Happy Friday.  Habbajeeba, we made it through the week!  

Today In Nascar History

May 1, 1994:  Greg Sacks, the surprise winner of the 1985 Pepsi 400 at Daytona, picks up his 20th and final top-10 of his 263-race Cup career with a sixth-place finish in the Winston Select 500 at Talladega. In addition to his win, Sacks finished in the top five two other times.

For those of you who wish to read about David Poole, following are links to what his contemporaries are saying and writing:

Charlotte Observer:
* Recent Poole columns
* David Poole's Life in the Turn Lane
* Poole's recent posts on Facebook
What people are saying about David Poole;
Poole legacy: Fans' writer by Tom Sorensen;
NASCAR is going to miss this guy by Jim Utter;
Poole's best: Dale's lucky penny;
Poole's Best: On the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr.

ESPN:  David Poole lived his dream by Terry Blount

Bump Drafts: NASCAR’s Premier Scribe Will Be Missed by Jim McCoy

the fingerprint inc.: Why Poole's Passing is Sad for the Sport by Jade Gurss

Frontstretch: Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off : Remembering David Poole (1959-2009) by Matt McLaughlin;

Jeff Gordon Online: Ode To The Storyteller by Larry

Sports Illustrated: NASCAR loses its most authoritative voice, David Poole by Lars Anderson

Comments from the Peanut Gallery

From Tom P

Delores and I went out to Denny Hamlin’s 2nd annual Short Track Showdown last night over at the Southside Speedway.  Kyle Busch won it with Denny coming in 2nd.  Kyle had the pole from the start and never relinquished it.  He had a strong car and could beat Denny on the restarts after each caution period.  Delores loves the wrecks !!!!  They had a couple fender benders to delight her !!! I ain't going anywhere near RIR, it's a freaking zoo over that side of town !!!  Cool and damp here today.

G.C.

Bits and Pieces

Cup teams to honor David Poole with special decal at Richmond

By SceneDaily Staff

RICHMOND, Va. – Several NASCAR Sprint Cup teams are carrying logos honoring the late David Poole this weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

The four Hendrick Motorsports cars are carrying a logo that has "DCP" for David Carl Poole and is in Carolina blue in honor of his alma mater, the University of North Carolina, in remembrance of the reporter who covered NASCAR for The Charlotte Observer and also hosted a program on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s cars are also carrying a decal honoring the writer. The logo on the Stewart-Haas cars reads, “In Memory of David Poole 1959-2009” and includes images of a fountain pen and a microphone.

Cars for Roush Fenway Racing, Penske Racing and Richard Childress Racing are among others also carrying decals.

Poole died Tuesday at the age of 50.

Dodge remains committed to NASCAR despite Chrysler bankruptcy

Despite filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection, Dodge said they remain committed to NASCAR, for now.

Chrysler, Dodge’s parent company, had been given a deadline by the US government to formulate a restructuring plan. Talks on a plan fell apart at the last minute and the struggling automaker filed for bankruptcy in New York.

It’s widely believed that Fiat will become a majority owner of Chrysler in the near future, perhaps as early as this month.

Mike Accavitti, director of brand marketing and strategy for Dodge Motorsports said that merger would include continued NASCAR involvement at least in the near term.
“NASCAR is a strategic part of our marketing plan and the Dodge brand,” Accavitti said. “We plan to continue our Dodge sponsorship and relationship into the foreseeable future.”

General Motors has a deadline of June 1st to come up with their own restructuring plan.

Crew Member Suspended For Rule Violations At Kansas Speedway

NASCAR suspended a crewmember in the Camping World Truck Series Thursday. Wesley Lane, a crewmember for the No. 90 team was suspended for six races for rule violations at Kansas Speedway. According to NASCAR Lane permitted someone else from using his NASCAR license.  Lane was also placed on probation until the end of the year.

