Kevin Harvick Wins After Wild Phoenix Finish

 

"Happy" Harvick won Sunday night's wild Phoenix race

ESPN's Marty Smith reported earlier this weekend that Kevin Harvick would leave his familiar No. 29 car for a fourth car at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. Harvick, his owner Richard Childress and Tony Stewart, the owner of SHR all remained tight-lipped on the subject, but all said they were going to focus on the remained of the 2012 season and work towards 2013. It seemed as if the final two races would be a wash for the Budweiser team, knowing of their potential "lame duck" status.

But Harvick and crew chief Gil Martin played their strategy right and proved everyone wrong when they pulled into victory lane for the first time in 2012 Sunday night in Phoenix. This was also the first win for RCR in 35 races and Harvick's first win in 44 events.

Harvick's win may have been exciting and a little bit improbable, but that is not what the 2012 Advocare 300 will be remembered for.

Jimmie Johnson limps to pit road after losing a tire

On lap 77, the championship points were severely shaken up. Jimmie Johnson, the leader by seven markers at the start of the day, melted a beat on his right front tire, which blew out and sent his No. 48 car into the outside wall. Now, the driver known simply as "Five Time," will go into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway 20 points behind the No. 2 of Keselowski. And all Keselowski must do is finish 15th or better to clinch his first ever Sprint Cup title and, what could be the last for Dodge, as they will leave the sport at season's end.

While this seems like enough drama for one weekend, that was not the end of what would prove to be, arguably, Nascar's most controversial race in years.

Clint Bowyer (15) gets collected after wreck with Jeff Gordon

Coming off of turn two late in the race, Clint Bowyer made contact with Jeff Gordon's left rear, which cut down the tire and sent him into the turn three wall as he tried to retaliate on Bowyer. Bowyer's spotter alerted his driver that Gordon was waiting for him between turns three and four. So when Bowyer ducked to the apron to pass Gordon, the two hooked when Bowyer came back up, sending the two drivers into the wall. This also collected the cars of Joey Logano and Aric Almirola.

Gordon made his way to the garage area and Bowyer was forced to limp back around to pit road. When Gordon climbed from his mangled No. 24 car, he was met by Bowyer's pit crew who, like a scene out of West Side Story, emerged ready to fight the four time champion and his team. They did come to blows, but Gordon escaped any harm.

Soon after the dust settled, Bowyer B-lined from his car on pit road to Gordon's hauler to defend his crew and express his displeasure. But he didn't get past the truck's liftgate, where he was met by two of Gordon's team members, which started both driver's pit crews fighting again. Both drivers met with Nascar and the hauler was guarded by two sheriff deputies.

If you missed all of this insanity, or didn't believe it happened and want to see it one more time, you can watch it here.

 

On the subsequent green-white-checker finish, Jeff Burton got loose under Danica Patrick getting into turn three, sending her No. 10 car into the wall. Nascar, for whatever reason, didn't throw a caution flag, so when the field came back around to take the checkered flag, they drove through the oil Patrick's car had put down on the frontstrech. This sent Ryan Newman spinning, which also collected the cars of Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Paul Menard and current points leader, Brad Keselowski. Patrick was also involved in this pileup, as she stayed on the racetrack as opposed to pulling down pit road when she first spun.

Danica Patrick (10) gets wrecked by Paul Menard on the last lap

So while most fans thought that Johnson would lap the field, win the race and clinch his sixth championship. It was just going to be another typical Phoenix weekend. But after two crazy races that saw Truck Series points leader James Beuscher wreck late Friday night and Nationwide points leader Elliott Sadler wreck with just two laps remaining Saturday afternoon, the Cup race also proved to be anything but typical, especially for those in the title hunt.

There is one race left in the 2012 season for Nascar's top three series. When the Ford 400 finishes next weekend, we will have crowned three champions. Most believe they know how each of these three championship battles will end up. But if this weekend was any indication, nothing is certain and anyone with a shot at a title could very well win it.

Earnhardt Jr to Miss Charolotte, Kansas Races Due to Concussion

Dale Jr will sit out at least the next two races

After taking several hard hits in the last lap pileup that claimed 24 race cars on the last lap at Talladega last Sunday, Dale Earnhardt, Jr was outspoken and his comments about his dislike of this new style of plate racing were well publicized. But the driver of the No. 88 Chevy was also seen holding his head while he sat on the steps of his team's trailer, promoting questions about the well-being of the sport's most popular driver.

Those questions about Earnhardt's health were answered Thursday morning in a Hendrick Motorsports press conference where the team announced that he would not race this weekend at Charlotte or next weekend at Kansas. He will be replaced by Regan Smith, who will be replaced in the Phoenix Racing No. 51 car by A.J. Allmendinger.

Earnhardt told the media that because his car spun around so quickly during his wreck last weekend, it disoriented him and he knew right away that "[I] had re-injured [myself]."

Junior also took a hard hit when he blew a right front tire and hit the wall in a Goodyear tire test at Kansas close to five weeks ago, but was cleared to drive by Nascar's medical staff. "I knew something just was not quite right," said Earnhardt. He went on to say he felt good after a week and was about "80 to 90 percent" by the time the Chase rolled around. He didn't want to risk missing the top ten cutoff, so he decided to just "push through it and work through it."



Dale Jr's crippled car limps to the garage at Tallladega

He tried to do the same after his hits on Sunday, but when he was still having headaches on Wednesday, he decided to seek medical attention. When Dr. Jerry Petty and Earnhardt looked at the driver's MRI, Earnhardt said it looked good, but he was "very honest" about how he felt with Dr. Petty. Petty could not in good conscience allow the driver to race this weekend.

Earnhardt said that he is looking forward to getting back in his race car as soon as possible, but he also wants to be healthy. "The basis for this whole deal is I've had two concussions in the last four or five weeks, and you can't layer concussions," Earnhardt, Jr said. "I feel perfectly fine," he added, "but I don't want to keep getting hit in the head." While he could not give a solid number, Junior did say he's had several mild concussions over his career.

Dr. Petty was also in attendance at the Thursday press conference, as were owner Rick Hendrick and crew chief Steve Letarte. Petty said that Junior's injury is the kind that doesn't show up on an MRI scan and that "as long as there's any headache, the brain is not healed." He also said that Earnhardt's MRI was normal and "encouraging" and that after another scan and a few test laps, Junior may be cleared to drive again.

While Earnhardt will not be at the track this weekend, he feels his presence would be a distraction to his team, there will still be many storylines to follow. How will Smith do in his first race in a Chase-caliber car? How will Allmendinger do in his first race since being suspended in July? And of course, when will Dale Earnhardt, Jr race again?

Only time will tell.

Good Guy Smith May Be Out at Furniture Row, Bad Guy Busch Could Be In

It appears Regan Smith will only climb into his No. 78 car eight more times

It appears that Regan Smith's tenure at Furniture Row Racing will come to an end following the 2012 season. News broke on Friday that Smith has been told to look at other teams and that he would likely be be replaced in his No. 78 car by 2004 champion Kurt Busch.

Smith, who is truly one of the nice guys in this sport, told the media in New Hampshire that "as it stands right now, I don't believe I'm going to be back with these guys next year." When asked about other options he may have, Smith said, "I've been looking for a while already now, but yes, I've been told I can look."

The Cato, New York native, joined Denver, Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing in 2009. They ran around 18 races together and have run the full Sprint Cup Series tour since 2010. Ryan Coniam was the team's crew chief at the start of the '10 campaign, but after 12 races, he was ousted in favor of veteran Pete Rondeau. It turns out that Rondeu, who had previously worked as the crew chief for drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr, was just what was needed to right the ship.

