug test shouldn't be overturned.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Track Surface Upgraded

Stock-Car Montréal, promoter of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge, initiated major track resurfacing work this week on crucial portions of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the upcoming August 29-30 NASCAR race weekend. The work, carried out by contractor Construction DJL in close cooperation with Shell Bitumen, will enable drivers of the Grand-Am and NASCAR Nationwide Series to negotiate the Montreal track's demanding bends on a smooth surface worthy of the great international racetracks. "It's no secret that we have had serious problems with the track pavement in several corners of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve these past few years," explained François Dumontier, promoter and spokesperson for the event. "In the tight segments of the track, those that are the hallmark of le circuit and offer the greatest challenges to the drivers, the asphalt has to withstand the extreme punishment from hard braking into the corners followed by harsh acceleration. We firmly believe that the formulation of the premium grade Bitumen binder selected for the project combined with the expertise of the contractor will greatly increase elasticity and allow enhance road performance during the NAPA Auto Parts 200, presented by Dodge next August 29-30."

The asphalt laid out this week on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a unique formulation created by Construction DJL, a leader in Quebec's road construction industry, from a mix of specially selected aggregate and Shell Cariphalte Racetrack Bitumen technology. The aggregates picked by Construction DJL meet the standards of North American racetracks while the binder developed by Shell Bitumen is especially formulated to meet the demands of high-powered racecar circuits. Shell Bitumen technology is proven worldwide. It has already been used at the F1 circuits of Sepang in Malaysia, Sakhir in Bahrain, Singapore, Hockenheim, and Nürburgring in Germany and at Ferrari's Fiorano test track in Italy. The Bitumen technology used on portions of the Montreal track was produced in Quebec and mixed by Construction DJL. This technology is a first for North America in racetrack surfacing work.

The binder used by Shell Bitumen has a much higher cohesive strength that enables it to withstand horizontal sheer forces when a racecar brakes into a corner, then accelerates out of it. Shell's new Bitumen concentration gives a track surface a greater elasticity and allows enhanced road performance in terms of resistance to extreme heat. It has been formulated to reduce the chance of cracking, rutting, stripping, and aging prematurely under the extreme conditions of our varied climate and temperatures. "It will always be difficult to predict how the track surface of a corner will react during a race a Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Therefore, over the past few months, we have established a strong relationship with representatives of Shell Bitumen Canada and Construction DJL in order to develop a suitable solution to this problem. At this point, we feel we are on the right track," concluded Dumontier.

Tickets for the NAPA Auto Parts 200, presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 29-30, 2009 are currently on sale. To order tickets and see NASCAR stars on track in Montreal, call 514 397-0007 or order online anytime at http://www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca/. Stock-Car Montreal, the event promoter is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Speedway Corporation (ISC) based in Daytona Beach, Florida. ISC is the leading promoter of motorsports in North America, hosting over 100 major racing events each year.

Petty Team To Partner With Braun Racing

Richard Petty Motorsports announced it will partner with Braun Racing to compete in five NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2009. The Petty team competed full-time in the series until this season when it chose to run a fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. Team officials said the agreement with Braun Racing makes a successful return to the series more likely. “We have a commitment to run five races this season,” said Mark McArdle, the Petty team’s vice president of competition.

“Braun Racing is one of the most successful stand alone teams in the series that contends for race wins, week in and week out. Partnering with them gives us an opportunity to be extremely competitive and to win races. It also brings the most value to our partners without disrupting anything we are doing with our Sprint Cup programs.” Elliott Sadler will drive the Auto Value Bumper to Bumper car in the June 27 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on ABC television while Kasey Kahne will race in the remaining four races.

Kahne’s schedule and paint schemes include:

• No. 9 McDonald’s McCafe car in the July 3 Daytona race on ESPN

• No. 9 McDonald’s car in the Aug. 21 Bristol race on ESPN2

• No. 9 Fritos car in the Sept. 5 Atlanta race on ESPN2

• No. 43 Auto Value Bumper to Bumper car in the Oct. 16 Charlotte race on ESPN2.

