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Happy Monday all.
Today In Nascar History
07/03/1953-Herb Thomas wins at Rochester, win #6 of the season, and #22 of his career.
07/03/1954-Herb Thomas wins at Spartanburg, win #9 of the season, and #37 of his career.
07/03/1993-Dale Earnhardt wins at Daytona, win #4 of the season, and #57 of his career.
07/03/1999-Dale Jarrett wins at Daytona, win #3 of the season, and #21 of his career.
07/03/2004-Jeff Gordon wins at Daytona, win #4 of the season, and #68 of his career.
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Quote of the Month
"My parents taught me when I was little that if I was going to be dumb, then I better be tough."
--Tony Stewart
Submitted by Lisa
Quote of the Day
"I just feel like Rocky Balboa in the 15th round, and I just won,"
--Boris Said, on his fourth place finish
"My parents taught me when I was little that if I was going to be dumb, then I better be tough."
--Tony Stewart
Submitted by Lisa
Quote of the Day
"I just feel like Rocky Balboa in the 15th round, and I just won,"
--Boris Said, on his fourth place finish
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News gathered from multiple sources, including but not limited to: Jayski.com, Cup Scene Daily, Thatsracin.com, catchfence.com, nascar.com, yahoo!, espn.com and others.
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Bits and Pieces
Harvick's Busch crew chief ejected from track
By The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Kevin Harvick's qualifying time for the Busch Series race was disqualified and his crew chief was thrown out of Daytona International Speedway after his car failed inspection before Friday night's race.
Shane Wilson was escorted out of the garage by Busch Series director Joe Balash after NASCAR found unapproved aerodynamic modifications on the No. 21 Chevrolet.
Harvick, who qualified 27th, had his time disallowed and will start at the back of the field.
Wilson will likely be penalized heavily because he was already on probation for failing inspection at the last restrictor-plate in Talladega. Harvick was docked 25 points and Wilson was put on probation through the end of the year following the Talladega infraction.
Harvick headed into Saturday night's race with a 344-point lead over Denny Hamlin in the Busch Series standings.
Harvick's Busch crew chief ejected from track
By The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Kevin Harvick's qualifying time for the Busch Series race was disqualified and his crew chief was thrown out of Daytona International Speedway after his car failed inspection before Friday night's race.
Shane Wilson was escorted out of the garage by Busch Series director Joe Balash after NASCAR found unapproved aerodynamic modifications on the No. 21 Chevrolet.
Harvick, who qualified 27th, had his time disallowed and will start at the back of the field.
Wilson will likely be penalized heavily because he was already on probation for failing inspection at the last restrictor-plate in Talladega. Harvick was docked 25 points and Wilson was put on probation through the end of the year following the Talladega infraction.
Harvick headed into Saturday night's race with a 344-point lead over Denny Hamlin in the Busch Series standings.
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Tony Stewart WIX Filters Lap Leader Award winner in Pepsi 400: Tony Stewart led six times for 86 laps to win the WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race award in the Pepsi 400. Stewart took the honor for the fourth time this season. Stewart led the most laps of any driver in the race, the fourth time he’s accomplished the feat this season. He has now led at least one lap in 12 of the 17 NEXTEL Cup races this season. Stewart has now led 39 times for 894 total laps in 2006. Stewart won the Pepsi 400, his second win in 2006. He won his second consecutive Pepsi 400 over Kyle Busch. Stewart logged his eighth top-five and
ninth top-10 finish of the 2006 season. He moved from seventh to fifth in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings. Greg Biffle continues to lead the season-long WIX Filters Lap Leader standings. Stewart quotes: “I’m so proud of all these guys. These guys are the ones who made it happen. It’s not me. We go to the restrictor-plate races and it’s Greg Zipadelli and everyone on the Home Depot team. They do a good job. It’s been a long, hot weekend. This team needed this. We had two rough weeks the last couple of weeks with Michigan and Sonoma. It’s nice to finish this one off here.” WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD STANDINGS: Greg Biffle - 5; Tony Stewart - 4; Jeff Gordon - 3; J.J. Yeley - 2; Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 1; Matt Kenseth - 1; Kasey Kahne - 1; Jamie McMurray - 1; Denny Hamlin - 1 - Camp & Associates, Inc., For WIX Filter Press Release
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EA Taps Elliott Sadler As Cover Athlete For NASCAR 07 - New Game from EA SPORTS Launching in September Places Fans in the Excitement of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Racing Action Like Never Before: With more NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers at the highest level of the sport gaming than ever before, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that its EA SPORTS™ branded NASCAR® videogame, NASCAR® 07, will feature NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Elliott Sadler on the cover. The longtime gamer has been heavily involved in all aspects of EA’s NASCAR franchise since he joined the Cup ranks in 1999, including taking home the championship trophy from last years’ EA SPORTS Drivers Gaming Competition in Bristol, TN, making him the perfect driver to showcase on the cover.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wood Brothers Racing: One, Two or No Teams?
Eddie Wood isn’t being flippant when he says, “We might have one car, two cars or no cars next year. Heck, we might all be gone from here. Who knows? Right now, I don’t.” The co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing expects to have at least one Ford next year, either for his son, Jon, or current driver #21-Ken Schrader. “Jon’s not under contract, so I’ll let him go if he gets a good offer somewhere else,” Wood said minutes before the Pepsi 400. “The deal with us is, our sponsorships are year-to-year. Little Debbie is pleased and the Air Force is pleased, and we think MotorCraft is pleased. We’d really like to have all three of them back. We can’t make a lot of plans until we get all those deals in place. Ideally, we’d like a Fusion for Jon and another for Ken. We’d like to get the Clorox people to come aboard on a car for Jon. But, honestly—right now—I can’t begin to say what we’re gonna do next year. But, yeah, I think we’ll have something out here.”(Ford Racing)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dodge Not Leaving NASCAR: The chairman of DaimlerChrysler denied a widespread rumor that Dodge is pulling out of NASCAR, and pledged his commitment to America's top racing series. Dr. Dieter Zetsche [the Dr Z. that was featured on the #9 and #19 Dodges at Daytona], attending his first race of the season Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, said NASCAR is a successful platform for DaimlerChrysler and he has no plans to pull Dodge out. "I don't know who is creating those rumors, we have no reason whatsoever (to leave)," he said before the start of the Pepsi 400. "We are very happy with NASCAR, it is a great platform, and Dodge is the right brand to race NASCAR." Dodge has been unable to shake a season-long rumor that it was leaving the sport after five years. Many speculated that poor auto sales -- DaimlerChrysler AG's
Chrysler Group said last month that sales were down nearly 11 percent -- would drive the manufacturer out. But the German-based Zetsche said he's still seeing a return on investment. "It's certainly not, 'Win race Sunday and sell Monday,' but it is brand-building," he said, "and part of the excitement which we have created around Dodge the last five years is certainly due to NASCAR racing." Earlier Saturday, Chrysler announced that the Dodge Challenger, a prominent member of its stable of high-performance "pony cars" of the early 1970s, is coming back in 2008. The new Challenger will feature the long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe body style shared by the first generation of Challengers, which were produced from 1970-74. About 188,600 Challengers were sold during that time. Zetsche didn't rule out using the Challenger in NASCAR. "For the time being it is definitely the Charger," he said. "When the Challenger comes into production we will reconsider it,
but there is no decision to be made right now."(ESPN.com/AP)
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Yeley to Drive VESIcare Scheme at Chicago: To bring attention to the condition of overactive bladder (OAB), Astellas Pharma US, Inc. (Astellas) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) are working together with driver J.J. Yeley, who will be driving #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy at Chicagoland Speedway. The sponsorship is part of an ongoing promotional campaign to help raise awareness about OAB and VESIcare tablets, a treatment for OAB marketed by Astellas and GSK. The campaign goal for VESIcare is to help make sufferers aware that their condition may be treatable and to encourage a dialogue between patients and health care professionals. The logo for VESIcare will be displayed on the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy driven by Yeley. For complete prescribing information for VESIcare, go to vesicare.com.(True Speed
Communication/JGR PR)
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Stewart to run DEI car at LMS Busch race: Tony Stewart will drive a DEI entry in the October Busch Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The car will carry sponsorship from Goody’s Headache Powders, which will run a contest in conjunction with the race. As part of the promotion, Goody’s will choose a Mayor of Goody’s Country. That person will then get their picture on the hood of the #8 DEI Chevy. The nomination period ends July 23 at the conclusion of the Goody’s 250 NASCAR Busch Series Race weekend at Martinsville Speedway.(more info at the DEI Site)
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Final Infineon TV ratings drop: Raceway officials say Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Dodge/Save Mart 350 Nextel Cup race earned a 5.1 rating
from Nielsen Media Research. The rating is 10.5% lower than the 5.7 the race earned last year, but it was the highest-rated sports event televised last weekend and the second-highest rating in the race's history.(SceneDaily.com)
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Summer race switches expected in 2007
By Linda Przygodski - Motorsport.com
Motorsport.com has confirmed that the July New Hampshire International Raceway date in will move to July 1 in 2007. The Pepsi 400 will be run on July 7th.
