February 2008 Archives

Kyle Busch won the pole for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was the first pole for Toyota this year and the third for the engiune manufacturer since joining the Cup ranks last year.
Ten Toyota drivers qualified for the Las Vegas race, the most Toyotas in any Cup race to date.
Busch also leads the Cup Series standings, another first for Toyota.
"It's just been crazy the way things have been going," said Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "I'm at a loss for words almost because I've talked about how well we're running, and how great things have been going. Sooner or later you wonder when the fall is going to happen. I'm a pretty good surfer, so as long as this wave is here I'm going to ride it.”
Dave Blaney, driver of the No. 22 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing, won the first pole for Toyota at New Hampshire International Speedway. Michael Waltrip, driver of the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, won the second pole for Toyota at Talladega Superspeedway.
Of the 10 Toyota drivers who qualified, the most surprising had to be Mike Skinner in the No. 27 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing. The car was originally supposed to be driven by Jacques Villeneuve, but he crashed in one of the qualifying races for the Daytona 500. Skinner was supposed to be in the car for the race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, but rain washed out qualifying. This was the first time Skinner was able to qualify the car for a race. He'll start the Vegas race fifth.
"You're in a real unique situation here -- you can't go for it, but you got to go for it," Skinner said. "You're damned if you go for it and damned if you don't in this deal. I don't like to be conservative in qualifying and it's funny because I had to be conservative and go for it all at the same time. It's kind of a strange happening there.”

Carl Edwards, winner of Monday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the newly named Auto Club Speedway, will have an untested car for this weekend's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
But if preseason testing is any indication, Edwards said his Vegas car should be better than his Fontana car.
"Similar to Fontana, we had a really good test at Vegas," said Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "I feel like our Vegas test was better than the California test, so I’m really looking forward to this weekend."
Bob Osbourne, the crew chief for Edwards' team, said because they raced their test car at Fontana, there wasn't enough time to make changes and prepare it for the Vegas race.
"We had a really good test at Las Vegas earlier this month, but since we raced our test car at Fontana last week, we have to bring a brand new car to Vegas because there’s no time for turnaround," Osbourne said. "We didn’t test the car we’re bringing this weekend, but it’s exactly like the car we tested and raced in California. With the new cars, we can’t turn them around as fast as with the old ones, so we went back and built an identical car to our Fontana car."
It took two days to complete the Cup race at Auto Club Speedway. Edwards won the fourth straight February Cup race for Roush at Auto Club Speedway, but a Roush driver has not won a race at Vegas since 2004. Matt Kenseth won that race and Jimmie Johnson, a driver for Hendrick Motorsports, has won the past three.
Edwards has all the confidence in his crew chief to give him another car capable of winning.
"Bob is a really smart guy and has done a great job with my cars lately, so I know whatever we unload will be good,” Edwards said.
Osbourne said he expects the Vegas car to be better than the car the team raced at Fontana.
“Hopefully our car will be just as good as last week’s car – if not better," Osbourne said. "If that’s the case, we should have another good weekend."

Tony Stewart says the real start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season is at the newly named Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.
For Jimmie Johnson, it's at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Johnson has won the past three Cup races at Vegas, site of this weekend's NASCAR races. Last year, it was the site of his first win en route to his second straight Cup championship. The year before that, it was the site of his second victory after winning the Daytona 500.
“It would be great to get that fourth win, but we won’t approach this weekend any differently than we would at a track where we’ve never won," said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "We go into every weekend hoping to win, but so does every other team out there."
The car his team is taking to Vegas has never raced before. The team tested it at Gateway International Speedway in Missouri last year. Apparently Johnson's team decided not to race the car it tested at Vegas in January.
“I have every confidence in the equipment and the crew to get the job done, but anyone who’s ever been to Vegas will tell you you’ve got to have some luck on your side, too," Johnson said. "If you’ve ever watched a poker tournament on TV, you know even the most experienced players can get beat. We won’t take anything for granted.”
Johnson said at the Vegas test, he could attack the track with his car, and that the track was widening and developing a middle lane, if not an outside lane.
"So as we get into that weekend and all that activity on track, I hope that the track really widens out," Johnson said. "I think it’s going to be a better show for us to put on because we can really be aggressive with the cars. At California Speedway, there’s not a lot of banking to tiptoe around, but at Vegas you can really charge.”
Johnson is coming off a second-place finish at the newly named Auto Club Speedway, formerly California Speedway. He finished 27th at Daytona.

One of the three tracks NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams tested at before the season started was Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's races.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a good test at Vegas, but his team decided to build a new car for the race using the data collected from the test.
Earnhardt Jr. is coming off a 40th-place finish at the newly named Auto Club Speedway, where he was taken out in a crash with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Casey Mears, and said he's hoping for better luck in Vegas.
"I hate it for my team that we ended up in an early wreck," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "I know with the rainout and everything, the team had to stay another day just to run 40th all day. But we're here to race, and, believe me, they fixed that wrecked car so good we were running in the top-five on the speed charts with it. It says a lot about my guys, and the dedication they have. I hope we have better luck in Vegas."
Rather than use the car Earnhardt Jr. tested, his team decided to build a new car, one of NASCAR's Cars of Tomorrow. Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief, said the COT has evened out the playing field in NASCAR and his team learns something new about it every day.
"We had a real good test in Vegas last month," Eury Jr. said. "We learned a lot about the track and decided that, instead of running the car we tested, to build a new car based on the data we collected. We're unloading this new car we built blind as a frog. Seriously, every week we run this, we will get better at it."

A week and a day after winning the Daytona 500, Ryan Newman finished 10th in the Auto Club 500 at the newly named Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. It was a race that took two days to complete and was delayed by rain twice.
“The car was just OK," said Newman, driver of the No. 12 Dodge for Penske Racing. "At times we were a seventh-place car and at other times we were a 15th-place car. If you average it out I think we did a little bit better than we could have."
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race started on Sunday, but only 87 laps were completed before NASCAR officials stopped the race because of rain. They tried to restart the race on Sunday night, but decided to postpone it until the following day.
Newman was in 10th place when the race was stopped Sunday night. When the race resumed Monday, he maintained his spot and finished 10th.
"The Alltel/Samsung Dodge just held its own," Newman said. "We spent and extra day and an extra 168 laps and ended up in the same spot, so it’s alright.”