Smith and his team celebrate their win in Darlington last season

Less than a year later, Smith and Rondeau had scored the team's first win in one of the season's biggest races. The team had won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. This was also Smith's second career win. Let's be honest. He beat Tony Stewart at Talldega in 2008, plain and simple.

This season, Furniture Row brought former Richard Childress Racing crew chief Todd Berrier on board before the Brickyard 400, which really helped the team improve consistency. They scored back-to-back top 10 finishes at the following two races in Pocono and Watkins Glen.

"I think it's something we can build on," Smith said. "I think the tough part for me is that the beginning of the year was a struggle. We had to make some changes to get better as a team and better as an organization. We made those changes, and it's going the right direction... I want to see it through. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it's going to be the case right now. So somebody's going to get a really good race car next season."

That somebody appears to be Busch. The former champ has been teamed up with James Finch's Phoenix Racing team all season and the two have had nothing but mediocre results to show for their efforts. The team has had to run blank No. 51 Chevys for most of the season due to a severe lack of funding, so Busch has often had to drive harder to overcompensate for the team's second-rate equipment. This has often resulted in Busch wadding up more than a few race cars, which can be a death sentence for a cash-strapped team.

Busch, whoc is mired in 25th in points and been suspended this season for cussing out a media member, has said that while Furniture Row has "shown good interest," so have several other organizations. "There's a handful of contracts sitting on my desk and it's just a matter of going through some detail with each of the teams."

2012 has proved a tough season for Kurt Busch and the 51 team

Furniture Row general manager Joe Garone confirmed he has talked to Busch, but that the short-tempered wheelman has also talked to other teams as well. One of those teams is rumored to be Richard Petty Motorsports.

This move would be extra heartbreaking for Smith because he moved to Denver last year to be closer to his team's shop. "It's a place where I've been for a while. I'm happy here. I like it here. But sometimes change isn't bad either."

While there are not very many options for competitive rides in the Cup Series garage, Smith remains optimistic that he will have a seat when the music stops in January at Daytona testing.

"There's not a lot out there right now," said Smith. "But it's a situation where there is some stuff going on and there will be stuff that turns up later going on, too. You just have to wait and see."

But while he is a nice guy, Smith is also a competitor. And he knows exactly what he wants to do for a living.

"I know I love racing. I intend on being in a race car next year. I know I haven't peaked as a driver yet, so I feel good about where I'm at in my career. We just have to find that right match going forward."

Office Depot to Leave Stewart-Haas Racing After 2012 Season

Office Depot sponsored Tony Stewart for 22 races during the 2012 season

Office Depot, a sponsor of Tony Stewart's No. 14 car since the reigning Cup Series champion began his own team in 2009 and a backer for 22 of his 36 races this season, announced Sunday that they will not return to Stewart-Haas racing in 2013.

This announcement comes just a few months after the team announced that they were also losing the U.S. Army as a sponsor for teammate Ryan Newman. This leaves Newman with Quicken Loans, Tornados foods and a few patchwork sponsors for next season and Stewart with Mobil 1 for just 14 races. SHR's sizable task of finding major backing for Newman just got a good bit more difficult.

"The decision to significantly curtail our with Stewart-Haas Racing was very difficult, and one that we did not take lightly," said Mindy Kramer, senior director of communications for Office Depot. "However, the changing business landscape warrants a realignment of priorities and resources."

"That being said, Tony Stewart has been an exceptional ambassador for our brand, and he has gone above and beyond in everything he has done for our company. Being a part of his legendary championship run in 2011 was a moment of tremendous pride for everyone at Office Depot."

Office Depot and Stewart won the 2011
Sprint Cup Series championship

SHR spokesman Mike Arning said that the team is in "continued discussions with Office Depot regarding possible future roles the company could have with the team."

With two cars needing significant funding for next season, it seems as if SHR becoming a three car operation will have to wait another year. Rookie Danica Patrick has a full year of sponsorship from longtime partner GoDaddy.com. But with Stewart now needing sponsorship, his team would presumably take precedence over the lame duck Newman.

With his contract up at seasons end, and no major sponsorship on the horizon, SHR has told Newman to test the waters in the Cup garage. Newman could very well end up at a new team next season, as September is late in the game to find any kind of major sponsorship.

Office Depot is just the latest in a laundry list of sponsors who have left the sport in the last two seasons. They join the like of UPS, the U.S. Army, Crown Royal, Red Bull, Verizon, Old Spice, Little Debbie, Golden Corral and General Mills. Until the economy picks back up again, it appears that this trend of major companies leaving Nascar will continue.

Ambrose Wins, Busch Spins in Wild Watkins Glen Finish

Marcos Ambrose emerges from his No. 9 Ford victorious after a hairy final lap

In what was without a doubt the most exciting finish of the 2012 season to date, Marcos Ambrose managed to pull off a last lap pass of Brad Keselowski to score his second win in a row in the Cup Series at Watkins Glen on Sunday. Normally a feat like that would difficult all on it's own, but it was made all the more arduous for Ambrose because the entire track was coated with oil during the closing laps.

The Finger Lakes 355 at the Glen began with a threat of rain, which left teams thinking that they would be racing to halfway for the second week in a row. But when polesitter Juan Pablo Montoya took the green, rain was the last thing on any of the drivers' minds.

Kyle Busch managed to slip around Montoya off the first turn and never looked back. It appeared that if Busch was going to be beaten, the rest of the field would have to wrestle the trophy away from him.

Kyle Busch gets a tap from Brad Keselowski after both drivers
got loose in the oil on the track

Two of the first three cautions were brought out by Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing teammates Montoya and Jamie McMurray. McMurray took a hard hit to the Armco barrier in turn one, while Montoya broke a lower control arm on the left front of his car exiting the inner loop. While it was never determined for sure what McMurray's issue was, it is believed that both cars suffered the same issues.

In between owner Chip Ganassi's worst nightmare, the yellow flag flew for Kurt Busch. He spun his No. 51 Chevy when his right rear tire broke off his car, taking the axle along with it. Joey Logano also experienced issues when his No. 20 car broke a right rear shock mount, ruining his day as well.



Marcos Ambrose and his boss, Richard Petty, celebrate
in victory lane

After a caution for a brief rain shower, Tony Stewart assumed the lead. But his shot at the win was short-lived, as he got loose coming off turn seven and backed his No. 14 Chevy into the Armco barrier at the head of pit road. This meant that the race was a battle between Busch, Keselowski and Ambrose.

In the closing laps, Dale Earnhardt, Jr spun with seven to go. After the subsequent restart, Bobby Labonte's No. 47 car blew a motor, which had put down a thin film of oil all the way around the track. This would normally draw a caution from race control, but Nascar's spotters didn't report any oil to the race stayed green. With the slippery conditions, Busch's 20 car length lead was all but erased.

On the white flag lap, Keselowski, who was now on Busch's rear bumper, slid underneath the No. 18 car. Busch simultaneously slid into Keselowski's Dodge, sending him around at the top of the hill. This brought Ambrose even closer to the lead and by the time they reached the innerloop, he and Keselowski were neck and neck. Keselowski grabbed the lead off the carousel, but Ambrose swung out wide to find more grip. This helped him get by Keselowski's sliding No. 2 off the final corner and score his second career win and his second in a row at the Upstate New York road course.

This win also puts Ambrose in contention for a wildcard berth in this years "Chase for the Championship." If he can manage to score his first oval track win, it would almost assure the affable Aussie a spot in Nascar's version of the postseason. They have been on the verge of that elusive oval win all season and could very well get it next weekend at Michigan or in a few weeks at Atlanta. But with only a few races left, Ambrose and his No. 9 Stanley Tools team will have to work fast to make it happen.



