Happy Monday all. 

Today In Nascar History

March 9, 1969: David Pearson wins the final race at Rockingham before it is reconfigured from a flat 1-mile oval to a high-banked, D-shaped 1.017 track. Pearson's other four wins at Rockingham come on the reconfigured track.

Comments from the Peanut Gallery

From Darrel

Lou

 Also the qualifying position is how they draw the pit locations. Pole gets first chose and so on.

The first pace lap is with all cars in their qualifying portion and then the ones that have to go to the rear do so before the green is dropped.

So moving the inside row up takes less time as it does if the outside pole goes to the rear and the outside row moves forward.

This is how have seen it done and why.

Also an old man

Darrel

Bits and Pieces

NASCAR scrutinizing start and park team reasons: NASCAR won’t create a hard-line rule prohibiting Sprint Cup teams from starting a race and then parking their car a few laps later, but NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Friday there is an increased emphasis on making sure that the reason a team gives for falling out of the race is legitimate. Although there are only 36 cars that have the funding to run the entire season, several teams are trying to make races each week. In past years, when there haven’t been 43 fully funded cars, some drivers started the race, parked in the opening laps and pocketed the last-place money. “We owe it to the garage area [to make sure] that everybody is on the up-and-up,” Pemberton said in the Atlanta Motor Speedway garage Friday. “When they call [they’re] out, we will continue to look at what put those cars at. What we’re going to encourage at this level here is that people participate and do what they can do to race. What we want to prevent is someone legitimately trying to do a race setup and getting bumped out by somebody that may have gone above and beyond what the spirit of the rules are.” Pemberton said NASCAR doesn’t expect every team to be able to run up front, but those that make the final 43 need to be on the track racing someone. “There’s people that aren’t top-10 cars but they compete against other people that are 25th through 35th,” Pemberton said. “We need to encourage those guys to race each other.” As far as the Nationwide and Truck events, where there have traditionally been start-and-park racers over the last few years, Pemberton said there could be a little more leniency. “There’s more at stake with the purses and whatever else that goes on [in Cup], but we are going to encourage the level of competition throughout the ranks the best that we can,” Pemberton said.(SceneDaily)

Did Not Finish Streak and stats: #33-Bowyer has been running at the finish in 77 consecutive races, the longest current streak, only 4 races behind the modern era record of #29-Harvick who had 81 until DNFing at California in Feb 2009, next up is #48-Johnson at 28 consecutive races. The all-time record for the longest streak of NOT having an DNF is 84 races held by Herman Beam from April 30, 1961 thru March 10, 1963. Kevin Harvick holds the modern era (1972-present) record at 81 [he also has the 2nd longest at 58], then Jeff Gordon at 56 and Dale Earnhardt at 53 [Indy in 1996 thru Martinsville in the spring of 1998.

Loop Data: Busch Perfect at Atlanta: #2-Kurt Busch dominated the Kobalt Tools Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, scoring a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0. This is Busch’s fourth perfect Driver Rating since the inception of the Loop Data statistic in 2005. He is the only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver to post more than one perfect Driver Rating. During Sunday’s Atlanta race, Busch had race-best stats in Laps Led (234), Average Running Position (1.5) and Fastest Laps Run (81). He was also one of two drivers who ran all 330 Laps in the Top 15 (Kasey Kahne was the other). Busch also scored perfect Driver Ratings in his Pocono Raceway wins in 2005 and 2007 and at Phoenix International Raceway in 2005. This is the eighth perfect Driver Rating in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 2005:
Perfect Driver Ratings
Driver, Date, Track
Kurt Busch, 4/23/2005, Phoenix
Kurt Busch (2), 7/24/2005, Pocono
Tony Stewart, 8/14/2005, Watkins Glen
Kevin Harvick, 11/12/2006, Phoenix
Kurt Busch (3), 8/5/2007, Pocono
Clint Bowyer, 9/16/2007, New Hampshire
Jimmie Johnson, 8/31/2008, Auto Club
Kurt Busch (4), 3/8/2009, Atlanta
Driver Rating is a Loop Data statistic which is based on several statistical components.(NASCAR PR)

Newman slowed by faulty engine: #39-Ryan Newman ran solidly in the top-15 for most of Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., but engine issues during the final 100 laps of the event slowed down his #39 Haas Automation Chevy and thwarted his team’s march to a top-10 result. Newman was relegated to a 22nd-place finish in his 15th career Sprint Cup start at AMS. “Our Haas Automation Chevy was pretty good today,” said Newman after the race. “We had some handling issues, but Tony Gibson (crew chief) and the guys adjusted on the car and gave me a really competitive machine. At the end, I think we maybe had a top-10 car, but we lost a cylinder and that put us behind. We were right in cycle to be the next guy for the ‘lucky dog’ and we just lost that cylinder and that set the tone for the rest of our day.” At lap 225, Newman radioed his crew that he had an engine problem, as his V-8 powerplant had missed several times as he drove down the backstretch, ultimately dropping a cylinder. Newman was able to nurse the engine and maintain a spot in the top-20 until the final caution flag of the day waved at lap 321. Under the caution, Newman reported that the motor had lost yet another cylinder. On the final restart, he couldn’t get his car up to speed quickly enough and lost four more spots, whereupon he finished 22nd, three laps down.(SHR/True Speed Communication PR)

Kenseth battles ill-handling car: #17-Matt Kenseth battled and ill-handling race car for the majority of Sundays 325-lap Kobalt Tools 500, but managed a 12th-place finish in the fourth race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Despite never finding adequate grip on the long run, and having to battle their way back onto the lead lap, Kenseth and the #17 DeWalt Ford Team were poised for a top-10 finish before running short on fuel with five laps to go in the race.(RFR PR)

