Happy Hump Day. 

Thanks to Anthony for the heads up on these…

Two really cool events going on at the moment.  Please let your fans know about www.vest4k9. com and www.smokescamaro.com.  Greg and Tony are doing some great work for their foundations, and allows fans some fun opportunities.

Hey,

We've launched a NASCAR related contest on Facebook and Twitter. Here are the details. You can win $500 in Tools and more. All you have to do is fan us on facebook. You should send this out to your readers so that they can take advantage of this:
LENOX CONTEST IS HERE! WIN $500 in TOOLS and more! Here's how: http://bit.ly/yctD9
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you!
Regards,
Mansi

Comments from the Peanut Gallery

From Jo

Kyle Busch is embarrassing to the NASCAR fan community.

Yes, I agree.  Such an ignorant thing to do.  Yes, he can drive a car, but he needs to use some real smarts to go along with it.  I'm so disgusted with him in so many ways, but the guitar episode capped it.  Jo - Florida

To Dave,

I checked but didn’t find the Microsoft email…Not sure what is going on.

Bits and Pieces

Newman's car to salute Army's birthday: How sweet would it be for Ryan Newman to capture a win at his home track on the day his primary sponsor celebrates its 234th birthday. "Very sweet and very special," said Newman, whose recent hot streak has catapulted him to fourth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver point standings. "We've been on a nice roll lately but victory has eluded us and that's our ultimate goal." It will be the U.S. Army's 234th birthday on Sunday. The military branch, which sponsors Newman's Chevrolet Impala SS, was born on June 14, 1775. The June 14th birthday also coincides with Flag Day. Newman's special weekend at MIS also includes involvement with the sponsorship of the Racing for Wildlife 200 ARCA race on Friday. Racing for Wildlife is a national initiative of the Ryan Newman Foundation and the Conservation Fund. One of the projects of Racing for Wildlife is partnering with MIS, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan United Conservation Club to renovate Cedar Lake Outdoor Center in the Waterloo Recreation Area in Chelsea, Mich, approximately 25 miles from MIS. As an environmental advocate, Newman will take part in a tree-planting ceremony Friday in the MIS campground, which is part of NASCAR's new Green Flag Tree Planting program. (US Army Racing/SHR)

Carhartt returns to the #17: The #17 Ford Fusion of Matt Kenseth will again carry Carhartt paint scheme this weekend at Michigan. Kenseth took the checkered flag at California in the last Carhartt race. Carhartt will serve as the primary two more times this season at New Hampshire in Sept. and Charlotte in Oct. (RFR)

Said to run at Infineon: Boris Said will be driving the EM Motorsports #08 Ford owned by John Carter in the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway June 21st. The team has available sponsorship on race car. (EM Motorsports)

Kurt Busch testing news: #2-Kurt Busch tested on Tuesday at Virginia International Raceway in preparation for the June 21 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. “We have a brand new car for the road courses (“PRS-617”) and we wanted to get in some test time before we head out to Sonoma (Infineon),” Pat explained. “We’ll likely return to VIR or maybe head down to Road Atlanta between now and Watkins Glen in August.” Busch and team also plans to use “PRS-600” Miller Lite Dodge in tire testing for Goodyear at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on June 15-16. “It looks like a continuous work in progress in coming up with the tire we’ll be racing there next month,” Kurt said. “We’re glad to chip in with their effort there and are happy to get the track time before heading there for the race weekend.” (Tom Roberts PR)

Source: drug named that triggered positive test of Mayfield: Jeremy Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine during a random drug screening May 1 at Richmond International Raceway, ESPN The Magazine has learned from two independent sources. In court documents filed in the past two weeks (Mayfield sought a temporary restraining in order to return to the track; NASCAR countersued), it was revealed that Mayfield had admitted ingesting a double dosage of Claritin-D [note: which contains pseudoephedrine which is used in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine], an allergy medication, and the prescription drug Adderall XR immediately prior to the Richmond drug test conducted for NASCAR. (full story at ESPN the Magazine)

Did Not Finish Streak and stats: #14-Stewart and #19-Sadler have the longest current streak of finishing races at 37. #78-Regan Smith is at 49 but has not run all the races [Smith has never DNF'd in a Cup race]. 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 [Beam didn't run all the races, but didn't DNF in 84 straight consecutive races that he ran]. Clint Bowyer holds the modern day (1972-present) at 83, next is Kevin Harvick at 81 and 58, then Jeff Gordon at 56 and Dale Earnhardt at 53.