Carl Edwards won the Auto Club 500, but there were times it looked like Jeff Gordon had the best car in the race.
It took two days and three rain delays to finish the race, but Gordon had one of the fastest cars in the field in the first 87 laps of the race run on Sunday. He had a fast car the following day and finished third behind Edwards and Jimmie Johnson.
But it could have ended much worse for Gordon. His engine blew on the last lap of the race, which was completed under caution because Dale Jarrett hit the wall on the fianl lap.
"If you don't think we have any luck, we blew up right coming off turn two just as the caution came out and we were done," said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "I coasted to the line. We got very lucky today."
With his third-place finish, Gordon jumped up to 13th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. He made up 24 spots after coming in 39th in the season-opening Daytona 500.
"I couldn't believe it," Gordon said. "I kept saying, this is it, right? This is it. I thought when we took the white flag it was over. So thank goodness we got a little luck on our side today with what happened.

The more things change the more they stay the same.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the newly named Auto Club Speedway in NASCAR's new Car of Tomorrow yielded a familiar result.
Carl Edwards won the Auto Club 500 on Monday and extended Roush Fenway Racing's winning streak to four in February races at the track.
The race was delayed a day, a result of NASCAR officials deciding to stop the race after 87 laps Sunday night. The race resumed this morning at 10 a.m. with Jimmie Johnson in the lead, followed by Travis Kvapil, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle.
Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, had one of the better cars in the race Sunday and it carried over when the race restarted the next day.
"We have worked very hard," Edwards said. "I hope this is a sign of how our season is going to go."
Matt Kenseth won the previous two Cup races in February at Auto Club Speedway for Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle won the February race at Auto Club Speedway in a Roush Fenway Racing Ford in 2005. Before that, there was only one race at Auto Club Speedway, which was then called California Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson finished second, followed by Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Kenseth.
Johnson and Gordon drive for Hendrick Motorsports, which won 18 of the 36 Cup races last season. Johnson won his second straight Cup championship and won 10 races last year.
"Jimmie's always fun to race with," Edwards said. "I was just trying to go where he wasn't. I was lucky he was a little bit loose. They were the guys to beat today."

Champ Car teams were supposed to test and race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, but plans have been changed after the merger of the Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League was announced Friday.
The Champ Car race scheduled at Laguna Seca, part of the Monterey Festival of Speed on May 16-18 has been canceled. A weeklong Champ Car test session scheduled for March 10-14 has also been canceled
“At this point, we know that Champ Car will not be participating in the Monterey Festival of Speed,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/General Manager of the Laguna Seca. “We are in the process of addressing this issue with customers who have purchased tickets, sponsorships, hospitality and vendor space based on a Champ Car race being part of the weekend.”
Fans with questions regarding the Monterey Festival of Speed are encouraged to call the ticket office (1-800-327-SECA) to discuss their options.
The Monterey Festival of Speed features Round 5 of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, along with open-wheel races from Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda and Formula BMW Americas. Additional races are being considered and a revised schedule for the Monterey Festival of Speed weekend will be announced soon, according to a release from the track.

2008 Schedule of Events at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

May 16-18, Monterey Festival of Speed featuring the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series (Sat.)Fortune Market 250

July 18-20, Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix featuring the MotoGP World Championship

Aug. 15-17, 35th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races Presented by Toyota

Sept. 27-28, Corona AMA Superbike Finale featuring the AMA Superbike Championship

Oct. 17-19, Monterey Sports Car Championships featuring the American Le Mans Series

Rain postponed the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway for two days. The race was supposed to be on Saturday, part of a doubleheader with the Craftsman Truck Series. But rain scrapped those plans. Then the Nationwide Series race was rescheduled for Sunday after the Sprint Cup Series race, but rain again prevented the race from starting.
The Nationwide Series race was eventually rescheduled for Monday morning. As a result, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of next weekend's NASCAR races, has offered a deal for those who had tickets for the races at Auto Club Speedway.
Those who present ticket stubs for the Nationwide Series Stater Bros. 300 can buy tickets for the Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for $25.
“We’re making this gesture to do our part to help the series grow,” Las Vegas Motor Speedway president Chris Powell said. “While we have sold more than 100,000 tickets to the Sam’s Town 300 this Saturday, we have plenty of room to accommodate those loyal race fans who have endured the poor weather in Southern California.”

For the second time tonight, the Auto Club 500 has been delayed by rain. The start of the race was delayed for more than two hours. On lap 87, rain stopped the race again.
Jimmie Johnson is in the lead, followed by Travis Kvapil, Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne.
Rain also brought out a caution on lap 41.
NASCAR has not postponed the race and it looks like the intend to restart the race at some point.
The race will be official after 125 laps.

Fighting the flu, Jack Beckman of North Hills won the NHRA Funny Car portion of the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals at Firebird Raceway.
Beckman, a driver for Don Schumacher Racing, beat Robert Hight in the finals to win his first Funny Car event of the year.
"I went through chemotherapy," said Beckman, who battled and survived cancer, "so I get a flu shot now every year, but I guess the flu this year is immune to that shot. I'm living proof. We drove the motor home out here and I had to make an appearance on Wednesday. You get up in the morning and you just feel like hell. I'm thinking it will go away tomorrow and it didn't. And you look at the back of the cold medicine and it says 'do not operate heavy machinery.' I don't know if that counts as a Nitro Funny Car. I didn't want to take anything, but after the second round I finally had to take some Tylenol. It was just getting hot in that thing. I'm glad it wasn't a 95-degree day in the summer. We would have been in big trouble."
Beckman beat Mike Neff from John Force Racing in the first round, then beat his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Gary Scelzi in the second round.
He got lucky in his semifinal race against Jim Head and won with a run of 5.612 seconds. By comparison, his first two wins came with runs in the 4.8 second range.
Beckman beat Hight, a driver from John Force Racing, in the final round and is 2-0 against Hight in final round races.
Beckman said he was having a hard time keeping track of the rounds because of the flu medicine he was taking.
"Your head's kind of fuzzy all day long and we went out there and won the semis and I told (announcer) Alan Reinhart at the top end, 'Ooh, great, we're going to the semifinal.' I couldn't even keep track of winning two or three rounds there," Beckman said. "And it's a little bit surreal because of that, but more so because of what the crew was able to pull off on this deal."
Beckman is second in the NHRA Funny Car standings after two races. He is 27 points behind Hight.
"In the off season Jerry Toliver came on board as another Schumacher car and basically the Valvoline/MTS car started from scratch," Beckman said. "We had an empty trailer, bare chassis and a crew that had never worked together as a group of nine. And they assembled everything, ordered new tools for it, re-stocked the trailer, put new motors together, so they hadn't torn a car apart as a team until we came here for the test session, and I think it was nice to get 12 runs here in the test session. My God, are they jelling now. Two races into it we've already gotten to the winner's circle."
Van Nuys High graduate Larry Dixon, a driver for Don Prudhomme Racing, won the Top Fuel portion of the NHRA event at Firebird Raceway.

