Clint Bowyer: Will He Stay or Will He Go?

With Carl Edwards renewing his contract at Roush-Fenway Racing, Clint Bowyer is now the biggest free agent on the market. Bowyer and Richard Childress Racing have been trying to reach a new deal for weeks now, and both of them want to stay together, but it looks more and more like Clint Bowyer, the current driver of the No. 33 will have a new home after this season.

RCR is the team that gave Bowyer his big break in Nascar and it's the only team the Emporia, Kansas native has ever driven for in any series. But just like so many teams before, sponsorship may be what makes or breaks this relationship. General Mills, longtime Nascar sponsor and backer of Bowyer's No. 33 since 2009, is rumored to be shopping around for another team which leaves the No. 33 team in a sticky situation.

It is also rumored that Bowyer will be sponsored by 5-Hour Energy either at RCR or his new team. 5-Hour Energy is the current sponsor of Steve Wallace's Nationwide team. Their season has been less than stellar, and with the economy like it is, 5-Hour Energy would definitely get more bang for their buck by moving to Cup with Bowyer.

Bowyer has bee linked to several teams, Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Red Bull Racing to name a few. But now, he apparently has an offer on the table from Richard Petty Motorsports. He would be driving Roush-Fenway prepared Fords and with the way Marcos ambrose and AJ Allmendinger have been running in RPM equipment this season, this may not be all that bad of a deal for Bowyer.

ESPN has reported that the other big hang up with the Bowyer-Childress talks has been Bowyer's unwillingness to take a salary cut (as many other drivers have done this year). But while he is unhappy that Bowyer has looked at other teams, Childress still expects to have a deal done to keep Clint in the No. 33 Chevy next season. We will just have to wait and see where Clint lands when his roller coaster silly season stops.

Side note: This has nothing to do with Bowyer, but RCR may not be the only team looking for funding. It has also been reported that Home Depot, longtime sponsor of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 car, may leave at season's end to take the place of Aflac on Carl Edwards' No. 99 Ford. The home improvement giant won two titles in 2002 and 2005 with Tony Stewart, but ever since Joey Logano took over the No. 20 from Stewart, Home Depot has been forced to watch arch rival Lowe's win the past five titles while Logano under performs and has yet to make the Chase in his career. Edwards is a consistent title contender and would definitely be able to challenge Jimmie Johnson and Lowe's for the championship.

Keselowski Proves Worth With Bristol Victory

After a winning at Pocono with a broken ankle in a stunning upset, Brad Keselowski paraded the American flag around Bristol Motor Speedway after winning his third race of the season. Early on it looked as if either Jeff Gordon or Matt Kenseth would be in victory lane, but the "Blue Deuce" emerged as a strong contender and proved to be the car to beat late.

Keselowski started off the night in a special way as well. During driver intros, "Bad" Brad walked out to a chorus of cheers. Not because he's as popular as Dale, Jr, but because he walked out with an Iraq war veteran who was just back from his second tour of duty. Most fans find Keselowski to be arrogant, but like him or not, Brad and his Checkered Flag Foundation do some great things for the men and women who defend this great nation. Other drivers could definitely learn something from Keselowski.

Ryan Newman led the field to green, but it didn't take long for Jeff Gordon to grab the lead. It looked like Gordon and Kenseth would be battling for the win amongst themselves, but Paul Wolfe used some pit strategy to get the Miller Lite Dodge up front. Because of that, the Miller Lite Dodge took the lead by lap thirty-four. All totaled, Keselowski led eighty-nine laps on the night.

This was a very tame race as Bristol night races go. There were only two wrecks the whole night. The first one occurred when David Stremme wrecked David Reutimann for no apparent reason. I guess while running four laps down to the leaders, Stremme (quite possibly the biggest never-was in Nascar history) must have just gotten bored and decided to wreck a car fighting to get in the top twenty in points. The other wreck occurred when Mark Martin tried to get in between Bobby Labonte and another car and wrecked himself.

But the action picked up when Martin Truex, Jr took two tires on his final pit stop and grabbed the lead back from Keselowski. But on the restart, Truex didn't have the same grip with two fresh right side tires while Keselowski had four fresh Goodyears. Brad grabbed the lead and never looked back as Truex and Gordon battled for second.