Bowyer to run special Cheerios scheme: Clint Bowyer’s #33 Chevy will sport a “heart healthy” paint scheme this week at Michigan International Speedway as Cheerios, along with Richard Childress Racing president and CEO Richard Childress kick off a month-long program encouraging race fans to take care of their hearts. Thanks to a donation from Bowyer, Camp Alexander, located in Bowyer’s hometown of Emporia, Kan., will have enough money to operate their camp the rest of the summer, according to Kay Calvert, chairwoman of Camp Alexander’s board of directors.(RCR). MIS and Cheerios are teaming up for a “Good for the Heart” walk for fans at this year’s LifeLock 400.

Tony, the Class Act

Lisa Fowler/stockcarreview.com

I am sure there were times, not too long ago, when Joe Gibbs had to question his choice in drivers. No, I am not talking about his current line-up, although I expect he has some sleepless nights over the current stable of young drivers. I am referring to his early years with Tony Stewart.

There was a time when we waited each week to hear who Stewart had smacked, pushed, cursed or otherwise upset in some way. He seemed to always be mad at someone or just simply mad. During those early years, there were many questioning Joe Gibbs sanity and wondering just how long this hot headed driver would be able to survive in this sport that had not witnessed such passion since the late Tim Richmond.

In an era when NASCAR was trying so hard to reach a new audience and working to change the image of the sport, here came this hot-headed young driver who made no apologies for the fact that he felt his job was to drive the race car, not please the fans or the media.

In a time when most of the older fans were loyal to Dale Earnhardt Sr., and the newer fans and younger audience had come to appreciate the more commercially acceptable Jeff Gordon, there was a void left for those of us looking for someone more exciting, less predictable and yes, less NASCAR.

We got more than we could have ever hoped when Tony Stewart, soon nicknamed "Smoke," burst upon the scene in the late 90's. When the name first came up, we weren't even sure what the implication was. Was it referring to his temper, his on-track antics or the fire within?

At times we wanted to express our displeasure at the way he reacted to the media, the fans and the other drivers. We often wondered how Joe Gibbs, known for his faith and warm heart, was able to keep his new, fiery driver under control. There were moments when it appeared that it was never going to work.

As time went by, we realized that there was a great deal of mutual love and respect between Joe and Tony. As Tony matured, we saw how he gained the love and respect of his team, the fans and even the media.

As I watched Tony celebrate his victory at Pocono, the first points paying win for the new Stewart-Haas Racing team, the first win by an owner/driver in over a decade and the first win for Tony this season, I realized how Tony Stewart has evolved into someone that we should all admire and respect.

He has shown such determination in building his race team. He seems to wear both hats effortlessly. To see him as the winning driver on NASCAR Victory Lane the other night, then after commercial, he literally switches his hat to be winning owner was priceless. I have always enjoyed Tony Stewart. Even in his worse moments, he never failed to entertain.

I remember being at Daytona the year that he had been ordered anger-management for his run-in with a photographer. I was on pit road during practice and as Tony came by, I raised my camera to take a photo. It hit me that he may not want me taking his photo; he might come over and confront me. Instead, as if he read my thoughts, he turned, gave me a big smile and wave. It is one of my most prized photos because I felt that we connected and that we had an understanding.

Tony will allow us to join in his good times, he will entertain us with his driving skill and his take on the world as it turns in NASCAR. He will let us get close enough to get a photo, an autograph or just to show our appreciation for his talent. He will also keep reminding us that he is there to succeed as a driver and now as an owner. He has come so far in the past ten years. I am excited to see what he does over the next ten.

Thanks Tony and CONGRATULATIONS! You are deserving of your success and I know Joe Gibbs celebrates with you. He did a great think when he discovered you and brought you to us.

Questions, Comments: Email Lisa 

At 39, David Reutimann shows it's never too late

Tim Tuttle/si.com

David Reutimann's late-career rise to prominence in Sprint Cup delivers an inspirational message of hope to all those drivers in their late 20s or early 30s who are running in NASCAR's entry-level Whelen Series or the touring Camping World East or West Series.

Reutimann broke the mold of the typical Cup hire exemplified this season by teenager Joey Logano and earlier this decade by 20-somethings Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. Reutimann was 36 when he got his chance at the big time in stock car racing with Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007.

The son of East Coast short-track legend Buzzie Reutimann, he spent most of his 20s racing Modifieds in his native Florida, then broke into NASCAR's late-model Southeast Series at age 27. He spent five years there, winning three races, not exactly the type of performance that earns you a promotion to one of NASCAR's three national series.

Reutimann had a stopover in the Nationwide Series in 2002 and 2003, running 11 races. At 33, he showed enough potential with a pair of fifths and a sixth in 2003 that Darrell Waltrip hired him for his Toyota team in the Camping World Truck Series.