Crewman suspended for rest of race for going after tire: Jimmy Watts, a crew member [gasman] for the #47 Marcos Ambrose team, was suspended for the remainder of the race after he ran onto the infield grass -- a prohibited area -- to retrieve a loose tire on [caused] the third caution of the race.(ESPN/AP), the caution would had been called anyway, due to the tire in the infield and it was still slowly moving towards the track. AND A quiet and remorseful Jimmy Watts stood outside the NASCAR hauler during the Kobalt Tools 500 to meet with NASCAR officials after he had been suspended for the remainder of the event for running onto the frontstretch grass with the race under green-flag conditions to retrieve a tire from the JTG Daugherty Racing car on lap 67. Watts, a gas man who also works for the Charlotte Fire Department, said he has been in the sport for more than seven years and just made a mistake. NASCAR threw the caution as he chased the tire. The tire had rolled on to the frontstretch grass when it got loose from the JTG Daugherty team of driver Marcos Ambrose and was knocked away by the Yates Racing team. “I saw the tire going away and it was a reaction – the wrong one,” Watts said. Watts said he “certainly did not” think that the tire would roll that far across the grass and by the time he was in the middle of it, he realized he was in a bad position. Watts said he hoped to be back next week but was waiting to talk to NASCAR officials to see if any additional penalties would be issued.(SceneDaily)

#28 Team needs sponsor to continue on: Travis Kvapil still needs sponsorship to keep racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beyond the upcoming race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Yates Racing co-owner Max Jones said Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kvapil, who finished 23rd in the points in 2008, was left without a full-time ride when Hall of Fame Racing brought Bobby Labonte and sponsor Ask.com to Yates and Paul Menard brought his family sponsorship (Menards) to the team. Points swaps among the group left Kvapil without a locked-in position in races this season. Yates Racing had pledged to run at least five races with Kvapil and then reevaluate. “Right now it’s still five,” Jones said. “We’re still talking to people. Hopefully it can be more, but we don’t have any firm commitments for more than five right now.” The team has had Golden Corral as a sponsor the last two races. “They’re very interested and they’re looking at it,” Jones said. “If we can go out here and run really well today, that would surely help. … We threw that [team] together in the last minute, and I think they’ve run really well.” Kvapil’s team is 38th in owners points, 29 points out of the top 35. Obviously getting in the top 35 in owners points would help because Kvapil would not have to worry about missing the race. One thing that gives Kvapil optimism that he might race beyond Martinsville is that the team has plans to test the new Martinsville-style track next to Rockingham Speedway.(SceneDaily)

Drivers fret about automakers in tough economy: As General Motors continues to be battered by grim economic news, those who drive for the struggling manufacturer can't help but wonder what impact it will have on their NASCAR programs. On Thursday, GM said in its annual report that auditors raised serious doubt about the automaker's ability to continue operating. The company has received $13.4 billion in federal loans and is seeking an additional $16.6 billion from the government. Tony Stewart, who has a long relationship with GM, said he believes the company is doing what it can to recover. "The biggest thing is we've got to get people to not be afraid to spend money again," he said. "GM is doing their part. The Chevy brand is building cars that are affordable and economic and efficient. From a manufacturer's side, that's all you can ask for. I think they've really responded and done a good job in that respect." Stewart said the fallout would be "tremendous" if any of the major American automakers went out of business. "I think it's at the stage now where we can't rely on the government to do it all for us," he said. "We have to take an active role ourselves. I'm not saying as drivers or NASCAR. I'm saying our country together. We've got to get off our wallets and go back being Americans again and living life the way we used to."
Atlanta Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith called on the federal government to do whatever it takes to keep the Big Three from going under. "It's an abomination," he said. "This country owes them." He pointed to the role Detroit played during World War II, when the car companies quickly shifted their focus from automobiles to producing the machinery of battle. "They saved this country during World War II," Smith said. "What if we get in another major, major war? Who's going to build things? We need to do whatever we can to save those companies."(Associated Press/ESPN)

Roush Fenway looking for sponsors: Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith should only be negotiating to renew the one NASCAR Sprint Cup sponsorship he has open – the #17 Ford and DeWalt – for 2010. But Smith’s organization is working on helping nearly all of its Cup sponsors (#26-Crown Royal, #16-3M and #99-Aflac) find other companies willing to pony up the money to buy some races for 2010 and beyond even though they have contracts obligating them for the entire season. Smith said the companies have requested help, and it’s imperative in these economic times that the organization find more sponsors willing to share some of the costs. DeWalt, whose contract is up after the 2009 season, has also indicated it wants a partner. The only sponsor that has not requested a partner is UPS [for #6 David Ragan]. A new sponsor could be on one of those cars by the end of 2009 if there is a commitment for future years, Smith said.
Even though Roush Fenway can have only four Cup teams next year, it also is responsible for sponsorship for Yates Racing, so it is continuing to court companies to sponsor Cup teams. On an initial call, Smith said the organization will offer anything open in its portfolio. The one thing his company won’t do is to stagger sponsorships on a car because the organization has to commit to a salary for the driver and needs the sponsorship to back it up. Smith said that car owners must realize that they need to spend money on sales. He said he has “a whole team” making cold calls about sponsorship.(SceneDaily)

13 wins by Kyle Busch, 13 tracks: #18-Kyle Busch has 13 Sprint Cup Series wins, an interesting stat, he has won each race at a different race track, winning at: Atlanta, Bristol, Auto Club, Chicago, Darlington, Daytona, Dover, Las Vegas, New Hampshire, Phoenix, Infineon, Talladega and Watkins Glen. The nine tracks he has yet to win a CUP race: Homestead, Indy, Kansas, Lowe's, Martinsville, Michigan, Pocono, Richmond and Texas. Only one other driver has ever done this, Lee Petty from 1949 thru 1954 when he won for the 2nd time at Rochester; The track Petty won at [quite different then Busch]: Pittsburgh, Hillsboro, Rochester, Morristown, Macon, Langhorne, W. Palm Beach, Richmond, Martinsville, Shreveport, Spartanburg, Daytona Beach and Sharon.(Fox Coverage / Aflac Question)

