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Rudd unsure of future plans:  Shortly before stepping into a Nextel Cup car for the first time since last November, veteran driver Ricky Rudd says he won't decide until late this season whether he wants to return to the sport next year, although he appears to be leaning against it. Rudd, who is filling in for the injured Tony Stewart [#20 Powerade/Home Depot Chevy] in practice and qualifying for the Neighborhood Excellence 400 at Dover International Speedway, told reporters today that he's in no hurray to make a decision. As to rumors that he's been courted by Toyota team owners, Rudd says that he has had calls - but not just from that manufacturer's teams. Rudd said that he's told all the callers that he doesn't want to hold their plans up and that he remains committed to spending a year away from NASCAR. Rushing his decision, or rushing a team's decision, wouldn't be fair to anyone, he says, nor would having someone wait for him to make the choice about whether or not his future includes racing. By the time he's ready to make that decision, possibly in September or October, Rudd says teams should have already locked up a driver and be getting prepared for 2007. "Right now, if you ask me am I going to come back and run a 100 percent schedule or will I be back next year, I don't think so," Rudd said. "I'm enjoying retirement right now, I'm enjoying my time off. Seems like the more time I have off, the more I'm enjoying it." In the past few months, Rudd has shifted comfortably into a life without racing. After competing for more than 30 years, he wondered how he would handle being away from the track. Turns out he hasn't really missed it that much. Rudd competed with Wood Brothers Racing through the end of last season, announcing late in the year that he planned to take a year off from full-time competition. He remains committed to that goal. "Really I'm just really sort of taking some time off to figure out, 'Can I handle this retirement situation?' I hated to use the word retirement and really never did, to see if I could settle into a routine after doing this for 30, 31 years," he said. Rudd says he has really enjoyed the break and having more time to spend with his 13-year-old son, Landon. "I've been out playing with my son just about every day. [I] sort of neglected him over the last several years just because of the nature of the sport, so we've been spending a lot of time together, ride a lot of dirt bikes, ride a lot of go-karts and stay really active," Rudd said. "I was telling somebody the other day, I race more now than I used to race, I just don't get paid to do it. So we've been out chasing each other around."(SceneDaily.com)

