June 2007 Archives

Johnny Sauter turned a surprisingly fast qualifying lap at New Hampshire International Speedway for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.
He will start Sunday's race fourth, the highest qualifyng driver for Chevrolet in the field.
"Both laps felt really good," said Sauter, driver of the No. 70 Chevrolet for Haas/CNC Racing. "It's just really cool. It's a brand new car and we got to go test it. I'm just happy. That's what it's all about. This is a race that I circle on the calendar every year and I know I'm going to come here and run good. It's a flat race track and that's what I like and I seem to always run well. So it's pretty cool for everybody at Haas Racing and Yellow Transportation -- it's a pretty cool weekend."
Six Chevrolet drivers qualified in the top 10 for the New Hampshire race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start the race sixth. Kevin Harvick was seventh fastest in qualifying and Jeff Gordon was eighth.
Gordon said he was happy that Sauter had such a good qualifying run.
"I knew there was something out there," said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "Johnny is a great short track racer. That team has been really making great gains and I wasn't surprised to see him up top there and I'm just real happy of the DuPont Chevrolet, and we put a solid lap together."

As good a day as it was for Dave Blaney, it was equally bad for Brian Vickers.
Blaney won the first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series pole for Toyota in qualifying at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Vickers' qualifying effort was disqualified when his car did not pass inspection.
Because his team is not in the top 35 in the owners standings, Blaney is not guaranteed a starting spot in Cup races. He has to make his way in on time. On Friday, his time was the best.
“I watched everybody early and I saw that some of their speeds were falling off some from practice," said Blaney, driver of the No. 22 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing. "I wasn’t sure what we could run and I knew we didn’t really change anything from practice. But in my situation I have to focus on getting into the race more than going for the pole. I can’t make a mistake and risk not getting into the race."
Turning the fastest lap in qualifying was a delicate balance of patience and speed, Blaney said.
"I was a little conservative on my first lap, but when I found out that it was fast enough to get into the show -- I gave that second lap a little more and I was able to put it on top of the board," Blaney said. "It’s a tough position to be in because you have to be cautious enough to get it, but aggressive enough to get in the race. But yeah -- I thought we could get the pole.”
Vickers had the 28th fastest lap in qualifying, which was good enough to make the race, but the left front of his car was too low, NASCAR officials said in post-qualifying inspection.
“Right now we just have to look at everything and figure out what happened," said Doug Richert, the crew chief on Vickers' No. 83 Toyota for Team Red Bull. "Did a spring collapse or really what happened? We just can’t find any reason. We were off by an eighth of an inch and the sad thing is that would not make any difference in the solid lap that Brian ran today. It’s unfortunate because this was a solid lap and we were solidly in the field with that lap. Now we have to go home and have no chance of gaining our way into the top-35 in points.”

It doesn't look like losing 100 points in the drivers standings is affecting Jeff Gordon's demeanor. After getting penalzied in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Sonoma, Gordon happily and eagerly returned home to his family and newborn daughter, Ella.
Usually Gordon said he likes to get home and sleep after a West Coast road trip. This time, all he wanted to do was play with Ella.
“As much as I like to be with them, they’ll probably be happy when I leave for Loudon so they can get some rest," said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
Even though Gordon lost 100 points, he still leads the Nextel Cup Series standings. The next race for the Cup Series is at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon.
Gordon has won three Cup races in his career at New Hampshire. In addition, he has 13 top-10 finishes in 24 career starts there, but he hasn't won a race at New Hampshire since 1998.
“We’ve had some runs where we’ve led and battled for the win, but we’ve also struggled,” said Gordon, who finished third at NHIS in September 2006. “But I was happy with the performance of this DuPont team last year here in the first race of the Chase. We led laps and the car was really good on long runs."
The New Hampshire race is a Car of Tomorrow race. Gordon has yet to finish outside of the top 10 in the previous seven Car of Tomorrow races and won two of them. He won the Cup races at Phoenix and Darlington.
“It will be a learning experience for everyone when we arrive at the track on Friday,” said Gordon. “During the Friday practice session, we’ll concentrate on our qualifying setup. A good qualifying effort helps with the pit selection and puts you in position to lead a lap to gain bonus points."

Saying the penalties NASCAR delivered to two of his drivers were excessive, owner Rick Hendrick said he will not appeal the decision and focus his efforts on preparing for the next Nextel Cup Series race.
NASCAR penalized Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson 100 points in the drivers standings, fined and suspended both drivers' crew chiefs and took 100 points away from Hendrick in the owners standings for a rule violation discovered before the race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
"The penalties are excessive," Hendrick said. "But we're not going to put time and resources into issuing an appeal. Instead, we will direct that energy into our internal processes to make sure we have full confidence that our cars will meet standards when presented for inspection each week."
The fenders on both cars did not meet NASCAR specifications. The Cup teams were using the Car of Tomorrow in the Sonoma race and Hendrick said he believed there would be a lot of give and take between NASCAR and the teams when it came to racing the Car of Tomorrow.
"That doesn't seem to be the case now, and I don't think it's the right direction to go," Hendrick said.
Steve Letarte, Gordon's crew chief, and Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief, were suspended for six races, beginning with Sunday's race at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Jeff Meendering, the car chief on Gordon's team, will be Gordon's interim crew chief until Letarte returns. Ron Malec, the car chief on Johnson's team, will take over for Knaus.
"In Jeff and Ron, we have two guys who know their teams inside and out," Hendrick said. "They both have been here a long time, they both know the pressures involved and they both have the full support of our entire organization. We don't expect to miss a beat."
Letarte and Knaus will resume at-track duties for their respective teams at the Aug. 19 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway.

In 16 Cup races over his NASCAR career at New Hampshire Intnernational Speedway, Tony Stewart has won two races, led 764 laps and was a top-10 finisher 10 times. He even won a race there when he was racing on the Indy Racing League in 1998.
But all of his races haven't ended well at New Hampshire. Last year was a good example. After qualifying fifth, Stewart finished 37th.
"If you miss on something it can be a miserable day," said Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing. "It seems like you don’t see but three or four guys during the day that really hit it. That’s what makes a day there miserable when you miss. It’s just a matter of keeping a well-balanced car all day. And it seems like you can have bad track position, but if you have a car that drives well, you can drive your way to the front. It’s not a situation you cringe at if you have a good driving car.”