That will make New Hampshire the race after Sonoma (June 24th), with Daytona the week after that. Chicago's race will remain the race that follows Daytona on July 15th.
The Cup series will get a weekend off July 21-22, but it is likely that the Busch series will run in Montreal, Canada that weekend.
More date swaps are expected as Brian France stated earlier in the week, as NASCAR reexamines the Chase for next season. ESPN is set to make their broadcast debut on July 29th which is the second Pocono race, but ESPN representatives have stated that they would not be averse to kicking off the season with a more signature event.
Such as the Indianapolis race perhaps?
By Linda Przygodski - Motorsport.com
Motorsport.com has confirmed that the July New Hampshire International Raceway date in will move to July 1 in 2007. The Pepsi 400 will be run on July 7th.
That will make New Hampshire the race after Sonoma (June 24th), with Daytona the week after that. Chicago's race will remain the race that follows Daytona on July 15th.
The Cup series will get a weekend off July 21-22, but it is likely that the Busch series will run in Montreal, Canada that weekend.
More date swaps are expected as Brian France stated earlier in the week, as NASCAR reexamines the Chase for next season. ESPN is set to make their broadcast debut on July 29th which is the second Pocono race, but ESPN representatives have stated that they would not be averse to kicking off the season with a more signature event.
Such as the Indianapolis race perhaps?
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Stewart wins second consecutive Pepsi 400
By Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart's slump is over, his shoulder is fine and his fence-climbing is as good as ever.
His moves in a mosh pit leave something to be desired.
Stewart was back to his on-track dominance and off-track hijinks, winning at Daytona International Speedway by charging to the lead with two laps to go Saturday night. He then celebrated with his trademark climbing of the fence, but made the mistake of jumping into the crowd -- where he found himself overwhelmed by rowdy fans.
He had to be rescued by his crew and several NASCAR officials, who cleared a path through the mob for the beloved NASCAR champion.
"I made the mistake of going down the ladder," he said. "I thought there was a gate there. I didn't find the gate and was in the mosh pit for a while."
But Stewart, who started climbing fences with this race last year, wasn't going to disappoint the expectant crowd.
"There was no way I was going to let those race fans down," he said. "It started here ... I was either going to get all the way up or I was going to fall off and fall on my butt. But I wasn't going to stop.
"It was every bit as big, if not bigger, than it was last year."
But the race was nothing like last year, when he rolled to a dominating victory in which he led all but nine laps. Instead, he had to earn it after two late cautions nearly yanked the win away from him.
Stewart, who led 85 of the 160 laps, was out front when Jimmie Johnson bumped into Bobby Labonte with 14 laps to go to bring out just the fourth caution in what had been an unusually calm race. It set up one final round of pit stops, and Stewart dropped all the way back to 10th on the restart.
Boris Said, the surprising pole-sitter, didn't pit and inherited the lead. But he kept a nervous eye on his rearview mirror, all too aware of Stewart's bright orange No. 20 Chevrolet closing in on his bumper.
Stewart jumped all the way to second in one sweeping move on the low side of the track, and was preparing to pass Said when a wreck behind him brought out the fifth caution. It gave him time to figure his strategy, which was to sit back and let Said jump out to a huge lead on the restart with three laps to go.
It left Said without any drafting help, and Stewart used a full steam of drafting help to pass him on the outside with two to go.
"I felt like we had a better shot of getting around Boris than we would anybody else," Stewart said. "Not because Boris isn't a great driver, but he hasn't had a lot of experience on restrictor-plate racing and knowing what to do and what to watch for.
"I knew some things I could do that he wouldn't be looking for."
He was back out front when the race was stopped on the final lap for a debris caution, earning his second win of the season and ending a slump that began six races ago when he broke his shoulder blade in an accident at Lowe's.
Stewart had finishes of 42nd, 25th, third, 41st and 28th since the accident, and dropped from fourth to seventh in the standings. The victory pushed him back up to fifth.
"This team needed this," he said in Victory Lane. "We've had two really rough weeks the last couple of weeks."
Stewart celebrated with his climb to the top of the flagstand, then took it a step further by going over into the crowd.
"I don't know why I do half the stupid stuff I do," he said. "I really felt good at the end of the race until I got stupid and went up the flagstand."
Kyle Busch finished second, his older brother, Kurt, was third and the two were disappointed not to get a chance to team together to chase Stewart down on the final lap.
"I would have done anything Kyle needed me to do for him to go to Victory Lane," Kurt said.
"What a brother," Kyle replied.
"It takes two to pass Tony," Kurt added.
Said, running in just his second race of the year, wound up an impressive fourth and was thrilled with the outcome.
"I just feel like Rocky Balboa in the 15th round, and I just won," he said.
Matt Kenseth finished fifth and was followed by Elliott Sadler, Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer.
Johnson, the points leader, was running in fourth when he wrecked with Labonte. It cost him a shot at his third restrictor-plate victory of the season, and he wound up 32nd. His lead was sliced to 13 points on Kenseth.
Jeff Gordon, who was trying to tie the late Dale Earnhardt with 11 plate victories, was among the contenders all night until he was caught in the final accident. The five-car wreck occurred when rookie J.J. Yeley and Greg Biffle made contact, and Gordon was caught in the carnage.