Elliott to drive for Red Bull: Red Bull Racing is planning to announce that former Nextel Cup champion [1988] Bill Elliott will drive for the team for three races this season as the team prepares a full-time entry into Cup racing with Toyota in 2007, a source close to the situation has confirmed. The car Elliott will drive will not be a Toyota, but the make of car has not been determined. He will attempt to qualify for the races at Charlotte and Atlanta in October and Texas in November. He also is running select races this year for MB2 Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing. The Red Bull team will use the races to help get its crew ready for the Daytona 500 in 2007. Drivers and crew chiefs for 2007 have not been announced.(SceneDaily.com), Elliott is also scheduled to run five races for Michael Waltrip Racing in the #00 Burger King Chevy at Chicago, New Hampshire [July], Indy, California Homestead.
Martin and Yates?  hearing Mark Martin, driver of the #6 AAA Ford for Roush Racing may buy or buy into Robert Yates Racing in some form, would it be a Roush satellite operation? Would it get around NASCAR's new ownership rules? Martin is already listed as the owner of the #17 Roush Racing Ford that Matt Kenseth drives and has been quoted that he has no interest in owing a Cup team.
“Dianetics”/Scientology to run a NASCAR team:  Dianetics,” the book written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, is sponsoring a racing team — dubbed “Ignite Your Potential” — that will tour the NASCAR circuit. A Dianetics Racing Web site is being set up for fans. Driver Kenton Gray credits Hubbard’s work with making him a good driver.(MSNBC)  AND Unveiled on May 19th at the Book Expo America (BEA) in Washington, D.C., is the new "Ignite Your Potential" Dianetics Racing Team, headed by Kenton Gray, founder of Freedom Motorsports Group, Inc., and a top performing Southern California racecar driver. A racer since the age of 10, Gray is not only a standout behind the wheel—placing first in five races over the past year and top-five in dozens of others—he is also an instructor at the LA Racing Experience on one of the best short tracks in America, Irwindale Speedway in Southern California.(PR), nothing says what level of NASCAR racing the team will run, there is a picture of the car, it looks like a #27 Ford Taurus [the #27 is taken by teams in both Cup and Busch series], but Freedom Motorsports Group runs a car for Gray in the Dodge Weekly Series at Irwindale Speedway.
Michigan Native Josh Gracin To Sing National Anthem Prior To 3M Performance 400 At MIS: Josh Gracin has performed live and on television for thousands of people, and now he will entertain the largest single-day sporting crowd in the state of Michigan. Born and raised in Westland, Michigan, Gracin returns to his home state on Sunday, June 18th to perform The Star-Spangled Banner at Michigan International Speedway prior to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series 3M Performance 400 presented by Post-it® Picture Paper. “We are thrilled to have Josh Gracin join us to perform for our first weekend of the season,” said MIS President Brett Shelton. “Not only is he an extremely talented vocalist, but we know our fans will enjoy having a Michigan native help honor our country. Having Josh at MIS is a great addition to pre-race ceremonies to start our season.” Gracin first came to national attention as a finalist in the second season of American Idol where he went on to win the hearts of the American public as the first contestant to commit to country music. His self-titled debut CD is certified gold by the RIAA and has sold over 650,000 copies. The first single from the project, “I Want To Live,” was also his first hit – climbing the charts to #4 in country radio. Josh’s second single, “Nothin’ To Lose,” was his first #1 record. His third single “Stay With Me (Brass Bed)” was a Top 5 hit, giving him three consecutive Top 5 songs in country radio. Along with Gretchen Wilson, Gracin was one of only two debut artists to have achieved three consecutive Top 5 records in 2005. Since receiving an honorable discharge from the U.S. Marines in 2004, Gracin has toured non-stop, including shows with Trace Adkins and Brad Paisley. Gracin will release his second CD, featuring the hit single “Favorite State Of Mind,” later this year. Gracin will join actor and comedian Adam Sandler in the pre-race ceremonies. As previously announced, Sandler, the star of the upcoming movie “Click”, has been named the Grand Marshal for the 3M Performance 400 and will deliver the traditional command to start engines. - Michigan International Speedway Press Release
Knaus Wins WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race Award:  Apparently it takes a lot more than bad starting position, a mishandling race car and an accident on the track to keep Chad Knaus and his No. 48 Lowe’s team down. No matter how bad the odds seemed stacked against them, Knaus never lets his crew quit, as we all saw in Sunday’s Neighborhood Excellence 400. Knaus gave a textbook display of how to turn a dismal day into a top-ten finish, and earned the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award for his efforts. Few would have thought that Jimmy Johnson stood a chance of finishing in the top-20 at the beginning of this weekend’s race. Johnson started in the 42nd position and wasn’t gaining any positions in the early stages of the event. His car was way to loose and he ended up losing one lap to the leaders as a result. To make matters worse, he suffered damage to the rear end of his machine after getting spun out from behind by the No. 40 car. Just when it seemed like it was the end of the road for the No. 48 team, Knaus called for a round of adjustments that dialed in the Lowe’s Chevy. Johnson not only got his lap back, but drove his way to a sixth-place finish. “It wasn’t me today; it was Jimmy (Johnson) and the crew” said Knaus after the race. “When their chips are down, they bow up and that’s what I love about my guys. I couldn’t have done this without my support staff. They’re awesome.” A panel of voters; including Stan Creekmore of Circle Track Plus, Tony Eury Sr. and a WYPALL® Wipers representative; all agreed that Knaus deserved Crew Chief of the Race honors. “Chad (Knaus) never quits,” said Eury Sr. “Whatever can wrong, he seems to have a plan for it. His car was running terrible today, but he listened to his driver and came up with a plan to fix it and finished just outside the top-five. When you have a bad day and still end up with a top-10, the crew chief has done an awesome job.” For winning the Crew Chief of the Race award, WYPALL® Wipers presented Knaus $1,000. At the end of the season, the Nextel Cup crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000 and be crowned the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Year. This was Kanus’ second Crew Chief of the Race award in 2006, which ties him for second-place in the standings with Robbie Reiser and Tony Eury Jr. Darian Grubb, Todd Berrier, Doug Richert and Roy McCauley are tied for third-place, all with one win. Kenny Francis is in the lead with three wins. - SMC 500 Press Release
Kenseth defies his crew chief and wins at Dover
By Greg Engle
Cup Scene Daily


Sunday the gambling wasn’t inside the casino at Dover International Speedway.

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Neighborhood Excellence 400 Results
 
Matt Kenseth rolled the dice defying his crew chief Robbie Reiser and electing to stay out towards the end of the Neighborhood Excellence 400. It was an all or nothing gamble that paid off handsomely as Kenseth scored his second win of 2006.