As the field came off the final corner, Brad Keselowski grabbed his second win in four weeks and his fourth top three finish in a row. Truex grabbed second by just a fender over Gordon, Jimmie Johnson finished fourth and Jamie McMurray crossed the line in fifth. In victory lane, Keselowski said "an awesome car" and "an awesome team" were the reasons why he won the race. "The night race at Bristol! This is the race that Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt win this race," Keselowski told ESPN. "This is a race of champions. There's races that pay more, there's races that might have a little but more prestige, but this is the coolest damn one of them all." That is absolutely right. The races every driver would kill to win are the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 and the night race at Bristol.

The other big thing that happened because of the No. 2 teams win Saturday night is that they are legitimate Chase contenders. Many people speculated that this team would finish top twenty and grab a wildcard spot. But now, he is eleventh in points, just 21 markers out of tenth. This team may just make the Chase the hard way and race into the top ten. I'll admit that I was in the group of fans that doubted Keselowski's ability. But now that he's won Bristol and is closing in on a Chase birth, it is pretty obvious to me that, like him or not, Brad Keselowski is the real deal. They may not win the championship, but they will definitely contend for it over the final ten races. Brad and the "Blue Deuce" team are here to stay.

Driver Theme Songs for Bristol Provide Best Intros of the Year

It's time once again to race at Bristol Motor Speedway. So that means that it's time for drivers to choose their theme music to be introduced to Saturday night. Since the track began doing this in 2009, it has really grown into an awesome tradition that fans look forward to each season.

It has provided some great moments. Most drivers usually pick WWE-worthy, arena rock songs (AC/DC's Thunderstruck, Kid Rock's Bawitdaba, Guns 'n' Roses Welcome to the Jungle) but several have also picked songs that say something about themselves. It's been a lot more fun than the usual driver walking across a stage to a public address guy introducing them.

In past years, drivers have really picked songs that allow drivers to get a look at their personalities. Who would have ever guessed that Matt Kenseth listens to Avenged Sevefold? Aside from the usual rock and heavy metal that gets the fans fired up, drivers like Marcos Ambrose have made picks that show fans what they're all about. Back in 2009, Ambrose pick the song Land Down Under by Men at Work. What else would you expect the only Australian Nascar driver in the field to be introduced to?

Ever the comedian, Michael Waltrip provided another great intro back in the night race in 2009. He was not having the best of seasons and had been on a bad luck skid since about 2006. So the self-deprecating Waltrip chose Toby Keith's As Good As I Once Was to be his theme song. For those who haven't heard the song, it tells the story of a guy who has lost a step or two over the years but can still get the job done on occasion. Mikey did wreck out of this race, but he did prove that he is "as good once as (he) ever was" by running inside the top 15 for most of the night. A very impressive run for a driver and team who were hard on their luck.

These songs have become one of the best parts of the Bristol experience. You can see this years selections below. Some notable ones are David Reutimann's, Greg Biffle's and Mark Martin's.

• Marcos Ambrose- "Land Down Under" / Men at Work



• AJ Allmendinger- "Down With the Sickness / Disturbed



• Greg Biffle- "Sanford and Son" Theme Song (Best one in the field in my opinion)



• Clint Bowyer- "Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way" / Waylon Jennings



• Jeff Burton- "Welcome to the Jungle" /Guns 'n' Roses AND ""Coal Keeps the Lights On"/ Dolly Parton



• Kurt Busch- "Baby Got Back" / Sir Mix A Lot



• Kyle Busch- "Kyle Busch Show" / Raytona 500



• Dale Earnhardt Jr- "The Ghost of Tom Joad" / Rage Against the Machine



• Carl Edwards- "Run This Town" / Jay-Z



• David Gilliland- "Living the Dream" / Yatta Da Kapatin (Gilliland's front tire changer)



• Jeff Gordon- "E.I." / Nelly



• Robby Gordon- TBA



• Denny Hamlin- "Fast Lane" / Bad Meets Evil (Eminem and Royce da 5'9)



• Kevin Harvick- "Show Me What You Got" / Jay-Z



• Jimmie Johnson "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" / Jim Croce



• Kasey Kahne- "Made in America" / Toby Keith (Great Song. But an odd choice for a guy driving a Japanese nameplate sponsored by an Austrian energy drink)



• Matt Kenseth- Indestructible" / Disturbed



• Brad Keselowski- "Jackson, Mississippi" / Kid Rock
  


• Travis Kvapil- "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" / New Politics