Two of the four drivers involved in a fiery crash in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the newly named Auto Club Speedway said the track is not ready for a race.
It has been raining for the past two days at the track. The start of the race was delayed two and a half hours because of rain. Casey Mears spun out on lap 21 and hit the wall causing a crash that collected four cars. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Reed Sorenson were also involved in the wreck.
Hornish ran underneath Mears's car and flipped it over. The cars caught on fire as the track emergency crews arrived to assist the drivers.
It looked like Mears's car hit a wet spot on the track before it spun out and hit the wall.
Hamlin and Earnhardt Jr. drove their cars to the garage for repairs.
"I think we can get back out there, but I think there are 42 other drivers that would agree that we should not be racing on that race track right now," Hamlin said. "I hit a slick spot and my car took off. You can see it on television -- right at the seems, it's seeping a lot of water. It hit a wet spot and I'm not going to be the last one. I'm not sure if that was the cause of that most recent crash, but it was the cause of ours."
Earnhardt Jr., a teammate of Mears at Hendrick Motorsports, was hit when Mears's car slid down the track after hitting the wall. He echoed Hamlin's assessment of the track conditions.
"We rushed into this. It’s a bad move," Earnhardt Jr. said.
Mears and Hornish were evaluated and released from the track's infield care center.
"There was nowhere to go either way," Hornish said. "Not a very good day. This doesn’t help us out much."

The last time a driver won the first two races of the season was in 1997.
Jeff Gordon won the Daytona 500, then won the race at North Carolina Speedway the following week. Gordon also won the race at California Speedway in June that year.
That was the first year the Cup drivers raced at what was then California Speedway. The track has since been renamed Auto Club Speedway. The series has gone through two name changes, from the Winston Cup to Nextel Cup to Sprint Cup.
Gordon won 10 races and the Winston Cup championship in 1997. He won races at Martinsville, Bristol, Lowe's, Pocono, Watkins Glen, Darlington and New Hampshire that year, proving he could win pretty much anywhere at any race.
Ryan Newman won this year's Daytona 500, but has never won a race at Auto Club Speedway.
Matt Kenseth has won the past two February races at Auto Club Speedway and Roush Fenway Racing has won the past three February races at California Speedway. Greg Biffle won the race in 2005. Before that, the second race of the year was at North Carolina Speedway and the Cup Series raced only once a year at Auto Club Speedway.
Gordon won the race in 2004; Kurt Busch won the race in 2003; Jimmie Johnson won the race in 2002; Rusty Wallace won the race in 2001; Jeremy Mayfield won the race in 2000; Gordon won again in 1999 and Mark Martin won the race in 1998.
A blog post popped up the other day suggesting the Labor Day weekend races at Auto Club Speedway could move to Atlanta Motor Speedway in a swap that would give the track a Chase race.
Apparently Gillian Zucker, the president of Auto Club Speedway, said she has not had any discussions about moving the Labor Day races. Atlanta Motor Speedway track officials said pretty much the same thing.
It makes sense to move what used to be the Southern 500, when the Labor Day Cup race was at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, back to the south.
The Labor Day races at Auto Club Speedway don't sell out, it's probably the hottest time of the year in Southern California, especially in the Inland Empire, and it makes for oppressive conditions for NASCAR fans and drivers.
Moving the Labor Day races back to the South would probably be better for the sport, but if NASCAR is considering making the move to improve attendance for the races at Auto Club Speedway, it's not the right reason to move the races.
The track will attract 70,000 to 80,000 people for a race twice a year in Southern California, but two races are probably too much for NASCAR fans in L.A. Still, 70,000 NASCAR fans in L.A. are better than 40,000 in Darlington. But if Auto Club Speedway and NASCAR expect sellouts, they should race at a smaller track.
That would make Tony Stewart happy.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series race will be run after the Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.
Rain delayed the start of the race Saturday and NASCAR officials decided to postpone the race.
The weather has affected the NASCAR schedule all weekend. Rain washed out qualifying for all three NASCAR divisions racing at the track Friday.
The Cup teams were able to practice at the track for about 30 minutes Saturday, but it has been the only time the Cup cars have been on the track all weekend.
The Truck Series completed its race Saturday afternoon. Kyle Busch won driving the No. 51 Toyota Tundra for Billy Ballew Motorsports. Todd Bodine was second and Johnny Benson was third.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. Television coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. on Fox.

John Force has a way of taking over a conversation. So on a rainy day in Phoenix that washed out the first round of the NHRA Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals at Firebird Raceway, Force offered up his Oscar choices.
As is most often the case when Force starts talking, it's hard to get him to stop.
“First let’s talk about some of the greatest movies of all time. The No. 1 movie of all time was The Grapes of Wrath, No.2 was Gone with the Wind and then The African Queen.”
“In the seventies and eighties you had Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T. They were the best movies for that time period. I’d also put Jurassic Park up near the top.”
“The movies that talk to people change over time. In the really early days people believed that there could be a Frankenstein or Werewolf. Now we know that that is bullshit. It doesn’t scare us anymore. Then we moved on to the age of sharks, and E.T. but we didn’t want to be scared by aliens so they made this one follow a trail of Reese’s Pieces.”
“What the people want now is they want the real world.”
“One of the best I’ve seen this year is No Country for Old Men. Tommy Lee Jones played a secondary role as a sheriff. Javier Bardem will win for Best Supporting Actor. That movie was fantastic. It was just a very realistic movie. The one that really inspired me that I have seen twice was There Will Be Blood. It is as story of the J. Paul Gettys and the Sinclairs that got rich during the oil boom. Daniel Day Lewis played that lead role so bitchin. It was the most realistic movie I ever saw in my life. It is better than No Country for Old Men.“
“Daniel Day Lewis has one scene in There Will Be Blood that is so amazing. He is in his mansion and he is drunk. He passes out and his preacher comes to see him. They have to kick him to wake him up. He climbs up off the floor and he takes a big bite out of a steak they served him the night before. To watch him chew that steak you just knew people where connecting with him in that role it was so real. That was when men were men. It reminded me of me in Dallas except I whined a lot. I cried being drug out of my Mustang. It is one of the all time best.”
“I walked out of Atonement. It just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t my kind of movie. I get in late to the movies and I just sat down and watched the first ten minutes. Then I walked out. I don’t even know what it was about. I really shouldn’t give an opinion on it other that it wasn’t my kind of movie. I also walked out of Elizabeth.”
“Michael Clayton doesn’t have a chance for Best Picture but the only player that has a chance is Tilda Swinton who played the lead attorney. She was cut throat and ruthless. George Clooney isn’t going to win anything. He is a big name but he won’t win.”
“Best supporting actor will be Javier Bardem from No Country for Old Men and the Best Actor will be Daniel Day Lewis. Nobody else stands a chance I’ll bet you $1,000 and take a bet with anybody.”
“I think There Will Be Blood will win Best Picture.”
“I go to the movies to just get out of the office. I average two movies a week. Last week I saw five movies. I saw 27 Dresses, There Will Be Blood for the second time, No Country for Old Men again, Cloverfield, and Jumper.”
“Cloverfield was a remake of The Blair Witch Project. Then in the middle they threw in a dinosaur. It really tripped me up.”
“Jumper was cool.”
“For Juno I saw enough commercials that I knew I didn’t want to see it. I saw a hundred commercials and it just didn’t impress me. It probably would be a cute little movie but it wasn’t my cup of tea.”
“The movie that captures you is the movie that you believe could be a possibility. Jaws was real. Jurassic Park could happen with science. The movie that makes you drive around for a week thinking about it; that is the movie I want to see.”

