Happy Hump Day.  

Today In Nascar History

February 18, 1989: Darrell Waltrip wins the Goody's 300 at Daytona for his 113th and final Nationwide Series victory. Rusty Wallace finishes second by half a car length and Rob Moroso is third. Moroso will go on to win the series championship by 55 points on Tommy Houston and 56 on Tommy Ellis. 

Dale Earnhardt to be remembered at Candlelight Tribute - TODAY: Fans of Dale Earnhardt are being asked to pay tribute on Wednesday February 18th in honor and memory of the legendary driver. A guest book will be available throughout the day at Dale Earnhardt Inc. for those wishing to document their memories of Dale, while a candlelight tribute will be held outside the headquarters on Hwy #3 in Mooresville from 6:00-8:30pm/et The facility will be illuminated with candles while commemorative decals, prayer cards and hand held candles will be distributed to everyone in attendance. The facility’s gates will remain open through 10pm for those that cannot attend the candlelight portion but still want to pay tribute to the legendary Dale Earnhardt. Those unable to attend are encouraged to light a candle in remembrance of Dale Earnhardt at home that evening.(Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates PR)

Comments from the Peanut Gallery

From Darrel

Junior did not know where the front of his car was and was so upset by his "Junior screw ups" that he did not care where it was. He did not even wait for his great spotter to tell him he was clear.

Darrel

From Lou

Hi Momma.

Here's my take on the Dale Jr./Vickers situation.

It was an unavoidable racing situation.

Using logic, which many Jr. haters seem to not do, Daytona is a restrictor plate track where the cars are set up to be able to floorboard the accelerator around the entire track.

When Jr. bumped Vickers the first time, Vickers’s car got a little squirrelly and the natural thing to do is to let off the accelerator. This, Vickers undoubtedly did. Jr. had been forced below the double yellow line and wanted back on the track. Vickers had slowed and Jr. hadn't, so Jr. caused him to spin out.

If Vickers had stayed on the accelerator the accident wouldn't have happened.

That's what I saw, along with many others, and apparently NASCAR too.

The Old Man of NASCAR,

Lou Elliott 

And…

Hi again Momma,

Something I forgot to mention in my comment about the Jr/Vickers incident.

It has always been my opinion, and years ago it was allowed. If another driver has the right to block you, then you have the right to drive through him, if you can, when he does.

That is my opinion.

The Old Man of NASCAR,

Lou Elliott. 

I couldn’t have said it better myself Lou…thanks!

From Andy

Vickers is a whining pansy.  Remember when he got in the back of Jr trying to block Johnson two years ago. He needs a crying towel. Tony would not only punted Vickers but call him out and probably punch him afterwards.

Everyone complained that Jr needed to get aggressive. Oh well its racing. Like his old man didn't put anyone in the wall? He earned his nickname by name calling? I don't think so

From Jill

SHOULD HAVE BEEN BLACK FLAGED…PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!  Thanks for your great newsletter!  Always, always informative!

Jill

From Ed
NOTICE TO ALL DRIVERS… When you see Jr coming, you better move over and let him pass, or he will wreck you and then "whoop your ass" if you don't like it.

From EAB

Hey Ron,

How much do you get for being Jr.’s PR man?

Bits and Pieces

Window World Extends Sponsorship with FRM: After a successful debut in the Sprint Cup Series during the 51st Daytona 500, Window World Inc. announced it will extend its sponsorship of the #34 Front Row Motorsports team driven by John Andretti. One of the sport’s newest sponsors, Window World will be the primary sponsor of the Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway on February 22, Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1, Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8 and Bristol Motor Speedway on March 22. “This is great news for Front Row Motorsports and Window World,” said Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins. “Daytona was the first time Window World sponsored a race car. On the track, and off the track, their program was a success. The Window World customers and employees have all rallied behind this program. We want to continue that momentum for another four races.” More info about Window World at windowworld.com.(Breaking Limits/Front Row Motorsports PR)

Burton to Appear on ABC Daytime’s “General Hospital”: Jeff Burton, driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will trade in his fire suit and helmet for an acting role on ABC Daytime’s “General Hospital.” Burton will visit the set of General Hospital Feb. 19 and take part in scenes with top neurosurgeon and Port Charles resident Dr. Patrick Drake. Drake’s character, which is played by Canadian actor Jason Thompson, is an avid fan of racing on the popular daytime Emmy award-winning series. “I’m excited about going to the set of General Hospital and taking on a role with Jason,” explained Burton. “I’ve been in commercials and was a guest star on a sitcom a couple of years ago so I’m hoping those appearances prepped me for my soap opera debut. Luckily, I get to play myself and talk racing, which will help take some of the pressure off.” After Thompson teaches Burton the ins and outs of being a soap opera actor, the roles will reverse when Thompson visits Auto Club Speedway, located in Fontana, Calif., to shadow Burton on the day of the Auto Club 500. The South Boston, Va., native will treat the actor to a pace car ride before heading out to his sponsor’s hospitality tent where both will participate in question-and-answer and autograph sessions. Before taking a seat atop the Cat Racing team’s pit box for the Sprint Cup Series race, the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada native will participate in the race track’s pre-race festivities by attending the driver’s meeting and driver introductions. Scheduled air time of Burton and Thompson’s episode is slated for mid-March.(RCR PR)

Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper to sponsor Sorenson: Moving into their fifth season of NASCAR sponsorship, Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper has contracted with Richard Petty Motorsports (formerly Gillett Evernham Motorsports) as the primary sponsor for four 2009 races. The Auto Value logo will decorate the Dodge race car for two races during the season while the other two races will showcase the Bumper to Bumper logo on the renowned Petty racecars. Reed Sorenson will drive the #43 Auto Value Dodge on April 18 at the Phoenix and the #43 Bumper to Bumper Dodge at Michigan in August. Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper will be making their first Nationwide Series race start of 2009 with the #9 Auto Value Dodge on the track at the New Hampshire in June with Elliott Sadler taking the wheel. Kasey Kahne returns to the Bumper to Bumper cockpit in the #9 Dodge in October at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper will be an associate sponsor of the Richard Petty Motorsports Dodges for all other Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races in 2009 and will receive branding on Petty team uniforms, team haulers and pit equipment.(800autotalk.com)

NASCAR HoF 60% Complete: Work on the $195 million NASCAR Hall of Fame is 60% complete and on schedule for a spring 2010 opening, the city’s project manager said Tuesday during a tour of the construction site. Eric Bilsky, project manager on the hall of fame for the city of Charlotte, says contractor Turner BE&K Davis remains on budget. In September, costs increased by 20%, or $32 million, as the hall of fame’s operator, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, requested and won City Council approval for money to upgrade planned exhibits and add architectural flourishes. Tuesday’s tour came amid scaffolding, girders and 400 construction workers scrambling to maintain the construction pace. Most of the roof has been applied and, in the months ahead, substantive interior work will begin. By fall, exhibit installation should begin, Bilsky says. In May 2010, the hall of fame opens with the inaugural induction ceremony. “We’re building this to help the economy,” Mayor Pat McCrory said moments before raising the ceremonial beam as part of a topping out ceremony at the Second Ward construction site. “That was always the goal.” McCrory expects the hall of fame to bolster the city’s ailing tourism sector while cementing the region as the hub for NASCAR teams and related businesses. More than 60,000 people in the region work in the tourism sector, an industry crippled by reduced corporate and lesiure travel during the past year. Workers broke ground on the 130,000-square-foot hall of fame in January 2007. An adjoining, 40,000-square-foot convention center ballroom is also under construction on the same site. An adjacent tract houses the 20-story, $90 million NASCAR Plaza office tower. It opens in May.(Charlotte Business Journal)

Robby to stop by Firehouse World Expo convention: Robby Gordon, driver of the #7 Jim Beam Toyota, is no stranger to firefighters and EMS workers; they watch over him every weekend at the races. This week, before competing in the California Sprint Cup Series race, Gordon will have an opportunity to show his appreciation when he makes a brief stop at the Firehouse World Expo convention in San Diego, Thursday, February 19. Gordon’s appearance coincides with Jim Beam’s efforts to help raise awareness for the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund, an organization dedicated to assist firefighters and their families across America. Founded shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund was established in memory of Terry Farrell, a decorated member of Rescue 4/FDNY and Chief of the Dix Hills Volunteer Fire Department. Farrell, along with 342 of his brothers, perished in the World Trade Center attack.(Jim Beam Racing PR)

Sorenson's Team Captures Pit Road Award in Daytona 500: Reed Sorenson's #43 team captured the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Sunday's (Feb. 15) Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The Tissot Pit Road Precision Award, which is given to the NASCAR Sprint Cup team that spends the least amount of time on pit road and finishes on the lead lap, is in its first season of rewarding pit crews, the unsung heroes of the sport. The program awards $5,000 for each Cup race to the top pit road team. In addition, the team with the most pit road event wins will be awarded a $100,000 bonus at the completion of the 36-race schedule by Tissot, the official watch and timekeeper of NASCAR. The winning performance by the #43 Richard Petty Motorsports Team team lifted Sorenson and his Dodge Charger to a ninth-place finish in the 500. "Our McDonald's pit crew was just awesome in the Daytona 500," said Sorenson. "They gave us great stops all night long and put us in position to compete in the top-five at the end of the race. It was a great first outing for us as a team and I know they are happy to be recognized by Tissot for the precision of their work." Sorenson's over-the-wall crew consists of: Bryan Jacobson (front tire changer), Brett Morrell (front-tire carrier), Ed Watkins (jackman), Tony Lunders (rear-tire changer), Joel Coronel (rear-tire carrier), Chris Moore (gas man) and Jeff Seaburg (catch can). The team's crew chief is Mike Shiplett and the pit crew coach is Brett Cumming. Tissot has been an official partner of NASCAR since 2006 and is the official timekeeper for a number of other sports, including the MotoGP World Championship, the Ice Hockey World Championship, the Cycling World Championship and the Fencing World Championship.(DMF Communications PR)

Smith, Garone disappointed but pleased

Jim Benton/Rocky Mountain News

Driver Regan Smith was disappointed. So was team manager Joe Garone.