Two drivers for Roush Fenway Racing are in the top 12 and have a spot in the Chase, the 10-race playoff to determine the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion.
Matt Kenseth is third in points and Carl Edwards is seventh.
The other three drivers for Roush Fenway Racing are in the top 25. Jamie McMurray is 14th, Greg Biffle is 17th and rookie David Ragan is 25th.
Edwards is coming off an 18th-place finish at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma and heading to a track, New Hampshire International Speedway, where he has one top-five finish in six races. He was second in the July race last year.
"I like New Hampshire; it's one of my favorite tracks," said Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "It's flat and fast and it puts a lot of things in the driver's hands. Unfortunately we didn’t have the best finish last weekend at Sonoma, so it will be really important for us to run well at Loudon. We had a really strong run there last year in the summer, so hopefully we’ll be able to repeat that success."
McMurray is coming off a heartbreaking race in Sonoma. He won the pole for the race, led 30 laps and finished 37th.
In nine races at New Hampshire, McMurray has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. This year's race at New Hampshire is a Car of Tomorrow race. To prepare for it, McMurray tested at The Milwukee Mile on Tuesday and Wednesday with the car he will be driving at New Hampshire.
"I’m looking forward to another run this weekend in Loudon," said McMurray, driver of the No. 26 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "Last year we just weren’t very good up there, but I think with the new car we are taking, it should be a pretty good weekend for us. So far this season we’ve done pretty well with the COT and especially in qualifying."

It's already been a good week for Matt Kenseth. Without even turning a lap, he has moved up a spot in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series standings.
That's because of the penalties NASCAR hit Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon with on Tuesday. Both drivers lost 100 points in the standings for a rule violation at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. It didn't affect Gordon's spot atop the standings, but it knocked Johnson down two spots, from third to fifth.
As a result Kenset moved from fourth to third.
He is coming off a pair of poor finishes in the past two races. He was 42nd at Michigan International Speedway and 34th at Infineon Raceway.
“Well, the last couple of weeks have been pretty rough for us," said Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "At Michigan, I thought we had at least a top-five car, but we got caught up in a wreck. Then last week… well, last week is behind us. It was frustrating to say the least, to spin out twice then run out of gas right before the last lap; Sonoma is always tough for us and it seemed like if it could go wrong, it did last Sunday."
The next race on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series is at New Hampshire International Speedway. He has nine top-10 finishes at New Hampshire in 14 starts but he has never won a race there.
“But, this week is a new week and we’re going to a track that’s been pretty good to us over the years," Kenseth said. "We really haven’t had too many cars capable of winning at Loudon, but we’ve usually been good enough to run in the top 10 to top 15. This weekend, it’s going to be important for us to get some of the momentum back that we’ve lost in the past couple of weeks.”

At least NASCAR is consistent in its penalties.
Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson were both penalized 100 points in the drivers standings and their crew chiefs were fined $100,000 each and suspended for six races for rules violations in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
That has been the norm this year for Cup teams that break NASCAR's rules.
Rick Hendrick, owner of the teams driven by Gordon and Johnson, did not agree with the severity of the penalties.
"We are disappointed in NASCAR's decision and feel the penalties are excessive," Hendrick said. "Right now, all of our options are being evaluated, including our personnel situation and a possible appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Commission."
Steve Letarte is the crew chief for Gordon and Chad Knaus is Johnson's crew chief. Both we will be able to return Aug. 15 for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
Gordon and Johnson's cars did not pass inspection before qualifying for the race at Sonoma. Both cars were found to have fenders that did not meet the specifications of NASCAR. They were not allowed to qualify or practice the Friday before the race at Sonoma.
"We'll take some time to decide on a direction and make an announcement regarding our plans for New Hampshire later in the week," Hendrick said.
Hendrick was also penalized 100 points in the owners standings. Letarte and Knaus are on probation until the Dec. 31.

Juan Pablo Montoya has won some of the biggest races in motor sports. He won the Indianapolis 500, the Long Beach Grand Prix, the 24 Hours at Daytona and the Italian Grand Prix.
He can add the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway to the list.
Montoya gave Dodge its first win of the year. It was also the first win of Montoya's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series career.
He said after the race it ranks up there with winning the Indy 500 and the Long Beach Grand Prix.
"This is as big as any victory," said Montoya, driver of the No. 42 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing. "You could say it’s as big as winning the Indy 500 or winning Long Beach. For me winning Long Beach was probably cooler than winning the Indy 500 because it was my first ever big race. Winning here is my first ever big race in stock cars. They’re all right up there. I kinda think this is my favorite. It’s amazing."
Montoya, a driver from Colombia, won the NASCAR Busch Series race at Mexico City earlier this year. This is Montoya's first season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. He has spent most of his racing career in Formula One and the old CART Series.
"We worked hard for it and not only me, but the whole team deserves this," Montoya said. "I felt pretty good in the car all day. I was a little thirsty, but it’s just more mental than anything else. I felt pretty comfortable. It’s pretty important to be comfortable. I was shocked when they told me the time in qualifying. I thought he was joking and when I found out he was telling me the truth, it was like ‘man, we sucked.’"
Montoya said his winning the Sonoma race will be good for the whole NASCAR sport.
"I think me winning today is going to bring a lot of attention the next few races," Montoya said. "It’s good for me. It’s good for the whole team. I think it’s good for the sport. I’m very proud to be part of it. If I can help it’s good.”

It seems like leading the NASCAR Late Model standings at Irwindale Speedway is a bit of a jinx. No one can hold it and bad things happen to the drivers who get to the top.
Aaron Staudinger is the latest victim.
He came into the Saturday night's race at Irwindale Speedway leading the NASCAR Late Model standings and proceeded to record a last-place finish.
Staudinger blames Jace Meier, driver of the No. 55 car for High Point Racing, for wrecking his race car.
"I've about had it with that 55 car," said Staudinger, who drives the No. 77 entry for Jackson Racing. "I had a real great race car and now it's junk."
Staudinger said his car needs a new front clip from the damages it received from Saturday night's race. He was involved in two collisions, the first with Meier, and a second multicar crash ended his race with a last-place finish.
Mike Johnson won his first race of the year.
Staudinger will have about a week and a half to get his car ready for the next race, July 4 at Irwindale Speedway. The NASCAR Late Models are part of the program that includes a visit from the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series. The Late Models have a 100-lap race scheduled that night, one of the longest races of the year for the division.