Finally, a full-time opportunity in a NASCAR national series had arrived. Reutimann had one victory, at Nashville in 2005, in three seasons. He was out of the top 10 in points in the initial two, but was third in 2006.

You're probably wondering why, with his resume, Reutimann got hired by MWR in 2007. You're not alone; it was a big surprise to almost everyone. Darrell had recommended Reutimann to his brother Michael. It helped Reutimann that the pool of experienced Cup drivers was spread thin that winter.

Reutimann had his chance with a first-year manufacturer and team that didn't have any points and had to qualify on time for every race. Reutimann, always a good qualifier, made 26 races in 2007. The team's owner-driver made 14. Dale Jarrett, with the champion's provisional, made 24. Reutimann was the highest finisher in the points on the team, 39th, but that still left him without a guaranteed starting position to start 2008.

No problem. Reutimann responded by driving into the top 35 in points twice, first in the No. 00 that Michael McDowell took over in the sixth race for the retiring Jarrett and then in the No,. 44. Reutimann drove in all 36 races and finished 22nd in the points. He'd become "The Franchise" at MWR.

At 39, Reutimann is still moving up. He finished third at Pocono last Sunday and it boosted him into 11th in the points. Some discount Reutimann's win at Lowe's a couple of weeks ago because he did it on strategy and the rain fell at the right time, but there is no denying his steady competitiveness this season. He started and finished fourth at Las Vegas, and was eighth at Phoenix. Reutimann led 40 laps at Texas in a run to 11th.

Waltrip's organization has come a long way in the past couple of years, and has provided Reutimann with strong equipment. Hiring Cal Wells in 2007 as Executive Vice President of Operations -- the person in charge of running the team on a daily basis -- was a very smart decision. He was a Cup team owner from 2000 to 2006 before a lack of sponsorship put it out of business.

Wells had started PPI in southern California to service the off-road industry, and he ran a championship-winning factory-backed team for Toyota in the 1980s and '90s. He did his own welding in building the tube-frame trucks in the early years and there are those who will tell you that nobody ever did it better.

When Toyota went into CART's IndyCar series in the mid-1990s, Wells moved with his long-time partner. CART was a highly sophisticated technical series and it advanced his understanding of high-speed aerodynamics and mechanical downforce. They have become vital performance areas in the modern Cup series.

Wells beefed up the technical braintrust by hiring Steve Hallam from Formula One's McLaren team as Director of Competition, and moving Nick Hughes from engineering to Technical Director.

Rodney Childers has also played a critical role this season, his first as crew chief for Reutimann. He spent last year with Elliott Sadler at Gillett Evernham (now Richard Petty Motorsports) and was with Scott Riggs at GEM and MB2.

It was inconceivable at the start of 2007 that Reutimann or MWR would have a legitimate chance at making the Chase with 12 races remaining in the regular season. Even with the progress he and the team had made the past two years, Reutimann didn't think they'd be a contender at the beginning of 2009.

"Not really," Reutimann said. "I'm not exactly the most confident guy here. But I knew the potential was there, the way we finished out last year. I was like, 'Man, if we can just do this and do a couple of things a little bit better, I think we might be able to do that or at least be in contention to do the stuff.' Anyway, it's worked out so far.

"We have definitely had some races that we would like to forget, but for the most part it's been a pretty good year and it's been pretty productive, especially if you look back at the previous years and the results we have had compared to last year, there's just no comparison. In the end, I felt like if we did the right things and we were heading in the right direction, I knew the possibility was there."

Reutimann has proven this season that when he has the machine beneath him, he can compete in the top level of American motor racing. The Cup cars are beasts, requiring the control of 800-plus horsepower in a 3,400-pound car without enough tire to support it fully. He's using the experience from running all those years he spent in the minor leagues and taking advantage of his window of opportunity. Reutimann may be an anomaly, enjoying a breakthrough season as he approaches 40, but there are likely others following his same path capable of it, too. They know all they need is the right situation and a car owner who will give them a chance. Reutimann has shown them it's never too late.

Will Hamlin's Supposed "Bad Luck" Derail A Promising Career?

Danny Peters/Frontstretch.com

“I think luck is the sense to recognize an opportunity and the ability to take advantage of it. The man who can smile at his breaks and grab his chances gets on.” - Samuel Goldwyn

There is a tendency in sport, from the highest echelon to the lowest, most grassroots level, to accentuate the short term, focusing on what just happened or what is happening rather than looking at the bigger picture. A driver guiltier of that than most is the wheelman of the No. 11 FedEx Camry — Denny Hamlin – but after a pair of shocking races, short and term are two words the Virginia native would do well not to let pass his lips in the near future. Two more he should also avoid are “bad” and “luck,” because it seems in the last couple of years we’ve heard those two small words escape Hamlin’s lips a few too many times for his liking.