Casey Mears has a much better feeling about his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team compared to this time a year ago.
He is part of the four-driver mega team at Hendrick Motorsports. His teammates are Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Using the Daytona 500 as a gauge, Mears has a number of reasons to be encouraged. Gordon and Johnson, who have their team in one shop at Hendrick Motorsports, had their share of problems at Daytona. But Earnhardt Jr., who works with Mears at Hendrick, won the Budweiser Shootout, one of the Gatorade Duels and was leading the Daytona 500 late in the race before dropping back and finishing ninth.
Mears was among the race leaders at the end of the race, but ran up the track and into the wall with less than 10 laps to go. He lasted longer than Gordon or Johnson, who withdrew early with mechanical and handling problems.
“I think that Junior winning those first couple of races is showing that, hey, they’ve come in and done a good job,” said Mears, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. “I think the equipment is there. The No. 5 and No. 88 (Earnhardt Jr.) side has definitely stepped up and matched that of the No. 24 (Gordon) and No. 48 (Johnson).”
Even though the teams are divided into two shops, Mears said he has noticed a difference in how they have been working this year.
“The meetings that we had in Daytona were very encouraging,” Mears said. “To see all four drivers really interacting and working well together, we didn’t have that before. It was the same idea, but it didn’t seem like it went as smooth,”
Mears inherited Kyle Busch’s team from last year. Busch left Hendrick for Joe Gibbs Racing to make room for Earnhardt Jr. to join Hendrick. Earnhardt Jr. also brought some crew members from his team at Dale Earnhardt Inc. with him to Hendrick.
“Junior has done a really good job of coming in and fitting in really well, so that was encouraging too,” Mears said. “The biggest thing that I’ve pulled away from, the first couple of events when I look at the events and the races, the 150s and the Shootout from my side of things, I’m in a very good position as opposed to last year. It was a great team, a great group of guys that I had last year but we came in last minute and changed the crew chief the week before Daytona. There was just a lot of unorganization, we were building a team.”

Kevin Harvick has NASCAR teams in the Craftsman Truck Series and the Nationwide Series. Every once in while, he races one of his own trucks, but never the cars on his Nationwide Series team, and formerly the Busch Series.
Until now.
When Harvick did race in the Busch Series, it was usually one of the Richard Childress Racing cars, the No. 21 more often than not.
But he will be in his own No. 33 Chevrolet for today's Nationwide Series race at the newly named Auto Club Speedway.
He was asked about why he decided to race his own car after racing for Childress all these years.
"I will be honest with you, I just got bored," Harvick said. "I know it is all about winning races, but Saturday is something that I don't have to do, but I was bored. I know that sounds funny but I really wanted the challenge of driving my own car."
His Truck Series team won the championship last year with Ron Hornaday Jr. as driver. It is a two-truck operation with Hornaday and Jack Sprague who have a combined six Truck Series championships.
"If we can succeed, I know how rewarding it was with the truck program to get it to the point with Ron," said Harvick, who drives the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. "To me that was as rewarding as anything I have ever done. So that is what I wanted to do with the car. The ultimate goal is to win the Cup championship. The Saturday is something that I enjoy, well I thought I did, well; I think I do."
Juggling driving for one NASCAR owner and running two NASCAR teams can be challenging. Harvick said he embraces the challenge, even though it can be overwhelming at times.
"It is something I enjoy to put all of those pieces together and the people together with the challenges of getting a sponsor," Harvick said. "Participating in the sport. I like being around the cars, I like being around the people and I like what I do. I enjoyed winning races and championships with Richard; he is probably the greatest boss in this sport that you could drive for. Saturday wasn't something that I necessarily had to do and just needed to do something different."

Kurt Busch has won a race at the newly named Auto Club Speedway and won a Cup championship, but his team almost lost out on a garage stall for this weekend’s race at the track.
His team, Penske Racing, added a third car with three-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. as driver. But to ensure that Hornish starts the first six races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Roger Penske, owner of the team, transferred Busch’s points in the owners standings to Hornish’s team.
NASCAR rules state that the cars in the top 35 in last year’s owners standings receive automatic starting spots in the first six Cup races of the season.
Busch can use his past champion provisional as a last resort to qualify for the first six Cup races. He had to use one for the Daytona 500.
But because Busch’s team technically has no points from last year, it almost didn’t get a garage stall on a rainy day at the track on Friday.
“I thought my poor guys were out in the rain this morning without a garage stall,” said Busch, driver of the No. 2 Dodge for Penske Racing. “But luckily we ended up with one of the last garage stalls that they had available just because we don’t have any points.”
He said it was a little odd to be second in the Sprint Cup Series standings and not have a garage. But it was just the result of another unselfish act from Busch, who is being credited for giving his teammate Ryan Newman the little last-lap nudge he needed to win the Daytona 500.
“That’s the sacrifice,” Busch said. “I guess I’ve been a real team player by handing over points to Sam and pushing Ryan to victory, but it’s a great start. Penske Racing has got a lot of great things going on right now.”

For the time being, Kasey Kahne and Robby Gordon are teammates, sort of. Gordon recently partnered with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, which has a three-car team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Kahne drives the No. 9 Dodge for GEM and Gordon owns and runs his race operation independently, receiving support and equipment from GEM.
Kahne said he is hoping the newly forged relationship will make Gordon a different driver. In other words, Kahne is hoping Gordon develops an appreciation for his new partners in racing.
“I’ve always got along with Robby Gordon,” Kahne said. “But as far as on the race track, when he’s out there, you have to race differently. He has a different style of racing. It’s very aggressive”
Gordon has been know to ruffle a few fenders and Kahne even said his spotter makes sure he keeps an eye on Gordon during races.
“Robby is the kind of driver that wants to be a teammate and wants to be part of our company,” Kahne said. “He’s going to race us like he wants us to race him.”