Greener Paint for Penske: PPG Automotive Refinish announced they are assisting Penske Racing in converting their state-of-the-art, racecar painting facility in Mooresville, NC to the environmentally-friendly PPG Envirobase High Performance waterborne coatings system. The conversion began with the painting of the #2 Miller Lite and #77 Mobil 1 Penske Racing Dodge, which made their debut this weekend at the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The #2 Miller Lite Dodge features the PPG Automotive Refinish logo on the deck lid for today's race. To address the environment, NASCAR, the sport's sanctioning body, is developing an industry-wide green initiative led by Dr. Mike Lynch. The initiative will address environmental issues including reducing air emissions, lubricants recycling, building efficiencies and land preservation. It will include the sport's various stakeholders and will seek to mobilize the NASCAR fan base in this important issue.(Penske Racing PR)

Winningest drivers in the COT: Sixteen drivers have won races in the Car Formerly of Tomorrow since they were partially implemented in 2007. The big winners are #48-Jimmie Johnson, who has won 12 races in the new car; #99-Carl Edwards (11); and #18-Kyle Busch (3). No one else has won more than three (Jeff Gordon), and seven other drivers - Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth - have each won two. The single-race winners are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Montoya have each won one. Notably winless in the new car are Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin.(NASCAR This Week)

Elliott's son hitches a ride: Chase Elliott might already be a racer in his own right, but he had never been around Atlanta Motor Speedway’s high banks in a full-size race car … until Saturday. After filming a TV segment to promote Atlanta’s Labor Day night racing event, Bill Elliott had the opportunity to take son Chase, 13, on a ride around the 1.54-mile quad-oval. The younger Elliott tried to play it cool as he exited the car, but his beaming grin – and his mother – belied his casual manner. “He was trying to play it cool, but he was so excited,” Cindy Elliott said. And being an Elliott, it should come as no surprise that Elliott’s first remarks about the ride centered on the driving line. “You get back on the gas so fast,” Chase Elliott said. “It’s so big, and the corners are so sweeping.”(AMS Pit Notes)

NASCAR Legend Donates Memorabilia: Raymond Parks was racing before NASCAR existed. A Georgia native, Parks was the car owner of the first NASCAR race winner. He is a two-time NASCAR champion and swept every race run on Daytona Beach. To say he was instrumental in building the foundation of NASCAR racing is probably a vast understatement. And Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Parks and his wife Violet announced that he would be donating has vast collection of trophies and race memorabilia to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which is expected to open in 2010 in Charlotte, NC. “I think I was 11 years old when we run our first Cup race in ’49, and Mr. Parks had already been there a couple of years,” seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Richard Petty said. “He was the class of the field; he kind of set the standard. When racing first started, it was pretty rough. Mr. Parks brought class. It took people like Mr. Parks to lay the foundation we’re still working off of.” Now 94 years old, Parks did not speak during the 20-minute press conference, but he and his wife posed for photos with the commemorative brick they were presented by Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley. The brick will be placed outside the new Hall of Fame in tribute to Parks’ many contributions to racing.“Raymond doesn’t have any living children, so to preserve this collection, we needed to put it somewhere it was going to be taken care of,” Violet Parks said Saturday. “It’s important to have it in the museum. This memorabilia has always been very important to Raymond.” In fact, the collection survived a fire on the couple’s property in 2002. It includes 29 trophies from the earliest days of NASCAR racing.(AMS Pit Notes)

NASCAR creates formula for setting restart zone: NASCAR has established a formula for determining the length of the restart zone on the track. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway that officials will take the pit-road speed limit, double that figure and then set that as the distance in feet of the restart zone. At the start of this season, NASCAR created a zone where the leader must restart the race instead of giving the leader discretion from a certain area coming out of Turn 4 up to the starting line to restart the race. The rule is designed to create a more consistent restart at each track. Pit-road speeds typically range from 30 to 55 mph, depending on the length of the track. That means the restart zone will vary from 60-110 feet, depending on the track. "It will be twice the pit-road speed," Pemberton said. "It's a means to get variable lengths in there for the race track itself. It's something the garage area asked us to do. Is it perfect; maybe, maybe not. But, it's a start."(NASCAR Official Release)

Jeff Gordon to Receive Boy Scouting's Highest Award: #24-Jeff Gordon has been selected to receive Boy Scouts of America's (BSA) highest honor for his efforts in Scouting's national recruiting program as well as his personal humanitarian work. The commendation, known as the Silver Buffalo award, will be presented at the annual Boy Scout Leadership Dinner at the Charlotte Convention Center, March 24, 2009. Gordon is being recognized for his work as honorary chairman and spokesperson for the "Race into Cub Scouting" national recruiting program. He will also be honored for his personal humanitarian efforts, including the work of The Jeff Gordon Foundation that he formed in 1999. Since its inception, the foundation has raised more than $7 million for children's charities. The award will be presented by dignitaries including Rick Cronk, retired president, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream and volunteer past president, BSA; and Robert Mazzuca, current chief Scout executive of BSA. Duke Energy's group executive and chief legal officer Marc E. Manly is serving as the dinner's chairman. The featured speaker will be Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. The Silver Buffalo award, Scouting's highest commendation, recognizes the invaluable contributions that outstanding American men and women render to youth on a national level. Past recipients of the award include Charles Lindbergh, Walt Disney, Hank Aaron, General Colin Powell, and 13 Presidents of the United States.(prnewswire.com)

Fairgrounds Speedway at Nashville offers NASCAR testing: Fairgrounds Speedway at Nashville is extending a helping hand to NASCAR race teams by making the famed 5/8ths-mile track available as a testing facility. According to the track’s new promoter, Nashville businessman Danny Denson, plans to make the facility available as a testing site for NASCAR’s top three divisions, the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, have been met with a great amount of enthusiasm by NASCAR teams. Once the site of two Cup races per year, NASCAR’s last Cup race was held at the track in 1984. The track hosted a Busch event and Craftsman Truck race each year until 2000 when the leaseholder, Dover Motorsports moved the events to their new facility, Nashville Superspeedway, located near Lebanon, Tennessee. Since then, the track has continued to host a popular weekly racing series topped by Late Model, SuperTruck and Sportsman divisions.(Middle Tennessee Racing News)