But maybe they should have been thrilled with the 21st place finish for the Furniture Row Chevrolet in Sunday's rain-shortened Daytona 500.

Both Smith and Garone figured they had a top 10 car but having watched a lot of races at Daytona International Speedway, I know that a lot could have happened in the 48 remaining laps if the race had resumed.

So a 21st place finished isn't bad for a single-car team based out of Denver.

"The Furniture Row team gave me a good car and it was fun to drive," Smith said. "The car got better as the race went on, thanks to great calls by our crew chief Jay Guy. We also had excellent pit stops. A great team effort for our first race together.

"I really wish we could have completed the full 200 laps because I truly feel that we had the equipment to finish in the top 10."

Garone's disappointment couldn't mask the positive experience gained from Speedweeks at Daytona.

"We were better than 21st, we all know that," Garone said. "But what's important is that we got off to a great start to the season. Just to qualify for this race was an accomplishment, and then to go out and run the way we did was both gratifying and encouraging. We are upbeat about our races."

FFR is planning to run a limited 12-race schedule and the next race will be March 1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Did You Notice

Waltrip Succeeds, Martin Fails, The Top 35 Self-Destructs, And ... Johnson's Beard?

Thomas Bowles · Frontstretch.com

Did You Notice? … The firestorm surrounding cutting the Daytona 500 48 laps short? Personally, I think the anger should be focused on the starting time of the race more than anything else. The 3:45 EST start makes it near impossible to avoid the type of weather issues that we experienced in Sunday’s event. If anything pops up, you don’t have the whole afternoon to kill drying the track and making sure the full distance gets run. Why are we starting the race so late? I can’t find an acceptable answer just yet. Personally, I think a 1:00 EST start time would be perfect …

As for the concept of the race not going 500 miles … personally, I disagree with the majority of fans complaining. I don’t remember anywhere near this type of crazy response after Michael Waltrip won a rain-shortened 500 in 2003. The rules for rain-shortened races have been in place for decades, and it’s one of the few things NASCAR has actually been consistent on. The weather is part of the sport’s unpredictability, one of the few things left that can mix things up in a land filled with non-adjustable cars and near zero mechanical failures.

Did You Notice? … That the three highest finishing Toyotas in the 500 came out of the Michael Waltrip Racing stable? Two years removed from the embarrassing “jet fuel” incident that nearly sank his three-car team at Daytona, Waltrip himself came home in 7th place, with David Reutimann 12th and MWR-supported Marcos Ambrose 17th in the JTG-Daugherty Racing car.

Regardless of the fast start, it’s still a critical year for Waltrip and his program, which was in jeopardy of losing Reutimann until sponsor Aaron’s stepped up to the plate to fund the full season for the No. 00. But no matter what you think of everyone’s favorite sponsor robot, you have to admit Waltrip’s survival to this point has been impressive. Who would have guessed two years ago that in 2009 Richard Petty, Bill Davis, Morgan-McClure, Chip Ganassi, and DEI would all be merged and/or dissolved, while Michael Waltrip Racing would still be going strong with 2-3 cars? Think about that for a second … Michael Waltrip outlasted these tough economic times better than Chip Ganassi. I know, I know; everything in that sentence just sounds so wrong. But someone, somewhere in that MWR shop must be doing something right. And if Waltrip does have anything left in the tank (and I know some will argue there was never anything there in the first place), it’s going to be new crew chief “Bootie” Barker who’ll bring it out of him. One of the most underrated crew chiefs in the garage, Barker has made a habit of succeeding with middle-tier teams throughout his Cup career. If Waltrip doesn’t make it with that guy at the helm, well … retirement could and should be a viable option.

Did You Notice? … That despite the praise we’ve just heaped on Waltrip and his program, he wouldn’t have even made the Daytona 500 without the benefit of the top 35 rule. All year long at DYN, we’re going to keep track of how this ridiculous rule makes it difficult to impossible for startup teams to have an opportunity to succeed. This week, we decided to attack the issue by setting Daytona’s starting lineup through its old qualifying system – you know, when races like the Duels actually meant something more. For those fans new to the sport, here’s how you qualified for the Great American Race prior to the top 35 rule:

Starting Positions 1-2: Locked in through pole qualifying
Starting Positions 3-30: Locked in by finishing through the Duels (Top 14 finishers in each race, not including the front row starter in each one who’d already qualified)
Starting Positions 31-36: Set by fastest qualifying speed of cars not already locked into the field
Starting Positions 37-42: Six provisional’s given to those cars highest in owner points not locked into the field
Starting Position 43: A Past Champion’s Provisional … if no past champion, given to the highest car in owner points not yet in the field

How would this system have changed the outcome of the starting lineup? Three startup teams who missed the show would have made the race: Mike Wallace in the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet, Joe Nemechek in his self-owned No. 87 Toyota, and Brad Keselowski in the No. 09 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet. Who would those teams knock out? Robby Gordon, Sam Hornish, Jr., and perhaps the biggest surprise of all: two-time Daytona 500 winner Waltrip, who would lose his spot to the champion’s provisional and Terry Labonte.