Ron Hornaday Jr. will start today’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race from the pole after rain washed out qualifying Friday at the newly named Auto Club Speedway.
The starting order for the Truck Series race was determined by 2007’s owners standings. Hornaday, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc., won the Truck Series championship last year, the third of his career.
The Truck Series drivers were able practice at the track on Thursday. Hornaday said that he had a truck that could have won the pole on speed, which was much different than the way he felt about his truck before qualifying for this race last year.
"I thought I did," Hornaday said. "Last year, no I didn't. We qualified decent I think, sixth or eighth or whatever."
Mike Skinner, driver of the No. 5 Toyota Tundra for Bill Davis Racing, will start on the front row with Hornaday.
Johnny Benson, Skinner’s teammate at Bill Davis Racing and driver of the No. 23 Toyota Tundra, will start third.
Todd Bodine, winner of the Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway and driver of the No. 30 Toyota Tundra for Germain Racing, will start fourth.
Bodine, Benson and Kyle Busch are tied atop the Truck Series standings after one race. They each have 170 points.

Jimmie Johnson will start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from the pole after rain washed out qualifying Friday at the newly named Auto Club Speedway.
Johnson, last year’s Cup champion, earned the top starting spot in Sunday’s race based on the owners standings from 2007. Jeff Gordon, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, will start second and on the front row.
The Cup drivers tried to get out on the track to practice Friday, but wet track conditions prevented them. That didn't seem to worry Johnson.
“We tested out here. I guess you get used to it," said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "We have things rained out from time to time. I’d like to be out there and I think there is probably more pressure on the crew chiefs than the drivers at this point. I’m sure a lot of guys are coming out here different then where we tested and would love to be on track to see how that was going to work out. I think the crew chiefs will lose a little sleep. I think the drivers will be fine.”
Gordon and Johnson have combined to win five Cup races at California Speedway. Johnson won last year’s Labor Day race at the track. Gordon’s last win at California Speedway came in 2004.
"I think most of us are just anxious to see where we stack up against the competition," said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "And then the other thing is, and the reason we’re all here, is that the race is on Sunday so tomorrow’s practice is more important about being in traffic and maneuvering around cars and getting your car working good on a long run. I’m looking forward to getting out there for that. Today, with the position we’re at in the points, all it was, was making one or two lap runs for qualifying. So for us, today we didn’t really lose much.”
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 07 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, will start third.
“It’s pretty good for me," Bowyer said. "I’m good with third. I’ll take it. Tomorrow will be crucial. It’ll be a busy day for us; for me personally running the Nationwide car too, so there will be a lot going on tomorrow. But we’ll be ready for it. I think a good starting spot goes a long way in these races and staying up front in clean air I think is going to be big with this car in particular. So, I’m looking forward to it.”
Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 Dodge for Penske Racing, will start 13th.
Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing and winner of the past two February Cup races at California Speedway, will start fourth.

Robby Gordon is appealing the penalty NASCAR issued earlier this week that knocked the Sprint Cup Series driver from ninth place to 40th in the drivers standings.
Gordon, who owns and drives the No. 7 Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series, was fined $100,000 and his crew chief was suspended for six races after NASCAR officials said that his car had an unapproved front bumper cover that was discovered during opening day inspections for the Daytona 500. Gordon also lost 100 points in the Sprint Cup drivers standings.
The penalty would all but erase his eighth-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500.
Gordon said he was surprised by the severity of the penalty.
“It was something that we didn’t build, we didn’t fix, we didn’t supply,” Gordon said. “It was a clerical error from the manufacturer, and all we did was install it actually on the race car. We’re going to jail for a crime we didn’t commit.”
Less than a month before the Daytona 500, Gordon switched engine manufacturers, and agreed to a partnership with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. He went from using Ford engines to Dodges and began receiving equipment and support from GEM, which has a three-car team in the Sprint Cup Series.
“It’s almost like you put yourself in a position that if someone steals your car and robs a bank, but because it was your car, you’re going to jail,” Gordon said. “I don’t think this is a fair penalty. We don’t feel that we’ve done anything wrong, and we’re confident that NASCAR will make the right decision.”
Kasey Kahne, who drives the No. 9 Dodge for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, said the penalty was outrageous.
“From what I’ve heard is it’s completely out of control for what he really did,” Kahne said.
Because Gordon is appealing the penalty and NASCAR has yet to respond to his appeal, Frank Kerr, his crew chief, will be able to work with the team for the California Speedway race this weekend. The fine will also be assessed after NASCAR reviews his appeal.
The standings, however, reflect his point loss, dropping him from ninth place and 48 points out of first to 40th place and 148 points out of first.
Ryan Newman leads the Cup standings after one race.

Reaction is coming in from all fronts as the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series announced a merger unifying the two open-wheel racing series on Friday.
The Indy Racing League released a statement that said:
"Owners of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League completed an agreement in principle Friday that will unify the sport for 2008.
Gerald Forsythe, co-owner of Champ Car, signed an agreement in principle in Chicago, joining his partner Kevin Kalkhoven and Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George who had signed late Thursday in Indianapolis."
The unification ends a split in open-wheel racing that has existed in the United States since 1996 when George started the IRL as a option to the existing CART series. CART eventually went into bankruptcy and became the Champ Car World Series.
John Andretti, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who raced in last year's Indianapolis 500, said the merger will make "everything stronger."
"I thought that years ago when CART was being sold off that the judge made the best decision he could, but I think if you take all of the circumstances into account, this could have been resolved then," Andretti said. "Tony could have played hardball in my opinion and he didn't. He's always played fair. This could have happened a long time ago, but it's better to happen now than to keep whittling on."
Eddie Gossage, the president of Texas Motor Speedway, released a statement that described the merger as "spectacular news" but acknowledged that there is a lot of hard work left to be done.
"We all have to be cautious because the act of unifying open-wheel racing in America is not a
cure for all that ails the sport," said Gossage, who runs the tracks that hosts the Bombardier Learjet 550k. "It is a necessary and huge first step, but there is much work to be done.”
Details of the deal were not released or announced.
Michael Andretti, who co-owns the Andretti Green Racing team in the IRL, said this is a huge day for the IndyCar Series.
"Over the years, whether I was in the role of driver, team owner or promoter, I have always wanted a unified sport," Andretti said. "That has been my only goal throughout this entire process and I applaud everyone who played a role in making this happen. So many people have worked tirelessly, both publicly and behind the scenes, to get this done. Everyone can now focus on taking the IndyCar Series to new heights for the good of our sport and everyone involved in it."