The first half of the event was a quiet affair with only two caution periods by the halfway point.

Jeff Gordon looked strong during the first half, leading the way for a total of 81 laps on the day. Gordon, a driver who desperately needs a win, led a race for the 8th time this year only to fade in the end to finish 12th.

"We were very frustrated with that finish, “Gordon said. “I really thought the way we took off at the beginning of the race that we were going to be good all day long. I don't really have an explanation for it. We lost the handle on it, got loose there one time and went backwards and lost track position and never could get it back."

The most watched move of the first half was the driver swap of reigning champion Tony Stewart with his relief driver Ricky Rudd.

After starting at the rear of the field an injured Stewart raced his way up 28th position before finally catching a caution flag on lap 35.

The driver change that the team had practiced went off without a hitch. Stewart stayed out one caution lap to remove his belts and helmet prior to coming down pit road.

The team was able get Stewart out of the car and Rudd in one minute flat, sending the No. 20 out without losing a lap.

"It pretty good for the first 10 laps while everybody was getting things going, “Stewart said. “Everybody picked up the speed once the track cleaned off. Then the soreness kept coming and kept coming. I was glad to get the caution when we got it. “

Stewart’s pain told him that it was time to get out of the car.

"I feel like I got beat up, “Stewart said. “We did what we had to do there; it was a lot longer run than we were hoping for obviously.”

But Stewart’s competitive spirit made him want to continue.

"This isn't very much fun, I can tell you that, “Stewart said. “It is hard to explain to people how hard it is to get out of your own racecar. When you own a car, you know you have got another driver. But this is the one time of the week I cherish more than anything else in life right now. Not a very fun way to spend the day. “

Rudd who went a lap down shortly after taking over, added insult to injury when he was penalized for speeding and lost another lap. Rudd would finish the day 25th.

“Well, our biggest problem was that we got caught for speeding on pit road, “an obviously frustrated Rudd said later, “I knew there was a reason I quit this sport. I wasn’t speeding. Somebody up there’s got something against me. I don’t know what it is. We came down pit road and left with the traffic and I’m the only guy that gets called back in for speeding, so that’s real disappointing.”

Kenseth was leading at the halfway mark being hounded by Jeff Burton, who had won the Busch Series race a day earlier. Burton would take over the top spot bringing Mark Martin with him while Kenseth settled into third. Soon after Martin would take over the lead bringing Kenseth with him.

Martin looked to be in command of the event until his crew missed a lugnut on a pit stop forcing him back to the pits. He would go on to finish 9th.

One of the big stories of the second half of the race was the incredible run by points leader Jimmie Johnson and his Chad Knaus led crew.

Johnson who had spun during qualifying Friday and made highlight reels after keeping his car off the wall, started 42nd. Because of the lack of pit stalls at Dover the team was forced to share a pit with the team of Scott Wimmer. Crew chief Chad Knaus made the decision Sunday morning to have his Hendrick Motorsports crew service both Johnson and Wimmer during the race. It was a decision that would prove costly for Wimmer as during the second caution he would run out of fuel while circling the track and waiting for Johnson to complete his stop.

Johnson would lose a lap and found himself running towards the back of the pack a majority of the afternoon. The low point came when he spun with 127 laps to go after David Stremme slid up into him in turn four. Johnson would make his second amazing save of the weekend keeping his car off the wall. His team showing their championship caliber form never threw in the towel however and Johnson battled back to finish 6th.

The second half of the race was peppered with yellow flags; six of the eight cautions on the day occurred during the final 200 laps. Among the victims were J.J. Yeley who crashed twice before retiring and Elliott Sadler who slid in some oil put down by Kevin Lepage and popped the turn three wall. Lepage would make a fiery exit with a 105 laps to go and some teams began to think that they could go all the way after pit stops during the caution.

Kevin Harvick who had jumped in for tires and fuel only few laps prior, took only fuel and found himself second. Jamie McMurray, who stayed out, inherited the lead.

McMurray, who had to start the day at the rear of the field after an engine change, had lost a lap earlier in the day. He then got his lap back via the ‘lucky dog’ free pass rule on lap 92 and assumed command as the laps wound down. The driver, who had celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday, held off the hard charging Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch and looked poised to score his second career victory and his first with his Roush Racing team.

