February 2007 Archives

Jerry Westlund was the winning bidder to drive in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race during the Long Beach Grand Prix in April.
Westlund, a 41-year-old nighclub owner from Long Beach, won with a bid of $70,500. The money will go to the Grand Prix Foundation of Long Beach which, since its inception, has contributed more than $2 million to charitable organizations throughout the greater Long Beach area.
"I'm a lifelong Long Beach resident," Westlund says. "I've been going to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for around 30 years and I've always wondered how I'd do if I ever got in the Pro/Celebrity Race."
Westlund will join the celebrity and professional field for four days of driver's training conducted by Fast Lane Driving School at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond. Qualifying for the Pro/Celebrity race is on April 13. The race, 10 laps around the 1.97-mile street course, starts at 11:45 a.m. April 14.
"A friend of mine mentioned the auction to me. I gave it some serious thought and, after some prodding from my employees, I jumped in," Westlund said. "I was surprised at how fast the bidding went up, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. I can't wait to start training and line up on what is basically my home track."

Denny Hamlin was the fastest driver in the morning session of testing the Car of Tomorrow at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday.
Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, was the only driver to turn a lap better than 122 mph. His best lap was at 15.706 seconds and 122.170 mph at the .533-mile oval in Tennessee.
Gerg Biffle had the fastest Ford and the second quickest lap around the track.
Kasey Kahne had the fastest Dodge, 14th overall. Jeremy Mayfield had the fastest Toyota, 20th overall.
There were 61 cars participating in the morning test. Some drivers took out two cars during the session. Juan Pablo Montoya was the top rookie in the morning session. He was 30th overall in the Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge.

The NASCAR Busch Series race in Mexico City will provide a first for ESPN.
Sunday's race will be broadcast in Spanish, the first such venture for ESPN of a major sporting event.
The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 in English. ESPN Deportes will broadcast a version of the race in Spanish.
"The NASCAR Busch Series race in Mexico City is a special event,” said John Wildhack, ESPN senior vice president, programming and acquisitions. “It presents a unique and history-making opportunity for a Spanish-language telecast on a major cable network as well as a traditional English-speaking telecast. Interest in this event is high and we're pleased to be able to provide multiple viewing options for NASCAR fans.”
Coverage from Mexico City will begin at 10:30 p.m. PST with the pre-race NASCAR Countdown on ESPN2 as well as Cuenta Regresiva a NASCAR on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The race telecasts begin at 11 a.m. PST.
ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Busch Series in 2007, with six select events to be televised by ESPN on ABC. ESPN is covering the series with the same standards of production that it will use later this season for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, including the full use of high definition cameras, Sportvision pointers and technology and state-of-the-art graphics.
"We are committed to the NASCAR Busch Series,” said Wildhack. “ESPN's Full Circle approach will showcase the excitement and competitiveness of the Busch Series across a variety of multimedia platforms.”

There are 50 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams at Bristol Motor Speedway for two days of testing the Car of Tomorrow in preparation for the race on March 25.
The first day of testing is today and concludes Thursday. The March 25 Bristol race will be the debut of the Car of Tomorrow for all the Cup teams.
This is the third of seven scheduled Cup tests for the Car of Tomorrow. Previous tests have been at Daytona International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tests at Richmond, Lowe's, Dover and Talladega will follow later in the year.
The Car of Tomorrow will be used in 16 Cup races this year. They include oval tracks of less than 1.5-miles, the two road courses and the October race at Talladega.
“The Bristol test should be a good dress rehearsal for the race teams, drivers and NASCAR as we prepare for the first Car of Tomorrow race later next month,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition. “It should provide the teams with a good opportunity to fine tune their set ups and become more familiar with how their cars are going to handle and give NASCAR the chance to have a trial run in getting its inspection process for the new car all buttoned up.”

Sammy Hagar spent part of his Sunday singing to NASCAR fans at California Speedway.
Looks like he will be spending some of his money on A.J. Foyt's IndyCar Series team.
Hagar's Cabo Wabo Enterprises will be an associate sponsor on Foyt's No. 14 Indy Racing League team for the 2007 season.
“I’m happy to have Sammy Hagar and his company involved with our team,” said Foyt, who is celebrating his 50th anniversary in Indy car racing. “Cabo Wabo is a premium tequila, and I think our race fans will show their appreciation in a responsible way. Our team will help promote responsible drinking which creates a win-win for everyone. And there’s nothing I like more than winning.”
Hagar also is co-owner of Team KMA’s Indy Pro Series car driven by Robbie Pecorari.
“To be given the opportunity to be a part of such a great sport, and to do it along side A.J. Foyt’s team is such an honor,” Hagar said. “The fans, the team, the races, they all represent the best of what motorsports has to offer. We’re looking forward to a great season.”

The first of nine Twilight Cruise Nights at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona will be April 4.
The first Wednesday of each month, from April to December, hundreds of hot rods, street rods and muscle cars will convene at the museum.
Twilight Cruise Night, which runs from 4 to 8 p.m., and is hosted by the Cal Rods car club, attracts nearly 400 cars and 1,000 people. It includes raffles, prizes and a huge 50/50 drawing. Admission to the museum is free during Cruise Nights. Budweiser has signed on to sponsor the celebrity judges' picks each Cruise Night. The judges will scour the ranks to find five of the best vintage vehicles worthy of a special prize – a victory lap
at the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona during the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Nov. 9-12.
There are two cruise nights in August and none in September, when the Los Angeles County Fair is at the fairgrounds. The cruise night in July is on the second Wednesday of the month because the first Wednesday is the Fourth of July.
"Cruise Nights have become a tradition here at the Museum," said Greg Sharp, curator of the Parks Museum. "It's become a family favorite for Southern Californians, but we also get folks attending from other states and countries. Even if you're not a car enthusiast, our Cruise Nights are a great way to spend an evening. We get some of the rarest, most creative examples of automobile history around."

For those heading out to Las Vegas for the NASCAR races in a couple weeks, Craftsman Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan wants you to stop by for a visit.
South Point Racing will be having an open house at the team's shop March 8, the Thursday before the Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, from 3 to 7 p.m.
“We’re very proud of being a West coast team, and when all the NASCAR teams, sponsors and fans come out for the race in March, we like to show off our facilities,” said Gaughan, driver of the No. 77 South Point Hotel Chevrolet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. “We like to take care of our race fans, and they have a good time hanging out at the race shop and eating and talking with the guys on the team. We really look forward to our open house every year.”
This will be the third annual open house hosted by Gaughan, the two-time NASCAR West Series champion, and his Truck Series team. Visitors will also be treated to a barbecue during the open house.
South Point Racing is located at 6975 Speedway Blvd., Bldg. D-104, directly beside of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The penalties from Daytona keep coming. Three more teams were fined for rule violations. These were discovered during opening day inspection at Daytona International Speedway.
Lee McCall, crew chief for the No. 49 Dodge driven by Mike Bliss, was fined $10,000 for having parts that did not conform to NASCAR rules.
Randy Seals, crew chief for the No. 34 driven by Kevin Lepage, was fined $10,000 for having a unapproved lower rear spring mount on the car.
Scott Miller, crew chief for the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Jeff Burton, was fined $10,000 for having an unapproved rear spring lower truck trailing arm mount on the car.

Kurt Busch was the highest finishing Dodge in the California Speedway NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race. He came in seventh. Ahead of him were a sea of Chevrolets and a couple Fords.
He said on a scale of one to 10, he'd rate his team's Dodges at about a five after two races.
"We ran 11th or 12th most of the day. We got seventh and that's what it takes to rebuild and get your points built back up, especially with all the questions now about how the Dodge is going to work and then with the Car of Tomorrow in a few weeks," said Busch, driver of the No. 2 Dodge for Penske Racing South. "We feel good about the team. Everybody is slapping high fives. We finished seventh, and we'll slap high fives when we win and finish second as well."
Busch said Dodge has done a lot of work in the offseason to improve the aerodynamic package of its cars. He's happy with the progress, but said his team needs to work to make the chassis a little better.
"We wanted to do what we could with building power and reliability," Busch said. "And this is probably the best power we've seen out of Penske/Jasper even with the unleaded. I feel like we've got the upper hand there, and now if we get the chassis and aero to match it, look out."

This one's for you Pauline, and all the other Matt Kenseth fans looking for a little love.
Jack Roush, the now co-owner of the five-car Roush Fenway Racing team, said John Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox and now part owner of the NASCAR team, called him twice over the weekend.
The first time was on Saturday night after Matt Kenseth won the NASCAR Busch Series race at California Speedway. The second time was on Sunday morning before the Cup race.
"I actually wasn't up when he called this morning and he had a family thing to do," Roush said. "But we'll dedicate my part of this victory to John. He is the owner of record for the 17 car moving forward."
Chip Bolin was serving as Kenseth's crew chief for the California Speedway Cup race. Kenseth's regular crew chief, Robbie Reiser, is serving a four-race suspension for having the No. 17 Ford not pass inspection after qualifying for the Daytona 500.
Roush said Bolin and engineering manager Chris Andrews are "doing a heck of a job" during Reiser's suspension.
"We've had conversations with Chip different times over the years about what he might like to do, and he's always said he'd rather not have the responsibility to do what Robbie has been doing," Roush said. "But he got thrust in to it and has done a really good job. I'm just glad to be here and part of this myself."

It hasn't happened since 2002 that Mark Martin is on top of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series standings. Actually, back then it was the Winston Cup standings, but still, it's been a long time.
After the race, he was asked if he will reconsider his decision not to run an entire Cup schedule if he is still leading the standings after the fourth race of the year. The first race Martin is supposed to miss is the fifth race of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway.
He said simply no. He is not changing his plans.
Now comes the question of whether a driver can qualify for the Chase and not race every race. Martin looks like he might put that to the test.
"All in all, I think we have potential here to get up there and win a race," said Martin, driver of the No. 01 Chevrolet for Ginn Racing. "We have shown that the last two weeks. We will keep working to make all these Ginn Racing teams better."
Martin was second in the Daytona 500 and came in fifth in the California Speedway race, showing his team can be competitve on restrictor plate tracks and downforce tracks. That's a potent combination.
"I am very proud of this team to come home with a top five and I want to thank all the fans," Martin said. "They are incredible. All the encouragement they have given me this week. I am loving this and I am rolling, man."

Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both had engine problems and dropped out of contention before the midway point in the race.
Junior said his car was losing power and oil pressure when he decided to withdraw from the race. But he went back out and blew his motor.
"We tried to go out and get a few laps because Kasey Kahne blew up but fixed it and went back out," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "So we were trying to get a few points, but we did blow gain and spun out there. Luckily, we kept it out of the wall when it blew."
Kahne's car lost power, too and started smoking before he pulled into the garage for repairs. He returned, but was several laps down after being one of the race leaders. He was out front for 20 of the first 62 laps.
"It was a good car," said Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports. "We had a shot to run in the top 10. We led some laps early, and we were working our way to the front. Everybody was off pit sequence, but I think we could have worked our way back to the front and we would have been just fine."

Scott Riggs, Reed Sorenson and Jamie McMurray were all involved in a multicar crash on lap 7. All suffered extensive damage to their cars.
"The 10 car (Riggs) just spun out and he tried to save it and then got up into the outside wall, and you're like 10 feet behind him,so you're just hanging on," McMurray said. "An unfortunate day."
It was a disappointing end to the race for McMurray.
"This has been a really good track for me, so I really look forward to coming to Fontana," said McMurray, driver of the No. 26 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "We didn't qualify well, but our car seemed pretty good there the first four or five laps, at least what we got to try."
Sorenson was the unwitting victim of the colliision between Riggs and McMurray. He got collected in the crash.
"I'm not relly sure what happened, but something happened with the 26 (McMurray) and 10 (Riggs)," said Sorenson, driver of the No. 41 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing. "I think I had it missed and then somebody hit us in the right rear and it was all over from there."
Riggs said his car was driving really tight before the accident.
"We've been working on the car all weekend," said Riggs, driver of the No. 10 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports. "We've been on both sides of the spectrum -- loose and tight. Everybody did a good job trying to get this Stanley Tools Dodge better all weekend, but we were really tight there at the beginning of the run and had a lot of wheel in it and in the throttle hard. I just got loose. It snapped loose with me... I hate it for everyone."

Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc., blew an engine and was knocked out of the race.
"The motor just broke, just blew up, just like that," Truex said. "These guys at DEI do an awesome job with these engines. We only lost one last year. It is just frustrating."
Truex said he though his team had a top-five car and was racing with the leaders when his engine blew.
"We have been running like this for a while and we can't ever catch a break. I am just sick of it to be honest with you.
"We didn't have any warning. Just out of the blue. We had a restart there and I was running behind the 20 (Tony Stewart) there and the race was really good, just out of the blue, the motor let go."

Three-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. finished 35th in the NASCAR Busch Series race at California Speedway on Saturday night.
He crashed on lap 132 and didn't finish the race.
Making a successful transition from Indy cars to stock cars is going to take some time, Hornish said.
"The more experience you have, the more things that you learn," said Hornish. "I went through about eight years of open wheel stuff before I ever won an IndyCar race, so it does take some time. With the exception of IROC, this is only my first stock car race ever. I'm still learning."

Matt Kenseth won the NASCAR Busch Series race Saturday night. But he said it won't mean much in today's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway.
"I don't think we're going to be the guy to beat," said Kenseth, who starts 25th in today's Auto Club 500. "I think we have a pretty good car. I don't think we're great, but I think we're pretty good."
Kenseth's Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle finished fifth in the Busch Series race. He starts 13th in the Cup race.
Carl Edwards, another one of Kenseth's teammates, finished fourth in the Busch Series race. He starts 21st in the Cup race.
Edwards was asked after the Busch Series race if he learned anything for the Cup race.
"I'm going to talk to Matt Kenseth," Edwards said. "That's what I learned. He's pretty fast here. I did have a good time and it was fun racing."
David Ragan, the newest addition to Roush Fenway Racing, was 18th in the Busch Series race. He starts today's Cup race in 39th.
Any experience on the race track is going to be beneficial for Ragan. He said by running in the Busch Series race, he learned how his car will react to the race track.
"The track is going to be about the same," Ragan said, "and hopefully we learned some with the car."

...if you're going to be at California Speedway for the Auto Club 500 on Sunday.
Sammy Hagar will be performing on the Turn 4 Pre-race stage at 11:20 a.m. His little concert will last for 20 minutes.
Kevin Costner is the grand marshal of the race. Rick Schroeder is the honorary starter.
Brian McKnight will be singing the national anthem at approximately 12:28 p.m.
Costner will give the command, "Gentlemen, start your engines," at 12:35 p.m.
The Auto Club 500 is set to start at 12:47 p.m.

Dave Blaney won the pole for tonight's NASCAR Busch Series race, the first for Toyota in the Busch Series.
Blaney's pole-winning lap was at 180.410 mph.
"These Toyotas have been impressive," Blaney said.
But it's not all good news for Toyota. No driver has won a Busch Series race from the pole at California Speedway.
The second and third qualifiers, however, have two wins apiece in Busch Series races at California Speedway.
Matt Kenseth qualified second in a Ford and Jeff Burton was third in a Chevrolet.
It was Blaney's seventh career Busch Series pole and his best qualifying effort at California Speedway. His previous best start in a Busch Series race at California Speedway was 13th.
"We could see it coming somewhat," Blaney said. "The cars have been really fast and impressive. I think we have a chance to win every week."
As for the race, Blaney said the team isn't making many adjustments.
"In race trim the car is really fast -- we are happy with it and just kind of left it," Blaney said. "It's going to be different conditions. Later tonight it's going to be dark by the time the race ends. It will be a lot different than what we practiced in. We'll see how it goes."
Todd Braun, the owner of Blaney's Busch Series car, said with Toyota's success in the Craftsman Truck Series, he knew it wouldn't take long for Toyota to duplicate it in the Busch Series.
"For what we did last week in Daytona, to sit on the outside pole and then come here and get the pole this week and get second place there in Daytona," Braun said. "We want to keep building upon the program. This is kind of where we hoped this program would go from when we got involved in it."
Blaney finished second in the Busch Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway last week. Jason Leffler qualified his Toyota on the front row, in second position, at Daytona.
"Everybody at Toyota has made this possible," Braun said. "With the hard work of everybody at our shop plus Toyota's hard work -- we are really glad to be at this point already. We think we can go a lot further quicker."

J.J. Yeley, in his second year as driver of the No. 18 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, was asked about his first year in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
"It was one I would soon like to forget," Yeley said. "2006 was probably the worst racing season I have ever had in my career."
He was 29th in the Cup standings with three top-10 finishes in 36 races.
"It was probably the toughest mentally and I guess because I have such a good team," Yeley said. "Having a family made it a lot easier on me. I could have a bad day and I could go back to the motorhome and Faith, my daughter, would look at me."
Faith is 1-year-old.
"She doesn't care. She is just glad to see her dad," Yeley said. "Those things make it easier to let maybe a bad day at work roll off your back."
Yeley said he thinks things are going to better on the race track in 2007.
"Personally I have learned a lot from the mistakes I have made" Yeley said. "We have made a lot of changes on the team and I think those things are going to add up to a lot of success for us this year."

Kurt Busch was on Tony Stewart's Sirius Radio Show on Tuesday night. Busch said the two talked about what happened at Daytona, when the two tangled and essentially took each other out of the race. Both had fast cars; Busch led a race-high 95 laps in the Daytona 500, but finished 41st when he and Stewart crashed on lap 154.
"Each day you have to put things behind you and look forward to the next week because that's how this sport is," Busch said. "It was the Daytona 500 and it was tough to swallow. Talking to Tony helped and looking at the tape and talking with Roger Penske about everything, we definitely had a lot to be proud of after the week was over."
Busch and Stewart probably had the same view of how to race the Daytona 500. It was that aggressive attitude that ended up costing both of them a chance to win the race.
"It was one of those Daytona 500 deals where you're there to win the race and you're either first or last," Busch said. "I think that's the way we both looked at it. I really enjoy the atmosphere at Daytona and excitement and the prestige of racing at Daytona is another thing. You keep trying to build it up and do what you can to win the thing."

Jeff Gordon won his second career pole at California Speedway. The last time he started out front was in 1998. Still, Gordon said he would rather be on the pole than anywhere else.
"Any time you can start up front, it's a plus," Gordon said. "Does it guarantee anything? No, it doesn't. If I had my choice, I'd rather start on the pole. It just kind of gets your weekends started right -- your pick of pits. But it doesn't guarantee anything."
Kasey Kahne qualified second and will start alongside Gordon on the front row for Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.
"We just missed it by a little bit and we're just looking forward to Sunday," said Kahne, who won the Labor Day race at California Speedway last year. "Hopefully, we'll get a good result on Sunday and gain some points."
Mark Martin, who can't seem to catch a break in any NASCAR race lately, will start third in Sunday's Cup race.
"I'm really thrilled," said Martin, who was leading the Truck Series race Friday night, only to get spun out with four laps to go and finush 23rd. "Last time here I had a pretty good car and I overdrove the qualifying lap, about killed myself and qualified 38th. I feel better today. I had a better race car. We were fifth fastest in practice. I'm incredibly pleased with my lap."

There are few things funnier than seeing a man from Georgia speak Spanish. No offense to the fine people of Georgia, and NASCAR driver David Ragan is among them, but they appear to have no ability to roll their Rs.
ESPN Deportes, and by the way ESPN is everywhere at California Speedway, was prodding Ragan, the newest member of the Roush Fenway Racing team, to read a promo.
Something along the lines of "Hola, soy David Ragan." To his credit, he got the David part pronounced impressively well. His holas on the other hand need some work.
He was a good sport about it though. Even did the four or five takes ESPN Deportes asked him to perform. And forget Juan Pablo Montoya. Ragan was gaining the praise of some eager Latino NASCAR fans who were gathering around his hauler.

Kurt Busch has won his share of poles at California Speedway. He was a bit off the pace Friday, though.
"We were loose, loose, loose in practice," said Busch, driver of the No. 2 Dodge for Penske Racing South. "We tightened it up for qualifying and went too far. We were going for our third straight pole here, but that's OK."
Busch will start Sunday's race 18th.
"Maybe if we take a little off qualifying we'll do a little better in the race," Busch said. "I've won here before, and it'd sure be nice to do it again."
Ryan Newman will start one place behind his teammate, Busch, in 19th.
"We improved from practice, and it's not easy to do that here later in the day," Newman said. "It was a decent run. I don't thnk we're going to be top 10 material, but we were 19th in practice, and I think we'll be better than that."
Looks like his car was exactly 19th fastest in the field of 51 that qualifiied.

Jeff Gordon has the pole as qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race proceeds at California Speedway.
Juan Pablo Montoya, who has the fastest qualifying time for a rookie, said he ran an almost perfect lap and beating Gordon was going to be tough.
"Maybe there was a little bit more in it, but I don't know how much more," Montoya said. "Jeff Gordon's lap was awesome. It's great to see the team doing well."
Montoya looks like he has a top-10 spot and he added that with his experience, it's a good qualifying run.
"I thought I could run a flat and I did," Montoya said. "For the experience that I have at the moment, that's pretty good. I didn't have much left in the car, maybe a tenth or so, but it was a really good lap."

The odds for winning the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, released by World Features Syndicate, have Kasey Kahne as the favorite and Mark Martin as the longest of longshots.
Not to condone any form of gambling, but Kahne might be the worst bet and Martin might be the best.
Kahne, at 6-1, is no doubt the odds-on favorite because he won the Labor Day race at California Speedway last year.
A better bet would be Matt Kenseth, who won the February race last year. His odds of winning are 10-1.
Martin, the runner-up in the Daytona 500, is going out at 65-1. Not that California Speedway is anything like Daytona International Speedway, but Martin has won at Fontana before. It would seem more likely that his chances of winning again are better than 65-1.
Jeff Gordon, the only three-time winner at California Speedway, is 10-1.
Tony Stewart is 9-1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 10-1. Neither driver has won a Cup race at California Speedway.
Then again, that might be a good bet. California Speedway is a track that produces unlikely winners. Jeremy Mayfield and Elliott Sadler come to mind as surprising winners at California Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson is 8-1. Greg Biffle is 15-1. Sadler is 40-1. All have won a Cup race at California Speedway.
Mayfield, racing for the newly formed Bill Davis Racing team, would have to be a field bet at 25-1.
Here are the odds:
DRIVER ODDS
Kasey Kahne 6-1
Jimmie Johnson 8-1
Tony Stewart 9-1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10-1
Jeff Gordon 10-1
Matt Kenseth 10-1
Kevin Harvick 12-1
Greg Biffle 15-1
Kyle Busch 15-1
Carl Edwards 15-1
Jeff Burton 20-1
Kurt Busch 20-1
Denny Hamlin 20-1
Casey Mears 25-1
Clint Bowyer 28-1
Elliott Sadler 40-1
Scott Riggs 45-1
Jamie McMurray 50-1
Ryan Newman 50-1
Martin Truex Jr. 50-1
Juan Pablo Montoya 60-1
Reed Sorenson 60-1
Bobby Labonte 65-1
Mark Martin 65-1
Field (All Others) 25-1

After missing the Chase last year and a chance to defend his NASCAR Nextel Cup Series championship, finishing last in the Daytona 500 was probably not how Tony Stewart wanted to start the 2007 season.
But that's what happened. Now Stewart joins a contingent of NASCAR stars, which includes Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who are outside the top 12 and without spots in the Chase.
California Speedway, site of Sunday's Auto Club 500, is a welcome sight for Stewart. Drafting and tight racing are things he won't have to worry about as much now that Daytona International Speedway in safely in the rear-view mirror.
"Once we get away from Daytona everything kind of settles into a groove," said Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing. "We’re back in the weekly grind. I enjoy going to California because I really feel that’s where our season starts."
At California Speedway, Stewart said he can take care of his own business with his race car and not have to worry about what other drivers and teams are doing to their cars.
"You’re racing the race track. You’re not racing everybody else," Stewart said. "It’s a good opportunity to get back into the swing of things. Once you leave California, you feel like the season has officially started.”