Indy Racing Founder Tony George and Champ Car World Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven have been in meetings the past two days in Indianapolis. Reports indicated that a merger announcement unifying the two racing series was expected Friday, but a statement released by the IRL suggests otherwise.
“The ongoing talks between the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series will continue into at least Friday in regards to the unification of open-wheel racing," according to the statement released Thursday night. "Any confirmation of unification will be made once an agreement is in place. There are no plans for a news conference at this time. Much progress has been made toward unifying the sport.”
There have been a couple of online and newspaper reports regarding which Champ Car races will be absorbed by the IRL. One report indicated that the Twin Ring Motegi IRL race in Japan will not be moved and will proceed as planned, which means it will conflict with the Long Beach Grand Prix, the supposed start of the Champ Car World Series schedule. The Twin Ring Motegi race is April 19; the Long Beach Grand Prix is April 20.
Instead of running the Long Beach Grand Prix as an IRL race, it's possible it could become a farewell race for Champ Car. However, if the merger series unify, most of the Champ Car teams would switch to the IRL. There could potentially be only about a half dozen Champ Car teams willing to race in the Long Beach Grand Prix.
Other reports suggest the season-ending Champ Car race in Surfers Paradise, Australia would become a non-points exhibition race in the IRL in 2008. Chicagoland Speedway has a contract with the IRL that guarantees the race there will be the season finale in the IRL.

No driver has more Cup wins than Jeff Gordon at California Speedway. He has three. Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson each have two and Kenseth has won the past two February Cup races at the track.
But Gordon is in a bit of a drought at the track. He hasn't won a race at California Speedway in a span of three years and seven races. His last win came in the February race in 2004.
This race will be different, even if Gordon doesn't win. This will be the first time Cup teams will use NASCAR's new Car of Tomorrow at the track and Gordon doesn't know what to expect.
“There has always been somewhat of a draft here because of the long straightaways,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. “To me, drafting at California Speedway has never really been that big of a deal. You could hang with someone down the straightaway, but it sort of evened itself out when you got into the corners."
That was how the old cars responded to the track during a race.
“But with these cars, the change is significant," Gordon said. "When you get up close to another car, these cars take off. During the test, we did a lot of single-car runs but would encounter a car or two. What we don’t know is how the car will react in a pack of cars here. Once you get the draft off several cars and get a run, will the car stop because of the air hitting the nose? Or will you be able to carry that momentum and complete the pass?"
The good thing, or bad thing, depending how you look at it, is that every driver is trying to find the answers to those questions. It could create for some interesting racing.
“While these cars punch such a big hole in the air and it provides a great draft, it’s also doing that in the corners and that takes downforce away," Gordon said. "I think that is going to cause everyone to really search for different lines in the corner.”

Kyle Busch won the first race of his Cup career at California Speedway. In six Cup races at the track, he has only finished outside the top 10 once, and that was in his first race at the track in 2005. Coincidentally, he won the pole for that race in 2004 at California Speedway.
Busch is with a new team, driving a new Toyota and using NASCAR's new Car of Tomorrow in the race. Still he's hoping his old winning ways remain. But Busch said it won't be easy.
“That place is tough," said Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "It’s really a hard race track to get hold of, now, especially when it’s hot and the sun is out. There are two completely different types of racing when you run the top versus the bottom groove. You can run from the top to the bottom, but when you run the bottom you really feel like you’re puttering around the race track. You feel like you aren’t making up any time on the bottom, but when you are running the top groove you feel like you’re getting the job done. The guys who run the bottom have a little bit more patience and handle it better than the guys who are on the gas on top.”
Busch should know his way around the track by now. After winning the race in 2005, he knows it doesn't take the fastest car to win a race at California Speedway.
“We ran in the top-five all day long, but we really didn’t think we had a winning car," Busch said. "When we got the lead a few times throughout the race, we just pulled away and led by quite a bit. It was really cool to have a really dominant race car. I remember having to drive the car really loose. That was the loosest I think I’ve ever driven a race car that was still moving forward. It was crazy because I came over the radio and told the guys I couldn’t believe how loose I have to drive the car. But it was fast.”

Tony Stewart has never won a race at California Speedway. His record at the track is not all that impressive. He has six top-10s in 13 career Cup races at California Speedway and his best finish has been a couple of fourth places, the most recent coming in 2001.
But for Stewart, the track is a welcome sight. For him it means getting away from the restrictor-plate, drafting nightmare of Daytona and to a track that allows drivers to race.
“What you do at California is solely based on what you and your team can do with your race car, not what drafting line you’re in or how the car behind you is going to affect your next move," said Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. "Once we get away from Daytona everything kind of settles into a groove. We’re back in the weekly grind. I enjoy going to California because I really feel that’s where our season starts."
Stewart is coming off a third-place finish in the Daytona 500 and was the highest-finishing Toyota in the field. But Stewart doesn't like having to rely on other drivers and work with them in a draft to finish well at Daytona. California Speedway gives drivers and teams the opportunity to perform at a high level without external circumstances.
"That’s a track where you don’t really worry about what everybody else’s car is doing," Stewart said. "You worry about what your car is doing. You’re racing the race track. You’re not racing everybody else. 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.”

Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing own California Speedway in February, but Jimmie Johnson always seems to be waiting to buy it.
Johnson, who has won two Cup races at California Speedway in his career, has never won the February race at the track. He has finished second twice and third once, but never won.
He did win the most recent race at California Speedway, the Labor Day weekend race in September.
But Johnson, who's won the past two Cup championships, is off to a poor start. After winning the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500, he spun out late in the race and finished 27th.
“It was a disappointing finish, no doubt," said Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "When you start on the front row, you definitely want to try and finish there. We had a couple of setbacks, but as a team, we know it’s how we respond to those setbacks that will dictate where we are in points at the end of the year. Even with the problems, we managed to stay on the lead lap. I’m proud of the team for that."
Johnson wasn't the only Hendrick car to have problems in the Daytona 500. Jeff Gordon had suspension issues and had to withdraw early and Casey Mears ran up into the wall with less than 10 laps to go in the race. Hendrick newcomer Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the only one of the team's four drivers to finish the race and he was ninth.
Johnson had a 39th-place finish at Daytona last year and went on to win his second Cup championship in a row.
"We bounced back from a bad finish at Daytona last year, so last weekend didn’t shake our confidence at all," Johnson said. "You’d definitely like to head to California in the top-10 (in points), but this early in the season, you just have to try and be consistent and get the best finishes you can. Everyone’s going to have a bad day at some point, so as long as we don’t have too many bad days ourselves, it will all shake out.”

In what could be a sign of things to come, a highly regarded Champ Car official has joined an Indy Racing League team.
Andretti Green Racing, which has a four-car team in the IRL IndyCar Series, hired Paul "Ziggy" Harcus on Tuesday as its team manger. Harcus was the director of operations for the Champ Car World Series.
"Paul is a great addition to our team," said Andretti Green's chief executive officer Kim Green, who co-owns Andretti Green with partners Michael Andretti and Kevin Savoree. "He has a wealth of experience and great knowledge that allows him to join Andretti Green and make an immediate contribution to our organization."
The IRL and Champ Car World Series have been in merger negotiations for the past two weeks. One IRL official said this is the closest the two sides have been to unifying since open-wheel racing in the United States split into two separate factions, the IRL and CART, the predecessor of Champ Car, in 1996.
Wire, newspaper and online reports indicate that a merger announcement could come as early as Friday, with the IRL absorbing a handful of Champ Car races and teams.