As you can see, the top 35 rule has an immediate impact on the season. Not only does Waltrip get a top 10 finish instead of a DNQ, but the TRG No. 71 loses out on a potential sponsor. According to owner Kevin Buckler, he had a financial backer ready to come on board for the race for $250,000 … and if the team had a good run, who knew what might have happened beyond that? Instead, they’re still struggling to establish themselves moving forward, while the multi-car giants get another free pass.

Did You Notice? … Not a single driver who started the 500 in the top 10 finished in the top 10? (Tony Stewart qualified 5th, but started the race from the rear after being forced into a backup car for the race). As far as I could research, that’s the first time in the entire history of Daytona that’s happened. Add Kenseth’s win from a starting position of 43rd (he, too, was sent to the rear before the start of the race) and you can pretty much stop worrying about qualifying at restrictor plate tracks from here on out (as long as your team is guaranteed in).

If you need any more proof, for the second straight year at Daytona Dodges qualified like utter crap (no one in the Top 25 fastest speeds) — only to come out strong in the draft and snag more top 10 finishers than any other manufacturer. It just goes to show you the 500 is no longer a showcase of who’s fast for one lap, but rather who’s able to master the chess game of the draft over 500 miles.

Did You Notice? … Only four of last year’s 12 Chasers finished in the Top 12 in this year’s Daytona 500? But before you think a changing of the guard is underway, don’t get too excited; the same thing happened last year, too. By the time the series had been through the three aerodynamic intermediate tracks of California, Las Vegas, and Atlanta, the drivers you’d expect to see on top of the standings were leading the way once more. There is a slight difference this year in that more big name drivers are starting the season in a deeper hole: Kyle Busch is the most notable of that group, starting off his year with a disappointing 41st. But if drivers won the pre-Chase title all the time with runs like 42nd, 40th, etc. in the Daytona 500, I think everyone can easily recover enough to move up to 12th by September.

Did You Notice? … The following one-liners you didn’t expect to see after the Daytona 500:

• Dale Earnhardt, Jr. expressing the emotions of “defiance” and “anger” for the first time since … still thinking … maybe since he gave stepmom Teresa the middle finger and left DEI?
• Kurt Busch showcasing both patience and perseverance, finishing 10th with a half-wrecked race car that probably was left in the junkyard on Monday? Apparently, someone’s had a man-to-man talk with him since Martinsville last Fall.
• No EGR cars in the top 10 after Truex won the pole for the race?
• Terry Labonte actually finishing the race in 24th, on the lead lap? After a total of one lap in practice between Thursday and Sunday, I felt certain the No. 66 team would pull the ultimate start-and-park.
• Jimmie Johnson try and imitate Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s five o’clock shadow? Seriously, what is up with that? When random fans are asking me why this is happening, it’s a problem. Jimmie, there’s a reason I refuse to grow a beard or a goatee … because it makes me look like crap. It’s OK to admit failure when it comes to facial hair. Really, it is…

Did You Notice? … How Mark Martin’s bad breaks from on top of the pit box didn’t change with his move to Hendrick? In the closing stages of Sunday’s race, it looked like the No. 5 car was lurking in the back of the top 10, waiting for the right time to make a calculated move to the front. But instead of looking at the radar screen, Martin’s crew chief Alan Gustafson was busy figuring out what hard luck way his driver could lose the race this year. He decided that four new tires when weather was five miles away would do the trick, joining the Steve Letarte / Jeff Gordon combo in bringing Martin down pit road for fresh rubber.

Of course, we all know what happened after that – there wasn’t enough time for the duo to get back up front, and both drivers ended up well outside the top 10. I just think it’s crazy that every time Martin puts himself in position to win lately, some outside circumstance comes in and makes sure it doesn’t happen. The most notable example last year was at Phoenix, when DEI’s resistance to gamble on fuel with a part-time driver forced Martin to pit road, virtually gift-wrapping the victory for Jimmie Johnson. Back then, it was Hendrick who was lauded for making the right call.

Funny how the shoe slides on the other foot the second Martin switches teams.

It was one rough day for Junior

Terry Blount/espn.com

Sometimes you're the hero and sometimes you're the goat. Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't have the kind of day he had hoped, with two pit-road mistakes and a wreck taking him out of contention, writes Terry Blount.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When things go bad, somebody always gets the blame.

No. 1 in the blame game Sunday for the shortened Daytona 500 was Dale Earnhardt Jr., fairly or unfairly.

Ask Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch. Neither man has any doubts about it after their race ended in the biggest wreck of the day.

"It's pretty sad to wreck somebody intentionally like that in front of the entire field," Vickers said of Earnhardt. "It's really kind of dangerous."

"One guy that had problems on pit road all day [Earnhardt] made his problems our problem," Busch said.

Who's really to blame for the battered sheet metal 26 laps before rain ended things? That's up for debate, depending on your perspective.

"What the hell, man. He was driving like a damn idiot," Earnhardt said of Vickers. "He hit me so hard he almost knocked me in the grass. That's not clean driving. It don't look clean to me."