Braun Racing owner, Todd Braun, feels this will be a mutually beneficial arrangement. “We believe that we have first-rate equipment and an extremely talented group here at Braun Racing,” said Braun. “Adding the talents of Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne to our driver line-up is a win-win situation for us. We’re very pleased that Richard Petty Motorsports approached us with this opportunity. It’s a good indicator that we have grown into a top-performing team and that it is not going unnoticed.” Kahne, a seven-time winner in the series with Evernham Motorsports prior to the merger with Petty, looks forward to his four upcoming NASCAR Nationwide Series races with Braun Racing.

“Our plan is to win these races,” said Kahne. “We’ve had a pretty good track record in the series and Braun Racing has run well this season. I think our sponsors will be pleased with how competitive this combination will be in these races.” Sadler echoed his teammate’s comments. “This should be a lot of fun,” said Sadler, a five-time winner in the series. “I’m looking forward to getting back in the Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Nationwide car. We have a chance to get a trophy.”

Where in the World is Martin Truex Jr. gunna End Up in 2010?

There has been much speculation over the last several weeks regarding where Martin Truex Jr. will race in 2010 and beyond. This speculation has been fueled mostly by Truex’s own comments on a possible move, which started at the Talladega race in April. The turmoil surrounding the DEI/CGR merger, and the lack of performance from the EGR teams this season appears to be a big motivator. Since 2008, Truex has been rumored to be leaving DEI/EGR for Dale Jr.’s Cup team (that has never materialized), Stewart-Haas Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing, and most recently Michael Waltrip Racing. Mike Mulhern was the first to break the news about Truex’s possible defection to MWR, and his story pondered whether the deal was actually already done. Since his article first appeared we’ve heard that the deal isn’t necessarily done but that NAPA is very interested in securing Truex. There has yet to be an announcement from either side about the future and after talking about it initially, Truex has now become reluctant in answering any media questions regarding MWR and 2010.

Stepping back now from the rumors and speculation, I’m curious about what team would be the best fit for Truex moving forward. I’ve got to believe that a possible move from EGR to MWR would only be driven by a more lucrative contract. I say that because neither team appears to be better then the other in terms of performance and potential. Truex and his teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, currently sit 19th and 15th in the points, while MWR cars are 11th, 18th, and 32nd respectively. The lone bright spot for MWR and a possible selling point for Truex has been David Reutimann and his Coke 600 win. But the win in a rain shortened 600 on a Monday had more to do with lucky strategy than it did with actual team performance. So jumping from the #1 team at EGR to the #55 team at MWR appears to be a lateral move at best.
The other wildcard in this situation is Truex’s long time sponsor, Bass Pro Shops. There was much talk earlier this season after EGR shut down the #8 team that Bass Pro had an out in its contract if either Truex didn’t have two team cars, or his performance wasn’t up to par. This appears now to be false, and according to press releases from 2007 and EGR’s Steve Lauletta, Bass Pro is signed through 2010. This would certainly rule out the possibility of Bass Pro Shops following Truex to MWR, SHR, or any other team.

Only time will tell where Truex ends up for the 2010 season and beyond, but I’m of the opinion that Truex will indeed jump ship. I feel like he’s had one foot out the door since the walls started crumbling at DEI, and I’m surprised he’s waited until now to possibly make a move. Usually, drivers who aren’t interested in a move to another team don’t become the topic of so many rumors. And if he wasn’t interested in moving, it’s very easy to put down the rumors and speculation and just say “I like where I am, I’m staying.” On top of that, his performances this season have been less than inspired, and chances of a big contract brought to you by NAPA or possibly a better ride elsewhere may be enough to lure him away.

Benson's truck team folds for Lack of Sponsor

From AP News:

Johnny Benson lost his ride Monday when Red Horse Racing folded his team because it couldn't find sponsorship for the defending Truck Series champion. "This leaves me without a ride, I'd say, and not a lot of time to put something together," Benson said. He said the team notified him Monday morning that the No. 11 Toyota would not finish the season. Red Horse will continue to field the No. 11 truck for T.J. Bell, who has some funding but is not fully sponsored. "We gave it our best shot, and we tried as long as we could, but nothing materialized," team owner Tom DeLoach said. "This is a tough economic climate, and the cost of fielding a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team with essentially no support other than our manufacturer is too much for Red Horse Racing to bear alone."