Kasey Kahne was the highest qualifying Dodge in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Sonoma. He will start the race eighth.
He said his car was way to loose in qualifying and had some trouble turning right during practice. It affected his qualifying run.
"I eased in the throttle too much, just like in practice," said Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports. "It was a good lap. The car handles good. We’ve just got to figure out how to get the back better and we haven’t been able to do that yet. The track is cooler and we ran about what we ran in practice, so we really lost a little bit I guess. I wish we could have gained some. We just need to tighten the car up a little bit and have a good race on Sunday. Everything feels good about the car. We just need to keep working on it and making it better.”

Six Toyota drivers qualified for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. Three of them are road racing specialists making their first starts of the season.
Marc Goosens, Butch Leitzinger and P.J. Jones qualified for the Cup race in Sonoma, one of two road courses on the Cup schedule.
Goosens was the top qualifier among the three. He will start the race 21st in the No. 91 Toyota for Riley-D'Hondt Motorsports.
“I’m pretty grateful for being given this opportunity here," Goosens said. "The team is new, the car is new and it’s the first time for me on this track, too. Being in the race is kind of a victory for us."
He said his team struggled with the car the morning before qualifying.
"I struggled trying to find my way around the track and then we had a big problem with the rear of the car sliding around too much," Goosens said. "You get such short track time here before you go into qualifying. We’ll work more on this Car of Tomorrow because I’m pretty sure that Toyota can further up front.”
Leitzinger, driving the No. 23 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing, will start 30th. He was a little disappointed with his effort.
“It definitely wasn’t what I was hoping for," Leitzinger said. "This is an excellent team. I was a little bit sloppy in a couple of places and that hurt us."
Jones was lucky to make the race. He had the 34th fastest qualifying lap, but will start the race 43rd, the last car in the field. Six spots were awarded to drivers in the top 35 in the owners standings. The 43rd and final spot is usually awared to a previous Cup champion. But Jones earned that spot when Terry Labonrte, driver of the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing and a former Cup champion, qualified on time.
"We haven’t found our groove with this car yet," said Jones, driving the No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. "In testing we were really good, the car was great. We probably could have been in the top third if we could have gotten the car to drive a little better. We tested on different tires, what can I say. There’s something not right with the car but we’ll work on it for the race on Sunday.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't think he had a top 10 car when he qualified for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. He was hoping to start the race in the top 15.
It turns out he had the third fastest car in qualifying and the fastest among the Chevrolet teams. He was helped by the fact that Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, two other Chevrolet drivers, did not get the chance to qualify. They were penalized when their cars did not pass inspection on Friday.
As for Earnhardt Jr., he said he did not give his team enough credit because of his practice sessions.
"I didn't know what the car was capable of," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "I was really surprised the car was as quick as it was and that lap was as good as it was. I didn't make any mistakes but I think there was a whole lot more in the race car and in the speed. I'm really happy to qualify amongst the competitors that I did. That was pretty good for our team."
Even though Gordon and Johnson will have to start the race from the back -- they both qualified for the race on owner's points -- a smart pit strategy will give them a great opportunity to pass cars on pit road.
"You have to sacrifice something to gain that. But for Jeff Gordon, as good a team as they are, they can overcome that," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I haven't been able to put it all together yet. I just want to be able to stay out on the asphalt and not make any mistakes and get one in the bag and get a top 10 here. That's my goal."

Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will have to start in the back for Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway because their cars did not pass inspection.
They were not allowed to qualify or practice Friday as their teams worked to bring the cars up to specifications.
Apparently the fenders on both cars were outside the templates used by NASCAR during inspection.
"Our understanding was that the cars fit the templates, but they were outside of what they would like to see us in between the templates," said Doug Duchardt, vice president of development at Hendrick Motorsports. "I think that the thing for us, from our standpoint, we understand fully the rules around the template, or we felt we understood fully, the rules around the template, however, we felt that we could work between the points on the template and it became clear to us today, and I think to everyone, that that is not acceptable."
Both drivers still qualified for the race on owner's points. Gordon will start 41st and Johnson will strart 42nd in the 43-car field.
No driver has ever won a Cup race from that far back in the field at Infineon Raceway. Gordon and Johnson have combined to win eight races this year and Gordon leads the Cup Series standings.
"Well obviously, nothing is going to ruin my day or weekend, because I'm on cloud nine," said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "This has obviously been pretty devastating news here at the race track but you know let's do something that we have never seen done before. I think that is where I stand and I think would probably say the very same thing, but this definitely puts us into a box and we are going to have to work our way out of it and we are one of the best teams out there, I love the road courses and I know these guys have brought a great race car and I am looking forward to getting out there, hopefully sometime tomorrow and see what we have for them on Sunday and I think that pit strategy is going to be extremely important for us."
Johnson is third in the Cup Series standings. He said this is a situation that he doesn't want to be in.
"I've only, I think made a complete qualifying lap here one time and qualified well, so I have been in the back before," said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "From a driver's standpoint, I know what to look for and some of the danger spots as we get racing. A lot of road-course racing really falls in the strategy of the race and we will just have to make the most of our poor track position to find a strategy and to try to work our way up for a solid finish."

David Gilliland made his way from Irwindale Speedway to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series by racing tour cars and late models at the tiny half-mile oval in the San Gabriel Valley and small tracks throughout California. One of the bigger tracks was Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
But the driver from Riverside hasn't been in a tour car since winning the Toyota All-Star Showdown race at Irwindale Speedway a couple years ago.
He returns to the West Series this weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. He will be in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race on Sunday and the West Series race on Saturday.
"I'm very excited to return. We decided to run the race so I could have some extra time on the track but I really want to race it regardless of the seat time," said Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Ford for Robert Yates Racing at the Cup Series level. "I'm looking at the double duty as a positive. You know the West Series race is a little longer than the tour race I won there and also the cars are a little bit heavier; they don't turn as well so you have to have a little bit more finesse. You really can't throw them around like you would the tour cars. The No. 38 team is pitching in to help out on pit road on Saturday and we'd like to see a repeat of the success that we had in the Southwest Series."
David's father Butch is also a winner at Infineon Raceway. Butch Gilliland won consecutive West Series races at Infineon Raceway in 1996 and 1997.
"It's special to me that we both won there," Gilliland said. "I was working with my dad when he won the races there in the West Series but I never got a chance to run a race there while I was racing in that Series. I've spent a lot of time as a fan watching my dad race at this track and now to have my dad there to help me out with any questions I may have is going to make it a very special weekend for both of us."