• Bobby Labonte- "Come Monday" / Jimmy Buffett



• Andy Lally- "Battle Ready" / Otep



• Joey Logano- "SportsCenter" Theme



• Mark Martin- "La Grange" / ZZ Top



• Michael McDowell- "On Fire" / Rawsrvnt



• Jamie McMurray- "The Distance" / Cake



• Casey Mears- "Burn it to the Ground" / Nickleback



• Paul Menard- "Gypse Road" / Cinderella



• Juan Pablo Montoya- "Enter Sandman / Metallica



• Joe Nemechek- "Cheap Sunglasses" / ZZ Top



• Ryan Newman- "Big Green Tractor" / Jason Aldean



• David Ragan- "I Am From the Country / Tracy Byrd



• David Reutimann- "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" / The Offspring



• Mike Skinner- "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" / Big and Rich



• Regan Smith- Second Heartbeat" / Avenged Sevenfold



• Scott Speed- "Power" / Kanye West



• David Starr- "It's My Life" / Bon Jovi
  


• Tony Stewart- "Throw the Hammer Down" / Derek Miller



• David Stremme- "I Gotta Feelin'" / Black Eyed Peas



• Martin Truex, Jr- "Counrty Song" / Seether



• Brian Vickers- "Smells Like Teen Spirit" / Nirvana



• JJ Yeley- "I'm Sexy and I Know It" / LMFAO

So if you were able to pick one song to be your intro for Bristol, what would it be? I would go with Toby Keith's "Bullets in the Gun." Its a rocking song that would fire up the crowd. The last line of the chorus is also a great fit for the Bristol night race: "Now the cards are on the table and the bullets in the gun." You're under the lights and thousands of fans are watching you. Which song would you choose?

It's Official: Danica Patrick to Nascar Full Time in 2012

Well, it finally became official at a Thursday afternoon press conference in Phoenix. In what was probably the worst kept secret since Dale Jr decided to leave DEI, Danica Patrick and sponsor GoDaddy.com announced they will run the full Nascar Nationwide Series schedule in 2012 in the No. 7 Chevy for JR Motorsports.

There is no question that this is a positive for Nascar. In every race Danica has run since her first at Daytona last February, she has been the focus of attention whether she has run in the top five or in the thirties. Ratings will definitely be higher for Nationwide races and ticket sales will no doubt follow a similar trend.

The big question is how will she fair over the course of the 34-race Nationwide schedule? She has shown dramatic improvement over last season. She even has a top five to her credit, finishing fourth at Las Vegas. But she still has yet to prove that she is a consistent top ten contender. Transitioning from an Indy car to a big, heavy 3,400 lb Nascar stock car is no easy task and the only one to do it with any success has been Juan Montoya. Patrick will definitely continue to improve, but she will not win a race(unless its because of fuel mileage or rain).

Also to her credit, Danica has definitely gone about this process the right way. Running Nationwide first, she has shown that she does want to succeed in this sport. But the second half of the announcement proved to be more of a money grab than anything else.

It was also announced that Danica would also run about eight to ten Sprint Cup races for Stewart-Haas Racing. While these races are still being determined, it has been strongly rumored that her first race will be in the biggest one of them all: the 2012 Daytona 500. I don't care what kind of equipment she has, Hendrick engines or not, she is not going to crack the top thirty five in any race she runs without help from either fuel mileage or Mother Nature. Guys like Joe Nemechek and Michael McDowell could, in reality, finish ahead of her! These are start-and-park drivers! She needs to focus on Nationwide and get her bearings first before going anywhere near the Cup garage.

Sam Hornish, Jr and Dario Franchitti are two of the biggest names in Indycar. But despite their success, they fizzled out quick in Nascar's top division. Danica Patrick may run well in Nationwide and finish in or around the top twenty on a regular basis, but when she does get to Cup she is in for a very rude awakening.

SO all that is left to do now is race. Danica will run a few more races this season for JR Motorsports in addition to her full time Indycar schedule with Andretti Autosport. But only running the Nationwide Series next season will be the best thing for her. Just focusing on one series will probably allow her to improve a little bit quicker than what we have seen. But she needs to prove she can run competitively in Nationwide before moving up to Cup. She may prove herself in Nationwide, but she will definitely go the way of Hornish and Franchitti by the time she finishes that tenth Cup race.

Snooki to Be Honorary Starter for Richmond Race. No, Really.

The final "regular season" race at Richmond is always full of drama and excitement. Who will make the Chase? Who will be shut out? It can really make or break your season as a team. With all this pent up tension and anticipation, one would expect the pre-race ceremonies to be packed with stars.