Staff Sgt. Quinton D. Martin was selected as one of the Heroes of the Year by Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and will have his image on the hood of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports driven by Casey Mears.
Staff Sgt. Martin is one of 10 heroes that were selected. The other nine heroes have been invited as guests to join the Martins and watch the No. 25 car race in Sunday's Auto Club 500. The race begins at 12:30 p.m. and will be televised on FOX.
"Through the Heroes of the Year program, we were privileged to celebrate so many valiant citizen-soldiers around the country," said Michael Lister, president and chief executive officer, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. "All of the 10 monthly honorees truly demonstrate what it means to be a citizen-soldier. Selecting one overall Hero was difficult, but we believe Sergeant Martin is an excellent example of what it means to be a citizen-soldier, and also represents the outstanding qualities and achievements of all of the monthly honorees."
Martin began serving with the Mississippi Army National Guard 24 years ago, working within his state and abroad in places such as Germany, South Korea, Panama, Honduras, and Costa Rica. His unit was called up for overseas deployment in late August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast area. Although his unit was released from duty abroad to deal with the impact of the storm at home, Martin volunteered to continue with his assigned mission and left for Kuwait as a member of the 1108th Aviation Classification Repair Activity Deport (AVCRAD) shortly after contributing to the relief efforts.
"This was an outstanding year-long campaign that allowed so many people to nominate and celebrate the bravery and dedication of our Citizen-Soldiers, as well as the support of family and employers," said Col. Mike Jones, Army National Guard. "Quinton Martin is an example of the best and brightest serving our communities and serving our country. Nothing is more important to a citizen-soldier than the support of their nation."
To view all of the soldiers, families and employers who have chosen as monthly honorees for their dedication to and support of the National Guard's mission, visit www.supporttheguard.com.

The five drivers who will be featured on DIRECTV's Hot Pass for Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway were released. They are Elliott Sadler, Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Hot Pass broadcasts for the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Each of the five dedicated Hot Pass driver channels will offer multiple camera angles, real-time car telemetry, in-car audio communication and a dedicated announcer team. The new service, combined with race day telecasts and nascar.com coverage, will give fans the most comprehensive and powerful NASCAR experience possible.
DIRECTV customers can purchase NASCAR HOTPASS for a full-season price of $99 or on a pay-per-week basis for $29.99. More information is available on www.directv.com/hotpass.

Jeff Gordon is one win behind Dale Earnhardt for sixth place in NASCAR Cup career wins. Heading into the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, Gordon, who has 75 career Cup wins, is the only Cup driver who can claim multiple victories at the Fontana track. He has won the Cup race at California Speedway three times.
Gordon has also been in every Cup race at the track since it opened in 1997. He has seen a number of changes over the years.
"This track has widened out since the inaugural race in 1997,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. “Initially, it was a one-groove track, but recently we’ve been able to run three and four-wide through the corners. That’s what you like to see as a driver. It gives us the ability to search for lines that work for our car."
Whether it was his first or 75th, Gordon said winning races never gets old.
“With NASCAR’s new points structure introduced this season, winning races and winning the championship are somewhat linked," Gordon said. "If we make the Chase, our race wins will determine our position in the standings heading into the final 10 races. And I want to be first."

The first time Juan Pablo Montoya raced at California Speedway, it was at the end of the CART season in 1999. He finished fourth in the race and won the CART championship in his rookie season.
He returns this weekend in a stock car as one of NASCAR's hottest rookies and the designated savior of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
Montoya will be in Ganassi's No. 42 Dodge for Sunday's Auto Club 500.
“I’m really excited to return to California Speedway,” Montoya said. “I’m not sure how much my experience there will help me in a stock car, but it will be good to get back to a track I’m familiar with and to an area where I know I’ll have a lot of fans cheering me on.”
Montoya is coming off a 19th-place finish in the Daytona 500. This will be his third Nextel Cup Series race. He also raced in the 2006 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

J.J. Yeley, driver of the No. 18 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, turned out to be a beneficiary of the penalties handed down to drivers who were caught cheating in qualifying for the Daytona 500.
Yeley sits 10th in points after one race, even though he finished 12th in the season-opening Daytona 500.
That's because drivers Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler, two drivers who finished ahead of Yeley, lost driver points when their cars didn't pass inspection at Daytona International Speedway.
It's a much better position than Yeley was in last year, when he crashed and was credited with a 40th-place finish in the Daytona 500.
“Going into what I consider the real first real race of the season, we are not starting from a hole," Yeley said. "Last year we wrecked out early and finished 40th at Daytona, so going into California last year, we were already worried about moving up to a decent spot in the points."
That made Yeley a desperate driver at times last year.
"Some weeks it worked and some weeks it got us farther behind," Yeley said. "Going into California this year in the top-10 in points, if you’re consistent week-in and week-out, you can maintain that position in points and you can also slowly start creeping yourself up toward the number one position.”
Luck was on Yeley's side at Daytona. By his team's account, he missed four potentially race-ending wrecks and finished the race though a maze of cars spinning out of control on the last lap.
"I just feel fortunate to have dodged all of the big ones, considering all four big accidents happened right in front of me during the Daytona 500," Yeley said. "Hopefully, that is a sign of things to come for 2007. Last year I hung around the back and tried to stay out of trouble, and during one of the big accidents I thought I was able to sneak through, but I ended up getting wrecked from behind. That kind of set the precedent for the entire season. This year we have a little bit of luck and just a little bit of momentum for me and the team that we can carry to California and beyond.”

The crew chief for Steve Wallace, driver of the No. 66 Dodge in the NASCAR Busch Series, was fined Wednesday by NASCAR for rule violations at Daytona International Speedway.
Bryant Frazier was fined $1,000 for violating three sections of the Busch Series rule book. More specfically, Bryant was penalized for allowing a bracket around the drive shaft to be more than one-quarter inch thick.
The infraction was discovered during opening day inspection on Feb. 13.

Mark Martin will race in the Pepsi 400 in July at Daytona International Speedway for Ginn Racing, increasing his number of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races to 23.
Martin wanted to race a part-time Cup schedule. After finishing second in the Daytona 500 on a last lap pass by Kevin Harvick, Martin decided to return to Daytona on July 7 for the Pepsi 400.
“I’ve kind of had that one penciled into the back of my head for some time,” said Martin, whose second place finish to Kevin Harvick in Sunday’s Daytona 500 was one of the closest in the history of the race. “We were pretty sure that we might add it for a while, but after the car that the guys gave me on Sunday and with as much fun that we had in the 500, I just don’t see any reason not to go back Daytona and see if we can’t finish the job in July.”
Martin and Ginn Racing have also released the second half of Martin’s 2007 Cup schedule, which in addition to Daytona includes; Chicagoland, Indianapolis, Michigan, Kansas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Texas and the season finale at Homestead.
Rookie Regan Smith will be in the team's No. 01 Chevrolet the remaining Cup races.
Martin is also going to driving the No. 21 Ford F-150 for the Wood Brothers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night. Martin won the Truck Series race last year for Roush Racing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will take his turn as interviewer when he has Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick on his XM Satellite radio show on Thursday.
Junior will interview Harvick on his XM Satellite Radio show, "Dale Jr Unrestricted," at 4:30 p.m. on XM Sports Nation (Channel 144).
Jimmie Johnson, who has his won XM Satellite Radio show, "Jimmie Johnson … ‘Not What You Expected," Thursdays at 4 p.m. on XM Sports Nation (Channel 144).
This week, Johnson will have North Carolina Governor Michael Easley and Virginia Tech men's head basketball coach Seth Greenberg on his show.

More than 20 NASCAR drivers are scheduled to sign autographs during Thursday's Race Fest at California Speedway.
Autograph tickets will be distributed for each driver beginning at 5 p.m. in the Opportunity, California Fan Zone at the race track.
Drivers will only sign one autograph per person. Posed photos are not allowed.
From 6:30 to 8 p.m., the following drivers are scheduled to sign autographs:
Marcus Ambrose, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Ward Burton, Kyle Busch, Matt Crafton, Erin Crocker, Carl Edwards, Brendan Gaughan, Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Todd Kleuver, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, David Ragan, Ken Schrader, David Stremme, Auggie Vidovich, Kenny Wallace, Jon Wood, J.J. Yeley,
Only 300 autograph tickets will be handed out for the drivers listed above. Drivers will only sign one autograph per person.
From 7 to 7:30 p.m., 100 autograph tickets will be handed out for Elliott Sadler.
From 7:30 to 8 p.m., 25 autograph tickets will be handed out for Kurt Busch.

Not to get too excited, but the drivers in the top-12 in points, and in the Chase, are an unfamiliar group after one race.
Mike Wallace, David Gilliland and David Ragan are in. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are out.
But that will all change as the season progresses.
Still, it's never too early to panic and drivers like Kenseth, Hamlin and Junior are already looking at an uphill battle.
One thing is for sure. Wallace will drop out of the top 12. He is not entered in the Calfornia Speedway NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.
But Gilliland, Ragan, David Stremme and J.J. Yeley have the support and resources to hang around for a while.
That could make for a long season for Kenseth, Hamlin, Junior, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch.
The Chase is already interesting and the season just started.

Ron Hornaday Jr. points out that his team's seventh-place finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway is the best start his team has had with Kevin Harvick Inc.
Hornaday, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc., also had the highest finishing Chevy in the field.
“I am happy with my overall finish," said Hornaday, a former Saugus Speedway champ from Palmdale. "We just didn’t have the help we needed to run the way I wanted to out there. It wasn’t the way I wanted to finish, but it was a solid top-10 finish and a good way to head to California.”
Hornaday's crew chief Rick Ren said there were plenty of positives that came out of the Daytona race.
“The adjustments post testing from the data acquired were very good," Ren said."The communication between the whole team was also very good. Pit stops were decent and the whole team effort was great. All in all a top-10 finish at Daytona without a scratch is a pretty good week.”
The next race for Hornaday and the Truck Series is Friday night at California Speedway in Fontana. The team is bringing a new, untested truck to the race. But Ren said he is confident that with the data the team collected during testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the new truck will perform well at Fontana.

Kevin Harvick has a busy week ahead of him.
Harvick, who won the Daytona 500 on Sunday, will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday in preparation for the Auto Club 500 at Calfornia Speedway.
Before he ever gets to the race track, he has a number of stops to make.
First, he will be at Hollywood and Highland Center from 1 to 3 p.m. He will be joined by California Speedway track president Gillian Zucker as part of California Speedway Day in L.A. Harvick will meet with fans and sign autographs.
He is the third straight driver from California to win the Daytona 500. Jimmie Johnson, from El Cajon, won the Daytona 500 last year. Jeff Gordon, originally from Vallejo, won the Dayton 500 in 2005.
Zucker recognized the accomplishments of the California drivers, inlcuding David Gilliland, a driver from Riverside who won the pole for this year's Daytona 500.
“The success of these four drivers is a testament to the racing talent that is born and bread in the state of California,” Zucker said. “We look forward to the return of our California natives for an exciting weekend of racing at California Speedway.”
After California Speedway Day in L.A., Harvick will be on the Mason and Ireland radio show on KSPN 710-AM at 4 p.m.
Later Wednesday night, he will be on "JImmy Kimmel Live," on ABC. He will join Rebecca Romjin on the show.
On Thursday morning, Harvick is scheduled to be on the Rick Dees radio show on KMVN 93.9 FM at 7:20.