It's the second time in seven months that Benson has been hurt by the sagging economy. He won the Truck title last year driving for Bill Davis Racing, but informed Davis before the season finale that he was moving to Red Horse because of the financial instability at BDR. Davis sold his race teams and engine-building operation in January, and the new owners have not entered a NASCAR race this season. Benson said he believed Red Horse gave him a good chance to defend his series title, but the team had not lived up to his expectations. Benson, who finished fourth in Friday's race at Texas Motor Speedway, is currently seventh in the standings with four top-10 finishes this season. "The decision to close the team is a bit surprising because they told me they wanted to build a championship-caliber race team," he said. "They hired a champion driver and a champion crew, and then decide to close the team instead of building the organization around it. So I am a little confused."

Benson said he doubts he'll be able to line up a ride in time for Saturday's race at Michigan International Speedway, his home track. The economy has taken a toll on race teams in all three of NASCAR's national divisions, and even the healthiest organizations have not been immune. Many teams went through multiple rounds of layoffs, while others needed mergers to survive the downturn. Sponsorship has been difficult to find for some of the smaller organizations, and some teams are struggling to make it to the race track. The field for last weekend's race was three trucks short of capacity, and 10 of the entries were "field fillers" that had no intention of competing for the entire event. Norm Benning ran just three laps before ducking off the track with a handling issue, but earned $10,255 for the effort. Wayne Edwards outlasted the other field fillers to make it 26 laps before leaving with an ignition problem. He earned $11,155 for finishing 24th.

Benson downplayed Saturday night's field as an indicator of the series' health. "There's always been field fillers in all three series, always. I don't think this is new," he said. "But we're all nervous about the economy in every series. It's down and it's making it tough on a lot of people. But the series is still good."

Stewart Saves fuel for his first points win as Car Owner

Tony Stewart has won his first Cup points race as a team owner, coming from the rear of the field to win at Pocono Raceway. The Sprint Cup points leader had to start at the back of Sunday's race because of a practice accident forced him into his backup car. Then Stewart gambled he could drive the final 41 laps without a pit stop and it paid off, helping snap a 19-race winless streak dating to last season.

Stewart won the All-Star Race last month for Stewart-Haas Racing, and this victory only stamped himself as a true threat to win his third Cup title. "It's just a little different when you're the one that's got to be accountable," Stewart said. tewart is the first owner/driver to win a points race since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998. Carl Edwards was second, followed by David Reutimann, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman. "I didn't think he was going to be a factor," Edwards said of Stewart. "I was sure he was going to run out." The first Cup points race with double-file restarts finished without a problem. The drivers' meeting lasted nearly 30 minutes as last-minute questions were answered on the new restart rules that line up the 43-car field following a yellow. "I'm sure they'll refine it and make it better, but I think it worked out pretty good," Reutimann said.

After a caution, Stewart led the field to the green flag with 45 laps to go in the 500-mile race. His 6-second lead over Edwards with 10 laps left kept getting whittled away as Stewart eased off the gas and didn't push his car to save fuel. With a lead in the point standings and a spot in the Chase all but assured, Stewart could afford to take a risk. The two-time Cup champion sure knows about taking risks -- and having them work out. Stewart's secret to his fuel strategy? "I'm not telling," he said, laughing. Stewart won the race on fumes, but his own operation seems to have plenty of fuel. He's destroyed all expectations in his first season as owner and driver for SHR. It was the first points victory since he left Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of last year after 10 successful seasons to become co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. This was the first points victory for the team since its 2002 debut as Haas CNC Racing. His second-place finish last week at Dover allowed him to become the first driver/owner to lead the points since Alan Kulwicki won the 1992 Cup championship, a span of 556 races. Stewart stretched his lead over Gordon in the standings to 71 points.

