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Happy Monday all. Another work week in the makings hope you all had a fabulous weekend.
3/14/1965-Ned Jarrett wins at Hillsboro, win #3 of the season, and #40 of his career.
3/14/1971-Richard Petty wins at Rockingham, win #3 of the season, and #122 of his career.
3/14/1976-Cale Yarborough wins at Bristol, win #1 of the season, and #32 of his career.
3/14/1982-Darrell Waltrip wins at Bristol, win #1 of the season, and #40 of his career.
3/14/1999-Jeff Gordon wins at Atlanta, win #2 of the season, and #44 of his career.
3/14/2004-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins at Atlanta, win #2 of the season, and #11 of his career..
``It officially starts now. No more advice for Kyle because he beat me. And he did it in Las Vegas of all places.''
- Kurt Busch after playfully pouring Coke down his brother's firesuit after the Vegas race
Comments will be posted tomorrow!
Bits and Pieces
Winner & Runner-Up Cars Fail Post-Race Inspection; SPEED Channel's Dillner Questions NASCAR's Darby: After Sunday's Nextel Cup race in Las Vegas, SPEED Channel's NASCAR Victory Lane (Sundays at 8 p.m. ET) reported Jimmie Johnson's car was too low and Kyle Busch's runner-up car was too high in post-race inspection. Bob Dillner: Nextel Cup Series race director John Darby is with us, and we understand there were some problems possibly with the 48 and also the 5. John Darby: Well, typically at the conclusion of every race, a routine part of post-race inspection as we've done for quite some time is checking the required heights of the car — one of those required heights being the roof height and the second required height being that of the quarterpanels and the rear. Obviously with the aero reduction program going on, if you could race a car that was too high with the rear of the car effectively, it raises the spoiler up which negates any spoiler reduction that we've done up to this point. The 5 car's post-race inspection showed that the rear of the car was over and above the tolerance that we allow the teams at the end of a race, ultimately making the rear of the car too high. The 48 car showed a different scenario with roof heights, one that we've seen before. And that's where the roof of the car is actually too low so it's unfortunate. Things happen. Five hundred miles is a long race, and we'll move on with it. We'll deal with it tomorrow and in the first part of this week and head for Atlanta.
NASCAR will take no action against either Robby Gordon or Brad Parrott, who were involved in a physical confrontation before the start of the Busch Series race at Mexico City last Sunday, officials said Friday.
Gordon had qualified second for the race, but changed engines and had to start at the rear of the field. Parrott is the crew chief for Carl Edwards, who had moved to a backup car but was able to change engines without penalty.
Witnesses said Parrott and Gordon got into a heated discussion regarding the engine change issue.
Gordon apparently turned away, but not before Parrott gave him a quick knee to the groin, witnesses said. Gordon responded by grabbing Parrott's neck and preparing to throw a punch before onlookers and officials broke the two up.
At the time, NASCAR officials said they would investigate, but now it appears that no penalties will be forthcoming.
When last we saw Dale Earnhardt Jr., he was limping to a 32nd-place finish at California Speedway two weeks ago.
Not a good day.
"It wasn't much fun driving around with tires blowing out all day, but that's what happened and it's behind us," he said. "Nobody said it was going to be a cakewalk."
The good news out of the day was that crew chief Pete Rondeau helped keep his driver calm at a time when he might otherwise have become unfocused on the racetrack.
"I like that about him," Earnhardt Jr. said.
Now the Budweiser team heads to Las Vegas, a track where it struggled to a 35th-place finish last year. But is Junior worried?
Nah.
"I'm actually looking forward to it," he said. "We tested at Las Vegas (in January) and we learned a lot of stuff in the last half of the California race that should help us there. Once we blew those tires, we turned the rest of the race into a test session. We're taking the same car we used at California."
He went on to explain that the car actually had been fast after the team figured out why the tires were blowing, but he was so many laps down no one noticed.
"The car never was a hassle to drive at any point during the race," he said. "It was by far one of the better cars I've driven at the big, flat tracks, so we're taking it this week and seeing what we can do with it."
It didn't do much in qualifying - Junior starts 35th today.
his woes continued yesterday as Earnhardt was 21st fastest in the morning practice session and 25th in the second session.
Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson's crew chief, was unimpressed with Mexico City after watching the Busch race on TV: "I hope it's a better race next year. It was pretty boring. But I didn't watch much of it.
"But I really don't care where we race. It doesn't matter to me if we're in Rockingham, Las Vegas, Canada or Mexico, as long we're racing."
Felipe Lopez, Dave Blaney's crew chief, disagrees with Knaus' view of the race: "I thought the racing was pretty good, and the track looked really cool. Like any place, the racing will get better. It wasn't a thrown-together deal, but it did come together really quickly. And you can test at VIR (near Danville), but there's no substitute for actually running the track itself.
"I could see Cup going to Montreal, just because the logistics. And that might be more feasible, for making money, than running in Mexico."
Talk about pressure: Sterling Marlin needs results to get a contract extension at Chip Ganassi Racing. Marlin said Saturday getting a deal done is one of his top priorities.
"I'd like to get something worked out by May or June," Marlin said at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of his last Nextel Cup victory, in March 2002. "A few people have walked up and asked me when my deal's up with Chip, but I like where I'm at.
"If I can stay here, I'll stay here."
A win today in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 would be a good starting point for making a deal happen. Marlin was on top of his game back in 2002, when he kicked the season off with a pair of wins in March and led the points standings for 25 consecutive week.
But he broke his neck in a September accident and missed the final two months of the season. He's since gone 98 races without a victory.
"Winning helps everything," he said. "We know we've got a team that's capable of winning in this series. If we can get a break here and there, and not lose ground in the pits, we can win.
"There's no doubt in my mind I can still get the job done. We've just got to get everything working right and go out and do it."
For rookie Eric McClure, any recognition is welcome.
He starts today's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 from the No. 41 spot on the grid - second from last.
But he walked into a casino sports book after Friday's qualifying to check out the basketball games - and saw his name on the odds board. At 300-1.
For a driver making the second Cup start of his career, it was a big moment.
"Hey, if my last name was field, I would have been on the board before," he said.
Field bets are odds set for any driver not included in the betting line.
By Dustin Long
Greensboro News Record
For the first time in track history, Las Vegas Motor Speedway stopped selling alcohol before the end of Saturday's NASCAR Busch race and will do the same before today's Nextel Cup race ends.
Las Vegas is believed to be among the first NASCAR-sanctioned tracks to ban alcohol sales. Infineon Raceway has cut alcohol sales before the end of the Cup race the last five years.
Recent events, including a $105 million court verdict, could lead more tracks to limit when fans purchase alcohol.
A Lowe's Motor Speedway spokesperson said Saturday that track officials have discussed stopping alcohol sales at a certain point but have not made a decision.
Saturday, Las Vegas Motor Speedway alerted fans that it would stop alcohol sales after lap 170 of the 200-lap Busch series race. The track is expected to cut alcohol sales around lap 225 in today's 267-lap race.
"It's just something we want -- our people to come to our race and get home safely," said track spokesman Jeff Motley about the change. "We don't want people going up really late (in the race) and getting beers and slugging down beers before they leave."