Brian McKnight will perform the national anthem before the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway on Sunday.
McKnight, a grammy-nominated singer and songwriter who hosts a daily morning radio program on KTWW 94.7 FM, joins Kevin Costner and Sammy Hagar as part of the weekend entertainment lineup at the race track.
Costner will serve as grand marshal for the Auto Club 500 and will be performing in the Opportunity, California FanZone on Sunday. Hagar will be performing on Thursday at the Race Fest at the track and before the race on Sunday for FOX.

Hall of Fame Racing driver Tony Raines was collected in a multicar crash and relegated to a 33rd-place finish in the Daytona 500.
Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, former Dallas Cowboy quarterbacks, own the No. 97 Chevrolet driven by Raines. On lap 173 of the Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson ran up the track and hit the wall. He collided with Jeff Green and collected Raines, Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann in the wreck.
“It was just three-wide restrictor-plate racing,” Raines said. “Somebody got into the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and caused a wreck. I don’t know. Three-wide, with 40 to go, I kind of expected that to happen. We had nowhere to go.”
Before the wreck, and after the team's last pit stop, Raines said the car was performing at its best.
“We had gotten it better,” Raines said. “The car was getting better. That was the best that it had been so far. Mostly it was tight off of (Turn) 2 all day. But, we got it better, and I was optimistic that we’d get a good finish.”

So much for being the favorite.
Tony Stewart, who won the Bud Shootout and one of the Gatorade Duels at Daytona International Speedway, finished last in the Daytona 500, another result that fell short of expectations for the two-time Cup Series champion.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed right now, but when we look back a week or two from now – to win two races this week is a pretty strong week," Stewart said. "We had an awesome Speedweeks. We had two of the three days go absolutely perfect, so this is the only one that didn't go right.”
Stewart led 35 laps of the Daytona 500, but tangled with Kurt Busch on lap 152 and was taken out of the race.
Getting in position to lead the race took a little longer than Stewart anticipated. He said racing in traffic created tight driving conditions and other challenges.
“If you’re up front, it’s not too bad. But if you get in the back, the tire is so hard and the air is so dirty, it’s hard," Stewart said. "It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. You just get back there and your car is wicked tight. But I never got worked up and we just drove our way back to the front.”

Jeff Burton said he had some mixed feelings about how the Daytona 500 ended.
On the one hand, he was happy to see his Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick win the race.
On the other, he was pulling for his longtime friend Mark Martin to win his first Daytona 500.
"You do a whole lot more living than you do driving, and when Mark Martin steps away from the race car, he'll have friends and he'll go on and live a really good life," said Burton, who was third in the Daytona 500. "So disappointing for him, but at the same time, I'm so ecstatic for RCR. To get another Daytona 500 means a great deal. It's huge. But it's exceptionally disappointing for Mark and all the things that he was close to doing."
Burton said Martin told him over the winter that this year was going to be his best chance of winning the Daytona 500. After spending most of his career with the powerhouse Roush Racing, Burton said he thought Martin was crazy to say that.
"He knew what the hell he was doing," Burton said. "I know a lot of people scratched their head, 'Why is he doing this, why is he going over there?' He's not a dumbass. He's a pretty smart guy."

Watching the DIRECTV Hot Pass and there are already some ways to make it better.
One is to stop making the commercials louder than the actual race coverage. It's a pain to have to keep readjusting the volume on my surround sound system every time they cut to a commercial.
The telemetery on the Tony Stewart channel either isn't working or his team refused to let DIRECTV broadcast it. Not sure which is the case, but it doesn't seem to enhance the race.
It's nice to see on the other channels which show the positions of Jimmie Johnson or Kevin Harvick or Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the race, how fast they are going. It would be even better to see some more of the telemtery, how much fuel they, how many laps they've run since the last pit stop.
The announcers keep talking over the radio traffic between the driver and the crew chief. Then there are times when there is dead silence. It would also be nice to hear some of the conversations between the driver and the crew.
The split screens are great, just not enough information, though.

Dave Blaney gave Toyota a second-place finish in the NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday.
Coupled with Jack Sprague's win with a Toyota in the Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night, Toyota is putting together an impressive weekend on the race track.
Off the race track, Michael Waltrip and his new Toyota team have created quite a stir for getting caught with a elements of jet fuel in his engine and losing his car, crew chief, $100,000 and 100 driver and owner points.
Blaney will be in today's Daytona 500, the only driver from Bill Davis Racing to make the race. All three of Waltrip's drivers are in the race, making four Toyotas in the Daytona 500.
But Blaney said there is little he can take from his Busch Series finish to the Cup race.
"This is the first time I've run these Busch cars here with this spoiler package on them, and man, it was fun, but it's nothing like the Cup cars," said Blaney, who is driving for Braun Racing in the Busch Series. "I don't think anything will transfer. But I've been really happy with the CAT car all week, too. It was really fast on Thursday, and broke the transmission right off the bat, 12, 15 laps into it. We've been happy with that car, too. We'll just try to keep it straight and keep it going all day tomorrow and see what we can do."
Blaney's Busch Series Braun Racing teammates, Jason Leffler and John Andretti, had their share of good fortune in the Busch Series race as well. Leffler qualified on the front row, next to pole sitter Aric Almirola, and Andretti started fifth. However, Leffler and Andretti ran into trouble and crashed out of the race.
All in all, it was a good showing for Toyota, Blaney said.
"All of them were running good," Blaney said. "The other two got taken out. But it's big. I mean, the cars are really good. The bodies are good, the engines are excellent. You know, I expect a lot from this team this year. They do a good job."

Kevin Harvick won the NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway, picking up where he left off after winning the Busch Series championship last year.
He won't be racing for a Busch Series championship this year. He decided to split his time between his own Busch Series car for Kevin Harvick Inc. and the Richard Childress Racing car he won with at Daytona.
Goodyear has brought a harder tire to Daytona for all the NASCAR teams, from the trucks to the Cup cars, to use. Harvick said the new tire made for a slippery race, but he had few complaints about them.
"I don't know that we had any tire problems today," said Harvick, who also drives for Richard Childress Racing in the Nextel Cup Series. "So Goodyear has made the right decisions. I'd rather have hard tires and slide around everywhere. Even though the tires are hard, you want to come in and put tires on to keep the cars handling good."
Having a good-handling car was key to Harvick's win in the Busch Series race and taking four tires instead of two during pit stops may be a strategy his team uses in the Daytona 500.
"I think it made for a pretty entertaining race from inside the cockpit. I don't know how it was to watch, but it seemed like everybody was kind of sliding all over the place," Harvick said. "I'd rather have it this way, and I think it's safer on everybody."

When the NASCAR Busch Series goes to Mexico City, Adrian Fernandez will be in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports for the race.
Fernandez and Hendrick Motorsports will team up for the March 4 race. They were teamed together the past two years for the Busch Series race in Mexico City. He finished 10th in 2005 and was 12th last year.
“I am honored by this opportunity to once again be part of Lowe’s, Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR,” said the 43-year-old Fernandez, who tested the Busch car in January at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “I know race fans in Mexico grow more excited about this race each year. I think this race will continue to grow and prove how popular NASCAR is becoming outside of America.”

Everyone knows now that David Gilliland can drive. Not everyone knows he used to drive with Tiger Woods on the golf course in high school.
Gilliland and Woods were high school teammates on the Western High golf team in Anaheim.
Gilliland, the driver from Riverside who won the pole for the Daytona 500, will be on Golf Central Primetime tonight at 6 p.m. to talk about playing golf with Tiger when they were in high school.

As Toyota waits to make its debut in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and Daytona 500, the Truck Series guys gave Toyota something to celebrate Friday night.
Jack Sprague became the first driver to win at Daytona with a Toyota-powered entry. He and fellow Toyota driver Johnny Benson bumped and pushed their way past Travis Kvapil's Ford to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener.
“I can’t thank Johnny Benson enough; he won this race for me," Sprague said. "We got a run off (Turn) 4 and he hit me so hard my teeth fell out. It shot me right by (Kvapil) and as a result he was able to shoot by Travis, barely. That was pretty cool that Johnny finished second because if it weren’t for him hitting me like he did, I would have never won this race.”
While Sprague was grateful for Benson's help, he was also happy to be the first Toyota driver to win a race at Daytona.
"Selfishly, I think it’s really cool," Sprague said. "I mean, it will always be in the record book that I was the first one to drive a Toyota and win at Daytona. I knew Toyota would win Daytona. I just never thought Jack Sprague would.”
Kvapil ended up being the hard-luck loser of the race. He led 49 of the 100 laps, but with a pair of Toyotas working together on the last lap, he had little chance of winning.
“I’ve been here before and I knew that was going to happen,” Kvapil said. “I’m disappointed. I don’t know how I could have done it any better. I guess I could have tried blocking Sprague better, but I thought we would have wrecked."

Forget drivers who do the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Four lucky race fans will get a chance to attempt the Jim Beam 1100 on Memorial Day weekend.
Jim Beam is offering a chance for four race fans to attend both races, which are run on May 27.
There will be VIP treatment for the entire weekend for the winner and guests, including private air transportation from Indianapolis to Charlotte. At each track, the winner and guests will enjoy the race from an exclusive VIP suite.
They also will have the chance to meet and support the two Jim Beam-sponsored drivers, Michael Andretti and Robby Gordon.
The promotion started Feb. 14, and race fans can enter through regular mail or online at jimbeam.com. The winner is tentatively scheduled to be announced May 1.
Jim Beam sponsors the Indy Racing League entry for Michael Andretti at Andretti Green Racing. Andretti came out of retirement to race the Indinapolis 500 last year and finished third, behind his son Marco Andretti and winner Sam Hornish Jr.
“Finishing behind my son last year at the race was one of my most memorable and proudest moments of my racing career,” Andretti said. “I am looking forward to another successful run at the Indy 500 with Jim Beam supporting my efforts. Last year’s race was such a close finish that it’s motivated me to try for the win this year.”
Jim Beam also sponsors Robby Gordon's entry in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Gordon has attempted to race the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day a record four times.
“As a past competitor of the double duty, I think it’s great that Jim Beam can make this trip possible for consumers,” Gordon said. “For a Jim Beam race fan, there’s no better way to experience the Indy 500 and the 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.”
Tickets can be purchased at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Web site, www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by phone or at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office. The IMS Ticket Office can be contacted at (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally.

NASCAR fans can listen to the Daytona 500, the Nextel Cup Series race at California Speedway and the entire Cup season on KKGO 1120-AM in Los Angeles and XSUR 540-AM in San Diego, the Motor Racing Network announced Friday.
KKGO and XSUR will carry live coverage of 25 MRN Radio produced Cup Series events. The stations will also broadcast MRN’s daily news program “NASCAR Today,” and “Monday Morning Race Refresher,” a weekly wrap-up of the weekend’s race activities.
“The addition of 1260 and 540 AM in Southern California is a significant addition to our line-up of over 700 radio stations nationwide,” said MRN Radio president David Hyatt. “This is a great partnership with California Speedway, the West Coast’s premier motorsports and entertainment venue, which allows NASCAR fans of Southern California to enjoy the races throughout the season.”
MRN Radio, which has been broadcasting NASCAR events since 1970, is the primary source for NASCAR stock car racing and related radio programming. Their award-winning play-by-play coverage of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is delivered via satellite to more than 700 radio stations nationwide plus the American Forces Radio Network.
This makes MRN Radio the largest independent sport radio network in America. For more information on MRN Radio, visit www.mrnradio.com.
“We are excited to have the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series on Country 540 and 1260 AM,” said Kane Biscaya,
general sales manager for Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters. “Country and NASCAR go hand in hand, and we look forward to building a strong relationship with MRN and increasing the brand awareness for NASCAR in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.”