He finished 40th and dropped all the way to 12th in the standings.
"There were so many guys out there, and I want to bad mouth every one of them," Gordon said. "But I'm not going to. If I don't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all."
By Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart's slump is over, his shoulder is fine and his fence-climbing is as good as ever.
His moves in a mosh pit leave something to be desired.
Stewart was back to his on-track dominance and off-track hijinks, winning at Daytona International Speedway by charging to the lead with two laps to go Saturday night. He then celebrated with his trademark climbing of the fence, but made the mistake of jumping into the crowd -- where he found himself overwhelmed by rowdy fans.
He had to be rescued by his crew and several NASCAR officials, who cleared a path through the mob for the beloved NASCAR champion.
"I made the mistake of going down the ladder," he said. "I thought there was a gate there. I didn't find the gate and was in the mosh pit for a while."
But Stewart, who started climbing fences with this race last year, wasn't going to disappoint the expectant crowd.
"There was no way I was going to let those race fans down," he said. "It started here ... I was either going to get all the way up or I was going to fall off and fall on my butt. But I wasn't going to stop.
"It was every bit as big, if not bigger, than it was last year."
But the race was nothing like last year, when he rolled to a dominating victory in which he led all but nine laps. Instead, he had to earn it after two late cautions nearly yanked the win away from him.
Stewart, who led 85 of the 160 laps, was out front when Jimmie Johnson bumped into Bobby Labonte with 14 laps to go to bring out just the fourth caution in what had been an unusually calm race. It set up one final round of pit stops, and Stewart dropped all the way back to 10th on the restart.
Boris Said, the surprising pole-sitter, didn't pit and inherited the lead. But he kept a nervous eye on his rearview mirror, all too aware of Stewart's bright orange No. 20 Chevrolet closing in on his bumper.
Stewart jumped all the way to second in one sweeping move on the low side of the track, and was preparing to pass Said when a wreck behind him brought out the fifth caution. It gave him time to figure his strategy, which was to sit back and let Said jump out to a huge lead on the restart with three laps to go.
It left Said without any drafting help, and Stewart used a full steam of drafting help to pass him on the outside with two to go.
"I felt like we had a better shot of getting around Boris than we would anybody else," Stewart said. "Not because Boris isn't a great driver, but he hasn't had a lot of experience on restrictor-plate racing and knowing what to do and what to watch for.
"I knew some things I could do that he wouldn't be looking for."
He was back out front when the race was stopped on the final lap for a debris caution, earning his second win of the season and ending a slump that began six races ago when he broke his shoulder blade in an accident at Lowe's.
Stewart had finishes of 42nd, 25th, third, 41st and 28th since the accident, and dropped from fourth to seventh in the standings. The victory pushed him back up to fifth.
"This team needed this," he said in Victory Lane. "We've had two really rough weeks the last couple of weeks."
Stewart celebrated with his climb to the top of the flagstand, then took it a step further by going over into the crowd.
"I don't know why I do half the stupid stuff I do," he said. "I really felt good at the end of the race until I got stupid and went up the flagstand."
Kyle Busch finished second, his older brother, Kurt, was third and the two were disappointed not to get a chance to team together to chase Stewart down on the final lap.
"I would have done anything Kyle needed me to do for him to go to Victory Lane," Kurt said.
"What a brother," Kyle replied.
"It takes two to pass Tony," Kurt added.
Said, running in just his second race of the year, wound up an impressive fourth and was thrilled with the outcome.
"I just feel like Rocky Balboa in the 15th round, and I just won," he said.
Matt Kenseth finished fifth and was followed by Elliott Sadler, Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer.
Johnson, the points leader, was running in fourth when he wrecked with Labonte. It cost him a shot at his third restrictor-plate victory of the season, and he wound up 32nd. His lead was sliced to 13 points on Kenseth.
Jeff Gordon, who was trying to tie the late Dale Earnhardt with 11 plate victories, was among the contenders all night until he was caught in the final accident. The five-car wreck occurred when rookie J.J. Yeley and Greg Biffle made contact, and Gordon was caught in the carnage.
He finished 40th and dropped all the way to 12th in the standings.
"There were so many guys out there, and I want to bad mouth every one of them," Gordon said. "But I'm not going to. If I don't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all."
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Boris’s Ballet
Greg Engel
DAYTONA BEACH FL-A fourth place finish to any other driver may just be a nice top five, but to Boris Said it’s a dream come true.
Said staged an amazing performance during the Pepsi 400 weekend. Running a small upstart team, Said a road course ace, scored his second pole and the first on an oval track Thursday.
Despite his own prerace admission that he would be happy to just finish the race while earning the respect of his fellow competitors, Boris did something that astonished the field, the fans and even himself during Saturday’s race, he came home in fourth place. To Said he might as well have been standing in victory lane rather than on the pit wall after it was all over.
“I’m speechless. That’s like a win for us,” he said. “Thanks to everybody at Roush Racing. I’m speechless.”
Using equipment purchased from Roush Racing and an engineer borrowed from them, Said knew he had a car capable of winning, but even he didn’t think he would have a chance for a top five finish.
“No, I didn’t,” he said. “But I was really good in the draft and I really took my time and was learning and trying to gain some respect.”
Said’s outstanding finish was due to a late race call by his veteran crew chief Frank Stoddard. When the caution flew with 14 Laps to go, he elected to keep Said out while most of the field pitted. Said took the point on the restart
Another caution, this one with 5 Laps to go tightened up the field and put the eventual winner and the car that had dominated the race, in Said’s rearview mirror. Said had one thought on his mind as he took the green with less than 3 Laps to go.
“I’ve got to hold off that 20 car,” he said. “But I just couldn’t. He was fast. We were on old tires, but it was still a great call by Frank Stoddard.”
After it was over, Said sat on the pit wall smiling as a horde of media assaulted him.
“That’s what you live for when you’re racing,” he said. “I just can’t believe it – a top five at Daytona, I’m psyched.”
“It’s like a win. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever accomplished in racing.”
Earnhardt Jr. 13th and frustrated
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Dale Earnhardt Jr. battled a tight race car much of the night and finished 13th. But he still led eight laps and gained two spots in the standings. He’s now third, the highest position he’s had all season.
"I couldn't turn and I couldn't move forward when I needed to," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I couldn't go on the restarts… I couldn't go getting out of my pitbox and we struggled with so many things.
"But this crew has worked so hard Iknew I couldn't just throw my hands up and give up. All the guys in front of us kept piling into each other and we kept digging and picked up a big chunk of points. We would have had a few more spots but I let off after crossing the line on the last lap. I thought we were coming to the checkers instead of the white flag, so we probably would have been 10th or 11th. But it’s one of those nights where I'm happy it's done and we're going to get out of here and go home."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"I couldn't turn and I couldn't move forward when I needed to," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I couldn't go on the restarts… I couldn't go getting out of my pitbox and we struggled with so many things.
"But this crew has worked so hard Iknew I couldn't just throw my hands up and give up. All the guys in front of us kept piling into each other and we kept digging and picked up a big chunk of points. We would have had a few more spots but I let off after crossing the line on the last lap. I thought we were coming to the checkers instead of the white flag, so we probably would have been 10th or 11th. But it’s one of those nights where I'm happy it's done and we're going to get out of here and go home."