When Robby Gordon spun with 56 to go bringing out the 8th and final caution, the question became who would come in and who would stay out.

Among those who rolled the dice were the top five all of whom stayed out.

The top five included Kenseth, who stayed out in defiance of his crew chief Robbie Reiser.

McMurray led when the green waved with 51 to go. Harvick and Kyle Busch battled behind him, while McMurray stretched his lead back out to nearly one second.

After Busch used up his tires and began to fade, Harvick began to chip away at the lead at the rate of a tenth a second a lap. The drama began to build as Harvick crept closer to McMurray with each of the final 25 laps.

Harvick who hadn’t led all day finally caught him with 20 to go and began to work on McMurray for the lead. Kenseth joined the fray and worked on passing Harvick.

Harvick worked on the lead with 14 to go. While Kenseth worked on Harvick. Harvick battled with McMurray for the lead with 8 to go. Kenseth worked on Harvick finally clearing him 7 to go and began to charge forward.

Kenseth caught McMurray with 3 to go and took the lead. McMurray faded as Kenseth stretched out his lead denying McMurray his second career win.

“Yeah, you’re very disappointed – especially to come that close. I was like three or four laps or something from the end, and when Matt passed me I lost all my momentum,” McMurray said. “I went up to kind of block him, and when I did I lost all my speed. He just barely cleared me when he came up in front of me, and if he hadn’t cleared me I think I could’ve got back around him, but just kind of see that away within like 100 feet and I knew once he got in front of me I thought, ‘I have no chance unless something happens to his car,’ of passing him back, so it’s very disappointing when you want to win.”

The consolation for McMurray is seeing his new Roush Racing team starting to become contenders after a less than stellar season so far.

“It’s very, very disappointing and very frustrating when you have four other teammates who have shots to win races almost every single week,” McMurray said. “And you know everything they have, and the shocks and springs and everything about their cars, and that’s frustrating when you can’t make that work. So, it definitely feels good today.”

For Kenseth is was the second win of the season and his best finish at Dover since a second place in 2000.

“Obviously, it was great,” Kenseth said. “We had a great car all day. We kind of started in the middle of the pack and were able to make the right adjustments to the car. Robbie and Chip did a great job last night of figuring what they wanted to put in the car, and coming up with a plan and stick with it and it worked well. That’s by far the best we ever performed here, and it was an exciting race to be part of it and I’m glad that we came out on top.”

Kenseth’s chief Robbie Reiser was glad his driver stayed out towards the end of the race.

“Towards the end there when we had the cautions right in a row we had to make some decisions,” Reiser said. “We just basically stayed out until we got to our fuel window and then pitted. And then at the end I thought that we needed tires and Matt thought we didn’t. He knew what he had there and made a decision to stay out, and thank God he won the race because we’d probably be in the trailer fighting right now.”

Kenseth was also glad his decision not to pit worked out.

“There really wasn’t any discussion,” Kenseth said. “He just told me to pit and I didn’t say anything. I just kind of watched what everybody did and when I saw everybody stay out I just kind of decided on my own to stay out. When I looked over going down the frontstretch and saw the look on his face, I knew I better finish pretty good or it was going to be a long couple of months.”

Johnson amazing comeback kept him in the points lead. Dale Earnhardt Junior finished 10 and moved up a spot in the standings to fourth, swapping places with Tony Stewart. Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick, both of who finished in the top five Sunday, each moved up a spot in the standings, Burton to seventh and Harvick to eighth. Jeff Gordon was the biggest loser in the points after Sunday. His 12th place finish dropped him two positions form seventh to ninth.

The series heads to Pocono Raceway for the running of the Pocono 500 this Sunday.

Stewart likes the job NASCAR super-sub Ricky Rudd, race team did on Sunday at Dover
By JIM UTTER
The Charlotte Observer

DOVER, Del. - As far as Tony Stewart was concerned, it was “mission accomplished” in Sunday's Neighborhood Excellence 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Stewart, who broke his right shoulder blade in last weekend’s race at Charlotte, started Sunday’s race and exited the car during the first caution, giving away to veteran Ricky Rudd on Lap 38 of 400.

The driver swap went without incident and Rudd remained on the lead lap. He fell a lap down on Lap 200 during a long green-flag run, then pitted under green on Lap 208.

Rudd was called for exceeding the speed limit exiting pit road and had to perform a “pass through” penalty on Lap 211. By that time, Rudd was running 33rd and two laps down.