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers are at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma this weekend.
Most of them anyway.
Mark Martin is skipping the road course race, one of two on the Cup schedule, which means Regan Smith is in the No. 01 Chevrolet for Ginn Racing.
This will be Smith's fourth Cup race of the season. He has raced Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, but his finishes have not been all that great, 26th, 25th and 24th.
Racing on a road course is not what most stock car drivers favor. But Smith has a different approach to Infineon Raceway.
"The objectives of finishing the race and staying out of trouble are still the same," said Smith. "But I also want to have a better finish. I know we're capable of at least a top 15, but you need to be patient and not make any mistakes. I've always felt very comfortable on a road course."
Smith is encouraged by his finish in the Busch Series race in Mexico City, which was on a road course. He was in the top five for most of the race with Juan Pablo Montoya, Denny Hamlin, Boris Said and Carl Edwards.
"We ran fifth for a good portion of the Mexico race, but a last lap hiccup sent us to the back," Smith said. "Knowing that I could run with those guys coupled with our recent Busch success are factors which have boosted my confidence level going into this weekend races."
Smith will also be entered in the West Series race at Infineon Raceway on Saturday.
"The more experience the better," said the rookie Cup driver. "Infineon has a different feel than the road course in Mexico and at Watkins Glen. It's a technical track with all of the hills. You need to be patient and wait for your moment to strike."

There will be a number of ringers at Infineon Raceway this weekend for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway.
A.J. Allmendinger may be the lightest of the dark horses.
He comes from the Champ Car World Series and won five races -- all on road or street courses -- in his three years there.
None of his 40 races in the Champ Car World Series were at Infineon Raceway and won all five of his races in his final year on the series in 2006.
“Road racing is what I’ve grown up doing, and what I’m most comfortable doing,” says Allmendinger, driver of the No. 84 Toyota for Team Red Bull. “These guys have been doing this for a while, so I don’t know if I will bring anything to the table against someone like Jeff Gordon. But, I’ll definitely be more comfortable driving a stock car this weekend than I have been all year.”

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is offering a special ticket package for the NASCAR races at California Speedway in September.
For $148 the package includes an exclusive question and answer session with Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, a ticket to the Cup race on Sept. 2, a pre-race pit pass and a limited edition keepsake commemorating Johnson's first win at California Speedway.
California Speedway will donate $48 from each package sold to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation.
To order tickets, call 866-771-RACE or go to californiaspeedway.com

Kyle Busch is in week two of his lame-duck status as driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is coming to Hendrick Motorsports and Busch will be leaving at year's end.
Busch responded by posting a sixth-place finish in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
Now he faces two challenges. Racing the Car of Tomorrow at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. It is the first race for the Car of Tomorrow on a road course. Busch won the first Car of Tomorrow race earlier this year at Bristol Motor Speedway.
"I'm one hundred percent focused on the task at hand," Busch said. "I still have a job to do and, as you saw in last weekend's sixth-place finish at Michigan, we're still very much giving it our all. Our sponsors, Kellogg's and CARQUEST, deserve nothing but the best because they have been great partners to me and to the No. 5 team."
His record on the Infineon Raceway road course is a bit mixed. He finished 40th in his first race there two years ago. He was 11th in last year's race.
"I think Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and of course the other road course ringers like Boris Said and Ron Fellows will all be tough," Busch said. "I've had the chance to follow both Jeff and Tony on the track and learned a lot from them. Juan Pablo Montoya is going to be a threat, too, because he was impressive and aggressive at the Mexico City Busch Series race."

Seems like babies are everywhere in the news lately. First Tiger Woods, then Julia Roberts, now Jeff Gordon.
Gordon's wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, gave birth to their first child, a girl, at 9:09 a.m. Wednesday in New York.
Her name is Ella Sofia Gordon, coming in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 20 inches long.
And Penelope "Pit Stop" Gordon had such a nice ring.
“It’s been an absolutely incredible experience,” Gordon said in a statement that appeared on www.jeffgordon.com. “Ingrid came through amazingly and we’re both really happy and overjoyed. We can’t wait to get home and start our lives together as a family.”
Gordon, who leads the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series standings, will be racing this weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.

While most of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers have road course on their minds this weekend, Carl Edwards has road trip.
He will be racing in Sunday's Cup race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. But he will also be racing in the NASCAR Busch Series race at The Milwaukee Mile on Saturday.
Edwards leads the Busch Series standings by a commanding 701 points.
He has raced twice at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, one of two road courses on the Cup schedule. He was sixth in last year's race at Sonoma. Despite his lack of experience, Edwards has put together two nice races at Sonoma, said his crew chief, Bob Osborne.
“Bob Osborne and the rest of the Office Depot team have been doing a lot to help improve our road course program," said Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "We recently tested Road Atlanta to get in some practice on a road course and I think it has helped. I don’t come from that kind of racing background, but getting a few races under our belts has helped a lot.”
Edwards has won three races in the Busch Series. He is also coming off his first Cup win of the season. It snapped a winless drought of 52 races.
“After our win last week at Michigan, our team is a lot more confident and we’re looking to build on this momentum," Edwards said.

It sounds like Jamie McMurray thinks he let the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma slip away from him last year.
He qualified second, but spun out on the first lap and had to fight his way to an 18th-place finish.
"Qualifying is so important at the road courses, because once you get into the race, it’s really tough to pass," said McMurray, driver of the No. 26 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "Last year I qualified second and got a little too aggressive on the first lap and spun going into the second turn. I was able to work my way back into the top 20, but I know we had a better car. It just goes to prove that you have to qualify well, because track position is so important at Sonoma."
McMurray has complete all 440 laps in his four years of racing at Infineon Raceway. His best finish came in 2004 when he was second.
"I’ve always enjoyed racing at the road course in Sonoma – it’s one of my favorite types of racing," McMurray said. "It reminds me a lot of running go-carts when I was younger. I like the challenge of left and right turns, and having to shift through the course – it’s a lot of fun."