NASCAR points leader takes a hit, and Bobby Labonte takes the same one
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Jimmie Johnson had won the season's first two restrictor-plate races and he came into Saturday night with a 101-point lead in the Nextel Cup standings. None of that made much difference, though, after he crashed on Lap 147 and finished 32nd.
"We were three-wide and I got loose," Johnson said of the crash, which began as Kurt Busch was going to his low side in a battle for fourth place. Johnson's car then slid up the track and hit Bobby Labonte's Dodge.
"I chased him up the track and ran out of real estate," Johnson said. "Once we got together my steering wheel pulled to the right and it just turned my steering head-on into his and I couldn't turn off him. I just sat there grinding him into the wall, destroying both of our cars even more. I feel really bad about it."
No worse, of course, than Labonte, who had a strong run ruined.
"I guess we needed to move the wall a little further out because I was up as high as I could go," said Labonte, who wound up a disheartening 42nd.
"We had a top-five car, there was no doubt about it. ...It's just heartbreaking."
Johnson's lead in the standings is down to just eight points, the smallest is has been since he took over the lead after his victory at Talladega in the season's ninth event.
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Jeff Burton escapes with Chase hopes intact
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Jeff Burton had to be happy getting out of town with a 15th-place finish that cost him only one spot in the standings – he dropped to seventh and is now 110 points up on 11th.
That's despite the fact he wrecked his primary car in practice on Thursday and then spun out on the 16th lap of Saturday's race.
"My car handled well, and that's what's racing is all about," Burton said.
"I think everybody expects racing like we have at Talladega but that's an unrealistic expectation. This is the kind of racing we should have at Daytona…that's how it ought to be. It's about making the cars handle and the one that handles the best wins."
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Sadler notches solid finish, sees where better was within reach
By DAVID POOLE and JIM UTTER
The Charlotte Observer
Briefs from the Daytona weekend notebook ...
Carl Edwards was caught up in a five-car accident on Lap 156 which forced him to pit road for repairs, but NASCAR was more concerned with Edwards' unwillingness to slow under caution on that incident. NASCAR penalized Edwards one lap for passing while under caution, leaving him four laps down at the finish in 39th place.
Casey Mears finished seventh in his backup Dodge thanks to a call by crew chief Donnie Wingo to stay out on a caution before the restart with nine laps left. "That was the key," Mears said. "The team got it for us tonight."
Clint Bowyer was the top-finishing rookie, winding up 10th in the No. 07 Chevrolet. It was his fourth top-10 finish of the season, but his first since Richmond. "We've been in kind of a slump the last month or so," Bowyer said. "We just can't seem to get the finish. The guys had a good meeting this week and we got the morale built up a little bit and I told them ‘Let's go down there to Daytona and get things turned back around.'"
Elliott Sadler's Ford ran up front most of the night and his sixth-place finish was the second straight top 10 for his No. 38 Robert Yates Racing team. Sadler did that despite getting some damage in a pit-road incident. "The guys did a great job," Sadler said. "They gave me a car capable of winning, we just made a few mistakes here and there."
By DAVID POOLE and JIM UTTER
The Charlotte Observer
Briefs from the Daytona weekend notebook ...
Carl Edwards was caught up in a five-car accident on Lap 156 which forced him to pit road for repairs, but NASCAR was more concerned with Edwards' unwillingness to slow under caution on that incident. NASCAR penalized Edwards one lap for passing while under caution, leaving him four laps down at the finish in 39th place.
Casey Mears finished seventh in his backup Dodge thanks to a call by crew chief Donnie Wingo to stay out on a caution before the restart with nine laps left. "That was the key," Mears said. "The team got it for us tonight."
Clint Bowyer was the top-finishing rookie, winding up 10th in the No. 07 Chevrolet. It was his fourth top-10 finish of the season, but his first since Richmond. "We've been in kind of a slump the last month or so," Bowyer said. "We just can't seem to get the finish. The guys had a good meeting this week and we got the morale built up a little bit and I told them ‘Let's go down there to Daytona and get things turned back around.'"
Elliott Sadler's Ford ran up front most of the night and his sixth-place finish was the second straight top 10 for his No. 38 Robert Yates Racing team. Sadler did that despite getting some damage in a pit-road incident. "The guys did a great job," Sadler said. "They gave me a car capable of winning, we just made a few mistakes here and there."
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Former NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth battles for a top-five finish
By JIM UTTER
The Charlotte Observer
By JIM UTTER
The Charlotte Observer
Matt Kenseth had to work extra hard for his fifth place finish, but the outcome was especially rewarding.
Kenseth had a carburetor problem, a problem with his right-rear tire and ran into Dave Blaney on pit road while under caution. Still he managed the good finish and moved to within eight points of series leader Jimmie Johnson.
"Those three things it made it tough," Kenseth said. "We were able to make our way back up through there, but I just made a poor decision on that (last) restart and kind of cost us the deal."
Kenseth was pleased to take advantage of a fast car at Daytona. He was strong in the season opener but got wrecked by Stewart in the race.
"We ran up front the whole time, but I’m just real disappointed in myself. I made bad decisions on that restart picking my way through traffic," he said. "When we went back green I think we still had a shot to get back to second, but it would have been hard to pass Tony without a lot of help."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Kenseth had a carburetor problem, a problem with his right-rear tire and ran into Dave Blaney on pit road while under caution. Still he managed the good finish and moved to within eight points of series leader Jimmie Johnson.
"Those three things it made it tough," Kenseth said. "We were able to make our way back up through there, but I just made a poor decision on that (last) restart and kind of cost us the deal."
Kenseth was pleased to take advantage of a fast car at Daytona. He was strong in the season opener but got wrecked by Stewart in the race.
"We ran up front the whole time, but I’m just real disappointed in myself. I made bad decisions on that restart picking my way through traffic," he said. "When we went back green I think we still had a shot to get back to second, but it would have been hard to pass Tony without a lot of help."
Junior's domination returns at
Daytona
By Mark Long, The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to Daytona's Victory Lane for the first time in more than two years, winning the Busch Series race Friday night.
Earnhardt took the lead early and dominated the rest of the way, holding off Brian Vickers after a late restart in the Winn-Dixie 250.
Vickers finished second, followed by series point leader Kevin Harvick, pole-sitter J.J. Yeley and Carl Edwards.
It was Junior's first victory at Daytona since Feb. 16, 2004, when he won the rain-delayed Busch Series event a day after taking the checkered flag in the Daytona 500.
"I don't know if I got my mojo back, but I feel like given the equipment necessary to make a performance like we made tonight, I'm as good as anybody when it comes to racing at Daytona or Talladega," he said. "Every driver in the field thinks they're the best one out there, and if you don't feel that way, maybe that's something you should try.
"When I get in the car and go to plate races, I don't think there's a person out there that understands it like I understand it, knows what to do and when to do it or knows that split-second decision to make. I feel very confident that when it comes down to my mind versus their mind I've got it covered."
It sure looked that way Friday.
Earnhardt led by as much as 14 seconds in his No. 8 Chevrolet, but Vickers and a few others had one final shot to get by him after a restart with two laps to go. Earnhardt, though, easily pulled away -- much like he did most of the night.