Cutting alcohol sales before an event ends has become common in other professional sports but not in racing. Last month, the NBA announced that it would prohibit the sale of alcohol in the fourth quarter, restrict the size of drinks to 24 ounces and limit fans to two drinks. The changes came in response to the brawl last November between Detroit fans and members of the Indiana Pacers.
While that fight gained more publicity, a New Jersey court case also is causing sports franchises and beverage vendors to reexamine their policies. A State Superior Court judge upheld a $105 million verdict on March 4 against a Giants Stadium concessionaire for selling beer to a drunken football fan who later caused an accident, leaving a girl paralyzed. The company, Aramark, plans to appeal the verdict.
The award was the largest alcohol liability award in the United States in at least 25 years, Jennifer Shannon of Jury Verdict Research, a Pennsylvania firm that analyzes trends in personal injury lawsuits, told The Associated Press.
Antonia Verni, then 2, was paralyzed from the neck down after Daniel Lanzaro ran into a car with her in it. The accident came after Lanzaro left a New York Giants game in 1999. Lanzaro's blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. The suit, filed by Verni's parents, claimed that Aramark vendors at Giants Stadium sold Lanzaro beer although he was clearly drunk.
Lanzaro is serving a five-year prison term after pleading guilty to vehicular assault. He settled with the family for $200,000 in insurance money. Lanzaro claimed that he drank six beers during the game's first half before buying six beers at halftime although he was slurring his speech.
NASCAR's first foray outside of the U.S. was considering a success for the racing series, which ran a Busch Series event in Mexico City last weekend.
But at least one driver doesn't understand why NASCAR bothered to run in Mexico.
"We need to touch people in the United States before we go to Mexico," said Ryan Newman, who will start from the pole Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "The Pacific Northwest for sure. The upper Midwest, maybe North Dakota. And there's a lot of people in Montana.
"We need to take care of the United States before we take care of anything else. Maybe that's selfish. Canada is more my style than Mexico. But I still think taking care of the United States is number one. We don't need to be a traveling international series."
Newman didn't participate in Sunday's race in Mexico, although several Nextel Cup regulars did.
Some aid they would even be interested in a race in Canada, with Jeff Gordon singling out the road course in Montreal.
"I'd love to see us in Canada," said Gordon, who didn't compete in Mexico City. "Staying in North America is extremely important. Canada seems like the next natural place for us to go. Obviously Mexico went well for the Busch cars; that might be a good option (for a Cup race) as well.
Qualifying and practice schedules for Cup cars will vary from track to track this year.
This week, qualifying was Friday with two practices Saturday. Next week at Atlanta and the following week at Bristol, there will be qualifying Friday and the cars will then be impounded with no Cup track activity Saturday.
At Martinsville and Texas, there will be Friday qualifying and two practices Saturday.
Elliott Sadler doesn't mind the changes.
"I like it because it throws us a curveball every week," he said. "I'm glad we don't do the same monotonous stuff every weekend. One weekend, the driver has to be in one mindset and try to get it ready for qualifying Friday and then go for race practice Saturday, so it throws a curveball to us every single week."
Elliott added that the crews might suffer more than the drivers with the changes. "But it's what this sport is all about," he said. "The best will prevail. So I kind of like the schedule changes."
Rookie Kyle finishes second, while defending Cup champ is third
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
LAS VEGAS -- If you're going to show off, do it in your hometown. That's exactly what Kyle Busch did.
The recent trend in the Nextel Cup Series is to give a fearless young driver a well-prepared car and expect to run up front. Still, no one expected Kyle Busch to challenge for a win this early, especially at a difficult downforce track.
In fact, both Busch brothers put on a show in their native Las Vegas on Sunday, as each scored top-fives in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.
Kyle Busch was second in just his ninth career Nextel Cup start.
"He is really coming together quicker than I thought," said Kurt Busch, who led 40 laps and finished third. "He was pretty stout and I am pretty proud of him. He competed with the best of the best. He did it in Vegas, of all places."
Kyle Busch didn't lead a lap, but he made teammate Jimmie Johnson nervous in the closing laps, at one point closing the gap to under a second.
Johnson was too strong, but Kyle Busch was not complaining, especially after beating his brother.
The younger Busch was a 60-1 longshot heading into the event, but his car handled better and better with each passing pit stop.
"We struggled all day with a tight car in the center," he said. "We tried chasing the 48, but couldn't get it done. But we ended the Roush domination."
After the race, Kurt Busch was the first to congratulate Kyle. The elder brother -- seven years older than Kyle -- finished a distant third, more than six seconds behind Johnson.
Kurt Busch probably would have been able to race with Johnson for the win -- he led 40 laps -- but a bad pit stop on Lap 194 ended his chances.
"After the problem we had, I thought we were buried," Kurt Busch said. "It's very tough to come back to the front."
Still, it was Kurt Busch's first top-five run at Las Vegas in five tries. Kurt badly wants to win at Las Vegas, and Sunday's result still stung.
"I really felt like we were really in contention," Kurt Busch said. "I understand you have to run for a championship, but when we come to Vegas, it feels like the Daytona 500."
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
LAS VEGAS -- -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has built his NASCAR career out of being able to complete laps with the best of them.
But on Sunday at Las Vegas, Earnhardt ended the race on the wrecker's hook for the third time in the past eight races.
He didn't have the handling problems that plagued his No. 8 Chevrolet last year. Worse, only 12 laps into the event, he got into the back of Brian Vickers, triggering a four-car accident that also created victims out of Bobby Labonte and Ricky Rudd.
Earnhardt took the blame for the accident, saying he was surprised when he suddenly caught Vickers in Turn 1.
"[Vickers] had been on my ass for about three laps, so I was going to let him go, I just got into him," Earnhardt said. "I don't know what the hell happened over there.
"I went into the corner like I thought he should and he got into there a little easier than I expected. I got all over him. I apologized to him."
Vickers and Earnhardt had both qualified poorly Friday and were moving through the field when the wreck occurred.
"You know, we just got wrecked," Vickers said. "It's a shame. Junior apologized, which is good. Stuff happens and guys make mistakes."
Earnhardt Jr. finished 42nd, his worst finish in nearly three years. He dropped to 27th in the points after three races, but he also knows he can bounce back with a win in Atlanta, like he did in 2004.
"I have had harder times than this," Earnhardt said. "I mean, we'll just try to turn it around. I've had a pretty good car the last couple of weeks -- just ain't made the best of it."
For Rudd, it was his third consecutive week he'd been caught up in an accident. As a result, he is last in points among teams with three starts.
Rudd started the season full of optimism after his team, the Wood Brothers, were especially strong in offseason testing.
"It has just been a real frustrating season," said Rudd, was able to complete 158 laps and finish 37th. "The crew did a great job of patching the car up. Usually people would put a car that bad on the truck and leave."
Labonte, like Earnhardt and Vickers, didn't make it back to the track after the accident. He finished 41st, his second DNF of the year.
Labonte's team didn't master the new spoiler-tire package at Las Vegas, and Sunday's wreck completed a dismal weekend for him.