He rallied for a 25th-place finish, and Stewart lost one spot in points, falling to fifth and trailing leader Jimmie Johnson by 293.

“It went really good. The car was just too tight. I couldn’t get it to turn,” Rudd said. “The most fun I had was late in the race. (Crew chief Greg) Zipadelli made some calls and dialed the chassis in a little better for me.”

Stewart, who spent much of the remainder of the race watching from atop his team’s pit box, said he plans to compete in all track activity next weekend at Pocono. Team officials said they still plan to have a relief driver on hand, if needed.

“We’ll just have to wait and see how Tony does,” Zipadelli said. “Pocono’s going to be a whole lot easier on him than this place would have been, so I would expect Tony to run all day.”

Stewart said he was pleased with Rudd’s performance.

“You never want to get out of the car,” he said. “For not being in the car all year, I thought Ricky did an awesome job all day. The guys on the crew did a good job of getting me out and getting him in there and getting back under way.

“It wasn’t what we wanted, but I think everybody did a good job.”

Ridley's big day 25 years ago
By JEFF HOOD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 
Dover, Del. — On a brilliant spring day 25 years ago, when the late Neil Bonnett was the class of the field, the racing gods smiled on Chatsworth's Jody Ridley and veteran car owner Junie Donlavey during a race that produced one of NASCAR's most bizarre finishes.

Ridley, a longtime local short-track standout and the 1980 rookie of the year in NASCAR's Cup series, appeared to be a lock to finish third behind Bonnett and Cale Yarborough in the 1981 Mason-Dixon 500 at Dover International Speedway.
 
But Bonnett's day ended prematurely when the engine blew in his Wood Brothers Ford with less than 40 laps remaining. Yarborough suffered the same fate 20 laps later, handing the race lead to Ridley, who was five laps off the pace.

Time stood still for nearly three minutes as Ridley's No. 90 Ford repeatedly circled the one-mile Dover oval to catch Yarborough, whose Buick sat quietly in the garage.

Little did Ridley and Donlavey realize at the time, that fateful afternoon would provide their only Cup victory.

"I remember that we had a good car that day," said Ridley, 64. "We weren't a winning car, but it was good, and we ran in the top 10 all day."

Donlavey, 82, who resides in Richmond, plans to attend today's Neighborhood Excellence 400. He recalls wanting to apologize instead of celebrating 25 years ago.

"When the two lead cars had trouble, it kind of made me feel bad because they were real good friends of mine," Donlavey said. "I just remember feeling bad for them, and it took away a little of the joy of winning the race."

Eddie Wood, who served as the rear tire changer for Bonnett that season, said losing a race after leading 403 of 500 laps was easier to accept knowing a couple of first-time winners were able to capitalize on their misfortune.

"A loss is a loss," Wood said. "But it went to a good group in the end. That kind of made up for our loss."

"I remember how happy I was for Junie Donlavey," said Benny Parsons, a former Cup champion who works as a commentator for NBC and TNT. "He had tried so hard for so long. He finally got one. And everyone was just thrilled to death for Junie and his guys, probably more so than they were for Jody."

Finishing fifth in the 1981 championship standings was nearly as satisfying for Ridley, who sometimes wonders what might have been if Donlavey's team had been able to secure top-notch financial backing.

"That particular year, we had only one car and we ran it everywhere," said Ridley, whose victory at Dover paid $22,560. "We ran that thing at Daytona, Bristol and Martinsville ... just that one race car."

Richard Childress, who drove a Pontiac to a 17th-place finish that afternoon, was in the twilight of his driving career and just nine races away from hiring Dale Earnhardt to drive his No. 3. He said the victory by Ridley and Donlavey was a boost to car owners who were operating on a limited budget.

"What it did was give people like myself inspiration that you can still win races," Childress said. "It was an inspiring deal for all of us."

The semi-retired Ridley, who still lives in Chatsworth, now works part-time as a consultant for Justin Wakefield in NASCAR's Elite Division Southeast Series.

Although Ridley regularly watches Cup races on television, he rarely shows up at the track. And he scoffs at the notion that his racing career came along one generation too soon.

"I felt like at the time I was on top of the world just getting to race," said Ridley, who retired from the Cup Series in 1986 before serving briefly as a relief driver for the injured Bill Elliott in 1989.

"People dream of racing, but I got to do it. And I won a [Nextel Cup] race," he said. "I've got no regrets about it. Racing has been good to me, and that's just the way life is."