Kyle Busch wins Hamlin charity event: Denny Hamlin spent much of last night chasing after Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch at Southside Speedway. Busch, assuming the lead on Lap 11 when pole-sitter Chris Dodson suffered mechanical failure, led the final 165 laps to win this charity event for the second year in a row. And while Hamlin couldn't pull ahead of Busch, his foundation may have finished ahead of expectations during his Short Track Showdown, which benefits the Denny Hamlin Foundation. "It was a great night, and we doubled what we did last year," Hamlin said. "It shows what great fans there are here." Hamlin may have exceeded his goal of raising $100,000 -- twice as much as the foundation earned in the inaugural showdown last year. The foundation received 100 percent of the gate receipts. Hamlin highlighted an all-star charity event that included JGR Sprint Cup rookie Joey Logano, two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart and 1983 Cup champion Bobby Allison, who served as grand marshal. (Richmond Times Dispatch)

Combos colors for the #18 at RIR: The Combos colors will adorn the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch this weekend ay Richmond for the first and only time in 2009. The orange Combo’s scheme turned out to be good luck in its only appearance for Busch in 2008, where he won the June event at Dover. Combos is giving guys the chance to upgrade their favorite manly hangouts with the Combos “Ultimate Man Zone Sweepstakes.” The Combo’s Man Zone will be on hand in the fan midway this weekend at Richmond.(JGR PR)

Cheez-It scheme returns for Martin: Cheez-It again will adorn the hood of the #5 Chevy of Mark Martin this weekend. Cheez-It was also on the hood at Texas Motor Speedway in April where the the #5 Chevy finished sixth. Cheez-It has two more races with the #5 team this year: Darlington in May and Pocono in August.(HMS PR)

Edwards joins up to help fight hunger: #99-Carl Edwards is scheduled to announce four GroGood edible gardens planted at the Richmond International Raceway. The gardens, a part of the GroGood Campaign, created in partnership with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Plant a Row for the Hungry and Feeding America, will provide fresh produce to those at risk for hunger in the Richmond area. Fans can also take the GroGood pledge during race weekend at the ScottsMiracle-Gro display adjacent to the hospitality pavilion to "grow a garden for the greater good." Each person who takes the pledge will receive a reusable GroGood grocery bag (while supplies last). To launch the GroGood pledge campaign, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company will donate 1 million pounds of produce to Feeding America and call on Americans to help double that donation by pledging to grow and donate an additional 1 million pounds of fresh produce to help feed those at risk for hunger. For more information or to take the pledge, please visit www.GroGood.com.(PR)

Andretti and Front Row Motorsports Head to Richmond: “Richmond is a favorite of a lot of guys. It’s a short track, but it’s a ‘bigger’ short track too. It’s unique in a lot of ways. It will wear your neck out more than Bristol will. You never stop turning at Richmond. The whole straightaway is a turn. The only rest you get is about the two seconds you go down the back. I like the fact that it’s a ‘racers’ track. I think a lot of guys agree. You can race down at the bottom, run the middle or run the top. You never know where the race is going to be won. It’s been won from all three. It’s a great little track. There is ‘rooting’ and ‘gouging’, but this isn’t Martinsville. We can put on a great show and usually always do. I’m sure after Talladega, a bunch of us are looking forward to it. Our team, Front Row Motorsports with Window World support this weekend, has overachieved in some areas and underachieved in others. We’re looking at the areas that we can get better and trying to capitalize on that. We’re still a new race team. People have spoken about the new teams that have come in this season, but this is a whole new team too. Sure, Front Row Motorsports has been around for while, but this is a whole new team. We have a new location (Statesville, N.C.), new people, new parts, different equipment and a lot of good things going on. The only thing that is the same is the team name, Front Row Motorsports and Bob Jenkins (team owner). We’re getting our legs underneath us. We’re a July, August team. I don’t mean we’re going to be chasing down Hendrick Motorsports at that time, but we’re certainly going to be making strides forward at that point. Right now, it’s one race at a time. The next race is in Richmond. Our hope is to have another good night and continue to build with this team.” This is the last race before Andretti takes a hiatus from Front Row Motorsports to concentrate on the Indianapolis 500 in May. Front Row Motorsports will continue to race at Darlington and Lowe’s with a driver to be announced. (Breaking Limits PR)

#88 Team Grabs Tissot Pit Crew Win in Talladega: It’s the 4th Pit Road Win for Hendrick Motorsports Team in Last 5 Races Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #88 pit crew won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. It was the fourth pit road win in the last five races for a Hendrick Motorsports team. The other recent Hendrick winning teams were: Jimmie Johnson’s crew (at Bristol) and Jeff Gordon’s crew (at Martinsville and Texas). The quick work on pit road by the #88 crew in Talladega helped Earnhardt Jr. to a second-place finish at the 2.66-mile oval. The team’s Chevrolet Impala SS spent the least amount of time on pit road – 255.440 seconds. Earnhardt’s pit crew consists of: Kip Wolfmeier (front-tire changer), Ben Fischbeck (front-tire carrier), Greg Burkhart (rear-tire changer), Matt Myers (rear-tire carrier), Mark Jacobs (jackman), Chris Fasulka (gasman), Jason Dalrymple (catch can). The team’s pit crew coach is Mark Mauldin. The #88 team will receive $5,000 for winning the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award. After nine of 36 Sprint Cup races Gordon’s #24 crew leads in the Tissot standings and the chase for the $100,000 season bonus which will go to the team with the most pit road wins. Along with prize money, members of the season pit crew championship crew and driver will receive a Tissot watch.(Tissot PR)