AJ Allmendinger Fails "B" Test, Suspended Indefinitely

For a little more than a week, AJ Allmendinger's last chance of reinstatement lay in the results of the test of his "B" urine sample.

But in less than 12 hours, that last glimmer of disappeared for good.

After waiting for more than two weeks for the final results to be come in, Allmendigner has failed his "B" test Tuesday, meaning he has been suspended from Nascar competition indefinitely. This makes the Penske Racing wheelman the second driver to be suspended under Nascar's stricter, zero-tolerance drug policy. The sanctioning body also nabbed Jeremey Mayfield in 2009 and, after being embroiled in a long legal battle disputing Nascar's results, Mayfield has never driven again.

It is Nascar's policy to not reveal what substance a driver tests positive for, but Allmendinger and his business manager have both said it was a "stimulant." Allmendinger is currently gathering everything in both his home and his motor coach to send for analysis to determine what it was that may have triggered the positive result. Allmendinger's business manager, Tara Ragan, said the results "were within nanograms of acceptable standards."

"This was not the result we wanted to hear and we will work to get to the source of what may have caused this," Ragan said. "To that end, we have secured the services of an independent lab to conduct thorough testing on every product within AJ's home and motor coach to find what might collaborate with his test."

Penske Racing also put out a statement saying the organization was "very disappointed with the results of this latest test. They also said they will "evaluate it's course of action as it pertains o AJ over the coming weeks. Sam Hornish, Jr will drive the No. 22 Dodge Charger this weekend at Indianapolis and next weekend at Pocono."

Sponsor Shell/Pennzoil echoed Penske's sentiment, and sharing in the team's disappointment with their driver.

It was also announced on Wednesday afternoon that Allmendinger will complete Nascar's "Road to Recovery" program. This program will be customized for his particular situation and when he finishes, which may take several month to do, Nascar will consider him for reinstatement.

But when that time does come, it's doubtful that he will have the same No. 22 car waiting for him when he gets back.

Allmendinger Suspended After Failed Drug Test

AJ Allmendinger has been suspended from Nascar

The 2012 season was going to be the best of AJ Allmendiger's young Nascar career. He had landed the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge at Penske Racing and was now teammates with Bread Keselowski, who finished fifth in points in 2011. The 30-year-old California native beamed with optimism all throughout Speedweeks at Daytona in February.

But when the Cup Series returned to Daytona this past weekend, Allmendinger's high hopes and lofty ambitions had gone down in flames. Hard.

About 90-minutes prior to the start of the Coke Zero 400, Nascar's Steve O'Donnell announced that Allmendiger had failed a random drug test the sanctioning body had administered to the driver following the previous week's event at Kentucky Speedway. He was escorted from the speedway and placed on suspension, meaning that Penske Racing had to fly Sam Hornish, Jr down from Charlotte to wheel the No. 22. He arrived on pit road just as the national anthem started.

Sam Hornish, Jr barely made it to the grid at Daytona

Hornish will also be behind the wheel of the Shell-Pennzoil car at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend.

Allmendinger's suspension is only "temporary" because he can choose to have a "B" sample tested. But, if that test proves positive as well or if he chooses not to have it tested at all, the suspension becomes "indefinite." That means he can only come back when Nascar says it's ok to do so.

Meanwhile, Allmendinger has yet to make a statement regarding what happened, expressing his side of the story or pleading his innocence. Penske Racing has released a statement saying they had been notified about the situation and that they fully support Nascar's drug testing policy.

Team owner Roger Penske, who was out of the country when the news broke, called the failed test "a disappointment," but that the team will wait for the "B" sample to be tested before making any decisions about Allmendinger's future. "I don't think it's fair to him," Penske said. "I think as you look at sports, things happen like this. It's unfortunate, but I don't really want to make a statement pro or con right now. I'm counting on another test being proper for him within 72 hours and at that point we'll make a decision."

How much longer will Allmendinger's name be above the
door of the No. 22 car?

Penske said the team was informed about the failed test at around 4 p.m. Saturday, less than four hours before the start of the race. Should Allmendinger choose to have his "B" sample tested, it could take up to five days to confirm the results of the "A" sample.

Allmendinger's publicist has said that the news "shocked" her client, while also describing him as a "health conscious" individual. She would not comment on whether or not the driver would have the "B" sample tested.

Hopefully Allmedinger opts for this second test, if only to try and prove his innocence. It would also give his fans some confidence after three days of silence from their driver and not doing so might be looked upon as an admission of guilt.

Midway through the season that was supposed to be a big breakthrough for Anthony James Allmendinger, it may instead prove to be nothing more than a big washout.


UPDATE: Nascar has confirmed that AJ Allmendinger has requested that the "B" sample be tested. (7/9 10:30 p.m.)

OFFICIAL: Kenseth Leaving Roush After 2012, Replaced By Stenhouse Jr

Matt Kenseth will leave his longtime No. 17 car after the 2012 season

After more than a decade, 22 wins, two Daytona 500's and a Cup Series title, Matt Kenseth will move on from Roush-Fenway Racing and his familiar No. 17 Ford at the concluion of the 2012 season. This means that Ricky Stenhouse, Jr, who won the 2011 Nationwide title for Roush-Fenway and is in the hunt for this years crown, will replace him for the 2013 season.

"Of course I'd like to thank Matt Kenseth for his many years of loyal service," team co-owner Jack Roush said in a team press release. "Matt has been an integral part of this organization for well over a decade, and we are extremely appreciative of his accomplishments and contributions to the team, and will always consider him a part of the Roush-Fenway family."

Kenseth won this year's Daytona 500

Kenseth, the current Sprint Cup points leader, took to Twitter to thank his team and assure his fans that their focus will not change.

 "I am very thankful to Jack Roush for the opportunities he's given me over the past 14 years. Together we have enjoyed a lot of sucess," he tweeted. "And as a team, we are commited as ever to the remainder of the 2012 season and chasing a third Sprint Cup title for Jack and RFR." When the term "lame duck" was mentioned, Kenseth stated "Darien and Tony proved to us last year that there is no such thing as a "lame duck" team or season. We will continue to go to work and race hard."

So why would a champion driver like Matt Kenseth leave the only team he has ever known?

Well the biggest reason was undoubtedly money. The Ford powwerhouse just negotiated a five year extention with Greg Biffle and his sponsor 3M last season. They also ponied up some serious money to retain the services of driver Carl Edwards, which also meant that many of the team's other sponsors, such as UPS and Best Buy, migrated to the No. 99 team to help offet the tremendous cost.

Roush has funded most of Kenseth's 2012 season out of his pocket. They only have Best Buy on board for nine races, Zest Soap and Fifth Third Bank for four races each and Valvoline for a few races. The rest of the year, Kenseth will run a Ford EcoBoost scheme in favor of a blank car. So with no new sponsors on the horizon and after footing the bill for a few races last season as well, it has become evident that Roush simply cannot afford to keep Kenseth around anymore. A youngster like Stenhouse will drive for much cheaper, which will keep sponsorship costs down and Roush will save millions.

Whether the car stays numbered 17 or is rebadged with the 6 Stenhouse campaigns in the Nationwide Series remains to be see. The No. 6 has been Roush's flaghip Cup Series car since Mark Martin made his name driving it in the 80's an 90's

Kenseth has said he has a team for the 2013 season, but which team will that be?