"You've got to get these cars so loose to drive them through the center of the corner on entry, that [when] I turned the wheel down to go left, I spun out," he said.
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Today In Nascar History3/14/1965-Ned Jarrett wins at Hillsboro, win #3 of the season, and #40 of his career.
3/14/1971-Richard Petty wins at Rockingham, win #3 of the season, and #122 of his career.
3/14/1976-Cale Yarborough wins at Bristol, win #1 of the season, and #32 of his career.
3/14/1982-Darrell Waltrip wins at Bristol, win #1 of the season, and #40 of his career.
3/14/1999-Jeff Gordon wins at Atlanta, win #2 of the season, and #44 of his career.
3/14/2004-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins at Atlanta, win #2 of the season, and #11 of his career..
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New Poll
Where Should The NASCAR Hall of Fame be Located?
Only 1 Vote Per Day Will Be Counted!
NASCAR is Considering Four Cities as a Site for a NASCAR HALL of FAME. Which City Should it Choose?
Atlanta
Daytona Beach
Charlotte
Kansas City
No Opinion
Where Should The NASCAR Hall of Fame be Located?
Only 1 Vote Per Day Will Be Counted!
NASCAR is Considering Four Cities as a Site for a NASCAR HALL of FAME. Which City Should it Choose?
Atlanta
Daytona Beach
Charlotte
Kansas City
No Opinion
Click here to vote! http://de3fan4.tripod.com/
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Quote of the Day``It officially starts now. No more advice for Kyle because he beat me. And he did it in Las Vegas of all places.''
- Kurt Busch after playfully pouring Coke down his brother's firesuit after the Vegas race
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Comments from the Peanut Gallery
Comments will be posted tomorrow!
Bits and Pieces
Winner & Runner-Up Cars Fail Post-Race Inspection; SPEED Channel's Dillner Questions NASCAR's Darby: After Sunday's Nextel Cup race in Las Vegas, SPEED Channel's NASCAR Victory Lane (Sundays at 8 p.m. ET) reported Jimmie Johnson's car was too low and Kyle Busch's runner-up car was too high in post-race inspection. Bob Dillner: Nextel Cup Series race director John Darby is with us, and we understand there were some problems possibly with the 48 and also the 5. John Darby: Well, typically at the conclusion of every race, a routine part of post-race inspection as we've done for quite some time is checking the required heights of the car — one of those required heights being the roof height and the second required height being that of the quarterpanels and the rear. Obviously with the aero reduction program going on, if you could race a car that was too high with the rear of the car effectively, it raises the spoiler up which negates any spoiler reduction that we've done up to this point. The 5 car's post-race inspection showed that the rear of the car was over and above the tolerance that we allow the teams at the end of a race, ultimately making the rear of the car too high. The 48 car showed a different scenario with roof heights, one that we've seen before. And that's where the roof of the car is actually too low so it's unfortunate. Things happen. Five hundred miles is a long race, and we'll move on with it. We'll deal with it tomorrow and in the first part of this week and head for Atlanta.
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No penalites in Robbie Gordon, Brad Parrott incidentNASCAR will take no action against either Robby Gordon or Brad Parrott, who were involved in a physical confrontation before the start of the Busch Series race at Mexico City last Sunday, officials said Friday.
Gordon had qualified second for the race, but changed engines and had to start at the rear of the field. Parrott is the crew chief for Carl Edwards, who had moved to a backup car but was able to change engines without penalty.
Witnesses said Parrott and Gordon got into a heated discussion regarding the engine change issue.
Gordon apparently turned away, but not before Parrott gave him a quick knee to the groin, witnesses said. Gordon responded by grabbing Parrott's neck and preparing to throw a punch before onlookers and officials broke the two up.
At the time, NASCAR officials said they would investigate, but now it appears that no penalties will be forthcoming.
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Rondeau tries to keep Junior focusedWhen last we saw Dale Earnhardt Jr., he was limping to a 32nd-place finish at California Speedway two weeks ago.
Not a good day.
"It wasn't much fun driving around with tires blowing out all day, but that's what happened and it's behind us," he said. "Nobody said it was going to be a cakewalk."
The good news out of the day was that crew chief Pete Rondeau helped keep his driver calm at a time when he might otherwise have become unfocused on the racetrack.
"I like that about him," Earnhardt Jr. said.
Now the Budweiser team heads to Las Vegas, a track where it struggled to a 35th-place finish last year. But is Junior worried?
Nah.
"I'm actually looking forward to it," he said. "We tested at Las Vegas (in January) and we learned a lot of stuff in the last half of the California race that should help us there. Once we blew those tires, we turned the rest of the race into a test session. We're taking the same car we used at California."
He went on to explain that the car actually had been fast after the team figured out why the tires were blowing, but he was so many laps down no one noticed.
"The car never was a hassle to drive at any point during the race," he said. "It was by far one of the better cars I've driven at the big, flat tracks, so we're taking it this week and seeing what we can do with it."
It didn't do much in qualifying - Junior starts 35th today.
his woes continued yesterday as Earnhardt was 21st fastest in the morning practice session and 25th in the second session.
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Knaus says Mexico race was "pretty boring" Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson's crew chief, was unimpressed with Mexico City after watching the Busch race on TV: "I hope it's a better race next year. It was pretty boring. But I didn't watch much of it.
"But I really don't care where we race. It doesn't matter to me if we're in Rockingham, Las Vegas, Canada or Mexico, as long we're racing."
Felipe Lopez, Dave Blaney's crew chief, disagrees with Knaus' view of the race: "I thought the racing was pretty good, and the track looked really cool. Like any place, the racing will get better. It wasn't a thrown-together deal, but it did come together really quickly. And you can test at VIR (near Danville), but there's no substitute for actually running the track itself.
"I could see Cup going to Montreal, just because the logistics. And that might be more feasible, for making money, than running in Mexico."
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Marlin needs to win to keep his job Talk about pressure: Sterling Marlin needs results to get a contract extension at Chip Ganassi Racing. Marlin said Saturday getting a deal done is one of his top priorities.
"I'd like to get something worked out by May or June," Marlin said at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of his last Nextel Cup victory, in March 2002. "A few people have walked up and asked me when my deal's up with Chip, but I like where I'm at.
"If I can stay here, I'll stay here."
A win today in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 would be a good starting point for making a deal happen. Marlin was on top of his game back in 2002, when he kicked the season off with a pair of wins in March and led the points standings for 25 consecutive week.
But he broke his neck in a September accident and missed the final two months of the season. He's since gone 98 races without a victory.
"Winning helps everything," he said. "We know we've got a team that's capable of winning in this series. If we can get a break here and there, and not lose ground in the pits, we can win.
"There's no doubt in my mind I can still get the job done. We've just got to get everything working right and go out and do it."
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Any recognition is better than none at all
For rookie Eric McClure, any recognition is welcome.
He starts today's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 from the No. 41 spot on the grid - second from last.
But he walked into a casino sports book after Friday's qualifying to check out the basketball games - and saw his name on the odds board. At 300-1.
For a driver making the second Cup start of his career, it was a big moment.
"Hey, if my last name was field, I would have been on the board before," he said.
Field bets are odds set for any driver not included in the betting line.