Well, hold onto your hats because Richmond International Raceway recently announced that none other than Jersey Shore star Snooki would be the honorary starter for this important race. Yes, that's right. Snooki will be in the flag stand to wave the green and start the race.

Apparently, the reality show "star" will be at the track as a guest of the race sponsor, Wonderful Pistachios (because nothing says pistachios like an annoying Italian girl with a spray-on tan). The track did this to correct a rumor that Snooki would be the grand marshal for the event (let's just be grateful that that isn't gonna happen). But why not Snooki. She is famous for... uhh... well... she's on television (which apparently is all it takes nowadays).

The worst part is that she is still going to get the full celebrity treatment usually reserved for dignitaries and actual stars. She will be introduced at the drivers meeting and greet the drivers as they cross the stage during their introductions. Nascar has definitely reached the bottom of the barrel here. Everyone on the Jersey Shore is a waste of life. The hwole show is an absolute abomination. This is also bad for the sport as well. The fact that Nascar is honoring someone like her makes the whole sport look like a joke.

Most Nascar fans have probably never even seen an episode of Jersey Shore and they aren't going to be very receptive to somebody like Snooki. The fact that some suit got paid a bunch of money to come up with this gimmick is the worst part. Wonderful Pistachios could have done something really "wonderful" and gotten somebody from the military to wave the green at Richmond. Or better yet, somebody from the NYPD or FDNY since the tenth anniversary of 9/11 is the following day. Fans and drivers alike would have appreciated having a hero like that in attendance.

But unfortunately, Nascar fans will have to settle for seeing a ho from Staten Island wave the green at Richmond in two weeks. Perhaps there will be a different moment in the pre-race ceremonies where Nascar will honor those lost on 9/11, but they definitely wasted a perfect opportunity here.

Is Kyle Busch Really the Greatest Ever?

When you think of Nascar legends, you no doubt think of names like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson and Darrell Waltrip. Even Jeff Gordon would have to be near the top of that list. But with his success in recent years, Kyle Busch has been called the next Dale Earnhardt and one of, if not the best, racer in Nascar history. Really? Kyle Busch?

Just look at the numbers. Richard Petty has 200 career Cup Series wins. Seven of those are Daytona 500 victories. He also has 712 top ten finishes, 127 poles and a record tying seven Winston Cup titles in his 1, 185. Petty also raced several different types of cars over his career. He raced Dodge Chargers (and his classic "Petty Blue" winged Charger Daytona) in the 1960's and 1970's, Buick Regals in the 1980's and Pontiacs in the late 80's until he retired in 1992. He even raced a Ford Torino Talladega for one season in 1969. This is why he earned the nickname "The King."

The only driver to tie Petty's benchmark of seven titles is Dale Earnhardt. Nicknamed "The Intimidator" for his aggressive, win at all costs driving style, Earnhardt beat and banged his way to 76 victories in 677 career starts. While Earnhardt was a very polarizing driver, just as Busch is today, Earnhardt worked for every ride he ever got during his career. From racing to pay the bills to signing with a new, unproven team called Richard Childress Racing, Earnhardt was never handed a single thing. He was a real guy who raced cars on Sunday and fed the cows at the farm on Monday. That is why his fans loved him. He was one of them. Busch, on the other hand, was able to land premiere rides at Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing because of his talent, but he is viewed by most fans as just a spoiled brat who throws a tantrum when something doesn't go his way. That is the key difference between these two drivers and why they are not anything alike.

David Pearson is second on the all time wins list with a staggering 105 victories. While he only ran a partial schedule later in his career, he did run the full schedule at the beginning of his career. This enabled him to win the then-Grand National Series championship in 1966, 1968 and 1969. His career paralleled that of Petty's and the two became "rivals" on the track. They also accounted for 63 first/second place finishes (with the nod going to Pearson). Known as "The Silver Fox", Pearson's trademark was laying back early in a race, saving his equipment and making a late charge for the win. More times than not, he came out on top.

Yes the Cup Series is much more competitive now. Kyle Busch is beating the best in the business. But when you look at the numbers, they're not really that impressive. The Toyota driver has 23 Cup Series wins, which is quite a few. But Sprint Cup racing is much more competitive that Nationwide and trucks. In addition to those Cup wins, Busch also has 49 Nationwide wins and 29 Truck Series wins. The fields in those two series are much less competitive than in Sprint Cup and with Joe Gibbs equipment, a monkey could win races driving for them.