In his first five races at what is now Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Ricky Rudd won three poles, one race and did not finish outside the top four.
Rudd has won two races in his career at Infineon Raceway, site of Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race and one of two road courses on the Cup schedule.
His last win came in 2002. In his last race at Sonoma, in 2005, Rudd started 20th and finished second.
He will be inducted into the Infineon Raceway Wall of Fame on Friday, a testament to his stellar career at the track.
“I'm really honored and proud to be chosen for the Wall of Fame," said Rudd, driver of the No. 88 Ford for Robert Yates Racing. "It's wonderful to be a part of the history of the Cup racing out at Infineon and I'm just proud of the fact that we've had some accomplishments out there that they see worthy enough to place me on their Wall of Fame."
His frist win at Infineon came in his first Cup race there in 1989. It is still the closest marg8in of victory at the track.
“I just remember Rusty Wallace and myself out there in the final laps," Rudd said. "There was some beating and banging going on with our two cars and I just came off on the good end of it. No one got spun off onto the dirt or anything, but it was just side-by-side and two wheels in the dirt. It was just a typical old-style NASCAR finish and I remember that it was a dog fight right up until the end and even on the last lap. In all the wins I've ever had I don’t think there was one with a simple drive across the finish line to the checkered flag."
Rudd is the rare driver on the Nextel Cup Series who is a successful road course driver. Most drivers at the Cup level have little experience racing on road courses. Rudd has been able to post quality finishes almost every year he races at Infineon Raceway.
"I think the earlier days of Infineon a lot of the success that drivers had there was thanks to traditional road racing techniques to get around the race track," Rudd said. "Back when I began racing at Infineon there was only a handful of guys that you really had to focus on and deal with up at the front of the pack because a lot of the others couldn't adapt to driving cars the way we could. They were used to braking with their left foot and when they had to start braking with their right foot, it threw a lot of them off and they just couldn't do it. In recent years, Infineon is one of those tracks that's just very competitive."

Reed Sorenson was the highest-finishing Dodge driver in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. He was 23rd.
Ryan Newman was the highest qualifying Dodge driver for the race. He started fourth, but finished 37th.
Sorenson said his car was fast in practice before the race and he anticipated qualifying better than he did.
"I really didn’t know what to expect in the race, but we hung in there and got a decent finish," said Sorenson, driver of the No. 41 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing. "I guess we had the best finishing Dodge, but the Dodge boys didn’t have a real good day. We’ll get ‘em next week in Sonoma.”
Newman had to battle a flat tire and Jeff Green during the race. It led to Newman dropping in the field and finishing four laps behind the leaders.
"We just caught a piece of debris or something and it popped that tire," said Newman, driver of the No. 12 Dodge for Penske Racing. "It wrapped itself around the caliper and rotor and stuff and it cost us three laps. Jeff Green ran out of talent there off turn two and caused a big crash. The race track is capable of going three and four wide. We saw it all day, but he couldn’t do it. We’re just like everybody else. We’ll work hard on our road course program and hopefully Sonoma goes better for us.”

Michael Waltrip posted his first top-10 finish of the year, coming in 10th place in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. His teammate at Michael Waltrip Racing, David Reutimann, finished 15th.
It was Waltrip's third start of the season. He has struggled to qualify for races, but has recently seen the performance of his cars and teams improve. He credits some of the improvement to Andy Graves, the senior program manager for Toyota Racing Development.
“Andy Graves from Toyota started sitting in on our competition meetings and helping us with our direction and structure," said Waltrip, driver of the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. "It just means the world to us. He’s built winning race teams before on this level and we really don’t have anyone in the position to give us that type of direction."
Graves said being a newcomer to the Nextel Cup Series was a huge endeavor and it showed early in the season. None of the Toyota teams are in the top 35 in the Cup standings and the Michael Waltrip Racing cars have struggled to qualify for races all year.
“It’s really hard to get all your systems in place when you’re having to go to the race track every week," Graves said. "They’ve done a great job and hopefully this is somewhat of a turning point in their season and they can start piecing together some good runs each week.”
There were five Toyotas in the Michigan race. Waltrip and Reutimann were the highest finishing two. Dave Blaney finished 18th, A.J. Allmendinger was 31st and Brian Vickers was 41st.
“It’s all about small, incremental gains and this was another small step," Graves said. "This is what we need to keep doing each and every week -- making small steps forward. We try to get better each and every day. It was a great run to have three cars in the top-18 and Brian Vickers was probably even stronger and should have had a top-five finish. It was a good day and we’ll take this and move on.”

It was a good day for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Not a great day -- the three drivers for Dale Earnhardt Inc. finished in the top 12 at Michigan International Speedway -- but it was enough to put Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a good mood.
He finished fifth in the race at Michigan. Martin Truex Jr. was the highest-finishing DEI driver, coming in second. Paul Menard was 12th in the race for DEI.
Part of the reason for Earnhardt Jr. being in such a good mood after the race was because of his announcement earlier in the week that he would be joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.
"Man, I'm in such a better mood. No offense to nobody but I'm really enjoying being in a better mood," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "I got a lot of stuff off my back and off my shoulders and man you know just a great day. Man to run like we ran today, that's all I can ask for and I really enjoyed it and that's what I love to do and that's what I'm looking forward to with Mr. Hendrick and all those guys over there at Hendrick Motorsports but we got the rest of this season that we got to give 110 percent."
Earnhardt Jr. was excited about his finish in the race. He was even more excited about how Truex finished in the past three races. Most importantly though, Earnhardt Jr. said for the first time in a long time he was able to focus on having fun on the race track.
"Yeah, for the most part I was really able to really focus this weekend and enjoy getting behind the wheel, making some things happen," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Had a good car, can't be any happier about that."