Tony Stewart added another win at Daytona International Speedway by taking the first of the Gatorade Duels on Thursday. It was also the 100th win in motor sports for Joe Gibbs Racing.
It's been a good week for Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing. He also won the Bud Shootout on Saturday night.
Up next is the Daytona 500, a race Stewart has yet to win. After winning one of the duels and the Bud Shootout, he has emerged as the 500 favorite.
“I hope we’ve got one more in us,” said Stewart. “I feel like this is the best opportunity that we’ve had so far to win the 500. This is definitely the most momentum we’ve had going into a 500."
Stewart added that his team is excited about Sunday's season-opening race. The hard part now is waiting for the race to start.
"But we’re not going to just lay down the next two days and say, hey, our car is good enough, and we’re going to continue to go out there each session and try to see what we can learn and see what we can do to gain speed and go faster," Stewart said. "Every one of those guys that were behind us is going to do the same thing."

Voting has begun for fans to determine the NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award.
To cast a vote, go to www.MostPopularDriver.com.
“We want fans to be just as excited about this award as we are,” said Rohan Thakur, marketing manager for Chex. “Millions of race fans show their passion and loyalty to their favorite driver each weekend at the race track and we see that same passion from the fans that vote every day.”
Chex has devised a way for fans to win monthly prizes through the web site. After casting a vote, fans can register for a monthly online newsletter and complete a sweepstakes entry.
In addition to new ways to win, fans will experience a new and improved website. This year, MostPopularDriver.com will be easier to navigate and offer up to date information about the award as well as featured Chex Party Mix recipes.
In 2006, a total of 2,835,277 votes were cast with winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. receiving 1,172,195 votes. The 2006 season marked the fourth consecutive year Earnhardt Jr. won the award. He joined drivers Bill Elliott and Richard Petty as the only drivers to win four consecutive times.
More than 50 Nextel Cup Series drivers will be eligible in 2007 for the NASCAR NMPA Chex Most Popular Driver Award, which is administered by the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA). It has been awarded annually since 1953 and is one of the oldest awards in racing.

Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon won the Gatorade Duels, but Michael Waltrip, Boris Said, Joe Nemechek and Mike Wallace were the real winners.
Stewart won the first of Thursday's duels, 150-lap qualifying races to determine the starting order for the Daytona 500.
Waltrip, who had his car confiscated Wednesday by NASCAR and was penalized 100 points, lost his crew chief and was fined $100,000 for failing inspection after qualifying, earned a spot in the Daytona 500 by finishing the highest among drivers not already qualified for the race.
“I’m probably the most depressing guy you’ve ever seen make the Daytona 500,” said Waltrip, who had to use the back-up car for David Reutimann, who is one of three drivers for his newly formed Michael Waltrip Racing.
Said was the second driver to qualify for the Daytona 500 with his finish in the first duel.
“I’ve never raced a Saturday night short-track race but that’s what I guess it would be like if I ever did it,” Said said. “That was a wild race and it was a lot of fun.”
Gordon won the second duel, but his car did not pass inspection after the race and he was relegated to the 42nd starting position in the Daytona 500.
Nemechek and Wallace raced their ways into the Daytona 500 with their finishes in the second duel.
Past Daytona 500 winners Ward Burton, Derrike Cope and Bill Elliott did not qualify for the race. Neither Toyota-powered Red Bull drivers, Brian Vickers and A.J. Allmendinger, did not qualify. Jeremy Mayfield and Paul Menard were among those who did not qualify through the duels.

The winner of the Daytona 500 will be honored at the Hollywood and Highland Center Courtyard on Wednesday by California Speedway president Gillian Zucker.
An autograph session will follow the 1 p.m. ceremony. The Daytona 500 winner is scheduled to sign autographs until 3 p.m.
The Daytona 500 winner and Zucker will also be promoting the NASCAR races -- San Bernardino County 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, the Stater Bros. 300 NASCAR Busch Series race and the Auto Club 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race -- at California Speedway Feb. 22-25.

NASCAR drivers Bobby Labonte, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Robby Gordon, David Ragan, David Stremme, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Elliott Sadler, J.J. Yeley, Ken Schrader, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray and Ward Burton are scheduled to appear at the Fontana Race Fest at California Speedway on Feb. 22. Driver lineup is subject to change.
The third annual Race Fest is a free event that includes music, a live auction and autograph sessions with the NASCAR drivers. It takes place at the Opportunity California FanZone at California Speedway.
Additional drivers are expected to be added to complete a record list of drivers. The autograph session will begin with introductions on the main stage at 6 p.m. and is scheduled to end at 8 p.m.
“Whether a NASCAR fanatic or new to the sport, there's something for everyone at Race Fest and it's completely free to the public,” said California Speedway President, Gillian Zucker. “I hope fans will join us Thursday night to check out the new Opportunity, California FanZone experience, visit the driver merchandise haulers, enjoy an amazing Sammy Hagar concert and enjoy what really separates NASCAR from other sports, access to the athletes. I can think of no better way to officially launch the West Coast Premiere of NASCAR weekend at California Speedway.”
The finale of the evening will be former Van Halen lead singer Sammy Hagar who will perform on the entertainment stage at 8:40 p.m.
Autographed NASCAR memorabilia, including a guitar autographed by Sammy Hagar are just a few of the amazing items fans can bid on during the live auction, which will take place at the conclusion of the driver autograph session on the main stage.
Race fans can also bid early at www.kfrog.com to take a ride around California Speedway in a Richard Petty Driving Experience racecar with 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch.
In addition, a meet and greet with Jeff Gordon or Richard Petty during the Auto Club 500 race weekend will also be auctioned off.

Sammy Hagar, the former lead singer for Van Halen, will be the grand marshal for the NASCAR Busch Series race at California Speedway on Feb. 24.
Hagar will also be performing the night of Feb. 22 at the free Fontana Rock Fest and before the start of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Auto Club 500 on Fox.
“Sammy Hagar is a local icon and his legendary song, 'I Cant Drive 55' couldn’t be a more perfect fit for NASCAR. His free performance at Fontana Race Fest is a great way to kick off our most action-packed, highly entertaining race weekend ever,” said track president Gillian Zucker.
Hagar joins Kevin Costner, who will be grand marshal for the Cup race on Sunday and will be performing with his Kevin Costner Band in the Opportunity California Fan Zone, for the NASCAR races.

NASCAR driver Kyle Petty has been around long enough to see all sorts of ways teams try to bend and break the rules of NASCAR.
The recent spat of rule breakers were penalized severely, in some cases Petty said too severely.
Michael Waltrip's new No. 55 Toyota powered team was hit hardest, losing its crew chief, 100 driver and owner points, $100,000 in fines and its car for the Daytona 500. Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs and Elliott Sadler all were handed varying degrees of penalties for not passing inspection during qualifying for the Daytona 500.
Petty said the harsh penalties may be a sign of things to come.
"Things are going to change this year totally," Petty said. "Maybe we need to look at this as a sign that this is going to be a huge year of change and NASCAR is going to put its foot down solidly from the word go and stay that way. It appears that way from what they’ve done so far. I don’t know what they’re going to do with the 55, but you hear the rumors. With the inspection process and the things we’re going to go through with the car of tomorrow, if it’s worse than what’s gone on here this weekend, I might take up golf.”
Seeing teams test the rules of NASCAR is nothing new, driver Kurt Busch said.
“We always focus to do the best we can within the rules," Busch said. "Everybody is always trying to push the envelope. Some guys got caught. Guys get caught every week. As of late, NASCAR has made an example of the guys that get caught. We just keep our nose buried in our book and try to do our job.“

The premiere of “Jimmie Johnson - Chasing a Champion" will air on Saturday at 8 a.m. on ESPN2 leading into ESPN2's coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
The show looks at Jimmie Johnson's 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup championship season and highlights some of the events Johnson experienced this off season. Behind the scenes video of Johnson and fellow drivers is a focal point of the hour-long show.
Have to wonder how much of the off season footage will be dedicated to golf tournaments and golf cart tricks.
“We hope this program gives race fans a chance to see what goes on when the television cameras aren’t normally rolling on us,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of a retrospective of the year as well. It’s a different take on things.”
The show chronicles Johnson’s championship season including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 victories as well as the 2006 Race of Champions in Paris, France, the Rolex 24 in Daytona this month, an appearance at Charlotte Bobcats NBA game and an Alaskan fishing trip with fellow driver Casey Mears and Marty Smith.
The show is co-produced by HIGHDRAMA Productions, Inc. and NASCAR Images and sponsored by Lowe’s.

It's only one race into the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing season, but there is a new way to determine the champions in the four national divisions -- called the Countdown -- and the standings are out.
After one race, four-time top fuel champion Tony Schumacher and two-time top fuel champion Larry Dixon are not in the top eight. In the funny car division, John and Ashley Force are outside the top eight.
The top eight drivers in each division after 17 races will qualify for the Countdown. The final six races will determine the NHRA champions in each division.
As it stands now, J.R. Todd leads the top fuel division. Gary Scelzi leads the funny car division. Greg Anderson leads the pro stock division. All were winners at the season-opening Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona last weekend.
The next race is at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., Feb 23-25.

FOX NASCAR announcer Darrell Waltrip said that Toyota entering the Nextel Cup Series might be a big deal now, but the excitement will eventually settle down.
"Once the teams are established it’ll be more about the drivers and the teams and a lot less about where Toyotas are made," Waltrip said during a teleconference Tuesday. "I think when we talk about diversity, we need to talk not only about drivers, but cars too. We’re going to have to open up our eyes and open up our arms and we’re going to have to welcome whoever NASCAR feels is qualified to come and race with us."
FOX will broadcast the Daytona 500 on Sunday with Waltrip and Joy working the broadcast booth.
They both gave their thoughts on, among other things, Juan Pablo Montoya entering the Nextel Cup Series and the movie "Dale."
Joy said he thinks NASCAR fans will be able to see past Montoya's nationality -- he's Colombian -- but they won't be able to accept him as stock car driver considering his open-wheel career.
"He comes from Indy Car and Formula One," Joy said. "So, if there is a stigma, it is because he didn’t start on some quarter mile oval in the Midwest or in the Southeast and work his way up, driving bigger and faster stock cars on bigger and faster tracks. Do I think that’s a negative? Absolutely not. I think it adds more interest and more people who are interested in him."
Waltrip said he has tried to watch the movie "Dale," about the late Dale Earnhardt, but he hasn't been able to finish it yet.
"What I’ve seen is very touching," Waltrip said. "I like what I’ve seen. I’m going to get some of my friends together and we’re going to sit here and watch it together. We’ll probably cry together. It’s funny how seven years later, it still seems so surreal to me. Dale and I were good friends. We weren’t great friends, we were just good friends. But watching stuff about him, I know how it affects me. I just cant imagine how it affects his family and people that were really super close to him."

Little known fact: Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost wears the No. 3 in tribute to the late Dale Earnhardt. When he was asked to predict the winner of the Daytona 500, he was a little torn between the drivers at Richard Childress Racing.
“Dale Jr. has a great chance and so do Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth," Yost said. "But I think it’s going to be an RCR car. So I’m going to flip between Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. OK, I’m going to go with Harvick.”
Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards said he's pulling for another Bakersfield driver. Harvick is a Bakersfield native as is Casey Mears, the newest member of the Hedrick Motorsports team.
"Casey Mears has a new team, new car, a winning crew chief and something to prove," Arenas said. "He will win it."
Comedian Jim Gaffigan sees a lot of potential in David Reutimann's car.
"I’ll take David Reutimann in the Domino’s car," Gaffigan said. "Because when you go with pizza, you never lose. And also bacon is great on pizza, and since there is no bacon car, I have to go with pizza. When are they going to get a bacon car? Tell me everyone wouldn’t route for the bacon car. Mmmm. Bacon."
Kimberly Williams-Paisley, who is on ABC's "According to Jim," said she is new to NASCAR and is following the lead of her husband, country singer Brad Paisley.
"I am picking Tony Raines to win the Daytona 500 because my husband’s guitar tech knows his crew chief,” Williams-Paisley said.
And finally Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a representative from California, is sticking with a homegrown talent and the defending Daytona 500 champion.
"My colleagues and I recently had the pleasure of welcoming Jimmie Johnson to the Capitol to congratulate him on his success as NASCAR champion," Pelosi said. "He is a gifted athlete, a great ambassador for the sport of NASCAR and my pick to win the Daytona 500."