"That 8 car, he had a fifth gear," Vickers said. "On the restart, he did drop the hammer and go."
Added Harvick: "We didn't have anything for the 8."
Earnhardt led 88 of 103 laps and picked up his 21st Busch Series victory, tying his late father and Harry Gant for seventh on the career list.
"The cloudy skies are now sunny," Junior said. "Tying my dad in anything is pretty damn awesome."
It also was the 19th victory by a Nextel Cup regular in the last 21 Busch Series races.
Nextel Cup drivers won the first 15 Busch events this year. David Gilliland ended the streak two weeks ago in Kentucky, and Paul Menard made it two in a row for non-Nextel Cup drivers last week in Wisconsin.
But things returned to normal at Daytona -- for the series and maybe for Earnhardt, who has 10 victories at Daytona.
Earnhardt moved in front of Denny Hamlin on lap 16 and opened up a huge lead before the first of several cautions, two of them caused by multicar crashes.
Reed Sorenson and open-wheel driver Paul Tracy made contact with 45 laps to go, causing damage to three other cars.
A few laps later, Edwards bumped Michael Waltrip's car four times before sending it spinning into the wall. Five others were caught in the melee that happened directly behind Earnhardt.
Edwards was penalized a lap for aggressive driving, but rebounded to finish fifth.
Clint Bowyer was sixth, giving Cup drivers the top six spots. Mike Wallace was next, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Greg Biffle and John Andretti.
Harvick extended his points lead to 388 over Edwards despite starting at the rear of the field. His qualifying time was disqualified and his crew chief was thrown out of Daytona after his car failed inspection before the race.
Shane Wilson was escorted out of the garage by Busch Series director Joe Balash after NASCAR found unapproved aerodynamic modifications on the No. 21 Chevrolet.
Wilson will likely be penalized heavily because he was already on probation for failing inspection at the last restrictor-plate in Talladega. Harvick was docked 25 points and Wilson was put on probation through the end of the year following the Talladega infraction.
"I really don't know the ins and outs of what happened, so I don't know what happened other than it was in the trunk area," Harvick said. "We just felt like if we finished in the top five, we would be able to overcome the circumstances."
By Mark Long, The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to Daytona's Victory Lane for the first time in more than two years, winning the Busch Series race Friday night.
Earnhardt took the lead early and dominated the rest of the way, holding off Brian Vickers after a late restart in the Winn-Dixie 250.
Vickers finished second, followed by series point leader Kevin Harvick, pole-sitter J.J. Yeley and Carl Edwards.
It was Junior's first victory at Daytona since Feb. 16, 2004, when he won the rain-delayed Busch Series event a day after taking the checkered flag in the Daytona 500.
"I don't know if I got my mojo back, but I feel like given the equipment necessary to make a performance like we made tonight, I'm as good as anybody when it comes to racing at Daytona or Talladega," he said. "Every driver in the field thinks they're the best one out there, and if you don't feel that way, maybe that's something you should try.
"When I get in the car and go to plate races, I don't think there's a person out there that understands it like I understand it, knows what to do and when to do it or knows that split-second decision to make. I feel very confident that when it comes down to my mind versus their mind I've got it covered."
It sure looked that way Friday.
Earnhardt led by as much as 14 seconds in his No. 8 Chevrolet, but Vickers and a few others had one final shot to get by him after a restart with two laps to go. Earnhardt, though, easily pulled away -- much like he did most of the night.
"That 8 car, he had a fifth gear," Vickers said. "On the restart, he did drop the hammer and go."
Added Harvick: "We didn't have anything for the 8."
Earnhardt led 88 of 103 laps and picked up his 21st Busch Series victory, tying his late father and Harry Gant for seventh on the career list.
"The cloudy skies are now sunny," Junior said. "Tying my dad in anything is pretty damn awesome."
It also was the 19th victory by a Nextel Cup regular in the last 21 Busch Series races.
Nextel Cup drivers won the first 15 Busch events this year. David Gilliland ended the streak two weeks ago in Kentucky, and Paul Menard made it two in a row for non-Nextel Cup drivers last week in Wisconsin.
But things returned to normal at Daytona -- for the series and maybe for Earnhardt, who has 10 victories at Daytona.
Earnhardt moved in front of Denny Hamlin on lap 16 and opened up a huge lead before the first of several cautions, two of them caused by multicar crashes.
Reed Sorenson and open-wheel driver Paul Tracy made contact with 45 laps to go, causing damage to three other cars.
A few laps later, Edwards bumped Michael Waltrip's car four times before sending it spinning into the wall. Five others were caught in the melee that happened directly behind Earnhardt.
Edwards was penalized a lap for aggressive driving, but rebounded to finish fifth.
Clint Bowyer was sixth, giving Cup drivers the top six spots. Mike Wallace was next, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Greg Biffle and John Andretti.
Harvick extended his points lead to 388 over Edwards despite starting at the rear of the field. His qualifying time was disqualified and his crew chief was thrown out of Daytona after his car failed inspection before the race.
Shane Wilson was escorted out of the garage by Busch Series director Joe Balash after NASCAR found unapproved aerodynamic modifications on the No. 21 Chevrolet.
Wilson will likely be penalized heavily because he was already on probation for failing inspection at the last restrictor-plate in Talladega. Harvick was docked 25 points and Wilson was put on probation through the end of the year following the Talladega infraction.
"I really don't know the ins and outs of what happened, so I don't know what happened other than it was in the trunk area," Harvick said. "We just felt like if we finished in the top five, we would be able to overcome the circumstances."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cook ends four-year win drought at Kansas
Sutton taken to hospital following vicious crash
By John Milburn, The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Terry Cook used pit strategy to his advantage to take the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday at Kansas Speedway.
Cook took the lead with 40 laps to go in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250, staying out while most of the leaders chose to take fuel and tires. He stretched his lead to as much as 4 seconds over Rick Crawford, who finished second. It was Cook's first win in 94 races since he last won at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis in August 2002.
"We've got a lot of things to be happy about. This is big," said Cook, who went a lap down after he pitted on Lap 18 to change right-side tires.
Cook got the lap back later in the race and was able to power to the front of the field.
Australian rookie Marcos Ambrose made a dash at the end to finish third, his best performance of the season. Ambrose led the first lap of the race, passing pole-sitter Mike Skinner on the front stretch of the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Skinner finished fifth.
"I'm learning every time out. I've got great people around me," Ambrose said. "I'm thrilled to be here. I'm just a lucky boy."
Points leader Todd Bodine fought his way to a seventh-place finish from the rear of the field after not being allowed to qualify because his truck failed inspection.
"We had a decent truck, but it really wasn't that good," he said. "I was really slipping and sliding, but I think everybody was doing the same thing. Not having a chance to qualify hurt us because we really didn't know what we had."
He left Kansas expanding his points lead over David Reutimann, who finished 10th. Bodine now leads by 138 points. Cook's victory moved him from 11th to sixth in the points chase.
"Tires didn't really help you until the end of the run. There weren't enough laps to get to that point. It was close on fuel," Bodine said.
Johnny Benson, who won the previous two races, battled to stay in the top 10 most of the day and wound up ninth.