But even Earnhardt says he only has himself to blame for making pit road look like an ice-covered obstacle course on two stops before the controversial incident with Vickers.

His pit-road blunders led to the big crash of the race. Vickers and Earnhardt were the first two cars a lap down on a restart when the collision happened on Lap 124.

Vickers was in front of Earnhardt on the inside line. Earnhardt started to make a move to the left to get by when Vickers quickly went for the block and forced Earnhardt below the double yellow line.

When Earnhardt moved back to the right to get off the apron, he clipped the left-rear quarter panel of Vickers.

The huge wreck was on. Ten cars were involved when Vickers shot up the track sideways. The big victim was Busch, who had the best car in the field and led 88 laps in the No. 18 Toyota.

"Kyle was good enough to win, sure," Earnhardt said. "I hate I wrecked him and everyone else, but Brian ain't no saint in the matter either."

Vickers, who finished 39th in the No. 83 Toyota, believed the whole thing could have been avoided.

"We're racing for lucky dog [a free lap back] and my goal was to keep Junior behind me," Vickers said. "Then he just turned us. He came back up and hooked me in the left rear.

"Typically NASCAR penalizes someone for that. The 38 [Jason Leffler] was penalized five laps for that yesterday [in the Nationwide race]."

NASCAR officials said no penalty was assessed to Earnhardt because they didn't feel the incident was intentional.

"I got a great run on [Vickers], trying to get my lap back on the back straightaway,'' Earnhardt said. "I kind of eased over there. I didn't do it at the last minute. He knew I was coming. But he dove to the inside like I wasn't even there."

Vickers felt Earnhardt was racing too hard for the situation.

"How the hell was I racing hard?" Earnhardt asked. "The guy that made the mistake is the guy that drove us in the grass.

"I didn't have any control of my car after that. I was just trying to get back on the racetrack and I hit him in the quarter panel and spun him out.

"I didn't really have time to judge whether I was going to clear him or not. If he had just held his ground we would have been all right."

Earnhardt felt Vickers shouldn't have blocked his momentum.

"All the blocking and carrying on, that's just ridiculous," Earnhardt said. "You can't race below the yellow line.

"At one point I was leading the race and the 14 [Tony Stewart] and the 20 [Joey Logano] had a run on me. What did I do? I let them guys go by me. If somebody's got a run on you there ain't much you can do about it."

Earnhardt said he couldn't slow down to avoid hitting Vickers.

"Who's behind me?" he asked. "What happens if I lift to try to pull up in front of somebody and get turned into the fence?"

Earnhardt managed to keep racing after the wreck, only suffering minor damage. Another caution enabled Earnhardt to get his lap back and he was 27th when the rain brought out the red flag.

"I'm in good shape man," Earnhardt said when he got out of his car. "My car is really good. It's been fast all day. If we get this thing going again I'll drive her up to the front."

Didn't happen. NASCAR called the race only 15 minutes after the red flag, apparently believing the all-green radar screen wouldn't allow a restart. Matt Kenseth was the winner.

That's when the what-ifs started for Earnhardt.

What if he hadn't missed his pit box early in the race? Earnhardt had to come back around to pit, putting him at the back of the field (35th) for the restart on Lap 60.

"That was my mistake," he said. "I just didn't see the 88 sign. I didn't know exactly where I was and I blew it."

And what if he had pitted outside his box on Lap 120, four laps before the wreck? His right-side tires were barely over the line. The No. 88 team was flagged by an official and Earnhardt was held for one lap.

"A lap for that is pretty ridiculous in my opinion," Earnhardt said. "The tail end of the longest line I could understand. I was only an inch over the line. Come on. What's the big gain that they need to take a lap from us?"

Earnhardt had plenty of questions. No answers would suffice. All that was left to ponder was who should get the blame.

Top Ten…

Things That Make As Much Sense As Starting the Daytona 500 After 3pm Eastern

Jeff Meyer · Frontstretch.com

10. The conception of Brian France in the first place (had to have been a “mistake”).

9. Goodyear unveiling their new line of condoms (maybe that is what happened with No. 10!).

8. PETA.

7. Starting lapped cars up front on the inside on restarts now that we have the Lucky Dog.

6. Arguing who was at fault: Junior or Vickers.

5. Thinking Obama is this country’s Messiah (Anti-Christ, maybe…)

4. Larry McReynolds.

3. Believing the states of Kansas or California will ever make good on the IOUs they are sending out instead of state tax refunds (send THEM one if you owe!!!!)

2. NASCAR’s enforcement of any rule — not to mention the DOUBLE yellow line!

1. An epileptic frying bacon in the nude!

Darrell Waltrip blames crash on Dale Earnhardt Jr.

By Tom Kreager • GANNETT TENNESSEE

Matt Kenseth might have won the Daytona 500 on Sunday, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the hot topic of conversation Monday.

Fox analyst Darrell Waltrip and driver Carl Edwards addressed Earnhardt's impact on the race at the ninth annual Nashville Superspeedway season preview luncheon.

A late-race accident involving multiple cars followed two pit road blunders by Earnhardt.