Tony Stewart will be looking to win his third straight Busch Series race at Daytona Intenrational Speedway for Kevin Harvick Inc. on Saturday.
“You have to have a fast car. But with that fast car, you’ve got to have a good team that gets you in and out of the pits fast, and you’ve got to have a driver who knows what he’s doing," Stewart said. "Get all that together, along with a little bit of luck, and you can have a good day.”
Stewart, who has already won the Bus Shootout, will be driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.
Stewart won the Daytona Busch Series race in 2005, the first for Kevin Harvick Inc., then repeated as winner last year. It was Stewart's only Busch Series win for Harvick in 10 starts.
This year, Stewart will be making eight starts for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Busch Series. Harvick, Tony Raines, Ron Fellows and Cale Gale will also be in the No. 33 car this year.
Stewart will have a new crew chief at Kevin Harvick Inc. Dan Stillman, who worked previously with Dale Earnhardt Inc. as crew chief for Paul Menard's Busch Series team, will be working with Stewart for the Daytona race.
“I think KHI is an impressive organization, which has proven to be a winner in the Truck and Busch Series and is dedicated to making their organization stronger in the years to come,” Stillman said. “I feel it is a very good opportunity that Kevin gave me to be the crew chief on the No. 33 Chevrolet.”

Robert Yates Racing is in the Daytona 500 in a big way, taking the first two starting spots in the race after qualifying on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.
David Gilliland, the driver formerly from Riverside and a graduate of the NASCAR Southwest and West Series, won the pole. His teammate and NASCAR vetern Ricky Rudd was second in qualifying. They will make up the front row for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.
“You couldn’t ask for more as a rookie coming to Daytona for your first time,” said Gilliland, who used to race regularly at Irwindale Speedway and is now in the No. 38 Ford for Yates. “It’s a pleasure to be a part of it and I’m really looking forward to Sunday and the Daytona 500.”
After taking a year off, Rudd is making his comeback to NASCAR Nextel Cup Series racing in the No. 88 Ford for Yates.
“It feels really to come back and have a chance to align ourselves with the Yates team,” said Rudd. “I like what I feel and what’s going on.”
There were 61 drivers who tried to qualify for the Daytona 500. The top 35 teams from last year's owners standings are guaranteed starting spots in the Daytona 500. Three drivers who are not guaranteed spots qualified for the race on Sunday.
They are: Boris Said, driver of the No. 60 Ford; Sterling Marlin, driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet; and Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 70 Chevrolet.
Notables drivers who did not make it into the starting field for the Daytona 500 include: Michael Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Ward Burton, Joe Nemechek, Paul Menard, David Reutimann, Kirk Shelmerdine, AJ Allmendinger, Kenny Wallace, Brian Vickers, Derrike Cope and Regan Smith.
Waltrip, who won two Daytona 500s with Dale Earnhardt Inc., was trying to get his new Toyota-powered enrtry into the race. But he was penalized in qualifying when inspectors found a questionable substance in his intake manifold.
Drivers Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne were also penalized after qualifying when inspectors discovered illegal alterations to their cars. Holes were discovered in the wheel wells of Kenseth's No. 17 for Roush Racing. Holes in a undisclosed location were discovered in Kahne's No. 9 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports.
Both will start the Daytona 500 from the back of the field.

Mark Martin drove his new team's car to a sixth-place finish in the Bud Shootout at Daytona International Speedway, but it was good enough for Martin to say his team can win the Daytona 500.
Martin, who is driving the No. 01 Chevrolet for Ginn Racing after being with the No. 6 Roush Racing team, said after the race his car ran well on long runs and handled well in the corners.
"That wasn’t a win, but I believe that if we can make our car handle that good on Sunday, I think we can have a shot to win the Daytona 500,“ Martin said.
Martin said his car was fast enough to stay with the race leaders, but he needed to find some drafting help in the race. The drafting partners didn't materialize for Martin and he struggled to make gains late in the race.
“We didn’t have a ton of help -- we almost got wrecked there early and several of the fast cars that could have helped got around us,” Martin said. “The car was fast enough to get up there and make some noise, but we just couldn’t find the right partners to help us make that happen."
Martin said the results from the race were far greater than he expected.
"I’m really more encouraged right now than I even was coming in," Martin said. "I know that we have a lot of work to do and we’d like to be faster, but with a car that handles like that, we have a shot at the 500 and that’s what we all really want. This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
Martin and the No. 01 U.S. Army Team return to action Sunday for Pole Day qualifying for the Daytona 500. Qualifying begins at 11:10 a.m., with Martin going out 51st. Pole Day will be televised on FOX, beginning at 11 a.m.

Tony Stewart won his third Bud Shooutout, but David Gilliland was the driver who made the most gains Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.
Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Ford for Robert Yates Racing and a former competitor on the NASCAR West and Southwest series, finished second behind Stewart.
Gilliland, making his first Bud Shootout start, will be entering his first full season as a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver and showed he can handle the drafting and speeds of Daytona.
“It felt really good,” said Gilliland, formerly of Riverside and a former regular at Irwindale Speedway. “You know, our main deal going into tonight was just to get some experience and try and earn some respect running with these guys. I feel like we accomplished that…we made some friends out there.”
For Stewart, it was his 10th win at Daytona International Speedway. He had to avoid a loose Kyle Busch late in the race to take the lead and had some kind words for the young driver from Hendrick Motorsports.
“Kyle did an awesome job,” Stewart said. “I don’t know how many guys could have saved that car…he did an awesome job of catching it.”
Toyota made its first appearance in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series with Brian Vickers and Dale Jarrett. Vickers finished eighth in the No. 83 Toyota while Jarrett in the No. 44 Toyota finished 18th.

Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach are entering their second year as NASCAR team owners. The former Dallas Cowboy quarterbacks will have Tony Raines in their No. 96 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hall of Fame Racing. They also have a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing to help them develop their engines and assist with the research. They have a new crew chief, a new driver and heightened expectations.
Aikman, who was also the quarterback at UCLA, talked about preparing for his second season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, working with Joe Gibbs Racing and how involved he is with the team.
Aikman said he expected his team to finish in the top-25 in points last year. It was 26th.
"We did some things late in the year that we think give us great momentum heading into this season," Aikman said. "Brandon Thomas is our new crew chief. As we enter this year, we don’t have Terry Labonte running the first five races for us. Tony Raines will be running the full schedule. So our expectations have obviously gotten a lot higher. For me, I don’t think it’s unrealistic to say that we’d like to finish in the top 15. We can do that. We had some top-10 finishes last year and we like to get better there. We’d like to win our first race this year. We’d like to win multiple races, obviously, but we’d like to think we could win a race in ’07. I like where we’re at. I think everyone is optimistic about it and we feel like we’ve put together a pretty solid team for just our second year.”
Working with Joe Gibbs Racing, which has two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart, phenom Denny Hamlin and promising J.J. Yeley as its drivers, has helped the Hall of Fame Racing team improve, Aikman said.
"There are those that view us as a single-car team, but we’re really not," Aikman said. "We get the technology and the support from Joe Gibbs Racing, as well as some of our personnel. Brandon Thomas, our crew chief, came from Joe Gibbs Racing. Ultimately, we’d like to get out on our own. Ultimately, we’d like to be able to have a second car, on our own. But, having said that, we’d been afforded the luxuries of being in a multi-car team, in principle, because of our association with Joe Gibbs Racing, and it’s been great.”
Aikman splits his time as NASCAR owner with being a television football commentator. He said his role with his NASCAR team won't change much in 2007.
"I’m involved early in the season in going to as many races as I can," Aikman said. "It’s difficult to go to many more than the handful I go to as it is because of the schedule with football and being gone so many weekends in a row as I am doing that. But, I stay in contact with the crew chief and Tony Raines during the year. I stay in contact with Bill (Saunders, general and managing partner). He does a great job of keeping us up to speed. When decisions have to be made, we get together collectively as owners, so it’s been positive.”

Jimmie Johnson, the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion and winner of last year's Daytona 500 will be part of the 21-car field in Saturday's Bud Shootout.
He won the Shootout in 2005 and he said winning the race is a good way to start the season.
“This is NASCAR’s version of Opening Day," said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hendrick Motorsports. "The last time we raced was in Homestead and that seems like a long time ago. To get out there and start racing again in something as wild and fun as the Shootout is really cool. It’s one of the races everyone anticipates."
Even though Johnson's team is coming in as the defending champs, he said he knows they have a lot of work ahead of them.
"If you look at the history books you will see there aren’t a lot of back-to-back champions in our sport," Johnson said. "But this team has overcome a lot of hurdles in the last few years and this will be just another challenge for us. I think we have learned a lot in the last few years. We seem to get stronger every year and I expect that to continue this season. We are very optimistic and can’t wait to see the green flag drop.�?
For the Shootout, Johnson will be racing the car that won the Talladega race in April. It will also serve as the back-up car for the Daytona 500.
Johnson won a pole at Martinsville Speedway, which qualified him for the Shootout. It was the ninth of his career. He has won a pole in each of the past five seasons.

If there was any doubt NASCAR is a sport targeting a female audience, none should remain after the introduction of NASCAR Barbie.
Two are available. They cost $34.95. And they are recommended for GIRLS 6 and older. It's assumed boys could buy them too, but it would be highly irregular.
One Barbie is a Jeff Gordon fan. The other is a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan. Wouldn't it have been nice if Mattel made one who actually drives a race car? At the very least, it could have made one who drives the pace car. She did have a pretty snazzy looking pink Corvette at one point, from what my sister tells me.
The Gordon doll is dressed in a red faux leather NASCAR jacket and cool blue hip huggers with faux black leather belt and boots.
Faux leather? So tacky, yet environmentally sensitive. It screams NASCAR.
The Junior doll is wearing a white zippered mini-dress with NASCAR art detailing, a wide red faux leather belt and red boots. She also has hoop earrings, a coordinated red headband and sunglasses.
If she were a real Junior fan, she would also be wearing a red tube top with liberal elasticity.
The dolls are available now. Check you local toy stores and Wal-Marts.

The Grand Prix of Long Beach consists of five races, including the headlining Champ Car World Series race, and all of them will be televised.
The Champ Car World Series race will be televised nationally on NBC at 1 p.m. on April 15. It will be the last NBC broadcast of the Long Beach Champ Car race as ABC/ESPN announced a partnership with Champ Car to televise the remaining races.
The 31st annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race on April 14 will air tape-delayed on SPEED Channel. The date and time are yet to be announced.
The Long Beach debut of the American Le Mans Series, a 100-minute race, will air tape-delayed on SPEED Channel from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on April 14.
The Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda runs on the streets of Long Beach April 15 and will air tape-delayed on ESPN2 the following weekend. Exact time and date will be announced at a later date.
The SCCA SPEED GT Championship event, the final race of the day on April 15, will air in a one-hour show on SPEED Channel. The time and date are to be announced.
Formula Drift's season-opening event, April 7, which will take place on a portion of the Grand Prix course and kick off a week's worth of activities around the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, will be broadcast in a one-hour show on ESPN2, time and date to be determined.
"Not only do we have a great lineup of on-track racing action for our fans, but this is also the most extensive television coverage of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in our history," said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. "Each program will highlight the intense competition and showcase the beautiful assets the city of Long Beach has to offer."