NASCAR, Fans, Press Unwilling To Punish 'King Richard' For Petty Comments
But That Sure Doesn't Mean They Agree With His Stance
Josh Stewart


DOVER, Del.—In 1987, former Dodgers GM Al Campanis said on Nightline, “I truly believe that [black baseball players] may not have some of the necessities to be, let’s say, a field manager, or perhaps a general manager.”

Two days later, Campanis was fired.

In December 1992, former Reds Owner Marge Schott admitted in a New York Times interview that she had jokingly used the “N” word, and she talked about the initial positive effects of Adolph Hitler ruling Germany.

The following February, Major League Baseball suspended Schott for a year and mandated her participation in “multicultural training programs.”

In both cases, harsh comments that damaged the image of the sport were met with swift action. So, why is it that after legendary NASCAR driver Richard Petty said, "I just don't think [auto racing is] a sport for women," last month, no public comment by NASCAR decrying Petty’s statement or an inquiry into a possible punishment took place?

NASCAR certainly has a history of penalizing people for their words. The most memorable recent incident was in 2004, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. let an expletive slip during an NBC interview in Victory Lane after winning at Talladega. Earnhardt was docked 25 points in the standings per Section 12-4-A (Actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the NASCAR rule book.

But with NASCAR starting a Drive for Diversity program in 2004 to try to bring women and minorities into a sport that has been dominated by white males, aren't Petty's comments much more "detrimental" than what Earnhardt said?

Maybe not, according to Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's managing director of corporate communications, who says that Petty's comments have not been met with much protest. 

"As far as our point of view, in terms of tracking fan mail and even letters to the editor, that type of thing, I think most people understand that there's a difference between what Richard said and NASCAR's actions and what NASCAR has actually done [to create diversity]," Poston says. "Forty percent of our fan base are women, and there was not an outcry from that segment of the fan base. Because I do think they understand everything we as a sanctioning body are doing to welcome everyone in, not just as fans, but as part of this industry, as well."

The reasons why Petty's comments have not created a firestorm like Campanis and Schott's did are up for debate. For one, the media that covers NASCAR on a regular basis hasn't pursued the story vigorously, if at all, since Petty's comments to the Associated Press on May 25. NASCAR Scene, a popular weekly magazine on the sport, ran a 112-page June 1 issue that contained all of three paragraphs on the Petty situation in a brief.

A race fan from Connecticut named Henry—who asked not to give his last name—said while dodging rain showers in Dover Saturday that he regularly reads the online version of a daily North Carolina daily paper that sends a reporter to every race. Yet, as of Saturday he had not heard anything about Petty's comments. 

And when the Press asked Poston why neither NASCAR President Mike Helton nor CEO Brian France had made any public comments about the Petty situation, he responded, "I don't know that anyone else [in the media] has asked." (The Press made numerous requests to speak with Helton on the issue, but was unsuccessful, as NASCAR officials cited his busy schedule on race weekends.)

Monte Dutton, motorsports writer for the Gaston (N.C.) Gazette, says it's hard to raise that much of an issue about an opinion you don't take seriously.

"I just think Richard, like every other person in the world, has a right to his opinion," Dutton says. "It's the same way I feel about rebel flags in the infield. I wouldn't fly a rebel flag....but I respect the right to free expression. I feel that Richard's opinions on women drivers are antiquated, but so is he; he's from an earlier time." 

Nothing Petty has said has made him less of a magnate for adoring fans. Saturday, outside Bobby Labonte's hauler, he was swamped by autograph seekers (many of them women, both young and old), as he sported his trademark cowboy hat and a belt buckle proclaiming his nickname, "King Richard." It was so large that he looked like one-half of the tag-team champions. 

Fans seem unwilling to punish Petty, and neither, it seems, does anyone in the garage. In March at Atlanta, Bill Davis Racing fielded a car that Bill Lester drove to become the first black man to start a Cup race in 20 years. Davis says he could only get up in arms if he felt Petty's words could do damage to NASCAR's evolution.

"The Drive for Diversity is extremely important and I think we should all support it," Davis says. But later he added, "One gentleman's comments and what he feels as his opinion isn't going to hurt NASCAR's progression, in my opinion." Davis had to be told by the Press what Petty's comments were, as even he hadn't heard them in full yet.