Final Talladega TV Ratings: NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing posted a 5.0/12 (8.1 million viewers) on Sunday for the race from Talladega. Though that's down -12% from last year's 5.7/13 for the same race, Sunday's telecast was the top-rated event of the weekend, and was FOX's highest-rated and most-watched NASCAR event in nearly two months. Sunday's race opened with a 4.4/12 (6.9 million viewers), and grew steadily throughout the race peaking at a 6.6/15 (10.8 mill). Season-to-date, NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing on FOX is averaging a 5.5/11 (9.2 million viewers), down -13% from last year's 6.3/13, but remains the highest-rated and most-watched sport in season.

Daytona reduces ticket prices for select seats to Coke Zero 400

By SceneDaily Staff

Daytona International Speedway officials announced that prices for some tickets for the  Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race July 4 have been reduced.

The tickets, which are in the Oldfield and Lockhart Grandstands, will be reduced from $55 to $40. The $40 tickets, which go on sale Friday, are the lowest for the race since 1998.

Poole's family and friends gather - by the hundreds

By Scott Fowler/charlotteobserver.com

They held David Poole's funeral Thursday afternoon, and many of us who loved him and argued with him and frustrated him and admired him showed up.

We gathered at Parkwood Baptist Church in Gastonia, N.C., to remember Poole – hundreds of us, from all the corners of Poole's varied life. There was Poole's family. Many of his colleagues from The Charlotte Observer. NASCAR drivers and officials. Former subjects of Poole's stories. Golf buddies. Friends from his church. Competitors from the NASCAR media beat, where Poole was not just a star, but his own constellation.

Poole would have liked his funeral's crispness. He liked events that ran on time, included some good stories and then ended without dragging on for days. In a racing pressbox, when a singer stretched notes from the national anthem beyond all reason, Poole would be growling right after "the home of the brave" about how his deadline just took another hit.

There were funny stories about Poole. There were touching ones about how he had found his calling in life before dying Tuesday, at age 50, of a heart attack.

The Rev. John Bridges said that before Poole ever started elementary school in Gastonia that he used to go to the local barbershop, grab the sports magazines and read them aloud to the men having their hair cut. Many years later, Poole's own published stories would be barbershop fodder.

Poole's love for his wife Katy, his family, his job and his Gastonia roots were all well-remembered.

Poole favored a restaurant in Gastonia called R.O.'s Barbecue. His last meal, Bridges said, was slaw from R.O.'s spread on top of Saltine crackers.

"Poole never forgot where he came from," Bridges said.

Poole was blunt, generous, cranky, brainy and, always, a man of the people. He was so well-known in NASCAR circles that in some ways he was like "Norm" on the old TV show "Cheers." Everybody knew his name.

But Poole wasn't cuddly like Norm. He could be prickly, especially when he felt that NASCAR's head honchos or The Observer's head honchos or the U.S. government's head honchos had done something wrong and were a) covering it up or b) dismissing it as unimportant. Then he would start ranting, and to hear Poole in full rant was a delicious treat, as his radio listeners well knew.

Poole loved his family and sported a fine sense of humor. But he took his job very seriously. He always asked the tough questions he thought racing fans wanted answered and made sure not to mindlessly paint NASCAR in the glowing brushstrokes it prefers.

"David Poole was as much a fixture in this sport as the actual cars themselves," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said a few hours after Poole's death, and that summed it up about as well as anyone could.

At Thursday's funeral, Bridges quoted from one of the books Poole wrote in which he prominently quoted former racer Buddy Baker: "You cannot live your life in fear of what might happen next."

Said the reverend: "I don’t think David Poole ever feared what happened next."

They didn't play any music by the Eagles at Poole's funeral, but they could have. Poole was a huge fan of the group. He would argue the Eagles' place in rock history with anyone who dared to doubt their greatness.