"The things that he set out to accomplish this year were huge. I personally didn't believe he could get it done," Edwards said. "I'm extremely impressed with that. I can only imagine how good that feels to get that done." When rain washed out qualifying on Friday, Stewart automatically sat on the pole as the points leader. He called this season one big dream and hoped he didn't wake up and realize it was time to get ready to go to Daytona.
Stewart wrecked his car in practice Saturday, then took some of the fastest laps of the day in his backup. He joked that if he knew the backup was that strong, he would have crashed the first one right away. Edwards is still looking for his first victory of the season. "I'll probably be happy later [Sunday], but man, to be that close to victory and not win, that was frustrating," he said. "The points are great though. I'll definitely take something good out of this."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a tough second week with crew chief Lance McGrew and was 27th. Jimmie Johnson ran out of fuel at the end and finished seventh. "At the end, we were just playing the fuel game and I didn't play it hard enough," Johnson said. Reutimann, long a journeyman driver, jumped into 11th place in the Chase standings. Mark Martin fell out of the top 12 with a 19th-place finish.

Changes coming to improve the car-of-tomorrow?

Drivers says NASCAR officials are telling them now changes are coming with controversial car-of-tomorrow, but no one seems to know what NASCAR might do, or when. "I think they're going to go look into the engines -- to maybe reduce horsepower," Denny Hamlin says. "Maybe do something to the cars…but it's tough to say whether they're going to add downforce or take it all away. But I think they are going to make changes to the car. And I think it's going to be after a lot of meetings with team engineers and finding out what we need to do to make them better."

Two of the biggest problems with the new COT is --- that it doesn't want to turn in the corners, so teams are doing really farout things with the chassis to help it turn (once reason apparently for some of the Dover tire issues); and that it has such a high center-of-gravity and so much right-side weight that it eats up right-side tires. Kyle Busch says "I'd like to see NASCAR do something to help these cars – either by taking 100 pounds out of these cars, or taking some right-side weight out. We've all gotten smarter in building these cars, and now we all have maybe 200 pounds of lead, or rather tungsten, in the car (as ballast)."

Almost Half Way There

At the start of 2009, the outlook for NASCAR and its teams was bleak. The economy was tanking and people were talking about the possibility of less then 43 cars showing up at California and beyond. Then a funny thing happened. Where team contraction and minimal sponsorship had created holes in entry lists, some folks saw opportunity. Guys like Tommy Baldwin, Joe Nemecheck, and Jeremy Mayfield threw together Cup teams overnight and showed up to race. But now, as the season heads for summer, the novelty for these underdog teams is starting to wear off and the realities of big time auto racing are starting to set in. These last few weeks haven’t been kind to the little guy, and it started with Jeremy Mayfield’s banned substance suspension. Now, while he and his lawyer try and fight NASCAR over the suspension, his team is left without their leader and must try and forge on with an uncertain future and J.J. Yeley at the wheel. Missing this weekend’s Coke 600 was yet another blow for this fledgling organization.

With a mostly volunteer team and extremely limited resources, Tommy Baldwin Racing has qualified for seven of eleven races so far, including the Daytona 500. But we found out that driver Scott Riggs vacated the seat of the #36 Toyota following the Coke 600. The team has resorted to starting and parking in recent weeks to make ends meet, and it appears from his quotes that Riggs cannot stomach driving a start-and-park entry. With Riggs leaving, the outlook for TBR has become very bleak. With no sponsorship on the horizon, look for the #36 to be behind the wall early going forward. The team says Mike Skinner, Patrick Carpentier, and Brian Simo will share the seat.