Martin Truex Jr. has not finished outside the top three in his past three races. Since winning the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway, Truex has posted three straight top-three finishes. He was second in the race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday and was third in the race at Pocono Raceway last weekend.
Truex Jr. was asked after the Michigan race if his expectations have changed since putting together a string of strong finishes.
"That's a good question. I don't know. I'll let you know when we finish 20th again," said Truex Jr., driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "And I'm hoping that's not anytime soon. But yeah I think it definitely does. When we were struggling last year in the beginning of the year and we were just kind of making our way and learning our way through we'd be happy qualifying 10th and running in the top 10. They were good days for us but times have changed. We've evolved as a race team and we're running up front each week now and once that happens you can't settle for anything less than what you're capable of and I know we're capable of running up front each week and every week and just having a lot of fun right now."
Truex in 10th in the Nextel Cup Series standings with six top-10 finishes.
"My race team is doing an awesome job," Truex Jr. said. "You just hope and pray it keeps going good for us. If we didn't start out so bad this year who knows where we could be right now. Just having a lot of fun and hopefully it continues for us."

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Tony Stewart officially started Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway 41st. But he said he wanted to slip back, let a couple cars get past him on the opening lap, so he could say at the end of the race he came from dead last to wherever it was he finished in the race.
That wherever happened to be third. Stewart said he was extremely excited about his finish.
"Normally I wouldn't be this excited for a third but with what happened yesterday and with the way I qualified on Friday it was two strikes against us starting the race," said Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing. "We were so far back, we were supposed to start 41st and I just made sure that A.J. Allmendinger got around me at the start to make sure that I went across the start/finish line 43rd. So wherever we ended up I could say that I went from dead last to wherever. From 43rd to third is a pretty good day, I think, in 400 miles."
The race was hardly without incident. Stewart had to race through some hairy situations. Only nine cars finished the race on the lead lap even though 41 of the 43 cars that started the race were running at the end of the race.
"It's not the same group of drivers as it was five or 10 years ago, that's for sure," Stewart said. "You definitely have to pay attention. There's a lot more guys that you really have to watch and look out for all day."

Richard Childress was in New Zealand when Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his announcement that he was joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.
There was much speculation that Earnhardt Jr. would become Richard Childress Racing's fourth driver and join the team his late father raced for and won six Cup championships.
Childress said Saturday at Michigan International Speedway that he wasn't concerned about Earnhardt Jr. joining his team. Childress said he wanted Earnhardt Jr. to make the choice that was right.
"I'm sure the fans would have loved to have seen him with us but he made the decision for him and that's the way it ended up," said Childress, who owns the three-cars teams of Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer. "We would have liked to have had him with us but I can understand his thinking on some things."
Childress talked to Earnhardt Jr. the Sunday morning before the race at Dover International Speedway. That race was postponed a day because of rain and won by Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt Jr.'s current teammate at Dale Earnhardt Inc.
"Yeah, and I talked to him Sunday morning at Dover before I left that evening and just told him: 'You do what's right for Dale Jr. You've got to make that choice for yourself,' " Childress said. "His toughest decision wasn't the decision on where to go. His toughest decision was to leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. I think that was his toughest decision. Once he got that behind him, it took him a few weeks and did his due diligence and decided where he wanted to be. I'm sure he's really comfortable now with his future."
Childress said he understands why Earnhardt Jr. decided to join Hendrick Motorsports.
"Hendrick is on a roll right now," Childress said. "But I've been in this sport long enough to know that you're not going to be on that roll forever."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified 23rd for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. His teammate, Martin Truex Jr., was one of the top qualifiers and will start the race eighth.
Earnhardt Jr. is still without his regular crew chief and cousin, Tony Eury Jr., who is on suspension after the team was caught with an illegal spoiler mount in qualifying for the race at Darlington. Tony Gibson Jr. has been filling in as Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief until Eury Jr. can return after the Pepsi 400 at Daytona Interntational Speedway.
Earnhardt Jr. said his team made some poor adjustments to his car for qualifying and it cost him.
"The car was pretty good. We tightened it up way too much for qualifying -- we were too loose and then we got too tight," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "I love this track and I love running here. I'm anticipating getting in the car tomorrow and trying to get her dialed in. I think it will be good. We ran good here last year and we're trying to use a lot of the information that we had last year that worked so good. Keep the car fast and hopefully we'll have a good one by the end of the practice for the race."

Learning that he will not be returning to Hendrick Motorsports next year didn't seem to affect Kyle Busch's qualifying effort at Michigan International Speedway.
He will start Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series third alongside Carl Edwards, who qualified fourth.
Hendrick Motorsports and Busch will part ways at the end of the season to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who decided to leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. and join Hendrick next season.
Busch said he has been trying to keep busy with the tasks at hand in the wake of the Earnhardt Jr.'s announcement that he is moving to Hendrick Motorsports.
"It's been a lot but you just try to go about things as best you can," said Busch, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "You've got a lot to think about. There's still the guys and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports you've got to think about and your future you got to think about and everything. You've got to put it all in perspective and look at the items that you need to concentrate on most and put those at the top of your list."
As for his qualifying run, Busch said he felt like it wasn't the best laps he could turn, but it was good enough for third fastest of the day.
"I thought it was going to be a pretty lap," Busch said. "I wasn't sure how fast I was going to be respective to the rest of the field today but it ended up being pretty good. I'm not so sure that going out early was an advantage or disadvantage but I felt like that was definitely a great qualifying effort and a reasonable time."

In a year when Casey Mears and Martin Truex Jr. won the first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races of their careers, J.J. Yeley can add his name to the listof first-time winners.
It's not a race, by Yeley won the first pole of his NASCAR Nextel Cup Series career. He will start out front for Sunday's Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.
"It's very fitting for a green car to lead us to the green flag and hopefully it will be the checkered flag too," said Yeley, driver of the No. 18 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing. "The guys did an awesome job. They worked all through practice just on qualifying and to do it that close. Man, I'm glad Jimmie Johnson was just that much slower than us. I love this race track, it's one of the most favorite race tracks that we come to so to get a pole here and it be my first one is pretty special."
Eight of the top 10 qualifiers are in Chevrolets. The two other drivers who qualified in the top 10 were Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, both in Fords for Roush Fenway Racing.
"Every time you watch this race it seems like there's a Roush car out front," Yeley said. "Tony (Stewart's) always run well here. Last year we had some good runs, we just didn't get the finishes we needed. Hopefully this will be the right week, we can get it done and get Joe Gibbs Racing in the winner's circle."
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, qualified seventh. Stewart, in the No. 20 Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, will start the race at Michigan in 43rd position, the last car in the field.