"When he came out of the pits after the penalty, we were watching him come through the field," Waltrip said. "I'll tell you, he was driving like a wild man — he was driving like his daddy.

"I poked (Fox analyst) Larry (McReynolds) and I said, 'Dale Jr. is either going to get wrecked or cause a wreck."

After Brian Vickers went low to block Earnhardt, who was attempting to pass, the two collided when Earnhardt attempted to get back in line.

"The bottom line is Dale Jr. caused the wreck," Waltrip said. "He took out the best car (Kyle Busch) and (Jamie) McMurray and others. This morning all I've heard is that we blasted Dale Jr. and put all the blame on him.

"Did he mean to? Only he knows for sure."

Edwards, who plans to race at Nashville Superspeedway on April 11 in the Nationwide Series 300, had his car damaged in the incident and was 18th.

"I didn't see any of it," Edwards said. "That's just racing. We've all had something like that happen. You get wound up. If you didn't get wound up it wouldn't be worth doing it."

The accident came after Earnhardt's two pit road mistakes, including a late one-lap penalty.

"I think Dale Jr. was really disappointed and a lot of fans were disappointed that he only won one race last year." Waltrip said. "When your father has won seven championships, even though you say that doesn't have any effect on you, there is still an expectation that goes along with the name and the performance."

Feud of the Week

Favoring Junior, blocking and the Daytona

CBSSports.com's Brian De Los Santos and Pete Pistone provide analysis on three weekly racing topics.

Tom Higgins Scuffs

Blazin Buddy Baker

By Tom Higgins

I suppose that most everyone who follows sports has heard the much-frayed cliché, “Records are made to be broken.”

Lately this has held true.

In baseball, for example, Barry Bonds shattered the home run records for both a season and a career, although both may be adorned with an asterisk since he is alleged to have had steroid help in doing it.
Golfer Tiger Woods shoots incredibly low scores and won the U.S. Open a few years ago by a whopping
15 strokes, easily a record. 

However, NASCAR’s Buddy Baker holds a mark that may never be approached, much less bettered. On Feb.17, 1980, Big Buddy drove to victory in the Daytona 500 at a stunning average speed of 177.602 mph.
At the time Baker’s feat qualified as the fastest 500-mile race ever run anywhere, including Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Arie Luyendek took this record in 1990 when he won the Indy 500 at an average of 185.981 mph.

NASCAR’s Mark Martin now is the fastest 500-mile victor in history, winning the Winston 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Super Speedway in 1997 at 188.534.

But Baker, who retired in 1994 and now hosts a Sirius Radio show on racing, continues to hold the stock car mark for the sport’s most glamorous event, the Daytona 500, and I suspect he will for a long, long time.

Bill Elliott threatened Baker’s record in 1987, averaging 176.623 mph at Daytona International Speedway in winning the 500.  No one else has come close.

“I’m prouder of finally winning the Daytona 500 after trying to take it for 20 years--two decades that produced a lot of disappointment in that particular race,” says Buddy, now 68.  “But I’m proud of going that fast for 500 miles in our sport’s biggest show, too.”

And what a show it was 29 years ago!

Buddy was driving the No. 28 Oldsmobile owned by the late Harry Ranier and engineered by crew chief Waddell Wilson.  The sleek car had a black and grayish/silver paint scheme.  It was so fast that the colors tended to blend into the asphalt, causing other drivers to complain that they sometimes couldn’t Buddy coming up behind them.

The car thus was given the nickname, “The Gray Ghost.”

NASCAR officials ordered the unusual step of having Wilson put pink day-glo strips on the car’s front so rivals could see Baker bearing down on them.

Members of some teams predicted that Buddy, who had qualified at 194.009 in taking the pole, simply was going to drive away from the field.

Buddy led a dominating 143 of the 200 laps at the great 2.5-mile Daytona track, but he didn’t drive away.

By using the aerodynamic draft, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison and Neil Bonnett were able to hang with him.

As the race wound down a final pit stop for enough fuel to finish faced all the leaders with 20 laps to go.

Crew chief Wilson decided to gamble and put only one 11-gallon can of gas in Buddy’s car rather than the usual two.

Wilson told gasman Buck Brigance, a great motorcycle racing champion in the 1950s, “Buck, you’ve got to make absolutely sure you get every drop out of that can into the fuel tank.”

Brigance had an idea how to assure this and even speed the flow of the fuel.

“Do you mind if I damage that can a little?”  he asked Wilson.

Waddell said he did not.

When the nozzle of the can was put into the car with the bottom pointed upward, Brigance made his move.  He punched a hole in the bottom of the can with a big screwdriver.  The gas gushed in.

“All the while I was reaching through the driver’s window and had a tight grip on the neck of Buddy’s driving uniform.  I knew how excitable and impatient he could be sometimes, and I wasn’t going to turn him loose until all that gas was in.

“As Buck jerked the can out Buddy went roaring off simultaneously, causing both Buck and me to go tumbling down pit road.  I must have done two or three somersaults.”

Neither Wilson nor Brigance was hurt.  But they had to worry if Buddy had enough fuel to make it the final 50 miles.