Kyle Busch has over 100 Nascar NATIONAL Series wins. Richard Petty has 200 CUP Series wins. While both are impressive, saying Busch is as good as Petty was (or Pearson or Earnhardt for that matter) is just ridiculous. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Kyle "Rowdy" Busch is may be an arrogant punk, but he can drive the wheels off a race car. He is a phenomenal talent. But he is no Richard Petty.

Busch Scores First Vicotry in the Irish Hills

When the Nascar Sprint Cup Series comes to race at the Michigan International Speedway, both a victory and manufacturer bragging rights are on the line. It is always a competition to see whether a Chevrolet, a Ford or a Dodge will pull into victory lane. But in the spring race, Denny Hamlin wheeled a Toyota Camry into victory lane, much to the Michigan fans who remain loyal to the "Big Three." On Sunday, it looked as if Greg Biffle's Ford or Jeff Gordon's Chevy would pull into victory lane. But in the end, Kyle Busch made it a Toyota as well as a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep of the Michigan races this season. This was Rowdy's fourth win of the season and his first in the Irish Hills of Michigan.

Greg Biffle led the field to green, flanked by teammate Matt Kenseth. Biffle managed to keep the lead and stretch it to as much as two seconds. That is pretty much how the majority of the race was run. It was typical Michigan, where the field gets stung out and there is very little excitement unless you like watching a four-wide battle for seventeenth. Carl Edwards did experience engine issues early on, which ended his bid for the victory. (Thankfully, he did manage to get back on the track, sparing us his commentary from the ESPN booth). Carl's fellow Chase contender Denny Hamlin also experienced trouble when he blew a right front tire and hit the wall. He too was able to make it back out and gain a what points he could.

Jimmie Johnson grabbed the lead when a caution flew during a pit stop. This allowed him to stay out while the rest of the field pitted. When the yellow flew, an excited Chad Knaus was heard to say "Finally something went right" over the radio. (That's right. Chad Knaus and the No. 48 team; the guys who have won the last five Sprint Cup championships and 54 Cup Series races finally had something go their way).

Johnson would relinquish the lead to Busch with twelve laps to go, but the race was not over. Kyle's brother Kurt blew a tire and destroyed the right side of his car. Under the yellow, the top seven cars (and David Reutimann) stayed on the track to gain track position. On the first green-white-checkered attempt, Kyle grabbed the lead and never looked back.

Busch's victory also clinched a Chase spot when the 26-race "regular season" ends after Richmond in just three weeks. With four victories, he stands an excellent chance of going in as the top seed and just maybe dethroning Jimmie Johnson as the reigning champion come Homestead.

Now we go from the wide open, strung out racing of Michigan, to the close-quarters, beating and banging of the Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch has wont the last five races at Bristol in Nascar's top three series'. Will he win his sixth Cup race in "Thunder Valley" or will an underdog, like a David Reutimann (who led late and finished second to Busch at BMS last August) score a much needed victory? One thing is for sure. The concrete bullring that is Bristol provide great racing and a great battle for the Chase.

The Glen Show How Far Saftey Has Come and How Far it Has to Go

When you're driving a racecar at over 180 mph inches apart from forty-two other cars, chances are pretty good that you're going to hit something. Chances are also good that you're going to hit that something pretty hard. Everyone at Nascar always prided themselves on having the safest cars in motorsports, that is until Feberuary 18th, 2001. That is the day that Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the Daytona 500. That day changed the sport on many different levels, but perhaps nowhere were its effects felt than on making the sport even safer.

If you've followed Nascar even a little bit over the last decade, you know how much safety has improved. With the installation of SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) Barriers at nearly every racetrack to the "Car of Tommorow" body style now used in both the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, drivers can now walk away from wrecks that years ago may have ended their careers; or their lives.

Last Monday's race at Watkins Glen reminded everyone just how far safety has come and also how far it has to go. The first big wreck occurred when Denny Hamlin's throttle hung entering turn one, sending his No. 11 Toyota into the tire barrier. If you watch the video here, you can see how much the Armco barrier moves behind the tires, but also how much the front of the car gave. This absorbed a lot of the energy that, had those things not done their job, would have been absorbed by Hamlin. Hamlin said afterwards that it was one of, if not the, hardest hits of his career. But while this crash was scary, the one on the final lap would be even worse.