Ricky Stenhouse, Jr will get his chance
in Cup in 2013

All signs point to Kenseth joining Joe Gibbs Racing next season, but it is uncertain if he will drive a fourth car or if he will take over the No. 20 Home Depot Camry driven by Joey Logano. Logano has been with JGR since 2007 and has won in everything he's ever driven for them. But once he moved to Cup, his sucess suddenly stopped. He has two wins in three years driving the No. 20 car and he has finished no better than 16th in points and his contract is up at season's end.

Meanwhile, Home Deopt has seen their biggest rival, Lowes, win race after race and five consecutive Cup Series titles from 2006 to 2010. The home improvement giant won two titles and 33 races with Tony Stewart, but have had almost nothing to celebrate with Logano at the helm. So with a driver of Kenseth's caliber on the market, it would be suprising if they didn't jump at the chance to sign him up. And why would Kenseth move from a ride with RFR with limited funding to a fourth car at JGR with none while Logano gets his fifth chance in the No. 20 car?

Should Kenseth move into the famous, orange No. 20 car, Gibbs will either place Logano in a fourth Cup car or give him a full-time Nationwide ride to run for a championship.

It had also been rumored that Kensteh would move to Penske Racing, since they will be moving from Dodge to Ford next year. That is, until Ford Racing Director Jamie Allison released a statement saying "All of us at Ford are certainly dissappointed to hear that Matt will be leaving, and he will certainly be missed by us and the Ford Racing fans," all but ending any talk of that move.

This move is a win-win for everyone involved. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr gets his big break in the Sprint Cup Series, Matt Kenseth moves to a championship caliber ride and Joey Logano gets a chance to run for his first Nationwide Series title. All we can do is speculate until Kenseth's new deal is announced, but his moving to JGR makes the most sense for everyone involved.

Dale Jr Breaks Winless Drought. Same Bat-Date, Same Bat-Racetrack

The Junior we remember from his Budweiser days poses with his trophy
 in victory lane

For Dale Earnhardt, Jr, the last four years have been shrouded with uncertainty about when his next win would come. It was the only thing the media asked the Hendrick Motorsports driver. It was all his fans wondered about. He had been close over the last year and a half, but close seemed to be the best that he could muster.

But Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, on the four year anniversary of his last win (also at Michigan), driving a black Chevrolet on Fathers Day weekend, that question was answered once and for all when Junior pulled into victory lane for the second time at the two-mile oval nestled in the Irish Hills. But this time: He. Was. Batman.


Holy Tumbler Batman! Dale Jr got some seat time in the new Batmobile
at MIS

Driving a car promoting the new Batman film, 'The Dark Knight Rises", Junior seemed to change from his quite, mild-mannered Bruce Wayne-esque persona to a veritable superhero behind the wheel of his No. 88 machine.
The track had just been repaved and after reaching speeds of close to 220 mph during a test on Thursday and practice on Friday, Goodyear decided to make a change to a harder left side tire. Of course, this threw most all of the teams for a loop and Dale Jr was among the first to criticize the move.
But once the green flag dropped, Junior quickly worked his way forward from his 17th place starting spot. He took the lead from Marcos Ambrose on lap 69 and never looked back. in all, Junior led five times for a total of 95 laps. Unlike his last win, in which he stretched his fuel mileage farther than anyone else, Dale Jr dominated the field and made a very convincing case that a few more wins may be just around the corner.

And as for the championship? This is the first time Dale Jr has ever had Chase bonus points and he now sits second in the standings, just three markers behind leader Matt Kenseth. They say you need to lose a title before you win one. Well Junior has finished third in points in 2003 and fifth in 2004 and 2006. He has been close and with the amazing consistency he's showing so far this year, who's to say he can't bring home his first Cup Series title at season's end?

Junior celebrates his first win of 2012

The race was also made extra fun for Junior Nation because Kyle Busch, who this week would have been the Joker to Dale Jr's Batman, experienced his third blow engine in as many weeks, making Junior's victory that much sweeter.

Next weekend, the Cup Series will be racing on the road course in Sonoma, California. It is unlikely that Junior will win back-to-back races with the tight turns and hills of Sears Point. But who knows? Stranger things have happened and, for now, all is right with the world. Dale Earnhardt, Jr has finally won again and he is in the hunt for the Chase and, maybe the title.

Elliott Sadler and Kurt Busch Two Sides of the Same Coin

After Elliott Sadler was wrecked out of the lead in the Darlington Nationwide race one month ago, he was met in the garage by members of the ESPN broadcast crew. The Virginia native could have blown a fuse, or blown off the media completely. But instead, he  chose to talk to the cameras and what the fans saw was one of the classiest interviews, maybe in the recent history of the sport.

Sadler's winning run was ended on the frontstrech by Logano, who would go on to win the race, after an ill-advised bump draft from the Gibbs Racing driver. But Sadler talked about not being able to change what happened, picking up and going to Charlotte the next week and his team simply giving the rest of the season their all. No bashing Logano and, more importantly, no cussing out the media members who came for his side of the incident.

But while Sadler set this spectacular example just a few weeks before, fans were treated to the other side of the coin just three weeks later in Dover.

After the Nationwide race at the Monster Mile on Saturday, Kurt Busch was involved in a heated confrontation with Sporting News writer and veteran Nascar reporter, Bob Pockrass after finishing fourth.

Pockrass, a longtime motorsports writer who is well respected in his field and the garage area alike, simply asked Busch if his being on probation (from an incident in the Darlington Cup race with Ryan Newman's team) affected the way he raced Justin Allgaier after the two had a run-in on track. Busch's response was "It (the probation) refrains me from not beating the sh*t out of you right now because you ask me stupid questions."

 After taking a day to deliberate, Nascar suspended Busch from all on-track activity in Pocono the next week, meaning that David Reutimann would move from his familiar No. 10 car to race Busch's No. 51 at the "Tricky Triangle" and Busch will meet with his team owner, James Finch, Tuesday to discuss his future with the team.

This may have been a bit of a drastic move by the sanctioning body, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

This was Busch's fourth high-profile altercation with the media since last September in Richmond, where he had to be physically restrained on pit road and tore up the transcript of an earlier interview with another reporter. There was also that viral YouTube video where the driver cussed out ESPN pit reporter, Dr. Jerry Punch, and his camera crew in Homestead last November.

There is no doubt that Kurt Busch is one of the best in the sport. He wouldn't have won the 2004 championship if he wasn't. But this has nothing to do with Busch's driving record. Nascar is a team sport and it's high time he got the message that you can't get respect unless you give it first. If he continues to treat people like dirt, then this is what is going to keep happening to him.

If Busch didn't want to answer Pockrass' question, he should have just declined to answer it and walked away. It's just that simple. But instead, he threatened Pockrass and made a scene. Busch has always been a volatile personality in the garage and has little respect for the sport, it's drivers, it's teams and it's fans. But, for some reason, he expects to get the same respect he refuses to show others shown to him. That isn' how it works Kurt.

This may have been a harsh move by Nascar, but it might just show Busch that he needs this sport a lot more than it needs him. In Pocono, Reutimann will slip into Busch's ride and the race will go on without him, whether he wants to believe it or not.

Busch may just get one last shot with Phoenix Racing. But, with an underfunded team who can't afford to wreck anymore cars and will have to sell their hot-headed driver to a sponsor, it may not be worth the risk involved. It was rumored Busch was a blip on Joe Gibbs Racing's radar for next season, but now it appears that blip has vanished. Unless he learns some manners quickly, watching races from the couch may just become a regular occurrence for this former champion.