The Eagles' Don Henley and Glenn Frey once co-wrote "Desperado" and "Tequila Sunrise" in the same week. Poole had stretches of genius like that, too, most frequently in May when two of NASCAR's biggest races are run at Lowe's Motor Speedway in an eight-day stretch.

Every day readers would get up and find their morning newspaper – or click on our Web site, www.thatsracin.com – and every day there would be two or three or four pieces from Poole, by turns sharp and eloquent.

I stood in awe of his production. Poole was a one-man machine of all things racing: Newspapers, Web sites, radio, books. You've heard of NASCAR colossus DEI? Poole was DPI - David Poole Inc.

One of the last long conversations Poole and I had concerned the Eagles just before we both attended the group's concert in Charlotte in January. We were both big admirers of Henley's lyrics. Poole said he hoped the Eagles played "Desperado" as their final encore that night, because, as he said, "there's just nowhere to go from there."

The Eagles did, indeed, end that Charlotte concert with Henley singing "Desperado."

On the way back from Poole's funeral, I listened to the song again. The final verse struck me.

It may be rainin'

But there's a rainbow above you

You better let somebody love you ...

Business in racing: Electronics company ready to kick Butt for NASCAR fans

By Erik Spanberg - Contributing Writer

Feeling the deep-throated rumble of a race car from the comfort of your couch could soon become reality.

An Ohio company specializing in audio and special effects used by pop groups and theme parks wants to bring similar technology to NASCAR fans. Guitammer Co. already sells its ButtKicker brand audio equipment for home theaters, but now it wants to go even more mainstream with audio kits designed to fit under a couch and provide the physical rumble that accompanies the roar of live sports and other events.

A partnership with NASCAR will debut later this year, with NASCAR-produced DVDs, video games and online racing aligned to work with custom wireless audio kits produced by Guitammer. Company executives call the addition of the kits, likely to sell for $299 each, a 4-D experience.

“What’s the one thing people always say when they’re watching a race?” asks Mark Luden, Guitammer president. “They say, ‘You have to be at a race to see how fast the cars are, to hear how loud they are and to feel the speed.’ That’s what we want this to be like. We want you to feel the speed.”

Details on the product can be seen at shakemycouch.com. The NASCAR-branded version has yet to be released but will likely be ready this summer.

Using a low frequency audio system, the ButtKicker sends the sound into the listener’s body, recreating the ripple effect of sound’s physical sensation. Rubber buffers placed under the furniture eliminate the thump-thump aggravation that accompanies so many souped-up car and home audio setups, the company says.

Luden anticipates eventually creating a system that syncs and links the audio from live NASCAR broadcasts with the ButtKicker for portions of races — bringing the sounds and sensations of roaring stock cars to fans’ living rooms in an all new way.

But, as Luden knows, the product has to deliver. And it has to be simple. He’s confident on both counts. Kits require minimal installation — one cord rather than a mass of them — and without too much tech-speak, he says.

If it works, other sports could soon follow suit. Racing, with its visceral elements, made for a natural first choice, Luden says.

The audio push fits in with current trends of sensory overload in entertainment, from home theaters and high-definition TVs to the emphasis on 3-D movie theaters. A new AMC movie theater in Kansas City will feature Guitammer audio beneath every seat, an experiment that could portend national expansion.

Guitammer is intent on making the initial version of the home kit, paired with NASCAR DVDs, a success. Earlier this month, the company featured the ButtKicker with NASCAR race footage as part of its display booth at a major industry trade show.

NASCAR’s endorsement should help once the company reaches the stage of trying to use the same technology for live races. The networks will likely want a piece of the audio action, as will NASCAR.

Luden is optimistic on reaching consensus.

“There is a revenue share for everyone because the user is buying a home kit, just like a TiVo,” he says. “We’ve got something that gives the viewer a better experience, that helps the property and helps the rights-holder. And, hopefully, it helps us, too. It’s a win-win-win.”

Junior's mature stance

David Teel/dailypress.com

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR's most popular driver. Has been since his father died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
The most eloquent driver?
Not so much.
Need a racing, or even worldly, issue addressed in the garage? Try Jeff Burton, Mark Martin or, depending on his mood, Tony Stewart.