After leading a lap earlier in the race, Kelly Sutton spun and struck the infield wall on the backstretch, setting the dry grass on fire. Officials red flagged the race for more than nine minutes, stopping the field on pit road while crews cut the top off Sutton's Chevrolet to remove her and extinguished the fire.
Replay of the accident showed she hit the wall hard on the driver's side. She was taken from the infield care center to a hospital for further evaluation.
It was the second year in a row that Sutton was involved in a wreck prompting red-flag conditions.
Crawford said his team was running better in 2006 thanks to more people on the race team and more resources. Still, he wasn't satisfied with finishing second.
"Finally, things are working out for me," Crawford said. "I just hate finishing second."
Ambrose is the first foreign-born driver to finish in the top five since Canadian Ron Fellows won at Watkins Glen International in June 1999.
"I've known him for six months. The guy's got talent," Crawford said of Ambrose. "This is a tough place, fast place. Good job."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sutton taken to hospital following vicious crash
By John Milburn, The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Terry Cook used pit strategy to his advantage to take the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday at Kansas Speedway.
Cook took the lead with 40 laps to go in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250, staying out while most of the leaders chose to take fuel and tires. He stretched his lead to as much as 4 seconds over Rick Crawford, who finished second. It was Cook's first win in 94 races since he last won at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis in August 2002.
"We've got a lot of things to be happy about. This is big," said Cook, who went a lap down after he pitted on Lap 18 to change right-side tires.
Cook got the lap back later in the race and was able to power to the front of the field.
Australian rookie Marcos Ambrose made a dash at the end to finish third, his best performance of the season. Ambrose led the first lap of the race, passing pole-sitter Mike Skinner on the front stretch of the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Skinner finished fifth.
"I'm learning every time out. I've got great people around me," Ambrose said. "I'm thrilled to be here. I'm just a lucky boy."
Points leader Todd Bodine fought his way to a seventh-place finish from the rear of the field after not being allowed to qualify because his truck failed inspection.
"We had a decent truck, but it really wasn't that good," he said. "I was really slipping and sliding, but I think everybody was doing the same thing. Not having a chance to qualify hurt us because we really didn't know what we had."
He left Kansas expanding his points lead over David Reutimann, who finished 10th. Bodine now leads by 138 points. Cook's victory moved him from 11th to sixth in the points chase.
"Tires didn't really help you until the end of the run. There weren't enough laps to get to that point. It was close on fuel," Bodine said.
Johnny Benson, who won the previous two races, battled to stay in the top 10 most of the day and wound up ninth.
After leading a lap earlier in the race, Kelly Sutton spun and struck the infield wall on the backstretch, setting the dry grass on fire. Officials red flagged the race for more than nine minutes, stopping the field on pit road while crews cut the top off Sutton's Chevrolet to remove her and extinguished the fire.
Replay of the accident showed she hit the wall hard on the driver's side. She was taken from the infield care center to a hospital for further evaluation.
It was the second year in a row that Sutton was involved in a wreck prompting red-flag conditions.
Crawford said his team was running better in 2006 thanks to more people on the race team and more resources. Still, he wasn't satisfied with finishing second.
"Finally, things are working out for me," Crawford said. "I just hate finishing second."
Ambrose is the first foreign-born driver to finish in the top five since Canadian Ron Fellows won at Watkins Glen International in June 1999.
"I've known him for six months. The guy's got talent," Crawford said of Ambrose. "This is a tough place, fast place. Good job."
We Wonder...
Daytona
Daytona never ceases to bring several questions to the table
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
...when it comes to the Chase, is less more?
All NASCAR fans had a couple of days to think about how they would change the Chase for the Nextel Cup when Brian France made his non-announcement announcement Thursday that they would change the Chase for the Nextel Cup somehow for next season.
In my world, the best playoff scenarios are the easiest ones, specifically the NFL's and March Madness. If you win, you advance and if you lose, you go home. It doesn't get any simpler. It's it any coincidence that they're the most popular?
It's also one of the reasons that the World Cup doesn't translate well in America. For the life of me, I couldn't get my head around how despite not scoring a single goal on its own, the U.S. just missed making the second round. It sounded like one of those ridiculous youth leagues I've been reading about where they don't keep score. Hopefully one day I'll get to write a column about that.
Anyway, here's my idea. Fire up your inboxes now:
The regular season becomes 32 races long. After that, the top 10 drivers advance -- no 300, 400 or 2,000 point window. If you don't make it, you don't make it. Too bad, so sad.
The Chase begins the last week of October -- after baseball is over -- at Richmond, a short track. From there, we go to Talladega, a restrictor-plate track, the road-course at Sonoma and finish up at the 1.5-mile track in Vegas.
One of each, with the added bonus of a Las Vegas finale and the wonderful stories that would come with it.
As far as points go, again, simplicity is key. All drivers not in the Chase would work on the same point system as the regular year. For the Chase guys, it boils down to this: The Chase driver with the highest finish gets 10 points, the second-place Chase guy gets nine, and so on down the line. There's no bonus for leading laps. This would eliminate the ridiculous practice of teammates letting each other lead laps. It's all about where you finish.
Drivers would start the Chase with one race worth of Chase points according to position. In other words, the man leading the points when the Chase starts would have 10, second-place nine and so on.
The easy point totals also allow fans to easily keep track of what their driver needs to do to win, plus it allows the play-by-play guy to say, "We have six drivers separated by eight points! This rocks! Now down to Matt Yocum."
Just a thought.
...why bother printing a race start time?
This has become sort of a running joke in the office. Play along at home.
Each week, when we build that little schedule on the homepage -- usually on Tuesdays -- everyone in the editorial department takes a look at the scheduled start time for the race. After a good, hearty chuckle, we begin to take bets on what time the race will actually begin.
Price Is Right rules -- closest without going over.
This weekend was particularly laughable. The scheduled time was 7:55 p.m. ET. As the clock struck 7:55, we hadn't even had the command to start engines.
The ol' $1 bid won't work here.
Note to tracks and television networks: Whether it's for business or pleasure, no one likes to have their time wasted.
...did Steve Byrnes really call Dale Earnhardt Jr. a "humble dude"?
The answer is yes. The true comedy here is the use of the word, "dude." Junior seems humble enough. I think it might have been the first time Byrnes had ever said "dude" because his voice nervously got lower as he was saying it, kind of like the first time you ask someone to dance in middle school.
As if that wasn't awkward enough, Byrnes followed it up with, "good luck, man."
I think he might have been trying to get an invite to the next Dale Earnhardt Jr. victory party. I also don't think it worked.
...if Boris Said needs more money for his race team, why not sell "Said head" wigs at the racetrack?
These would sell like hotcakes. It would be kind of like the late 90s in the WWE -- or it might have been ECW -- when a wrestler named Al Snow would come to the ring with a mannequin head.
You see, he was crazy.
Anyway, they started selling plastic mannequin heads at the concession stands. One night, all you saw in the audience were people waving these plastic mannequin heads. After Snow had won his match, fans threw them all in the ring. It looked like a snowstorm.
Ah, good times.
...is Entourage the best show on TV?