And the Press also tried to schedule an interview with Ray Evernham, who fields a car for Craftsman Truck Series driver Erin Crocker, NASCAR's current equivalent of Danica Patrick. But when told that Petty's comments would be the subject of the discussion, Evernham's PR rep nixed the meet, saying that the owner would not speak negatively of Petty.

Petty spouted off to the AP just three days before Patrick finished in the top 10 for the second-straight time in the Indianapolis 500. Currently, NASCAR dwarfs the Indy Racing League in popularity. According to a recent poll conducted by ESPN, 59.5 percent of respondents said NASCAR was their favorite form of racing, with the IRL coming in fifth at 6.1 percent, trailing the National Hod Rod Association, motorcycle racing and Formula 1, in that order.

There are two ways to look at that: Either you're the king of the mountain or you have a lot of lose. Poston is adamant that the goodwill NASCAR has created in recent years by reaching out to everyone insulates the sport from criticism, even if it didn't lay the hammer down on Petty. 

"I think his comments are very different situations [than the ones that took down Campanis and Schott]," Poston says. "And I think the NASCAR industry and the fan base and to a large extent the media, as well, very much recognized that. For the internal media that cover the sport all the time [they understand]; for those who are looking at it on the outside, it raised some eyebrows. But I think [most] understand that from NASCAR's perspective, that the sport is moving forward and you're seeing more women and people from all communities participating in the sport in a very real way."

In the end, though, it's about what the fans think, and Henry says that Petty "should keep his comments to himself." He points out that if just about every other profession has become gender-neutral (mentioning firefighting specifically), then why should auto racing be any different?

Still, even as a stauch opponent of Petty's diatribe, Henry would hate to see him penalized.   

"If you really listen to the [radio communications to and from drivers during competiton] and the things that are said, if you gave penalties for everything they say we'd have to have a NASCAR court outside the track to deal with it all," Henry figures while proudly wearing the headgear of Dale Jr.

Poston agrees as it pertains to Petty, saying you can only legislate change so much. So he would have loved to be there Saturday night while a band played outside the Dover Downs casino, right next to the track. In a true diversity moment, a white, crew-cut-wearing 25-year-old guy cut a rug (or concrete, in this case) with a 50-year-old black lady. The two had never met, but they decided that their smooth dance steps together were way more appealing than any differences they may have had.

So, maybe Petty should be sentenced—to an afternoon in the garage with Patrick.

Dover
The Monster Mile left us with several monster questions
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
 

... what was chicken guy thinking?

In case you missed it, look at the above photo. FX gave us a glimpse of this guy coming out of commercial during Sunday's race. What was going through this guy's mind as he was looking at himself in the mirror just before walking out the door Sunday morning?

OK, I've got this wonderful Poconos shirt on so that everyone knows where the race is next week, but something's missing. Dale Earnhardt Jr. baseball cap? Nah, he's never good at Pocono. How about one of those helmets with the two beer cans on it? Nah, too conservative.

I've got it! A hat that looks like a rubber chicken! That's sure to get me air time! Think how proud my entire family will be when they see me on national television doing my best Foghorn Leghorn impression. It'll be grand. Honey, get my chicken head hat out of the attic, will you? I feel like making a statement today.

He certainly did that. What that statement is may be unclear -- but he certainly made one.

You've got to admire the guy's guts and his obviously strong self-image.

... how in the world did Jimmie Johnson finish sixth Sunday?

Of course we know how, but how in the world did he and his team pull it off? It's bad enough that you're forced to take the green flag 40th while sharing a pit stall with Scott Wimmer (sharing pit stalls?!), but after spinning out and spending much of the race a lap down and not even in sniffing distance of the Lucky Dog, how do you even get close?

Johnson reminds me a lot of Matt Kenseth during his championship year in 2003. Kenseth spent much of many Sundays that season in NASCAR purgatory, but when it came down to crunch time, he always seemed to be in the hunt.

Will Johnson finish this year the same way Kenseth finished '03. Who knows?

... can someone please tell Delana Harvick to take her hat off during the national anthem?
 
Unlike a lot of folks, I don't get all bent out of shape when I see Mrs. Harvick wearing a firesuit on pit road. She does help the team on raceday by logging lap times, keeping track of who pits and what they do and other raceday tasks. Therefore, if wearing a firesuit is her way of showing support for her husband and his team, so be it. I actually think that's commendable and kind of cool.