Kevin Harvick Inc. is expanding.
The NASCAR team has a partnership with Camping World to sponsor the No. 33 Busch Series Chevrolet for 11 races and the No. 2 Craftsman Truck Series team for 12 races.
RVs.com will also be part of the deal, joining Camping World as an associate sponsor on both entries.
"I’m proud to have Camping World jump on board here at KHI,�? said Kevin Harvick, co-owner and CEO of Kevin Harvick Inc. “Camping World has been around the sport for a while and knows what it takes to be competitive. We look forward to working with them on both the Busch and the Truck Series programs this season.�?
Tony Raines, Ron Fellows and Cale Gale will be sharing driving duties in the No. 33 Busch Series car. The No. 2 Truck Series entry will be making its debut at Daytona International Speedway with Gale as the driver. Clint Bowyer and Harvick will also be driving the truck this year.
Camping World, the only parts, accessory and service retail brand in the RV industry, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2006. The retailer is a multi-state entity with 64 stores in 26 states, and 14 new stores expected to open in 2007.
“We are delighted to partner with a premier NASCAR team like Kevin Harvick Inc. and its outstanding stable of drivers, said Marcus Lemonis, Chief Executive Officer of Camping World. “A number of our vendors and partners are joining us in the NASCAR program this year and we are certain that the Harvick Racing program will deliver an exceptional experience for all the companies participating.�?

NASCAR driver Mark Martin is trying to raise money for the victims of those in central Florida hit by a series of deadly tornadoes.
The Ultimate Mark Martin/Daytona 500 Dream Package is the creation of Martin, who lives in Florida, Ginn Racing, Martin’s NASCAR Nextel Cup team and Ginn Resorts, a central Florida-based developer.
“So many people’s lives have been turned upside down, and I am happy that Ginn Racing and Ginn Resorts are joining me in helping the disaster relief fund of central Florida,�? offered Martin, driver of the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. “I’m a proud Florida resident, as is our team owner Bobby Ginn, and we both feel a deep compassion for the devastating toll this tragedy has taken.�?
Among the items included in the package are the hood of Martin's No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet race car, two VIP suite tickets to Daytona Speedweeks, a day as honorary crew chief at the Daytona 500 and laps in a pace car with Martin around Daytona International Speedway.
The package will be auctioned off on eBay. Bidding began Wednesday and closes on Monday. All proceeds will go directly to the American Red Cross Central Florida relief programs.
“Being a Central Florida company, it is only fitting that we would participate in this relief effort,�? said Bobby Ginn, president and CEO of Ginn Resorts, a Celebration, Fla.-based resort real estate developer and team owner of Ginn Racing. “It is our company’s mission to assist those in the communities in which we develop in times of need.�?
The winner of the Ultimate Mark Martin/Daytona 500 Dream Package will receive the following:
*Honorary Pit Crew Chief for Martin’s No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet
* The hood of Martin’s No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet
* A ride with Martin in a pace car on the famed Daytona International Speedway
* The fire suit Martin will wear in this year’s Daytona 500
* Two VIP suite tickets to the Orbitz 300 NASCAR Busch race and the Daytona 500
* Attend Daytona 500 driver/crew chief meeting as Martin’s guest
* Accommodations for three nights at Ginn Reunion Resort

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series funny car driver Jack Beckman and NHRA Senior Director, National Technical
Operations, Don Taylor, will be the panelists for the Feb. 17 SAE drag racing seminar at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum from 9:30-11 a.m. Admission to the event is free.
The series sponsored by the Southern Calif. Chapter of SAE International, formerly known as the Society of Automotive Engineers – the premier society dedicated to advancing mobility engineering worldwide, is designed
to educate students about opportunities within the motor sports community. Previous seminars included motorcycle racing, hot rods and the off-road market.
Parks Museum executive director Tony Thacker said, "It has long been the dream of NHRA founder Wally Parks to have the museum be a center for education. Wally also wants it to be a place where the motorsports industry
can connect with young enthusiastic engineers, who perhaps don't know how to find their way into this exciting and rewarding business. These seminars do just that. They bring SoCal SAE students and indeed, anybody else who wants to attend, face-to-face with industry experts and legends who share their knowledge in an open forum."
"Fast Jack" Beckman, a Southern California native, has been racing for 19 years and participated in the sport for 31 years. He got his start in racing when his uncle John took him to Orange County International Raceway and Irwindale Raceway.
"I was immediately hooked," he wrote on his web site. Beckman won the 2003 NHRA super comp championship, but was diagnosed that year with lymphoma. He spent most of 2004 receiving chemotherapy and in early 2005, he was told that his cancer is in remission, so he went back to racing and earned his top fuel license that year.
In 2006 he switched to funny car at the Dallas event and took over in the Matco Tools Dodge after Indianapolis. He got his first career funny car win in Las Vegas and set both ends of the funny car national record (4.662
seconds and 333.66 mph) during the Auto Club Finals at Pomona.
He holds licenses in eight NHRA categories.
Before joining the NHRA in May, 2004, Taylor was General Motors Racing Group Manager and worked for Herb Fishel. He oversees NHRA's technical department. While completing a 25-year career with GM, Taylor was
responsible for the sport compact drag racing, tuner and motorsports safety programs. He led program managers and engineers in development of engines, chassis and aerodynamics. Prior to his promotion, he was group
manager for GM in NASCAR's Cup, Busch and Truck series and the ASA Racing series. He holds degrees in engineering, industrial design and marketing.
Future seminars in the series include Women in Racing on Mar. 25, Formula Racing on Apr. 14 and Land Speed Racing on May 19.
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST. Current NHRA members are admitted free. Admission for non-members is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors 60 and older, $4 for juniors six through 15, and free for children under the age of 5 Auto Club members receive discounts on admission and at the gift shop: show your card and save.
The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum is located at Fairplex Gate 1, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. For further information on special exhibits, museum events or directions, call 909/622-2133 or visit
http://museum.nhra.com .

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart bought four vehicles in the 36th annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was the winning bidder on a 1955 Chevrolet Nomad custom two-door wagon, a 2006 racing Iron HKR custom chopper, a 1956 Chevrolet step-side custom pickup and a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL convertible.
"It's one of my favorite things," Stewart said of the Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction. "It's always going to be on my calendar, every year."
Over 250,000 people joined Stewart at the collector car auction, in which bidders purchased nearly $112 million worth of automobiles and rock 'n' roll memorabilia.
"There is such a diverse group of cars, everything from the '40s to current, every make and model. Cars I've never even heard of before," Stewart said. "It's amazing to see the lines of classic cars and vintage cars that went through there."

For the first time since 1949, a Petty will not be racing in NASCAR's top division when Kyle Petty starts a five-week hiatus in June to work for TNT and its broadcast team.
TNT announced a multi-year deal with Petty, driver of the No. 43 Dodge for Petty Enterprises, to work as an analyst for the network's race coverage.
Petty will join announcers Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach for six NASCAR Nextel Cup Series broadcasts. Petty previously worked with Weber and Dallenbach on five NASCAR Busch Series races in 2006.
“This is great opportunity to join the TNT team. We’ve worked very closely with our partners Wells Fargo, Marathon and Tire Kingdom to make sure that the No. 45 Dodge is secure on the track while at the same time I can move into this new role,�? Kyle Petty said. “I started working with Turner last season and it was a great relationship from the beginning. I had a great time with Wally and Bill in the booth and it has led to this opportunity. Everyone at TNT has been great to work with, and I’m looking forward to something new in my career.�?
Petty's grandfather, Lee Petty started his NASCAR career in 1949. He was followed by his son, Richard Petty, who won seven NASCAR championships in his career. Kyle Petty has been racing in NASCAR's top division for 27 years and has won eight races in his career.
“We welcome Kyle to the Turner Sports family and look forward to continuing the long and positive relationship we have had with the Petty family during Turner’s 23 years of broadcasting NASCAR racing,�? said David Levy, president of Turner Sports. “Kyle is a class act both on and off the track, and we are happy to be associated with him.�?
Kylle Petty will begin working as part of the TNT team at the June 10 race at Pocono Raceway. His stint will end with the July 15 race at Chicagoland Speedway. He will also provide behind-the-wheel analysis from the June 24 race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
“Kyle is known throughout NASCAR for his outspoken personality and will bring TNT’s coverage a unique ‘straight from the car’ perspective for our six NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races this year,�? said Jeff Behnke, Turner Sports executive producer. “Pairing Kyle with Bill and Wally will provide fans with both an informative and entertaining booth.�?

Tony Stewart was the hottest driver during the Chase last year, even though he wasn't in the Chase. He won three of the last 10 races and did so with aggressive track and pit decisions.
But he's not so sure that momentum will carry over in the 2007 season.
"Everything is different this year," Stewart said. "We won the championship in 2005 and you’d think we’d have that momentum going into last year, but it didn’t work out that way. There are a lot of different variables, especially with the Car of Tomorrow running 16 races. There are just a lot of huge unknown variables that are going to happen this year.�?
Stewart said that whoever figures out how to set up the Car of Tomorrow best will have a significant advantage this year. But that doesn't mean his feelings have changed toward the Car of Tomorrow. He's been one of its loudest critics.
“I’ve raced for 27 years and I’ve won championships in cars I didn’t like, so I’m not too worried about having to try to trick myself into embracing something that I’m not very fond of so far," Stewart said. "If we hit the combination, we can go out there a win a championship with it. If we hit the combination right, we could win 16 races with a new car like that. I don’t think it’s anything that’s psychological."
If anything, Stewart said he's curious to see how the Car of Tomorrow will perform in race conditions.
"I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s going to be all about," Stewart said. "I think when we go to Bristol that it’ll be interesting to see where everybody stacks up and see who’s really done their homework so far this year.�?

Carl Edwards has a busy schedule the Monday before the Daytona 500.
The driver of the No. 99 Ford for Roush Racing will be in Los Angeles on Monday morning to help California Speedway unveil a new marquee at the race track.
He will stay at the track to help sell tickets for the NASCAR races at California Speedway from noon to 1 p.m. The first 200 people to line up and buy tickets for the Auto Club 500 on Feb. 25 will receive a coupon for a pound of See's candy.
Then Edwards will be in Hollywood later that night for a cocktail reception hosted by California Speedway president Gillian Zucker. The location will not be disclosed here, but it is on Sunset Boulevard.
From there, Edwards will head to the KROQ studios to be a guest on "Loveline" with Dr. Drew Pinsky and Gary Sandorf.
And he apparently has some post-Grammy parties he plans on squeezing in before the NASCAR races at California Speedway, which start Feb. 23.

After dominating the NASCAR Busch Series last year, Harvick will be back, but not to defend his championship.
In fact, he will be spreading his driving duties between two teams, Richard Childress Racing and his own Kevin Harvick Inc., and three cars in the Busch Series.
“I enjoy it,�? Harvick said of being an owner. “It brings a whole different perspective to what you do and how I relate to Richard and to NASCAR Going into the year, we expect both teams to run well and get into the top-10 in points.�?
Harvick will be driving the No. 21 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Richard Childress Racing in select events and sharing those driving duties with rookie Timothy Peters.
He will also be driving his own cars, the No. 33 and No. 77 Chevrolet Monte Carlos for Kevin Harvick Inc. The No. 77 car will also have Bobby Labonte and Kertus Davis in it for some races.
“Kertus (has) a really good attitude,�? Harvick said. “He brings a lot of experience (to the team). He just needs a chance in good stuff. It's always fun when you can give a guy an opportunity like someone gave me.�?

Jay Robinson Racing, with Jeff Green, Johnny Sauter and rookie Robert Richardson Jr. as drivers, will have Checkers/Rally's as its sponsor for 11 NASCAR Busch Series races, the team announced on Tuesday.
The Checkers/Rally's No. 28 Chevrolet will debut with the Orbitz 300 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 17.
Drivers Green and Sauter race on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for Haas CNC Racing. Richardson, 24, will pilot the Checkers/Rally's Chevy in the Daytona Busch Series opener.
“We're really excited to have the Checkers/Rally's brand on the No. 28 Chevrolet," team owner Jay Robinson said. “We're really excited to have the Checkers/Rally's brand on the No. 28 Chevrolet. Checkers/Rally's is a great brand with great people and great food. We believe this program will be a tremendous success for the Checkers Chevrolet, the Checkers/Rally's brands, their franchisees and the millions of loyal customers across the country."
“We are thrilled to have established a partnership with Jay Robinson Racing and the Busch Series," said Richard S. Turer, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. "The 11-race primary sponsorship is one more way of activating our highly-successful NASCAR alliance, which has created tremendous national branding for Checkers/Rally's since the Company became an official sponsor of the sport in 2005.�?
“In addition, with ESPN’s renewed commitment to NASCAR beginning in 2007 with their exclusive broadcast rights to the Busch Series, Checkers/Rally’s will have tremendous visibility throughout the year to complement our already strong position in the sport,�? Turer added.