Let’s review. At Dover, Hamlin had a quality piece and was hard-charging in second place, behind leader Jimmie Johnson, when a right front tire exploded, sending his car hard into the wall and a 36th place finish. Afterward, Hamlin was typically pessimistic: “I keep thinking our luck just has to change, but then something like a cut tire happens and I am not so sure,” he said. “We had a really good car and good race going at Dover – it always seems to work out that things go bad when we seem to be running well and near the front.”

This past weekend at the Tricky Triangle, Hamlin fared even worse, as a fuel pump problem saw the Joe Gibbs racer unable to complete so much as a lap before bringing out the caution and having to be pushed back to the garage. Hamlin returned to the track after some quick repairs… only to bring out a second caution just 13 laps into the 200-lap event. The frustration evident in his voice afterwards at what he knew would be a second straight horrible finish – he wound up 38th, 22 laps down – epitomized what Hamlin perceives as unrelenting bad luck.

Compounding matters, the No. 11 car was the fastest in final practice at a track where the five-year veteran has excelled. At Pocono, he swept both races in his rookie season, and has recorded two further third place efforts and a sixth place finish in his seven attempts. “Shocking,” as Michael Waltrip said on This Week in NASCAR. “I couldn’t believe it,” echoed Biffle on the same broadcast in response to Hamlin’s first lap horror show. Crew chief for Hamlin, the veteran Mike Ford, was more forthright in his opinions: “It was just unacceptable. It’s not the first time we’ve had fuel issues – across all three cars. It’s just plain unacceptable, and it should never happen.”

But it does.

So, is this bad luck becoming an epidemic, or is Hamlin simply overreacting to a couple of off weekends? Looking back on the last season and a half, you can certainly see what he’s talking about. Hamlin led 296 of 500 laps, the most in the race, at Martinsville in March before Jimmie Johnson ran him down, moved the No. 11 car out of the racing groove, and drove off to victory. “Yeah, it sucks that you didn’t win,” said Hamlin, “but things don’t always fall our way; and today, they didn’t.”

Then, there’s Richmond … where Hamlin’s confidence problems appeared to begin last May. A year ago, he absolutely crushed the competition, leading 381 of 382 laps (A.J. Allmendinger led the other under caution) before a slow tire puncture wrecked what was looking to be as perfect a day as you can have as a Sprint Cup driver. This year, Hamlin dominated again, leading 148 laps before a litany of problems that began with a pit road miscue (something of an Achilles heel, at times, for the No. 11 team) ruined his home-track race a second straight year. Coach Gibbs was sympathetic in the post-race press conference — although words can only do so much. “He’s been real, real good here. He loves this place,” he explained. “Hopefully, at some point, he’s gonna get one. I know at this point, he’s really disappointed now..”

You can also point to Bristol as being another circuit Hamlin hasn’t had the proverbial “rub of the green.” In 2008, a fuel pump issue cost him with just two laps to go; then, this year, he couldn’t quite get to Kyle Busch (but I think even the most devoted Hamlin fan would find it hard to argue against his teammate’s 378 laps led.) Even still, these examples prove to be wins on the table — wins the fourth-year driver sorely needs as he looks to gain a confidence boost and put his season back on track.

Overall, it’s hard to argue against the logic that Hamlin has had some tough luck, but it’s worth remembering it’s extremely hard to win a Sprint Cup race. With his total of four wins, Hamlin sits tied for 71st on the all-time wins list. It doesn’t sound particularly lofty, but that’s 71st of all drivers who’ve raced at the Cup level since 1948, on par with the likes of Michael Waltrip, Ken Schrader, Joe Nemechek and Morgan Shepherd. Sometimes, you’ve just got to take a deep breath and count your blessings … and for Hamlin, he’s had plenty in between this “bad luck.”

So, despite all the mutterings of curses and doom and gloom, I’d suggest Hamlin does exactly that. After years of moaning, the time has come for him to stop bleating about luck and to start taking advantage of the many resources at his disposal. Confidence is a crucial element for a top-level race car driver, and if Hamlin concentrates more on getting the job done and less on his supposed bad luck — along with the fine folk at JGR fixing these fuel pump issues — chances are the results he craves will come in abundance.