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Speedway to cut alcohol sale before end of race
By Dustin Long
Greensboro News Record
For the first time in track history, Las Vegas Motor Speedway stopped selling alcohol before the end of Saturday's NASCAR Busch race and will do the same before today's Nextel Cup race ends.
Las Vegas is believed to be among the first NASCAR-sanctioned tracks to ban alcohol sales. Infineon Raceway has cut alcohol sales before the end of the Cup race the last five years.
Recent events, including a $105 million court verdict, could lead more tracks to limit when fans purchase alcohol.
A Lowe's Motor Speedway spokesperson said Saturday that track officials have discussed stopping alcohol sales at a certain point but have not made a decision.
Saturday, Las Vegas Motor Speedway alerted fans that it would stop alcohol sales after lap 170 of the 200-lap Busch series race. The track is expected to cut alcohol sales around lap 225 in today's 267-lap race.
"It's just something we want -- our people to come to our race and get home safely," said track spokesman Jeff Motley about the change. "We don't want people going up really late (in the race) and getting beers and slugging down beers before they leave."
Cutting alcohol sales before an event ends has become common in other professional sports but not in racing. Last month, the NBA announced that it would prohibit the sale of alcohol in the fourth quarter, restrict the size of drinks to 24 ounces and limit fans to two drinks. The changes came in response to the brawl last November between Detroit fans and members of the Indiana Pacers.
While that fight gained more publicity, a New Jersey court case also is causing sports franchises and beverage vendors to reexamine their policies. A State Superior Court judge upheld a $105 million verdict on March 4 against a Giants Stadium concessionaire for selling beer to a drunken football fan who later caused an accident, leaving a girl paralyzed. The company, Aramark, plans to appeal the verdict.
The award was the largest alcohol liability award in the United States in at least 25 years, Jennifer Shannon of Jury Verdict Research, a Pennsylvania firm that analyzes trends in personal injury lawsuits, told The Associated Press.
Antonia Verni, then 2, was paralyzed from the neck down after Daniel Lanzaro ran into a car with her in it. The accident came after Lanzaro left a New York Giants game in 1999. Lanzaro's blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. The suit, filed by Verni's parents, claimed that Aramark vendors at Giants Stadium sold Lanzaro beer although he was clearly drunk.
Lanzaro is serving a five-year prison term after pleading guilty to vehicular assault. He settled with the family for $200,000 in insurance money. Lanzaro claimed that he drank six beers during the game's first half before buying six beers at halftime although he was slurring his speech.
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Speedway Charities Raise $180,000 from Driver Auctions
The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities annual NASCAR Driver Auction raised $180,000 for the children of Las Vegas and southern Nevada last night at Sam's Town Live!, inside Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall.
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Scott Wimmer, Kyle Petty, David Green, Stacy Compton, Clint Bowyer, Jon Wood, Ashton Lewis, Jason Keller, Randy LaJoie, Shane Hmiel, Paul Menard, Reed Sorenson, Kevin Lepage, Brent Sherman, Kim Crosby, Brendan Gaughan, NFL Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly and Mickey Jones of the Home Improvement television show participated in the fundraiser.
NASCAR driver and hometown hero Brendan Gaughan signed autographs during the first hour while the Randy Anderson Band entertained attendees. This year's event also marked the return of world-famous auto auctioneer Brent Earlywine to the podium and gavel.
The event also featured a silent auction with a variety of racing and non-racing items to bid on, including autographed team uniforms, race car sheetmetal (from Ricky Rudd's Motorcraft Ford, Bobby Hamilton Jr.'s Tide Chevrolet, Bobby Labonte's Interstate Batteries Chevrolet and Brendan Gaughan's Orleans Racing Dodge), autographed MLB baseballs, NBA collectibles and tickets to various shows in and around Las Vegas.
Last December, The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities granted $275,000 to 51 local children's causes during its annual grant distribution ceremony.
The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities annual NASCAR Driver Auction raised $180,000 for the children of Las Vegas and southern Nevada last night at Sam's Town Live!, inside Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall.
NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Scott Wimmer, Kyle Petty, David Green, Stacy Compton, Clint Bowyer, Jon Wood, Ashton Lewis, Jason Keller, Randy LaJoie, Shane Hmiel, Paul Menard, Reed Sorenson, Kevin Lepage, Brent Sherman, Kim Crosby, Brendan Gaughan, NFL Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly and Mickey Jones of the Home Improvement television show participated in the fundraiser.
NASCAR driver and hometown hero Brendan Gaughan signed autographs during the first hour while the Randy Anderson Band entertained attendees. This year's event also marked the return of world-famous auto auctioneer Brent Earlywine to the podium and gavel.
The event also featured a silent auction with a variety of racing and non-racing items to bid on, including autographed team uniforms, race car sheetmetal (from Ricky Rudd's Motorcraft Ford, Bobby Hamilton Jr.'s Tide Chevrolet, Bobby Labonte's Interstate Batteries Chevrolet and Brendan Gaughan's Orleans Racing Dodge), autographed MLB baseballs, NBA collectibles and tickets to various shows in and around Las Vegas.
Last December, The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities granted $275,000 to 51 local children's causes during its annual grant distribution ceremony.
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Newman wonders: Why Mexico? NASCAR's first foray outside of the U.S. was considering a success for the racing series, which ran a Busch Series event in Mexico City last weekend.
But at least one driver doesn't understand why NASCAR bothered to run in Mexico.
"We need to touch people in the United States before we go to Mexico," said Ryan Newman, who will start from the pole Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "The Pacific Northwest for sure. The upper Midwest, maybe North Dakota. And there's a lot of people in Montana.
"We need to take care of the United States before we take care of anything else. Maybe that's selfish. Canada is more my style than Mexico. But I still think taking care of the United States is number one. We don't need to be a traveling international series."
Newman didn't participate in Sunday's race in Mexico, although several Nextel Cup regulars did.
Some aid they would even be interested in a race in Canada, with Jeff Gordon singling out the road course in Montreal.
"I'd love to see us in Canada," said Gordon, who didn't compete in Mexico City. "Staying in North America is extremely important. Canada seems like the next natural place for us to go. Obviously Mexico went well for the Busch cars; that might be a good option (for a Cup race) as well.
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Happy hour or no Happy hour, that is the question Qualifying and practice schedules for Cup cars will vary from track to track this year.
This week, qualifying was Friday with two practices Saturday. Next week at Atlanta and the following week at Bristol, there will be qualifying Friday and the cars will then be impounded with no Cup track activity Saturday.
At Martinsville and Texas, there will be Friday qualifying and two practices Saturday.
Elliott Sadler doesn't mind the changes.
"I like it because it throws us a curveball every week," he said. "I'm glad we don't do the same monotonous stuff every weekend. One weekend, the driver has to be in one mindset and try to get it ready for qualifying Friday and then go for race practice Saturday, so it throws a curveball to us every single week."
Elliott added that the crews might suffer more than the drivers with the changes. "But it's what this sport is all about," he said. "The best will prevail. So I kind of like the schedule changes."