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Tony Stewart has always been a slow starter. Only four of his 29 career Cup wins have come before June.
This year is no different. He has yet to record a win, but few teams outside of Hendrick Motorsports can claim to have won a race this year.
Over his career, Stewart has won four races in the month of June. One of those wins was the race at Michigan International Speedway in 2003.
Stewart is sixth in the Cup standings, solidly in the mix for a Chase spot, and has posted three top-five finishes this season. Jeff Gordon, who leads the Cup standings by 242 points over second-place Matt Kenseth, has won four races and has 10 top-five finishes. In years before the Chase, that kind of lead would have Stewart worried.
"But now? I can’t even tell how many points out of the lead we are because I don’t even know," said Stewart, driver of the No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing. "The good thing about the new points system is that it gives the good teams that have historically been in the top-10, and now the top-12, the flexibility to try things, knowing that if you have a bad week it’s not going to be that dramatic."
For the driver and teams outside the top 12, it might be time to panic.
"But the guys who are 15th to 20th in points are trying to figure out what they’ve got to do to get into the top-12," Stewart said. "Their mindset is that instead of having 36 weeks to get it done, they’ve got to get it done in 26 weeks. But the moral of the story is still the same – if you get into that top-12 you better have your stuff ready to go for that last 10-week stretch and not have any mistakes, because mistakes in that final, 10-race sprint will cost you big.”

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon is off to the best start in his career. He has won four races in the first 14 of the Cup season. That puts him on pace to reach the 13 wins he amassed during his championship year of 1998.
But Gordon said his team's success this year began before the season ever started.
“I think our start this year can be traced back to the Chase last year," said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "We finished sixth in the final standings, but that doesn’t begin to tell the whole story. I felt we were very competitive during the entire stretch but a fuel pump failure at Kansas, a blown engine at Charlotte and an accident at Talladega took us out of contention."
The Chase presents a unique challenge for the Nextel Cup Series drivers. Winning races in the first 26 aren't as important as finishing well in the final 10, the Chase races. Fuel pump failures, blown engines, accidents and other mishaps have to be avoided in the Chase.
“Those must be limited if you’re going to have a shot at the championship," Gordon said. “I had reservations about the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup when it was first introduced. But it has added a level of excitement for the fans during the final 10 races and added a level of intensity for the teams and drivers as well. I believe it is much tougher to win a championship under this format."

It's been nearly 14 years since Ricky Rudd won a Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. It's been almost five years since he posted a top-10 finish in the June race at Michigan.
But his team is taking the same car it raced at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600. Rudd finished sixth with that car at Charlotte.
“I like racing at Michigan because it's plenty wide," said Rudd, driver of the No. 88 Ford for Robert Yates Racing. "Michigan was one of the modern day tracks that a lot of the newer tracks were based off of. I think the reason for that is due to the fact that there is room for passing and you have plenty of race track with three lanes wide of racing. The track always gets a little slippery, but you always have grooves to run in and it's a lot easier to find lines to be able to get clean air to run laps in. Guys really like to race there because you do have plenty of options and lines to run if you get stuck in traffic.”

David Reutimann will be making his 100th career NASCAR start for Toyota when the Busch Series races at Kentucky Speedway.
In his first 99 starts with Toyota, Reutimann has one win. It came in 2005 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Nashville Speedway.
“It doesn’t seem like it has nearly been that long since we started this deal with Toyota,” said Reutimann, driver of the No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. “To be able to say I have had 100 starts with Toyota between racing in the NNCS, NBS and NCTS is an honor. It seems like just yesterday I was rolling into Daytona for my first truck test. It has gone by fast. It’s cool and I don’t know if many people have had that honor."
Reutimann has made nine starts this year in the Nextel Cup Series. The race at Michigan International Speedway will be the 15th of the season.
"Hopefully, we’ll have 100 more starts with Toyota," Reutimann said. "Being with them since the beginning of their NASCAR venture into the top-three series has been pretty special to me. I’m hoping to deliver solid finishes for them this weekend at Kentucky and at Michigan.”

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver Mark Martin has four wins over his career at Michigan International Speedway. He will be entered in Sunday's Cup race at Michigan and is looking for his first win of 2007.
He has been close a number of times, including a second-place finish in the Daytona 500 and a fifth-place at California Speedway, considered the sister track to Michigan.
"It's been an incredible year so far and I don't see it changing," said Martin, driver of the No. 01 for Ginn Racing. "For me, it's been a dream-come-true season. I have the best deal -- the opportunity to be involved with a very talented race team and to drive in selected races. I couldn't ask for more, except for maybe three more feet at Daytona."
The three feet was the margin of victory for Kevin Harvick over Martin at Daytona.
Martin has been running a partial schedule with Ginn Racing. Still he enters the Michigan race 12th in points and is coming off a pair of seventh-place finishes at Pocono and Dover.
"This is a very difficult sport to win in, but our U.S. Army team has the potential to visit Victory Lane on any given Sunday," Martin said. "That's why I am excited about going to the track when I am scheduled to drive. And this weekend is even more special with the celebration of the Army's birthday."
The Army turned 232 years old on June 14, Flag Day.

Now that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is officialy in the Hendrick Motorsports fray, several in the NASCAR community have weighed in on the move.
From Rusty Wallace, former NASCAR Cup champion and ESPN analyst, to Tony Ponturo, Vice President, Global Media and Sports Marketing Anheuser-Busch, Inc., the response has all been positive. Huge. Perhaps the biggest move in NASCAR history.
Brian France, the chairman and CEO of NASCAR, said it should be noted that high-profile partnerships have always been a part of NASCAR's competitive history.
"There have been so many great partnerships involving people of great character and ability," France said. "We’re proud of what they have brought to our sport. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has always said that first and foremost, he wants to win a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series championship. We wish him the best of luck.”
HIgh-profile partnerships do not always work out though. This one feels like Dave Winfield joining the New York Yankees.
That would be the Don Mattingly-era Yankees. The World Series-less Yankees who had such memorable players as Rickey Henderson, Mike Pagliarulo and Jesse Barfield.
For some reason, this seems like a combustible mixture of talent. It feels like Kobe Bryant signing with the Chicago Bulls.
The mix of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. appears formidable. Every expert so far thinks Hendrick Motorsports will continue to dominate. The rich get richer has been written about this partnership a number of times already.
Wonder how many times the same thing was said and Winfield and Mattingly's Yankees.