In the meantime, this man’s glass is already half full. He’s in first class equipment with a top drawer crew chief — not to mention sponsor — and is senior driver for a top four team. Life could be an awful lot worse in Sprint Cup… just ask the driver of the No. 88 car. So yes, it’s been an awful couple of weeks and a precipitous slide from 5th to 12th in points, but Hamlin can recover as quickly as he has slumped, starting this weekend in the Irish Hills.

The simple fact of the matter is that Hamlin is an incredibly talented driver, one of the best to strap into a Sprint Cup seat each weekend. Sure, he has had some tough luck, but then Carl Edwards would probably say much the same based on his combined 0-27 start to the season. Elliott Sadler might argue likewise about the timing of the rain at the Daytona 500, and let’s not even mention poor Scott Riggs, who would rather ride his lawnmower than start and park. Luck may be a lady, as the incomparable old Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, once sang, but it’s also relative. And while Hamlin might have had a couple more wins, he’s still sitting pretty when looking at the big picture. This is a driver, don’t forget, who has made the Chase in each of his three full seasons, and a driver who very well could have won the lot in his first year running the big dance.

Can Hamlin win a Sprint Cup crown? On talent alone, yes he can. But the level of competition, be it from teammate Kyle Busch or the mob over at Hendrick Motorsports, make it a tall order, at least for now. So, Hamlin would do well to look at the quote atop this piece and remember that he is, despite what he often moans, Eeyore style, still a very lucky boy to be where he is. It’s a fact likely not lost on his parents, who mortgaged themselves to the hilt to give their son his chance.

Now, they can only hope the difficulties he’s had as of late doesn’t leave him in position to squander it.

A couple points to finish up:

TNT: A Gopher-Free Zone
How good was TNT’s coverage from Pocono last Sunday? Wow! It was a blessed relief after all the maniacal promotions and stupid furry animals to see a broadcaster concentrate on showing some actual racing rather than hocking T-Shirts and other assorted merchandise. That said, anything was probably going to appear better after the shenanigans we saw from the NASCAR on FOX crew in the first 13 races… but despite the bar being set pretty low, it was still a great start to TNT’s six race slate.

What a Difference a Year Makes
Okay, it was fuel-mileage assisted, but Sam Hornish, Jr.’s 10th place run, his third this season and third overall in 50 Sprint Cup attempts, represented a considerable improvement from this time last year at the 2.5-mile triangle track in Long Pond, PA. In 2008, Hornish was a 3,400 pound piñata, wrecking at almost every turn before his day came to a merciful end with 70 laps still to run. Sure, he has a long way to go to really prove himself, but baby steps are important — and with each passing week, Hornish Jr.’s steady improvement can only pay dividends.

Go R-Fed
Forgive me for finishing up with tennis, but I wanted to briefly mention Roger Federer, who tied Pete Sampras’ all-time record of 14 Grand Slam wins with his victory Sunday in the French Open. In professional sport, there are tons of pretenders and contenders, but very few masters. However, the unassuming Federer, like Jimmie J and his bizarre facial hair, is just that – an undisputed master.

Did You Notice?

The Real Problem With Kyle Busch, The Murkiness Of Meth, And Silly Season Revisited

Thomas Bowles · Frontstretch.com

Did You Notice? … That in between all the controversy and opinions surrounding Kyle Busch and his guitar smashing, the No. 18 Cup team is in very real danger of not even making the Chase? Before we get to his antics (and don’t worry, I’m not going to comment too much as 1,500 people have already) let’s examine his drop-off in performance. Through 14 races this season, Busch has 353 points less than at this point in 2008, easily the worst drop-off of any full-time driver in this category. He’s currently ninth in the Chase standings, a whopping 312 behind Tony Stewart and just 53 ahead of Mark Martin in 13th place.

Those stats beg the question: What’s going on? More than ever this season, it’s been feast or famine for Busch at the Cup level. He has more finishes outside the top 20 (six) than he has inside the top 10 (five). Only teammate Denny Hamlin has fewer top 10s and is currently qualified to make the Chase. And while Busch leads the circuit in wins (three) and laps led (789), he’s struggled mightily in the other five races where he’s led laps but did not end up in Victory Lane. In those events, he’s run sixth, 18th, 25th, 34th, and 41st.

Ouch.

Of course, those numbers don’t fully answer the question as to what’s happening with the No. 18. It can’t be Toyota; heck, even Michael Waltrip Racing is now competitive with their Camrys. It can’t be the engines; Joe Gibbs is churning out more horsepower than ever before. And it’s not crew chief Steve Addington, who’s done a masterful job of managing what’s become an increasingly tempestuous personality.