On the final lap, Boris Said unintentionally hooked David Ragan, sending his car into another Armco barrier (No tires this time. All steel.) at a weird angle. This sent him back across the track into David Reutimann's No. 00 into the inside guardrail at a terrible angle as well, which sent the Aaron's Dream Machine flipping into the outside wall. You can watch the video of the last lap here. Both cars were demolished beyond recognition, but while it looked as if the worst had happened, both drivers emerged from their machines unscathed. All of the parts and pieces that flew through the air absorbed energy that would otherwise be directed at the driver. Just as in Hamlins' wreck, the cars did what they were supposed to do.

But there is still room for improvement at the track. Watkins Glen recently underwent a multi-million dollar facelift in the name of driver safety. All of the runoff areas and gravel traps have been paved and some walls had SAFER barriers installed. I think they may be installing a few more before Nascar returns next season. David Ragan told ESPN that he'd raced at dirt tracks with better walls than the ones he'd hit. David Reutimann echoed Ragan's statement, saying he thought where he hit "...would probably be a good place for a SAFER barriers."

These three drivers hit what would be the equivalent of a highway guardrail at around eighty miles per hour while racing at a track in 2011. That's remarkable. Especially after we saw Elliott Saddler hit the same style barrier at Pocono last season. It was an impact so hard that it ripped the engine out, sending it flying, finally coming to rest a few hundred feet from the car. Data later determined that this was the hardest hit in Nascar history.

But Sadler did walk away from his car (after laying on the track to catch his breath) just like Ragan, Reutimann and Hamlin did Monday. When asked what hurt most after his hit, Reutimann jokingly said "my pride." While WGI needs to take a few more steps to improve driver safety, the racecars did their jobs. The only injury occurred when a piece of debris ripped through Reutimann's firesuit and cut his leg during his flip. That's pretty remarkable after seeing the state of the cars after their wild rides. Whatever happens in the race, if all the drivers walk away in one piece, that makes a successful weekend. Hopefully there won't be any hits like we saw at the Glen in Michigan this weekend. Just some close, side by side racing.

Boris Said Calls Greg Biffle "a Chump" after Garage Scuffle

Marcos Ambrose won a wild race at Watkins Glen that saw Denny Hamlin hit the turn one wall full throttle and David Reutimann wreck hard and get airborne. Ambrose winning his first cup race was definitely big news, but what happened afterwards is what everyone is talking about.

ESPN's cameras caught Boris Said (who had triggered the horrific crash between David Reutimann and David Ragan on the final lap) approaching Greg Biffle in the garage. Biffle's crew later came in to defend their driver and Said walked away. Both drivers left the track before Nascar could talk to them.

"He's the most unprofessional little scardy cat I've ever seen in my life. He wouldn't even fight me like a man" Said said of Biffle. "If someone texts me his address, I'll go see him Wednesday at his house and show him what he really needs. He needs a friggin' whooping, and I'm going to give it to him. He was flipping me off, giving me the finger, totally unprofessional. Two laps down, I mean, he's a chump."

The Phoenix Racing driver went on to say that he went over to talk to Biffle who "wouldn't even let me get out of the car. Throws a few little baby punches and then he runs away and hides behind some big guys."

"But he won't hide from me for long. I'll find him." That was the promise Said ended with, saying "I won't settle it out on the track - it's not right to wreck cars - but he'll show up with a black eye one of these days. I'll see him somewhere."

Meanwhile, Biffle took to his Twitter account to defend himself after the dust had cleared. The Roush Fenway driver tweeted "1st of all I want to make sure everyone sees the wreck between David and David, now that's coming from a guy that says I am unprofessional. Let me tell u something Boris, "the road course ringer" caused that wreck. He did the same thing to me earlier in the race off the carousel."

"Then Mr. Class pulls in behind my truck after the race today?! shouldn't you go check on David & David? How unprofessional & disrespectful!" If you'd like to see Said's comments and more from Biffle on ESPN's "Nascar Now" you can watch it here.

Biffle was completely right. Boris Said runs two races a year in cup (the two road races) and can't even run inside the top ten and he has the audacity to call a driver like Biffle, who is a chase contender with sixteen cup wins (and 52 between Nascar's top three series) a chump? The fact that he showed little to no remorse for the wreck he caused that could have hurt two other drivers just added insult to injury. If Boris really has more class than Biffle, than Ragan and Reutimann should have been his prime concern. Boris Said is a talented road racer, there is no doubt about that. But after this whole incident, he showed what little respect he has for the Sprint Cup Series its drivers.