Yes -- and HBO should have some sort of recourse against FOX for that ridiculous open from Saturday night's race, like Jeremy Piven should get a free shot on Jeff Hammond, or something.
...is it sad that we won't hear "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity" again until February?
Uh, no.
By the way, did you hear D.W. ask if that beach ball that found its way on the track had that ridiculous saying on it? How many sneakers went through TVs at that moment?
At least one.
The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.
This bombshell pops hood off NASCAR's rep
David Whitley|Orlando Sentinel
SPORTS COMMENTARY
DAYTONA BEACH -- Throw away the redneck joke book for good. NASCAR officially has arrived.
Its good ol' boy image breathed its last smoky breath last week. Jeff Gordon announced he was engaged to . . .
Ingrid Vandebosch?
She's from Belgium. Occupation: Supermodel.
Somewhere, Fireball Roberts is doing doughnuts in his grave.
This is going to take a little getting used to. After all, what kind of men marry Belgian supermodels? Rock stars. Formula One playboys. Donald Trump.
Now NASCAR's leading man is wedding a woman you'd expect to see on James Bond's arm? Let's see the NFL top that.
NASCAR has been trying to retool its reputation for years. But no matter how much champagne and foie gras are served in luxury suites, a lot of people still see moonshine and pigs' feet.
The next time they look down their noses at cars going in circles, NASCAR fans can come back with those two beautiful words:
Ingrid Vandebosch.
"It's been crazy this week," Gordon said.
Such is life when you're sharing the pits with the former Look of the Year award winner. I'm not sure what that is, but I'm guessing Junior Johnson's fiancee never won it.
The gossip wire needed restrictor plates recently. There apparently is no truth to reports Vandebosch dated Bruce Willis. There was also a rumor Gordon proposed last weekend during a game of croquet.
He said they were merely at a party where people were playing the lawn game. Then Gordon grinned and said something that didn't sound quite right.
"I'm telling you, don't knock croquet."
Bet those words never passed Dale Earnhardt's lips. That's why this cultural tipping point leaves some of us a tad melancholy.
It's not as jolting as changing the name of the Firecracker 400 to the Pepsi 400, or NASCAR telling Derrike Cope he couldn't have a "RedneckJunk.com" logo on his car.
It's just that when you grew up watching grease-covered drivers kiss Miss Goody's Headache Powder in Victory Lane, it's odd to see them sharing a croquet mallet with Belgian bombshells.
"I'm from the South," Michelle Peyton said. "We like it the old way."
She was standing in the shade sipping a beer as the Gordon entourage passed by the other day. A lifelong NASCAR fan, Peyton has seen the changes.
"Big money," she said. "That's how you get a Belgian supermodel."
Sadly, Vandebosch hasn't been hanging out at the garage changing spark plugs and granting interviews. She did speak with Stuff magazine, though.
"I'm not so crazy about my nose," Vandebosch revealed.
She is quite keen, however, on her new line of women's skivvies.
"I just like to dress in nice lingerie with lace and all that," she said.
We wish only the best for the lovebirds. Gordon deserves it for all the pretty-boy grief he has caught. But his romantic evolution has mirrored the rise of his sport.
His first wife was Brooke, a k a Miss Winston. Gordon was just a kid with a fuzzy moustache when they met in Victory Lane.
Now his appeal goes far beyond pit-row groupies. Gordon and NASCAR are in with the Beautiful People.
"I would challenge anybody to play me in croquet," he said.
If Tony Stewart takes him up on that, I'm becoming a soccer fan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David Whitley|Orlando Sentinel
SPORTS COMMENTARY
DAYTONA BEACH -- Throw away the redneck joke book for good. NASCAR officially has arrived.
Its good ol' boy image breathed its last smoky breath last week. Jeff Gordon announced he was engaged to . . .
Ingrid Vandebosch?
She's from Belgium. Occupation: Supermodel.
Somewhere, Fireball Roberts is doing doughnuts in his grave.
This is going to take a little getting used to. After all, what kind of men marry Belgian supermodels? Rock stars. Formula One playboys. Donald Trump.
Now NASCAR's leading man is wedding a woman you'd expect to see on James Bond's arm? Let's see the NFL top that.
NASCAR has been trying to retool its reputation for years. But no matter how much champagne and foie gras are served in luxury suites, a lot of people still see moonshine and pigs' feet.
The next time they look down their noses at cars going in circles, NASCAR fans can come back with those two beautiful words:
Ingrid Vandebosch.
"It's been crazy this week," Gordon said.
Such is life when you're sharing the pits with the former Look of the Year award winner. I'm not sure what that is, but I'm guessing Junior Johnson's fiancee never won it.
The gossip wire needed restrictor plates recently. There apparently is no truth to reports Vandebosch dated Bruce Willis. There was also a rumor Gordon proposed last weekend during a game of croquet.
He said they were merely at a party where people were playing the lawn game. Then Gordon grinned and said something that didn't sound quite right.
"I'm telling you, don't knock croquet."
Bet those words never passed Dale Earnhardt's lips. That's why this cultural tipping point leaves some of us a tad melancholy.
It's not as jolting as changing the name of the Firecracker 400 to the Pepsi 400, or NASCAR telling Derrike Cope he couldn't have a "RedneckJunk.com" logo on his car.
It's just that when you grew up watching grease-covered drivers kiss Miss Goody's Headache Powder in Victory Lane, it's odd to see them sharing a croquet mallet with Belgian bombshells.
"I'm from the South," Michelle Peyton said. "We like it the old way."
She was standing in the shade sipping a beer as the Gordon entourage passed by the other day. A lifelong NASCAR fan, Peyton has seen the changes.
"Big money," she said. "That's how you get a Belgian supermodel."
Sadly, Vandebosch hasn't been hanging out at the garage changing spark plugs and granting interviews. She did speak with Stuff magazine, though.
"I'm not so crazy about my nose," Vandebosch revealed.
She is quite keen, however, on her new line of women's skivvies.
"I just like to dress in nice lingerie with lace and all that," she said.
We wish only the best for the lovebirds. Gordon deserves it for all the pretty-boy grief he has caught. But his romantic evolution has mirrored the rise of his sport.
His first wife was Brooke, a k a Miss Winston. Gordon was just a kid with a fuzzy moustache when they met in Victory Lane.
Now his appeal goes far beyond pit-row groupies. Gordon and NASCAR are in with the Beautiful People.
"I would challenge anybody to play me in croquet," he said.
If Tony Stewart takes him up on that, I'm becoming a soccer fan.
Schrader's Strong Run Helps Solidify Place in Top 35
On the Edge: The Fight For the Top 35 In Nextel Cup Owner Points
Mike Neff Frontstretch.com
The restrictor plates were in action Saturday, but the “Big One” stayed home. On a hot and steamy night in Daytona, drivers showed great patience. There were six caution flags during the event, but only three were for accidents, with only eight cars combined involved in the three. As a result, the high attrition that can occasionally benefit drivers outside the Top 35 in restrictor plate races failed to materialize.
Still, several drivers fighting for the final “locked in” spots found themselves able to benefit at Daytona. David Stremme and Ken Schrader were able to run all night, coming home in the Top 16. On the other hand, Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip, and J.J. Yeley found themselves involved in crashes that did nothing to help their cause.