The small Cup teams aren’t the only ones suffering though. Two of the smaller, independent Nationwide Series teams now look to be on the brink. Smith-Ganassi Racing and SK Motorsports started out the season guaranteed in the top 30 and looking to run the full season. Now a lack of sponsorship has changed those plans. Smith-Ganassi Racing is the team co-owned by Florida businessman Eddie Smith and championship boxer Evander Holyfield. The two bought the #40 NNS team from Chip Ganassi Racing and started the season with Kenny Hendrick behind the wheel. But, after Hendrick failed to qualify for two races, the team replaced him with driver David Gilliland for Saturday night’s Carquest 300 at LMS. A 15th place finish from Gilliland and team looked to be promising, but now the #42 is missing from the entry list for this weekend’s race at Dover. We’ve been hearing for a few weeks that this team might be in trouble, and now we are hearing they have released some employees, and their future schedule is unknown.

Although still currently in the top 30 in owner points, SK Motorsports #07 team appears headed for trouble. David Green had been behind the wheel since Daytona, but he was replaced at Darlington by Patrick Carpentier. The switch to Carpentier appeared to be sponsorship driven, but whatever deal they had fell through at the last minute before Charlotte and the Canadian driver was replaced with Donny Lia. Lia was very slow all weekend, and parked the #07 Camry before the race went officially green. Carpentier is again on the entry list this weekend, but rumors abound that it will be another driver and yet another start-and-park. With the economy still struggling to pull itself out of a deep hole, finding sponsorship for these teams has been extremely difficult. As the season wears on, expect to see more of these teams either resort to the start-and-park strategy, or close down completely. It’s a shame that things have turned out this way, but such is the reality of today’s NASCAR.

NASCAR Announces “Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style”

NASCAR announced a change to its race format with the addition of “Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style” throughout each race. Beginning with this weekend at Pocono Raceway, the first- and second-place drivers will line up side-by-side as the green flag flies for each restart. “We’ve heard the fans loud and clear: ‘double-file restarts – shootout style’ are coming to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “This addition to the race format is good for competition and good for the fans.”NASCAR recently used the “double-file” format for its non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, which produced an unpredictable finish. The format will be adapted for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the near future.

Under the previous format, cars on the lead lap would restart in a single-file line while cars that had been lapped would start in a line next to them. Under the new format, the race leader will have the option to restart on the inside or outside lane. The second-place driver would then restart next to the leader. Regardless of where the leader starts, drivers in odd number positions (3rd, 5th, 7th places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while drivers in even number positions (4th, 6th, 8th places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race.The first-place driver will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track. Likewise, cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line.

The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the “free pass.” However, a new element beginning this week will be that the “free pass” will remain in effect the entire race [before it was all race until 10 or less laps to go, then none was awarded]. Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be “waved around” the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thus picking up a lap to the leader provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference [so the leader will not restart in the middle of the pack].

Prelude to the Dream 2009

For the fifth consecutive year, the Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway is a sellout. The only way left to see such racing icons as Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Robby Gordon and Kasey Kahne competing in dirt Late Models to raise money for injured and fallen heroes is via HBO Pay-Per-View. Jeff Gordon was set to take the green flag for in the event but he will not be racing on Wed due to his back pain, he wants to be ready for Pocono this weekend. So, racing in his car will be Marcos Ambrose. HBO Pay-Per-View’s racing telecast has a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes.

HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming in the pay-per-view industry. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at hbo.com. “Despite the tough economic times, we knew how loyal the Eldora fans would be,” said Stewart, owner of Eldora Speedway. “We’ve got some of the best fans in the country, and once again, tickets went fast for this year’s race. We’ll put on a great show for the fans and they’ll help us raise money for injured and fallen heroes in the process. Even though the race is sold out, everyone can watch it at home thanks to our great friends and partners at HBO Pay-Per-View. This is our third year with them and it’s been a tremendous relationship, which gives the entire country a chance to see the Prelude to the Dream.”

After the first four events collectively raised more than $2 million in contributions to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, this year’s Prelude to the Dream benefits four entities that cater to severely injured military personnel and fallen soldiers and their families – Wounded Warrior Project, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Operation Homefront and Fisher House. Each has a mission that outlines assistance to the courageous men and women who serve their country and need additional support both during and after their time of service.