Reutimann to Replace Busch in Pocono

David Reutimann will get the chance to be competitive for the first time
in 2012

Phoenix Racing owner James Finch announced on Sirius/XM Nascar Radio that David Reutimann will move from the Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 10 car to fill his vacant No. 51 car this weekend at Pocono while their current driver, Kurt Busch, serves his one-week suspension for verbally assaulting Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass last Saturday in Dover.

Finch also said that he would meet with Busch over "the next week and have a come-to-Jesus meeting."

This is Busch's fourth run-in with a media member since Richmond last September and his first since a profanity-laden tirade cost him his last job at Penske Racing.

When Busch signed with Phoenix Racing, Finch said of the deal, "He can't quit and I can't fire him."

Now it appears the owner has changed his tune.

"Quit wrecking cars (and) be nice to people," Finch will tell Busch during their meeting. "That's not hard to do." The hot-headed driver has wrecked 13 cars in the 14 events so far this year, which has taken a severe toll on a single car team with only a few employees and no regular sponsorship. Finch made it abundantly clear that, if Busch is to stay in his car, changes must be made. Fast.

"We've got to get Kurt in the right frame of mind," he said. "He needs to either get his mind right or he's going to be working somewhere else. If we stay together it will be on a race-by-race basis."

Since Reutimann will drive the No. 51 car this weekend, Dave Blaney will move into his No. 10 car. Tony Raines will also move into Blaney's No. 36 machine. All three of these rides are locked into Sunday's field.

Kurt Busch Suspended by Nascar for Run-In with Reporter, James Finch Looking for Replacement

Nascar has suspended driver Kurt Busch from Sprint Cup competition this weekend at Pocono Raceway. The sanctioning body's decision came after Busch got into an argument with Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass after finishing fourth in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway. He had been on probation for doing a buurnout through Ryan Newman's pit stall at Darlington and then getting into an altercation with Newman's No. 39 crew after the event.

Busch got into a scuffle with Justin Allgaier at the start of the race and the two met on pit road for a discussion when the event ended.

An ESPN reporter later talked to the hot-headed Busch about the exchange. Busch said Allgaier "drove like a you-know-what all day. He tried to door us and tried to do stupid things out on the track. (But) I'm on probation, so I can't even pick my nose the right way."

"There are clowns that want to play and we'll play," said Busch. "I've got no problem with it. But then there's fans that will get on blog sites and Twitter tonight and just start a bunch of riff-raff. (All) it was, was the initial start of the race. Race your car kid, race your car. That's all there is to it."

 Speed camera's then caught Busch's response to Pockrass when the reporter asked him if his probation had restrained him from racing Allgaier harder than he normally would have. "It refrains me from not beating the s**t out of you right now because you ask me stupid questions," snapped Busch. "But since I'm on probation, I suppose that that's improper to say, as well."

"If you would talk about racing things, we could talk about racing things Bob," to which Pockrass responded, "It is racing."

Busch snapped back, "It is not racing. You're in this just to start stuff. That's all you're out here for."

Nascar took Busch aside Sunday morning after the drivers meeting and expressed their displeasure with his actions Saturday and they have taken the necessary steps for teaching him a lesson.

When this season started, Busch had said he was going to try and "put the fun back in racing."

He made a handshake agreement with James Finch at the start of the year to wheel the No. 51 car after a tumultuous 2011 season.

This was a year that saw Busch disrespect his then-owner, Roger Penske, over the radio, calling him "dude," on several occasions. He also had to be restrained on pit road during an altercation with Nascar.com writer Joe Menzer at Richmond, Later, in the Richmond media center, Busch tore up a transcript of an earlier interview offered by Associated Press reported Jenna Fryer. Most notably, he directed a profanity-laden tirade at ESPN pit reporter Jerry Punch following a transmission failure in the season finale at Homestead.

Finch has said he will meet with Busch in the coming days to discuss the status of their handshake deal. When asked about Busch by EPSN, he did not sound confident their deal would continue to work.

"If he's going to kill himself, I'm not going to be in the airplane with him," Finch said. "If that's what he's planning on doing, I am going to get out." The former driver-turned-owner told ESPN in December that if Busch had embarrassed him the way he did Penske last season, "he would have gotten his ass beat on pit road. He needs to simmer down a while." He mentioned drivers David Reutimann and Brian Vickers as possible replacements for Pocono and, possibly beyond. "There are a helluva lot of (drivers) out there."

This is the best thing for Kurt Busch. The media members he has verbally assaulted over the last two seasons are all well respected, veteran writers, not bloggers living in their mom's basement. And "respect" is the key word in all this. Busch wants respect from the fans, drivers and media around him, but he doesn't give that same respect back. He may be a talented driver, but this is not like football or baseball where talent is all that matters. An owner is also trying to sell him to a sponsor and a company is not going to pay a cash-strapped team like Finch's for Busch's attitude. He needs to learn, once and for all, you can't treat people like crap and expect them to like you.

Now that attitude has finally landed Busch on the couch for a week instead of in his usual seat behind the wheel. And by the sound of things, it may have also cost him another ride. And with his reputation, who knows if he'll get another chance to race again.

On Racing's Biggest Weekend, Take a Minute to Slow Down

This is the biggest weekend in motorsports. The Grand Prix of Monaco in the morning, the Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon and the Coca-Cola 600 at night will make up a day that race fans dream about all season long.

But as we embark on racing's longest day, it is also important to slow down and reflect for a moment and remember a few heroes.

This will be the first time in 66 years that the defending Indy 500 winner will not be in the field to go for a repeat. This year's defending champ is Dan Wheldon, whose life was tragically cut short due to a vicious crash in last year's season finale at Las Vegas. Wheldon, known simply as "Lionheart", won last year's centennial edition of the Indy 500 in spectacular fashion, passing the wreck car of leader J.R. Hildebrand in the final corner of the speedway. This was also the Englishman's second victory in the most storied race in motorsports.

A picture of Wheldon from last year's win will be on all of the tickets for this year's event. Wreath around his neck, milk in his hand and a bright smile on his face, just how race fans everywhere will remember "Lionheart."

The other reason to pause this race day is to remember the reason why we are racing at all.

Memorial Day weekend is not only a time to watch racing, barbecue and go to the beach. It is a time to remember all the brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. It may sound cliche, but freedom does not come free and without the sacrifices that our soldiers and their families make, we would not have the freedom and liberty we enjoy on a daily basis.

This weekend is all about spending time with family and enjoying some burgers, some hot dogs and some racing but let us not forget why we are able to do these things.

God bless Dan Wheldon, his wife Susie, and his sons Oliver and Sebastian. This weekend cannot be an easy one, seeing all the tributes and footage of Dan's Indy wins. May they finally have some sense of closure when this year's race is finished.

And God bless the servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States and all of their families. Without them, there would be no Indy 500, no Coke 600, and no family get-togethers.

"...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that Government of the people, by the people and to the people shall not perish from the earth."

-Abraham Lincoln

Johnson Backs into All-Star Victory

The 2012 Sprint All-Star race started out with a bang. Drivers raced side-by-side throughout the field, feathers were ruffled and the recent changes Nascar made to the side skirts on the cars made the cars jumpy and hard to handle. The million dollar prize was anybody's to grab.

Then the final segment started.

The latest changes made to the race's format meant that the drivers who won the first four segments would line up 1-2-3-4 for the final pit stop. All they had to do was stop in their box, go and try to hold their spot. The crews didn't even need to service their cars.

But this new format came with an unforeseen issue. Once a driver won a segment, they would lag back the rest of the race to save their tires and equipment for the final 10-lap "shootout."