Matt Kenseth owns California Speedway. In February at any rate.
Kenseth has won the past two Cup races at California Speedway in February. But this year almost every team is bringing a new car to the track. This will be the first race for NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, the new stock car introduced last year in a handful of races and will be used in every race this season.
In addition to his two Cup wins, Kenseth has four Busch Series wins at California Speedway, a total of six and the most of any NASCAR driver at the track. The Busch Series is now the Nationwide Series.
"I never thought we'd win two years in a row, but I always feel pretty confident going to California," said Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. "It's been one of our better tracks throughout our time in the Nationwide Series and in the Cup Series, so it's one I certainly look forward to. You look forward to trying to go get some momentum back after a disappointing Daytona 500, so, hopefully, it'll be alright."
Kenseth finished 36th in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday. Kenseth said he is looking forward to racing the Car of Tomorrow at California Speedway.
“California’s just a real big, wide track," Kenseth said. "You get a little bit of everything there. You get a lot of speed, especially this new car has less drag, so you really go fast down the straightaways. It's got some pretty big corners where you can run around the bottom or you can run up high and you're always kind of searching for a groove, so it's always a lot of fun."
Kenseth crashed with his teammate David Ragan and damaged the front suspension on his car at Daytona. When Kenseth returned to the race, he was five laps down. Earlier in the race, Kenseth led a lap.
“Obviously, we had a disappointing finish in the 500, but we made some great adjustments on the car during the race," Kenseth said. "We went from being good to getting off a little to figuring out how to fix it and being pretty competitive right before we got wrecked. So, obviously, it was a disappointing finish but it wasn't certainly any of our guy's fault. We had good pit stops, good adjustments and had ourselves in contention, so I thought, overall, it was good."

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Jason Leffler, who calls Long Beach his hometown, will be honored at Smooth's Sports Grille in Long Beach on Wednesday.
The restaurant, owned by John Morris, will hang Leffler's firesuit and helmet and keep them on display in tribute to the driver.
“I always look forward to coming home to California but this trip is going to be even more special for me. Smooth’s Sports Grill is a staple in Long Beach and has been for the last 26 years," said Leffler, driver of the No. 38 Toyota for Braun Racing. "John Morris has made it a point to celebrate and pay tribute to other athletes from this area and I am honored to now be a part of that history. To be recognized for years of had work in such a way with my wife, Alison, and son, Charlie Dean as well as other family and friends there means a lot to me.”
Leffler will be in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at California Speedway.
He finished third in what was then the Busch Series standings last year and won the first race for Toyota in the Busch Series, at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis in July.
Before racing in NASCAR, Leffler won three USAC Midget National championships and a Silver Crown championship.
"We're excited to have Jason back home in Long Beach and to have him share his success with his fans, friends and family,” Morris said. “Jason will be inducted into the Smooth's "Legends of Long Beach" display and we'll be honored to have his photo and memorabilia adorning the restaurant's walls."

Ryan Newman is out front.
Some unlikely drivers follow.
The big question is how many drivers will stay in the top 12 when the Chase begins. Heck, how many will be in the top 12 when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to California Speedway in August.
Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch will most likely stay. Reed Sorenson, Robby Gordon and Bobby Labonte have never qualified for the Chase.
One thing is for sure, the standings will change when the Chase begins in September.

Days before the traditional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at California Speedway, otherwise known as the Auto Club 500, the track announced that its Labor Day weekend Cup race will be the Pepsi 500.
California Speedway announced a multiyear deal with Pepsi that includes Pepsi Smash concerts and other entertainment throughout the race weekend.
“Through this relationship with Pepsi we are aligning this race with a global brand that has had a presence in our sport for many decades. They place a huge focus on their racing program by partnering with premier names like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and now California Speedway,” said Gillian Zucker, President of California Speedway. “Pepsi’s presence in the entertainment world provides us with one more unique way to enhance the California Speedway fan experience.”
The Pepsi 500 will be Aug. 31 and will accompany the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Aug. 30. The California Speedway race is the 25th race of the season, two races before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. It has been a pivotal race in determining which drivers and teams qualify for the 10-race playoff to determine the Cup champion.
In addition to becoming the title sponsor of the race, Pepsi will introduce several Hydration Stations set up at the Speedway. These stations will feature reduced-priced Aquafina water for fans throughout the race weekend and will be located in the Opportunity, California FanZone by Apex and between sections 30-40 and 31-41.
“The Pepsi 500 will be a three-day event unlike any other race on the calendar,” said Ralph Santana, VP of sports, media and interactive marketing, Pepsi-Cola North America. “To celebrate being in the state where Jeff Gordon has such deep roots, we’re going to bring a little Hollywood to the race weekend with a Pepsi Smash concert and other innovative entertainment events that we know the fans will enjoy.”

The Daytona 500 was supposed to be a continuation of the Hendrick Motorsports dominance. It was supposed to be the coming out party for Toyota.
What it turned out to be was the return of the Dodge.
Roger Penske can finally add a Daytona 500 win to all his Indianapolis 500 wins. Ryan Newman can put his Daytona 500 win total up against Sam Hornish's Indy 500 win total now too.
After the race, Newman gave all the credit to his Penske Racing teammate, Kurt Busch, for giving him a much-needed push to win the race.
"Without a doubt, he could have easily gone three-wide and split us through the center and made one heck of a mess there going into three, but he chose to be a teammate," said Newman, driver of the No. 12 Dodge for Penske Racing. "That's the most honorable thing that he could do. I would have done the same thing to him. Just thank him a bunch. Thank our Penske/Jasper engine group for the great horsepower."
All the talk leading up to the Daytona 500 was about how great the Hendrick cars still were and how much better the team was going to be with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior had a chance to win the race, but dropped back on the last lap and finished ninth.
His Hendrick teammates all crashed or had mechanical problems. Jeff Gordon was the first to go with a suspension failure. Jimmie Johnson was next when he spun out. Casey Mears ran up the track and hit the wall with less than 10 laps to go. That left Earnhardt Jr. alone and without a teammate as the race came to an end.
As for Toyota, the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates of Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch made a late surge, but the best they could do was third place.
This was a race for Dodge. Newman and Busch finished 1-2. Then came Stewart and Kyle Busch, followed by four more Dodges.
Reed Sorenson, Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne and Robby Gordon gave Dodge six of the top-eight spots at Daytona. Add Bobby Labonte's 11th place and Dodge had seven of the top 11 spots.
“We got a different situation with this car at this racetrack," Newman said about seeing six Dodges finish in the top eight. "I think that's part of it. I think our Penske/Jasper engine did a great job. That made up for two of the six. That's a lot in itself. Just when you're trying to run wide open, the horsepower underneath the hood makes a big difference when the cars are similar. Outside of that, it's probably a part just racing.”

Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman will be at Hollywood and Highland as part of California Speedway Day in L.A. on Wednesday. This will be the third annual event celebrating the winner of the Daytona 500 and a prelude to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at California Speedway.
Newman, driver of the No. 12 Dodge for Penske Racing, won Sunday's Daytona 500, the 50th anniversary of the race.
California Speedway Day in L.A. is from noon to 2 p.m. Newman will be available to sign autographs for fans in the Central Courtyard on the second floor of the Hollywood and Highland complex.
The Auto Club 500, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at California Speedway, is Feb. 24. It highlights a weekend of races, including the Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series on Saturday.
Qualifying for the Cup race is Friday at California Speedway.

There's been a lot of talk and discussion about whether Toyota can win the Daytona 500. One thing is for sure, they have a better chance than Ford.
There are more Toyotas in the Daytona 500 field than Fords. In that regard, Toyota has already surpassed at least of the traditional powers in NASCAR.
Perhaps the Nationwide Series race was an indication of how the Cup race will play out. Three of the top-four cars were Toyotas. But results in the Nationwide Series, formerly known as the Busch Series, do not always translate into Cup.
Toyota has won races in the Busch Series and now one in the Nationwide Series. Tony Stewart won the Nationwide Series race in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and is considered one of the favorites to win the Daytona 500.
Earnhardt Jr. said it is no surprise the Toyotas are fast, at both the Nationwide and Cup series levels.
"I knew it was real when we first come down here to test," said Earnhardt Jr., who finished third in the Nationwide Series race, the only Chevrolet driver in the top four. "The Toyota has been fast. Those guys, you know, got the knowledge to get cars around the track, know how to get to Victory Lane. They're gonna be tough I think all year."
Denny Hamlin was second and Brian Vickers was fourth in the Nationwide Series race. For the Daytona 500, Michael Waltrip in a Toyota is starting the race on the front row with Jimmie Johnson and the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, Stewart, Hamlin and Kyle Busch, are all legitimate threats to win the race.
"They build great race cars," Earnhardt Jr. said. "They're a good company. I had the privilege of being able to get a good look at it one time. It's a pretty impressive place. I think they'll always be a challenge."
Joe Gibbs Racing made the switch from Chevrolet engines to Toyotas. They join Michael Waltrip Racing, Team Red Bull Racing, Bill Davis Racing and Hall of Fame Racing as Toyota-powered teams in Cup. Hall of Fame Racing, like Joe Gibbs Racing, is using Toyotas for the first time this year.
"I didn't think they wouldn't have made the change if it wasn't for the better," Earnhardt Jr. said. "It's obviously going to help them a lot over the years."

Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are the favorites to win Sunday's Daytona 500 according to odds released by betEd.com.
The Hendrick Motorsports trio each has a 9-2 chance of winning the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Tony Stewart and his new Toyota from Joe Gibbs Racing is next at 6-1.
From there, the odds drop off pretty dramatically. Kevin Harvick, last year's Daytona 500 winner, and Kurt Busch are 15-1 to win the race.
The top Ford driver is Matt Kenseth for Roush Fenway Racing, listed at 20-1. Denny Hamlin, who won one of the Gatorade Duels in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, is 18-1.
I can see Earnhardt being the favorite. He's already won two races at Daytona this month and probably should have a little better odds than Johnson and Gordon at this point.
As for Stewart, he just has bad luck in the Daytona 500. He's becoming the next Dale Earnhardt in this regard. There's no way he should have these good of odds to win the race.
Kenseth is an interesting pick. Of all the Ford guys, he has the best chance. But the way things have been going at Daytona, any Ford driver is a longshot.
If I was betting on this race, and I would never endorse betting on NASCAR, the two sleepers I would take a hard look at are Reed Sorenson and Casey Mears.
Sorensen isn't even listed and would be a field bet at 10-1. There are only 28 drivers listed with specific odds, meaning a bet for Sorenson would mean a bet for 15 drivers who have very little chance of finishing the race, let alone winning it.
But Sorenson looked really good in his Duel race. Might be worth a look.
As for Mears, the other Hendrick Motorsports driver, he's 30-1 to win the Daytona 500. That's a good bet for a driver and team that presumably has the same equipment as Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. Keep in mind that he is driving for the team that put together Kyle Busch's cars last year. That team made the Chase and won a race last year. That race was Bristol, but still, it wasn't like Busch had crap cars all year.
The real longshots are David Ragan, Robby Gordon, Patrick Carpentier and Paul Menard. They are all 120-1 to win the Daytona 500 and quite honestly, that's being optimistic.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports and Toyota have been winning pretty much everything at Daytona International Speedway over the past couple weeks. Ford finally has something it can hang its headers on: the pole for tonight's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.
Erik Darnell, driver of the No. 99 Ford F-150 for Roush Fenway Racing won the pole for the Truck Series race. Roush is no stranger to winning races at Daytona, especially in the Truck Series. Mark Martin and Carl Edwards have won a truck races at the track for Roush. Travis Kvapil finished third in last year's truck race at Daytona driving for Roush.
"If you look at Roush's success over the years at the superspeedway tracks, they've run really well, whether it's here or at Talladega," Darnell said. "And Carl won this race and Mark won this race, even when we didn't win, we've been running up front. Travis Kvapil almost won this race last year. I know that our team puts some real good trucks underneath me and they've given me the equipment to go out there and win and do my job. It's just kind of up to me to do my job and keep it up front. I think we've really got a shot at the
victory."
Last year's Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. will start fifth.
“I don’t know what to say. These guys have done an awesome job on this Camping World Silverado," said Hornaday, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc. "I’m a little disappointed because we lost a tenth (of a second) somewhere. I tried to go around the bumps the first time, and through them the second time, but maybe we just scrubbed a little too much speed."
Jack Sprague, who won last year's Truck Series race at Daytona and a new teammate of Hornaday's at KHI, will start sixth.
"It was a lot better than I expected," said Sprague, driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado for KHI. "Sitting there on pit road waiting to go out, the truck kept getting colder and wetter with dew and the times kept slowing down, I kept thinking 'Man, I am going to run a 52 flat. But the guys did a great job. We were about two-tenths off Ron in single truck runs earlier, but we ended up within eight hundredths of him. That is pretty good."

Toyota showed no signs of slowing after posting impressive times and speeds in preseason testing. Denny Hamlin, driving the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, won his Gatorade Duel qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway. Dale Jarrett, in the No. 44 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, finished high enough in his duel race to q