Conversely, Junior seems more comfortable with hell-raisin', Bud-drinkin', good-time chasin' banter. Or fussin' and cussin' at his crew over the radio.
But this week has been refreshingly different.
Sunday at Talladega, Earnhardt finished second to Brad Keselowski after a terrifying last-lap collision that sent leader Carl Edwards' car airborne and into the catchfence protecting the main grandstand.
That spectators and/or Edwards weren't maimed or killed was a by-product of advanced technology and amazingly good fortune.
Darn near everyone associated with racing has chimed in since. Larry King even examined the subject on CNN, the equivalent of sports columnists analyzing Arlen Specter's defection to the Dems.
Few have been as measured and insightful as Earnhardt.
Maybe it's natural maturation — at age 26, Junior was not prepared to confront his father's violent death and assume his role as racing icon. Or maybe it's the influence of Hendrick Motorsports combined with his divorce from the team owned by his stepmother.
Regardless, despite standing a pedestrian 15th in points entering Saturday's race at Richmond, Earnhardt has rarely measured better.
His primary message was directed at media and NASCAR officials, who long have trumpeted the potential fireworks, a.k.a. The Big One, of restrictor-plate races at Talladega and Daytona.
"For years and years," Earnhardt said during a Tuesday teleconference, "they've been telling everybody, 'Turn the TV on and watch the Talladega race, see when the Big One happens, see who's in the Big One, see who can miss the Big One, see who can win the race and not get caught up in the Big One.'
"Now everybody associates that type of action with Daytona and Talladega, which is fine if you're going to celebrate it. But now you can't sit here and turn around and change your opinion, because everybody knew this was the possibility of the style of racing. …
"It's amusing to me that everyone's interest is all of a sudden perked by what happened when that possibility was there all along."
Earnhardt is as right as a 12-second, four-tire pit stop.
Enticed by thrills, money, fame or all of the above, drivers choose to accept the danger. Fans revel in it, media and NASCAR market it.
Earnhardt's record adds more intrigue. Of his 18 Sprint Cup victories, seven have come at Talladega (five) and Daytona (two).
Moreover, Earnhardt does not deny his taste for plate racing.

"I really enjoyed the race other than (the final wreck)," he said. "I enjoyed the hell out of it. I enjoy racing at Talladega. I kind of like running in the big packs."
That's the rub of restrictor plates. They level the playing field, so to speak, creating three- and four-wide packs on tracks banked high enough to produce speeds approaching 200 mph.
Such aerodynamics are impossible at more compact venues such as Richmond International Raceway. They can be incendiary at Talladega and Daytona.
But Earnhardt was quick to remind of the many safety upgrades adopted since Bobby Allison's 1987 airborne crash at Talladega and his dad's passing 14 years later.

"People have raced in this sport under far, far more dangerous situations," Junior said. "We're in pretty good shape right now with how safe the cars are, what NASCAR's done to try to keep things within reason. ...
"It's hard to tell whether the wreck Sunday was an oddity or whether that's something that could easily happen again, because we haven't seen it since Bobby's wreck at the same track at the same spot. We haven't seen it in years. But how easily could that happen again? I think that's the question you've got to ask yourself."
Amid all the Talladega fallout, Earnhardt also answered questions about his tame-by-comparison entanglements with Kyle Busch at both Richmond races last season. Busch love-tapped Earnhardt out of the way in May; Earnhardt returned the favor in September.
Neither took the checkered flag. Clint Bowyer won the spring race, Jimmie Johnson the summer.
"It was pretty wild," Earnhardt said. "That was pretty disappointing how the first race finished. The second race was a little rough, too. ...
"I like racing Kyle. ... But hopefully we don't have any of that going on this weekend. Hopefully we can all try to win a race and not be bouncing off each other."
Well said, but as Junior knows all too well, racing is a contact sport. And for some, the more the better.

Keselowski ready to get back to business at RIR

Cup win nice, but focus still on Nationwide championship

By Sporting News Wire Service

Brad Keselowski might have won last week's Cup Series race at Talladega, but it has been eight months since he last won in the Nationwide Series. And as exciting and important as Sunday's victory was, Keselowski isn't going to let it shake his racing priorities.

"My goal this year is to win a Nationwide Series championship for JR Motorsports, and that won't change because of the Cup win," Keselowski said.

Heading into Friday night's Nationwide race at Richmond International Raceway, Keselowski is sixth in the standings. Last year, besides winning twice in the Nationwide Series for his first two NASCAR victories, he finished third in the standings.