Jimmie Johnson won the first segment of the race and knew he would get that lead back when the No. 48 team came in for their final stop. Matt Kenseth won segment two and followed Johnson suite. Brad Keselowski was the third driver to win a segment and disappear to the rear of the pack. Sprint Showdown winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr won the fourth segment and looked like he would be the third driver to ever win the All-Star race after transferring in from the preliminary forty lap heat.

These four inherited the lead for the fifth and final segment. Despite challenges from Keselowski, Junior, and Marcos Ambrose, Johnson waved goodbye to the field and led the final ten laps and won his third All-Star win.

The race was not bad. Earnhardt, Jr and A.J. Allmendinger transferred in through the Showdown, started from the rear of the field and were contenders for the win the big money by the end of the race. Ambrose was also a strong contender throughout the race and it looked like the Aussie road racer-turned-stock car driver would finally shake the stereotype that he is only a road course ringer.

But in the end, the fans watching on television, and especially those who laid out their hard-earned money to see the race live, were sorely disappointed when a select few drivers decided not to give 100% Saturday night. Johnson, Kenseth and Keselowski didn't circumvent any rules. They merely took advantage of their situation. But that doesn't mean the fans have to like it. Johnson and his fans should be ashamed. Running half a lap down most all night, only to lead the final 10 laps and win the $1 million prize, is hardly an All-Star performance.

This race was almost perfect. If Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nascar would simply tweak the format and make it so all the drivers had to race all out for the entire event, like going back to eliminating drivers at the rear of the field at the ends of the segments, the race would be perfect. After what the No. 48 team pulled Saturday night, it's clear that something must be done before next year's race or the All-Star race will be at risk of becoming Nascar's equivalent of the NFL Pro Bowl.

2013 Chevy Stocker Will Be SS



First look: The 2013 Chevy SS

Just as predicted, General Motors announced Thursday that their Chevrolet brand will campaign a new model on the 2013 Sprint Cup Series tour. It will be based on the V-8 powered, rear-wheel-drive Holden Commodore that is currently produced in Australia and be called the SS.

Chevy's move will hearken the return of a V-8 powered, rear-wheel-drive sedan that the automaker has not offered the American public in 17 years. It will be the derivative of the Holden Commodore, which we have already seen stateside as a Pontiac G8. The SS will be exported to the US as a 2014 model that will arrive in a showroom near you in late 2013.

After campaigning the Impala in Nascar full-time since 2008, bringing the SS to the United States might be just what the sport needs. Fans being able to purchase a production car with the same V-8 powerplant and rear-wheel-drive platform as Dale Earnhardt, Jr or Jeff Gordon may not only boost ticket sales, but sales for GM as well. The SS badge has always been reserved for Chevrolet's most storied models. Names like Chevelle, Camaro, Nova, Impala, Monte Carlo and El Camino have all been emblazoned with the infamous "Super Sport" emblem at one time and that fact will not be lost on longtime fans of Nascar racing.

"As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive Nascar racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale," said Mark Reuss, President of GM North America. "The Chevrolet SS is a great example of how GM is able to leverage it's global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience that extends beyond the track. I am personally looking forward to driving it."

Toyota will unveil their new body style in the next week or so, but there is no time table for when Chevrolet will unveil their new model. For now, all we have is a photo of a camouflaged version used in a test. But while the major details of the body styling are still a corporate secret, one thing is for sure. This thing sure looks like a racecar.

Are Stewart, Truex Trying to Ailienate Fans?

Last season was one of the best Nascar seasons in recent memory. Drivers like Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith finally breaking into victory lane, drivers getting into heated rivalries and close, exciting, side-by-side competition and a championship that was decided in a winner-take-all tiebreaker. Fans loved it and they showed up to the track in droves.

But this year, aside from the towering inferno midway through the first prime time Daytona 500 in Nascar history, the racing has been anything but exciting.

There have been very few cautions and torn up sheet metal this year. Tempers have remained in check and the on-track product has been more like Formula 1 and less like the rough and tumble spectacle fans have come to love.

So after Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega, when drivers raced in a pack again and there were several wrecks, just like every other race at the Alabama speedway. But this time, after the race ended, there were a couple of drivers who decided to open their big mouths about the racing that had gone on and chastise the fans for questioning the racing that they are being provided.

First, Martin Truex, Jr took to Twitter to fill fans in on what his team's day was like, as drivers often do. After trading barbs with some Jeff Gordon fans, the New Jersey native posted "Guess the fans got the cautions they wanted today. Goodnight."

Tony Stewart chimed in as well, but he had much more to say.

"We didn't quite crash half the field which is what we normally look to do here," quipped Stewart. "I was excited about it. I thought it was a pretty good race. I made it further than I thought I would before I got crashed. I call it a successful day."

He went on to criticize Nascar and their minimizing the grille openings on the race cars and downsizing the radiators to five gallons. With the temperatures around 90- degrees most of the weekend, drivers were forced to monitor their gauges and manage their engines in a pack instead of racing in tandems, as had become the routine.

"It's fun to race and watch the gauges at the same time," Smoke went on to say. "It makes us drivers have to do so much more. Being able to make yourself run on the apron and everything else to try to get clean air, it makes it fun." The Stewart-Haas Racing owner later said the sanctioning body "...ought to just tape (the cars) off solid and run them until they blow up. I think it would make it a lot more exciting for the fans." He also cracked, "I feel bad if I don't spend at least $150,000 on torn up race cars going back to the shop. We definitely have to do a better job with that. I'm upset that we didn't crash more. I feel like that's what we are here for."

In closing, Stewart said the race should be extended until half the field is wrecked and for the next race, that the track should be reconfigured into a Figure Eight "and/or we can stop at the halfway point make a break and turn around and go backwards the rest of the way. Then, with 10 laps to go, we split the field in half. Half go the regular direction and half of them go backwards."

Drivers opinions do matter, but why do they feel the need to express them in a way that alienates longtime fans of the sport. Texas, Kansas and even Richmond at times featured nothing but single-file, green flag racing with little or no change in the running order and only fifteen or twenty cars on the lead lap. Race tickets are not cheap and, when coupled with high gas prices and hotel rates, fans spend a small fortune to come and see these drivers race. Without the fans, these 43 racers would have to get real jobs like the rest of us.

While, Stewart's comments were mostly a jab at Nascar's lack of flexibility with the rules at plate tracks now, the words wrecks and excitement were used interchangeably. Both he and Truex were no doubt referring to fans wanting to see wrecks, not the racing they are providing.

Calling fans names and making it sound like they only show up to watch drivers take their best shot at knocking down the wall is unfair and it's a great way to turn even more fans off a sport struggling with television ratings and low attendance. The NFL has not blamed their current issues with the New Orleans Saints on bloodthirsty fans because they realize that the fans are what make their sport possible.

If the fans want to see drivers race backwards in a Figure Eight, then that is what they should see on Sunday afternoon.

If we are not going to see bent up sheet metal and tempers during a race, then Nascar really needs to change their commercials for the All Star Race next week because it is nothing but wrecks set to Blake Shelton's hit "Kiss My Country Ass." Given how racing on the "cookie cutter" tracks has been this year, a more fitting ad would be footage of cars racing single file, set to Leroy Anderson's "The Syncopated Clock."

All these comments will do is make fans angry and drive them, especially the longtime ones, away from the sport. When television ratings drop even further and once packed grandstands are covered by tarps, we will see what the sport's elite have to say about the on-track product then.

David Reutimann: "I Was Just Trying to Finish"

Ryan Newman won Sunday's race at Martinsville, but he isn't the driver that everyone is talking about on Monday.