UPDATE: The race was set to go Green Tonight (June 3, 2009) but rain forced the event to be posponed until Wednesday September 9, 2009. Those who have already purchased the Prelude to the Dream on HBO Pay-Per-View will be refunded. Those who purchased a ticket to the event can apply the value of their Prelude to the Dream ticket toward any remaining event on the 2009 Eldora Speedway schedule. No word if Jeff Gordon will be drive in the race when it is held in September.

Pit Pass Season 1 in the books

Tonight's Episode of The Pit Pass on Audio8ball.com was the Season Finale. It's been a long season dating back to Feb. Five Monthis is a log time to be on the air but the show is taking the summer off. No time slot or date(s) have been set for the start of Season 2 but it is going to happen. Season 2 of The Pit Pass will kick off August 2009. In the mean time stay logged on right here and Audio8ball.com for every thing NASCAR. Big things are coming in August 2009, stay logged on.

Pit Stops, What Pressure?

The struggles of some teams on pit road this season have been well documented, as have some of the problems facing the crews this season with regard to some different rules and a shift in the competition. With that you will often hear the TV people talking about all the pressure that is on the crews to get the job done on pit road. The funny thing is, while it is important for us to perform on a high level all the time, actual “pressure” is an illusion.

Let me give you two scenarios to illustrate my point.

In the first one, a team is running 35th on the track and we are four laps down. There are 30 laps to go in the race, and a caution comes out that forces everyone to pit road. They come down with the lap down cars for four tires and fuel. There is no chance they are going to even get back on the lead lap, let alone be a contender. The car hits the pit, they do there deal, and send the driver back to the race.

In scenario number two, a team is in the lead of the Daytona 500 and there are 25 laps to go. The cycle of green flag stops start, and teams start coming to pit road. They are going to come down with a few other cars to get four tires and fuel to make the run to the finish. They need a good stop to not only maintain the lead, but also to stay with the group of cars we are pitting with for the draft. The driver steers the car into the stall, they throw on four new skins, and he’s down and away.
Now, look at both of those scenarios and tell me what is different about a tire changer's job between those two pit stops. How about nothing?

In each case, a changer is to hit 20 lugnuts and make sure everything is tight. Just because they are leading the Daytona 500 doesn’t mean there job changes, or becomes more difficult. The gun, the lugnuts, the tires, the jack, and the race car all remain the same regardless of the situation on track.
When things go wrong for pit crews in these situations, it is because the approach and mindset of the individual changes. If one starts thinking about not screwing up or needing to go faster, they are putting unneeded pressure on themselves. And usually when this happens, mistakes will occur. Another misconception that you will hear fronted by some, is that races can be won or lost on pit road. That sounds great, but it is only half true. What they should really say, is that races can’t be won on pit road, but they certainly can be lost.
The last time I checked, NASCAR doesn’t decide who wins the race by who has the fastest pit stop, or even who gets off pit road first. There is no flag stand at the end of pit road. But if a driver comes to pit road leading with 10 laps to go, and they make a mistake and leave a lugnut off or let a tire get away that causes us to have a penalty, then there driver isn’t going to win. I don’t care how good he is.

When they get hired by a team at these highest levels of NASCAR, it means that they’ve demonstrated that they know how to do our jobs. At that point, all that is asked of them by drivers and crew chiefs is to do that job. They are not asking them to do more than that.
I once had a coach tell me that if there was ever a pit crew that never gained a single spot on pit road during a season, but on the flip side, never lost a spot either, they would be famous. You know why? Because at that point the crew and pit stops become a non-factor and the race is left in the hands of the driver and crew chief. The guys and crews who are really successful in this business are those that can stay focused, and still remain loose and relaxed. At that point, there really is no pressure.

Nascar's a work in Progress

I have been thinking this week a lot about ways to improve NASCAR. This is something NASCAR is also doing as their avid fans soften and their casual fans are starting to walk away (in research NASCAR classifies fans as avid or casual). I don’t have any solutions but after really putting some thought into this I have come up with one good reason (among many) why those avid fans are softening on the sport. Let me wait to address that though.

Lets look at some of the reasons why the casual fans are walking away. First and most obvious is that they believe the racing is not as good as it once was. Many have said the COT has degraded the quality of the sport; and I think that is probably true on the mile and a half tracks.