When Chad Knaus was suspended by NASCAR from his crew chief duties with Jimmie Johnson's team at Hendrick Motorsports, Darian Grubb stepped in and won the Daytona 500.
Grubb was the calling the shots for the first four races of the year and got Johnson off to a fast start in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
Now Grubb will get the chance to lead a team all year.
Grubb was named crew chief of the No. 25 team for driver Casey Mears at Hendrick Motorsports on Monday, 13 days before the season-opening Daytona 500.
"Darian is one of the most respected voices in our organization and has proven to be a terrific leader," said team owner Rick Hendrick. "He and Casey represent an exciting new combination for the No. 25 team, its sponsors and its fans."
Grubb, who holds a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech, joined Hendrick Motorsports from Petty Enterprises in January 2003, assuming the role of team engineer for the No. 48 Chevrolets led by Knaus.
While also serving as Hendrick Motorsports' lead race engineer, Grubb worked alongside Knaus last season as the No. 48 team posted five wins, one pole position, 13 top-five finishes and a series-best 24 top-10 efforts en route to the 2006 Nextel Cup Series championship.
A native of Floyd, Va., Grubb was interim crew chief during the first four races of the No. 48 team's 2006 campaign, leading Johnson to a pair of victories, one runner-up finish and a sixth-place effort.
Grubb assumes the duties of Lance McGrew, who will remain with Hendrick Motorsports in a leadership role.

Two former Daytona 500 champions will be fighting their way into this year's Daytona 500 with as many as 30 NASCAR drivers who do not have guaranteed spots in the race.
Michael Waltrip, with his newly formed Toyota-powered team, and Ward Burton, returning to Cup racing with Morgan-McClure Racing, will most likely have to race into the Daytona 500 during the Gatorade Duel.
The top-35 teams in owner's points have guaranteed spots in the Daytona 500. That leaves seven open spots for drivers and teams.
Four spots are awarded to the top-two finishing drivers in each Gatorade Duel who are not guaranteed a spot. The next three spots are awarded to the fastest qualifiers during pole day. The final starting spot is awarded to a past NASCAR Cup champion.
“The day of the Gatorade Duel At Daytona is going to be the most important bubble day in motorsports,�? Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said.
Among the notable drivers who are not guaranteed a starting spot in the Daytona 500 are:
Brian Vickers and A.J. Allmendinger, the drivers for the newly formed, Toyota-powered Red Bull Racing.
David Reutimann, who like his boss, is driving for the newly formed Michael Waltrip Racing.
Jeremy Mayfield at Bill Davis Racing.
Joe Nemechek at David Regan at Ginn Racing.
Paul Menard at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

The drivers in the Budweiser Shootout will find out where they are starting during a draw party on Thursday night.
The Budweiser Shootout, an exhibition race for the pole winners from last year's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, is the set to run on Saturday.
Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and David Gilliland are among the 21 drivers eligible for the Shootout for winning a pole last year.
Past Shootout champions eligible for the 2007 event are Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader and Bill Elliott.
The stock car portion of Speedweeks 2007 kicks off with the Budweiser Shootout and ARCA 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race on Saturday. Other events during Speedweeks will include Bud pole qualifying on Sunday, the Gatorade Duel on Feb. 15, the Chevy Silverado HD 250 Craftsman Truck Series race on Feb. 16, the Orbitz 300 NASCAR Busch Series race on Feb. 17 and the 49th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.

Goodyear will be the exclusive tire supplier to NASCAR's three national touring series for the next five years in a deal that was annnounced Saturday.
The agreement calls for Goodyear to provide tires for teams in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series until 2012. The announcement was made at the 2007 Goodyear Dealer Conference.
“This extension of the more than 50-year relationship of two American icons is one that we are extremely proud to announce,�? said Jon Rich, president of the Goodyear's North American Tire Business. “Nothing says racing like NASCAR, and Goodyear has been recognized as the longest-running sponsor of the sport. We plan to have our Eagle tires in the winner’s circle for another 50 years.�?
Goodyear has been a race tire supplier to NASCAR since the 1950s. The relationship has become one of the longest-running supply programs in any sport.
“Our longtime relationship with Goodyear is a testament to the company’s consistent high-quality tire it supplies the race teams,�? said Mike Helton, NASCAR president. “Goodyear has been a vital partner, which has been essential to NASCAR’s side-by-side competition."

NASCAR driver and Indiana native Tony Stewart was happy to see the Indianapolis Colts win the Super Bowl.
He said it was "awesome."
"It’s a huge boost for the state of Indiana, obviously, but it’s great to see somebody like Peyton Manning accomplish his dream," Stewart said. "Now it’s time for us to go try and accomplish a big goal for us and that’s win a big race at Daytona.�?
Stewart can relate to Manning in one way. Manning, the Colts quarterback, won his first Super Bowl and can finally silence the critics who said he couldn't win the big game. Stewart faced similar criticism before he won the 2002 Cup championship and before he won a Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“It’s just going to be a huge weight lifted off his shoulders," Stewart said. "It probably never was that big of a hassle to him to begin with, but now, for sure, he’ll feel the weight lifted off his shoulders because he just won’t have to answer that question anymore."
Stewart knows from experience that Manning's career will be easier from here on out.
"Instead of worrying about what it feels like to win the first one, now he’ll be worrying right away about what he has to do to get another one," Stewart said. "It’s just nice to see him be able to accomplish this goal. In fact, it’s nice to see all the guys from Indianapolis get this win. Everybody had a great game tonight. They all just did a great job. They showed what a championship team is about. It’s just a storybook ending for a great team.�?

It's the NASCAR Busch Series teams' turn to test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The Nextel Cup Series teams were at the newly paved and rebanked 1.5-mile speedway last week.
A number of the same drivers will be back Monday with their Busch Series teams for two days of testing.
“Las Vegas gives teams a perfect opportunity to start the year by focusing on their 1.5-mile track programs,�? said NASCAR Busch Series Director Joe Balash. “It also gives them a chance to get a feel for the new configuration at the track.�?
Brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears, David Gilliland and Kasey Kahne are expected to test.
Some drivers who race exclusively on the Busch Series are also expected. Jason Leffler and Timothy Peters, who was named as the driver to share the No. 21 Chevy at Kevin Harvick Inc. with his boss, are scheduled to test next week as well.
All sessions begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., weather permitting. Each includes a lunch break from noon until 1 p.m.

ESPN's new TV show, NASCAR Now, is set to debut Monday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Host Erik Kuselias will be joined in the the debut show, as well as episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday, by ESPN motorsports analysts Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion, and two-time Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer.
Wallace and Brewer will select their top-five drivers of 2007 in addition to discussing and debating topics including the Car of Tomorrow, Toyota’s emergence in the top levels of NASCAR and NASCAR’s announced changes to the format of the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
Defending NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will appear on Monday’s show. NASCAR Now will check in with 2006 NASCAR Busch Series champion Kevin Harvick on Tuesday. Viewers will hear from Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael Waltrip later in the week.
“Our charge is to serve the NASCAR fans, to ask the questions and get to the heart of the news,�? Kuselias said. “We want to give them the information they need in a fast-moving, entertaining and fun way, and we want NASCAR fans and sports fans to make this their daily destination.�?
NASCAR Now will air at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN2, with special editions to air on NASCAR race weekends. Reporters Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake and NASCAR insiders Angelique Chengelis, Tim Cowlishaw and Marty Smith will also contribute to the show along with analysts Brad Daugherty, Boris Said and Stacy Compton.
Compton and Cowlishaw will appear in the studio with Kuselias on Thursday and Friday of premiere week.
Live NASCAR racing returns to ESPN for the first time in six years with coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 17 at 10:15 a.m. on ESPN2.

The Champ Car World Series postponed the Denver Grand Prix for 2007 and canceled the race for 2008. This year's event was set to run on Aug. 15.
The August race was postponed because there were concerns over time conflicts with the facilities surrounding the temporary street course, which goes around the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver.
Organizers were unable to find a replacement date that would satisfy the operators of the Pepsi Center, Champ Car and the University of Colorado Auraria Campus that borders the course.
The Democratic National Convention, which will be in Denver in 2008, has forced Champ Car to cancel the Denver Grand Prix in 2008.
“The strong attendance numbers, the backing the event received from the corporate sector as well as the city and county government, and the support of the people of Denver have shown that a Champ Car event can flourish there,�? said Champ Car President Steve Johnson. “Champ Car has made a major investment in building this event over the last five years. We are committed to making every effort to returning to the Mile High City as soon as a viable replacement date can be found.�?
The postponement reduces to 16 the number of events on the 2007 Champ Car World Series schedule, the largest number of races on the Champ Car calendar since the 2003 season.

Tony Kanaan and Helio Castrnoves were the fastest drivers in the first day of a two-day test at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday. There were 17 drivers and teams that participated in the test.
Kanaan, a driver for Andretti Green Racing, turned the fastest lap of the day in the afternoon session at 135.549 mph on the 2.72-mile road course.
“The name says everything,�? Kanaan said. “I walked into this place in September, it was my first time ever here, and I was pretty impressed. Again, last night when I walked in again, it always gives you that.�?
Castroneves, a driver for Team Penske, was the fastest driver in the morning session at 133.542 mph.
Other notes: All the IndyCar teams are using ethanol fuel in their 3.5-liter Honda V-8 engines during the two-day test. The IndyCar series is the first in motorsports to use ethanol fuel in all of its cars.
A number of IRL drivers raced in the 24 at Daytona endurace event over the weekend. They are Dan Wheldon, Scott Dixon, Castroneves, Sam Hornish Jr., Scott Sharp, Buddy Rice, Darren Manning, Ed Carpenter and Tomas Scheckte
“No question that it’s a challenging place – especially when you are coming from a 24 hour,�? Castroneves said. “To make the change from the DP (Daytona Prototype) car to the Indy car – it’s a big change. You can ask anyone that did the 24. It’s kind of a relearning.
“The only time I ran here is with the DP cars, so for me to find the braking points and the turning and everything in an Indy car, and all of the sudden becoming three times faster than I am used to. Again, after two laps I got used to it and back to the same rhythm.�?
Testing continues: IndyCar Series testing continues today.
Wednesday morning speeds:
1. Helio Castroneves, 133.542 mph
2. Tony Kanaan, 132.473
3. Scott Dixon, 132.417
4. Sam Hornish Jr., 132.387
5. Dan Wheldon, 132.144
6. Dario Franchitti, 131.756
7. Marco Andretti, 130.565
8. Vitor Meira, 130.474
9. Jeff Simmons, 129.785
10. Scott Sharp, 128.495
11. Darren Manning, 128.457
12. Ed Carpenter, 126.390
13. Buddy Rice, 125.570
14. A.J. Foyt IV, 120.527
15. Kosuke Matsuura, 117.223
16. Danica Patrick, 79.400
Wednesday afternoon speeds
1. Tony Kanaan, 135.549 mph
2. Helio Castroneves, 135.313
3. Dan Wheldon, 135.226
4. Dario Franchitti, 135.134
5. Sam Hornish Jr., 135.056
6. Scott Dixon, 134.438
7. Vitor Meira, 134.149
8. Scott Sharp, 133.118
9. Kosuke Matsuura, 133.006
10. Marco Andretti, 132.756
11. Jeff Simmons, 132.393
12. Darren Manning, 131.854
13. Tomas Scheckter, 131.827
14. Danica Patrick, 131.439
15. Buddy Rice, 131.314
16. Ed Carpenter, 129.532
17. AJ Foyt IV, 127.984