"What was kind of lost in this whole deal is the fact that we scored our fourth top-10 in a row in the Nationwide car, and we are very much in the championship picture," he said. "It seems we have found our groove, and we are coming up on tracks that I feel very confident racing at."

Keselowski, 25, might have confidence at RIR, but it is not reflected in his results at the track. Richmond is Keselowski's second-worst Nationwide track. He has no top-10s in five races, and his average finish is 28.6. He has fared worse only at Fontana (0-for-6 with a 32.7 average finish).

But those numbers aren't dragging down Keselowski.

"I grew up racing short tracks, and I've really come to respect the history this track has and what it means to racing," he said. "My dad getting his only win there is pretty cool, and I only wish I could have been there to see it (1997 truck race). I'd love to follow in his footsteps and get into Victory Lane. We've been so close these past few weeks and we are ready to make it happen."

Three to watch

Mark Martin, No. 5: Martin, the winningest driver at Richmond, is making his first Nationwide start at the track since 2005. There is little reason to believe he has forgotten how to race at a track in which he has five wins, 14 top-fives and 19 top-10s in 24 races. In the five races he didn't finish in the top 10, four were DNFs (three crashes and an engine failure).

Matt Kenseth, No. 16: Kenseth will be in the No. 16 Friday night, not his usual No. 17. He'll still be easy to find, though. Look up front. Although Kenseth is winless in 17 starts, he has 14 top-10s, 11 in the top five. He has finished second three times and third five times.

Kevin Harvick, No. 33: While looking for Kenseth, you'll likely see Harvick, too. He has four wins in 16 starts, with 12 top-10s, 10 in the top five. All four wins came in Richard Childress cars; this will be his fifth Richmond start in his Kevin Harvick Inc. No. 33 Chevrolet.

Track chatter

Joey Logano: "Richmond is a pretty unique short track. It has a lot of the characteristics of a speedway. The corners are fast and sweeping. There is a lot of room to really charge the corner if the car is working right. You can easily race side-by-side. The races are at night, which is always cool. Racing under the lights makes everything better. You never hear drivers say that they dread going to Richmond because the racing is so competitive. I don't know if it's the perfect short track, but it's close."

Matt Kenseth: "Richmond is a great little short track that drives like a speedway. It is fast, but small so all the fans are close to the action. Both ends of the track are different. Turn 2 is a real tight turn, and Turn 4 is more sweeping. You try to run on the bottom for a fast lap, but also have to be able to make the top work to pass." 

Retro Racing

One for the ages: Gant wins four in a row in '91

September sweep includes Richmond for then 51-year-old

By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM

With his win at Phoenix, Mark Martin joined three other drivers who won at the Cup level after the age of 50. Bobby Allison and Morgan Shepherd did it once, but the driver who best proved that life begins at 50 was the pride of Taylorsville, N.C.

To say Harry Gant was a late bloomer would be to discredit much of his early success in the Sportsman division. It's true he didn't make his Cup debut until he was 33, and didn't land a full-time ride for another six years, but he was well-known in Victory Lane celebrations throughout the Southeast before then.

He scored the first of his 18 Cup victories for Hal Needham's Skoal Bandit operation at Martinsville in 1982. But as most drivers lose their edge as they grow older, "Handsome Harry" just seemed to get better with age. That was no more evident than in 1991, when he put together a string of race wins that earned him his other nickname: "Mr. September."

And what might be the most amazing fact of all is that all four of his Cup wins that month were in the same car.

Gant's remarkable run began at NASCAR's oldest superspeedway -- Darlington Raceway -- in the 1991 Heinz Southern 500. As challengers Davey Allison, Martin and Dale Earnhardt suffered from pit-road problems, engine failures and broken axles, Gant stayed steady, leading the final 70 laps en route to his second Southern 500 victory.

"This was an easy race for us," Gant said. "I couldn't believe how easy it was. We just didn't have any trouble.

"I think the only scratch I even got on the car was when Derrike Cope was getting ready start off and he kind of bumped over into me and scrubbed his tires on me."

Gant, who had turned 51 in January, made it look easy in what normally is a grueling race.

"I feel good," Gant said. "I figured ... the only way I was going to beat 'em today was wear 'em out. They may be younger, but I can wear 'em out."

Gant wore 'em out again the following weekend at Richmond, winning the Busch Series race on Friday night, then battling Davey Allison for the lead over a 40-lap stretch before finally going ahead for good with 18 laps to go in the Miller Genuine Draft 400.