To me, the problem with Busch’s Cup ride revolves around two things. Number one, I think we’re seeing with Tony Stewart’s success on the ownership side that he was more of a leader at JGR than we ever thought. And while Stewart’s charisma is making him the surprise story of the year, his disappearance from the JGR roster has left a gaping hole in terms of leadership in the Gibbs camp. Seniority now falls to … gulp … Denny Hamlin, who’s badly in need of a confidence boost and some sports psychology himself – let alone trying to set an example for his other two teammates. Of course, rookie Joey Logano isn’t going to bring the organization together at 19, either… leaving the role to fall towards JGR’s most successful remaining driver.

But as Spiderman was once told, with great power comes great responsibility … and Busch proved Saturday night he’s far from being responsible. Not only did he take a beautiful trophy after the race and smash it, but he then had the audacity to lie to the national media and say he’d asked permission to do so. Regardless of whether you thought the smashing was cool, you can hardly say a big white lie makes you a leader of men.

And just the mention of that trophy brings me to my second point … Busch’s relentless pursuit of victories in the Nationwide and Truck Series. As I said with Kevin Harvick earlier this season, it’s one thing to dabble elsewhere when your Cup program is in good working order. But explain this one to me again: Busch is one bad race from being knocked from the top 12, yet he’s going to spread himself thin by running races in three series in a 48-hour stretch this weekend? It just makes no sense to run for a championship in a series equivalent to AAA baseball when your success in the majors is clearly on the line.

Heading into this summer stretch, it’s a critical juncture for JGR. Hamlin has slid to 12th in the standings and could easily miss the Chase, while Logano is still getting himself up to speed at the sport’s top level. The team could really use a unified voice, someone capable of bringing the team together and righting the ship before it’s too late.

Instead, I’m beginning to fear this could be a year Kyle learns a lesson and accidentally sinks it.

Did You Notice? … Jeremy Mayfield’s “abusive” substance has finally been revealed? The fact it was methamphetamine may be news to the fan base, but for those in the media I can tell you it’s been a well-known fact for weeks. As soon as the Monday following the positive test, I can tell you that at least four sources had contacted FS and already led us in that direction. So, why aren’t you hearing about this stuff before now? Simple: you need to dot your i’s and cross your t’s when you’re dealing with something as serious as meth. When it is someone’s personal and professional life you’re playing with, you just absolutely, positively cannot be wrong … so we waited. And waited. And waited… eventually, the truth came out and we were right. But I’m happy we didn’t take that chance earlier.

Anyways, with that said the revelation of methamphetamine makes a career comeback by Mayfield all but impossible at this point. Even if he’s cleared of all wrongdoing, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to convince a sponsor to spend millions on a man who was at the very least accused of a false positive on such a dangerous drug. And to make matters worse, several sources have confirmed to me that Mayfield Motorsports, Inc. is in some serious financial trouble. So, whether the No. 41 is sold as the full package or simply auctioned off as a last resort, Mayfield’s court battle now gains greater importance – as it’ll likely be his only racing income for the foreseeable future. That means this war has no choice but to be firing bullets back and forth for months to come … long after we’ll have grown tired and weary of seeing both sides fight in the first place.

Did You Notice? … Speaking of Busch, he and Carl Edwards were the only Cup drivers trying to double dip in Nationwide this weekend? It was a positive sign for a series that is quietly reestablishing itself (even though Busch and Edwards finished first and third, respectively). Here’s a stat that may surprise you: out of the Cup, Nationwide, and Truck Series last weekend, Nationwide tied for the least number of start and parkers (five) – and that was at a standalone race. That’s ‘cause the series is the perfect situation for a new prospective owner, as it only takes five million or less to start a team as opposed to the $20 or $25 million to sponsor a top-level Cup operation.

With that in mind, you wonder what some of these underdog Cup owners must be feeling after watching their dreams of competitiveness slip away. Right now, of the teams outside the top 35, Scott Speed’s Team Red Bull is the only one guaranteed not to start and park each weekend. Prism Motorsports, Phoenix Racing, TRG Motorsports, Gunselman Motorsports, Tommy Baldwin, NEMCO … the list goes on and on of men with big dreams whose hopes were dashed by the widening gap between rich and poor. In the past, they might be able to turn around their inventory and move to a lower series where they might not just be able to qualify … but actually race. But sadly, the Car of Tomorrow makes changing to the Nationwide Series an impossibility … and falling outside the top 35 leaves their program with little protection or value as it all falls apart. Not exactly the best of scenarios to convince new ownership to join in …

Did You Notice? … Some fun with numbers? Here’s some interesting Silly Season comparisons through 14 races … as you can see, there’s been very few moves where both sides have wound up better off:

·         David Reutimann has as many wins with new sponsor Aaron’s as David Ragan has top 10 finishes with old sponsor UPS (one).