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Harvick's Crew Chief, Todd Berrier, Recognized Risk of Fuel Cell Violation: For once, Todd Berrier wishes Kevin Harvick had laid down a slower qualifying lap. Berrier, Harvick's crew chief, installed an illegal fuel cell in the GM Goodwrench Chevy for Bud Pole Qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- one he said was rigged to appear filled to 22-gallon capacity while actually holding just five gallons. NASCAR caught him, negating Harvick's top-five qualifying run. Harvick will start 42nd in the UAW-DaimlerChrylser 400 Sunday. But Berrier said if they'd been a tick slower, NASCAR would never have known they were using an illegal cell. "If we hadn't qualified in the top five they'd have never known, because they didn't check it," Berrier said with a grin Saturday morning. "The top five went to the gas pump to pump gas in the thing, and when they saw that it was already full, it turned up a red flag."
Wishful Thinking? Berrier Doesn't Anticipate Points Taken Away: Berrier doesn't foresee a points penalty from NASCAR. "I'm sure they'll fine us, but I don't think they'll take points," he said. "It wasn't a points event. It was a qualifying event. When you get caught with something, if you had to play it over again you'd probably play it a little bit different, but that's my nature, it's how I've always addressed things. "If it is points, if it's a fine, it don't matter. It all evens back up with 10 to go anyway."
Wishful Thinking? Berrier Doesn't Anticipate Points Taken Away: Berrier doesn't foresee a points penalty from NASCAR. "I'm sure they'll fine us, but I don't think they'll take points," he said. "It wasn't a points event. It was a qualifying event. When you get caught with something, if you had to play it over again you'd probably play it a little bit different, but that's my nature, it's how I've always addressed things. "If it is points, if it's a fine, it don't matter. It all evens back up with 10 to go anyway."
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The Dodge 'Vacuum' Nose: Dodge officials have been in negotiations with NASCAR officials, apparently over aerodynamic issues. Dodge has a new nose and tail this season, and the nose has been controversial because of its tendency to suck up trash on the track and lead to engine overheating.(Winston Salem Journal)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
#0 Crew Member OK: #0 NetZero/Best Buy Chevy front tire carrier, Mike Morneau has been released from a local Las Vegas area hospital and has a bruised left knee. He is expected to be back in action in Atlanta. Crew member Brad Tunny replaced Morneau during the race.(NetZero Best Buy Racing)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kerry tests for DEI: Kerry Earnhardt tested for Dale Earnhardt Inc. last Wednesday at Kentucky Speedway and will return again this week to gather additional engine and chassis data. DEI's Michael Waltrip did not finish the first two races this season, once because of component problems, the other time because of an oil system problem. Vice president Richie Gilmore says development continues on DEI's in-house chassis. Four cars with the new chassis should be in the organization's rotation soon.(FoxSports/Sporting News)~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Johnson beats Busches for victory at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- With a $30,000 bonus tucked inside his pocket, Jimmie Johnson headed to the casino to celebrate his latest victory.
If he can run the tables the same way he's running the Nextel Cup series, he might just break the bank.
Johnson ended the Roush Racing stranglehold at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, spoiling what could have been a banner day for hometown boys Kurt and Kyle Busch by beating them both to win the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.
Johnson, who won for the 15th time in his career, has victories in five of the last nine races, dating to last season. He hasn't finished worse than sixth since October, and this victory put him right back where he spent most of last season -- on top of the points standings.
"I can have a little fun at the blackjack table," Johnson said of the bonus that comes with earning the points lead. "But I'm not concerned about the points lead yet."
In post-race inspection, Johnson's car measured too low, while Busch's runner-up car had a rear quarter panel that was too high. Any penalties that may come from those infractions will be handed down later in the week.
Johnson won a series-high eight races last season, only to fall eight points shy of winning the title. But he's come charging out of the gate this year, with a fifth-place finish in the season-opening event at Daytona and a runner-up finish in California.
This latest victory helped Hendrick Motorsports claim a piece of the track in the desert that Roush Racing has dominated with five victories in the first seven races.
But with Johnson and Hendrick teammates Kyle Busch finishing second and Jeff Gordon fourth, the Roush dominance is over. Kurt Busch carried the Roush flag with a third-place finish.
"It's going to be a fun battle all the way to the end," Kurt Busch said. "You could say that Hendrick and Roush definitely have a distinct advantage over the other groups."
Johnson was strong the entire race, leading a race-high 107 laps as he seemed to coast toward the victory. The only trouble he had was passing a lapped car with under 20 laps to go.
It allowed Kyle Busch, a 19-year-old rookie, to close the gap on the leader while big brother, Kurt, the reigning Nextel Cup champion, also moved within striking distance.
But lapped traffic soon got in the way of the Busch brothers, preventing them from challenging Johnson for the win. Johnson cruised to victory, beating Kyle to the line by several car lengths.
"It was a great performance for the Hendricks," Johnson said. "Right now both the Hendrick cars and the Roush cars, you can see the hard work they put in over the winter. They've got one win and we've got [two]."
Gordon won the season-opening Daytona 500, and Roush driver Greg Biffle won in California.
As Johnson was driving his Chevrolet to Victory Lane, Kyle was treasuring his second-place finish.
"This is as good as a win as far as I'm concerned," he yelled to his crew.
"I had a bunch of guys put money on me, so it would have been cool to have Jimmie pull over and let us win," said Kyle, who went off at 60-1 before the race. "But, hey, next year I'll probably have a lot lower odds."
The Busch brothers have had a whirlwind week in Vegas, the city where they grew up. It's always a party when the boys are home, as they cram in all the friend and family visits they can -- as well as a dozen or so visits to the In-N-Out Burger.
Kyle even squeezed in a stint as instructor for a high school defensive driving course.
But all the glitz and glamour isn't always what it's cracked up to be, at least for Kurt, who has seemed to struggle at his home track. So with the race coming to an end, and his shot at a victory gone, he had an even harder time accepting the kid he calls "Shrub" beating him to the finish line.
"To see [Kyle] in front of me, oooh, that was tough to swallow," Kurt said. "But I am so very proud of him. But I officially have to cut it out from here: No more advice for Kyle."
Kevin Harvick, who had to start in 42nd place because his team admittedly cheated in qualifying, battled back and overcame a speeding penalty to finish fifth. Greg Biffle was sixth, followed by Casey Mears and Matt Kenseth, the two-time defending race winner.
Polesitter Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart rounded out the top 10.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now in an official slump after wrecking early in the race. He was awful two weeks ago in California, where his car had three flat tires and he finished 32nd.
This time, his Chevrolet clipped Brian Vickers, triggering a five-car wreck. Vickers threw his arms up in disgust at Earnhardt as the two climbed out of their cars, and Earnhardt was contrite after privately apologizing to Vickers.
"I got in the back of him, turned him around and just took us both out really. It's pretty much as simple as that," Earnhardt said. "It's just a shame. I try not to make too many mistakes but I made a big one [Sunday]."
Earnhardt ended up 42nd -- his worst finish in at least two seasons -- and plummeted to 27th in the standings.
Robby Gordon's struggles with his new motor program also continued.
Gordon, who is fielding his own team this season with motors built by Indy-car engine expert John Menard, has blown three in three races and failed to make the Daytona 500 partly because of an engine problem.