However, you're taught as a young child that when the anthem plays, you take off your hat. They even say it at a lot of sporting events these days just before the anthem.

Whether it's a singer who tries to find their own way of performing the anthem, or people who don't take their hats off while listening to it, the offense is the same: The Star-Spangled Banner is a song of respect, it's not some Beyonce song that Simon Cowell critiques after some wanna-be crucifies it on American Idol.

Show the song and its meaning the proper respect.

... is it time to allow drivers a "mulligan"?

NASCAR says it's all about safety. However, it's tough to fully believe that argument while watching Tony Stewart get in a racecar while being unable to put his right arm all the way down.

There would be drawbacks to a "mulligan policy," to be sure. For instance, when to use it, how it would be used, etc ... But in the end, doesn't forcing a driver to get in the car with an obvious injury create a needlessly dangerous situation for not only that driver, but also his 42 opponents?
  
... how long will it be before Ryan Newman gets a traffic ticket?

Newman was telling Chris Myers his pet peeves during FX's 10 Laps segment during Sunday's pre-race show. Newman said his biggest peeve was people who drive the speed limit in the fast lane because they think they're doing the right thing and we all know it's not the right thing.

Uh, license and registration, please Mr. Newman. Do you know why I pulled you over tonight, sir.

... what does concrete-colored frosting taste like?

Mike Joy told us Sunday that the folks at the Dover Downs Slots next door to the racetrack baked Jamie McMurray a birthday cake Saturday with "concrete-colored frosting."

What flavor is that? Does that even sound remotely delicious to anyone? Do you think when McMurray looked at the cake, he said, "this looks great. Oooh, concrete-flavored frosting. That's my favorite! How did you know?"

However, after his second-place finish Sunday, he may be looking for a lifetime supply of the stuff.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.

Toyota team puts Norris back in racing
Smyrna native missed competition after leaving Earnhardt in 2004
By MARTIN FRANK
The News Journal


DOVER -- Ty Norris starting feeling whole again the day after NASCAR left Dover International Speedway last September.

Norris, a 1983 Smyrna High graduate, had longed to get back into the competitive side of the sport, which he realized soon after he left Dale Earnhardt Inc. in February 2004.

Norris had his chance when he was asked last August by Michael Waltrip, his friend and former associate at DEI, to become the general manager for Waltrip's new Toyota-backed team.

Toyota will debut three teams in the Nextel Cup Series next year. Waltrip owns one team and also will be one of its drivers. Bill Davis Racing and Red Bull Racing are the others.

"When Michael gave me the opportunity, I told people that it was my second once-in-a-lifetime opportunity after working for Dale Earnhardt," Norris said. "When I left [DEI], I was ready to stay close to home in Charlotte. I had done the road thing for 15 years."

So Norris began working in summer 2004 for Stoneacre Partners on a new initiative with NASCAR. It was a good job, and Norris certainly liked it.

Still, Norris said he felt like something was missing.

"I think a million people would be standing in line to do what I had done for those 18 months," he said. "But I was uncomfortable in my own skin. I just couldn't get over how much I missed the competitive side. So when I came in with Toyota, it was like nirvana."

In fact, Norris said he was ready to take a job with another team, which he wouldn't name. That team called Waltrip for a reference. After the call, Waltrip asked Norris if he wanted to become his general manager.

Since then, Norris has been working frantically to get the team ready for its much-anticipated debut next season. That began last Sept. 26, when Norris sat down with Waltrip and Bobby Kennedy, Toyota's vice president of competition, and put together a road map that detailed what kind of finances and corporate backing they would need.

They then charted a schedule for getting cars built, putting crews together and meeting budgets.

"Every so often, we do a where-are-we-today look according to what the road map says," Norris said. "We're in great shape. We're trying to take a business approach about this whole thing."

There still are deadlines to meet before Toyota can officially join the Nextel Cup Series. NASCAR must approve the Camry design by July 1 and its engine by Sept. 1.

But all of that is within reach.

So is Norris' future. For so long, he said he was so consumed with his work that he lost touch with his closest friends from Delaware. He started to change that in his final years at DEI, beginning when he and his friends went to a University of Delaware football game, Norris' first in 27 years.

They have since attended other sporting events around the country, and they always get together when NASCAR comes to Dover. Norris also sees his sister and nephew, who still live in Smyrna.

"I had gotten completely disengaged with the people in Delaware," Norris said. "It's really cool to reconnect."

He feels the same way about his career in racing.