·         Tony Stewart has more top 10 finishes (10) for Stewart-Haas Racing than his two former teammates combined at Joe Gibbs (Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin have a total of nine). And as for a Stewart-Logano comparison … let’s not go there. It’s like comparing a little league pitcher who’s supposed to be as good as Johan Santana to Johan Santana himself.

·         Ryan Newman has more top 5 finishes (five) with the No. 39 of Stewart-Haas Racing than David Stremme has finishes on the lead lap (three).

·         Mark Martin has as many wins with the No. 5 of Hendrick Motorsports as Casey Mears has top 10 finishes (two) with the No. 07 at Richard Childress Racing.

·         A.J. Allmendinger has 291 points more with Richard Petty Motorsports than Scott Speed has with Team Red Bull – and one less DNQ.

·         Paul Menard is one of two drivers to run every race without a top 10 finish in the No. 98 Ford of Yates Racing. At this time last year, Travis Kvapil was well inside the top 20 in points with two top 10 finishes.

I think that’s good for now. It just goes to show that every Silly Season, teams and drivers will roll the dice and gamble – but most of the time, there’s only one winner.

Did You Notice? … Richard Petty Motorsports is partnering with a Toyota operation for its Nationwide Series program? Suuuure, Dodge is going to be a part of NASCAR in 2010. Keep telling yourselves that.

Nashville Not Into Punk Rock; NASCAR Shouldn’t Be Either

By Larry Woody | Senior Writer | RacinToday.com

Nashville – There’s a catch-all clause in the NASCAR rule book that says drivers are held accountable “for actions detrimental to the sport of stock car racing.”

If what Kyle Busch did in Nashville last Saturday night wasn’t detrimental to the sport then nothing is.

Busch bashed to bits Nashville Superspeedway’s trademark trophy, a Sam Bass-painted Gibson guitar, in what he termed a “rock-star style” Victory Lane celebration.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash was quoted as saying he had “no issues” with the incident.

Balash even suggested the antics were positive, saying that Gibson Guitars, the Nationwide Series, the track and even the sponsors “will get a little press out of it.”

I like Joe, but I wonder what planet he’s living on; the air must be thinner there.

The entire city of Nashville is in an uproar. Fans are furious. Track GM Cliff Hawks is furious. Artist Sam Bass is furious. The race sponsors are furious.

What part of “furious” doesn’t NASCAR understand?

I’ve been covering sports in Nashville four decades and I can’t recall any single incident that has created such a negative buzz.

I was on WSM radio with Bass Sunday night and for a solid hour we were deluged with calls from irate fans.

I did another one-hour TV sports show Monday night and the uproar hadn’t waned. The switchboard lit up and crackled non-stop. The host said he’s never had such a response.

Some callers said they weren’t race fans but were nevertheless incensed at the image of Busch repeatedly dashing the $2,000 instrument to the pavement. One caller suggested a boycott of Joe Gibbs Racing and its sponsors. Another said he will never attend another NASCAR event and wants the city of Nashville (actually the community of Gladeville) to “kick the bums out.”

One internet scribe lamely tried to defend Busch’s behavior and said Bass wasn’t mad.

Oh really? The Sam Bass I talked to said he was “shocked and stunned and heart-broken” as he watched Busch destroy the hand-painted trophy.

The normally mild-mannered artist wondered “How Kyle would like it if I took a hammer and destroyed his race car?”

Maybe it’s just me, but it sounds like Sam was a bit peeved.

Finally, after two days of national attention, the Associated Press got on the story. Bass, interviewed at his studio in Charlotte, told AP that he was most definitely angry and upset over what Busch did.

NASCAR by now knows what happened and it shouldn’t be let off the hook. Trust me, it would go bonkers if Busch dared treat a Sprint Cup trophy that way.

Can you imagine NASCAR’s reaction if Busch had won the Daytona 500 and proceeded to dash the trophy to bits in Victory Lane? Brian France and Mike Helton – along with Sprint and all the other high-dollar sponsors – would’ve keeled over from apoplexy.

Or what if Busch won the Cup race at Martinsville and did to the beautiful grandfather clock trophy what he did to Nashville’s trademark guitar? Think NASCAR would have “no issue” with Kyle dashing Martinsville’s trophy to smithereens in a “rock-star style” celebration?

I doubt that Joe Balash or any other NASCAR official would leave the track joking about it.

Busch could never get away with doing to a Cup trophy what he did to his Nationwide trophy, and NASCAR’s deafening silence sends a latent message about what it thinks of its second-tier series: So what? Who cares? Trashing a Nationwide trophy is no big deal. Insult the Nationwide track. Infuriate the Nationwide fans. Alienate the Nationwide sponsors.