As expected, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced that he will race for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, ending months of speculation about where the most popular driver in NASCAR would end up after saying he was leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Earnhardt Jr. will join Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears at Hendrick Motorsports.
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, has been released from his contract. He was signed to drive for Hendrick Motorsports through 2008, but he will not return to the team after the end of the 2007 season.
“We had been working on a contract extension for me to remain at Hendrick Motorsports, but after prolonged negotiations, we mutually agreed that a fresh start was in order," Busch said. "I have been granted a release after the 2007 season."
There has to be more of a reason to want to leave the most successful team in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Perhaps during their lengthy negotiations, Busch wrecked one too many of Hendrick's cars.
“I have tremendous respect for Mr. Hendrick and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports," Busch said. "It’s where I grew up, and I have a lot of great memories."
Winning the first race with NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow at Bristol Motor Speedway has to be one of them. Wrecking his brother, Kurt Busch, in the NASCAR All Star Challenge is probably not as high on his list of great memories. But that's been the span of what to expect out of Kyle Busch over the years.
“I kind of feel like I’m graduating," Busch said. "I’m excited about my future, and I know a lot of opportunities await because of what everyone at Hendrick did for me – on the track and off."
His opportunities may not be as plentiful as he expects. He has tremendous talent, but he is also a high-risk driver. It seems for every race he wins, he wrecks 10 cars.
“I still have a job to do this year, and will give it my all – just as I’ve always done – to make sure we put the No. 5 car in victory lane a few more times before the year is out,” Busch said.
That's if he doesn't run out of cars before the end of the year.

While all indications are pointing to Dale Earnhardt Jr. replacing Kyle Busch in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, Busch and his team are preparing for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
Busch will also be in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday night in Michigan. It's probably the best weekend for him to be in two races. He will be bombarded with questions this weekend about his Cup racing future.
Busch's Cup team is bringing the same car it raced at California Speedway, a track similar to Michigan International Speedway in size and shape. Busch finished ninth in the race at Fontana in February.
"When the cars spread out and you are three- or four-wide, the place can be pretty deceiving," Busch said. "It's a really wide track and you can use so many grooves, so it's good to have a good spotter who can tell you which guys are running which grooves and what is working better for everyone. It also helps to have a smart spotter so we don't run into someone coming off the corners using different grooves."

If the reports are true, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is headed to Hendrick Motorsports, not Joe Gibbs Racing or Richard Childress Racing.
Reports also indicate that Kyle Busch will be out of Hendrick Motorsports to make room for Earnhardt Jr.
Busch is under contract with Hendrick, as are the three other drivers, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears.
Starting next year, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams will only be allowed to carry four drivers. In that regard, it made sense that Earnhardt Jr. would end up at Joe Gibbs Racing or Richard Childress Racing.
Each has three drivers and potentially room for a fourth.
Earnhardt Jr. will have a news conference Wednesday morning at his JR Motorsports shop in North Carolina to officially announce his plans for the 2008 season. He decided earlier this year that he will not return to Dale Earnhardt Inc., the race team his late father started.
Speculation followed Earnhardt Jr. in the days and weeks following his announcement. Earnhardt Jr. offered little indication of his plans, other than to say he wanted to race for a team that was capable of winning championships and that he had a desire to continue to race for General Motors and Chevrolet.
That narrowed the field to Hendrick, Gibbs, Childress or the possibility of starting his own team, perhaps moving his JR Motorsports operation into Cup competition.
The Associated Press is reporting that Earnhardt Jr. has chosen Hendrick Motorsports.
Now the big question is, if the report is accurate, who gets cut from Hendrick.

Terry Labonte, a two-time NASCAR Cup champion, will be in the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing for the road course races at Infnieon Raceway and Watkins Glen International, the team announced on Tuesday.
Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, has qualified for only two races in his newly formed Toyota-powered team this year.
“It’s not an easy decision for me to remove myself from the car, but I know it is for the betterment of our whole program,” Waltrip said. “I know Terry’s experience and road race savvy will breathe a breath of fresh air into my young NAPA team.”
Labonte, as a former champion, will be eligible for a champion provisional to start both races. Labonte finished third in the race at Infineon Raceway last year and has six top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen over his career.
“To put Terry in the car is a reflection of the big picture we are trying to establish with this NAPA Racing team and I know this will be a spark this team needs,” Waltrip said. “I look forward to watching the NAPA team compete and learning more about all the MWR cars from a different perspective, exclusively as an owner.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will have a news conference Wednesday at his JR Motorsports shop in North Carolina.
One can only guess that it is because Earnhardt Jr. has decided about where he will race next season.
He decided a few weeks ago that he will not return to Dale Earnhardt Inc., the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team his late father started and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, runs now.
Recent speculation has Earnhardt Jr. ending up with either Joe Gibbs Racing or Richard Childress Racing. Earnhardt Jr.'s sponsorship deal with Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch has been a point of contention with his joining Joe Gibbs Racing. Gibbs, the owner of the team, is a Christian and would not be easily accepting of an alcohol sponsorship of one of his drivers. Plus J.D. Gibbs, president of the team, said the team does not have plans to expand its roster to four drivers in 2008. The team currently has three drivers, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley.
Childress, who was the owner of Dale Earnhardt's Cup team and won six Cup championships with Earnhardt, is another possibility. But Earnhardt Jr. said he wants to race for a team that can win a championship and Childress hasn't won one since Earnhardt was his driver.
In the meantime, Earnhardt Jr. and his DEI team are preparing for the Cup race Sunday at Michigan International Raceway. Earnhardt Jr. posted his two best finishes at Michigan in last year's races there.
"We hit upon something with a set-up with our favorite chassis (#039) to get our two best career finishes there last season," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "A third-pl