"I was chasing Davey and I was running as hard as I could go," Gant said. "He started sliding a little bit and I looked over at the board with 20 laps to go and decided to go for it. We got by him, and I really don't think he had anything for us. He was really loose.

"But we had a problem near the end, too. We started to get loose, as well. I was running as hard as I could. I was just glad to see that checkered flag."

Gant said he noticed a number of things in the Busch race that he was able to use to his advantage the next evening.

"We made some changes based on what we learned in the Busch race, and it really helped," he said. "In the Busch race, I learned the places on the track where the car ran good. I learned the type of springs I wanted to use and learned that the car ran good and then got loose. So we tried to set the car up so it wouldn't do that."

Gant's amazing month continued at Dover where, once again, he captured the Busch race, then followed that up with a dominating victory on the Monster Mile in the Peak Antifreeze 500. He was more than a lap ahead of the field at the checkered flag, leading 326 of the 500 laps including the last 240.

"I'm thinking about finding some extra money and sending Harry Gant over to Atlantic City for me, or let him get me some lottery tickets," said Geoffrey Bodine, who finished second. "He's really on a roll. I'm telling you, that boy has got it."

A 14-car accident on Lap 69 thinned the list of contenders, and Allison seemed to have things well in hand, leading the first 114 laps before his engine went sour. That left the battle to be fought between Gant, Bodine and Rusty Wallace. However, Wallace was sidelined by an accident at the three-quarters mark and Bodine couldn't keep pace with Gant's Oldsmobile.

"We originally built it to be a short-track car," Gant said. "We'll probably run it until we wreck it."

Perhaps Gant didn't realize how prescient those words would turn out to be. Riding a three-race winning streak into Martinsville and the Goody's 500, Gant collided with Wallace while racing for the lead on Lap 377, bending his right-front wheel, smashing the brake ducts and tearing up the sheet metal on the No. 33 Olds.

In the television booth, Benny Parsons flatly declared that Gant would not win the race. He couldn't have been more wrong.

After several stops in the pits for repairs, Gant's damaged mount returned to the track in 12th place. However, he focused his anger on the task instead of the target.

"I was upset, but it was hurting my driving at the time," Gant said. "I ran about 10 laps about as mad as a bull. Rusty was behind me, but I wanted him to be in front of me.

"I calmed down after about eight or nine laps. I didn't want to run the tires too hard or blow the car up. I started to calm down, run some consistent laps and pick my way through there."

Driving like a man possessed, Gant began to click off laps more than a second faster than leader Ernie Irvan, and when he went by third place Terry Labonte, Labonte was certain he had been passed by the eventual winner.

"He went by me like a freight train," Labonte said, "and I knew he was going to win the race."

Gant followed Brett Bodine around Irvan with 60 laps remaining, then traded the lead with Bodine eight laps later before pulling away to a 1.13-second advantage at the stripe. The win made Gant the third driver in modern NASCAR history to win four consecutive races, the others being Darrell Waltrip in 1981 and Earnhardt in 1987.

"I don't know what we're going to do with Harry," Ricky Rudd said. "I don't think putting him a lap down to start the race would do it. Two or three laps down might be more like it."

Once again, the old man in the Oldsmobile was tough to beat.

"The car has just run super," Gant said. "And the team has just done a super job during the week and at the race track. We don't practice as much as a lot of people. If you practice too much and think about the streak or something else other than winning the race, you'll out-think yourself and get into trouble."

All good things must come to an end, and for Harry Gant, the end to his winning streak would come at North Wilkesboro. In this case, it wasn't from a lack of trying. Gant led 350 of the 400 laps and appeared to have the fifth win well in hand when a broken brake lining doomed his chances. On Lap 391, Earnhardt caught and passed Gant on the outside and was never headed, winning by 1.47 seconds.

"Well, we did the best we could," Gant said. "I had the field covered all day. But, on that last pit stop, I felt the brakes going.

"I didn't want to say anything [about it] because I thought I could make it. But with 10 laps to go, I had no brakes. I had nothing. I was out-running them [in the straightaways] and coasting through the corners for a while. But then I got into some lapped traffic and it was all over."

Gant started on the pole for the first time in four years and easily was the class of the field early on, getting into lapped traffic within the first 25 laps of the race. By the halfway point, only 12 cars were still on the lead lap.

From Earnhardt's point of view, Gant "looked unstoppable. I thought I would just try to stay in range of him and save the tires and see if I could get him there at the end. And that's pretty much what happened. If Harry hadn't had a problem, I think he'd have won it hands down."