And amid the clamor, not a peep from NASCAR, aside from Balash’s flippant, clueless comments.

The lack of response from Joe Gibbs is equally puzzling. Irate Nashville fans and track officials wonder why the organization has made no apology for Busch’s embarrassing and insulting antics. Gibbs usually had the grace to apologize when he was forced to clean up one of Tony Stewart’s similar messes.

Of course it was just a (yawn) second-rate race in some yahoo town. A Cup hotshot swaggers in, scoops off the gravy, trashes the trophy, insults the sponsors, alienates the track and the fans, and blithely jets off to the next day’s Cup race.

No big deal. At least according to NASCAR. 

NASCAR’s Earnhardt problem

Viv Bernstein/trueslant.com

NASCAR officials just tweaked the rules in the middle of the Sprint Cup season to artificially inject excitement into a series that has seen an 11 percent drop in television ratings this year.

They’ve switched to something called double-file restarts, a techie-sounding rule that simply means that the leaders will line up next to each other on restarts following a caution. Previously, lapped cars would line up in the inside lane with the race leaders single file in the outside lane.

If that change creates more accidents among leaders now packed together and battling for position, all the better for NASCAR. Crashes always draw a crowd.

But ultimately, a minor rule adjustment isn’t going to recapture NASCAR’s disappearing fan base. Racing officials are going to have to deal with a more fundamental issue if they want to rebuild their audience and move the sport forward.

NASCAR has to solve its Earnhardt problem.

For years, Dale Earnhardt’s success, “Intimidator” persona and rivalry with Jeff Gordon helped grow the sport. NASCAR expanded nationally in the 1990s and ultimately negotiated a multi-billion dollar broadcast deal in 1999 that began in 2001. But Earnhardt was one of a kind, and his death in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 was devastating to NASCAR.

There was another Earnhardt left to carry the torch, though. Ever since the accident, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shouldered the expectations of a fan base second to none in NASCAR. He has been voted the most popular driver six years in a row.

“Nobody sells more tickets and nobody drives television ratings more than Dale Earnhardt Jr.,” Eddie Gossage, president of Texas Motor Speedway and a longtime race promoter, told The New York Times before the start of the 2008 season. “And as a sport, we need him to do well. If he’s doing well, it’s the Tiger Woods effect.

“If he’s in contention going into the final round, look at the Sunday T.V. ratings and that golf tournament is up, up, up. So if Junior’s doing good, that’s going to have a positive effect on the gate and a positive effect on the television ratings. Very important.”

No one ever expected Earnhardt Jr. to match his father’s seven championships or 76 career victories. But as long as he was a contender, fans were engaged and broadcasters had a star to focus on every race.

Except now, Earnhardt is no longer a serious contender in the sport. It has been five years since his stellar 2004 season, when Earnhardt won the prestigious season-opening Daytona 500 and went on to post a career high six victories. He has won just three races since then. That includes his current stretch of one victory in three years. His only win in that span came at Michigan in 2008.

Earnhardt had hoped a move to powerful Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 would jumpstart his career and help him become a contender again. But it hasn’t happened. In recent weeks, team owner Rick Hendrick has shaken up the team and inserted a new crew chief. But Earnhardt is 20th in the standings and a nonfactor most weekends.

Although it’s not too late for Earnhardt, 34, to revive his career and battle for a championship, it seems less and less likely that will happen.

And that means NASCAR, which banked on the Petty family name as it built the sport from infancy, and then profited wildly from the Earnhardt name the last two decades, is going to have to find or develop another megastar to captivate fans, drive ratings and sell tickets.

Perhaps that is why there is so much buzz about the possibility of Danica Patrick moving from the IndyCar Series to NASCAR next year. She would bring instant star power back to stock-car racing, possibly replacing Earnhardt as the most-watched figure in the sport. That could be a short-lived solution; there is significant question Patrick could sustain that over the long haul unless she was a contender to win each week as she is in open-wheel racing.

If not Patrick, there are other drivers who could potentially emerge not only as contenders and champions, but icons of the sport. Kyle Busch has become NASCAR’s favorite bad boy, and 19-year-old Joey Logano already has been anointed the next great hope. They join Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart as successors; although none of those three has been able to captivate fans quite like the Earnhardt’s.

No matter who it is, NASCAR needs a new face to carry it forward. The Earnhardt era is coming to an end.

NASCAR ON TV THIS WEEK

All times Eastern

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
221 W. 57th Street 18B
Loveland, CO  80538
970/663-6967