With just two laps remaining in the race, David Reutimann's Accell Construction Chevy stalled on the frontstrech and could not be refired. This set up a green white checker restart where Clint Bowyer divebombed Jeff Gordon into turn one, spinning himself, Gordon and Jimmie Johnson and taking the three most dominate cars on the day out of contention.

Naturally, after the race drivers were quick to assign blame for the incident. But instead of placing fault on Bowyer for making such a bonehead move, everyone piled on poor, ole Beak.

"It was pretty much a disaster," said Reutimann of what transpired late in the race. "We had brake problems early, and we were just trying to soldier on and get the finish we needed. Instead, we ended up right in the middle of a huge controversy. It's noting I needed, nothing the team needed and nothing I ever intended to happen. I wasn't trying to mess up anyone's day. My day was bad enough that I didn't need to mess up anyone else's."

While the Fox broadcast team just assumed Reutimann stopped his No. 10 Chevy on track to draw the caution intentionally, he had actually stopped because he had no other choice.

"The engine issue started about 30 laps from the end," Reutimann said in an interview with Dave Moody on SiriusXM's Sirius Speedway. "The car would stumble off the corners and start breaking up midway down the straightaway. It was almost like a carburetor issue -- if we still had carburetors on these things -- and we were just trying to hang on and finish the race.

"We had brake issues early on and the car had little or no brakes, so we were just trying to finish and stay in the Top-35. Then with five or six laps left, I went down in the corner and the left inner tie rod failed. (TBR teammate Dave Blaney) had pulled off the track a few laps earlier, and we knew if we could finish in front of him, we could end up staying in the top-35 in points, which was our only goal for the day."

"(Once the tie rod broke), the car was having trouble maintaining minimum speed, and I got the black flag. I tried to make it to pit road, but couldn't make it the first time because of traffic. I was hung up on the outside, there were cars going by me, and only one wheel would steer. You can't just turn down across the track in front of everybody. You've got to wait for an open spot, and at Martinsville, there aren't very many open spots. The second time down the back straightaway, we realized we only needed one or two more laps so we decided to try and push the issue. Nascar will usually give you a lap or two.

"(Crew chief and owner) Tommy (Baldwin) wasn't on the radio telling me, 'To heck with everybody else,' he just said to go as fast as I could and get a couple more laps if possible.

Reutiman went on to say that "ultimately, the motor just quit. The only thing I can figure is that it was something internal; a timing belt type of deal, because the motor didn't actually blow up. The thing just would not run, and I could not get back to pit road.

"If the motor doesn't quit, I make it back to pit road, cross the start/finish line again and maybe we're okay. If the front end isn't toed out a mile because the tie rods broke, it would probably have coasted around the race track and made it. But both things happened at the same time."

Reutimann also said he was unaware of the battle Gordon and Johnson were having for the win. "I didn't know who was leading and, quite honestly, I didn't care. I was trying to stay out of everybody's way and finish the race. I was trying to get my car to run two or three more laps and whoever won the race was irrelevant to me.

"I didn't just stop on the racetrack for the fun of stopping," Reutimann insisted. "Some people seem to think I just pulled out there and said, 'Ok, I've already run 490-something laps, so I think I'm going to stop now, just for fun.' I didn't want to stop the race, I just wanted to finish it.

"I apologize to everyone it affected, (especially) Hendrick Motorsports and their fans. We ended up destroying what could have been great days for a couple of the Hendrick guys. It's heartbreaking and people were saying some really sweet things (after the race). I don't blame Tommy, and I don't blame the team.

"It's my responsibility. I was driving the car. The fault rests on me."

Reutimann went on to say that he will reach out to some of the drivers affected in the coming days. "I will definitely have a talk with at least two of them. I will absolutely make a phone call to let them know I wasn't trying to screw them up. It doesn't make any difference (what I say) and it doesn't fix their day. I didn' want to be that guy. I don't ever want to be that guy. It's awful. Just freakin' awful."

Reutimann also said that he would not be dialing up some drivers anytime soon. "(A few) of them have already said enough that I don't feel like I need to."

Fans of David Reutimann know their driver. They know what he's about. They know that he is a racer and that he would never want to affect the outcome of a race. Having met him at Dover a few times, I can personally say that Reutimann is a class act and one of, if not, the nicest guy in the garage area.

When Fox's Dick Bergeren interviewed Reutimann after the race yesterday, fans saw a broken man. They saw a racer who was just so sick to his stomach over what happened, he could barely look at the camera. The guy was almost in tears. This truly was nothing more than a set of bad circumstances. David Reutimann is a genuine, true-blue guy who only lives to drive race cars.

All he was doing was what racers do: pushing their cars to the limit and running it till it won't run anymore. Kasey Kahne bashed Reutimann on Twitter after the race, but earlier in the day, Kahne raced a car with smoke pouring out of the back until it blew and leaked oil all over pit road. So since nobody had a problem with that, then there was absolutely, positively nothing wrong with what Reutimann was trying to do.

Hopefully, with this off week, drivers like Dale Jr and Clint Bowyer (two drivers who probably shouldn't wait by the phone to hear from Reut) will see what actually happened and maybe apologize for the ignorant remarks they made after the race. And maybe the broadcast "professionals" at Fox will do the same, instead of having Chris Meyers set up Michael Waltrip (Reutimann's former owner) to throw him under the bus again during the Texas race. There is no excuse for what the two stooges in the Hollywood Hotel were doing after the race.

Meanwhile, Reutimann will be forced to qualify on speed at Texas. But the speedway is one of, if not his best track and he will definitely be a driver to contend with. He's going to prove, once and for all, that he is going to be racing in the Sprint Cup Series for a long, long time.

Ryan Newman Scores Wreck-Marred Victory at Martinsville

After what looked like Hendrick Motorsports 200th victory, Ryan Newman claimed his first Ridgeway grandfather clock after the Goody's Fast Relief 500.

The four Hendrick teams ran up front all day long. Kasey Kahne won the pole and was in contention to win until his engine blew. Jeff Gordon put on a driving clinic, leading 328 of the 515 laps around the Virgina paper clip. Dale Earnhardt, Jr passed Gordon to lead three laps just before halfway and Jimmie Johnson proved to be the only driver who could contend with Gordon in the closing laps.

There wasn't much beating and banging and there were no lost tempers.

That is until David Reutimann's bad day turned much, much worse.

With two laps to go, Reutimann's No. 10 Chevy stalled on the frontstrech after breaking a tie rod and losing a motor, which set up a green white checkered finish. When the race went back green, Clint Bowyer divebombed Gordon into turn one, which knocked the No. 24 into Johnson's car and sent all three drivers spinning. You can see video of the mayhem here and hear some post race driver interviews, including Reutimann's side of the story.

Meanwhile, Newman and A.J. Allmendinger slipped through without a scratch.

On the next restart, Newman raced Allmendinger side by side for the final two laps and claimed his first Martinsville win. He also set the rest of America up with free bloomin' onions, courtesy of his sponsor, Outback Steakhouse.

But unfortunately, Newman was an afterthought when the race ended. Everyone from angry drivers to Fox's broadcast "professionals" (I use that term very loosely) were trying to throw Reutimann under the bus for something he could not have prevented.

So congratulations to Ryan Newman on his first win of the year, and shame on Fox for not focusing more on his victory and, instead, setting up Michael Waltrip (Reutimann's former owner) to badmouth his former driver.

FOX Must Pull Michael Waltrip From Broadcasts. Now.

There is just something about an active Sprint Cup Series owner calling Sprint Cup Series races for FOX that is just wrong. If you're curious as to why this is, just watch a replay of Sunday's race from Bristol.