Kasey Kahne's struggles also continued. He finished second here a year ago, but wasn't really competitive this time and hit the wall midway through the race. He ended up 38th, and after a 40th-place finish two weeks ago, is 38th in the points.
"I'm upset with myself for crashing the car, but I was running two seconds off the pace and still couldn't hang on to it," Kahne said. "We were junk."
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- With a $30,000 bonus tucked inside his pocket, Jimmie Johnson headed to the casino to celebrate his latest victory.
If he can run the tables the same way he's running the Nextel Cup series, he might just break the bank.
Johnson ended the Roush Racing stranglehold at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, spoiling what could have been a banner day for hometown boys Kurt and Kyle Busch by beating them both to win the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.
Johnson, who won for the 15th time in his career, has victories in five of the last nine races, dating to last season. He hasn't finished worse than sixth since October, and this victory put him right back where he spent most of last season -- on top of the points standings.
"I can have a little fun at the blackjack table," Johnson said of the bonus that comes with earning the points lead. "But I'm not concerned about the points lead yet."
In post-race inspection, Johnson's car measured too low, while Busch's runner-up car had a rear quarter panel that was too high. Any penalties that may come from those infractions will be handed down later in the week.
Johnson won a series-high eight races last season, only to fall eight points shy of winning the title. But he's come charging out of the gate this year, with a fifth-place finish in the season-opening event at Daytona and a runner-up finish in California.
This latest victory helped Hendrick Motorsports claim a piece of the track in the desert that Roush Racing has dominated with five victories in the first seven races.
But with Johnson and Hendrick teammates Kyle Busch finishing second and Jeff Gordon fourth, the Roush dominance is over. Kurt Busch carried the Roush flag with a third-place finish.
"It's going to be a fun battle all the way to the end," Kurt Busch said. "You could say that Hendrick and Roush definitely have a distinct advantage over the other groups."
Johnson was strong the entire race, leading a race-high 107 laps as he seemed to coast toward the victory. The only trouble he had was passing a lapped car with under 20 laps to go.
It allowed Kyle Busch, a 19-year-old rookie, to close the gap on the leader while big brother, Kurt, the reigning Nextel Cup champion, also moved within striking distance.
But lapped traffic soon got in the way of the Busch brothers, preventing them from challenging Johnson for the win. Johnson cruised to victory, beating Kyle to the line by several car lengths.
"It was a great performance for the Hendricks," Johnson said. "Right now both the Hendrick cars and the Roush cars, you can see the hard work they put in over the winter. They've got one win and we've got [two]."
Gordon won the season-opening Daytona 500, and Roush driver Greg Biffle won in California.
As Johnson was driving his Chevrolet to Victory Lane, Kyle was treasuring his second-place finish.
"This is as good as a win as far as I'm concerned," he yelled to his crew.
"I had a bunch of guys put money on me, so it would have been cool to have Jimmie pull over and let us win," said Kyle, who went off at 60-1 before the race. "But, hey, next year I'll probably have a lot lower odds."
The Busch brothers have had a whirlwind week in Vegas, the city where they grew up. It's always a party when the boys are home, as they cram in all the friend and family visits they can -- as well as a dozen or so visits to the In-N-Out Burger.
Kyle even squeezed in a stint as instructor for a high school defensive driving course.
But all the glitz and glamour isn't always what it's cracked up to be, at least for Kurt, who has seemed to struggle at his home track. So with the race coming to an end, and his shot at a victory gone, he had an even harder time accepting the kid he calls "Shrub" beating him to the finish line.
"To see [Kyle] in front of me, oooh, that was tough to swallow," Kurt said. "But I am so very proud of him. But I officially have to cut it out from here: No more advice for Kyle."
Kevin Harvick, who had to start in 42nd place because his team admittedly cheated in qualifying, battled back and overcame a speeding penalty to finish fifth. Greg Biffle was sixth, followed by Casey Mears and Matt Kenseth, the two-time defending race winner.
Polesitter Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart rounded out the top 10.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now in an official slump after wrecking early in the race. He was awful two weeks ago in California, where his car had three flat tires and he finished 32nd.
This time, his Chevrolet clipped Brian Vickers, triggering a five-car wreck. Vickers threw his arms up in disgust at Earnhardt as the two climbed out of their cars, and Earnhardt was contrite after privately apologizing to Vickers.
"I got in the back of him, turned him around and just took us both out really. It's pretty much as simple as that," Earnhardt said. "It's just a shame. I try not to make too many mistakes but I made a big one [Sunday]."
Earnhardt ended up 42nd -- his worst finish in at least two seasons -- and plummeted to 27th in the standings.
Robby Gordon's struggles with his new motor program also continued.
Gordon, who is fielding his own team this season with motors built by Indy-car engine expert John Menard, has blown three in three races and failed to make the Daytona 500 partly because of an engine problem.
Kasey Kahne's struggles also continued. He finished second here a year ago, but wasn't really competitive this time and hit the wall midway through the race. He ended up 38th, and after a 40th-place finish two weeks ago, is 38th in the points.
"I'm upset with myself for crashing the car, but I was running two seconds off the pace and still couldn't hang on to it," Kahne said. "We were junk."
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Kahne still struggling, still puzzled after wreck
One race after Fontana accident, No. 9 Dodge posts DNF at Vegas
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
LAS VEGAS -- This time last year, Kasey Kahne was on top of the world.
He'd just finished second to Matt Kenseth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the second of five runner-up finishes he tallied en route to winning rookie of the year honors.
A year later, he's just trying to finish races.
Following a second self-enduced accident in as many races, Kahne is mired deep in the Nextel Cup Series point standings with no idea how to stop the proverbial bleeding.
"Just a terrible race car," a visibly upset Kahne said after crashing out and finishing 38th in Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. "I tried not to crash the whole race, finally crashed. I was running at least two seconds off the pace and still couldn't hang on to it.
"So we've got to figure out how to get our Dodges better than this before Atlanta, or we'll have another big wreck there."
Kahne was running 27th just after a pit stop when he got loose and backed the No. 9 Dodge into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 101.
Two weeks ago in Fontana, Calif., Kahne got loose in Turn 1 on Lap 160 and wrecked. He finished 40th, dropping him from 23rd to 34th in the series standings.
After Sunday, he's 38th in points.
"Same type of deal [as California], other than I was worse [Sunday]," Kahne said. "At Fontana, we weren't very good at all, and here we were just terrible."
Some drivers voiced concern with the slickness of the LVMS surface under Sunday's hot conditions, but Kahne said it was very similar to last year. He did, however, question NASCAR's new aerodynamic package for the second week in a row.
"The spoilers don't help. The tires don't help. What they have going, I don't think it helps the racing at all," Kahne said. "But there's cars making it work, and we haven't found out how to make it work yet.
"I'm discouraged [Sunday], discouraged with the first three races. This isn't the way we wanted to start the season. There's still plenty of time to do good, have a good season, but this isn't the way to start the season."
One race after Fontana accident, No. 9 Dodge posts DNF at Vegas
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
LAS VEGAS -- This time last year, Kasey Kahne was on top of the world.