Here’s a more detailed look at the Winners and Losers in the back of the pack:
Winners
While not having a huge impact in the Top 35, the biggest winner of the night amongst the underdog was Boris Said. Although Said has only run in two races this year, he has come home in the Top 10 in both of them, winning the pole and finishing 4th at Daytona. The resulting 308 points they’ve accumulated in those two races already puts the #60 No Fear team in 45th in owner points. While that’s a far cry from the top 35, Said’s efforts the last two weeks, with a team that has just seven employees, is nothing short of amazing.
Ken Schrader proved once again that he is still one of the best plate racers on the planet. Schrader put the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in 12th position at the end of the evening, stopping the bleeding of the past few weeks and moving the team up two important positions in the standings. The No. 21 team now sits in 32nd place in owner points.
David Stremme returned to the seat of the No. 40 Chip Ganassi Dodge and put together a great performance. Stremme’s 16th place finish was his best of the season. Coming off a race where he was replaced in the seat by road course ringer Scott Pruett, the finish certainly has to give the team a shot in the arm. While the No. 40 car is still outside the Top 35, the team has moved up to 36th place, and is now just 93 points behind the final “locked in” spot.
Losers
A common theme this season, Bobby Labonte was once again the victim of someone else’s mistake. Jimmie Johnson slid up into him going into turn three, and pinned the No. 43 Petty Enterprises Dodge against the wall. The resulting damage put Labonte out of the race and relegated the team to a 42nd place finish. The 37 point finish dropped the No. 43 team two slots to 27th and back into our watch group for the Top 35.
J.J. Yeley was another driver caught up in someone else’s mistake on Saturday night. Greg Biffle turned down into Yeley coming out of turn two, triggering the biggest accident of the night on lap 155. The wreck, which involved five cars, effectively ended Yeley’s night. Ending up in 37th place, the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet dropped two more spots in the owner standings, now in 30th spot.
Dave Blaney and Jeremy Mayfield both had difficult nights. Blaney received some minor damage during the first wreck of the evening, and was a non-factor from that point on. Mayfield, meanwhile, battled a poor handling car all night, and ended up one lap down at the end of the race. Blaney’s 27th and Mayfield’s 36th dropped both of them one position in owner points.
Travis Kvapil was another car that was simply not competitive all night. The team ran near the back of the lead lap the entire evening, coming home 30th. While they were on the lead lap, the No. 32 car was last among the cars that had not received crash damage. Their finish dropped them one spot to 37th in owner points.
Michael Waltrip had a terrible evening. He pancaked the side of his No. 55 NAPA Dodge against the outside wall, and suffered from poor handling the rest of the night. With a cut tire costing him another lap later in the race, Waltrip struggled simply to come home three laps down in 38th place. Waltrip’s team is now 38th in the owner’s standings.
Finally, Morgan McClure’s No. 4 Chevrolet announced a new associate sponsor this week, but it did nothing to help their floundering program. Scott Wimmer returned to the seat of their Chevrolet but failed to qualify for the race, putting the team over 200 points behind the final “locked in” spot in 39th place.
On the Edge: The Fight For the Top 35 In Nextel Cup Owner Points
Mike Neff Frontstretch.com
The restrictor plates were in action Saturday, but the “Big One” stayed home. On a hot and steamy night in Daytona, drivers showed great patience. There were six caution flags during the event, but only three were for accidents, with only eight cars combined involved in the three. As a result, the high attrition that can occasionally benefit drivers outside the Top 35 in restrictor plate races failed to materialize.
Still, several drivers fighting for the final “locked in” spots found themselves able to benefit at Daytona. David Stremme and Ken Schrader were able to run all night, coming home in the Top 16. On the other hand, Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip, and J.J. Yeley found themselves involved in crashes that did nothing to help their cause.
Here’s a more detailed look at the Winners and Losers in the back of the pack:
Winners
While not having a huge impact in the Top 35, the biggest winner of the night amongst the underdog was Boris Said. Although Said has only run in two races this year, he has come home in the Top 10 in both of them, winning the pole and finishing 4th at Daytona. The resulting 308 points they’ve accumulated in those two races already puts the #60 No Fear team in 45th in owner points. While that’s a far cry from the top 35, Said’s efforts the last two weeks, with a team that has just seven employees, is nothing short of amazing.
Ken Schrader proved once again that he is still one of the best plate racers on the planet. Schrader put the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in 12th position at the end of the evening, stopping the bleeding of the past few weeks and moving the team up two important positions in the standings. The No. 21 team now sits in 32nd place in owner points.
David Stremme returned to the seat of the No. 40 Chip Ganassi Dodge and put together a great performance. Stremme’s 16th place finish was his best of the season. Coming off a race where he was replaced in the seat by road course ringer Scott Pruett, the finish certainly has to give the team a shot in the arm. While the No. 40 car is still outside the Top 35, the team has moved up to 36th place, and is now just 93 points behind the final “locked in” spot.
Losers
A common theme this season, Bobby Labonte was once again the victim of someone else’s mistake. Jimmie Johnson slid up into him going into turn three, and pinned the No. 43 Petty Enterprises Dodge against the wall. The resulting damage put Labonte out of the race and relegated the team to a 42nd place finish. The 37 point finish dropped the No. 43 team two slots to 27th and back into our watch group for the Top 35.
J.J. Yeley was another driver caught up in someone else’s mistake on Saturday night. Greg Biffle turned down into Yeley coming out of turn two, triggering the biggest accident of the night on lap 155. The wreck, which involved five cars, effectively ended Yeley’s night. Ending up in 37th place, the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet dropped two more spots in the owner standings, now in 30th spot.
Dave Blaney and Jeremy Mayfield both had difficult nights. Blaney received some minor damage during the first wreck of the evening, and was a non-factor from that point on. Mayfield, meanwhile, battled a poor handling car all night, and ended up one lap down at the end of the race. Blaney’s 27th and Mayfield’s 36th dropped both of them one position in owner points.
Travis Kvapil was another car that was simply not competitive all night. The team ran near the back of the lead lap the entire evening, coming home 30th. While they were on the lead lap, the No. 32 car was last among the cars that had not received crash damage. Their finish dropped them one spot to 37th in owner points.
Michael Waltrip had a terrible evening. He pancaked the side of his No. 55 NAPA Dodge against the outside wall, and suffered from poor handling the rest of the night. With a cut tire costing him another lap later in the race, Waltrip struggled simply to come home three laps down in 38th place. Waltrip’s team is now 38th in the owner’s standings.
Finally, Morgan McClure’s No. 4 Chevrolet announced a new associate sponsor this week, but it did nothing to help their floundering program. Scott Wimmer returned to the seat of their Chevrolet but failed to qualify for the race, putting the team over 200 points behind the final “locked in” spot in 39th place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't have near as much common sense as he had, and he banked on that just about all day, every day, of his life."
- Dale Earnhardt Jr., comparing himself to his father.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain,
Your
Momma
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants wins't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
Your
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants wins't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt Sr.
-Dale Earnhardt Sr.
This list is authored by:
Sandra Monacelli
221 W. 57th Street 18B
Loveland, CO 80538
970/663-6967
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