The sizzling pit stop had taken only 6 seconds, and this left Buddy with a substantial lead of 13 seconds since his rivals had been on pit road almost twice as long.

Over their radio hookup, Wilson began imploring Baker to slow down to conserve fuel.

In a sing-songy voice Baker replied, “I can’t hearrrr youuuu!”

An argument ensued between the two.

What was said?

“Who knows?” Buddy said with a laugh.  “We were jabbering.  It sounded like Saturday night in Junior Wong’s kitchen.”

The late Wong was a fishing pal of Buddy’s who ran a popular Chinese restaurant in Charlotte.

Consumption of fuel became a non-issue for the team when John Utsman’s car spewed oil on the track, forcing the final three laps of the race to be run under caution.

Overall, there were only five yellow flags covering 15 laps, and this contributed to Baker’s record average speed.

There’s a funny footnote to the tale of Buddy Baker being the fastest Daytona 500 champion ever.

Baker was at Talladega a couple years ago, serving as an advisor to the Penske South team.  One of the current young drivers from another team approached Buddy, who was chatting with friends.

“Hey Baker, do you think you could handle the speeds we’re running down here now?” the driver said in a needling way.

Buddy gave him an evil-eye stare.

“Son,” he said very deliberately, “I’ve never run this SLOW down here.”

The driver knew he’d been zinged, wheeled and walked away with the laughter of Buddy’s pals ringing in his ears.

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

Darrell Waltrip/foxsports.com

Well I am back from Daytona and looking back on the 10 days I spent down there I can say we saw great racing, close races, excitement and I don't think I can remember seeing so many backup cars pulled out before. That really is kind of unusual for Daytona.

As I have told you many times, you can expect the unexpected at Daytona. It's such an important race and has so much drama already built into it before we ever run it. Just think about all the events leading up to it — the Budweiser Shootout, qualifying, qualifying races, truck race and the Nationwide race.

The climax of course is the Daytona 500. The last couple of years have seen last-lap passes to determine the winner. Unfortunately this year we didn't get to see that. Mother Nature reared her head and put an end to the race at 152 laps. That was disappointing. I was excited to see what the end of the race was going to bring us but we lost a number of good cars in a couple major wrecks that changed the complexity of the race.

So let's get right into it. When we were in the booth watching the Dale Earnhardt Jr./Brian Vickers wreck unfold, my take was I saw Junior hit Brian Vickers and I said "No way, you can't do that. That was wrong." That's the way it looked from the booth to the back straightaway. Yes we have cameras back there but we didn't initially get a chance to see the replays from those cameras. So my first response, as was Larry McReynold's, was that Junior blatantly wrecked Vickers.

Earlier we had seen Junior struggle in the pits. We saw him drive right past his pit box and then he gets penalized for pitting outside the box. As a driver, I have firsthand knowledge of what kind of frustration that creates. You are annoyed, mad and irritated. You want people to get out of your way so you can make up for the mistake you made and sure, you get a little reckless.

I was watching Dale try to come back up through the field and get back on the lead lap and he was driving like a man possessed. He was in and out of traffic and taking a lot of chances. I had turned to McReynolds and told him that the way Junior was driving he was either going to get wrecked or wreck somebody. So when he got into Vickers and turned him, we in the TV booth were already anticipating it. We just felt there was a storm brewing -- both literally and figuratively.

Speaking of storms, everyone was talking about the rain was coming and Junior needed to get back on the lead lap. They had told him on the radio the clock was ticking. So the pressure was building and we were seeing all these things before our eyes. Then the wreck happens and basically he ran all over Vickers.

Here's the point — there is no question Dale Jr. caused that wreck. There's no question that he ran into the back of Vickers and turned him into the front of the field. No one, not even Junior, can deny that fact.

The only thing you can argue about is whether it was intentional or not.

I have known Dale Jr. since he was a little boy and I have watched him race his entire career. There's one thing I can say without question, if Dale Jr. makes a mistake, he admits it. Just think back to every situation he has been in, if there was blame on Junior, he manned up and took it. So when he tells the NASCAR Nation that he didn't do it intentionally and was simply trying to get back up on the track, then you have to take him at his word. I give him the benefit of the doubt because that's all I can do. I am neither a judge nor a jury. I am standing up in the TV booth watching it just like you are.

There were too many good things that happened in Daytona over the last 10 days to let what happened with Dale Jr. and Vickers overshadow the performance of Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 car. Yes, I have to be honest and say I was thrilled to see the No. 17 win again just like it did 20 years ago. The other cool thing was it was Matt's 17th career win in car No. 17. There's still some karma in that 17. I've always told Matt that he was the keeper of the 17 and he has upheld it very well with a championship and a Daytona 500 victory. I am happy for Matt. He is a great guy and a good man.

I was also happy to see him win it for Jack Roush because it was both their first Daytona 500 win. They deserve it.

I feel sorry for Kyle Busch. You may or may not feel the same way but the young man has dominated the last two Daytona 500s only to come away with nothing. Sunday he had the dominant car and I really didn't see anyone coming through the field that could beat him. I even give him credit for handling his interview after the wreck very professionally. He wasn't arrogant or any of that but you could sure tell he was disappointed. So that's a step forward for Kyle Busch.