He'd just finished second to Matt Kenseth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the second of five runner-up finishes he tallied en route to winning rookie of the year honors.
A year later, he's just trying to finish races.
Following a second self-enduced accident in as many races, Kahne is mired deep in the Nextel Cup Series point standings with no idea how to stop the proverbial bleeding.
"Just a terrible race car," a visibly upset Kahne said after crashing out and finishing 38th in Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. "I tried not to crash the whole race, finally crashed. I was running at least two seconds off the pace and still couldn't hang on to it.
"So we've got to figure out how to get our Dodges better than this before Atlanta, or we'll have another big wreck there."
Kahne was running 27th just after a pit stop when he got loose and backed the No. 9 Dodge into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 101.
Two weeks ago in Fontana, Calif., Kahne got loose in Turn 1 on Lap 160 and wrecked. He finished 40th, dropping him from 23rd to 34th in the series standings.
After Sunday, he's 38th in points.
"Same type of deal [as California], other than I was worse [Sunday]," Kahne said. "At Fontana, we weren't very good at all, and here we were just terrible."
Some drivers voiced concern with the slickness of the LVMS surface under Sunday's hot conditions, but Kahne said it was very similar to last year. He did, however, question NASCAR's new aerodynamic package for the second week in a row.
"The spoilers don't help. The tires don't help. What they have going, I don't think it helps the racing at all," Kahne said. "But there's cars making it work, and we haven't found out how to make it work yet.
"I'm discouraged [Sunday], discouraged with the first three races. This isn't the way we wanted to start the season. There's still plenty of time to do good, have a good season, but this isn't the way to start the season."
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Busch siblings put on a show in hometown
Rookie Kyle finishes second, while defending Cup champ is third
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
LAS VEGAS -- If you're going to show off, do it in your hometown. That's exactly what Kyle Busch did.
The recent trend in the Nextel Cup Series is to give a fearless young driver a well-prepared car and expect to run up front. Still, no one expected Kyle Busch to challenge for a win this early, especially at a difficult downforce track.
In fact, both Busch brothers put on a show in their native Las Vegas on Sunday, as each scored top-fives in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.
Kyle Busch was second in just his ninth career Nextel Cup start.
"He is really coming together quicker than I thought," said Kurt Busch, who led 40 laps and finished third. "He was pretty stout and I am pretty proud of him. He competed with the best of the best. He did it in Vegas, of all places."
Kyle Busch didn't lead a lap, but he made teammate Jimmie Johnson nervous in the closing laps, at one point closing the gap to under a second.
Johnson was too strong, but Kyle Busch was not complaining, especially after beating his brother.
The younger Busch was a 60-1 longshot heading into the event, but his car handled better and better with each passing pit stop.
"We struggled all day with a tight car in the center," he said. "We tried chasing the 48, but couldn't get it done. But we ended the Roush domination."
After the race, Kurt Busch was the first to congratulate Kyle. The elder brother -- seven years older than Kyle -- finished a distant third, more than six seconds behind Johnson.
Kurt Busch probably would have been able to race with Johnson for the win -- he led 40 laps -- but a bad pit stop on Lap 194 ended his chances.
"After the problem we had, I thought we were buried," Kurt Busch said. "It's very tough to come back to the front."
Still, it was Kurt Busch's first top-five run at Las Vegas in five tries. Kurt badly wants to win at Las Vegas, and Sunday's result still stung.
"I really felt like we were really in contention," Kurt Busch said. "I understand you have to run for a championship, but when we come to Vegas, it feels like the Daytona 500."
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Junior, Vickers collide in early going at VegasBy Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
LAS VEGAS -- -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has built his NASCAR career out of being able to complete laps with the best of them.
But on Sunday at Las Vegas, Earnhardt ended the race on the wrecker's hook for the third time in the past eight races.
He didn't have the handling problems that plagued his No. 8 Chevrolet last year. Worse, only 12 laps into the event, he got into the back of Brian Vickers, triggering a four-car accident that also created victims out of Bobby Labonte and Ricky Rudd.
Earnhardt took the blame for the accident, saying he was surprised when he suddenly caught Vickers in Turn 1.
"[Vickers] had been on my ass for about three laps, so I was going to let him go, I just got into him," Earnhardt said. "I don't know what the hell happened over there.
"I went into the corner like I thought he should and he got into there a little easier than I expected. I got all over him. I apologized to him."
Vickers and Earnhardt had both qualified poorly Friday and were moving through the field when the wreck occurred.
"You know, we just got wrecked," Vickers said. "It's a shame. Junior apologized, which is good. Stuff happens and guys make mistakes."
Earnhardt Jr. finished 42nd, his worst finish in nearly three years. He dropped to 27th in the points after three races, but he also knows he can bounce back with a win in Atlanta, like he did in 2004.
"I have had harder times than this," Earnhardt said. "I mean, we'll just try to turn it around. I've had a pretty good car the last couple of weeks -- just ain't made the best of it."
For Rudd, it was his third consecutive week he'd been caught up in an accident. As a result, he is last in points among teams with three starts.
Rudd started the season full of optimism after his team, the Wood Brothers, were especially strong in offseason testing.
"It has just been a real frustrating season," said Rudd, was able to complete 158 laps and finish 37th. "The crew did a great job of patching the car up. Usually people would put a car that bad on the truck and leave."
Labonte, like Earnhardt and Vickers, didn't make it back to the track after the accident. He finished 41st, his second DNF of the year.
Labonte's team didn't master the new spoiler-tire package at Las Vegas, and Sunday's wreck completed a dismal weekend for him.
"You've got to get these cars so loose to drive them through the center of the corner on entry, that [when] I turned the wheel down to go left, I spun out," he said.
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Cross' Words: Vegas
By B. Duane Cross, NASCAR.COM
The 2005 Cup season is 720 laps and 1,408 miles into the books. And raise your hand if you're with me, but where's the excitement?
A couple things:
A) love the idea behind the new spoiler / tire combo, and 2) hate the realization that Harry Hogge's advice has gone the way of the Grand Prix.
Rubbin', son, is racin' -- and it's what got NASCAR to where it was a few years ago, before Abercrombie & Fitch became a bigger name than Petty in the garage.
Aside from Jeff Gordon muscling past Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Daytona, has there been a moment to remember three races into 2005? It's been more gas-it-and-go passing rather than make-a-hole racing.
Sunday at Las Vegas, the 25 lead changes and 20 cars on the lead lap tied track records. Anyone remember The Pass? No -- because there wasn't one. Even the smattering of side-by-side racing wasn't edge-of-your-seat stuff.
It's as if the Chase has neutered these drivers, who are in fear of falling too far behind this early in the season. It seems as if the mentality has become 'keep the fenders on it and get the best finish possible, lest we miss the dance after Richmond.'
Is it just me, or is that the same postseason mentality that three-fourths of the NBA teams have? And we know what a snoozefest that sport's postseason is ...
There are 23 races still to be run before the Cup playoffs begin at New Hampshire. Will anyone be awake to notice?
Flags
• Green -- Casey Mears' seventh-place finish was his first top-10 effort since Talladega in October. Now the No. 41 team looks for back-to-back top-10s for the first time since Talladega-Fontana last year. However, he hasn't fared well at Atlanta -- average finish 24.5 with one DNF (in the Spring 2004 race).