The second reason is the length of races. This I can understand. Four plus hours of anything is a lot. When it’s cars going around in circles at California, that is definitely true. I hate to say this but even I find myself zoning out at certain tracks.

Finally the casual fan doesn’t have enough personality on track. Sure you’ve got Kyle Busch, but what else is out there? You can only have so many nice guys. Certainly the story lines have been a little better this year (a couple of first time winners, Mark Martin, Stewart Haas etc.) but they could always be better. To the avid fans I think a lot of the issues above are starting to get to them, but from what I have read and heard, the politics of this sport are driving people nuts.

Personally I likesome of the politics. It makes me more interested in the sport. But there are times when it can become too consuming. I think that is the problem for a lot of avid fans. NASCAR has often had this too open in some areas, and not open enough in other areas way of doing things. And I think that has hurt them. You announce a driver is getting penalties for x and z rule violations but fans don’t have a way of even knowing what that is. They then become hostile to the sanctioning body.

At this point I ask, why not release the rule book? Every other major sport does it. I think it is time NASCAR does too. This would placate some of the conspiracy theorists and would give every fan a chance to reference the rule being broken in an actual physical book.

I think part of this environment too is the massive amount of NASCAR coverage coming at you from every angle. The sport really hasn’t changed much as far as governance goes (I think you could even make an argument that they are more open now; and NASCAR certainly wasn’t any more fair in the past), but the media coverage has. You can spend most of the day from Thursday to Sunday watching NASCAR coverage and opinion in one form or another and then you can get on-line and spend the rest of the week reading about it. It only works to amplify stupid things NASCAR does.

I also think we know way too much on other sides of the sport. Why do I need a press release talking about personnel changes. I think Chip Ganassi made a good point earlier this year when talking about layoffs at the team last year. They certainly weren’t the first of their kind to do that, but they were the ones that got vilified. It matters for us that the team was shut down, but why do we need to know through main stream media channels they laid people off? It’s irrelevant to the sport. At the end of the day, because there are so many moving parts to this sport it is going to be political. I honestly believe though that stuff can kill the fun for fans and I don’t blame them. We use sports to get away from things and when it begins to look more like our real life it begins to be less entertaining. There's the business of Racing and the racing. Something I think we need to do sometimes is separate those two things and really get back to the basics. I think that needs to be NASCAR’s mantra moving forward.

Pepsi 500 at The Auto Club Speedway

On Sunday October 11, 2009, Nascar is coming to Southern California.

Make sure you are at Auto Club Speedway as the NASCAR Sprint Cup heats up in the Chase for the first time ever in California! This event continues to grow, offering tons of great fan entertainment, from the Opportunity, California FanZone, where you can take in live musical entertainment on our main stage, Apex by Wolfgang Puck and all of your favorite driver souvenir rigs and interactive displays, to driver intros front and center, there's tons that race fans can see and do at Auto Club Speedway!


Click here for Tickets

NASCAR Moving Year-End Awards Banquet to Vegas

NASCAR is trading the Christmas lights of New York for the neon of Las Vegas.

The Sprint Cup postseason awards banquet, a fixture in Manhattan since in 1981, will be moved to Las Vegas for this season. Although the venue is yet to be determined, the change has already been approved by NASCAR and is awaiting only final approval from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, a taxpayer-funded entity that has championed the move west.

"Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities," said Bruton Smith, chairman of the company that owns Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and someone who has been lobbying to move the banquet for years. "That's what I'd like to see."

The banquet has been an annual event in New York since former NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. moved the ceremony from Daytona Beach, Fla., nearly three decades ago in an attempt to attract more sponsors and national recognition. Although it was difficult to beat the setting -- the opulent Grand Ballroom of the historic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, festooned in holiday garland -- the event often struggled for acceptance from local media and area residents. A parade of show cars around Midtown was cancelled prior to last year's event, partially because of complaints from pedestrians who didn't like being stuck behind barriers as stock cars rumbled by.