Philanthropists support the Childress Institute: News of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma and its needs has touched the hearts of many generous donors who have recently made significant contributions. Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has announced a $1 million commitment from John L. Morris, founder and chief executive officer of Bass Pro Shops, to the Childress Institute. An additional $1 million pledge has been made by an anonymous private family foundation. Another recent gift was made by the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Foundation, established by Eddie Smith, owner and CEO of Grady-White Boats Inc., of Greenville, N.C. The Smith Foundation made a $250,000 commitment to the Institute for research and expansion of programs in pediatric trauma care. To date, contributors have given nearly $2 million to the Childress Institute, and pledges total almost $8.5 million. On July 30, 2008, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the Richard Childress family announced the formation of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma. The Childress Institute’s mission is to significantly improve survival rates of children nationwide who suffer serious injuries and reduce the lifelong impact of traumatic injuries in children. Richard Childress and his family have provided $5 million to the Medical Center to initiate the project. Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and the Childress family are working with corporations and individuals to raise awareness and an additional $20 million to establish the Institute’s endowment fund. For more information on the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma visit www.childresspediatrictrauma.org.(RCR PR)

Johnson isn't blaming beard

By David Poole/charlotteobserver.com

Jimmie Johnson chuckled Saturday when he was told that at least some of his fans think the beard he now sports is 'bad luck" and that those fans would like to see him shave to get his season turned around after three races.

"I've heard a variety of opinions from the fans," said Johnson, who has finished 31st, ninth and 24th while wearing the beard. "Some love it and some hate it. But again, if momma likes it, it's staying."

Momma, in this case, is Johnson's wife, Chandra. So that pretty much is that.

Besides, Johnson argues, luck isn't why he's 19th in the standings.

"I disagree on the unlucky thing," he said. "We've created most of the issues we've had. It hasn't been the beard."

Kurt Busch dominant in Atlanta win

By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga. — Chalk one up for the older brother.

Kurt Busch scored an emphatic victory in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but he needed a pass in the final two laps to back up brother Kyle Busch’s win last week in Las Vegas.

With his No. 2 Penske Dodge on four fresh tires, Busch rocketed past race leader Carl Edwards moments after a restart for a green-white-checkered-flag finish that sent the race five laps beyond its posted distance of 325 laps.

Series points leader Jeff Gordon also passed Edwards on Lap 329 and finished second, trailing Busch to the finish line by .332 seconds. Gordon extended his lead in the points standings to 43 points over Clint Bowyer, who ran sixth.

“Good things come to those who wait,” said the race winner, after running a victory lap in reverse around the 1.54-mile speedway. “We waited over a year and a half with this COT (NASCAR’s new racecar) to find a good package, and we’ve had that to start off 2009.”

This is the second year in a row the Busch brothers have won back-to-back races. Kyle won June 22 at Infineon and Kurt won the next week at New Hampshire (and then Kyle kept the Busch family in victory lane with wins in the next two races, at Daytona and Chicago).

“That’s neat,” Busch said of the back-to-back wins with Kyle, who also won the spring race in Atlanta in 2008. “I’ve got to hold my end of the bargain, because Kyle’s on the gas right now. I’ve got to thank guys like Carl for racing me clean at the end, and Jeff Gordon was strong all day.

“When you beat those two kinds of guys here at Atlanta—especially on a day when it reminded me of Darlington. … This place will just chew you up and spit you out, and we had the handle.”

Busch led six times for 234 laps, 70 more than he led the entire 2008 season.

Edwards held on to third and gained five positions to fourth in points, 87 behind Gordon. Kevin Harvick and Brian Vickers ran fourth and fifth, respectively, despite falling off the lead lap when the third caution of the race trapped them during a cycle of green-flag pit stops.

Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart, who also regained lost laps, finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Three-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson came home ninth, and Martin Truex Jr. ran 10th, despite passing a kidney stone Saturday night in the emergency room of a local hospital.

Gordon had to overcome a clutch problem to nail down the runner-up finish.

“We were fast,” Gordon said. “We keep having little issues that keep popping up that we have to overcome—last week with the fender (at Las Vegas), this week with the clutch. And these guys (pit crew) are just flawless. They’re just not skipping a beat.

“We’re going to win races. We’re getting close. That was a heck of a battle there for second—had a lot of fun. We’ll keep knocking on the door until we get into victory lane.”

Jimmy Watts, gas man for the No. 47 Toyota of Marcos Ambrose, threw a monkey wrench into the entire proceedings on Lap 68, when he chased a runaway tire into the grass of the quad-oval below the frontstretch grandstands.

NASCAR called a caution for safety reasons and interrupted a cycle of green-flag stops, trapping the majority of the field a lap down. When Johnson restarted in the lead on Lap 74, Bowyer, Truex, Edwards and Busch were the only lead-lap cars lined up behind him. Nine others, including Gordon, Vickers, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the green ahead of Johnson on the tail end of the lead lap.

Earnhardt, who finished 11th, was lapped twice thereafter but used two “lucky dogs” (free passes to the top lapped car in the running order) to return to the lead lap. Hamlin, Kahne, Harvick, Stewart, Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton also took advantage of one free pass each.

Notes: After retrieving the wandering tire and causing the third caution, Watts was suspended for the remainder of the race. … The victory was the 19th of Busch’s Cup career, tying him for 33rd on the all-time list with Fonty Flock, Davey Allison and Buddy Baker. … Johnson’s ninth-place run vaulted him to 13th in the Cup standings, one spot outside the Chase-eligible positions. … Earnhardt jumped five positions to 24th in points with his 11th-place run.

Kurt -- yes, Kurt -- Busch slides to win

By Ed Hinton/ESPN.com

HAMPTON, Ga. -- A little Paul Simon music, please: Slip-sliding away … slip-sliding away …

The nearer their destination -- race dominator and winner Kurt Busch -- the more Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Brian Vickers and others kept slip-sliding away.