Last year you had six out of the top eight finishers being Dodges. Obviously they have a good Daytona package so it didn't surprise me to see them run well again this year. So it was a great effort for the Richard Petty Motorsports part. I was also happy for my brother Michael. He hung around the Top 15 most of the day but we didn't talk about him much. Then after the wreck and the rain, there he was in seventh. His teammates David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose finished 11th and 17th respectively. That was a great effort to get all three cars in the Top 20.

Also, congratulations to my buddy Phil Parsons. His car with Terry Labonte behind the wheel came home 24th in their first race together. Guys like Phil, Tommy Baldwin and Jeremy Mayfield, who came down there with one-off deals and thrown-together teams have to be proud of their efforts in the 500. It will be interesting to see if they can sustain themselves on purse money. Like I mentioned a few weeks ago, if you could make every race and finish last, you will make $3.4 million dollars.

NASCAR did exactly what it had to do with the rain situation. No one can control Mother Nature. We were in the booth seeing the exact same radar they were using and it was showing green everywhere. I stayed Sunday night after the race and did the Windtunnel broadcast for SPEED TV and it was still raining when I got off the air at 10 p.m. ET. It takes three hours to dry the track, so trying to restart the race at 1 a.m. ET or so would have been crazy. NASCAR made the right call and they deserve the credit for it.

Oh by the way

Rules are rules. You can't rewrite the rules simply because it doesn't go your way.

I disagree with what Dale Jr. said about his tire being out of the pit box. Everybody knows you have to have your car in the pit box. We drivers are all the same, if you give us an inch, we will take a mile. They can say what they want to but that official was right there telling those guys that the car was out of the box and they needed to push it back in. The crew member actually pushed the official out of the way when he was pointing down trying to tell them they had a problem. Blocking is blocking and there are some unwritten rules about that. Everyone knows you can't advance your position by going below the yellow line at Daytona and Talladega. Sure, there are rules that a lot of us don't like nor agree with but just because they don't necessarily work out the way you want them to, doesn't mean we need to go changing them.

So the 2009 NASCAR season is off to a great start. The grandstands were full. We're heading to California with a lot of momentum. I am looking forward to going out there and having a great 500 mile race this weekend. So pack your bag and let's go west young man, because that is where all the gold is.

Kyle Petty Upset With RPM's "Chicken Crap Diplomacy"

Dave Moody/Sirius Radio

Kyle Petty said yesterday that he is unhappy that Richard Petty Motorsports failed to inform him before running a retro-paint scheme commemorating his first career victory on AJ Allmendinger’s Valvoline Dodge in the Daytona 500.

Petty told reporters last week that he was "crushed” by the move, adding, “I was hurt and I'm not going to get over it for a while. That was my paint job and my car and my number and my stuff from my first win. Not for Petty Enterprises or GEM or whoever that is."

Petty phoned Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Sirius Speedway yesterday to clarify his comments, and also address what some see as a rift between himself and his legendary father’s new race team.

“That #44 -- Petty blue and white with Valvoline on the quarterpanels -- was the car I drove in my first ARCA race at Daytona 30 years ago,” said Petty. ”(RPM) went to Daytona with a car lettered up in that paint scheme, and nobody had the cohones to call me and tell me that they were doing it on the 30th anniversary of my first win. That’s what I was crushed about.”

Petty called the move, “a little bit of chicken crap diplomacy,” calling his ARCA win “a personal thing (that has) nothing to do with the #44, George Gillett, Boston Ventures or GEM. It is something I would like to have had the opportunity to commemorate, not somebody else.”

Petty repeated earlier comments about the 2008 sale of Petty Enterprises to Boston Ventures, saying he feels his family team ceased to exist when Boston Ventures came aboard and moved the team from its longtime home in Level Cross, NC. He also conceded that at some point, all parties will have to agree to disagree, and move on.

“Definitely,” said Petty. “I was at a press conference announcing a golf tournament for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, and the question was, `Were you invited to the press conference, or made aware that they were running a retro paint scheme?’ The answer to that was, `no,’ and when they asked how I felt about it, I said, ‘crushed.’ I don’t care about getting an invitation, I just wanted a heads-up on it. When I came to Daytona, I got blindsided by it.

“If the Chicago Bulls are having a Reunion Tour and they don’t invite Michael Jordan, that’s their fault," said Petty. "If they don’t want to (include him), that’s their deal. But I’m sure they would give him a heads-up and say, `This is what we’re going to do, we’re just not going to include you.’"

Petty also insisted that there is no rift between himself and his father, saying he had answered a very specific question, and that his answer had been taken out of context.

“I sat and talked (to the media) for an hour and a half, and they wrote a 25-word story,” he said. “It never comes across right. That’s not the writer’s fault or the editor’s fault, it just happens. Sometimes things get taken out of context and lead (people) in a different direction.

"This whole issue revolved around one single car, one single press conference and one single heads-up. I didn’t get that, and I was teed off about it. That’s as simple as it was."

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