From the time Brian Vickers took the lead until the time he and his two Michael Waltrip Racing teammates finished third, fourth and fifth in the race, MWR was all anyone was talking about. Michael Waltrip, the newest addition to the FOX broadcast team, was bombarded with comments and questions from his fellow "broadcasters" about his cars and how they were running and what he was thinking. It was absolutely nauseating.

They might as well bring in Richard Childress and Jack Roush as pit reporters. All fans got was one-sided, slanted commentary about three of the forty-three cars that were racing Sunday. Sportscasters are supposed to be impartial observers, calling the action how they see it. They are not supposed to be people with skin in the game, who will have a clear-cut agenda for how they want the race to turn out.

With the lack of wrecks and racing action, all fans heard about was how Vickers hadn't started a race since Homestead last year and he wasn't in the right physical shape for Bristol, how Truex finished third at Bristol's fall race last year and top-five at Homestead last season and how Bowyer wasn't even on the radar, but he made a bad car good and finished well.

Reigning champion Tony Stewart was also involved in a wreck in the closing laps.

So why is it that we hear from all three MWR drivers about their top-fives and we can't be bothered to ask the current champ for an interview about what happened in his incident? If he drove for Waltrip Racing, Smoke would have been the first interview after the race was over.

FOX needs to wake up and stop drinking the Waltrip "Kool-Aid" and put Jeff Hammond back in the "Hollywood Hotel" sooner than later. There are people who don't like Michael as a broadcaster and many more who just don't like him period. So if they don't pull him soon, then they will only continue to lose ratings and viewers.

So what's it gonna be FOX? An annoying hasbeen driver in your broadcasts or increasing viewership and ratings? It's up to you.

What's Up With Bristol?

Bristol Motor Speedway used to be one of the toughest tickets in professional sports. The track's August night race used to sell out years in advance. The Tennessee bullring has always been a fan favorite.

So when the track reported only filling 102,000 seats on Sunday, the lowest turnout for the track since Nascar began taking headcounts in 2003, everyone was left to wonder: What's wrong with Bristol?

Track president Bruton Smith blamed the weather, saying early rain showers hurt walk-up attendance which, Smith said, accounts for "3,500 to 4,000 tickets." That may be, but attendance has never been the same since the 2007 season.

That was at the onset of the current economic crisis which has hurt attendance at all tracks, not just Bristol. Fans simply can't afford $80 tickets, hotels that offer rooms at obsene rates and are about an hour away from the speedway and gas prices that are approaching $5 per gallon across the nation. Despite what Obama and his chronies would have you believe, this recession is not over.

2007 also marked the year that Bristol was resurfaced and reconfigured. This was the year that Speedway Motorsports Inc put progressive banking into the track to promote more side-by-side racing and discourage the beating and banging that made the track so famous.

This is most likely the smoking gun. Fans want to see drivers beat, bang and lose their tempers. They want to see a bump and run for the win. They want to see Jeff Gordon shove Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt spin Terry Labonte for the win. If fans want to see three wide, side-by-side racing with almost no action, they'll get tickets for California or Las Vegas.

Bruton Smith has announced a plan that may involve returning the track to its previous specs in hopes of boosting attendance. He and his SMI team will make a decision by Friday about whether or not to change the track and that any changs will be made in time for Nascar's return to Bristol for the track's night race in August.

Smith also said that they are listening to the fans and what they want, which is great. But had they done that to begin with, they would have never reconfigured the track to begin with.

Keselowski Goes Back-to-Back at Bristol Bullring

Penske Racing recently announced that they would make the move from Dodge to Ford for the 2013 season, which left many people thinking they would be the proverbial "lame duck" team
this season.

But Brad Keselowki proved Sunday afternoon in Bristol that nothing could be further from the truth when he pulled his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge into victory lane for the second time in a row at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

Saturday night, Keselowski took to Twitter telling fans he had the best car he's ever had at the concrete half mile bullring. Very few fans believed him, which no doubt only fueled the Michigan native to prove them wrong.

Early on, the race appeared to belong to Keselowski's teammate A.J. Allmendiger. His No. 22 started second and he and pole winner Greg Biffle appeared to be the class of the field. But a caution on lap 24 shook up the race.

Regan Smith and Kasey Kahne were battling hard and when the drivers came off turn four, Kahne's spotter cleared him high. But Smith had a head of steam and clipped Kahne's No. 5 and put him in the wall after Kahne cut him off. The No. 5 Chevy slid down the track and then back up the banking in turn one, collecting contenders Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Marcos Ambrose.

Brian Vickers later took the lead and dominated the race with his teammate Martin Truex, Jr. Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr were also strong contenders. But as the race progressed, Matt Kenseth and Keselowski emerged as the two strongest cars.

Some controversy erupted when Kenseth twice beat the leader, Keselwoski, to the start/finish line, which can't happen. The leader must always get to the line first. But Nascar ruled that Kenseth was in the right because Brad didn't mash the gas in the designated restart area.

Some more trouble happened late in the race when Dale Junior and Jeff Gordon made some slight contact. While the bump was slight, it was enough for Junior's tailpipes to cut down Gordon's left rear tire, sending him backwards into the wall. Junior later took full responsibility for the incident and apologized profusely for wrecking his teammate, albeit unintentionally.

In the closing laps, Kenseth could keep up with Keselowski, but he couldn't catch him. The "Blue Deuce" pulled into victory lane for the second time at Bristol after winning the track's fall race last season.

So after winning back-to-back races at Bristol, Keselowski and his team will try and win back to back races by winning next week's race at Auto Club Speedway in Southern California. But it won't be easy, as the 2 mile SoCal oval is usually dominated by Roush-Fenway Racing. With four different manufacturers and drivers winning the season's first four races, it will be interesting if this parity will continue Sunday afternoon.

Dodge Unveils Sharp 2013 Charger, Brand Identity is Back in Nascar

A few months back Ford Motor Company unveiled the new Nascar Sprint Cup Series body style their teams will campaign in 2013. Drivers for the Blue Oval Brigade will still wheel Ford Fusions, but the body is a lot racier and sleeker than the one that will appear on track at Bristol this weekend. But the most important part is that the car also bears a greater resemblance to the cars the automaker will produce next year.

Following this announcement, Dodge unveiled their 2013 offering Sunday afternoon before the race in Las Vegas. It also bears an uncanny resemblance to the 2013 Charger that Dodge will crank out next year. That will also be the case for Chevrolet and Toyota when they pull the wraps off their body styles later this year.

Ask any Nascar fan what changes they would like to see in the sport and almost all of them will tell you brand identity between the four automakers. Fans want to know that the Chevy Dale Junior is driving is just like the one in their driveway. They want to drive Greg Biffle's Ford Fusion to the grocery store and pick up the kids in Brad Keselowski's Charger.

The automaker mantra in Nascar used to be "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" and that aspect has been lost since the car of tomorrow was introduced in 2007. But with these new cars that teams will be building in just a year's time, it is going to bring those good ole manufacturer rivalries back to the sport.

Toyota will continue to campaign the Camry, but they have yet to unveil their design to the public.

Chevy, on the other hand, confirmed that they will no longer run the Impala in the Cup Series. They have raced the Impala since 2007, but in 2013, they will campaign a body style similar to a new model they will be introducing to the American public. Supposedly it will be similar to the Commodore, a car that GM manufactures in Australia under it's Holden brand and styled like Pontiac's G6. The folks at GM are so intent on keeping the cover on their new ride that they will test a camouflaged model at the Nascar-sanctioned tests later this year.