Yes, Kurt Busch. The other brother. Kyle Busch was the one who won last week at Las Vegas.

On Sunday, it was Kurt Busch who won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, even after scraping the wall twice, sliding around on a mysterious tire structure Goodyear had brought here that confounded all the drivers.

"Everybody was slip-sliding," said the victorious elder Busch brother, who had only one win last season while his brother was burning up the Cup tour. "Maybe we were sliding less, but that's just due to the setup [crew chief] Pat Tryson gave me."

Team owner Roger Penske thought it was more than that. It was his driver.

Perched high atop the grandstands with the spotters, Penske saw that "Kurt ran a foot off the wall all day long, and kept the car underneath him."

Come to think of it, Busch admitted, "Right up by the wall, I was grinning ear to ear. This place, I love it, because it feels like Darlington, it feels like the old Rockingham. You race the racetrack.

"At times it got a little loose, and at times I overdrove it and got into trouble -- brushed the wall, scraped the wall. That's when you've got to refocus, and get back to racing the racetrack."

However he did it, he won this race every which way. He dominated, leading far and away the most laps (234). Then when the race went into green-white-checkered overtime, with Edwards leading, Busch second and Gordon third, Penske thought to himself: "We've led the most laps, so we won't win."

That's the way it often turns out.

But on that final restart, Busch blasted around Edwards to retake the lead for keeps on the first lap of overtime, and then held off Gordon's onslaught on the last lap.

Gordon, making his strongest bid this season to break a losing streak that dates back to October 2007, was Busch's most serious challenger in the second half of the race.

Gordon could get to, and sometimes around, Busch, and then Gordon would slip-slide away.

Going into the overtime, "I felt like I had a real shot at it," Gordon said. "I certainly would have liked to have beaten that 2 [Busch] off the pit road. I was pretty sure [Busch and I] were going to get around the 99 [Edwards, who led going into the final restart]."

Even sitting in third, "I got a run on the 2 on the restart, and he saw me coming, and we about got into the fence going into [Turn] 1."

Then Gordon fell in behind Busch, and after they passed Edwards, Gordon went slip-sliding away.

"Don't put all the blame on Goodyear," Gordon admonished. "I will challenge any tire manufacturer out there to build a tire for this car, at this racetrack.

"It's impossible."

AMS is one of the fastest tracks in NASCAR, but its surface is worn, and it eats up tires. And the controversial new car design puts extreme stress on tires, especially on the right side.

So Goodyear was trying to make the tire tough enough to withstand the speeds and the grinding at this place, and wound up with a mystery tire.

"I give them credit for trying," Gordon said. "They were trying to do some things with the construction, based on some comments drivers made about how much the cars were moving around on the straightaways and getting into the corners.

"It didn't pay off. We didn't, at least with the 24 car, have any real wear issues where we were going to blow tires. We just didn't have any grip. It had grip for one lap, and that was about it. Kind of like the old Darlington, except the tires aren't wearing out.

"It's a strange thing. I really don't know how to explain it."

Vickers was running Busch down before the lengthy debris cleanup that forced the race into overtime. But Vickers had a bad pit stop under the final caution, and fell out of reach of Busch for the finish.

"We fought all day, and lost it there at the end on the pit stop," Vickers said.

Could he really have given Busch a run? "I think we definitely had the car for it," he said, but acknowledged that "we were running the same line, so it wasn't going to be easy to pass him."

But Vickers said his car was better in the middle of, and late in, runs. With a lengthy caution period cooling off tires before the green-white-checkered, well …

Vickers, rather than Gordon, might have been the last guy to go slip-sliding away behind Kurt -- repeat, Kurt -- Busch, who was either on a rail Sunday or just better at slip-sliding than 42 other drivers.

Has Kurt felt disrespected this past year or so, in the shadow of his younger brother?

"Not at all," Kurt said. "The kid has been dominant, and been on the gas. … When you're good, you're good.

"And we hope we've turned a corner."

Ed Hinton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

Thinkin’ Out Loud

Kobalt Tools 500

Matt McLaughlin · Frontstretch.com

The Key Moment: Kurt Busch dominated the race but a late race caution and a two tire stop put Carl Edwards at the head of the pack. Busch was able to easily retake the lead when the green flag flew.

In a Nutshell: It looks like this new Dodge engine is going to work out all right.

Dramatic Moment: Kurt Busch pretty much had his way all afternoon but that final caution flag gave the rest of the top 5 cars a final shot at him.

A crew member of Marcos Ambrose’s team made an ill advised stroll onto the tri-oval grass to retrieve a wayward tire, trapping many competitive cars a lap down during a cycle of green flag pit stops.

What They’ll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week

OK, it seems political correctness has gone out the window once and for all and NASCAR better wake up and smell the coffee. Prior to the race, Junior his Very Own Exalted Self weighed in on the tire wear issue at Atlanta. “This is a hell of an excuse for a race car. It is hard to drive. It makes everybody’s job harder, even Goodyear’s.” One Hell of an excuse for a race car? That’s less than a ringing endorsement from a fellow who actually has to pilot one of Brian France’s multi-make clown cars. Maybe we ought to see if Brian could drive one of these rolling abortions home from Happy Hour without hitting another palm tree.

How good was it to see a race winner drinking a beer rather than a soft drink in victory lane again?

Apparently attendance is an issue that stretches beyond the seats in Chicken Bone Alley at Atlanta. A good friend with inside information tells me only half the corporate suites at the track were full on Sunday.

You’ve got to love it any time the circuit arrives at any track owned by Bruton Smith because you just know the Big Guy is going to have something quotable to say. Smith feels that it’s time for the season finale to move from Homestead back to Atlanta where the circuit held its finale for so many years. Of course O. Bruton put it a bit more colorfully than most, noting; “Why have the last race of the season at some Godforsaken area just north of Cuba?” Speak on, Preacher. The congregation hears you.