Marcos Ambrose Proves His Worth, Wins Watkins Glen Thriller

You would be hard-pressed to find a happier guy in the Sprint Cup Series garage than Marcos Ambrose. Nobody has a birghter smile or a better attitude than the Tazmanian racer and Ambrose truly is one of the good guys in this sport. He gained fame winning two V8 Supercar titles in his native Australia, but came to America to try his hand at Nascar. Ambrose has had a long and arduous journey, racing in the truck series and the Nationwide Series before getting his break in the Sprint Cup Series full time in 2009.

Because the V8 Supercar Series races exclusivly on road courses, Ambrose was expected to excel at Infineon and Watkins Glen and he did not dissappoint. The Tazmanian won three Nationwide races in a row at Watkins Glen from 2008-2010 and finished third, second and third in the last three cup races there. He has also run well at Infineon, but he has not had the same luck there. In his first race there in 2008, he had a mechanical failure that ended his bid for victory and last season he made the biggest gaffe of his career, stalling his car while trying to re-fire it after saving gas in the final laps. Marcos has been close, but just not close enough.

So this season, heading into Watkins Glen, Ambrose was fast off the truck, just like always, He even qualified third for the race. The one hiccup in the weekend was the weather. As the drivers climbed in their cars to start the race, the heavens opened. Despite Nascar's best efforts to dry the track, the rain never let up and the race was postponed and run Monday morning.

The race went green and Kyle Busch and AJ Allmendinger led the field into turn one. Pit strategy at road courses is very difficult to keep track of. The crew chiefs must work backwards to calculate fuel mileage and beacuse every team is on a different strategy, it is hard to tell who has a car that can contend. Busch and Ambrose spent the most time out front and were later joined by Brad Keselowski, Juan Montoya and Martin Truex, Jr.

The race was fairly calm, until Denny Hamlin's brakes failed, sending his Toyota into the turn one tire barrier at about 65 mph. Fortunately, Hamlin climbed from his demolished machine and walked to the ambulance under his own power. Kurt Busch also experienced brake failure and hit the tire barrier in "the carrousel", though his hit was not nearly as vicious as Hamlin's.

On the final restart, Ambrose spun his tires, allowing Busch and Keselowski to pull out in front. But Busch got loose, sending his Toyota out of the groove, which allowed Kes to grab the lead and Ambrose to pull into second. He passed Keselowski coming out of the innerloop and never looked back. While Ambrose cruised to the victory, it's what happened behind the leaders that may overshadow his vicotry a bit (for now at least).

Boris Said and David Ragan were racing hard coming out of the esses and when Said needed some more room to get back on pavement, he took it. He turned Ragan's No. 6 back into traffic, collecting David Reutimann. Both cars hit the inside guardrail at a dangerous angle, which sent Ragan's toward the outside wall and Reutimann's through the air, upside down and into the outside wall. Miraculously, neither driver was injured, aside from a tear in the leg of Reutimann's uniform. You can see the final laps and the spectacular wreck here.

But the stars of the show were definitly Ambrose and his Todd Parrot led crew. Ambrose uprooted his family to come to the United States and show he could win in Nascar. Late last season, it didn't look like he would get that chance because the Richard Petty Motorsports team he had joined was going bankrupt and it appeared as if he and teammate Allmendinger would have to look for different jobs for this season. But RPM overcame all that adversity and Ambrose was able to prove, once and for all, that he belongs in the Sprint Cup Series and that he is the best road racer in Nascar.

I'm sure all across Australia, where Ambrose has Dale Earnhardt, Jr-like status, fans are screaming "Aussie, aussie, aussie! Oy, oy, oy!" and celebrating their favorite son's first cup win just like the Ambrose fans here in the states. So congrats to Marcos on finally getting it done and silencing his critics. Every once in a while, nice guys do finish first.

Injured Keselowski Conquers Pocono Triangle

During a test at Road Atlanta on Wednesday, Brad Keselowski was involved in a wreck that saw his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge plow through the turn one wall. Because Road Atlanta is not a Nascar sanctioned track, there are no SAFER barriers, so when Keselowski's Charger hit, it was destroyed beyond recognition. The accident left the Penske driver with an avulsion fracture on his left ankle, which had also swollen to the size of a grapefruit.