Gant's winning streak came to an end, but his ability to win races wasn't diminished. He followed his successful 1991 campaign with wins at Dover and Michigan in 1992. With his win in the Champion Spark Plug 400 in the Irish Hills at 52 years, 7 months and 6 days, Gant remains the oldest driver to win a race in NASCAR's premier series.

By The Numbers: Richmond

Spring race a precursor as to who will make Chase

By Bill Kimm, NASCAR.COM

Not to put any pressure on Ryan Newman, but if he hopes to make the Chase, he's going to have to keep his streak of good runs going and finish up front at Richmond.

The Cup Series moves into May with Saturday night's Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway, and if you happen to be in the top 12 in points after 400 laps in Virginia's capital -- you most likely will be there when the Chase starts in September.

Nearly 80 percent of the Chase participants were in the top 10 or 12 in points following Richmond since the Chase's inception in 2004. For Newman, who is currently 13th, 30 points behind 12th-place Matt Kenseth, his streak of five consecutive top-16 finishes may need to stretch to six if he has any postseason aspirations.

And Richmond has been a roller coaster for Newman.

He has an average finish of 12.1 at the .75-mile short track, but it's been feast or famine throughout his career. Newman has one win, four top-fives and eight top-10s in 14 starts, but he also has four finishes of 20th or worse -- two of them coming in the last five races.

That being said, the good outweighs the bad for Newman at RIR, and the current hot streak he is on could be a precursor of what's to come as the season heads into the summer.

Inside the Data

Year-by-year look at the top 10 and top 12 following Richmond

2004  Eight of the 10 Chase drivers were in the top 10 following the spring Richmond race. Kevin Harvick and Bobby Labonte did not make the Chase while Mark Martin and Jeremy Mayfield worked their way in.

2005  Six of the 10 Chase drivers were in the top 10 following the spring Richmond race. Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick did not make the Chase while Rusty Wallace, Jeremy Mayfield, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth worked their way in.

2006  Eight of the 10 Chase drivers were in the top 10 following the spring Richmond race. Tony Stewart and Casey Mears did not make the Chase while Jeff Burton and Denny Hamlin worked their way in.

2007  Eleven of the 12 Chase drivers were in the top 12 following the spring Richmond race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not make the Chase while Martin Truex Jr. worked his way in.

2008  Ten of the 12 Chase drivers were in the top 10 following the spring Richmond race. Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne did not make the Chase while Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth worked their way in.

Did you know?

106  Saturday night's race will be the 106th points-paying Cup race at Richmond. Only three tracks have hosted more point-paying races than Richmond: Daytona (124), Martinsville (120) and Darlington (108).

Necessitous Numbers

3  Number of drivers entered in Saturday's race with an average finish inside the top 10 at the track: Kyle Busch (6.8), Denny Hamlin (8.8) and Clint Bowyer (9.3).

4  There were only four leaders in last year's spring race at Richmond -- a rarity at the track. Denny Hamlin dominated the race leading 381 of the 410 laps run. A.J. Allmendinger led a lap, Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 15 and race winner Clint Bowyer led 13. In the last 12 races at Richmond, there have been an average of 18 leaders.

6  Chevrolet has won the last six races at Richmond and seven of the last 10. Toyota is the only manufacturer without a Cup win at the track. Toyota does have one Nationwide Series victory at Richmond (Denny Hamlin, 2008) and one Truck Series victory (Mike Skinner, 2005).

7.1  Average starting position of the winner at Richmond in the last 10 Cup races. Nine of those races have been won by a starting position inside the top 10. Clint Bowyer won last year's race from the 31st starting position, the furthest a driver has started and gone on to win.

8  Jimmie Johnson has been unbeatable in the state of Virginia recently. Of the last 10 races run in the state, Johnson has won eight of them (Martinsville, 5; Richmond, 3).

452  Number of laps Denny Hamlin has led at Richmond, tops among active drivers without a win. In six races, Hamlin has started from the pole twice and has led laps in each race, but hasn't been able to get over the hump. He has two seconds, a third and a sixth.

657  Number of points Tony Stewart has earned at Richmond in the last four races, tops among all drivers. In those four races, Stewart has two second-place finishes, a fourth and an eighth. Jimmie Johnson has the second-most points in that stretch with three wins but a 30th-place finish in last year's spring race.

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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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