I’ve had a few people ask me via email this week whether I actually read the comments that are attached to my articles. Naturally I do. I appreciate the positive comments and I respect the opinions of folks who feel differently than I do. (Though I remain confused by folks who tell me if I don’t like the current state of Cup racing I shouldn’t watch. Doesn’t that beg the question, if they don’t like what I do, why read it?) This week certain individual posters, one in particular, took my negative opinion of the Fontana race to task. Again I respect those dissenting opinions. If they choose to buy tickets to Fontana I’m good with that as long as they aren’t taking the hard earned money out of my wallet to buy them. This week the loyal opposition (and I use that term affectionately not cynically) put forth the proposition that the flat multi-use tracks like Fontana provide better racing because the action is more cerebral than visceral. If I am interpreting their comments correctly, certain folks enjoy these races because to succeed at tracks like Fontana the team has to bring their A game to the track aerodynamically and horsepower wise. Drivers have to be mentally prepared for a 500 mile gauntlet and crew chiefs must change strategy on the fly when cautions fall in a certain manner that alters fuel mileage and tire strategies. In saying so, proponents of these races and tracks are correct and I respect that opinion, just as I realize some people would rather watch a chess match than an outdoor motocross event. In my opinion (and that’s in fact what these columns are…opinions not oracles) the racing at Michigan (the original multi-use track) was better back in the day when the draft played a large part in determining the outcome of the races though strategy was always a big part of the game too. And therein lays my complaint with today’s races like Fontana. The Car of Tomorrow won’t draft anywhere but the plate tracks. In fact due to the aerodynamic deficiencies of the new car, the overtaking car is at a decided disadvantage to the car ahead of it due to aero push..an issue I think the new design was meant to address but has not. So when NASCAR finally admits the Car of Sorrow is a like a Chihuahua, a high strung, unpredictable mutt that just won’t hunt, it behooves their design of the Car of Next Month to have the boxcar aerodynamics of the Glory Days cars of the late eighties. Your mileage may vary. OK, Bob?

I saw this one coming like a train wreck but I hesitate to comment on it in these PC times. I get a ton of those annoying FW emails each day from friends, strangers and fellow countrymen and this week I got one with the title “Digger and the White House.” I’m a glutton for punishment so I clicked on the link (since thankfully removed) that played a two minute parody of David Hill’s Little Digger cartoon character as a blatantly offensive and racist parody of President Barrack Obama. I’ll let your imagination fill in the blanks, because it was just that hateful and obscene whether you support the current administration or dislike it.

Another hot button issue I am hearing about from fans is the new Truck series pit road rules that only allow teams to change tires or add fuel during a single pit stop. While the majority of fans I have heard from disapprove of the rule, I like it. I understand that it’s a rule enacted to help the truck teams save money and that can only be a good thing given the troubled state of the series and the dearth of full time teams right now. Yes, it will take awhile for the teams to adapt to the rules to their best advantage but once they do it ought to make the racing more interesting.

Another sign of the times or a sign the time of their time is gone? Todd Bodine has finished first, second and third in the first three truck series this races, but unless a sponsor steps up to the plate before Martinsville in three weeks time, his team won’t be making the haul to the race. Somebody please step up to the plate and back the 30 team. You don’t think that the Truck series is falling out of favor just because Toyotas have won all three of the series races this season and have claimed twelve of fifteen possible top 5 finishing positions do you? Fans of other disciplines of motor sports can testify that when it comes to racing, Toyota’s motto is “I came, I saw, I conquered, I split,” usually leaving nothing but dust and ashes in their wake. If I were Brian France, I’d be sure I’d got my last free oil change on my Lexus prior to November.

Hey, maybe they are listening! If nothing else FOX proved that when it comes to the pre-race show, less is more. Just thank goodness they were still able to work in the animated Digger segment. My life is Digger. Everything else is just waiting. Not.

It’s sad to say, but if the fans in Atlanta want to continue having two Cup races a year, they better start showing up at the turnstiles. Bruton Smith is probably going to have to move one of his races to get a second date at Vegas and the difference in the crowds between last Sunday and this Sunday was notable.

I might be getting to the party late but personal commitments Friday night meant I had to follow qualifying on the computer. I didn’t realize that SPEED was showing qualifying with tape delay until I talked to a friend who was watching the coverage live and he was about five cars behind the live action.

Isn’t it sad that the only place race fans see Kyle Petty this year is during commercial breaks?

The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune

Joey Logano is going to be lucky to have a ceiling fan left if he doesn’t start running faster soon. Speaking of soon…it seems like he made the leap to the bigs a year too soon.

Mark Martin started on the pole but was never a real factor in the race. A blown tire just added to his misery.

Atlanta’s favorite son Bill Elliott had a credible run going for the Wood Brothers until Sam Hornish finally got around to finishing off the wreck he’d been hinting at causing most of the race.

Jimmie Johnson had a car that appeared able to keep Kurt Busch honest but a pit road speeding penalty cost him a shot at the win.

Doug Yates watched both his cars succumb to engine problems during the race.

The “Seven Come Fore Eleven” Award For Fine Fortune

About the only thing that Kurt Busch wore out more than the rest of the field was his right side sheet metal. Despite visiting the Wall more than Pink Floyd, Busch hung on to win the race. Busch also had to overcome refueling issues in the pits to win the race.

Clutch problems could easily have brought Jeff Gordon’s day to a premature end but he soldiered on to a second place finish.

If you think passing other cars is tough, try passing a kidney stone. Martin Truex did so on Saturday night and yet came back to post a top 10 finish on Sunday.

Carl Edwards’ team struggled in the pits all day, costing their driver numerous spots during the race, but Edwards managed to finish third anyway.

Tony Stewart’s team nearly sunk their boy’s battle ship when they only got three gallons of fuel into the Old Spice car during a botched stop but a timely caution allowed Stewart to come away from Atlanta with a top 10 finish.