So once he was cleared to race in Pocono this weekend, everyone began to wonder how Keselowski was going to make it through a long, difficult race that is referred to by some as the "24 Hours of Pocono." He had showed speed in practice, but he did spin out in the final "happy hour" session. He would have to struggle on race day though. The amount of braking required going into turn one (to slow down from close to 200 mph) would be enough to make BK turn his car over to relief driver Sam Hornish, Jr.

Joey Logano led the field to green and showed strength early on. He would soon be joined up front by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin and the three of them would hold station at the front of the field for most of the race.

The race stayed green most of the first half (with the exception of David Ragan backing his Ford into the wall) until the rains came. The red flag was thrown on lap 124 and the cars led down pit road by Logano. It looked as if the 21 year old Logano was in the catbird seat, almost assured of his second career cup win. But the rain stopped, Nascar got the track dry and the race went back to green after a 1 hour and 40 minute delay.

When the race went back green, it looked as if Kyle Busch was going to run away with it. But because Keselowski had pitted before the red flag, he was able to go longer on gas than several other cars and was able to inherit he lead. Even with Busch breathing down his neck, Keselowski held off the charge and won his second race of the season and the third of his career.

Like Brad Keselowski or not, you have to respect the guy's toughness. Racing 500 miles around one of the toughest tracks in the sport with a brace on your foot is impressive. The fact that he won just makes it more remarkable. It's hard to imagine a driver like Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards playing hurt like that. Keselowski raced through the pain and came out with his second win of the season and now, he is almost a lock to make the chase as a wildcard. Now it's on to the road course at Watkins Glen. Can Brad repeat with his bad ankle or will another driver score the win in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York?

Edwards Resigns With Roush-Fenway, It Wasn't About the Money

After months of speculation about Carl Edwards future, (Would he leave Roush Fenway and Ford for Joe Gibbs and Toyota? Would Aflac or Home Depot sponsor him? Where would Joey Logano end up?) it was announced that Edwards would stay put and wheel the No. 99 Ford Fusion for Jack Roush, the man who gave him his break in the Sprint Cup Series, for three more seasons.

Roush and Edwards divulged very little about the negotiation process that led the Columbia, Missorui driver to resign with the Ford powerhouse. One thing that was also not mentioned was what company would back the No. 99 team in 2012. All of the driver and sponsor contracts at Roush Fenway are up for renewal this season, so Edwards current backer Aflac may or may not be back. With Edwards newfound stardom and his potential for dethroning five-time defending champ Jimmie Johnson, his price tag had to have gone up, so the latter may very well be the case.

Roush said that, while they are working with Edward's current sponsors to come back next year, there are also several sponsors waiting in the wings for the opportunity to be on his hood. "We're sorting through now to find out who the anchor will be for the 99 and then we'll fill in around that with the other sponsors and interests. We don't expect to have a shortage of sponsors for Carl" Roush said. "As we finish the 99's program, we'll continue with the discussions of people that are committed to our programs for the cars that are left."

But the topic that was raised by most media members at that press conference was the money involved. Both Edwards and Roush vehemently denied that money played a role in getting Edwards to stay a "Roush-keteer." Several websites reported last week that Gibbs was offering him an $8 million base salary with a $10 million signing bonus. However, this was never confirmed by JGR officials. It was also reported that Ford had stepped up and sweetened the pot to entice Edwards to come back as the face of Roush Fenway and Ford Motor Company's Nascar program. It was later announced Ford gave Edwards an incentive program as well as a Ford stock program that will come to fruition after the third year of his contract.

So since money wasn't an issue, I guess Carl will be getting paid in Monopoly bills. If it wasn't about the money, why did it take so long to get a contract finalized? It was even reported during Sprint Cup practice on Speed channel that Roush said his wallet is a little lighter now that Carl is signed. If Carl was still a substitute teacher in Missouri, racing to try and prove his ability and make a name for himself, I would be a lot more inclined to believe that it wasn't about the money. But now that he has reached rockstar status in this sport, money had to play some role in these negotiations.

Yes Edwards wants to go to a team that will give him the chance to win titles, but he is also undoubtedly looking for the top tier team that will write the biggest check. Most drivers race because it is what they love to do (i.e. David Reutimann, Morgan Sheperd and any driver from the 60s and 70s). I used to count Carl Edwards as one of those drivers as well. Now I'm not so sure anymore.