• Yellow -- Dale Jarrett has three consecutive top-20 showings to begin the year, a first for the No. 88 guys since 2000. DJ did not lose any ground in the standings -- he's still 11th -- and you can bet he's happy to see Atlanta on the horizon: 1 win, 11 top-fives and 17 top-10s in 34 races at the track.
• Red -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted his worst finish (42nd) since Texas in 2002, a span of 104 races. He plummeted 13 spots in the point standings, to 27th -- his lowest showing since Week 2 of 2003. Not that it's time to panic, but the DEI cars have one top-five and an average finish of 29th in six starts.
Quote, Unquote
"My thinking is you would be better off messing up 'Budweiser' than 'Jesus.' " -- Morgan Shepherd, on guest announcer Robin Leach mispronouncing "Jesus" -- instead using the Spanish version (HAY-soos) when introducing Shepherd's "Racing with Jesus" car during the pre-race lineup.
Around the Track
• Jimmie Johnson's victory at Las Vegas was his 15th Cup win in his 114th career start. He has posted top-five finishes in each of the first three races this season.
• Johnson has five victories in the past nine races, and has scored top-10 finishes in each of those nine races.
• Only Johnson and Ryan Newman have started every race in 2005 from a top-10 starting position.
• Johnson has led at least one lap in every race in 2005. Kyle Petty is the only other driver to do so.
• Kurt Busch (third) scored his second top-10 finish in four races at Las Vegas, and he also has three top-five finishes to begin the year. Busch has top-five finishes in four consecutive races, his career best streak.
• Matt Kenseth (eighth) scored his first top-10 finish in the past 12 races.
• Mark Martin (30th) has been running at the finish in 25 consecutive races, the longest current streak.
• Robby Gordon failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 and has finished 35th and 39th in the two races that he has competed in this season.
• Tony Stewart has ranked in the top 10 of the Cup point standings for 48 consecutive races (since Dover in September 2003), the longest current streak.
• Two races remain before the 2005 owner points at Martinsville set the top-35 marker that guarantees making the field for a race. Currently several drivers will need strong performances at Atlanta and Bristol to move back into the top 35. Teams currently ranked outside the top 35 in owner points include those of Bobby Labonte, Kasey Kahne, Ricky Rudd and Robby Gordon.
By B. Duane Cross, NASCAR.COM
The 2005 Cup season is 720 laps and 1,408 miles into the books. And raise your hand if you're with me, but where's the excitement?
A couple things:
A) love the idea behind the new spoiler / tire combo, and 2) hate the realization that Harry Hogge's advice has gone the way of the Grand Prix.
Rubbin', son, is racin' -- and it's what got NASCAR to where it was a few years ago, before Abercrombie & Fitch became a bigger name than Petty in the garage.
Aside from Jeff Gordon muscling past Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Daytona, has there been a moment to remember three races into 2005? It's been more gas-it-and-go passing rather than make-a-hole racing.
Sunday at Las Vegas, the 25 lead changes and 20 cars on the lead lap tied track records. Anyone remember The Pass? No -- because there wasn't one. Even the smattering of side-by-side racing wasn't edge-of-your-seat stuff.
It's as if the Chase has neutered these drivers, who are in fear of falling too far behind this early in the season. It seems as if the mentality has become 'keep the fenders on it and get the best finish possible, lest we miss the dance after Richmond.'
Is it just me, or is that the same postseason mentality that three-fourths of the NBA teams have? And we know what a snoozefest that sport's postseason is ...
There are 23 races still to be run before the Cup playoffs begin at New Hampshire. Will anyone be awake to notice?
Flags
• Green -- Casey Mears' seventh-place finish was his first top-10 effort since Talladega in October. Now the No. 41 team looks for back-to-back top-10s for the first time since Talladega-Fontana last year. However, he hasn't fared well at Atlanta -- average finish 24.5 with one DNF (in the Spring 2004 race).
• Yellow -- Dale Jarrett has three consecutive top-20 showings to begin the year, a first for the No. 88 guys since 2000. DJ did not lose any ground in the standings -- he's still 11th -- and you can bet he's happy to see Atlanta on the horizon: 1 win, 11 top-fives and 17 top-10s in 34 races at the track.
• Red -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted his worst finish (42nd) since Texas in 2002, a span of 104 races. He plummeted 13 spots in the point standings, to 27th -- his lowest showing since Week 2 of 2003. Not that it's time to panic, but the DEI cars have one top-five and an average finish of 29th in six starts.
Quote, Unquote
"My thinking is you would be better off messing up 'Budweiser' than 'Jesus.' " -- Morgan Shepherd, on guest announcer Robin Leach mispronouncing "Jesus" -- instead using the Spanish version (HAY-soos) when introducing Shepherd's "Racing with Jesus" car during the pre-race lineup.
Around the Track
• Jimmie Johnson's victory at Las Vegas was his 15th Cup win in his 114th career start. He has posted top-five finishes in each of the first three races this season.
• Johnson has five victories in the past nine races, and has scored top-10 finishes in each of those nine races.
• Only Johnson and Ryan Newman have started every race in 2005 from a top-10 starting position.
• Johnson has led at least one lap in every race in 2005. Kyle Petty is the only other driver to do so.
• Kurt Busch (third) scored his second top-10 finish in four races at Las Vegas, and he also has three top-five finishes to begin the year. Busch has top-five finishes in four consecutive races, his career best streak.
• Matt Kenseth (eighth) scored his first top-10 finish in the past 12 races.
• Mark Martin (30th) has been running at the finish in 25 consecutive races, the longest current streak.
• Robby Gordon failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 and has finished 35th and 39th in the two races that he has competed in this season.
• Tony Stewart has ranked in the top 10 of the Cup point standings for 48 consecutive races (since Dover in September 2003), the longest current streak.
• Two races remain before the 2005 owner points at Martinsville set the top-35 marker that guarantees making the field for a race. Currently several drivers will need strong performances at Atlanta and Bristol to move back into the top 35. Teams currently ranked outside the top 35 in owner points include those of Bobby Labonte, Kasey Kahne, Ricky Rudd and Robby Gordon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain,
Your
Momma
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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This list is authored by:
Sandra Monacelli
221 W. 57th Street 18B
Loveland, CO 80538
970/663-6967
Your
Momma "Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Subscribe: KnowYourNascar-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: KnowYourNascar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: KnowYourNascar-owner@yahoogroups.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This list is authored by:
Sandra Monacelli
221 W. 57th Street 18B
Loveland, CO 80538
970/663-6967
Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain,
YourMomma
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Subscribe: KnowYourNascar-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: KnowYourNascar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: KnowYourNascar-owner@yahoogroups.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This list is authored by:
Sandra Monacelli
221 W. 57th Street 18B
Loveland, CO 80538
970/663-6967
Your
Momma "Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Subscribe: KnowYourNascar-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: KnowYourNascar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: KnowYourNascar-owner@yahoogroups.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This list is authored by:
Sandra Monacelli
221 W. 57th Street 18B
Loveland, CO 80538
970/663-6967
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