Worth Noting

• On Friday, Mark Martin posted his first pole winning run since Richmond in the spring of 2001. Joey Logano was ten years old at the time. Martin noted that the pole winning run was a sphincter tightening moment for him in not so many words. Keep on trucking, you crazy old man.
• Kurt Busch won for the first time since Loudon last year, a race that ended early due to the weather. His last win prior to that was at Michigan in 2007.
• Jeff Gordon finished second for the second time this season and for the third time since he last won a Cup event.
• The top 10 finishers at Atlanta drove six Chevys, two Dodges, a Ford and a Toyota.
• Joey Logano’s 30th place finish eclipsed his rookie rival, Scott Speed’s, 35th place result.
• Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart have top 10 finishes in three of this year’s four points paying races run to date.
• Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne are the only two drivers in the top 10 in points who haven’t scored a top 5 finish this year. I can’t be the only one who has noticed that Kahne’s sponsor’s Creepy Chicks ads haven’t been a part of this year’s plethora of ads during race broadcasts.
• Of the drivers who finished in the top 10 in last year’s Atlanta spring race, five of them duplicated the feat this year. (Gordon, Harvick, Vickers, Bowyer and Stewart.) Jeff Gordon is the only driver to post top 10 results in the last three Atlanta Cup races. Gordon hasn’t finished worse than twelfth in the last eight Atlanta Cup races.
• Brian Vickers managed his first top 5 finish since Michigan last spring.
• Kasey Kahne scored his first top 10 result since last year’s Homestead season finale. Martin Truex’s last top 10 result occurred in that same race.

What’s the Points?

Repeat after me….it’s way too early to start worrying about points.

That being said Jeff Gordon continues to lead the standings with a 43 point margin over second place Clint Bowyer. Kurt Busch’s win propels him forward four spots to third, a mere three points behind Bowyer. Carl Edwards moves up five spots to fourth in the standings.

Brian Vickers moves up six spots to enter the top 12 in the standings in eleventh.

Jimmie Johnson moved up six spots in the standings to find himself knocking on the door of the top 12 in 13th in the standings.

Michael Waltrip falls out of the top 12 in the standings, tumbling four spots to 16th. David Reutimann fell seven spots but is still clinging to 12th in the standings.

The only people who need to be sweating the points right now are those drivers trying to stay in the top 35 in the standings. After Bristol in two weeks time, only the top 35 teams in this year’s standings are guaranteed a spot in the subsequent races. Among the notables flirting with that 35th place mark are Martin Martin (34th), Joey Logano (33rd) and Ryan Newman (32nd) .

Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic) We’ll give this one three cans of lukewarm beer. Yeah, Busch pretty much dominated but Gordon and Vickers kept him honest at times. With two laps left to go it was anyone’s race but Busch was able to spring forward when it counted.

Next Up: Well this is odd. Next weekend the circuit takes a week off just four races deep into the season that includes damn few off weekends from now until Thanksgiving. Perhaps FOX can air a Digger Cartoon Marathon next Sunday to fill the air time.

Tom Higgins Scuffs

The day Tiny Lund met his match

By Tom Higgins

Stock car racing fans attending a 250-lapper at the Greensboro Agricultural Fairgrounds on April 28, 1957, got two shows for the price of one.

There was the NASCAR race, of course, an 83.25-mile event on a .333-mile track.  Paul Goldsmith took the checkered flag in a Ford fielded by Smokey Yunick and won $700.

However, a "preliminary" probably was the highlight that day.

It was a brawl between the giant Tiny Lund, whose nickname was a misnomer, and NASCAR pioneer Lee Petty - with Papa Lee's teenage sons, Richard and Maurice, and even his wife, Elizabeth, joining in.

The ruckus took place on a flatbed trailer that was being used as a stage for driver introductions.

I didn't see the incident, and wasn't even aware of it before being told the tale by the late, great driving champion Tim Flock while researching a story on NASCAR feuds and fights.

"Oh, by far the best fight I ever saw was between Tiny and the Petty family," Tim said with a wide grin. "Even now, 30 or so years later, when I think about it, the thing makes me laugh so hard it brings tears to my eyes.

"Lee and Tiny passed each other on the stage, and one of them made a remark to the other.  Then the fists started flying."

Lund, who stood 6-6 and weighed about 300 pounds, had driven five races earlier in the '57 season for Lee's racing operation, Petty Enterprises.

"They'd had a falling-out over something, probably money," continued Flock, a two-time champion who posted 39 victories and was honored as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers just before cancer took his life in 1998.

"Lee was as tough a guy as they come.  But at about 6-3 and maybe 175 he was no match for Tiny.

"Big ol' Tiny was pounding Lee unmercifully.

"Richard and Maurice (then 19 and 18, respectively) rushed to the trailer bed to the rescue of their daddy.

"Danged if Tiny wasn't putting a whipping on all three of them. Tiny was so big and stout they couldn't handle him."

Flock began laughing so hard that he had to pause before continuing.  And, sure enough, tears came to his eyes.

"This is when Mrs. Petty got into it," Tim continued. "I couldn't believe my eyes when she went on that stage and started pummeling Tiny in the head with her purse.

"She was putting pump-knots on Tiny's head with that handbag!

"The reason that it was such a weapon was because Mrs. Petty had a .38 pistol inside it!"

And nowadays, drivers and their teammates, who'll be racing this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, think they're being macho if they simply shove a rival.

Anyway, the head-banging with the handbag ended the fight.

Lee Petty, who won three championships and 54 races, died in April of 2000 at age 86. He finished sixth in that long-ago race at Greensboro. Tiny Lund, who lost his life at 39 in a Talladega 500 crash in 1975, placed 13th.

I didn't dare write the feudin' and fightin' story until checking with Richard Petty, destined to become a 200-race winner and seven-time champion. I had to determine if Tim's memory of the incident after so many years was correct.

"That's just how it was," Richard said with a grin. "It was quite a deal."

I asked Richard if his mother would be embarrassed if I used her name and related her part in the brouhaha.

"Embarrassed?!" replied Richard. "Man, she's right proud of it."

Are Junior’s comments legitimate or just whining?

By Richard Allen/racingwithrich.com

Between practice sessions on Saturday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway Dale Earnhardt, Jr. told his feelings about the track surface, tires and the Car of Tomorrow.

This column is only to a degree about track surfaces, tires and the CoT. The real point to this column is that not matter what Junior says about anything, it is news. Then, after his remarks are published the real fun begins as his fans and his haters debate what was just said.

Whether non Junior fans like it or not, he is one of the most important voices in NASCAR. This is true not because he wins so often or has claimed so many championships, but rather, because he is so immensely popular. Winning or not, the media is going to go to Junior to see what he thinks and because he has so many fans NASCAR will also have to listen.

“It’s slick,” Junior said. “It’s an old race track. It’s like Rockingham used to be years ago. I don’t mind it. It’s fine.”

Typically, older track surfaces make for better racing. Just after tracks have been repaved there is usually so much grip that every car will stick right to the bottom of the track. The bottom groove is the short way, and thus the fast way, around when there is plenty of grip.

Fans who enjoy good racing should be glad to hear Earnhardt or any other driver say they like the tracks with rough surfaces.

Earnhardt went on to add that the root of the problem in the lack of grip in Atlanta was not the track surface or even necessarily the tires. The real problem according to Junior is the Car of Tomorrow. When asked if the CoT was playing a role in the troubles many drivers were complaining about he said, “100 percent. This is … this is a hell of an excuse for a race car. It’s hard to drive. It makes everybody’s job harder. Even Goodyear’s.”

There are things to like about the CoT and things to not like about it. Personally, I like the fact that the car is hard to drive and causes these highly paid drivers to complain. So, I was glad to hear Junior say he didn’t mind the rough surfaces but I’m going to have to chalk this statement about the car up to whining.

Junior has only won one race in the new car, so his complaints likely have a basis in his lack of success.

Many drivers could be put on the list of whiners in regard to the CoT. But, not every driver is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Had any of 40 other drivers in the garage made the same statement Junior made no one would have bothered to write it down. Only Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and possibly Jimmie Johnson get anywhere near the same amount of attention from the media as Junior.

The strange thing about whenever Junior makes any statement is that it becomes news whenever Junior makes any statement. Many e-mails and comments I get criticize the media for publicizing everything he says. However, the pure and simple truth is that a person who is that popular gets publicity because it is what people what to see and hear.

Even those who are critical of the media for making known whatever Junior says still go ahead and read or listen to whatever Junior says.

Whether he be commenting on the CoT, tires, track surfaces or any other issue in racing it is going to make headlines. Then, the debate will be on in the comments sections and message boards as to whether or not Junior is a legitimate voice in NASCAR or he is just a whiner. 

Five Points To Ponder

Kobalt Tools 500

Mike Lovecchio · Frontstretch.com

Busch-whacked

Kyle Busch may be the one making headlines early with wins across NASCAR’s three national series in the first month, but it was big brother Kurt who made the statement Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. Kurt led more laps Sunday (235) than he did in all of 2007 (164) and made it back-to-back wins for the Busch brothers. It was the first time brothers won consecutive races since…well…the Busch’s did it in 2008. Kyle may be the one with more publicity, but after four races it is Kurt leading him in the standings making me wonder – taking Nationwide and truck races out of it, which brother will have the better 2009 Sprint Cup season? It’s a tougher question than many would think.

More bad luck for Mark

I’m not sure if Mark Martin haters even exist, but if they did, not even they would have thought Martin would sit 34th in driver points after four races. The popular pick for the 2009 championship is now in danger of falling out of the top 35 in owner points….but don’t expect it to happen. Not only is Martin one of the 50 greatest NASCAR drivers of all time, but Alan Gustafson is also one of the top young crew chiefs in the sport. They’ve run well enough to know good finishes are on the horizon, but odds are starting to stack up against them making a Chase berth this season.

Oops!

I won’t rip into Marcos Ambrose’s crew member who felt it necessary to run onto the tri-oval grass to retrieve a lost tire as much as I’m sure most columnists will today, but let me just say it was very poor judgment on his part. I don’t know if any sort of punishment will come out of it, but anyone who’s grown up around any track knows better than to be that close to a green racetrack. It’s common sense. Crew members are as much in the public eye as ever and anyone who makes a mistake like that should be held accountable for his actions.

Truex braves out a top 10

It’s no secret Martin Truex Jr. is a diehard Philadelphia Eagles football fan and this week he raced through pain with intensity that would make former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins proud. Truex made an unexpected trip to the regional hospital Saturday where he was diagnosed with kidney stones and Sunday he raced his way from a 23rd starting spot to a 10th place finish. Kurt Busch and the Ambrose crew member will be the main stories from this weekend, but Truex’s determination should deserve the same recognition.

4-for-4 for 44

A.J. Allmendinger continues to surprise fans this season. He and Tony Stewart are now the only drivers on the outside of the top 35 in owner points to make all four races this season. With his 17th place finish Sunday the ‘Dinger moves up to 20th in driver points and is in a comfortable enough position in owner points that all he has to do is make the Bristol field in two weeks and he’ll be safe for Martinsville.

Five Notes to Ponder:

Safety, safety, safety: NASCAR has put a premium on safety which is what makes the whole runaway crew member fiasco such a shame. A 2008 decision by the sanctioning body to put soft walls on inside walls prevented a possible injury to Colin Braun in Saturday’s truck race. The soft wall absorbed the major head on collision and Braun walked away.

Speed struggling: Joey Logano has gotten off to a rough start in ’09, but it’s fellow rookie Scott Speed who is currently 30 points out of the top 35 in owner points.

Good day gone bad for Elliott: Dawsonville, Ga. native Bill Elliott had a solid run going before being collected in an accident with Sam Hornish Jr. Elliott finished 36th.

Unlucky 13: Bobby Labonte spun twice and succumbed to engine failure resulting in a 13 spot drop in points from 10th to 23rd.

Five with 3 top 10s: Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers are the lone drivers with three top 10s this season.

Well, that's all for today.  Until the next time, I remain,

Your Nascar 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!"

his list is authored by:

Sandra Monacelli
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